Umm, maybe it’s just me . . . but you wrote a very well detailed article on all the U-2 variants . . . but never included a single picture of each?

The have a board of non-family members, they cut ties with right-wing political advocacy organizations, and basically surrendered on the same-sex marriage fight. Some of the Cathy family who founded the company were pretty zealous on social issues, but the company years ago said it was done with politics. I didn’t…

It’s a great question, especially since just recently the USAF accepted the need for 80 F-15EX jets to fill part of our fighter gap. I read that the plan currently is to fly them with just a pilot (not along w/ a WSO) which, to me, is pretty stupid as you’re totally wasting the money that went into making it…

Pretty sure the Marine variants are specifically designed for operation on the “Gator Navy” carriers. Similar to the Harriers.

Part of the reason the US has been reluctant to sell Taiwan the F-35 is fear of Chinese espionage. The PRC has had a deep intelligence presence in Taiwan since, well, 1949. If the F-35 wound up in the Taiwanese Air Force, collection on it would become a top priority for the PRC.

If we’re launching nuclear powered nuclear missiles back and forth, I think the debate over how more poisonous slow-drip radiation vice big shoot-down dose of radiation is kinda moot. Most of humanity is already dead at this point.

The bigger question is whether our nukes would actually function if employed. We haven’t conduct a live underground test since 1991 and the vast majority of our warheads are 30 to 50 years old (the newest is probably 27 or 28 years old; one of the last W88s constructed). All of these are well past their intended…

There is no clearence level above TS--in that you are correct. But there are many “caveats” to TS intel that very few people can access. This was one of them.

I hate Chinese foreign policy and would love to forward deploy a fighter squadron to Taiwan (unrealistic, I know). But I like your standing up. There was a time when we all could link up as lovers of aviation and just recognize the loss of a good pilot. Remember, the Australians gave von Richtoven a full honoral…

Guys and Girls, Yes, I was tempted to make the “Asian women drivers” joke, too but I thought better of it. This young woman lost her life doing what many of us have done or love—the flying of the best combat aircraft around. I’m no fan of China’s aggressive foreign policy and I applaud what Obama has done to counter…

Love how the growing beards phenomenon persists in a movie in which the SEALs are not attempting to ingratiate themselves with a local culture that prizes beards . . . but fighting zombies.

This is why you keep a low profile if you’re SOF, especially if you’re in SEAL Team 6 (or whatever it morphed into). SOF used to take pride in its unofficial motto—the “Silent Professionals.” But with the DoD providing unprecedented support to movie after movie (Zero Dark Thirty, Lone Survior, etc) glamorizing SOF—and…

Brave new world . . . Israeli tankers dragging Jordanian F-16s to Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Seems a far more cost-effective solution would be to team with China on new aircraft and vehicles. The Chinese don’t seem to have anywhere near the type of “death spiral” problems the Russians do. I suppose the real question is do the Chinese want to share technology with Moscow? Beijing may view Moscow as a burden.

Article mentions “17th Expeditionary Air Force.” Is this the new umbrella NAF for Eastern Europe / Out-of-Area USAFE air ops? I guess so.

It might be a leap too far to lump the M1 in with the F-35 and LCS, since, as others have pointed out, the M1 has a crystal-clear, combat-proven record of accomplishing exactly what it was designed to do.

How do the new upgraded CRLs affect its nuclear stand-off mission? If the mission is to carry AGM-86Bs, does this require inserting a different (older) rotary launcher? Or would the missiles be carried on external pylons?

Is that really one of their ground crew dressed as a pirate? That is fucking awesome.

And that is a very unique (and probably missed by most) Chris Matthews reference. Seems like any aircraft these days can be upgraded w/glass cockpit avionics, a modern self-designating targeting pod, and GPS.