M2

I loved that opening scene, it was the main reason I bought a lever action rifle!

I still stand by this statement from two weeks ago...

In Afghanistan, the DoD knew how to kill people and break things; but the US government never had a clue as to how to build a stable government and society. Not one fucking clue. 2459 killed, of which 1922 were in combat. 20,769 wounded in action. Countless others suffering the psychological impacts. Afghanistan will never be "done."

Just for comparison, as of the latest reports, it is estimated that over 71,000 Russian soldiers have been confirmed killed in Ukraine. The actual number is likely higher due to the challenges in verifying all casualties. It hasn't even reached the three-year mark...

On 27 Oct 1954, 70 years ago this Sunday, the U.S. Air Force got its first black general officer when Gen Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., was promoted to Brigadier General (temporary grade). The promotion would be made permanent in 1960, and he would eventually retire from the Air Force as a Lieutenant General. In 1998, President Clinton advanced him to a full (four-star) General. General Davis Jr. broke many barriers and accomplished many “firsts” during his career, such as when he became the first black officer to attend Air War College in 1950 or when he became the first black wing commander of an integrated wing in 1953. He originally earned his pilot’s wings in 1942, and participated in WWII with the Tuskegee Airmen, commanding the 99th Fighter Squadron and later the 332nd Fighter Group as a whole. In the photo below, his father, Gen Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. (who was the first black general officer in the Army and in the Armed Forces as a whole) is pinning a Distinguished Flying Cross to him (when he was then a Colonel) at Ramitelli Airfield in Italy in Sep 1944. He earned the DFC for a Jun 1944 bomber escort mission where he managed to lead his outnumbered fighter escorts in defending an Allied heavy bomber formation against approximately 100 enemy fighters. (Photo: USAF)

50 Years Ago Tomorrow (26 Oct 1974): The Rockwell B-1A Rollout Since the 1920s, the Air Force has leveraged technology to ensure that the mantra “the bomber will always get through” remained valid. Of course, defenses worked to make any such advantages temporary, resulting in the continuous evolution of offensive platforms for survivability. It was out of one of those inflection points that the B-1 bomber was born. In the 1950s, the Air Force relied on multi-engine jet bombers that could primarily use their speed and altitude to break the kill chain” of the USSR’s air defenses and avoid the fighters sent to intercept them. However, as Soviet ground-controlled interception systems and both air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles improved, the subsonic, high-flying B-47s and B-52s were suddenly vulnerable. The newer B-58 and XB-70, capable of exceeding Mach 2 and 3 (respectively), proved to be short-lived stopgaps when US intelligence concluded that they could also be shot down. Finding a solution was crucial to the survivability of the manned bomber not just as the lynchpin of the Air Force, but also as a relevant concept, especially in light of new Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). Starting in 1961, the Air Force began studies to address this dilemma, which coalesced into the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA) program in 1965. AMSA focused on developing a bomber that could cruise at high speeds and altitudes to get to enemy territory, then dive to just above the ground while still flying supersonically to penetrate air defenses and reach its target. This approach exploited ground-based radars’ inability to detect low-flying aircraft due to the curvature of the Earth and interference from terrain. Likewise, airborne radars were then incapable of tracking terrain-following targets amidst ground clutter. The Air Force’s F-111 fighter-bomber recently demonstrated how a “swing wing” (aka variable-geometry) could provide those capabilities, while systems devised for the XB-70 and the proposed Supersonic Transport (SST) could also be leveraged to hasten the new bomber’s development cycle. North American Rockwell leaned on its experience from those programs to win the B-1 Full Scale Development contract in June 1970. That award included just three airframes for flight testing and was distinct from a production decision. The B-1A made its public debut at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on 26 October 1974 (shown above), followed by its first flight on 23 December. In December 1976, the Ford administration authorized production of the B-1—but less than two months later, new President Jimmy Carter reduced the order, and then cancelled the program entirely on 30 June 1977. Lingering questions about traditional bomber viability, the introduction of the cruise missile, and the highly secretive demonstrations of stealth technology all played a role in that decision. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan revived the program as the B-1B, in part to serve in the interim before the Advanced Technology Bomber that became the B-2 would be operational. (Photos: AFLCMC/HO) BONUS: From the AFLCMC archives, below is the memo to the B-1 Program Office directing them to issue a “stop work” order to Rockwell in 1977.

Gen Jerome F. O’Malley was AF/XO when Project Warrior was started and later became the Commander of TAC. Sadly, I saw O'Malley's last speaking engagement at Mountain Home AFB on 19 April 1985 at a Snake River Air Force Association banquet after he spent the day visiting aircrew members, enlisted personnel and touring the Noncommissioned Officers’ Leadership School. The next day, 20 April, while returning to speak at a Boy Scout banquet in Scranton on Sunday, 21 April, O’Malley and his wife Diane were killed when the CT-39 Sabreliner they were in experienced hydraulic failure caused by a malfunctioning valve at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport. Also killed in the accident were Capt Harry L. Haugh, the pilot; TSgt Robert A. Eberflus, the crew chief and Lt Col Lester R. Newton, the co-pilot. Newton had given his right seat in the cockpit to O’Malley (Haugh was in the left) and was seated in the cabin with Mrs. O’Malley. Despite the crew’s efforts to manually apply the brakes, the aircraft overran the runway and went over a 110-foot embankment where it was quickly engulfed in flames. There were no survivors. https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AUPress/Books/B_0110_CASEY_VELOCITY_SPEED_DIRECTION.pdf

Back in the early 1980s, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lew Allen, Jr. started a program called Project Warrior which aimed to reinvigorate the warfighting spirit within the Air Force. The program sought to shift the mindset from a business-like approach to a more mission-oriented, warfighting perspective. The objectives of Project Warrior were: 1) Enhance Warfighting Spirit by encouraging Air Force personnel to think and plan in warfighting terms; and 2) Improve Understanding of Airpower by fostering a deeper understanding of military strategy, tactics, and the role of airpower in modern warfare. The program was designed to be flexible, allowing units to tailor it to their specific needs and interests. It included leadership initiatives, educational resources, and activities like warfighting conferences and heritage weeks. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0882warrior/ It needs to return!

Today (24 Oct) in 1986, the 16th AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) test took place at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This marked the beginning of its initial operational test and evaluation program, and was the second consecutive successful trial following a 30 Sep 1986 failed test where the missile was launched, lost control, and slammed into the ground. The AMRAAM today in 1986 was fired from an F-15C, targeting a drone that was trying to evade it with radar-jamming equipment. The purpose of the test was to evaluate the “AMRAAM’s ability to identify and cope with the target drone’s electronic countermeasures, acquire the low-altitude maneuvering target, and intercept it.” A production contract was awarded for the missile in 1987, and it became operational in 1991. Today, the USAF uses it on the F-15, F-16, and F-22. In the photo, SrA Michael Breed and SSgt Scott Robert remove an AMRAAM from an F-22A Raptor during an exercise at Langley AFB in 2006. (Photo: USAF)

Who the fuck shoots rifles that close?!?

You should take Charleston Southern, who is currently 1-6 as well; but they have been playing tough against a challenging schedule. Still, the Seminoles should win this one being it's at home. Notre Dame (6-1)? Nope. UNC (3-4)? Maybe? UF (4-3)? We will go into that game pretty beat up. We lost our starting quarterback (Graham Mertz) but DJ Lagway looked pretty good for a freshman quarterback against Kentucky (3-4). But we still have to play Georgia (6-1) in Jacksonville on 2 Nov, Texas (6-1) in Austin on 9 Nov, LSU (6-1) at home 16 Nov, Ole Miss (5-1) at home 23 Nov, then y'all (1-6) in Tallahassee on 30 Nov. We were considered to have the toughest schedule in college football this year, with eight games against preseason top 25 teams. We'll be lucky to beat y'all, especially being it's a home game for you which makes things even tougher! Since 1958, we are 37-28 with two ties against FSU; but y'all have won the last two years. Predictions are FSU has an 82% chance of winning, by an expected score of 37-20. 🤬🤬

Army Lt Benjamin D. Foulois received his first flying lesson from Wilbur Wright in Signal Corps Airplane Number One on 23 October 1909. The flight took place in College Park, Maryland (Signal Corps No. 1 is pictured below on a launching rail there that month), where Lts Frederic E. Humphreys and Frank P. Lahm also underwent training. Foulois received only about an hour of instruction before he and the plane were sent to Texas, where he had to teach himself—partly through written correspondence with the Wrights—to fly, and for a while was the Army’s sole aviator. He later headed the Materiel Division at Wright Field in 1929-30 and served as Air Corps Chief from 1931-35. (Photos: AFLCMC/HO; USAF)

I can't believe we missed Oktoberfest 2024 (21 Sep-6 Oct)! Here are a few pics to get things started...

On 22 Oct 1918, the Glenn L. Martin Airplane Company in Cleveland, Ohio, received an order for fifty of their new MB-1 twin-engine bombers. As shown in the photo here, the aircraft was flown to McCook Field, north of Dayton, Ohio, the previous month. Martin pilot Eric Springer demonstrated it for the Army Air Service pilots, who then took it for a spin and were impressed with the aircraft—the first-ever American-designed and built bomber, notable for being significantly larger than similar planes then being flown over Europe. Unfortunately for the Martin Airplane Co., the war ended a few weeks later, resulting in the cancellation of this order, though it was widely regarded as what would’ve been the greatest American aircraft of the war had the conflict continued another six months. In the end, the Air Service still bought ten of the planes, and the improved version, the MB-2, would be used famously by Brig Gen Billy Mitchell in his 1921-1923 battleship bombing tests, where he demonstrated to a rather annoyed U.S. Navy that airpower could sink their ships. (Photo: NMUSAF)

We were still discussing a deal when the seller traded it. Oh well, they are great rifles; but I already own a lot of great rifles! I guess the money will go into my supressor fund!

Florida State’s loss to Duke means the 1-6 Seminoles must win out to avoid missing a bowl for 4th time in last 7 seasons. Remaining games: At Miami UNC At Notre Dame Charleston Southern Florida

IDGAF.

Had to ID the asshole from his DNA! 🤣🤣🤣 Good fucking riddance!

China’s Joint Sword-2024B Demonstrates Ability to Rapidly Encircle Taiwan On October 14, 2024, China launched large-scale joint military and law enforcement operations encircling Taiwan in response to a recent speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on October 10. Called Joint Sword-2024B, the exercises involved a record number of Chinese military aircraft and likely coast guard assets operating around the island in a single day, as well as a likely intentional and novel information domain component in which dozens of foreign defense officials reportedly visited the Chinese military command that organized the exercise. This is the third Joint Sword exercise and the second that China has conducted in 2024. Taken together, all three exercises demonstrate a maturing (at least in a peacetime context) Chinese military and law enforcement capability to rapidly initiate operations that entirely surround and aim to exercise control over Taiwan. Overall, despite some de-escalation characteristics, the October 14 drills likely represent an escalation in comparison to past Joint Sword exercises, particularly given the number of aircraft and law enforcement ships involved in Joint Sword-2024B and its likely greater encroachment upon Taiwan’s contiguous zone. China’s response to Lai’s remarks, which were likely intended to show “restraint,” suggest China is unlikely to cease military coercion of Taiwan unless Lai makes a significant and very unlikely shift in his policies, to include openly embracing the concept that there is only “one China” (i.e., the 1992 Consensus). Additionally, China implemented new sanctions against two individuals and one organization engaged in perceived “independence” activities in Taiwan. (See full report attached) [GIS-2024-1015] China’s Joint Sword-2024B Demonstrates Ability to Rapidly Encircle Taiwan.pdf

We are fucked. It's now just a matter of how fucked we want to be!

Crew still missing...not good. Search Still Underway For Missing Crew Members After U.S. Navy EA-18G Crashes Near Mt. Rainier - The Aviationist

As I will be out for an exercise, here are the daily history inputs for the rest of the week... 75 years ago (17 Oct 1949), as the forces of Nazi Germany rolled across Western Europe and Imperial Japan expanded its conquests in Asia and the Pacific in the late 1930s, the United States considered the need to be able to strike these potential enemies across the Atlantic Ocean or vast stretches of the Pacific. To do that, the Army Air Corps contracted with Boeing for a “Very Heavy Bomber” in May 1941, seven months before Pearl Harbor. After significant growing pains, that project resulted in the B-29 Stratofortress, which could reach farther and drop more bombs than any other aircraft of its day. The B-29’s advanced design, leveraging new technologies like cabin pressurization (demonstrated on Wright Field’s XC-35 in 1937) convinced Boeing that the basic platform could be modified into an equally capable car-go plane that incorporated many of the bombers’ components. In June 1942, three months before the XB-29’s first flight, the company approached Wright Field with this concept, which gave them the go-ahead. The slender fuselage of the B-29 clearly wasn’t suitable for a heavy airlifter, but Boeing engineers devised a 2-level “inverted figure 8” concept that grafted a larger diameter upper fuselage onto the standard lower one, giving it considerably more interior volume, along with its distinct “pinched” waistline. The two halves were separated inside by a deck, with rear clam-shell doors and loading ramp to the upper space, which totaled over 6000 cubic feet—more than twice any other car-go plane. The wings, engines, tail, landing gear, and many internal components came directly from the B-29. Dubbed the XC-97 Stratofreighter, the type had its first flight on 9 November 1944 and just three months later flew non-stop across the US in a record six hours. After nine prototypes, the Air Force and Boeing pivoted the design’s baseline platform to the newer B-50—a significantly upgraded version of the B-29 that superficially looked the same but had 75% new components and 60% more horsepower for greater range, speed, efficiency, and lifting capacity. The first lot of these YC-97As were distributed among Military Air Transport Service (MATS), Strategic Air Command, Air Proving Command, and Air Materiel Command. One of SAC’s was pressed into service in May 1949 during the Berlin Airlift, where it carried a record one million pounds of cargo to the blockaded city in 27 sorties. The first production model C-97A had its maiden flight on 16 June 1949, with deliveries beginning that Fall. MATS received its first of these on 17 October 1949—75 years ago. They served with distinction during the Korean War, particularly for aeromedical evacuation. Boeing eventually built a total of 888 C-97 variants. Just 77 of these were cargo planes, another 56 were Boeing 377 Stratocruiser airliners, but the vast majority were KC-97 tankers (below), serving as the mainstay of the Air Force’s aerial refueling fleet until they were supplanted by the KC-135, with the last KC-97s being retired in the 1970s. In 1951, the type was also BIG SAFARI’s first project: PIE FACE, which concealed a massive camera in a C-97A to surreptitiously photograph East Germany. (Photos: NMUSAF) On 18 Oct 1971, 264 feeder calves weighing around 270 pounds each flew out of Tinker AFB on commercial DC-8s under the watchful eyes of base officials, representatives of the South Korean and Japanese embassies, U.S. Senator Henry Bellmon of Oklahoma, and former Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller. The jet-setting cattle were on a trip to South Korea, where Sam Lee, the owner of Daehan Feed Co. in Seoul, had purchased the calves under a cooperative venture proposed by Senator Bellmon about a year prior. The idea was that calves could be sent to South Korea, fattened up there, and then sold to Japan as meat—avoiding a $130 per head tariff that discouraged ranchers from sending cattle directly from the U.S. to Japan. This flight followed an earlier “test run” in January of the same year, flying cattle from Tinker to California, which was known as “Project Bull Shipper,” a photo of which is reproduced here. The operation gave Tinker’s “LogAir” team valuable training and experience. (Photo: USAF) On 19 Oct 1991, the second test T-1A Jayhawk (TT-02) made its first flight. The first test plane had had its first flight earlier in the year, on July 5th. Following successful testing, the first operationally ready T-1A was delivered to Reese AFB in Texas a few months later in January 1992. This twin-engine, medium-range trainer was designed to be utilized in Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) and would first see use with student pilots in 1993. SUPT begins with coursework and classroom time before students start primary flying training in the T-6 Texan II. Once they’ve completed flying in the T-6, they are “tracked” into either the fighter/bomber track or the airlift/tanker track. Those who will be going on to fly fighters and bombers then conduct their advanced flying training on the T-38 Talon (soon to be replaced by the T-7 Red Hawk); while those who will be flying airlift, cargo, and tanker missions train on the T-1. Pictured are 14th Flying Training Wing T-1s conducting a mass launch in 2015 from Columbus AFB, Mississippi. (Photo: USAF) On 20 Oct 1976, the General Dynamics plant in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted its rollout for the F-16A, revealing the production model of the new lightweight fighter to the public for the first time. Shortly after, in December 1976, it would have its first flight (shown here), nearly 3 years after the YF-16 had flown. The A model was larger, more robust, and more capable than the prototype. Even at rollout, it was clear that the F-16 was going to have a large foreign market. Unlike most US airplanes, the F-16 was actually commissioned by five countries in a coproduction scheme—the United States, of course, played the leading role, but it did so in agreement with four NATO allies: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. The F-16s produced for this consortium had parts manufactured in each of the five countries, and, at the time, the arrangement was hailed as “the arms deal of the century” by those involved. (Photo: NMUSAF) (Just to add, 20 Oct also marks the 43rd anniversary of my arrival at basic training! 🫡🫡)