www.militaar.net

Recall Gates told Congress three weeks ago that the U.S. strike role would end once NATO took command of the war. U.S. pilots continued to bomb targets to enforce the no-fly zone, but left the hard work of attacking Gadhafi’s ground forces to NATO pilots. The arrival of the Predators — two combat air patrols, Cartwright said, so probably five drones — reverses all that.

Cartwright justified the move by saying the drones are “uniquely suited” for attacking dug-in forces in “urban areas,” where Gadhafi’s loyalists are. The Predators fly lower than gunships like the AC-130 or attack planes like the A-10. Their sensor and camera suites give them better visibility than human pilots have, reducing the risk of collateral damage. And they can fly for 24 hours at a time, providing “extended persistence.” It’s quite a contrast to the archaic weapons used by Libyan rebels.

Loyalists to Moammar Gadhafi have the advantage in armor, artillery and training. But after nearly three weeks of U.S. and NATO-led airstrikes, they’re shedding their heavy weapons to fight like insurgents. As they do so, the outgunned and outmanned rebels are trying to act like a conventional military.

Hea lugu, eriti need vennad , kes tankikuulipritsidega ringi patseerivad. Ega sellest ju lasta saa? Või on aku kaasas?

Well, it finally happened, the Predator drones ordered to Libya by the Pentagon last week took out their first target on April 23, a rocket launcher being used by Gadhafi’s troops to hit civilians in the besieged city of Misurata; the same day reports surfaced that regime forces were withdrawing from the city after a two month siege that was met with stiff rebel resistance.

While it’s impossible to draw a direct correlation between the arrival of the drones and the withdrawal of government troops, DoD says the drones can hit targets in the cities in a way that NATO jets have so far been held back from doing.

The Special Air Service (SAS) is credited with playing a leading role in Afghanistan, where British troops are part of an international coalition fighting the Taliban. British forces are also playing a major role in the Libya conflict.

Seersant Steiner kirjutas:ma võtan ka sõna siin teie inimesed olete ikka naljakad need nn mässulised on tegelt Alqaida võitlejad ja nad võitlevad seadusliku valitsuse vastu. Ja veel kogu see sõda on ebaseaduslik mida lääneriigid teevad nad teevad seda ainult NAFTA PÄRAST mitte millegi muu pärast. Aga seda ei saa muidugi õelda avalikult siis räägitakse et oi oi demokraatia on ohus tegelt samas kummardatakse selliseid tegelasi nagu see nasarajev või kes iganes meil siin külas käis.

kaur3 kirjutas:Video: Libyan Rebels’ Makeshift Mobile Weapons

http://defensetech.org/2011/04/26/video ... t-weapons/

Conclusion

These are only the most prominent of the tribes still seen as loyal to the Libyan regime, or at least not siding with the rebels against it. The reason these tribes stay loyal to the regime may be related to their desire to honor their historic pacts with the Qadadfa, the Colonel’s tribe. They could also be fearful of losing the power they hold if Qaddafi falls. Under his regime, members of these tribes have occupied important positions in the government. Now a new regime is emerging, based in the east of the country, where the majority of the rebels are from. It seems normal, therefore, that some tribes in the west of Libya would feel threatened by the emergence of a new rival power in the east that might try to separate them from the power they have enjoyed for so long. It will now be seen in the coming days whether these tribes are willing to enter the conflict as a third armed force.

Depleting stocks of Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) used by European Air Forces could soon trigger a renewed demand for these weapons, and heat up the debate of cost versus efficiency. Recent news reports from the U.S. that claimed precision munitions stocks of certain NATO members were depleting quickly were rebuffed by official responses from Britain and France, claiming their air forces could continue unaffected at current operational tempo. According to Pentagon sources, Washington is in talks with NATO allies to ensure a sufficient supply of munitions for the Libya bombing campaign.