Posted on 03/30/2011 11:30:03 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
From Corsica, French Jets Roar Into Action Over Libya
by Eleanor Beardsley
March 30, 2011
The French air force was the first to go into action over Libya. And since then, French aircraft have flown more missions enforcing the United Nations resolution than any other country except the United States.
Most of those missions have been launched from an air base on the French island of Corsica.
From a runway wedged between snowcapped mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, Rafale and Mirage jets roar into the sky, one after the other, their metallic skins flashing in the morning sun.
It takes only an hour and a half to reach Libyan air space from Corsica — one reason the Solenzara air base has been a principal launchpad for French jets enforcing the no-fly zone. French planes also fly out of bases on mainland France and from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Libya.
"We were just coming out of a joint allied training exercise for Afghanistan when the Libyan operation came up," says Col. Eric Bometon, second in command at Solenzara. "So the base was ready, and within 48 hours we were flying missions over Libya."
A Clearer Picture
Solenzara is used as a training ground for pilots going to Afghanistan because of its mountainous terrain and hot climate. Now, a pool of 50 pilots flies around 25 missions a day over Libya.
Lt. Col. Pierre Wencker, 37, is captain of a squadron of Mirage 2000 bombers.
"Flying over Libya is not so technically different from flying over Afghanistan," he says. "The mission is the same — giving air cover and protection
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
What’s the true agenda here
I get the feeling that this whole Libya thing is... just plain nuts.
And the worst part is that I feel like no one’s paying any attention. It’s like when the Emperor wore his “new clothes” to the dress ball, and no one wanted to say, “Hey, he’s bare arse nekkid!”
I can’t resolve “French” and “roar.”
Can we just say the jets “shrieked” ?
LOL. I just thought it:)
If it is 1.5 hours to Libya, how much time on station is that?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUe5n9B1QWY&NR=1
the BM-21 Grad rocket batteries are playing hell on the so-called rebels .
Is there some reason why these can be seen and targeted by the air cover ?
Seem like easy sitting duck targets to me
NPR found a military they like...French.
They should be flying out of Marseille
Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu’un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !
To arms, citizens,
Form your battalions,
Let’s march, let’s march!
Let impure blood
Water our furrows!
Austria, Ireland, and Italy get over 20% of their imported oil from Libya. France, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland get between 10% and 20%. The UK and Germany close to 10%. Most of these countries have large investments in the oil production infrastructure in Libya. What do you think would happen to the economies of Ireland, Austria, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain if that supply was simply cut off and the investment was lost? It would not be very pretty. The EU is having a hard time carrying these countries now, an oil shock might sink them.
Besides the oil, Europe has seemingly finally woken up to the fact that thousands of poor moslem refugees would not be a good thing. Col. Daffy has threatened to send them by the boatload. That might be his greatest sin.
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