# friendly fire fuckup for the Air Force

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 1, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633 "2003-04-01T04:14:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633/21 "2003-04-03T15:44:45Z")

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He meant two TANKS had been disabled

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**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633/22 "2003-04-03T15:58:53Z")

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… oh, and this one really IS an olympic-grade fuckup even if the reports are half right. I mean, if it were at night, maybe… but in daylight? Don’t we teach and test armor recognition to A-10 pilots? Heads had better roll, here…

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633/23 "2003-04-03T19:55:59Z")

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Challenger tanks look absolutely nothing like anything the Iraqis use, BTW. Being an ex-intelligence analyst, I’ll tell you right now that was one mixup I NEVER heard during recognition classes.

Feed enough uppers to your pilots and this is bound to happen.

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**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633/24 "2003-04-03T20:08:40Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Apos \*  
> \*\*—There have not been any M1A1 tanks destroyed. Two have been disabled and repaired there were no casualties.—
> 
> So… is that worse or better? This pilot got two runs on a target with his tank busting rounds, and all he managed to do was possibly hit some Iraqis and lightly damage two tanks?
> 
> —Two have been disabled and repaired there were no casualties.—
> 
> I’m confused now: what does casualties imply? Deaths only? I thought it included disabling injuries also? \*\*

Getting confused here…? check out the OP’s link. It was two British Scimitars destroyed, one crew killed, assorted injuries. I don’t know about any M1A1s - is that a separate incident?

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**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friendly-fire-fuckup-for-the-air-force/165633/25 "2003-04-05T02:29:57Z")

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One M1 tank apparently _fell off a bridge into the Euphrates_. Or at least that’s what has been a Big Deal in my hometown paper, because one of the lost crew has family here in PR.

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