The Austrians suspected something shady was going on. They were right.
The United States of America has a massive global military footprint and prides itself on its ability to rapidly project power almost anywhere across the globe.
But what happens when in the process it gets caught doing things it shouldn’t?
Well, that’s what happened prior to the second invasion of Iraq. On October 18, 2002, the US Air Force filed a routine flight plan for a McDonnell Douglas KC-10A tanker to pass through neutral Austrian airspace. Totally ordinary, right?
The Air Force never mentioned that tucked tightly beneath its wings would be two Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft flying formation en route to the Middle East. Leery of the tanker’s deviating flightpath, Austria scrambled two Saab J-35 Drakens to investigate. They uncovered the unexpected guests, shadowing and photographing them for ten minutes.
The incident sparked a brief diplomatic spat, but little more.
Why do you think the Air Force tried to pull a fast one on Austria? Let us know in the comments.
#themilitaryshow
The United States of America has a massive global military footprint and prides itself on its ability to rapidly project power almost anywhere across the globe.
But what happens when in the process it gets caught doing things it shouldn’t?
Well, that’s what happened prior to the second invasion of Iraq. On October 18, 2002, the US Air Force filed a routine flight plan for a McDonnell Douglas KC-10A tanker to pass through neutral Austrian airspace. Totally ordinary, right?
The Air Force never mentioned that tucked tightly beneath its wings would be two Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft flying formation en route to the Middle East. Leery of the tanker’s deviating flightpath, Austria scrambled two Saab J-35 Drakens to investigate. They uncovered the unexpected guests, shadowing and photographing them for ten minutes.
The incident sparked a brief diplomatic spat, but little more.
Why do you think the Air Force tried to pull a fast one on Austria? Let us know in the comments.
#themilitaryshow
- Category
- MILITARY
- Tags
- us, military, us military
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