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Long Range Fight | J-20 or F-22
North Korea Speaks Out - $50,000 Bonuses to Pilots
John Waters
August 16, 2023
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“Even on a mountain, there is still a road”
-Afghan Proverb
🎙️ Latest podcast with Carl Miller dropped covering his experience trying help Afghan Allies escape Afghanistan. This originally aired back in 2021.
🎙️Did you catch episodes with “Voodoo” and “AP” covering their experiences evacuating Kabul back in 2021? We will be do a live stream 31 Aug at 1800 eastern (links to follow).
🎙️ Bro Chat 14.0 drops Monday 8/21 (currently available for Patrons)
Radar Scope:
The U.S. Air Force recently conducted one of its largest combat training exercises, Red Flag 23-3, to prepare for potential near-peer threats.
Red Flag 23-3 expanded the fight airspace normally confined to the military airspace areas north of Nellis Air Force Base.
Typical Airspace Available for Red Flag
However, this Red Flag tied airspace between Nellis, Edwards, and Hill Air Force Bases. Providing more challenging training scenarios as threat capabilities continue to increase, such as China’s Chengdu J-20 Stealth Fighter. U.S. Air Force Aggressor Squadrons flew F-35’s, F-16’s, F-22’s, F/A-18’s, and B-1’s to replicate Chinese Tactics. (Podcast with Col William “Bif” Mott F-15C/F-22 Pilot)
Red Flag 23-3’s Airspace
The increased ranges provide more realistic training based on missile and other threat countries known and assumed performance capabilities. Full Article —> Stars and Stripes
✈️ Air Force Offers $50k bonuses to pilots. The Secretary of the Air Force announced the Air Force is going to miss it’s manning numbers by 10% and that percentage is likely to be even higher in the Guard and Reserve.
No one asked me, but here’s my opinion - The Air Force is competing with a pilot market that is red hot. Even low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines is offering a $50k signing bonus (with fewer strings and technical glitches to accept the bonus…hint hint). The earnings potential on the “outside” by far out-weigh staying in. That said, no one joined the military to become a millionaire (if they did, they didn’t read the fine print). We joined to serve and with that comes sacrifice. To keep people in the Air Force has reduce the unnecessary pains, give Airmen some stability and/or predictability and keep finance open after 2pm ← Reference Bro Chats 1.0-14.0. Easy, right?
✈️ Army Solider ‘Escapes’ Mistreatment. North Korea has finally stated that Private 2nd Class King who crossed the border into North Korea last month did so because of mistreatment and racial discrimination in the Army.
No one asked me, but here’s my opinion -
✈️ I don’t know Private King but I am guessing he has a few regrets right about now. Christmas came early for the North Korean propaganda machine, the team has probably been working overtime the last few weeks…or decades. The North Koreans will absolutely exploit every opportunity with King’s ‘visit’ to the Hermit Kingdom. Propaganda aside, rouge nation states are keenly aware o the political and financial capital to be gained from holding a U.S. citizen. Congrats to Iran in re-gaining access to $6 Billion Dollars last week.
Air Force Kicks Off Pacific Mobility Guardian Exercise. The U.S. alongside six allied nations, 3,000 personnel and 50 aircraft participated in the bi-annual exercise.
No one asked me, but here’s my opinion - Moving people and things thousands of miles is no small task. For the past two decades the U.S. has grown accustomed to operating out of known and well established bases. Pivoting to the Pacific presents new and unique problem sets. Namely the potential for the environment to be highly contested.
Who did it better?F-22 or J-20 video below? |
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