Tag Archives: Cold War

NORAD detects, tracks, and identifies Russian aircraft entering Canada Air Defense Identification Zones

Many people are surprised to learn that for seventy-five years and counting, Russian aircraft regularly enter Canada territory. For example, on September 11, 2022, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected, tracked and positively identified two Russian maritime patrol aircraft entering and operating within the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ).

photo: DND

NORAD and USNORTHCOM are Canadian and the American bi-national military commands charged with three missions in the defense of North America: aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning.

The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American nor Canadian sovereign airspace.

Contrary to how you may feel about it, Russian activity in the North American ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) is not seen as a threat nor is the activity seen as provocative. NORAD tracks and positively identifies foreign military aircraft that enter the ADIZ, and routinely monitors foreign aircraft movements and as required, escorts them from the ADIZ.

THULE AIR BASE, Greenland —Thule’s ballistic missile early warning radar  

The radar is operated by the 12th Space Warning Squadron, a geographically-separated unit of the 21st Space Wing. This upgrade completes another step toward a fully-operational missile defense system for the United States and Canada and friends and allies. 

NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based radars, airborne radar and fighter aircraft to track and identify aircraft and inform appropriate actions. We remain ready to employ a number of response options in the defense of North America and Arctic sovereignty.

Canada’s North Warning System Radar Sites. image:cbc

Aside from Thule Air Base, Greenland, and other Alaskan air bases, defensive operations are also based out of Canadian Forces Station Alert, Nunavut; Whitehorse, Yukon; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; 17 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Manitoba; 22 Wing North Bay, Ontario and 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The expanded Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone (CADIZ).

Another operation saw Canadian CF-18 fighters operating from northern airfields to intercept aircraft role-playing as threats. Fighter aircraft were supported by Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Air Force KC-135 air-to-air refuelers.

The monitoring and control of North American airspace remains a primary mission focus area for NORAD. The command maintains robust air defense capabilities to execute the airspace mission over the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada.

General Glen VanHerck

“Exercising in the Arctic allows us to demonstrate our resiliency and advance our operational capabilities that are critical for integrated deterrence and layered defense,” said General Glen VanHerck, NORAD/USNORTHCOM commander. “The men and women of NORAD, in Canada and the United States, remain steadfast in our sacred obligation of deterring threats, and if required, defending North America.”

For the Silo, Captain Alexandra Hejduk/ NORAD.

True Cases Of Phantom Transmissions And Hijacked Television Signals

The call letters KLEE-TV had not been broadcast since July 1950, more than 3 years before a viewer in London, England picked up their transmission on his television set.

Adding to the mystery was the fact that while in operation KLEE-TV was based out of Houston, Texas- an entire continent and ocean away. Since this was an era before satellite t.v. transmission how could the images be picked up? Was it simply a hoax?

klee tv signal cardThough debunkers have stated that this story first appeared in Readers Digest, it actually was first reported in 1953 by TV Guide: a viewer based magazine that organized and listed television programming and reviewed highlighted television shows. Hugely successful and widely distributed- it seems counter-intuitive to consider how this might affect an already paranoid and anxious viewer body. After all, the Cold War and the Space Race were underway. Many Americans were building nuclear bomb shelters and keeping their eyes to the skies.

Television was still a new form of media and to many it transcended the boundaries of space of time.

It seemed possible that ghostly transmissions from another time and another place could occur. TV Guide pointed out in its story that at the time of the phantom KLEE-TV transmission, no other t.v. station in the world used those call letters.

For the next 12 year this enigma was forgotten but then in February 1962 Mrs. Rosella Rose of Milwaukee, Wisconsin witnessed the following. The KLEE-TV letters were flashed onto her screen as well as the images of an unknown man and woman arguing on a balcony, followed by the flashing of the word “HELP!” Then suddenly, her screen went blank. It seemed as though Mrs. Rose had witnessed an electronic netherworld. Could an alternate universe be superimposing its reality onto hers? The simplest answer is that Mrs. Rose was a victim of her time.

Phantom signal transmission in Stranger Things.
Phantom signal transmission in Stranger Things.

Perhaps as mentioned in Haunted Media Static and Stasis, “….The fleeting and inexplicable transmissions of KLEE are eerie in that they are symptomatic of a general loss of self presence felt socially in electronic communications as a whole.” I think it’s safe to say that Canadian Film Director David Cronenberg felt this way and successfully incorporated these themes into Videodrome. I think it’s also safe to say that the success of the recent Netflix series Stranger Things is due in some part to this notion of a technologically created netherworld. And what about the Australian reports of a Coke bottle and drinking flask being transmitted during the Moon Landing?

Today there are reports of phantom webcam transmissions, of strange beings quickly seen on a monitor or a tablet. If we are able to view images on our devices then is it so far fetched to imagine that we ourselves can be seen by others through our devices? And if that’s possible to what end are we being surveilled? For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

The Max Headroom Signal Intrusion Incident of 1987

Captain Midnight HBO Transmission Hijacking

Recommended Reading- Haunted Media Electronic Presence From Telegraphy to Television by Jeffrey Sconce

Superb Watch From Raketa Uses Vintage Metal From Ekranoplan Landing Craft

The Raketa Watch Factory launches a new tool watch dedicated to the Lun-class Ekranoplan: a Soviet era hybrid machine — half ship, half plane — unlike anything else in the world.

Legendary soviet achievement

Part ship & part plane, the Lun-class Ekranoplan was built in the early 80s by the Soviet Union as an experimental coastal defence vehicle. It can claim to be one of the most extraordinary machines ever built by mankind. It combined the best characteristics of a ship and that of a plane: it could carry as much cargo as a ship and fly as fast as an airplane at speeds of up to 500 km/h. It flew over distances of up to 2,000 km using lift generated by the “ground effect” acting on its large wings when about 4 metres above the surface of the water. This enabled the Ekranoplan to fly undetected by radars. 

The name “Lun” was chosen because it comes from the Russian word for “harrier”, a bird which characteristically hunts by flying silently low over open ground.

A remnant of the past 

The only Lun-class Ekranoplan ever built lies today on a beach of the Caspian sea near the city of Derbent (Russia) as a lonely reminder of past achievements. With its gigantic size, unique hybrid characteristics and quirky design, the Ekranoplan is a testimony to the incredible originality of Soviet-era engineering. Even now, after almost half a century, it looks incredibly futuristic.

A watch as testimony to the Ekranoplan Lun

The Raketa Watch Factory has always been inspired by incredible human technical achievements. It has therefore designed and manufactured a tool watch as testimony to the Ekranoplan. Raketa also hopes this will attract more attention to the Ekranoplan, and thus contribute to saving it. 

Especially for this model, Raketa developed a new stainless steel case and metal band: its sturdy design corresponds to the looks and spirit of the Soviet-era Ekranoplan. The Raketa “Ekranoplan” watch is directly linked to the Lun-class Ekranoplan:

– The insert of the rotating bezel is made from a piece of metal from the Lun-class Ekranoplan, officially given by the city of Derbent which is in charge of safeguarding the Ekranoplan;

– The design of the compass markings on the bezel is directly inspired by the design of the compass on the control panel in the cockpit of the Ekranoplan;

– An embossed image of the Ekranoplan is printed on the dial.

The back of the watch reveals the beautifully decorated 24-hour automatic movement which is entirely produced by the Raketa Watch Factory in Saint-Petersburg.

The Raketa “Ekranoplan” watch model is limited to 500 pieces. 

Each watch model is complemented with a leather strap. The model is also available as part of a Gift set which includes the Raketa “Ekranoplan” watch model with stainless steel bracelet, an additional leather strap and a 1:400 scale model of the Lun-class Ekranoplan.  

The price

The cost of the watch is 1.667 EUR (without VAT) $2,410.08 CAD at time of writing. The cost of the Gift set is 2083 EUR (without VAT) $3,011.52 CAD at time of writing. For the comfort of customers, Raketa watches are delivered worldwide free of charge by DHL directly up to their front door.

The insert of the rotating bezel is made from a piece of metal from the Lun-class Ekranoplan.

Specifications

Factory:Raketa Watch Factory (Saint-Petersburg)
Movement:
Calibre:2624
Functions:Automatic
Number of jewels:24
Testing positions:4
Average rate (s/d):-10+20
Average running time (h):40
Frequency/hour:18.000 / 2.5Hz
Bi-directional automatic windingYes
Decoration:Nanocoating
Neva waves
Print
Case:
Material:Stainless steel
Material of the bezel insert:Metal from the Lun-class Ekranoplan
Size:41,6 mm
Front glass:Sapphire 
Back glass:Mineral 
Water resistance:20 АТМ
Hands:Superluminova
Dial:Superluminova
Strap/bracelet:
Material:Stainless steel
Genuine leather
Width:22 mm
Sex:Male

For the Silo, Lera Komolova. Photos: Lera Komolova

RAKETA “EKRANOPLAN”

Entre ciel et mer !

La Manufacture horlogère Raketa lance une nouvelle montre spécialisée qui est dédiée à l’Ekranoplan Lun : un appareil hybride de l’ère soviétique – mi-avion, mi-bateau  – absolument unique en son genre.

Un exploit légendaire de l’époque soviétique

Construit par l’Union soviétique au début des années 1980 en tant qu’engin expérimental de défense côtière – mi-avion, mi-bateau – l’Ekranoplan peut être considéré comme l’une des machines les plus extraordinaires jamais créées par l’homme. L’Ekranoplan réunissait les meilleures qualités d’un navire et d’un avion : il pouvait déplacer autant de cargaison qu’un bateau et pouvait voler aussi vite qu’un avion en atteignant une vitesse de 500 km/h. Il volait à des distances allant jusqu’à 2 000 km grâce à “l’effet d’écran” qui se formait sous ses immenses ailes à environ 4 mètres au-dessus de la surface de la mer. Ceci lui permettait de se déplacer sans être repéré par les radars. 

Son nom « Lun » se traduit du russe comme « le busard », et non sans raison, car cet oiseau de proie est connu pour sa chasse en vol silencieux à basse altitude.

Un témoin du passé

Le seul Ekranoplan Lun jamais construit se trouve aujourd’hui sur une plage de la mer Caspienne près de la ville de Derbent (Russie), comme un rappel solitaire des exploits passés. Sa taille gigantesque, ses caractéristiques uniques et son étrange design témoignent de la force et de l’originalité de l’ingénierie soviétique. Encore aujourd’hui, presque cinquante ans après sa conception, il a l’air extrêmement futuriste.

Une montre en hommage à l’Ekranoplan Lun

La Manufacture horlogère Raketa a toujours été inspirée par les plus grands exploits techniques humains. Elle a donc produit une montre spécialisée en hommage à l’Ekranoplan Lun. Raketa souhaite aussi attirer l’attention sur l’Ekranoplan Lun et contribuer ainsi à sa préservation.

Un nouveau boîtier et bracelet en acier ont spécialement été conçus pour ce modèle :  leur design rugueux et viril correspond à l’esprit de l’Ekranoplan soviétique. Le modèle Raketa “Ekranoplan” a plusieurs liens avec l’Ekranoplan Lun :

– l’insert de la lunette tournante est fabriqué à partir d’un morceau de métal de l’Ekranoplan Lun, officiellement transmis à la Manufacture Raketa par la ville de Derbent (qui est en charge de la préservation de l’Ekranoplan) ;

– le design des signes de boussole sur la lunette est inspiré de la boussole du tableau de commande situé dans le cockpit de l’Ekranoplan ;

– une image embossée de l’Ekranoplan est imprimée sur le cadran.

Le fond du boîtier permet de contempler un mouvement automatique à 24 heures Raketa, magnifiquement décoré et entièrement créé par la manufacture horlogère Raketa de Saint-Pétersbourg.

Raketa “Ekranoplan” est une édition limitée à 500 pièces.

Chaque montre est livrée avec un bracelet en cuir supplémentaire. Le modèle est également disponible dans un coffret cadeau comprenant la montre Raketa  “Ekranoplan” et son bracelet en acier, un bracelet cuir supplémentaire et la maquette de l’Ekranoplan Lun à une échelle de 1:400.

Prix

Le prix est de 1 667 EUR HT pour la montre seule et de 2 083 EUR HT pour le coffret cadeau. Pour le confort de nos clients, les montres Raketa sont livrées gratuitement dans le monde entier par DHL jusqu’à leur porte d’entrée.

Spécifications

Manufacture :Manufacture de montres Raketa (Saint-Pétersbourg)
Mouvement :
Calibre:2624
Fonctions :Automatique, 24 heures
Nombre de rubis :24
Positions de reglages :4
Marche moyenne (s/j) :-10+20
Réserve de marche moyenne (h) :40
Fréquence/heure :18.000 / 2.5Hz
Remontage automatique bidirectionnel :Oui 
Décoration :Nanorevêtement Côtes de NevaImpression
Boitier :
Matériau :Acier inoxydable 
Matériau de l’insert de la lunette :Métal de l’Ekranoplan “Lun”
Diamètre :41,6 mm
Glace côté cadran :Sapphire 
Glace arrière :Minéral 
Etanchéité :20 АТМ
Aiguilles :Superluminova 
Cadran :Superluminova
Bracelet :
Matériau :Acier inoxydableCuir véritable
Largeur :22 mm
Sexe :Masculin 

Pueblo Incident: Two Failed Submarine Missions ©

In response to the January 23, 1968 North Korea seizure of the USS Pueblo and crew, the Johnson Administration sent an armada of ships and up to nine subs, both nuclear-powered and diesel/electric, into the Sea of Japan. The operation was known as “Formation Star,” the largest build-up of U.S. naval forces around the Korean peninsula since the Korean War. This U.S. naval show-of-force was led by the USS Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the largest warship in the world at the time.

Less known are the stories of the two submarines sent in response to the Pueblo Incident—the USS Segundo and USS Swordfish—both of which failed to execute their missions as planned. In the case of the Segundo, her detection by the North Koreans off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea nearly led to the deaths of the entire crew. And while not life-threatening, the failed Swordfish mission led to a cascade of Cold War events including, according to one author, the sinking of a U.S. sub in retaliation for the sinking of a Soviet sub, which the Russians had falsely attributed to ramming by the USS Swordfish.

In August 2000, decades after the resolution of the Pueblo crisis, a small California newspaper interviewed Russ Noragon, a member of the USS Segundo crew. In what a staff writer at the Ventura County Star described as a “top-secret mission that might be the stuff of a Tom Clancy spy novel,” Noragon described how his sub had to submerge to the bottom of the sea off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea to avoid capture by the North Koreans. At the time, Noragon was a Machinists Mate (MM); a Chief before retirement.

In an article titled “Local Submariner Recalls Time on Bottom,” Noragon told how he and the other 79 men on board had barely escaped with their lives when the Segundo and crew nearly ran out of air. The incident occurred on the day the Pueblo was hijacked in international waters off the coast of North Korea. Noragon said his sub was “ordered to attempt a rescue of the 83 sailors aboard the intelligence vessel USS Pueblo…,” the planning of which began immediately, he said. According to the Segundo’s Chief of the Boat (COB), there were five special ops on board, but their role was unknown to the crew.

But instead of completing their mission undetected, Noragon said North Korean sonar-equipped patrol boats discovered his sub at periscope depth shortly after it arrived in the area. They then began bombarding the Segundo with depth charges, forcing it to the sea bottom with its engines and most of its equipment shut down. After a couple of days on the ocean floor, “It was miserable,” Noragon said. “We all got terrible headaches from the lack of oxygen.”

Noragon, who was assigned to the engine room, said he didn’t even know the depth of the water, only the tenseness of the situation. Meanwhile, the crew covered everything on board with a “special powder” (presumably lithium hydroxide) that absorbed the carbon dioxide in the air that built up in the close quarters. Some fresh air was pumped in from the submarine’s reserve tanks, but only enough to keep the air breathable.

To avoid detection, Noragon said the crew, who “spoke in whispers,” were ordered to stay in their bunks when not on watch, in what submariners call “silent running.” The seriousness of the situation became all too apparent when classified materials and equipment were readied for destruction. Noragon said he really got nervous when the radiomen brought out all of the Segundo’s cryptography gear and the weighted bags and hammers. At which point, Noragon said to himself, “Oh, this is not good.” When the commanding officer of the Segundo, Cdr. David A. Fudge, realized that rescuing the Pueblo crew was no longer possible, Noragon said his crewmates devised an escape plan.

With North Korean vessels at the surface lying in wait, Fudge had the crew eject hollow can targets, alternating between the sub’s bow and stern. As each target pinged the North Korean sonar, the Segundo moved a little. “We had all these bubbles down there,” Noragon recalls. “Pretty soon, there were so many targets, they [the North Koreans] didn’t know which was real and which were a decoy.” This allowed the Segundo and crew to finally escape. Now fifty years later, the ill-effects of this failed mission remain with the surviving members of the crew.

About ten days after the Pueblo seizure, the USS Swordfish raced to the Sea of Japan from her homeport at Pearl Harbor. The sub’s belated departure might have been to compensate for the withdrawal of Segundo from the area, or perhaps it was sent to help confront the Soviets who by then had sent an armada of their own ships and subs to confront Operation “Formation Star.”

Unfortunately, in early March, Swordfish struck a block of ice that had drifted south, bending her mast back at a 45-degree angle; so she departed the area for the U.S. Naval Base at Yokosuka for repairs, which required ten days. However, when the Japanese press noticed the arrival of a damaged submarine on the surface—a rare event—they requested an explanation from the U.S. Navy. To avoid disclosing the Swordfish’s secret mission—all submarines on special operations were classified—the Navy said the Swordfish had come to Yokosuka for some much-needed R&R. But what about the damage? As the Navy explained, the “damage was likely caused by hyoryubutsu,” meaning flotsam or wreckage, not ice.

When a photo of the Swordfish with a bent mast appeared in an article in a Japanese newspaper, the Russians smelled a rat. About a week earlier, K-129, their nuclear-armed Project 629A (NATO reporting name Golf II) diesel-electric powered submarine, sank without explanation. Had the Swordfish intentionally rammed a Soviet submarine, resulting in the death of all 98 men on board? When the Russians confronted the Americans, the Pentagon would only say that the Swordfish was about 2,000 miles from where their Soviet submarine sank—no mention was made of Swordfish’s secret Pueblo mission. According to Ed Offley, the author of “Scorpion Down: Sunk by the Soviets, Buried by the Pentagon,” the Soviets intentionally sank a U.S. submarine, the USS Scorpion, in retaliation for the Swordfish’s sinking of their submarine about two months earlier. For the Silo, Bill Streifer.

© bill.streifer@gmail.com

Featured image- USS Scorpion.

Artwork That Reminds Us History Is Absolute

Colorization processed G. Orwell photo- mensxp.com

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” -George Orwell

The facts of the past cannot be objectively altered regardless of belief or opinion. They can, however, be tainted by those wishing to assume power. It is critical that we understand the past as it happened and do not allow the view to be obscured. Only in this way can we ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of our forebearers, only in this way do we as a society learn and move on from our past transgressions. Those who would revise the past must be confronted with resistance and overcome with the truth. We are bound by our ancestors to carry their truth along the banks of the future no matter how heavy the burden may be.

Golden Age Rorschach, 2014, 38” x 26”, Acrylic paint over inkjet print mounted on Dibond by Aura Goldenberg.

Aura Rosenberg is based in New York City and Berlin, Germany. Since 1993 she has worked on a project titled Berlin Childhood. Over the years the project has taken on many forms including a published book, souvenirs of Berlin’s Victory Column, photographs, and a film. The title comes from a series of texts by Walter Benjamin written during his exile from Berlin in the 1930s. Rosenberg began creating a photograph to correspond with each text which Benjamin wrote in order to combat his homesickness during exile. Chantal Benjamin, the granddaughter of Walter Benjamin moved to Berlin and contacted Rosenberg. The two became friends and Rosenberg began filming Benjamin and her daughter around the city also in correspondence with the original texts. Presently Rosenberg is editing her archive of footage and recording a narrative soundtrack of Walter Benjamin’s great-granddaughter reading his texts aloud. Rosenberg also creates work based on themes of sexuality. One of her current project is a continuation of an older work titled Porn Rock.

“145 Elm Ridge Drive Toronto”
Study Of Politics In Cell Tower Placement by Vid Ingelevics.

Vid Ingelevics is a Canadian artist. Much of his work examines representations of the past. His current long form project titled Freedom Rocks focuses on the history of the Berlin Wall since its removal in 1989. Ingelevics began researching what happened to the wall after it fell and discovered pieces of it across the world including in the United States and Canada. Initially, Ingelevics and his collaborator went to Washington, D.C. to learn about the movement of the remains of the wall. In the years following the removal of the wall there was a strong market for fragments. Pieces of the Berlin Wall now appear in the most unlikely corners of the world. Ingelevics work looks at why fragments of the Berlin Wall move around the world and who pays for this as well as putting the wall in the context of history rather than relegating it solely to the realm of political symbolism.  For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard  is currently giving free webinars on how to write a better Artist bio and statement and how to get a show in a gallery – you can register for that live webinar and ask questions live by clicking here.

Featured image- “Touching the Wall”, Berlin, 2014. From the larger project, Freedom Rocks, a collaboration between Vid Ingelevics & Blake Fitzpatrick begun in 2004 that explores the post-1989 history of the Berlin Wall.

Supplemental- Digital Rorschach examples from 2012 / 2013 series by Canadian Artist Jarrod Barker.

Space Race by Jarrod Barker. 2013.

Blue Nude Torso In Plaid Design. Jarrod Barker. 2012.

Monarch. Jarrod Barker. 2013/16.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket

History is absolute. Endeavor to know it and to speak its truth.

Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Heather Hubbs has recently read On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder and user Julia has been revisiting Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

Day Marks Another Anniversary Of JFK Assassination

The Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza.
The Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza.

2015’s historic JFK 50th assassination Special was a riveting and powerful demonstration of media technology. We co-hosted the CBS feature which “rebroadcast” their original assassination television coverage in real-time, fully and completely. Every detail was reproduced exactly as it was shown on that fateful day- even the interruption of a certain soap opera with the first “bulletin” announcement. Live internet coverage began at 1:38 EDT exactly 50 years to the minute of the initial CBS news broadcasts.

If you have any #JFK thoughts (perhaps you even remember that fateful day)- or if you watch the archived live stream please share your feelings by commenting below at the end of this post. We will respect all requests for anonymity.

In the meantime, you may want to view Newsmax TV documentary: “I killed JFK” claiming to showcase a newly revealed “confessed killer”. In 1978 a US Congressional Investigation into Kennedy’s death determined that there were likely more than one shooter/killer.

RIP JFK CBS coverage

JFK visits Ottawa 1961:

Silo Tweet JFK Ottawa 1961

 

 

@CBSNews live tweeting during this historical rebroadcast event- image:CBS Twitter
@CBSNews live tweeting during this historical rebroadcast event- image:CBS Twitter

 

Supplemental- The United States National Archives Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives
References: I. Findings in the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Aviation Books From Quarto Include Original SR-71 Pilot Handbook

It’s late September as I write this and with winter slowly creeping in (Sorry but true!) and holiday shopping season around the corner, I would like to tell you all about some amazing books to add to your shopping list and help pass the cold months. If you are an aviation lover, you are in for a very special treat courtesy of Quarto Publishing.

The Blackbird first flew in Dec 1964!

They took the ORIGINAL flight manual and republished it… all 1,040 pages and 8 pounds!!!! The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a long-range, Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed’s top-secret Skunk Works. One of the first aircraft designed to have a low radar signature, the SR-71 could map 100,000 square miles from an altitude of 80,000 feet. Operational from 1964 to 1998, it is still the fastest jet-powered aircraft – a Blackbird once completed a Los Angeles-to-Washington, D.C. flight in 64 minutes. Naturally, reigning in all that technology and performance required some know-how on the parts of the pilots and ground crews
spyplanes
For as long as there has been sustained heavier-than-air human flight, airplanes have been used to gather information about our adversaries. Less than a decade after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Italian pilots were keeping tabs on Turkish foes in Libya. Today, aircraft with specialized designs and sensory equipment still cruise the skies, spying out secrets in the never-ending quest for an upper hand.
 skunkworks
Hatched in June 1943 after a special request of the US Army Air Forces to develop a turbojet-powered fighter to counter growing German threats, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has gone on to develop remarkable aeronautical and space technologies, including stealth. Some have made it into production, while others never quite made it off drafting boards and computer screens, but proved fascinating nonetheless.
fighter killer planes ww2

There’s no shortage of fantastic archival aviation photography from World War II. But photos from the period fall short in three major categories: the vast majority are black and white, most were composed under duress, and very few capture moments that have since entered the written record of aerial conflict.

Award-winning artist Jim Laurier rectifies the situation in this stunning, large-format, hardcover book celebrating World War II’s top fighter aircraft.

arado ar234
For the Silo, Nichole Schiele.

Supplemental-  Clint Eastwood’s under-rated movie “Firefox”

United States ‘ NSA Spy Town ‘ Going To Real Estate Auction

An abandoned United States Navy Information Operations Command spy town with 80 homes and amenities such as bowling alley and football field is going to auction and featured this week by our friends at TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

View from just outside the main gate.
                                                             View from just outside the main gate.

“United States Spy Town Auction”

It’s not the first time that an entire American town has gone on the auction block, but it might be the most unusual. Sugar Grove Station, West Virginia was originally a United States Navy military base to support part of the National Security Agency’s surveillance operation. Though the array of giant parabolic dishes that continue to track location and content of international telecommunications activity is still in operation and not part of the sale, they are completely obscured from view behind thick forest on their ridgetop one mile distant. When it became unnecessary to house related analytical staff at the base, it was retired in the fall of 2015 and put up for auction to the highest bidder over $1 million.

Lincoln Housing homes looking very inconspicuous.
                                   Lincoln Housing homes looking very inconspicuous.

Built between 1960 and 2014, the fenced and gated rural town has private full-service utilities to support as many as 500 people on over 120 acres. Included are 80 homes on tree-lined residential streets in like-new condition, a swimming pool, bowling alley, youth daycare center, community center with fireplace which was designed to function as a restaurant with bar, a gym, full-sized indoor basketball court, tennis and racquetball courts, a football field, large playground with kiddie pool, and twelve guest cabins for visitors. There are also several large buildings for multiple use as well as a four-section hobby building for working on cars, woodworking shop and other creative pursuits. For community safety, a police station and fire station are already in place.

Sugar Grove is surrounded by the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests between the Allegheny Mountains and the south fork of the Potomac River. It is located within a 13,000-square-mile area known as the National Radio Quiet Zone, so cell phones, WiFi and any equipment operating on radio frequencies are restricted from use. The Quiet Zone was established in 1958 by Congress so as not to interfere with the operation of the nearby parabolic dishes or the National Radio Astronomy Observatory 30 miles away.

Interior of dorm housing unit. Note the security desk.
                               Interior of dorm housing unit. Note the security desk.

Former U.S. Navy base, Sugar Grove Station, perfect as a corporate retreat, academic campus, corporate training center or left to one’s imagination is up for auction by the U.S. General Services Administration with a minimum bid of $1 million. Auction ending date not yet determined. For the Silo, Terry Walsh.

Visit TopTenRealEstateDeals.com for more photo’s and for other famous homes and real estate news.