Boeing bangs the gong about delivery of Super Hornets

Well they're trying to get better.

Boeing still doesn't have a clue when it comes to social media.  But they're trying...sorta like an old man trying to learn what the "interwebs" are all about.

Funny to watch but painful at the same time.  But enough of that, Boeing rightfully bangs the gong on the successful completion of the Super Hornet contract to Australia.

Congratulations.

Hornady Critical Duty...

Tactical-Life posted this video on Hornady's new offerings for 2012.  What stands out on the video is the new Critical Duty line of ammo.  Supposedly it offers barrier penetration without over penetrating once it hits flesh.  I can't wait for someone to test it out.  Consider me intrigued.

One other thing has me miffed though.  In the comments section Mike wrote this...

I love my guns, but promoting the shooting of elephants. Fuck you Hornady!! I’ll never buy one of your products again, grow some balls!

I can't lie, I had to respond to it but my issue is that if you watch the video it was simply a vid of what appears to be a rampaging elephant.  Environmentalist have been so successful that they don't realize that many of the wildlife sanctuaries that have been set up are allowing some species, including elephants to grow to so many animals that they are heading into inhabited areas where they are a problem.  I just don't see that short scene as promoting the hunting of elephants. Mike and the other tree huggers that have never stepped into a wooded area outside of central park in New York need to get over it.

David Cenciotti's Italian Navy's 20th Anniversary Harrier Special

David's got a great post up on the Italian Navy's 20th Anniversary of the AV-8B+ in service.  Check it out here, but below are a few pics...

LSU! We sustained it!

A defensive battle of epic proportions.  If you were bored then you don't know football.  I guarantee every player on both sides is in the ice tub today.

Love it.

Now how about a rematch in the National Championship game?  If OSU and Stanford get a loss then its the only game that'll make sense.

Vote for nobody.

IAF practices in Italian skies!

Safe House

Endo-Mike found another movie I've got to go see.  The trailer looks good!

Read this story at MSNBC and see if it doesn't make your blood boil!  But a sample is below...

A top U.S. general in Afghanistan was relieved of duty Friday for "inappropriate public comments" after calling the Afghan government "isolated from reality" and President Hamid Karzai "erratic."

Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, deputy commander for training Afghan security forces, blasted the Afghan government, military and Karzai in an interview with POLITICO published on Thursday.

He called Karzai "erratic" for recently saying Afghanistan would side with Pakistan if the latter declared war on the U.S.

"Why don’t you just poke me in the eye with a needle!," Fuller was quoted as saying. "You’ve got to be kidding me … I’m sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you’re telling me, 'I don’t really care'?"

How is the XM-25 doing in Afghanistan?

Tactical Life is reporting that XM-25 is undergoing further testing.  My question is this.  How is it doing in Afghanistan?  If I remember correctly this puppy was suppose to have already been deployed yet I haven't heard a peep about it since.

F-35 hits top design speed in flight testing

via F-16.net

November 4, 2011 (by Bjørnar Bolsøy) - After the busiest month of flight testing to date and concluding three weeks of successful ship trials on the USS WASP the F-35 has reached its maximum design speed of Mach 1.6.
The record flight was flown at Edwards AFB by AF-1, as the jet is called, on October 25, a few days after the USS Wasp returned to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk on October 21. In all two jets, BF-2 and BF-4, accomplished 72 short takeoffs and 72 vertical landings on the WASP.

According to a Lockheed Martin progress report, since the last flight test update issued on September 20, the program has completed 185 test flights, bringing the total for the year to 837.

● October was the busiest month for flying in the history of the F-35 flight test program, with F-35 aircraft executing 122 flights. The F-35B aircraft known as BF-2 accomplished 22 flights, the most ever for an F-35 in one month.

● F-35Bs completed their 500th flight on Sept. 30. In October, F-35Bs executed the most vertical landings (73) for a single month in the history of the flight test program, including the 200th vertical landing for the program Oct. 4.

● AF-12 and AF-13 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft were delivered to the 33d Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on Oct. 19 and 26, respectively. This marked the fifth and sixth delivery of CTOL jets to Eglin and the 12th overall delivery of an F-35 to the Department of Defense in 2011.

● As of Nov. 3, F-35C carrier variant (CV) jets had executed 59 successful catapult launches and three arrestments.

● F-35C aircraft achieved 200 flight hours on Sept. 22.

Cumulative flight test activity for 2011:

● F-35A CTOL jets have flown 407 times.
● F-35B STOVL aircraft have completed 296 flights.
● F-35C CV jets have flown 134 times.

In all the F-35 has completed 1432 sorties since it's first flight on November the 3rd 2006.

Bjornar gives us a flight test update along with the news that the F-35 has hit the top design speed.  I'm certain that it'll fly faster.