Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Pilot Intercepted Seven Drones (Updated)...The U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B pilot reportedly made the interceptions while helping to blunt the Houthis’ relentless drone attacks.

The War Zone ^ | FEB 12, 2024 1:34 PM EST | BY THOMAS NEWDICK

[Red Badger]

MANY PICTURES AT SITE...............................

[Reno89519]

We still have Harriers operating? I thought they were all long ago retired.

[PGalt]

Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc., etc. Islam’s proxies. COEXIST?

[rdcbn1]

Those drone cost less than the jet fuel needed to fill the tanks of an F-15 to get into the air to shoot them down.

We are not even going to talk about the relative costs between the drone and the missiles used to shoot them down.

We are going through our inventory of ground to air and air to air missiles at a stunning rate to shoot down Iranian trash drones.

Ironically, Iran’s most advanced drone is a knock off of the RQ170 Stealth drone that Obama handed over to them a decade ago. Our missiles don’t do so well against them.

[moovova]

When I was stationed at Sigonella, mid-70s, I’d get sent down the coast to a practice bombing range at Pachino bay, to control military jets making bombing runs on a target in the water. The British Harriers...NEVER MISSED...the target. That was good duty.

[DCBryan1]

We still have Harriers operating? I thought they were all long ago retired.

[Reno89519]

That has to be one of his worst movies.

[TalBlack]

Can the Harrier pilot see these drones on radar or does he have to Mark 1 eyeball them?

[Reverend Wright]

AIM-120. $2 million + each

AIM 9 sidewinder. $500K

This, against drones that cost a few thousand dollars.

Iran has used technology to change the balance of forces, but the Greatest Military the World has Ever Known (TM) seems incapable of adapting to new tactics, and just mindlessly repeats the unsustainable procedures from the past.

[The Louiswu]

“ AIM-120. $2 million + each AIM 9 sidewinder. $500K This, against drones that cost a few thousand dollars.”

Give up on the idea that stuff costs money, nothing costs real dollars anymore. There is no real money anymore, the country is so underwater in debt we might as well be spending pancakes.

[Reverend Wright]

Yes, it is all printed, then borrowed.

But the missiles are real objects, which cannot be printed, and are running short.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/the-west-badly-needs-more-missiles-but-the-wait-to-buy-them-is-years-long/ar-AA1mnTjx

[The Sons of Liberty]

Does shooting down a drone count toward becoming an Ace?

[Robert A Cook PE]

We still have Harriers operating? I thought they were all long ago retired.

Well yes, but since the scheduled-to-be-retired Harriers are capable and proven AGAINST Muslim-Iranian drones and missiles, the Obama-Biden administration will work very hard to make they are all retired immediately. Not even waiting until 2027.

The Bush-Cheney administration would wait a bit, then retire them.
The Reagan administration would build more. Like the B-1B rebuild effort.

[NWFree]

Why don’t they bomb the drone factories instead

[Robert A Cook PE]

In his novel Red Strom Rising, Tom Clancy predicted “aces” being awarded for satellite-shootdowns.

Didn’t mention drones, but helicopter shootdowns were credited in Gulf War I to A-10 pilots.

[Robert A Cook PE]

“ AIM-120. $2 million + each AIM 9 sidewinder. $500K This, against drones that cost a few thousand dollars.”

Yes, but a single drone hit - even dud missile hits - against a 1 billion dollar ship will take out that ship for months.

EVERY destroyer and cruiser sized ship hit by even ONE dud bomb, dud missile, or live warhead since WWII has lost power, lost steering, lost combat systems, lost radar and CIC, or lost all six for 1 hour to 1 year. EVERY DESTROYER SHIP HIT was out of action since WWII.

[Reverend Wright]

I think the lesson is they need to get clear of the area until they have sustainable defensive tactics.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Off of Okinawa and Iwo Jima, the Japanese kamikaze attacks hit more destroyers than we have in the entire fleet.

[M Kehoe]

The factories are in Iran.

Joe, Hunter, Kerry et. al. Get too much money from the mullahs.

5.56mm

[Gaffer]

I thought so, too. But I guess not. Maybe the F-35 version of its equivalent is just too damn expensive for the Corps.

I’m really more interested in what weapons system on the Harrier took out the 7 drones - AMRAAM, Sidewinder or the 25mm gun pod.