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<blockquote data-quote="wkmac" data-source="post: 2772124" data-attributes="member: 2189">Secretary of Defense Mattis <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/syria-mattis-trump-strike-damage/" target="_blank">claims</a> the Tomahawk strike took out about 20% of the Syrian operational aircraft.&nbsp; I&#039;m going on the assumption this means military aircraft and that the only target struck was the Shayrat Air Base.&nbsp; This doesn&#039;t count the Tomahawks that totally missed the target and hit elsewhere.&nbsp; Specific numbers given were that <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/08/middleeast/syria-strikes-russia-donald-trump/" target="_blank">20 operational planes</a> were destroyed on the ground during the strike.&nbsp; In 2011&#039; it was reported that Syria had the following aircraft inventory in their Air Force.575 fixed-wing aircraft:Combat/reconnaissance/OCU aircraft: 461Training aircraft: 76Transport aircraft: 26191 rotary-wing aircraft:Attack helicopters: 71Armed transport/utility helicopters: 120<a href="https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/publication/111213_SyriaMilitaryIntervention.pdf" target="_blank">source</a>: Center for Strategic and International StudiesCNN <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/syria-mattis-trump-strike-damage/" target="_blank">sourcing</a> IHS Jane&#039;s Defense Analysts states the following: &quot;Defense analysts IHS Jane&#039;s estimate the Syrian airforce has about 262 strike aircraft, although the company admits this may be an imperfect number due to the ongoing war.&quot;Using the lower number from IHS Jane, how does Mattis take 20 destroyed aircraft and come up with the 20% number?&nbsp; At best 10% seems more proper here.&nbsp; Going to google earth and seeing a shot of the Shayrat Base with its hardened bunkers, 20 aircraft taken out seems plausible looking at the image but this doesn&#039;t equate to 20% of the Syrian Air Force.&nbsp; Did Mattis misspeak or make a math mistake which can happen or was he deliberately and intended to twist numbers for the sake of political PR?<img src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8425568-3x2-940x627.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="wkmac, post: 2772124, member: 2189"] Secretary of Defense Mattis [URL='http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/syria-mattis-trump-strike-damage/'][COLOR=#ff0000][B]claims[/B][/COLOR][/URL] the Tomahawk strike took out about 20% of the Syrian operational aircraft. I'm going on the assumption this means military aircraft and that the only target struck was the Shayrat Air Base. This doesn't count the Tomahawks that totally missed the target and hit elsewhere. Specific numbers given were that [URL='http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/08/middleeast/syria-strikes-russia-donald-trump/'][COLOR=#ff0000][B]20 operational planes[/B][/COLOR][/URL] were destroyed on the ground during the strike. In 2011' it was reported that Syria had the following aircraft inventory in their Air Force. 575 fixed-wing aircraft: Combat/reconnaissance/OCU aircraft: 461 Training aircraft: 76 Transport aircraft: 26 191 rotary-wing aircraft: Attack helicopters: 71 Armed transport/utility helicopters: 120 [URL='https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/publication/111213_SyriaMilitaryIntervention.pdf'][COLOR=#ff0000][B]source[/B][/COLOR][/URL]: Center for Strategic and International Studies CNN [URL='http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/syria-mattis-trump-strike-damage/'][COLOR=#ff0000][B]sourcing[/B][/COLOR][/URL] IHS Jane's Defense Analysts states the following: [I] "Defense analysts IHS Jane's estimate the Syrian airforce has about 262 strike aircraft, although the company admits this may be an imperfect number due to the ongoing war." [/I] Using the lower number from IHS Jane, how does Mattis take 20 destroyed aircraft and come up with the 20% number? At best 10% seems more proper here. Going to google earth and seeing a shot of the Shayrat Base with its hardened bunkers, 20 aircraft taken out seems plausible looking at the image but this doesn't equate to 20% of the Syrian Air Force. Did Mattis misspeak or make a math mistake which can happen or was he deliberately and intended to twist numbers for the sake of political PR? [IMG]http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8425568-3x2-940x627.jpg[/IMG] [/QUOTE]

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