UK Afghan helicopters 'not safe' 英国阿富汗战场直升机“不安
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-08-04 00:53 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Helicopters to be sent to Afghanistan may not be able to take part in combat because they lack adequate protection, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

每日电讯报报道,派往阿富汗的直升机因为缺少足够的保护,可能不能投入到战斗之中。

The helicopters are used primarily to move troops and <a href=kit1" width="226" border="0" src="/upimg/090804/4_011301_1.jpg" />
The helicopters are used primarily to move troops and kit

Pilots are angry that six Merlins - due to go to Helmand in December - do not have Kevlar armour2, the paper says.

It quotes senior RAF sources who warn this could prevent the craft taking part in missions against the Taliban.

Defence chiefs say the Merlins are fitted with ballistic protection and are being modified for operational use.

Pilots told the paper they had called for the Merlin Mk3 helicopters, which will be used to move troops and kit(装备,工具箱) around Helmand, to be upgraded at a cost of around £100,000 each.

Transporting personnel and equipment by air reduces the risk of attack from improvised3(即席而作的,即兴的) explosive devices (IEDs), which prey4 on the need for coalition5 forces(联合部队) to use slow-moving convoys6(护送,护卫) of heavy vehicles to replenish7 units.

'Range of modifications8'

However, pilots have claimed their requests for the helicopter upgrades have been ignored and say they fear the lack of protection could risk lives.

"I don't want people to come back strapped9 into their seats with bullet holes in them," a Merlin fleet source told the Telegraph.

"We are going to send aircraft out to Afghanistan that are lacking in the required protection. It will be the same as driving a Snatch Land Rover along a road full of mines."

However, a Ministry10 of Defence (MoD) spokesman insisted that the helicopters would be ready for deployment11 later this year.

"Our Merlin Mk3 helicopters have ballistic protection as standard, and are being fitted with a range of modifications to make them fit for operational use," he said.

"For reasons of operational security, we do not discuss specific defensive12 capabilities13 of our aircraft. To do so would potentially offer enemy forces a tactical(战术上的) advantage.

"Nevertheless, we will continue to provide the greatest level of force protection for both crew and passengers while maintaining performance in Afghanistan's particularly arduous14(费力的,辛勤的) environment."

'Busting15 a gut16'

BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said he understood the problem was not primarily a question of the cost, but instead that factories could not fit all the required protection in time.

The MoD considered it better to get extra helicopters to Afghanistan quickly and then allow commanders to decide on the balance of risk of how to use them, he added.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said last week he was "busting a gut" to get more helicopters out to Afghanistan following suggestions by some military leaders and politicians that there were not enough out there to support British troops.

The chief of the defence staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, said deploying17 more of the craft would prevent casualties and Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown said there "definitely" were not enough helicopters, before rowing back on his comments.



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1 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
2 armour gySzuh     
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队
参考例句:
  • His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
  • Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。
3 improvised tqczb9     
a.即席而作的,即兴的
参考例句:
  • He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
  • We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。
4 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
参考例句:
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
5 coalition pWlyi     
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
参考例句:
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
6 convoys dc0d0ace5476e19f963b0142aacadeed     
n.(有护航的)船队( convoy的名词复数 );车队;护航(队);护送队
参考例句:
  • Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目,直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句
7 replenish kCAyV     
vt.补充;(把…)装满;(再)填满
参考例句:
  • I always replenish my food supply before it is depleted.我总是在我的食物吃完之前加以补充。
  • We have to import an extra 4 million tons of wheat to replenish our reserves.我们不得不额外进口四百万吨小麦以补充我们的储备。
8 modifications aab0760046b3cea52940f1668245e65d     
n.缓和( modification的名词复数 );限制;更改;改变
参考例句:
  • The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型,然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 strapped ec484d13545e19c0939d46e2d1eb24bc     
adj.用皮带捆住的,用皮带装饰的;身无分文的;缺钱;手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词);用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部;牧师
参考例句:
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
11 deployment 06e5c0d0f9eabd9525e5f9dc4f6f37cf     
n. 部署,展开
参考例句:
  • He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
  • Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。
12 defensive buszxy     
adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的
参考例句:
  • Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题,使她警觉起来。
  • The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
13 capabilities f7b11037f2050959293aafb493b7653c     
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力
参考例句:
  • He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大,自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
  • Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为,标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
14 arduous 5vxzd     
adj.艰苦的,费力的,陡峭的
参考例句:
  • We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
  • The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。
15 busting 88d2f3c005eecd70faf8139b696e48c7     
打破,打碎( bust的现在分词 ); 突击搜查(或搜捕); (使)降级,降低军阶
参考例句:
  • Jim and his wife were busting up again yesterday. 吉姆和他的妻子昨天又吵架了。
  • He figured she was busting his chops, but it was all true. 他以为她在捉弄他,其实完全是真的。
16 gut MezzP     
n.[pl.]胆量;内脏;adj.本能的;vt.取出内脏
参考例句:
  • It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
  • My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。
17 deploying 79c9e662a7f3c3d49ecc43f559de9424     
(尤指军事行动)使展开( deploy的现在分词 ); 施展; 部署; 有效地利用
参考例句:
  • Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
  • Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。
TAG标签: UK helicopter safe Afghan
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