Canada's Foote: our intention not to buy F-35 lockheed martin planes & other REAL F-35 news...

via Reuters.

Nov 4 Canada's minister of public services and procurement Foote says:* It remains our intention not to buy F-35 Lockheed Martin Corp planes (Reporting By Leah Schnurr)

Now I think I understand why Allison Barrie did the fluff piece at the behest of the F-35 program office.  But if you think that's the end of the bad news check out these stories....

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: One of America's Worst Fighter Jets Ever?

The US Navy officials have reaffirmed plans to procure an additional 24 to 36 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets through fiscal year 2018

Pentagon, McCain weigh cuts to number of F-35’s

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the head of Senate Armed Services Committee and a frequent critic of the F-35 program, said the numbers the Pentagon has been quoting are inflated.
“There’s just not going to be that many,” McCain said.
In an interview, McCain said the Pentagon has to look “realistically” at how many weapons systems it can afford.
“The question is, at the present cost, can we afford as many F-35s?” he asked.
McCain said he will press the Pentagon to determine how many planes the services need.

Yeah.

This program is in some serious trouble.  What I find most interesting is the Navy's position.  For every Super Hornet they buy, that's at least one less F-35 that they can program.  They're playing some serious Pentagon politics to reduce the number of stealth fighters that they'll have.  The Navy has arrived on a decision with the F-35 and apparently they aren't sold.  With budget wars looming I can see this turning nasty. 

Fox News Allison Barrie...either a useful idiot or willfully negligent...

Thanks to Bryan for the link!



Fox News should be ashamed.  This reporter simply passed along propaganda and provided no real information to the viewers.

So why did the program office go to one of their favorites for this fluff piece?

My take is that they're trying to rally support for the airplane.  I'm betting that they think they can wave the flag and middle America will fall into line.  Notice that they've brought back the "Air Dominance" bullshit too.

She ignored the costs.  She didn't talk about the delays.  She didn't mention the fact that the Chinese have stolen the planes "secrets".  She didn't explore any of the claims made by the F-35 program office.  She didn't care....she's in like Flynn and got to giggle while stars (generals) fawned over her.  Allison Barrie in this instance is either a useful idiot or willfully negligent.

SMSGT Mac always talks about hack reporters.  He should add this chick to his list (go back to dancing...Allison, you suck as a defense reporter).  See the whole thing here.

Comparing U.S. Army Systems with Foreign Counterparts (pdf)

Thanks to THINK DEFENCE Blog for the link!

  Comparing U.S. Army Systems with Foreign Counterparts

F-15C's to Turkey....is this prep for an air war?

via Daily Beast.

Officially, the deployment of F-15C Eagle twin-engine fighters to Incirlik, Turkey—which the Pentagon announced late last week—is meant to “ensure the safety” of America’s NATO allies, Laura Seal, a Defense Department spokesperson, told The Daily Beast.
That could mean that the single-seat F-15s and the eight air-to-air missiles they routinely carry will help the Turkish air force patrol Turkey’s border with Syria, intercepting Syrian planes and helicopters that periodically stray into Turkish territory.
But more likely, the F-15s will be escorting attack planes and bombers as they strike ISIS militants in close proximity to Syrian regime forces and the Russian warplanes that, since early October, have bombed ISIS and U.S.-backed rebels fighting the Syrian troops.
Seal declined to discuss the deployment in detail, but hinted at its true purpose. “I didn’t say it wasn’t about Russia,” she said.

Here.

I've seen the reporting on this for a couple of days.  I've surfed Russian Military Blogs.  Everyone is fired up about this.  Many in the Russian blogosphere are saying that they're expecting some type of provocation...that the US is planning on bombing Assad forces.

I don't think so.

I do think that this is another of the dick measuring steps that the Obama Administration does when they feel humiliated.  Did you catch his speech where the news media focused on his statement about Republican Presidential candidates not being able to handle Russia or China if they can't handle CNBC journalists?



The telling part was at the beginning.  Where he talks about "people saying Putin is kicking sand in his face".

This has moved beyond doing whats in the best interest of the nation.  Its even gone beyond legacy.  This is about a power play.  I never considered how stung the White House must be.  Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran (the country that he risked so much political capital to bring into the fold) and Egypt have all traveled to consult with Putin.  Several of those nations are forging new bonds with Russia.

For the White House it wasn't suppose to work out this way and they're mad. The bigger problem?  These are the kind of moves that could accidentally escalate the crisis.  One cowboy pilot on either side could start an international incident.

Long story short?  Shit could get real..one mistake and it could kick off.

ISIS forms what they're calling the "3rd Armored Brigade"..

via Vocativ

The Islamic State is responding to the U.S.’ latest moves in Syria and Iraq by flaunting a fleet of American-made Humvees and other military vehicles that it has pilfered.
More than a dozen new photographs published by ISIS depict what it’s calling its “Third Armored Brigade,” which is based in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh. The highly-choreographed images show ISIS fighters riding around the desert in Iraqi Light Armored Vehicles (ILAVs), a Humvee built in the U.S. and sold exclusively—at around $350,000 a pop—to the Iraqi military beginning in 2006. Militants are also seen operating several Soviet tanks and training with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, said Caleb Weiss of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank.

Here.

Hybrid warfare?  No, that description is no longer applicable.  I like "Mutated Terrorist Forces".

Did you see this coming?  I know.  I keep saying this but it boggles the mind.  We've seen the birth of a terrorist movement that is so powerful that it can go toe-to-toe with Nation State Military Forces and win!  Quite honestly if it wasn't for the intervention of the US in Iraq, and Russia doing the same in Syria, we'd be seeing a new nation under the Flag of ISIS.

Have we seen something like this in the modern era?

S. African police execute criminal....GRAPHIC VIDEO!

Thanks to Maurice for the link!



via Sunday Times

Mpanza, 32, walked into Omega Paint and Hardware store in the area. He loitered near the door, cocked his gun and then, according to a witness, walked out and fired eight shots at police sitting in a van about 60m away.
"He was so close and he just kept firing at the police, who were hiding out in their car. Then he ran and police chased after him," said the witness, who asked not to be identified.
A report on the incident in the local newspaper was innocuously headlined: "One dead as police return fire".
Policing expert Dr Johan Burger described the CCTV footage as shocking and called for the immediate arrest of the policeman who shot Mpanza while he lay wounded on the ground.
"I simply could not believe the callousness ... especially the one policeman. He went, and at very, very close range, shot and killed that man," said Burger.
"The one word that went through my mind as I watched this was that this is an execution. It's not even a murder, it's absolute execution."
Burger said he was even more disturbed that the constable's colleagues did not seem to stop him or express "any emotion or shock" when he fired the fatal shots at a man lying on the ground.
"All of that, in my mind, is criminal," he said.

Full story here.

Hmm.  I don't know.  South Africa has turned into a cesspool.  The amount of crime is off the charts...rapes, murder, burlary....all the felony crimes that are headline news in the US are twice to three or more times higher there.

That was pretty brazen by the criminal.  Calmly opening fire on cops?  What did he think the outcome would be?

Still.  The guy is a son of a bitch but he was giving up.  To execute him?  Not good.  Not good at all.

Russia's response to the airliner bombing? I'm guessing a Tu-160 attack!

NOTE:  Bryaxis fixed this post for me.  Originally I talked about a TU95 strike.  Right thinking, wrong airplane.  He suggested a TU-160 which is spot on in every way.  Right plane, right vehicle to demonstrate Russian global reach, and the right visuals.


We know that ISIS planted a bomb on a Russian airliner in a heinous (as if there is any other kind) act of terrorism.

So I ask again.  How will the Russians respond?

Russian Special Ops?  I don't think so.  Its not public enough.  The Russian people want blood for blood.  We aren't hearing "nuanced" talk about how they should understand that Islam is the religion of peace.  From my stroll through the Russian blogosphere, the only thing I'm seeing is a desire on their part to bathe in the blood of their enemies.

Cruise missile strikes don't send the right message either.

That's why I'm betting a heavy bombing raid from Russian territory by TU-160s.  Why does this sing to me?  Well it demonstrates the global reach of the Russian military.  It shows that retaliation will be swift and devastating.  Finally it once again separates the Russians from the US/EU.  No half measures on their part.  They will strike and strike hard.

That's my guess but one thing is certain...the answer will come quickly.

Russian plane crash and the need to unite to kill ISIS.

via CNN

Days after authorities dismissed claims that ISIS brought down a Russian passenger jet, a U.S. intelligence analysis now suggests that the terror group or its affiliates planted a bomb on the plane.
British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said his government believes there is a "significant possibility" that an explosive device caused the crash. And a Middle East source briefed on intelligence matters also said it appears likely someone placed a bomb aboard the aircraft.
Metrojet Flight 9268 crashed Saturday in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula after breaking apart in midair, killing all 224 people on board. It was en route to St. Petersburg from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The latest U.S. intelligence suggests that the crash was most likely caused by a bomb planted on the plane by ISIS or an affiliate, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke with CNN.

Here.

Amazing.  People still like to underestimate the ability of ISIS to inflict pain on the Western World.  Additionally, normalcy bias is alive and well.  Several bloggers that I respect shit canned the idea that ISIS was involved.

You people need to live and learn.

A determined enemy needs to be curb stomped, not underestimated or disrespected.  You can hate, but you must respect their ability to kill you.  Having said all that, this is a political mess for the US.

Once again ISIS has shown that its the threat, not Assad.  The idea that Assad must go and we can handle ISIS at our leisure is a fiction.  When will you see a mature US foreign policy?  When we put aside the bullshit and work with Assad/Russia/Whoever to put ISIS in the ground.

Warcraft Live Action Movie Trailer!

Wow.  This looks like it MIGHT be good....

City Marshals shoot and kill 1st grader in Marksville...

Read the story here.

Ok.  The usual warning.  We're about to go there.  You make comments that I don't like, hit me with a tone I don't like (and since I can't reach thru the computer screen) that's disrespectful, race baiting, or demeaning of what's going on here and you're banned.

But back on task.

I want to see how this goes.  They weren't chasing the dude on a felony charge.  They were serving some low level warrant...but we have a little boy dead and his father in critical condition.

When a boy in Cincinnati was shot and killed because he was playing outside with a toy gun, the usual POLICE DEFENDERS stepped forward.  Will they do the same with this incident?

We'll see.  Oh and a pic of the 1st grade student is below.

The reaction to this incident will prove instructive...if the "police supporters" are consistent then they will blame the father and simply consider the death of this child as a case of police having to "do business".