NATO Drone Helicopter Down in Libya

[TruthSeeker]

Pressure Mounts on NATO as Drone Helicopter Goes Missing in Libya

Edward Yeranian | Cairo

NATO confirms that an unmanned helicopter drone was lost during a mission over Libya Tuesday, but denies claims that forces aligned with leader Moammar Gadhafi shot down an attack helicopter. The drone loss comes as the Alliance faces increasing pressures over the precision of its air attacks and alleged civilian deaths.

NATO spokesman Mike Bracken denied the claim by the Gadhafi government that it had shot down an attack helicopter, but confirmed that an unmanned drone was lost on Tuesday.

"At 0720 GMT, NATO received reports of an unmanned, autonomous helicopter drone, used by NATO forces, lost radar contact with the command center," Bracken announced. "This drone helicopter, unmanned, was performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over Libya to monitor pro-Gadhafi forces threatening the civilian population."

Libyan government TV showed footage of what appeared to be a downed helicopter, including part of a rotor blade. The TV claimed that a NATO Apache attack helicopter had been shot down near the town of Zlitan, 135 kilometers east of Tripoli.

It was not the first time that Gadhafi's forces claimed to have downed an Apache helicopter. None of the previous five claims have proven to be true. The unmanned drone helicopter lost Tuesday is considerably smaller than an Apache.

It was not immediately clear what brought down the drone, but Gadhafi's forces have been active in the coastal town of Zlitan, as rebels attempt to push westward from Dafniya.

The Libyan has claimed twice in recent days that NATO airstrikes hit civilian targets, including a compound owned by one of Gadhafi's loyalists. NATO spokesman Bracken said on Tuesday that the compound was a “command and control node,” with “17 satellite dishes on its roof.”

George Joffe, a North Africa expert at King’s College in London, says NATO allies are coming under increasing financial and political pressure to end the military operation in Libya quickly.

“Pressure is growing, certainly in the United States, after all the Obama administration now faces a possible censure in Congress, and in Europe there is growing anxiety about the resources available, particularly in Britain, where there has been complaints from the First Sea Lord, and also from the second in command of the Air Force, about the danger of overstretching very limited resources,” Joffe said.

Still, Joffe does not believe that the loss of a drone helicopter will make much of a dent militarily.

“The Gadhafi regime will boast about it and say that they can beat NATO forces. It will certainly make the Obama administration less willing to increase its commitments to the NATO operation, but beyond that… it may just be a question of writing off a loss,” Joffe said.

Pressure Mounts on NATO as Drone Helicopter Goes Missing in Libya | Africa | English

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Thought this was interesting that drone helicopters are being deployed .....

 

[razgriz19]

i think it was MQ-8 fire scout...

 

[khurasaan1]

nice toyz for war....

 

[mirage 5000]

Qaddafi will declare victory now lolz

 

[hawx]

lol pressure is mounting on nato as they lost only one helicopter and that too unmanned ?

 

[Oldman1]

nice toyz for war....

Well thats the reason what it was designed for. And what better way to test it than in real combat like Libya.

 

[HROBOS]

Libya a good test ground for the use of weapons on live targets. Twice as nice. Since we can act with impunity, completely.
Army Gaddafi does not even try to resist NATO air really.
The Nazis at the beginning of World War II also tested their bombs on live targets.

 

[Al Bhatti]

If indeed it was downed by Qadhafi's forces then a salute to them (for this action only) keeping in view the military capabilities of Qadhafi's forces. At least they have downed a foreign flying machine unlike Pakistan.

 

[kobiraaz]

UAV Likely Shot Down by Pro-Gadhafi Forces

A Navy unmanned helicopter that crashed over Libya in June was likely shot down by forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi, a Navy spokesman said.

An investigation revealed no evidence of a mechanical or operator error in the June 21 crash. The MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter was likely shot down during an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, said 6th Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Mark Walton.


Other details, including what type of weapon brought the aircraft down, were not available.

Investigators were not able to examine the wreckage or the crash site, Walton said.

Shortly after the incident, NATO and U.S. officials said the Fire Scout lost contact with its command center before crashing. Walton acknowledged that communication was lost, but it could have been due to the attack that brought the UAV down.

The Fire Scout, which was operating over Libya's central coast, was the first military hardware lost since NATO took over operations in the African country March 31. While the campaign was led by U.S., British and French forces earlier this year, an Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle crashed. Crew members ejected safely and were rescued.

The Fire Scout was part of a two-aircraft detachment aboard the frigate Halyburton. The two aircraft, which had a special configuration for missions over Libya, took the place of two other Fire Scouts that originally deployed on the frigate and flew 10 to 15 missions over the country. After the loss, the Navy sent over a replacement UAV. Halyburton returned to Naval Station Mayport, Fla., on Wednesday after a seven-month deployment.

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/08/navy-fire-scout-likely-shot-down-libya-080511w/

 

[CardSharp]

The thing is likely vulnerable to small arms fire.

 

[SpArK]

SEALs Killed in Crash Were on Rescue Mission​

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The 30 American servicemembers -- most of them elite Navy SEALs -- who died when their helicopter was shot down had rushed to help Army Rangers who had come under fire, two U.S. officials said.


The heavy loss shows that clandestine tactics carry huge risks despite the huge success of the SEAL mission that killed Osama bin Laden more than three months ago. Most of the SEALs who died Saturday were from the same unit that killed bin Laden, although none of the men took part in that mission.


The U.S.-led coalition plans to rely more on special operations missions as it reduces the overall number of combat troops by the end of 2014.

There were conflicting accounts late Sunday as to whether the SEAL team had subdued the attackers who had pinned down the Rangers and were departing, or whether they were hit as they tried to land. One official said they had accomplished their mission, but another said the aircraft, a Chinook helicopter, was hit as it approached.


Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still ongoing.


Thirty Americans and eight Afghans -- seven commandos and a civilian translator -- were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war in Afghanistan. The Rangers, special operations forces who work regularly with the SEALs, secured the crash site in the Tangi Joy Zarin area of Wardak province, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Kabul, the other official said.
The SEAL mission was first reported by CNN.
NATO was recovering the remains of the twin rotor Chinook helicopter. A current and a former U.S. official said the Americans included 22 SEALs, three Air Force members and a dog handler and his dog. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because military officials were still notifying the families of the dead.
All but two of the SEALs were from SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed bin Laden, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Eight Taliban fighters were also killed in the battle, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement.
Afghanistan has more U.S. special operations troops, about 10,000, than any other theater of war. The forces, often joined by Afghan troops, are among the most effective weapons in the coalition's arsenal, conducting surveillance, infiltration and capture missions and night raids.
From April to July this year, 2,832 special operations raids captured 2,941 insurgents and killed 834, twice as many as during the same time period last year, according to NATO.....



SEALs, Rangers, and other special operations troops are expected to be the vanguard of the American military effort in Afghanistan as international military forces start pulling out. By the time combat troops plan to have left the country, the coalition will have handed control of security to the Afghan forces they have spent tens of billions of dollars arming and training.
Special operations troops are expected to remain in the country after 2014 for counterterrorism missions and advisory support. Just how many will remain has not yet been negotiated with the Afghan government, but the United States is considering from 5,000 to 20,000, far fewer than the 100,000 U.S. troops there now.


Special operations forces are frequently used to target insurgent commanders as part of an effort to force the Taliban's leadership to agree to a negotiated peace. The operations, mostly in the form of night raids, are often carried out by Afghan and coalition special operations forces.
Night raids have drawn criticism from human rights activists and infuriated Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who says they anger and alienate the Afghan population.
But NATO commanders have said the raids are safer for civilians than relatively imprecise airstrikes.

As U.S. forces removed the wreckage Sunday, nearby Afghan and NATO forces battled insurgents as they carried out clearing operations in the areas around the crash site, a region that is just a stone's throw from the capital. The province, which borders Kabul, has increasingly come under Taliban control in recent months -- even as the U.S.-led coalition has begun handing over security for parts of Afghanistan over to the government of President Hamid Karzai.
"There have been a small number of limited engagements in the same district" as Saturday's helicopter crash, NATO said in a statement. "However those clashes have not been in the direct vicinity of the crash site. As of now, we have no reporting to indicate any coalition casualties resulting from these engagements."


-- Associated Press Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this story from Washington. Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor also contributed from Washington.
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


SEALs Killed in Crash Were on Rescue Mission

 

[Patriot]

SEALs Killed in Crash Were on Rescue Mission​

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The 30 American servicemembers -- most of them elite Navy SEALs -- who died when their helicopter was shot down had rushed to help Army Rangers who had come under fire, two U.S. officials said.


The heavy loss shows that clandestine tactics carry huge risks despite the huge success of the SEAL mission that killed Osama bin Laden more than three months ago. Most of the SEALs who died Saturday were from the same unit that killed bin Laden, although none of the men took part in that mission.


The U.S.-led coalition plans to rely more on special operations missions as it reduces the overall number of combat troops by the end of 2014.

There were conflicting accounts late Sunday as to whether the SEAL team had subdued the attackers who had pinned down the Rangers and were departing, or whether they were hit as they tried to land. One official said they had accomplished their mission, but another said the aircraft, a Chinook helicopter, was hit as it approached.


Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still ongoing.


Thirty Americans and eight Afghans -- seven commandos and a civilian translator -- were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war in Afghanistan. The Rangers, special operations forces who work regularly with the SEALs, secured the crash site in the Tangi Joy Zarin area of Wardak province, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Kabul, the other official said.
The SEAL mission was first reported by CNN.
NATO was recovering the remains of the twin rotor Chinook helicopter. A current and a former U.S. official said the Americans included 22 SEALs, three Air Force members and a dog handler and his dog. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because military officials were still notifying the families of the dead.
All but two of the SEALs were from SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed bin Laden, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Eight Taliban fighters were also killed in the battle, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement.
Afghanistan has more U.S. special operations troops, about 10,000, than any other theater of war. The forces, often joined by Afghan troops, are among the most effective weapons in the coalition's arsenal, conducting surveillance, infiltration and capture missions and night raids.
From April to July this year, 2,832 special operations raids captured 2,941 insurgents and killed 834, twice as many as during the same time period last year, according to NATO.....



SEALs, Rangers, and other special operations troops are expected to be the vanguard of the American military effort in Afghanistan as international military forces start pulling out. By the time combat troops plan to have left the country, the coalition will have handed control of security to the Afghan forces they have spent tens of billions of dollars arming and training.
Special operations troops are expected to remain in the country after 2014 for counterterrorism missions and advisory support. Just how many will remain has not yet been negotiated with the Afghan government, but the United States is considering from 5,000 to 20,000, far fewer than the 100,000 U.S. troops there now.


Special operations forces are frequently used to target insurgent commanders as part of an effort to force the Taliban's leadership to agree to a negotiated peace. The operations, mostly in the form of night raids, are often carried out by Afghan and coalition special operations forces.
Night raids have drawn criticism from human rights activists and infuriated Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who says they anger and alienate the Afghan population.
But NATO commanders have said the raids are safer for civilians than relatively imprecise airstrikes.

As U.S. forces removed the wreckage Sunday, nearby Afghan and NATO forces battled insurgents as they carried out clearing operations in the areas around the crash site, a region that is just a stone's throw from the capital. The province, which borders Kabul, has increasingly come under Taliban control in recent months -- even as the U.S.-led coalition has begun handing over security for parts of Afghanistan over to the government of President Hamid Karzai.
"There have been a small number of limited engagements in the same district" as Saturday's helicopter crash, NATO said in a statement. "However those clashes have not been in the direct vicinity of the crash site. As of now, we have no reporting to indicate any coalition casualties resulting from these engagements."


-- Associated Press Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this story from Washington. Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor also contributed from Washington.
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


SEALs Killed in Crash Were on Rescue Mission

WTF?????You alright sparky?

 

[Mani2020]

Bad days for NATO

 

[Zabaniyah]

meh...just some dumb flying computer.

 

[Mosamania]

The MQ-8 scout looks strikingly similar to the UAE UAV helicopter they are working on with Austria