Portland-bound combat missiles found on passenger flight

[lostinblue 1,989]

Serbia: Portland-bound combat missiles found on passenger flight

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Serbia's authorities are investigating reports that a cargo package bound for the U.S. containing two missiles with explosive warheads was found on a passenger flight from Lebanon to Serbia.

N1 television said the package with two guided armor-piercing missiles was discovered Saturday by a sniffer dog after an Air Serbia flight from Beirut landed at Belgrade airport.

Serbian media say documents listed the final destination for the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles as Portland, Oregon. The American-made projectiles can be fired from air, sea or ground platforms.

Local media said the missiles, which are about 1.5 meters in length, were packed and labeled as model rockets.

N1 reported Sunday that Air Serbia is helping in the investigation. The Serbian flag carrier says "security and safety are the main priorities for Air Serbia."

http://katu.com/news/local/serbia-portland-bound-combat-missiles-found-on-passenger-flight

THANKS OBAMA

[ExPatty 502]

Strange piece of apparent contraband. Presumably not set to detonate and these are air to surface, so can't have been used by a launcher in the future against an airliner. I see nothing on any other news sites. I have no idea how common this sort of thing is.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Strange piece of apparent contraband. Presumably not set to detonate and these are air to surface, so can't have been used by a launcher in the future against an airliner. I see nothing on any other news sites. I have no idea how common this sort of thing is.

The American-made projectiles can be fired from air, sea or ground platforms

[ready4ONE 5,400]

The American-made projectiles can be fired from air, sea or ground platforms

And they not only did not get to Portland, they didn't even get through Serbia.

THANKS OBAMA!

[Expat1 971]

Didnt know Obama had a side job sniffing packages. It would make for some good TV tho

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Didnt know Obama had a side job sniffing packages. It would make for some good TV tho

Old Lost thanked Obama in the first post in this thread. Guess you missed it?

[lostinblue 1,989]

Old Lost thanked Obama in the first post in this thread. Guess you missed it?

US plans largest ever sale of Hellfire missiles to Iraq

July 29, 2014 7:01 PM

• 
• 
• 
• 

Content preferences

Done

.

View gallery

• 
  .

Washington (AFP) - The United States plans to sell 5,000 Hellfire missiles to Iraq in a $700 million deal, officials said Tuesday, as Washington tries to help Baghdad retake ground captured by Sunni militants.

The US government, which has been reluctant so far to take military action in support of Baghdad, has rushed hundreds of the missiles to Iraq to help the Shiite-led government counter jihadists, who have seized areas north and west of the capital.

The proposed sale is the largest yet of the lethal missiles, which the Iraqis fire from AC-208 Cessna Caravan planes and other aircraft.

The deal calls for 5,000 AGM-114K/N/R Hellfire missiles and related equipment, parts, training and logistical support worth a total of $700 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement Tuesday.

"Iraq will use the Hellfire missiles to help improve the Iraq Security Forces' capability to support current on-going ground operations," the agency said.

The State Department has approved the deal and US law requires the government to inform members of Congress of a possible weapons sale. Lawmakers are not expected to try to block the sale.

View gallery

Iraqi army troops chant slogans against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as they recruit vol …

Washington in July alone has delivered 466 Hellfire missiles to Iraq, and has shipped 780 since January, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

Another 366 missiles will be delivered in August, he said.

The missiles, manufactured by US defense giant Lockheed Martin Corporation, have been used on American Predator and Reaper drone aircraft to take out suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

President Barack Obama has sent more than 200 US military advisers to Iraq to "assess" the state of the Iraqi army, while leaving open the possibility of US air strikes in the future.

The advisers delivered their initial evaluation earlier this month and Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel and top officers are still reviewing their findings, Kirby said.

The Obama administration has signaled reluctance to be drawn into major military action, and has argued that the jihadists exploited a failure by the Shiite-led government to forge cooperation with Sunni and Kurdish leaders.

"There's not going to be a US military solution here. It's just not going to happen," Kirby said.

He also rejected the idea that the administration was "dithering" in its review of the assessment by military advisers.

Kirby said there was a sense of urgency but "whatever recommendations flow from these assessments have got to be the right ones, have got to be sound, and have to be based on logic, and not done in a rush."

http://news.yahoo.com/us-plans-largest-ever-sale-hellfire-missiles-iraq-230153985.html

[Expat1 971]

Old Lost thanked Obama in the first post in this thread. Guess you missed it?

Obama sends them over, thanks Obama.

Dog sniffs them out, thanks Obama? LOL