By A Web Design
The News
Insurance companies field private navy
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- Created on Wednesday, 16 May 2012 17:56
The Business Insider reports that insurance companies have finally had their fill of Somali pirates, and aims to take them on, rather than pay up. The scheme involves small fast ships crewed by 8 "security personnel" running something similar to the convoy system of WW2. Carrying and using non-lethal weapons, like noise cannons and the like are the primary tactic, however, they'll have plenty of .50 BMG backup if it gets nasty. They've already stashed the weapons needed for the fight on floating arsenal ships in the neighborhood, according to Defense Tech. Each ship in the convoy has to pay up to the tune of 30 or 40 grand for each trip through contested waters.
Pirates are a real problem, but hiring mercenaries isn't solving the root causes, like for instance, failed states with no governments, and no opportunities for the people involved in piracy. Granted some of them would do it anyway even if they had all the opportunity in the world, however it seems to me that an armed "Navy" of sorts that owes it's allegiance to insurance companies and policed by no one is a bad idea. The worst excesses perpetrated in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were from civilian contractors and mercs. Plus, if I were a pirate, I would go for the floating ammo and weapons dumps for my raw material. No one will fight to the death for an insurance company. The Roman empire had a solution for the problem. Invade, wipe out the fighters, make a Roman colony out of the place, and prosperity follows. That's a better idea than the British East India Company's model of a private army.
P-40 found in the Sahara
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- Created on Sunday, 13 May 2012 23:44
War is hell. One guy who found out how bad it can be is Flight Sergeant Copping, who got lost over the Sahara and was never heard from again. His plane has recently come to light, and is remarkably preserved for the time that has passed since World War Two. It's possible none of his family have survived to report too.
The RAF is on the ball to get the plane for display at the Raf Museum in Hendon. The P-40 is complete and not beat up that bad, it lost the prop on landing, but everything is still there, including the guns. The plane was close to a smuggling route, but was obviously unnoticed. The Egyptian Army scarfed up the guns to keep them out of the wrong hands. Suddenly P-40's are everywhere, one just crash landed near here in Batavia, Ohio. They were common during the early years of the war, but lost out to later designs that could outperform it. There are less than a hundred left in the world with around 20 still flying. This link describes what it's like to fly one.
Update: Nephew found, Daily Mail story if you don't mind the popups...
We should hire Gurkhas
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- Created on Tuesday, 08 May 2012 23:28
Gurkha's have been scaring the crap out of Britain's enemies for 200 years. Just the thought of those curved knives, the kukri, drove off the Argentines in the Falklands War when the Gurkhas landed. And England got them at a bargain price for years, although by Nepalese standards it was a great deal for the Gurkhas. Since 1997, their pay got better, and they also have the right to live in England.
These days aren't so great for them now. The British are downsizing their army, and the Nepalese government is considering banning the practice of serving in a foreign army. I think that's too bad for the Brits, however, we in the US should consider hiring them. There is nothing wrong with our army, for sure, but the thought of silent Gurkha killers in the night ought to give our enemies pause. For some odd reason I can't fathom, insurgents don't seem to be afraid of our soldiers, even though we can rain hellfire down upon them. Maybe it's because we seem to fight by rules. However, just throw a few Gurkha's in the mix, and let them sneak around at night and leave a few heads lying around, and our enemies will give us a wide berth.
London's rooftop missiles
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- Created on Monday, 30 April 2012 16:41
Missiles on the roofs of apartment buildings is causing all sorts of kerfluffle in London. I don't know if this bothers me so much as the stuff you don't see.... Royal Navy submarines with their stuff armed, Tornadoes high overhead, and all manner of snipers looking at you through their scopes attached to pretty lethal rifles. It's sad to say, but this is the norm now, but it does take getting used to. I wonder how much of this is going on just for football games?
I think the thing about these missiles that would really bother me would be if they did knock something down. I would be happier if their warhead could vaporize an incoming airliner, cause you know that huge bloody thing will be heading for the ground. Not so good for the passengers or the pedestrians. At least in the past we had the illusion of having our fate in our own hands. Now every government and terrorist group has their fingers on some pretty big triggers, and I don't like it. I think if I were a Londoner, I'd be off for holiday.
1000 yards not too tough for an Enfield
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- Created on Sunday, 29 April 2012 22:43
Found this video on mag30th's channel about shooting his 1943 Enfield Mk. 4 at a thousand yards and I'm pretty impressed. Hitting anything that far without being a trained sniper may be routine for some guys, but not me, and with a 60 year old rifle at that. The comments even include a Brit sniper who says even they aren't trained to hit anything that far away, rather that range is just to harass the bad guys. Anyhow, mag30th's channel is full of interesting videos, so give him a look.