Caption: You’ll understand if you’re old enough. Adding Boris would have ruined the vibe. Same with Moose & Squirrel.
Shadowy figures continue on VM.
Bullet Points:
** Did the British learn from the Americans, or did we learn from them?
** Former Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani stressed multiple times during a recent 90-minute interview that another US-Israel confrontation with Iran was likely within the next decade, and that the Gulf will once again be caught in the middle. Do you think he’s wrong?
** A Saudi defense-tech firm has partnered with a US-based drone maker to make weapons similar to Iran’s Shahed system, which Tehran has used to pummel Gulf countries over the past few months. The facility being built on the outskirts of Riyadh — a joint venture between Utah-based Vector Defense and Saudi-based startup SR2 Defense Systems — will manufacture a one-way attack drone, dubbed SKYWASP, developed by Vector, that can hit targets up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away. That’s about the distance from the kingdom’s northeast coast to Tehran.
** It’s billed as an unholy alliance. If you’re in Coronado, CA, on May 30, free coffee and pancakes. Unleash your inner Durtbag. (left)
** Though I’ve said it before, I will say it again because of the data-center-bad crowd. There is no shortage of fresh water on Earth. The planet’s surface is covered by deep water, with islands where we live. We (humans) have the absolute capacity to desalinate and purify water and move it wherever we want. We simply lack the will to do it. Widen your vision, lengthen your stride, and simply use what is right in front of you to solve the problem – if it is a problem.
** From Scuttlebut: The DNC is continuing to think that minorities are the Useful Idiots in America… If you don’t remember Poodle Dog Bitch Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the DNC from 2011 until she had to fall on her sword after the debacle where the DNC rigged the primaries so that Hillary could win the nomination in 2016… well, she never really went away, she has been the Representative for Florida’s 25th Congressional District since 2023. That district is going away now, because of redistricting.
It’s being divided up into the new boundaries of the 25th, where Debbie lives, and the 20th. The 20th is a very minority heavy district, by which I mean about 90% black. They’re currently without representation because Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick had to resign after being caught with her fingers in a five-million-dollar Cookie jar, embezzling Covid 19 funds. (slightly relevant point, Sheila is black, Debbie is Jewish, White-bread)
Well, Sheila has been indicted for multiple felony charges, but says that she is still running for the seat she just resigned from! Debbie has announced that she’s going to move, so that she can run for the same seat, instead of running for the area that she lives in, which is now part of a republican leading district, and is telling the folks of the 20th, that they need to vote for her, because she can be counted on to understand their plight. Yes, a white New York Jew can certainly represent them better than a black democrat felon or any of the three black republican candidates running for that office. That’s the Democratic National Committee’s position anyway.
** In Texas on May 26, MAGA voters toppled Senator John Cornyn in a runoff against primary against Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general. The race was close until Trump endorsed Paxton. That blew Cornyn off the map as Paxton beat him by 27 points.
** CDRSAL asks the age-old question – guns or butter? In our modern world, where everyone is a victim and feels it is appropriate to loot somebody else to get what they want, it’s more like guns or welfare. In Europe and the USA, where welfare replaced religion as the opiate of the masses, and politicians have learned that they can buy other people’s votes with your money.
** Reuters News is reporting that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that the “administration is drawing up plans to stop processing international travelers and cargo at major U.S. airports in ‘sanctuary cities’ that have declined to cooperate with an immigration crackdown. The move could effectively halt international air travel and commerce at major airports in Democratic states, with millions of foreign tourists expected to stream in for next month’s start of the FIFA World Cup.” Mullins said that they were in the planning stages and haven’t implemented it yet. “We shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities,” Mullins added. Last week, Mullins “told U.S. travel executives his department could opt to stop customs and immigration processing of international travelers,” according to the report. The report added that, “The U.S. Justice Department published a list of so-called sanctuary cities and states that included many cities with major international airports. Among these were Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle , and San Francisco.”
Will Britain Continue to be a Nuclear Power?
(Navy Lookout) HM Naval Base Clyde is now the sole operating base for the Royal Navy’s entire submarine flotilla. A newly framed Clyde Transformation Program is an ambitious upgrade project that must rebuild many aspects of the facility while sustaining ongoing submarine operations. (h/t Claudio)
For most of its life, Faslane has mainly been regarded merely as a fixed backdrop to the submarines that sail from it, rather than as a system requiring major investment in its own right. The base was built in the 1960s for Polaris and the Resolution-class SSBNs, with a major addition in the late 1980s to support the second generation of Trident-equipped Vanguard-class SSBNs. Little of structural significance has changed since.
The high-voltage distribution network, utilities, and waterfront services the site depends on are now around six decades old, and successive decisions to defer spending have left parts of the base in poor condition. This includes jetties that need reconstruction to support Dreadnought and SSN-A-class boats. Many assumed that the transition from Vanguard to Dreadnought would be straightforward, but the condition of much of the infrastructure demands major renewal rather than patching up or minor adaptations. Speaking at CNE 2026, Andy Tims, Deputy Director, Clyde Capital Programs, said: “We’ve reached the end of the road. You can’t just fix it a bit, and it’ll be fine.”
There are other questions. Will Scotland continue to be part of the United Kingdom? There has been great dissatisfaction among many Scots, and referendums for an independent Scotland date back to Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. If Scotland were to separate from the UK, HM Naval Base Clyde would be outside of England’s dominion. If that were to happen, there would be no facility available to the Royal Navy’s submarine and nuclear weapons program. Perhaps France or the United States could host the British submarines and the British nuclear deterrent arsenal if that happened?
Are the Red Chinese Managing their Decline?
Belle Starr and Blue Duck
It’s not difficult to find shadowy figures within the annals of the Old West. Sometimes their legend is enhanced by art – in this case by Larry McMurtrie’s book Lonesome Dove, which finds Texas Rangers Call and McRae at odds with Bluford Duck. The history is even more interesting.
During the late 1870s and early 1880s, Belle Starr and the outlaw known as Blue Duck (photo left) became connected through both romance and life on the frontier. Belle Starr had already gained a reputation as a bold and controversial figure living in the Oklahoma Territory, where outlaw camps, horse thieves, and smugglers moved through the rugged borderlands. At the time, she was married to fellow outlaw Sam Starr, but stories from the era describe Belle as having formed close relationships with several men involved in frontier crime. Among the most talked-about was Bluford “Blue” Duck, a man whose name would later become feared across Indian Territory.
Their relationship reportedly extended beyond personal companionship and into outlaw activity. Blue Duck spent time around the Starrs’ hideout at Younger’s Bend, an isolated area that became associated with horse theft, bootlegging, and other illegal operations common along the frontier. The region itself was difficult for law enforcement to control, allowing outlaw groups to move across territory lines with relative ease. Over time, stories about Belle Starr and Blue Duck grew into part of the larger folklore of the Old West, where fact and legend often blended together through newspaper stories, courtroom drama, and public fascination.
One of the clearest examples of Belle’s loyalty to Blue Duck came after his arrest in the mid-1880s following a violent incident that drew national attention. When he faced a severe sentence under Judge Isaac Parker’s authority, Belle reportedly worked hard to support his legal defense. She helped arrange for attorneys and participated in publicity efforts to influence public opinion during the appeals process.
Surly, hanging out with his Fembot – when the Cylons have departed.
She looks a little bored, Surly
Wing-in-Ground-Effect (WIGE or GEV)
A ground-effect vehicle (GEV), also called a wing-in-ground-effect (WIGE or WIG), ground-effect craft/machine (GEM), wingship, flarecraft, surface effect vehicle, or ekranoplan (Russian: экранопла́н – “screenglider”), is a vehicle that makes use of the ground effect, the aerodynamic interaction between a moving wing and the stationary surface below (land or water). Typically, it glides over a level surface (usually over water). Some models can operate on any flat surface, such as a lake or a flat plain, similar to a hovercraft. The term Ground-Effect Vehicle originally referred to any craft utilizing ground effect, including what later became known as hovercraft, in patent descriptions during the 1950s. However, this term came to exclude air-cushion vehicles or hovercraft. GEVs do not include racecars that utilize ground effect to increase downforce.
The Russians created some of these aircraft, dubbed Caspian Sea Monsters, which are now gutted and rusted, but the idea was not a bad one. Flying low by design in the boundary layer between the ocean’s surface and the thicker atmosphere can provide significant lift, reducing fuel consumption and making detection more difficult. The US toyed with the idea forty years ago as well.
Now, the West Chinese (PRC) have come up with a similar plan, and there is a flying prototype which may be a tech demonstrator. (h/t Claudio) Will they be incorporated into the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy in large numbers?
I think the US Navy should consider an operational seaplane force for the Pacific Theater. There are a number of applications for a long-range aircraft that wouldn’t need a runway in times of war. I don’t know that the GEV style is the approach we should take, but we have a different problem from the one China or Russia faced.
Identify the AFV
1
Identify the Rotor
2
Identify the MRAP
3
Identify the Tank
4
5
Parting Shot
Claudio offers advice and a dire warning.
I’ve got news for you, Claudio – it applies internationally.
End
(1) Stryker.
(2) MD Explorer.
(3) International Maxxpro.
(4) Merkava IV.
(5) Not entirely sure, but perhaps some flavor of Magach (Israeli M60).
– Kle.
You’re on it.
Identify the AFV
1 – M1126 Stryker
2 – Belgian Federal Police MD902 Explorer
Identify the MRAP
3 – International MaxxPro M1224
Identify the Tank
4 – IDF Merkava Mark IV
5 – USMC M60A1 RISE Passive
Identify the AFV
1 – M1126 Stryker
2 – Belgian Federal Police MD902 Explorer
Identify the MRAP
3 – International MaxxPro M1224
Identify the Tank
4 – IDF Merkava Mark IV
5 – USMC M60A1 RISE Passive
Outstanding
Do I think we’ll be back in Iran w/in 10 years?
Well, not if we finish the job this time, but that is looking unlikely.
*
Also, not if the next 10 years of Presidents and Congresses are spineless weasels
on the issue (pretty much all of the issues) like they have been for the last almost
50 years.
*
So, could go either way.
– Kle.
*
P.S. – I am a big fan of Ekranoplans, and flying boats, too. The Coasties _definitely_ need
a flying boat, and the rest of DoW could use them too.
I don’t know that we’ll buy ten years, but in 10 years, the Straits of Hormuz could be far less important as a chokepoint than they are now. (could be). Building a new flying boat is an important priority IMHO, but I think that much of DOW lacks the vision that requires a historical perspective.
We won’t go back – In 10 years Hormuz may still be important for dry goods import and some export for the gulf states and will be important for Iran’s oil shipping but less important to the rest of the worlds energy trading.
It’s definitely shaping up in that direction. Iraqi oil (Basra Light and Basra Heavy) will still be exported, but if they’re smart, they’ll pipe it across Syria to the Med. There is already the pipeline through Turkey.
Yeah, but nothing like projection…because that guy knows the 7th century ‘DEATH TO INFIDELS! (aka anyone NOT them) is part of their evolved DNA so will rear its ugly head again. As Kle says, take care of it now…best one can. Maybe if Israel & American do the job the good people of Iran will rise up to pre-80’s life and in ten years it won’t reemerge. Maybe.
They show no inclination to do anything but go along to get along.
**will manufacture a one-way attack drone,**
Seems like there already ought to be a word for that already but nothing quite fits, calling it a “slow missile” just doesn’t sound right…
What’s the difference between a slow one-way attack drone and a cruise missile?
I’ll bite. About 30 minutes, give or take?
I think that’s right.
how about the difference between $2 mil and $50K
They’re developing very long-range drone aircraft on the cheap. Or you can call them cruise missiles. It’s largely a matter of semantics. The industry is evolving at an astonishing rate, and of course, the metric is for a LOT of inexpensive drones to overwhelm defensive systems.
“The history is even more interesting.” Quite right, you’re bloody-well right. The saga of Charles Goodnight, Bose Ikard and Oliver Loving is in fact much more interesting. I’ve boycotted McMurtry and his wet dream rip-off of their lives and times ever since he was quoted in Texas Monthly Magazine as saying he had to leave the state to have a good meal or find a good-looking woman to look at. Burn the heretic.
I don’t know how McMurtry could say that about Texas. I found it quite the opposite. In fact, if it had not been for the location of my children and grandchildren and driving distances, I’d have settle somewhere south of Fort Worth along the Brazos. Though I’ve been informed that the influx of out-of-state people is ruining that area.
Why is that? Discussion with the ‘locate’ guy the other day how Montana…mainly university cities, which is no surprise…are ‘changing’ from the influx of those fleeing their screwed up states, bringing their idiotic mentality here. Says he doesn’t mind Californians as long as they don’t demand here what they escaped from there. But they always do. Strange to me.
I think Montana cities are heading in that direction faster than in Texas (except for Austin – which is lost), though if the Albertans can manage to free themselves from Canada, that would have a positive influence on Montana.
Agreed…Whitefish, up by the border, is like a mini Boulder, CO…ski area and big money on Flathead (where $15k for 10acres in the early 80’s is a few mil now with 5000 sqft “vacation” homes) morphed the town over the last two decades. Bozeman and Missoula are changing, not fast by my metric, but longstanding locals talk about it. Then you have the ‘native’ areas, which still struggle, and vote that way.
Because he’s an arrogant ass with far too high an opinion of his own talent, if any, would be my guess.
Identify the AFV:
1. Stryker
Identify the Rotor:
2. MD Explorer
Identify the MRAP:
3. International MaxxPro
Identify the Tank:
4. Merkava IV
5. USMC M60A1 with reactive armor
Well done.
Sadly, you have caught the essence of the aging Surly rather well, even to the point of reading a magazine for the last time before tossing.
We’re all aging, Surly. Takes one to know one.
How well can an ekranoplan handle traveling over rough seas, say, a 10-15 foot swell ?
When the sea gets rougher, the boundary layer rises (above ground level – AGL), but the sea state definitely inpacts what it can do. More wind than wave height. These aircraft (the Chinese entry for example) can fly higher, but they are most efficient using that lift offered by the boundary layer – by design.
Cornyn will be missed by those that had the money to buy his influence. Of course, that rarely included the constituents. In political terms, he was successful. In moral terms, he was an abysmal failure.
Will Paxton avoid that money trap?
He’s survived in politics. I’m thinking he’s already fallen into the money trap. How he handles it is to be seen. He’ll be surrounded with some of the greediest, morally bankrupt people that history has seen, and will make every effort to destroy him when given the opportunity. If so, it won’t be his first rodeo.
It’s difficult to roll in the mud with pigs without getting dirty. Which reminds me:
.
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig. Never roll in the mud with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig enjoys it.
No doubt that Paxton’s victory was a large chunk in the punch bowl for the Bushies.
Belle Starr, as my mom would say, “Handsome woman.” Tough ere so even the woman looked rough.
***
Launch Party: So are you going? Been to the Del Coronado once with MrsPaulM at a corporate meeting she had, interesting place and area. In St. Pete is the Don Cesar, ‘The Pink Hotel. Upscale but very nice beachside…and no military base next door, altho MrsPaulM played in the shell as a kid when visiting St. Pete, it had become a WWII (not ‘11’) medical facility then got reborn in ‘67. Both hotels are stunning examples of early 1900’s era architecture.
Ps. Speaking of the Del, MrsPaulM got a lick out of the ‘Navy Seal Dog Soldier’ being lowed from the helo…made her day.
No. I’m going to stay in the mountains for the time being.
Smart move…is too, altho the fray is very far away even outside the property lines and valley.
Phone typos galore…note to self: Reading glasses.
Always seems, as in 95% of the time, that The Dems still garner support despite constant cheatery on their side. Must be because their voting block are cheaters themselves otherwise they’d demand a stop to it. Seems obvious to anyone paying attention, but guess their side is like those two inner city hippos squaring off in yesterday’s video, fighting over some nonsense on the playground. Speaks to the mentality.
The woke are all victims of this or that, justifying any evil they do.
And that right there is how the welfare system twists the brains of recipients over decades until they have no idea what life can be without dependency but with true independence. Same goes with Iran citizens: Do Iranian woman today have any idea what life had been for their mothers and grandmothers in order to have a goal to achieve for their own freedom from the despicable Sharia? Doubtful, as your answer above suggests.
“Keel moose and squirrel” .
—
https://atrainwreckinmaxwell.blogspot.com/2021/09/keel-moose-and-squirrel.html
—
Sea Planes. Somewhere in a dusty box, I have a magazine article about Charles Lindbergh’s time in the Pacific during WWII. He returned to CONUS aboard a sea plane, which one I can’t recall, but likely a Martin PBM Mariner. During the flight, the pilot asked Lindbergh if he would like to get some “stick time”. Lindbergh accepted. Sitting there in the pilot’s seat droning over the Pacific, it was not lost on him that he he was flying a ship that had three pilots on board (including him) a head, a galley with hot food, and bunks for sleeping.
Belle Starr and Blue Duck
That brings to mind the Bassett sisters years later in Browns Park (Hole) and Butch Cassidy. Strong women, living their life as they pleased.
During the Depression my Dad (14) delivered mail from Maybell, CO to Browns Park. In the winter he did it on horseback and the ranchers in the area would put him and his horse up for the night. One ranch family were the Bassets. Queen Anne Basset was in midlife by then but still “vigorous” per family gossip.
A good history of that era is, “Where the Old West Stays Young”, by John Rolfe Burroughs.
Claudio’s advice reminded me of a meme, seen elsewhere, that said you shouldn’t argue with a woman because if you won, things could get worse.
I like the optimistic “could get worse”.
Predictable results like the Sun rising.
As is our want here on Memorial Day we watched saving Private Ryan . Seeing your pix posted above made me wonder if anything had been invented to protect the trac system .
When the Tiger and Panther came up the street in Neuville to attack the bridge defenders , sticky bombs turned them into fixed fortifications. Still dangerous but not quite as a useful .
The Trophy Active Protection System (APS) is a combat-proven “hard-kill” defense shield developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in Israel. It proactively protects armored vehicles from anti-tank missiles and rockets by tracking, targeting, and physically neutralizing threats in mid-air before they can impact and penetrate the vehicle. That is state of the art. The system fires a highly precise volley of Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs) designed to disintegrate the incoming warhead or trigger early detonation at a safe distance from the vehicle.
.
It wouldn’t defend against someone with a GI sock filled with Comp B, covered with axle grease.
Well, the track systems and suspension are (somewhat) more durable nowadays.
That said, the best protection for them is not going slow enough or close enough
to the “crunchies” for them to run over and screw with you. Modern tanks are
much faster and more “agile”, and have longer ranged weapons and _vastly_
better sensors. So the answer is… sort of.
– Kle.
I giggled at the angry pancakes… and then promptly showed it to a coworker with a small male child. They’ll be far easier to freehand than Mickey Mouse pancakes, and just as likely to be gleefully chomped with relish and enthusiasm in between babble about pirates and sharks. Anything that assists in saving sanity in the mornings, and getting food in the toddler instead of on the toddler, is a great idea!
Put blueberries in for the eyes!
The US would be smart to buy the ShinMaywa US-2 from Japan, rather than try to develop their own GEV. THe US-2 is a real seaplane with a 2900 mi range. GEVs are limited to operations in higher seastates, and the Pacific gets a LOT of that, in addition to rogue waves that can top 50 feet.
I don’t disagree. You could use it as it but DOD would want to tinker with the design, doubling the cost. Think of what we did with the FREMM Frigates that we started on and are now only building two of.
Ekranoplans can generally “hop” a couple hundred feet in the air, so if you
have good sensors and are paying attention, you can go over the rogue waves
and surprise islands and oops-a-ships. If you aren’t paying attention, well,
SSNs also run into seamounts, at least the Ekranoplan replacement won’t
be *that* expensive.
*
The Shinmeiwa is a nice machine. I would like something a little bigger,
but I would certainly settle for a few hundred of those. The PRC has a nice
looking new one too, presumably it could be re-engined with Western
mills, and might be a nice machine then.
*
We also really need some nice big flying boats that can scoop and bomb for wildfires.
– Kle.