US F-15E Eagle crashes or shot down in Libya

[gambit]

You'd think that they got a hang of that problem after years and years in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not likely. Not just US but everyone else. A jet engine is usually exposed. Installing any kind of filter dense enough to filter out fine sand would not provide enough air for the engines. Making the engines more robust would make each engine more expensive and probably lowered performance. May be in the future but for now with production engines it is not possible. The 'LN' on the tail mean he came from RAF Lakenheath. An aircraft from a damp climate to a desert environment should be able to operate with no modifications.

 

[hembo]

CNN Video Report including wreckage site

[video]http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/03/22/exp.nr.magnay.libya.crash.cnn[/video]

Guardian video: Video of the ruins of the F-15 fighter jet

 

[anon45]

US is dragging UK and France unnecessarily into yet another pursuit of Cheap Oil in the disguise of Democracy..

False, this time its France and the UK dragging the US...

and they cant apparently decide who is going to lead without US command

 

[hembo]

Tom Kington files this for the Guardian from onboard the USS Kearsarge:

One of two American pilots who crashed in Libya on Monday night was in good condition on Tuesday onboard a US Navy vessel in the Mediterranean after being rescued by a Marine helicopter.

Two crew members of a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle ejected over northeast Libya at 10.30pm local time on Monday after their aircraft experienced a malfunction, the US military has said.

The whereabouts of one pilot is unknown, although the US military said he was 'safe'. The second was picked up by an Osprey tiltrotor helicopter, flown by the US Marines from the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship now stationed in the Mediterranean.

The Kearsarge hosts four Ospreys – which can use their twin rotors to take off like a helicopter before the rotors swivel in flight into vertical position to allow it to fly like an aeroplane. Harrier jets have also been undertaking raids on Libya from the vessel.

Two Ospreys, complete with a crew of four and a 12 strong Marine rescue team, took part in the rescue of the F-15E pilot, who was reported to be in good condition aboard the Kearsarge on Tuesday. The rescue marked the first time Ospreys have flown over Libya.

The F-15E, which is based at RAF Lakenheath, was flying out of Aviano airbase in Italy.

 

[American Eagle]

Denmark is a NATO Member and NATO is the core group of Air Forces together with Quatar and the UAE.

 

[American Eagle]

Desert has many faces. Not all deserts are pure sand. N. Libya backs up to the Great Sahara Desert, and sand is air borne over all of Libya.

As I recall from my years stationed in Pakistan the Sind Desert is far from a pure sand desert. It is rough and scruffy with some wild growth...and with the rare rain the Sind near Tatta bloomed in a few hours with wild poinsettias...which appealed to me as a Christian as it was just after our Christian Christmas season.

 

[500]

Nozzles were not harmed. If it was missile it was not heat seeking one like MANPANDs or Strela-10.

 

[hembo]

Fascinating line on the rescue of the F-15 crew from Channel 4 News, which reports that six villagers on the outskirts of Benghazi were shot and injured when a US helicopter swooped in to extract the pilot.

According to their foreign editor, Lindsey Hilsum, the injured villagers are now in hospital.

The US military has not made any reference to this in its official statement on the incident.

Chanel 4 News Link

US Official Statement link

 

[tanlixiang28776]

I understand saving pilots but how does shooting villagers help?

 

[Unbeliever]

After a US warplane has crashed in eastern Libya, the 2 pilots were met & thanked by locals for their role in the air strikes which saved lives of many Libyans. One Libyan man said: "I hugged him & said don't be scared, we are your friends". The intervention & No Fly zone were requested by Libyans & there is no indication of any plan by any country to send ground troups or occupation. So lets respect Libyans choice (from the We are all Khaled Said Facebook group aka the Egyptian Revolution group)


BBC News - Libya crisis: US warplane crashes in east

 

[VelocuR]

At the time of Soviet Union, S-125 (AntiAircraft missile) shot down 'invisible stealth' F-117 Nighthawk, in which Libya currently have it.

 

[CardSharp]

Not likely. Not just US but everyone else. A jet engine is usually exposed. Installing any kind of filter dense enough to filter out fine sand would not provide enough air for the engines. Making the engines more robust would make each engine more expensive and probably lowered performance. May be in the future but for now with production engines it is not possible. The 'LN' on the tail mean he came from RAF Lakenheath. An aircraft from a damp climate to a desert environment should be able to operate with no modifications.

A layer of fine grit dust as an extra layer of air defence?

 

[CardSharp]

Nozzles were not harmed. If it was missile it was not heat seeking one like MANPANDs or Strela-10.

Most of the A2A missiles under Gaddafi were taken out, if the F-15 got tagged, it got tagged by ack ack.

 

[LeGenD]

Ok now just assume Libya didn't have S-300 and is able to shoot down a US war plane....what does this mean ? It means that the US war plane was nothing but junk and even ordinary citizen could shoot it down with a shoulder stinger

Brother, are you serious?

F-15SE is not junk and I doubt that a manpad was involved. US fighter planes fly at extreme altitudes.

However, Libya does (or did) have potent SAM capabilities.

One prominent example is: SA-5 Gammon

A 2003 footage (for an example)

Don't know how much of these missile systems are left now in Libya since NATO action.

 

[dbc]

If the F-15 got tagged near Tripoli, I'd find the whole shot down theory more plausible.

A correspondent for the newspaper on the ground in Libya said via Twitter that the plane plowed into a field near opposition stronghold Benghazi in the east of the country late Monday. The crew was in rebel hands, the newspaper reported.

Correct, the pilot and WSO bailed at high altitude over the rebel strong hold of Benghazi - no SAM or AAA threats in that sector.