Biturbo aircraft?

The article said: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is asking the Air Force why the fleet of G222 aircraft were turned into scrap metal this past August. They had sat idle for years on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport. In 2008, NATO purchased 20 of the Italian-made aircraft for $486 million in hopes that they could serve cargo and transit needs for Afghanistan’s new air force. But it quickly became apparent that the aircraft were not suited for the dusty conditions found in Afghanistan and required constant maintenance and spare parts. According to Sopko’s office the aircraft never met expectations and only flew 234 of the 4,500 flight hours required from January to September 2012 because of constant maintenance issues and a lack of spare parts.

Italian machinery being finicky and out of service a lot? Unpossible! ;)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-turns-486-million-afghan-air-fleet-32000/story?id=26083173

Duke wrote:

The article said: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is asking the Air Force why the fleet of G222 aircraft were turned into scrap metal this past August. They had sat idle for years on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport. In 2008, NATO purchased 20 of the Italian-made aircraft for $486 million in hopes that they could serve cargo and transit needs for Afghanistan’s new air force. But it quickly became apparent that the aircraft were not suited for the dusty conditions found in Afghanistan and required constant maintenance and spare parts. According to Sopko’s office the aircraft never met expectations and only flew 234 of the 4,500 flight hours required from January to September 2012 because of constant maintenance issues and a lack of spare parts.

Italian machinery being finicky and out of service a lot? Unpossible! ;) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-turns-486-million-afghan-air-fleet-32000/story?id=26083173

What is so funny is the 222 designation which is what the 2nd Gen BiTurbo was called in Europe (2 liter, 2 door, 2nd generation) They couldn't have chosen a better name.

Now why the bork isn't NATO or the US getting their (our, some taxpayers) money back if these things were a pile of guano and not fit for the intended purpose?

You'd think they might trial one before blowing half a billion on a fleet of them...

GameboyRMH wrote: You'd think they might trial *one* before blowing half a billion on a fleet of them...

You're joking, right?

The crappy stuff we scrap and the good stuff we give to ISIS so we have someone to scared of. Go figure. Would it have been too much to ask that we gave the non-airworthy 222's to our invented enemies instead of HUMVEE's, stinger missiles and M198 howitzers.

Next thing, they'll be flying people infected with ebola INTO THE U.S. for treatment! Too crazy to even consider? You wait and see!

In reply to 1988RedT2: Now you're just starting to sound like GPS.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Now why the bork isn't NATO or the US getting their (our, some taxpayers) money back if these things were a pile of guano and not fit for the intended purpose?

Why would they even bother trying to get any of the taxpayer's money back out of things? They have to keep up appearances and not show that they've learned anything.....

1988RedT2 wrote: Next thing, they'll be flying people infected with ebola INTO THE U.S. for treatment! Too crazy to even consider? You wait and see!

If you were listening to what the Communicable Disease experts are saying rather then the (cough) "news" people are saying (they THRIVE on drama you know), you might not be so freaked out. Besides, I am guessing if your (mom, wife, sister etc) was sick with it, you would rather have them in the US then in frekin' Africa.

My question with the planes are. Why would you buy a bunch of silly Italian design planes rather the one of the longest produced most reliable planes EVER BUILT (build in the US of course):

I am shocked to hear that an organization as illustrious as the Afghani Air Force was lax in the servicing of equipment that it had no investment in.

Is it wrong that I picture this when I think of an Afghani Air Force?

They used to be owned by Fiat.. or still partially are... GE just bought them to annoy Pratt and Whitney.

Anyway they're a horrible supplier.. Just horrible. http://www.aviogroup.com/?lang=en

aircooled wrote:

My question with the planes are. Why would you buy a bunch of silly Italian design planes rather the one of the longest produced most reliable planes EVER BUILT (build in the US of course)

Probably for the same reason you’d outsource the creation of the ACA website to a foreign company with a bad track record rather than keep the money in the U.S. and award it to the most capable people in the world…ever heard of a poor politician, neither have I.

RX Reven' wrote: Probably for the same reason you’d outsource the creation of the ACA website to a foreign company with a bad track record rather than keep the money in the U.S. and award it to the most capable people in the world…ever heard of a poor politician, neither have I.

Huh didn't realize the company was Canadian. If they were going to throw out their patriotism points, they could have gone with Infosys for a lot less money

GameboyRMH wrote:

RX Reven' wrote: Probably for the same reason you’d outsource the creation of the ACA website to a foreign company with a bad track record rather than keep the money in the U.S. and award it to the most capable people in the world…ever heard of a poor politician, neither have I.

Huh didn't realize the company was Canadian. If they were going to throw out their patriotism points, they could have gone with Infosys for a lot less money

Instead, HP has picked up the slack after the utter failure that it was (though nothing compared to CoverOregon thanks to Oracle).

Anyone who buys Oracle stuff deserves it.

GameboyRMH wrote: Anyone who buys Oracle stuff deserves it.

Yep. I agree completely. So many of Oracle's customers have sued them over the years for failure to fulfill the contracted obligations that I'm truly shocked that they still get any contract business at all. All it takes is a few minutes searching to come up with some basic info on the Oracle failures, but my state government is incapable of doing that.

I mean they can't even bother to fix a glaring safety issue on an interstate until some politician's husband dies: http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2014/10/steve_fritz_oregon_i-5_salem_c.html

So yeah, incompetency abounds in local governments, water is wet, yada yada yada...

This Nigerian teenager built a working helicopter from Av-junk and a car engine, but the entire Afghan air-force can't keep some fixed wingers running?