Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!clyde.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!news.cs.indiana.edu!know!samsung!rex!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Iraqi planes to Iran: Any informed opinions? Message-ID: <1991Feb6.031501.20679@cbnews.att.com> Date: 6 Feb 91 03:15:01 GMT References: <1991Feb4.054941.16979@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 22 Approved: military@att.att.com From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) In article <1991Feb4.054941.16979@cbnews.att.com>, YZKCU@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Yaakov Kayman) writes: > From: Yaakov Kayman > Would anyone with some knowledge, military or political, please comment > on the ability of the cream of Iraq's air force (Foxbats, Fulcrums, > Sukhoi bombers) to escape to Iran even though "the coalition" has AWACS > planes aloft 24 hours a day? The relevant knowledge may be geographic -- there are large portions of the border that are beyond the effective range of coalition planes. (That is, I'm sure those areas can be reached -- but only with difficulty, mid-air refueling, and advance planning.) And, of course, once the planes enter Iranian air space they're safe. Btw, I'm basing my estimates of the effective range of coalition planes on the reported difficulty in bombing the northern airfields, at least until Turkey joined in. --Steve Bellovin