Clark Griswold

Yeah I was surprised by it a bit, by their opinions. This thread has gone thru many orbits, we brought up the idea of two light attack, one SOF oriented and one conventional ops oriented before. I think the powers that be (fighter mafia) would probably get more comfortable with a non traditional light(er) platform that had a passing resemblance to what they know/love, namely a manned jet. In their defense, who doesn’t? My druthers, based on what we’ve seen in Ukraine, Red Sea and now Iran, a light crewed expeditionary platform, designed for delivering relevant effects efficiently and in control of unmanned assets (directly controlled all the way to authorized autonomous ops, surface and air assets) to cover large areas, numerous attack vectors and saturation waves is needed and would be accepted by the AF. That is important, they have to see themselves flying it and it as worthy of the AF. I remember a show on the -117 Nighthawk, an engineer was relaying a little funny anecdote about the jet being painted black vs a light pastel color that would have been more effective as a visual camouflage, he told the GOs this and they replied “Real men don’t fly funny looking pastel colored aircraft.” So it got the dark black paint job, looks cool and clandestine and the rest is history… Cheap enough to buy in mass, cheap enough to fly a lot, cheap to maintain and designed from the get go to work with and against unmanned vehicles / drones. Range, ACE and enough performance to defend itself.

Afghan Male Arrested Over Suspected Rapes of Goats and Sheep https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/04/17/afghan-male-arrested-over-suspected-rapes-of-goats-and-sheep/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mover and Gonky discuss Red Wolf on OA-1 Posted as the skeptical views they share on the utility of it add (I think) to the broader point that I don’t believe the AF likes or believes in distributing fires capabilities to non traditional (not fighter/attack or bomber platforms) This must be overcome IMHO at high level Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Possibly Revoke his passport while in jail, prevent this bullshit from him again and set an example

One more recommendation Funny book, haven’t seen the movie but I liked the book, was assigned in a history class more than a few years ago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Man_in_Havana

Good stuff. This is a winner IMHO, if we can affect change in Cuba with ideally not a shot fired or very few. Used to be based in MIA and flew the HAV turn a fair bit, several CAs were of Cuban ancestry I flew trips with and the personal connection to the nation was always strong, if… the government changes the support from the diaspora community would be there, likely too from other places where Cubans have settled.

Yup Recommend this book to anyone wanting historical context on the US, Cuba, Spain on our relationship with Cuba and the Caribbean broadly https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=32225389305&dest=USA&ref_=ps_ggl_18382194370&cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade0to10-_-product_id=US9780805035001NEW-_-keyword=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17190383930&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkYLPBhC3ARIsAIyHi3Qnl5NVKWRMObFCPideawRKr4h0xWBhurXdqxzWpnvJrhhGI73B0HwaAnWYEALw_wcB

Meanwhile… https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/04/15/pentagon-ramps-up-secret-cuba-planning-trump/89623722007/#

Already posted in the Expeditionary Missionary Position Seaplane thread but pretty much… I don’t know but a seaplane capability probably would help with a Kharg Island landing so make it happen

FAFO American Internet Troll ‘Johnny Somali’ Sentenced to 6 Months of Hard Labor in South Korea https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/04/15/american-internet-troll-johnny-somali-sentenced-to-6-months-of-hard-labor-in-south-korea/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’s cultural I think, for whatever reason I think the powers that be think these platforms are beneath the prestige of the AF. Following from that they’ll present an endless stream of arguments of why giving a nickel to small programs robs big programs, it’s a prejudice that they find reasons to justify. With the long range fires being demonstrated by our foes with TBMs/cheap drones destroying HVAAs at MOBs on the ground, the justification for some amount of conventional capabilities being based in small footprint, ACE minded assets is self evident. Tactical tanker, expeditionary capable light fighter, light attack and CCA / UCAV, etc… Just my day dreaming two cents but this sounds like the bailiwicks of a new AFSOC to be relevant in GPCs.

Concur The offense defense tango continues, offense is throwing mass cheap systems and the challenge to defense is how to answer that. Probably an all of the above is the best feasible option Defensive systems, decoys, mobile low footprint systems, etc… It seems you need a force that is composed of opposite ends of a value spectrum, some high end exquisite systems to kick things off, medium systems level and a shit ton of cheap attrition tolerant mass to constantly throw at your opponent

Yeah I get it but the unresolvable loop in the original Iran thread has reached a point where nothing more can really get done, besides there’s enough in the open source world to have discussions worth what it costs to access BO… The articles are starting to ask what this can teach us about a Taiwan scenario, what is China learning, etc…. We should discuss the big elephants in the room.

The War ZoneRegent Squire Wing-In-Ground Effect Drone Demonstrator Ma...Squire is designed to take on multiple roles and the Marines say they are monitoring the aircraft's progress.

New thread to discuss results, applicable lessons and armchair general’s opinions on the conflict. Politics for the other thread. My first salvo: UCAVs are needed now, up to full autonomous operations, less expensive persistent surface and air area denial, integrated with manned platforms. Suicide drones, more of them, conventional ones like LUCAS against fixed and large moving targets (ships) and new systems bringing direct anti personnel drones/loitering munitions linked to airborne C2 aircraft or linked to operators thru high altitude network enablers. Morale destruction and surgical targeting of the most odious members of the regime. More surface fleet combatants for naval control, greater presence over large/multiple areas Base defense and expedient shelter hardening capes growth, new decoy systems.

Last class The AviationistFinal Class of A-10C Thunderbolt II Pilots Graduates at D...The 357th Fighter Squadron graduated its last A-10C Thunderbolt II student pilots at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, marking the end of an era for the soleAnd interview with the author of Superhornet replacing Warthog

Concur The War ZoneA-10 Pilot's Compelling Case For Replacing Warthogs With...An A-10 Weapons Instructor lays out how buying F/A-18E/Fs fits the Air Force's imperatives and keeps the A-10's unique braintrust intact.For an AF variant (if the AF wanted mods), stretch fuselage a bit, add UARSSI to the CFTs, delete wing folding, maybe lighter but still STOL capable gear/airframe, adjust pylons to eliminate stores toeing arrangements

F-32 concept https://ollysaviation.artstation.com/projects/x3QRPO

Now the warthog places the probe in the basket…

The War ZoneA-10 Warthog Being Tested With Aerial Refueling Probe (Up...Beyond a win for the A-10, putting refueling probes on USAF tactical jets could be a boon of the service's Agile Combat Employment strategy.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt I hope not Probably but Germany of today won’t even keep out welfare tourist migrants who cause mayhem and chaos, now if they go hardcore and try to become the enforcer of the EU; the Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia) might have reason to start reinforcing their western borders. I’m thinking this in preparation for stabilization force in Western Ukraine if a cease fire is declared.

Germany dipping it’s toes in the water… https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/04/german-men-must-apply-army-booking-holidays-conscription/

My record on 2026 predictions has been spotty at best, ok it’s been crappy but mostly in a good way… that out of the way, if we arm the Kurds in Iran we have to keep Turkey from intervening, if encourage the Baluchi and Azeris we can’t leave them hanging, if we get a ceasefire and opening of the Strait then we have to remain in theater to ensure no retrenchment on a ceasefire deal. My guess is that we are headed for a new version of Northern / Southern Watch where we keep immediate retaliation available in theater, daily patrol and observation.

And his own Dos Gringos song

Article dated 31 March not April Fools https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/brazil-confirms-talks-with-u-s-air-force-to-use-kc-390-millennium-as-a-new-complementary-tanker