The List 5291 TGB
Good Friday Morning April 24
Regards,
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Today in Naval History
On This Day April 24
1778
During the American Revolution, the Continental Navy sloop-of-war Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, captures the British sloop HMS Drake after an hours battle off Carrickfergus, Ireland.
1805
During the First Barbary War, the frigate Congress, commanded by John Rodgers, captures a Tripolitan gunboat, along with two prizes taken earlier by pirate ships off Tripoli.
1884
USS Bear leaves New York Naval Shipyard on its way to the Arctic as part of the Greely Relief Expedition. USS Thetis and USS Alert join USS Bear on the mission. On June 22, the relief ships rescue the remaining seven members of the 27-man Greely Expedition at Cape Sabine.
1906
Reburial Commemoration Ceremony for Capt. John Paul Jones is held at the Naval Academy. At the ceremony, President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a speech in honor of the legendary Revolutionary War naval captain.
1945
USS Frederick C. Davis (DE 136) is sunk by German submarine U 546, 570 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland. In a combined effort, USS Pillsbury (DE 133), USS Flaherty (DE 135), USS Chatelain (DE 19), USS Neunzer (DE 150), USS Hubbard (DE 211), USS Keith (DE 241), USS Janssen (DE 396) and USS Varian (DE 798) sink U 546.
1981
USS San Francisco (SSN 711) is commissioned at Norfolk Naval Station, Va.
1999
USS Higgins (DDG 76) is commissioned at Port Everglades, Fla. A Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, she is named after Marine Col. William R. Higgins. He was part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon when he was captured in Feb. 1988 by a pro-Iranian group, held hostage and eventually killed in captivity by July 1990. USS Higgins home port is Naval Base San Diego.
CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• San Diego Union-Tribune reports that COVID-19 testing of USS Theodore Roosevelt's crew is complete with 840 positive cases.
• Multiple outlets reported on Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger's message explaining his order to ban the Confederate flag from Marine Corps bases.
• Reuters reported on USS Barry's transit through the Taiwan Strait.
This day in World History
April 23
April 24
858
St. Nicholas I begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
1519
Envoys of Montezuma II attend the first Easter mass in Central America.
1547
Charles V's troops defeat the Protestant League of Schmalkalden at the Battle of Muhlberg.
1558
Mary, Queen of Scotland, marries the French dauphin, Francis.
1792
Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle composes "La Marseillaise". It will become France's national anthem.
1800
The Library of Congress is established in Washington, D.C. with a $5,000 allocation.
1805
U.S. Marines attack and capture the town of Derna in Tripoli from the Barbary pirates.
1833
A patent is granted for the first soda fountain.
1877
Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
1884
Otto von Bismarck cables Cape Town, South Africa that it is now a German colony.
1898
Spain declares war on United States, rejecting an ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.
1915
Turks of the Ottoman Empire begin massacring the Armenian minority in their country.
1916
Irish nationalists launch the Easter Uprising against British occupation.
1944
The first B-29 arrives in China, over the Hump of the Himalayas.
1948
The Berlin airlift begins to relieve the surrounded city.
1953
Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
1961
President John Kennedy accepts "sole responsibility" for the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
1968
Leftist students take over Columbia University in protest over the Vietnam War.
1980
A rescue attempt of the U.S. hostages held in Iran fails when a plane collides with a helicopter in the Iranian desert.
1981
The IBM Personal Computer is introduced.
1989
Thousands of Chinese students strike in Beijing for more democratic reforms.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
24 April 1909: The first aerial motion picture was shot while Wilbur Wright flew his Wright Biplane over Centocelle, Italy. (20)
1929: Flying a Bellanca CH monoplane, Miss Elinor Smith, a 17-year-old, set a women's solo duration record of 26 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds at Roosevelt, Long Island. (20) (24)
1943: First class of women pilots graduated from US AAF flight training.
1945: MEDAL OF HONOR. In his fighter-bomber, Lt Raymond L. Knight of Twelfth Air Force flew several low-level strafing missions in Italy's northern Po Valley. He destroyed 14 enemy aircraft and wrecked 10 others on the ground. In his final attack, Knight's plane was damaged so badly it was virtually inoperable. Realizing his unit's critical need for aircraft, he tried to return to base. He crashed and died in the Apennines Mountains. Knight earned the medal for his actions and sacrifice. (4)
1946: At Philadelphia, Winged Cargo Incorporated inaugurated the first glider commercial freight service. The company employed a DC-3 towing a Waco glider and made Miami its first stop. Other stops included Havana, Cuba, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. On separate pickups, a 3 ARS H-5 helicopter rescued the pilot first, then the navigator of a downed B-26 near Chorwon, about 15 miles north of the 38th parallel. The navigator, suffering a broken leg, had been captured by two enemy soldiers, but he managed to seize a gun from one enemy soldier, causing them to run for cover. Friendly fighters kept them pinned down, while the helicopter made the pickup. (28)
1958: The USAF increased the Atlas force to nine squadrons. (6)
1962: The USAF used an orbiting satellite for the first time to transmit TV photographs from Camp Parks, Calif., to Westford, Mass. (4)
1967: AIRFIELD STRIKE. Eight F-105s attacked Hoa Lac Airfield, a North Vietnam MiG base. This first authorized attack against an occupied North Vietnamese air base under the restrictions imposed on US air power destroyed approximately 14 MiGs on the ground. (17)
1975: FIRST WOMEN IN MISSILE COMPETITIONS. Through 2 May, the first female technicians actively participated in SAC's eighth missile competition. A1C Jeanine A. Sousley competed with the 308 SMW's reentry vehicle maintenance team, while Sgt Jo A. Williamson competed with the 321 SMW's electronic laboratory maintenance team. The 381 SMW from McConnell AFB won the Blanchard Trophy. (1) (6)
1980: Operation EVENING LIGHT/EAGLE CLAW. An attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran failed after mechanical difficulties caused some Navy RH-53 helicopter crews to turn back. An RH-53 and an Air Force HC-130 also crashed together in a sandstorm, killing eight servicemen. (21)
1990: The USAF accepted its first British Aerospace C-29A Combat Flight Inspection Aircraft from LTV's Sierra Research Division at the Company's plant at Buffalo, N.Y. The C-29 would help the USAF inspect and calibrate its air traffic control and landing facilities, replacing CT-39s and C-140s used for that mission. (8: Jul 90)
Boeing's Condor, an unmanned autonomous aircraft, completed eight test flights as part of a high altitude, long-endurance technology effort under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The aircraft had a wing span larger than the Boeing 747. (8: Jul 90)
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. On the 35th Space Shuttle flight, the Discovery lifted off with a crew of five. Astronaut Steven Hawley released the telescope the next day. (20)
1992: MACKAY TROPHY. Two Peruvian fighters attacked and heavily damaged an USAF C-130 Hercules in international airspace. Captain Pete B. Eunice, a 310 MAS pilot, still managed a safe landing. For that effort, the C-130 crew earned the 1992 Mackay Trophy. (16) (18)
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You may have some time to look through these
Thanks to Mike
TONS of RVN photos in several albums
This guy has an EXTENSIVE collection of Viet Nam Photos, divided up by service and locations. You will likely find some memories here if you care to... Mike
Linh Yoshimura's albums | Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135708547@N03/albums/
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From a former Army Green Beret, a relative by marriage.
Rob
From: Tom McCormick
Just consider this...when you think the President is a jerk; he is.
He's a New Yorker. He's crude and can be rude. He gets his feelings hurt, and he's a hot head. He hits back; HARDER. And he should Tweet less.
Let me tell you what else he is.
He is a guy who demands performance.
He is a guy who asks lots of questions.
The questions he asks aren't cloaked in fancy "political" phrases; they are "why the hell…" questions.
For decades the health industry has thrown away billions of face masks after one use. Trump asks, "Why the hell are we throwing them away? Why not sterilize them and use them numerous times?"
He's the guy who gets hospital ships readied in one week when it would have taken a bureaucrat weeks or months to get it done.
He's the guy who gets temporary hospitals built in three days.
He's the guy who gets auto industries to restructure to build ventilators in a business that's highly regulated by agencies that move like sloths.
He's the guy who asks "Why aren't we using drugs that might work on people that are dying; what the hell do we have to lose?"
He's the guy who restricted travel from China when the Democrats and liberal media were screaming "xenophobia" and "racist." Now, they're demanding to know why didn't he react sooner?
He's the guy who campaigned on securing our borders - protecting America - in the faces of the screaming, do-nothing Democrats and the liberal media. When he shut down borders in the midst of the coronavirus virus, they screamed louder. Then the rest of the world followed suit, including the European Union with travel between their member countries.
Has he made mistakes? Yes!
Everyone, including me, I know has, and still does.
The "experts" wouldn't and haven't done any better.
Trump is working harder than I've ever seen a President work. Twenty-four hour days. He isn't hiding in his office; he's out front - Briefing - every day.
When he offers hope, they claim he's lying, and when he's straight forward, they say he should be hopeful. It's a no win situation, but he'll not be deterred.
I'll take this kind of leadership six days a week and twice on Sunday over a "polished, nice guy", butt-kissing politician who only reads prepared speeches from a teleprompter and answers pre-scripted questions.
He is my President…….. Donald J. Trump
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1916
April 24
Easter Rebellion begins
On April 24, 1916, on Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule. Assisted by militant Irish socialists under James Connolly, Pearse and his fellow Republicans rioted and attacked British provincial government headquarters across Dublin and seized the Irish capital's General Post Office.
Following these successes, they proclaimed the independence of Ireland, which had been under the repressive thumb of the United Kingdom for centuries, and by the next morning were in control of much of the city. Later that day, however, British authorities launched a counteroffensive, and by April 29 the uprising had been crushed. Nevertheless, the Easter Rebellion is considered a significant marker on the road to establishing an independent Irish republic.
Following the uprising, Pearse and 14 other nationalist leaders were executed for their participation and held up as martyrs by many in Ireland. There was little love lost among most Irish people for the British, who had enacted a series of harsh anti-Catholic restrictions, the Penal Laws, in the 18th century, and then let 1.5 million Irish starve during the Potato Famine of 1845-1852. Armed protest continued after the Easter Rebellion and in 1921, 26 of Ireland's 32 counties won independence with the declaration of the Irish Free State. The Free State became an independent republic in 1949. However, six northeastern counties of the Emerald Isle remained part of the United Kingdom, prompting some nationalists to reorganize themselves into the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to continue their struggle for full Irish independence.
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Thanks to Carl. Open the URL if you want to take a look at the entire report
(Several good comments too!)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/24/how-did-the-wuhan-virus-start.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20200424Z1&et_cid=DM514891&et_rid=857900769
Documentary: Tracking Down the Origin of Covid-19
by Dr. Joseph Mercola April 24, 2020
[Exclusive Report] The First Documentary Movie on Tracking Down the Origin of CCP Virus(Coronavirus) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=XMJ0EmMfb3U&feature=emb_logo
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
A documentary from The Epoch Times, "Tracking Down the Origin of the Wuhan Virus," unearths facts that mainstream media has largely ignored
Scientific journals have questioned whether the Wuhan Seafood Market was the source of COVID-19
Shi Zhengli, a Chinese virologist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, created synthetic viruses in the laboratory that were more infective
Viral experts, including those appearing in the documentary, question the safety and purpose of the synthetic viruses
From whistleblowers who were silenced to academic papers that disappeared, the Chinese government has censored much information about COVID-19
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Cool Idea
Thanks to Ed ….
LongShot
Leigh Aerosystems of Carlsbad, CA has developed the LongShot guidance and range-extension package for a variety of "dumb" munitions, including the 1,000-pound CBU-87 cluster bomb and the 500-pound Mk 82 bomb. The kit is a GPS-based guidance and targeting system, along with a pair of extensible wings, which, after bolting onto the bomb, transforms the weapon into a stand-off glide bomb and also feature post-launch retargeting capabilities. The LongShot package is designed to bolt onto any munition with a standard 14-inch lung pattern, creating standoff weapons of unprecedented cost effectiveness when attached to munitions already in a user's inventory.
LongShot is basically a wing adapter kit, and it attaches to just about any bomb in the inventory as long as it doesn't weigh more than about 1,000 pounds. LongShot would, essentially, allow customers to convert an existing dumb bomb inventory into a smart standoff weapon, so it would provide both guidance and navigation to a target and also allow the pilot to release the weapon from a standoff distance to protect both himself and his aircraft from surface-to-air threats. The neat thing about it is that it operates completely independent of aircraft systems so that there is absolutely no need to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars that is normally spent to integrate the new weapon with an aircraft type. The way this is done is through a fairly simple technique that called the data insertion unit, and it is simply a knee-pad device that the pilot carries with him in the cockpit. And he plugs that into his UHF radio and uses the aircraft's radio to communicate with all of these weapons on his aircraft.
The wings, which extend from a compact folded position upon deployment, give the bomb a great deal of maneuverability, as well as glide ratio of 8:1 or higher, depending on the model. This translates into the ability to attack from an altitude of 30,000 feet and hit a point target more than 40 miles away with an accuracy of better than 15 meters. The guidance system, which uses GPS data for navigation, can be pre-programmed for targeting prior to launch, or as an option, can be re-targeted as needed by the flight crew using the small knee-mounted data pad, which transmits over the aircraft's common UHF comm radios, alleviating the need to provide hardwire communications to the weapon.
For older or non-MIL-STD-1760 aircraft, the LongShot range extension wing kit can be used to facilitate aircraft integration. LongShot, a universal wing kit for 1,000 lb. class munitions, allows SFW to operate from older U.S. (F-4, F-5, A-4, early F-16 models) and foreign made aircraft (Tornado, Mirage, AMX, etc.).
When the wing kit is attached to the CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition [a cluster bomb that has been used widely in regional conflicts], it carries the same submunition as carried by the AGM-154A JSOW. The difference is that the CBU-87 carries 202 of those bomblets, whereas Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) carries 145. The range performance is similar. The LongShot version will attain roughly 40 nautical miles, which is the minimum stated for JSOW. On the other hand, when it is attached to a Mark 82, 500 pound general purpose bomb, it will exceed 60 nautical miles in range, which will give it somewhat greater range than JSOW.
The CBU-97/CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) equipped with Leigh Aerosystems' bolt-on universal wing kit provides increased standoff range, high altitude release and retargeting after launch. LongShot allows older aircraft to use smart air-to-ground munitions such as SFW without modifying the aircraft. CBU-97 SFW configured with a LongShot wing kit can achieve 40 miles standoff range and engage off axis targets. When it is attached to the sensor-fused weapon, or the CBU-97, the LongShot will deliver 68 percent more BLU-108 submunitions on the target than the B version of JSOW will, because the SFW carries 10 of the BLU-108 sensor-fused submunitions, whereas the B version of JSOW carries six. Users get considerably more area coverage at a somewhat lower cost. The cost comparison with the A version of JSOW, though, is more dramatic, because the CBU-87 would be considered a sunk cost, and therefore, the difference between the two weapons would be a factor of five. JSOW, roughly $200,000 to deliver 145 bomblets. And LongShot equipped CBU-87, $40,000 to deliver 202 bomblets. It performs the same mission and has the same accuracy, because it uses the same satellites for its navigational information.
Leigh also offers a LongShot package for the 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bomb. In its standard production state, the GBU-12 uses a set of moveable canards to navigate under laser guidance to its impact point. Though the canards provide the directional guidance, they don't extend the bomb's range. With the LongShot kit installed, the GBU-12 now sprouts a pair of glider wings, greatly extending the stand-off ability of the carrier aircraft. The purpose of LongShot on the laser-guided bomb is simply to provide it long legs, so that once LongShot delivers it to a target area, it releases it, and the bomb just thinks it has been released from an aircraft and goes about its business. Its laser system becomes active at that point. LongShot allows the weapon to fly with GPS navigation to a "basket" in the sky, from where the laser targeting system takes over and guides the bomb to its final destination.
Under the nomenclature "Condor" the system has been tested with the JDAM munition.
The LongShot kit is designed to be compatible with all combat aircraft, and requires no aircraft interface modification. It has been successfully flight tested on a number of aircraft including the F-16 and F/A-18. Testing of an improved guidance system is underway, using the Saab F- and TF-35 Drakens operated by Flight Research Inc., of Mojave, CA.
LongShot has been a source of great excitement because it offers an unprecedented level of cost-effectiveness for the war-fighter. But at the same time, it has also been a source of continuing frustration, because it has been derived out of the technology that did not follow the accepted path of weapon development within the US Government, the classic ''not invented here'' approach.
LongShot started in private development just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since military planners were going to be thinking more about how to upgrade their existing systems rather than how to buy and invent new and expensive ones, Leigh Aerosystems got the idea of how to upgrade the vast inventories of air-to-surface munitions throughout the world. The development of LongShot has been largely private. It has been a tough road since we have had to compete with well-funded, government-funded and sponsored programs. But Leigh Aerosystems managed to survive, largely on second mortgages, credit lines and some small foreign contracts.
In 1995 the Air Force Development Test Center (AFDTC) at Eglin AFB FL undertook a Sole Source acquisition in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, only one responsible source, to Leigh Aerospace Corporation for the acquisition of a Longshot Adapter Kit Demonstration. The contract was for a limited number (approximately 12 with an option for 4 additonal) of extended range adapter kits plus associated support items including Data Insertion Units (DIU), on-site technical support, technical manuals, etc. necessary to properly conduct an evaluation of the current state of the art technology in low cost extended range munitions adapter kits with self contained guidance and navigation capability. These items supported an evaluation program being conducted by the Air Warfare Center (AWC), under direction of Air Combat Command.
In 1996 the Coastal Systems Station, Dahlgren Div, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Florida awarded a sole source Purchase Order to Leigh Aerosystems for a Feasibility Study and Engineering Analysis of the potential for the application of technological advances to the Longshot delivery vehicle. The study performed a cost feasibility and design analysis of adapting the current delivery vehicle to deliver munition canisters with 30 inch lug spacing. It looked at the cost feasability and design analysis of up-scaling the current delivery vehicle. This analysis was driven by the need to deliver MK65 mines. The contractor performed an investigation of GPS vulnerability. The intent will be to increase the anti-jam characteristics of the GPS system used in the current deliver vehicle. The contractor performed an investigation of the general use of cluster weapons in the surf zone obstacle clearance and Mine Counter measure missions. The contractor documented the analysis effort and the results in a final report of the study.
In 1998 the Coastal System Station had a sole source requirement for Leigh Aerosystems Corporation to assess their Longshot wing kit. The Longshot wing kit is owned by Leigh Aerosystems and is proprietary in nature. Documentation to be provided by Leigh Aerosystems contains proprietary information. The Longshot wing kit will be used a baseline platform for delivering precision guided munitions from over-the-horizon. The assessment of ingress accuracy of Longshot equipped munitions will result in a "basket Circular Error probable (CEP)." This "basket CEP" will help define a field of view requirement for a terminal guidance seeker being designed by the Surf Zone Technology Standoff Delivery project.
This "basket" represents an area in the sky where a glide bomb must fly to - in order for the seeker to be within parameters to guide the bomb to the target. This determines the image processing requirements for developing and implementing an image-based, terminal seeker for an unpowered glide bomb. The sensor is expected to be multi-spectral in nature and may provide images in the visual or infrared bands. Seeker, reconnaissance, and reference images must be co-registered, fused, and used for automated target-detection.
By early 2001 Leigh Aerosystems had performed about 36 releases from about five different aircraft types, using four different munitions. Most of these had been outside the US, because Leigh Aerosystems looked upon in the foreign market as a very affordable solution to satisfy Precision Guided Munition (PGM) acquisition programs with foreign air forces. And for some, LongShots are the only solution, because there is no way that they could afford others.
Specifications
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https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/longshot.htm
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Thanks to Mugs
What's in Pandora's Syringe?
by RoseAnn Salanitri
April 21, 2020
Techno giant Bill Gates has a history of promoting and financially supporting his medical ideologies and imposing them on victim nations. Many may think that his $450 million[i]plus contributions are altruistic, but there is more to be concerned about than revered.Gates portends to believe that good health only comes in a syringe, but his syringe may be more comparable to Pandora's box than it is a viable answer to the world's epidemics. Close examination reveals that his medical advice is just as dangerous as his educational advice was in Common Core – both of which he would not subject his own children to.
In the words of Nelson Mandela's former Senior Economist, Professor Patrick Bond[ii], Gates practices are both ruthless and immoral, and South African newspapers protested that they had become guinea pigs for the drug makers. These statement were made in response to the repercussions suffered from Gate's 2002 MenAfriVac vaccination campaign in Sub-Saharan Africa that forcefully vaccinated 500 African children against meningitis, leaving 50 of the children with paralysis.
The situation Gates created in 2014 in Kenya is even more disturbing. Based on the results of testing the tetanus vaccine distributed in Kenya, it was discovered that a sterility formula existed within the vaccines, the Kenya's Catholic Doctors Association accused the World Health Organization (the same organization that was complicit in China's cover-up of COVID-19, leaving the world in desperate straits that could have been curtailed) of sterilizing millions of Kenyan women. Tanzania, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Philippines made the same accusations[iii].
Keep in mind that in a 2010 Ted Talk[iv], Gates advocated for the reduction of the population and also donated $10,000,000,000[v]to the World Health Organization. So it should be no surprise that a 2017 study (Morgenson et. al. 2017) revealed that 10 times more vaccinated African children were being killed than those that hadn't been vaccinated. Knowing all this, the WHO is still refusing to recall the vaccine being forced upon millions of African children annually. It should be noted here that this is the same WHO that we recently contributed millions of taxpayer money to, which President Trump has now suspended, due to their dangerous and ill-conceived advise on handling COVID-19.
The situation in India is just as disturbing. In this country, the Gates' vaccinated girls suffered severe side effects, including death, autoimmune, and fertility disorders.
It is reasonable to see a pattern that begins with the fear of an epidemic/pandemic that paves the way for vaccinations that may prove to be more problematic and disturbing than the initial epidemic/pandemic – including sterilization, paralysis and death.
On the surface, Gates' Microsoft appears to want to control vaccinating the world through its global ID program[vi], we should be asking ourselves : is this what we really want for America and our children?
For more detailed information, I suggest Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article entitled "Gates' Globalist Vaccine Agenda: A Win-Win for Pharma and Mandatory Vaccination" published on Kennedy's Children's Health Defense website. In the article you will find well-supported exhaustive information. Kudos to Kennedy for exposing the reality of Gates' and big pharma's modus operandi.
[i]https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/gates-others-pledge-1.2-billion-to-eradicate-polio
[ii]https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/vaccine-program-betrayal-public-trust-institutional-corruption-part-3-7/
[iii]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12346214
[iv]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaF-fq2Zn7I
[v]https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2010/01/Bill-and-Melinda-Gates-Pledge-$10-Billion-in-Call-for-Decade-of-Vaccines
[vi]https://www.biometricupdate.com/201909/id2020-and-partners-launch-program-to-provide-digital-id-with-vaccines
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Thanks to Boot
McClatchy News - Air Force to Continue Study Concerning Cancer in Pilot
To All,
Attached is the latest article released today by Tara Copp from McClatchy News concerning the Air Force Study into increased cancer rates in pilots. While I don't have as of yet all the parameters of the study it will be looking back to 1970 and will compare pilots cancer rates to the General Population. These were the 2 key items I've been pushing (wishing) for. One is a .pdf version and the other is a web-based version that includes some of the interviews Tara has done and links to previous articles on cancer in military aviation.
While the Navy is not yet fully onboard, it "…may be replicated by the Navy for its aviators depending on what the results reveal". IMHO, this should be a Dual-Service Study capturing Air Force, Navy and USMC aviators. Otherwise we'll just be delaying any Naval Aviation action for at least another year and we'll lose any potential synergy to what the Air Force has accomplished. Cancer doesn't care if you wore Wings of Gold or Silver, all of us who served or are serving are in this together.
If you agree with my approach, and if you have connections and influence with CNO, BUMED, VADM "Bullet" Miller or RADM "Trigger" Kelley, I would strongly recommend that you contact them to advocate for the Dual-Service Study. Or you can contact your members of Congress…
Stay Safe
Tom "Boot" Hill
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Thanks to DR
Subject: MORE: Are you watching closely?\RICH
Hi to all -
Relief Bill for Small Business
After twelve days of delays by democrats, this $484 bill has finally passed. So, what took so long?
For our answer, we turn to Rep Pramila Jaypal (D-Washington). She stated that she and her colleagues (i.e. AOC and The Squad) delayed this bill, in hopes of extorting more concessions from Trump and congress in support of their socialist agenda.
Keep in mind that each of these people got elected with funding from the Communist Party USA. They serve their master. And, that master is not the American people. But, they tell you, they are democrats, and they care about you, unlike those evil republicans. That's is why they held up support for American small business, to promote (unsuccessfully, as it turns out) the plans of their true masters.
Meanwhile, AOC crowed about the fall in oil prices, and was all happy, until the comments came in, then she deleted the tweet. Green New Deal is less an issue than having a job, or so it would seem.
No worries, mate. The 'ritual defamation campaigns' against all things Trump will continue, unabated. And, like the mayor of Los Angeles - they will 'hunt you down' if you dare oppose their fascist takeover.
Openings
Several states, including Georgia, Texas and Florida are announcing limited re-openings of business. This should start before this weekend.
Immigration
Trump announced that he would suspend all immigration for two months, and thus allow Americans to return to work, before nationals from other nations. When the final bill was returned to him, no immigration was halted. What? Seems congress, under pressure from big business, wanted so many exemptions that the bill was meaningless. Typical congressional hide and seek. Claim you supported the idea, then cripple it. Big business does not want an end to cheap foreign labor, especially in high tech jobs, where Americans have always excelled. For years now, American companies have forced their skilled labor to actually train 'imports', who then take over their jobs for much less money. Quick short term profits, long term loss.
Remember, these companies only get and stay wealthy so long as people buy their products. If you kill off the wages of Americans, they will not buy your products.
Ocean incidents
Lately, there have been many close call moments in the air and at sea. Places like the South China Sea, for example. China has been flexing its muscles there, trying to convince everyone that they own that area. In fact, the area has claims from at least six nations, and there have been some violent moments. China, for its part, has built military facilities and airfields on disputed islands, and has repeatedly threatened other ships and planes, including ours.
Iran, too, has been acting up, again. A few days ago, eleven of their fast patrol boats harassed a several-ship naval exercise, which included American ships and those of other nations. The Iranians flagrantly disregarded 'rules of the road' and raced their boats across the bows of our ships, and did many other unsafe maneuvers. Our ships did not respond, but sent warnings. So, Trump announced that if Iran does this again, our ships will attack and destroy their boats. They could have destroyed this batch of Iran's boats, easily. The naval group had some Apache helos on board, which are designed to hunt and kill such targets. Even one such aircraft could destroy all eleven of their boats, with weapons to spare. And, there are many other guns and missiles available on the ships.
This could get interesting, if provocations continue.
Rich
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World News for 24 April thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Air Force Demonstrates Ability To Send Bombers Across Pacific Pacific Air Force News Service | 04/24/2020 The U.S. Air Force has shown off its ability to deploy bombers across the Pacific Ocean for operational missions, reports U.S. Pacific Air Forces. On April 21, a B-1B bomber took off from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and proceeded to fly across the Bering Sea, parallel to the Kamchatka peninsula and then off the coast of Japan, reported the War Zone website. The bomber joined six U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters and seven F-2 and eight F-15 fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for training over the Draughon Range near Misawa in northern Japan. The B-1B returned to Ellsworth on April 22 after completing a 30-hour sortie, said the service. The flight was designed to demonstrate the Air Force's dynamic force employment model, which focuses on deploying bombers forward in the Indo-Pacific region from a wider range of overseas and U.S. bases. The mission comes shortly after the service concluded its continuous bomber presence mission at Andersen AFB, Guam.
USA—Contractors Being Pulled From Afghanistan Military.Com | 04/24/2020 The U.S. has announced plans to withdraw close to 1,000 American citizen contractors from Afghanistan due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, which suffers from a lack of health care capabilities, reports Military.com. The Pentagon issued a memo to contracting officers supporting U.S. Forces Afghanistan directing them to withdraw "at-risk contractor employees due to insufficient medical capability in-country," Ellen Lord, head of Pentagon acquisition, said on Monday. The Defense Dept. estimates that somewhat fewer than 1,000 of the 10,500 U.S. citizen contractors working in Afghanistan will be evacuated, Lord said. A timeline for the evacuation and details as to how it will be carried out have not been made public.
USA—Marine Pilots Fly MQ-9 Reaper Drone For 1st Time Military.Com | 04/24/2020 A Marine Corps crew has for the first time flown an MQ-9 Reaper uncrewed aerial vehicle in an operation over the Middle East, reports Military.com. Members of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) based in Yuma, Ariz., operated the aircraft during the flight last month, said a General Atomics release last week. General Atomics builds the Reaper and has managed contractor-owned/contractor-operated MQ-9 missions for the Marine Corps in Afghanistan since September 2018. A contractor team in the U.S. Central Command area of operations is responsible for launch and recovery operations as well as maintenance for the drone, said a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Central Command. The Marines have been developing technical, tactical and operational support procedures for the Reaper since the system was leased in 2018, the spokesman said. General Atomics has been working with VMU-1 as the Marine Corps works to make the transition from contractor to government Reaper operations in the coming year, said a company release.
Italy—Fincantieri Set To Resume Work At Its Shipyards Defense News | 04/24/2020 Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri says that it will reopen its facilities after closing them in March as part of efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Defense News. The Italian government plans to begin relaxing its lockdown regulations on May 4 but gave approval to Fincantieri to begin bringing people back to work on April 27. The Fincantieri shipyards at Riva Trigoso and Muggiano in the Liguria region will restart work with reduced staff. At the Riva Trigoso yard, initially 350 of the typical 1,800 workers will resume operations. Only 150 of these will be Fincantieri staff. The remainder are maintenance, cleaning and security contractors. At Muggiano, around 200 staff and 200 contractors will return to work. The company hopes to have everyone back on the job by the end of May or early June, officials said. Several safety measures are being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including temperature checks, staggered start times and obligatory masks and gloves for workers. Fincantieri ceased its operations on March 16 as the number of COVID-19 cases in Italy exploded. The production pause was initially scheduled to end on March 30, but was extended through April, reported Jane's Defence Industry. The shipyards are involved in several major projects, including building Paolo Thaon Di Revel-class patrols ships, the final Carlo Bergamini-class frigate, the Trieste-class amphibious ship and the logistics ship Vulcano for Italy and a corvette for the Qatari navy.
Germany—No Decisions Made On Tornado Replacement, Says Defense Minister Stars And Stripes | 04/24/2020 Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer says the German government has not made a decision on how it will replace aging Tornado combat jets, reports the Stars and Stripes. On Sunday, Der Spiegel reported that Kramp-Karrenbauer had sent U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper an email indicating that Germany planned to buy 30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 15 EA-18G Growlers to replace some of its Tornado IDS and Tornado ECR aircraft. The remainder of the Tornado IDS fleet would be replaced by 55 Eurofighter Typhoons, reported Flight Global. Another 38 Typhoons would be purchased to replace less-capable Eurofighter Tranche 1 jets in German service. On Wednesday, Kramp-Karrenbauer told reporters that only Parliament could approve such an acquisition. Talks are underway with Airbus and Boeing so that a decision on a procurement could be made in the 2022-2023 legislative period, she said. The defense minister emphasized that her ministry had only suggested that the Super Hornets and Growlers be procured as part of the Tornado replacement effort. The Tornados will reach the end of their service lives in 2030 so replacement aircraft would need to begin arriving in 2025, Kramp-Karrenbauer said. Germany is considering the Super Hornet and Growler because they are in production and the Super Hornet could be more quickly integrated with U.S. B61 nuclear bombs than the Typhoon. The Luftwaffe has access to U.S. nuclear weapons as part of NATO defense plans.
Poland—PCO To Produce Israeli E/O Systems Rafael Advanced Defense Systems | 04/24/2020 Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has signed an agreement with PCO in Poland to produce the Toplite electro-optical sensor system, reports the Israeli firm. On Wednesday, Rafael announced that the companies had signed a memorandum of understanding for PCO to be the sole supplier of Toplite systems in Poland. The move is part of efforts to support the Polish military's project to modernize its Mi-24 combat helicopters. PCO and Rafael previously worked together to deliver electro-optical sensor heads for Warsaw's W-3 Gluszec armed helicopter. The Toplite is a multisensor stabilized electro-optical sensor ball derived from Rafael's Litening targeting and navigation pod.
India—Bridge Upgraded Near Line Of Actual Control With China Deccan Herald | 04/24/2020 India has completed an upgraded, all-weather bridge in a northeastern border region disputed with China, reports the Deccan Herald (Bangalore). The bridge across the Subansiri River at Daporijo in India's Arunachal Pradesh state was formally inaugurated on Monday, reported Live Mint (India). The crossing was upgraded from a 24-ton- to a 40-ton-class bridge, enabling heavier vehicles to use it, meeting army requirements as well as future infrastructure development needs in the Upper Subansiri District, a defense ministry spokesman said. The Border Roads Organization completed construction of the bridge in 27 days despite precautions intended to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the spokesman said. Cross-border incursions in the area rose 50 percent in 2019, a source told Bloomberg News. The bridge provides a strategic link with the line of actual control between China and India and is where all supplies for the area pass through. It is not far from the Doklam Plateau, where Chinese and Indian troops had a two-month standoff in 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made expanding infrastructure in the region a priority, with 74 strategic roads completed and plans for another 20 to be finished by next year.
Pakistan—U.S., China Pledge Support In Battle Against COVID-19 Voice Of America News | 04/24/2020 U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to help Pakistan to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports the Voice of America News. On Wednesday, Trump spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan by telephone. The leaders agreed to coordinate their responses to the virus and minimize its economic effect. Trump also committed to supplying medical ventilators and economic assistance, according to a Pakistani statement. Washington has previously pledged US$10 million in financial assistance to Pakistan. U.S. support also enabled Islamabad to secure a US$1.4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to deal with the economic damage from the pandemic. Separately, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said on Wednesday that Beijing had donated US$4 million for the construction of a quarantine hospital in Islamabad. China had previously donated 150,000 PCR kits, 3 million medical masks, 500,000 N95 masks and 200 ventilators to Islamabad, the ambassador said.
Afghanistan—Taliban Rejects Call For Ramadan Cease-Fire Khaama Press | 04/24/2020 The Taliban has rejected a government proposal for a cease-fire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, reports the Khaama Press (Kabul). On Thursday, President Ashraf Ghani proposed a truce to coincide with Ramadan, which began in Afghanistan at sundown that day. A Taliban spokesman rejected the offer, saying that the implementation of its agreement with the U.S. was the only way to reduce violence. The spokesman blamed the government for failing to fully implement the prisoner exchange provision of the deal. The Afghan government has said it is not bound by that agreement, although it has swapped some prisoners with the militant group. Kabul has so far agreed to release about 1,500 prisoners in a phased and conditional manner, far less than the 5,000 demanded by the militant group, noted the Tolo News (Kabul).
Afghanistan—Taliban Commander Killed During Ops In Balkh Province, Army Says Khaama Press | 04/24/2020 The Afghan army says it has killed a key Taliban commander during clearing operations in the northern Balkh province, reports the Khaama Press (Afghanistan). Afghan troops cleared three villages in the Sholgara district and captured four Taliban compounds, said the 209th Shaheen Corps, which is responsible for military operations in the region. Taliban commander Mullah Khaliq, also known as Saifullah, was killed during the operation, the corps said without providing details. The Taliban has not commented on the report.
Yemen—Saudi-Led Coalition Extends Cease-Fire For Another Month Reuters | 04/24/2020 The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has unilaterally extended a cease-fire for another month, reports Reuters. A two-week truce announced by the coalition expired on Thursday. On Friday, coalition officials said that they were extending the truce for a month to support efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reported the official Saudi Press Agency. The extension will cover the holy month of Ramadan, which started in much of the Muslim world at sundown on Thursday. The Houthi rebels rejected the initial truce and violence has continued in several Yemeni provinces. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the cousin of rebel leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, told the Wall Street Journal that the group demanded the withdrawal of coalition forces, an end to the coalition's blockade and an end to all attacks before it would resume peace negotiations. Saudi officials have been covertly negotiating with the militants for months, but public rhetoric, particularly from the Houthis, remains largely negative, said analysts.
Libya—GNA Forces Attack Militias South Of Tripoli Anadolu News Agency | 04/24/2020 Forces aligned with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord in Libya have launched an offensive against militias aligned with Khalifa Haftar south of Tripoli, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). The operation on Thursday targeted Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in the Al-Khallatat area, said a GNA spokesman. Fighting was still ongoing, but GNA forces had destroyed at least three armed vehicles, the spokesman said. The GNA launched an operation on March 26 to push LNA forces away from the capital. Sudan—U.S. Diplomat Attacked In Khartoum Anadolu News Agency | 04/24/2020 A U.S. diplomat has survived an apparent assassination attempt in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). On Thursday, an unidentified gunman opened fired on the diplomat's car as he was returning to his residence, a diplomatic source said. The attack caused the U.S. diplomat to lose control of the vehicle. The news agency did not provide further information about the diplomat's condition. Sudanese police are investigating the attack as a possible terrorist incident.
Democratic Republic of the Congo—14 People Killed In Fighting With Armed Rebel Group In Southwest Agence France-Presse | 04/24/2020 At least 14 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and an armed ethno-religious group in southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, reports Agence France-Presse. On Wednesday, members of the Bundu Dia Kongo, also known as Bundu dia Mayala, fought with police in Songololo, near a road linking Kinshasa, the capital, with the Atlantic ports of Boma and Matadi. The incident appears to have begun when security personnel raided a site used by the group, reported Reuters. The rebels were preparing an operation to kill a territorial administrator and other non-Kongo inhabitants, said government officials. Residents intervened on behalf of security forces, who appeared to be overwhelmed, Interior Minister Gilbert Kankonde said in statement. Security forces recovered guns, ammunition and poison-tipped arrows following the encounter. At least 14 people were killed, mostly members of Bundu Dia Kongo. Two police officers were killed and seven seriously injured. Bundu dia Kongo is a religious and political movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding countries. It is associated with the Kongo ethnic group and seeks to restore traditional rule in the region.
Rwanda—Security Forces Accused Of Abuses During Lockdown Human Rights Watch | 04/24/2020 Rwandan security forces have allegedly committed serious human-rights violations during the ongoing lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Human Rights Watch. Since a nationwide lockdown went into effect on March 22, scores of people have been arbitrarily arrested, with many of them held in stadiums without trial, the U.S.-based watchdog organization said on Friday. Security forces appear to have targeted journalists and bloggers attempting to document abuses. Witnesses told the human-rights watchdog that police were seen beating alleged violators in the street. Multiple women have accused men in military uniforms of rape during the lockdown. At least two people have been shot in the southern Nyanza district. Rwandan officials said that an investigation into the abuses has been opened and five suspects detained so far, reported the BBC News.
Mozambique—Opposition Accuses Security Forces Of Deadly Attacks On Civilians Agence France-Presse | 04/24/2020 Opposition political party Renamo has accused Mozambican security forces of killing civilians in the northern Cabo Delgado province, which has seen growing militant attacks, reports Agence France-Presse. On Thursday, a party spokesman detailed three incidents during which security forces allegedly killed 14 civilians. On April 14, patrol forces reportedly intercepted a boat off the northern coast, killing all eight crewmembers after an interrogation, he said. Two days later, soldiers opened fire on a boat near Ibo island, killing two of the three people onboard. Troops also killed four people in an encounter in the Palma district, he said without providing details. All the incidents occurred in and around Cabo Delgado, where security forces have been battling an Islamist group known as Al-Shabaab since 2017. It is not believed that the group is linked to the Somali group of the same name. Violence has increased recently, with separate attacks in March and April each claiming dozens of lives, mostly civilian.
Good Friday Morning April 24
Regards,
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Today in Naval History
On This Day April 24
1778
During the American Revolution, the Continental Navy sloop-of-war Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, captures the British sloop HMS Drake after an hours battle off Carrickfergus, Ireland.
1805
During the First Barbary War, the frigate Congress, commanded by John Rodgers, captures a Tripolitan gunboat, along with two prizes taken earlier by pirate ships off Tripoli.
1884
USS Bear leaves New York Naval Shipyard on its way to the Arctic as part of the Greely Relief Expedition. USS Thetis and USS Alert join USS Bear on the mission. On June 22, the relief ships rescue the remaining seven members of the 27-man Greely Expedition at Cape Sabine.
1906
Reburial Commemoration Ceremony for Capt. John Paul Jones is held at the Naval Academy. At the ceremony, President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a speech in honor of the legendary Revolutionary War naval captain.
1945
USS Frederick C. Davis (DE 136) is sunk by German submarine U 546, 570 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland. In a combined effort, USS Pillsbury (DE 133), USS Flaherty (DE 135), USS Chatelain (DE 19), USS Neunzer (DE 150), USS Hubbard (DE 211), USS Keith (DE 241), USS Janssen (DE 396) and USS Varian (DE 798) sink U 546.
1981
USS San Francisco (SSN 711) is commissioned at Norfolk Naval Station, Va.
1999
USS Higgins (DDG 76) is commissioned at Port Everglades, Fla. A Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, she is named after Marine Col. William R. Higgins. He was part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon when he was captured in Feb. 1988 by a pro-Iranian group, held hostage and eventually killed in captivity by July 1990. USS Higgins home port is Naval Base San Diego.
CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• San Diego Union-Tribune reports that COVID-19 testing of USS Theodore Roosevelt's crew is complete with 840 positive cases.
• Multiple outlets reported on Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger's message explaining his order to ban the Confederate flag from Marine Corps bases.
• Reuters reported on USS Barry's transit through the Taiwan Strait.
This day in World History
April 23
April 24
858
St. Nicholas I begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
1519
Envoys of Montezuma II attend the first Easter mass in Central America.
1547
Charles V's troops defeat the Protestant League of Schmalkalden at the Battle of Muhlberg.
1558
Mary, Queen of Scotland, marries the French dauphin, Francis.
1792
Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle composes "La Marseillaise". It will become France's national anthem.
1800
The Library of Congress is established in Washington, D.C. with a $5,000 allocation.
1805
U.S. Marines attack and capture the town of Derna in Tripoli from the Barbary pirates.
1833
A patent is granted for the first soda fountain.
1877
Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
1884
Otto von Bismarck cables Cape Town, South Africa that it is now a German colony.
1898
Spain declares war on United States, rejecting an ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.
1915
Turks of the Ottoman Empire begin massacring the Armenian minority in their country.
1916
Irish nationalists launch the Easter Uprising against British occupation.
1944
The first B-29 arrives in China, over the Hump of the Himalayas.
1948
The Berlin airlift begins to relieve the surrounded city.
1953
Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
1961
President John Kennedy accepts "sole responsibility" for the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
1968
Leftist students take over Columbia University in protest over the Vietnam War.
1980
A rescue attempt of the U.S. hostages held in Iran fails when a plane collides with a helicopter in the Iranian desert.
1981
The IBM Personal Computer is introduced.
1989
Thousands of Chinese students strike in Beijing for more democratic reforms.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
24 April 1909: The first aerial motion picture was shot while Wilbur Wright flew his Wright Biplane over Centocelle, Italy. (20)
1929: Flying a Bellanca CH monoplane, Miss Elinor Smith, a 17-year-old, set a women's solo duration record of 26 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds at Roosevelt, Long Island. (20) (24)
1943: First class of women pilots graduated from US AAF flight training.
1945: MEDAL OF HONOR. In his fighter-bomber, Lt Raymond L. Knight of Twelfth Air Force flew several low-level strafing missions in Italy's northern Po Valley. He destroyed 14 enemy aircraft and wrecked 10 others on the ground. In his final attack, Knight's plane was damaged so badly it was virtually inoperable. Realizing his unit's critical need for aircraft, he tried to return to base. He crashed and died in the Apennines Mountains. Knight earned the medal for his actions and sacrifice. (4)
1946: At Philadelphia, Winged Cargo Incorporated inaugurated the first glider commercial freight service. The company employed a DC-3 towing a Waco glider and made Miami its first stop. Other stops included Havana, Cuba, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. On separate pickups, a 3 ARS H-5 helicopter rescued the pilot first, then the navigator of a downed B-26 near Chorwon, about 15 miles north of the 38th parallel. The navigator, suffering a broken leg, had been captured by two enemy soldiers, but he managed to seize a gun from one enemy soldier, causing them to run for cover. Friendly fighters kept them pinned down, while the helicopter made the pickup. (28)
1958: The USAF increased the Atlas force to nine squadrons. (6)
1962: The USAF used an orbiting satellite for the first time to transmit TV photographs from Camp Parks, Calif., to Westford, Mass. (4)
1967: AIRFIELD STRIKE. Eight F-105s attacked Hoa Lac Airfield, a North Vietnam MiG base. This first authorized attack against an occupied North Vietnamese air base under the restrictions imposed on US air power destroyed approximately 14 MiGs on the ground. (17)
1975: FIRST WOMEN IN MISSILE COMPETITIONS. Through 2 May, the first female technicians actively participated in SAC's eighth missile competition. A1C Jeanine A. Sousley competed with the 308 SMW's reentry vehicle maintenance team, while Sgt Jo A. Williamson competed with the 321 SMW's electronic laboratory maintenance team. The 381 SMW from McConnell AFB won the Blanchard Trophy. (1) (6)
1980: Operation EVENING LIGHT/EAGLE CLAW. An attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran failed after mechanical difficulties caused some Navy RH-53 helicopter crews to turn back. An RH-53 and an Air Force HC-130 also crashed together in a sandstorm, killing eight servicemen. (21)
1990: The USAF accepted its first British Aerospace C-29A Combat Flight Inspection Aircraft from LTV's Sierra Research Division at the Company's plant at Buffalo, N.Y. The C-29 would help the USAF inspect and calibrate its air traffic control and landing facilities, replacing CT-39s and C-140s used for that mission. (8: Jul 90)
Boeing's Condor, an unmanned autonomous aircraft, completed eight test flights as part of a high altitude, long-endurance technology effort under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The aircraft had a wing span larger than the Boeing 747. (8: Jul 90)
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. On the 35th Space Shuttle flight, the Discovery lifted off with a crew of five. Astronaut Steven Hawley released the telescope the next day. (20)
1992: MACKAY TROPHY. Two Peruvian fighters attacked and heavily damaged an USAF C-130 Hercules in international airspace. Captain Pete B. Eunice, a 310 MAS pilot, still managed a safe landing. For that effort, the C-130 crew earned the 1992 Mackay Trophy. (16) (18)
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You may have some time to look through these
Thanks to Mike
TONS of RVN photos in several albums
This guy has an EXTENSIVE collection of Viet Nam Photos, divided up by service and locations. You will likely find some memories here if you care to... Mike
Linh Yoshimura's albums | Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135708547@N03/albums/
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From a former Army Green Beret, a relative by marriage.
Rob
From: Tom McCormick
Just consider this...when you think the President is a jerk; he is.
He's a New Yorker. He's crude and can be rude. He gets his feelings hurt, and he's a hot head. He hits back; HARDER. And he should Tweet less.
Let me tell you what else he is.
He is a guy who demands performance.
He is a guy who asks lots of questions.
The questions he asks aren't cloaked in fancy "political" phrases; they are "why the hell…" questions.
For decades the health industry has thrown away billions of face masks after one use. Trump asks, "Why the hell are we throwing them away? Why not sterilize them and use them numerous times?"
He's the guy who gets hospital ships readied in one week when it would have taken a bureaucrat weeks or months to get it done.
He's the guy who gets temporary hospitals built in three days.
He's the guy who gets auto industries to restructure to build ventilators in a business that's highly regulated by agencies that move like sloths.
He's the guy who asks "Why aren't we using drugs that might work on people that are dying; what the hell do we have to lose?"
He's the guy who restricted travel from China when the Democrats and liberal media were screaming "xenophobia" and "racist." Now, they're demanding to know why didn't he react sooner?
He's the guy who campaigned on securing our borders - protecting America - in the faces of the screaming, do-nothing Democrats and the liberal media. When he shut down borders in the midst of the coronavirus virus, they screamed louder. Then the rest of the world followed suit, including the European Union with travel between their member countries.
Has he made mistakes? Yes!
Everyone, including me, I know has, and still does.
The "experts" wouldn't and haven't done any better.
Trump is working harder than I've ever seen a President work. Twenty-four hour days. He isn't hiding in his office; he's out front - Briefing - every day.
When he offers hope, they claim he's lying, and when he's straight forward, they say he should be hopeful. It's a no win situation, but he'll not be deterred.
I'll take this kind of leadership six days a week and twice on Sunday over a "polished, nice guy", butt-kissing politician who only reads prepared speeches from a teleprompter and answers pre-scripted questions.
He is my President…….. Donald J. Trump
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1916
April 24
Easter Rebellion begins
On April 24, 1916, on Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule. Assisted by militant Irish socialists under James Connolly, Pearse and his fellow Republicans rioted and attacked British provincial government headquarters across Dublin and seized the Irish capital's General Post Office.
Following these successes, they proclaimed the independence of Ireland, which had been under the repressive thumb of the United Kingdom for centuries, and by the next morning were in control of much of the city. Later that day, however, British authorities launched a counteroffensive, and by April 29 the uprising had been crushed. Nevertheless, the Easter Rebellion is considered a significant marker on the road to establishing an independent Irish republic.
Following the uprising, Pearse and 14 other nationalist leaders were executed for their participation and held up as martyrs by many in Ireland. There was little love lost among most Irish people for the British, who had enacted a series of harsh anti-Catholic restrictions, the Penal Laws, in the 18th century, and then let 1.5 million Irish starve during the Potato Famine of 1845-1852. Armed protest continued after the Easter Rebellion and in 1921, 26 of Ireland's 32 counties won independence with the declaration of the Irish Free State. The Free State became an independent republic in 1949. However, six northeastern counties of the Emerald Isle remained part of the United Kingdom, prompting some nationalists to reorganize themselves into the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to continue their struggle for full Irish independence.
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Thanks to Carl. Open the URL if you want to take a look at the entire report
(Several good comments too!)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/24/how-did-the-wuhan-virus-start.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20200424Z1&et_cid=DM514891&et_rid=857900769
Documentary: Tracking Down the Origin of Covid-19
by Dr. Joseph Mercola April 24, 2020
[Exclusive Report] The First Documentary Movie on Tracking Down the Origin of CCP Virus(Coronavirus) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=XMJ0EmMfb3U&feature=emb_logo
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
A documentary from The Epoch Times, "Tracking Down the Origin of the Wuhan Virus," unearths facts that mainstream media has largely ignored
Scientific journals have questioned whether the Wuhan Seafood Market was the source of COVID-19
Shi Zhengli, a Chinese virologist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, created synthetic viruses in the laboratory that were more infective
Viral experts, including those appearing in the documentary, question the safety and purpose of the synthetic viruses
From whistleblowers who were silenced to academic papers that disappeared, the Chinese government has censored much information about COVID-19
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Cool Idea
Thanks to Ed ….
LongShot
Leigh Aerosystems of Carlsbad, CA has developed the LongShot guidance and range-extension package for a variety of "dumb" munitions, including the 1,000-pound CBU-87 cluster bomb and the 500-pound Mk 82 bomb. The kit is a GPS-based guidance and targeting system, along with a pair of extensible wings, which, after bolting onto the bomb, transforms the weapon into a stand-off glide bomb and also feature post-launch retargeting capabilities. The LongShot package is designed to bolt onto any munition with a standard 14-inch lung pattern, creating standoff weapons of unprecedented cost effectiveness when attached to munitions already in a user's inventory.
LongShot is basically a wing adapter kit, and it attaches to just about any bomb in the inventory as long as it doesn't weigh more than about 1,000 pounds. LongShot would, essentially, allow customers to convert an existing dumb bomb inventory into a smart standoff weapon, so it would provide both guidance and navigation to a target and also allow the pilot to release the weapon from a standoff distance to protect both himself and his aircraft from surface-to-air threats. The neat thing about it is that it operates completely independent of aircraft systems so that there is absolutely no need to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars that is normally spent to integrate the new weapon with an aircraft type. The way this is done is through a fairly simple technique that called the data insertion unit, and it is simply a knee-pad device that the pilot carries with him in the cockpit. And he plugs that into his UHF radio and uses the aircraft's radio to communicate with all of these weapons on his aircraft.
The wings, which extend from a compact folded position upon deployment, give the bomb a great deal of maneuverability, as well as glide ratio of 8:1 or higher, depending on the model. This translates into the ability to attack from an altitude of 30,000 feet and hit a point target more than 40 miles away with an accuracy of better than 15 meters. The guidance system, which uses GPS data for navigation, can be pre-programmed for targeting prior to launch, or as an option, can be re-targeted as needed by the flight crew using the small knee-mounted data pad, which transmits over the aircraft's common UHF comm radios, alleviating the need to provide hardwire communications to the weapon.
For older or non-MIL-STD-1760 aircraft, the LongShot range extension wing kit can be used to facilitate aircraft integration. LongShot, a universal wing kit for 1,000 lb. class munitions, allows SFW to operate from older U.S. (F-4, F-5, A-4, early F-16 models) and foreign made aircraft (Tornado, Mirage, AMX, etc.).
When the wing kit is attached to the CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition [a cluster bomb that has been used widely in regional conflicts], it carries the same submunition as carried by the AGM-154A JSOW. The difference is that the CBU-87 carries 202 of those bomblets, whereas Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) carries 145. The range performance is similar. The LongShot version will attain roughly 40 nautical miles, which is the minimum stated for JSOW. On the other hand, when it is attached to a Mark 82, 500 pound general purpose bomb, it will exceed 60 nautical miles in range, which will give it somewhat greater range than JSOW.
The CBU-97/CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) equipped with Leigh Aerosystems' bolt-on universal wing kit provides increased standoff range, high altitude release and retargeting after launch. LongShot allows older aircraft to use smart air-to-ground munitions such as SFW without modifying the aircraft. CBU-97 SFW configured with a LongShot wing kit can achieve 40 miles standoff range and engage off axis targets. When it is attached to the sensor-fused weapon, or the CBU-97, the LongShot will deliver 68 percent more BLU-108 submunitions on the target than the B version of JSOW will, because the SFW carries 10 of the BLU-108 sensor-fused submunitions, whereas the B version of JSOW carries six. Users get considerably more area coverage at a somewhat lower cost. The cost comparison with the A version of JSOW, though, is more dramatic, because the CBU-87 would be considered a sunk cost, and therefore, the difference between the two weapons would be a factor of five. JSOW, roughly $200,000 to deliver 145 bomblets. And LongShot equipped CBU-87, $40,000 to deliver 202 bomblets. It performs the same mission and has the same accuracy, because it uses the same satellites for its navigational information.
Leigh also offers a LongShot package for the 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bomb. In its standard production state, the GBU-12 uses a set of moveable canards to navigate under laser guidance to its impact point. Though the canards provide the directional guidance, they don't extend the bomb's range. With the LongShot kit installed, the GBU-12 now sprouts a pair of glider wings, greatly extending the stand-off ability of the carrier aircraft. The purpose of LongShot on the laser-guided bomb is simply to provide it long legs, so that once LongShot delivers it to a target area, it releases it, and the bomb just thinks it has been released from an aircraft and goes about its business. Its laser system becomes active at that point. LongShot allows the weapon to fly with GPS navigation to a "basket" in the sky, from where the laser targeting system takes over and guides the bomb to its final destination.
Under the nomenclature "Condor" the system has been tested with the JDAM munition.
The LongShot kit is designed to be compatible with all combat aircraft, and requires no aircraft interface modification. It has been successfully flight tested on a number of aircraft including the F-16 and F/A-18. Testing of an improved guidance system is underway, using the Saab F- and TF-35 Drakens operated by Flight Research Inc., of Mojave, CA.
LongShot has been a source of great excitement because it offers an unprecedented level of cost-effectiveness for the war-fighter. But at the same time, it has also been a source of continuing frustration, because it has been derived out of the technology that did not follow the accepted path of weapon development within the US Government, the classic ''not invented here'' approach.
LongShot started in private development just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since military planners were going to be thinking more about how to upgrade their existing systems rather than how to buy and invent new and expensive ones, Leigh Aerosystems got the idea of how to upgrade the vast inventories of air-to-surface munitions throughout the world. The development of LongShot has been largely private. It has been a tough road since we have had to compete with well-funded, government-funded and sponsored programs. But Leigh Aerosystems managed to survive, largely on second mortgages, credit lines and some small foreign contracts.
In 1995 the Air Force Development Test Center (AFDTC) at Eglin AFB FL undertook a Sole Source acquisition in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, only one responsible source, to Leigh Aerospace Corporation for the acquisition of a Longshot Adapter Kit Demonstration. The contract was for a limited number (approximately 12 with an option for 4 additonal) of extended range adapter kits plus associated support items including Data Insertion Units (DIU), on-site technical support, technical manuals, etc. necessary to properly conduct an evaluation of the current state of the art technology in low cost extended range munitions adapter kits with self contained guidance and navigation capability. These items supported an evaluation program being conducted by the Air Warfare Center (AWC), under direction of Air Combat Command.
In 1996 the Coastal Systems Station, Dahlgren Div, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Florida awarded a sole source Purchase Order to Leigh Aerosystems for a Feasibility Study and Engineering Analysis of the potential for the application of technological advances to the Longshot delivery vehicle. The study performed a cost feasibility and design analysis of adapting the current delivery vehicle to deliver munition canisters with 30 inch lug spacing. It looked at the cost feasability and design analysis of up-scaling the current delivery vehicle. This analysis was driven by the need to deliver MK65 mines. The contractor performed an investigation of GPS vulnerability. The intent will be to increase the anti-jam characteristics of the GPS system used in the current deliver vehicle. The contractor performed an investigation of the general use of cluster weapons in the surf zone obstacle clearance and Mine Counter measure missions. The contractor documented the analysis effort and the results in a final report of the study.
In 1998 the Coastal System Station had a sole source requirement for Leigh Aerosystems Corporation to assess their Longshot wing kit. The Longshot wing kit is owned by Leigh Aerosystems and is proprietary in nature. Documentation to be provided by Leigh Aerosystems contains proprietary information. The Longshot wing kit will be used a baseline platform for delivering precision guided munitions from over-the-horizon. The assessment of ingress accuracy of Longshot equipped munitions will result in a "basket Circular Error probable (CEP)." This "basket CEP" will help define a field of view requirement for a terminal guidance seeker being designed by the Surf Zone Technology Standoff Delivery project.
This "basket" represents an area in the sky where a glide bomb must fly to - in order for the seeker to be within parameters to guide the bomb to the target. This determines the image processing requirements for developing and implementing an image-based, terminal seeker for an unpowered glide bomb. The sensor is expected to be multi-spectral in nature and may provide images in the visual or infrared bands. Seeker, reconnaissance, and reference images must be co-registered, fused, and used for automated target-detection.
By early 2001 Leigh Aerosystems had performed about 36 releases from about five different aircraft types, using four different munitions. Most of these had been outside the US, because Leigh Aerosystems looked upon in the foreign market as a very affordable solution to satisfy Precision Guided Munition (PGM) acquisition programs with foreign air forces. And for some, LongShots are the only solution, because there is no way that they could afford others.
Specifications
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/longshot.htm
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Thanks to Mugs
What's in Pandora's Syringe?
by RoseAnn Salanitri
April 21, 2020
Techno giant Bill Gates has a history of promoting and financially supporting his medical ideologies and imposing them on victim nations. Many may think that his $450 million[i]plus contributions are altruistic, but there is more to be concerned about than revered.Gates portends to believe that good health only comes in a syringe, but his syringe may be more comparable to Pandora's box than it is a viable answer to the world's epidemics. Close examination reveals that his medical advice is just as dangerous as his educational advice was in Common Core – both of which he would not subject his own children to.
In the words of Nelson Mandela's former Senior Economist, Professor Patrick Bond[ii], Gates practices are both ruthless and immoral, and South African newspapers protested that they had become guinea pigs for the drug makers. These statement were made in response to the repercussions suffered from Gate's 2002 MenAfriVac vaccination campaign in Sub-Saharan Africa that forcefully vaccinated 500 African children against meningitis, leaving 50 of the children with paralysis.
The situation Gates created in 2014 in Kenya is even more disturbing. Based on the results of testing the tetanus vaccine distributed in Kenya, it was discovered that a sterility formula existed within the vaccines, the Kenya's Catholic Doctors Association accused the World Health Organization (the same organization that was complicit in China's cover-up of COVID-19, leaving the world in desperate straits that could have been curtailed) of sterilizing millions of Kenyan women. Tanzania, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Philippines made the same accusations[iii].
Keep in mind that in a 2010 Ted Talk[iv], Gates advocated for the reduction of the population and also donated $10,000,000,000[v]to the World Health Organization. So it should be no surprise that a 2017 study (Morgenson et. al. 2017) revealed that 10 times more vaccinated African children were being killed than those that hadn't been vaccinated. Knowing all this, the WHO is still refusing to recall the vaccine being forced upon millions of African children annually. It should be noted here that this is the same WHO that we recently contributed millions of taxpayer money to, which President Trump has now suspended, due to their dangerous and ill-conceived advise on handling COVID-19.
The situation in India is just as disturbing. In this country, the Gates' vaccinated girls suffered severe side effects, including death, autoimmune, and fertility disorders.
It is reasonable to see a pattern that begins with the fear of an epidemic/pandemic that paves the way for vaccinations that may prove to be more problematic and disturbing than the initial epidemic/pandemic – including sterilization, paralysis and death.
On the surface, Gates' Microsoft appears to want to control vaccinating the world through its global ID program[vi], we should be asking ourselves : is this what we really want for America and our children?
For more detailed information, I suggest Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article entitled "Gates' Globalist Vaccine Agenda: A Win-Win for Pharma and Mandatory Vaccination" published on Kennedy's Children's Health Defense website. In the article you will find well-supported exhaustive information. Kudos to Kennedy for exposing the reality of Gates' and big pharma's modus operandi.
[i]https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/gates-others-pledge-1.2-billion-to-eradicate-polio
[ii]https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/vaccine-program-betrayal-public-trust-institutional-corruption-part-3-7/
[iii]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12346214
[iv]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaF-fq2Zn7I
[v]https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2010/01/Bill-and-Melinda-Gates-Pledge-$10-Billion-in-Call-for-Decade-of-Vaccines
[vi]https://www.biometricupdate.com/201909/id2020-and-partners-launch-program-to-provide-digital-id-with-vaccines
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Thanks to Boot
McClatchy News - Air Force to Continue Study Concerning Cancer in Pilot
To All,
Attached is the latest article released today by Tara Copp from McClatchy News concerning the Air Force Study into increased cancer rates in pilots. While I don't have as of yet all the parameters of the study it will be looking back to 1970 and will compare pilots cancer rates to the General Population. These were the 2 key items I've been pushing (wishing) for. One is a .pdf version and the other is a web-based version that includes some of the interviews Tara has done and links to previous articles on cancer in military aviation.
While the Navy is not yet fully onboard, it "…may be replicated by the Navy for its aviators depending on what the results reveal". IMHO, this should be a Dual-Service Study capturing Air Force, Navy and USMC aviators. Otherwise we'll just be delaying any Naval Aviation action for at least another year and we'll lose any potential synergy to what the Air Force has accomplished. Cancer doesn't care if you wore Wings of Gold or Silver, all of us who served or are serving are in this together.
If you agree with my approach, and if you have connections and influence with CNO, BUMED, VADM "Bullet" Miller or RADM "Trigger" Kelley, I would strongly recommend that you contact them to advocate for the Dual-Service Study. Or you can contact your members of Congress…
Stay Safe
Tom "Boot" Hill
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Thanks to DR
Subject: MORE: Are you watching closely?\RICH
Hi to all -
Relief Bill for Small Business
After twelve days of delays by democrats, this $484 bill has finally passed. So, what took so long?
For our answer, we turn to Rep Pramila Jaypal (D-Washington). She stated that she and her colleagues (i.e. AOC and The Squad) delayed this bill, in hopes of extorting more concessions from Trump and congress in support of their socialist agenda.
Keep in mind that each of these people got elected with funding from the Communist Party USA. They serve their master. And, that master is not the American people. But, they tell you, they are democrats, and they care about you, unlike those evil republicans. That's is why they held up support for American small business, to promote (unsuccessfully, as it turns out) the plans of their true masters.
Meanwhile, AOC crowed about the fall in oil prices, and was all happy, until the comments came in, then she deleted the tweet. Green New Deal is less an issue than having a job, or so it would seem.
No worries, mate. The 'ritual defamation campaigns' against all things Trump will continue, unabated. And, like the mayor of Los Angeles - they will 'hunt you down' if you dare oppose their fascist takeover.
Openings
Several states, including Georgia, Texas and Florida are announcing limited re-openings of business. This should start before this weekend.
Immigration
Trump announced that he would suspend all immigration for two months, and thus allow Americans to return to work, before nationals from other nations. When the final bill was returned to him, no immigration was halted. What? Seems congress, under pressure from big business, wanted so many exemptions that the bill was meaningless. Typical congressional hide and seek. Claim you supported the idea, then cripple it. Big business does not want an end to cheap foreign labor, especially in high tech jobs, where Americans have always excelled. For years now, American companies have forced their skilled labor to actually train 'imports', who then take over their jobs for much less money. Quick short term profits, long term loss.
Remember, these companies only get and stay wealthy so long as people buy their products. If you kill off the wages of Americans, they will not buy your products.
Ocean incidents
Lately, there have been many close call moments in the air and at sea. Places like the South China Sea, for example. China has been flexing its muscles there, trying to convince everyone that they own that area. In fact, the area has claims from at least six nations, and there have been some violent moments. China, for its part, has built military facilities and airfields on disputed islands, and has repeatedly threatened other ships and planes, including ours.
Iran, too, has been acting up, again. A few days ago, eleven of their fast patrol boats harassed a several-ship naval exercise, which included American ships and those of other nations. The Iranians flagrantly disregarded 'rules of the road' and raced their boats across the bows of our ships, and did many other unsafe maneuvers. Our ships did not respond, but sent warnings. So, Trump announced that if Iran does this again, our ships will attack and destroy their boats. They could have destroyed this batch of Iran's boats, easily. The naval group had some Apache helos on board, which are designed to hunt and kill such targets. Even one such aircraft could destroy all eleven of their boats, with weapons to spare. And, there are many other guns and missiles available on the ships.
This could get interesting, if provocations continue.
Rich
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World News for 24 April thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Air Force Demonstrates Ability To Send Bombers Across Pacific Pacific Air Force News Service | 04/24/2020 The U.S. Air Force has shown off its ability to deploy bombers across the Pacific Ocean for operational missions, reports U.S. Pacific Air Forces. On April 21, a B-1B bomber took off from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and proceeded to fly across the Bering Sea, parallel to the Kamchatka peninsula and then off the coast of Japan, reported the War Zone website. The bomber joined six U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters and seven F-2 and eight F-15 fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for training over the Draughon Range near Misawa in northern Japan. The B-1B returned to Ellsworth on April 22 after completing a 30-hour sortie, said the service. The flight was designed to demonstrate the Air Force's dynamic force employment model, which focuses on deploying bombers forward in the Indo-Pacific region from a wider range of overseas and U.S. bases. The mission comes shortly after the service concluded its continuous bomber presence mission at Andersen AFB, Guam.
USA—Contractors Being Pulled From Afghanistan Military.Com | 04/24/2020 The U.S. has announced plans to withdraw close to 1,000 American citizen contractors from Afghanistan due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, which suffers from a lack of health care capabilities, reports Military.com. The Pentagon issued a memo to contracting officers supporting U.S. Forces Afghanistan directing them to withdraw "at-risk contractor employees due to insufficient medical capability in-country," Ellen Lord, head of Pentagon acquisition, said on Monday. The Defense Dept. estimates that somewhat fewer than 1,000 of the 10,500 U.S. citizen contractors working in Afghanistan will be evacuated, Lord said. A timeline for the evacuation and details as to how it will be carried out have not been made public.
USA—Marine Pilots Fly MQ-9 Reaper Drone For 1st Time Military.Com | 04/24/2020 A Marine Corps crew has for the first time flown an MQ-9 Reaper uncrewed aerial vehicle in an operation over the Middle East, reports Military.com. Members of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) based in Yuma, Ariz., operated the aircraft during the flight last month, said a General Atomics release last week. General Atomics builds the Reaper and has managed contractor-owned/contractor-operated MQ-9 missions for the Marine Corps in Afghanistan since September 2018. A contractor team in the U.S. Central Command area of operations is responsible for launch and recovery operations as well as maintenance for the drone, said a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Central Command. The Marines have been developing technical, tactical and operational support procedures for the Reaper since the system was leased in 2018, the spokesman said. General Atomics has been working with VMU-1 as the Marine Corps works to make the transition from contractor to government Reaper operations in the coming year, said a company release.
Italy—Fincantieri Set To Resume Work At Its Shipyards Defense News | 04/24/2020 Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri says that it will reopen its facilities after closing them in March as part of efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Defense News. The Italian government plans to begin relaxing its lockdown regulations on May 4 but gave approval to Fincantieri to begin bringing people back to work on April 27. The Fincantieri shipyards at Riva Trigoso and Muggiano in the Liguria region will restart work with reduced staff. At the Riva Trigoso yard, initially 350 of the typical 1,800 workers will resume operations. Only 150 of these will be Fincantieri staff. The remainder are maintenance, cleaning and security contractors. At Muggiano, around 200 staff and 200 contractors will return to work. The company hopes to have everyone back on the job by the end of May or early June, officials said. Several safety measures are being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including temperature checks, staggered start times and obligatory masks and gloves for workers. Fincantieri ceased its operations on March 16 as the number of COVID-19 cases in Italy exploded. The production pause was initially scheduled to end on March 30, but was extended through April, reported Jane's Defence Industry. The shipyards are involved in several major projects, including building Paolo Thaon Di Revel-class patrols ships, the final Carlo Bergamini-class frigate, the Trieste-class amphibious ship and the logistics ship Vulcano for Italy and a corvette for the Qatari navy.
Germany—No Decisions Made On Tornado Replacement, Says Defense Minister Stars And Stripes | 04/24/2020 Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer says the German government has not made a decision on how it will replace aging Tornado combat jets, reports the Stars and Stripes. On Sunday, Der Spiegel reported that Kramp-Karrenbauer had sent U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper an email indicating that Germany planned to buy 30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 15 EA-18G Growlers to replace some of its Tornado IDS and Tornado ECR aircraft. The remainder of the Tornado IDS fleet would be replaced by 55 Eurofighter Typhoons, reported Flight Global. Another 38 Typhoons would be purchased to replace less-capable Eurofighter Tranche 1 jets in German service. On Wednesday, Kramp-Karrenbauer told reporters that only Parliament could approve such an acquisition. Talks are underway with Airbus and Boeing so that a decision on a procurement could be made in the 2022-2023 legislative period, she said. The defense minister emphasized that her ministry had only suggested that the Super Hornets and Growlers be procured as part of the Tornado replacement effort. The Tornados will reach the end of their service lives in 2030 so replacement aircraft would need to begin arriving in 2025, Kramp-Karrenbauer said. Germany is considering the Super Hornet and Growler because they are in production and the Super Hornet could be more quickly integrated with U.S. B61 nuclear bombs than the Typhoon. The Luftwaffe has access to U.S. nuclear weapons as part of NATO defense plans.
Poland—PCO To Produce Israeli E/O Systems Rafael Advanced Defense Systems | 04/24/2020 Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has signed an agreement with PCO in Poland to produce the Toplite electro-optical sensor system, reports the Israeli firm. On Wednesday, Rafael announced that the companies had signed a memorandum of understanding for PCO to be the sole supplier of Toplite systems in Poland. The move is part of efforts to support the Polish military's project to modernize its Mi-24 combat helicopters. PCO and Rafael previously worked together to deliver electro-optical sensor heads for Warsaw's W-3 Gluszec armed helicopter. The Toplite is a multisensor stabilized electro-optical sensor ball derived from Rafael's Litening targeting and navigation pod.
India—Bridge Upgraded Near Line Of Actual Control With China Deccan Herald | 04/24/2020 India has completed an upgraded, all-weather bridge in a northeastern border region disputed with China, reports the Deccan Herald (Bangalore). The bridge across the Subansiri River at Daporijo in India's Arunachal Pradesh state was formally inaugurated on Monday, reported Live Mint (India). The crossing was upgraded from a 24-ton- to a 40-ton-class bridge, enabling heavier vehicles to use it, meeting army requirements as well as future infrastructure development needs in the Upper Subansiri District, a defense ministry spokesman said. The Border Roads Organization completed construction of the bridge in 27 days despite precautions intended to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the spokesman said. Cross-border incursions in the area rose 50 percent in 2019, a source told Bloomberg News. The bridge provides a strategic link with the line of actual control between China and India and is where all supplies for the area pass through. It is not far from the Doklam Plateau, where Chinese and Indian troops had a two-month standoff in 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made expanding infrastructure in the region a priority, with 74 strategic roads completed and plans for another 20 to be finished by next year.
Pakistan—U.S., China Pledge Support In Battle Against COVID-19 Voice Of America News | 04/24/2020 U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to help Pakistan to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports the Voice of America News. On Wednesday, Trump spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan by telephone. The leaders agreed to coordinate their responses to the virus and minimize its economic effect. Trump also committed to supplying medical ventilators and economic assistance, according to a Pakistani statement. Washington has previously pledged US$10 million in financial assistance to Pakistan. U.S. support also enabled Islamabad to secure a US$1.4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to deal with the economic damage from the pandemic. Separately, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said on Wednesday that Beijing had donated US$4 million for the construction of a quarantine hospital in Islamabad. China had previously donated 150,000 PCR kits, 3 million medical masks, 500,000 N95 masks and 200 ventilators to Islamabad, the ambassador said.
Afghanistan—Taliban Rejects Call For Ramadan Cease-Fire Khaama Press | 04/24/2020 The Taliban has rejected a government proposal for a cease-fire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, reports the Khaama Press (Kabul). On Thursday, President Ashraf Ghani proposed a truce to coincide with Ramadan, which began in Afghanistan at sundown that day. A Taliban spokesman rejected the offer, saying that the implementation of its agreement with the U.S. was the only way to reduce violence. The spokesman blamed the government for failing to fully implement the prisoner exchange provision of the deal. The Afghan government has said it is not bound by that agreement, although it has swapped some prisoners with the militant group. Kabul has so far agreed to release about 1,500 prisoners in a phased and conditional manner, far less than the 5,000 demanded by the militant group, noted the Tolo News (Kabul).
Afghanistan—Taliban Commander Killed During Ops In Balkh Province, Army Says Khaama Press | 04/24/2020 The Afghan army says it has killed a key Taliban commander during clearing operations in the northern Balkh province, reports the Khaama Press (Afghanistan). Afghan troops cleared three villages in the Sholgara district and captured four Taliban compounds, said the 209th Shaheen Corps, which is responsible for military operations in the region. Taliban commander Mullah Khaliq, also known as Saifullah, was killed during the operation, the corps said without providing details. The Taliban has not commented on the report.
Yemen—Saudi-Led Coalition Extends Cease-Fire For Another Month Reuters | 04/24/2020 The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has unilaterally extended a cease-fire for another month, reports Reuters. A two-week truce announced by the coalition expired on Thursday. On Friday, coalition officials said that they were extending the truce for a month to support efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reported the official Saudi Press Agency. The extension will cover the holy month of Ramadan, which started in much of the Muslim world at sundown on Thursday. The Houthi rebels rejected the initial truce and violence has continued in several Yemeni provinces. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the cousin of rebel leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, told the Wall Street Journal that the group demanded the withdrawal of coalition forces, an end to the coalition's blockade and an end to all attacks before it would resume peace negotiations. Saudi officials have been covertly negotiating with the militants for months, but public rhetoric, particularly from the Houthis, remains largely negative, said analysts.
Libya—GNA Forces Attack Militias South Of Tripoli Anadolu News Agency | 04/24/2020 Forces aligned with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord in Libya have launched an offensive against militias aligned with Khalifa Haftar south of Tripoli, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). The operation on Thursday targeted Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in the Al-Khallatat area, said a GNA spokesman. Fighting was still ongoing, but GNA forces had destroyed at least three armed vehicles, the spokesman said. The GNA launched an operation on March 26 to push LNA forces away from the capital. Sudan—U.S. Diplomat Attacked In Khartoum Anadolu News Agency | 04/24/2020 A U.S. diplomat has survived an apparent assassination attempt in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). On Thursday, an unidentified gunman opened fired on the diplomat's car as he was returning to his residence, a diplomatic source said. The attack caused the U.S. diplomat to lose control of the vehicle. The news agency did not provide further information about the diplomat's condition. Sudanese police are investigating the attack as a possible terrorist incident.
Democratic Republic of the Congo—14 People Killed In Fighting With Armed Rebel Group In Southwest Agence France-Presse | 04/24/2020 At least 14 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and an armed ethno-religious group in southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, reports Agence France-Presse. On Wednesday, members of the Bundu Dia Kongo, also known as Bundu dia Mayala, fought with police in Songololo, near a road linking Kinshasa, the capital, with the Atlantic ports of Boma and Matadi. The incident appears to have begun when security personnel raided a site used by the group, reported Reuters. The rebels were preparing an operation to kill a territorial administrator and other non-Kongo inhabitants, said government officials. Residents intervened on behalf of security forces, who appeared to be overwhelmed, Interior Minister Gilbert Kankonde said in statement. Security forces recovered guns, ammunition and poison-tipped arrows following the encounter. At least 14 people were killed, mostly members of Bundu Dia Kongo. Two police officers were killed and seven seriously injured. Bundu dia Kongo is a religious and political movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding countries. It is associated with the Kongo ethnic group and seeks to restore traditional rule in the region.
Rwanda—Security Forces Accused Of Abuses During Lockdown Human Rights Watch | 04/24/2020 Rwandan security forces have allegedly committed serious human-rights violations during the ongoing lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Human Rights Watch. Since a nationwide lockdown went into effect on March 22, scores of people have been arbitrarily arrested, with many of them held in stadiums without trial, the U.S.-based watchdog organization said on Friday. Security forces appear to have targeted journalists and bloggers attempting to document abuses. Witnesses told the human-rights watchdog that police were seen beating alleged violators in the street. Multiple women have accused men in military uniforms of rape during the lockdown. At least two people have been shot in the southern Nyanza district. Rwandan officials said that an investigation into the abuses has been opened and five suspects detained so far, reported the BBC News.
Mozambique—Opposition Accuses Security Forces Of Deadly Attacks On Civilians Agence France-Presse | 04/24/2020 Opposition political party Renamo has accused Mozambican security forces of killing civilians in the northern Cabo Delgado province, which has seen growing militant attacks, reports Agence France-Presse. On Thursday, a party spokesman detailed three incidents during which security forces allegedly killed 14 civilians. On April 14, patrol forces reportedly intercepted a boat off the northern coast, killing all eight crewmembers after an interrogation, he said. Two days later, soldiers opened fire on a boat near Ibo island, killing two of the three people onboard. Troops also killed four people in an encounter in the Palma district, he said without providing details. All the incidents occurred in and around Cabo Delgado, where security forces have been battling an Islamist group known as Al-Shabaab since 2017. It is not believed that the group is linked to the Somali group of the same name. Violence has increased recently, with separate attacks in March and April each claiming dozens of lives, mostly civilian.
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