Article

2017-01-19 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

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 3dc 2017-01-19 14:46|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top
File under: Islamic State

#1 One says about thirty miles south-west of Sirte, Libya. B-2, interesting choice.

Posted by swksvolFF 2017-01-19 14:54|| 2017-01-19 14:54|| Front Page Top

#2 Maybe the pilots needed some in-air fueling practice or something.

Seems like overkill to use the B-2, though. Don't know if the Isis/Isil/Scumbag folks have decent radar setups or not, so it's conjecture on my part.

A BUFF run would have been good practice, too.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2017-01-19 15:21|| 2017-01-19 15:21|| Front Page Top

#3 It does seem like major overkill, unless it was a live fire training run to impress Russia. A bunch of cruise missiles would have been cheaper.

Posted by DarthVader 2017-01-19 16:23|| 2017-01-19 16:23|| Front Page Top

#4 Yeah, other than why not? I can only think of a couple reasons.

Afraid someone who has access to radar would tip off the camp?

Flew over a country which would not have been keen on the overflight?

Only thing available on short notice and ticking clock?

Carried an ordinance specific to the B-2?

Posted by swksvolFF 2017-01-19 16:50|| 2017-01-19 16:50|| Front Page Top

#5 Shredding evidence of collusion.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2017-01-19 17:20|| 2017-01-19 17:20|| Front Page Top

#6 #1 & #2 of your 'suggestions' are fair possibilities, swksvolFF.

There should be other assets somewhere in the region that would obviate your #3, although I don't know what readiness level they'd be at. Certainly in the time it took the B-2s to come almost halfway around the world, something could be in place.

#4 is curiously interesting.

I'd still would have liked to see a squadron of BUFFs take out the whole district. That would indeed be overkill, but jeez it would be interesting to watch.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2017-01-19 21:26|| 2017-01-19 21:26|| Front Page Top

#7 One word - Kuznetsov

Posted by Tzsenator 2017-01-19 21:27|| 2017-01-19 21:27|| Front Page Top

#8 Trial flights against the S-300/400 upgrade.

Posted by Skidmark 2017-01-19 21:57|| 2017-01-19 21:57|| Front Page Top

#9 Skid, If I remember my briefings correctly, Libya only had SA-2 and HAWKs. No S-300/400 block launchers were ever delivered.

Posted by DarthVader 2017-01-19 23:08|| 2017-01-19 23:08|| Front Page Top

#10 DM has a nice dated piece on the 2011 Libyan strike, with pictures of course.

DV, if they flew a loop between Aviano and Moron with Sirte and Syria as waypoints everyone could watch the ADF C&C light up across the Med. Bombload could be the secondary mission.

Posted by Skidmark 2017-01-19 23:38|| 2017-01-19 23:38|| Front Page Top

23:46 gorb
23:44 gorb
23:41 rjschwarz
23:38 Skidmark
23:35 Barbara
23:33 Barbara
23:28 Barbara
23:08 DarthVader
22:44 Grunter
22:40 Charles
22:25 Skidmark
22:23 Skidmark
22:13 Skidmark
22:09 Skidmark
22:05 Sock Puppet of Doom
21:57 Skidmark
21:41 CrazyFool
21:27 Tzsenator
21:26 Mullah Richard
20:47 Dino White9248
20:43 Dino White9248
20:35 SteveS
20:28 Pappy
20:20 Sonny Mussolini4178