MetaChat - We are so screwed

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17 January 2006

We are so screwed The Iraqi insurgents have come up with Improvised Explosive Devices -- IEDs -- which can be used as anti-air weapons. We are so screwed.

post by: orthogonality at: 18:24 | 8 comments

What do you mean, we? Are you stationed in Iraq?

posted by Eideteker 17 January | 19:24

My ass certainly isn't on the line, making rich men richer.

posted by cmonkey 17 January | 20:31

I'm not sure why improvised is emphasized, but this seems to be a new use of the weapons. They're essentially flinging them up at our helicopters and then detonating them via radio when they get close. The helicopters have no defense against this currently, but they're looking into putting radio jammers on them soon.

posted by knave 17 January | 22:37

Wouldn't broad-spectrum radio jammers be troublesome for the helicopter's radio communication system?

I guess if radio frequency jammers were used, the insurgents will just switch to old-school timers or proximity detonation.

posted by porpoise 17 January | 22:58

Anti-air weapons? You mean like how the Manhattan Project scientists calculated that there was an infinitesimally small, but non-zero, probability that the first fission explosion would cause a chain reaction in all the hydrogen in earth's atmosphere, causing instantaneous global anihilation?

posted by Triode 17 January | 23:54

cause a chain reaction in all the hydrogen in earth's atmosphere, causing instantaneous global anihilation

Yeah, pretty much. Some days I wished that they were right.

posted by porpoise 18 January | 01:40

They've had these for awhile, according to the War Nerd. The RPG is, indeed, a flexible weapon. I guess the gernades explode after a set amount of time, making them pretty potent in that regard.

posted by ph00dz 18 January | 08:25

I have this image of a guy at a skeet shooting range yelling "Pull!"

posted by smackfu 18 January | 09:20

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