Article

2007-06-16 Iraq

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Posted by Steve White 2007-06-16 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 "Crashed" is a euphemism for "shot down". I wonder if it was AAA or SAM.

Posted by gromky 2007-06-16 02:45|| 2007-06-16 02:45|| Front Page Top

#2 Not necessarily. Could'a just crashed. Jet engines being jet engines and airframes being airframes.

Posted by Shipman">Shipman 2007-06-16 07:47|| 2007-06-16 07:47|| Front Page Top

#3 Sounds like the pilot got target fixated during a gun run and augured in. Same thing happened in Nov. 2006. Really, a $40Million high speed F-16 shouldn't be doing gun runs. Leave that to slower attack aircraft costing 1/10th.

Posted by ed 2007-06-16 07:50|| 2007-06-16 07:50|| Front Page Top

#4 But the A-10 Warthog isn't sexy.

Posted by Eric Jablow">Eric Jablow 2007-06-16 08:19|| 2007-06-16 08:19|| Front Page Top

#5 A-10 may not be sexy, but it's got TWO engines, while the F-16 has just one. Both aircraft were designed to address shortcomings that were revealed during our last major conflict (Vietnam) and went into service in the late 1970's. It takes environment stress (war) to force evolution (of weapons). THIS war is forcing rapid evolution of robotics and remote sensing. If that evolution proceeds normally, we will be a good leg up on the Chinese, if a war with them should develop: they may be able to match/steal the sensor and robotic hardware, but nothing but a war will 'de-bug' them.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-06-16 09:40|| 2007-06-16 09:40|| Front Page Top

#6 Very sad. Unofficial reports here say he was at 20,000+ and disappeared from radar and nosed in at night. No ejection. Could be a number of things, to include suicide. I doubt it was a MANPAD. Smoking holes don't tell stories. Doubt we will ever know.

Posted by Besoeker 2007-06-16 11:50|| 2007-06-16 11:50|| Front Page Top

#7 If he was at 20,000+ feet, any missile capable of reaching him would have been detected. If that was the case WE might never know, but the guys who need to would. Perhaps an oxygen system failure. Or a heart attack - ANG guys are older than too many friends I've lost that way in the past few years.
Sad.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-06-16 12:05|| 2007-06-16 12:05|| Front Page Top

#8 I was stationed at Shaw in the mid-1980's, when the wing there was transitioning to the F-16. The plane is not terribly forgiving. We had at least three crashes in a year, which is a lot. Most of the 'gotchas' have been identified, and pilots trained to recognize them. It's still an aircraft that requires constant supervision, or you end up as a hole in the ground. Won't speculate, except to say I doubt it was shot down, especially from 20K.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2007-06-16 13:04|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2007-06-16 13:04|| Front Page Top

#9 Could have been another problem with chafing in the 'fly by wire' system. Agree with OP on the unforgiving part. We didn't use to call them "Lawn Darts" for nothing.

Posted by Steve">Steve 2007-06-16 23:02|| 2007-06-16 23:02|| Front Page Top

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