| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| AP source: US Navy has encounter with Iranian jet |
| 2010-04-29 |
| WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. military official says the Navy had a close encounter with an Iranian surveillance jet last week in the Gulf of Oman. The official says the jet buzzed a Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower, coming within about 1,000 yards of the ship. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the April 21 incident occurred in international waters. The jet was described as a maritime patrol aircraft generally used for surveillance. The official says "there was nothing threatening about the aircraft itself or how it presented itself." The official could not confirm reports by NBC and CBS that the jet made three passes over the Navy ship. Ay Pee so this is all ya get. 1000 yards is close. Too close. I dunno, the Phalanx system, I hear, works well at that distance ... |
| Posted by:Deacon Blues |
| #6 Counting coup, so to speak. Heh. Tag! You're it. I rather suspect that no one in the CVBG was asleep at the switch and at the slightest sign of misbehavior a whole shitstorm of disapproval would be unleashed |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-04-29 18:40 |
| #5 Re #1 - When I was on active duty in 1972, my ship was one of the test beds for the Phalanx. We did a test where an F-4 towed a target for us to shoot at (and deliberately miss, so they could use it again). What I recall was that the Phalanx seemed to fill the air with bullets. Any target at 1000 yards would have been reduced to very small sized chunks of shrapnel. I wonder also how close the shadowing F-18 was to the Iranian jet. Or was it just keeping it in its missile sights? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-04-29 17:54 |
| #4 Would it be an act of war to shoot paintballs at the airplane? Counting coup, so to speak. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-04-29 15:07 |
| #3 I don't have any videos of Phalanx. The Iranian jet was in International airspace so there really was nothing the Eisenhower could do. Seems like a dry run for a Kamakazie attack to me. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-04-29 14:48 |
| #2 I get worried when I see Iranian jet, Navy ship and NBC in the same sentence. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-04-29 13:16 |
| #1 Deacon - any video of Phalanx tests on jet-sized objects? I recall seeing tests against the more typical targets - missiles, etc., but a Mig within 1000 yds is a pretty large object for the Phalanx to stop entirely. Still, might be enough to reduce it to shrapnel, but why would the CV cut this so close? |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-04-29 12:42 |