I’m not really sure what you think “IOC” is supposed to mean then, if not “ready for combat”. I’ve also never read a single pilot claim their aircraft WASN’T ready to go.

I didn’t say the R-77 was any great shakes, just more impressive than the R-27.

Too many aspects to list here... fortunately, Tyler has already done this work for me!

Yeah, and we know exactly how effective that “support” was. If the US was really interested in getting involved in supporting the Free Syrian Army, the war would’ve ended years ago.

Gotcha. But still helicopters.

The idea that the US is in any way responsible for Syria is laughably dumb.

The F-35B’s IOC was a total sham, though.

...and the Obama administration prevented Israel from buying the Silent Eagle several years back, but yet is allowing them to buy F-35s now.

Log off. St. Petersburg is out there, waiting to be discovered.

So not wanting your entire family murdered makes you evil? Got it..

Eh.... I really don’t think it’s so cut & dry as “all Iraqi soldiers were guilty”, especially in the case of a violent dictatorship.

Until a war ends, “retreating” does not make you invulnerable. Americans “retreated” from the 1944 German offensive in Belgium. It didn’t mean the 106th Infantry Division was suddenly immune to fighting.

Respect for copping to a possible mistake.

I have no doubt that some aircraft gunned down Iraqi soldiers fleeing from their vehicles. No doubt at all. I’ve spoken to WWII pilots who did the same. Is it morally acceptable? Probably only slightly less acceptable than killing another human being in any other wartime context. We give a lot of thought about those…

Spoken (typed?) by someone whose skin was not on the line then.

From survivors’ accounts, we know a lot of them made it out alive...

Um... A-10 A2A kills? Are you talking about helicopters just taking off that were holed?

1. The Iraqis absconded with those vehicles. You don’t honestly believe Kuwaiti civilians were driving to Iraq in emergency/civilian vehicles, escorted by Iraqi tanks and APCs, in the middle of a war zone, do you? This question was settled long ago — the Iraqis stole any vehicle they could to evacuate Kuwait. This has…

Though I personally believe it was justified, and certainly legal, (simply retreating has never been viewed as protecting one from force — this is how counterattacks are formed) the controversy is very similar to that surrounding the sinking of the General Belgrano during the Falklands War.

Not to mention the fact that plenty of people don’t actually know how to drive a stick shift but would buy one anyway because it is cool, only to make a warranty claim in 3 months when they’ve burned up the clutch.