or how to track stealth aircraft using your GSM network. This is the clearest explanation I’ve found over the past few years.

Canadian troops fighting in Afghanistan are unable to track Afghans through 10m high marijuana plants. The plants themselves are wet through and through, so they can’t be burned down using phosphorus. They tried putting fire to dryer outlying parts of the forest, but the wind turned and caused unexpected consequences on a troop concentration.

Ground based lasers from China hit lenses on US spy satellites with enough force to blind them temporarily but not enough to destroy them, the US has finally confirmed after a week or so of rumors floating around.

Well, the world’s media is in a buzzfuzz about North Korea’s upcoming Nuclear test ([sarcasm]who knew?![/sarcasm]), but let’s have a quick look at other nuclear states.

The USA is the only country to have ever used a nuclear weapon (ok, two of them) in anger on another nation.
France, Russia, Great Britain and China (with the US the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) are all nuclear, but have never used them.
There are several countries with access to nukes but don’t technically own them (such as the Netherlands).
Then there was the recent spat about India and Pakistan who both tested nukes, were embargoed for them, but because of their help on the war on terror, we’ve seem to have decided to forget that they have them.
Israel is a friend of the US so we don’t get too upset about them having nukes.

BUT, there’s more we’re not hearing about:
Brazil and Argentina.
Both have a track record of lying about their weaponry programmes to appease the international community, and have the technology needed to enrich uranium. Especially Brazil is a viable candidate for nuclear weaponry.

This article is interesting not only because the USAF is looking at cutting the training budget for pilots, but has a look at a whole load of the technologies they are investing in and keeping or losing.

Also the USAF is developing space radar.

It’s like the draft, but only for people who have enlisted and are now out of service. The US armed forces are huge, but now it looks like they’re fighting too many fights and can’t sustain it with their regular forces. How long before they institute the draft?

A good list of them here

A 1990 Gulf War I home video made by RAF fighter boys flying Tornadoes. Tres inspirational.

Apparently the full version is around 15 minutes long. On pprune a guy is offering that version for sale on E-Bay with the proceeds going towards the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Not only that, they’re encouraging the practice. They perform PRK instead of Lasik, because they worry that the flap cut during lasik could come loose during high G combat.

From bombs that made soldiers go mad with gay love, to halitosis and making an area an attraction point for wasps and rats, the US Military has pondered non lethal weaponry quite deeply.

After being dropped from the aircraft, using this system paratroopers can zoom about the skies for 200KM. Apparently ze Germans have been using this since 2003 – is this what the air raid warnings are about?

Sensational / Impressive video of a Russian helicopter crashing whilst on excercises with the Chinese. Hope the crew and passengers are OK.

Somewhat like the Army Rumor Network (link somewhere in here) but for pilots. In the military Aircrew forum there’s quite a few RAF types.

Some Royal Marine has a page of video’s flying the SHAR from carriers.

This lucky guy got to fly in the back seat of an F/A-18 and videoed it.

Spending 5 hours in an F-22 Raptor sounds like a good idea. Unless you’re on the ground. And the cockpit won’t open.
Eventually you cut it open with a chainsaw. Yay U.S. technology!

On the day before April Fools’ Day, Iran published testresults of a multiple warhead, stealth missle that can’t be seen on radar. Which is why no one saw it of course. But it went off without a hitch!

On the day after, they tested their new ship and submarine destroying stealth underwater missle which goes 223 mph.

And the best thing is: USA believes it!

It’s called the Cormorant and the initial development has been given to Lockheed Martin’s Skunkworks.
Because nuclear subs don’t have much to do in today’s environment they want to modify the launchers to eject these aircraft. This obviously comes with problems…

The newest Royal Navy destroyer has been launched and is now having its final touches applied. Super high tech, roomy, liberal and of course dangerous – it has Ipod charging stations, 14 decks, weighs in at 7350 tonnes, 150m long, is the first of 6 projected type 45 destroyers and cost GBP 605 million. Oh and it can shoot down cricket balls. Impressive!

The forums are lively, the blogs are good and there’s some interesting things to find out about how the British Army thinks it’s going with the Army.

US servicemen in Iraq make movies. And post them on Grouchymedia!

In the Second World War people at home with loved ones spread far away around the world with the forces were fed a diet, often government backed, of “how it works” or “how we will win” technical information leaflets. Very often these would have contained superb cut away and sectioned diagrams, showing the “insides” or as was said at the time “the works!” of the machines that were winning the war for us!

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/cutaway/

A new hand held laser gun for those non lethal applications where you just want to fry people’s eyes out. In conjunction with that weapon that emits ultrasonics that make you want to get away, you could have endless fun!

USMC has a thermobaric weapon at their disposal which collapses buildings and ignites the air. It’s shoulder carried and they’re being a bit quiet about their useage.

The SMAW is a Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon. More info Here.

The NE is the Novel Explosive part. The manufacturers site is a bit quiet, but you can see the other SMAW warheads they sell as well.

Using a collar, release smells in peoples faces and train them to associate the smells with orders. It’s silent, but sounds very doggy to me.