Images of A-10s being buried in pits at the following.

http://www.pats-world.com/gulfwar/abdr-197.htm

F-4 stripped and apparently buried.

http://www.pats-world.com/gulfwar/abdr-f4.htm

TJ

A4Scooter,

The Adour engine, even with the upgrade, was the limiting factor. The Jaguar could have been deployed to Afghanistan, but it would have only been used to augment an already deployed type such as Harrier or Tornado.

6 Squadron conducted a trial

See post #112 from ‘Joker1’

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/273270-jaguar-farewell-6.html

‘… We looked very carefully at the option to go to Kandahar and it was possible. We could not have operated at the peak of the hottest days but we were only ever looked at to augment the JFH, not replace them, so that they could have a less punishing op cycle. The Harrier is an excellent CAS platform but we could have credibly relieved some of the burden.’

TJ

Could any of the Red Harrows enthusiasts post a video of their recent displays?

I had the pleasure to see them perform at Farnborough, great show!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+arrows+2009&search_type=&aq=f

TJ

] the Su-27SM, the Su-33 (= Su-27K), Su-27M (= Su-35 (1.designation) or Su-37) and the Su-27BM (= Su-35 (not Su-35BM)) all have the IFR-probe !

Just wondering: has NATO given up the practice of assigning alpha-numeric designations and names to non-NATO (esp Chicom and Russian) heloes, missiles, and planes; and adopting their domestic designations and names?
I mean, after the J-8 Finback, the J-10 and J-11 don’t seem to have colourful nicknames?
The missiles are also called DF-99, HQ-99, PL-99, &c?

OTOH, I guess Russian missiles will continue as SA-99, SS-99, &c, instead of their domestic 9K99, &c?

No. J-11 is Flanker. NATO doesn’t name anything, but is simply on the distribution list. ASIC, formerly ASCC, designate Russian and Chinese aircraft/helos only. Two non-NATO nations make up ASIC Australia and New Zealand. The NATO nations being UK, US, & Canada. Other working groups & DoD assign and designate everything else.

The most accurate list on the web.

http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html

Sadly it happens every year! If they aren’t secured then they will be lifted.

http://news.google.co.uk/news?rlz=1C1GGLS_en-GBGB350GB350&sourceid=chrome&q=STOLEN%20POPPY&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wn

Lonevolk,
Have a look at post #252 on the link posted for the list of F-117 active in Europe for Allied Force.

All accounted for at the time of leaving Europe and noted afterwards.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=55238&highlight=80-0786&page=9

TJ

It’s not as difficult as you and TEEJ seem to be implying.

Aircraft came from numerous airfields and didn’t necessarily land back where they took off from. The airspace and airports of just about every neighboring country were used.

What about Navy aircraft from carriers?

Another obvious way to explain a loss is to say it was due to technical reasons. From the top of my head, I seem to remember that some aircraft were reported crashed during the actual conflict and shortly afterwards.

—–

** Here’s one claim that I’m aware of with a name to it:

May 1999: Senior sergeant Zoran Tepavac (250th AD Brigade) scored a hit on a Harrier with a Strela-2M (SA-7B).

Nato report from 2. May 1999:

The second lost plane was a Harrier jump jet, which crashed into the Adriatic Sea while returning to the amphibious assault carrier USS Kearsarge from a training mission. Its pilot was also rescued, Shea said.

(CNN report from the time)

—————-

Regarding the report of the damaged F-117…

The original report comes from Zoltan Dani.

Here’s a couple more “Venik victims” 😉 (poor deluded souls :))

Colonel Everest E.Riccioni: “Description of our Failing Defence Acquisition System.” Project on government oversight, 8 March 2005.

Note: “This event, which occurred during the Kosovo conflict on 27 March, was a major blow to the US Air Force. The aircraft was special: an F-117 Nighthawk stealth bomber that should have been all but invisible to the Serbian air defences. And this certainly wasn’t a fluke—a few nights later, Serb missiles damaged a second F-117.”

….

Apparently it’s mentioned in AFM again in 2002 (I don’t have the article myself)

Nixon, Mark. “Gallant Knights, MiG-29 in Action during Allied Force.” AirForces Monthly magazine, January 2002.

The USS Kearsarge was sitting off Brindisi when AV-8B, serial 164568, crashed due to pilot error. The US must at all costs deny Sergeant Tepavac his victory and so we will accuse the pilot of negligence.

What next?. Sergeant Dragan Stekovic claims that with his powerful sniper rifle he downs two Apaches in Albania?

Remember what you wrote in relation to the crashed OH-58?

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=55238&highlight=f-117&page=3

http://img3067.imagevenue.com/loc24/27214_oh_58d_bosnia_crash_may_1999.jpg

Another “accident”…a Kiowa that crashed right on the Bosnia-Serbia border due to “mechanical failure”

‘That’s a lot of “training” and “accidents” in the middle of a war….Forgive me if I find these explanations just a tad questionable’

Look at the number of sorties flown during that conflict? Training still continued regardless of the conflict, or is that a totally alien concept to you?

Although you are not a believer in mass losses you are still able to convince yourself that NATO is covering up single digit losses. Welcome to the world of conspiracy, Lonevolk!

Do some research on Colonel Everest E.Riccioni. He wasn’t in the loop during Allied Force. Col Riccioni retired from the USAF in 1976 and has an axe to grind with stealth and the Raptor. All Colonel Riccioni is doing is picking up and using the 1999 claims in the media. The claims that you think were from an official US source.

TJ

Lonevolk wrote

Good god

Are you saying it’s that difficult to explain the loss of a couple of aircraft??

Yes very much so. Explain in detail how exactly the losses can be covered up? Explain how aircraft deployed for Allied Force in plain sight of huge numbers of aircraft enthusiasts can simply go missing? Missing from the inventory and remain so to this day?

Ask Arthur if you want some verification on how hard it would be!

What conspiracy theory do you subscribe to? Secret opened up production lines? Aircraft A masquerading as aircraft B? Rotating serial numbers? All this under the watch of thousands of aircraft spotters and photographers.

Unlike you I don’t have hours and hours of free time to do research for you or dig up posts from years ago.

Lonevolk,
A simple 30 second search brought up that thread.

I seriously doubt that AFM, Benjamin Lambeth and Martin Andrew got their info from Venik with whom you seem to be obsessed…..you’re starting to see Veniks, Zampinis and Mig-23s all over the place.

Well they certainly didn’t get it from an official US source as you seem to believe.

—

To my knowledge, the F-16 was originally explained as an engine malfunction….the stuff you posted is from 2007.

And I’ve heard the audio years ago…

Correct. At the time of the initial NATO briefing details were scarce. Remember that the nearly made it out of Serbian airspace. The F-16 took damage and later suffered the engine failure as a result.