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"There was also a potential risk that anti-Iraqi forces might obtain information on specialist equipment.

Doesn't pass the smell test. If they had time and safety to investigate, which the article says they did, they had time and safety to remove the equipment, and then send in a repair team, with sufficient force to protect the repair team and the aircraft. Hoping that the aircraft is still there and in one piece when they get back to it. Always a problem with anything left lying about in an Arab country.

Be a good chance to lure some Jihadies into a stand up fight and kill a bunch of 'em.

Why the skepticism? It's just an airplane.

Here's an AP story out of the Herald Tribune:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/13/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Iraq.php

LONDON: A British Hercules aircraft was damaged while landing in southeastern Iraq and was destroyed by coalition forces because of the risk of mounting a recovery operation, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Two people suffered minor injuries in the incident Monday night, the ministry said.

There was no immediate indication of hostile action, the ministry said, but it had not been ruled out.

The C-130 had just touched down at an airstrip in Maysan province when it was damaged by an explosion, said a ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.

"We don't know what caused it," he said.

Another C-130 in the area quickly landed at the same strip and rescued the crew, the spokesman said.

"The site was secured and, after a thorough assessment of the damage, it was concluded that the aircraft could not be recovered without exposing our personnel to undue risk," the spokesman said.

"There was also a potential risk that anti-Iraqi forces might obtain information on specialist equipment. The aircraft was therefore safely destroyed by multinational forces."

Doesn't pass the smell test. If they had time and safety to investigate, which the article says they did, they had time and safety to remove the equipment, and then send in a repair team, with sufficient force to protect the repair team and the aircraft.

this totally passes the smell test. There are many reasons this aircraft could have been unrecoverable. Most likely it's frame was damage beyond safe field repair-ability. The only way to salvage it would have been to dismantle it and haul it out of there. Which was prohibitively risky. There is a big difference what it takes to keep 2 or 5 maintenance and engineering types safe for a couple hours and what it takes to keep several dozen workers and some heavy equipment safe getting it into the area, protecting it for several days or a week or two and then protection to haul everything out of the area.

Hoping that the aircraft is still there and in one piece when they get back to it. Always a problem with anything left lying about in an Arab country.

Be a good chance to lure some Jihadies into a stand up fight and kill a bunch of 'em.

1) Hope is not a method in the US Armed Forces.

2) I don't know if you've ever seen the movie Lord of War, but if you have, the scene where the desert people dismantled and made off with everything from the plane after he landed to avoid capture is 100% accurate. There would have been NOTHING left of that plane whatsoever.

3) We don't arbitrarily pick fights with "Jihadies" over here. There are enough battles to be had without irresponsibly starting new ones simply because the Air Force could not make it to the landing field.

4) This is a HUGE success story because you are not watching the heinous execution of the crew members on Al Jazeera at this very moment.

I hope I didn't come off as rude, El Gato, but this particular subject is very near and dear to my heart. Thanks for allowing me to vent.