Friday, April 10, 2026

On The Table

The first trial I ever worked on, in the early ‘80’s, involved the Fairchild A-10. It was new then.

It’s basically a flying anti-tank gun. It has a huge gun in the nose, angled down. The pilot sits right behind it, encased in a shell beneath the cockpit to protect against ground fire. It is meant to fly low, below radar, for NATO’s use in Europe repelling a Russian invasion. (I still remember the video Fairchild made. Contractors sell their weapons like aspirin.) 

I only mention this because, 40+ years later, we’re still flying them, though not necessarily as a tank killer. Drones aren’t quite as certainly lethal (in the video the A-10 shredded a tank like it was cardboard); but they are cheap, and almost anyone can fly them. And go home even if the drone goes down. Ukraine is also taking over that business; which, you know, gives them “cards.”
We sent our military experts to the Middle East, including specialists in interceptor drones and electronic warfare. We demonstrated to some countries how to work with interceptors. Did we destroy Iranian “shaheds?” Yes, we did. Did we do it in just one country? No, in several. And in my view, this is a success.

This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defense system that can actually work. In those countries that opened up their air defense systems to us, our experts were able to very quickly advise how to make those systems stronger. In some cases, we directly shared our experience in actual defense. In any case, all of this has had a very positive outcome, and it commands respect for Ukraine.

We also shot down drones with jet engines. This is a very good signal, I think. We showed that this works. Now it is only a matter of time before we begin mass production of interceptors that will destroy drones with jet engines.

From a conversation with journalists (2/5).

One of the problems with our military is our anti-missile systems are (by necessity) expensive. Tomahawks ain’t cheap, either. But Iran still has up to 50% of their weapons. And we need to either negotiate, or raise another $200 billion. Neither option seems to be on the table.
He already laid that gun on the table in Act I. We’re already in the final scene of Act V, and not only did the gun not go off, he took it out of the room.

We’re already anticipating the next play, regarding associated characters and new problems. But this one’s over.
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