Ever wonder what would happen if you tried to centerpunch a speedboat at power with a GBU-10 laser guided bomb dropped from a B-1 bomber? Wonder no more:
337th TES evaluates B-1 maritime proficiency
Sep 182013
Sep 162013
Regarding today’s Navy Yard massacre, we currently know this about the killer:
1) He’s black (thus probably negating Tea Party affiliation)
2) He’s a Buddhist (thus probably negating a religious motivation)
3) He’s a New Yorker (thus negating the likelihood of emotional stability)
4) He had a history of legal dubiousness
5) The Navy Yard was yet another “Gun Free Zone”
As for motive: so far… who the hell knows?
What’s reported: he had a shotgun, an AR-15, and variously a Glock handgun and/or a “rifle.”
I’ve seen reports that he actually showed up only with the shotgun. Reportedly he took out two guards and then up-gunned with their Glock and AR-15. If true, this means that the AR-15 in question was actually a government issued weapon, and not something controlled by local, state or federal gun control laws. And if true, expect that little detail to be ignored in favor of talking heads on TV yammering about “yet another evil AR-15.”
And the only people armed at the facility were the guards, who he took out first via shotgun. Again, speculation based on muddled reports. This would have left, once again, a large number of defenseless citizens at the mercy of an armed maniac… in this case, armed by the government.
Sep 122013
A Boeing artists impression of a 747 modified to launch ICBMs (probably Minuteman IIIs). Dates from 1974. Missile load appears to be at least 4. Given how far aft the missiles are dropped, there would likely be an impressive pitch even upon drop.
From an old ebay auction.
Sep 112013
Issue number 4 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:
McDonnell System 464L: McDonnell’s entry into the initial Dyna Soar contest, 1958
Lockheed-Martin Falcon: A recent design for an unmanned hypersonic global range bomber
Lockheed Senior Peg: Lockheed’s competitor to the Northrop B-2
Boeing Mobile Missile Carrier: A giant hydrogen fueled amphibian
Boeing Model 701-273-4: A very asymmetrical supersonic predecessor to the B-59
Lockheed Cruise Missile Carrier: A large nuclear-powered cargo plane converted to carry 90 cruise missiles
Boeing Model 462-5: A six-turboprop B-52 ancestor
Martin Model 223-4: A twin-fuselage design on the road to the B-48
USBP#04 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:
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Sep 112013
Issue number 3 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:
- Rockwell D 645-4A: A compact stealthy flying wing
- Lockheed System 464L: Lockheed’s entry into the initial Dyna Soar program, 1958
- Convair Mach 4 “Rollover:” A Mach 4 seaplane with a unique approach
- Boeing Model 701-273-3: An asymmetrical supersonic precursor to the B-59
- Boeing HSCT Model 1080-854: A late 1980’s missile carrier derivative of a commercial supersonic transport
- Martin Model 223-3: A canard antecedent to the B-48
- Boeing Model 462: A large six-turboprop ancestor of the B-52
USBP#03 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:
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Sep 102013
Warning: D.C. cops under orders to arrest tourists with empty bullet casings
In short: if you have a harmless bit of brass in your cup holder – such as the .22 casings I recall that I have in mine – the D.C. police are *supposed* to arrest you. The result can be a $1,000 fine and/or a year in jail.
If you can come up with a reason why having empty bits of brass in your car should be illegal… I mean, a reason beyond “D.C. is a fascist police state”… I’d love to hear it.
Aug 242013
A painting of the AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter wading into the fray in, apparently, Viet Nam. Not sure of the provenance of this, whether Lockheed art, Army art or something else; all I know is that it was found, of all places, on the wall of a hospital.
Aug 072013
Something I hadn’t noticed before: the re-entry vehicle for the Titan II ICBM nuclear warhead is, in part, translucent. It’s covered with an ablative “rubber” that is, on close examination, sort of amber-colored, translucent and with more bubbles than I would have expected from a nuclear/aerospace product.
Aug 062013
US Bomber Projects issue #5 or #6 will probably include this… a concept for a hovercraft packing an MX missile. Stay tuned!
Make sure to check out USBP #01 and USBP #02 . USBP #03 and #04 are scheduled for September.
Jul 282013
The project to draft up all the US nuclear weapons, with a secondary emphasis on delivery systems, continues at a low level. Some of these will pop up in future US Bomber Projects issues, but the purpose of the project as a whole… dunno. A “Know Your Nukes” guidebook seems like a good idea to me but… dunno.
