Posted: 2/2/2013 6:42:20 AM EDT
Read this on AKO this AM and anger sharks have begun to swim. I guess our 58F model can wait.......
http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o800/JesseR437/Garbage_zps119bdfc3.jpg The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command with U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command and Program Executive Office Aviation facilitated and delivered three Bell 407 Scout helicopters to Iraqi Army Aviation. This marks the 6th completed delivery of Iraqi Armed 407 Scout helicopter through Foreign Military Sales case that began in 2010. (Photo by U.S. Army) |
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FMS will almost always deliver first but not for the reason that many might believe.
It's because they are aways a smallish, clearly defined package where funding is already lined up and set in stone. When the US Army decides what they actually want, when they want it and how they are going to pay for it, they have a chance to actually get their's too. In other words... "Comanche will be along any day now." Besides... Those 27 IA407s are commerically ceritifed Bell 407s that the Army purchased and then applique modified with weapons and COTS avionics suites for FMS. It has no relationship with the OH-58D/F or Block 2 other than looking like a 1.3 scale version from a distance. |
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I bet its fun to fly.  Taking it for a spin here in CONUS... definitely. Spending 100% of your time training al-Bruthas in their home country on their own equipment... 
They couldn't pay me enough. Haha. They are always hiring tho Policemen call that a "clue". |
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I bet its fun to fly. Taking it for a spin here in CONUS... definitely. Spending 100% of your time training al-Bruthas in their home country on their own equipment...
They couldn't pay me enough. Worked with a guy who was training those guys. He actually liked it but I'm sure making over $200k didn't hurt his feeling either |
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An Air Force friend of mine (Korea, F-86, P-80, etc) left the Air Force in the early sixties and took a high paying job to move his family into the Expat compound in Saudi Arabia and teach their Air Force how to fly.
He lasted a few months. He was nearly arrested and beaten for his disrespect. He was on final approach in a Twin Bonanza with a Saudi Colonel at the controls. A fuel truck pulls out on the runway... Expat Instructor: "go around" Saudi Colonel: "allah will decide." and after a minute of arguing, this colonel was dead set of crashing the Twin Bonanza into the fuel truck, as it was obviously allahs will.
The instructor goes around, and lands safely. Turns out, that Colonel, who never really learned to actually fly, had connections, and had been "disgraced." Thankfully... He ended up not being charged with anything, but it was a near thing. |
| Like the article said this has been going on since 2010. I remember seeing the first shipment unloaded at the airfield in Taji. I was directly involved with some training with the Iraqi Airforce, and while there are shitheads in every organization I was surprised at the overall experience and professionalism of many of their pilots. Most spoke excellent English, and were French trained to fly migs or mirages. |
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The Iraqi AF was no slack ass organization. They where SERIOUSLY outmatched in Desert Storm and OIF...and they knew it. Having said that, it was more of a hardware/doctrine thing than anything else. The US may have the best toys, but let's not forget what the NVAF did with a bunch of MiG 17/19/21's. In the immortal words of Han Solo..."don't get cocky"
ka |
| I was flying out of Taji after the USAF pilots were no longer flying with the Iraqi Pilots (late 2011) They seemed to handle the aicraft ok (the 407's and Hueys more than the Mi-17's) but made virtually 0 radio calls... we always had to watch out for them while departing and returning! The Iraqi Air Force had some pretty cool toys though, between the OH-58A/C, 407's, older Hueys, Mi-17's and Cessna 337's. |