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Friday, September 28, 2007      New: Take a Stand

Lebanon won by dropping 'old bombs' from helicopters

NICOSIA — The Lebanese Army modified its helicopter fleet to accommodate 30-year-old air weapons in a process that helped defeat Fatah Al Islam.

Officials said the Lebanese military converted U.S.-origin UH-1H utility helicopters into air platforms that could drop 250- and 400-kilogram general purpose bombs, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the bombs destroyed Fatah Al Islam's network of tunnels and bunkers in the Palestinian refugee camp of Naher Al Bared in northern Lebanon.

"We had some help, but basically it was our idea to take out old bombs and drop them from helicopters," an official said.

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The 1970s-era bombs were meant for the Hawker Hunter attack craft, out of service since 1995. The bombs were placed on the Huey-1 helicopter and dropped from an altitude of up to 4,000 feet.

Officials said the military elevated the landing skids and installed pylons and ejection equipment from obsolete Mirage-3 fighter-jets on the U.S.-origin Huey. The bombs were then equipped with new detonators.

In July 2007, during the height of the insurgency war, the military conducted successful tests of the helicopter bombers. A month later, the helicopters began bombing Fatah Al Islam strongholds in Naher Al Bared.

Officials said Lebanese helicopter pilots used GPS devices to reach their bombing targets. They said the bombs fell within 10 meters of their target.

The success of the helicopter bombers has prompted the military to restore other equipment. Officials said the air force would overhaul five Hawker Hunter jets to operational service in 2008.

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