One of the most anticipated parts of this year’s SOF Week was the “Battle of Tampa Bay” demo. Multiple Special Operation Forces from around the world with various equipment from the exhibitors and what is currently in use. Especially fun were the different modes of aerial attack forces on display including the MH-6. They were […]
Military
SOF Week in Review
Holy Mother of Blessed Acceleration, don’t fail me now! The words of Elwood Blues echoed in my head as I entered the highway interchange with .25 miles of space to navigate across 7 lanes of traffic, including the on-ramp. Along the way I also had to deal with a love-struck Romeo performing a running roadblock […]
A Retirement 34 Years in the Making
34 YEARS, who thinks that far ahead when joining the Military at 18? When I joined right after high school I couldn’t imagine making the commitment for 6 years, let alone the 21 years I ended up serving. But THIRTY-FOUR years? When I served with Todd, as I knew him then in Puerto Rico, I’m […]
Being First Isn’t Always a Fun Time
Imagine, you’re part of the crew of the newest, biggest, and strongest US Navy Aircraft Carrier and you’ve almost completed all the acceptance trials. But wait, there’s more! Specifically a 3.9-magnitude earthquake of a shock trial, courtesy of thousands of pounds of explosives. And you get to enjoy the ride. The last time that happened […]
Pic of The Day, NAS Whiting Field Fly In
Many things go into being awarded “best small base in the Navy”, one of those things being the opportunities you provide your students. Fly-In’s, which happen regularly on the flight line at NAS Whiting Field, are one of many reasons leaders from across the U.S. Navy Installations Command chose Naval Air Station Whiting Field as […]
Pic of the Day, It’s Graduation Time
It’s not everyday that someone in the family graduates, and then it’s an even more rare occasion that someone graduates the Army Sniper Course held at Ft Moore, Columbus GA. Recently I was privileged to attend a graduation held there and came away with some impressions about the course and the people conducting it. The […]
MQM-107 Streaker: From US Army’s Target Drone To North Korea, Iran’s UAV Bombers
Unmanned drones have played a significant role in the US military and have been a game changer on the battlefield since their inception, and Beechcraft’s MQM-107 Streaker was among the first to take flight. Reusable, Target Towing Drone Beech Aircraft (now Raytheon Aerospace) developed the earlier version of the MQM-107 in the early 1970s for […]
China’s ‘Hunting Eagle Stirke’ Gyrocopters Boasts of Anti-tank Missiles
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had a lot to showcase this year, including their very own swarm of tiny gyrocopters that reportedly has a robust anti-tank game. A recent video was released by Chinese state-operated media CCTV showing the PLA’s testing of the gyrocopters in one of their airbases. The footage shows a two-person aircraft […]
Turkey’s T129 ATAK Helicopter: Has the US Apache Met Its Match?
Let’s face it — the role of attack helicopters has evolved. They are no longer just used for armed reconnaissance and secondary strike missions. Instead, they have become indispensable in high-end conventional warfare and counter-insurgency operations as well as the premier platform for close air support missions. As a result, attack helicopters have become crucial […]
The Secret Military ‘FedEx’ Working to Supply Weaponry to Ukraine
With the billions worth of artillery and weapons getting transferred to Ukraine, a special unit is designated to ensure these are safely delivered to the Ukrainian Military Forces. The US European Command in Germany created a special operations group whose pivotal role is to keep weapons flowing into the Ukrainian camp. This cell unit crosses […]