All Activity
- Today
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Can't remember the derogatory name given to the flag officers that came up with the current program, but it's obvious that when they opened up the conversation for ideas, their bandwidth was extremely narrow and recognition of valuable inputs from outside their staff was extremely short-sighted. With contracts awarded it's probably just too damn late to do anything about it. It'll be like the airlines, courses won't be changed and problems solved until it starts costing more money.
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Don't worry we've got the replacement coming off the line any day now! Oh wait I forgot we decided we didn't want or need the E-7. Total USAF airframe losses or significantly damaged as a result of Iran as of 3/28/26: *{3) F-15E fighters - $300M * (11) MQ-9 Reapers - $330M * (1) KC-135 crashed, 6 crew killed - $240M, priceless *(6) KC-135 damaged - $1.44B *(1) F-35 damaged - $135M * (1) E-3 AWACS - $700M Cost to replace: $3.145B
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- Yesterday
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@disgruntledemployee First, you put words in my mouth that I didn’t say. There are several things to be frustrated with on the tactical and operational level. That said, there is no war or great achievement without frustrations. So, yeah, there are actually sensible and good objectives with plans and contingencies addressed. Also, it was never all going to get done in 2-3 weeks. That was a dumb timeline from the beginning, but that doesn’t mean we barged in without a plan or zero thought put towards contingencies, off-ramps, etc. Bottom line: it’s a lot better than the MSM and you would like it to be. The red line for me would be mass ground invasion for longterm “nation building” (aka the last 25 years). I don’t support that one bit, and would view it as a leadership failure.
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Brother in law is a Deputy Chief of police and I have ridden with him on many occasions over the past 30 years. Even with a green light he checks when blasting through an intersection. You bigger point it valid, this is a terrible set up with the runways...numerous opportunities to break the chain of events and a lot of blame to go around.
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This is a very legitimate criticism, his personal dislike of Zelensky is getting in his own way. Another legitimate critique. If POTUS had an Oval Office address, listed objectives 1,2,3, etc… and give the why we fight reasons would have started off better (domestic and international support building) Seek an AUMF, call the leaders of a coalition we could reasonably assemble, keep it real but the realistic strategy to achieve that what must happen, the end of the revolutionary Islamic government of Iran I think is: Cut off the Islamic government from oil revenues, no money no nukes; no money no power, this gives space for a new political movement in Iran to form. Invade and seize territory in Iran that is less loyal to the regime, give the opposition a base to operate from, don’t try to take the whole country yourself. No march to Tehran, form a new Iranian army and government, support train and assist in combat as appropriate.
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To be fair to the firefighters in this incident, they blasted through a green light without looking. That's why it's so absurd that the airport with simultaneously operating crossing runways didn't have the automated system for preventing runway incursions installed at the crossing points.
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It is a tough situation, stepping back what do fire trucks do when responding to a ground emergency...they have their lights on, they have the right of way but so they blast through a red light without looking? The situation is terrible all around.
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You are looking in the wrong place, Tomahawk is not the best game in town because they are old, outdated and EXPENSIVE ($2.5M-3.5M each). USAF in particular has shifted it's standoff munitions strategy and is finally putting their money where their mouth is. Multiple wargames focused on China showed the U.S> needs roughly 10X our current stocks to defeat/deter China They have three phase approach with a new class of "affordable, low-cost munitions”: the Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, and two variants of the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions (FAMM). ERAM entered production just 14 months after the first contract was awarded. There are currently eight companies in flight test on the Low Cost Cruise Missile (LCCM), with Leidos (Black Arrow) and Anduril (Barracuda), leading the fight. LCCMs have a target price of $100kl-$200K thanks to 3D Printing. Lockheed Martin entered the fight late but they are making progress. The FAMM program was fully funded by the Big Beautiful Bill with $650M to acquire 3000 munitions. Audndril's approach is a family of cheap missiles. Smaller Barracuda M100 is slightly bigger than a Hellfire, can be launched by an Apache and has a range of 85NM. The M250 is about the same size as an AMRAAM and has a range of 200NM. The M500 has a range of 500NM with a 100lb warhead...basically a VERY cheap JASSM-ER. Black Arrow has entered its second year of flight test completing a CRADA with AFSOC which has successful launched multiple missiles out of an AC-130J. They can fit 90 in an MC-130J and the AFSOC commander has openly talked about launching them from the SkyRaider II. The idea is focused on China but has applications for other theaters. A flight of four Skyraiders can pop up from a dirt strip 500 miles away, launch 40 Black Arrows from an attack vector no one saw coming and disappear before the munitions even hit. A flight of four MC-130s can flood the straights with hundreds of cheap missiles to counter a threat. Finally changing dogmatic thinking, even if it was cost that forced them to do it. Aundril is well into flight test as well, this video is over a year old.
