Tanks Guarding Heathrow Airport!!

[Attalus]

I imagine they are there to interrupt anyone stupid enough to run out with a shoulder-launched missle and sight in on an airplane, not to do anti-missle work. Besides, if a Chieftain was parked withing 10 feet of where you were, wouldn't you be a tad intimidated? These guys are box-cutter fighters.

[Harkoliar]

Hello. Please excuse me...simple American here. I guess I need a qualification on something please. I realize that I don't understand all of the security measures and armaments at Heathrow, nor was I meant to. I guess I'm just trying to understand what protection a tank would be to stop a rocket/mortar attack. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'd think a Chieftain's gun turret would be a Tad Too Slow to catch an incoming round/missile even if the the gunner was Amazingly Acurate and fast on the trigger. Now if they parked anti-missile batteries, I guess I could see it. Or am I missing something here? I'd hate to think someone's taking complex problems and applying PS2 solutions towards them.

well noted for me! [img]smile.gif[/img] but personally, with all that security now, the terrorist wouldnt dare attack it anymore.. sigh..

[Cloudbringer]

Yes, Quietman, but it might stop a suicide bomber in a car or something, who knows? It's also quite probable that the British governement isn't divulging ALL it knows about the threat just now, as it would be foolish to give away your intelligence capability to the 'enemy'.

This is scary, Charlie! And with the US on Orange Alert, I'm inclined to believe it's a serious threat situation.

[ 02-12-2003, 10:26 AM: Message edited by: Cloudbringer ]

[Panache]

I wouldn't say the terrorists wouldn't dare with all the new security - just that they wouldn't bother. I slightly despair of a governmnet which hears of a threat to Heathrow and increases security, while aparently ignoring Gatwick airport which is less than 20 miles away...
Surely any terrorist worth his virgins will have noticed this.

Umm forgive my ignorance...but what good are tanks against rocket attacks? Or even suicide bombers with explosives strapped to themselves? I would think they would increase the troops, not send in the tanks...Im confused.

Edit: Ooops I see my question was hardly original....ahh well.

[ 02-12-2003, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

[Lanesra]

Originally posted by Panache: I wouldn't say the terrorists wouldn't dare with all the new security - just that they wouldn't bother. I slightly despair of a governmnet which hears of a threat to Heathrow and increases security, while aparently ignoring Gatwick airport which is less than 20 miles away... Surely any terrorist worth his virgins will have noticed this.

As someone has already pointed out, we don't know how specific these threats were. One of the things that separates Heathrow from Gatwick is that EL AL don't fly from gatwick.

[harleyquinn]

It's becoming a scary world out there! I hope all the added security both in London and here in the US really does deter the terrorists, but I doubt it will, if that was all it took, then Israel wouldn't still be getting attacked.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that nothing happens. It's sad to think that if my trip to Paris was for now instead of 2 years ago, I probably wouldn't go out of fear and would have missed all the wonders and the great people of that city.

[Horatio]

My bro flew in this morning and says he couldn't see any tanks, just a few police!

[Annatar]

Tank guy drinking coffee... noticing some native guy walking towards a big boeing 747 full with passengers (like 342 of them)... ''eeuuhh Commander there is a strange native guy walking towards a really big plane filled with citizens... what should ''KABOEM!!!!!!!!''.. hmmmm never mind he just blowed up a boeing 747 with approximently 300 people in it''

Even if there is tank/a hole freaking army monitoring the airplanes/landing strips... a terrorist needs only seconds to blow himself and 300 other people up.

A terrorist does NOT have a sign on his shirt saying ''I'm a afghan terrorist and am probaly going to blow up that real big plane over there... so if you want to stop me do it now because I'm packed with 50 kilograms of high explosives that has a blast redious of about a small nuclaire bomb''

A tank officer first needs clearance before he shoots a possible terrorist down... he cannot go on a killing spree like '' hey! look at that guy! BLOW HIM APART he's looking at that plane! ''KAboem!'' ''Splash''

my point is here... if they want to make a attack THEY CAN!... it's only matter of time before they hit...

not to scare you guys really.. but it is just the world in these days. Hard and bitter trued (sp?)

[ 02-12-2003, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: Annatar ]

[Horatio]

Originally posted by Annatar: not to scare you guys really

Oh, thank you! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

They probably have more protection than you can see on the surface...