C-5 plugged in Baghdad?

[Typhoon1244]

I don't remember hearing about this!

Maybe it's a non-event in a C-5:

[thud]

[yawn] "What was that?"

"Eh, I think we lost an engine."

"Oh." [snore]

 

[EagleRJ]

It happened shortly after the DHL A300 was hit. I think they were trying to keep it low-key.

Look on the engine pylons. It has an area marked off that says 'Cut here for emergency access'. Why on earth would you want to do that? Maybe to rescue the fuel shutoff valve after an accident? It's not a fire door...

 

[typhoonpilot]

A lot goes on there that we don't here about. Falcon Express, who fly Beech 1900s in there on a Fedex ( or is it UPS ? ) contract have been shot at at least once. Thought I heard a C-17 getting hit shortly after the Airbus as well.

Typhoonpilot

 

[bocefus]

Yeah, and your Congress want to put the same "very robust" missile defense systems on civil airliners. hmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[ShawnC]

Yeah, and your Congress want to put the same "very robust" missile defense systems on civil airliners. hmmmmmmmmmmm

Actually most (if not all) C-5's are considered non-combat aircraft and don't have counter measures for budgetary reasons.

Typhoon1224,

You might have been on a trip or something because it was all over the 24 hours news channels, and talk radio.

typhoonpilot,

I haven't heard of a C-17 hit, the C-5 and the A300 are the only two SAM hits that I have heard about.

 

[bocefus]

Perhaps, but the C-17 and many of the Chinooks and Blackhawks that have been hit certainly carry the very latest in MANPAD defenses

 

[Typhoon1244]

You might have been on a trip or something because it was all over the 24 hours news channels, and talk radio.

Very possible. I didn't know until a couple days ago that Princess Diana was dead.

I was all upset.

 

[ShawnC]

Perhaps, but the C-17 and many of the Chinooks and Blackhawks that have been hit certainly carry the very latest in MANPAD defenses

Like I said haven't heard of a C-17 hit, unless that is something in the past day or so. Helos are very exposed for Manpads, even with the disco ball going, because they are often hit while hovering and close to the ground, deadly conditions.

I am willing to beat that if NASA tested it, they would find that most airliners would be able to survive a low level SAM hit, even without ECM or flares, and be able to land.

 

[wms]

Copied from baseops.net


AP news:

U.S.: Plane Probably Hit, Lands in Iraq

December 10, 2003, 9:39 AM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Guerrillas hit a U.S. Air Force transport plane with a surface-to-air missile, causing the engine to explode, a senior Pentagon source said Wednesday. The plane landed safely.

The C-17 had just lifted off from Baghdad International Airport before dawn Tuesday when the engine exploded, slightly injuring one of the 16 passengers and crew, said U.S. Air Force Capt. Carrie Clear of 447th Air Expeditionary Group, based at the airport.

The plane returned to the airport and landed safely, Clear said.

A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the explosion as a direct hit by a ground-fired missile, "like the DHL" incident that damaged a cargo plane departing the airport last month. That plane, too, landed safely.

Clear said the incident was under investigation.

 

[ms6073]

Perhaps, but the C-17 and many of the Chinooks and Blackhawks that have been hit certainly carry the very latest in MANPAD defenses

It is quite possible that the helos were brought down with RPG's and not shoudler launched AA missiles as happened in Somalia in 1993. The RPG is a line of sight weapon and has no form of radar guidance system or thermal/infared seeker head so there would be nothing for the MANPAD to detect! In that case visual detection by the crew would be the only means of avoidance. Also, Kiowa, UH-60, even Chinook helicopters are can not withstand a large number of hits from sustained small arms fire before a critical system is effected.


Michael

 

[ShawnC]

wms,

First time I have heard of that. Intresting I didn't hear much about it on the news around here.