Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 03/07/2026 12:19:45 PM PST by Uncle Miltie
(Snip)
The Air Force’s preparations for war were fascinating. Because the number of aircraft and pilots is fixed and known, and because it was clear a race would develop between Iran’s launch capability and the Air Force’s ability to destroy launchers and missiles, the solution devised by the Air Force was to increase the number of waves. How? Fly to Iran and back three times a day. Every pilot. And how is that done? With stimulant pills. That was the trick they planned. And it worked.
When every pilot does this three times a day instead of once or twice, the number of strikes soars, literally and figuratively, the number of strikes surges, and the ability to reduce Iran’s launch capability is dramatically strengthened. “We understood that we had to bring as many bombs as possible to the target in as little time as possible,” an IDF official said this week, “to jam them up, destroy them, and bring them down as quickly as possible, without giving them time to lift their heads.”
The Iranians are no fools. We were not the only ones preparing for the event. They were too. The previous operation taught them a few things, and they stationed large numbers of bulldozers and tractors at launch sites so they could quickly reopen bombed tunnels after each wave. They were counting on attacks frequency, but the high pace left them no chance.
A learning competition developed here between our side and the Iranians. A competition that was decided, but not without effort. And we have not yet spoken about the American aircraft that joined in. Bottom line: by Wednesday afternoon, the Air Force had dropped its 5,000th munition on targets in Iran in four days. Throughout all 12 days of the previous operation, 3,700 munitions were dropped.
The heart of the race was during the first 48 intense hours. With medical supervision, the Air Firce found the most suitable stimulant pills and trained with them to ensure there were no side effects, no damage to the pilot’s sharpness or motor skills, while also identifying the optimal nutrition for such a situation. They also learned from the Americans’ experience, since the Americans are used to long-duration flights of this kind. B-2 bombers, for example, can fly continuously for very long hours.
What happened was that the pilots and ground crews were pushed beyond anything they had ever experienced during the first three days. The only ones who pushed harder were the Iranians. They took the full blow, and the sharp decline in the pace of launches recorded in recent days is the result of that effort. As of Thursday, the assessment was that the Air Force was on the verge of breaking Iran’s launch capability. No, not reducing it to zero, but bringing it down to “manageable” dimensions that would leave the interception systems with a reasonable workload.
In wartime, the Air Force’s motto is: “Either you’re flying, or you’re sleeping, or you’re eating.” In the current war, that was shortened to: “Either you’re flying, or you’re eating.” They simply did not sleep. Throughout all this, everyone had to be kept on a tight leash, to make sure there was no hubris, no excess self-confidence, no creeping contempt. The historic downing of an Iranian aircraft by an F-35 improved morale, but did not reduce the intensity. Here and there Iranian MiGs also took off against our pilots, but quickly broke contact.
And despite the clear results, the Air Force is not getting confused. It is not underestimating the Iranians. They are fighting, someone said, they are putting up a fight, they came to wage war, they learned, they prepared, they are not giving up on anything, they still take off here and there, they continue launching even though they know that after every launch they will be hit. They are more determined in this round than they were in the previous campaign.
What kept the pilots and ground crews going at this murderous pace? Simple: in addition to the uncompromising professionalism of the force, there was also the knowledge that every sortie, every takeoff, every flight of hours out and hours back, was intended to ensure that the family of that pilot, that female pilot, that extraordinary ground crew member, would have to run to shelters fewer times.
The force multiplier
The Air Force is not only pilots. The ground crews are another unresolved wonder. During every visit by American or foreign officers to Air Force bases, the visitors try to understand how it can be that the servicing, preparation, and arming time of an Israeli fighter jet between strike waves is significantly shorter than in the United States, Britain, or anywhere else, and with less manpower, or women-power. Try explaining that to them. They won’t understand.
Speaking of women, it is an advantage. Everyone I speak to about the issue praises the extra ingenuity and intelligence of the young Israeli women who race with endless energy between the hardened shelters, bombs, and missiles, making sure as few minutes as possible pass between one takeoff and the next. Books will still be written about the cooperation with the American gorilla. It was an unprecedented event in which the naval, air, and intelligence arms of the two countries were integrated as equals and became a single arm.
Israelis suddenly understood American power. The fact that more than 100 modern refueling aircraft flooded the skies of the Middle East meant that every Israeli pilot could change course or stop for refueling almost anywhere. The dialogues between the refueling pilot and the pilot being refueled will one day be published and warm many hearts. Then there is the intensity with which the United States can strike anywhere, at any time, at any hour, with any munition, from any possible bomber. The unchallenged air superiority of the F-22s, and of course the B-2 bombers, the strategic game-changers.
But the Americans, too, got a chance to witness some extraordinary things: the professionalism, precision, and capabilities that exist only in the Israeli Air Force; intelligence so precise it is jaw-dropping, down to a hair’s breadth; and endless creativity that we will only learn about in the distant future. Interlocking American-Israeli tools that made history this week.
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
More at source, especially what I find to be some irrelevant navel gazing to start. So, I started where the interesting meat begins.
Dear IAF Pilots:
Please be on the lookout for the following (via Grok):
common withdrawal symptoms include:
• Fatigue or extreme tiredness / lethargy (often profound and persistent)
• Depression or dysphoric mood (low mood, feeling down, or anhedonia — inability to feel pleasure)
• Increased appetite or overeating (often leading to weight gain during withdrawal)
• Sleep disturbances, such as:
• Hypersomnia (prolonged or excessive sleeping, especially in the initial “crash” phase)
• Insomnia (trouble sleeping later on)
• Vivid, unpleasant, or disturbing dreams/nightmares
• Irritability, agitation, or mood swings
• Anxiety or restlessness
• Intense cravings for the drug
• Psychomotor changes, such as slowing of movements/thinking (psychomotor retardation) or agitation
• Difficulty concentrating or poor focus
• Other possible symptoms: aches/pains, headaches, twitches/muscle movements, or (less commonly) brief psychotic features like paranoia if present during use
Withdrawal often follows phases:
• An initial “crash” (hours to a few days after stopping): intense fatigue, depression, prolonged sleep, increased appetite, and strong cravings.
• A longer intermediate phase (days to weeks): ongoing low energy, mood issues, disturbed sleep, and cravings.
• Symptoms can last from several days to several weeks (or even months in some cases for lingering effects like low motivation or mood changes), though the acute phase is typically 1–2 weeks.
(Half a joke …)
“ Jews on Speed!”
*******************
LOL 👍🏻
I can’t figure out what the point was in posting this list...
Interesting that sexual consequences go unmentioned.
And flying from Israel to Iran isn't a drive around the block.
And you're flying through airspace that may or may not be friendly to you.
It’s little known (to some), but there was usage of “speed” in WWII also, with the Germans being the early adopters.
https://time.com/5752114/nazi-military-drugs/
Withdrawal symptoms for amphetamines
some 20 or so years back, I sold some test equipment to the IAF. They sent 2 personnel to our facility for training on the equipment, a younger officer and an older senior NCO. I asked them what they thought the long game was regarding the palistinians.
The younger officer thought that they could form a dialog and eventually learn to live together. The older NCO said no, we’re going to have to kill them all. I guess he was right.
GO ISRAEL!!!!
This is also a spiritual fight and most US demoncrats are on the side of IRGC/mullah devils and these democrats should be arrested, including Mamdani and his fricken’ wife.
“””””Speaking of women, it is an advantage.”””””
So the female is superior to the male airmen, this should make recruiting end accepting male recruits.
Interesting read (minus the drugs).
We paid for all of it.
(Jews on Speed!)
Then there’s Jews in Space!!
Thanks for posting the interesting bits only. The first part of the article was not so much navel gazing as onesided internal politics.
But onto the interesting parts. Very interesting about the intense activity during the first 48 hours. However, I am a bit concerned about the medication. IIRC both France, Canada, and the US used amphetamine-like preparations (Modafinil by the French and Canadians) for their pilots during the first Gulf war. There were a number of friendly fire incidents that at least the pilots ascribed to the medications they had received.
I don’t know if they have managed to improve the preparations, or finding a more suitable dosage. Still I would have thought it better to “manage” the sleep periods of the pilots (short naps), but maybe that wasn’t doable during the initial phase of the war.
Anyhow, very interesting. We will see how much information will be published in the open literature after the end of the conflict.
>> Jews on Speed!
🤣
But seriously, the IDF is awesome!
As is our military, once a SecWar like Hegseth runs off the woke elements.
And America and Israel working together is a beautiful sight to behold!
The Air Force is not only pilots. The ground crews are another unresolved wonder. During every visit by American or foreign officers to Air Force bases, the visitors try to understand how it can be that the servicing, preparation, and arming time of an Israeli fighter jet between strike waves is significantly shorter than in the United States, Britain, or anywhere else, and with less manpower, or women-power. Try explaining that to them. They won’t understand.
No we get it. Your pilots are on drugs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.