Good clean fun
By lex, on September 8th, 2007
Back in March 2006, the RAAF bubbas got a chance to practice their maritime dominance mission while (whilst?) putting paid to a drug smuggling ship, the North Korea-registered Pong Su.
The Pong Su was seized by federal police in 2003 carrying 125 kilograms of heroin.
An Air Force F-111 yesterday bombed the vessel, sending it to the bottom of the ocean, 140 kilometres off the south coast.
Mr Ruddock says this sends a clear message to people involved in transporting drugs.
An even clearer message would have been sending that puppy down with the smugglers still on board, but we are a little more evolved than that. Alas.
The video is pretty cool:
2000 pound laser guided bombs are not to be trifled with – and observant readers will note the “bat turn” one of the LGB’s makes on the FLIR video as it flies towards the Pong Su. I have to admit, for your true efficiency in sending scrap iron to the ocean floor (and don’t tell the submarine guys I said this) you’d sooner let the water in from the bottom rather than letting air in from the top.
Still. That’s the kind of thing a man could take a great deal of professional satisfaction from.