'wot they run on LPG or summat?

Nice, no uniform and a machine gun.

I believe they hung "irregulars" during the war of independence...:hmm:

Negative. They hanged them. I was hung in my youth, but fortunately never hanged.

Wonderful out-pouring of grief. But let's not get too sentimental about the bad guys. They are fighting a civil war now. This is what war means.

Why not?.... and Yes. :cool:

Do we really know who the bad guys are? The secular government (who were far from perfect) or the FSA which is slowly being taking over as an Jihadi/Islamist extremist group? The FSA are a whole pandoras box of problems waiting to explode...

The choppers have been chucking dustbin loads of TNT out. No subtlety, just IEDS from the air. Hunt around and you can find pics of some of them which did not explode.

My guess is that one of those went off inside the chopper.

That would explain quite a bit.

As to "good guys and bad guys" I think some of you miss the point.

This is a civil war, about as uncivil an undertaking as there is. All emerge from that bloody handed.

As I see it, there are no good guys in this fight.

Assad is, no doubt about it, an autocrat and a despot. He's got blood on his hands, as Saddam did in Iraq. He's also, like Saddam was, in charge of a regime that is, believe it or not, more likely to allow for a diverse society (multi ethnic, multi cultural, multi creed) to thrive than many of the Islamists who are fighting him. So long as he's in charge, of course, as is the case with most despots.

No good guys in that crowd, gentlemen.

But go ahead and root for his opponents. I am sure you'll be overjoyed to see Syria become the next Iraq, the next Lebanon, and the next Libya.

The Arab Spring's crop is a red harvest. Enjoy your meal.

I agree with downsizer and Lonewolf on this one. I sometimes wonder just what Cameron and Hague are hoping will come of this? Sadly I don't think it will be any form of western-leaning multi-cultural, secular society. The FSA aren't the good guys in this, anymore than the Assad regime; it is a civil war and we would be best to stay out.

And yes it too felt sorry for the helicopter crew although probably better to go that way than at the hands of the FSA.

Can anyone else see the chute attempting to deploy bottom left ........ or is it the old floaters again?

I think that's a blade with part of the rotor assembly still attached. It's moving way too fast to be a 'chute.

Accompanied by the standard war cry-'allaha akbar'.Yep God is great.

S'funny how some people get all dewy-eyed when 'fellow aviators' are involved, as if they some how are more deserving of our sympathy by virtue of the fact they share a
common vocation. Sure, they may be killing civilians but hey, give them a break, they're doing it from several thousand feet from a helicopter.

Killing islamists. Have no problem with that personally.

Anyone remember this?

I certainly do.

I can also remember seeing graphic videos of what AQ did to chechens loyal to russia and news articles of them having drilled holes in prisoners heads in Iraq.

Quite frankly, a bit of TNT on a parachute pales into insignificance really doesnt it?

I'm not particuarly dewy eyed.Just the allu chanting makes me question their credentials.Seems to be an all purpose mantra for all kinds of savagery for some groups-decapitations,IEDs et al.Western politicians don't seem to make the link.

Where is this ally's snack bar ? Must be good everyone seems to shout about it :ok:

Branches all over the middle east ! Tempted to say the Midlands but thought better of it :=

You'll falafel if you eat there ...

Hat, coat, exit ... hell, two minute minor, into the penalty box with me! :=

I strongly tend to agree.
I think the trail you see in the video might be fuel. Possibly pouring out of the aft ramp. The explosion pressure wave only seems to be as big as the fiireball, this too me points to a combustible liquid / vapor explosion rather than HE stuff.

Therefore I don't think it was hit a second time by a missile. Also no trail and too big / fiery of an explosion for a MANPAD or RPG..

henra

I agree, that didn't look like an HE explosion to me either,
very much like a fuel explosion.
.

henra, thanks.

Makes good sense, the way you have explained it. :ok: