Free Republic

As the JSF founding members squirm for excuses to cut projected orders, anticipating the program's soaring costs consuming growing shares of local defense budgets, Israel is expected to become the first international customer to commit to the next generation stealth fighter, although the country has not formally joined the program as one of the 'founding members'. Bowing under unprecedented financial pressure, the U.K. is moving to axe the planned construction of one aircraft carrier, along with up to 88 F-35B (V/STOL) fighters that would be operating on board, saving about £7.6 billion in out-year budget. Financial issues have also led...

I'll tell you what I found out from my contacts at NSWC Norfolk and at SOCOM Tampa. First though, let me orient you to familiarize you with the "terrain." In Africa from Djibouti at the southern end of the Red Sea eastward through the Gulf of Aden to round Cape Guardafui at the easternmost tip of Africa, (also known as "The Horn of Africa"), is about a 600 nm transit before you stand out into the Indian Ocean. That transit is comparable in distance to that from the mouth of the Mississippi at New Orleans to the tip of Florida...

(Click on the pic thumbnail for a high res version) AIRCRAFT CARRIER PICS U.S. Aircraft carriers are the mainstay of the US fleet and the principle capital vessels in the US inventory. They are the US Navy's principle means of projecting conventional power through the use of their large aircraft wing and are protected by significant defensive weapons systems onboard, and an entire group of surface and sub-surface vessels that sail with them. AIRCRAFT CARRIER DECK OPERATION PICS U.S. aircraft carrier deck operations are extremely busy, complicated & dangerous. The different colored vests represent different job functions. Yellow controls...

ESPN is reporting that Les Miles will be Michigan's next football coach.