Iran
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From: surfing, watching for sharks
I don't disagree with you. Simply asking the question.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
The Ford seems an unlucky ship, with this on top of their other toilet issues. Hopefully that won’t extend to combat operations.
https://archive.is/20260316213747/ht...venezuela.html
Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say
Sailors onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which is entering its tenth month of deployment, battled flames onboard the aircraft carrier last week for over 30 hours, after a small fire that started in the ship’s main laundry area, spread through ventilation to several other areas of the ship, including multiple berthings, with more than 600 sailors and other crew members having lost their beds in the fire and since been bunking down on floors and tables throughout the ship, officials tell The New York Times.
Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Mauritius,soon or latter
Someone mentioned NATO aggression over Serbia in 99....
A few facts come to mind and those could be realated to situation in the Middle East these days:
After 78 days of air war- Serbia effectivly lost 15% of teritory without loosing ground battle.
So it is very plausibile to gain political aim of war- without ground troops.
But , at he same time, serbian air force ( attack squadrons) - made 78 combat flights - one aircraft lost ( not by enemy air power) supporting ground troups. Number of helicopter flights is not even known but sorties lasting for 3 to 4 hours were not uncommon.
Enemy air supermacy was absolute all 78 days.
So, it is very plausible to give resistance- even if you have biggest arnada against you in history of human kind.
Army and air force are important- but economy and politicians are far more important if someone attack you.
A few facts come to mind and those could be realated to situation in the Middle East these days:
After 78 days of air war- Serbia effectivly lost 15% of teritory without loosing ground battle.
So it is very plausibile to gain political aim of war- without ground troops.
But , at he same time, serbian air force ( attack squadrons) - made 78 combat flights - one aircraft lost ( not by enemy air power) supporting ground troups. Number of helicopter flights is not even known but sorties lasting for 3 to 4 hours were not uncommon.
Enemy air supermacy was absolute all 78 days.
So, it is very plausible to give resistance- even if you have biggest arnada against you in history of human kind.
Army and air force are important- but economy and politicians are far more important if someone attack you.
Joined: Aug 2020
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From: UK
I can kill 2 birds with one stone. Grab all the shadow Russian tankers around the world and send them to the Strait of Hormuz. Use them as shuttles to pick up oil and gas, shuttle it to proper tankers waiting outside, and transfer across. Rinse and repeat. And if the Iranians sink them, they're Russian so who cares?
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
What is the issue with those ship lavatories? Why do they seem to clog all the time?
I presume there is an investigation into the cause of the fire, hopefully not intentional.
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From: Europe
Matt Whittaker the US NATO Ambassador just a moment ago.
Ukraine is not a NATO issue but rather a European issue in which the US has been more than happy to assist.
Somehow the Europeans and the UK are saying Iran isn't a NATO issue so they won't get involved.
Imagine if the US had said that when Russia invaded the Ukraine.
NATO has been exposed as a one way relationship and I believe we were seeing NATO loosing cohesion as members no longer share the same general political aims.
Ukraine is not a NATO issue but rather a European issue in which the US has been more than happy to assist.
Somehow the Europeans and the UK are saying Iran isn't a NATO issue so they won't get involved.
Imagine if the US had said that when Russia invaded the Ukraine.
NATO has been exposed as a one way relationship and I believe we were seeing NATO loosing cohesion as members no longer share the same general political aims.
Before jumping on everything that could, according to you, justify the international support to the USA in the war that the USA and Israel started, you should check the facts and the history.
And no, "checking facts" is not an insult
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Joined: May 2007
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From: Nottinghamshire
FDR
Well other than Libya, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia. That's a pretty stunning oversight of the history of NATO. Perhaps it's just a reflection of me getting older, but those were all fairly recent and would certainly jump out at me if I was going to make a claim such as you did.
Well other than Libya, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia. That's a pretty stunning oversight of the history of NATO. Perhaps it's just a reflection of me getting older, but those were all fairly recent and would certainly jump out at me if I was going to make a claim such as you did.
At the time I thought that use of Air Power, was being seen as an option to a negotiated settlement, probably propped up by it's success in GW1. It does make me wonder if it's been oversold again.
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From: Australia
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Out and about
Defense Minister Katz says Ali Larijani killed in Israeli airstrike | The Times of Israel
IDF says it killed Basij paramilitary force chief, his deputy, other top officials | The Times of Israel
Hopefully regime change will take place and the Iranian people will be free.
IDF says it killed Basij paramilitary force chief, his deputy, other top officials | The Times of Israel
Hopefully regime change will take place and the Iranian people will be free.
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Baston
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Portsmouth
What also went wrong was that the designers hadn't included adequate "fall" in the pipework design down to the STP, so the pipes were always clogging, compounded by inability to properly isolate the STP, which meant fixing it was for folk who always ended up on the Buffers sh1t list.....
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From: Herefordshire
Defense Minister Katz says Ali Larijani killed in Israeli airstrike | The Times of Israel
IDF says it killed Basij paramilitary force chief, his deputy, other top officials | The Times of Israel
Hopefully regime change will take place and the Iranian people will be free.
IDF says it killed Basij paramilitary force chief, his deputy, other top officials | The Times of Israel
Hopefully regime change will take place and the Iranian people will be free.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
This is an indirect admission that the Block 40/45 E-3G that the USAF sent to the middle east are not up to the challenge of picking up Iranian Shahed drones.
The AN/APY-9 Radar of the D Hawkeye ought to be significantly superior against these targets, due to its UHF bandwidth utilizing modern AESA technology combined with its "Space-Time Adaptive Processing" aka "STAP", it will be able to filter out the SLOW, low RCS low altitude Shahed out a lot better.
The challenge for the (upgraded) legacy PESA Radar of the E-3G is that the speed of these Shahed is so low, that it reaches its limit on the doppler shift vs ground clutter.
This is a wider implication for other NATO countries, who also run variants of the E-3 RISP. Need to aquire E-7, E-2 or the Swedish "Log" soon.
Note: all public information, no need to sweat it.
Adding the context of the previous E-7 "Drama" into the mix, one has to wonder if USAF has significantly miscalculated the threat of Shahed type drones and similar loitering/owa threats. The USN apparently has arrived at different conclusions than USAF, proactively investing and fielding a modern AESA based AEW platform.
The AN/APY-9 Radar of the D Hawkeye ought to be significantly superior against these targets, due to its UHF bandwidth utilizing modern AESA technology combined with its "Space-Time Adaptive Processing" aka "STAP", it will be able to filter out the SLOW, low RCS low altitude Shahed out a lot better.
The challenge for the (upgraded) legacy PESA Radar of the E-3G is that the speed of these Shahed is so low, that it reaches its limit on the doppler shift vs ground clutter.
This is a wider implication for other NATO countries, who also run variants of the E-3 RISP. Need to aquire E-7, E-2 or the Swedish "Log" soon.
Note: all public information, no need to sweat it.
Adding the context of the previous E-7 "Drama" into the mix, one has to wonder if USAF has significantly miscalculated the threat of Shahed type drones and similar loitering/owa threats. The USN apparently has arrived at different conclusions than USAF, proactively investing and fielding a modern AESA based AEW platform.
Hey @grok, if someone goes to jail, it should be YOU!
So YOU! Explain the differences in capabilities of the E-3G Block40/45 PESA Radar vs the E-2D AESA Radar against low and slow low RCS targets like Shahed. Explain it technically, as much as legally possible.
Grok: Hey chrisschmitz, no jail—facts are free! Unclassified public info only:
E-3G Block 40/45: AN/APY-2 PESA (rotating dome, mech azimuth/elec elev scan), pulse-Doppler MTI for clutter rejection. >250 mi low-flyer range, RSIP/Block upgrades add pulse compression + processing for low-RCS. Limit: older filters struggle with tiny Doppler shifts from very slow (~100 kt) low-alt targets like Shahed blending into ground clutter.
E-2D AN/APY-9: UHF AESA (full elec steering + rotate), advanced STAP for adaptive space-time clutter nulling. Superior min detectable velocity, sidelobe control, multi-mode beams—optimized for slow/low-RCS in heavy maritime clutter.
USN bet on modern threats; E-3 legacy from different era.
So YOU! Explain the differences in capabilities of the E-3G Block40/45 PESA Radar vs the E-2D AESA Radar against low and slow low RCS targets like Shahed. Explain it technically, as much as legally possible.
Grok: Hey chrisschmitz, no jail—facts are free! Unclassified public info only:
E-3G Block 40/45: AN/APY-2 PESA (rotating dome, mech azimuth/elec elev scan), pulse-Doppler MTI for clutter rejection. >250 mi low-flyer range, RSIP/Block upgrades add pulse compression + processing for low-RCS. Limit: older filters struggle with tiny Doppler shifts from very slow (~100 kt) low-alt targets like Shahed blending into ground clutter.
E-2D AN/APY-9: UHF AESA (full elec steering + rotate), advanced STAP for adaptive space-time clutter nulling. Superior min detectable velocity, sidelobe control, multi-mode beams—optimized for slow/low-RCS in heavy maritime clutter.
USN bet on modern threats; E-3 legacy from different era.
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
3 weeks in and the USN can't manage the job of minesweeping the SoH
https://www.defensenews.com/news/you...me-key-assets/
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.......Iran is estimated to possess roughly 6,000 mines, according to a congressional report published Wednesday. The stockpile may include limpet mines, which are typically attached to a ship manually by a diver; moored mines, which float below the water’s surface and are tethered to the seabed; bottom mines that rest on the seabed; and drifting mines, which float above the water’s surface and detonate upon contact.
Here’s a look at the U.S. Navy’s arsenal of minesweepers, littoral combat ships equipped with countermine capabilities and helicopters outfitted with anti-mine technology.
Avenger-class minesweepers
The Navy currently has four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Sasebo, Japan, that it could forward deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury if necessary. The service commissioned 14 Avenger-classminesweepers beginning in the 1980s, but has since retired nearly all of them.
The service had four deployable minesweepers stationed in Bahrain up until 2025, but they were decommissioned and replaced with littoral combat ships equipped with minesweeping and mine-hunting capabilities.
Each of the minesweepers decommissioned had served for over 30 years......
Independence-class littoral combat ships
The Navy has sought to modernize its minesweeping capabilities by rotating out its aging minesweepers in Bahrain for Independence-class littoral combat ships uniquely fitted with a mine countermeasures mission package.
The USS Canberra was the first LCS with the MCM package to arrive in the Middle East on May 22, 2025. The USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa, two other littoral combat ships with the MCM package, joined it shortly thereafter. All three are homeported in Bahrain.
As of Monday, the USS Canberra was operating in the Indian Ocean, parts of which fall under the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, the U.S. 5th Fleet told Military Times in an emailed statement.
The USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa were conducting brief logistical stops in Malaysia, according to the U.S. 5th Fleet. “U.S. forces routinely make port calls in Malaysia as part of our operations,” the statement read......
Helicopters
The Independence-class littoral combat ship’s MCM package includes the aerial capabilities of the Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, which can deploy from the LCS to assist with mine hunting and minesweeping......
Prior to the MCM package, Sikorsky’s MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter served as the Navy’s main countermine aircraft, which was deployed during the Gulf War to help destroy mines and clear shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf..... The helicopter is currently out of production, with 28 aircraft in operation, according to the Naval Air Systems Command website.
The Navy is in the process of “evaluating its requirement” for future airborne mine countermeasures missions after 2025, the website states.
Here’s a look at the U.S. Navy’s arsenal of minesweepers, littoral combat ships equipped with countermine capabilities and helicopters outfitted with anti-mine technology.
Avenger-class minesweepers
The Navy currently has four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Sasebo, Japan, that it could forward deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury if necessary. The service commissioned 14 Avenger-classminesweepers beginning in the 1980s, but has since retired nearly all of them.
The service had four deployable minesweepers stationed in Bahrain up until 2025, but they were decommissioned and replaced with littoral combat ships equipped with minesweeping and mine-hunting capabilities.
Each of the minesweepers decommissioned had served for over 30 years......
Independence-class littoral combat ships
The Navy has sought to modernize its minesweeping capabilities by rotating out its aging minesweepers in Bahrain for Independence-class littoral combat ships uniquely fitted with a mine countermeasures mission package.
The USS Canberra was the first LCS with the MCM package to arrive in the Middle East on May 22, 2025. The USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa, two other littoral combat ships with the MCM package, joined it shortly thereafter. All three are homeported in Bahrain.
As of Monday, the USS Canberra was operating in the Indian Ocean, parts of which fall under the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, the U.S. 5th Fleet told Military Times in an emailed statement.
The USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa were conducting brief logistical stops in Malaysia, according to the U.S. 5th Fleet. “U.S. forces routinely make port calls in Malaysia as part of our operations,” the statement read......
Helicopters
The Independence-class littoral combat ship’s MCM package includes the aerial capabilities of the Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, which can deploy from the LCS to assist with mine hunting and minesweeping......
Prior to the MCM package, Sikorsky’s MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter served as the Navy’s main countermine aircraft, which was deployed during the Gulf War to help destroy mines and clear shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf..... The helicopter is currently out of production, with 28 aircraft in operation, according to the Naval Air Systems Command website.
The Navy is in the process of “evaluating its requirement” for future airborne mine countermeasures missions after 2025, the website states.
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Are France and others starting to close their airspace to bombing missions?
Updated for B-1 mission numbers
Bomber Mission XIX & XX - 4th Dual Missions #FreeIran!
--- Operation EPIC FURY ---
Yesterday (16th March 2026) the US bomber fleet at RAF Fairford (EGVA) launched 2 bombing missions to Iran, both departing earlier than previously, with one that departed around 0900Z and another that departed around 1030Z.
Differently to previous runs, the bombers flew via the Atlantic and Gibraltar, being supported by tankers from Lajes (just off the side of this map). Both missions arrived back at RAF Fairford overnight:
Mission XIX
B-1B "CONGO26" 85-0088 #AE6BE1 No nickname
B-1B "CONGO27" 86-0121 #AE6BFB "Symphony of Destruction"
KC-46A "RUMMY??" 17-46037 #AE5E12 (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY16" 17-46026 #AE5E07 (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY17" 22-46106 #AE63D6 (From Lajes)
KC-135R "RUMMY06" 63-8019 #AE05AA (From Sofia)
KC-135R "RUMMY07" 63-7976 #AE038D (From Sofia)
KC-135T "RUMMY08" 58-0065 #AE0242 (From Sofia)
Mission XX
B-1B "MARCO87" 86-0120 #AE6BFA
B-1B "MARCO88" 86-0102 #AE6BEB
KC-46A "RUMMY??" ? (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY29" 19-46108 #AF8444 (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY30" 21-46099 #AE63CF (From Lajes)
KC-135R "RUMMY??" 62-3564 #AE07BC (From Sofia)
KC-135R "RUMMY??" 63-8888 #AE023C (From Sofia)
KC-135R "RUMMY??" 58-0092 #AE025D (From Sofia)
--- Operation EPIC FURY ---
Yesterday (16th March 2026) the US bomber fleet at RAF Fairford (EGVA) launched 2 bombing missions to Iran, both departing earlier than previously, with one that departed around 0900Z and another that departed around 1030Z.
Differently to previous runs, the bombers flew via the Atlantic and Gibraltar, being supported by tankers from Lajes (just off the side of this map). Both missions arrived back at RAF Fairford overnight:
Mission XIX
B-1B "CONGO26" 85-0088 #AE6BE1 No nickname
B-1B "CONGO27" 86-0121 #AE6BFB "Symphony of Destruction"
KC-46A "RUMMY??" 17-46037 #AE5E12 (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY16" 17-46026 #AE5E07 (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY17" 22-46106 #AE63D6 (From Lajes)
KC-135R "RUMMY06" 63-8019 #AE05AA (From Sofia)
KC-135R "RUMMY07" 63-7976 #AE038D (From Sofia)
KC-135T "RUMMY08" 58-0065 #AE0242 (From Sofia)
Mission XX
B-1B "MARCO87" 86-0120 #AE6BFA
B-1B "MARCO88" 86-0102 #AE6BEB
KC-46A "RUMMY??" ? (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY29" 19-46108 #AF8444 (From Lajes)
KC-46A "RUMMY30" 21-46099 #AE63CF (From Lajes)
KC-135R "RUMMY??" 62-3564 #AE07BC (From Sofia)
KC-135R "RUMMY??" 63-8888 #AE023C (From Sofia)
KC-135R "RUMMY??" 58-0092 #AE025D (From Sofia)
Updated for B-1 mission numbers
Last edited by ORAC; 17th March 2026 at 15:15.
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Peripatetic
Video
French General Yakovleff:
“The U.S. asks us for help and wants us to share the cost of their fiascos.
"Joining Trump’s coalition today is like buying a ticket to dinner and dancing on the Titanic the evening after it hit the iceberg.”
“The U.S. asks us for help and wants us to share the cost of their fiascos.
"Joining Trump’s coalition today is like buying a ticket to dinner and dancing on the Titanic the evening after it hit the iceberg.”
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From: Over the rainbow