ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by USMC

The USA created the internet you fucking dumbass ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Germans created the jet engine. What have we made the internet, cell phones, computers, jets, airplanes.

Frank Whittle was a boxhead? Every day is a school day here.

Originally Posted by 2/51

We had tanks down there?

As for the Yanks helping us out, think more along the lines of the perfect testing ground for new weapons without the fear of condemnation. Here you go UK, play with these, but whilst doing it, give us as much feedback as you can.

B trp. Blues and Royals Scorpion and Scimitars, at least one disabled by Mines.

Also re tasked Satellites for Imagery, Fuel at Ascension Island, AIM9L's

I stand corrected, the British army had as many helicopters as it needed in the falklands.
The yomp that the iconic picture of the marine with the union flag comes from was just a walk in the park and was no big deal.
The game changing sidewinders the yanks (not tanks) gave us were because they couldn't be bothered testing them themselves and the fact that it was the French that gave the Argentine airforce the air launch capability for its Exocets and led directly to the sinking of British ships was no big deal because of all the other great stuff they did for us. Oh yer the boots were great to


Sent from my iPhone using ARRSE app

Originally Posted by Junder

I stand corrected, the British army had as many helicopters as it needed in the falklands.
The yomp that the iconic picture of the marine with the union flag comes from was just a walk in the park and was no big deal.
The game changing sidewinders the yanks (not tanks) gave us were because they couldn't be bothered testing them themselves and the fact that it was the French that gave the Argentine airforce the air launch capability for its Exocets and led directly to the sinking of British ships was no big deal because of all the other great stuff they did for us. Oh yer the boots were great to


Sent from my iPhone using ARRSE app

I beg your pardon? I assume you are referring to these Sidewinders?:

20.06.12

The Guardian, Fri 6 Sep 2002 01.56 BST

Margaret Thatcher would have lost the Falklands war in 1982 if America had failed to provide crucial missiles to bolster British air defences, according to an adviser to the former prime minister. America, which angered the Thatcher government with its initially even-handed approach to the conflict, was believed to have provided little more than intelligence once Washington lost patience with the Argentinians.

But British and American officials say in the BBC documentary that Washington provided the latest Sidewinder missiles at 48 hours' notice after the British task force came under fire.

Lord Renwick, a senior diplomat in the British embassy in Washington, who went on to become ambassador, told the programme: "My role was to go along to the Pentagon and ask them for 105 Sidewinder missiles. These were the very latest version, which were far more accurate than the earlier versions and we wanted them delivered within 48 hours. That meant stripping part of the frontline US air force of those missiles and sending them to the South Atlantic."

Lord Powell of Bayswater, Lady Thatcher's key foreign affairs adviser, said that Britain would have lost the war without such assistance.

His remarks were echoed by Richard Perle, an assistant US defence secretary at the time, who said: "Britain would probably have lost the war without American assistance. That's how significant it was."

Odd that the USAF would have fielded untested missiles for its own aircraft before sending them south. I humbly suggest you do your homework on the facts rather than the urban legends.

Originally Posted by Junder

I stand corrected, the British army had as many helicopters as it needed in the falklands.
The yomp that the iconic picture of the marine with the union flag comes from was just a walk in the park and was no big deal.
The game changing sidewinders the yanks (not tanks) gave us were because they couldn't be bothered testing them themselves and the fact that it was the French that gave the Argentine airforce the air launch capability for its Exocets and led directly to the sinking of British ships was no big deal because of all the other great stuff they did for us. Oh yer the boots were great to


Sent from my iPhone using ARRSE app

Were you serving in 1982?

The French sold the Aircraft Mounted Exocet to Argentina so of course the sale included the ability to launch said Missiles. Wouldnt be much point to buy Ordnance you cant use. Were you aware the UK sold the Argie the Same Blowpipe manpads that you used? France provided OPFOR aircraft training for the Harriers and short stopped more Exocets from getting to Argentina.

The AIM9L were front line US Ordnance, tested in 1978 before the RAF ever saw one and combat used in 1981 against Libyan SU-22 aircraft. We also trained one of your SAS cpls in the Stinger Missile, he unfortunately died in a helo crash while cross decking.


Clearly the only thing you got right was the issue with the low top Boots DMS.

I'd hazard a guess Junder hasn't served a day in his life. Armchair expert. Does't realise the Sidewinder was used by the Israeli's long before the Falklands, as well as the sceptics in Vietnam.

Originally Posted by tiny_lewis

I'd hazard a guess Junder hasn't served a day in his life. Armchair expert. Does't realise the Sidewinder was used by the Israeli's long before the Falklands, as well as the sceptics in Vietnam.

As for the 'sidewinder' yes you are correct the sidewinder missile system has been around for a while. You see at no point did I say the yanks gave us a new missile called the sidewinder, think you will find i said the yanks gave us a new 'updated version' of the sidewinder. You see the Argys had the sidewinder to, only they had the older variant, the sidewinder they used could only be targeted and locked on to an
Enemy aircraft from directly behind it were as the nice shiny new version (atleast it was new back then) that the yanks gave us could be locked on to an enemy aircraft at any angle, front or rear of enemy aircraft, which gave the british a distinct advantage over the argentine aircraft.
As for military service you are wrong on that count to. Of course I never served in the falklands (to young for that) but then I never claimed I did either.


Sent from my iPhone using ARRSE app

The Yanks used the AIM-9L version of the Sidewinder (the 'all-aspect' version) over the Gulf of Sidra to shoot down two Libyan Fitters in 1981, so they were the first to use it 'for real' and not the FAA/RAF Harriers around the Falklands.