Some might consider this cosmic justice:
TEHRAN – Iran’s sole Simorgh AWACS aircraft was lost during a military parade Sept. 22, one of two Iranian military aircraft that crashed in Tehran while participating in a display to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force operated a single Simorgh, a former Iraqi Air Force Adnan. The Adnan AWACS was in turn a modification of a Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-76 transport.
The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force’s Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni Shrine, southern Tehran. According to eyewitnesses, the crash occurred immediately after the parade. Apparently, no mayday call was issued.
Both aircraft crashed in flames. Initial reports indicate that seven crewmembers were killed in the crash.
Whoops.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Hey, who else doesn’t think this is a win for the rest of the civilized world? Not as though Iran actually has any enemies who want to invade or conquer their country so any loss of defense or offensive weapons is a plus for their neighbors who all fear/hate/distrust them.
The loss of life which almost certainly happened is a tragedy for the families involved but the whole parading around your military equipment only happens in countries which are run by dictators. Ever seen a parade featuring missile launchers, tanks, bombers and other equipment followed by half your army marching down the road in some democratic country? (if you said yes, you are a hopeless idiot)
Now if only Iran would hold a parade where they bring out all those nice little centrifuges which enrich uranium so we can get a look at them and maybe a couple of Predator drone launches…..
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Ya know, if Israel wanted to hit Iran, they wouldn’t get a better opportunity than this. That AWAC was probably a centerpiece of any air defense network. Just sayin….