To Bomb or not to Bomb

[Marty_d]

Isn't he getting them confused with vampires?

 

No, I didn't even know he had a blog, and it would probably not be to my taste.

 

 

[Kiwi303]

If I was the Pres of the US... I would be leaning on the puppet in Kabul and the radical in Instanbul about making their Kurdish areas devolved self-governing states, let them and the free republic of Kurdistan (AKA bits of Syria that seceded) set up their own local visa-free passportless travel area for locals with local ID cards. Still pay federal tax to the country they are from and serve in the countries army, but responsible for their own schools, infrastructure, police etc, with local reserve milita formalising the tribal peshmerga into a official force rather than ad-hoc on-demand tribal levies.

 

Things would be a lot more peaceful in the region.

 

When you have one nation co-located on the territory of 3 others... things get a but sticky.

 

Just too much loss of face in the capitals to be practical.

 

 

[Yenn]

If I was the Pres of the US..

 

Kiwi. Surely that is the whole problem here. The British. the Russians and now the USA have all tried to control other countries to their own ends.

 

You could have gone back to the british era when you would have said "send a gunboat"

 

It is all caused by powerful nations sticking their noses in and now the ragheads ar capable of bloodying those noses.

 

Keep out and let them knock each other about would be better policy.

 

 

[willedoo]

S-400's arriving in Syria via An-124:

 

 

 

[fly_tornado]

every NATO country has those S-400 missile installations on their priority list when something goes wrong. Would not want to be crewing them

 

 

[Kiwi303]

It is all caused by powerful nations sticking their noses in and now the ragheads ar capable of bloodying those noses.

Keep out and let them knock each other about would be better policy.

They already have their noses so far in that they can't withdraw them without losing any last sheds of credibility that they may have.

 

Instead they have to see it through or lose any influence they may have. and given an oil rich zone filled with a religion which has their extrmeists planning mass extinctions of those not of their own religion... they believe they need the influence for national security.

 

 

[willedoo]

Interesting PR footage of Tu-160 bombers launching KH-101 cruise missiles over the Mediterranean Sea. The 101 is the conventional, non-nuclear variant, claimed to have an error probability of less than 10 metres and a range of 9,000 klm +.

 

 

 

[Contact Flying]

There was once a world where foreign policies were clearer and war was the pre-declared result of well defined aggression. As soldiers, like Tennyson said, "ours not the reason why, outs but to do and die." At least they were fighting honorably declared wars without any exit strategy except victory or defeat. I fought honorably against honorable soldiers in an undeclared war with an exit strategy in Vietnam. Mine was not the reason why, but a declaration and some moral backing would have made defeat more palatable.

 

Because of this moral weakness, we are not the powerful nation we used to be. In Vietnam, I covered Loaches (OH6-A) circling in a Cobra at 1200' as a Hunter Killer Team. You guys did the same thing with push pull Cessnas 337s (O-2s) covering a Bell-47. We Army aviators appreciated your help then and with our moral decline we really need your help now. Churchill showed the democracies how in WWII and the Iron Lady did the same in the Falklands. We need to get our shit together.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

this is why the war against terrorism can never be won, too many in the west want to keep it going to further their careers

 

 

 

[Marty_d]

The TU-160 looks very similar to the Rockwell B-1.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Abbott knows that Turnbull doesn't support bombing Syria so he uses it as a vehicle to divide the LNP and increase his own stature.

 

Every time someone gets injured by a terrorist, Abbott is there pushing his own cart.

 

 

 

[Marty_d]

Abbott and Bronny are both sulking about their downfalls, both think that the country needs them and both are sadly deluded.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

we need Abbott to destabilize Turnbull, Bronny will do her bit to destabilize Tony and Mal and remind everyone how corrupt and self serving party politics is in this country.

 

 

[facthunter]

Bronny would scare them off. Politics is a game to Abbott. He's always been a rotten loser. Nev

 

 

[willedoo]

The TU-160 looks very similar to the Rockwell B-1.

Yes, Marty, they do look very similar in concept. The Tu-160 is a lot bigger and faster, but the B-1 can operate a fair bit higher. There's talk of resuming production of new Tu-160's soon, and all the old ones are being refurbished, until the new stealth bomber comes on line.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

size comparison

 

 

 

 

 

[willedoo]

size comparison

Nice photos, FT. It gives an idea of the size of the Tu-160 in comparison, at 10 metres wider, 10 metres longer and 3 metres higher than the B-1. It will be interesting to see how the size of the planned Russian and U.S. 5th. Gen. stealth bombers will compare.

 

 

[eightyknots]

this is why the war against terrorism can never be won, too many in the west want to keep it going to further their careers[ATTACH=full]39919[/ATTACH]

I am not sure if you understand how democracy works. Democracy is not merely a vehicle "to further their careers". I am not sure if Bronny needs to further her career as she is probably in her mid 70s and eligible for an old age pension. The real issue is that she is standing for an open and fair election. If the voters decided that they want to elect her so that she can serve their electorate until she is not far from 80, then so be it. If they think another candidate can do a better job, she or he will get elected.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

safe seat. she has no intention of doing anything apart from traveling the world at the tax payer's expense

 

 

[Contact Flying]

Spending other peoples money is a habit politicians have a hard time breaking. The longer they stay in office, the better they get at it. I will vote for anybody who pledges to serve only one tour because he will vote against spending more money and thus will not be reelected.

 

About a third of eligible voters here vote in non-presidential elections. If we voters don't care enough to vote, what is to keep politicians from doing what they think is in their best political interest. John Boyd, "the fighter pilot who changed the art of war," asked every officer who came to work for him, "Do you want to be or do." He had no use for those who wanted to be. After the four stars in the Pentagon got him retired as a Colonel, he came back as a consultant for one days pay every two weeks. He had to take that much to be allowed to stay. He was most responsible for the F-16, not just the best fighter, but also the cheapest to build and maintain. That sort of "do" doesn't happen in government very often. Big airplanes are mostly just big, and expensive.

 

 

[eightyknots]

...John Boyd, "the fighter pilot who changed the art of war," asked every officer who came to work for him, "Do you want to be or do." He had no use for those who wanted to be. After the four stars in the Pentagon got him retired as a Colonel, he came back as a consultant for one days pay every two weeks. He had to take that much to be allowed to stay. He was most responsible for the F-16, not just the best fighter, but also the cheapest to build and maintain. That sort of "do" doesn't happen in government very often. Big airplanes are mostly just big, and expensive.

It is still regarded as an amazing feat of aeronautical engineering within the constraints of a reasonable budget. They are really good aircraft.

 

 

[willedoo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWveLHVG7mo

[willedoo]

Some talk that four Su-35S fighters have arived in Syria to be road tested:

 

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160201/1034015975/su-35-syria-russia-video.html

 

The video attached to the news item has an interesting maneuvere at 2.24 onwards, not sure what it's called. It starts off like a Cobra then does a tight sideways loop. The Cobra was originally designed to snap off a missile at an opponent above and behind, but this one seems to be just a quick way to slow down and let the opposition overshoot. Or maybe just something to look good at airshows.

 

It looks like the thrust vectoring is being used there.

 

 

[red750]

They sure know how to put on a show. Be good to see them at Avalon, like the Su-27 a few years ago.

 

 

[eightyknots]

The manoeuvrability of those SU-35s is very impressive.