Troops who crashed wedding criticised
US troops crashed a wedding and “breached Irish neutrality.”
US soldiers ‘did not gatecrash wedding’
Except that they were there by invitation of the bride and groom.

A Petition to Name the Next United States Navy Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier the USS ENTERPRISE
Some yahoo submitted a Congressional bill to name CVN 79 or CVN 80 the USS Barry Goldwater.

Who’s afraid of the big, bad Chinese aircraft carrier?
The Varyag.

House Reverses Itself, Votes To Kill F-22 Buy
To be honest, I really thought this would end up going through. My guess is that another attempt will be made soon.

It’s Official – Ridley Scott is Directing the Alien Prequel!
That loud noise you just heard was Murdoc’s disappointment that an already-ruined franchise is going to be even ruineder. This is one of the only cases where a movie with a character waking up and realizing that the past few movies were all a bad dream is actually a GOOD idea.

Tactical Assault Flintlock
Replica Revolutionary War rifle has NYPD all worked up.

Air Force tests anti-ground C-130 laser
Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) incinerates test dummy.

US Air Force seeks 60 airlifters for irregular warfare
Looking for something in the King Air 350 class. Despite so much “fighter jock” mentality, there seems to be a persistent irregular warfare faction in the USAF.

Ernie Pyle
Great site at the Indiana University School of Journalism

‘Clunkers’ program runs out of cash
What a joke.

Used F-16s for Iraqi air defense?
High-hours Vipers for the Iraqis? Sell them used birds cheap, buy new F-16s for the USAF to replace them.

2 wheels from C-5A Galaxy jet out of Westover Air Reserve Base fall into woods in Belchertown
Oops.

USAF slammed for pranging Predators on manual
USAF using fully qualified human pilots to handle unmanned aircraft at all times has resulted in unnecessary, expensive crashes.

The 187th Carnival of Homeschooling
Lots of Homeschooling links.

Murdoc’s apologies for the lack of posting lately. The real world has been interfering again.

The VirtuSphere
A video report on the giant hamster ball virtual reality system MO pointed out a few years back.

USA to delay release of KC-X tanker request
The draft request for proposals has now been delayed until the fourth quarter. We should have new tankers in the air by 2050.

Army acquires rights to M4 and More on the M4 Rights
Other manufacturers can bid to build M4 carbines for the military.

Peruvian U-Boat Stalks the USN
More training with foreign diesel-electrics. I hope we’re learning things.

Russia strategic missile test fails
New Bulava SLBM for the Dolgoruky-class boomers has been pretty much a bust so far.

DOD considers boosting Army size
Temporary increase by up to 30,000? Murdoc says go for it. That’s a government jobs program he can support.

Solid-State Laser Ready For On-Board Tests
Are laser weapons getting closer to prime-time?

IED incidents up dramatically in Afghanistan
736 IED incidents last month.

Israel says anti-rocket system aces first live try
Iron Dome is designed to intercept Katyusha-type rockets from 2 to 45 miles out.

USMC Adopt Airmobile 120mm Mortar System
The EFSS (Expeditionary Fire Support System).

Chain SAW
No pistol grip to scare the banners.

5 Guns That Can Shoot Around Corners
Self-explanatory.

Congress Orders Afghanistan Uniform Probe
Wondering if the current color ACU is really the best for Afghanistan.

Report details Port Royal’s grounding
A combination of factors led to the February grounding in Hawaii which caused $25-$40 million in damage. The captain was “qualified for the job, but was not proficient.”

Tactilite .50 BMG Upper for ARs
Bolt-action half-inch firepower for your black rifle.

Rebuilding Carriers
USS Carl Vinson is just finished with her mid-life refueling and overhaul.

Japan Considering THAAD Missile Defense
Don’t blame them.

USB Chainsaw
Oh, yeah!

HMS Invincible is dead in the water
Though in the reserve fleet, the aging carrier is apparently in pretty rough shape.

Northrop Grumman Completes First Flight of Land-Based MQ-8B Fire Scout
This whirlybird UAV program continues to move ahead.

E-mails indicate EPA suppressed report skeptical of global warming
Doesn’t seem likely. What would they stand to gain besides money and power?

82nd receives 1st batch of M320s
The Army’s plan is to purchase about 71,600 M320s over the next several years at a cost of about $3,500 each. The weapon replaces the Vietnam-era M203 40mm grenade launcher, with several notable improvements.

It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado
But still a no-no in several states.

Blackhawk HawkHook
Rescue/utility knife.

Russia to facilitate U.S. arms movements
Russia will allow the U.S. to ship weapons across its territory to Afghanistan. Yay, Rooskies!

Girls With Guns Get It
Female troops along on raids are scoring major points.

Military backing algae-based fuel research
I like seeing the military getting involved with alt-fuel projects. Maybe ships could someday have big algae scoops like Bussard ramjets. (Okay, maybe not…)

Daniel Defense DDXV: California compliant AR-15
I’ve not been able to post on this at GunPundit, so go check out the goods at The Firearm Blog.

Cost of U.K. Carriers Reported To Jump 25%
Raise your hand if you think they will build both of these.

Turkey Inks Sub Deal With German Consortium
They’re buying six U-214s. Those puppies have air-independent propulsion.

You’ll Shoot Your Toe Off, Kid
Ouch. Very ouch.

Officials explain growth in fighter gap totals
It’s taking longer than expected to inspect Hornets and clear them for more hours, and fewer are passing than planned. In short, the Navy is effed.

Russia Will Protect Interests in Arctic: Official
Three-way saber rattling over the Arctic continues.

Gas Discovery Changes Israel’s Energy Picture
A huge natural gas discovery 50 miles off the Israeli coast at Haifa could potentially meet Israel’s energy needs for 20 years.

Training the Top Guns of drone aircraft
U.S. Air Force Weapons School for advanced Predator and Reaper training.

The plan for smaller, faster, deadlier UAVs
But still saying “no” to a unmanned nuclear bomber.

Cops are experts at applying force to gain coercion, they aren’t legal experts.
I’m often surprised at how often cops don’t seem to know the laws, particularly those involving guns.

Fisherman hooks live missile in Gulf of Mexico
It was a Sidewinder. He WANTED TO KEEP IT. The local AFB said no.

AR15 Fix by Adams Arms
My article at GunsAndHunting.com about this retrofit piston system for ARs.
(more…)

I was traveling and didn’t get a chance to do a Midway post. But here are some links:

Myths of the Battle of Midway
According to the book Shattered Sword, which I haven’t read but want to.

How to Win a Sea Battle
The 25-step plan. Use it if you have no other fucking choice.

Midway 67 Years Later – Lessons Learned
You make your own luck by being ready to take advantage of things.

Is Cryptology Dead?
AF is out of fresh water.

MO’s 2006 post on Midway
With photos and links.

And on to standard Linkzookery:

A-10C units certified to fly with sniper pods
You know, it just isn’t fair to those guys fighting our A-10s. They don’t really have much of a chance. Don’t you just love it?

Lakehurst, NJ, aircraft carrier catapult and arresting gear school
Picture and story by Instapinch.

Finding Truth at Buchenwald
Patton liberated this camp, not the Russians. I was there.

Mabus: LCS cost goal may not be realistic
You don’t say. I supported the LCS when it was an adaptable cheap platform. So far it appears to be neither.

New Armor Passes Tough Test
The Skaalar Exoskin Gen 4+

Russia Sending 50 Armored Vehicles to Palestinians
They’ll probably be used to deliver candy to children and for stuff like earthquake relief.

Guns in Church Day
Gun-loving pastor to his flock: Piece be with you

D-Day, the decision
Only the fate of the world at stake. And you know it. No pressure.

Preparedness
Has Finally Been Achieved

Conservatives Are More Easily Disgusted
The article focuses on a psychology professor who doesn’t seem to quite get it.

Widow donates WWII shell, museum shuts down
Here. Have some artillery.

Heartbroken cereal litigant loses suit over non-existence of “Crunchberries”
Here. Have some clue.

G36 in Afghanistan
Short video of US troop trying it out.

Mercenaries To The Rescue
Bancroft Global Development bails out some peacekeepers in Somalia.

The Poles Were Asking For It
Rooskies now blaming Poland for causing WW2.

Missing F-35s Replaced By F-15 Refurbs
Didn’t I just link to a story about retiring some F-15s early? This is all so confusing.

$118 Million in New M777 Howitzer Orders
More lightweight 155mm towed howitzers. You can never have too many be guns.

Official: National D-Day Memorial may close
Shortage of funds threatens it. They should apply for a bailout.

Popular Mechanics 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Coverage
Looks to be pretty good series.

The Case for Taxing E-Mail
Riiiight.

Shipbuilding Program is a Mess
Award for Understatement of the Year.

More than 10,000 welded joints on at least eight U.S. submarines and a new aircraft carrier might need to be reinspected after the discovery by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding that one of its inspectors had falsified inspection reports.
It’s almost like the Shipbuilding Program is a Mess.

Report: Over 20,000 died in Sri Lanka battle
That place is a wreck.

Centralia, the mouth of Hell
I remember hearing about this at some point in the past, but the pics and video are cool.

Russian ship accidentally shells village
Oops.

Russian Customs Expose Massive Arms Smuggling Ring
The criminal ring had smuggled parts of S-75, S-125, S-200 and S-300 air defense missile systems to Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbors of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine and also to Bulgaria.

Last Utah ANG KC-135E Stratotanker retires
R-models will continue to carry the gas until new tankers arrive shortly after Hell freezes over.

Woman calls 911 three times when McNuggets run out
“This is an emergency, If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don’t want one,” Latreasa L. Goodman told police. “This is an emergency.”

The Greatest American Heroine?
Believe it or not!

Gates says next-generation bomber might fly without pilot
No way. No one saw this coming. Not even Murdoc.

Ruger SR-556
Adam Heggenstaller’s got pics and info.

U.S. blocking Israeli access to U.S. fighter-jets
Obama administration won’t disclose some technical info on the F-15SE.

DoD Study Called for 260 Raptors
Well, boys, gonna be almost a hundred planes short.

Osprey to Deploy With New Firepower
New 360 degree 7.62 rotary cannon will be mounted on MV-22 headed for Afghanistan.

Are Gun Sales Finally Leveling Off?
Umm, no.

4th Ranger Training Battalion Soldiers win 2009 Best Ranger Competition
Sgt. 1st Class Blake Simms and Sgt. 1st Class Chad Stackpole victorious.

The T48 Automatic Rifle
Great page on “the American FAL.”

Task force seizes pirate ‘mother ship’
As in “we totally seized those mother&*ckers and their ship, too!”

Navy accepts Bush after debris caused delay
Newest carrier accepted. Let’s hope the debris that delayed Bush wasn’t pretzels.

Arctic (Non) Warming Since 1958
This cannot possibly be right. For one thing, it doesn’t seem to indicate that humanity is doomed. For another, how many books could someone sell arguing that disaster doesn’t loom over all of us?

Second Amendment News Roundup for 5/15/09
The Liberty Sphere’s daily linkzookery of gun stuff. Always good.

IMAX or LIEMAX?
Very useful map showing whether or not IMAX screens are really IMAX screens or just IMAX-branded.

Berliners regret near-total destruction of wall
It’s mostly gone. Murdoc sees part of it every once in a while at the Gerald R Ford museum in Grand Rapids.

It’s LESS expensive to own a car, part II
A “walkable” community is either a luxury for the affluent, or a dismal living situation that those too poor to afford a car have to settle for.

Social Security, Medicare may run dry sooner
I thought I had been assured that the predictions of running dry were just scare tactics by those pushing private savings plans. 2010’s projected surplus has gone from $86 billion to $3 billion.

A Poof of Blue
Billiard chalk as a reactive target.

Amphib New Orleans repaired after collision
53 days in port after collision with submarine USS Hartford.

Falling flat-screen TVs a growing threat for kids
Remember this next time someone tells you this is another Great Depression. I don’t recall the Joads having to deal with this threat.

Adams Arms AR15 Fix
Got a chance to check out this piston retro-fit kit on my poodle shooter.

Iran helicopters strike Iraq Kurd villages
What could go wrong?

Irish soldiers in Chad banned from soccer and volleyball
Irish Soldiers serving with the UN in Chad are banned from playing soccer and volleyball because of the danger of injuries. This is good to see because we don’t want anyone…wait…WHAT?!?

Plug-In Hybrids: More Hype Than Hope?
The city of Seattle has more than 17,000 miles on a bunch of plug-n hybrids, but is only averaging 51 MPG so far. That’s pretty disappointing.

Britain To Remove Vector Vehicle From Afghan Operations
Admits it is too vulnerable.

‘As many as eight or nine assailants’
A large group staged a home invasion but ended up on the wrong side of gun.

F-35B passes key thrust test
Key vertical thrust test completed successfully.

First Navy JSF to be finished this summer
First F-35C will roll off the line soon.

Obama cuts target $465M GE-Rolls Royce engine
The F136 has been under constant attack for years. I fully expect that the F-35 is going to be an underperformer, and maybe the F136 alternative engine is a possible loophole to improve things. Or maybe it’s a just a huge money hole.

Pervert Clergy in Memphis
Ya know, if he were a Catholic priest, it would be national news. But, he’s not, so a local story it will remain.

Best Ranger kicks off at Benning
49 teams in the running.

Fort Dix Terror Plotters Sentenced
When this first went down we had a few commenters here on MO carrying on about how these guys were basically harmless.

F-5s Forever!
Mike Burleson on the little guy.

The Peanut Farmer on Assault Weapons
Well, it’s more like “the peanut farmer on crack cocain,” but you know what Murdoc means…

F-20A Tigershark Home Page
The F-20 was the largest commercial military project ever attempted. Speaking of “commerical,” do you remember those television ads with Chuck Yeager and the F-20? What were those for? Batteries or something? Or was he actually advertising the plane in the TV spot?

Workers find message hidden in Auschwitz wall
Hand-written in pencil, the note bears the names and camp ID numbers of seven camp prisoners including four Poles and one Frenchman from Lyon

Pick 5 and Only 5
If you could only own 5 guns what would they be? (Also discussed at GunPundit)

Game Over: Konami cancels plan for ‘Six Days in Fallujah’
They were getting a lot of pressure.

Army tells Sikh officers to change appearance
It’s easy to say “get with the program” on this, but they claim they were assured it wouldn’t be a problem.