Yes, I did think of that actually. But isn't SOP on Prune to come out with immediate speculation to the extremis when there is any aviation 'accident'??? :ok:

MadMark!!! :mad:

In that case, why didn't you go for alien intervention?

Al jazeera reporting the Mig was in rebel hands

Because I didn't think about the aliens that are monitoring us from above - oh and I didn't see the beam from their laser/plasma weapon in the video :=

But, thinking about it, you could be right :eek:

MadMark!!! :mad:

Gadaffi must know that on Fridays most of Europes airforces are off for the weekend, no wonder he is up to his old tricks...

Fancy calling a no fly zone without the ability to implement it in full.....

Does anyone know if the pilot managed to get out of that Mig?

Conflicting reports, as already posted, of who was operating the MiG-23. Some Arab media have claims that the Libyan Interim Council have admitted that it was their MiG-23 shot down by Gadaffi forces. Some western journalists in Benghazi are also reporting the same.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/afri...-blog-march-19

In beeld: jet neergeschoten in Benghazi :: nrc.nl

Looks like an attempt was made to eject? Probably a bit too low to be successful?

http://www.nrc.nl/wp-content/uploads...raaljager3.jpg

TJ

And perhaps mercifully so depending on who was flying it. Wouldn't like to come down in that neigbourhood, especially if I'd just bombed it.

I did wonder if it may have been one of the rebel's MiGs when I saw it. On the long-shot footage there's a large explosion immediately behind the a/c, which suggests a missile.

I don't think there's any chance the pilot made it - no sign of any chute deployment. BTW you can see the canopy at the top of the pic above.

An Alternative Reason..
 

...or it is the result of the use of a very old and unreliable fuse that let to the early detonation of the ordnance just released....or a flare used after its shelf life expiry date that burned earlier than planned...

Whatever. It was a big eff-off bang either way.

Libyan action
 

First of all, a couple of apologies; firstly, sorry for starting a new thread but I didn't want to trample on an established one. Secondly, I'm neither a flyer nor military so forgive me for venturing into your bit of cyberspace but I would just like to extend my appreciation to the boys and girls who'll be heading over to that part of the world to do the job that yet again, the politicians and diplomats couldn't do. Never ever forget that the British people know your real worth, whatever the politicians and bean-counters try to do to you.
Thanks again and stay safe.

Poor guy, I do hope he got out....... got to be in a lose lose situation, you are flying an aircraft in Libyan colours over a city where everyone thinks you are on the other side and everyone is taking pot shots at you. The Libyian Army would at least one would think know what they had operating in the area, but the Rebels, often groups of civilians probably do not.

Too low for sucessful ejection? I've witnessed one lower than that!

The MiG and Sukhoi at Le Bourget comes to mind, but then they weren't hurtling groundwards at a rate of knots.

AR1,

Too low and a high sink rate wouldn't help.

----------------------------------------

The rebels are not having a good time with their assets. They have also lost a MiG-21 near Benghazi.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/2627/800xt.jpg

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/840/800xd.jpg

TJ

Nasty. When did the MiG 21 crash?


Somehow all this discussion about how to enforce a No Fly Zone over Libya seems rather surreal, when on another topic on this forum a discussion goes on about the disbandment party for the last Tornado F3 Squadron, early next week. Wouldn't it make sense to hang on to that asset, even at this late stage?

It amazes me that no senior politician has yet had the sense or the humility, to stand up and say - "ooops, perhaps we got this Defence Review wrong."
OK - 'no plan survives first contact with reality', and the SDSR certainly is demonstrating that, but the lack of reflection amazes.

I do hope the Service Chiefs are doing the job for which they are highly paid, this time - making it abundantly clear to their political masters that we simply don't have the capability to be involved in all these overseas adventures any more, that there really is no credible stretch left. In fact they should be making this clear in public, I reckon. Their job is not to be popular with the politicos, it is to be effective in support of their troops.

Or will they all stand around admiring the Emperor's New Clothes, again, and crossing their fingers?

And so it starts

BREAKING -- AFP: Rafale fighter jets now flying over Libya, military source confirms

Hopefully the French and Brits can hit them hard and fast.

Thank god the Tornado's weren't all replaced by Eurofighters and are still there is good numbers..

Is Gadaffi himself a target here? Has he gone underground?