Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Skywarrior for Lebanon?


Check out the pic with the article. More than once source (DefenseNews should know better). This simply has to be a misprint or bad copy that is spreading like a bad virus - the last A-3 of any variant came off the production line over 45 years ago.
An official at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut confirmed that of the few options considered, the best available trainer was the TA-3 Skywarrior.

“About three TA-3 trainers would likely be made available to Lebanon in the near future, but we don’t really know when,” said the U.S. official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to give an interview. “We might be able to send another two or three TA-3s later on but cannot be sure at this stage.”
Huh?

This is like reading that we are going to transfer ... well ... heck I don't think we have ships this old in reserve. Then again, I don't think there are any flying TA-3s left. Wait,
check the list. There is one being used for research.

This is just bad research. Heck, they could have called
Lex, he would have told them. Aw heck, I'll go out on a limb and call "stupid State Dept. guy" or bad reporter notes. It would be a funny site though telling guys, "Here fly this." Imagine the average age of living Instructor Pilots for the A-3 ..... speaking of Lex...

The only reason you would want to send the three TA-3s (the only ones in storage have been in the boneyard since '90) is if it were some kind of PSYOPS operation to bankrupt, frustrate, and kill a nation's young pilots. The A-3D wasn't called "All Three Dead" for nut'n.

Oh, speaking of A-3s. I have a story about LTJG Salamander, a couple of days in the BOQ in Rota on the way places East and ..... well. Nevermind.

Hat tip The Tank.

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