The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that a B-21 Raider flight test aircraft conducted a “close-proximity flight” with a KC-135 Stratotanker on Tuesday as part of the bomber’s ongoing test campaign.The event, spotted by aviation photographers over the Mojave Desert near Edwards Air Force Base, California, during a mission lasting approximately 5.5 hours according to spotter reports and online flight tracking, represents a precursor step toward validating capabilities essential for the B-21’s long-range, penetrating strike role. The Air Force statement did not mention aerial refueling or fuel transfer. Publicly available images show the stealth bomber positioned behind the tanker in…
Author: Tommy Grant
As Mark Thornton has detailed in his brilliant book, The Skyscraper Curse, Austrian School economists’ unique theory of the business cycle has given them a distinct advantage in foreseeing oncoming economic crises: from Ludwig von Mises’s 1920s predictions of looming bank failures, to Thornton’s own 2004 warnings of the housing bubble and its consequences. Contemporary Austrians continue to apply this theory when scrutinizing the anxious landscape of today’s economy, looking for early warning signs of where central bank monetary manipulation will manifest itself next. However, depending on the course which history takes, we may someday look back and reflect that today’s Austrians…
The U.S. Navy decommissioned half of its Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships last year and began replacing them with littoral combat ships that possess anti-mine capabilities.Naval mine warfare is a major tenet of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy military doctrine, according to a 2017 Office of Naval Intelligence report, and looks to be a factor in the ongoing Iran war.Iran reportedly began laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week, with U.S. Central Command announcing Tuesday that it had struck 16 Iranian mine-layers.The U.S. remains confident that it’s new phase of mine countermeasure capabilities can successfully thwart mine warfare.“The…
A closer look at what stress does to your mind and body during and after a lethal force incident.Imagine you wake at 2 in the morning to the sound of breaking glass. Your heart races. In a split second your brain goes into overdrive: you worry about your family, defending your home, and the safety of the people you love. You jump out of bed, grab your weapon, and move through a house you know like the back of your hand. In the living room you see the silhouette of a figure who is too large to be one of…
Growing up, my family had a vegetable garden every year. We didn’t grow one because we had to but because we enjoyed the work and the availability of fresh produce at our fingertips. These days it seems almost trendy to say you grow your own food but the time to have a food garden out of necessity certainly seems to be on the horizon. Food prices keep increasing, shortages have become normal, and changing weather patterns all affect what types of foods are available to us. The system on which we rely for our food is really an experiment. When…
A military inquiry has faulted the United States for the destruction and massacre of a girls’ school in Iran during the initial bombings in Minab. Previously, Donald Trump tried to blame the school’s destruction on Iran, claiming Tehran hit the school with a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile. Trump Said Iran Bombed Its Own School During Minab Attack It was fairly obvious early on that the U.S. was responsible for bombing the school; however, the ruling class tried to play it off as Iran’s fault. Investigations by the Associated Press, CNN, and the Washington Post all concluded that the U.S. was the…
Disasters and emergencies can be dirty, stinky, hazardous messes where you’ll want to protect your hands, skin, eyes, and airway. PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment, can help you with that protection.PPE spans from typical everyday gear to safety gear and then to specialized equipment. It typically involves covering your body and protecting your vital functions critical to survival. Sometimes it’s rolled up into clothing or first aid gear because of this.I’ve taught PPE strategies and equipment use in the military, so I’ll share the gear you’ll need to be prepared and a few strategies to help you out when you…
Images by the author Regular readers of this website will know that I am a fan of HiLight Tactical, from Sheridan, Wyoming. They make some very effective pistol lights, many of which feature integrated lasers. There are lights for just about any purpose and budget… check them out here. I own several of them… some not only have very bright lights, but also sport some interesting lasers in colors like cyan, blue, and purple. in addition to the “standard” colors of red and green. Those blue and purple lasers stand out in daylight, and positively pop in the dark. I…
In March 1915, the Great War was spreading like a plague across Europe, Asia and Africa, but the United States of America was still uninvolved and desperately striving to keep out of it. While the menace of German submarines were becoming a growing threat in the Atlantic Ocean, nothing could be farther away from the U.S. Navy submarine F-4 (SS-23) as it performed maneuvers off Honolulu, Hawaii. On March 25, however, the Navy was reminded that one didn’t need a war to be imperiled by the sea, as F-4 sank with Lt. Alfred L. Ede and all 20 of its…
The world’s largest aircraft carrier experienced a non-combat fire Thursday that was successfully doused, the U.S. Navy announced.The USS Gerald R. Ford, which is operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury, saw its main laundry room ignite in a non-combat- incident.“There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational,” read a post by the Navy on X.Two sailors were receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, the Navy said, and were in stable condition.The Navy did not specify the cause of the fire but said more information would be forthcoming…