Luck? Libyan Rebels Shoot Down Fighter Jet Using Partially-Broken Anti-Aircraft Gun
- Posted on March 6, 2011 at 2:53pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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It could be luck or good shooting, but either way it’s embarrassing for Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi. Rebels near the city of Ras Lanuf shot down a Libyan Air Force fighter plane using a anti-aircraft gun with only one barrel operational. Making matters worse for Gadhafi, it was the man behind the gun’s first day:
CNN provides more crash-scene footage:
The small victory comes as rebel forces begin marching toward the capital city of Tripoli. Libyan helicopter gunships fired on a rebel force advancing west toward the capital along the Mediterranean coastline Sunday and forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi fought intense ground battles with the rival fighters.
The opposition force pushed out of the rebel-held eastern half of Libya late last week for the first time and has been cutting a path west toward Tripoli. On the way, they secured control of two important oil ports at Brega and Ras Lanouf and by Sunday, the rebels were advancing farther west when they were hit by the helicopter fire and confrontations with ground forces.
The uprising against Gadhafi, which began just days after President Hosni Mubarak was ousted by protesters in neighboring Egypt, has been sliding rapidly toward civil war, making it the bloodiest episode in the Middle East’s wave of unrest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments (115)
MJR
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:37pmFrom the looks of the wreckage it does not look new, it might have been there for a while.
Report Post »loadingmyclips
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:34pmLooks like a rusty old part of a boat.
Report Post »Miami
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:23pmcheezwhiz
Simple they love Gaddafi and his ilk, you did hear how Chavez came to his aid even though Gaddafi’s son turned him down. Well you’ve seen how many “artist” flock to the scum of the earth, then try to have self righteous attitude, Penn and Madonna comes to mind and lets not forget the fat cows of stupidity Rosy and Moore.
Report Post »Mainer forever
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:20pmYeah…where is Michael Moore? Where is Code Pink? Where is Obammy?
Report Post »Jim from Maine
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:34pm@Mainer Forever
Report Post »Moore was in WI trying to get a free piece of pizza :)
RLTW
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:42pmYeh I don’t know why they’re not over there at least getting a picture sitting on the gun ala Hanoi Jane.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:53pm@Snow -
I thought about the same thing…about the British.
@Mainer Forever ~
Report Post »Obamy was at a party. SERIOUSLY!!!
absolutely
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:13pmJust guessing, but it is more likely it crashed due to mechanical failure than a lucky shot from this guy.
Report Post »Absolutely
Creestof
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:08pmThat’s ok…BO will give them a new plane. It’ll be in a big box marked “Red Cross.”
Report Post »Miami
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:07pmGood thing we didn‘t get any further along with common military training or these animals would’ve been able to evade the antiaircraft fire. What the hell was Bush thinking, to take these monsters off the terrorist list.
Mass murderers do one good thing and it wipes 30 years of wrong….
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:02pmFirst day on the job and he bags a fighter plane? Good hunting!
Obama bin Lyin
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:01pmI’ve seen that guy holding the weapon before… wasn’t he in an episode of “24”?
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:55pm@ grandmaof5
Report Post »Maybe Khalidi just wants the entrance to Gaza busted from the Egyptian side .
Maybe FairyKhan don’t want no troubles for Q-daffy
eyesopened
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:52pmnice shootin,Tex!
Report Post »aswiftyj
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:47pmAll I have to say about this is “The pilots were beheaded.” Hm I wounder who else caught that? I wonder what kind of faith they practice… Anyone?
Report Post »Obama bin Lyin
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:59pmUhhh….. Baptists?, Assembly of God? Pentecostal? oh crap! I give up…. tell me please!
Report Post »komponist-ZAH
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:30pmApparently they worship the goddess of incredible aim, and she rewards their devotion…
Report Post »TJexcite
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:42pmSu-24 Libyan Air force bomber aircraft bought 25+ years ago from the Soviet Union….. $24 Million
Report Post »Broken Soviet Union era made AA gun …. $50 scrap value
Using a broken gun to take take down a $24 Million dollar irreplaceable aircraft…. Priceless
Obama bin Lyin
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:54pmand how broken was/is the partially broken weapon. It seems (if this is a true account) the weapon wasn’t THAT broken. Maybe Al Jajism has the true story on how this went down.
Who is Barry Soetero?
Bust the unions, starve the money laundering arm of the socialist democraps
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:50pm@Obama bin Lyin
The AA gun may not have been working fully, yet I have an understanding of a different sort; this was in a way a clash of predator and prey – Lion and Gazzel for example.
While the lion has the major advantages of size, mass, strength and skill of ambush; the gazelle only needs one good shot with its horns on an artery or muscle and it is game over for the lion.
The gazelle need only get lucky once.
Report Post »jim
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:41pmThe king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way
As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare
As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed
The shareef don’t like it
Report Post »Rockin’ the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don’t like it
Rockin’ the Casbah
Rock the Casbah…
(The Clash)
grandmaof5
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:40pmGood question, CHEEZWHIZ, where’s Code Pink, Al, Michael Moore, Soros, SEIU, Trumka and his crew? They can stir the pot until it boils, then they grow chicken feathers and fly to safety. What happened to “workers of the world unite”? Pay attention, union members, and see when the going gets tough the only people they worry about are themselves – you are being used – worldwide.
NickDeringer
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:32pmLuck? Ya it was lucky the Libyan jet could actually get off the ground.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 5:25pmWish Manure-Face had been flying it!
Report Post »j_man
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:28pmCIA operative.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:20pmWhy aren‘t Obama’s people helping the ‘ protesters ’ in Libya ?
Report Post »warrior21
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 4:02amWhy should they. The protesters are the ones who cheered the return of the Lockerbie Bomber. Remember that!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:18pmBeginners luck?
Report Post »Marine Recon Dad
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:17pm… all it takes is one Golden BB……
Report Post »warrior21
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 3:59amRight! During my time in Nam one of the jokes was to be on the lookout for the old farmer with a MAS 96 and one round. He was the number who had your number.
Report Post »thejackal
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:11pmTo shoot a fast moving fighter traveling at a liesurely 500-600Kts. with a manually operated 20mm cannon is an amazing feat. The fact that it was his first day using the weapon is proof that it was pure dumb luck. He couldn’t do it again in a million years. He‘s what ’Nam fighter-bombers called the ‘golden bb’, the one lucky random piece of flying metal that kills you, albeit; flack, shrapnal, a round from small arms ect. it could hit the pilot or a critical system that results in a fatal outcome.
Report Post »ILUVAMERICA
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 10:15pmThis reply is for flatfoot
Report Post »you know i’m right
if anyone is a leftist troll it’s YOU, FLATHEAD!
ILUVAMERICA
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:10pmI don’t believe it. Plain and simple.
Report Post »Looks like a old plane and they are taking new pics to back up thier story.
They need to have an excuse to invade Libya.
I don’t like Gaddhafi but I believe him.
There is a conspiricy to take over his country.
We all know all the protests in the Middle East have be organized (not by the people themselves)
Why won’t them do a investigation like he is asking for???
Maybe it’s because them may implicate themselves.
Why is there no news about Eygpt’s new PM????
Dale
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:25pmI went back and looked, there was very little dirt, sand, or whatever on the parts. The article said it was an old plane. You should check it out again.
Report Post »ILUVAMERICA
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:36pmI did not mean a old plane (year it was made) I meant the plane that has been sitting for a long while.There is also no dents in the ground that to show a high impact and no smoke soot on the parts. They are clean.
Report Post »freedom4ever
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:44pmGoogled the new pm of Egypt and he’s in with Muslim Brotherhood. Made a statement Friday and beside him was a Muslim Brotherhood member. Agree we need to look into all the riots over there and who’s behind them. Scary!
Report Post »Obama bin Lyin
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:50pmDoes the muslim brotherhood believe in PM’s? I thought they only wanted mullahs and immams…. but yes the question still stands… and the driveby media are living up to their name.
Report Post »FlatFoot
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 6:15pmHere is a little bit more graphic video of the downed plane. Hopefully it might help ease your conspiracy addled mind. Also, just so you know, this is not the first uprising in Libya during dictator Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi’s forty years in power. In the 1990′s he used foreign fighters to kill his own people back then too.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8e1_1299415144
…
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 6:37pmThe regimes that’s needs to go are Iran Syria & Libya & I wouldn‘t care who’s behind them , democracy should be restored in these countries , I know it’s hard to achieve that but @ least they have to try .
Report Post »ILUVAMERICA
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 8:15pmI see a cloud of smoke
Report Post »Totally staged
They should be in Hollywood
And I DO CARE WHO TAKES OVER
MUSLIM BOTHERHOOD IS NOT SOMEONE TO MESS WITH!!
THEY NOW HAVE EYGPT AND 1 OF THE LARGEST ARMIES IN THE WORLD, EYGPTS
SOON THEY WILL HAVE ALL OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND WHERE WILL THAT LEAVE US???!!!!!!
YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO SEND US OIL???!!! NOT TO MENTION POOR ISREAL!
OBAMA HAS US SET UP GOOD!!! OUR COUNTRY’S LIFE BLOOD IS OIL!!!!
IF THEY DECIDE TO GIVE US OIL, WE WILL HAVE TO SELL OUR CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT
OUR FOOOD AND EVERY OTHER THING WE PURCHASE WILL COST MORE THAN WE CAN AFFORD
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD WILL LEAD US ALL TO WWIII
WE WILL HAVE TO NUKE THEM TO STOP THEM
FlatFoot
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 9:40pmSometimes it’s really hard to tell the Liberal Trolls impersonating a Right-wing dolt posting incredulous rants from the real thing around here, and at some of the other right leaning websites out there too.
Report Post »WAR PIGS CRAWLING
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:09pmYep…Kentucky windage
Report Post »Rightsofman
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:36pmGet Ollie North on the job – he‘ll get a batch of Stingers to the rebs using Ghaddifi’s money in the bargain.
Report Post »docvet
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 3:22pmRIGHTSOFMAN – Yeah, that worked out real good in Afganistan. Arm the rebels and come back in a few years to fight the same rebels with the same weapons we gave them. Screw it, let them all do the best they can with what they have. Besides, if the rebels are being backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, maybe we should be cheering for Gaddafi.
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:08pmEither very lucky or very good.
Report Post »skinnydipinacid
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 10:10pmWhere there’s a will, there’s always a way
Report Post »SHOOTnCRASH
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:01pmI can believe it. How good can Gadhafi’s fighter pilots be? What type of training do they go through?
ManThong
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:24pmOdds are better that the thing crashed because of a mechanical failure.
The way these guys look, I’d be willing to go toe to toe with them with just my squirrel gun.
thejackal
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 3:26pmThey have MiG-21‘s and 23’s as well as Mirage M-1′s for fighters with modernized avionics as well as Su-22 medium bombers. Not bad hardware. Most of the weapons systems are automated and target and range without pilot involvement. So they could hits targets with minimal training. ‘Course our peeps would knock these dolts out of the sky from over the horizon.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 4:45pmI can see the ad on Craig’s List now:
“One used fighter plane, needs a tad bit of body work, and some welding…otherwise in good shape with symbolic bullet holes riddled through its length. Price – cheap.”
Report Post »restorehope
Posted on March 6, 2011 at 6:06pmMight have been a little Divine Intervention with that “lucky” shot as well. However it happened, the plane going down is going to give encouragement to the rebels and a black eye to Gaddhafi. Sometimes just one event is all it takes to turn the tide in a war.
Report Post »warrior21
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 3:54amAgree! Doesn’t look like much of an army to me. Just a bunch of guys with pick up trucks and weapons they don’t know how to use. If they come up against any organized force they are done. If they shot the jet down it was by accident while they were practicing shooting in the air for a photo.
Report Post »Bum thrower
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 12:44pmDon’t believe it; “big sky; little bullet”; most likely mechanical failure; note intact ordinance on ground.
Report Post »Resolved
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 12:50pmPilot: We should take evasive action!
Co-Pilot: Nah, it’s only got one barrel, don’t worry about it.
BOOM!!!
Pilot: …You’re fired.
Report Post »OKRazorback
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 1:09pmThat must one of those guys I play against on the playstation.
Report Post »gdnctr
Posted on March 7, 2011 at 2:25pmOne in a ten million lucky shot, IMO, if that’s truly what happened. Most likely a mechanical failure.
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