Captured Chinooks in Afghanistan
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Location: Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
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I too had omitted my "/sarc" marks for that sentence of mine.
The worlds stock of MD530 helicopters is suddenly diminished. A few years ago (when she was in charge at Mesa) Lynn Tilton kicked aside all/most of the civil market aspirations of MDHI and went with the DoD military deal that was going to save the company. The result has been that most of recent production has been the military airframes for the Afghan Air Force. True there have been a few military sales to such as Nigeria but the bulk was Afghan.
Into the future it appeared that the company was assured of regular spares and repairs from the initial sale and then the repeated top up sales.
Now that appears to be in tatters and all of a sudden [it seems] the MDHI management are belatedly approaching the civil US market they abandoned [so callously?] for the golden future that was in Afghanistan. Look we have not really dumped all those 530/902 projects we presented at HAI year after year.... we were just kidding... and look we are no longer putting parts production in house because we have been let down by fellow industrialists ... we are outsourcing [again]. Nose gets longer and longer.
It is possible that the discerning customer, the one that lived through the years of no spares available, may have tired of the duplicity and the hard times in Mesa are going to get harder.
Into the future it appeared that the company was assured of regular spares and repairs from the initial sale and then the repeated top up sales.
Now that appears to be in tatters and all of a sudden [it seems] the MDHI management are belatedly approaching the civil US market they abandoned [so callously?] for the golden future that was in Afghanistan. Look we have not really dumped all those 530/902 projects we presented at HAI year after year.... we were just kidding... and look we are no longer putting parts production in house because we have been let down by fellow industrialists ... we are outsourcing [again]. Nose gets longer and longer.
It is possible that the discerning customer, the one that lived through the years of no spares available, may have tired of the duplicity and the hard times in Mesa are going to get harder.
Longtimelurker
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Location: killington Vt
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The worlds stock of MD530 helicopters is suddenly diminished. A few years ago (when she was in charge at Mesa) Lynn Tilton kicked aside all/most of the civil market aspirations of MDHI and went with the DoD military deal that was going to save the company. The result has been that most of recent production has been the military airframes for the Afghan Air Force. True there have been a few military sales to such as Nigeria but the bulk was Afghan.
Into the future it appeared that the company was assured of regular spares and repairs from the initial sale and then the repeated top up sales.
Now that appears to be in tatters and all of a sudden [it seems] the MDHI management are belatedly approaching the civil US market they abandoned [so callously?] for the golden future that was in Afghanistan. Look we have not really dumped all those 530/902 projects we presented at HAI year after year.... we were just kidding... and look we are no longer putting parts production in house because we have been let down by fellow industrialists ... we are outsourcing [again]. Nose gets longer and longer.
It is possible that the discerning customer, the one that lived through the years of no spares available, may have tired of the duplicity and the hard times in Mesa are going to get harder.
Into the future it appeared that the company was assured of regular spares and repairs from the initial sale and then the repeated top up sales.
Now that appears to be in tatters and all of a sudden [it seems] the MDHI management are belatedly approaching the civil US market they abandoned [so callously?] for the golden future that was in Afghanistan. Look we have not really dumped all those 530/902 projects we presented at HAI year after year.... we were just kidding... and look we are no longer putting parts production in house because we have been let down by fellow industrialists ... we are outsourcing [again]. Nose gets longer and longer.
It is possible that the discerning customer, the one that lived through the years of no spares available, may have tired of the duplicity and the hard times in Mesa are going to get harder.
even ants need some lovin'
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Not just helicopters, but apparently one or more C-130 aircraft as well.
See BBC news clip https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-58393243
So 2 questions along with apology for some thread drift:
Firstly, would the Taliban be able to fly and service a Herc to any realistic extent, assuming the somewhat unlikely scenario that they would find an actual use for it?
Then secondly, why on earth would machinery of that strategic and monetary value have been left behind?
See BBC news clip https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-58393243
So 2 questions along with apology for some thread drift:
Firstly, would the Taliban be able to fly and service a Herc to any realistic extent, assuming the somewhat unlikely scenario that they would find an actual use for it?
Then secondly, why on earth would machinery of that strategic and monetary value have been left behind?
Not just helicopters, but apparently one or more C-130 aircraft as well.
See BBC news clip
So 2 questions along with apology for some thread drift:
Firstly, would the Taliban be able to fly and service a Herc to any realistic extent, assuming the somewhat unlikely scenario that they would find an actual use for it?
Then secondly, why on earth would machinery of that strategic and monetary value have been left behind?
See BBC news clip
So 2 questions along with apology for some thread drift:
Firstly, would the Taliban be able to fly and service a Herc to any realistic extent, assuming the somewhat unlikely scenario that they would find an actual use for it?
Then secondly, why on earth would machinery of that strategic and monetary value have been left behind?
No doubt the Taliban will force or otherwise encourage former Afghan forces into service. If any of them were trained to fly, the sure, the Taliban could, conceivably, fly them. However, they aren't much use to the Taliban unless as a transport for the leadership. I expect they were damaged in a way that they are irreparable except by building a new helicopter within the old fuselage sheet metal.
Logged the ipads out of facebook and let the tyres down . . I suspect most false flag operations in the region will be 'confirmed US forces aircraft' for some time to come.
Jetty.. Ah ….that icon ending to the movie, the long final glide to the beach byTHE aircraft of the time. Beautiful.
( No real Spitfire was immoliated in this movie) And I love the Hurricane re BoB also.
Thread…pics in tv show lots of damage to those helicopters. Where’s the spares to do any rebuilds? Maybe useful parts will get sold off or a/c salvaged. Where there’s a wheeler-dealer there’s a way !
( No real Spitfire was immoliated in this movie) And I love the Hurricane re BoB also.
Thread…pics in tv show lots of damage to those helicopters. Where’s the spares to do any rebuilds? Maybe useful parts will get sold off or a/c salvaged. Where there’s a wheeler-dealer there’s a way !
More details as to the degree of inoperableness of abandoned aircraft in this fairly detailed video report
A list of aircraft in the hands of Taliban here:
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/08/the-taliban-air-force-inventory.html
mjb
A list of aircraft in the hands of Taliban here:
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/08/the-taliban-air-force-inventory.html
mjb
Last edited by mickjoebill; 1st Sep 2021 at 23:54.
From the Daily Mail.....
US troops 'demilitarised' 73 aircraft before their departure this week according to the commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie.
That left up to 48 aircraft in the hands of the terror group, although it was not known how many were operable.
But the Taliban had 'expected the Americans to leave helicopters like this in one piece for their use', according to an
reporter who toured the airport after the withdrawal.
She said: 'When I said to them, "why do you think that the Americans would have left everything operational for you?" They said because we believe it is a national asset and we are the government now and this could have come to great use for us.'
She added: 'They are disappointed, they are angry, they feel betrayed because all of this equipment is broken beyond repair.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rs-planes.html
The Taliban say they are 'angry and disappointed' and feel 'betrayed' after America left so many inoperable helicopters and planes because 'the aircraft belong to Afghanistan'
Taliban fighters have been left feeling 'angry' and 'betrayed' after discovering the US had disabled military helicopters and planes before their departure from Kabul.US troops 'demilitarised' 73 aircraft before their departure this week according to the commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie.
That left up to 48 aircraft in the hands of the terror group, although it was not known how many were operable.
But the Taliban had 'expected the Americans to leave helicopters like this in one piece for their use', according to an
She said: 'When I said to them, "why do you think that the Americans would have left everything operational for you?" They said because we believe it is a national asset and we are the government now and this could have come to great use for us.'
She added: 'They are disappointed, they are angry, they feel betrayed because all of this equipment is broken beyond repair.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rs-planes.html
Might be good for propaganda purposes as about 1/2 of the US electorate is ready to believe that the Taliban will be able to fly those abandoned helicopters to the homeland and wreak havoc with them…
