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| Iraq |
| A Time to Gather Stones Together |
| 2003-02-28 |
| Much Much interesting info here. Two of the most interesting things: As of 8 AM (eastern) on February 27, 2003 there were roughly 10 civilian aircraft at Fort Campbell preparing to transport the first elements of the 101st Airborne Division from the United States to Kuwait... Elements of the 509th Bomb Wing have received orders to deploy to a forward location in preperation for a war against Iraq, according to Reuters on February 27. It is not clear when the deployment will take place or how many aircraft will be involved but previous reports indicate that roughly 12-16 aircraft are to be made available and that multiple aircraft could be located at Diego Garcia, more than the two shelters that are available... That second item has particular gravity, in my opinion. There are, I believe, two of the special hangars at Diego Garcia and two in Britian. (And I think a couple more under construction on Guam.) The B-2 has problems with weather. Testing indicated that B-2s are also sensitive to extreme climates, water, and humidity — exposure to water or moisture can damage some of the low-observable enhancing surfaces on the aircraft. Further, exposure to water or moisture that causes water to accumulate in aircraft compartments, ducts, and valves can cause systems to malfunction. If accumulated water freezes, it can take up to 24 hours to thaw and drain. Air Force officials said it is unlikely that the aircraft's sensitivity to moisture and climates or the need for controlled environments to fix low-observability problems will ever be fully resolved, even with improved materials and repair processes. Therefore, if B-2s are to be deployed, some form of aircraft sheltering at a forward operating location will likely become a requirement in the future. The "vacancy" lights are off after 4 B-2s. So 8-12 B-2s are going to be "outside", and they can't be "outside" for long. I really wonder if all of this info should be gathered together like this. |
| Posted by:Pete Stanley |
| #10 Additional: There were eight civilian aircraft at Fort Campbell on February 28 with additional aircraft en route. According to The Courier-Journal on February 28, nearly 5,000 soldiers from the 101st had been deployed during the week. The article also reported that roughly eight to twelve flights a day have departed Fort Campbell. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-28 14:00:22 |
| #9 "Red October Tractor Factory" + JDAMs = crater. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-28 12:49:13 |
| #8 Yesterday we saw a post about the German army being transported through Russia. Today, we see a post about the "509th Bomb Wing". I feel like I'm caught in some kind of timewarp. If I was in Iraq, Its gotta make you sit up nights thinking about having the 509th** lurking about in aircraft you cant detect. ** 509th Bomb Wing was the group that dropped the "fat man" and "little boy" atmoic bombs that ended WWII. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2003-02-28 12:44:29 |
| #7 Avoid streetfighting near anything named "The Red October Tractor Factory"... ___________borgboy |
| Posted by: borgboy 2003-02-28 12:09:26 |
| #6 The battles for the major urban areas that are Sammy's seat of power will depend on what the civilian population is able to achieve from within. If Sammy can sit on them, then we have to take the cities out. If we are to avoid slugging it out block by block (which is just what Sammy wants) we will need do it asymmetrically which will specifically target the infrastructure. The current approach to Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) is to attack various aspects of infrastructure in a non-linear fashion, disable the enemy's ability to put up a coherent defense and pick off areas of weakened resistence - essentially using the cities inherent instability to defeat itself. By concentrating on infrastructure and avoiding block by block fighting we save lives on both sides - if it is done quickly and decisivley. The problem here is WMD. Something even Von Paulus didn't have to consider. We need to go in with violent speed, fix Sammy's commanders in place and get to them before they deploy any WMD if we are to truly minimze civilian casualties. Sammy will do everything he can to see that the population is brutalized in order to garner international sympathy. Remember, we aren't the problem here - Sammy is. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-02-28 11:55:16 |
| #5 "Lets hope we don't go soft on the air strikes due to political reservations" on the contrary, lets not win the battle and lose the war. We are doing this to change the region and drain the swamp that breeds terror. To do that we MUST minimize civilian casualties, and keep intact as much as possible of the infrastructure that Iraq will need and thea WE will need in the post-war. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-02-28 09:01:15 |
| #4 The hangers are needed to perform maintenance. You need controlled conditions to work on the radar absorbing material (RAM). Plus they wash the skin before flights to clean any dirt that might reflect radar. They'd cycle the planes through before any mission. The press likes to blow this thing up more than it is. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-28 07:38:06 |
| #3 Actually the significance of that could be not that they're staying away, but that they're going somewhere else instead. But where? Closer in? |
| Posted by: RW 2003-02-28 07:27:22 |
| #2 of possibly more significance is this item: "The Russian government has cancelled the naval deployment to the Indian Ocean according to the BBC on February 27." They are staying away, now. Which might indicate that we are rolling soon and they know it. |
| Posted by: Ben 2003-02-28 05:05:34 |
| #1 Let's be clear - we do not have all the intel. What we do have, is common knowledge. The logistics side I believe we have covered. The tactics is what worries me. Lets hope we don't go soft on the air strikes due to political reservations. Go in to win. Let's roll! |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-02-28 03:25:53 |