US military’s top secret X-37B shuttle ‘disappears’ for two weeks, changes orbit. By Peter Farquhar, Technology Editor | August 25, 2010 AMATEUR astronomers are enjoying a cat-and-mouse game with the US military in keeping track of its secret space plane, the X-37B. The X-37B was launched in April amid much publicity, but scant detail about […]
The Terrifying Enemy in the Desert
Here is an interesting foe the Obama crowd may not be telling the parents of national guard troops about when they are wrongly sent off to the Afghan human sinkhole. Camel Spiders (Solifugids, not actually spiders, more like scorpions) – They can be up to six inches long. Don’t get too worried though, these big arachnids have […]
McChrystal Out, Petraeus In, Still no Plan
Julian Barnes, in a recent Wall Street Journal article, points to a group in the White House that prefers to pare down the Afghan military operation in favor of predawn attacks using drones that focus on insurgent leaders. The goal—an early withdrawal from the theater of combat—is the approach I would take. General David Petraeus […]
New Raytheon Laser Weapon System Knocks Drone Out of the Sky
At the Farnborough air show a new laser weapons system was announced that can knock drones out of the sky. The Raytheon Laser Weapons System easily dispatched four drones in tests off the coast of California. The implications are enormous, as drones are an ever increasing part of world militaries. It would be interesting to […]
Black Hawk Down, Lessons Learned
Retired Army Ranger Lt. Colonel Danny R. McKnight, commander of the mission known to many as Black Hawk Down, has a book coming out soon that will reveal much more of the story and his role than those described in the book written by Mark Bowden and in the screenplay by Ken Nolan that led […]
Breaking News on the Afghan Debacle
As you awaken today it is 130 degrees in Afghanistan and even 115 degrees in an air-conditioned hospital. And the seemingly never-ending sand storm season is in full force. Can you explain to me why your sons and grand sons are in this ancient chaotic land? The Afghan government and police force are rotten to […]
FIM-92 Stinger low-altitude surface-to-air missile system
The Stinger missile, a full-dimensional protection weapon, is the Army’s system for short-range air defense that provides the ground maneuver commander force protection against low-altitude airborne targets such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles. The Stinger is launched from a number of platforms: Bradley Stinger Fighting Vehicle, Bradley Linebacker, Avenger (HMMWV), […]
AC-130U Gunship
Under a contract awarded in 1987, Boeing manufactures and supports the AC-130U Gunship aircraft for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command. The AC-130U represents a major advancement over previous generation gunships. Existing C-130 airframes receive the latest sensor technologies and fire control systems that, together, substantially increase the gunship’s combat effectiveness. The AC-130U features […]
BLU-82 Commando Vault “Daisy Cutter”
The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, nicknamed Commando Vault, is the high altitude delivery of a 15,000 pound bomb from a C-130. This system depends upon the accurate positioning of the aircraft by either a fixed ground radar or onboard navigation equipment. The ground radar controller or aircrew navigator as applicable, is responsible for positioning the aircraft […]
Afghan Disasters: A History
An excellent article in a recent issue of Soldier of Fortune details the history of outsiders in Afghanistan. In 329 BC, Alexander the Great’s army rolled into Kabul. Ferocious resistance forced Alexander to retreat west to Mesopotamia. By 320 BC, Alexander was dead. In 1839, the British occupied Afghanistan. Afghan mountain tribal groups responded harshly. […]