fire4effect

How much get's taken in taxes?.........I can't remember a time the government didn't get a big chunk back right off the top ...Honestly I'm surprised they aren't imposing a stop loss as so many suggested would happen some time ago. Can't get much cheaper than that..... On another note I was at a college flight school a while back and talking to some of the kids learning to fly (not in any official capacity just to be clear) about the military and I was surprised that at least some wouldn't consider it because they heard that they might get put in the RPA world instead of a manned airframe. Wanted nothing to do with it as they aspired to be an airline pilot....fair enough....Of course I did try to explain a LOT of troops are still around because of RPAs........Hope I made them at least do some hard thinking.

I'm sure the movie will be appropriately cheesy but I would have absolutely no qualms whatsoever putting a Hellfire on the bad guy's head via RPA. Having had encounters with various forms of insurgent ordnance while in far away places I have no sympathy for any of them...especially ISIS. Warfare is as much about getting in the enemies head.....IEDs, mortars, rockets.....can't shoot back at them.....and that I can assure you is frustrating.....bad guys know it....well guess what ISIS...we're giving you a taste of you're own medicine.....now you're getting "IEDs" back...via air mail. This a way to get in the bad guy's head for a change. Having spoken to some less than respectable types in the past I know it does. Thanks to all you guy's in the RPA world...long hours and all...hit'em again

If only we could make a disco ball fly

If a system can knock down something moving as fast as an artillery projectile (and multiple projectiles that are spinning at that) then it's not too big of a stretch to see targeting bigger and slower targets. Granted when they leave the tube they stay on a fairly predictable trajectory.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/navys-futuristic-laser-weapon-action/story?id=27507405 I've seen a lot of comments on lasers shooting down missiles, artillery projectiles, and uavs.....very little about manned aircraft from the surface.....what's concerning is the vulnerability of manned aircraft especially when our adversaries figure out (steal) the technology. The size of the power supply required for a given laser output seems to currently favor surface based systems.

Yep I couldn't remember Taji's runway length.....Balad would be better........I just like the thought of a relatively low risk way to keep killing insurgents a very long way from our shores. Having talked to a few less than respectable types from that area a long time ago the bad guy's definitely fear UAVs and Hellfires..... I knew Iraqis were using 208s with Hellfires but admittedly I can't speak to which is more effective.

Having spent more than my fair share of time on the ground in that hell hole, I say stack Taji with as many Preds/Reapers and Hellfires as they can fit and go to town on the SOBs. Let them take Falluja/Ramadi and the surrounding areas so they're drawn out into the open and kill them in easier to hit clusters........as for ground troops......beyond some SOF troops....no way

Anyone know of a way to see any of the episodes at Bagram? Actually saw the Pedro School Bus but never made the connection

On the same trip to Normandy they met some residents of Sainte-Mere-Eglise and the locals were surprised that John Steele (the American Paratrooper that landed on the church steeple) was not a household name in the U.S. I admit I didn't remember his name either until they told me. They French locals in Normandy sure remember.

Parents went to the cemetery at Omaha Beach a few years back. Dad (Vietnam Vet) still get choked up talking about seeing so many headstones in one cemetery and what they represent.

I guess it's not much of a "Shadow War" when the mainstream press has a hold of it. On a somewhat related note from the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-secret-intelligence-operations-in-africa/2012/06/13/gJQAHyvAbV_story.html

We can thank President Bush for that........We're constantly hearing about it in our human trafficking brief

I was actually on the debate team. I rose to the level of Master Debator. Not nearly a sexy conversation but yes a lot behind the scenes goes into keeping engines safe and functional

One other thing about some older engines on the heavies is as compressor blades wear then the stall margin decreases. The F108 on the 135 has some old, high time engines that can under certain crosswind conditions on taxi and early in the takeoff roll, stall. On my earlier point an A-10 had a disk let go in the not too distant past. There's even a case out there on a ground run where an American 767 I think threw a disk that went clear through the fuselage into the other engine. I know everyone remembers Souix City. Improper forging left an inclusion that caused it to fail. Thats why disks have eddy current/ultrasonic inspections and hard life limits

Bolterking, How likely was it that the crew was intentionally dumping fuel versus leaking fuel? With as little time as they apparently had then they were sure on top of things either way. If a part of the engine liberated (I'm referring to something heavy like a disk as opposed to blade(s) which I would suspect would stay contained) then it could easily puncture a tank and maybe account for some witnesses (assuming they're right) saying they saw fire prior to impact.

One of the photographs appears to show the tail section of the F-18 in question with one nozzle open, one constricted

Saw the same article. I'm guessing there's weight penalty incurred for the MOD though it's obviously needed. Interesting to see how and if this plays into the manned vs unmanned argument.

Ask myself that all the time

In 'highly unusual' move, Marines asked to disarm before Leon Panetta speech. https://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/14/10684063-in-highly-unusual-move-marines-asked-to-disarm-before-leon-panetta-speech Sorry Leon but it's a war zone. If you're afraid of getting hurt then stay home and save the taxpayers all the money spent for you Afghan/World tour. On the other hand the lengthy judical process for the lunatic SSG will mean it will be years before justice is served and Locals will just get more and more pissed. In WW2 he would have been tied to a post about a month from now and shot.

America has had a history of our citizens serving in foreign militaries. Lafayette Escadrille in France in WW1 and the Eagle Squadrons in Great Britain in WW2 come to mind. Though I'm sure any "Neutrality Act" issues were easily overlooked given the popular sentiment of the time.

Sorry, poor cut and paste job. See kids don't drink and post

Wow, Wonder what the average blood alcohol content is for posters on Christmas Day? Not that I would EVER drink and post

I'm not looking for a uniform item but I am looking for a black A-2 style with Thinsulate in the lining. I've found jackets with the Thinsulate lining are pretty warm without the bulk which is important in some smaller civilian cockpits. I've owned a fleece lined leather jacket in the past and I found it restricted mobility. I've seen the LL Bean Thinsulate lined Flying Tiger Jacket but I don't like the way the back is sewn in two pieces whereas US Wings and the like seem to have one piece backs and look better in general though I don't have any idea what kind of insulation they use if any. Opinions?

I'm sure Panetta was thinking the same thing when he made his speech. Regardless of what actually comes to pass the echelons above reality have to know that people will bail if they perceive the current system has become essentially use or lose.