Tom Meyer

Very pleased to have contributed to this @Wikistrat report, “China’s Iran Playbook: What the PLA Is Learning from the War,” which examines how Beijing is interpreting and adapting to the conflict. wikistrat.com/post/china-iran

Handy comparison between the Apollo's command module and Orion. Orion is slightly taller and four feet wider. Habitable volume = 210ft^3 vs 314ft^3

Ultra camara lenta del despegue de la misión Artemis II

"A minute later, a second drone flew into the hole made by the first one and also exploded, the officials said. The nighttime strikes penetrated a secure part of the embassy where several hundred people would have been working in the day..." "While the Saudi Defense Ministry then said the attack had resulted in a limited fire and minor damage, current and former officials said it was worse, sparking a blaze that raged for half a day. Parts of the embassy were damaged and not recoverable." wsj.com/world/middle-e…

R. Lee Ermey wasn't supposed to play Hartman in Full Metal Jacket (1987). He was a technical advisor until he recorded a 15-minute tape of himself screaming insults while being pelted with tennis balls. Kubrick was so impressed he cast him instantly.

US-Israeli air strikes have targeted Fajr Petrochemical Company 1 and nearby. This is no ordinary attack: it is striking at the processing and distribution stages of Iran’s energy system. Markets, particularly in the crude oil and refined products sectors, are likely to react swiftly. Dealing a blow to Iran’s already limited exports, at a time when there are supply issues, will provoke a reaction. Ultimately, permanent damage could have a lasting impact on the market. The key question is, if this situation persists, how much upward pressure will it exert on oil prices over the next 7–10 days? x.com/leventkemaI/st…

TOILET UPDATE: It is now available again. Following ~2 hours of pointing the vent at the sun, whatever was blocking it appears to have melted, and a waste dump was conducted. The crew can now dump the contents of their Contingency Urinals as required.

Romania continues to quietly serve as a key forward base for American tankers supporting the Iran War. Seen here, four of the ten USAF KC-135 tankers currently based at Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport.

Another wreckage of AGM-158 JASSM in Markazi Province, Iran

The first fallacy of such comparisons is that in the current conflict US leadership has defined effectively open-ended objectives which cannot be measured against outcomes (such as liberating Kuwait). Losses are low, but they will keep piling up until DC just calls it quits.

Sixth Generation Fighter Next Generation Air Dominance rodrigoavella.com #sixthgenerationfighter #fx #faxx #ngad #conceptaircraft #usa #airforce #usaf #navy #fighter #fighterjet #jet #jetfighter #supersonic #stealth #concept #sixthgeneration #uav #ucav #drone #F47 #Boeing

By your command... The Twelve Colonies are gone. A lone Battlestar leads the last survivors across the stars—searching for the legendary planet Earth. Cylons. Vipers. Colonial Warriors. Pure 1978 sci-fi glory. This original trailer still launches like a Viper off the flight deck! So say we all. Check out the Commodore 64 rendition below!

The F-15E WSO survived the ejection and made contact. SAR still ongoing. Worth remembering that captain Scott O'Grady evaded capture for five plus days in hostile territory after his F-16C shoot down in 1995.

Hezbollah continues to use fiber-optic FPV attack drones to target Israeli armor in southern Lebanon. Seen here, a pair of FPV strikes that hit Israeli Merkava Mk.4 MBTs. First one hits one of the tanks in its track, while the second hits the heavily armored turret front.

BREAKING: According to my Israeli sources, unfortunately, the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran has been placed on the target list of the IDF to be struck after the end of Trump's ultimatum. Russia has evacuated all of its workers at Israel’s request. This is going to cause major radioactive pollution in the Persian Gulf region—Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia will be exposed. The lives of not only Iranians but also people in these countries will be affected by this action. #OperationEpicFury #OperationLionsRoar

An important story in today's @washingtonpost outlines how foreign geospatial intelligence companies like China's MizarVision and Russia's Terra Tech have long put pressure on U.S. satellite operators like Vantor and Planet. But now, Chinese and Russian imagery is being collected so frequently, and at such high resolution, it's starting to disrupt U.S. military operations in the Middle East. “The proliferation of more and more capable private sector geospatial analysis companies in China will augment China’s defense capabilities and ability to contest U.S. forces in a crisis,” said Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow at @AEIfdp. Pursuant to China's broader strategy of military-civil fusion, “The state can benefit from private sector innovation and it can likewise disclaim credit or blame for the actions of ostensibly private companies, even when they are operating at the direction of the state or with the strong alignment of the state,” Fedasiuk said. Thanks @catecadell for the chance to comment: washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

To prepare for Black Hawk Down (2001), actors underwent grueling training at Fort Benning. The Rangers and Delta Force actors were kept in separate barracks to foster the real-life competitive tension that existed between the two elite units.

La #FDI avait bénéficié de l’étude d’une configuration mêlant une pièce BOFORS 57 mm L/70 et deux autres de 40 mm, en concurrence avec d’autres dont l’une portant un 127. ➡️ L’obus Bofors 3P (Pre-fragmented, Programmable, Proximity- fused) avait impressionné.

"Today at the airport, I witnessed a moment I'll never forget. A soldier was asleep on the floor while her loyal dog sat on her, guarding her whitout moving. It was such a powerful scene, it truly brought tears to my eyes." 💕

A Rafale M lining up on the cat, maxed out with five external tanks. When you see a Rafale M in a "five-wet" configuration, it almost exclusively means that the jet is on a buddy-tanker mission, acting as a flying gas station for the strike group. With a massive 11,400 kg of fuel, it’s a beast of a takeoff that pushes the airframe to its 24,500 kg maximum weight. A true testament to the sheer power of Snecma M88 engines.