Clarification on pilot rescue debacle

[tabatha]

9.59pm: Tom Kington, who is on board the USS Kearsarge in the Mediterranean, has filed an update for the Guardian which clarifies the circumstances in which a number of villagers were injured during the extraction of a downed US air crew on Monday night:

A US military spokesman has said that American Harrier jump jets dropped two bombs in Libya on Monday close to where a US pilot parachuted to the ground after his jet suffered a mechanical failure.

Reports from Libya on Tuesday claimed that a US helicopter arriving to rescue the F-15E pilot near Benghazi fired on locals, injuring six.

The spokesman denied those reports, but he later conceded on Tuesday that two Harrier aircraft on the scene had dropped two 500lb laser guided bombs on armoured vehicles seen near the downed pilot.

"We did drop two GPU bombs to defend the pilot," said Captain Richard Ulsh. "There were armoured vehicles in the area, close to him, enough to be a threat."

Ulce said he could not confirm reports that the strike had been called in by the downed pilot.

"I know the vehicles were spotted by the Harrier pilots. They did a show of force, flying very low, but the vehicles continued on their path. The pilots got permission to strike because they believed they were endangering our pilot."

The Harriers flew to the scene from the USS Kearsarge off the Libyan coast. Two Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were also dispatched from the Kearsarge to pick up the pilot and returned him to the vessel where he is now being given medical treatment.

Early reports claimed those helicopters fired on locals, but Ulsh said there had been no gun fire, suggesting the Libyans may have been injured by the bomb blasts.

A second crew member who ejected was rescued by Libyans and later handed over to US officials.

"The two Ospreys went after the pilot because we had a fix on him. We did not have instructions to go after the other crew member," said Ulsh. "It must have been felt he was safe."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates#block-23

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. gotta find a use for them overpriced, thin skinned

ospreys. I KNEW that they would try.

No armor. Dangerous to fly, land, take off in. A quirky hydraulic system that has been rebuilt and redesigned no less than 4 times. Cost overruns so high, that 17 states would erase their deficits if they had cancelled this project when it was first proposed that the military cancel it. (five years in, no less).

And now, there were bomb blasts. Despite eyewitnesses talking about strafing and attack postures by US choppers.

[applegrove]

3. When I lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia they were test flying the Osprey. Got to be the loudest

plane there is.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. least safe one, too.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Where did the helicopters with marines come from?

Libya isn't allowed to have armoured vehicles anymore?