Free Republic

One of the more unusual stories about the war in Afghanistan is the creation of the Afghan air force. In hopes of building a more self-sufficient Afghan military, the U.S. government has been buying up aircraft from its former Cold War rivals. Rugged Russian Mi-17 helicopters are at the top of the Pentagon’s wish list, but the interest in ex-Warsaw Pact aircraft is not just limited to choppers. The Navy is currently in the market to buy three L-39C Albatros planes for the Afghan military. The Albatros – that’s the correct Czech spelling – is a subsonic jet that can...

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) -- A small, military-style jet crashed into a mobile home park Wednesday, killing the pilot, who was found strapped to his seat 100 yards from the site, authorities said. The plane hit one trailer, triggering a fire. No one was home at the time and all residents had been accounted for, said Alaska State Troopers spokesman Greg Wilkinson. But at least five people on the ground were treated for minor injuries from flying debris. The aircraft was a Czech-made Albatros L39 two-seat training jet owned by a Las Vegas company, Wilkinson said. The plane left Sitka and...

CUT THEM DOWN: The Barrett XM-109 Sniper Rifle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sniping just got a whole lot more deadly with the Barrett XM-109 sniper rifle, which marries improved range with the firepower of an Apache helicopter. Sniper Nirvana: The high-powered Barrett XM-109 rifle. XM-109 Rifle: The Skinny Name: Barrett XM-109 Sniper Rifle Type of Equipment: Sniper Rifle Killer Features: Fires 25mm low velocity HEDP ammunition Accurate out to 2,500 meters 46 inches long, weighs 33 pounds. Components interchangeable with M-107 .50 caliber rifle Incorporates BORS ballistic computer Hakkaa Päälle -- the term is Finnish for "Cut them down," and it's been...

Dreaded instruments of Cold War now in U.S. dogfights By Asher Price AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Saturday, July 17, 2004 When Scott Stephens climbs 6,000 feet per minute over Central Texas in his L-39C Soviet bloc fighter-trainer, the Hill Country receding quickly below, or spins a combat-ready barrel roll, there is only one CD he'll blast on his cockpit stereo: the soundtrack to "Top Gun." Stephens, a Wimberley resident who made his millions in oil field engineering and exploration, bought the Cold War leftover from a retired Ukrainian air force general for $100,000 in 2001. The plane, disassembled, was shipped in a...