Tervell

https://xcancel.com/RetiredAFRN/status/2049649038488727592   https://xcancel.com/JacksomMahoff/status/2049671776687272367

CENTCOM has asked to send the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran, after Iran moved its launchers out of the 300-mile range of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM): Bloomberg https://archive.ph/3kxTx

Why not use a jet? Supposedly Iran has limited air defense remaining?

Whatever you do don’t ask centcom why they can’t fly closer to iran, this is what winning looks like

did these mfers genuinely blow through their entire standoff weapons inventory? Tomahawk and JASSM (in its Extended Range variant) both also have greater ranges than PrSM - although still not as great as Dark Eagle, but as big as Iran is, it's still not "requires a 3500km-range missile" big, it's no Russia or China. With JASSM-ER, you only need to go 100-200ish km into Iran for a little bit in order to open up targeting of the furthest away Northeastern parts - surely the USAF can pull off at least a slight penetration? Even I, a US-air-superiority-skeptic, was generally assuming that they are managing to fly over the coastal regions and potentially the Tehran area via a Caspian/nap-of-the-earth-sneaking-through-the-mountains route, and occasionally deeper into Iran, not that they were completely incapable of going in (and we do have footage specifically from the coastal regions of planes flying over).

I guess one argument for the Dark Eagle would be speed - while those other munitions might technically have the range, if you're specifically targeting missile launchers that are going to shoot-and-scoot, you're going to want to hit them fast before they get to the scooting part (although JASSM is supposed to be able to hit "relocatable targets" too ), at which a hypersonic missile would excel. But using one of the most advanced weapons in the US arsenal, one whose inventory is in the fucking single digits, to blow up trucks?

https://xcancel.com/CarolinaLion2/status/2049963063973994586

The U.S. Coast Guard cannot pay its bills. The military branch – now 75 days into the longest shutdown in U.S. history – owes over $300 million in unpaid obligations. And with thousands of utility bills overdue, totaling $5.2 million, duty stations and military housing worldwide are facing service shutdowns. "It seems like a horror movie, but it's actually happening. It's almost unbelievable," Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday told CBS News in an exclusive interview. https://archive.ph/0RPkA

Coast Guard bases are getting their electricity and internet services cut because they couldn't pay their utility bills sounds like something from the collapse of the Soviet Union.

the United States is a fucking clown country united clowns of america

https://xcancel.com/bonzerbarry/status/2049922331758223636

Hezbollah announced more successful FPV strikes in their 6th and 7th operation of the day. 7 operations in response to israeli violations is a new daily record for the so-called “ceasefire” period.

Hadashot BezMen: Our soldiers are like ducks at Hezbollah's shooting range. It's good to die for Netanyahu's government! Our soldiers die like ducks because of a pathetic government from top to bottom and an incompetent opposition that remains silent like the last criminals. Why do you care? After all, these are not your children dying because of an aging and lying officer. And when Hezbollah infiltrates (and they will) into a settlement through a tunnel, don't say you didn't know, because publishing tunnels in Israeli territory is forbidden, you must not know that penetrating tunnels exist or were discovered in the past. When they slaughter you, remember Israel Katz, the Northern Command general, and Netanyahu who sold you out "safely" to the north and destroyed Hamas and Hezbollah.

This Hadashot BezMen admin is losing it today. They sometimes drop some interesting bits during these rants. Such as the point about tanks being destroyed/abandoned, and complaining about "the censored event".

https://xcancel.com/bonzerbarry/status/2049652473044869132

CNN: The $25 billion cost estimate for the Iran war that Pentagon officials provided to lawmakers does not include repair costs for US bases or replacing lost assets. One source said that the real cost could be closer to $50 billion.

don't need to include repair costs in the estimate if you're never going to repair the bases

oh, it's not mine, I got this one off twitter: https://xcancel.com/Type56AK47/status/2043594781763485736

apparently this is in Myanmar

https://xcancel.com/rybar_africa/status/2049544972488114326

❗️While northern Mali simmers after the Kidal setback, FAMa and African Corps are crushing JNIM in the south and center. The strategy is clear: secure the economic heartland and populated regions before attempting any northern counter-offensive.

and it seems like there's already counter-attacks happening in the north too https://xcancel.com/rybar_africa/status/2049516379678662986

🔥African Corps strikes central districts of 🇲🇱Kidal, destroying ex-governor's residence seized by militants just days ago. Proximity to FAMa bases enables daily bombardment. FLA's victory celebration cut short?

plus, all the losses the insurgents have taken https://xcancel.com/HatsOffff/status/2049168539202826251

Russian military figures claim Africa Corps and Malian forces inflicted heavy losses on terrorist groups, citing over 2,500 killed, extensive vehicle destruction, and equipment seized.

doing Juche necromancy on all my favorite painters so they can do one last piece

credit to https://xcancel.com/imetatronink for that one, I think I posted something of his some time ago

he also has the "Fraidy Abe" for the USS Abraham Lincoln (which retreated earlier in the war after allegedly being fired at by Iran)

https://xcancel.com/MenchOsint/status/2049564721372610964

USS Ford is going home after 10 month deployment. https://archive.ph/qbGMd

The Ford had been deployed to the Red Sea, a position in which it wasn't really contributing anything to the blockade (and it's doubtful if it and its strike group would have even been able to pass the Bab-el-Mandeb anyway). Rather, in the event of the conflict resuming, it would have contributed aircraft - I don't think many for actually bombing Iran, given the distances involved (the US was still flying from incredibly exposed positions in Prince Sultan airbase, indicating that they likely felt that flying from further and safer bases, or a carrier in this case, just wasn't viable, and risks had to be taken with the closer ones - which of course led to some notable losses at that very airbase), but more so for aiding air defense over Saudi Arabia. The destroyers in the group would have also been able to contribute somewhat to air defense, at least in the coastal Saudi areas, as had been done for Israel during the 12-Day War (although I guess theoretically the destroyers could stay, and only the carrier could go back home).

So it being sent back home is either indication that the US doesn't plan on resuming hostilities (and thus don't need the planes the Ford would contribute), or that the ship is genuinely so fucked at this point that they don't have a choice, even if they want to restart the war. Potentially more acts of sabotage by the crew, who knows - they got a short break for some quick repairs and then sent right back into the fray, with those quick repairs most certainly not having been enough to fix any of the real serious damage - one of the things the fire damaged was crew living areas, so where have a bunch of them even been sleeping?

the "economic strangulation of China" masterplan might not be working out so well... https://archive.ph/w11xR (although maybe this is just more market manipulation? "China's going to start re-exporting oil so don't worry about impending economic collapse please!")

China poised to restart exporting jet fuel, diesel and gasoline

Beijing signals relaxation of export ban imposed at start of Iran conflict

https://xcancel.com/HormuzLetter/status/2049199769868800221

NEW: Pakistan has formally opened 6 overland transit corridors to Iran, with over 3,000 Iran-bound containers stuck at Pakistani ports now set to move by truck, bypassing the US naval blockade entirely, per Fars.

now, land transport can't reach anywhere near the same volume as by sea, but it's still something

https://xcancel.com/SU_57R/status/2049243779685908805

🇷🇺🇺🇦 The Wall Street Journal reports that recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure have had little impact on the countries energy revenues. Due to the rising price of oil, Russian oil revenues continue to increase despite Ukrainian strikes. The New York Times reports that Russian energy revenues nearly doubled in March, due to the war in Iran.