Florida airport evacuated when a live missile is found abandoned in a cargo container
The missile found in Florida, now safely in a bunker.
Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida on Friday was the scene of a unique play of events. A contractor there opened an abandoned shipping container and found a live French air-to-air missile, with live warhead but not armed.
The container appears to have markings that show the French-made Super 530 semi-active radar homing missile was originally sent to the Royal Jordanian Air Force. The container the missile was found inside had originally come through the airport as part of Draken International.
Draken is a private military contractor that flies several different models of advanced fighter jets. In the US they are primarily used for training US military fighter pilots and forward air controllers. In the fighter pilot training role, Draken uses their fleet of mostly European fighter jets as the opposing force or “red” forces.
MacDill AFB sent an EOD team to secure the weapon.
Here’s what’s inside the tube. This one was found by Italian police during a raid on Neo-Nazis.
Source; WSTP
Category: Air Force, Darwin Awards
The owner was flying Spirit Airlines and did not want to pay the baggage fee. Hack Stone flew Spirit Airlines once. Only once.
You don’t fly Spirit Airlines so much as sit on the ramp or gate while they fix the plane for hours on end.
Pretty pathetic when the pilot comes to the cabin asking passengers for spare change to buy some aviation fuel. Not sure if you stand a better chance flying with them or Daniel Bernath.
“I swear officer, this is someone else’s shipping container, THAT’S not MY missile, I’m just borrowing it from a friend!”
If this hasn’t happened to you, I’m afraid you jus’don’tknow how’da party.
Interesting. Very interesting.
And, just what was its destination? How come it didn’t end up in the RJAF’s boom lockers?
Askin’ for a friend.
It’s Trump’s fault; he locked up the post office mail boxes at the airport…
I know a guy that would go at it with a sawzall just for the scrap. Use the fins for fender flares.
And use the tube for a culvert.
I know a guy who would not only do that, he’d also use whatever explosives he could get out of it to get rid of tree stumps!
This mean we up for this weekend to finish our projects? Meet up right after the Friday WOT drops? I’ll bring the Yuengling.
Missing a case of batteries from the list is one thing. A million-dollar air-to-air missile is…something else.
The upside is that the vast majority of potential makers of mischief either wouldn’t know what this thing is, or wouldn’t have the necessary skill and hardware to do anything besides blow/burn themselves up—which would be entertaining to watch from a safe distance.
Is that a missile in your conex, or are you just really glad to be here?
There is, or used to be, an air force contractor that worked with explosives manufacturing in the Lakeland area. I honestly have no idea if they’re still there.
The story’s an interesting one; a guy got burned on a Florida land deal, and found that half the “land” area was really water. He made lemonade from his lemons, and set up an explosives manufacturing plant, with buildings separated from each other, weak walls facing over water, and all the rest of it.
I have no way of knowing, but I’d bet you five bucks that all sorts of missiles and other goodies would drift in and out of Lakeland on quiet business.
” a guy got burned on a Florida land deal, and found that half the “land” area was really water. ”
LOL.
That’s Florida’s standard real estate deal for “Snowbirds” (which is the state bird). Like buying a used bridge in New York, except the land deals are real. There’s as reason you don’t find too many basements in Florida.
Saw a house once where the entire lot (a small one)had been built by pouring fill into a river. The entire lot was several feet lower than the riverbank and had water on three sides. Wish I could have seen it after a hurricane.
TSA Agent Daniel Bernath: Has anyone placed an air-to-air missile into your luggage without your knowledge?
Elaine Ricci: If they placed it in my luggage without my knowledge, how would I know?
TSA Agent Daniel Bernath: Did I tell you that I ma an Honorary Chief Petty Officer?
Elaine Ricci: What does that have to do with anyone placing an air-to-air missile into my luggage?
TSA Agent Daniel Bernath: Nothing, but I was just looking for a way to work that into the conversation.
Too bad it was found. Some American Patriots could have made use of that in Portland or Seattle.
Be sure to verify your baggage claim number, as many air to air missile containers look alike.
Imagine that thing going round and round on the carousel as people
look for their bags. Cops standing there to see who claims it.
I’m not saying that this could have been one of my two USAF Career fields BUT, this certainly is all over the Book of Face pages concerning Air Transportation and Port Dawgs but yeah, two words…..
“OOPS!!!!!!!” and “OOOOOFF” 😀