Excerpts From the Cockpit Tape
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In the cockpit video released by the British newspaper the Sun, the two American A-10 pilots are using the call signs POPOV36 and POPOV35. MANILA HOTEL, MANILA34 and LIGHTNING34 are U.S. ground controllers talking with the pilots. The aircraft are maneuvering over British armored vehicles that are displaying orange panels to signal to pilots that they are not an enemy. Times are Greenwich mean time, March 28, 2003.
Following are excerpts; the video and full transcript are available at http:/
1336.57 POPOV36:
Hey, I got a four ship [four vehicles on a road below]. Looks like we got orange panels on them, though. Do we have any friendlies up in this area?
1337.21 MANILA HOTEL:
. . . You are well clear of friendlies.
1337.25 POPOV35:
Copy. I see multiple . . . vehicles. Some look like flatbed trucks and others are green vehicles. Can't quite make out the type. Look like may be ZIL157s.
1337.36 MANILA HOTEL:
Roger. That matches our intel up there. . . .
1338.49 POPOV36:
They look like they have orange panels on, though.
1338.51 POPOV35:
He told me, he told me there's nobody north of here, no friendlies. . . .
1340.13 POPOV36:
Okay, well they got orange rockets on them.
1340.17 POPOV35:
Orange rockets?
1340.17 POPOV36:
Yeah, I think so. . . .
1341.50 POPOV36:
I want to get that first one before he gets into town then.
1341.53 POPOV35:
Get him -- get him.
1342.09 POPOV36:
. . . (guns fire).
1342.22 POPOV35:
Good hits. . . .
1343.38 POPOV36:
Okay, I'm in again from the south. . . .
1343.47 POPOV36:
. . .(guns fire).
1344.12 LIGHTNING34:
Roger, POPOV. Be advised that in the 3122 and 3222 group box you have friendly armor in the area. Yellow, small armored tanks. Just be advised.
1344.16 POPOV35:
Ahh [expletive]. . . .
1344.21 LIGHTNING34:
Hey, POPOV34, abort your mission. You got a, looks we might have a blue on blue situation. . . .
1344.35 POPOV35:
[expletive] [expletive] [expletive]. . . .
1344.39 POPOV35:
All right, POPOV35 has smoke. Let me know how those friendlies are right now, please. . . .
1347.02 MANILA34:
We are getting an initial brief that there was one killed and one wounded, over. . . .
1347.18 POPOV35:
I'm going to be sick.
1347.24 POPOV36:
Ah [expletive].
1347.48 POPOV35:
Did you hear?
1347.51 POPOV36:
Yeah, this sucks.
1347.52 POPOV35:
We're in jail, dude. . . .
1351.30 POPOV35:
They did say there were no friendlies.
1351.33 POPOV36:
Yeah, I know that thing with the orange panels is going to screw us. They look like orange rockets on top.
1351.48 POPOV35:
Your tape still on?
1351.49 POPOV36:
Yeah.
1351.54 POPOV35:
Mine is end of tape.
