Corrections requested: Military facts/Globe's Sept. 16 edition

[MarkOttawa]

A message sent to Globe editors and these reporters:

'Dear Editors,

Corrections should be made regarding the articles by Bill Curry and Paul Koring, Sept. 16.

1) Mr Curry: "Canada beefs up Afghan war commitment".  Mr Curry writes that "The original mission in Kabul saw the Iltis jeeps replaced by LAV III light armoured vehicles when it became clear the jeeps did not provide enough protection for the troops."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060916.AFGHANCAN16/TPStory/International

Absolutely incorrect.  The Iltis were not replaced by the LAVII but by a better jeep-type vehicle, the Mercedes Geländewagen ("G-Wagon").
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=138
http://www.sfu.ca/casr/bg-apv-project.htm

2) Mr Koring: "U.S. pilot targeted Canadians' trash fire".  Mr Koring writes that "A single second's worth of fire from the aircraft's [A-10] gun is able to spew 50 thumb-sized, high-explosive bullets, each of which is powerful enough to rip through armour plate."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060916.AFGHAN16/TPStory/Front

The A-10's gun is the AN/GAU-8 30mm Avenger seven-barrel gatling gun.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/gau-8.htm

Far from firing "thumb-sized, high-explosive bullets", it fires "milk-bottle-size rounds".  Rather a large difference, one would think.
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/a10/

It is this sort of wildly inaccurate reporting by Canadian journalists on basic military facts that calls into question their ability to report accurately on military matters at all.'

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Pte_Martin]

Good job Mark, i would have never caught that, keep us posted on their  reply

 

[rmacqueen]

Good luck with that one, first they will have to admit they are talking out their a**.  In the words of someone I know "don't hold your breath, blue does not go well with cadpat"

 

[AmmoTech90]

Point 1 I agree with.  However where is the inaccurate information in point 2?

2) Mr Koring: "U.S. pilot targeted Canadians' trash fire".  Mr Koring writes that "A single second's worth of fire from the aircraft's [A-10] gun is able to spew 50 thumb-sized, high-explosive bullets, each of which is powerful enough to rip through armour plate."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060916.AFGHAN16/TPStory/Front
The A-10's gun is the AN/GAU-8 30mm Avenger seven-barrel gatling gun.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/gau-8.htm
Far from firing "thumb-sized, high-explosive bullets", it fires "milk-bottle-size rounds".  Rather a large difference, one would think.
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/a10/

He mentions that it's a seven barrel weapon earlier with a rate of fire of 2100 to 4200 rpm (guess he averaged them).  The Globe and Mail article is actually more correct than the aerospaceweb link.  The GAU fires "rounds" that are around the size of an old coke bottle rather than a milk bottle.  The "bullets" that come out are indeed the size of a large thumb.  So, surprisingly the Moan and Wail got something right about the military.

D

 

[DBA]

Unless your hands are really huge your thumb isn't close to 30mm in diameter. The only thing that can be considered thumb sized would be the DU penetrator which is a subcomponent of the projectile.