Tamil Tiger Air Corps

Interesting to read of the Tamil TIger air attack in light of this report of the Sri Lankan Navy taking out a couple of Tiger supply boats allegedly carrying aircraft parts:

The cargo destroyed with the two LTTE ships by the Sri Lanka Navy, off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast, has once again drawn the attention of the South Asian defense community to the Tamil Tiger’s attempt to build its air force.

According to intelligence reports, some of the most expensive military hardware destroyed with the ships were aircraft spare parts or parts necessary to assemble light aircrafts.
***
Following the assassination attempt on the life of Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, the government sent its fighter jet aircraft of Mig 27s and Kfirs to bomb and destroy the Iranamadu airstrip south of the Iranamadu tank. Intelligence photos later showed pock-marked craters along the airstrip. The Sri Lankan intelligence services knew that the Tamil Tigers possessed at least two light aircrafts and two small helicopters. In Indian intelligence reports, they were identified as Czech-built Zlin-143 aircrafts and two small helicopters of R44 type.

Later, the Sri Lanka Air Force jets pounded on the second airstrip in Pudukuduiruppu, which is 1,250 meters long. But intelligence reports show even after the bombing, the LTTE has been repairing the damages at both airstrips.

Fully using and violating the Norway monitored Ceasefire Agreement, the LTTE also has built a third airstrip at Pilaikudirippu, southeast of the second airstrip.

The LTTE’s attempt to bring in more aircraft parts, and the airstrips still being repaired in the Vanni, show the LTTE’s determination to build its Air Wings, despite set backs.

Indian intelligence has said that the LTTE possessing aircraft poses a grave security threat to the region. Those aircraft could be used in a skyjack situation to force down an aircraft, or they could be used as a flying bomb for a terrorist attack on an important building, like during 9/11, they have warned.

Zlin143 shown in photo.

As far as light planes becoming bombers, the U.S. Civil Air Patrol was out front on that- as set out here.

Re: The War

Found this via BOTW too:

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Tamil Tiger light aircraft bombed an air force base by Colombo international airport before dawn on Monday, killing three airmen and wounding 16 in the first such air strike by the rebel group.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) warned similar attacks by its air wing would follow, threatening to deepen renewed conflict in the island state.

The War with the New York Times

A fine sample of the careful reporting on military personnel provided by James Taranto at today's Best of the Web", under the headline "Glad They Cleared That Up"

Also here.

Somewhere, an old professor of journalism is restless in his grave.

From MNF-I

Five terrorists killed, 22 suspects detained in raids

Clearing Operations Begin in Ramadi

Suicide Truck Bomb Captured in Ramadi

Large Weapons Cache Found in Sadr City

Operation reaps large cache, 31 detainees

Iraqi Security Forces aid the victims of large car bomb

Golden Dragons discover home-made explosives near Radwaniyah

Baghdad Eagles and Commandos find nine caches near Al QaQaa Weapons Facility

Roadside bomb strikes MND-B Patrol

Task Force Lightning Soldiers attacked

An abrupt change in mission

Teflon Don blogs from Iraq:

The platoon relaxed- someone stayed alert on the guns, while the rest of the truck crews broke out sandwiches or cigarettes. We'd been in place for less than ten minutes when the mortars started landing. It was only three or four rounds, and they were off behind one of the buildings in the village. The men unloading the supply trucks took little notice of the explosions, and the locals that I could see simply started moving inside the buildings. War quickly callouses you to frightening things- explosions still make us jump, but if they don't directly affect us, we virtually ignore them. This time, they affected us.

I saw a crowd of villagers thronging up to the gate of the OP. Somewhere near the front, there was a man struggling towards the Marines. I'll never remember what he looked like or the clothes he wore, but I'll never forget his burden.

He carried a little girl. She looked six or seven. Her head lolled back, her dark, curly hair dusty on his arm, and her legs dangled limply by his side. The only pattern on her dirty white dress was streaks of blood.

Re: Skunk Works

Heck, if there's room on the innernets for those old guys there's room enough for me.

Greyhawk's debut video. If you ever meet someone who claims to be me and they can't do this (not that it's all that hard), it ain't me.

Tanks for the Memories

It's fairly apparent that most of the posters here are readers of NRO's The Corner. But did you all know that they have a new military-themed blog called The Tank?

Well they do, and now you know. And knowing is half the battle (the other half, I'm told, is ball-bearings).