ClearedHot

Dudes/Dudettes, Topic back open for discussion that is within the proper bounds of the released AIB. Discussing/comparing/mentioning items in the SIB will NOT be tolerated on this forum. We all want to learn to prevent future loss of life, but do so within legal limits and with some common sense in mind.

Done. WTF people...really....

Yup...

Egyptian Official: Israel Could Be Behind Deadly Shark Attack An Egyptian official believes that Israel's intelligence agency might be behind the fatal shark attack of a German tourist in Sinai over the weekend, the Jerusalem Post reports. "What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark (in the sea) to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm," South Sinai Gov. Muhammad Abdel Fadil Shousha told egynews.net. Israeli officials told the Jerusalem Post that the claims were ludicrous and would not comment. Egyptian authorities have reopened some Red Sea beaches that had been closed to swimmers after an unusual series of shark attacks over the past week. Swimmers were being allowed back into the water of several bays at Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula that is a renowned reef diving spot. Diving remained restricted to professionals. Shark attacks at Egypt's Red Sea resorts are rare, and three shark experts from the U.S. are trying to determine what is behind them. Besides the death, four other swimmers and snorkelers were badly injured. On Tuesday, Ziad al-Basel of Egypt's Chamber of Diving and Watersports, said a limited number of bays were reopened for swimmers.

5 generals mishandled $87M, comptroller says By Bruce Rolfsen brolfsen@militarytimes.com Five generals have been disciplined for mishandling $87 million and failing to meet Air Force standards. Gen. Roger Brady, Gen. Stephen Lorenz, Lt. Gen. Glenn Spears, Maj. Gen. Anthony Przybyslawski and Brig. Gen. Sandra Gregory received letters of admonishment for acting inappropriately in 2005 by allowing the Air Force to over draw its fund for permanent change-of-station moves, according to Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a service spokesman. All had budget- or personnel related jobs. The Defense Department uncovered the shortage in 2006 during a routine audit. Brady and Lorenz are set to retire by the end of the year. Gre gory retired in 2006. Today, Spears is commander of 12th Air Force and Przybyslawski is a special assistant to the commander of Space Command. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz issued the letters after being briefed in August on the results of an investigation Donley had asked DoD’s comptroller to conduct. In a statement, Donley said the officers did not intend to act inappropriately but did fail to meet Air Force standards. “Everyone is accountable for their actions, and we expect the highest standards of conduct from everyone in the Air Force — regardless of rank — and senior leaders have a special responsibility to those who follow them,” Donley said. Also singled out were Gregory W. Den Herder, then the executive director of the Air Force Personnel Center, and three individuals whose names the Air Force declined to release citing Privacy Act limits. Den Herder retired in 2006. The comptroller held Lorenz, Herder and two of the unnamed people responsible for violating federal regulations. Donley determined Brady, Spears, Przybyslawski, Gregory and one unidentified person should be held accountable because their “actions or inactions” contributed to the overdraft. In an e-mail, Lorenz told Air Force Times he was unaware he had committed a violation until after he left the budget office in October 2005. “When I learned [about the violation], I was very surprised and terribly disappointed,” Lorenz wrote. “I accept full responsibility for everything. ... Our team would have prevented this unfortunate situation, had we known of it at the time. I am glad to know that our system is being improved to prevent any recurrence. ” Brady, too, accepted responsibility. “In the context of supporting two wars overseas, yet drawing down the Air Force by 40,000 people and other force shaping efforts, it is regrettable we didn't recognize the accounting systems, in place for many years, were inadequate,” he said in an e-mailed statement. Spears and Przybyslawski declined to comment. Lt. Col. Steve Kelly, Spears’ attorney , said the comptroller report had “exonerated” Spears. Brady Retiring Lorenz Retiring Spears still in command Przybyslawski a Special Assistant Gregory retired

The single best warrior, officer, person I have ever worked for.

How much, it is sold out on the website and they don't show the price. The others look a lot more expensive.

Wall Street Journal December 6, 2010 Pg. 1 China Clones, Sells Russian Fighter Jets By Jeremy Page ZHUHAI, China—A year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a cash-strapped Kremlin began selling China a chunk of its vast military arsenal, including the pride of the Russian air force, the Sukhoi-27 fighter jet. For the next 15 years, Russia was China's biggest arms supplier, providing $20 billion to $30 billion of fighters, destroyers, submarines, tanks and missiles. It even sold Beijing a license to make the Su-27 fighter jet—with imported Russian parts. Today, Russia's military bonanza is over, and China's is just beginning. After decades of importing and reverse-engineering Russian arms, China has reached a tipping point: It now can produce many of its own advanced weapons—including high-tech fighter jets like the Su-27—and is on the verge of building an aircraft carrier. Not only have Chinese engineers cloned the prized Su-27's avionics and radar but they are fitting it with the last piece in the technological puzzle, a Chinese jet engine. In the past two years, Beijing hasn't placed a major order from Moscow. Now, China is starting to export much of this weaponry, undercutting Russia in the developing world, and potentially altering the military balance in several of the world's flash points. This epochal turnaround was palpable in the Russian pavilion at November's Airshow China in the southern city of Zhuhai. Russia used to be the star of this show, wowing visitors with its "Russian Knights" aerobatic team, showing off fighters, helicopters and cargo planes, and sealing multibillion dollar deals on the sidelines. This year, it didn't bring a single real aircraft—only a handful of plastic miniatures, tended by a few dozen bored sales staff. China, by contrast, laid on its biggest commercial display of military technology—almost all based on Russian know-how. The star guests were the "Sherdils," a Pakistani aerobatic team flying fighter jets that are Russian in origin but are now being produced by Pakistan and China. "We used to be the senior partner in this relationship—now we're the junior one," said Ruslan Pukhov, of the Russian Defense Ministry's Public Advisory Council, a civilian advisory body to the military. Russia's predicament mirrors that of many foreign companies as China starts to compete in global markets with advanced trains, power-generating equipment and other civilian products based on technology obtained from the West. In this case, there is an additional security dimension, however: China is developing weapons systems, including aircraft carriers and carrier-based fighters, that could threaten Taiwan and test U.S. control of the Western Pacific. Chinese exports of fighters and other advanced weapons also threaten to alter the military balance in South Asia, Sudan and Iran. China's military muscle still lags far behind that of the U.S., by far the world's largest weapons manufacturer and exporter. China accounted for 2% of global arms transfers between 2005-2009, putting it in ninth place among exporters, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). But no other Asian country has sought to project military power—and had the indigenous capability to do so—since Japan's defeat in 1945. China's rapid mastery of Russian technology raises questions about U.S. cooperation with the civilian faces of Chinese arms makers. The Aviation Industry Corp. (AVIC), China's state aerospace company, builds fighters, for instance. But it is also making a new passenger jet with help from General Electric Co. and other U.S. aerospace companies. A GE official says the company has partnered with foreign engine manufacturers for decades "with elaborate protections built in place" that have preserved the company's intellectual property. There are also implications for U.S. weapons programs. Last year the Pentagon decided to cut funding for the F-22—currently the most advanced fighter deployed in the world—partly on the grounds that China wouldn't have many similar aircraft for at least 15 years. But then Gen. He Weirong, deputy head of China's Air Force, announced that Chinese versions of such jets were about to undergo test flights, and would be deployed in "eight or 10 years." The Defense Intelligence Agency now says it will take China "about 10 years" to deploy stealth fighters in "meaningful numbers." For Moscow and Beijing, meanwhile, a dispute over the intellectual-property rights to such weaponry is testing their efforts to overcome a long historical rivalry and build a new era of friendly ties. "We didn't pay enough attention to our intellectual property in the past," said a Russian defense official. "Now China is even competing with us on the international market." Few things illustrate this more clearly than the J-11B, a Chinese fighter that Russian officials allege is a direct copy of the Su-27, a one-seat fighter that was developed by the Soviets through the 1970s and 1980s as a match for the U.S. F-15 and F-16. Before the early 1990s, Moscow hadn't provided major arms to Beijing since an ideological split in 1956, which led to a brief border clash in 1969. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin was desperate for hard currency. In 1992, China became the first country outside the former Soviet Union to buy the Su-27, paying $1 billion for 24. The deal was a coup for China, which had shifted its military focus away from a potential Soviet land invasion, and now wanted to defend territorial claims over Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea and East China Sea. Efforts to upgrade its air and naval forces had been hampered by U.S. and European Union arms embargoes imposed after the 1989 crackdown on protesters around Tiananmen Square. China's military modernization program grew more urgent after its leaders were stunned by the display of U.S. firepower during the first Gulf War, Western military officials say. Beijing's breakthrough came in 1996, when it paid Russia $2.5 billion for a license to assemble another 200 Su-27s at the Shenyang Aircraft Company. The agreement stipulated that the aircraft—to be called the J-11—would include imported Russian avionics, radars and engines and couldn't be exported. But after building 105, China abruptly canceled the contract in 2004, claiming the aircraft no longer met its requirements, according to Russian officials and defense experts. Three years later, Russia's fears were confirmed when China unveiled its own version of the fighter jet—the J-11B—on state television. "When the license was sold, everyone knew they would do this. It was just a risk that was taken," said Vassily Kashin, a Russian expert on the Chinese military. "At that time it was a question of survival." The J-11B looked almost identical to the Su-27, but China said it was 90% indigenous and included more advanced Chinese avionics and radars. Only the engine was still Russian, China said. Now it is being fitted with a Chinese engine as well, according to Zhang Xinguo, deputy president of AVIC, which includes Shenyang Aircraft. "You cannot say it's just a copy," he said. "Mobile phones all look similar. But technology is developing very quickly. Even if it looks the same, everything inside cannot be the same." The J-11B presented Russia with a stark choice—to continue selling China weapons, and risk having them cloned, too, or to stop, and miss out on its still lucrative market. Russia's initial response was to suspend talks on selling China the Su-33, a fighter with folding wings that can be used on aircraft carriers. Since then, however, it has re-opened negotiations on the Su-33, although it rejected China's offer to buy just two, and insisted on a larger order. Sukhoi Aviation Holding Co.'s official position now is that it remains confident about its business in China. Indeed, many aviation experts believe AVIC is having problems developing an indigenous engine for the J-11B with the same thrust and durability as the original Russian ones. Sukhoi is betting that China will have to buy the Su-33 on Russian terms as Beijing will struggle to develop its own carrier-based fighter in time for the planned launch of its first carriers in 2011 or 2012. The company also hopes to sell China the Su-35—a more advanced version of the Su-27—if the J-11B doesn't perform well enough. "We're just hoping our aircraft will be better," said Sergey Sergeev, deputy director general of Sukhoi. "It's one thing to make a good quality copy of a spoon, but quite another to make one of an aircraft." The Russian and Chinese governments both declined to comment. In private, however, Russian officials say they worry that China is about to start mass producing and exporting advanced fighters—without Russian help. China bought $16 billion worth of Russian arms between 2001 and 2008—40% of Russia's sales. Photographs published recently on Chinese military websites appear to show engines fitted on the J-11B and a modified version—called the J-15—for use on aircraft carriers. That has compounded Russian fears that China has reverse engineered an Su-33 prototype it acquired in 2001 from Ukraine, according to Russian defense experts. At last year's Dubai Air Show, China demonstrated its L-15 trainer jet for the first time. In June, China made its debut at the Eurosatory arms fair in France. In July, China demonstrated the JF-17—the fighter developed with Pakistan—for the first time overseas at the Farnborough Airshow in Britain. China also had one of the biggest pavilions at an arms fair in Capetown in September. "They're showing up at arms fairs they've never been to before," said Siemon T. Wezeman, an arms trade expert at SIPRI. "Whereas 15 years ago they had nothing really, now they're offering reasonable technology at a reasonable price." China is generating particular interest among developing countries, especially with the relatively cheap JF-17 fighter with a Russian engine. The Kremlin has approved the re-export of the engine to Pakistan, as it has no arms business there. But it was enraged last year when Azerbaijan, an ex-Soviet republic, began talks on buying JF-17s, according to people familiar with the situation. Also last year, China's JF-17s and Russia's MiG-29s competed in a tender from Myanmar, which eventually chose the Russians, but paid less than they wanted. This year, both entered a tender from Egypt, with China offering the JF-17 for $10 million less than Russia's $30 million MiG-29. That prompted Mikhail Pogosyan, who heads Sukhoi and the company that makes MiGs, to suggest that the Kremlin stop selling China the Russian engines for the JF-17. The Kremlin hasn't done that yet, but Russian officials have suggested privately taking legal action if China exports more advanced jets like the J-11B. Last month, Russia's government proposed new legislation attaching an intellectual property rights clause to foreign military sales agreements. The issue was raised during a visit by President Dmitry Medvedev to China in October, according to people familiar with the situation. "Of course we're concerned, but we also recognize there's very little we can do," said Mr. Pukhov, of the Russian Defense Ministry's Public Advisory Council. Asked what advice he would give Western aerospace firms, Sukhoi's Mr. Sergeev said: "They should keep in mind what products they're selling—whether they're civilian or dual use. And most important is to prepare very carefully your contract documents." While Russia worries about intellectual property, other countries are concerned about security. The arms programs China initiated two or three decades ago are starting to bear fruit, with serious implications for the regional—and global—military balance. The J-11B is expected to be used by the Chinese navy as its frontline fighter, capable of sustained combat over the entire East China Sea and South China Sea. Aircraft carriers and J-15 fighters would further enhance its ability to stop the U.S. intervening in a conflict over Taiwan, and test its control of the Western Pacific. China's arms exports could have repercussions on regions in conflict around the world. Pakistan inducted its first squadron of Chinese-made fighter jets in February, potentially altering the military balance with India. Other potential buyers of China's JF-17 fighter jet include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Nigeria, Morocco and Turkey. In the past, China has also sold fighters to Sudan. The potential customer of greatest concern to the U.S. is Iran, which purchased about $260 million of weapons from China between 2002-2009, according to Russia's Centre for Analysis of the Global Arms Trade. In June, China backed U.N. sanctions on Iran, including an expanded arms embargo, but Tehran continues to seek Chinese fighters and other weaponry.

Yup...at least that is told me what is was going to say. The bottle does not look like the one in this picture, but the prince's photo is the same.

Thought I posted this previously, but maybe I had too much bourbon at that point... My fault for not specifying, I am looking for a local source, or reasonably local, or for the point of origin. I will be making a trip to the Maker's Distillery in the near future to pick up a few bottles from my barrel. There seems to be a bit of a mystery as to who makes the Private Keep. Most of the Bourbon forums think it is being produced under a "penn name". If you really want a prize, find the Cognac named in the picture below. I am not a Cognac fan...or was not until I tried this with over lunch with one of the Deputies of the FSB in Moscow last year... a story for another time...but it was excellent. As I recall it was named for an old Armenian prince?

46 got some good reviews but the vanilla does not appeal to me.

Marion Man Accused Of Stalking Westboro Church Members Wounded veteran arrested this week A wounded veteran is being held in the Sedgwick County jail after being accused of stalking members of Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church. Police pulled over Ryan Newell of Marion in downtown Wichita after he was seen following a vehicle carrying church members. The "Wichita Eagle" reports investigators found a rifle, a handgun and more than 90-rounds of ammunition in the suspect's car. The 26-year-old Newell told authorities he was providing security for the church members and that he was a reserve police officer. When that didn't check out, they arrested him. Newell has been booked into jail on suspicion of stalking and false impersonation. His bond was set at $500,000.

Actually that was a product of the university of Bourbon.

"Two" Although I found a fantastic replacement for Makers in the form of "Peter Jake's Private Keep." A friend works for a distributor and acquired two bottles for me...a superb, smooth bourbon...unfortunately, I can't seem to find it anywhere, reward to anyone who can.

FG, Wanted to take moment to formally recognize you and say thanks for your participation and input on this forum. Unfortunately, this forum highlights the often negative relationship between Ops and Support. You are definitely in the business of taking care of folks as demonstrated by the number and depth of questions you answer. How in the world you found your way to a forum full of prima dona aviators is a mystery, the fact that you stayed and have contributed and helped so many people is a testament to the type of professional you are. On behalf of all the folks you have helped on this board, thanks! CH

Soccer...WGAS...WGAF.

Noted… Given the current job market you have a limited point, but with regard to officers you are wrong, proven time and again by a multitude of studies. You argument falls completely flat once a person has served for a few years and been trained in a specialty. Again, untrue…while the rolling in bank argument is nonsense, as an engineer you will start at a higher salary than you will make as a 2Lt. It really comes down to the type of degree especially with regard to engineering and if you are certified or not. Blah Blah based on your situation you assume 50% is the standard….try again. Willing to bet I am a bit senior to you and was offered a job last week making over double what I make on active duty…so if I use your singular logic, all active duty could double their pay by getting out. It is all relative to the situation and qualification. Crazy money? Really??? Ever had a friend die in a crash? Ask his family if they have crazy money left. At this point I would say you are a poser. Anyone in this business, especially someone who has been doing it for a while and has lost friends in combat and training, know we don’t make crazy money for the risks we take. You sound like a fucking tool at this point in the discussion. “I got two degrees”…For fucks sake learn to speak…Notice you said senior Capt’s pay and 15 years. Average engineering pay charts would say that is not true. Again it depends on the type of engineering and while there may be a lag at that point in your career, HOWEVER< senior engineers will more than make up for as they move up the ranks, many of which make well more than the Chief of Staff. Dear god soulja boy this is not the hood, I can see why you make less. The officers that have liberal arts degrees are also spending years away from home living in tents and exposed to the risk of losing their lives. They give up certain constitutional rights that the average citizen gets to enjoy, and their income should not be related to the median income...a complete apples to walnuts argument. There are so many aspects to military service that are not part of the average civilians employment. I would go on, but what is the point, you won’t get it and you will likely just reply with a Flo Rida quote.

3. Dump the girlfriend and focus on learning how to fly.

I am guessing he won't be allowed to PCS until he gets his man card back.

Actually..."Kentucky" Sipping Whiskey", but that is just the purest bourbon snob in me.

Whatever happened to a good old fashioned bottle of bourbon?

"Two"...post within 24 hours or be banned for violation of forum rules.

Him good learn...freaking state school grads.

Don't fuck with the system these days. Too many people are staying and they are looking for reasons to get rid of folks. Hats off to anyone who wants to fly their entire career, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face and end up unemployed.

The limelight is needlessly focused on the DOD budget (politically savvy to do so), when the real problem lies elsewhere. Look at the chart below...you could zero....I repeat ZERO the Defense budget and we will still go under because of entitlement programs. Thank you Lyndon Johnson...