You intended to refer to Independence Class LCS.

I wonder how much of this video is speculative vs detailing actual recent operations of that class? I have read other posts here suggesting several of the LCS have re-deployed away from the conflict area. How many remain stationed there (not really expecting an answer).

The video is somewhat contradictory as well. It concedes that the modular mission systems didn't work for LCS yet apparently the MCM systems are now (finally) being used for mine clearance. Is that really the case?

Video also makes out that LCS 40 knots capability makes targetting a challenge. I struggle to believe that. If Patriot systems and the like can take out incoming ballistic missiles, an LCS at 40 knots could almost be considered stationary in comparison. The LCS wouldn't be sustaining 40 knows regularly in any event. Furthermore, if LCS is a challenge to target when operating at high speed, then how do the smaller and likely equally fast Iranian missile boats shown in the the video get destroyed?

Qatar Helicopter crash
 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle...ys-2026-03-22/

Not sure if we’ll ever find out who, why, how etc but up to 7 killed. If I had to guess I’d say it was probably a QEAF NH90 but unconfirmed currently.

BV

Either the West and its Allies need to go all in or the Mullahs will survive.
But they won't go in so the death toll will be far larger as Iran seeks its revenge over the next 30 years.
Definitely by terrorism across the ME and Europe, acceleration of attacks and Islamic groups across Africa, with the finale being a nuke or a dirty bomb in a European or Middle Eastern capital.
Russia needs to be tied up with MASSIVE support for Ukraine and perhaps the USMC needs to be the bait to draw out the IRGC.

These buggers are all in it for eternity while our politicians are arguing about Islamaphobia, They / Them, Victor Orban and 20mph speed limits. We need to be like the Victorians and take no BS.

Very true. Removal of UK and European governments may be required to achieve objectives. Unlikely.

Sad news, I was part of the team that trained their pilots in UK ready for their NH 90 course a few years ago.

I looked at taking a job there but one became a part of their Armed Forces who would be expected to serve front-line in any conflict; after 32 years in a UK uniform, the idea of defending a foreign nation wasn't appealing.

RIP gents.:(

There are 2 countries where regime change would stop the war instantly but neither are in Europe..........

As far as I'm aware, that's the case - no other European nation will permit use of its airfields or airspace for either "defensive" or "offensive" operations by the USAF.

I see that the UK government minister put out to do the Sunday morning rounds of shows has said that there is no "assessed" missile threat to the UK from Iran, and UK armed forces are "perfectly capable" of defending the UK.

I haven't watched the clip myself, so can't comment on whether or not his nose got longer....

Maybe it is just an attempt by Israel to try to draw UK further into the conflict?

He also said our Tornados were ready to go. Where do they get these guys?

Salute!

To stay in military theme versus heavy political, Mr T, I do not wish to see my grandchildren live in constant fear of that bright flash followed by prompt radiation particles, then the shockwave seconds later.

They do not need long range missiles, so those pols talking about "no means of delivering the weapon" need to run the videos from New York in 2001 and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. They won't use no steeekeeng meeessiles, they will float the bomb up the river and London Bridge will turn to sub-atomic particles milliseconds before #10 Downing St.

Am I a nuke-a-phobe? You bet. And no UN agreement or international passage of a document condemning development of a nuke will help. I will guarantee that as we speak now that a small group of centrifuges or diffusion devices are further purifying their 60% enriched stuff, and they do not need a lot... a few kilograms will do. Plutonium would have been easier an much quicker, but at least the world kept them from using a decent sized breeder as the U.S. did in Hanford for Trinity and Fat Man. Think Little Boy. The Genie rocket I carried in the 60's could be carried in my pickup truck - not bad for a kiloton device, huh? Just drive up a parking lot tower to get some elevation for better shockwave reactions.

So yes, I fear, and I would fear more even today than already. So what does the world want to do? Look back..."surely those Nazis are not gassing and incinerating thousands of Jews each day, huh? Naaaaaaahhh."

Gums sends...

Quite a threat from a regime whose military capability is said by Agent Orange to be "Completely Neutralised"

"If the United States carries out its threats against Iran's power plants, the following punitive actions will be taken immediately:

• "The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not reopen until our damaged power plants are rebuilt;
• "All power plants, energy infrastructure, and ICT systems of the Israeli regime will be widely targeted.
• "All similar companies in the region that have American shareholders will be completely destroyed.
• "Power plants in regional countries that host US bases will become legitimate targets for us."

Diego Garcia's UK protection is the customs & Immigration officers, and the local bobby. That should do the trick. It might be helpful to have an Aegis or two handy, as the hamburgers there are a national treasure.

Gums: I share your concern on the use of buckets, and the delivery system by mundane method is of great concern. I am not sure that the issue has been mitigated by capping the boss, the bosses family except for at least one, his son who is more radicalised than dad, before we took out the sons wife, children, cousins, and a chunk of his body. I fail to see how that has made Miami, Los Angeles, or NY any safer than they were the day before. Seems to me that radicalising the other team must be a cunning part of a devious scheme that I am too simple to comprehend. To that end, got to compliment all concerned in the opsec surrounding what the aim of the mission is here, as a tactic, sure the guys and girls going forth to conduct mayhem will be pleased with that.

It certainly seems that the assistance now afforded to Russia, Iran by the leader of the USA has to be confusing to them as well. The really good news is that anyone within the halls of power of the WH would have an excellent opportunity to short as well as cover the market as it responds to every tweet that is sent forth. That the market reacts is pretty clear, the question is guessing what the next signal will be, which is definitely cunning.

Whether US troops are landed on the shores of Iran is dependent on what the US President needs to do to maintain his reputation as a strong leader, not like those that have gone before, on one hand, and on the other the concern that was evident with the bone spur strategy employed some time earlier. I'm betting on "one small step for man... [a] giant leap for the Office of the President". Am stocking up on popcorn. To avoid that, one would need to have a congress and senate that had an interest in their constitutional obligations, and a cabinet that can read.

CBG within the waters of the gulf is a high risk to the fleet. The interdiction of shipping by Iran needs to be countered, but we need Ukraine style rat cunning not shows of force that expose capital ships to high threat conditions. Using any gun system on a small boat fleet would require a stable platform, which is easy enough to cobble up quickly, so long as recoil is being absorbed. UAV launched from a RIB boat has no such issue, and can be deployed in numbers and complicate the long range drone flight planning process, while interdicting at a distance from land targets, like UAE infrastructure, places of national pride etc, while being able to track near the shipping that it is intended to protect. The problem today is multi faceted, gulf state oil and gas infrastructure is at risk, joining the existing problem of the closure of the straits of Hormuz. Interceptor drones would seem to be worth the effort.

Hormuz Minesweeper – Are you tired of winning?

​Real world take on a classic game. More comments on Hacker News

Salute!

Yeppere FDR and BVR, et al. I have not wrapped my arms and remnants of my stroke-impacted brain about any long term strategy than one involving the other folks of the religion in the region to treat the radical as a fringe element of the 2 billion adherents on the planet.

The iranians I flew with during UPT and those my friends flew with and instructed up to the 1979 debacle were not cut of the same cloth. Still of the faith, but like the Pakistan guys I checked out in the Viper, sheesh. Upon the return of the Ayatolla, I had several buddies that were there and had to escape at the bitter end. One even provided embassy cypher-lock codes to the failed rescue party. Anyway, I was asked to ensure the well-being of an Iranian young lady studying in Montongery, as her dad( Air Force colonel )was being persecuted and was likely eliminated. Good news was we had an Iranian military presence due to their attendance at the Air University, and they took care of her. We had gone thru the refugee drill in '75 with the Vee that escaped Ho's folks - students of mine from A-37 days. Coulda bought a car with what we spent getting them outta the camps here at Eglin and in Arkansas, as they had to have a job, lodging and so forth (nothing like the unbridled recent give away programs with no strings attached here for the millions arriving '91-'94 ).

So in the end, both the world and those already there must be involved in a solution. Kinda makes me think of dumping tea into the harbor and colonists meeting a company of redcoats at some bridges in Concord and Lexington about 250 years ago, heh heh. 7 years with much blood shed by both sides, and here we are today talking about a place on the other side of the world causing a big problem.

Saw my own fill of conflict... ten years of my life getting shot at and/or getting ready/training others and myself to get shot at. The words still ring in my brain, "only the dead know the end of war".

Gums sends...

no, SFM, only Hornet guy i know is Mover over on C.W. LeMoine you tube.

Gums...

Musta had a raid an hour ago as we had a conga line of tankers zooming outta the Gulf to Tl Aviv. You know, egress strikers getting topped off.

Gums, in order to find a solution that isn't MOREWAR, requires rational people on both sides to trust each other.

The Iranians seem content to do exactly what they say they will do - Trump changes his mind minute by minute and started this war in the middle of serious negotiations.

He can't stand to lose face but he doesn't seem to mind losing American lives.

Have they done it? I must have missed it. They can make all kinds of claims, threats.

For clarification, are you referring to the claims by the USA government, or the Iranian government?

They don't have to stop every or even most ships in the SoH or Red Sea. The threat is enough. The yemenis hit remarkably few ships in the last flare up but 90% of shipping still decided to go via Cape Horn. The USA et all can promise protection but the shipowners aren't under their control

The insurance costs alone will stop ships from going through the Straits - Iran doesn't have to sink any ships or hit many at all - even 1 - it's the risk of a 100 million dollar ship full of oil and crew getting hit in a war zone that makes the cost unbearable

And it wont be changed soon. The same is for many bussiness in UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.

Maybe they have money to cover , at least their assets- I am higly suspicious that they have local based and backbonned insurance system .

You can't make Alianz, Lloyd or so overnight.

I think this refers to what they'll do in the coming days if the US attacks power generation sites. TBF, they (Iran) have already caused quite a bit of disruption. They seem to have a well considered escalatory game plan which is working rather well.

I am no expert but could Insurance companies just declare Force Majeure, and walk away, as someone (naming no names) started a fight!

Routing over France again. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f601822e23.png
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Video​​​​​​​

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....87fd1935ee.png

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....75a0090da6.png

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b080be2245.png

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....18cea5cc80.png
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Probably aimed at Incirlik again - or maybe further?

Video

Yesterday's B-52 mission. Carrying JDAMs instead of JASSMs.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....18fc6a8c57.png

To paraphrase Francis Urqhart (UK 'House of cards') ... "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment"

Rolled over in bed again. Too many Tacos.....

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7c683d7d2f.png

He can’t even spell ‘which’ correctly!

It is either an attempt by Trump to extract himself out of the war by making it look like Iran has folded their hand, though I doubt they have judging by the rhetoric they keep putting out. He will then falsely claim a victory and find out in the near future it hasn't gone away, in the meantime he is shifting Marines from Japan that were there to help secure Taiwan and missile systems given to S Korea to protect them from China and their northern neighbors

Or he needs to resupply his war effort with more munitions as he has just about exhausted his frontline stocks, bearing in mind they thought it would be over in a couple of days.

Either way it reeks of smoke and mirrors.

If Trump's statement about negotiations is true (I'm not saying he is lying this time but his track record isn't good) this may be just kicking the can down the road. And what about Israel? Will they continue with their attacks on Iran or focus their attention on creating Greater Israel?

Apologies for dragging the politics into it.

Since both US and Israel are attacking Iran, lars, the Iranian government is no doubt asking that same question: if not at the reported negotiations, then at least within their own circles.

While you are within bounds let's all make use of the Jet Blast thread for the political commentary.

Thank you all in advance.

This raises the question for me as to how many medium-range ballistic missiles Iran has, and how many SM-3s the USA has deployed in-theatre. Given Iran's published target list, there is a lot of pressure on the USA to provide adequate cover for those, as well as other not listed, but militarily important targets. The SM-3s cost between USD 10 million and USD 30 million each.

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-n...t-2024-10?op=1

https://thedefensepost.com/2026/03/17/sm-3-block-ib/

https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary...n-warfare.html

I would hope that USA and Israeli intelligence know how many medium-range ballistic missiles Iran has available and therefore have enough stock of adequate defensive weapons: otherwise the Iranian strategy is clear. Currently, the Iranians have absolutely no incentive to hold back.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c06784e715.png
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Intetesting Day
 

DJT - "Negotiations going well..."

Iran - "There have been no negotistions..."

I wonder how the market futures trading has been going today?

Presumably, if they are not bombing civillian infrasructure, they will be concentrating resources on the military targets.

Iran says USA backed down after Iran ‘explained’ the military consequences if USA bombed Iranian energy infrastructure!

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/worl...rump-statement