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To: Captain Kirk
"In 1991 Saddam and his ilk were confident that his air force would be safe in the hardened shelters. Unfortunately for them, the companies that had been responsible for the construction of these shelters provided the technical details to the Western intelligence agencies, and methods were devised to destroy them. Saddam also underestimated the power and accuracy of laser guided weapons.

"In spite of this, and the numerical and technical supremacy that the allies had, the Iraqi Air Force still managed to fly a number of sorties every day for the first week. The mass exodus of aircraft to Iran also caught US commanders by surprise, an initially they were powerless to prevent it. Eventually CAPs were placed over Baghdad to stem the flow, long tedious missions that led to them being withdrawn after a few days. The exodus then started again..."

http://redirectingat.com/?id=42X487496&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.airpower.maxwell.af.mil%2Fairchronicles%2Fapj%2Fcentner.html

40 posted on 12/12/2009 5:59:13 PM PST by Does so (ObamaCare...I pay for medical-marijuana claims by millions of Americans?)
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To: Does so
Pretty thin reed there for you to rely especially since you failed to tell the whole story: During the Persian Gulf War, most Iraqi pilots and aircrafts (of French & Soviet origin) fled to Iran to escape the bombing campaign because no other country would allow them sanctuary. The Iranians impounded these aircraft after the war and never returned them, putting them in the service of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force[10] -- claiming them as reparations for the Iran–Iraq War. Because of this Saddam Hussain did not send the rest of his Air Force to Iran just prior to operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, instead opting to their burial in sand. Saddam Hussain, preoccupied with Iran and regional power balance, is reported to have had commented: "The Iranians are even stronger than before, they now have our Air Force."[11]

In you read the full story, of course, it provides even more evidence of Iran v. Iraq hatred and distrust. The Iraqi airforce literally had no where else to go lest they face destruction. In an act of desperation, they fled to iraqn. What happened? The Iranians didn't give them a refuge. They imprisoned the pilots (for several years) impounded the planes claiming reparation. They never gave thep planes back to their alleged "friend" (your view?) Saddam. Now....let's move on to my point about the bloody Iran/Iraq War, a far more important indicator of hostility. Let me ask you again: Was this war real or was it fake? If it was real, I suggest you remove the quotation marks from your use of the word "enemy."

41 posted on 12/12/2009 6:47:40 PM PST by Captain Kirk
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