Lowpassage.com

David Cenciotti’s weblog

• Photo: Is this the first Taliban-made drone, ever? May 19, 2012
  Update May 19, 2012 21.18 GMT The following pictures, courtesy of the Helmand Governor’s Media Center, show what looks like a small drone that was discovered along with poppy, small arms, ammunitions and other materials used to make improvised explosive devices (IED), by the Afghanistan’s National Department of Security in the Nar-e-Seraj district of Helmand […]
• Largest U.S. exercise in Middle East furtively taking place in Jordan. Involving 19 countries and 12,000 military May 19, 2012
  Almost ignored by some media outlets, a major strategic theater cooperation exercise including 19 countries and more than 12,000 participants is currently taking place in Jordan. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says that the Eager Lion 2012 is “the largest annual exercise in the Central Command area of operations” whose is aim is “to strengthen military-to-mi […]
• Infographic: Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Flypast May 19, 2012
  On Saturday May 19, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her first 60 years as monarch. Here are the graphics that explain how the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, a flypast of over 80 aircraft (more than those taking part to the previous editions) belonging to the British air arms, will take place. Source: Royal Air Force Two Temporary […]
• Apocalypse now-like scene: 10 AH-64 Apache and 6 UH-60 Black Hawk choppers arrive at Joint Base Lewis-McChord May 18, 2012
  Something you don’t see every day: ten AH-64 Apache and six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the 1st Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, based at Fort Hood, Texas, arrive at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, where the unit is relocating, on May 11. The 1-229th Avn. Regt. is an attack reconnaissance battalion. The video needs only a […]
• Stealth Black Hawks! But it’s only another Hangar Foam Party. May 18, 2012
  After publishing the articles about Eglin Air Force Base, Charleston AFB and Portland ANGB with images showing several hangars filled with foam after fire suppression systems accidentally went off at various U.S. bases, a reader of my blog sent me the following photographs. Thet show the hangar floor and eight helicopters covered with 7 feet […]
• “You are cleared to the scrap yard”: Italy’s leased combat-proven F-16s returned to the U.S. to be cockooned again. May 18, 2012
  Updated May 18, 2012 17.00 GMT On May 8, eight of the remaining U.S. F-16 fighter jets leased by the Italian Air Force to strengthen Italy’s air defense until the full maturity of the Eurofighter Typhoon made a stopover at Lajes Field, Azores, on their way back to the U.S. The aircraft had departed from […]
• Stealth Yanshuf: the Israeli top secret radar-evading chopper used to drop spies in Iran May 17, 2012
  According to F. Michael Maloof, a former Pentagon senior policy analyst the Israeli Air Force is equipped with the same Stealth Black Hawk helicopter used by the U.S. Navy SEALs to kill Osama Bin Laden last year. Believed to be an exclusive U.S. “black project”, the radar-evading chopper (most probably a quiet one, rather than […]
• Video: First flight of China’s second J-20 Mighty Dragon prototype May 17, 2012
  After the images appeared on the Chinese Internet few hours after the aircraft had landed, a video showing the China’s second J-20 stealth fighter prototype performing its first flight at Chengdu on May 16, 2012 has just been uploaded to Youtube. Soundtrack aside, the video is enjoyable as it gives the opportunity to see the […]
• Langley’s F-22 pilot oxygen emergency during Red Flag caught on audio tape May 17, 2012
  The F-22 Raptor was among the players of the recent Red Flag 12-3 exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Belonging to the 27th FS from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the planes did not feature the famous Increment 3.1 that gives the stealthy fighters the capability to use air-to-surface weapons, and could only play the […]
• Video: Armed MQ-1 Predator drone quietly flying at low altitude over Elgin, Illinois May 16, 2012
  Filmed in Elgin, Illinois about 40 miles from Chicago, the following video (uploaded to Youtube on May 13) shows what seems to be an MQ-1 Predator drone. Armed with AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. Noteworthy the drone is flying quite low (maybe to remain in visual contact with the ground below the clouds). Even if someone […]