New generation(s) of aircraft coming soon

 

In any event, by the time we get to 2030 (just under five years away), our skies will look much different. Having jets which can go from coast to coast in under an hour might be normal rather than abnormal. Stay tuned - the best is yet to come. 

Those of us who saw the new Top Gun movie (Maverick), saw a CG of what some are calling Darkstar. Others thought it might be a sneak peek at the long-awaited SR-72. Actually, those who guessed it was the SR-72 might win the prize. And it is now called Darkstar. We have built the SR-72, and it is so fast, it could fly rings around the now retired SR-71. Hypersonic? Probably. But it is a game changer.

A while back, there was a competition for the NGAD fighter jet. NGAD standing for Next Generation Air Dominance. In a surprise decision, the multi-billion-dollar award was given to Boeing. Not Lockheed Martin, who many thought was a shoo-in, but Boeing. With all the problems Boeing has had as of late with space capsules as well as the 737-Max airliners, this award had many scratching their heads.

But Lockheed Martin, who makes the very successful F-35 Lightning II fighter jet was tempted to protest this award. Instead, they told the Air Force they are going to ECP (Engineering Change Proposal) some of the sexy stuff they were going to put in the NGAD jet, into the F-35. Their believe is they can make the F-35 Lightning II just as capable as Boeing's offering, at a reduced price. Right now, both the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II are best of class. To make both of them better, as has been promised, will be more than awesome.

Lockheed Martin also has developed the F-45 Condor. It was the basis of their NGAD offering. This amazing jet is either a sixth or seventh generation fighter jet. Like the others in its class, it has super stealth, maneuverability and blazing speed. Is there a place in the USAF's growing inventory for the F-45 Condor? Unknown, but Lockheed really thought this could be the replacement for the F-35 Lightning II. But like I said earlier, Lockheed might just spiff up the Lightning II up instead of building the F-45 Condor. In any event, the United States seems to have an embarrassment of riches right now in high tech aircraft. 

Not to put a fly into the ointment, but here is another angle. Our great innovator, Elon Musk, thinks having manned aircraft going into the future is a waste of money and effort. Manned aircraft have had their better day. Time to move on to autonomous aircraft. We have the AI, so let us use it. But - are ready to turn over very expensive jets with amazing powers to robots? Are we really ready to enter the Terminator phase? Stay tuned on this one. Elon usually does not blow smoke. He might be onto something. 

In any event, by the time we get to 2030 (just under five years away), our skies will look much different. Having jets which can go from coast to coast in under an hour might be normal rather than abnormal. Stay tuned - the best is yet to come. 

What is up with Hollywood?

"We need a new birth in moviemaking. A renaissance, so to speak. Our current playbook on how to make good movies expired years ago. We need family movies. Christian movies. Movies that EVEYBODY can see, no matter their age. Will a 100% work to save Hollywood? I could care less. It is not worth saving."

True confession. I, like many today, am disgusted with that Hollywood has become. It is a sewer. A cesspool. An expensive den of socialist vipers. Hollywood never was this bad in the past. Somehow, it got way, way to political, and way, way too immoral. Finding a family movie made these days is a struggle. A gamble. Maybe this is why new movie studios such as Angel are popping up. A safe venue to watch wholesome movies.

Meanwhile, Hollywood as a studio location for filming is dying. More and more foreign countries are luring production companies to travel offshore to make movies. How bad has it become in a very short time? Over the past three years, over 18,000 movie production jobs have been eliminated in Hollywood. Shooting movies is down 22% already this year. According to President Trump, the rush to shoot offshore is growing so fast, that "Hollywood is dying a fast death."

In true "Trumpian" fashion, the president has tossed a hand grenade into the gears to shake things up. Trump wants to impose a 100% tariff on all future movies being made offshore. That announcement hit Hollywood like a jolt from the San Andreas Fault. Speaking of which, did you know that the sequel to San Andreas was filmed mostly in Australia? Interesting, since the action takes place in LA - right by Hollywood.

Can Hollywood be saved? Maybe. Should Hollywood be saved? Now that is an interesting question. My opinion? Hollywood has outlived its usefulness. It has become vapid and corrupt. And as I have said earlier, way, way too political. I don't give two shoots and a holler if the current regime in Hollywood ever makes another film again. But here is the rub. I DO like movies. GOOD movies. Movies I can take my grandies to without worrying about salty language or "hidden" woke messages. 

We need a new birth in moviemaking. A renaissance, so to speak. Our current playbook on how to make good movies expired years ago. We need family movies. Christian movies. Movies that EVEYBODY can see, no matter their age. Will a 100% tariff work to save Hollywood? I could care less. It is not worth saving. The giant sucking sound you hear from SoCal, is the sound of Hollywood sucking more and more every year. 

Stuck between a rock and a hard place

 

"Both Canada and Mexico will come around. Why? They too, are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not geographically, like we are - but politically. Without our help and guidance, both Canada and Mexico are on the spiral downward." 

Ever stop to ponder the state of the state in North America? Like, our neighborhood. There are three major countries in North America - Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Canada is a socialist country. Why? Please don't ask me. I think Castro's kid had much to do with it. The United States is a Constitutional Republic ("if you can keep it"), and Mexico is gangland. A land without pity. That is our continent. Here we are, in the middle, between a rock and a hard place. 

I have traveled all over Canada. Despite the fact that most areas I traveled in are very deserted, I like the place a lot. Mexico - not so much. I have been to Tijuana. Note to self - don't ever do that again! Also been to Cabo. Safer than Tijuana but once was enough for that place. By the same token, I have been to 48 of the 50 states. I know the USA much better than I know our northern and southern neighbors. That being said, even with all our bumps and bruises, the US of A is 100 times, 1,000 times better than living in either Canada or Mexico.

All joking aside, could Canada be a better place to live if it were a part of US? Absolutely, yes! Socialism is killing the once great country. So much so (as I penned yesterday), it is on the verge of splitting in two. What about Mexico? Any help or hope there? The other day, Trump offer to President Sheinbaum our help with the cartels. Like, having our military go into Mexico and help maintain some semblance of law and order. "No thanks", she said in a New York minute. I guess she prefers the cartels running the place.

It will be interesting to see the next move the Mexican cartels will make now that Trump has shut down our southern border. There was money to be made from all the drug trafficking, the human trafficking, and sex trafficking coming over our southern border. Do an end around, and come over our northern border? Maybe not - Carney has been given the word. Should the northern border go porous again, Trump is ready to slap more tariffs on Canada.

Trump has taken this country from "turning the other cheek" living with these vexing neighborhood problems, to fixing the problems. He has offered both Canada and Mexico some help but has been rebuffed. In other words, first Trump offered the carrot, and now he is giving them the stick. What does this mean? Will we become isolationist in our own continent? 

Both Canada and Mexico will come around. Why? They too, are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not geographically, like we are - but politically. Without our help and guidance, both Canada and Mexico are on the spiral downward. They may be pouting now, but both will be knocking on our door in the very near future. Why? They have no choice.    

  

Is Canada about to erupt?

"My message to Alberta is simply this - should you decide to join our nation; you would be welcomed with open arms. That is - only the middle part of our country. The coastal folks would consider you another pain in their rear. Not us, however. You are like us, so we like you. You are welcome to join us, as are your vast natural resources."  

It seems that the USA is not the only country who is bifurcated these days. Canada is also. Only their national split might be a bit more contentious than ours is. Now here comes the weird part. In both the USA and Canada, it is the middle of the country where the normal folk live (except for Minnesota), and the coasts where the loons live. Why is that? What gives?

The election of Mark Carney did little to ease the tensions that are taking over this great nation of Canada. It is so bad, that the good people of Alberta are just about ready to take President Trump up on his offer. Become the 51st state of America and leave Canada. Anyone who has been to Alberta, no doubt has been struck by the majesty and beauty of that province. But what does the USA have to offer that Canada does not? We don't have Ottawa. The People's Republic of Ottawa.

Many of the Canadian patriots who live inside of the country rather than on the coastal areas, could not believe that Mark Carny is the replacement for Justin Trudeau. That would be like us having Biden right after Obama. Or Harris right after Biden. Any patriot or citizen can only take so much tyranny or authoritarianism. 

Of course, the trade war is just gas on the fire. Rumor has it that Carney has called Trump up and wants to make a deal. That would be in Canada's best interest. But Canada has turned socialist. And that is hurting Canada much more than the current trade war. The tax rate in Canada is out of this world, and the people who work for a living - are suffering.

Back home here, parts of Minnesota want to be part of the Dakotas. Part of Oregon and Washinton want to be part of Idaho. California north of San Fransico, wants to be part of ANYTHING but California. Get the trend here? Free people like to be free. Just because the USA and Canada are not free nations, does not mean that the lefties don't like to control us. 

My message to Alberta is simply this - should you decide to join our nation; you would be welcomed with open arms. That is - only the middle part of our country. The coastal folks would consider you another pain in their rear. Not us, however. You are like us, so we like you. You are welcome to join us, as are your vast natural resources.  

   

Stuck - in the edge of the Milky Way

"Want to take a flight to another galaxy? Like our closest one? Come on guys! We can do it! The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest, and it is 2.5 MILLION light years away from us. Even at the speed of light, getting there and back is unfathomable. What does all this mean? We are stuck here." 

Speed of light, baby! That seems to be the big talk in some circles lately. Why? Now that Elon Musk has us on the cusp of visiting other planets, some are thinking more broadly. Like, why can't we go visit out closest star neighbor? That would be Proxima Centauri, a scant 4.2 light years away. Okay - let's go! All we need to do is build a rocket who can travel the speed of light (186,000 miles per SECOND), and we are out of here. But there is a very small problem we need to fix first.

NASA is estimating that once we get out of Earth's orbit and start to travel among the planets, our current rocket technology, using Venus as a gravitational boost, could get us up to 430,000 miles per hour! As impressive as that is, that is only a fraction of the speed of light. Even at the speed of light, a trip to and from Proxima Centauri would take almost nine years. A flight to and from that star using our current technology, would take generations. 

Want to take a flight to another galaxy? Like our closest one? Come on guys! We can do it! The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest, and it is 2.5 MILLION light years away from us. Even at the speed of light, getting there and back is unfathomable. What does all this mean? We are stuck here. The good news is we are stuck on probably the best planet within thousands of parsecs or so. The bad news, as I just said, we are stuck here. 

How about setting up shop, like an "Earth II" on one of the planets in our Solar System? Have you seen the weather report on our neighboring planets? You can be roasted, frozen, poisoned, or all three. Even Mars, which would be the closest livable planet, is sketchy at best. Looking for an "Earth II" in our Solar System is a loser for sure.

Maybe we were never intended to be space travelers. The Good Lord created all the stars in all the galaxies just for us to view with telescopes which are getting more powerful all the time. One evangelist we went to see, addressed this issue. He said, "God created the heavens for us to marvel at. It is almost like He is saying, do you want to see more? Build a bigger telescope." Amen to that - and that is exactly what we are doing. Building bigger and better telescopes. 

But as far as traveling even close to the speed of light, we might have to put that in the "never happen" category. Or leave that up to fictional books, like Tom Swift. That is as close as we will ever get. 

The IRGC, the CCP, the URP and the DPR - bad actors all

"Just like Reagan, Trump understands peace through strength. Trump abhors killing and war. But these four bad actors need to toe the line. They need to be peacemakers instead of war birds."

Did you hear about the message sent by our Secretary of Defense to Iran? Actually, it was more of a threat. This was posted on X - "We see your LETHAL support to the Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of - and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUNCE at the time and place of our choosing." Wow! Did Pete go off the reservation with this message? Nope. It is very similar to the message Trump sent them weeks ago. As Hegseth said - you were warned.

I think losing a F-18 over the side of a carrier when the carrier had to take evasive action to avoid a drone or missile was the last straw. The IRGC of Iran, using its proxy in Yemen (Houthis) - have poked the bear too many times. Now is the time to pay the piper. If the IRGC can read between the lines, they would know this much - the United States, not Isreal, have the only munitions which can penetrate a couple hundred feet underground and destroy bunkers. And by the way, we have the bunker busters along with the B-2 bombers, fueled up and waiting in Diego Garcia.

Who are the bad actors today? Besides the IRGC (Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), the URP (United Russia Party), and the DPR (Democrat People's Republic of Korea) are the worst of the worst. All are troublemakers. None want peace. Where is (as the police call it) the thin blue line? Or in our case, the red, white and blue line? It is wherever we can put it. And our red, white and blue line is very thin - way too thin to keep track of the four bad actors.

The Budget Hawks and the Democrats are not going to like this, but it must be said. When Trump took over as POTUS 45, he had to fix the huge hole in defense that Obama left him. As POTUS 47, Trump needs to fix the neglect in defense that Biden left him. We are going to need to upsize our defense budget. Sorry - that is a fact. DOGE can cut out all the crap in many budgets, but the necessary weapons to maintain the peace are just that - necessary. 

Just like Reagan, Trump understands peace through strength. Trump abhors killing and war. But these four bad actors need to toe the line. They need to be peacemakers instead of war birds.

To keep the peace, we need strength. To keep the strength, we need the right kind of weapons, and the will to use them. It really is as simple as that.    

Ukraine, Inc.

"The final question to be asked is this - what is Ukraine right now? Some say it is a corrupt regime who was invaded by a blood thirsty tyrant. Great - and this is who we are throwing our lot in with right now. Okay - who should have stopped this war months (years) ago? Believe it or not, the United Nations. I know - that is a knee slapper."

And they said this would never happen. What would not happen? The long awaited, often doubted, "mineral deal" with Ukraine. When this ten-year deal is over, the United States and Ukraine will be rich beyond imagination. Or - maybe just be the co-owners of a bunch of dry holes. Come on Bird! Why the long face? What is this "dry hole" nonsense? Simply this - we are buying a pig in a poke. The mineral map showing Rare Earths was drawn up during the Soviet Union days. It either could show the wealth of this nation, or it might not be worth the paper it is printed on.

But here are a few of $64,000 questions. Question One - will this stop the war? Heck, we can't even get a truce to last for 24 hours. Does Russia want to stop this war? It seems that Russia has interest only in total victory. That being said, will the entrance of United States miners on the landscape of Ukraine help to forge a lasting peace?

Question Two - This is a tough one. What if this never-ending conflict draws new causalities? Like innocent and unarmed United States miners? What is our posture should that happen? Send in the troops? In Obama fashion, write Putin a nasty letter? Stop the progress on any developing mines? The ramifications of consequences are endless. Plus - as a negative to pile on negatives - if the US gets involved (militarily), does that push the world closer to WW III? 

I know, I know. As our grandparents would always advise us - don't borrow trouble. This entire mining deal could turn out to be just fine. Or not. Can I see a show of hands for all who trust Putin? Anybody? This guy is a snake - a viper. He kills people (even his own young soldiers) with careless abandon. Whereas Trump's major objective is to stop the killing on both sides, Putin could give a wit about human life. In fact, Putin might be the evilest man to walk the Earth since the Nazis in WW II.

The final question to be asked is this - what is Ukraine right now? Some say it is a corrupt regime who was invaded by a blood thirsty tyrant. Great - and this is who we are throwing our lot in with right now. Okay - who should have stopped this war months (years) ago? Believe it or not, the United Nations. I know - that is a knee slapper. But if you read the UN charter, stopping this war was in their wheelhouse. But they didn't. Once again, the UN has proved to be as useless as a car with four flat tires.

On an unrelated note, did you know that China has recently blamed US for Covid? Give me a break! China is another blood-thirsty regime we have to deal with. When everyone with an IQ over 5 knows it was a leak from the Wuhan Lab that started the pandemic, the Chicoms are blaming us instead.

Russia, China and Iran - What a great world we would have, if only these three members of the evil empire would straighten up and fly right.