Boasting about the Russian military's capability, President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to continue an ambitious weapons modernization program with a particular emphasis on nuclear strategic forces. http://news.yahoo.com/putin-russia-military-modernization-plan-154457979.html
"well Putin will have built up his navy and air force to full strength by 2016"
rather funny really
if this is anything like their passed build ups, cold war and the cold war and,,, then its going to be a cracker of a time for normal russians again.
all that financing of big arms show pony rubbish sounds good to me, who needs embargo's with this halfwit in power.
i think america should feed them to some point "again" for nostalgia,, it will be like old times..
“Russia shot down Santa Claus’s sleigh today in international airspace over the Arctic Ocean.
According to local reports, the sleigh was beginning its annual Christmas Eve journey around the world when it was struck by a surface-to-air missile fired from the Russian island of Novaya Zemlya - just a few hundred miles from the North Pole. Santa and nearly all of his reindeer were killed instantly.
Norwegian fisherman soon located the debris field in the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean. Images of the debris aired on CNN and other international news networks show broken limbs, teddy bears, and gift wrapping strewn throughout the sea.
Although Russia has officially denied involvement in the incident, American intelligence forces say they have proof the missile was fired from a Russian military installation on the island. Several ultra-nationalist politicians in Moscow have praised the downing, which targeted an popular Western celebrity.
“Santa Claus is a symbol of Western decadence and consumerism,” said Alexi Onnatopp, leader of the far-right Golden Bear party,”Whoever killed this fat, corrupt man is a patriot and a hero.”
Today’s events bear striking similarities to the downing of Malaysian Flight 17, which was shot down by pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine this summer using a similar surface-to-air missile. All 285 passengers and 15 crew were killed aboard that flight travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.”
An AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore appears to have disappeared off the radar earlier on a Sunday morning flight. There have been reports of floating wreckage off shore, but no confirmation. The pilot reported some turbulent weather during the flight. Seems a lot of problems with flights to/from Southeast Asia this year.
Here's my $.02 ... none of the three highly publicized crashes in 2014 associated with southeast Asia have yet been fully investigated, of course. However, here are my semi-educated surmises:
MH370 was a case of flight crew incapacitation, resulting from either (a) an onboard fire, (b) some other equipment failure, or (c) violent actions by one or more persons on the flight.
MH17 was destroyed by a radar-guided anti-aircraft missile.
QZ8501 crashed very soon after crossing a line of strong storms; based on the very preliminary information, the aircraft POSSIBLY may have suffered ice accumulation that impaired the function of flight instrument. If this happened, and the flight crew did not respond appropriately, loss of the plane could result (see AF447).
If my absolutely amateur analysis is correct, then these three catastrophes have little in common. If there were any common thread, it MIGHT be the need for improved diligence in the airlines' management of flight safety, which is probably a problem for most east Asian airlines outside of Japan.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is that this looks like bad luck, as much as anything.
In an interview on CCTV America news, a former American Airline pilot, conjectured that the plane might have encountered a similar situation like the Air France flight that left Brazil and fell into the Atlantic Ocean. Ice and frost from the thunderstorms may have built up on the external sensors and providing inaccurate information from the plane's computer. The plane's speed was slowed down in order to minimize turbulence inside the cabin. The incorrect readings then produced an engine stall and the plane plummeted to the water. The ex-pilot said that many pilots today rely too much on computer navigation systems and instead should take manual control when conditions warrant it.
I would not personally blame it on bad luck. The MH370 flight is still highly suspicious. The MH17 flight was a deliberate act that could have been any company plane. Given the American Airlines flight from Korea to Dallas, TX experience a few weeks ago, the QZ8501 flight incident does appear to be "act of Nature". Most airports suspend flights due to fog. I guess they could also impose flight restrictions when major storms are present in the flight path. Then it become a debate of, "to fly or not to fly, that is the question".
"Indonesian channel TVOne has started broadcasting images of divers descending from helicopters into the water to retrieve bodies and other items that have so far been found in the area"
"The Associated Press reports that bodies were found floating near the site where the missing plane was last seen.
Meanwhile, an air force plane spotted a "shadow" on the seabed, believed to be the missing jet."
The plane, debris, and bodies appear to have been located.
"I guess russia will be blamed ... Next thing america will claim russia was moving buk missiles in the region."
You guessed wrong, Danny. Nobody blamed Russia for this because they weren't involved. They were blamed for the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 because they were.
Corporate error, ie poor training in adverse conditions and events, as well as known limitations to equipment, however pilot error likely will be the reported cause, falling short of investigative teeth. As with Martin's assessment, there are basic understandings to those in the business, there is also the entrenched political presence to protect the system. Politicians take no responsibility yet they have the power. The sheer number of crashes however, will cause political hacks to run for cover. I deleted much of the rest of what I wrote, don't want to be in the club of Oliver Stone.
Until such time as the FDR & CVR may be recovered then who can say.
Professionals say that should never have departed, that they should have turned back etc. but for all of you that want that cheapest possible ticket on any particular low cost airline just remember that there's little, if any, fat in the fare you pay for flight delays, fuel to turn back, additional landing, navigation, handling fees etc.
And by offering these stupidly cheap fares that is the pressures that some airlines are putting upon their crew members and by all accounts the first officer, the co-pilot, of the stricken Air Asia was a "Pay to Fly" pilot, i.e. he was, or he had been, paying per flight/block hour to occupy that pilot's seat.
Thank you Martin you get it. Many years ago I was in flight test for an aerospace contractor. When Challenger crashed we in the trenches understood the only reason they launched was that "the first teacher in space" would not be delayed with every school in America watching the launch. It was political pressure after Morton/Thiokol engineers said scrub. The politicians were long gone before the debris hit the ground. The prior launch was scrubbed a record number of times. I remember the media made hay on the decline of NASA because their estimation of absurdity in delays. Oliver Stone is the maker of movies that are conspiracy theories. The club are his cultists.
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Russian brides > Main Forum > Malaysian Airlines MH17 Shot Down over Ukraine Donetsk Region by Pro Russia Putin Supporters. 295 Dead