February 05, 2007

US Helicopters Shot Down (Video)

The US says it will change the flight tactics used by our helicopters to reduce the risk of them being shot down.

Via Boston Globe: BAGHDAD -- The US command has ordered changes in flight operations after four helicopters were shot down in the last two weeks, the chief military spokesman said yesterday, acknowledging for the first time that the aircraft were lost to hostile fire.

The crashes, which began Jan. 20, follow insurgent claims that they have received new stocks of anti aircraft weapons -- and a recent boast by Sunni militants that "God has granted new ways" to threaten US aircraft.
Major General William Caldwell said the investigations into the crashes of three Army and one private helicopters were incomplete, but "it does appear they were all the result of some kind of anti-Iraqi ground fire that did bring those helicopters down."

It was the first time a senior figure in the US Iraq command had said publicly that all four helicopters were shot down.

Ok new tactics. The tactic I suggest we use is to find out who sent these SA7 missiles to Iraq and send them a message.

Say if it was Baathists in Syria I would think that Assad's palace would be a fair trade for two of out fine Pilots. Hopefully he will be home when the message is delivered.

Same thing if they came through Iran.

The video was released by the ISI formerly known as Abu Musab al-Zaqawi's MSC. These are terrorists who have murdered over 1000 Iraqis in one week. Any state we find sending them weapons and support should be held to account, and none too gently at that.

Hat Tip: Jason.

Update: I've noted serveral problems with the video other than the low quality see below the fold.

During the first sequence of the two choppers flying it appears normal. But there is no indication of when or where this occurs. Next the Jihadis crouching in the ditch appears to be very similar to a previous video and may be spliced in for effect. Then the firing sequence ends abruptly. I can see some sort of flash but it's not clear if this is a shoulder fired missile or just one of their crappy homemade rockets. Why does it end there? Seems odd like they are hiding something. Then the next sequence of the chopper and smoke is very low quality and from a great distance. It's obviously a chopper going down but you cant tell what kind or when. It could be old footage spliced into this vid.

The bottom line is that some of our craft have been shot down. But this vid is very questionable and the odds that it is of the actual attack are slim. All the Nashids (songs) and speech could also be spliced into this vid.

So since I am updating this thread at 2:00 am something must have come up. I'll probably be out on Tuesday but when I return on Wednesday, I'll pull some frame grabs to demonstrate what my doubts are.

That's why they call it propaganda. They want you to believe it's real. But their followers go for this crap hook, line and sinker. They believe it is real and proof of this or that. Silly Jihadis, if this is all it takes to impress them.....

First we have the opening sequence of hoppers flying overhead and then a cut to three Jihadis. They appear to be planting roadside IED's but we can't tell for sure as they have censored the images. See the black box. If you are holding a SA 7 show it or I won't believe you.

The other jihadi appears to be setting the detonator cable for the bomb but his hands are blurred. Why?

The only part that may be real is of the actual shot at 1:54. But still you cannot tell what happened, just some smoke and then a red flash.

But then in the following long distance shot there is another flash at a much higher altitude. Hmm could be a secondary problem that actually brought the chopper down after it was hit. Bottom line for me is that this pieced together choppy video proves nothing. It may be real, it may not be, but it is Jihadi propaganda and crappy propaganda at that.

An actual credible shootdown looks something like this.