Su-25 Down in Syria

[Boomer6]

The BBC is reporting a Su-25 was shot down in Syria. They're saying the pilot got out but was killed by rebels on the ground.

BBC: Su-25 Down in Syria

[Breckey]

Numerous open source videos of the MANPADS shot.

[Steve Davies]

Brave mother fucker. Took himself out with a grenade following an exchange of rounds.

https://t.me/directorate4/1433

 

 

[RTB]

1 hour ago, Steve Davies said:

Brave mother fucker. Took himself out with a grenade following an exchange of rounds.

https://t.me/directorate4/1433

 

 

That was by far the best option.  The alternate ending had they captured him would have been much worse I suspect.

[matmacwc]

They fly with grenades?

[Azimuth]

13 minutes ago, matmacwc said:

They fly with grenades?

Why wouldn’t they?

[Steve Davies]

4 hours ago, matmacwc said:

They fly with grenades?

Go to 6:48

[HuggyU2]

Interesting.  Nice find, Steve.

In the AF, people freak out that we might actually carry a gun inflight.  I cannot imagine how the armory would react if we got issued grenades.  

Oh... and that airplane is taxiing much too close to the blast barriers with no wing-walker.  

[tac airlifter]

That’s a terrible predicament and I salute the pilot.  Till Valhalla.

[uhhello]

1 hour ago, HuggyU2 said:

Interesting.  Nice find, Steve.

In the AF, people freak out that we might actually carry a gun inflight.  I cannot imagine how the armory would react if we got issued grenades.  

Oh... and that airplane is taxiing much too close to the blast barriers with no wing-walker.  

The prior crew chief in me was screaming the same :)  We acquired some grenades on one rescue deployment and closed the unit down.  Should have seen AMMO dudes face when we showed him what was in our cans. 

[Lawman]

It’s funny to see the stark difference between communities on explosives in aircraft.

 

Grenades are despite reputation relatively benign on their own. We’ve got 19 year old Joes getting in and off aircraft everyday wearing them. Now claymores.... those deserve a healthy respect.

 

[matmacwc]

20 minutes ago, Lawman said:

It’s funny to see the start difference between communities on explosives in aircraft.

Have you ever dropped something in a Viper cockpit 2 hours into a 6 hour sortie, I have, screw that!

[gearhog]

i wonder what country provided that manpad.

[Lawman]

Have you ever dropped something in a Viper cockpit 2 hours into a 6 hour sortie, I have, screw that!

Have you seen how much crap they make us wear in the Apache? We can’t exactly reach stuff either.

My comment was more for those thinking “omg! Loose Explosives!” If your using grenade pouches properly that grenade is far more secure than anything dummy tied to your kneeboard or laying on the dash. It they weren’t we would pass around a pelican case for all the joes every time they got on a Hawk with 2 each and then strap it down to something.


Funny thing you guys might notice if you ever get up close to an AH/MH-6... they strap an M320 directly behind the right seat pilots door.
When you think of a guy fumbling with grenades to load them and close enough to an enemy to use them in the cockpit that should give you pause.... especially since those grenades don’t have an arm/safe pin and the guy has multiple strapped on the outside of his body armor...

[Chicken]

2 minutes ago, Lawman said:

 

Have you seen how much crap they make us wear in the Apache? We can’t exactly reach stuff either.

My comment was more for those thinking “omg! Loose Explosives!” If your using grenade pouches properly that grenade is far more secure than anything dummy tied to your kneeboard or laying on the dash. It they weren’t we would pass around a pelican case for all the joes every time they got on a Hawk with 2 each and then strap it down to something.


Funny thing you guys might notice if you ever get up close to an AH/MH-6... they strap an M320 directly behind the right seat pilots door.
When you think of a guy fumbling with grenades to load them and close enough to an enemy to use them in the cockpit that should give you pause.... especially since those grenades don’t have an arm/safe pin and the guy has multiple strapped on the outside of his body armor...

 

Based on the inadvertent discharges of M9s I have heard about.. I don't need/want a crew full of people with grenades. 

[Lawman]

Based on the inadvertent discharges of M9s I have heard about.. I don't need/want a crew full of people with grenades. 

Only discharge in the cockpit I’ve seen on deployment was our brigade commander.... he shot a W2.

 

You guys fly with pyro/smoke/flares don’t you? Same concept of “don’t be an F’ing moron” applies. Somehow grenades put the fear of god into people to do the right thing too.

 

And seriously given the PR picture over there of what happens if the opposing team gets you in the frantic scramble I think you guys are missing just what a grenade buys you in pause. A guy/two guys in with M9(s) just hoping at holding off guys with AKs stand a few minutes chance before you’re just screwed. When a grenade goes off though there is a sudden recalibration on everything. Same principle with how much ammo we carry in a go bag. 300 rounds sounds like a lot... until you start going 8-12 rounds per minute of sustained aimed fire and realize you’ve bought maybe a couple minutes of fight. A grenade makes people coming to get you go “holy shit! Does he have any more of those!?!”

[bronxbomber252]

Only discharge in the cockpit I’ve seen on deployment was our brigade commander.... he shot a W2.
 
You guys fly with pyro/smoke/flares don’t you? Same concept of “don’t be an F’ing moron” applies. Somehow grenades put the fear of god into people to do the right thing too.
 
And seriously given the PR picture over there of what happens if the opposing team gets you in the frantic scramble I think you guys are missing just what a grenade buys you in pause. A guy/two guys in with M9(s) just hoping at holding off guys with AKs stand a few minutes chance before you’re just screwed. When a grenade goes off though there is a sudden recalibration on everything. Same principle with how much ammo we carry in a go bag. 300 rounds sounds like a lot... until you start going 8-12 rounds per minute of sustained aimed fire and realize you’ve bought maybe a couple minutes of fight. A grenade makes people coming to get you go “holy shit! Does he have any more of those!?!”

In the HC-130, we fly with an M9 and M4 each, and (in some AOR’s) M203’s mounted on our loadmaster’s M4’s. We also fly with bunch of illumination flares in the cargo hold that can melt through the floor. Pyro on the plane doesn’t bother me as long as people are properly trained.

[Lawman]

In the HC-130, we fly with an M9 and M4 each, and (in some AOR’s) M203’s mounted on our loadmaster’s M4’s. We also fly with bunch of illumination flares in the cargo hold that can melt through the floor. Pyro on the plane doesn’t bother me as long as people are properly trained.

That last sentence is really the key.

Nobody should just have a case of grenades show up in Qatar and be like “well.... pass these out too.”

[matmacwc]

15 minutes ago, bronxbomber252 said:

Pyro on the plane doesn’t bother me as long as people are properly trained.

 

That fukin guy.......

[Breckey]

I wish that the GAU-5 SBR ASDW the F-15Es have in their seat kits are distributed more to the masses. A full size M4 in a cramped H-60 cockpit will probably be useless for anything other than a PL or forced landing, especially if the aircraft rolls. In the same vein, why are we still using the full size M9 as a sidearm when there isnt a lot of best real estate (especially when carrying M4 mags)? The Navy has all their aircrew use the M11, why does the AF and Army still use an M9?

[Inertia17]

5 hours ago, Breckey said:

I wish that the GAU-5 SBR ASDW the F-15Es have in their seat kits are distributed more to the masses. A full size M4 in a cramped H-60 cockpit will probably be useless for anything other than a PL or forced landing, especially if the aircraft rolls. In the same vein, why are we still using the full size M9 as a sidearm when there isnt a lot of best real estate (especially when carrying M4 mags)? The Navy has all their aircrew use the M11, why does the AF and Army still use an M9?

Hopefully they can go to a carry or compact with the M17 roll out. But...that would require common sense and forward planning.

[JeremiahWeed]

5 hours ago, Breckey said:

 The Navy has all their aircrew use the M11, why does the AF and Army still use an M9?

For the same reason I flew with a S&W .38 revolver from Jan to Mar of 1991.

[tac airlifter]

7 hours ago, Breckey said:

I wish that the GAU-5 SBR ASDW the F-15Es have in their seat kits are distributed more to the masses. A full size M4 in a cramped H-60 cockpit will probably be useless for anything other than a PL or forced landing, especially if the aircraft rolls. In the same vein, why are we still using the full size M9 as a sidearm when there isnt a lot of best real estate (especially when carrying M4 mags)? The Navy has all their aircrew use the M11, why does the AF and Army still use an M9?

Some AF units fly with the M11.  I did, and I'm not a fan: less ammo and barely any space savings.  I only liked for for concealed carry.  There are a host of weapons available that would better serve flight crews, but they cost money and time for training so BPT use the M9 indefinitely. 

[Breckey]

The last rumor I heard is that the Air Force is considering going all M18 to replace the M9 instead of an M17/M18 split.

[FourFans]

I'd pay money if they'd let me take my 1911 .45 and as many mags as I want.  Although that GAU-5 sounds like a great idea to have strapped in a few places in a herk.