The U.S. navy confirmed moments ago that an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 1 has been lost overseas during a towing operation in the carriers hanger bay. The super Hornet is a single seat fighter from the Knight Hawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136.
The aircraft was being towed around the hanger when the tow crew lost control of the aircraft and tractor and both were lost overboard.
“Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”
-Statement from the Navy
Stock photo showing an F/A-18 and one of the towing tractors.
According to the statement no sailers were lost however one was injured in the incident. The carrier and her strike group remain mission capable and will continue operations in the Red Sea. For the past months the Red Sea has been the site of major operations against Houthi forces who have attacked international shipping. US forces have struck upwards of 800 targets over the course of the last month.
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Five were killed and a staggering 700 injured in an explosion at the port in Bandar Abbas in southwest Iran. Video was taken of the fire directly before the explosion that destroyed part of the Shahid Rajaee port. The government has said the explosion is linked to chemicals that were being stored at a facility there. The cause of the fire is unknown but the fire quickly grew and ignited something which caused the blast.
Locals report the blast destroying buildings in the immediate area and blew out windows and roofs further away. Others report feeling the blast up to 30 miles away.
Video of the fire that led to the explosion. The explosion itself is only heard in this video but it gives the impression that this was large.
A video of the aftermath shows how powerful this blast was and puts you into the shoes of the people who crawled from the wreckage directly after. Windows would have been turned into claymores spraying glass fragments at the speed of sound, wood and bricks and metals would have been turned into supersonic projectiles.
Video of the aftermath. From Tasnim news.
We also have another video shot from a news helicopter afterwords that gives us a better view of the location which is actually at a cargo holding area about a mile from the actual port.
Video shot from a news helicopter showing black smoke climbing into the sky from the site of the disaster.
From this footage the geolocation of the site is fairly standard and only took a couple minutes. The exact site of the fire that caused the blast is 27.125056°N 56.066710°E, which I’ve included a picture of . The area seems to be a long term storage area for cargo that won’t be moving for a while.
Overview of the entire area.Zoomed into the site.
A spokesperson for the Iranian government said that an investigation into the cause of the blast would take some time to complete but that it seemed that the cause was not malicious.
“but so far what has been determined is that containers were stored in a corner of the port that likely contained chemicals which exploded. But until the fire is extinguished, it’s hard to ascertain the cause.”
Fatemeh Mohajerani, an Iranian goverment spokeswomen.
So far, some of the area affected remains on fire. The Iranian state has announced a state of emergency in the Hormozgan province, as chemicals in the air could be harmful to those living in the area.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, said the country’s interior minister was heading to the region to oversee the situation. He also expressed “deep sorrow and sympathy” for the disaster.
The port at Bandar Abbas is located on the Strait of Hormuz, a busy and strategic location that sees a good percentage of the worlds oil and natural gas shipments.
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On Friday, the US stuck at an the oil port at Ras Isa in one of the largest attacks in the group since the current U.S. administration launched its strikes.
Satellite images released afterwords show the extent of the damage. I screenshot from a news report on the strike.
From CENTCOM:
“U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years.”
The strike destroyed several oil storage tanks as well as a number of oil transport trucks. Also destroyed was the equipment to load and unload oil into ships.
Images showing the aftermath of the attack.
The Houthis claim the strike killed 74 people and injured another 171 others. They aired footage afterwords on their al-Masirah satellite news channel of the site showing blown up trucks and corpses strewn about the area. The Houthi denounced the strike as a “completely unjustified aggression.”
CENTCOM declined to answer specific questions on civilian casualties however said that “this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”
This strike will likely have far reaching consequences for the Houthi as well as the people of Yemen. The U.S. is looking at this strike as a message to those who continue to supply the Houthis even through the sanctions. Iran is the biggest supporter of the group, however they also have done business with China and Russia.
The Ras Isa port was an important economic point for the country (as well as the Houthi group). The port is located in the Hodeida governorate along the Red Sea and is just off Kamaran Island which has seen heavy U.S. strikes in recent days.
Image from @Tankertrackers showing the site.
Twitter group @TankerTrackers has recently reported that vessels that were in the port at the time have been held under threat of violence from the Houthis who demand they not leave without unloading their cargo. They also note that the GALAXY LEADER (9237307) vessel is still being held in the port. The cargo vessel was hijacked on November 19, 2023.
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The U.S. has accused a Chinese Satellite company of aiding the Iranian backed Houthi rebels with its targeting of ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. State department has said that data and imagery from the satellite firm is directly being used to target and attack US and international shipping.
Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited.
Tammy Bruce said that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited, is the company helping the Houthis.
“We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests,”
Tammy Bruce State Department Spokeperson told Fox News. She later continued,
“China consistently attempts … to frame itself as a global peacemaker … however, it is clear that Beijing and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to regimes like Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies,”
GCR reached out for a statement from the company named here however after a day I’ve heard nothing back yet. Will update if they respond to me directly.
Middle East image from satellite.
In a statement to other media outlets this was the statement from the company.
“In our global operations, we strictly comply with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards both in China and internationally. With a mature business model and high-quality services, we are committed to contributing Chinese expertise and solutions to the advancement of the global remote sensing industry,”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian claims that China has played a positive role in easing tensions in the region.
The Houthis have carried out a number of attacks on international shipping through the area, using missiles, drones and attempted hijacking. These attacks have been ongoing since the October 7th 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the war in Gaza afterwords has been a brutal one, claiming the lives of many and destroying whole swaths of Gaza. The Houthis along with other Iranian backed proxy groups have shown support for Palestinian Hamas (the Iranian backed Palestinian liberation group fighting Israel) in various ways. The Houthis in Yemen have disrupted international shipping and regularly launched ballistic missiles at Israel. Hezbollah has also joined with regular rocket attacks. These attacks drove Israel to invade L Lebanon in October 1st 2024 . Iran itself has also launched several large scale attacks on Israel.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.
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Since yesterday the online chatter has been that the U.S. Airforce has deployed the stealth B-2`Spirit’ bomber to drop GBU-57/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) Bunker-busting bombs on Houthi targets in Yemen.According to two U.S. officials who spoke to defense outlet, TWZ, earlier today, this is not true.
GBU-57B MOP
This rumor started from a Fox News segment that claimed that the B-2s had been “dropping the 30,000 pound bunker busting bombs since April”.
The destruction caused by a GBU-57 is not what we are currently seeing from available images of US strikes in Yemen.
The B-2 is the only bomber certified to carry these massive bombs at the moment however the B-21 Raider is also planned to be used for this task. Right now a single B-2 can only carry 2 of the large bombs.
The B-2 has a large arsenal of conventional (and nuclear) munitions that it can carry. MK82 and 84 general purpose dumb bombs (up to 80 of the 500pound MK82) as well as the JDAM GPS guided variants of these weapons(80 of those as well) Also available are the bunker busting weapons like the GBU-28. the CBU-87 Combined effects cluster Munition. The B-2 can also carry a number of longer range standoff weapons like the JASSM and the AGM-171 LRSO (Long Range Stand off Weapon). Any of these above weapons is more likely to have been deployed in plave of the MOP which has a very specific purpose and a very low stockpile.
Mk84 with the JDAM guidance kit.
While the B-2 is operating in Yemen it would make sense for the US to be using a less scarce munition. The open munitions portal, an invaluable website that tracks weapons debris across different conflicts, shows several different weapons that seem to be used with some regularity. The AGM-154 JSOW as well as the RGM/UGM Tomahawk cruise missile. We also see a number of Paveway weapons which is likely what the B-2’s are bringing to the fight however that’s just an educated guess.
Image shows a piece of debris found in Yemen after a U.S. strike. The serial number can be linked to a Paveway bomb produced by the U.S. Paveway II
I believe the bombers were brought to the area as more of show of strength to Iran during the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. The bombers (at least 6 of them) location at the base in Diego Garcia also gives them the ability to strike at targets across the Middle East, Russia and China.
Currently, apart from the B-2s the U.S. has deployed a large number of assets into the region that have carried out strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. Two aircraft carriers and their strike groups as well as a number of land based fighters and multi mission aircraft.
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On wendsday morning, April 16, in Promontory, Utah, authorities are investigating a large explosion that destroyed a building that was apart of the Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems facility involved in building rocket motors.
The building is a complete loss after yesterday mornings explosion.
Local police received the report of the explosion at 7:38am. Soon after they asked that people stay clear and evacuate the area if necessary as the fire was still going.
Video taken from KSL chopper 5 that shows the aftermath at the scene.
“There was an incident in one building at our Promontory, Utah facility this morning and we are working to determine the cause. Employees working in or near the building today are accounted for and there are no significant injuries reported,”
-a statement from Northrop Grumman.
Before being squired by Northrop Grumman in 2018 the facility was owned by a company called Orbital ATK. The facility specializes in making solid rocket motors for the military as well as NASA and other commercial aerospace companies. This facility is making the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) stage-one solid rocket motor.
Full-scale qualification static fire test of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) stage-one solid rocket motor at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah, March 6, 2025.
The Sentinel ICBM program will eventually field 400 missiles in silos and 259 additional units for testing and demonstration. Northrop Grumman is the largest SRM production company in America and one of the o my companies. The only other major company The only other major SRM producer in the United States is Aerojet Rocketdyne, which became part of L3Harris in 2023
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Two U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancers fly in formation with two U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons and two Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs
By. Scott Jackson
04/15/2024
Earlier today a pair of U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers flew across the pacific to train with air units from the Republic of Korea (South Korea).The bombers were joined by two U.S. F-16s and two F-35 Lightning’s II from They carried out what the Air Force is calling offensive and defensive counter air training.
These missions are important for improving and honing the combat skills between the partner nations as they develops combat procedures with newly acquired tech like the F-35, which given its massive increase in technology requires years of training to fully unlock its full potential on the battlefield.
I’ve had the chance to speak with several 5th gen fighter pilots (F-22 and F-35 both) one told me that you can get almost lost or freeze up when trying to process all of the data that the F-35 will give you.F-35 crashes (or less serious incidents) have happened because problems happened while pilots were distracted or they simply got overwhelmed. The F-35 especially demands a huge cognitive load. I’ll add an article of somebody else bringing this up. -Scott
“Our two nations will continue to enhance combined training to deter and respond to North Korean threats through close cooperation,”
-the South Korean defense ministry said.
“The training demonstrated the combined extended deterrence posture of the ROK-U.S. alliance in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats,” the Defense Ministry said in a press statement. “It also aimed to enhance interoperability between the two forces.”
This action also had the added effect of being a “show of force” to North Korea as well as other countries in the area (China and Russia). On the day North Korea was celebrating the birthday of Dictator Kim Jung Un’s great Grandfather and North Korean state founder , Kim Il Sung.
The two B-1Bs conducting a flyover of Osan Air Base in South Korea.
The bombers then did a quick flyover of the Osan Airbase and then left the area.
It’s expected that this will cause a reaction in North Korea. North Korean missile teat have been carried out in the aftermath of these bomber missions in the past. The U.S. and South Korea are likely to increase patrols until things cool down.
The Rockwell (now Boeing) B-1b lancer, affectionately called “the bone” by those who know and love her is a swept-wing long-range strategic bomber in the U.S. Air Force. The bomber was developed as a way to combine the payload of the B-52’s with the speed of the Convair B-58 Hustler. Originally the Air Force had chose the B-70 Valkyrie for the task, a high altitude bomber with similar speed and altitude capability as the U-2. Around the early 50’s the Soviet unions interceptors at the day couldn’t keep up and the B-70 would have been able to simply fly right past them. However as Surface to Air missile systems improved the ability to fly very fast at low altitudes became the doctrine the Air Force wanted to pursue.
The Cold War Convair B-58 Hustler. Prototype North American XB-70 Valkyrie flying at three times the speed of sound.
Radars of the day (and today) have several weaknesses, one being that they are only as effective as they can reach with their waves. Terrain and the horizon are the biggest factors here so a bomber flying low enough and far enough away can avoid most radar instillations.
P-40 Bronya (NATO reporting name-Long track)
The bone was chosen as its ability to fly low and at high speed would keep the crews and aircraft safe as well as make it more likely they could continue their mission. You might ask why the B-52 of the day, which is still in operation (with some upgrades) was spared from the chopping block like the idea for the B-70 and the answer was because it’s huge fuel capacity made it able to operate at lower altitudes longer and upgraded conventional munitions capability made it able strong asset for nuclear deterrence as well as conventional warfare. However the Air Force uses both bombers for different reasons. Nobody is going to ask the Stratofortress to go zipping through a canyon and pop over a valley to hit a target.
I have the perfect video that displays the capabilities of the B-1 and why even still today these monsters are still considered one of the baddest planes in the arsenal.
B-1B Lancer terrain following at Edward’s AFB.
The jet is surprisingly low and if you didn’t know he was coming you would only have a couple very precious seconds to react. That’s why.
Anyway I could write all day about this plane but I think I’ve said enough for now.
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F-35C’s with Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) and EA-18G “Growlers” with Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136), both attached to Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2).
April 14, 2024
Yesterday video footage was sent to me showing some footage taken in the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) confirming that the ship had arrived at the Gulf of Oman. The USS Carl Vinson has joined the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in carrying out strikes against Houthi targets in western Yemen.
The USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) spotted entering the Gulf of Aden., passing to the north of Socotra Island. She was spotted by satilites of the European space agency.Location of USS Carl Vinson when photographed by satellites.
Media in Yemen is reporting Houthi areas receiving nearly daily strikes by US forces.
Aftermath of one of the strikes outside of Sanaa.
Targets have included Houthi weapons manufacturing and storage as well as platforms for launching these weapons. Also radar, and air defense systems as well as high level officers in the Houthi organization.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00.
Today the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet released several images showing the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) on their final deployments before her planned 2026/2027 decommissioning.
However, while the Nimitz is a good looking ship the rare part was one of its escorts in Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG 11). Included in the pictures was USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). One of only three commissioned Zumwalt-Class Stealth Missile Destroyer.
The Zumwalt-class Michael Monsoor, along with the Nimitz and the rest of CSG 11 are currently on deployment in the Pacific Ocean region.
Also included in the image are Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyers; USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG l54), USS Gridley (DDG 101), and USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) And U.S. Navy Replenishment Tanker, USNS John Lewis (T-AO-205).
To the future… and beyond.
The Zumwalt class was originally designed with littoral operations in mind and they were given a pair of Advanced Gun System (AGS) for their main guns. The AGS was designed for shore bombardment fire missions in support of ground operations however the ammo was very expensive (estimated at $800,000 to $1,000,000 per round in 2016) and only one ammo type was designed so now the gun has no ammo and the weapons is useless. The navy will eventually replace the guns with other systems like large Vertical Launch Cells for the navy’s hypersonic missile currently being tested by the USS Zumwalt. The AGS was designed around the time of the battleships being decommissioned. The navy was nervous about giving up its ability to carry out shore bombardment so the AGS was designed. The now canceled round that would have been fired by the AGS is the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) a rocket assisted precision GPS guided 155mm high explosive warhead that could fire 100 nautical miles.
USS Michael Monsoor.
Zumwalt’s odd shape came from the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st Century) research and development program started back in 1994. The program came up with many interesting designs such as the DD-21 or the destroyer for the 21st century, which has the distinctive hull now used by the Zumwalt class.
I see a bit of inspiration from the French La Fayette-class stealth frigate in both ships.
Concept art for the DD-21. The ship was thought up as a capable land, air and sea attack ship for the 21st century. This design went on to inspire the Zumwalt class. .
Aside from the DD-21 the SC-21 had several other interesting ideas I found in my research. One was called an arsenal ship. A massive floating missile platform with as many as 500 VLS cells loaded with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The ship was to be controlled by either a small crew or remotely piloted by crew members on one of the other ship. Todays navy thinking would have an aegis equipped cruiser other ship manually controlling this ship or possible one of the AWACS or AEW planes.
Concept art for the Arsenal ship.
The role this arsenal ship would have played is largely filled by the U.S. submarine fleet at the moment as the four oldest of the ballistic missile SSBN subs have been converted to the SSGN configuration. This change took the Trident missile cells and changed them out their nuclear payload for smaller but more numerous cruise missiles.
Tomahawk test-fire from USS Florida. 2008.
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Two days ago GCR reported that a number of US cargo planes were moving equipment to the Middle East. We have some more information on that today after Admiral Samuel J. Paparo revealed today at a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee, that several Patriot battery’s had been taken from South Korea and the Indian Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) and transferred to Central Command (CENTCOM). The airlifts were cauteries out by dozens of C-17’s.
Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
INDOPACOM covers the pacific and Indian Ocean region and is one of the most important military commands for the U.S. as they struggle against Chinese territorial interest with Taiwan as well as other parts of the first island chain. CENTCOM on the other hand, covers the Middle East region and is currently carrying out operations against the Iranian backed Houthis in Yemen. US assets have been reported as being moved to the Middle East in a suspected threat to Iran. US president Donald Trump has made it clear that if negotiations aren’t started with Iran, concerning Irans nuclear program, bombs will be the next step.
While Iran has little in the way of modern aircraft capable of defending against these hypothetical US strikes, what they do have is hundreds of medium and long range ballistic missiles. High level officials from the Iranian government have made threats towards U.S. military bases in the region as well as the bases of anybody who could help the US with a strike on Irans. This is where the patriot systems come in.
Patriot missile test
A patriot battery is made up of the following.
6-8 launchers
1 radar set (AN/MPQ-53 phased-array radar)
An Engagement Control station.
An Electrical Power Plant
And an Antenna Mast Group.
Patriot PAC 2 launcher in service in Israel. AN/MPQ-53 phased-array radar
A patriot battalion is made up of anywhere from 4-6 battery’s and 24-48 launchers as well as the single radar, power, and Fire Control Station each.
The Patriots in South Korea are apart of an I rig rated defense system and cover US assets in the country like Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek and Osan Air Base.
South Korea has asked the U.S. Department of Defense to temporarily deploy substitute assets, such as alternative air defense systems or combat aircraft, on a rotational basis to cover the hole left in their air defense network with the removal of these systems between February and March. The Patriots are expected to remain in the Middle East for the next at least six months.
The U.S. has dozens of bases and locations in the region that could come under fire in the near future as tensions rise in the region. Iran has already threatened US forces as a retaliation for a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel all have their own defense networks (some supplemented by THAAD and Patriot systems.)
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.
Audio content coming very soon. I’m also looking for interesting people to interview. If that’s you, contact me through my email.
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