I think the Nighthawk, despite having been built to reflect radar waves off to the sides, has a certain stark beauty to it, yes?
Ray said:
It's flight instabilities aside, it reminds me of an ancient aboriginal spear point. I don't find it particularly beautiful. If our American cousins put as many bucks into making the world a better place as they do in developing cutting edge killing machines, we might all live less stressful lives. We already have enough nukes on both sides of a possible conflict to wipe out the world's population about seven times over, the experts tell us.
Eolake said...
No need to single out the US, almost every country in the world has a military, and indeed if all that money was used on, say, education, holy cow! Any bigger country which did that would virtually take over the world, and without losing their young men to war.
When I first saw photos of this (and other Stealth planes) I would have said they had a certain stark ugly to them.
ReplyDeleteNow I've learned not to talk mean about nimble and unstable killing machines.
LOL!
ReplyDeleteI understand well what you mean.
I've softened a bit, I've learned that anger and hate are bad for your stomach juices, even when aimed at war machines.
A war machine can still be beautiful, and this one is. I wonder what pilots think of it, though, knowing that they couldn't fly it singlehanded.
ReplyDeleteIt's flight instabilities aside, it reminds me of an ancient aboriginal spear point. I don't find it particularly beautiful. If our American cousins put as many bucks into making the world a better place as they do in developing cutting edge killing machines, we might all live less stressful lives. We already have enough nukes on both sides of a possible conflict to wipe out the world's population about seven times over, the experts tell us.
ReplyDeleteSo how do we spell 'overkill'?
Almost every country in the world has a military, and indeed if all that money was used on, say, education, holy cow! Any bigger country which did that would virtually take over the world, and without losing their young men to war.
ReplyDeleteBritain's defence budget is a little over half its education budget. Increasing the money available for education by 50% would be welcome, of course, but I don't think it'd make all that much difference.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/uk_education_budget_2009_2.html
Fair enough. Maybe US and a few others are exceptional in the amounts they spend on killing hardware.
ReplyDeleteThe F117a was the mysterious 'triangular' aircraft seen when its development was almost completed.
ReplyDeleteIt's an amazing aircraft, and it's asymmetrical design is what gives it the power of stealth. Might even be alien technology given to the US - or traded, rather.
There was a time that if you viewed or photographed the F117a from the rear, you would have been neutralized and 'disappeared'.
If our American cousins put as many bucks into making the world a better place as they do in developing cutting edge killing machines, we might all live less stressful lives.
ReplyDeleteThose killing machines exist to help make the world a better place. There are people who want to kill us. And Canada to this day relies on the U.S. to defend it. That's just a fact.
Wow, Robb. You're either joking or...you're kind of insane.
ReplyDeleteBAT-PLANE ALERT!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteJust add to it a couple of "ear" spikes near the nose, and voilà: you've got your new kewl-and-stark Bat-vehicle for the next movie.
Actually, I hear that Costa Rica (in Latin America!!!) have suppressed their army. Completely. Now dedicating their much healthier budget to preserving their natural resources, wildlife, and developing eco-friendly tourism. Theirs is now the best preserved country on the whole New World!
If I move overseas, I'll consider Costa Rica. Sounds like a very nice country to inhabit.
"Now I've learned not to talk mean about nimble and unstable killing machines."
Lucky you lived to enjoy the lesson! :-)
"even when aimed at war machines."
I would've thought that stomach juices would be the last of your concerns at that moment?... ;-)
"So how do we spell 'overkill'?"
It's spelled "Oy vey, kibosh". That's Yiddish.
"Increasing the money available for education by 50% would be welcome, of course, but I don't think it'd make all that much difference."
Now, now, Hangar old chap, isn't that a bit of a mean thing to say about Britain's educational system, I say? ;-)
"Maybe US and a few others are exceptional in the amounts they spend on killing hardware."
As illustrated by the current fiascos or the Abu Ghraib scandal, the US spend way too little on killing SOFTWARE, a.k.a. forming the soldiers. :-P
Robb in Houston detected on his Bat-radar...
"The F117a was the mysterious 'triangular' aircraft seen when its development was almost completed."
And also the mysterious UFO that had all of Belgium in high excitement when a wave of sightings was reported around that time.
Belgium had the swell field advantage of highways remaining lit at night, alleviating the need for using GPS or other potentially "active" location/mapping systems. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
"There was a time that if you viewed or photographed the F117a from the rear, you would have been neutralized and 'disappeared'."
I always DID wonder about that amnesic hangover which lasted me a whole week while out stargazing near Brussels!
But let it be noted that I was just 'disappeared' for a while, and never got 'neutered'.
"Wow, Robb. You're either joking or...you're kind of insane."
If he told you which, then he'd have to kill you.
Batplane, yes.
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica, that's the one. I almost mentioned that South American country, but I couldn't remember which one it was.
That may happen everywhere one day, but right now it wouldn't be responsible for the U.S. to do that even if they wanted to.
ReplyDeleteHmm... some day' I'll have to explain on my blog why the Russians still haven't delivered those MIGs they promised to our national Army.
ReplyDeleteBasically, because Lebanon is no more authorized to have any armed aircrafts. Who said so? Well, Israel's #1 buddies, the good ol' U.S. of A.!
I'll give you one guess why Hezbollah still hasn't agreed to transfer all their weaponry to the Lebanese Army, and incorporate their own combattants in it.
Note to self: remember to order some day their FPS videogame on the 2006 -repelled- Israeli attack.
They say it's got authentic Lebanon geography.
And to think one or two dedades ago my brothers used to spend hours on their MS-DOS F117 simulator game...