Baldonnel Runway "Vandalised"

[Shamrock145]

RTÉ is reporting that one of the runways has "pock marks".

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0403/baldonnel.html

Worrying, that if access to the base can be gained, how secure are the aircraft that, are being flown over built up areas?

The UK has witnessed a number of overnight attacks on police air assets while they were hangared or on the ramp.

...145

[elmo]

No doubt that security around BAL will be heightened because of this.
I would hate to see our own GASU, (or any aircraft for that matter) left in the same condition that a West Midlands Police 135 was left in after an arson attack 

[Fouga]

If vandals then they are absolute scum and this should result in security being beefed up. Another theory is the pock marks could have been made by lightning...but most likely vandals as it is a bit too weird to have lightning strikes over a 50ft area and only on the Runway

[FiannaFail]

I suspect  it was the work of some gobshites protesting the forthcoming visit of Queen Elizabeth II?

[Machlooper]

Dint think so unless they had 2.21gigawatts of a stun gun!!

[Shamrock145]

Has there been any update on the likely cause?

...145

[Machlooper]

Yes it was lightning !!
It hit the grass next to the runway, went under the tarmac, spread out like a web and burst back up through the runway!
And no it wasn't vandals.

[Shamrock145]

Ya what now Gay?! I'm relying on my very rusty Leaving Cert physics here, but why would a lightning bolt, once it has earthed, exit back up? Perhaps if it conducted along underground cables and caused arcing that might account for it damage beyond the initial strike point.

Single strikes on runways can cause moisture to rapidly expand resulting in "explosive" damage to the runway. But AFAIK, they have only be single point strikes. (see bottom pic in this set http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_info/damage_photos.html)

Still, if the official line is lightning then it was lightning. Sure what else could it have been? 

...145

[Machlooper]

Just goin on what I wad told??
I've seen the damaged pieces. The damage definitely looks like it came from below as it looks like a bullet hole as such. Small hole but lifted a chunk on exiting (up). The tar around the hole is melted also.
Maybe the lightning erupted from the runway. Dont forget , the lightning we see with the naked eye is actually travelling up into the cloud. The leader stroke from the cloud is extremely thin and almost invisible to us.