3 Helicopters Lost in Iraq Since Jan. 20
"Since May 2003, the U.S. military has lost 54 helicopters in Iraq, about half of them to hostile fire, according to figures compiled by the Brookings Institution. In addition, an OH-6A helicopter owned by the private security company Blackwater USA crashed last Tuesday in Baghdad in heavy gunfire, killing four civilian contractors.
(...)
If the insurgents have new weapons or have decided to step up attacks on aviation, that would be a major problem for U.S. commanders, who rely heavily on helicopters not only in combat but also to move soldiers and supplies around the country. Helicopters have been used more and more as the war progressed to avoid a bigger threat from roadside bombs, the major killer of American and Iraqi forces."
Moscow's Graveyard
"His prayers were answered. At dusk, a formation of 12 Soviet copters appeared over the camelback hills, and Ghafar hoisted the missile launcher onto his shoulder, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The Stinger misfired like a dud firecracker and snaked crazily through the tall wheat. "I was worried that the Soviets had seen the missile flash and would be after us," Ghafar recounts. Calmly, he prepared another Stinger in the launch tube and shot again.
That moment was the turning point in the Afghan war. The Stinger, attracted by the heat of the helicopter's motors, struck home. "It was like somebody had thrown feathers in the sky, all these pieces from the destroyed helicopter came floating down," Ghafar recalls. He was under strict orders from his CIA mentors to launch only one missile, but elated by his triumph, he reloaded and shot. Again, a helicopter exploded in the sky. The remaining choppers scattered for safety. That afternoon, the Soviets lost their air supremacy over Afghanistan and the tide began turning against the Red Army."
"Since May 2003, the U.S. military has lost 54 helicopters in Iraq, about half of them to hostile fire, according to figures compiled by the Brookings Institution. In addition, an OH-6A helicopter owned by the private security company Blackwater USA crashed last Tuesday in Baghdad in heavy gunfire, killing four civilian contractors.
(...)
If the insurgents have new weapons or have decided to step up attacks on aviation, that would be a major problem for U.S. commanders, who rely heavily on helicopters not only in combat but also to move soldiers and supplies around the country. Helicopters have been used more and more as the war progressed to avoid a bigger threat from roadside bombs, the major killer of American and Iraqi forces."
Moscow's Graveyard
"His prayers were answered. At dusk, a formation of 12 Soviet copters appeared over the camelback hills, and Ghafar hoisted the missile launcher onto his shoulder, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The Stinger misfired like a dud firecracker and snaked crazily through the tall wheat. "I was worried that the Soviets had seen the missile flash and would be after us," Ghafar recounts. Calmly, he prepared another Stinger in the launch tube and shot again.
That moment was the turning point in the Afghan war. The Stinger, attracted by the heat of the helicopter's motors, struck home. "It was like somebody had thrown feathers in the sky, all these pieces from the destroyed helicopter came floating down," Ghafar recalls. He was under strict orders from his CIA mentors to launch only one missile, but elated by his triumph, he reloaded and shot. Again, a helicopter exploded in the sky. The remaining choppers scattered for safety. That afternoon, the Soviets lost their air supremacy over Afghanistan and the tide began turning against the Red Army."
posted by nolocontendere at 11:47 PM
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