question about Afghanistan sky news report,real or fake?

zig

Hi,
Today there was a report regarding a head British commander in Afghanistan wanting to double troops, it then showed a good bit of footage with pathfinders in a battle and taking fire from taliban. The thing is the british soldiers seemed completely out in the open while firing the shots back, and also they weren't wearing helmets which seemed odd considering the report was describing how they were taking fire etc.
The whole report seemed weird and Im just wondering do you reckon its real or fake? If you watch sky news any time the rest of the evening its bound to be on a good few times if you wanna check it out.

steyr fan

Not sure if I saw a bit of the same clip you are talking about, but it looked like the lads were firing something heavy like a .5 from one of the vehicles. If so, the range could have been in the region of 2000m, so they were probably beyond the range of the talibans weapons - thus no helmets.

As I say, not too sure.

cherrypicker555

zig wrote: »

Hi,
Today there was a report regarding a head British commander in Afghanistan wanting to double troops, it then showed a good bit of footage with pathfinders in a battle and taking fire from taliban. The thing is the british soldiers seemed completely out in the open while firing the shots back, and also they weren't wearing helmets which seemed odd considering the report was describing how they were taking fire etc.
The whole report seemed weird and Im just wondering do you reckon its real or fake? If you watch sky news any time the rest of the evening its bound to be on a good few times if you wanna check it out.

Fake, they're actors flown in from England. :rolleyes:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-DBXGOkfTk

iceage

lolololol. BAFTA!!!!! "And the Parachute Regiment would like to thank........." course its fu*king real. I can feel a ban comming on.....:(

Leadership

Didnt see the footage but recce patrols are mostly conducted with belt kit a few spare mags and no helmets. It enables those in the patrol to bug out quickly if there is a contact.

zig

Lads in fairness ye naively take the piss as if all the war reports you see on the news are real. It was a genuine question as Ive heard and read about this on more than one occasion. Im obviously not talking about actors or any of that, just a bit of camera pleasing footage for the hearts and minds back home to justify the cost in both lives and money on the war. Cheers Leadership and steyre , that makes a bit more sense.

iceage

Apologies Zig, the guys are correct in their observations, the lads on the ground are in fact chucking it back with .5's so range is the reason, Also as the report starts with the initial contact, I'm sure the guys would be grabbing lids as the action continued. I find it shocking that you would for one second not believe Sky News!!:D Joke mate..

cherrypicker555

cherrypicker555 wrote: »

Fake, they're actors flown in from England. :rolleyes:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-DBXGOkfTk

The new Jackals seem to be causing a few problems. They are basically doing the same role SAS mobility troop do freeing them to operate in the Kush and other classified places.






Awesome firepower and agility puts Jackal in class of its own
Category: Army

The first of the UK military's tough new Jackal 4x4 patrol vehicles have been put through their paces in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.

The introduction into service of up to 100 of the new vehicles will mark a significant improvement on the capabilities of the current weapons platform, the Land Rover-based Weapons Mounted Installation Kit (WMIK), for UK forces on the front line.
Offering increased mobility, protection and agility, Jackal's 5.9 litre engine is capable of maintaining off-road speeds of up to 80km/h and can reach a top speed of 130km/h. The vehicle's extended range and ability to operate across a variety of terrain in extreme environments give it a huge advantage over its WMIK predecessor.
A unique airbag suspension system allows a smooth ride over the roughest terrain and provides a more stable firing platform while the vehicle is in motion.
The revolutionary system can also raise the seven-tonne beast by more than a metre, allowing the vehicle to clear large obstacles or its occupants to gain a better view of the field of operations.

But this vehicle, procured in just seven months, was originally designed as a purpose-built weapons platform, and that is where Jackal comes into its own.
Capable of carrying combinations of .50 calibre (12.7mm) machine guns, Heckler & Koch 40mm grenade launchers and General Purpose Machine Guns, Jackal's agility, range and awesome firepower will offer front line commanders greater flexibility in the conduct of ground operations.
Major Tom Wood, part of the team that produced the vehicle, said:
"I don't think we, as an Army, have ever bought such an incredible piece of kit before. It packs as much power as some of our tanks!"
Although incorporating a fully-integrated protection system and reinforced armour plating, Jackal's main defences are its mobility and agility. This makes Jackal perfectly suited to the operational terrain of southern Afghanistan, where speed and manoeuvrability are essential.

A number of the 200 vehicles procured will form part of the training fleet allowing troops to gain experience driving and maintaining the vehicles before they deploy on operations. Army driver Warrant Officer Nick Hartley has completed the training:
"It's awesome," he said. "It does exactly what it says on the tin! Troops will be able to go deep into Taliban territory and hunt them down. There's no hiding place from this vehicle. It can go anywhere."

Jackal facts

• Crew: 2+1

• Length: 5.39m

• Width: 2.00m

• Height: 1.97m (not including weapon system)

• Weight: 6,650kg

• Engine: 5.9 litre Cummins ISBe Euro3

• Jackal is ready to receive the British Armed Forces' new BOWMAN communications equipment.

iceage

the two lads were lucky when that one in the clip tipped over!:(

cherrypicker555

iceage wrote: »

the two lads were lucky when that one in the clip tipped over!:(

Very lucky.

Manic Moran

iceage wrote: »

Apologies Zig, the guys are correct in their observations, the lads on the ground are in fact chucking it back with .5's so range is the reason,

Eh? When Ma Deuce speaks, everybody listens. I don't care if the opposition is 50 yards away. If I've got a .50, I'm shooting it. They're also shooting 7.62s, you'll note. Looked about 600-800 yards or so when they zoomed out. Well within range of both MG sizes.

NTM

iceage

Thanks for that Manic, I had noticed that. I'm sure we all agree that when those RPG's were being lobbed in their general direction the guys in the clip started to return fire with both .5 and gympi, and probably anything else that came to hand.

zig

by the way here is the original clip I was talking about for anyone interested,

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Afghanistan-Brigadier-Mark-Carleton-Smith-Wants-British-Forces-Doubled-To-Fight-Taliban/Article/200809415106129?videoSourceID=d4937c282e29c110VgnVCM1000005d04170aRCRD&lpos=World_News_Article_Inline_Player_List_0&lid=ARTICLE_15106129_Afghanistan:_Brigadier_Mark_Carleton-Smith_Wants_British_Forces_Doubled_To_Fight_Taliban


just click on the video on the left, "pathfinders last mission"

cherrypicker555

zig wrote: »

by the way here is the original clip I was talking about for anyone interested,

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Afghanistan-Brigadier-Mark-Carleton-Smith-Wants-British-Forces-Doubled-To-Fight-Taliban/Article/200809415106129?videoSourceID=d4937c282e29c110VgnVCM1000005d04170aRCRD&lpos=World_News_Article_Inline_Player_List_0&lid=ARTICLE_15106129_Afghanistan:_Brigadier_Mark_Carleton-Smith_Wants_British_Forces_Doubled_To_Fight_Taliban


just click on the video on the left, "pathfinders last mission"

Its a desert, thats why they are in open ground, they are in contacts every day, why would they need to fake one ?

iceage

ARRSE.

Duffers

Zig, keep wearing that tinfoil hat mucker, they're out to get you!!!!!!!!
:pac: In all seriousness though, I've never been on a two way range, nor in a firefight, so I'm not going to comment on what they are doing, but I would hazard a guess that as they are taking incoming, the footage miiiiiight just be real. The idea they would be willing to stage a firefight is pretty ludicrous, no offence zig.

They are basically doing the same role SAS mobility troop do freeing them to operate in the Kush and other classified places.

(sighs) Oh dear Jesus Christ......exbootie's back:(

iceage

LOL Duffers I think Cherrypicker was talking about the Jackels, as in the vehicles...no Exbootie in here.......I think? I'll go and check....nope.

Duffers

LOL no Icers, I was just saying, that sounded a lot like him.
'Classified places', I stash my porn in classified locations, sssshhhh it's a secret

zig

point taken Duffers, all I was suggesting was that there might been some sort of "ok lads fire yer guns that way for the cameras and then we can get back to our real work" thing. But the fact that they werent wearing helmets has been explained.