Boost.

This is coolbert:

From the controlled [?] Russian media outlet Sputnik a very dull, repetitive and misleading headline

"More Bang, More Buck: US Considers Adding ICBM Interceptors to F-35"

"In all likelihood, adding more bells and whistles to the F-35 can only make its $1.5 trillion program price more expensive, while experts have questioned if the plan is even realistic."

"The Pentagon's top research official is mulling whether to add air-to-air interceptors to the F-35's weapons arsenal in order to give the stealth fighters anti-ballistic missile capabilities, a new report says."

F-35 a POSSIBLE mission of missile interceptor but ONLY indirectly so.

The sensors of the F-35 have a POTENTIAL anti-missile capability. Those highly advanced sensors as embedded in the F-35 able to detect and track the boost-phase launch of an ICBM, providing to GROUND BASED anti-ballistic-missiles of the THAAD variety valuable data essential to a successful intercept.

This very topic as was discussed in a previous blog entry:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/12/f-35-icbm.html

Please Sputnik, do not be so alarmist or misleading. Stick to reality and watch your headlines.

coolbert.

Draken.

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ATAC does not live in a vacuum? Draken International a competitor? Private concerns apparently offering DACT [Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training] to the air forces of various nations on a worldwide basis. Top Gun and Red Star world-wide?

"Check Out The Cockpit In Draken International's Private Mirage F-1M Aggressor Jets"

"Dozens of Mirage F-1s will soon be roaring through the skies over the United States."

Thanks to The Drive and the article by Tyler Rogoway

"Draken International, the adversary support contractor with the world's largest private tactical jet air force, is working hard to bring their fleet of 22 ex-Spanish Air Force Mirage F-1M fighters to life. They will serve as the backbone of the firm's so called 'fourth generation' fighter threat emulation capability, with features that primarily include a capable air-to-air radar and supersonic performance. Draken aims for the planes to fulfill the ever expanding demand for advanced private adversary support, both at home in the U.S. and abroad"

Image courtesy The Drive and José "Fuji" Ramos! Outstanding photography. Click on image to see an enlarged view. I can imagine that display beautiful at night. But you had as a pilot better know what you are doing! Impressive and I am impressed!

Read here further of ATAC. American private aviation company their mission DACT!

Devoted readers to the blog be aware that "private concerns" such ATAC or Draken have at their disposal a larger in number fly-able and combat ready warplanes beyond which might be found in the air forces of such  medium-sized military powers such as Great Britain, France, Germany!!

coolbert.

Butcher.

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Butcher bird!! Best?

From the Internet web site the National Interest and thanks to same:

"Forget the P-51 Mustang or Zero: This Was the Best Fighter Plane During World War II"

"The Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighter aircraft helped to even the odds against enemy fighters."

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE!

Comments:

* The famous German combat aviator of the Second World War [WW2] Johannes Steinhoff rating the American P-51 Mustang as the BEST fighter place of that era. Johannes also having a high opinion of the Soviet La-5 and La-7.

* As was not known to me, the FW-190 also an excellent ground-attack warplane and used as so extensively on the Eastern Front of WW2. I had thought the FW only functioning as an interceptor in the role of defense of the Reich against attack by the four-engine bomber threat of the allied air forces.

* Positive aeronautic features and elements of the FW 190 incorporated into the design of the British Hawker Fury. The Fury as seeing action during the Korean War and comporting itself well as a combat aircraft EVEN DURING AIR-AIR DUELS WITH SOVIET MiG-15 jet!!

BEST a very subjective term. Personally I prefer the opinion of Steinhoff.

coolbert.

P-59.

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Conclusion!

Again extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation . . . oddities and curiosities for want of a better term and description.

"The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II"

"Ryan P-59 Fireball"

Hybrid!

"The development of jet fighters began during World War II began, but the United States fell behind early as it worked on fielding propeller-driven aircraft and then building them in great numbers. One of the earliest efforts was the U.S. Navy’s P-59 Fireball, a hybrid propeller-jet fighter that lacked in several areas."

A puller and a pusher. Internal combustion engine up front and the jet engine at the rear.

The U.S. Navy in the post-war [WW2] era DID employ a hybrid warplane, the AJ Savage. A combination of propeller and turbo-jet engines. AJ a bomber warplane as to be used in a strategic nuclear role, flown from super-carriers.

coolbert.

P-75.

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Still yet more extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation . . . oddities and curiosities for want of a better term and description.

The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II

"American Fisher P-75 Eagle"

BRUTE FORCE!

"Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

"At the outset of the war, the United States Army Air Corps was in the process of developing a number of prototype aircraft, but it would be a few years before models like the very capable P-51 Mustang were ready. Meantime, the Air Corps had to make do with fighters and interceptors that were inferior to German and Japanese planes."

"One such plane under development was the GM/Fisher P-75 Eagle. The Air Corps wanted a plane that was fast and well-armed. The Allison engine company developed a new model called the V-3420, a massive 24-cylinder engine that combined a pair of V-1710 engines into one. The Fisher Body Division of General Motors set to work building an aircraft around the engine."

Fisher with two engines combined into one drive shaft, two counter-rotating propellers. Greater speed achieved by the brute force approach. NOT so ideal and elegant from the engineering perspective but it could have worked and offered more than an expedient..

Construction and employment of the warplane too the entire developmental process short-circuited. Fisher to be an amalgam with regard to tail, wings, fuselage, cockpit, etc.

"the idea presented was to build an aircraft out of proven portions of existing airframes with the entire concoction fitted around the Allison V-3420."

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BV 238.

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Further more extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation . . . oddities and curiosities for want of a better term and description.

"The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II"

"German BV 238 Floatplane"

Before there was the H-3 Hercules there was the BV 238? Before there was Howard Hughes there was Blohm and Voss

"German Aerospace company Blohm and Voss designed the bulk of the Luftwaffe’s flying boats during the war, and as it progressed, the firm’s engineers designed more complex — and larger — flying boats. This eventually led to the BV 238, a massive aircraft that became the largest designed by the Axis Powers during the conflict."

Think also the Howard Huges H-4 Hercules flying plane from the era of WW2. The H-4 possessing eight engines rather than six. H-4 made only one flight and is now a museum piece. I have often wondered why flying boats and not used more for military and commercial purposes both. Especially those flying boats able to use wing-in-ground technology for additional lift. Prodigious loads carried across the oceans with phenomenal speed.

coolbert.

282.

This is coolber:

Further yet with blog entries, extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation . . . oddities and curiosities for want of a better term and description.

"The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II"

"Flettner FI 282"

HELICOPTER WW2!

"Most people don’t associate the development of helicopters with World War II, but in fact, prior to the beginning of the war the German Luftwaffe experimented extensively with choppers, and the first accepted design was the open cockpit Flettner FI 282."

"One of the oddest features of the aircraft was its intermeshing rotors, which meant that the two main rotors angled away from each other though the arc of the blades crisscrossed. But they were very carefully synchronized so as not to collide with each other"

"The German air service envisioned using the new aircraft for observation and reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, and other roles."

This particular image of the Flettner FI 282 shows the unique dual synchronized and angled-rotors, counter-rotating, no tail rotor required. One engine with two rotor shafts. Click on image to see an enlarged view.

A German 282 flown post-war [WW2] by an American pilot.Thanks to You Tube.

Flettner in the aftermath of the war continuing to design helicopters for USA concerns. Yet one more instance of Operation Paperclip?

coolbert.

BI-1

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Continuing still more extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation . . . oddities and curiosities for want of a better term and description.

"The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II"

"Soviet Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1"

ROCKET MAN!

Before there was the German Me-163 Komet there was the BI-1? Soviet WW2 era rocket-plane!

"Several major combatants in the war experimented with rocket-assisted or rocket-powered aircraft including the Soviet Union. The result was the Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1."

. . . .

"Stalin ordered engineers Alexander Bereznyak and Aleksei Isayev to get the plane ready as soon as possible. As such, it only took 35 days to build a functional prototype. Development continued into 1942 with rocket motor tests, but engineers discovered that the BI-1 could only stay aloft for 15 minutes after the pilot ignited the rocket on the ground, which was a major limitation."

Thanks to You Tube and amazingly so some Soviet film footage exists of a BI-1 take-off and landing. NO undercarriage but snow skids. Useful in the sense that any frozen river or lake could be used as an "air field". Also an expedient allowing for rapid development of a fly-able prototype. NO swept back wings! This plane had a solid or liquid fueled engine? Of this I am not sure.

"After a third prototype blew up during midair during a level flight, developers came to realize the rocket plane had another flaw: The frame, which was made of plywood and metal, could not handle what was near-supersonic flight speeds."

BI-1 NEVER A DONE DEAL! FLIMSY PROTOTYPES IN DANGER OF BREAKING APART [AND DID BREAK APART] IN MID-FLIGHT SO POWERFUL WAS THE PROPULSION SYSTEM. BUT THE CONCEPT OF THE ROCKET-PLANE TO A DEGREE SOUND?

coolbert.

Aircuda.

This is coolbert:

Continuing blog entries, extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation . . . oddities and curiosities for want of a better term and description.

"The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II"

"Bell XFM Airacuda"

HEAVY!

"Designated as a 'heavy fighter' and/or a 'bomber destroyer,' the American-made Bell XFM Airacuda was the Bell Aircraft company’s first airplane design. First flown in 1937, the plane had a number of innovative features — and many design flaws. In all, 13 were produced in three slightly different versions and one fully operational squadron was actually formed."

"The plane was created to intercept enemy bombers at distances greater than ordinary single-seat fighters."

Heavy fighter planes of the era before the Second World War additionally their mission as envisioned also to ESCORT the bomber warplane to the target and provide support. In this regard the heavy fighter across the board the concept a failure. As described by an acknowledged aviation authority:

"The twin engine, heavy fighters could not turn with the smaller, more nimble fighters, and the big planes' weight and load made speed a problem as well. Not only could a small fighter plane catch up to an enemy heavy fighter, it could out turn it in a dog fight. If it was losing, it could turn away and outrun its opponent."

A five-man crew for this warplane. Pilot and co-pilot. A radio operator [could fire weapons for rearward defense] and a gunner each for operating the two 37 mm cannon. Could also function as a light bomber.

And once more according to and from an acknowledged aviation authority:

"But none of the [WW2] twin engine bomber destroyers and long range fighter escorts worked out well: The German Me-110, the English Bristol Beaufighter , and others all failed at their designed jobs. However, many worked out as specialized, heavily armed night fighters carrying radar to find their targets in an environment where speed and maneuverability meant less"

coolbert.

HMS Argus.

This is coolbert:

Here begins a series of blog entries, extracts with commentary from the Internet web site "Great Power War". Topics in all cases aviation, warplane design as of the era prior to and during the Second World War, aviation oddities and curiosities for want of a better description.

"The Coolest Experimental Planes of World War II"

"Birth of the aircraft carrier"

DAZZLE!

"Between World Wars I and II, fighter planes underwent a great deal of innovation. From the bi-planes and tri-planes in the 'Great War' to the high-speed monoplanes of the late 1920s and 1930s, the world powers made great strides in aviation."

"That included the development and introduction of the aircraft carrier, the first of which belonged to the British Royal Navy, the HMS Argus, the first flat-deck carrier which debuted in 1918. The U.S. would not follow suit until 1920."

HMS Argus the first flat-top aircraft carrier. The conventional design as has been since 1918. In this case not so much the vessel or the warplanes but the dazzle paint pattern. Confuse the range finder of an enemy warship, most especially so the very limited range finder of an attacking German submarine.

coolbert.

VIFF.

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The Russians have it. The Chinese have it. The English had it. The Americans do not have it?

VIFF = thrust vector in forward flight.

"Thrust vectoring, also thrust vector control or TVC, is the ability of an aircraft, rocket, or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) in order to control the attitude or angular velocity of the vehicle."

Modern Russian and Chinese warplanes having TVC and the "one-up" game-changer? TVC allowing for aerial combat maneuvers that cannot be matched. Russian and Chinese combat aviators now possessing an undisputed advantage?

1. "Harriers Could Gain the Upper Hand in a Dogfight by Literally Stopping Midair"

2. "China's New Upgrade Makes Its Fighter Jets Wildly Maneuverable"

 The J-10 fighter plane gets thrust vector control, a technology that allows for wild acrobatic aerial maneuvers.

3.  "Sukhoi SU-57 Russian Super Stealth fighter jets Amazing maneuver"

Thrust vectoring the proverbial game-changer? Russian and Chinese combat pilots will possess an overwhelming advantage in technology for which the opposition will have no answer? Is that what this is?

From a conversation with an acknowledged aviation authority regarding this matter:

"Those capabilities can be countered if an opponent is aware and expecting them. Many Russian planes have long had the thrust vectoring abilities, so this is now not unique in ACM [Air combat maneuvering]. The Western allies have been training with these characteristics in mind, and their tactics and strategies are developed to deal with them. These can include certain maneuvers, different tactics and even strategies. It is an enhanced capability for those new Chinese fighter planes, but it is no longer a game changer."

Forewarned is forearmed. 

Thrust vectoring impressive YES but hardly the "game changer" as many might assume.

coolbert.

CODE.

This is coolbert:

CALL ME SKYNET?

As seen at Freeper and thanks to same.

"DARPA conducts ground and flight tests of CODE-equipped UASs (Interesting defense info)"

"The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) collaborative operations in denied environment (CODE) programme has conducted ground and flight tests of CODE-equipped unmanned aerial systems (UASs). Conducted recently at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, US, the tests successfully demonstrated aircraft autonomy and collaboration with minimal live human commands."

MINIMAL HUMAN COMMANDS AND MAYBE [??] NO HUMAN COMMANDS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES?

"Skynet is a fictional artificial neural network-based conscious group mind and artificial general intelligence system "

Fictional? Fictional? Obviously this is an effort to prevent jamming, hacking and intrusion from disrupting a UAV [s]. Humans lose control the machine goes autonomous and continues the mission. WHY THEN EVEN NEED HUMANS IN THE FIRST PLACE WILL BE A LOGICAL NEXT STEP?

See previous blog entries the topic Skynet and autonomous combat systems:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/rambo.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/05/mutt-sc.html

OH, I'm telling you people, beware while you still can!! Rise of the machines closer than you think!

coolbert.

Potemkin.

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Potemkin village in the sky? Russian style deception and disinformation?

"When strong appear weak. When weak appear strong"?

You the devoted reader to the blog decide for yourself.

1. "Russian Media Allegedly Leaks VIDEO of Su-57 Successor"

As proposed the Russian 6th generation fighter plane already on the drawing boards, a fly-able version to take to the skies at least by 2025? Hypersonic too! Everything hypersonic.

2. "Russia accidentally leaks image of future high-speed helicopter"

"The Kamov Design Bureau appears to have leaked the details of future high-speed helicopter it is about to develop for Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

See also from the Defence blog twitter entry more info on the Russian 6th generation warplane as allegedly is in the works!

LEAKED LEAKED LEAKED!! ACCIDENTAL ACCIDENTAL ACCIDENTAL!

In the old Soviet Union NOTHING was ever leaked or accidental. 

coolbert.

Two-stage.

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Here with the Chinese answer to the MQ-25?

PL-XX!

"How China's New Missile Concept Could Cripple American Air Power"

"The PL-XX has an very long range [air-air missile] to target the tankers and other support aircraft that form the backbone of American air power."

"PL-XX appears similar in concept to the Soviet K-100 missile. Developed by Novator, the K-100 was unique among air-to-air missiles in being a two stage missile, using a booster rocket from the ground-based S-300 surface-to-air missile to give it range of 186 miles."

With regard to the K-100: "The Novator KS-172 is a Russian air-to-air missile designed as an 'AWACS killer' at ranges up to 400 km. [250 miles]. The missile has had various names during its troubled history, including K-100"

A CHINESE AIR-AIR MISSILE AS USED TO INTERCEPT AND DESTROY AT LONG-RANGE AMERICAN AEW [Airborne Early Warning], AWACS [Airborne Warning and Control System], AND TANKER WARPLANES. TANKERS TO INCLUDE CARRIER-BORNE MQ-25.

Deny the American aircraft-carrier combat aviation units in a Sea-Air battle access to air-refueling tankers and you have a war-winning measure for the Chinese?

coolbert.

Whale.

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Continuing with material as germane to the previous stealth blog entries as seen here and here.

See this video courtesy You Tube the topic of which was the Tacit Blue program. A fly-able demonstrator model [not an unmanned remotely-controlled drone] curved-surface stealth aircraft the original mission as envisioned was surveillance of the battlefield at the very point of contact between two opposing forces. Tacit Blue aircraft referred to as the Whale! It says the demonstrator model now on display at the USAF Museum, Dayton, Ohio, USA? This I do not remember seeing during my most recent visit earlier this year.

As described Tacit Blue unconditionally unstable with regard to yaw [heading] and pitch [up/down motion].

Until the advent of the U.S. Navy MQ-25 [Stingray] Tacit a stealth technology thought to be out of date? But has been resurrected with a new mission in mind, aerial refueling of naval aviation, carrier-borne.With regard to technology better late than never?

Good luck Stingray! 

coolbert.

Blue.

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Good to go now rather than better tomorrow?

Consider various links the topic of which is Tacit Blue. Original fly-able stealth aviation technology from forty years ago now.

Technology and design concepts as incorporated into the U.S. Navy drone MQ-25.

"Northrop Tacit Blue - Wikipedia"

"The Northrop Tacit Blue was a technology demonstrator aircraft created to demonstrate that a low-observable stealth surveillance aircraft with a low probability of intercept radar and other sensors could operate close to the forward line of battle with a high degree of survivability."

Tacit Blue the concept NOT selected as adequate to meet stealth requirements as envisioned at the time. The Lockheed Nighthawk [F-117] with faceted surface chose instead. Nighthawk no longer in the inventory, now retired. BUT TACIT BLUE STILL GOING STRONG?

Warplanes stealth of such aerodynamic complexity cannot be manually flown but with great difficulty. Unconditionally unstable and constantly needing correction while in flight beyond the ability of a human pilot. Additional and continuous computer corrections needed.

A human in the loop as they say but with a lotta on board computer adjunct support.

coolbert.

MQ-25.

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From the outstanding Internet web site "War is Boring" several articles the topic of which is the latest U.S. Naval aviation UAV warplane. MQ-25 Stingray.

AT THIS EXACT MOMENT AND AS CONCEIVED WILL FUNCTION ONLY AS A TANKER AIRCRAFT [CARRIER-BORNE] BUT HAVING MORE OR LESS AN UNLIMITED POTENTIALITY FOR FUTURE GROWTH.

1. "The U.S. Navy’s New Carrier Drone Borrows 1970s Stealth"

"MQ-25 shows Tacit Blue's influence"

"The U.S. Navy’s new MQ-25 Stingray aerial-refueling drone bears an uncanny resemblance to an experimental U.S. military plane from the late 1970s. And that similarity could point to the way for the Stingray’s potential evolution from a tanker into a stealthy surveillance and strike aircraft."

Finished and flying product [MQ-25] top. Tacit Blue stealth concept shown below. Curved surfaces for stealth and not a faceted surface [as was the F-117]. Tacit Blue was a fly-able aircraft [image as shown not having a proper scale] but very unstable.

2. "After 20 Years, the U.S. Navy Finally Buys a Carrier Drone"

"How will the MQ-25 evolve?"

"The U.S. Navy on Aug. 30, 2018 chose Chicago-based Boeing to build the sailing branch’s first carrier-launched unmanned aerial vehicle."

"In choosing Boeing to build the MQ-25 Stingray multi-mission tanker, the Navy has opened the next major chapter in a story that began in the mid-1990s, when the sailing branch worked alongside the U.S. Air Force to develop a fighter-like drone."

This is a stealth warplane based on OLDER technology [1970] but still do-able now and effective to the extent needed. GOOD TO GO NOW RATHER THAN BETTER TOMORROW!

coolbert.

Arrow.

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More scare tactics from the Russian? Yet one more hypersonic missile designed to put the fear of GOD into the Americans and NATO? Arrow [NATO codename]! R-37M.

From Freeper and Deagel:

"Putin's latest weapon: Hypersonic air-to-air missile fired from Russian stealth jets"

"...Russia is set to add a hypersonic missile to its arsenal which can hit targets almost 200 miles away, Moscow's official media outlet has reported. The R-37M missile, which is designed to target enemy aircraft and can travel at Mach 6 - more than 4,500mph - is an upgrade on a Soviet-era weapon first launched in 1985"

Arrow not a new weapon. R-37 has been around for at least thirty years. A long-range air to air missile originally as conceived to be employed strictly [?] by Soviet Air Defense [PVO Strany].

Missile in the configuration R-37M hypersonic and an improved version of the original missile but NOT a whole lot more than that? Formidable YES but not a brand-new system. Hypersonic YES but that is all the rage isn't it? Advertise everything as hypersonic for the purpose of hype. A play on words not unintended!

Nothing to worry about or see folks, move along?

coolbert.

Krashukha-4.

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Russian response in measure to the shoot-down of the Il-20 Coot reconnaissance as promised has now been delivered.

From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter.

Russian all-encompassing electronic warfare [EW] jamming system now has been delivered to Russian [?] forces in Syria. Israel beware!

"Russia's first Krasukha-4 electronic warfare unit lands in Syria. It can jam spy satellites, enemy radar"

25 September.
   
"The Russian Krasukha-4 mobile electronic warfare system landed in Syria on Tuesday, Sept. 25. It was unloaded at the Russian Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia, one day after Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu pledged systems for jamming systems of combat aircraft attacking Syria, in punishment for Israel's alleged role in downing the Russian IL-20 spy plane."

"The Krasukha-4 can jam communications systems, disable guided missiles and aircraft, and neutralize Low-Earth Orbit spy satellites and radars (AWACS) at ranges of 150-300km, covering northern and central Israel. The Russian EW system can also damage enemy EW. The IDF has no operational experience of the Krasukha-4, but the Americans have."

Israeli warplanes attacking targets in Syria, NOT EVEN IF INTRUDING SYRIAN AIRSPACE to be subjected to Russian jamming. Jamming to include the denial of GPS guidance systems as to be found on Israeli air-to-ground missiles such as Delilah, Sky Sniper, Rampage.

THIS SITUATION INTENSE, WITHOUT PRECEDENT. DAYS OF GOG AND MAGOG?

coolbert.

S-200 Syria.

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From an Internet web site and the translation from Russian by Al some further info [excerpts] as per the shoot-down of the Russian Il-20 Coot reconnaissance warplane.

A hot topic and finally [?] we have some expert insight. And as copied  more or less in entirety the comments [from the translation] by the Russian officer [ex] Yuri Alexeev:

“Since I [Yuri] studied the S-200 system at military school and then served at it for many years, I can state the following: the Arabs could not have confused an F-16 with an IL-20…"

[as to Yuri being a real live person with the purported background I cannot say with any certainty.]

“All the surfaces of a jet plane reflecting the radar beam are immobile. That’s why the reflected signal formed by the plane’s several ‘hot spots’ has roughly the same frequency and looks like three adjacent vertical lines."

“On the other hand, due to the Doppler effect, a turboprop plane (its rotating propellers create various Doppler additions to the signal frequency) produces a signal in the shape of multiple vertical lines that fill practically the whole radar screen."

“Any training of radar operators and other crew members starts from explaining these very differences. I’m sure our instructors who trained the Arab crew did just that…"

“It has to be said that the S-200B system is complex to maintain and operate. All sorts of procedures are involved in launching a rocket…"

“If the crew managed to launch a missile, they were clearly trained and definitely knew the difference in the footprints of a jet and a turboprop plane…"

“There’s a theory that the Syrian crew followed and attacked an F-16 that then performed an evasive maneuver, pushing into the radar coverage our plane that has a much larger reflective surface. The missile re-targeted it automatically and a hit occurred."

“Yes, that’s possible – but only if our plane was ‘lit up’ by the radar. If there had been no reflected signal, the missile would have self-destructed. That means the Arabs had been tracking our plane and therefore saw the reflected signal on the radar screen."

“Moreover, to re- target, the operator had to switch manually to the automatic tracking of the new target…"

“In my [Yuri] opinion, the Arabs knew what they were tracking and launched a missile deliberately. This is a matter of ‘corporate ethics’."

“Losing a target is the worst thing that can happen to an AA [anti-aircraft] officer. When we were on duty, we were issued pistols. Being young, we’d ask our commanders what the guns were for. They’d reply that, if you lose a target, go and shoot yourself, to save the paperwork at the court martial.

“All personnel at AA missile systems knew that still having un-launched rockets after an enemy raid was a guaranteed death sentence for themselves. It’s likely that the Arabs had been imbued with that principle, so they fired at whatever they saw.”

[readers will recall from the First Gulf War seeing images of the sky over Baghdad during night raids by American combat warplanes. The entire sky filled with rounds AAA rounds being fired and various detonations occurring. Arab AAA crews tend to be quite trigger happy!!]

SYRIAN SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE FIRING PERSONNEL MANNING THE S-200 SYSTEM COULD NOT HAVE MISTAKEN THE ISRAELI F-16 FOR THE IL-20 COOT? THIS SHOOT-DOWN COULD NOT HAVE BEEN A CASE OF FRATRICIDE AND MISTAKEN IDENTITY!

As I have said before at least in my mind this all bears a resemblance to the Gulf of Tonkin incident from over fifty years ago now.

RATHER THE COOT INCIDENT IS A FALSE FLAG OPERATION INTENDED TO CREATE A CRISIS TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF? WHOA BOY!

You the devoted reader to the blog decide for yourself but do so with caution. Once more also thank you Al!

coolbert.