The Sun gets the A-10 blue-on-blue tape

Hi. I normally post on the vintage forum, but I was rivetted watching and listening to this on the TV this morning. The Sun, I believe, deserves our thanks for a service well done. And I never thought I’d be saying that.

THIS is the full transcript of the cockpit video from call sign POPOV36 during the disastrous friendly fire attack on the Household Cavalry patrol. Lasting just over 15 minutes, it begins just before the A-10 Thunderbolt pilot spots the four British vehicles.
The local time is 4.36pm, or 1.36pm Greenwich Mean Time which is what the military use.
The killer pilot’s wingman, hunting targets with him in a second A-10, had the call sign POPOV35.
The other main call signs on the radio net are MANILA HOTEL, MANILA34, and LIGHTNING34 — three US Marine Corps Forward Air Controllers on the ground attached to British units.
Later on, other call signs come on the net to relay emergency ceasefire messages.
They are SKY CHIEF, an American AWAC jet controlling the overall air battle and COSTA58, a British pilot nearby.
The time code in hours, minutes and seconds is from the digital clock on the pilot’s display.
Transcript starts:
1336.30 MANILA HOTEL:
POPOV from MANILA HOTEL. Can you confirm you engaged that tube and those vehicles?
1336.36 POPOV35:
Affirm Sir. Looks like I’ve got multiple vehicles in reverts at about 800 metres to the north of your arty rounds. Can you switch fire, and shift fire, and get some arty rounds on those?
1336.47 MANILA HOTEL:
Roger, I understand that those are the impacts you observed earlier on my timing?
1336.51 POPOV35:
Affirmative.
1336.52 MANILA HOTEL:
Roger, standby. Let me make sure they’re not on another mission.
1336.57 POPOV36:
Hey, I got a four ship. Looks like we got orange panels on them though. Do we have any friendlies up in this area?
1337.03 MANILA HOTEL:
I understand that was north 800 metres.
1337.12 MANILA HOTEL:
POPOV, understand that was north 800 metres?
1337.16 POPOV35:
Confirm, north 800 metres. Confirm there are no friendlies this far north on the ground.
1337.21 MANILA HOTEL:
That is an affirm. You are well clear of friendlies.

The rest of the transcript is at The Sun.co.uk.