This Country Has the Most Attack Helicopters

A Norwegian military official said the goal of the exercise is to make it more challenging for an enemy to take out aircraft on the ground. Norwegian F-35A performing a "touch and go" on highway in Finland for the first time.Ole Andreas Vekve, Norwegian Armed Forces Norway's military did something that's never been done before and landed a F-35A on a highway for the first time.  The exercise showed a flexible solution for militaries worried about having vulnerable airbases and runways. For years, the US and others have been experimenting with non-traditional airstrips as a way to disperse forces. Norway made history this week by landing a F-35A stealth fighter jet on the highway for the first time, showcasing a flexible solution for militaries worried about vulnerable airbases. The Norwegian Armed Forces said two F-35As landed on a highway in neighboring Finland — a fellow NATO member and also the latest country to join the military alliance — on Thursday during a training exercise with Finnish F-18s. After landing, the F-35s were refueled with their engines running (known as hot-pit refueling) before the fighter jets quickly took off again.  "This is a milestone. Not only for the Norwegian Air Force, but also for the Nordic countries, and for NATO. This demonstrates our ability to execute a concept of dispersal", said Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland, chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, in a statement."So by being able to use small airfields — and now motorways —  increases our survivability in war," Folland added. "In addition, this is also a demonstration of the exciting development we have initiated within the military-air cooperation in the Nordic region."Two Norwegian F-35As.Eivind Byre, Norwegian Armed ForcesNorway's military praised the F-35, a highly advanced fifth-generation aircraft, in its announcement on the successful highway exercise, but it said that the fighter jets are hamstrung by how long they can operate without a resupply of fuel, weapons, and ground support.   Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway's chief of defense, said that the highway demonstration underscored deep cooperation among the Nordic countries."Finland has been a close partner for a long time, and now also an ally. Their straight and wide highways means that we can further develop our concept for dispersal," said Folland. "The aim of the concept is to make it more challenging for an enemy to take out our aircraft when on ground. If such a concept is to work, we must map out all possibilities, and practice them."Norwegian F-35A taking off from a highway in Finland for the first time.Ole Andreas Vekve, Norwegian Armed Forces Though the landing was a first, the concept of operating military aircraft on a highway is nothing new. The US military has been doing this for years as part of its Agile Combat Employment efforts, which are focused on the idea that forces can be dispersed by using both traditional and non-traditional airstrips so that it's more difficult for an enemy to suppress air power in strikes on known, fixed airbases.The US military and its partners put the idea to work on European highways, and then in 2021, a US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane first demonstrated this concept in the US when one landed on a Michigan highway.This capability has been showcased in several different ways since. Earlier this year, the military landed multiple aircraft — including a MC-130J Commando II, a MQ-9 Reaper drone, and MH-6M Little Bird helicopters — on a highway in rural Wyoming. And non-traditional airstrips also extend beyond the highway. The military landed a Reaper drone on a dirt strip in Texas this past summer, something the A-10 has also done before, and Air Force special operators are even looking at beaches as an option. Norwegian F-35A taking off from a highway in Finland for the first time.Ole Andreas Vekve, Norwegian Armed ForcesWhile the demonstration in Finland on Thursday marked a first for the F-35A, it's not the first time an F-35 variant has landed on a highway.Lockheed Martin makes three versions of the aircraft, and the US military has previously conducted highway landings with the F-35B, which is a short-takeoff/vertical landing jet used by the Marine Corps at smaller airfields and aboard amphibious assault ships. In August, for instance, the Marines landed an F-35B on the Old Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California. The F-35A is used by the Air Force while the F-35C is employed by the Navy and Marine Corps aboard carriers. US military officials have asserted that these efforts to utilize non-traditional landing strips, such as highways, are a response to threats that American adversaries — like Russia and China — could pose to traditional airbases and runways in the event of war. These demonstrations are an "acknowledgement that our adversaries have watched the American way of war for several decades and they are going to hold our initial staging bases and our forward operating bases at risk," Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the head of Air Force Special Operations Command, said earlier this month, according to previous Insider reporting.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

A Norwegian military official said the goal of the exercise is to make it more challenging for an enemy to take out aircraft on the ground. Norwegian F-35A performing a "touch and go" on highway in Finland for the first time.Ole Andreas Vekve, Norwegian Armed Forces Norway's military did something that's never been done before and landed a F-35A on a highway for the first time.  The exercise showed a flexible solution for militaries worried about having vulnerable airbases and runways. For years, the US and others have been experimenting with non-traditional airstrips as a way to disperse forces. Norway made history this week by landing a F-35A stealth fighter jet on the highway for the first time, showcasing a flexible solution for militaries worried about vulnerable airbases. The Norwegian Armed Forces said two F-35As landed on a highway in neighboring Finland — a fellow NATO member and also the latest country to join the military alliance — on Thursday during a training exercise with Finnish F-18s. After landing, the F-35s were refueled with their engines running (known as hot-pit refueling) before the fighter jets quickly took off again.  "This is a milestone. Not only for the Norwegian Air Force, but also for the Nordic countries, and for NATO. This demonstrates our ability to execute a concept of dispersal", said Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland, chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, in a statement."So by being able to use small airfields — and now motorways —  increases our survivability in war," Folland added. "In addition, this is also a demonstration of the exciting development we have initiated within the military-air cooperation in the Nordic region."Two Norwegian F-35As.Eivind Byre, Norwegian Armed ForcesNorway's military praised the F-35, a highly advanced fifth-generation aircraft, in its announcement on the successful highway exercise, but it said that the fighter jets are hamstrung by how long they can operate without a resupply of fuel, weapons, and ground support.   Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway's chief of defense, said that the highway demonstration underscored deep cooperation among the Nordic countries."Finland has been a close partner for a long time, and now also an ally. Their straight and wide highways means that we can further develop our concept for dispersal," said Folland. "The aim of the concept is to make it more challenging for an enemy to take out our aircraft when on ground. If such a concept is to work, we must map out all possibilities, and practice them."Norwegian F-35A taking off from a highway in Finland for the first time.Ole Andreas Vekve, Norwegian Armed Forces Though the landing was a first, the concept of operating military aircraft on a highway is nothing new. The US military has been doing this for years as part of its Agile Combat Employment efforts, which are focused on the idea that forces can be dispersed by using both traditional and non-traditional airstrips so that it's more difficult for an enemy to suppress air power in strikes on known, fixed airbases.The US military and its partners put the idea to work on European highways, and then in 2021, a US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane first demonstrated this concept in the US when one landed on a Michigan highway.This capability has been showcased in several different ways since. Earlier this year, the military landed multiple aircraft — including a MC-130J Commando II, a MQ-9 Reaper drone, and MH-6M Little Bird helicopters — on a highway in rural Wyoming. And non-traditional airstrips also extend beyond the highway. The military landed a Reaper drone on a dirt strip in Texas this past summer, something the A-10 has also done before, and Air Force special operators are even looking at beaches as an option. Norwegian F-35A taking off from a highway in Finland for the first time.Ole Andreas Vekve, Norwegian Armed ForcesWhile the demonstration in Finland on Thursday marked a first for the F-35A, it's not the first time an F-35 variant has landed on a highway.Lockheed Martin makes three versions of the aircraft, and the US military has previously conducted highway landings with the F-35B, which is a short-takeoff/vertical landing jet used by the Marine Corps at smaller airfields and aboard amphibious assault ships. In August, for instance, the Marines landed an F-35B on the Old Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California. The F-35A is used by the Air Force while the F-35C is employed by the Navy and Marine Corps aboard carriers. US military officials have asserted that these efforts to utilize non-traditional landing strips, such as highways, are a response to threats that American adversaries — like Russia and China — could pose to traditional airbases and runways in the event of war. These demonstrations are an "acknowledgement that our adversaries have watched the American way of war for several decades and they are going to hold our initial staging bases and our forward operating bases at risk," Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the head of Air Force Special Operations Command, said earlier this month, according to previous Insider reporting.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

The attack damaged a Antonov An-148 passenger jet, a Ilyushin Il-20 ground attack aircraft, and a Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter, Kyiv said. Russian Mi-28N military helicopters fly during a rehearsal for the Victory Day air parade, which marks the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Saint Petersburg on May 7, 2020.REUTERS/Anton Vaganov Unknown saboteurs blew up several Russian aircraft at a military base near Moscow, Ukraine reported. Kyiv said the attack damaged two planes and a helicopter and caused 'hysteria' in the Russian military. The reported incident this week marks the latest in a recent string of attacks on airfields in Russia. Unknown saboteurs "blew up" several Russian military aircraft at a base near Moscow earlier this week, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Wednesday.The reported attack marks the latest in a string of assaults specifically targeting airfields inside Russia's internationally recognized territory, which have taken place hundreds of miles away from active fighting along the Ukraine war's front lines and exposed major shortcomings in Moscow's domestic security apparatus. An unidentified group of individuals managed to place and detonate explosives at the Chkalovsky airfield on Monday, the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence, an arm of the country's defense ministry that's also known as the HUR, said in a statement.Kyiv said the sabotage damaged a Antonov An-148 passenger jet, a Ilyushin Il-20 ground attack aircraft, and a Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter that was previously used to shoot down drones around the Moscow region — systems used in attacks that have become an increasingly regular occurrence. The Antonov An-148 regional jet.REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin"The damage caused to the planes makes their rapid restoration improbable. A tail part of the helicopter was damaged by the explosion. Another AN-148 parked close to other ones was slightly damaged," the HUR said, according to a translation from Ukrainska Pravda.It claimed the incident caused "major hysteria in the top military command," as high-profile reconnaissance aircraft and Russia's so-called "doomsday" planes — which can serve as an airborne command and control center in the event of a major disaster or conflict — are said to have been stationed at Chkalovsky at the time. Although Ukraine revealed the attack and even published satellite imagery of the airbase, it did not specifically claim responsibility. Russia's defense ministry did not immediately publish a comment on the sabotage, but the HUR said Moscow has launched an investigation into the incident. The reported sabotage at Chkalovsky follows other Ukraine-associated attacks on airbases within Russia's own borders and far from the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. These attacks, some of which were carried out by drones, have damaged and destroyed several Russian military aircraft and underscored serious gaps in Moscow's force protection capabilities and air-defense network. Moscow has celebrated its sophisticated and layered defenses for being able to stop threats like missiles and aircraft, but small drones have managed to bypass and overcome these seemingly protective measures. Britain's defense ministry said in a late-August intelligence update that Russia saw over two dozen separate drone attacks during that month alone. This problem has prompted Moscow to urgently seek a variety of solutions.The Ilyushin Il-20 ground attack aircraft.NIKITA SHCHYUKIN/AFP via Getty ImagesIn late August, several drones that Ukraine said were launched from within Russia's own territory attacked an airbase, destroying two Ilyushin Il-76s — Soviet-era airlift planes — and damaging two more. After the incident and in an attempt to better protect the airbase from future attacks, Moscow turned to a newly created civilian volunteer force to patrol the area. Hundreds of civilian volunteers are not the only unusual measure Russia has taken to help secure its domestic security network. Other remedies to the problem include copying a World War II-era system by constructing towers with guns on top and placing car tires on vulnerable aircraft to project them form aerial threats. These makeshift efforts have even extended to the maritime theater in the occupied Crimean peninsula, where Moscow purposefully sank ships to protect a key bridge from potential Ukrainian sea drone attacks. And the string of reported deep strikes is not just limited to Russia's internationally recognized territory. Ukrainian forces have carried out several high-profile attacks on strategic Russian targets on and around the occupied Crimean peninsula — which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014 — over the past few weeks.Last week, for instance, Kyiv's forces launched a massive cruise missile strike on a Russian naval base in Sevastopol, which is home to Moscow's Black Sea Fleet, causing extensive damage to the facility and two vessels that were undergoing repairs. Western intelligence assessed in the aftermath of the attack that the damage will probably cause significant long-term challenges for Russia's naval operations around the Black Sea area.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Russian forces tried to quadruple the size of the minefields, but it didn't always go as planned. The irregularity has caused headaches for Ukraine. Members of the Ukrainian army's 35th Marine Brigade conduct mine-clearance work at a field in Donetsk, Ukraine in July 2023.Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Russia began laying minefields deeper than normal to make them harder for Ukraine to cross. They didn't have enough land mines to do the same size, shape, and density everywhere though, a new report said. This issue resulted in irregular and inconsistent minefields that still have created headaches for Ukraine. As it constructed its formidable defenses, Russia attempted to make its minefields deeper and harder for Ukrainian forces to cross but couldn't get enough mines to fully execute the plan everywhere. The inconsistent and often improvised approach that followed, however, still created headaches for advancing Ukrainian forces.A new report from the Royal United Service Institute land warfare experts Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds on Ukraine's fight details Russian adaptations during the ongoing counteroffensive, and irregular minefields are identified as particularly challenging aspects of the Russian defensive strategy that demand not only more equipment but also innovative solutions.A standard Russian minefield is roughly 120 meters deep, but Russian forces found that Ukraine could breach these minefields with equipment such as the Soviet-era UR-77 Meteorit mine-clearing vehicle or the US-provided M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge that blasts a narrow lane through mines.So, Russia moved to extend the depth of the minefields to 500 meters, "well beyond any rapid breaching capability," the new report said.From a logistics standpoint, this plan created a problem, as Russian brigades were equipped to put down minefields in a manner consistent with the country's warfighting doctrine."The increased depth of the fields means that Russian forces have had insufficient mines to consistently meet this lay down with a density of mines consistent with doctrine," Watling and Reynolds wrote. Essentially, the minefields got bigger but so did the space between the mines. In other cases, Russian engineers simply did what they could to try to bog down Ukraine's assault forces as long as possible.The result was that Russian minefields became irregular, which isn't necessarily out of the ordinary to begin with given terrain and time considerations. They varied in size and shape, and they consisted of improvised mine configurations that sometimes emphasized lethality over depth and density.For instance, the Russian ground forces and combat engineers tasked with blunting the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive sometimes put two anti-tank "mines together — one atop the other — compensating for reduced density by ensuring that vehicles are immobilised by single mine-strikes," even those assets "equipped with dozer blades."This particular Russian improvisation is one Michael Kofman, a Russia expert, also noted after a recent trip to Ukraine, explaining in a podcast that Russia was "doubling, tripling them up." Citing conversations with Ukrainian forces, he also disclosed that Russia sometimes built fake trench traps rigged with explosives.Because the Russians were unable to consistently carry out their plan for deeper minefields with the standard density as intended due to the insufficient supply of mines, "the result has been improvisation of explosive devices, the diversification of the range of mines ceded, and the decreasing regularity of minefields," the RUSI report said.This has caused problems for the Ukrainians, the authors said, writing that "although the consistency of the minefields is now diminished, this has significantly complicated Ukrainian planning and minefield reconnaissance."Members of the Ukrainian army's 35th Marine Brigade conduct mine-clearance work at a field in Donetsk, Ukraine in July 2023.Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesRussian minefields, specifically those covered by indirect fire assets such as mortars and artillery or aviation elements such as attack helicopters, have been a constant challenge for Ukraine throughout its counteroffensive.And the inconsistency and irregularity of the Russian minefields have only further complicated matters.Presently, "Ukrainian operations are inherently limited in their tempo by the fact that as Russian minelaying becomes less and less uniform and omnipresent, it is necessary to thoroughly recce ahead of any major push lest equipment loss becomes unacceptable," Watling and Reynolds wrote in a reference to forward reconnaissance.For this reason, it is "very difficult to plan operations beyond the defences immediately in front of Ukrainian positions, meaning that breaches forwards are difficult to exploit," the authors wrote.Watling and Reynolds argued that Ukraine needed additional equipment, such as drones with the capacity for algorithmic image analysis, to quickly detect mine threats and map out the enemy minefields for accelerated operations.Despite these challenges to Ukraine's counteroffensive — far from the only problems the military is facing as it carries out complex maneuvers — Kyiv's forces are advancing, and in some areas, particularly in the south, there seems to be increased momentum.Ukraine's forces are pressing the formidable Surovikin Line, and there's speculation that the deeper positions may be less challenging. But that won't be completely clear until Kyiv's troops break the main defensive line, which remains a tough fight for now.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Russian forces tried to quadruple the size of the minefields, but it didn't always go as planned. The irregularity has caused headaches for Ukraine. Ukrainian army's 35th Marine Brigade members conduct mine clearance work at a field in Donetsk, Ukraine on July 11, 2023.Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Russia began laying minefields deeper than normal to make them harder for Ukraine to cross. They didn't have enough land mines to do the same size, shape, and density everywhere though, according to a new report. This issue resulted in irregular and inconsistent minefields that still have created headaches for Ukraine. As it constructed its formidable defenses, Russia attempted to make its minefields deeper and harder for Ukrainian forces to cross but couldn't get enough mines to fully execute the plan everywhere. The inconsistent and often improvised approach that followed, however, still created headaches for advancing Ukrainian forces.A new report from Royal United Service Institute land warfare experts Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds on Ukraine's fight details Russian adaptations during the ongoing counteroffensive, and irregular minefields are identified as particularly challenging aspects of the Russian defensive strategy that demand not only more equipment but also innovative solutions.A standard Russian minefield is roughly 120 meters deep, but Russian forces found that Ukraine could breach these minefields with equipment like the Soviet-era UR-77 Meteorit mine-clearing vehicle or the US-provided M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) that blasts a narrow lane through mines.So Russia moved to extend the depth of the minefields to 500 meters, "well beyond any rapid breaching capability," the new report said.From a logistics standpoint, this plan created a problem, as Russian brigades were equipped to put down minefields in a manner consistent with the country's warfighting doctrine."The increased depth of the fields means that Russian forces have had insufficient mines to consistently meet this lay down with a density of mines consistent with doctrine," Watling and Reynolds wrote. Essentially, the minefields got bigger but so did the space between the mines. In other cases, Russian engineers simply did what they could to try to bog down Ukraine's assault forces as long as possible.The result was that Russian minefields became irregular, which isn't necessarily out of the ordinary to begin with given terrain and time considerations. They varied in size and shape, and they consisted of improvised mine configurations that sometimes emphasized lethality over depth and density.For instance, the Russian ground forces and combat engineers tasked with blunting the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive sometimes put two anti-tank "mines together – one atop the other – compensating for reduced density by ensuring that vehicles are immobilised by single mine-strikes," even those assets "equipped with dozer blades."This particular Russian improvisation is one Michael Kofman, a Russia expert, also noted after a recent trip to Ukraine, explaining in a podcast that Russia is "doubling, tripling them up." Citing conversations with Ukrainian forces, he also revealed that Russia sometimes built fake trench traps rigged with explosives.Because the Russians were unable to consistently carry out their plan for deeper minefields with standard density as intended due to the insufficient supply of mines, "the result has been improvisation of explosive devices, the diversification of the range of mines ceded, and the decreasing regularity of minefields," the RUSI report said.And this has caused problems for the Ukrainians, the authors said, writing that "although the consistency of the minefields is now diminished, this has significantly complicated Ukrainian planning and minefield reconnaissance."Ukrainian army's 35th Marine Brigade members conduct mine clearance work at a field in Donetsk, Ukraine on July 11, 2023.Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesRussian minefields, specifically those covered by indirect fire assets like mortars and artillery or aviation elements like attack helicopters, have been a constant challenge for Ukraine throughout its counteroffensive.And the inconsistency and irregularity of the Russian minefields has only further complicated matters.Presently, "Ukrainian operations are inherently limited in their tempo by the fact that as Russian minelaying becomes less and less uniform and omnipresent, it is necessary to thoroughly recce ahead of any major push lest equipment loss becomes unacceptable," Watling and Reynolds wrote in a reference to forward reconnaissance.For this reason, it is "very difficult to plan operations beyond the defences immediately in front of Ukrainian positions, meaning that breaches forwards are difficult to exploit," the authors wrote.Watling and Reynolds argued that Ukraine needs additional equipment, such as drones with the capacity for algorithmic image analysis, to quickly detect mine threats and map out the enemy minefields for accelerated operations.Despite these challenges to Ukraine's counteroffensive — far from the only problems the military is facing as it carries out complex maneuvers — Kyiv's forces are advancing, and in some areas, particularly in the south, there seems to be increased momentum.Ukraine's forces are currently pressing the formidable Surovikin Line, and there is speculation that the deeper positions may be less challenging. But that won't be completely clear until Kyiv's troops break the main defensive line, which remains a tough fight for now.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

The released footage cuts to a flaming mass on the ground, likely near Robotyne, the frontline town that Ukrainian troops recently retook. Two stills from footage by the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade showing the downing of a Russian plane and its aftermath.47th Separate Mechanized Brigade A Ukrainian brigade released footage of a Russian plane being shot down on Monday.  The footage was taken near Robotyne, which Ukrainian troops have recently retaken. The 47th Brigade claims to have shot down nine Russian aircraft in total. A Ukrainian brigade fighting on the southern frontline released a video of one of its soldiers shooting a Russian military aircraft out of the sky.In the footage, shared on Monday, the camera scans over fields before cutting to the moment of impact, with a billow of smoke before the plane begins to plummet.A helicopter, which was nearby, approaches the puff of smoke that rises about the wreckage before the camera cuts to a flaming mass on the ground.The footage was shared by the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which has gained recognition for its ability to take out Russian aircraft.The brigade claimed in a recent Telegram post to have shot down eight Ka-52 attack helicopters and one Su-25 jet. This would amount to $139 million of damage, it said.Several further clips in the released footage show how the soldiers took down the Russian aircraft, with one soldier celebrating as the missile strikes the plane.In the footage, the man operates what appears to be an RBS-70, a portable air-defense weapon provided to Ukraine by Sweden.Per CNN, the footage was taken near Melitopol, a strategic hub in Zaporizhzhia that Ukrainian forces have set their sights on reaching.It's unclear how close to the city the troops were — as of last week, the 47th Brigade had taken the village of Robotyne, some 45 miles north of Melitopol.Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the 47th in mid-August, underscoring the importance of the brigade and this theater of war to the country's ongoing counteroffensive.Melitopol is a key goal for Ukraine, with Robotyne forming a strategic stepping-stone in its direction.The US-based Institute for the Study of War think tank, citing geolocated footage, assessed that Ukrainian forces had advanced south of the town as of Tuesday.In the retaking of Robotyne, the soldiers evacuated six civilians using a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle while under fire from Russian troops, a crew commander told CNN. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

The new Ukrainian-made missile will hit targets from 620 to 930 miles within Russian territory, a top security official said. In this image released by Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Ukrainian soldiers use a launcher with US Javelin missiles.Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP New Ukrainian-made missiles could reach up to 930 miles into Russia, a top security official said. Oleksiy Danilov said the weapons will be used against Russian military facilities - not civilians. His comments follow President Zelenskyy's statement that weapons could hit Russia more than 430 miles away. Ukraine is developing Ukrainian-made missiles capable of hitting targets as far as 930 miles into Russian territory, a top Ukrainian security official told Ukrainian Radio.Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said Ukrainian-made missiles have been in the works since 2020 and could soon hit from 620 to 930 miles within Russian territory,  according to The New Voice of Ukraine's translation.He failed to name the new missile and didn't give a clear timeline for its deployment. Unlike Russia, he said, Ukrainian missiles and drones inside Russia will only target factories and military facilities - not civilian objects. "All this will have its results, taking into account the fact that we do not attack civilian objects of the Russian Federation — schools, kindergartens — as the terrorist country does. We attack either factories or military productions — the components that kill our children. We have to put an end to this," Danilov said, according to a translation by the independent news outlet The New Voice of Ukraine.As for oil refineries and other objects that frequently catch fire, he said this was the work of Russian partisans, whom Ukraine has no control over.His comments follow those of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who said Ukraine's weapons could hit targets more than 430 miles away.Ukraine has launched a string of drone attacks deep into Russian and Russian-occupied territory in recent weeks, targeting Russian military infrastructure, vessels, airfields, supply lines, and logistical lines. Ukraine's navy shared a video on Sunday, which they said showed an aerial drone killing a half-dozen Russian service members and destroying their vessel in the Kherson region.Four Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes were irreparably damaged last Tuesday at a Russian airfield in the Pskov region, a representative for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's intelligence division told Reuters.The recent spate of drone attacks is proof Russia's sophisticated air defense systems are failing, Samuel Bendett, an analyst and expert in unmanned and robotic military systems at the Center for Naval Analyses, previously told Insider."Most of these defenses were built to identify and destroy larger targets like missiles, helicopters, aircraft. Many were not really geared towards identifying much smaller UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]," he said.Ukraine is racing to build their own weapons to strike inside Russian territory, as the US and NATO allies have strictly banned the use of Western-made weapons in Russia out of fear it could escalate the conflict.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Most of Russia's air defense systems were made to identify and destroy larger targets like missiles and aircraft rather than drones, an analyst said. A Ukrainian serviceman operating a drone on August 17.Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters Recent drone attacks in Russia have exposed weaknesses in the country's advanced air defenses. Most of these were built to identify and destroy targets like missiles, a drone expert said. As a result, smaller drones have been able to evade detection and strike targets on Russian soil. Recent drone attacks across Russia have exposed the country's supposedly sophisticated air defense systems as they struggle to account for the relatively small, hard-to-detect drones, an analyst told Insider."Russia boasted of having layered defenses before the war, the sensor electronic warfare, different missile batteries, kinetic batteries, radars, that can sort of identify and interdict the threat," Samuel Bendett, an analyst and expert in unmanned and robotic military systems at the Center for Naval Analyses, said.But he added that "most of these defenses were built to identify and destroy larger targets like missiles, helicopters, aircraft. Many were not really geared towards identifying much smaller UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]."Drone warfare has been an integral part of the conflict in Ukraine, with both sides regularly exploiting the technology as part of their military strategies.The recent spate of attacks on Russian soil, however, are likely to be embarrassing for one of the world's foremost military powers.Airfields and other locations deep within Russian territory have been pummeled in multiple strikes by exploding drone attacks in recent weeks — with one flurry, on the night of August 29, striking five separate locations.In a spectacular attack, Ukrainian drones bombarded an airport in the city of Pskov in north-west Russia, blasting four  Ilyushin Il-76 military transport planes, according to state media outlet TASS.The UK's Ministry of Defence called it "the largest attack on Russia since the start of the conflict." Sternenko: Together with Defence Intelligence of the MoD of Ukraine, we delivered weapons that destroyed 2 Il-76s, seriously damaged 2 more and hit several more aircrafts in Pskov airfield. Total amount of damage caused to the aggressor is about 200 million USD. This is a recent UA invention by u/IgorVozMkUA in CombatFootage  Russian air defense systems, which are among the most advanced in the world, are used by dozens of countries, and many have developed variations of them, according to the Center for Strategic and International studies.The defenses operate on a "three-tier" system, layering weapons with different ranges to make it hard to penetrate, the think tank said.But these systems, while advanced, are not infallible.In July, drones struck and damaged two non-residential buildings in the center of Moscow, despite the neighboring building having a super-advanced Pantsir S-1 missile system on its roof, a report said."Such defenses are never absolute, there are always going to be gaps that will be exploited," Bendett said.In an update on the Ukraine conflict on Thursday, the UK's Ministry of Defence said that the number of UAVs hitting their targets likely meant that Russia was struggling to detect and destroy them, and it would possibly force it to rethink its air defense strategy.Bendett said that Ukraine had vastly improved its domestic drone production industry over the course of the war, and it was likely producing up to six different long-range drones that it could be using to strike Russia.Ukraine can only use its own drones to strike inside Russia because of restrictions on using NATO weapons on Russian territory.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Poland wants to build "the largest land force in Europe," and it has been spending big on US-made military hardware. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak at a ceremony for the delivery of 14 US-made Abrams tanks in Szczecin on June 28.Polish Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Poland is on a spending spree to build what it describes as "the largest land force in Europe." Among its purchases are US-made tanks and helicopters designed to work in tandem on the battlefield. Warsaw's military buildup comes in response to rising tensions in Europe amid the war in Ukraine  As Eastern Europe rearms in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Poland is emerging as a regional military powerhouse.Despite only being a member of NATO since 1999, Poland is spending much more than older alliance members. At 3.9% of GDP, Poland's 2023 defense budget is almost double the NATO goal of 2% of GDP for each country — a target alliance pillars such as Germany and France have yet to meet.Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has said that Poland intends to create "the largest land force in Europe." This includes doubling the military to 300,000 personnel. Poland currently has a mix of Western and Soviet-era equipment, including 650 tanks, 800 artillery pieces, 94 jet fighters, and 28 attack helicopters, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.Poland has sent some of its older hardware to Ukraine, including Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets and T-72 tanks and Polish-built Krab 155-mm self-propelled howitzers.US Army AH-64 Apaches in a Polish Army Day parade in Warsaw on August 15.WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesWhat is significant isn't just Poland's spending spree but also what it is buying.Warsaw has signed $6 billion in deals to buy 350 M1 Abrams tanks from the US, and the US State Department just approved a $12 billion purchase of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters armed with a variety of weapons, including Hellfire anti-tank missiles, Stinger air-to-air missiles, and the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile. The 96 helicopters would make Poland the largest Apache operator other than the US.Poland is also spending $10 billion for 18 HIMARS launchers and reportedly plans to acquire up to 500 more launchers. The initial HIMARS systems will come with 45 Army Tactical Missile System long-range rockets that the US has so far declined to give Ukraine.Poland has also ordered $14 billion in weapons from South Korea, an emerging defense-industry powerhouse, including 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks, nearly 700 K9 self-propelled howitzers, and 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft.One question is whether Poland's $700 billion economy can handle the surge in defense spending. Some experts point to Poland's low national debt and public support for a strong defense to deter Russia as evidence that it can.However, "it's not obvious to me that Poland has the ability to pay for all of this when you look at how the financial markets are now and our recent record in terms of selling bonds," Radosław Sikorski, an opposition politician and former foreign minister, told The Financial Times.Polish army AHS Krab 155 mm self-propelled howitzers at the Nowa Deba training ground on May 6.Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPoland also seems to be embracing a new way of war.One problem for the former Warsaw Pact countries is that while most have joined NATO, their militaries' training, doctrine, and command structure are still based on the Soviet model. Ukraine, for example, has juggled a force of troops trained under Soviet and Western models, and its current counteroffensive has been hampered as Western-trained assault brigades struggle to master new tactics while attempting to breach heavily fortified Russian defenses.In effect, Poland seems to redeveloping its army into a smaller version of the US Army, which relies on combined-arms tactics, such as close cooperation between Abrams tanks and Apache helicopters.The AH-64 deal includes 37 mast-mounted Longbow Fire Control Radar sets, which suggests the Polish army plans to use those helicopters "in a similar way to the U.S. Army, with a single aircraft on a flight detecting targets and sharing that information with non-Longbow-equipped aircraft," according to Aviation Week magazine.Poland has been invaded, occupied and partitioned by its larger, more aggressive neighbors many times over the centuries. Vladimir Putin's nostalgia for the Soviet glory of World War II, which saw Poland divided, fought over, and then conquered, reawakens those memories. Polish leaders now see a big, well-equipped army — whatever its cost — as the best bulwark against a repeat of that history.Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds a master's in political science. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Perched in a corner of the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus overlooks a hotspot connecting three continents and vital sea routes. A US Army CH-47 helicopter over Cyprus in January 2020.US Army/Maj. Robert Fellingham The US has been strengthening its relationship with the Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus is perched in the Eastern Mediterranean, near three continents and important sea routes. For Cyprus, it's a move away from its longtime partner in Russia, but Turkey isn't happy about it. Amid tensions in Europe, the US is increasing its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region, a hotspot connecting three continents and sea routes between the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.Part of the US's increased involvement has been through strengthening relations with the Republic of Cyprus, a strategically located island offering access to the Middle East and North Africa.Cyprus has made "important strides" in its military and security cooperation with the US, Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus' minister of defense, told Insider in response to written questions.Cyprus' increased engagement with the US comes as it moves away from Moscow, a longtime economic and defense partner, but warming US-Cyprus ties aren't welcomed by Turkey, and Ankara's displeasure could have wider consequences for NATO.A new US partnerA UN peacekeeper looks at a map of the buffer zone between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in April 2021.ROY ISSA/AFP via Getty ImagesSince Turkey invaded the island in 1974, Cyprus has been split between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Ankara.US security cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus was largely frozen after 1987, when Washington imposed an arms embargo to limit the amount of weapons on the island.Although Cyprus had no defense-cooperation agreements with Russia, Moscow was one of Nicosia's main arms providers during the embargo, but in recent years the Cypriot government has moved away from Russia, including through a 2015 decision to scrap an agreement that allowed Russian warships to dock in its ports.Sanctions imposed on Russia after its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its attack on Ukraine last year have only made it harder for Cyprus to maintain its Russian-made hardware and incentivized its search for other partners.Russian Navy destroyer Admiral Panteleyev in Limassol, Cyprus in May 2013.Yiannis Kourtoglou/AFP via Getty ImagesIndeed, the most important milestone in the US and Cyprus' burgeoning relationship was the complete lifting of the arms embargo in 2022, four years after Washington partially lifted it to allow Nicosia to import non-lethal arms. The decision to lift the embargo will be assessed annually, and the US has already renewed it for the coming year."Following the lifting of the anachronistic arms embargo, the future of our cooperation is even brighter!" Giorgallas told Insider. "We have already made some purchases of equipment and being able to access the US defense industries gives us access to new opportunities and expands our options."Giorgallas said Cyprus is "moving forward with the replacement of our existing Russian-origin material." The country plans to buy at least six Airbus H145M helicopters to replace its Soviet-era Mi-35 helicopters. Some hardware, like air-defense systems, may take longer to replace, but Cyprus is pursuing other forms of cooperation.US Army paratroopers train with Cypriot troops in Larnaca, Cyprus, in February.US Army/Staff Sgt. John YountzCypriot military officers have received training in the US for several years as part of the Pentagon's International Military Education and Training, or IMET, program.In September 2022, the US and Cyprus signed an agreement to facilitate logistical support and exchanges, making it easier for US forces to deploy to the island. Cypriot officers who took part in IMET programs were present at the signing ceremony.In March, the Cypriot National Guard — the country's military force — signed a partnership agreement with the New Jersey National Guard, which will allow more exercises reflecting a range of scenarios."This trajectory will continue," Giorgallas told Insider, adding that after the National Guard partnership, "our defense cooperation with the US has become irreversible and we look forward to what's to come."A complicated regionA Cypriot T-80 tank in an independence day parade in Nicosia in October 2019.IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Eastern Mediterranean region is an important one for a number of nearby powers, which have competed and clashed in North Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe for centuries.While recent years have seen increased focus on tensions between Russia and NATO, the situation in the region is complicated by enduring rivalries between alliance members, particularly Greece and Turkey, the latter of which has maintained ties with Russia.Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of US European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander, told US lawmakers this spring that the Eastern Mediterranean "has seen greatly increased competition as well as Russian naval presence in the past few years."Cavoli added that US naval forces "work extensively down there" and that NATO devotes considerable attention to Russian activity in the region. (Russia has a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus.)Giorgallas told Insider that the area is historically an unstable one and that the instability has become more visible in more domains, such as at sea and in the air over the region.Turkish forces at an official ceremony marking Turkey's 1974 invasion in the northern part of Nicosia on July 20.BIROL BEBEK/AFP via Getty ImagesFor Cyprus, "the main security challenge comes from the revisionist and aggressive behavior of Turkey," Giorgallas said, adding that Ankara "seems to disregard and ignore international law and the rules-based international order, posing a threat to regional security and stability."Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus and contests its maritime and energy exploration rights. Ankara has kept thousands of troops Northern Cyprus and has been a vocal critic of Nicosia's strengthening of ties with Washington.Cyprus' support for Ukraine, including hosting Ukrainian troops for training with US experts, and its rapprochement with the US has led to speculation that it may agree to send its Russia-made military hardware — including T-80 tanks and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles — to Ukraine.However, Giorgallas said, the "grave security situation" on the island prevents such a transfer. "With Turkish military occupation and aggression still in place, we cannot jeopardize and compromise our national security. I believe that our position is well understood and received by everyone."Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. You can contact him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Ukraine's counteroffensive started in June. It's targeting Russian assets such as Ka-52 helicopters and self-propelled artillery. A Ukrainian tank fires toward Russian troops near the front line in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on July 6.REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy Ukraine is picking off Russia's Ka-52 helicopters and self-propelled artillery, an expert said. Nico Lange told The Economist that Ukraine's counteroffensive was picking up pace. The UK called Ka-52s one of the "most influential Russian weapon systems" on a key battlefront. Ukraine is figuring out how to remove some major roadblocks in its counteroffensive, including Russia's Ka-52 attack helicopters and self-propelled artillery, an expert told The Economist.Nico Lange, a Ukraine expert at the Munich Security Conference, said Ukraine's counteroffensive had started to make more progress in the past two weeks.And he said that Ukraine was picking off Russian weapons such as self-propelled howitzers and Ka-52 helicopters "piece by piece."The UK Ministry of Defense said in July that the Ka-52s, known as the "Alligator" by Russia and "Hokum-B" by NATO, were giving Russia a big boost in its invasion of Ukraine.It called the Ka-52 "one of the single most influential Russian weapon systems" in the Zaporizhzhia region, one of the areas Ukraine is focusing its counteroffensive.But Ukraine is striking back, with the tracking group Oryx saying 40 Ka-52s are confirmed lost through visual verification.And that number does not include two Ka-52 helicopters that Ukraine said it shot down Thursday morning.The Economist, in its article, suggested that Russia had about 100 Ka-52s at the start of the war but might now have just 25 left.The Kremlin calls Ka-52s the "world's best helicopter gunship," the Kyiv Post reported, and each one costs upward of $16 million, Ukrainian News reported, citing "open sources."Oryx has also recorded 350 destroyed pieces of Russian self-propelled artillery, with 29 more damaged, seven abandoned, and 10 captured.Ukraine started its long-anticipated counteroffensive in June, and while its military has made some progress in moving forward, it has not made significant gains.Ukrainian officials have pointed to the strong defenses that Russia has built, including dense minefields that the country's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said made Ukraine the most heavily mined country in the world.Reznikov recently called on Ukraine's allies to send more equipment that could clear mines to help troops move forward and stop them from being maimed and killed.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wanted his country's counteroffensive to start earlier but felt he had to wait for more weapons to arrive from allied countries. Experts previously told Insider that those delays allowed Russia to build its strong defenses.But Lawrence Freedman, a war expert at the UK's King's College London, told The Economist that Ukraine was making progress."They're doing stuff and they're stretching the Russians," he said.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Ukraine's counteroffensive started in June. It's being aided by Ukraine targeting Russian assets like Ka-52 helicopters and self-propelled artillery. A Ukrainian tank fires toward Russian troops near the front line in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, July 6, 2023.REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy Ukraine is picking off Russia's Ka-52 helicopters and self-propelled artillery, an expert said. Nico Lange told The Economist that Ukraine's counteroffensive is picking up pace. The UK MOD called Ka-52s "one of the single most influential Russian weapon systems" in a key battlefront. Ukraine is figuring out how to remove some major roadblocks in its counteroffensive, like Russia's Ka-52 attack helicopters and self-propelled artillery, an expert told The Economist.Nico Lange, a Ukraine expert at the Munich Security Conference, said Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June, had started to make more progress in the last two weeks.And he said that Ukraine was picking off Russian weapons like self-propelled howitzers and Ka-52s "piece by piece."The UK Ministry of Defence said in July that the Ka-52s, known as the "Alligator" by Russia and "Hokum-B" by NATO, were giving Russia a big boost in its invasion of Ukraine.It called the Ka-52 "one of the single most influential Russian weapon systems" in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is one of the areas Ukraine is focusing its counteroffensive.But Ukraine is striking back, with tracking group Oryx saying 40 Ka-52s are confirmed lost through visual verification.And that number does not include two Ka-52 helicopters that Ukraine said it shot down on Thursday morning.The Economist, in its article, suggested that Russia had about 100 Ka-52s at the start of the war, but may now have just 25 left.The Kremlin calls the Ka-52s the "world's best helicopter gunship," Kyiv Post reported, and each one costs upwards of $16 million, Insider's Rebecca Rommen reported.Oryx also records 350 destroyed pieces of Russian self-propelled artillery, with 29 more damaged, seven abandoned, and 10 captured.Ukraine started its long-anticipated counteroffensive in June, and while its military has made some progress in moving forward, it has not made any significant gains.Ukrainian officials have pointed to the strong defenses that Russia has built, including dense minefields that the country's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said made Ukraine the most heavily mined country in the world.Reznikov recently called on Ukraine's allies to send more equipment that could clear mines to help troops move forward and stop them being maimed and killed.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wanted his country's counteroffensive to start earlier, but felt he had to wait for more weapons to arrive from allied countries. Experts previously told Insider that those delays allowed Russia to build its strong defenses.But Lawrence Freedman, a war expert at the UK's King's College London, told The Economist that Ukraine is making progress."They're doing stuff and they're stretching the Russians," he said.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

In this article, we look at 12 countries with the most aircraft carriers. You can skip our detailed analysis on trends in the naval industry, and head over directly to 5 Countries With Most Aircraft Carriers. Aircraft carriers are naval vessels on which planes can land and take off from. The history of aircraft carriers […] In this article, we look at 12 countries with the most aircraft carriers. You can skip our detailed analysis on trends in the naval industry, and head over directly to 5 Countries With Most Aircraft Carriers. Aircraft carriers are naval vessels on which planes can land and take off from. The history of aircraft carriers dates back to November 1910 when Eugene Ely, an American pilot, flew a plane from the deck of a US cruiser in Birmingham, Virginia. The same pilot, a couple of months later in January 1911, made a landing on a battleship called Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay. The British navy also experimented and developed HMS Argus, the first real aircraft carrier for use during World War I. However, hostilities ceased before the carrier could be put in use in the conflict. USS Langley was the first aircraft carrier that joined the US Navy fleet in 1922. However, it was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 that truly marked the entrance of aircraft carriers in military conflicts. Nearly eight decades later, the aircraft carrier still remains the most potent and dominant naval platform. Manufacturers after that war ensured that new aircraft carriers that were being built were larger in size and also included armored flight decks. Moreover, heavy weights and high landing speeds of aircrafts created serious problems for the carriers. The British addressed these issues with innovating creations of landing signal systems, angled flight decks, and steam-powered catapults. Over the years, a number of variants of the aircraft carriers have been developed, such as nuclear-power aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers, and amphibious assault ships. It is also common today to see multipurpose aircraft carriers. Aircraft Carrier Industry The aircraft carrier industry is a multi-billion-dollar market, and according to a report, it is projected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 2% between 2023-2028. Growing territorial and geopolitical disputes in different regions across the world have propelled navies to procure aircraft carriers. Asia-Pacific in particular has become a global flashpoint with risks of military conflicts breaking out every now and then. As a result, it is likely to be the fastest growing region when it comes to procurement of aircraft carriers in the next five years, with countries like China, South Korea and India enhancing their naval arsenal. Major Companies in the Industry Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the US. It designs and builds nuclear-powered aircraft carriers for the American Navy. The Gerald R. Ford class, which is considered as the next-generation of aircraft carriers, is also being developed by the Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII). The naval platform will help the United States meet naval operational needs of the 21st century. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) does not only produce and deliver these ships to the US Navy, it also offers service facilities throughout the lifetime of the aircraft carrier. The company generated $10.67 billion in revenues in 2022. General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) is another key player in the aircraft carrier industry. This year in April 2023, it entered into a $847 million deal for seven years to repair, maintain and modernize aircraft carriers operated by the United States Navy. General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) this year has also started work on constructing two John Lewis class fleet oilers and the ESB 8 expeditionary sea ship for the US Navy. General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) has been designing and building ships for the US military since the 1960s. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) is known for its aerospace capabilities, but has also lent support to the US military’s naval strength over the years. Its jets have been actively taking part in sea-based tests. In 2014, two F-35C jets made successful landings on the USS Nimitz in San Diego. In 2020, according to a report in Janes, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) entered into a $245.5 million contract to perform sea-trials of the F-35 jet for international customers. The US Navy operates two classes of aircraft carriers – Nimitz and Ford. Both classes are equipped to have up to 75 aircrafts and usually accommodate 40 or more Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s F-35C fighters and Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircrafts. British multinational arms company, BAE Systems plc, was one of the lead members that worked with the UK Ministry of Defense in the delivery of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers, which includes HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. These are the largest warships ever constructed in the history of the Royal Navy, and replaced the aging invincible class of carriers. India’s Cochin Shipyard Limited, based in Kochi in the state of Kerala, built India’s first home-made aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, for an estimated $3.2 billion. It is also working on building another aircraft carrier named INS Vishal, which is expected to have a displacement of between 65-000-70,000 tonnes.  Methodology We have ranked countries with most aircraft carriers using data sourced from Global Firepower Index 2023 and Popular Mechanics. Since there are very few countries that possess aircraft carriers, and most of them, with the exception of the United States, have only one or two carriers, we ranked countries based on tonnage in cases where the number of aircraft carriers were the same for two or more countries. If interested, you can also take a look at the 15 Most Powerful Navies in the World. Pixabay/Public Domain Let’s now head over to the list of countries with most aircraft carriers. 12. Thailand Aircraft Carriers: 1 HTMS Chakri Naruebet is Thailand’s and southeast Asia’s only aircraft carrier. Built in Spain, it was commissioned in 1997 and is the smallest aircraft carrier in the world with a displacement of only 11,486 tons. It has a range of 10,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. The carrier also has accommodation facilities for Thailand’s royal family. 11. Brazil Aircraft Carriers: 1 Atlantico is the current flagship carrier of the Brazilian Navy. It was constructed as HMS Ocean in the United Kingdom, and used by the Royal Navy as a floating helicopter platform for the British Royal Marines. In 2018 it was decommissioned and sold to Brazil, where it was renamed Altantico. This is the only aircraft carrier in South America, and the Brazilian Navy aims to use the ship to operate drones. Atlantico has a tonnage of 21,500.  10. Spain Aircraft Carriers: 1 Operated by the Spanish Navy, Juan Carlos I, is a multipurpose vessel that can be used as a light aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship. It was designed for expeditionary operations. Juan Carlos I has aviation facilities required for launching Spain’s Harrier fighter jets. According to the Spanish Ministry of Defense, the aircraft carrier has a range of 9,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. Its displacement is estimated to be 26,000 tonnes. 9. Turkey Aircraft Carriers: 1 Turkey has one light aircraft carrier called TCG Anadolu which is equipped with aviation facilities including the ability to launch and land aircrafts on. President Erdogan’s government plans to equip Anadolu with Bayraktar TB3 after the US ejected Turkey from Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s F-35 program for acquiring air-defense missiles from Russia. TCG Anadolu has a displacement of over 27,000 tonnes. Turkey is also working on TCG Trakya, which it claims will be bigger than the TCG Anadolu. 8. France Aircraft Carriers: 1 FS Charles de Gaulle is France’s only aircraft carrier. It is a nuclear-powered carrier that became operational in 2001. It is 858 feet long and comes with a displacement of 45,000 tons. It is one of the most capable carriers in the world due to its mix of Rafale fighter jets, E-2 Hawkeye aircrafts, and naval helicopters. Charles de Gaulle was to be one of France’s two planned aircraft carriers, but the plans for the second one never materialized. As a result, whenever Charles de Gaulle is in drydock, the country is left without an aircraft carrier. The government has plans to replace Charles de Gaulle in the 2030s with a new carrier named Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération, which will have a displacement of over 75,000 tonnes. 7. Russia Aircraft Carriers: 1 Admiral Kuznetsov is Russia’s only aircraft carrier, which was launched in 1985 and commissioned in 1991. The flat-top which displaces 58,000 tons was built at the Nikolayev shipyards in Ukraine during the Cold War. It has a range of 8,500 nautical miles and travels at a speed of 29 knots. The ship is now old and has suffered multiple breakdowns in the sea. According to Popular Mechanics, Admiral Kuznetsov is currently undergoing maintenance and upgrade this year, and will be operational again in late 2023. 6. Italy Aircraft Carriers: 2 Giuseppe Garibaldi and Cavour are the two aircraft carriers of the Italian Navy. The first ship, which is named after a popular military general in the 19th century, was commissioned in 1985, and has taken part in NATO’s interventions in Afghanistan and Libya. It is set to be replaced soon by Trieste. The Cavour is the first Italian warship to launch and recover Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s F-35 fighters. Both of these carriers have a combined displacement of over 41,000 tonnes.  Click to continue reading and see the 5 Countries With Most Aircraft Carriers. Suggested Articles: 25 Most Powerful Militaries in the World in 2023 Military Spending by Country in 2023: 20 Largest Defense Budgets NATO Military Spending by Country: Top 20 Countries Disclosure: None. 12 Countries With Most Aircraft Carriers is originally published on Insider Monkey......»»

The child was found after a raid by US soldiers. Afghan villagers say the father was an innocent farmer killed in the raid and that the child belongs with the family. Joshua Mast and his wife walking to court in Charlottesville, Virginia.Cliff Owen/Associated Press Maj. Joshua Mast, after a raid on an Afghan village, tried for years to adopt a baby he found in the rubble. He claims her parents were foreign fighters and that she was stateless. Villagers say her parents were farmers. The child has been reunited with her family, for now. The Afghan villager was afraid the American soldiers might come. And one cool night in fall, as his children lay asleep, helicopters roared overhead.At the first sound of gunshots, he yelled for his wife and 10 children to take cover. His young daughter grabbed her sleeping infant sister off the bed. Their mud compound exploded, and a blast sent a huge shock through the home."My small sister fell away from my arms," the girl, now a teenager, whispered, so quietly she could barely be heard above the breeze. "The wind blew her out of my hands."Today, what exactly happened that night is at the center of a bitter international custody dispute over an orphaned baby found amid the rubble. The high-profile legal battle pits an Afghan family against an American one, and has drawn responses from the White House and the Taliban.The Afghan government and the International Committee of the Red Cross determined that the baby belonged to this Afghan villager. Friends and family say he was a farmer, not a militant. The Red Cross found surviving relatives and united her with them.However, a US Marine attorney, Maj. Joshua Mast, believed he should get the girl instead. He insists that the child is the stateless orphan of foreign fighters who were living in an Al Qaeda compound, and convinced a rural Virginia judge to grant him an adoption from 7,000 miles away.Were it not for this little girl, now 4 years old, the events that began on the night of September 5, 2019, in this remote, impoverished region might have remained locked away among clandestine stories of the thousands of raids the American and Afghan militaries carried out during the long war.But once-secret documents, now filed in court records, reveal details that thrust this raid into an ongoing controversy over who the military killed when they blew down walls in the middle of the night in Afghanistan, if those people were fighters or civilians, and whether the military ever tried to find out.The Mast family has submitted a summary of the raid in a federal court case, an account Mast helped create after he said he "personally read every page of the 150+ classified documents" on the operation. The summary describes how as many as six enemy fighters were killed and possibly one civilian. The only child the document mentions is the injured baby.But survivors and villagers who pulled bodies from the rubble told The Associated Press that more than 20 people were killed that night. Among them were this local farmer, his wife, and five of their children, ages 4 to 15. The villagers said that after the raid, they also found four more of the farmer's children — three girls and a boy — covered in dirt, crying amid flames and ruins.Attorneys for the federal government said the summary the Mast family submitted in court was written on "purported" military letterhead and "does not appear to have been created or endorsed by the Department of Defense." Nonetheless, they asked the court to seal it because they claim it contains government information the public should not see."The 'mission summary' document was created by Major Mast in 2019 for use in his efforts to adopt the Afghan child, using his access to United States government information that he obtained through his Department of Defense employment, but does not necessarily reflect accurate or complete information," a Defense Department official told the AP.The military refuses to talk about its own account of the raid, and asked the AP to instead use a redacted version that blacks out certain details, including any reference to civilian deaths. Several soldiers involved in the raid, who have testified in locked-door state court hearings about what happened there, declined to comment, and what they said on the witness stand remains sealed.The total cost of the war in civilian lives is impossible to pin down. The Defense Department estimates 48,000 Afghan civilians were killed and at least 75,000 injured between 2001 and 2021, though the agency acknowledges the true toll is likely significantly higher.Night raids have long been a particularly controversial tactic, said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Military investigations into who was killed in night raids were rare, and even more rarely made public. Gossman said a representative of the US military told her American soldiers hardly ever returned to the scene of a raid to see if civilians were killed."They said to us, 'We can't, we can't go back there because we'd be a target,'" Gossman recalled. "But then how do you ever know?"The AP spoke with 12 villagers who described what happened on the night of Sept. 5, 2019, including four who said they were the orphan's siblings and uncles. The AP has agreed not to name the village or the family out of fear of tribal conflict and retaliation from the Taliban, who now rule the country. But neighbors said they never saw anyone return to account for the dead and injured, including the children, or to verify if they were militants.The farmer's brother-in-law wept as he walked around the site of the raid, pointing out where he had found his surviving nephews and nieces and the mutilated corpses of his loved ones. He showed the AP where they lived, where they made fires, where they sat, where they ate. The farmer was around 55 or 60, grew mung beans, corn and wheat, and was poor but generous enough to share any money he had, the brother-in-law said."Now that I come here and look at these places, they do not leave my eyes," he said. "My heart is very sad."The foreigners next doorHere in this rugged desert, families live among the ruins of a 20-year war — rusted tanks, bombed-out houses, bullet-riddled buildings.Dust kicks up from the wheels of motorcycles on dirt paths, where squat mud homes blend into mountains that stretch for miles in every direction. It is a hard life: There are no paved roads, no running water or electricity, no bathrooms or cell service.While locals said their tiny village was not targeted by the American military before September 2019, they feared the air strikes, night raids and fierce fighting decimating communities around them. Many raids happened in places like this — hard-to-reach outposts, far from city-based media outlets and human rights organizations that might look into civilian deaths.About 200 people scratch out a living raising animals and farming on the green fertile patch of land alongside the river. The farmer and his family tended to their goats and sheep in the courtyard of their home, villagers said.The home was a windowless one-story compound of mud and straw. Like many in this conservative region, women stayed within the walls for most of their lives.Years and ages can be difficult to calculate in Afghanistan, which uses different calendars than much of the world, but neighbors said the farmer and his family had lived there for a long time.Neighbor Abdul Khaliq said he had known the farmer for more than 20 years, and described him as kind and amiable. "He was a very good person," Khaliq said.The farmer's wife was younger, around 40, and they'd been married for about 25 years. She was the daughter of an imam at a local mosque, and remained close to her family. She had a sense of humor — her brother said she would laugh as she teased him for not visiting often enough.There is no way the AP could independently verify who the baby's parents were. Identification documents such as birth certificates aren't issued in this remote region — especially for women and girls — and few have cell phones or cameras. The AP has located no records of the birth of the farmer's baby or photographs of her with the family before the raid.The Afghan government claimed the child, and the U.S. government agreed that the girl, who is referred to in court records as "Baby Doe," belonged to an Afghan family: "Baby Doe is a citizen of Afghanistan with biological family in Afghanistan," attorneys for the federal government wrote in court filings.But the Masts strongly disagree. Several foreign families arrived in the village around 2017 and settled into a home next to the Afghan farmer and his family, neighbors said. These men, women and children shared a wall, but kept to themselves and spoke an unfamiliar language, villagers told the AP.The light-skinned, bearded foreigners were a source of gossip. Some neighbors speculated they were from another, faraway Afghan province, or Turkey, or "the West."Local mechanic Abdul Rahim, 25, said the foreigners often brought their cars, trucks and motorcycles to be fixed at his shop. No matter where they came from, one thing was clear to Rahim: They liked their weapons. They'd clean their guns while he fixed their cars."I tried very hard to talk to them, but I couldn't understand the language," Rahim said. "There was never a fight or quarrel with them."In Afghanistan, hospitality is of foremost importance, and nobody confronted the visiting foreigners. The locals said they were friendly, but cautious.The farmer told his brother-in-law he was considering moving his family to another relative's house nearby. He was frightened that the military might come for the foreigners so close to his home."There were red fires"The day of the raid unfolded like any other; the family fed corn and grass to the animals in the morning and cooked potatoes for lunch. They had no idea that U.S. and Afghan forces were loading up in helicopters to head toward their village.The soldiers were targeting three men in two compounds believed to be al-Qaida-affiliated fighters from neighboring Turkmenistan, according to the summary the Masts submitted in court. As soldiers approached, they called out, offering the people inside a chance to surrender, according to the summary. One man was detained.Rahim, the local mechanic, said he had just fallen asleep under a tree outside a friend's home when he heard someone shouting in Pashto, "stop, don't run." Awakening beside him, Mohammad Zaman remembers door-to-door knocks with orders "not to move" and "not to run." The friends lay still, even as wind from a helicopter shook the branches and leaves above them, Zaman said.Then gunfire erupted. A barricaded shooter opened fire on the attacking troops, according to the summary. He was killed, but there were multiple shooters firing: a barrage of gunshots and grenades continued to pour out of the building. Attorneys representing Mast family members say the Americans suffered numerous injuries.Joshua Mast was not at the raid. In emails filed in federal court, he said the baby was in the room with the fighters shooting at soldiers. He wrote that her biological father blew himself up with a suicide vest, just a few feet away from her.U.S. troops blasted a hole in a wall and tossed in grenades, according to the summary. Next door to the foreigners' home, the farmer's family was woken up by the noise, the surviving children said. The son said his father shouted at the children to get to another room, but he didn't know where he should run. His sister grabbed the baby.The blast that blew apart the walls of their home was so powerful that to this day, villagers believe the military dropped a bomb."Get out of this place," the sister heard her father shout. Then came gunshots, she said. His shouting stopped. She dropped the baby.The mangled bodies of her father and siblings lay on the floor, the girl said. Their father's motorcycle exploded into flames that spread and engulfed them."There were soldiers, there were bombs….there were red fires," said the sister, her eyes darting, her voice shaking.She burned her shoulder, hand and head. She ran and hid among the animals until the shooting stopped.Neighbors said the assault lasted until early the next morning. Green smoke lingered in the air, along with the smell of gunpowder and burned bodies.Soldiers found an injured woman and tried to save her life, but couldn't, Mast's summary says. They spotted a wounded baby nearby and assumed the dead woman was her mother.The American soldiers took the baby.A missing baby girlAfter the helicopters flew away and it grew quiet, neighbors say they ventured out of their homes and walked toward the flames. They called out, doubting anyone had survived.That's when they said they heard the cries.Four of the farmer's children had survived, so covered with dust and dirt they were almost unrecognizable, said neighbor Rahim. They staggered out of what once was their home, reduced to flames and ashes littered with charred corpses and limbs. It was difficult to tell who was alive and who was dead, Rahim said.A little boy had been hit in his belly by a metal fragment, and wailed that his family was killed, his uncle remembers.The stench from the bodies was overwhelming, so villagers scooped up the children and drove the injured to a government hospital. The boy would remain there for a month."It was a very bad scene. There was nothing left," Rahim said. "The houses were blown away, and every dead body was under the soil."As neighbors wept and pulled bodies from the rubble, people poured in from neighboring towns to help, villagers recalled. Soon everyone from the home was accounted for, either living or dead — except for one. They could not find the baby girl.They dug through the dirt floor of the home with shovels and their hands. They moved furniture and soil. They were worried that surely the baby — only 40 days old — was stuck under the earth or the debris and just too small to find.But she was gone.A CHILD'S FATE IN LIMBOThe farmer, his wife and their five children were buried in a row in the family graveyard, where generations of kin had been laid to rest. Villagers said more than 100 people came to help dig their graves in the hard ground.They buried the foreigners — more than a dozen men, women and children — in two other cemeteries.The farmer's family says they were not fighters. If true, the American military might never have known that — during raids, they believed they were going in on hostile operations, and often assumed everyone there was a threat, said Erica Gaston, a human rights researcher who worked for years in Afghanistan with several advocacy groups."Often that creates a bias where there's just a presumption that the people that were hit were, you know, quote unquote, all bad guys," said Gaston. "And civilians very often tell a different story….that they hit the wrong house."In the village, survivors continued to search for the farmer's missing baby, visiting a U.S. military base, going to government offices and talking to the International Committee of the Red Cross. They heard a baby had been taken by the Americans to a military hospital.For months, as the girl was treated for a skull fracture, burns and a broken leg, the Afghan government and the Red Cross worked to confirm who she belonged to. In the end, they decided she was the farmer's daughter.The U.S. State Department wrote in an email to AP earlier this month that it trusted the finding of the Red Cross— "through a family trace and verification process, that the child was Afghan, not 'stateless.'" So when the government of Afghanistan requested the child be transferred to its custody to be returned to her family, the U.S. complied."We understood at the time that all appropriate procedures had been followed under Afghan law, and that remains our understanding," the State Department wrote.The Masts argue the Afghan government wrongly linked the child to the family without DNA testing, pictures of her with this family or any documentation connecting her to them.Joshua Mast's brother, lawyer Richard Mast, is now named in a federal lawsuit filed by the Afghan family that alleges the Masts fraudulently claimed the child was "stateless" in their quest to adopt her. Richard Mast's lawyer, David Yerushalmi, questioned why an innocent farmer would be "living in the same compound as heavily armed foreign fighters." He said there is no proof the orphan belonged to the farmer in the first place.But the Masts' efforts to stop the U.S. government from turning her over failed, and the child was taken to the farmer's brother. Since he couldn't afford to take care of her, he gave her to his son and daughter-in-law, who were better off, educated newlyweds living in the city. They gladly agreed to raise her as their own."They are her parents," the uncle told AP.Over the next 18 months, as she grew to be a toddler in Afghanistan, Joshua Mast did not give up. He convinced a Virginia state court to grant him an adoption. All he needed was to get her on U.S. soil.Less than two years after the raid, Mast helped the Afghan couple and the toddler flee as the country collapsed and the Taliban took over. Days after they arrived in the U.S., the Masts worked with federal employees at a refugee resettlement camp to take custody of the child. The Afghan couple are suing to get her back, but she remains in limbo.Joshua Mast, his lawyer and attorneys representing the Afghan couple did not respond to requests for comment.Meanwhile, in remote Afghanistan, the farmer's surviving family is haunted by all they saw, and all they lost. When his brother-in-law sees his nephew smile, he thinks of how his sister, now dead, would laugh when he teased her"God will make him grow," he said, "he will bring life to this house."The boy continues to struggle and finds it hard to be around other families. When asked if he remembered his parents, he began to cry. He bit his lip and looked away.The girl who dropped her baby sister is tormented by ghosts. When she speaks to strangers covered in a shawl, she is so small and frail that it seems to swallow her. She fidgets nervously with the hem.She could speak perfectly before the soldiers came that night, but now she stutters."My life is sad, my heart is sad, and I miss my parents," she said. "I see this attack every night….it comes to me in my dreams."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Russian forces have relentlessly attacked southern Ukrainian cities and ports in the weeks since Moscow killed the critical Black Sea grain deal. A view shows a marine station building destroyed during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Izmail, Odesa region, Ukraine August 2, 2023.REUTERS/Nina Liashenko Russian forces have been routinely attacking Ukraine's southern cities and ports in recent weeks. Some drone strikes have targeted areas along the Danube River, which borders NATO member Romania.  Western intelligence says Russia has "evolved its risk appetite for conducting strikes near" NATO. Russian forces have been increasingly carrying out explosive drones attacks on Ukrainian ports, even in areas near Ukraine's borders with NATO territory, and Western intelligence suggests the series of calculated moves show Moscow's "appetite" for risk has changed.Moscow began a coordinated effort to target Ukraine's southern cities, ports, and grain storage facilities in mid-July after it killed the critical Black Sea grain deal, which had allowed Kyiv to export food and fertilizer beyond a Russian blockade in a bid to avoid a global food crisis. Since the deal collapsed, Russia has relentlessly bombarded Ukrainian economic interests and civilians near the Black Sea and even threatened military action against vessels it believes are bound for Ukraine.But these attacks have also crept toward NATO territory, something Western officials have warned of since the 17-month-long war began. Specifically, Russia has used Iranian-made one-way attack drones — widely known as "Shaheds" in a reference to the types of drones — to carry out several waves of strikes on Kyiv's ports along the meandering Danube River, which separates southern Ukraine and NATO-member Romania and feeds into the Black Sea.Britain's defense ministry said in a Friday intelligence update that Russia "is highly likely attempting to coerce international shipping into stopping trading via the ports." It added that the Iranian-made drones have landed as close as 650 feet from the Romania border, "suggesting that Russia has evolved its risk appetite for conducting strikes near NATO territory."A recent video filmed from the Romanian side of the Danube River — which showed a giant fireball erupt in the aftermath of a Russian attack on the city of Izmail — highlighted just how close the drones are to NATO territory. —Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) August 2, 2023 Ukraine's defense ministry said an attack on Izmail this week left over 40,000 tons of grain damaged."This grain could have fed millions of people in China, Israel, and many African countries. Terrorists can use starvation as a weapon. russia has demonstrated this once more," the defense ministry wrote on Twitter. UK intelligence said there's "a realistic possibility" that Russia is using the Iranian drones "to strike this area in the belief they are less likely to risk escalation than cruise missiles: Russia likely considers them as acceptably accurate, and they have much smaller warheads than cruise missiles."In some areas along the Black Sea, Russia has made use of notoriously inaccurate missiles like the Kh-22 — an anti-ship missile referred to by NATO as the AS-4 Kitchen — to hammer Ukrainian cities over the past few weeks, leading to international outrage and condemnation. The persistent strikes have killed and injured scores of civilians and left buildings, including historic sites, in ruins.  A view shows a building of the Black Sea Danube shipping company destroyed during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Izmail, Odesa region, Ukraine August 2, 2023.REUTERS/Nina Liashenko"Russia's attacks on civilian and port infrastructure in Odesa, Izmail, and Reni devastate places where people live and work," US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Wednesday. "As Russia continues to weaponize food, these escalatory attacks also represent a total assault on Ukraine's ability to get badly needed grain to people around the world."Meanwhile, the bombardment near Romania comes as some NATO countries worry that Russian allies are encroaching on NATO territory to the northwest of Ukraine.In late July, Poland accused Wagner Group mercenaries living in exile in Belarus and training the country's military of moving into position near its border and said that two Belarusian military helicopters violated its airspace. Minsk has denied the allegations, but nonetheless, Wagner's presence has led officials in NATO members Poland and Lithuania to express concern over the group's activities. Speaking to reporters this week, White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby downplayed the concern and said the mercenaries do not appear to be an immediate threat to NATO."We're not aware of any specific threat posed by Wagner to Poland or to any of our NATO allies, and we're watching that, obviously, closely," he said, reiterating that the US is still committed to "defending every inch of NATO territory."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

As the Ukrainian counteroffensive progresses, a new long-range Russian anti-tank missile is proving a problem for the country’s defenders. The LMUR, launched from Russian attack helicopters, has a range of 15 kilometers. This is a long range for a weapon designed for precision strikes on highly-armored targets, but 15 kilometers is basically spitting distance compared […] As the Ukrainian counteroffensive progresses, a new long-range Russian anti-tank missile is proving a problem for the country’s defenders. The LMUR, launched from Russian attack helicopters, has a range of 15 kilometers. This is a long range for a weapon designed for precision strikes on highly-armored targets, but 15 kilometers is basically spitting distance compared to the world’s intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon capable crossing vast distances to strike their target, often carrying a nuclear warhead. Many nations possess these powerful weapons, which are defined as weapons that can travel over 5,600 kilometers (about 3,500 miles), though many can deliver nuclear warheads at much longer distances. (This is the country with the most nuclear weapons.) To determine how far the most powerful missiles can travel, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the nonpartisan Arms Control Association, an organization that promotes effective arms control policies. Only operational missiles with ranges of at least 5,600 km were considered. Supplemental data came from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Federation of American Scientists. The U.S., China, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia are the only countries known to have ICBMs that are fully operational. Other nations like North Korea and India are also improving their missile programs in anticipation of developing their own ICBMs as well. With Russia invading Ukraine, the world is in the perilous position of seeing a nuclear power at war. President Vladimir Putin warned that if any nation intervenes in the conflict, Russia would utilize “instruments … nobody else can boast of, and we will use them if we have to.” No nuclear weapon has been utilized since World War II, but if Russia were to strike Ukraine with such a weapon, the result could be catastrophic worldwide. This is what a nuclear war would do to the world. Click here to see how far the most powerful missiles can travel Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now......»»

Woke Researchers Spin Mockery Of STEM/Trans Survey Into Laughable 'Online Fascism' Paper After a national survey meant to assess the representation of "transgender and gender nonconforming" undergrads in science, technology, engineering and math fields elicited a major dose of sarcasm and insults, five woke researchers have written a paper arguing the responses are proof that "fascist ideologues" are "living ‘inside the house’ of engineering and computer science." Researcher Andrea Haverkamp lived in a van for five months while pursuing a doctorate in environmental engineering with a minor in queer studies (Street Roots) Of 723 responses, only 299 were considered valid, and 50, or 15%, were classified as "malicious." True to form, the researchers -- all associated with Oregon State University -- also claim injury from unwelcome words:  "The malicious words and slurs directed towards our research team had a profound impact on [our] morale and mental health...particularly for one of our graduate student researchers...who was already in therapy for anxiety and depression regarding online anti-trans rhetoric" and "had to be taken off the project to heal from traumatic harm." Asked about their gender, many respondents identified as attack helicopters, a long-standing meme that mocks woke culture's encouragement of people to "identify" as whatever they want. Comically, the authors took special offense that many respondents specifically chose the best-known attack helicopter:  "It is notable that the specific descriptor of an Apache Attack Helicopter is referenced by several different participants—itself a synthesis and reflection of U.S. military force and the appropriation of Indigenous language by colonizers."  The 28-page paper is titled "Attack Helicopters and White Supremacy: Interpreting Malicious Responses to an Online Questionnaire about Transgender Undergraduate Engineering and Computer Science Student Experiences." It was rejected by multiple engineering-education journals before finding a home at "Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies," which Northwestern University alumni can proudly claim as their alma mater's contribution to society.   “Online memes associated with white nationalist and fascist movements were present throughout the data, alongside memes and content referencing gaming and ‘nerd’ culture,” wrote the authors, who call for academia to face STEM's surging fascist menace head-on, as the survey results demonstrate "social justice STEM education must include perspectives on online hate radicalization and center anti-colonial, intersectional solidarity organizing as its opposition."  There are plenty more word-salads strewn through the 28-page paper. Rather than ranch dressing, they're served with a splash of Marxism:  “The university at its most ideal can be envisioned as ‘a central site for revolutionary struggle, a site where we can work to educate for critical consciousness’ using ‘a pedagogy of liberation.'” "Identities such as transgender status in STEM teaching should similarly not be taught as 'single issues' but be conceptualized as one component of our multifaceted experiences with power and oppression—and that categories such as race, gender, and sexuality have roots in European colonial logics shared by fascist movements." "Engineering graduates in the U.S. frequently work in fields such as fossil fuels, defense, construction, and technology upon graduation, and could be taught about these field’s relationships with national and global racial capitalism." One of the authors, Qwo-Li Driskill, is Oregon State University's director of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and asks that you use "them" to refer to him (Arts Everywhere) Keeping in mind that $5 Amazon gift cards were used as an enticement to participate, here's a sampling of the responses that sent the study's lead data analyst fleeing into the arms of a therapist... Gender:   I identify as a gift card Apache Attack Helicopter Cis gender lizard king A human being F**king white male V22 Osprey DID YOU JUST F**KING ASK FOR MY GENDER F-16 Fighter Jet Pansexual attack helicopter Non-cookie-cutter cis-furry dragonkin. Don't judge.  Quasi-Demi-poney; bankai-released state queercopter with a hint of faggotdrag lesbian and homosexual upside-down Frappuccino cake I'm just here for the gift card Race/Ethnic Identity I'm an ethnic gift card. My skin color is not important  Afro/Klingon-Asicatic Galapogayation AH-64 Apache Republican Come on man, these questions are stupid. Everyone is a grab bag of genetics from all over the world I'm a Swedish Muslim Native American (Elizabeth Warren) Pansexual attack helicopter Cracker Colored Native Mix w/oppressed ancestors Born white but I spend a lot of time in the sun so I identify as a light skin black male My skin is blue, I think I might be a smurf Disability  I don't have enough gift cards My country is run by communists Being 2.86% white Pedophilia Gender disphoria Thinking I'm not a man Being trans That I'm a tranny I'm mentally retarded I have hands where my feet are and feet where my hands are  Like all transgenders, my disability is the inability to come to terms with biological reality. Madness, essentially.  Open-Ended Responses I am trans obviously I will have a job regardless of my skills thanks to diversity quotas inspired by surveys such as these I don’t actually have any skills I’m just a diversity “affirmative action” student You’re ruining genuine scientific disciplines here. There are two genders, male and female. If an engineer creates a bolt and a nut but then whimsically labels them, then they’re not that great of an engineer. I wish people in universities (especially the faculty) would not focus so much on gender and identity. That doesn’t matter. Just let people do their thing and teach them how to do Gauss eliminations and whatnot Just think: If your wisecracks in our comments are potent enough, you too may find yourself quoted in an alarmist paper at the esteemed Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies.  Tyler Durden Sun, 07/23/2023 - 16:00.....»»

A Ukrainian pilot told The Sunday Times they had saved the GPS locations of places where patriotic Ukrainian women had flashed them. A Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopter during military drills in Dnipropetrovsk region in June.Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters A Ukrainian air-force crew told The Sunday Times that women flash them when they fly overhead. One woman even proposed marriage by holding up a sign as they flew over a town, a pilot said. The Ukrainian air force is trying to keep morale high as it faces a strong Russian counterpart.  A Ukrainian helicopter crew told The Sunday Times that women in the country flash them as they fly overhead, boosting their morale as they fight Russia.In a recent feature, the show of support was described by a Ukrainian pilot, referred to only as a major named Maksym.The article said his crew had saved the GPS locations of places where it'd happened, lighthearted moments in their dangerous and often demoralizing missions against a far superior Russian air force.One woman even proposed marriage to them by holding up a sign, per the report.Maksym and his fellow airmen have been flying a Soviet-designed Mil Mi-8 helicopter on daily missions to Bakhmut, an eastern city in Ukraine, which has become a flash point in the war.On their way to their missions they try to keep the conversation light and positive, The Times said. They recently threw a bottle of cognac wrapped in a towel to an elderly man they spotted in the war-torn landscape, the report said.These kinds of interactions are more viable because the helicopters, per the report, fly very low to avoid Russian air defenses. The Times said they are often just 15 feet above the ground.The Ukrainian air force is struggling against a far better-armed Russia, Maksym said. The disparity is especially strong between the air forces, which Maksym characterized by saying: "The Russians understand we can do nothing to them in the air."Ukraine has limited ammunition and no aircraft that counters Russia's newest models in the sky, he said. Half of his unit has already been killed, he added.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Wall Street Journal last month that Russian air superiority would exact a heavy toll on Ukrainian soldiers if Western powers did not provide them with reinforcements.July 20, 2023: This story was updated to clarify the attribution in the Sunday Times story, which was based in part on an interview with the entire Ukrainian helicopter crew, not just the crew member identified as Maksym.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

A Ukrainian pilot told The Sunday Times they have saved the GPS locations of places where patriotic Ukrainian women have flashed them. A Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopter flies during military drills in Dnipropetrovsk region, on June 7, 2023.Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters A Ukrainian air force crew told The Sunday Times that women flash them when they fly overhead. One woman even proposed marriage by holding up a sign as they flew over a town, a pilot said. The Ukrainian air force is trying to keep morale high as it faces a strong Russian counterpart.  A Ukrainian helicopter crew told The Sunday Times that women in the country flash them as they fly overhead to boost their morale in fighting Russia. In a recent feature, the show of support was described by a Ukrainian pilot, identified only by his rank of major and his first name Maksym.He said his crew saves the GPS locations of places where it happens, lighthearted moment in their dangerous and often demoralizing missions against a far superior Russian air force.One woman even proposed marriage to them by holding up a sign, he said.Maksym and his fellow airmen have been flying a Soviet-designed Mil Mi-8 helicopter on daily missions to Bakhmut, an eastern city in Ukraine, which has become a flashpoint in the war.On their way to their missions they try to keep conversation light and positive, Maksym said, and like to interact with civilians on the ground. They recently threw a bottle of cognac wrapped in a towel to an elderly man they spotted in the war-torn landscape, he said.These kind of interactions as more viable because the helicopters fly very low to avoid Russian air-defense, often just 15 feet above ground, the Times report said.The Ukrainian air force is struggling against a far better-armed Russia, Maksym said. The disparity is especially strong between the air forces, which Maksym characterized by saying: "The Russians understand we can do nothing to them in the air."Ukraine has limited ammunition and no aircraft that counters Russia's newest models in the sky, he said. Half of his unit has already been killed, he added. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Wall Street Journal last month that Russian air superiority would exact a heavy toll on Ukrainian soldiers if Western powers did not provide them with reinforcements.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

A Ukrainian pilot told The Sunday Times that Ukraine's aging aircraft confronting Russia's is be "like a Lada going up against a Mercedes." A Ukrainian pilot of getting into an Mi-24 attack helicopter, one of Ukraine's outdated aircraft, in June 2023. The airman pictured is not the one described in this story.Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters A Ukrainian pilot described his struggle against much more powerful Russian aviation. The pilot told The Sunday Times about the limited impact that Ukraine's outdated gear can have. Russia has changed its aviation tactics, which is proving difficult for Ukraine in its offensive.  A Ukrainian pilot told The Sunday Times that his country's air force is so outclassed by Russia that it can "do nothing to them in the air."The pilot, identified only by his rank of major and his first name Maksym, told the publication on Saturday that his team has been struggling in its missions around Bakhmut against a far better-armed Russia.He and his fellow airmen fly a Soviet-designed Mil Mi-8 helicopter, a model which entered service in the late 1960s and is far less effective than Russia's modern helicopter fleet.On top of outmoded gear, they also have limited ammo. Maksym said his crew flies only one mission a day because they don't have enough rockets for more attacks. The problem, he said, extends from helicopters to fighter jets, where Ukraine has nothing to counter Russia's newest models."The Russian jets are much better quality than ours," Maksym told The Times. "It's like comparing a Mercedes to a Lada." A Lada is a Soviet-era car from Russia, which had a reputation for being cheap, bulky, and unreliable.The Russians are flying a large number of advanced combat aircraft, including the Kamov Ka-52 helicopter, he added.The Ka-52 is mainly designed for fierce battle, while the Mil Mi-8 Maksym has is designed for troop transportation rather than fighting. "The Russians understand we can do nothing to them in the air," said Maksym. He said that half of his unit had been killed.Maksim's comments came after reports that Russia has changed the way it uses its aviation assets as Ukraine launches its counter-offensive. Senior Ukrainian military officials said recently they were concerned about Russia's "aviation and artillery superiority."Russia has used helicopters to blunt Ukraine's attempts to advance using armored troop vehicles on land, which, The Financial Times reported. A top British air force general, Chief Marshal of British Air Staff Rich Knighton, told a conference in London last week that Russia's air force "remains largely intact."Citing British intelligence, Knighton said that Russia's air force had retained 96% of its 2,021 fixed-wing aircraft and 90% of its 899 helicopters, with losses of 86 planes and 90 helicopters.Knighton said neither Russia nor Ukraine had been able to gain air superiority, but that Ukraine was facing "a massive challenge without air superiority and without being able to strike the adversary in the deep."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»