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B-1s dodging SAMs?

contraildash

By contraildash
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Smokin Gray Beard

Smokin

Posted
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B-1 doing SEAD/DEAD "so the rest of the missions could go safely," a bomber dodging a SAM, and the pilot hearing the missile?  Sounds like that story might be pushing the 10% rule.

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arg Gray Beard

arg

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I was looking for the shot glasses on the table.

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contraildash Gray Beard

contraildash

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Same as the 130 crews filing MANPADS shots every other week in AFG 15 years in.

Always loved the ‘we got shot at short final to Kandahar’. Sure ya did.

My personal favorite was 2017 Iraq. Was in a 4-ship flying just north of Tikrit, cruising at 10,000 when a ‘130 passing above us calls out heavy AAA that was tracking them. They then punched flares. It was a riot to us watching from below. I’m sure they got their AFCAMs….


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MCO Flight Lead

MCO

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, contraildash said:


Always loved the ‘we got shot at short final to Kandahar’. Sure ya did.

My personal favorite was 2017 Iraq. Was in a 4-ship flying just north of Tikrit, cruising at 10,000 when a ‘130 passing above us calls out heavy AAA that was tracking them. They then punched flares. It was a riot to us watching from below. I’m sure they got their AFCAMs….


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I love these hate on other platforms stories. I did 4 months in Afghanistan in Herks and we’d hate on C-17 and tankers for the same thing and didn’t call in anything or get AFCMS except the plane that came back with holes in it, but we assumed all of the other dumb platforms who don’t know what they are doing were. Like the C-17 on short final into Kandahar 5 miles in front of me yelling on the radio he was taking fire while I was staring at him on nogs seeing nothing.
 

Everyone else that doesn’t fly what I fly is dumb!

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Biff_T Gray Beard

Biff_T

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7 hours ago, MCO said:

Everyone else that doesn’t fly what I fly is dumb!

This.  Who cares what others went through.    

My training sorties in helos were pretty fucking scary sometimes as well.  

You wanna have the shit scared out of you, teach a new CP how to do 180 autorotations in a Huey.  Much scarier than seeing people shoot into the air.   

Edit:  Don't tell infantry guys about how scared you were getting "shot at" or what a badass you are for it.  Hogs and helos might get a pass on this one but most others probably not.    

Edited by Biff_T
Afterthought
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hindsight2020 Gray Beard

hindsight2020

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As a career REMF and former CAF guy during a time when MWS got told to sit on its hands and navel-gaze in PACAF, I'm completely indifferent to the back and forth of proving one's ego/legitimacy in life via these anecdotes. But, there is a cohort of veterans who unironically advocate for the means-testing of outright retirement benefits based on a combat service metric.

Nasty and divisive undercurrent if I ever heard one; I can't break bread with those people. And I do challenge those utterances publicly, as letting that narrative stand unchallenged can be materially important to all of us. Thankfully, even Congress isn't as myopic so as to buy into such nonsense as a matter of policy. Brittle egos abound. 

Edited by hindsight2020
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brabus Gray Beard

brabus

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6 hours ago, hindsight2020 said:

But, there is a cohort of veterans who unironically advocate for the means-testing of outright retirement benefits based on a combat service metric.

What? They think someone shouldn’t get retirement benefits if they hadn’t done X or experienced Y? That’s real?

hindsight2020 Gray Beard

hindsight2020

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1 hour ago, brabus said:

What? They think someone shouldn’t get retirement benefits if they hadn’t done X or experienced Y? That’s real?

Reduced benefits to be exact. My particular exchange's demographic happened to be a group of retired combat arms Army officers. One went so far as to imply there is a degree of stolen valor from veterans who receive benefits (retirement or otherwise) whose service lack the combat prefix as they see it. They also proudly display "combat vet" bumper stickers on their pov, with the combat underlined. Real divisive stuff. 

At any rate, when I hear this back and forth on here about combat cred among airframes, as a timing/circumstantial REMF I of course handwave it away as the usual friendly banter. But it does take me back to exchanges with people who do hold quite radical and incisive views of what qualifies as honorable service. One for whom the DoD's decision to recognize/compensate veteran service on an equal footing, is considered very much an affront to their own.

Edited by hindsight2020
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contraildash Gray Beard

contraildash

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Well this went a weird direction, wasn’t aware of that kind of toxic idea/attitude/movement with some vets.

We all have knuckleheads in our various MWSs, my story was to highlight those people because they deserve the razz.

Back to B-1s doing SEAD in OIF…..tell us more.


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dream big Gray Beard

dream big

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23 minutes ago, brabus said:

Wow, those are some real turbo douches. Army officers though, doesn’t surprise me. 

For real, you want to see some arrogant pricks, meet an Army “Combat Arms” officer. When I worked a Joint Staff assignment with them, when they got lippy I asked why my passengers were PMSing!? 

disgruntledemployee Gray Beard

disgruntledemployee

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Hate on other airfare stories I chalk up to friendly ball busting, mostly.  Like a C5 calling out AAA in OIF, but was really shooting stars.  Or the 25 mile C-17 all lights on straight in to ORBD at night, then FODs the runway with flares on roundout.  Or the lawn darter SOF that called our ops to ask what our pilot category mins for takeoff were 😅

See, lots of silliness out there.

I will 2nd the Army officer antics.  Many were alright, but too many were downright conniving MFers.

On 9/14/2024 at 2:26 AM, MCO said:

Everyone else that doesn’t fly what I fly is dumb!

Right on, Orlando!

  • 2 weeks later...
Pooter Gray Beard

Pooter

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I don’t think the B-1s were ever doing SEAD/DEAD in the traditional sense, but if you’ve got 24x 31’s, and you’re going in the MEZ anyway, and a few of them aren’t spoken for, whats a few extra bombs between us friends

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uhhello Gray Beard

uhhello

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2 hours ago, Pooter said:

I don’t think the B-1s were ever doing SEAD/DEAD in the traditional sense, but if you’ve got 24x 31’s, and you’re going in the MEZ anyway, and a few of them aren’t spoken for, whats a few extra bombs between us friends

You don't read enough Dale Brown 🙂

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Lord Ratner Gray Beard

Lord Ratner

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I got fired at in the MC-12 when I was in Afghanistan. Night time, I look out and sure enough big bright ball of fire tracking towards us. I can even see the smoke trail a little in the dark. I jammed my finger on the yoke button and fire off a bunch of flares as my brain catches up and realizes that this missile is coming from above us, which seems like a pretty advanced weapon system for the Afghans. Turns out it was a space-launched munition, and while I'm not entirely sure which planet is responsible, I suspect Mars, but my gut tells me Uranus is responsible...

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