uh... fergie not so hot. Perhaps damp.

That's old footage of an Apache taking out guys in a field with what looks like an rpg.

Definitely not an AC-130.

Still definitely nice footage though.

That's apache footage from a standoff position. ac-130 would be circling counter clockwise.
still cool in a morbid kind of way.

Yeah, that footage is several years old, captured during the actual war in early 2003.

Definitely an Apache at work.

You can tell it's an Apache because they're (1) close: the elapsed time between the clicks of the gun and the ground lighting up is short and (2) low: you can see the enemy practically in profile.

A Spectre would be up much higher and definitely be looking down, like in this spectre video:
http://library.beau.org/lib/ebooks/baen/03/AC-130/

I'm so glad when folks get here before me to call things "old". All that hate keeps me warm.

FYI, this video made the rounds at work at least two years ago, perhaps even older.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Ace should review that cool new movie, Lord of the Rings.

P.S. Did you hear that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck called it quits? It's true!

Not quite as cool as the two Iraqis humping the donkey through thermals, but still cool.

This footage was run without comment at the end of the Italian "white phosphorus war crimes in Fallujah" video. I guess to show how heartless and evil Americans are - imagine that, actually killing the enemy! In a war!

John, IIRC the Italian video chopped out a bunch of stuff, including the part where it looks like these people have guns, and the part where the Americans deliberate and seek confirmation of their strike order.

FYI: The Air Force is Ready to Deploy a Stun Weapon

“We can focus it down to an individual … up to a kilometer away, and it essentially feels like … a bee sting all over your body, and that's enough to dissuade just about anybody from pulling a trigger on a weapon or igniting a bomb,” Carlson said in a speech.

I wonder how long before Andrianna Sullivan denounces it as a barbaric torture device.

Dave, all that hate's gonna burn you up kid.

Also, it's not specter it's spectre for an AC-130H, and spooky for an AC-130U

There was similar video from an AC-130 raid on a Taliban complex in Afghanistan.

It has to be an Apache 'cause didn't James Bond destroy S.P.E.C.T.R.E.?

'My Humps' is something of secrets? I'm confused.

It's Top 40, baby, they play that on the radio all the time. Like ALL the time all the time.

"Lady lumps" would be more sexy if, I dunno, it didn't remind me of breast cancer every time I heard it.

Also, it's not specter it's spectre for an AC-130H, and spooky for an AC-130U

Personal note: my dad was a navigator on Spookys and Spectres in Vietnam.

Sobek - you mean they blew up the donkey?!

J/k, yeah, "editing for context."

That was sweet. Very enjoyable.

And, is there really video of two Iraqis humping a donkey? Please tell me where to find that so I can have a laugh.

(Feel sorry for the donkey, though)

You will notice that the thermal video clip says TADS in the upper left corner. That stands for "Target Acquisition and Designation Sight," which is the sighting system for the Apache's 30mm cannon.

This has been kicking around for quite a while, but it's no less entertaining for that...

I think this piece came out even before we invaded Iraq, if my memory isn't mistaken, I saw this video when we were still only in Afghanistan.

How did the men on the ground not know the Apache was there? Was it in "whisper" mode? Does that actually exist, or was that just some cool feature in "Blue Thunder"?

And how would whisper mode work anyway?

Mark V., There is no "whisper mode," but Apaches are pretty quiet, particularly when they hover, because their rotor blade tips don't break the sound barrier like those of earlier Iriquois-type helicopters did. Plus, modern thermal imaging systems produce excellent quality video at long ranges. This engagement probably happened at a half-mile, or more.

Here you go, toots:
http://www.break.com/articles/iraqilove.html

Another reason the Iraqis don't seem to notice the Apache is that the sounds they make are hard to localize. Instead of the iconic "Whup! - Whup! - Whup!" of a two-bladed helo like a UH-1 (Huey), it's more like a low bass growl.

In the same way you can hide a subwoofer behind a couch and just have the bass "exist" in the room, the noise from the Apache just seems to be "there" if you don't have eyes on it. Couple that with the complacency gained by the ubiquitous presence of American helo's and you end up with targets who don't seem to know that Nicholas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones are about to reduce them into their component parts.

Don't forget about Sean Young, Yeff.

John,

Oh my gosh.

Thank you. I think.

Poor donkey.

uh... fergie not so hot. Perhaps damp.

Ugh. Do not click here if you think Fergie's hot and want to continue thinking that.

Details here: "We were jumping around - it was all very rock 'n' roll - and my bladder just started... you know. [...] Somebody brought out these champagne bottles because it was the New Year, and I basically opened one up and squirted it all over myself, so nobody would notice."

Did the article say it was New Year's? Oh, wait, that's from a different time she wet herself onstage. Blech.

Some might pity the donkey. Others might ENvy...

Anyway, here's the second chapter the CIA doesn't want you to see:
http://www.jesterscourtyard.com/jokes/jackass/NeverPullOffTheRoadToPoop-6.html

God will have the final judgement on them and they will have a new place to stay with fire brimstone and lots of company like HITLER,STALIN,MAO,GANGAS KHAN,LENIN and KOMENNI but if they say anything bad about the great satan their will be in big time trouble

This has been highlighted by the anti-war left as an example of the US military's purposeful targeting of civilians. It has been featured on IndyMedia websiite for several years. Interestingly, his version does not include the first few minutes showing the guy throwing the RPG in the field.

See this URL (edited b/c Ace doesn't allow links to this domain):
http://portland . indymedia . org/en/2004/01/278605.shtml

I agree with the readers who wrote in suggesting that the vehicle on the left is a tractor and that the Apache just blew away some farmers. I'm a farm kid myself, and there is no question that the men were involved in some kind of agricultural activity, most likely ploughing. This is cold blooded murder and this video records a war crime. Certainly the video makes it clear that the Apache was not engaged in evasive flight indicating that it was under any kind of a threat. Make local copies of this video. Put them on CD-ROMS. Hand them out.

BTW, if you want to see footage of an AC-130 Spectre, see this video of an attack on an Al Qaeda complex in Afghanistan. Before the AC-130 lets loose, you'll hear the FAC identify the building in the compound that's a mosque and direct the gunship to avoid hitting this building. One of the al Qaeda terrorists actually is spared because he runs into this building. It's extremely frightening to see the destructive power of this gunship... I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it, with a howitzer being trained on me through IR.

For some reason, despite this evidence, the Left would say that we're being too aggressive in this war.

Regards,
St Wendeler
Another Rovian Conspiracy

Regarding the music video: so that's what women are up to. Wouldn't Black-eyed Peas be in trouble for leaking highly classified female tactics?