B52's Leaving Fairford United Kingdom

Stratfor ^ | March 18, 2003 | Staff

[richardtavor]

http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq =================================================================

At 1808 GMT (1:08 p.m. EST, 9:08 p.m. Baghdad) B-52 bombers were reported taking off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom. Flying time to Iraq is about six hours. Earlier today, they were reportedly loaded with cruise missiles. The British press has also reported that skirmishing has commenced between Iraqi troops and U.S. and British special operations forces near Basra. Coalition aircraft also have attacked 10 Iraqi artillery pieces in the southern no-fly zone, and Israelis have been ordered to open and fit their gas masks, keeping them nearby at all times.

War has not yet commenced, but this is a war alert. More information will be forthcoming as it is available.

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[CholeraJoe]

They can fly over Spain and Italy.

[Peach]

Are you watching the Fairford base? Is this dis-info?

[Florida_Freeper]

BBC News live showing them still on the runway.

Could be like that movie "Speed"(?) with the bomb on the bus and they rigged the video camera to loop the people sitting on the bus...ala B-52's on a runway

Maybe?

[colette_g]

I just checked on BBC News 24 on satellite, the internet feed is a few minutes behind, but it is current news. They are still saying B-52s haven't left yet ...

[Carolina]

Are you watching the Fairford base?

Yes

[Peach]

They use chemicals and those pre-surrender bets will be off.

[DaisyCutter]

I saw the same thing, reporter at the airfield for BBC, said no indication of them moving. However, it sounded exactly like the report she's given several times already today. Might have been a tape.

[TankerKC]

You do not get B-52's up one minute apart when they take off -- doesn't happen!

You've never seen a minimum interval take-off (MITO) then. The BUFFs can take off at 15-30 second interval, if there is a need to.

[P.O.E.]

Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one .45 caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days concentrated emergency raisons; one drug issue containing: antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair a nylon stockings. Shoot, a fellah could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

[Terry Mross]

My thoughts exactly. How long for a stealth to get from Diego Garcia to Iraq? I know it takes a C-130 10 hours to get from there to Bangkok.

[Peach]

Agreed re the pictures - we have tv but NEED Free Republic.

[richardtavor]

The report said less than 6 hours from Fairford.

[Stopislamnow]

I really believe the deadline will stand.

Bush wasn't kidding. This is "high noon" like someone said. President Bush is resolving all issues about "will".

This, more than anything will calm the islamofacists down. They fear strength, resolve, and might. The ONLY things they fear are those. Clintonian polices indicated to the terrorists that Americans were a bunch of pussies(sorry but its true),

Bush is performing a re-education exercise, make no mistake.

Crunch!

[PhiKapMom]

I will never forget when France wouldn't allow our F-111's to use their airpsace. Without you all, our planes couldn't fly everywhere!

Our Reserve Tanker squadron here at Tinker has been activated and deployed.

Always amazes me to see the pictures of refueling.

[PhiKapMom]

France gave us permission to use their airspace!

[Hanging Chad]

Let's not get PARANOID about all this Loose Lips stuff, O.K.?
This is a published story.
It is NOT a leak of personally gleaned information.
There is a BIG difference.
Try to understand that.
If you can not understand it.
Perhaps you should log off and watch CNN.

[PhiKapMom]

I have lived under their flight path when they used to do ORI's and one time flunked one. One right after the other!

[richardtavor]

Good to remain skeptical, but I doubt if we know if we have or don't have fly over rights from Turkey. At this stage, I wouldn't believe much of what I heard. However, news of a takeoff could be somewhat suppressed (for a few hours.)

[TankerKC]

Yep...I'm trying to find a pic. They all look like they're gonna crash.

[Constitution Day]

No way!

Too bad we can't say "no thanks" and fly around the long way.