Posted on 08/23/2006 1:12:33 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Zimbabwe has bought six more military aircraft from China as Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe's government boosts its ties with Asian countries after falling out with the West, state media reported today.
The latest acquisition is in addition to six planes bought by Zimbabwe from China in 2005. "We will be receiving six aircraft from China sometime this year," Trust Maposa, the defence secretary, was quoted by the Herald newspaper as telling a parliamentary defence committee. Maposa did not specify how much the jets had cost. He said the government was in arrears with three Chinese firms that supplied the jets and other military equipment, including trucks, but indicated that the central bank had plans to pay off the debts.
Mugabe, facing sanctions from Western countries which accuse him of rigging elections and question his human rights record, is promoting a "Look East" policy to strengthen trade and political ties with Asia. Zimbabwe is in deep economic crisis and faces a foreign currency crisis aggravated by a withdrawal of funding from international lenders, hitting its capacity to import spare parts for its military equipment.
Last week Mugabe said the defence forces had benefited from the "Look East" policy, not only through the acquisition of new equipment but also through learning new military strategies. The veteran leader said Zimbabwe planners had started a programme to substitute some foreign-sourced parts with locally made ones as a way of beating the sanctions that he says have been orchestrated by former colonial power Britain.
Mmm, tasty fighter jets. That'll fill my belly.
Is Sir Robert afraid that Tony Blair might strip him of his peerage?
Half his population may be starving but at least Mugabe will have the best 5th rate airforce north of South Africa and south of the Congo...... WOW, I'm so impressed.
Forget Avgas..! Guess they'll run on BANANA PEELS...?
Better spent on bug spray.
Hmmmm...
This communist asshole has a nation starving, but he buys combat aircraft...
Then is will attempt to shame the world into feeding his citizens..
Bullsquat..
A nation that will not rise up and stone this bastard to death -- has already starved to death -- they're starved of the self preservation gene.
Semper Fi
Why does Zimbabwe need combat aircraft?
Does anyone have an idea how long their pilots would survive against our guys in aerial combat?
If a loaf of bread is going for $1,000,000 Zim, what does a fighter jet cost?
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Does anyone have an idea how long their pilots would survive against our guys in aerial combat?
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Best guess?
0.000000000000000000000000000000000000001 nanosecond.
"Does anyone have an idea how long their pilots would survive against our guys in aerial combat?"
They have no pilots.
Buying Chinas, flying Yugos!!The good part is,the Yugo always died on the side of the road.The Chineese ones land in your living room!
I realize you were intentionally exaggerating, but I was curious, so I did some quick calculating:
A jet, flying at Mach 1 (1000 ft/sec, roughly) would move just 0.00025 millimeters in one nanosecond. Light travels a little over one foot in one nanosecond.
Maybe you didn't realize just how much you were exaggerating. :-)
They can't feed themselves and they buy jets?...........A revolution is only a meal or two away.......
For the same reason any Communist country needs a powerful military: to make sure that there cannot be another revolution after the 'Revolution.'
Plus, they are probably good for strafing farms of people who wouldn't let their property be nationalized.
The next North Korea.
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