Cost wise - the F15EX and B52 probably look a fair bet....I am guessing the B1 probably would not be cost effective though?


As 3 F15EX's = 2 B1's = 1 B52?

I bet the B1 price tag of flight is alot higher than a B52 and a magniture even higher than 3 F15's?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 11:09 am: Edit

The USAF plans to discard the B1 and B2 over the next decade and use the B52J and B21A.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 11:36 am: Edit

So the B-52 is going to remain the front line bomber aircraft for the United States for yet another couple decades?

Now we'll see if it remains the first combat aircraft in history to remain in front line service for the originating nation for a full century!

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 11:53 am: Edit

Second line, non-penetrating missile truck.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 12:04 pm: Edit

Israel rescued another hostage with a commando operation. This leaves 108. Of those about 40 are dead, about 40 are alive, and around 30 are unknown status.

The Israeli hostage families said in effect “fine, you got one, but Netanyahu needs to make a deal to get them all out NOW even it it means ending the war with Hamas in power and able to repeat the 7 Oct attack every year, killing thousands more of our people. Then Netanyahu needs to resign and go to prison.”

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 06:55 pm: Edit

Many have asked why Israel has yet to enter Lebanon to push Hezbollah away from the border.

Israel makes vague replies.

The real answer is simple. Hezbollah is bigger than Hamas, and Israel is too busy in Gaza to start another, bigger, ground war.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 08:46 pm: Edit

The “one war at a time” theme is persuasive.

Look at Germany, they managed to clean Frances clock during the Franco-Prussian War.

It was only when France had allies and multiple fronts that Germany ran into trouble. (Both world wars for example.)

If Israel has the time to clean Gaza thoroughly AND the ability to ensure that hamas doesn’t takeover the government, then they can talk about Lebanon/Syria.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 01:25 am: Edit

Ukraine’s F16s shot down dozens of Russian cruise missiles during the big attack Sunday. The F16s have AIM120B and AIM9L/M missiles.

Alan Trevor, do you get kill credits for drones and cruise missiles? I remember WWI pilots listed as “23 kills plus six balloons”. Will Ukrainian pilots be listed as “two kills plus six cruise missiles and thirty-four drones” or will they fall back on “an aircraft is an aircraft is an aircraft”?

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 07:38 am: Edit

Well, Israeli Army this morning did go into 4 northern Towns in the West Bank - in a "Counter-terrorism operation".

Those words seem to mirror what Russia used to enter the Ukraine?

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 07:54 am: Edit

WW2 pilots in the RAF got credit for "Buzzbombs" even if they just tipped them over so they ran into the ground.

But I think the USAF thinks differently. Not least because it is completely dominated by fighter weenies.

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/credit-where-its-due/#:~:text=Air%20Force%20F%2D15%20pilots,not%20earn%20aerial%20victory%20credits.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 08:01 am: Edit

Paul Howard:

In a word, NO.

Putin has made it clear, for a period of years, that he wanted to restore the empire (his words were actually to restore the Soviet Union), but it is obvious that he really wants to restore first world status to Russia regardless of what phrase is used.

Israel (aside from a relatively few vocal radicals) has made it clear thru a number of prime ministers, that they desire peace.

Israel has conducted a number of “Counter-terrorism operations” designed to target terror groups (Hamas, Iran, etc.) but then, at the conclusion of operations, retire back to Israel. (The Golan Heights, being a significant exception.)

What evidence do you have to prove Israel intends to conquer Lebanon?

There is much evidence that Putin intends to keep the territory Russia conquered in Crimea, as part of “Greater Russia”.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 09:56 am: Edit

Mike; excellent article, thanks for the link.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 10:01 am: Edit

Jeff

The easy answer is that alot of Israeli Settlors clearly want to re-create 'Greater Israel' which includes all of Jerusalam and large slice (of priobably the valuable land and water) of the West Bank.

The use of a 'few vocal radicals' is perhaps very polite, but it's clear alot of the Israeli Settlors are at best, Thugs. If they wasn't a Western Nation - the West would annouce them as Terrorists.

And clearly it's not the odd one or two - due to the number of attacks on West Bank Citizens.

But to answer your question, not sure what you can call the Illegal Settlements - other than Conquest?

But why mention 'intention to conquer Lebanon' - I haven't? Do you know something the rest of the world doesn't yet?

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 10:41 am: Edit

---

Quote:

Not least because it is completely dominated by fighter weenies.

---

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 03:37 pm: Edit

Thank you, Alan, from an Air Force veteran.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 04:34 pm: Edit

The Iran-backed Students for Justice says it will launch another wave of violent protests during the Fall semester. They will match this with a wave of legal actions to enforce their point.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 12:00 pm: Edit

from 82 to 2008 it was all fighter types. And McNab was acting USAF COS for just 31 days.

By the way, I was looking over the past COS and they ALL are USAF Academy graduates. Wonder what percentage of the Air Force officers are "Ring Knockers?"

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 01:24 pm: Edit

Mike:

I just did a internet search, and I couldn’t find information specific to the USAF, but I did findthis:

Quote:” What percentage of officers come from service academies?
But service academy graduates make up fewer than 20 percent of all military officers, according to 2019 data from the Department of Defense.”

It did not give a reference other than “data from Department of Defense”.

I had heard that the U.S. Army no longer commissions enlisted personnel through Officers Candidate School, as the program was terminated several years ago.

ROTC seems to be the main source of commissioned officers.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 06:44 pm: Edit

The US Army still commissions enlisted through OCS. You have to have less than 6 years active duty and a bachelor's degree by the end of OCS.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 09:43 pm: Edit

Ah, thanks.

I must have misunderstood.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 10:27 pm: Edit

If an enlisted member doesn't have a degree they can either go Green to Gold with ROTC or apply to West Point, maybe going to the Prep School first.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, August 31, 2024 - 11:20 pm: Edit

Ukraine has lost one of the six F16s received so far, but this does not seem to have been a combat loss. Just what happened is not clear but the Ukrainians are using the F16s only for missile defense duties.

By Terry O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Sunday, September 01, 2024 - 09:49 am: Edit

Ukraine has developed a long-range suicide drone/cruise missile weapon called "Palianytsia". It reportedly has a jet engine and costs less than $1 million per shot. It's named after a type of traditional Ukrainian bread that is cooked on a hotplate rather than baked. The word paliantytsia is a shibboleth because russians can't pronounce it properly, so it has become a symbol of Ukrainian identity. Ukraine seems to be using it (the weapon, not the bread) to attack fuel refineries and similar infrastructure that russia needs to create products to export and pay for the war.

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Sunday, September 01, 2024 - 10:47 am: Edit

It's so unfortunate that the Biden administration has been coaching Ukraine not to attack Russian oil infrastructure, out of fear that such attacks will constrain Russian supply, increase the global price of crude, and then increase fuel prices in the US.

--Mike

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, September 01, 2024 - 11:30 am: Edit

Attempted rescue operation against Hamas ended badly. At first glance (to this civvie), it would seem the six who were the target of the rescue were executed by Hamas during the operation.