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Was chopper hit by IDF fire?
The Israel Air Force on Monday night continued to look into what caused the crash of a new Apache helicopter near Safed. At first, IAF sources reported that the aircraft apparently crashed due to a technical malfunction or a human error, but it later turned out that one of the possibilities looked into was that the chopper was hit by artillery fire of the Israel Defense Forces' "Destroyer" multiple launch rocket system. The two pilots killed in the crash are:

First Lieutenant Tom Farkash, 23, of Casarea
Colonel Tzvi Loft, 42, of Hogla

The "Destroyer" multiple launch rocket system is the most advanced multi-barreled rocket launcher in the world, which releases powerful fire that is scattered in the area and is considered statistical and not accurate.
Note: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - Israel has begun using its enhanced multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Middle East Newsline reports. The MLRS, which is designed to cut the number of rockets needed to destroy a target, uses a trajectory correction system known as the Destroyer to convert an unguided 227-mm projectile into a precision-guided munition. "This is the first time the system has been used on the battlefield," a military source said.
One sez precision-guided, one sez scattered. Make up your minds

This new weapon has been used by Israeli gunners in recent years, and is now being used for the first time in the battlefield against rocket launching sites in southern Lebanon. A possibility of a technical malfunction is still being checked.
Snip, some personal infos on the Ltn Tom Farkash, see link.

The incident in which two IDF soldiers were killed in the Bint Jbeil area in Lebanon was apparently also the result of friendly fire. A senior IAF officer said that the initial investigation into the incident revealed that an officer in the Golani Brigade command post identified an enemy force and ordered an aircraft to open fire at it; but a command post in Safed identified the “enemy force” as IDF troops and the aircraft was ordered to halt its fire.

Despite the incidents the Air Force has expressed captious optimism in light of the fact that no rockets were fired toward Haifa on Monday, saying it may be the result of the incessant attacks against Hizbullah targets in Lebanon.
Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-07-25
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=160767