This aging amphib will soon take on ISIS. Here's how sailors and Marines got it ready for the fight

Lance M. Bacon, Marine Corps Times 

(Photo: Cpl. John Hamilton/Marine Corps)

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ABOARD THE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP WASP — The Islamic State group is about to feel the sting of this 27-year-old gator as it heads out on its first major deployment in more than a decade.
The amphibious assault Wasp is back in the fight. For the first time in 11 years, the Wasp will deploy to the Middle East with the dock landing ship Whidbey Island and the amphibious transport dock San Antonio. The three ships in the amphibious ready group have a combined age of 68 years.
The ARG will carry more than 2,000 members of the Camp Lejeune, North Carolina-based 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which includes Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Combat Logistics Battalion 22; and Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 (reinforced).
The sailors and Marines will take up the fight against ISIS during their six-month deployment.
“To think that we are going to go over to that part of the world and not be engaged in some of these fights against ISIS, don't be naïve,” said Capt. Andy Smith, the ship’s commanding officer. “We're going to launch aircraft off with weapons and they're going to come back having dropped them on somebody. If we have to send Marines ashore, they will be in the thick of it.

Γεωργοί από Ελλάδα και Ανατολία έμαθαν την Ευρώπη να καλλιεργεί

Μετανάστες από τις δύο πλευρές του βορείου Αιγαίου, την Ελλάδα και την Ανατολία (σημερινή Τουρκία), εισήγαγαν τη γεωργία στην Κεντρική και στη Δυτική Ευρώπη, σύμφωνα με μια νέα ευρωπαϊκή επιστημονική έρευνα με επικεφαλής Έλληνες και Γερμανούς επιστήμονες.

Η παλαιογενετική μελέτη βασίσθηκε στην ανάλυση DNA από πέντε σκελετούς που βρέθηκαν σε πρώιμες νεολιθικές τοποθεσίες στη Βόρεια Ελλάδα και στη Βορειοδυτική Τουρκία (περιοχή Θάλασσας Μαρμαρά).

B-52s step up airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

(Photo: Staff Sgt. Larry Reid Jr./Air Force)

B-52 bombers, based in the U.S. Central Command theater for the first time in 26 years, have stepped up strikes against Islamic State militants in the past month.
The bombers flew nearly 140 sorties out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and employed more than 680 precision weapons against ISIS, Lt. Col. Chris Karns, spokesman for Air Forces Central Command, told Air Force Times on Wednesday.

The road to Brexit: 16 things you need to know about what will happen if we vote to leave the EU

As the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU draws closer, the result is impossible to predict. Many are asking what, in practical terms, would happen if we vote for Brexit. Alan Renwick explored some key elements of the withdrawal process before the referendum campaign began. Here, he gives a point-by-point overview of what the road to Brexit might look like.
**An updated version of this post was published on 24 June in light of the referendum result**

Μπλεκ: O ήρωας που έδερνε τους Άγγλους και φορούσε γούνινο καπέλο και γιλέκο χειμώνα καλοκαίρι!

Στις 3 Οκτωβρίου του 1954, κυκλοφόρησε για πρώτη φορά ένα κόμικ, με την ονομασία Il Grande Blek Magigno. Ήταν δημιουργία τριών νεαρών σκιτσογράφων της καλλιτεχνικής ομάδας EsseGesse, που την αποτελούσαν οι Ιταλοί Τζον Σινκέτο (1925-1989), Ντάριο Γκουτσόν (1926-2000) και Πιέτρο Σαρτόρι (1926-1989). O Μπλεκ ήταν ο ήρωας του κόμικ, που έδρασε στα τέλη του 18ου αιώνα, στις ΗΠΑ.

Νεαρός, περίπου 25 ετών, ύψος 1.88, μυώδης, που έδερνε αλύπητα τους κακούς Άγγλους αποικιοκράτες ή τους ινδιάνους, για την απελευθέρωση της χώρας του.Οπλισμένος με μαχαίρι, πιστόλι, καραμπίνα αλλά και τις ατσάλινες γροθιές του, σάρωνε όπου μπλεκόταν και έσωζε την πατρίδα του από μια μεγάλη καταστροφή.

Boris Johnson looked sick - because he has no idea how to fix the national disaster he's bequeathed us

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  By Alastair Campbell
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Boris Johnson says its clear 'project fear' is over Reuters

Well, Michael Gove was right about the experts being wrong. They totally underestimated the extent of the disaster that Brexit would unleash. It is perhaps why he and his partner in crime Boris Johnson looked like they were at the funeral of their old friend yesterday, not a celebration of one of the most remarkable and truly historic campaign victories of our time.
So let's look at some of the things we on the Remain side said would happen, and which were all dismissed as the scaremongering of Project Fear.

Nazi Germany: The Lippisch P.13a Mach 2.6 range & fuelled by coal

As conventional fuels were in extremely short supply by late 1944, Lippisch proposed that the P.13a be powered by coal. Initially, it was proposed that a wire-mesh basket holding coal be mounted behind a nose air intake, protruding slightly into the airflow and ignited by a gas burner.
The last desperate attempts by the Luftwaffe to stop the Allied bomber streams were exemplified by the demand: fighters, fighters, fighters – quick and simple to build, cheap and from easily accessible materials, small dimensions, superior speed compared to enemy escort fighters and firepower. Nearly all aircraft manufacturers and designers in the Third Reich put designs to paper along these lines. Even Dr. Lippisch’s ideas during the last year of the war fit into this concept. Of his numerous variants, the Lippisch 13a was actually given serious consideration.

Referendum fought on ‘democracy’ to see nation get Prime Minister no-one voted for

The country which voted to leave the EU due to a lack of democracy will now be led by a Prime Minister voted for by absolutely nobody.
As David Cameron announced he will stand down before the Conservative conference in October, a new prime minister that none of us chose will now make all the really important decisions that should frighten any normal person.

The preliminary bombardment began for the battle of the Somme.

100 years ago the preliminary bombardment began for the battle of the Somme. French and British artillery would continue firing for 7 days, hoping to break through the German defenses and shatter their morale.

With over 1.5 million shells fired the expectation was that their would be no opposition when the men marched across No Man's Land on 1 July, but the Germans were able to hold their position in dug-outs and the barbed wire remained largely intact.

www.osprey.com,

After the Battle of Shiloh Some Civil War Soldiers Actually Glowed in the Dark!

 

 

There are many remarkable stories of the American Civil War. One of the most striking, however, is the story of the soldiers who glowed in the dark. By the spring of 1862, it was clear that the Civil War was going to be bloody and long . Major General Ulysses S. Grant had pushed deep into the Confederate-led South along the Tennessee River. That April, he camped at Pittsburgh Landing near Shiloh, Tennessee, waiting for the arrival of Major General Don Carlos Buell and his army.

Beautiful Pics Of A Rare Tu-128 – The Largest & Heaviest Fighter Ever In Service

 

The Tupolev Tu-28 (NATO reporting name Fiddler) was a long-range interceptor aircraft introduced by the Soviet Union in the 1960s.  It was the largest and heaviest fighter ever in service.
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union sought the means to defend against the nuclear-armed American bombers possibly penetrating its borders. Contemporary interceptors were able to cover a radius of a few hundred kilometers; the newly developed surface-to-air missiles had even shorter range. Considering both, the sheer numbers required to defend a 5,000 km air front were economically impossible to maintain.
This left the Soviet Union able to provide a modern air defense only for selected valuable areas. The PVO decided to cover the entire territory, but with a more loose defense. In 1955 it placed a requirement for a large area-defense interceptor, that would achieve it with sparse airbases.
The work began in 1958, based on an existing single prototype of the unsuccessful Tu-98 supersonic bomber. The military designation of the interceptor was at first Tu-28, but it had been changed in 1963 to Tu-128.
The Tu-128’s only publicly reported combat operation was the destruction of NATO reconnaissance balloons. The aircraft remained in service until 1990. Through the 1980s, units armed with the Tu-128 converted to the Mikoyan MiG-31.
Credit for all photos – Marina Lystseva

In West, more commonly used designation for this aircraft was Tu-28

Especially long nothern border of Russia was vulnerable for possible violations.

First flight was in 18 March 1961.

(By Kaboldy – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Built by Voronezh Aircraft Production Association.

The aircraft remained in service until 1990.

Developed from Tupolev Tu-98 bomber prototype.

Production of the Tu-128 ended in 1970 with total 198 aircraft having been built…

…including 10 trainers.

Western experts, unaware that the bulge on the belly carried testing instruments, mistook it for a large ventral radar for a mixed interceptor/AWACS role.

Development of various projects designated Tu-28A, Tu-28-80, Tu-28-100, Tu-138, and Tu-148 were proposed by the Tupolev Design Bureau but all were abandoned.

The Tu-128’s only publicly reported combat operation was the destruction of NATO reconnaissance balloons.

Through the 1980s, units armed with the Tu-128 converted to the Mikoyan MiG-31.

Now it stands as a remnant of the Cold War…

…in its Motherland – Russia.

General characteristics

• Crew: Two, pilot and radar operator
• Length: 30.06 m (98.62 ft)
• Wingspan: 17.53 m (57.51 ft)
• Height: 7.15 m (23.46 ft)
• Wing area: 96.94 m² (1,043.45 ft²)
• Empty weight: 24,500 kg (54,013 lb)
• Loaded weight: 40,000 kg (88,185 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 43,000–43,700 kg (94,800–96,342 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Lyulka AL-7F-2 afterburning turbojet
  • Dry thrust: 72.8 kN (7,425 kgf; 16,370 lbf) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 99.1 kN (10,100 kgf; 22,270 lbf) each
• Maximum g-loading: 2.5 g
• Maximum fuel load: est. 13,600 kg (30,000 lb)

Performance

• Maximum speed: when armed 1,665 km/h (1,035 mph; est. 1.5 Ma) when unarmed 1,920 km/h (1,193 mph)
• Range: 2,565 km when armed (1,595 mi)
• Endurance: above 3 hours
• Service ceiling: 15,600 m when armed (51,184 ft)
• Maximum ceiling: 20,000 m (65,617 ft)

Armament

• Hardpoints: 4
• Missiles: 4 × Bisnovat R-4 air-to-air missiles (usually 2 × radar-guided R-4R and 2 × infrared-homing R-4T); other armament or tanks not used

CREDIT for all photos – Marina Lystseva

K7 heavy bomber an amazing plane. Stalin had the designer shot!

For some reason, the Soviets and the Germans seemed to have thought that big really was beautiful. During WWII Hitler was obsessive about size. Just think of the planned super tank. It would have weighed 1,000 tons and fired a long-distance rocket that could have pounded London or New York into brick dust – but no road could support it. The you have to think of the German railway gun – the Schwerer Gustav. It weighed 1350 tons and took a 250 to assemble the gun in 3 days (54 hours), 2,500 to lay track and dig embankments. 2 Flak battalions to protect the gun from air attack.

Difference between ‘terrorist’ and ‘loner with history of mental illness’ identified as skin colour

The difference between an act of terrorism and an act carried out by a loner with a history of mental illness has finally been identified.
The Daily Mail, whose front pages are routinely filled with stories about invading armies of migrant crime swamps taking over our garden centres, made the discovery.
“There’s a fine line between a follower of a hate-filled ideology carrying out barbaric attacks on our democracy and a quiet man who lived on his own since his mother died,” explained Daily Mail headline writer Simon Williams.

ΜΙΑ ΔΟΛΟΦΟΝΙΑ, ΤΟ ΘΥΜΑ ΚΑΙ Ο ΔΡΑΣΤΗΣ ..ΣΤΗΝ ΣΚΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΒΡΕΤΑΝΙΚΟΥ ΔΗΜΟΦΗΣΜΑΤΟΣ..(Μικρή συλλογή άρθρων)

Α)Ο τραγικός θάνατος της Τζο Κοξ ίσως ανακόψει τη δυναμική υπέρ του Brexit

Ο τραγικός θάνατος της Τζο Κοξ, της πολιτικού που ήταν υπέρ της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, σόκαρε τη Βρετανία και θα μπορούσε να στρέψει την κοινή γνώμη προς την ασφάλεια της ενιαίας οικονομικής ένωσης.
«Αυτό (η δολοφονία της Κοξ) ίσως αλλάξει την ψυχολογία της εκστρατείας. Αυτοί που είναι υπέρ της ΕΕ ίσως ευνοηθούν από αυτό το τραγικό συμβάν… θα μπορούσε να αυξήσει τις πιθανότητές τους».
Την άποψή ayth φάνηκαν να συμμερίζονται και οι αγορές. Η στερλίνα κατέγραφε άνοδο κατά μισό τοις εκατό στα 1,4273 δολάρια περίπου, ανακάμπτοντας από το χαμηλό δύο μηνών των 1,4013 δολαρίων που σημείωσε νωρίτερα αυτή την εβδομάδα. Η ανάκαμψη περιουσιακών στοιχείων με ρίσκο, όπως το ράλι της στερλίνας, οφείλεται στην αίσθηση ότι υπάρχουν μεγαλύτερες πιθανότητες για την ψήφο υπέρ της παραμονής, δήλωσε ο Άλαν Ράσκιν, ένας από τους επικεφαλής συναλλαγματικής ανάλυσης στην Deutsche Bank.

The WWII futuristic 405mph high-altitude interceptor

• Self-Propelled

Jun 2, 2016

The McDonnell XP-67, otherwise known as the “Bat” or “Moonbat”, was a ambitious prototype for a twin-engine, long range, single-seat interceptor for the USAAF. source

In 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps issued Request for Proposal R-40C, requesting designs for a high-speed, long-range, high-altitude interceptor intended to destroy enemy bombers. The specifications were very bold, encouraging manufacturers to produce radical aircraft that would outperform any existing fighter in the world at the time. The aerospace parts manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft, eager to begin manufacturing its own aircraft, responded to the proposal with drawings and specifications of the proposed Model I, which would be powered by an unusual geared drivetrain with a single Allison V-3420 engine buried in the fuselage powering twin wing-mounted pusher propellers in the wings.

2000: T-34 With German Markings Pulled From Bog After 60 years!

 

 

This Russian-built T34 tank was captured by the Germans and marked and used as their own. This one was either stuck during battle or ditched during the German retreat to keep it from falling back into Russian hands.
In the eastern part of Estonia, on the narrow 50km wide Narva front, fierce battles were fought from February to September of 1944. It is estimated that over 100,000 men were killed and over 300,000 were wounded in this fighting. After this tank was used by the Germans it is believed that they drove it into the lake on purpose to prevent it from being taken and used by the advancing Red Army.
The tank was in the lake at a depth of 12 meters with 6 meters of peat and silt above it. Over a two week period, divers from the local diving club washed away silt above the tank. After it was pulled from the bog and on dry land again the ammunition, 116 pieces in total, was removed from the tank and it was taken to the war museum in the nearby village of Gorodenko. There it was possible to start the diesel engine without installing any spare parts!

The Russians had a flying aircraft carrier that actually worked & deployed aircraft from the “mother-ship” that successfully shot down two Bf 109s

 

The Aviamatka PVO (transport aircraft for aerial defense) was tested at the end of 1935. Assembly composed of a Tupolev TB3 4M-17F capable of carrying 5 to 6 aircraft. source

One of the most strange and bizarre looking aircraft that ever took to the air has to be the Zveno composite bomber/fighter design by Vakhmistrov. The concept first took shape in the mid-twenties, when the Soviet Air Force were looking at ways to both, shoot down incoming enemy bombers and to supplement the ground troops in the battlefield
Zveno  was a parasite aircraft concept developed in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. It consisted of a Tupolev TB-1 or aTupolev TB-3 heavy bomber acting as a mothership for between two and five fighters. Depending on the Zveno variant, the fighters either launched with the mothership or docked in flight, and they could refuel from the bomber. The definitive Zveno-SPB using a TB-3 and two Polikarpov I-16s, each armed with two 550 lb bombs, was used operationally with good results against strategic targets in Romania during the opening stages of the German-Soviet War. The same squadron afterwards also carried out a tactical attack against a bridge over the River Dnieper that had been captured by advancing German forces.
In June 1931, Vladimir Sergeyevich Vakhmistrov of the scientific test institute of the air force started work on combinations of fighters rigidly attached to heavy bomber aircraft. The system was envisioned to serve several purposes:

Made from parts from B-25s, B-29s & a Waco glider, we give you the ‘Flying Crane’

Great image here for the scale of the ‘flying crane’. source

OK, it looked ugly and strange but it worked – kind of. Made from parts from various WWII warbirds the Hughes XH-17 “Flying Crane”  was by far ,the most impressive of all rotor-craft in the early 1950s was a strange monster designated XH-17. This was planned and taken through the design process by Kellett, but hardware trials were transferred to Hughes Aircraft at Culver City. Already the aircraft firm of billionaire Howard Hughes had a reputation for being quite undeterred by the most formidable development problems, and certainly the XH-17 made sense on paper. In any case, it was part-funded by the USAF. It was a flying crane, the specialized category pioneered by the German Fa 284 and intended to lift cargo weighing up to 27,000 lb more than ten times as much as any other rotorcraft of its day. To do so it had a radically new form of lift power.

Archaeologists discover Athens’ first oracle well dedicated to Apollo

Credit: Jutta Stroszeck

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal 

An 1,800-year old ancient oracular edifice might just be the first oracle ever discovered in the capital city of Athens. Now historically, the scope of ancient oracles and divination have always been connected to the famous Delphi (along with other sites) in Greece. But this fascinating discovery, conducted by the Kerameikos excavation project (by members of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens), might shed new light into how Apollo’s cult with its intricacies and secrets, may have also been popular in Athens. As for the well in question, it was possibly used for hydromancy – a divination method that entails the medium of water.

Coming to the location of this Athenian oracle well, the Kerameikos site is almost in the middle of the city, just northwest to the renowned Acropolis. While historically being the district of potters, the neighborhood was sumptuously supplied by water from the Eridanos River. Suffice it to say, the Athenians built many strategic wells that were connected to this water system, with some of them serving on a public basis. And it was this very sustaining ‘force’ of water that endowed it with a symbolic significance in Greek mythology. As Dr. Jutta Stroszeck, director of the Kerameikos excavation, said (to Haaretz) –

Japan and America’s Differing Views of the End of World War II

US President Obama’s recent visit to Hiroshima is not being used to “repair” the narratives about World War II.
“Not a chance,” says Carol Gluck, a professor of Japanese history at Columbia University. “They will not revisit history, they will not talk about President Truman, they will not talk about the decision to surrender.”
Some have suggest that reason the US president will not be apologizing for the atomic bombs dropped on Japan may be to avoid political attacks on both leaders. Obama gives an additional reason why he will not apologize, saying: