Free Republic

Two Air Force pilots were killed when an RF-4C reconnaissance plane crashed into a mountain in North Jeolla Province on Friday during a low-altitude training mission. The Air Force is investigating whether the crash was due to mechanical problems or pilot error. The crash was the third one so far this year for the Air Force after F5 fighter jets crashed in March and June. The three crashes this year involved different aircraft, but all are more than 30 years old. The RF-4C was produced in the U.S. in 1966, and the Air Force bought and recycled them in 1990s...

After 41 years, South Korea is retiring the last of its 222 F-4D Phantom fighter-bombers. They (and F-5 fighters) have been replaced, over the last 15 years, by 40 F-15K fighter-bombers and 180 F-16s. The F-4 was a 28 ton, two seat, fighter bomber designed in the 1950s, and about 5,200 were built, mostly in the 1960s and 70s. About ten percent of them are still in service. Replacing the F-4 as a fighter-bomber is the F-15K, which is a customized version of the 36 ton U.S. F-15E (a two seat fighter bomber version of the single seat, 31 ton...

Minnesota's 27th Congressional District has snared just over $3 million in federal stimulus money, five times as much as the 57th District has gotten. One problem: Neither district exists -- except on Recovery.gov, the Obama administration's website that tracks the flow of stimulus cash. Beyond Minnesota's eight actual congressional districts, which have gotten the lion's share of the money, the website list 11 phantom districts that supposedly have been awarded more than $7 million in grants.

Police in Germany hunted a sinister phantom killer for two years after finding the same DNA at 39 different crime scenes - only to discover that the source was a woman who made the cotton buds used to collect the sample! The case was one of the most puzzling in recent times. Hundreds of detectives in six specialist committees were set to work hunting the ominous female serial killer. But there was no progress, despite investigators finding her DNA at so many crime scenes. The police were stumped. They eventually offered a 300,000 euro reward to find the killer. It's...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2008 – Operation Phantom Phoenix is succeeding in cracking down on Iraq's enemies, largely because of the Iraqi security forces’ professionalism and the cooperation of the Iraqi people, a senior U.S. military officer said in Baghdad today. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters the joint offensive launched earlier this month continues to make headway in corralling remaining al-Qaeda-aligned terrorists and other insurgents in the country. “One of the reasons progress has been made and continues to be made in Iraq is the increasing courage of the Iraqi people as they reject...

MUQDADIYAH, Iraq, Jan. 16, 2008 – Diyala's provincial governor visited local representatives of qada, or county, governments in the Muqdadiyah area at Forward Operating Base Normandy here Jan. 14. The meeting brought Gov. Raad Rasheed Hameed al-Mullah together with the provincial directors general for essential services, including water, electricity, health, education, municipalities and oil, and their municipal counterparts. Army Maj. Nicholas Difiore, reconciliations engagement officer for the 2nd Infantry Division’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said the meeting gave local leaders a critical forum to voice the needs of their village to the governor. In the past, the security situation...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2008 – Multinational Corps Iraq soldiers and Iraqi forces have discovered scores of weapons and explosives, detained six suspects, and destroyed booby-trapped homes in Iraq this month in coordinated offensives. Operation Phantom Phoenix, a series of coordinated assaults focused on pursuing al Qaeda and clearing terrorist safe havens, is the latest in a series of combat operations. A division-level operation in support of Operation Phantom Phoenix -- known as Operation Iron Harvest -- continues to pursue al Qaeda across four provinces of northern Iraq, military officials reported today. Within the first week of the operation, coalition and...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2008 – U.S. and Iraqi forces today launched Operation Phantom Phoenix, a joint offensive designed to corral remaining al Qaeda-aligned terrorists and other insurgents in Iraq, according to a senior military official. Iraqi and coalition division- and brigade-level security forces will work in tandem to pursue and neutralize remaining al Qaeda in Iraq operatives and other extremists, said Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq. Phantom Phoenix will employ lethal and nonlethal tactics to exploit recent security gains and disrupt terrorist support zones and their command and control systems, he said. “Working closely...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2007 – Coalition soldiers today launched a major joint offensive, Operation Phantom Strike, in a powerful crackdown to disrupt al Qaeda and Iranian-supported extremist operations in Iraq. Recent coalition offensive operations have reduced the effectiveness of extremist groups, military officials said. Operations have denied terrorists safe havens, disrupted extremist support zones and supply lines, captured or killed significant al Qaeda and other extremist leaders, and liberated large segments of the Iraqi population from their grasp. These combined operations included the coordinated and synchronized efforts of coalition and Iraqi security forces, appreciably improving the lives of the Iraqi...

The F-22 Raptor’s first flight in the Heritage program was a photo shoot at Tyndall AFB in Florida. Flying with the Raptor was a Mustang, Sabre, P-38, F-15, and Phantom. The Raptor will be flying in the Heritage Flight in the 2007 air show season.

Phantom Affordable Housing - Inclusionary Con-Dough Conversions Don't Count as Affordable Units The Pasadena Pundit - July 7, 2007 Would you encourage your representative on your City council to vote for a so-called Inclusionary Housing Condominium Conversion ordinance amendment if you learned that it: 1. Would not count toward the affordable housing goals mandated by the State because such condominium conversions do not add new "rooftops," as they are already existing housing? (i.e., phantom affordable housing). 2. For every one inclusionary unit created about four or five apartment dwellers would still be displaced. This is very stressful for those dislocated....

In The Corner on Thursday, John Derbyshire posed the following question: "This week's big military operation north of Baghdad is named "Operation Arrowhead Ripper." Can anyone tell me why? Is it just a random name, or does it have some historical significance I don't know about?" We answered it here and here. And as early as Tuesday, we were talking about it here. ...

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2007 – The surge of forces into Iraq is over. The surge of operations has begun, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq told Pentagon reporters in a teleconference today. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said the series of operations under the overarching title “Operation Phantom Thunder” is designed to protect the Iraqi people, ease reconciliation among the religious sects, defeat al Qaeda in Iraq and other extremists, and continue developing Iraqi security forces. Phantom Thunder is a corps-level offensive aimed at defeating extremists in Iraq, the general explained. “It is an open-ended operation that will extend...

MOJAVE - Marking the continuation of a long-standing Mojave program, employees of BAE Systems Flight Systems celebrated the Thursday delivery of their 200th QF-4 drone aircraft to the Air Force. These unmanned aircraft are converted F-4 fighters taken from the boneyard to be used as realistic targets for weapons development. Based at the Mojave Airport, BAE Systems is the exclusive provider of these aircraft for the Air Force. "This family we call Flight Systems has been doing this for a long time. What you do for the warfighter and our country is so important," said Paul Nafziger, vice president and...

US one step behind 'Iraqi phantom' By Adrian Blomfield in Dour (Filed: 28/10/2005) Some senior Iraqi officers call him a phantom. In certain western coalition circles, he is known as Macavity, the mystery Ba'athist. Six times in the last 10 months, US forces say they have come tantalisingly close to catching Izzat al-Douri, Saddam Hussein's former right-hand man and the second-most wanted fugitive in Iraq. Izzat al-Douri, Saddam's former right-hand man But each time he has managed to slip away, though on some occasions the Americans claim to have been so close that they found the dinner still on his...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

For those who never saw the musical, or the movie when it was released, the DVD is out now, and I recommend it. Very much. Number one because of this guy: Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who I first saw on the DVD release of "Attila," cannot cover his Scottish brogue no matter how hard he tries (and why should he, really?) and the unfortunate truth is that, well, he isn't the strongest singer they could find, but he is a good actor and let's face it, he's hot. I knew before seeing the DVD that Butler couldn't sing so well...

Toby Harnden in Fallujah observes American soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division taskforce avenging their fallen comrades as battle begins After seven months in Iraq's Sunni triangle, for many American soldiers the opportunity to avenge dead friends by taking a life was a moment of sheer exhilaration. As they approached their "holding position", from where hours later they would advance into the city, they picked off insurgents on the rooftops and in windows. "I got myself a real juicy target," shouted Sgt James Anyett, peering through the thermal sight of a Long Range Acquisition System (LRAS) mounted on one of...

The movie I've been waiting for about 15 years. The Phantom of the Opera via Webber's production and music. Release date December 2004 See the trailer and more here.

Beginning this weekend, aircraft buffs will be able to stroll up to and touch about half dozen historic aircraft at the city's newest public facility, the Heritage Airpark. The airpark, at 25th Street East and Avenue P, is a memorial to the aircraft designed, built and tested at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 since the facility was established in 1951. The airpark is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays beginning Jan. 17. A formal ceremony marking the opening of the facility will be held in March, noted Mayor Jim Ledford. Meanwhile, volunteers will continue to prepare...

Pilot error caused the fiery crash of a Phantom jet that killed both crew members during Point Mugu's air show last year, a Navy investigation has found. After nine months of painstaking examination of charred wreckage and videos taken by spectators, Navy investigators have ruled out mechanical failure, birds caught in the engine, and faulty maintenance as causes of the crash that killed the pilot, Navy Cmdr. Michael Norman, and radar intercept officer Marine Corps Capt. Andrew Muhs. The 800-page report on the April 20 crash pins the blame on Norman's handling of the Vietnam-era jet during an air show...