Clark Griswold

Fascinating... I had not heard of that Herc variant before, very cool. Found this brochure on it from back in the day on it, 140k GW airplane into a 1500' strip over a 50' obstacle... very STOL capable....

Good Christmas list. Thanks, I did some google-fu but found just a the slide with the NG and the proposed C-130XL for Herc concepts, besides the past proposed amphibian Herc, which would be cool to the power of 10. One thing to add to your list, a new JATO system. Follow on to post: C-130.net article on a research C-130B in the 50's with boundary layer control over flaps, controllable down to 60 knots but just some lateral control concerns... http://www.c-130.net/g3/c-130-photos/North-American-C-130-Photos/USAF-C-130/2013_Spotlight_Web_C130B_C_130B_BoundaryLayerControl_001_1267828237_8045 and from NASA http://history.nasa.gov/SP-3300/ch8.htm

Herc will probably make it to 100... http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2016/01/14/new-pentagon-contract-signals-lockheed-martins-c-130-airlifter-is-headed-for-100-years-of-service/#2715e4857a0b41d77fdf71fc On that idea, is there talk in the Herc community of an Next Gen Herc? I've seen this concept and it looks like it was pulled from a Lockheed presentation: The article referenced above just made me curious if there was talk of another major update. Not that there is the money for that necessarily...

Foxtrot Alpha has a wrap up of the numbers and a short CBS interview with Sec. Powell http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/operation-desert-storm-by-the-numbers-on-its-25th-anniv-1753347671 25 years, probably 3+ trillion dollars spent, 6000+ KIAs & 250k+ WIAs, let's get to some point we can call it good (whatever that is) and only engage there when either Israel is about to be overrun or the oil supply is about to be cut off. Somehow Europe, Japan, China, etc... buy oil and don't have a huge military footprint there, we can do the same...

Seaplanes... Got way off topic in the China thread on seaplanes but thanks to that diversion I found this gem about some other seaplanes (British) I had not heard of, specifically: Sander-Roe SRA/1 Good historical film and documentary on the biggest seaplanes still operating: Sea Dart is still best idea in the opinion of this aviation nut...

Things might not be that bad: http://alert5.com/2016/01/13/north-korea-faked-the-video-of-slbm-launch-missile-exploded-a-few-seconds-into-the-test/ I am sure they are cursing the yankee imperialist scum for thwarting this triumph of the people but shit happens comrade.

Seamaster was awesome too but if we want to take this thread derailment to it's logical conclusion... On a serious note, it was interesting to see even back in the 50's there was an effort to merge more of the mobility missions into one platform, direct delivery into an austere / difficult AOR and AR for a support CAP

More dreams come true for NK... North Korea Shows Latest Submarine Missile Test LaunchDecember ejection test appears on state-run television days after nuclear test It's the raw excitement of the narrator that really brings out the victory of the worker's paradise...

Not full scale deflection from the subject of this thread but getting there... Historical video on the operational concept of the Tradewind... Basically, you get self deployment capability into an amphibious setting for about a rifle company sized unit and a couple of vehicles / artillery / supplies with a built in tanker capability for probe & drogue for a CAP to support about 600 nm from base. Not sure if the Chinese decided they want to do this with their seaplane (eventually) but for their artificial islands and any possible plans to seize other islands, atolls, reefs, platforms, etc... this could be viable, relevant and not that expensive a capability to build. They're making noise about expanding their outer chain of islands: China: We Can Seize More Islands In South China Sea. If you wanted to avoid the sub threat (assuming the air is permissible) you could keep the flag planted and defended in a lot of places way out there.

Ditto There is a cool factor and nostalgia that I love too. Not to stretch logic and credibility but there is an argument to be made (sorta) for a modern seaplane for Coast Guard missions (SAR, LR maritime patrol, etc.) but given to state of acquisition / development I imagine the requirements inflation monster would push it thru FL450 in development cost even if you took an old but proven design and adapted proven systems to it or vice versa, of course this is just me pontificating on what only appears to be be straightforward and easy... yeah, just slap some J model motors on, glass up front, it all work no problem... still as a taxpayer I'm for it...

Not bad but if Congress and the Navy get drunk and irresponsible, they should fund a modernized R3Y Tradewind Totally a valid requirement because if China gets cool new toys then damn it if we shouldn't also... but just another expeditionary capability to add to their mix.

New year, same problem... Military age males unaccompanied from the ME http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/jan/05/stringers-threat-san-diego-southern-border/# Military level capabilities demonstrated by drug cartels http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2015/12/DHS-Drug-Traffickers-Spoofing-Border-Drones/124613/?oref=d-channelriver And the transnational connection to drug cartels and terrorists continue... http://freebeacon.com/national-security/investigation-collusion-between-terrorists-and-mexican-cartels-is-a-threat-to-u-s/

equivalent in the right circumstances Follow on, I hope this convinces libs of the foolishness of nuclear disarmament, not responsible, verifiable reductions to reasonable levels of nuclear weapons but the idea that you could ever trust that all nuclear weapons have been eliminated when a piss poor communist thugocracy can scrape enough together to have fission and now fusion weapons and the means to deliver them. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missile-idUSKBN0UK02P20160106 The more things change the more they stay the same.

H bombs... http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/asia/north-korea-seismic-event/index.html

Another from pop sci - Chinese seaplane AG-600 http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/eastern-arsenal/china-building-worlds-largest-sea-plane and one from Defense News http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/naval-aviation/2015/03/28/china-seaplane-islands-scs-claims-spratley-reef/70542218/

Unfortunately - this is very clever. ‘Call of Jihad’: ISIS Turns to Video Games, Hollywood to Reach Recruits

YGBSM Chinese Wild Weasel. http://www.popsci.com/china-builds-its-own-wild-weasel-to-suppress-air-defenses

And here's how many times he went to YouPorn...

Doesn't mean it is right or correct with the times, missions, systems and cadre of today. The AF can not remain static or damn near so and remain relevant. I demand the world accept that I refuse to use manning & personnel constructs other than ones made 60+ years ago and everyone else will just have to help me with all the inefficiencies & self-inflicted wounds I give myself and all the problems it causes to the other team members I am supposed to support, that is piss poor head in the sand thinking. Like it or not, the way we do things needs to change just like our force composition changes. Do we still have hundreds of BUFFs and 135s sitting alert waiting for the call? No, because the requirements changed so we changed with it. Do we need every cockpit to be filled with a regularly commissioned officer with a bachelor degree because that is a good/only way to ensure we get a high quality individual or at least have a good chance at selecting that? No, we have a reasonably educated general population to hire from if an AF WO program were to come back and if we mostly recruited from the enlisted cadre for this (which would be my choice) we have an above average population set in terms of education and first hand appraisals of performance from their time as E's. This is another test of history that the AF is sadly failing. We have a growing requirement, we are legally allowed to have a manning solution that is less expensive, less overhead intensive, more easily scalable for adjustment and would be highly effective at solving a current and growing problem while simultaneously solving other manning problems at the same time (fix the RPA pilot problem, one less bill to be paid from other stressed aviation communities i.e. 11Fs, 11Ss, etc... and another SUPT grad not having to be sent where a new 18X WO could go). We have way more reasons to change than to Keep Calm and Carry On. I feel like this is the AF vs. reality sometimes...

Yup

Interesting - just thinking about this as I saw the article come up for enlisted RPA pilots, I thought it would be (an AF WO program) mainly recruited from the enlisted cadre, just thinking the sharp E-3 to E-5 range typically but also with off the street hires and really done on "simmer" type of manning with the capability to go up to full boil if required. I wouldn't restrict it to just that range but just what I imagined it to be, if the AF had or has the common sense to change with the times. The RPA enterprise but in other carrier fields (ABM, Manned ISR SO, Airborne Linguist, etc...) lends itself to this; it could be a path for better retention, career development / progression / professionalization, etc... the RLO's in these fields will naturally be threatened but it is just the best manning construct unless it will no longer be a sin or exceptional to be a passed over Capt on the way to 20 years AD service in the Reg AF.

I am sure this has been brought up before (not just in this thread as referenced above) but since the announcement that enlisted RPA operators has come out - has anyone with an ounce of influence just offered that we bring back WO's for the RPA enterprise first, see how it works then maybe expand to manned platforms? Dorr has a 2013 article on the subject: http://archive.airforcetimes.com/article/20130325/NEWS01/303250026/The-time-bring-back-warrant-officers-now but following the announcement that they are looking at them for RQ-4 ops, I have heard nada on this idea, anyone else have anything else?

2 While it might be a pain in the arse, operating out of Greece is possible, numerous bases and put another carrier on station. Cut the need for Incirlik and send a message to the new Sultan. Greece will let us operate there for some euros (a lot of euros) and set up a massive refugee relief operation there for humanitarian and PA purposes, making the point that Erdogan sucks and is not needed, not that he actually does shit to stop ISIS anyway. He and the rest of the "Freedom and Justice" party cronies are looking for an Ottoman Empire 2.0 including putting their tentacles into the Balkans, Europe should be wise and start to put him into check. Turkey's further integration while they flirt with quasi Islamism at the expense classic liberal values needs to be paused.