Author Topic: Challenger II fires on another Challenger II... (Read 672 times)

Dowding · « **on:** March 25, 2003, 04:07:42 PM »

4 man crew, 2 dead, 2 badly injured.

Damn.

Mini D · « **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:09:25 PM »

What is a challenger II?

MiniD

Nilsen · « **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:10:20 PM »

One of the best tanks in the world Mini

Mini D · « **Reply #3 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:11:18 PM »

Sorry... is that a Brit tank or a US one?

MiniD

Toad · « **Reply #4 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:13:15 PM »

It's never easy but FF has to be the worst.

I feel for the victims and for the ones that made the mistake.

Once again, hopefully for the last time, my condolences to the families, mates and English people.

Kanth · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:13:18 PM »

British

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2519005.stm

Quote

Originally posted by Mini D
Sorry... is that a Brit tank or a US one?

MiniD

Dowding · « **Reply #6 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:13:31 PM »

MBT of the British Army.

Rasker · « **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:13:32 PM »

British

Mini D · « **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:18:24 PM »

Found the article on the BBC site... nothing on the US ones yet. Here's the link.

to the troops and families involved.

Dowding, as a sort of side note...

Were the U.S. troops being viewed as trigger happy in the aftermath of the Patriot/Tornado shootdown? I hate to see an inevitability such as friendly fire occur. But I hate it even more when it happens between allies.

MiniD

Kanth · « **Reply #9 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:23:51 PM »

Thanks for the link, I hope the two injured pull through somehow...

Dowding · « **Reply #10 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:25:49 PM »

There's a perception amongst people I know that the US is notorious for friendly fire incidents.

I'm not saying it's true or deserved, friendly fire happens in all conflicts to all forces, but that's the perception.

To most people these days, I think it might stem from that incident in the gulf war - where that Warrior APC was attacked by an A-10 killing 9 British soldiers.

The Tornado incident gets stranger and stranger. Apparently, there were two Tornados on RTB. One managed to evade the patriot, but the other close behind was hit.

I'm sure an investigation will clear it up. Although after the Mull of Kintyre incident, where the RAF tried to blame two dead pilots for a Chinook crash that killed a load of top ranking Northern Ireland intelligence experts, against the expert advice of accident investigators, eye witnesses and Chinook specialists, my confidence in such investigations is not high. But that's irrelevant right now. I'm sure this will be much more transparent.

Any loss must be unbearable but it must be horrific to suffer a loss in this way.

Mini D · « **Reply #11 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:44:48 PM »

I really started wondering about this after the incident with the Patriots. These situations are horrible enough as it is, but when they also serve to drive a wedge between allied fighters in regards to trust, it takes a horrible situation and makes it worse.

That's about the least offensive way I can express what I thought when I first heard the news... "Oh God... please don't let it be another U.S. ff of British troops."

MiniD

Dowding · « **Reply #12 on:** March 25, 2003, 04:48:43 PM »

I don't know what the troops think, to be honest. I've not talked to the friends I have in the forces for a few weeks.

To me, these things happen. It should be investigated, but they shouldn't look for a scapegoat just for the sake of it.

BTW good site on the Challenger II

Replicant · « **Reply #13 on:** March 25, 2003, 05:44:43 PM »

Damn, I haven't heard anything about this yet.

Poor chaps!

Would be interested in what type of round they fired, the Challenger II has an even more advanced Chobham armour (named after another town that eludes me at the moment) and was supposedly inpenetrable from all enemy tank designs... guess that doesn't include NATO rounds...

Kanth · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2003, 05:51:10 PM »

I don't believe a wedge is being driven at all.

Quote

Originally posted by Mini D
but when they also serve to drive a wedge between allied fighters in regards to trust, it takes a horrible situation and makes it worse.
MiniD