Apache helicopters for Libya

by Lofty Fri May 27, 2011 14:06

The capacity Apache helicopters have for killing can be seen in footage obtained by Bradley Manning in 2007 showing the crew of an Apache killing 12 civilians in Baghdad .
See this link and comments:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/04/448719.html?c=on.

by Serf Fri May 27, 2011 14:38

Google has deliberately put the original "collateral murder" link behind a sign in procedure to reduce hits

Instead, here's an al jazeera commentary which contains most of the footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zok8yMxXEwk

Also has julian assange commenting. worth a watch

You're right of course, those 30mm cannons are evil and very destructive weapons

by Lofty Sun May 29, 2011 17:10

It was announced earlier today that the Royal Air Force operating in Libya is to get 2,000lb Enhanced Paveway III bombs which are capable of penetrating the roofs of reinforced buildings. The short press release said that the bombs are prepared to be deployed "within hours". The MOD did not disclose whether depleted uranium was used in the manufacture of the bombs, but it seems likely. Conn Hallinan , a columnist with Foreign Policy in Focus , told RT earlier this month that , after examining the impact wounds left on tanks in Libya, he is "almost certain" that depleted uranium is already being being utilized in Libya.

The British MoD said the bombs “would help to protect civilians from being targeted by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime”.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Mon May 30, 2011 11:23

Gotta keep the morale up..

by lofty Mon Jun 06, 2011 11:31

“British and French assault helicopters began operations over key Libyan cities on Saturday, marking a significant escalation of NATO’s war of aggression in the North African state.”
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jun2011/liby-j06.shtml

According to wikipedia ,the Westland Apache attack helicopter used by British forces have been modified to carry up to 76 CRV7 rockets:
“The CRV7 is a controversial weapon as it has been classified as a cluster bomb; it is alleged that a single Apache could deliver as many as 684 bomblets in one attack. In May 2008, several senior officers, such as General David Ramsbotham spoke out against British plans to keep the weapon.[28][29] In the same month, Britain, as one of the 111 participating nations, agreed to ban cluster bombs on humanitarian grounds.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgustaWestland_Apache

by V for vendetta Mon Jun 06, 2011 14:44

I was in favour of offering some protection for the inhabitants of Bhenghazi from gadaffi's aircraft etc. but this has gone way too far. As usual, those involved just used a humanitarian mission to further their imperial / corporate agendas. This is yet another illegal war.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:53

..caught on the instamatic..

..of the crew fitting some fresh democracy to our state-of-the-art delivery system

by Computer Geek. Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:42

The title of the thread was the Apache helicopter.
Fearsome machines really do win wars.

The English used the Welsh Longbow to fling millions of arrows over the French army in the "100 Years War."
The French army was wiped out.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:15

Lets divert altogether into Apache Wars.

The issue becomes the ethics of might over right. Where 'right' requires some analysis of the ethics of the matter, something that seems to escape your flexible stance. The issue can be interpreted as the hardware, or the human responsibility for the use of such.

Yours seems to be a position of indifference to ethics, and a childish fixation on the war-toys, rather than the consequences of this imperial aggression under the false flag of 'democracy and the protection of civilians', by regimes with a history of indiscriminate militarist brutality against civilian populations, and in a climate of increasing escalation under pretenses to moral and ethical superiority, even as debate is crushed by oscurantist propaganda and diversionary tactics such as you appear to be attempting to insinuate.

I suggest you're interests might be better served on one of Jane's weapons sites, where these toys are the wet-dreams of the underdeveloped and immature.

Am I over-assuming?Or do you believe the only issue of interest in discussion of the European wars against the native Americans, and other indiginous civilisation, is the calibre of the rifle, the throw-weight of delivery systems, and the kill-rate of the ordnance?

I remain, open to correction.