Click the pics (by AAron B. Hutchins) to see more:
VEHICLE I-D: USAF C-21 LEARJET, YEAR OF THE LEAR
The controversial U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is once again causing problems. This time Japan’s Defense Minister, Naoki Tanaka, said no deal if there were anymore cost overruns, or delays in the F-35 project.
Japan had tentatively agreed to purchase four of the multi-million dollar aircraft. Currently each F-35 cost $123 million!
But, recently the Obama administration suggested that, in order to cut the Defense budget, development and production of the F-35 should be delayed. The F-35 has already see numerous delays over the past decade, and seen costs skyrocket.
Japan has yet to sign a contract to buy the F-35, but officials said if the price of the F-35 goes up, or it’s delivery date is delayed, they will not sign any deal to buy it.
The U.S. Air Force has canceled a contract with the winner of a competition for the USAF’s new trainer aircraft.
Brazil’s Embraer Defense and Security, along with U.S. company Sierra Nevada, won the contract for the counter insurgency (COIN) aircraft deal in December 2011, for the A-29 Super Tucano.
There are rumors that a company that did not take part in the bidding could get the contract. Hawker Beechcraft has filed a lawsuit over the whole issue.
The decision to cancel the contract with Brazil could be more about the growing power of the South American country, and its membership in CELAC.
Don’t think awarding the contract to Hawker Beechcraft would create more U.S. jobs. Officials with Sierra Nevada said the contract would have allowed them to hire 1,200 people in Florida, compared to 1,400 with Hawker Beechcraft.
30 U.S. Air Force officers revealed that a nuclear “ethics” course they were required to attend was nothing more than a promotion of Christianity, and a bad one at that.
The course constantly referred to biblical quotes, and quotes from Christian saints. Most of the justification is based on versus from the Old Testament. I like to point out that there were no “Christians” in the Old Testament. Also, the course uses Saint Augustine’s “Christian” justification of war. Augustine was born more than 3oo years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Augustine made the statements in order to justify the continued war mongering of the newly Christianized Roman Empire.
One part of the ethics course even stated that Christians view nuclear war as a good thing.
I’d like to remind people that no Hebrew official can speak for Moses, just as no Imam can speak for Mohammad. And definitely no Saint can speak for Jesus of Nazareth. Here’s a quote from the New Testament: Mathew 5:39; “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”-attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, New American Standard 1984 edition
Amazingly (well, from my experience, maybe it’s not so amazing) USAF officials claim they never realized there was anything “Christian” about the ethics course. The U.S. Air Force has been teaching the officer ethics course for nearly 20 years.
The USAF says they’ve stopped teaching the course. There is a detailed report at truth-out.org. Also the original USAF powerpoint presentation was made available online, you can find it at the Washington Post website. It was after the presentation hit the internet that the USAF stopped their nuclear “ethics” course.