US F-15E Shoots Down 'Hostile' Predator-Like Drone in Syria

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: DupontDeux

It was a radar station in Laos, Lima 85.

On 12 January, CIA lookouts reported a four-plane formation heading in the direction of Site 85. Two aircraft split off, but the other two continued to Phou Phathi, where they bombed, strafed, and fired rockets at the ridgeline. Several local Hmong were killed. The CIA officers and the local Air Force forward air controller (FAC) fired on the slow-moving Antonov-2 Colt biplanes and called in an Air America helicopter in the area to assist. The helicopter, a Bell 212, the civilian version of the Huey, proved faster than the Colts. The Air America pilot flew alongside the Soviet-made biplanes and fired a submachinegun at them through the door. Both aircraft were shot down, and the rudder from one was taken to Longtiang, an Air America base, as a souvenir.

www.cia.gov...

Cool, thanks, so it was not so silly to ask!

Attacking US forces with biplanes - if not for the casualties, it is almost cute.

a reply to: EternalSolace

They bought F-14s under the Shah. They took delivery of them, along with spares and Phoenix missiles. They have 24 still in inventory and at least 16-18 still flying.

a reply to: Zaphod58

The last time that US forces suffered a casualty in an attack by a foreign aircraft was in 1953 in the Korean War.

You're misinformed on this matter.

The USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli airplanes in 1967 and there were casualties.

a reply to: Mikehawk

I'm not misinformed on this matter. The Liberty didn't have US aircraft operating near them to protect them. Same with the Stark. Neither one had aircraft that could have prevented the attacks. In 1953, when North Korean aircraft bombed US forces, they got through American aircraft that were there to prevent it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Please address the part I quoted.

You said no US servicemen died by foreign aircraft since Korean war, which is incorrect, it is a proven fact that in 1967 the USS Liberty was attacked by foreign aircraft with casualties contrary to your statement that the last time was the Korean war.

Sorry to give you a hard time I was just correcting your error.

With all due respect, please acknowledge.

a reply to: Mikehawk

Fine, just to be perfectly, absolutely, crystal clear correct for you, no US service member, while US aircraft were in range to protect them, has died from foreign aircraft attack since the Korean War, in 1953.

Satisfied now?

originally posted by: EternalSolace
a reply to: Zaphod58

Do they not travel in pairs or have a second in an AO to destroy or kill an enemy retrieval team in the unlikely case of a down or successful hack?


Off topic as well, but how did Iran even get an F-14?

We gave them some when the Country was a Ally of the US.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: EternalSolace

They bought F-14s under the Shah. They took delivery of them, along with spares and Phoenix missiles. They have 24 still in inventory and at least 16-18 still flying.

Are those the planes that we owed them money for, for not delivering all that they paid for? Or am I confusing stories?

a reply to: Chickensalad

No, they ordered 80 aircraft, and 79 were delivered before the Shah fled into exile. The last aircraft went to the US Navy for one of their test squadrons.

Iran had ordered several types of US fighters in the 70s, from the F-14, to the F-4 and F-5. In 1979, they had $8-10B in deals that they were looking at. They were planning on buying 160 F-16s, seven AWACS, four Destroyers, and communications equipment. They had paid $400M towards the F-16s at the time that relations tanked.