JayDee

Yea, the golden bb would suck.

However, I think most people can agree that we have the most powerful military force in the world. We ARE the protectors of freedom. We have the right to be somewhat arrogant.

Besides, As I said before, IF we were really trying to spy, we wouldnt have been caught.

Just like if we were itching for a fight, we wouldnt have sent an S-3 in first.

I dunno, I guess people calling the US arrogant, or anything but damn great, just hits a sore nerve with me.

Specially since I got a call from a buddy of mine in Iraq, and he lost a good buddy of his yesterday. For people that are not or have not been soldiers I do not expect you to understand. But we love each other as I love my own brother or sister. So to lose one hurts us just as much.

I am not trying to make this political, but those are my opinions, and like ass holes, everyone has one, and they almost always stink.

FlyJSH

Think so? ask Gary Powers....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Powers

Slice

Gee, you think our technology may have improved a little since 1960?

FlyJSH

my guess is thiers has also...

all I am saying is a bit of fear and repect of one's enemies (no matter how "backward") is a good thing

Slice

I can't comment on the S-3 situation because I don't know what happened. It may have been intentional but probably not. We have airliners in the U.S. that stray off course everyday by mis-programming a black box, so it happens. I assure you the aviators down there are aware of the threats that are and are not present.

reCALcitrant

Fly Josh. I am going to guess by your post you have never been in combat nor fought an enemy. Am I wrong??

USMCFLYR

reCALcitrant -

Not sure where you are going with this question except that maybe you have problems with the words chosen by FlyJosh; but every bit of my training cautions against underestimating your opponet.

Second part for the general forum: The article actually said that it was an S-3 (I can't seem to open the link)? There aren't many of them still around and those that are still in service are usually busy passing gas.

Interesting in any case, but as Slice mentions - the crews in theater know the threat.

USMCFLYR

JayDee

Im not saying we shouldnt respect them. Fear brings irrational decisions. However, the point I am making is this, Their training is most likely sub par at best. Their equipment is decent, but it takes a skilled pilot to make it work. I doubt they have more than 4-5 of them, and even if they have more, again, I doubt if they have enough skilled pilots to effectively mount an operation.

I really think this was just a good chance of ole chavo down there to flex his muscles a bit. He knows it was accidental. He knows what would have happend had he launched fighters against us. We went into Iraq on less than that.

FlexThrust

Do you really think the world works that way? Are you really implying that we would go to war because a foreign country acted to intercept an aircraft in its airspace?

FlyJSH

I chose my words badly. "Respect", as USMCFLYR said, is better.


No, I was never on a front line. I worked sigint and elint and got out a dozen years ago.

I have seen some tactics used by "under trained" enemy personnel which were able to slip through the cracks in our defenses. I'm not saying we wouldn't win head to head in a dog fight. Even THEY know they would lose such a battle. But a guy in a cold war MiG can, with creative planning and flying, can get close enough to do some damage and hopefully run away. Sort of use his plane as a sniper rifle rather than attempt air superiority.

Specific examples I have seen (and touched) were two MiGs that landed on US soil in 91 and 93. (One was undetected: the other was detected and written off as being a civil GA craft.)

The Britts have a little experience with South American countries too. See HMS Sheffield http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sheffield_%28D80%29


((side note for USMCFLYR: spell check has a hard time with your name. ISOMORPHICALLY.... what the heck is that?))

((and to clarify my name, it is FlyJSH ... as in Fly Just So Happy ))