Isn't Israel a player in this area, too?

Another great article, Tyler. The videos were interesting, and I appreciated the map showing the firing site and the impact site; it makes it easy to extrapolate that distance into the continental U.S., which I'm sure is what Putin is intending with these gestures. I find all of this worrisome; growing up in the…

Awesome video, Tyler; thanks for posting. Watching this thing reminds me of stories my dad told about his service in W.W. II. Dad was a tail-gunner in B-26's; shortly after the Normandy invasion his squadron was based in France. Most often their bombing runs from then on were bridges, train depots and sidings, and…

You must be a lot younger than I am (I'm 60). The F-4D Skyray (later called the F-6 Skyray, and a very cool looking plane, especially for its time) flew with the Navy from 1956-1964; The A-4 Skyhawk flew with the Navy from 1956-2003 (I think that was the official retirement date) and it I'm pretty sure it still flies…

Yeah, well that's pretty much my point. We've allowed the process to become politicized and to become a money trough. But it doesn't have to be that way. While developing their Gotland Class carrier-killer subs Sweden was also finishing the development of the JAS-39 Gripen and integrating them into their forces as…

I've always liked watching cat-shots from carriers, even though I come from an Air Force background... :) And as I've said before, this plane looks really cool, and I have to admit I like the F-35B (for the same reason I like the AV-8B, it's the coolness factor in watching a jet take off vertically and hover). But…

We're a few billion dollars past being able to do a re-set and create a series of planes that meet the needs of their users (USAF, USN, and USMC) without trying to use a common airframe to meet those disparate needs. And the plane has a nice look to it. But...I hate that the big news here is that the plane actually…

Nice article; I remember this well. At the time I was really shocked at the USN transporting troops and helicopters on their carriers. Pictures are nice, too. And as you said, this was a great example of how our armed forces can react and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Nice article, Tyler; and great pictures and video. That is such a nice-looking plane. Roughly equivalent to the Eurofighter Typhoon?? Any advantage of one over the other in terms of agility/armament/avionics, or would it come down to which had the better pilot? And how about vs. the SAAB JAS39 Gripen? I know the…

Full video showed several ISIS on the hill just seconds before the blast; most suddenly disappeared (I am assuming into trenches unless they have perfected teleportation), and two began running but were caught in the blast. The second explosion to the left MIGHT have been a second air-drop but more likely was a…

I agree with you that the picture says it all. And I also agree with you that those who call for war should get off their butt and go themselves to fight in that war. It probably would cut down on the amount of conflict. But not entirely, because there ARE those ready to fight, always have been. But about those…

"if those who keep crying for war would actually have to fight it, we would have eternal peace" — Please tell me that you are engaging in hyperbole; if not, you are, at best, incredibly naïve. Please tell me; who forced the Mongols to go on the move, conquering other tribes and then nations until they established…

I don't think there was ever any possibility for a Marshall Plan; first of all, the Marshall Plan was activated after we had been at war for four years with countries many of whom we had been friendly with before the conflict as well as being offered to our allies. Also, the Marshall Plan was actively attacked by the…

Well, as I mentioned, there are still competing claims to those territories; they are currently de-facto Russian because Russia has the military might to make others back off. Part of the confusion here is over not understanding EEZ's, which extent 200 miles from the coastline (by U. N. definition, although Russia…

EEZ refers to their ability to explore and use marine resources, those below the surface of the sea. The area itself is considered international waters in terms of sea travel. The Territorial waters zone extends out 12 miles from their coastline. One of the issues is how the Continental shelves enter into the…

A better analogy than an island being discovered off Hawaii (BigNSlow's response) would be a new island being discovered off the Spratly islands. The Spratly's are disputed territory. Truth is, much of the area you are discussing is also disputed. Franz Joseph Land was claimed by Norway; they are currently Russian…

I'm sure that the Air Force truly loves all the speculation that has been going on for the past year or so about this vehicle. I'm sure they are looking at it for several possible usages (for at least the past 40 years the USAF has been positively addicted to the idea of 'one plane to do all things' e.g. the current…

WW II had some great fighter planes from several different countries; I don't know that I could pick a favorite. But as Manny-Bothans said in an earlier reply: fighter pilots make movies, bomber pilots make history. My dad flew 65 missions as a tail gunner in a Martin-Marauder B-26. He started out in the B-26C and…

As soon as I started reading this I was taken back in time: am I the only one old enough to remember "The Rat Patrol"? (ABC, 1966-1968) Opening credits included seeing a jeep flying over the top of a sand dune with a pedestal mounted .50 BMG on the rear. Series was loosely based on the British/New…

Cool video, looked like a LOT of fun. And I can see the military applications, including making these things into modern-day remote-controlled kamikaze/spy drones. But as with any technology, once developed and weaponized, a technology will be created to match and neutralize it. The Army's HEL MD has already been…