Article

2008-09-14 India-Pakistan

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Fred 2008-09-14 00:00|| || Front Page|| [14 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1 solution = UAfighters

Posted by mhw 2008-09-14 00:16|| 2008-09-14 00:16|| Front Page Top

#2 I say we take the F-16s back and use'em to fly missions inside Pakistan.

Posted by Mike N. 2008-09-14 00:23|| 2008-09-14 00:23|| Front Page Top

#3 I wonder what can pull more G's on a turn?

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-09-14 00:49|| 2008-09-14 00:49|| Front Page Top

#4 The Predator is great for doing somersaults, all the way to the ground.

Gee, DoD and DoS, how's the alternate Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan supply route shaping up? Or is it another case of not planning ahead?

Posted by ed 2008-09-14 01:15|| 2008-09-14 01:15|| Front Page Top

#5 You just know that every single fast mover pilot in the region that belongs to the US is sitting there itching for a "Avenge the Predator" mission if Paks are insane enough to fire on one of the drones.

Posted by Silentbrick">Silentbrick 2008-09-14 02:54|| 2008-09-14 02:54|| Front Page Top

#6 Or is it another case of not planning ahead?

Oh, I'm sure W just flipped this decision out there without thinking about it a bit.

Posted by gorb 2008-09-14 04:43|| 2008-09-14 04:43|| Front Page Top

#7 The Air Force's decision followed bloody incursions by the US ground troops into the tribal belt as well as a string of missile strikes by US-operated drone aircrafts

Is that true? Perhaps GWB intends to finish up as America focuses on lipstick.

Posted by Betty Grating2215 2008-09-14 04:49|| 2008-09-14 04:49|| Front Page Top

#8 For heaven's sake, am I the only one who is able to hover his mouse over the link and notice that this is from an IRANIAN agency?

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-09-14 05:08|| 2008-09-14 05:08|| Front Page Top

#9 Gee, DoD and DoS, how's the alternate Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan supply route shaping up?

Word is that the grand reopening of the trans-Persia portion of the Silk Road is almost at hand. Well that or the correction of Afghanistan's status as a landlocked nation.

Posted by AzCat 2008-09-14 05:31|| 2008-09-14 05:31|| Front Page Top

#10
JFM nails it.

Posted by lotp 2008-09-14 07:49|| 2008-09-14 07:49|| Front Page Top

#11 JFM,
Right you are, sir. On the other hand, my understanding is that with well trained pilots, a superb C3 system (including AWACS) and better mods of the F-16 than the Pakistanis have (their birds aren't as good as ours, and are missing some...um...key systems)they might be able to locate and bring down a drone.
The Paks have none of those things.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2008-09-14 08:02|| 2008-09-14 08:02|| Front Page Top

#12 JFM, are you suggesting the report would be more credible if it came from the MSM? As far as I can tell, they're working for the same boss.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-09-14 08:13|| 2008-09-14 08:13|| Front Page Top

#13 Tribal elders and witnesses in Miranshah told local news networks that they had seen Pakistani fighter planes hovering over North Waziristan.

They have Harriers?

Posted by Raj 2008-09-14 08:45|| 2008-09-14 08:45|| Front Page Top

#14 F-16 loiter time? Distance of Predator country from F-16 bases? From Afghan air space 'safe haven'?
Would be a 'shame' if an F-16 missile overshot a Predator and accidentally slammed into a militant Madrassa (but I doubt they can aim that well.)

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2008-09-14 09:17|| 2008-09-14 09:17|| Front Page Top

#15 I had the impression from another article here that the packs might be stepping up enforcement - maybe the additional air power is cover for that.

Posted by Bobby 2008-09-14 11:29|| 2008-09-14 11:29|| Front Page Top

#16 The Pakistanis will do all they can to protect their jihadis. They provide it with crucial leverage against Afghanistan and India. Pakistan will not give up jihad.

There are known terrorist compounds less than a kilometer from Peshawar garrison with its sixty thousand regular army troops. They havn't moved.

Posted by john frum 2008-09-14 12:25|| 2008-09-14 12:25|| Front Page Top

#17 John... would they move if one of those camps just disappeared?

Posted by 3dc 2008-09-14 13:43|| 2008-09-14 13:43|| Front Page Top

#18 To rescue their buddies? Sure.

Posted by john frum 2008-09-14 14:50|| 2008-09-14 14:50|| Front Page Top

#19 Importantly, in another article, off Drudge, it was noted that US drones are now flying in groups of three!

Any of you AF types, what does this mean, other than three times as much firepower? Is there a tactical advantage to this? I note that B-52s at least used to fly in groups of three on Arc Light missions.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-09-14 18:48|| 2008-09-14 18:48|| Front Page Top

#20 That's why they're calling these Arc Lite.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-09-14 19:04|| 2008-09-14 19:04|| Front Page Top

#21 I don't think they're going to want to start downing our drones. Especially if the cost is the destruction of their air force. Fighter aircraft are expensive to replace.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2008-09-14 21:23|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2008-09-14 21:23|| Front Page Top

#22 C'mon folks, it's a basic ploy, while they're out chasing drones a flight of bombers takes out their landing field.

For added nasty, take the field out as they're on final approach, be sure and have a couple of fighters to make sure their landing is a messy one shoot them down as they make their final flare just before touchdown.

No base, no planes, old tactics.

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2008-09-14 22:11|| 2008-09-14 22:11|| Front Page Top

#23 C'mon folks, it's a basic ploy, while they're out chasing drones a flight of bombers takes out their landing field.

For added nasty, take the field out as they're on final approach, be sure and have a couple of fighters to make sure their landing is a messy one shoot them down as they make their final flare just before touchdown.

No base, no planes, old tactics.

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2008-09-14 22:11|| 2008-09-14 22:11|| Front Page Top

#24 So are pilots. It would only happen once.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-09-14 22:12|| 2008-09-14 22:12|| Front Page Top

#25 If it's timed right, once might be enough, NS. ;-p

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2008-09-14 22:40|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2008-09-14 22:40|| Front Page Top

23:55 DoDo
23:49 mom
23:46 3dc
23:45 3dc
23:39 3dc
23:39 AlmostAnonymous5839
23:27 European Conservative
23:25 Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields
23:25 Old Patriot
23:16 DarthVader
23:08 CrazyFool
22:57 Old Patriot
22:53 DarthVader
22:49 Glenmore
22:43 DMFD
22:41 Barbara Skolaut
22:40 Barbara Skolaut
22:32 Redneck Jim
22:20 Redneck Jim
22:18 FOTSGreg
22:15 Zhang Fei
22:12 Nimble Spemble
22:11 Redneck Jim
22:11 Redneck Jim