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Your posts are very insightful and exhibit an understanding of the challenges associated with flying fighters.

At night, in a combat zone, the margin of error is razor thin. Your mission is to kill people, and unfortunately, if you make the wrong judgment call, the wrong people may be killed. Fog of war is correct.

These pilots were acting correctly, they never violated any "orders," and they were responding to perceived enemy actions on the ground.

The pilots were acting in accordance with Rules of Engagement, as every soldier, sailor, Marine and airman has a right of self-defense, and some "controller" in an AWACS a hundred miles away knows this.

The pilots responded to shots being observed and the pilots reacted accordingly. It does not matter if the shots "could" have reached the aircraft, as tracers burn out way below maximum altitude.

Another aspect is the fact that any caliber of any weapon, to include rocks, can down a 50-million dollar jet. Heck we lose about a dozen jets a year due to bird strikes. Now, imagine what a 50 cal. round can do to an electric jet that flies by wire and is completely controlled by electronic pulses, pulses that would be mucked up if a round hit an electric circuit board.

All fire directed towards you is presumed to be hostile.

That the pilots made a mistake is not in dispute. What is in dispute is the question of mistake vs crime. Is a mistake a crime?

Keep up the good posts, as I've tired from participating in posts on this subject, as those that don't know/can't appreciate/do not understand the challenges of flying fighters are not worth the effort.

Have a great day.

Gunrunner2

I've spent enough time flying over bad guy land to know you are wrong. There is strict ROE. Self defense can trump the ROE, but only when it is an ongoing attack. These guys were not threatened. They had plenty of time. They didn't take it. I've met pilots like them, and on a couple of occassions as package commander ordered them to wait. I understand the fog of war - but this wasn't an unavoidable accident. It was a violation of flight discipline that result in 4 good guys dying. That is manslaughter.

This morning several reports aired...later reports same stations omitted the previous info.
Several incidents had occured in that sector...the number 17 is mentioned but is not clarified.
the video reveals com link with controller...but the hint is they are allready looking for something...they are not simply flying by.
I believe they were looking for RPG teams or other ground to ground rocket movement.
The pilots are experienced...they are briefed on sector intel prior to flight package.
My guess is they thought they had contact with one of the threat warnings which was a possible projection due to recent activity in the sector..even though they heard a check up com..the pilot saw the flash activity as being hostile.
I remember listening to the Gulf Controller on Short Wave,...outgoing..inbound... tankering vectors,..alot of chat.
Unknown if they will reveal to us the contact time line prior to the incident..how long they were in com link that sector.