I saw this at the Telegraph and had to share, the photos are amazing. In the US, the motto “Unarmed, Alone, and Unafraid'” was used by photoreconnaissance squadrons as they flew incredibly dangerous missions. Usually they flew solo with no weaponry, relying on speed and surprise to stay alive. The pictures of Operation Market Garden and the D-Day landings are particularly compelling.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
A Very Cool Little Fighter
This a flight demo by a Hungarian pilot flying a JAS39C Gripen at RIAT earlier this year. Great video of a terrific little plane that Sweden builds for multirole combat.
I think it is the prettiest of the “Eurocanards” flying and fills a critical need in size and capability. Many countries can’t afford even medium sized fighters, instead flying smaller ones such as the F-5 Tiger and MiG-21 Fishbed. A modern replacement for them has been needed for some time. This is what the F-20 aspired to be in the 1980’s and I believe the Saab Gripen is the realization of the dream of a modern light weight fighter.
The only other competitor is the Chinese/Pakistani JF-17 which I highly doubt is as good a plane, being a radical derivative of the MiG-21. It says much that the Pakistani’s are now buying the larger and more modern J-10 from China instead of more JF-17’s. Meanwhile, India’s LCA project is still far from service and already out of date.
Interestingly, the Gripen often ends up competing for contracts against bigger fighters such as the F-16C Fighting Falcon, F/A-18E Super Hornet, and France’s Rafale. Currently it is in service with Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and South Africa.
A new version with a more powerful GE-414 engine, AESA radar, more fuel, and redesigned landing gear is flying in prototype. The Gripen NG promises greater range and weapons load along with better avionics.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veterans Day
In the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings, Veterans Day seems a little more immediate than usual. That shouldn’t be the case for we always have men and women in the armed forces serving around the world protecting our country and way of life. Less visible are those who have served honorably and returned to civilian life, but my gratitude is just as great for their service.
After Vietnam, a lot of people turned against our soldiers and I remember the slow turnaround of that attitude in the 1980’s under President Reagan. Lately it has been a mixed bag as the country has polarized over Iraq and Afghanistan. But I hope I’m correct in feeling that the majority of the country at least respects our fine service personnel. Reading about the strange mugging of an Army reservist gives me hope.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Terrorism and Fort Hood
The media reaction to Nidal Malik Hasan’s attack on his fellow troops in Fort Hood has been disturbing to me. Political correctness is acting like a lens distorting reality the way a funhouse mirror warps a reflection. As more facts emerge about Hasan, it is clear he was a jihadi. Someone just snapping from stress by proxy (what a ludicrous excuse) doesn’t try to contact al Qaeda months before shooting a bunch of American soldiers. He doesn’t give away his belongings first and he doesn’t frequent strip joints like the 9/11 hijackers did. Hasan did exactly that.
Many Islamic fundamentalists believe all your sins are forgiven on martyrdom, so they tend to party in forbidden ways. That looks hypocritical to Western eyes, but it simply points out one of our cultural differences with the Islamic world. Over at Forbes, Tunku Varadarajan has a must read piece on our problems facing what he dubs “going Muslim.”
UPDATED:
CNN proves the distorted lens by rearranging a wounded soldier's quote to make it look like he was unsure if Hasan yelled "Allhu akbar." Mudville Gazette has the details.
It isn’t like Hasan was the first to go on a killing spree in the name of Islam after 9/11. Next week on Tuesday the “D.C. Sniper” will be executed. Seven years ago, John Allen Muhammad and his accomplice Lee Malvo killed 10 people. Do people even remember this? I wonder.
A big part of the problem is how the political left and their lapdogs in the media have depicted the war on terror. J.R. Dunn at The American Thinker puts it better than I can. I agree with him that relativism has done a great deal of damage: allowing corruption to flourish and weakening our will to defend ourselves. Everything depends on the American people waking up.
I question whether another 9/11 would be enough.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Mass Shooting at Fort Hood
Horrible day in Texas, 12 dead and 31 wounded by at least one other soldier. The shooter was killed, but there are eye witness reports of a second shooter who is in custody with a third as possible accomplices. The FBI has been brought in to assist in finding out the motivations. Fort Hood is under lock down. Please pray for all involved.
As jarring as that was, President Obama coming out to address an Interior Department conference waited minutes before speaking about it, doing pump up motivational material for the attendees -- even going as far as giving a “shout out” to one the people in the audience! Reprehensible and disrespectful, the shootings should have been brought up immediately. From there he rambled as he does without a teleprompter. The man is an embarrassment to the country and to his office.
Friday, November 16, 2007
A Moment of Beauty and Brotherhood in Iraq
Looking at the pictures of St. John's in Baghdad and reading the account made my day. I find it fascinating that before al Qaeda came to the area, Christians and Muslims were living in peace and brotherhood. With the Muslims of that neighborhood helping clean and repair the Catholic church, then actually attending a mass to show their love for those driven away, I see a bright ray of hope for greater Iraq. The possibility of the country becoming more like the Lebanon of the 1950s is looking more plausible.
So heading into the holidays, I am grateful for people cross religious or cultural lines and love their neighbors.
UPDATED:
Yet another story, this one involving a USMC Lt. and an Iraqi police officer who were once on opposite sides in Ramadi. Some amazing things are happening over there and if this isn't a terrific example of the power of forgiveness, I don't know what is.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Veteran's Day
There never has been a time where danger has not lurked, for predatory behavior has always been prevalent in humanity's time on Earth. There will always be a need for people to protect our way of life, our borders, our allies, and sometimes the entire planet.
I am so very grateful to the veterans who have protected us in the past from tyranny and fascism, the soldiers fighting to make the world safer now, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and their families who have also shouldered the burden.
May we always remember our soldiers and what they have done for us.