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Surely if they did need to engage the Pakistani Air Force (and it's claimed that they had Pakistani permission for the raid) they'd want fighter jets, not extra
by hugh3 16y ago
Surely if they did need to engage the Pakistani Air Force (and it's claimed that they had Pakistani permission for the raid) they'd want fighter jets, not extra helicopters?
- showerst 16y agoPresumably they had those too, we don't know. It does make quite a bit of sense to have a backup in case something goes wrong, even under the high-stealth circumstances. Remember that we have no idea what was in those helos, they could've held more SEALs, or sophisticated medical equipment, or even heavy weapons (although if they were also blackhawks that's less likely.)
- hugh3 16y agoOh, certainly. I agree, the extra helicopters would have been kept at a safe distance just in case one or more of the others had a problem. They've obviously learned a lot from Operation Eagle Claw (this is required reading for understanding this raid): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw