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U.S. Destroys $500M Planes, Sells for 6 Cent Scrap
WA Free Beacon ^ | Adam Credo

Posted on 10/10/2014 7:05:25 AM PDT by mykroar

Sixteen military transport planes bought by the United States government for the Afghan Air Force (AAF) at a cost of nearly $500 million were recently destroyed by the Afghan military and sold for scrap parts at around six cents per pound, prompting a government inquiry to determine why millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on the ill-fated program.

The Department of Defense purchased for the AAF a total of 20 Italian-made G222 military transport planes at a cost of $486 million. However, the fleet was grounded in March 2013 “after sustained, serious performance, maintenance, and spare parts problems” were discovered, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

After sitting unused for some time on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport, the Afghan military decided to destroy 16 of the planes and sell the scrap metal for roughly 6 cents per pound, according to SIGAR, which has launched an investigation to determine how such a large amount of taxpayer dollars were wasted on the fleet.

SIGAR had intended to inspect the aircraft as part of its investigation and appears to have been caught off guard by the fleet’s destruction.

(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; g222; italy; razorblades; rop; scrap
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Awesome use of tax dollars. The story appeared to say Afghanistan destroyed the planes, but later says: “It has come to my attention that the sixteen G222s at Kabul were recently towed to the far side of the airport and scrapped by the Defense Logistics Agency,” SIGAR head John Sopko wrote in a letter to the U.S. Air Force that was released on Thursday.
1 posted on 10/10/2014 7:05:26 AM PDT by mykroar
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To: mykroar

muslims add value to everything they touch...


2 posted on 10/10/2014 7:06:39 AM PDT by null and void ("Agoraphobia": fear of the marketplace; "AlGoreaphobia": fear of the marketplace of ideas.)
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To: mykroar

I’d give them 7 cents.


3 posted on 10/10/2014 7:07:02 AM PDT by Fido969 (What's sad is most)
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To: mykroar

Sort of sums up the policies of the BO administration . . . We have a kleptocracy; Afghanistan has a kleptocracy. The only difference is that we have more that can still be looted.


4 posted on 10/10/2014 7:07:37 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: mykroar

So did the Afghans screw them up, or were the planes Italian junk from the start?


5 posted on 10/10/2014 7:08:51 AM PDT by PLMerite
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To: mykroar

Horrible. The Coast Guard could use these aircraft.


6 posted on 10/10/2014 7:10:22 AM PDT by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: mykroar

What they really wanted all along were toyota pickups with machine guns.


7 posted on 10/10/2014 7:11:11 AM PDT by BRL
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To: mykroar
U.S. Destroys $500M Planes, Sells for 6 Cent Scrap

Another Distinguished Graduate of the School of 0bamanomics.

8 posted on 10/10/2014 7:12:24 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (I want a Speaker who'll stick that pen and phone where no one but Reggie Love can find it!)
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To: mykroar

No bias in the title.


9 posted on 10/10/2014 7:14:52 AM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: mykroar

Half a BILLION dollars flushed away, for seventh century Muslims.

And we borrowed that money from China too.

About one week after we leave Afghanistan, the Taliban will be in control.

What a waste.


10 posted on 10/10/2014 7:14:58 AM PDT by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
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To: mykroar

Afghani military just emulating Øbola’s wildly successful Cash-for-Clunkers program.


11 posted on 10/10/2014 7:15:40 AM PDT by C210N (When people fear government there is tyranny; when government fears people there is liberty)
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To: The Sons of Liberty

It did create some shovel ready jobs


12 posted on 10/10/2014 7:16:34 AM PDT by woofie
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To: mykroar

I hear they tried to give them to county police departments first . . . .


13 posted on 10/10/2014 7:18:14 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: PLMerite

They look kinda like a 2 engine c130. Probably the best Italian engineering.


14 posted on 10/10/2014 7:19:08 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: mykroar
20 Italian-made G222 military transport planes cost of $486 million

Geez, made by Ferrari?

15 posted on 10/10/2014 7:20:57 AM PDT by McGruff (we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq - Barack Obama)
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Free Republic Doesn't Have One Of These


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Please Donate

16 posted on 10/10/2014 7:23:05 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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To: mykroar

17 posted on 10/10/2014 7:24:30 AM PDT by Robe (Rome did not create a great empire by talking, they did it by killing all those who opposed them)
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To: mykroar

I thought they were using them to haul their opium harvests.


18 posted on 10/10/2014 7:25:09 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: mykroar
The G222 is a nice aircraft, sort of like a mini C-130.

The US Air Force successfully operated a fleet of about 20 of these in the 1990’s.

There is no reason they could not be supported now especially since the engines are American GE turbo props, the Props are American Hartzells, the avionics are American and much of the small parts and actuators are American as well, nor is there any reason to scrap them.

Something is way wrong here

19 posted on 10/10/2014 7:30:23 AM PDT by rdcbn
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To: mykroar

You buy them clothes and send them to school and what do they do? They tear out the pages of the books and wipe their behinds with them. What else should we expect from 7th century barbarians?


20 posted on 10/10/2014 7:33:33 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (The cure has become worse than the disease. Support an end to the WOD now.)
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