Posted on 04/04/2008 5:15:10 PM PDT by maquiladora
A spokesperson for the US Air Force Central Public Affairs Office, South West Asia, said: “The US Air Force B-1, while taxiing after landing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, was involved in a ground incident and caught fire at 21.10 local time on April 4.
“The crew evacuated the aircraft and is safe. The fire was contained. A board of inquiry has been appointed and will investigate the incident.”
At the time of going to print, officials in Qatar were not confirming the incident and the Air Force Public Affairs Office was looking into local reports that a number of explosions had been clearly heard in parts of Doha at the time the B-1 caught fire.
An earlier report from Al Jazeera English said the B-1 had crashed.
Reuters also reported the incident citing a US Defence official as saying: “A B-1 crashed. We are investigating. We don’t know how many people were on board or what mission the bomber was conducting.”
Meanwhile, AFP said another official, who was travelling with Defence Secretary Robert Gates in Oman, had denied that the bomber had crashed, claiming there was “an explosion aboard a B-1 bomber on the ground”.
However, this failed to explain local accounts in and around the surrounding area of the base.
One source told Gulf Times: “I heard repeated loud explosions and the ground beneath my feet was shaking. When I ran out of my accommodation to see what was going on, I could see smoke billowing into the sky.”
Another source said: “I was at home when I heard a deep rumble like thunder. A few seconds later I heard it again, and then one more time. When I went outside I could not see anything, but I did hear a number of emergency sirens. I assumed there had been some kind of major accident on the roads.”
Although there was no comment from the authorities, the roads leading to the air base were closed to traffic, indicating an incident of some sort had occurred.
Ambulances and police vehicles were also seen racing through Doha in the direction of the base.
Despite all the signs pointing to a major incident having taken place at Al Udeid, there was never any suggestion that there was a direct threat to the security of Qatar and no civilian flights were disrupted at Doha International Airport as a result of the incident.
Ping... Interesting.
No matter what the cause, that’s gonna be an expensive repair.......
“An earlier report from Al Jazeera English said the B-1 had crashed.”
Typical islamonazi wet dream.
Must have hit a camel.
Why do we need billion dollar aircraft to drop bombs on mud huts?
You don’t think we might face a more capable enemy some day?
My guess is that we don't have enough obsolete, unsafe old air jalopies around to make it all the way to A'stan or Iraq.
Like what, concrete huts?
Anyways, economy of force. One B-2 could put all Army and Marines in mine proof vehicles, but that isn’t sexy.
Hey, I’m no expert but I really doubt the military uses our most modern resources in a wasteful way. I’m sure some of the more knowledgable folks will chime in here shortly and explain it all to you.
Meanwhile, I just think you’re a crank...
One of our 500 billion dollar federal bureacracies using resources in a wasteful way? I don't believe it!
But anyway, what you meant to say is that you feel I am a crank. You have no objective facts to support your opinion being based upon rational thought.
Having read what you wrote, I think the objective facts support telebob's thinking.
Having read what they wrote, I think anyone who thinks, much less writes, “but I really doubt the military uses our most modern resources in a wasteful way” IS a crank.
“B1 Date Deployed: June 1985
Unit Cost: $283.1 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars)”
http://www.tinker-af.org/b-1.htm
the official explanation thus far is kind of dodgy . . . makes it seem like this was something more than just a fire that broke out on the ground after the landing
Leni
I love to see bait taken. Thanks.
Now if you think I believe the bombers are totally costed out at 300 million each, forgeheaboutit. That PART of that expense, at that moment in time, might well be correct. But the total costs of decades of expense, and total costs of off unit expense in other required expenses on the bomber could, easy, well push it over a billion.
Take the Marines Osprey. They have spent 18 billion. When the production bill comes in, the 18 billion will not be added to the aircraft unit cost. Nice. Who in private sector gets to cost out stuff like this but government?
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