Clever Title

That would be this, from the Usual USAF Source:

Jurassic Raptors

Air Frame: F-22 Raptors fly in formation near Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Oct. 21, 2014. (Lockheed Martin photo by Liz Kaszynski)

The overnight mail isn't completely in at this early hour so it's quite likely we'll have more, later.  And you might ask "just what in the Hell are you doin' up at this hour, Buck?"  Well, sometimes it just bees that way.  The eyes pop open and sleep is impossible after that.  That's why.

More Than 3800 Sorties

A few items from the Usual USAF Source about the current unpleasantness over Iraq and Syria...

Airpower in Action

—Amy McCullough

The US Air Force has conducted nearly three-quarters of the strikes conducted in Iraq and Syria and roughly half of the strikes in Syria so far, said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements on the Air Staff. USAF aircraft also have conducted 70 percent of the more than 3,800 sorties flown in the two countries; 95 percent of the nearly 1,300 tanker sorties, and more than 700 ISR sorties supporting the operation, Harrigian told reporters on Sept. 29. "We are part of an integrated coalition effort, and this broad coalition has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of the strategy against ISIL," said Harrigian. "From an airman's perspective, we have worked for years to develop relationships across the theater with our fellow airmen, much like our sister services have done. Training with them both in theater and in the states to allow us the flexibility to seamlessly integrate them into the operations that we've been executing."

F-22 Still Flying Over Syria

—Marc V. Schanz

The F-22 is still flying sorties over Syria, in addition to last week's strikes on targets in and around Aleppo, said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements. Giving the first detailed comments by a senior official on the fifth generation aircraft's mission in the Middle East, Harrigian—a veteran F-15 and F-22 pilot—said planners examined both the threat environment and the mission tasks on the first night of the campaign and decided the F-22 needed to be part of the package in order to deliver the "desired effects." "They wanted to ensure that they used the right capabilities in the right location," Harrigian told reporters on Sept. 29. The F-22 has both speed and stealth, but it also has an integrated avionics package, which greatly improves situational awareness, not just for the pilot, but for the "entire [strike package] that's going to execute the mission." Harrigian said the Raptor continues to fly over Syria, though he noted the aircraft have not dropped munitions on every mission. Planners are taking a look at the "specifics of each mission and determining if they need them or not," Harrigian said, depending on targets, where they are located, and what the "environment" is like.

And this... 

Mabus: Naval Aircraft Flying One Quarter of ISIS Mission

—Otto Kreisher

​

USMC AV-8B

The Navy and Marine Corps have provided about one-fourth of the airstrikes against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria since the new campaign started last week, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Sept. 30. Most of the Navy strike missions, flown primarily off the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush operating in the Persian Gulf, were at the beginning of the campaign, "because we were there and could begin instantly when the President gave the order," Mabus told reporters during a breakfast meeting in Washington, D.C. Now the Air Force is flying more, but Navy aircraft are flying some ISR missions, he added. Some Marine AV-8Bs have flown strike missions into Iraq from the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan, which also is in the Persian Gulf. Navy warships in the Red Sea and the Gulf also fired 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the opening attacks on ISIS in Syria. The additional cost to the Navy so far has been about $100 million, primarily for the weapons expended, Mabus said. The Navy can sustain its current operations against ISIS "for as long as it is needed," he said. The USS Carl Vinson is on its way to replace the Bush, Mabus noted.

This campaign against ISIS/ISIL is beginning to be a rather expensive proposition.  One wonders just how many sorties have been flown by the coalition... specifically our Arab allies... that Obama seems so proud of.  Information on THAT subject is pretty damned hard to find.  

Apropos of the Mabus blurb... My Ol' Man used to refer to the AF's sister services... meaning the Navy, Marines, and Army... as "our allies, most of the time."  Me?  I prefer the more traditional "squids," "jarheads," and "ground-pounders."  (Said the Zoomie.)

Night Refuel

From the Usual USAF Source...

An F-22 refuels before strike operations against ISIS in Syria, Sept. 26, 2014. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Russ Scalf

I'm beginning to wish I had been a boom operator in my past life.

Cold War, Re-Visited

The current administration has bent over backwards since the Ukrainian brouhaha began this year to reassure the public the Cold War isn't breaking out all over again.  I'm thinkin' someone needs to tell the Rooshians that.  From an article in the Washington Free Beacon ("Russian Strategic Bombers Near Canada Practice Cruise Missile Strikes on US"):

A 3rd Wing F-22 Raptor escorts a Russian Air Force Tu-95 Bear bomber near Nunivak Island, 2007. It was the first intercept of a Bear bomber for an F-22 which was alerted out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Combat Alert Center. (Courtesy photo, Wikimedia Commons)

Two Russian strategic bombers conducted practice cruise missile attacks on the United States during a training mission last week that defense officials say appeared timed to the NATO summit in Wales.

The Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers were tracked flying a route across the northern Atlantic near Iceland, Greenland, and Canada’s northeast.

Analysis of the flight indicated the aircraft were conducting practice runs to a pre-determined “launch box”—an optimum point for firing nuclear-armed cruise missiles at U.S. targets, said defense officials familiar with intelligence reports.

Disclosure of the nuclear bombing practice comes as a Russian general last week called for Moscow to change its doctrine to include preemptive nuclear strikes on the United States and NATO.
Gen. Yuri Yakubov, a senior Defense Ministry official, was quoted by the state-run Interfax news agency as saying that Russia’s 2010 military doctrine should be revised to identify the United States and the NATO alliance as enemies, and clearly outline the conditions for a preemptive nuclear strike against them.

Yakubov said among other needed doctrinal changes, “it is necessary to hash out the conditions under which Russia could carry out a preemptive strike with the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces”—Moscow’s nuclear forces.

It hardly ever fails: what's old is new again.  One wonders when the ol' "duck and cover" stuff will be re-purposed.  Then again, given the administration's "it ain't there if I can't see it" approach to foreign affairs, little or nothing will be done.  It'll be bid'niz as usual.

The ol' Chinese curse has come to pass: we're truly living in interesting times. 

Weird Al's "Mission Statement"

Anyone who's ever had to deal with dumb-ass mission statements will appreciate this:


 
I think Al hit ALL the buzzwords.  Apropos o' not much, on one unfortunate occasion I was tapped to participate in writing a mission statement after yet another in a series of endless corporate reorganizations.  That episode was painful beyond belief, aside from being a flaming waste of time.

No, that wasn't in the Air Force.  But there's this about that:

In Full Unapologetic Ranting Cranky Old Man Mode

So, I read over at The Officers Club (ed: a defunct blog) that the USAF has a new mission statement, to wit:

The Air Force changed its mission statement yesterday. The old MS reads:

The mission of the U.S. Air Force is to is to defend the United States through control and exploitation of air and space.

The new mission reads:

The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests -- to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace.

I'll begin with the only good thing about the new mission statement: at least The Management incorporated the old, unofficial mission statement: "To Fly and To Fight." So much for the good stuff.

Let's begin the rant.

Just what the HELL is a "sovereign option?" A military option that's exercised by the United States as a sovereign nation? Meaning we don't have to run it by the UN or France first? There's a good idea! Or options that are above all others, e.g., "superior" or "leading," as opposed to "ill-considered" or "secondary." I certainly HOPE we'd offer the country the best air and space defense options we have, to do less is dereliction of duty. Let's not quibble about words, however, let's just come right out and say it: It's STUPID and obfuscatory. Substituting "...deliver sovereign options for the defense of..." for the previous statement's "defend" makes the USAF sound like the freaking Chicago Board of Trade.

Let's pick a nit: how does one fly in "cyberspace?" Or, for that matter, how exactly do we fight in cyberspace? Networked video games? You can say we engage in space flight, but cyberspace-flight? Who are we trying to kid with this word? Including "cyberspace" in the mission statement isn't cutting edge, guys, it looks like what it is: a failed attempt at being cool. I can just hear it in the E-ring: "Air power is just SO passe on its own, we need something more au courant, something that sings! Let's work 21st century technology into the statement somewhere, OK? Get back to me." And so they did, by using a buzz word from the '90s. Shame on you.

And then there's this: Economy of Expression. Whenever you add 12 words to a sentence to express the same idea, you've taken a GIANT step backward. I personally think the old statement's 23 words was too verbose. 35 freaking words is beyond verbose, it's language-crime.

My last point. Anyone want to hazard a guess how many colonels and generals were tasked with writing the new statement? How much time was spent "staffing" the language and briefing it to the boss? I've played in some of these exercises, albeit at a much lower level, and I can tell you with some certainty the answer is: A LOT.

I could think of lots of better ways to burn cycles. Most of 'em have to do with winning the freaking war. Another good use of time would be convincing the doubters (senior DoD guys, congress) we absolutely need the F/A-22, in the numbers we've asked for. I use "we" because it's still MY Air Force, too.

/rant

And then there's this:

How did I miss this?  Specifically, "New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions," mentioned in the post immediately below.  "DWS" prolly has sumthin' to do with employment statistics, job opportunities, and the like but one cannot rightly tell from the pompous title.  I was thinkin' any organization with a title like "Workforce Solutions" just had to be ate up with the dumb-ass.  And I was right.  Witness:

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions is a World-Class, market-driven workforce delivery system that prepares New Mexico job seekers to meet current and emerging needs of New Mexico businesses; and ensures that every New Mexico citizen who needs a job will have one; and every business who needs an employee will find one with the necessary skills and work readiness to allow New Mexico businesses to compete in a global economy.

That's their "vision statement," and they also have a mission statement, of course:

Enhance productivity and competitiveness of New Mexico business and industry by improving the quality and availability of the New Mexico workforce. We will accomplish this through a system that offers universal access to lifelong learning based on relevant local and regional labor market needs, via integrated, customer-focused accountable service partnerships. 

We ALL know any gub'mint org and most Fortune 500 companies need vision and mission statements chock-a-bloc with the latest and greatest in biz-school buzz words.  It's just too damned bad those things don't SAY or MEAN any-gotdamned-thing.  I can recall MANY painful hours working in ad hoc task forces chartered to develop such "statements" from my days with Ross Perot's Excellent Data Company... AFTER Mr. Perot left, of course.

"Mission Statements" might just be one o' my biggest hot buttons. 

But No Meatballs

Interesting plane pr0n from the Usual USAF Source...

Fighter Smorgasbord

​

 

Air Frame: A formation of US Air Force and Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft, including an F-15 Eagle from the 131st Fighter Squadron at Barnes ANGB, Mass., an RMAF SU-30MKM Flanker, a USAF F-22 Raptor from the 154th Wing at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, an RMAF MIG-29N Fulcrum, a BAE Hawk, and an RMAF F/A-18 Hornet fly over Penang, Malaysia, during Cope Taufan 14 on June 18, 2014. Cope Taufan is a biennial large force employment exercise, which took place June 9-20. It was the Raptor's first time participating in an South East Asian international exercise. (Air Force photo by TSgt. Jason Robertson) (click to embiggen)

The original photo is very large and Blogger resizes the photos you post to some arbitrary size limit, which is less than half the size of the original in this particular case.  To get the full effect of the shot, view the image at the "Usual USAF Source" link, click on "view current column" in the right sidebar.  Here's an original size detail from the photo:

Click to embiggen, of course.  I don't know if that's a Flanker or a Fulcrum (they're both very similar) next to the Raptor, but the shot sure gives you an ideer of the Raptor's competition (flown by Commies, of course) if the balloon ever goes up.

Raptors!

From the Usual USAF Source:

Air Frame: An F-22 Raptor from the Hawaiian Air National Guard takes off from Royal Malaysian Air Force P.U. Butterworth in support of Exercise Cope Taufan in Malaysia, June 11, 2014. (Air Force photo by TSgt. Jason Robertson)

SN1's new squadron maintains Raptors, so he gets to be "up close and personal" with these guys.  Rumor has it the security surrounding the F-22 is VERY tight.  You... the unclean, uncleared person that you ARE... can't get closer than 20 feet to the jet in most circumstances.

Correction.  In other related news... SN1 tells me I got the caption to this photo wrong.  The caption said "Major Wilson (left), 1AMXS outgoing commander, passing the guidon to Major Pennington (center).  Colonel Venzke, 1MXG commander, looks on."  What's really happening is Col. Venzke is passing the guidon to Buck while Maj. Wilson looks on.  That's the way it's done.  My apologies to all.

Not Your Father's Air Force XXXIII

A few bits from the AFA's Daily Report beginning with...
O, my aching ass:

Hey Spike, It's Friday!

 

Morale is back—at least on Fridays—thanks to new uniform policy changes published by the Air Force this week in response to airmen's feedback over the past few years. "The policy changes revolve around …heritage, team building, esprit de corps, and unit pride," said Col. Patrick Doherty, director of Air Force services, in a Jan. 17 release. Single color T-shirts with a unit crest, known as "morale patches," and flight suit nickname-badges will now be allowed at unit commander's discretion, provided they are uniform and tasteful, states the release. Additionally, airmen who served with other branches will now be able to wear non-Air Force qualification badges on their ABUs. "The increased wear of the ABU in-garrison" on top of airmen's desire to wear what they've earned "makes authorized wear on the ABU a logical step," said Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, deputy personnel chief. Other updates include reversing a ban on brightly colored running shoes in physical training uniform, and allowing non-black mobile phones in uniform.

I really am speechless.  Let's have a palate cleanser, please.  Like this:

Eerie Glow

Air Frame: An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 127th Wing is parked beneath a shelter on a foggy morning Jan. 11, 2014, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. Selfridge Air National Guard Base has been used as a military air field since 1917. (Air National Guard photo by TSgt. Robert Hanet)

And then there's this:

While We're In the Neighborhood

An F-22 Raptor conducted a fly-by at the Bahrain International Air Show on Jan. 16. But where did it come from? An Air Force Headquarters spokesman said F-22s are "currently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia," making them available for the show without making a dedicated trip from CONUS for the occasion. The flyby is "one way we can showcase US military aircraft at a premier air show," the spokesman said. The F-22 and a B-1B bomber—also based in the region—will make flybys, but not be on static display, although a number of US military aircraft, mostly Navy, will be. "We have a longstanding relationship with the air show and our regional military partners and we hope that it will enhance our future relationships," the spokesman said. Participation "enhances our interoperability and demonstrates our shared commitment to regional security and stability." Air Force officials have previously disclosed that F-22s have rotated to an unnamed base in the region of the Persian Gulf, especially during heightened tensions with Iran. Last March, an F-22 warned off Iranian F-4s, which were intercepting a USAF MQ-1 Predator drone over the Persian Gulf. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told attendees at AFA's Air & Space Conference in September that the F-22 inspected one F-4's weapons load from below—apparently unnoticed—and then "pulled up on their left wing and called them and said, 'You really ought to go home.'"

—John A. Tirpak

In re: the highlighted bits... I know!  I know!  (insert smiley-face thingie here)  And regarding that Iranian F-4... I'll bet the aircrew had to change their shorts when they got home.

In USAF News

A couple o' few items from today's Air Force Association Daily Report, aka the Usual USAF Source...

Slow Season for Hurricane Hunters

The 2013 hurricane season was the slowest since 1966 for Air Force Reserve Command's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss., according to a Dec. 17 release. The squadron, known as the hurricane hunters, flew a total of 34 missions for the National Hurricane Center, during the 2013 season, which ended Nov. 30—a significant decline from its average of 100 missions, said Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, 53rd WRS chief meteorologist. The Reservists deploy from their home base to St. Croix, Virgin Islands, from May to December so they can be closer to the action. Now that the season is over they are packing up to go home, according to the release. Storm taskings on the Atlantic side of the US are typically flown from St. Croix or Keesler; whereas, Hickam AFB, Hawaii, handles Pacific-based storms, states the release. "We need to be close to the storm to be able to respond quickly," said Talbot. "To do this, we have to make sure we have enough personnel, aircraft, and parts to run around the clock operations to accomplish the mission at our forward operating location."

Wait.  How can this be?  Remember "Superstorm Sandy?"  The big take-away from that storm was we were told that we'd see more and worse storms due to global warming or climate change or whatever other bullshit name for a non-existent phenomenon al-Gore and his minions use.  What happened?

I never knew this...

On Your Radar

New fairings have shown up on F-35 fighters; two ogival bumps on the top rear, forward of each vertical fin, and two on the bottom, one either side, just forward of the tailhook housing. Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti told the Daily Report the fairings are radar cross section enhancers, put there so air traffic controllers can see the stealthy F-35s when they fly through civil airspace. The F-22 has a similar device, and the Lockheed F-117 also sported a faceted version on each side of the fuselage. The radar reflectors—sometimes called Luneburg lenses—are removed when the aircraft is employed in stealth mode.

—John A. Tirpak

One would HOPE the devices would be removed before actual combat.  OTOH, I'd have liked to sneaked a couple o' those Luneburg lenses on to the T-33s that used to fly against us... "us" bein' the long-range radar sites I was stationed at back in the day... in our weekly radar evaluations.

And then there's this...

Minuteman Aloft

Air Force Global Strike Command successfully launched an inert Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Tuesday, the command announced. AFGSC conducts live Minuteman launches twice a year from Vandenberg out over the Pacific Ocean to assure the readiness of the US nuclear ICBM fleet. Missileers from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., fired the Minuteman III Dec. 17 from Vandy's launch facility 4 at 4:36 a.m. Pacific Time. They were assisted by Vandenberg's 576th Flight Test Squadron, stated a release. "Our Airmen maintain and operate this weapon system year round in some challenging environments, and today's test is a result of their tireless devotion to this mission," said Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, interim commander of 20th Air Force, which oversees the training and management of the Air Force's ICBM force.

One wonders how soon we'll run out o' Minutemen if we fire two o' 'em downrange every year.  The Minuteman III has been in service since 1970, so you do the math.  I don't think we're makin' any more o' those things, either.

I was stationed at Vandenberg Missile Patch in the wayback and saw quite a few Minuteman and other missile launches in the three-plus years I was there.  About which, this:

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Discovery Goes Up and a War Story

Occasional Reader Rob sent along a link to this video of Thursday's Space Shuttle launch...

Pretty cool, eh?  Watching this video fired off some long-dormant synapses about other such launches I saw in the way-back.  From my reply to Rob:

Today's (very short) war story...  The video reminded me of watching missile launches at Vandenberg AFB, where I was stationed for a lil over three years.  I arrived there as a jeep two-striper back in '64 and moved into the barracks, as all young troops do.  The first week I was there I was awakened around 0200 hrs by some violent shaking, accompanied by a dull rumble-roar.  Now, I'd been in a few earthquakes as a child and recognized the feeling...  I lept out of bed and literally ran out of the barracks on to the lawn in my underwear, yelling "EARTHQUAKE" at the top of my lungs to wake up the other guys who might be sleeping through this.  And all I got for my concern was angry shouts of derision (and worse) from my fellow airmen, who were NONE too kind.

One of the guys did take pity on me as I walked back in, extremely red-faced and about to fuckin' DIE from embarrassment.  "That was a Titan," he explained.  "You won't feel the Minutemen or even hear 'em until long after they're gone, and the Atlas launches aren't nearly as bad... but yeah, a Titan launch feels just like an earthquake."  The launch pads were about three or four miles from our barracks.

I saw hundreds of launches over the course of the next three years and was also involved in a project to see if our air defense radars could pick up ballistic missile launches (they couldn't and didn't, but that was long ago and radars have changed, along with the times).  That was pretty cool because I was tied into the Vandenberg launch control center in order to start my scope camera three minutes before launch.  I then got to step outside and watch the missile go from our mountain top, which looked exactly like the shuttle launch from that airplane.  Pretty cool, in other words.

You can't possibly imagine how embarrassed I was about that "earthquake" thing, Gentle Reader.  Military guys ain't supposed to panic, for starters, and we're supposed to know every-damned-thing about our service, on top of that.  I betrayed both principles in that episode and it took me quite a while to live that down.

Discovery launch photo from the Daily Mail link, above.

What's an EIP post lately without a re-run?

Yet Another Seasonal Re-Post

Aside from having a flying mission in common, Saint Nick and USAF also have a mutual support agreement in place.  When Santa needs to get somewhere fast he forgoes the sleigh and opts for something a lil quicker, like an F-15.  It's been said a C-130 carries more cargo than a sleigh, too.  All rumor, of course... but here are some examples of USAF Santa support, originally published in 2007:

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

USAF Santa Support

From a post of the same name I put up three years ago (hi-res versions of the pics are but a click away):

The folks (all volunteers) in the NORAD "Track Santa" boiler room, last year (2006).

Santa arrives via F-15

Santa arrives in yet another F-15

Santa's Own F-16?

Santa in his A-10

Santa arriving via C-130

One wonders how the ol' guy manages to stay qualified in all these various airframes not to mention passing his annual flight physical. But then again, there's probably a lil bit of Santa Magic at play here...and he does have the requisite flight experience. You can't disregard the thousands upon thousands of multi-engine hours he has in his log book, eh?

(all official USAF photos)

In other news... we're up at oh-dark-thirty today, long before the sunrise.  It's all a function of when I go to bed, of course, and we hit the hay at 2030 hours last evening.  We still managed to get a full eight hours o' shut-eye, which means we were up at 0430 hrs... for the math-challenged among you.

The WX took a turn for the better and we managed a full outdoor Happy Hour yesterday, enjoying several brews and two... count 'em... TWO cigars.  The temps were a lil bit chilly (mid to high-50s) but it was quite warm in the sun, as is the case more often than not here on The High Plains o' New Mexico.  We're expecting more o' the same today, with slightly warmer temps.  Ho, ho, HO!

Another Giant Passes

From the Usual USAF Source:

Robbie Risner Dies

Retired Brig. Gen. Robinson "Robbie" Risner, who spent more than seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, shot down eight MiG-15s during the Korean War, and served during World War II, died on Oct. 22 in Bridgewater, Va. He was 88 years old. "Risner was part of that legendary group who served in three wars, built an Air Force, and gave us an enduring example of courage and mission success," wrote Chief of Staff Gen. Marc Welsh in A True Airpower Giant, his tribute to Risner. "I'm proud to serve in Robbie Risner's Air Force and to try and live up to his example," stated Welsh. Born in Mammoth Spring, Ark., in 1925, Risner flew the P-38 and P-39 in Panama during the latter portion of World War II. Recalled to active duty during the Korean War, Risner completed 108 combat missions in that conflict, downing the eight MiGs in the F-86. On Sept. 16, 1965, the North Vietnamese shot down Risner's F-105 during a bombing mission and took him prisoner. He endured torture and solitary confinement at the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison during his captivity. Risner retired from the Air Force in August 1976. Among his decorations, he received two Air Force Crosses for his heroism in Vietnam. Risner authored the book "The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese." A statue of him is on display at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Includes Washington, D.C., report by MSgt. Angelita Colón-Francia) (For more on Risner, read Nine Feet Tall from Air Force Magazine's February 2012 issue and Valor: When Push Came to Shove.)

Gen. Risner was a contemporary of Col. Bud Day, who also passed this year.  Both men were veritable giants among men and examples for all of us.

RIP, General Risner.

Udvar-Hazy... the First Batch

So... there I was, in place at the wonderful Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Aerospace museum all ready to take some really spiffy pics with my high-zoot dSLR... only to find the gotdamned camera was pretty much USELESS in the available light at the Udvar-Hazy annex.  I pushed the ISO speed up to 1600, played around with various exposure and aperture settings and the results were simply frickin' abysmal.  The ONLY way I could have gotten good photos using the SLR would have been to put it on a tripod and set the exposure for a few seconds or so... the lighting wasn't good enough to take hand-held shots without a LOT o' blur, and believe me: I tried.

So... enter the mePhone.  You have no idea, Gentle Reader, of how absolutely PISSED I was when I saw that my $100.00 CELL PHONE took better pics than my SLR.  So, that said... here are the first few pics from my day at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Annex, ALL o' which were shot with the mePhone.  As always, click to embiggen.

This is an astounding mural... view it full-size.

Adversaries nose to nose: MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre

Milliseconds before the mid-air: Curtiss P-40E and Vought F4U-1D Corsair

Junkers Ju-52 in Lufthansa livery

Another view of the Ju-52

Boeing 307 Stratoliner

C-121 Constellation in West Virginia ANG livery

Another view of the Connie

Connie... meet Concorde.  Concorde... this is Connie.

The Stearman Kaydet, arguably the prettiest bi-plane ever built

Another view of the Stearman

A Jug under the wing of the Enola Gay

An Okha Type 22 under a Nakajima bomber

Arado Ar-234 jet bomber (WW II)

The legendary Fw-190

Northrop N-1M prototype flying wing, c. 1940

Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk.  BIG brass ones were required to fly this lil guy.

We have more pics, believe it or don't... but it's late and I'm tired.

Plane Pr0n

From the Usual USAF Source...

Air Frame: An F-22 Raptor assigned to JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, takes off from the base, July 13, 2013. (Air Force photo by TSgt. Dana Rosso)

I wanna see one of these guys at an airshow someday.  Word is they put on one helluva show.

Same Ol', Same Ol'

From the Usual USAF Source...

Pushing Partisanship Aside
In an open letter on Monday, a bipartisan group of 25 members of the national security think-tank community urged Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and congressional defense overseers to address the "growing imbalances within the defense budget" before they "threaten the health and long-term viability of America's volunteer military." Associated with think tanks ranging from the liberal Center for American Progress to the conservative American Enterprise Institute, these experts called for an additional BRAC round, a thorough review of the appropriate size and structure of the civilian workforce, and a comprehensive evaluation and modernization of the military compensation system. The June 3 missive acknowledges that "there is no shortage of useful ideas" to address these concerns and that no change will be painless. During a Monday panel discussion on Capitol Hill (see below), members of this group argued it's critical for the Obama Administration and Congress to take action now. "Those of us who have joined together in support of these efforts find ourselves with differing views on many other issues, including the proper level of defense spending and how that money can best be allocated," states the letter. "But, we are all in strong agreement on the need to pursue these key reforms for a transforming military." (See also link to video of the Capitol Hill briefing.)

—Amy McCullough

Well... about that BRAC stuff:

No BRAC, says HASC Panel
In its mark-up of the Fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill, the House Armed Services Committee's readiness panel opted to prohibit the Defense Department "from proposing, planning, or initiating" another round of BRAC. That move came despite the Pentagon leadership urging Congress to authorize another BRAC round in Fiscal 2015. Among its other decisions, the readiness panel increased oversight of the F-35 strike fighter program and required DOD to issue a lifecycle sustainment plan for the stealth aircraft, according to a May 22 HASC release. The panel's mark also would ensure "appropriate stationing of missile defense capacity in Asia" by requiring DOD to analyze and report on missile defense capabilities on Guam, states the release. Overall, the panel, led by Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Va.), said it addressed "many issues of concern for depleted force readiness levels and related high levels of assumed risk." The full HASC is scheduled to hold its mark-up of the defense bill on June 5. (HASC readiness panel mark; caution, large-sized file.) (See also BRAC Again.)

And this about item one, above:

Too Bad It's Not Going to Happen
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces panel, said on Monday he doubts "very little, if any" of the ideas discussed that day during a bipartisan panel of think tank representatives on fixing the Pentagon's budget imbalances would actually be implemented. That's because too many members of the congressional defense oversight committees hail from constituencies with a strong defense presence, said Cooper during the June 3 event on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers "are more concerned with the parochial rather than the national level," he said. However, he commended the bipartisan effort. During the discussion, the panelists advocated for another round of BRAC. Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute said the Defense Department has been shedding overseas infrastructure over the last few years, but Congress refuses to acknowledge these efforts. "I'm concerned Congress is ignoring the Pentagon's base closures abroad in an attempt to stall domestic closures," she said. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments' Todd Harrison said DOD needs to rethink its compensation system, noting that about half of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans would leave the military after five years, meaning they will not even qualify for costly yet coveted military retirement benefits. (Link to video of the Capitol Hill event)
  —Amy McCullough

"Costly yet coveted."  Uh-oh.  The asshats won't close unnecessary bases but I'll give ya a dollar to a doughnut they fuck the retirees.

Bond... James Bond (And a Dig At The Usual Suspect)

From the Usual USAF Source...

F-22 Completes One-Thousandth Sortie
The Air Force's oldest flying F-22 Raptor, tail number 4007, completed its 1,000th sortie, announced Combined Test Force officials at Edwards AFB, Calif., where the airplane serves as a test asset. The airplane, dubbed the "James Bond jet" due to its 007 designation, reached the milestone on April 19, according to Edwards' late April release. The jet arrived at Edwards in October 2001 and has participated since then in ground and flight tests and has maintained a role in weapons testing and development, states the release. "These 1,000 missions were not reiterations of the same combat training mission," said Lt. Col. Daron Drown, F-22 CTF director. Instead, the "vast majority of these were very unique test missions," he said. The 1,000th sortie, for example, was one of the first flight tests of the Raptor's Increment 3.2A software upgrade that is meant to bolster the stealth fighter's "lethality and self-defense capability," said Lt. Col. Devin Devin Traynor, F-22 CTF director of operations. (Edwards report by Laura Mowry)

Well, OK.  The aircraft might carry Mr. Bond's service designator but I'm thinkin' it's really Q's jet.

―:☺:―

Totally OT, but I can't resist.

There's a cure for inane FB updates, yanno?  Mrs. Reagan famously had the right ideer. 

RTB...

... is "return to base" in mil-jargon.  Like this:

Air Frame: Three F-22 Raptors land at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, during the unit training assembly weekend of Air Force Reserve Command's 477th Fighter Group, March 9, 2013. Pilots from the group's 302nd Fighter Squadron flew the F-22s, which the group's airmen operate and maintain together with members of Elmendorf's Active Duty 3rd Wing. (Air Force photo by TSgt. Dana Rosso)

Or like this, kinda-sorta:

New Medal's Precedence Under Review: In a seemingly rapid about-face, the Pentagon announced Tuesday that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey will conduct a review of the US military's newly established Distinguished Warfare Medal to re-examine its order of precedence relative to other US military awards and commendations. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel "has asked that Chairman Dempsey lead this review and report back in 30 days," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters during a March 12 briefing. As a result, "production of the medal has stopped" for the time being, said Little, noting that no service member had yet been nominated for it. Hagel's directive came just days after he told Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), in response to the senator's inquiry, that the Pentagon had appropriately rated the DWM, which currently ranks above the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart in precedence, much to the dismay of some lawmakers and veterans' groups. Hagel "believes that it's prudent to take into account those concerns and conduct this review," said Little. (Little transcript) (See also Toomey statement and Rooney statement.)

RTB or CYA?  Enquiring Minds™ wanna know.  Snarkiness aside, this is good news.