"Token" wrote in message
newsLTvb.81844$Dw6.391288@attbi_s02...
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/...ain/index.html

This story is claiming that a MANPAD hit a courier aircraft today.

If the story is correct it was an SA-7, I would think a 7b. Imagine
how
much better something designed in the last quarter century might do?

Horrifying for us all.


A few months ago there was a thread in here about heat seekers and
high
bypass ratio engines. Those certainly look like high bypass ratio
engines
to me.


I only saw a glimpse but it looked like an A310 with GE CF6 engines.

The RB211 engine might have a reasonable chance of obscuring the hot
exhaust nozzle as the shorter length of the Rolls Royce engines' 3
spool shaft allows the fan cowling to extend back beyond the exhaust
nozzle thus covering up hot metal completely. (RR use this technique
to reduce noise however)


Several times threads have erupted here about the ability of a
MANPAD to
take down an airliner on take-off. One data point is poor
statistics so I
am not commenting one way or the other, but here is one that got
wacked on
climb-out, and managed to go around and land.

T!