April 2026 - Helobubbas - mcs13.brattland.org

Apollo 17 Recovery USS Camden - Google Search
by Lou Fifer 11 Apr '26

11 Apr '26

https://www.google.com/search?q=Apollo+17+Recovery+USS+Camden&rlz=1CDGOYI_e…

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Latest on Iran from ISW
by Marc Liebman 11 Apr '26

11 Apr '26

https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-special-repor… Marc Liebman https://www.marcliebman.com https://www.facebook.com/marcliebmanauthor/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_sDoFQM5wupNaCeGIvKL1g Author of: Cherubs 2 Raider of the Scottish Coast Big Mother 40 Carronade Render Harmless Death of a Lady Forgotten Last Battles Inner Look For a Few Francs Moscow Airlift Predators The Simushir Island Incident Fight We Shall Flight of the Pawnee Failure to Fire Insidious Dragon The Red Star of Death Member of: The Author’s Guild Military Writers Society of America Association of Texas Authors North American Snowsport Journalists Association --

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Navy HSC will be busy with the Recovery off San Diego this afternoon/Evening
by mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com 10 Apr '26

10 Apr '26

https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/inside-the-navy-retrieval-plan-for-artem is-ii-splashdown-and-recovery/ CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) <mailto:mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com <mailto:mgbrattland@brattland.org> mgbrattland(a)brattland.org Admin/Moderator SanDiegoCarGuys List & Calendar of Events <mailto:sandiegocarguys@brattland.org> sandiegocarguys(a)brattland.org 619 454-0496 '38 Willys 2 Dr Sedan Webmaster for <http://www.brattland.org/> www.brattland.org <http://www.overthehillgang.com/> www.overthehillgang.com <http://www.overdrivehotrodnews.com/> www.overdrivehotrodnews.com <http://www.gerlecreek.org/> www.gerlecreek.org <http://www.helobubbas.com/> www.helobubbas.com <http://www.prowlers.org/> www.prowlers.org <http://www.gerlecreek.com/> www.gerlecreek.com <http://www.ford6vcarburetion.com/> www.ford6vcarburetion.com <http://www.westcoastwillysclub.com/> www.westcoastwillysclub.com <http://www.nssha.org/> www.nssha.org <http://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/> www.nhahistoricalsociety.org <https://sh60fhoas.nhahistoricalsociety.org/> https://sh60fhoas.nhahistoricalsociety.org/

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FW: Rescue In Iran
by mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com 10 Apr '26

10 Apr '26

From: Monte Squires <squires51(a)gmail.com> Sent: Friday, April 10, 2026 2:03 PM To: Michael Brattland <mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com> Subject: Rescue In Iran Hi ya Mike. Lots of USAF here so I've seen some additional rescue chatter. Pretty much none of this is new news but it's a good hour-to-hour summary. The thing I think they got slightly wrong was the "replacement" heavies for the stuck C-130s were from the 427SOS Squadron at Ft. Bragg (Pope AFB). Three C-295 "Casa" aircraft did the final extractions. Casa's look like C-130s, high wing, ramp in the back but are smaller & 2 engines vice 4. OBTW, my son-in-law was a Casa driver out of the 427th about 4 years ago. Pretty bad-assed stuff. All the best, Monte Anyway, here's the timeline I saw today: 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄𝐃 — 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 Both crew members of the downed F-15E Strike Eagle are safe. President Trump posted “𝘞𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮” on Truth Social Saturday night. The WSO — a Colonel — sustained injuries but is expected to make a full recovery. Now that the fog of war is clearing, here’s the full operational picture of the most dangerous combat search and rescue mission since Operation Epic Fury began. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 — 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 𝟒𝟗𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐧, deployed from RAF Lakenheath in the UK, was sh∗t down by Iranian fire over southwestern Iran while conducting a deep strike mission — the kind of high-risk penetration run the F-15E was built for (Air & Space Forces Magazine). It was the 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 (Associated Press). The specific weapon system that brought it down has not been officially confirmed by the Pentagon. Iran claimed it used a “new air defense system” — analysts assess the most likely candidates are Iran’s 𝐁𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐫-𝟑𝟕𝟑 long-range mobile system (domestically produced), the Russian-made 𝐒-𝟑𝟎𝟎, or the Russian-supplied 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚 shoulder-fired MANPADS — one of Russia’s most advanced infrared-guided missile systems, capable of targeting low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles (NBC News, 19FortyFive). Iran initially claimed they’d downed an F-35 — wreckage photos confirmed it was an F-15E (The Aviationist). Both crew members — the pilot and the weapons systems officer — ejected safely and made contact via encrypted radio and emergency beacons. But they landed in separate locations in hostile, mountainous terrain. The clock was already ticking. 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 — 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑, 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 U.S. special operations forces located the pilot first. 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 — including HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters — went in to extract him from Iranian territory (http://Helis.com, Air & Space Forces Magazine). The extraction was not clean. During the rescue, Iranian forces 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 that was carrying the recovered pilot. Crew members on the helicopter were 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐭 — but the aircraft remained flyable and made it out with everyone on board (Axios, CBS News). The pilot was safe. Simultaneously, an 𝐀-𝟏𝟎 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐠 providing close air support for the CSAR mission was hit by Iranian fire. The pilot managed to nurse the damaged aircraft into 𝐊𝐮𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 before ejecting — the A-10 crashed in Kuwait. That pilot was also recovered safely (Fox News, Military Times). So within hours of the initial shootdown, the U.S. had 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 running concurrently. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐒𝐎 — 𝟐𝟒+ 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 The weapons systems officer — a Colonel, whom Trump later called “𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭” — was wounded after ejecting but 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤. He did what decades of SERE training (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) prepared him for: he moved away from the wreckage, took cover in elevated mountainous terrain, activated his emergency beacon, and began evading capture (The War Zone, NBC News). He evaded for 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 in hostile territory. During that time, the IRGC and affiliated Basij militia units 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 on the ground. Armed tribesmen in the region joined the search (Turkiye Today). And then Iranian state television made it worse. An anchor on 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐕 went on the air and put a 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧: 10 billion toman, approximately $𝟔𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎, for anyone who captured the “𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵” alive and handed him to police (𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵, Newsweek). A state broadcaster calling for the capture of a wounded American servicemember. That’s what he was evading. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧 Before the rescue team went in, the 𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 inside Iran — spreading disinformation that U.S. forces had already located the WSO and were conducting a ground exfiltration. While Iranian forces were confused and chasing phantom operations, the Agency used what a senior administration official called its “𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦, 𝘦𝘹𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴” to actually find him (NBC News, Axios). “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 — 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘐𝘈’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴,” the official said (NBC News). 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 Late Saturday night (April 4 EST), a 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 was inserted into Iran, linked up with the WSO, and began the exfiltration. They were not alone — 𝐝𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 provided overhead cover, and U.S. Air Force jets conducted strikes against Iranian forces to prevent them from reaching the extraction zone (Trump statement, Al Jazeera, Fox News). Roads around the extraction area were 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 — cratering them to create massive traffic jams as IRGC units scrambled to respond. The bottleneck worked: Iranian forces couldn’t get through in time. Then things got complicated. 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐂-𝟏𝟑𝟎 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬 that landed at a forward position inside Iran to carry the commandos and the rescued airman out 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. Commanders made the call: fly in 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂-𝟏𝟑𝟎𝐬 for the extraction and 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 rather than let them fall into Iranian hands (SOF News, CBS News). That’s American hardware destroyed by Americans on Iranian soil — because leaving it behind was not an option. A “𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵” occurred at the extraction site (Al Jazeera, CDM Press). Special operators engaged IRGC forces directly. Despite the ground combat, the stuck aircraft, and the IRGC forces closing in — 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. Zero U.S. casualties in the WSO rescue operation. 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 Israel was not a bystander. Israeli intelligence 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 the missing WSO — providing intelligence support during the search (Axios). And in a move that shows the depth of the operational coordination: 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧 so as not to hamper the search and rescue efforts (Axios). The IDF paused its own combat operations to give the Americans a clear field. That’s an ally. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 Trump was briefed immediately after the shootdown and monitored the operation throughout (Fox News). The White House deliberately withheld confirmation of the pilot’s rescue on Friday — Trump later explained: “𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.” Operational security over headlines. When the WSO was finally extracted, Trump posted: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘜.𝘚. 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭.” He confirmed the Colonel “𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦” (Truth Social). Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine held briefings throughout the crisis. Earlier in the campaign, Hegseth had stated that Iran’s missile volume was “𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 90%” and their drone capability “𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 95%” (C-SPAN briefing, March 31). The F-15E loss proved that even a degraded enemy retains dangerous capability — but the flawless execution of the rescue proved that American forces can operate deep inside hostile territory, take fire, lose aircraft, improvise under combat conditions, and still bring every person home. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐥 In the 48 hours surrounding the shootdown and rescue: 𝟏 𝐅-𝟏𝟓𝐄 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐞 — sh∗t down over southwestern Iran. Both crew rescued alive. 𝟏 𝐀-𝟏𝟎 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐠 — hit by Iranian fire during CSAR, crashed in Kuwait. Pilot rescued alive. 𝟏 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 — struck during pilot extraction, crew wounded, aircraft remained flyable. 𝟐 𝐂-𝟏𝟑𝟎 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 — stuck at forward position inside Iran, destroyed in place by U.S. forces. 𝟑 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂-𝟏𝟑𝟎𝐬 — flown in under fire to complete the extraction. 𝟎 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭. The United States lost 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 (one shot down, one combat-damaged and crashed, two destroyed in place) and had a fifth damaged — and 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. That is not a failure of airpower. That is a demonstration of what happens when a military prioritizes its people above its hardware. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝.

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FW: Aviation Week :: Downed F‑15 Crew’s Rescue in Iran Yields Lessons On Contested Recon
by mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com 10 Apr '26

10 Apr '26

CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) <mailto:mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com <mailto:mgbrattland@brattland.org> mgbrattland(a)brattland.org Admin/Moderator SanDiegoCarGuys List & Calendar of Events <mailto:sandiegocarguys@brattland.org> sandiegocarguys(a)brattland.org 619 454-0496 ’38 Willys 2 Dr Sedan Webmaster for <http://www.brattland.org/> www.brattland.org <http://www.overthehillgang.com/> www.overthehillgang.com <http://www.overdrivehotrodnews.com/> www.overdrivehotrodnews.com <http://www.gerlecreek.org/> www.gerlecreek.org <http://www.helobubbas.com/> www.helobubbas.com <http://www.prowlers.org/> www.prowlers.org <http://www.gerlecreek.com/> www.gerlecreek.com <http://www.ford6vcarburetion.com/> www.ford6vcarburetion.com <http://www.westcoastwillysclub.com/> www.westcoastwillysclub.com <http://www.nssha.org/> www.nssha.org <http://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/> www.nhahistoricalsociety.org <https://sh60fhoas.nhahistoricalsociety.org/> https://sh60fhoas.nhahistoricalsociety.org/ From: Harold Brattland <habrattland(a)arvig.net> Sent: Friday, April 10, 2026 1:50 PM To: Brattland, Mike * <mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com> Subject: Aviation Week :: Downed F‑15 Crew’s Rescue in Iran Yields Lessons On Contested Recon Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/defense/budget-policy-operations/downed-f-15-crews… -- Downed F‑15 Crew’s Rescue in Iran Yields Lessons On Contested Recon Share Brian Everstine <https://aviationweek.com/author/brian-everstine> April 10, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/20…> The downing of the F-15E in Iran sparked the largest rescue operation in recent memory. Credit: U.S. Air Force The failed Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 mission to rescue hostages inside Iran served as a major turning point for U.S. special operations forces, with the loss of personnel, Lockheed Martin C-130s and helicopters spurring massive changes in training and joint operations. It also specifically led to the requirements for the Bell Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, developed to avoid having to create a dangerous forward operating base in hostile territory. Forty-six years later, U.S. forces again penetrated Iran on April 3—reportedly 240 mi. away from the original Desert One landing site—and again used C-130s and helicopters for the massive, daring rescue of an F-15E weapons system officer known as Dude 44 Bravo. Commanders higher up the chain opted to not use the V-22 seemingly developed for this exact scenario. Experts who spoke to Aviation Week point to specific characteristics of the rescue and operational limitations to the Osprey. This time, the rescue was successful and all crew members survived, though Lockheed Martin C-130s and helicopters were again destroyed on Iranian soil. * Altitude issues may have informed aircraft selection * Special operations ‘ideally suited’ for recovery “No lives were lost. We succeeded because the joint force is always at the ready,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said in an April 8 Defense Department briefing. “They trust each other, they trust their leaders, and they trust their training. And they remember, first and foremost . . . that we do these things so that others may live and we will never leave anyone behind.” The rescue of the F-15E pilot, Dude 44 Alpha, came first in a daring daylight rescue that went as by the book as possible for U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) crews. Shortly after the Strike Eagle was down, pararescue crews on a Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II and two Sikorsky HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters flew into Iran and recovered the pilot. The helicopters received damage from enemy fire, though they were able to reach friendly airspace. Later over the weekend, the Central Intelligence Agency located the F-15E weapon systems officer, sparking a massive personnel recovery mission that featured 155 aircraft and hundreds of personnel, including U.S. special operations forces on the MC-130s. The tally included four bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and more, President Donald Trump said in an April 6 briefing. Ravi Chaudhary, who last served as an assistant secretary of the Air Force and was also personnel recovery director for U.S. forces in Iraq, says force packages vary on a number of factors, based on an immediate response need or deliberate recovery approach. For immediate combat search and rescue, there is a “beautiful orchestra” of different capabilities ready to spring into action—intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; strike aircraft; airspace; and control, Chaudhary says. This is immediate—“you don’t have to wait for an order; it just happens,” he says. Over time, there is a transition toward a deliberate personnel recovery mission. Air tasking orders and components in all domains shift to create an operational picture focused on recovering the individual, which a commander then creates a force package around. In this case, the mission was what military doctrine calls a Nonconventional Assisted Recovery (NAR), with special operations forces used to recover isolated personnel, he says. While Eagle Claw and this rescue appear similar, they are doctrinally different. The former was a hostage rescue with very detailed planning and preparation, while Dude 44 was a quickly coordinated NRA. In this case, commanders focused on issues such as terrain, distance and geography to create a force package for the mission, Chaudhary says. The V-22 excels at going faster and farther than typical helicopters and operating without a landing strip. However, the design of the aircraft—particularly its rotor diameter and high amount of downwash—leads to poor performance at high atitude. At higher altitudes, the Osprey’s capability to carry useful loads at long range and get out again can be somewhat limited, U.S. Air Force Gen. (ret.) Jim Slife says. Slife, who left the service in 2025 as vice chief of staff, also served as commander of Air Force Special Operations Command and vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and commanded at several other levels, including leading the 1st Special Operations Wing and the Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment in Afghanistan. Mountainous terrain can be the Osprey’s Achilles heel because design compromises limit its high-altitude hover performance. That issue arose in carrying quick-reaction forces in Afghanistan. V-22s have experience rescuing F-15E crews, however. In March 2011, two MV-22s from the USS Kearsarge, along with other aircraft, conducted the tactical recovery of a pilot downed in Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn. Slife, who has been out of service and not read into the current operations, says from his now-outside perspective, the choice to use MC-130s was likely “more a pragmatic risk decision than anything else.” Other considerations could include the V-22’s lack of guns and ongoing reliability concerns with the fleet. The daytime rescue of the pilot was a courageous example of Air Force CSAR operating in a high-risk scenario to retrieve the pilot. Slife noted that special operations forces were well suited to handling the later rescue of the backseater. “SOF was ideally suited for the deliberate personnel recovery mission of the WSO, following the in-extremis recovery of the pilot by Air Force CSAR forces,” Slife says. “All in all, it was a superb display of joint operations.” One issue to follow will be how the forces quickly evaluated the remote runway for incoming aircraft. Specifically of interest will be how the crews were able to measure the California Bearing Ratio—a test to evaluate the strength of a road, in this case to support multiple C-130s. Typically, forces would arrive before the aircraft to evaluate the surface, and in this case, it may have been misjudged—leading them to destroy aircraft that got stuck in the sandy surface. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public…> Brian Everstine <https://aviationweek.com/author/brian-everstine> Email: brian.everstine(a)aviationweek.com <mailto:brian.everstine@aviationweek.com> Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C.

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PRC involvement with Iran
by Marc Liebman 10 Apr '26

10 Apr '26

All, Here’s ISW’s latest on the PRC/Taiwan and Iran https://understandingwar.org/research/china-taiwan/china-taiwan-update-apri… As you read this, note that the PRC: * Iran’s largest customer * Buys ~80% of its oil from Iran at below market * Will feel economic pain if it has to buy oil at market prices * Was heavily involved with shadow tankers * Has limited crude oil stocks on hand within the PRC * Recently shipped three boatloads of solid rocket fuel precursors to Iran on Iranian flagged ships which were not, for reasons only known to the pentagon, intercepted This is speculation, but I suspect Xi had a hand in this. The PRC is the largest weapons supplier to Pakistan, is Iran’s best supplier of weapons and has a relationship with the U.S. Xi can call Trump and he will take the call. Marc Liebman https://www.marcliebman.com https://www.facebook.com/marcliebmanauthor/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_sDoFQM5wupNaCeGIvKL1g Author of: Cherubs 2 Raider of the Scottish Coast Big Mother 40 Carronade Render Harmless Death of a Lady Forgotten Last Battles Inner Look For a Few Francs Moscow Airlift Predators The Simushir Island Incident Fight We Shall Flight of the Pawnee Failure to Fire Insidious Dragon The Red Star of Death Member of: The Author’s Guild Military Writers Society of America Association of Texas Authors North American Snowsport Journalists Association --

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NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL NAVY MODEL SH-3A (MARS) HELICOPTERSD
by mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com 09 Apr '26

09 Apr '26

From: mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com <mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com> Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2026 4:06 PM To: habrattland(a)arvig.net Cc: mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com Subject: NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL NAVY MODEL SH-3A (MARS) HELICOPTERSD https://www.helobubbas.com/natops-flight-manual-sh-3a-mars-helicopters/ Harold, I received my CD copy of the original Naby NATOPs Manual. You can cruise on the page above and of course download a PDF copy of it if you would like...mgb CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) <mailto:mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com <mailto:mgbrattland@brattland.org> mgbrattland(a)brattland.org Admin/Moderator SanDiegoCarGuys List & Calendar of Events <mailto:sandiegocarguys@brattland.org> sandiegocarguys(a)brattland.org 619 454-0496 '38 Willys 2 Dr Sedan Webmaster for <http://www.brattland.org/> www.brattland.org <http://www.overthehillgang.com/> www.overthehillgang.com <http://www.overdrivehotrodnews.com/> www.overdrivehotrodnews.com <http://www.gerlecreek.org/> www.gerlecreek.org <http://www.helobubbas.com/> www.helobubbas.com <http://www.prowlers.org/> www.prowlers.org <http://www.gerlecreek.com/> www.gerlecreek.com <http://www.ford6vcarburetion.com/> www.ford6vcarburetion.com <http://www.westcoastwillysclub.com/> www.westcoastwillysclub.com <http://www.nssha.org/> www.nssha.org <http://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/> www.nhahistoricalsociety.org <https://sh60fhoas.nhahistoricalsociety.org/> https://sh60fhoas.nhahistoricalsociety.org/

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FW: The end of the war, not the regime
by mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com 09 Apr '26

09 Apr '26

From: andy.cain <andy.cain(a)comcast.net> Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 5:07 AM To: Mike Brattland <mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com> Subject: Fwd: The end of the war, not the regime One Briton's perspective. Sent from my Galaxy -------- Original message -------- ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Andrew Fox from Fox On War <mrandrewfox(a)substack.com <mailto:mrandrewfox@substack.com> > Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2026 at 09:29 <https://eotrx.substackcdn.com/open?token=eyJtIjoiPDIwMjYwNDA4MDgyODU5LjMuNz…> Iran is battered but intact, America is spent, and the world is left to absorb the cost ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ Forwarded this email? Subscribe here <https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9tcmFuZHJld2ZveC5zdWJzdGF…> for more Y _____ <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> The end of the war, not the regime Iran is battered but intact, America is spent, and the world is left to absorb the cost <https://substack.com/@mrandrewfox> Andrew Fox Apr 8 <https://substack.com/@mrandrewfox> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> <https://open.substack.com/pub/mrandrewfox/p/the-end-of-the-war-not-the-regi…> <https://open.substack.com/pub/mrandrewfox/p/the-end-of-the-war-not-the-regi…> READ IN APP This will be the last free post of my Iran war series. I hope you found them useful, and I would humbly suggest my last post was especially prescient! All I ask is that you like and share if you find them useful. You can take advantage of the last day of my Easter Weekend sale and join thousands of other paid subscribers. 20% off a year’s subscription. Your support keeps the work going—thank you! <https://substack.com/redirect/d13f7d68-064f-47dd-8f81-3f668ea3567e?j=eyJ1Ij…> Claim your 20% off here! _____ Last night’s announcement is unlikely to represent an enduring peace. It was a two-week ceasefire, agreed just before Trump’s own deadline to launch a much larger assault on Iran, with talks now scheduled to continue in Islamabad. Oil prices fell, markets rallied, and everyone exhaled. However, even in the early hours, the deal already appeared fragile, with reports of further missile exchanges and Israel making it clear that Lebanon was excluded. A ceasefire can end a phase of a war, but it cannot, on its own, resolve the political issues that caused it. <https://substack.com/redirect/5aad130c-5d19-4f6c-bb30-33db17eebc8e?j=eyJ1Ij…> The timing alone suggests that Trump’s disgraceful, shameful weekend bluster about destroying civilisations was just political theatre. Negotiations of this magnitude do not emerge in the last ninety minutes before a deadline. Pakistan had already been calling for a pause; talks were ongoing before the deadline, and China was among the outside powers backing the diplomatic effort. The Strait of Hormuz had become an economic pressure point that Trump could not keep shut for much longer, so he needed an escape route and wanted it to look like a victory achieved through intimidation. That is why the threats became so exaggerated just before the ceasefire he knew was coming anyway. On the military ledger, the United States and Israel can point to substantial achievements. By CENTCOM’s own account, more than 10,000 targets were hit inside Iran, 92% of Iran’s largest naval vessels were destroyed, and over two-thirds of its missile, drone, naval production facilities, and shipyards were damaged or destroyed. There were strikes on two Iranian steel factories, while Israeli attacks on South Pars and Asaluyeh struck a central pillar of Iran’s petrochemical and export economy. In the short term, Iran’s war-making industrial base has been significantly mauled. Israel is considerably safer today than it was six weeks ago. That said, there is no solid basis for claiming Iran has been completely disarmed. US intelligence can only reliably confirm that about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal has been destroyed, with another third likely damaged or buried, and a substantial amount still remaining, as shown by ongoing rocket fire right up to (and slightly beyond) the ceasefire announcement (which also indicates damage to Iranian command and control). Therefore, the honest assessment is more cautious: Iran’s offensive capacity has been significantly reduced, its launch rate has decreased, and its navy has been severely damaged, but it still has enough capability to threaten neighbouring countries and create a shipping crisis in Hormuz. The darker outcome is political. The regime has survived. As I initially wrote at the start of the war, survival itself is their victory. Even more concerning, the strongest faction appears to be the IRGC. Iranian President Pezeshkian was compelled to make an awkward climbdown after apologising to the Gulf states, with IRGC commanders furious and hardliners clearly in control of the direction. Mojtaba Khamenei’s promotion (regardless of his medical condition) was orchestrated by the IRGC, and insiders fear the Islamic Republic is increasingly becoming a military state, with harsher domestic repression and a tougher stance internationally. The war may be nearing its end, but it ends with the men in uniform more dominant than ever. Then there is the ten-point proposal. The Iranian media version attributed to Iran (and denied by Trump) includes a US guarantee of non-aggression, continued Iranian control over Hormuz, acceptance of uranium enrichment, broad sanctions relief, an end to UN and IAEA measures, compensation for war damage, a US military withdrawal from the region, and a ceasefire on all fronts including Lebanon (and Netanyahu has announced that the war in Lebanon continues, which is denied by Pakistan). We must wait to see how this situation evolves. If Washington accepted that list in its entirety, it would represent one of the most stark strategic humiliations in modern US history. I do not believe that is what actually happened. The more plausible interpretation is that Tehran released a maximalist opening stance, and Trump chose to present an incomplete, partial deal in victory language. <https://substack.com/redirect/6916ecb2-6b26-412a-9081-a46acd36e388?j=eyJ1Ij…> The unanswered questions are the most critical. What will happen to Iran’s nuclear material? Will Iran continue enriching? Who truly controls Hormuz once the headlines fade? Are there reliable verification mechanisms for missiles, naval harassment, rearmament, or proxy activities? Trump has offered only vague assurances that uranium will be “taken care of,” while Iran persists in demanding its right to enrichment and asserts a governing role in the Strait. A war may end superficially while its strategic issues remain unresolved. That is our current situation. China remains one of the unresolved issues. Beijing supported the diplomatic effort behind the ceasefire, and China joined Russia in vetoing a UN resolution aimed at reopening Hormuz on terms nearer to Washington’s preferences. This does not specify exactly what the postwar oil order will be, but it shows that Beijing was not a bystander. It was engaged in diplomacy and ready to influence the legal and political final stages. Analysts who considered this war partly about exerting influence over energy flows were not mistaken, but at this stage, the resolution appears to fall well short of the desired American influence. Economically, the worst panic may have been averted, but the damage has already been done. Around 130 million barrels of crude, plus large volumes of refined fuel and LNG, are still effectively bottled up by the disruption, and even with a durable truce, the market could remain 3 to 5 million barrels per day tighter than pre-war expectations for years. The IEA, IMF, and World Bank are now considering the shock severe enough to require coordinated crisis talks. In other words, the ceasefire relieves pressure but does not repair what has been broken. The world will feel the pain of this inchoate conflict for many months to come. That is the main lesson of the war. The United States can destroy infrastructure on a large scale. Israel can strike deep and repeatedly. Neither fact guarantees regime change. A well-entrenched revolutionary state that sits on a global chokepoint and is willing to endure extraordinary punishment can outlast its enemies’ expectations. Tehran will now tell its own people and the region that it took the blows, kept the regime alive, and forced Washington back to negotiation. That story is propaganda, but survival has always been the regime’s minimum goal. By that measure, it will declare victory. For Israel, the operational gains are clear and immediate. Iran’s launch rates have fallen, its navy has been devastated, and its production network has sustained serious damage. Since Lebanon still appears to be outside the ceasefire, Israel can now concentrate on its northern front against Hezbollah. However, the political repercussions are much less positive. Netanyahu is still heading into an election season in which the Iran conflict has provided him with little or no polling advantage, and the reaction from opposition politician Yair Lapid clearly shows how the domestic debate will be framed: the military met its objectives, while the political leadership failed to define the final terms. <https://substack.com/redirect/fc3a6fb4-9c07-4a27-8325-653dd71cb20c?j=eyJ1Ij…> The core US-Israel issue remains time, <https://open.substack.com/pub/mrandrewfox/p/israels-real-enemy-is-the-clock…> as I mentioned here. Israel’s military position may have improved, but its political backing in the United States is weakening. Independents now sympathise more with Palestinians than Israelis, while Republican support for Israelis has fallen to its lowest level since 2004. 60% of Americans hold an unfavourable view of Israel, and 59% lack confidence in Netanyahu. Israel can still count on significant US military support. However, it cannot safely assume that the old American political consensus will continue after the midterms, let alone after 2028. Reports like yesterday’s <https://substack.com/redirect/e83bcc04-4ddc-4fe6-bc3f-c69933cf19c7?j=eyJ1Ij…> NY Times article, suggesting Bibi led Trump into war by the nose, will not help. The US relationship with its (former?) allies has also been strained, perhaps more profoundly than Washington realises. Europeans who stayed out of the conflict now appear wise rather than weak. France, Italy, and Spain denied or limited support for parts of the US-Israeli campaign; the EU had little desire to expand its naval mission into Hormuz; and Britain is now openly discussing a closer strategic alignment with Europe, because this war revealed the limits of US power in the clearest way: America could cause destruction, but it could not establish a credible end goal or secure allied legitimacy. Trump’s rhetoric has worsened that damage and may prove the most lasting part of this whole episode. He threatened attacks on civilian infrastructure that would have amounted to war crimes, publicly mused that “a whole civilization” could die, mocked Starmer as “No Winston Churchill,” derided British carriers as “toys,” berated France, and floated quitting NATO altogether. Alliances rely on trust, and if you cast doubt on commitments every day, you weaken them. That is the real transatlantic shift here. Trump has poisoned the well not only in chancelleries and foreign ministries but also with voters on both sides of the Atlantic. 58% of Americans disapproved of the strikes, while Britons opposed them by 49% to 28%, Spaniards by 68%, and Germans by 58%. America comes out of this weaker, poorer, and more isolated from Europe than when it entered, with Americans in turn feeling scorned by former allies. The Gulf states face their own reckoning ahead. They endured significant economic and infrastructural damage in a war they neither initiated nor controlled, and any in the Gulf fear bearing the strategic cost of a conflict they had no influence over. The UAE now insists that any agreement must guarantee free passage through Hormuz and address Iran’s missiles, drones, and nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are already investigating more affordable non-American interceptor systems from Ukraine, because the war revealed the absurd economics of shooting down inexpensive Iranian drones with very costly US missiles. I do not anticipate a sudden Gulf split from Washington. Instead, I expect increased hedging, greater security diversification (almost certainly increasing China’s influence), and much less confidence in the notion that the US security umbrella can contain Iran at an acceptable expense. That captures the central American paradox of this war. The United States demonstrated unmatched firepower and operational reach. No one else could have managed this campaign. Yet the same war is now causing inflation to rise, growth to slow, missile inventories to be strained, allied weapons deliveries to be delayed, and critical minerals to be consumed at an extraordinary rate. It concluded, at least for now, not with a dictated settlement but with Washington negotiating under the economic pressure created by Hormuz. Militarily unrivalled, strategically diminished. Rich in firepower, but weaker in every practical sense that matters. My overall assessment is blunt. Militarily, this was a limited US-Israeli success. Huge tactical wins across the board: Iran’s military and industrial infrastructure has sustained significant damage, and Israel is more secure in the short term. Politically, Iran achieved the one outcome its leaders value most: regime survival. Strategically, the situation remains unstable because the nuclear issue is unresolved, the future of Hormuz is uncertain, Lebanon continues to erupt, and the IRGC appears stronger than before in terms of domestic influence. Economically, the war was disastrous and widely disliked globally, with economic and diplomatic costs that will endure long after the ceasefire ends. The conflict might be coming to an end, but a prolonged solution is not yet in sight. Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> Share This post went to the whole list, but your subscription is the reason it exists. Paid readers cover the cost of travel, fieldwork and the hours of research it takes to turn that into something more useful than a hot take. Thank you. If you know one person who’d value this kind of reporting, feel free to forward it — you’re the reason this community grows. If you’d like to back this work for the long haul, you can switch to an annual plan in one click in your account settings. If there’s anything I can do to make this subscription more valuable to you, just let me know by reply. <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> Like <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=2661554&post_id=193552096…> Comment Restack © 2026 Andrew Fox 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe <https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vc2lnbnV…> <https://eotrx.substackcdn.com/open?token=eyJtIjoiPDIwMjYwNDA4MDgyODU5LjMuNz…> <https://email.mg1.substack.com/o/eJxMkEkO4yAQRU8TlhZTMSw4i8VQdqM2EGFI4tu3nG…>

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FW: Aviation Weel :: The Week In Technology, March 30-April 3, 2026
by mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com 08 Apr '26

08 Apr '26

Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 12:54 PM To: Brattland, Mike * <mgbrattland(a)gerlecreek.com> Subject: Aviation Weel :: The Week In Technology, March 30-April 3, 2026 Superman better watch out..... Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/aircraft-propulsion/week-technology-marc… -- The Week In Technology, March 30-April 3, 2026 Share Graham Warwick <https://aviationweek.com/author/graham-warwick> March 30, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/20…> The Sunbird nuclear fusion rocket exhaust has achieved the “first plasma” milestone using inert krypton as the fuel. Credit: Pulsar Fusion Pulsar Fusion Tests Nuclear Rocket Exhaust UK space propulsion company Pulsar Fusion has conducted the first test of a prototype exhaust system for a nuclear fusion rocket engine that could dramatically cut transit times for missions to Mars and beyond. Based in Bletchley, England, the company announced on March 25 it had achieved “first plasma” in its Sunbird exhaust test system, which has the physical architecture of a direct fusion drive (DFD) space propulsion system. “With a space mission, you have a choice: chemical rockets or electric thrusters. We build both,” Pulsar Fusion CEO Richard Dinan says. “The problem is rockets give you really high thrust, but very little specific impulse, while ion engines give you tremendous speed, but it might take you 100 years to get that, as the thrust is infinitesimal.” Specific impulse (Isp), the thrust produced per unit of propellant consumed, is a measure of rocket efficiency. In-space chemical rocket Isp is typically 300-450 sec. The Isp of Hall-effect ion thrusters is 1,000-3,000 sec. “Fusion can give you a phenomenal specific impulse, about 13,000 sec., and has potential—if you can get your exhaust system to be efficient—to give you significant amounts of thrust,” Dinan says. “So rather than this constant trade-off between thrust or speed, this means you could dramatically cut your travel time around the Solar System.” In a fusion power reactor, hydrogen isotopes are heated to extreme temperatures, releasing high-energy neutrons that strike the reactor walls and generate intense heat that is used to drive a steam turbine and generate electricity. A DFD system produces thrust directly from fusion rather than indirectly by generating electricity to power ion thrusters, as in nuclear-electric propulsion. Aneutronic fusion fuel is used that releases energy in the form of protons—charged particles that can be confined, heated and directed by magnetic fields in the exhaust system to produce thrust. In its plans to develop the DFD concept, Pulsar Fusion is focusing first on its exhaust system so it can provide performance data to spacecraft primes and mission planners, “because then we’ll be able to set ourselves a goal of where we need to be to create useful missions,” Dinan says. “It is important to say there is no fusion happening in this at the moment. This is just a first step of holding a plasma in place so that we can use this as a building block to start upping the temperature,” he says. “This is just the first plasma in approximately the right place, showing that the magnets are actually holding the plasma in the engine. We will do a lot better, I hope, after this. We’ll be able to get much, much higher temperatures, and then, one day, we might make the decision to switch to fusion fuels.” Next steps will include performance testing, upgrading the system with superconducting magnets to enable stronger magnetic fields, and exploration of higher plasma density and pressure. Pulsar Fusion is also working with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to maximize the mission lifetime of the Sunbird exhaust system. “To use fusion as a propulsion source, it’s not just the physics of the kinetic energy from the reaction; it’s also how efficient your exhaust is,” Dinan says. “You might have kinetic energy from a fusion plasma, which you could punch into a computer to give you a space mission, but if your exhaust is only 50% efficient, it might change a five-year mission into a 500-year mission.” <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/in…> The Matrix autonomy mission manager enables the UH-60MX to be controlled from the ground using a tablet. Credit: Sikorsky DARPA’s ALIAS Autonomy Transitions To The Army One of DARPA’s longest-running projects is wrapping up as the autonomy technology developed under its ALIAS program transitions to the U.S. Army. Delivery of a Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk equipped with the company’s Matrix autonomy system to the Army marks the culmination of the 12-year project. ALIAS, for Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System, was launched in 2014 to develop a removable kit that could be installed in any aircraft to give it a high degree of automation to reduce workload, improve safety and allow pilots to focus on higher-level mission tasks. Since then, Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy management system has flown on more than 20 platforms and accumulated more than 1,000 flight hours. These include the company’s S-76 Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft and S-70 Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) demonstrator, a modified UH-60A. Sikorsky is also installing Matrix on its S-70UAS U-Hawk uncrewed cargo conversion of the UH-60L Black Hawk, its Nomad family of rotor blown wing vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and its planned HEX hybrid-electric tiltwing VTOL demonstrators. Matrix has also been flight-tested in a Cessna Caravan and trialed on an ATR 42 freighter owned by FedEx. In early March, the system was selected by Robinson Helicopters as the autonomy stack for the TurbineTruck uncrewed cargo derivative of the R66 light helicopter. A key to ALIAS and the deployment of Matrix has been Sikorsky’s development of a fly-by-wire system that can affordably convert existing mechanically controlled aircraft such as the Black Hawk to full-authority digital flight control to enable autonomous operation. The UH-60MX autonomy testbed delivered to the Army on March 19 uses the same fly-by-wire system and Matrix autonomy mission manager as the OPV Black Hawk, but Sikorsky is testing lower-cost fly-by-wire and Matrix system hardware on the U-Hawk, which is planned to fly shortly. Sikorsky has now installed Matrix in all three major models of the Black Hawk operated by the Army, the UH-60A, L and M. The UH-60MX will be used by Army Combat Capabilities Development Command as a flying laboratory to mature and expand autonomy technology. The UH-60MX will be used to help develop tactics, techniques and procedures for the operation of optionally piloted and fully autonomous aircraft. The next phase will integrate mission-specific sensors and explore the operational flexibility afforded by reduced-crew and fully autonomous flight. DARPA, Sikorsky and the Army are installing Matrix in a UH-60L under a program with Texas A&M University to demonstrate autonomous wildland firefighting. “DARPA is concluding the ALIAS program and will continue transition activities to Texas and the Army,” the Pentagon research agency says. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/in…> Near Earth’s Firefly compact autonomous flight system has flown on BAE Systems’ TRV-150 heavy-lift cargo drone. Credit: BAE Systems Near Earth Advances Contested Maritime Logistics Near Earth Autonomy is to develop further the U.S. Marine Corps’ ability to fly uncrewed logistics missions under a contract awarded through the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium. The Pittsburgh-based company is to develop an aircraft-agnostic autonomy system for ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship logistics missions in contested maritime environments. The autonomy will be based on Near Earth’s Firefly compact flight system, a 2-lb. unit that includes lidar, infrared and high-definition camera sensors for obstacle avoidance, ship acquisition and landing. Firefly is designed for use on Group 3 and 4 uncrewed aircraft and has flown on BAE Systems’ TRV-150 heavy-lift multicopter cargo drone as well as the L3Harris Technologies FVR-90 and PteroDynamics Transwing winged vertical-takeoff-and-landing uncrewed aircraft. “All of the perception, data processing and autonomy algorithms are handled within the Firefly unit,” Near Earth says. “The system does not require a network connection to function. This is particularly relevant for military and rural environments where data access isn’t always available.” The Marine Corps has previously ordered Firefly units for field trials of autonomous resupply in contested environments using the TRV-150C under a contract awarded by Survice Engineering, prime contractor for the Marines’ Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System program. Under the latest contract, Near Earth will develop capabilities including autonomous confined area operations, recovery to the ship in emissions-controlled environments and GPS-denied navigation. “This contract with the Navy is a key next step, maturing our autonomous systems’ performance for maritime missions,” Near Earth CEO Sanjiv Singh said in a statement. Near Earth’s autonomy systems have previously been used to demonstrate uncrewed logistics capabilities under the Office of Naval Research’s Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility Resupply and Marine Corps’ Unmanned Logistics Systems - Air and Aerial Logistics Connector demonstration programs. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/in…> ECLIF-X is the latest in a series of test campaigns to measure aircraft emissions and contrails in flight. Credit: DLR Airbus Explores Sulfur’s Role In Contrails Airbus is leading a flight-test campaign to measure the effect of sulfur content in jet fuel on contrail formation and mitigation. The inflight emissions measurement campaign is using an Airbus A321XLR test aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofans. Contrails form when an aircraft flies through ice-supersaturated regions of the atmosphere and water condenses onto particles in the engine exhaust and forms ice crystals. Persistent contrails are the major contributor to aviation’s non-CO2 emissions. The ECLIF-X research campaign is a continuation of the Emissions and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels program to study how sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) reduce aircraft emissions and contrails. This included ECLIF1 in 2015 and ECLIF2 in 2018 with an IAE V2500-powered Airbus A320, and ECLIF3 in 2024 with a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered Airbus A350. The X in ECLIF-X refers to the Talon-X rich-burn combustor in Pratt’s PW1100G, which is designed to reduce soot emissions. Soot and volatile particles in the engine exhaust plume act as seeds for the formation of the ice crystals in contrails. Aromatic hydrocarbons in jet fuel are the primary precursors for soot particles. Sulfur in the fuel forms sulfuric acid, which can either form a coating on soot particles that attracts water vapor or lead to the formation of volatile particles that also attract water vapor. The two types of particle can compete and interact during the contrail formation process, Airbus says. ECLIF-X aims to assess the effect of low-sulfur/low-aromatics fuel on the PW1100G’s emissions and contrail properties. The flight-test campaign involves inflight measurements with German aerospace center DLR’s Dassault Falcon 20E research aircraft flying 50-300 m (165-980 ft.) behind the A321XLR. The campaign, which runs to 2027, is testing three different fuels with a range of sulfur content: conventional Jet A-1 with approximately 200 parts per million (ppm) sulfur; a special batch of high-sulfur (650 ppm) Jet A-1; and very-low-sulfur (less than 1 ppm), low-aromatic hydrotreated Jet A-1. Airbus says the ECLIF-X tests are expected to quantify the reduction in soot and ice crystal formation achievable by reducing the aromatic and sulfur content of jet fuel. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public…> Graham Warwick <https://aviationweek.com/author/graham-warwick> Email: warwick(a)aviationweek.com <mailto:warwick@aviationweek.com> Graham leads Aviation Week's coverage of technology, focusing on engineering and technology across the aerospace industry, with a special focus on identifying technologies of strategic importance to aviation, aerospace and defense.

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ISW on the ceasefire
by Marc Liebman 07 Apr '26

07 Apr '26

https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-special-repor… Marc Liebman https://www.marcliebman.com https://www.facebook.com/marcliebmanauthor/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_sDoFQM5wupNaCeGIvKL1g Author of: Cherubs 2 Raider of the Scottish Coast Big Mother 40 Carronade Render Harmless Death of a Lady Forgotten Last Battles Inner Look For a Few Francs Moscow Airlift Predators The Simushir Island Incident Fight We Shall Flight of the Pawnee Failure to Fire Insidious Dragon The Red Star of Death Member of: The Author’s Guild Military Writers Society of America Association of Texas Authors North American Snowsport Journalists Association --

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