Comments on: Chinook Production to Resume

By: Roy Smith

Roy Smith — Sun, 18 May 2008 18:21:51 +0000

Here is a slightly off-topic question,why doesn't the army either contract with or buy back from Erickson Air-Crane use of their upgraded CH-54 Tarhe Skycrane? I know that people on this blog have a total aversion to "re-cycling" older weapon systems.The Sky-Crane can both supplement the CH-47 Chinook & carry equipment too heavy for the Chinook to places unreachable for CH-130s or other heavy lift aircraft.I have not seen anything that we have that can replace the CH-54 Skycrane that we "retired" in the early 90s.I've seen drawings & scale models of ideas,but nothing concrete.Did the Military-Industrial Complex "retire" the Skycrane so that they could "suddenly" discover a need for such an aircraft & extort more money from us tax payers for another "new aircraft scam?"

By: Rix

Rix — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:28:20 +0000

Most likely possibility: Apprentice electrician screwed up with the wire crimper.
Next most likely possibility: disgruntled employee with a grudge against management.
Unlikely: terrorism

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Fri, 16 May 2008 23:06:34 +0000

The phrasing of the press release and the nature of the defects found:
>severed wires on one of the CH-47s and a suspicious
>washer in a subsystem of the second aircraft.
and the fact that Defense Criminal Investigation Service was immediately involved strongly suggest deliberate sabotage.
What is missing here is motive.
Make no projections as to what is going on until that is known.
We know the “what” and perhaps the “where and “when.“
The “who” and “how” are on the table.
What to listen for in this story:
1) The sabotaged wires will have tool marks.
It is likely all the wire cutting and crimping tools at this Boeing plant were tested during the down time to create a forensic finger print data base to match up with the sabotaged wires.
If none of the tool marks match and tools are missing, that too will be a line of investigation.
2) The washers may have forensic value as well in terms of finger prints, oils and other residue.
Listen for large number of people getting sampled or finger printed.
3) Expect rumors of recently fired or disciplined disgruntled workers will show up regardless of the truth before long.

By: Nunya

Nunya — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:02:25 +0000

“I think there’s a low probability this wasn’t deliberate”…?!
I can’t not say that it doesn’t perhaps sound like there might never have not been any espionage that may or may not have played a role in this situation.

By: seeker6079

seeker6079 — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:31:31 +0000

Aaaah, I see. The Dems are racing towards a huge win in November, the free cash ride that the defence contractors had under eight years of Bush and a pointless war in Iraq now looks to end. (When is uncertain, naturally, but a scale-down is inevitable.) The boogiemen stories that the GOP have used to win elections since 9/11 (orange alert!) don’t see to work any more. So what happens? Mysteeeeeeeeeeeeerious sabotage at a defence contractor! The enemy within!
Sorry, but I’m a gonna call bullshit on this one. I think that former VAdm Sestak should take a much closer look at what they’re telling him. I don’t think that a company that stands to make many millions on a contract is above lying its ass off to protect its interests.