#sensor jammers

[swtechspecs]

Rebel Alliance RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor

Source: The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (Del Rey, 1996)

[usafphantom2]

Major Jerry Crew, an RSO, told Air & Space/Smithsonian that he used a jammer to try to confuse surface-to-air missile sites as their crews tracked his airplane, but once his threat-warning receiver told him a missile had been launched, he switched off the jammer to prevent the missile from homing in on its signal.

RSO Jerry Crew the first time the SR-71 was shot at by a missile. Turning inbound on our first sensor run, I noticed the “R” light on my electronic countermeasures (ECM) panel was illuminated. A North Vietnamese SAM site was tracking us on its radar.

What we didn’t expect was the illumination of the “M” light, followed closely by the “L” light! This meant that the North Vietnamese had actually fired one or more SAMs at us. (The “R” light meant they were searching for you, the “M” light meant they were tracking you, and the “L” light meant they were launching at you.) Attempting to seem calm (I failed),

“I told Tony we had just had a SAM shot at us.

“This news couldn’t have occurred at a worse time. We had just started our sensor take, and evasive action was not an option. Tony asked how long ago was it launched, and I replied, “About five seconds.” The time of the missile launch was important; we were told countless times by our intelligence experts that the SA-2 missile’s total flight time was only 58 seconds. In other words, if nothing happened by then, we were probably safe.

“We had practiced what to do in the event of a SAM launch many times in the simulator. My duty was to turn off the ECM jammer because we didn’t want the missile tracking the jamming frequency during flight. The purpose of our jammer was to confuse the missile prior to launch. My other duty was to start the stopwatch to time the missile’s flight.

“My reaction time seemed terribly slow. It took forever to turn off the jammer (actual time: five seconds), and I never started the stopwatch. However, I did notice the position of the second hand on the clock when Tony asked how long ago the missile had been fired.

“The next 50 seconds are in dispute! I thought the whole time was spent answering Tony about the length of the missile’s flight. “How long has it been?” he asked. “Five seconds since the last time you asked,” I answered. Interphone tapes show that Tony only asked four times. I do know it took much longer than the missile’s predicted flight time to convince us of our safety. We hit a tanker over Thailand. And then flew back over North Vietnam. Our cameras confirmed that they shot two missiles at us luckily they shot too early and too low.”

The electronic defense was the RSO’s job. Over its operational life, the Blackbird carried various electronic countermeasures (ECMs), including warning and active electronic systems built by several ECM companies and called Systems A, A2, A2C, B, C, C2, E, G, H, and M. On a given mission, an aircraft carried several of these frequency/purpose payloads to meet the expected threats.

Not one single SR 71 was ever shot down by the enemy. What a proud record the Blackbird has.

Linda Sheffield Miller

@Habubrats71 via X

[quattro-bacheema]

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM X MASS EFFECT CROSSOVER PROJECT

By the UC 360s the Solar Sphere Congressional Armed Forces were well aware that their aging fleet of Crisis-Era ships and mobile suits just weren't going to cut it in the long term.

Enter the next generation of mobile suit development:

The M-22-A Gunspecter (alternatively refered to as the Specter Gundam). A machine which combined over 300 years of Minovsky physics knowledge and Prothean Mass Effect technologies. The Specter featured an exponential jump in performance compared to its predecessors.

Thanks to the combination of a Minovsky flight system and Mass Effect Field Generators, the Specter Gundam's performance in land, air, and space was unparalleled. Coupled with the advanced RAM coating and Minovsky based sensors jammers, this machine had the potential to turn battles all on its own. In the hands of a trained pilot, it was a menace. In the hands of an ace, it was nigh unstoppable.

After initial rollout, new 'low visibility' color schemes were introduced to make better use of its stealth capabilities.

If you want follow the crossover project, you can find it in Ao3 or FFNet with the links below

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49180963/chapters/124091914

[fordarkisthesuede]

Fangs of Ourorboros - Chapter 1 - Ghosts of the Past

Good evening from the east coast! 🌇 I've brought you a proper chapter for you to chew on! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Last time:

Batman was playing a strange murder-mystery game with Joker when an explosion interrupted his investigation...

<start> | [Read on Ao3] | <next>

Rocky Hopper:  employed part-time in Xotic Construction, living in a two-bedroom apartment in midtown with a wife and two children. His criminal record showed he was a three-time parolee by the age of thirty-six for armed robbery, assault, DUI, and theft. No known association to any Gotham-based gang. An unremarkable small-time criminal Batman previously noted for rubbing shoulders with Oswald Cobblepot during his time in Gotham two years ago, before The Penguin was taken into custody.

To anyone else, such a fact was a mere blip on the radar. But to Bruce - to Batman - it was a flashing yellow mark on the edge of his mind. 

Richard Hartright. Vicki Vale. Penguin. One string leading to another on a cork board collage with a muddled picture of why. 

The GCPD touted BlackGate Penitentiary as a fortress; a prime example of modern security in spite of the building’s age. 

Heh. Not for Batman. The nighttime security were like any other lookout team, conversing on their radios or over their shoulders while paying mild attention to their surroundings.

It was practically a cake walk. Bruce grappled up to the roof and rolled over the railing with barely a swish of his cape. The guard by the rooftop door jabbered about the Knights’ chances in the league this year over the two-way as Bruce crept behind him and squirted all-purpose oil between the crack in the door where the hinges should be.

The door opened silently, and Bruce slipped in, breathing in the familiar smell of dusty hallways as he walked on the edges of his feet down the concrete steps.

Oswald would be in the C Block. It took no time to get down to the third floor. Even less time to find the section, painted in chunky white letters on the floor and wall as if the heavy metal door to the place was easy to miss.

The security lock was a simple hand scanner, meant to use the layout and size of the hand instead of a key or passcode. Bruce pulled out the luminous spray normally reserved for crime scenes and sprayed the scan bed. The Batsuit’s gauntlets scanned the imprint, and with a few taps on the key generator Tiffany had perfected last year, all he had to do was place his hand over the sensor and wait while for the lights to turn green.

The bolt lock slid open with a sudden thunk, and Bruce slipped into Cell Block C.

Three stories of prison cells stretched open before him, smelling like a public bathroom in the Narrows. He could see each barred door had two beds embedded into the walls, with only just enough room for two people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, bringing to mind a twisted shoebox diorama.

One long catwalk weaved throughout the place, spotted with rust and bits of peeling paint. The rush of air as he whizzed past rows of metal bars was only slightly satisfactory when he was still wincing at the slight sound of the metal clang of the grapple teeth hitting the railing.

The cell door was easy to unlock - all the doors were connected to an online grid for routine automatic unlocking, but had a manual override to use a physical key. A simple signal jammer was all that was needed to fool the cell into thinking it lost connection to the controller and let Bruce pick the lock.

Despite the cowl, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. He was being watched, but he wasn’t sure by who. At the very least, he knew an alarm hadn’t been tripped; his radio tuner wasn’t picking up any calls to action inside the prison…

The lock opened with too loud of a cha-clink. Oswald stirred.

The upper bunk was empty, despite the rumpled sheets. At least Bruce wouldn’t have to worry about potentially fighting off two prisoners at once.

Bruce chose to stay away from the cot to speak; there was no need to overstep and put either of them in harm’s way yet. He kicked the cot’s mattress instead to get attention.

Oswald jerked upward with a garbled sort of shout, flinching to press his back against the wall.

The direct approach was best. “Why did you want to destroy Richard Hartright’s files?”

Oswald glared at him, shoulders sagging as he relaxed into a sitting position. “Should’ve known you’d sneak your sorry-winged ass in here to give me the business one of these days. Or did the Commissioner give you your own Bat-pass?”

“I know Rocky Hopper worked for you,” Bruce said flatly, “The bomb he was setting in Hartright’s filing cabinet went off early. He’s dead.”

Oswald’s eyebrow rose a fraction, eyes widening in a sort of surprise that he was trying and failing to suppress. “Plenty of people worked for me,” he said with practiced casualty, casting a look at the cell door and waving away the issue. “I don’t care what they do with their spare time nowadays.”

Bruce had enough. He grabbed Oswald by the collar and hoisted him up to be more on his level. “I don’t play games,” he growled out, “You worked for Vicki Vale - you knew Richard was one of her sources during her time at the Gazette. One of your affiliates blew up his office with enough C4 to kill him. Why were you after him?”

“I thought you were supposed to be the detective,” Oswald scowled.

Bruce punched him hard in the jaw, holding him up so he didn’t fall back into the wall. “What did he have that you didn’t want getting out?”

“You can’t hurt me in a way that matters,” Oswald scowled in disgust, “You think I don’t see this every day in this hellhole?”

Bruce narrowed his eyes. A clanging noise came from outside the cell.

“SHUT UP or I’m going to come over there and chew your FACE off, Penguin!” came a gravelly hiss of a voice from a nearby cell. “SOME of us are trying to SLEEP!”

“Your neighbor sounds mad,” Bruce taunted, “Tell me what I want to know and maybe I won’t wake up the whole block.”

Bruce tossed him to the floor, only too late feeling his cape pull along with the motion. His shoulder smacked into the wall as Oswald skittered out the open door.

He chased after him, boots clanging on the metal of the catwalk, priming a bat-bola to throw. Oswald barely reached the staircase when the weighted rope whipped through the air and wrapped itself around the man’s calves in the nick of time.

Oswald hit the floor with a loud, reverberating thunk. Bruce was able to grab an arm and pin it around his back as he leaned over him, out of arm’s reach.

“You bastard, you’re no different from the pigs that run this place!” Oswald spat, voice echoing around the cell block.

“Why did Richard pose a threat to you?” Batman asked again, feeling more eyes on him. He could see several prisoners had risen in their beds. One was already pressed against the bars of the cell for a better look. He pulled on the arm he was holding, just enough to hurt.

“Because he’s just like your lot,” Oswald grunted, “Sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong. Vicki’s worth ten of him.”

Bruce’s brain buzzed, trying to parse through what information he had. The private detective’s only link to Oswald was through Vicki Vale; he had nothing to do with Penguin’s crew, before or after his arrest, that Bruce knew of. The mention of Penguin’s old leader in the present tense was jarring. “Vicki Vale’s been dead for two years.”

Penguin gave a light wheeze of a chuckle. “Killed her yourself, did you?” he taunted, “Buried her in a shallow grave with the last rites? They never did find a body in all that rubble, did they?”

Bruce had seen the rocks fall as he guided Alfred out of the underground catacomb. He’d doubled back later, on the off chance he could find her, and found the chamber practically blocked off by the collapse. There were no other tunnels, no secret rooms, no pockets she could have climbed out of. He’d checked.

But it bothered him all the same.

He could hear the inmates start to blabber and howl as he dragged Oswald ‘The Penguin’ Cobblepot back to his cell by his feet. 

Body slam him next! Body slaaam!

Not so tough now, are ya Peng’? Ha ha, oh man!

Fuck you! Fuck you, you hear me, Bat? Fuck you!

Let me out - I’ll drag your ass around the block, Bat! 

Come on, Penguin, get up and grab him-!

You think you’re so tough, you’re nothing without that fuckin’ armor!

He ignored it all, leaving Oz to nurse his wounds on the floor of his cell, winding the bola back up after he slammed the door behind him.

Deep down, he knew getting information out of Oz was a longshot to begin with. Any more questions would be met with more stubborn non-answers. He would have to check Oz’ mail, visitors, cell-mates, anything he could have used to send out the message to his cronies.

He leapt up and over the railing to glide back down to the first floor, feeling the eyes of awakened prisoners all around.

“Hey, Batman” a smooth, familiar voice called from his right. “You got a taste for beating up bird-dudes or what? I’d think you know he doesn’t like to talk about work.”

Bruce barely gave Roman Sionis and his cocky little smirk a second glance.

“I could tell you what he was up to,” Roman added.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bruce ignored the cacophony of noise as he left the way he came in, the sound of the hinge on the metal door far more noticeable now that he was in a hurry to leave. “I doubt it,” Bruce muttered.

🜁

The bare facts stared out at him through black and white scans and data retrievals on the Batcomputer’s oversized screens.

Rocky Hopper communicated strictly through text messages. Simple instructions of picking up the bomb and a key from a contact he’d meet on the street, dropping it off in Detective Hartright’s office, and flicking the switch to let the countdown start. Said contact was never named, explained as being able to recognize Rocky on sight.

Oswald Cobblepot’s outgoing mail took a long time to be scanned and approved, up until a few months ago. Most likely he or someone who worked for him was paying off one of the officers in charge of the mail room. At first, the letters used an easy code of the first letter in each sentence spelling out a short command. Silence person, pick up this, sell that, mostly to one Cameron Van Cleer. As far as Bruce could tell, Cameron was one of Oz’ one-time cronies that - judging by the social media profile Bruce had gathered - had sympathies to the Children of Arkham. Oz must have entrusted them with a financial account, judging by shorthand instructions to buy and sell actual stock as well. No mention of Detective Hartright.

All of this would be easily digested, if it weren’t for the last line in the last letter to Cameron:  Our fair lady will be reaching out to you.

The incoming mail told a similar story of back-and-forth mob work disguised as friendly exchanges. And then there were the others. Arriving every week or two, short and to the point, like telegrams more than anything.

I know you must be surprised to hear from me. I know I’ve been away a long time, but I’ve kept a close eye on things. I can see things haven’t changed since I left… Wayne Enterprises is still standing, to my surprise. But I can see our friends aren’t all gone. Can I still count you as a friend, even though it’s been so long? -Your fair lady

Then, two weeks later:  

I’m glad we’re still friends after all this time. I have so many things I’d like to share with you! Do you remember Julian Day ? He had a whole article in the Gazette on page 4!  -Your fair lady

Bruce checked the date against the Gazette’s webpage. Julian Day was noted for causing a car crash that ended in his death and the destruction of a popular corner restaurant. The coroner’s report Bruce pulled up noted no street drugs in his system. One patron said they thought they saw someone else exit from the backseat of the vehicle, but no other person was found on CCTV.

And then the last letter, dated a week ago:

We need to catch up in person. I’ve got a little place downtown above the Iceberg Lounge. (I heard Roman Sionis tried to buy it once!) I’d love for you to visit… Drop me a line when you can. -Your fair lady

Bruce felt the impossible gnaw at him. But the strings he had were so easily put together. Oswald had been corresponding with Lady Arkham, despite the fact that Vicki Vale was buried under the rubble of Arkham’s underground catacombs.

She was dead. 

Had to be. 

He’d checked. 

They never did find a body in all that rubble, did they?

Bruce tried to breathe steadily into his hands. His elbows were sore from the near-constant perch on the metal console as he read and re-read. He sank further to rest his forehead on his arms, breathing in the cave air as he tried to focus. 

He saw that pile of rubble in his mind’s eye. Broken stone bricks were piled high in a seemingly endless mountain in the cool, musty darkness below Arkham. He moved through it, stepping on only the largest, sturdiest pieces to prevent an avalanche. Bruce climbed over a fallen column. The snakes winding around the stone seemed to shift in the light.

Even in the basement, he could feel the pull of the asylum on his psyche. The toxic energy that seeped into walls from years of madness and undoubtable abuse stirred down there like dust, swirling at his feet and seeming to stick to the edges of his cape. He tried to ignore it as he walked over the broken stone to the spot he saw Vicki last.

The opening she had tried to get to was completely sealed now. There was nothing but dead ends among long-dead bodies everywhere else underground.

He could see the top of the air-pulse weapon Lady Arkham had wielded sticking out between two stones. He reached down and pulled, straining against the rock until they started to tumble away; the weapon pulled free as if it were Excalibur, almost making him fall back.

His drone was too large to send into the fresh gap. He stooped down to shine his light into the crevice, dust swirling up to meet him and cover him in Arkham before could glimpse the gloved hand reaching up to snatch his cape, jerking his shoulder, trying to pull him down deeper into-

Bruce snapped awake, jolting in his seat. When had he fallen asleep…?

“Morning, honey-buns,” John greeted from behind, placing a cup of coffee next to Bruce’s elbow, “Rough night?”

Bruce watched a freshly dressed John lean his hip against the massive desk, taking a sip from his silly ‘clown juice’ mug with an expectant stare. He felt his mood sink upon realizing he hadn’t seen him since last night. He’d seemed surprised at the explosion interrupting the odd murder-game he’d made, but… He looked awfully casual right now, if not a little mad.

“I mean, I assume,” John added, squinting accusingly at Bruce, “you forgot to text me what happened.”

Ah. That explained the mood. “It was pretty long,” Bruce answered, his mouth tasting like old beef jerky. “I didn’t even know I fell asleep.”

“I could tell,” John teased with a snide little smirk, moving to sit on the flat surface so he could swing his feet in the air. “I haven’t seen you fall asleep in the suit before.”

The square cut of emerald and tiny amethysts on either side winked at Bruce from John’s ring finger, bringing Bruce back into the reality of the present. He pushed the thoughts of John’s involvement away, choosing to trust his fiancé and figuring that his mood was entirely due to Bruce keeping him in the dark. He finally gave into the urge to let his gloved fingers rest softly on the plum-purple corduroy covering John’s thigh. “That’s because someone keeps goading me out of it.”

John giggled, looking pleased. “If you weren’t so shy about mixing the other halves of our lives together, I wouldn’t have to.”

Bruce could feel the little smile in the corner of his mouth quirking up as John’s hand covered his. He relented in finally taking in some of the steaming caffeine John had brought him. The smooth bitter heat steeped into his chest, bringing him partially back to life.

“Soooo…Penguin, huh?” John craned his neck up to the monitor behind him, taking Bruce a little off guard. “Was he playing ‘Emperor’ in prison, or is it just another concrete jungle?”

Truthfully, Bruce wasn’t sure what to make of Oz’ predicament. “Hard to say,” he said, “He got out of the cell for a few minutes, but some of the prisoners had no problem with me fighting him. His neighbor certainly didn’t care about who he was talking to.”

“Could just be all that testosterone and sleep deprivation crammed in those two-by-fours,” John commented knowingly, legs moving steadily in the air, “Any fight gets ‘em all riled up! As you well know,” he said with a sly little grin.

Bruce remembered Zaaz’s fight with the orderly back in Arkham all too well. The orderly survived, but Bruce had felt the guilt of leaving him to fend for himself while he made the all-important call compound and sit in him for a long time. 

“Could be.”

“Those little letters sure are interesting, aren’t they? I’m guessing you didn’t find the replies.”

Bruce leaned back in the chair, looking at the whole picture again. “No. He must have had an in-between deliver them. I know he must have had someone in the mailroom on his payroll.” He stared at the offending final letter, pulled up square among the rest. “That last one bothers me.”

“Right? It’s hard to picture The Penguin meeting up with a zombie in a club! Ha ha ha haa! Ah, doesn’t that sound like a bad horror flick?”

Such a silly thing to say should have quelled the thought still pecking at the back of his skull. It only left a bad taste in his mouth. Coffee wasn’t washing it away.

The smile slipped from John’s face. “...she is dead, isn’t she? I remember that pile of rubble looked pretty big on T.V…”

For a moment, Bruce thought about shrugging it off with silence. Or just saying that Oz mentioning her couldn’t be a coincidence. But John had asked the question that kept casting shadows over everything else. And if there was anyone else who could look at those, it was John. “I never found her body,” he answered, staring hard at the digitized letter, “No one did.”

“Sooo…there’s a slim chance she’s back in Gotham, then,” John said with a squint, pinching his index finger and thumb together in front of Bruce’s face, the emerald on his ring glinting, “I mean, IF we put aside the fact she was likely heavily injured and would have to hitch a ride back to the city, where everyone definitely recognizes her, AFTER getting out of the secret underground chamber and swimming back to Gotham from the island.”

It was the kind of thing he’d hear from him across the visiting table at Arkham. He wanted to believe him. “It’s still a chance,” he said, unable to shake the feeling he was missing something important, “If it’s not her, then someone’s going out of their way to convince us it is.”

“There is another possibility.” John paused to take a loud slurp from his mug. “He’s trying to throw you off your rhythm.”

“To what end?”

“Who says there has to be an end?” John shrugged, a smile on the corners of his cherry-red mouth, “If I was really mad at you - like, ree-ally mad - ‘you betrayed me’ mad - I’d do it just to mess with you.”

Even now that they were engaged, he found himself not doubting that at all. John sometimes enjoyed needling him for little to no reason other than getting a reaction. Maybe, if John were different… If their lives had gone differently, then…

He swallowed the dark thought down with coffee and a non-committal hum as the cell phone left on the console buzzed. Once, twice, and on the third Bruce finally deigned to answer.

“Morning, Iman.”

“Bruce,” came Iman’s no-nonsense voice, “you need to get down to the office.”

“I wasn’t exactly planning on playing hooky,” Bruce said dryly.

“A few of my old colleagues are here,” Iman replied, her tone sharp and stable, “talking to our security team. They’re going to have a conference call with a few of our other branches. And I have a feeling they’ll want to talk to you personally.”

“Great. That’s all I need.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt he needed to know:  “What are you doing there so early, anyway?”

A slight pause. “I wanted to catch the Quick ‘Fast truck again,” she answered sheepishly, “I figured I would just come in and get some work done afterward.”

Ah. The early bird catches the pancake-burger, Bruce thought to himself. “Right. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

“Be careful,” she added, “they’ll likely put a tail on you after they talk with you here, but they might have one already watching the house.” A beat passed as he considered the small frame of time he might have unobserved. “I’ve gotta run. Any longer in here and they’ll suspect I’m talking to you.”

John set his mug down by the fabric flowers he’d made Bruce while he was still in Arkham. “Bad news? Let me guess – our latest wedding planner’s gone rogue.”

“No. Worse than that.”

“Good; Kimberly might not have much going for her, but after the last two…”

“John.”

John mimed zipping his mouth shut.

“The Agency is back in town. Some of them are waiting for me at the office.”

“The Agency?” Tiffany piped up from behind, “What do they want?”

“I don’t know yet,” Bruce said over his shoulder, “but considering they aren’t coming to the house, and are conversing with Wayne Enterprises’ entire security team, I’d say they’re waiting for someone to come in or out of one of our buildings.”

John was worrying the corner of his bottom lip as he looked at the steel floor, eyes darting over the squares like they held all the paths such a situation could go.

“John,” he said as gently as possible, putting a hand on his shoulder, “you don’t have to go to work if you don’t want to. I can talk to your social worker-”

“No!” he said suddenly, snatching hold of Bruce’s arm. He seemed to realize how frantic he seemed, because he quickly covered it by giving the armor plating a couple of pats and trying for a smile. “No. I’ll go. I shouldn’t…”  The smile wavered. “I don’t want to be alone here,” he muttered honestly.

“We’re going to have to get you to work early, then. It’s that or dropping you off at St. Dymphna’s…”

Tiffany was already taking over the console, pulling up the 3D-generated image of the bomb. “Have you looked through this?”

“Not quite.”

Tiffany pulled away the layers of it, eyes traveling over the interior. The drone cameras had taken the pictures of the pieces, and Bruce and the BatComputer worked together to piece it back like a three-dimensional puzzle. He didn’t pay as much attention to its construction as he should have; he had been combing over Oz’ mail not long before and thinking about any other possible explanation than the one that kept popping up.

“So, you missed the partial left behind?” Sure enough, a partial print of what might have been from the middle or index finger was barely visible on one of the inner slices of metal, somehow not entirely burned off. If Bruce hadn’t been present for the explosion, he wouldn’t wonder if it was somehow planted for him. 

Tiffany was already running a cross-check on the criminal database with one of her shortcut commands. “That’s not like you.” She squinted at him with a tilt of her head. “Are you okay?”

“I think the lure of the criminal chase was clearly too much last night; he fell asleep down here,” John excused for him.

Tiffany pulled a face. “I hope that’s not a euphemism for something.”

“He means I was distracted by case details,” Bruce butted in, “And I did fall asleep. But more importantly-”

“You need to go,” Tiffany and John said in unison. 

John pointed at Tiffany in delight. “Ooh-hoo, jinx!”

“I can easily look into this,” Tiffany pointed to the rapidly growing list of names, “and still be on time.”

“And I’ll help!” John gestured to himself importantly, “Four eyes are better than two! Um, as long as you don’t mind driving me to work on your way,” John added, casting Tiffany a friendly look. 

Tiffany pursed her lips in mock-thought. “Hmm… Alright. But only because I know I’m getting a seat of honor at your guys’ wedding. And this is a huge list.”

Bruce felt the usual itch to just take the important work with him. He knew he could only look at it at red lights, and knew he’d be thinking about it nonstop until he reached his office. But with the Agency back in town and speaking with his security team of all things, the sense of dread he’d felt last night was building higher. 

Something was going to happen.

And for once, Bruce felt that he shouldn’t try to go it alone.

“I expect to see you,” he pointed to Tiffany, “in the engineering offices by 9 A.M. sharp. I want a brief in my office at 9:30.” Tiffany seemed to stand a little straighter, and the smile on the edges of her mouth became more pronounced.

“And you,” he directed at John, who was already looking bright-eyed, “better be at All Stitched Up Alterations by 8:30. And you’re going to stay there for your whole shift, go back to St. Dymphna’s with the others, and wait until I pick you up at 5:30.”

“Sheesh, I leave early one time to follow a lead for your case, and you act like I’m some delinquent,” John poked with a toothy grin. “I’d make a joke about detention with you if Tiffy wasn’t here.”

Tiffany wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, please don’t.”

John giggled at her as he brushed off his pants like he’d gotten them dirty just by sitting. “Okay, Bruce, I promise I’ll be good,” he half-sang, “but I better be updated during the day this time.”

John looped his arms around Bruce’s neck and leaned in to kiss his cheek, but his lips didn’t make contact. 

“Don’t think any of this stops our game, Bruce,” John whispered in a low voice, the corner of his smiling mouth brushing over the fine hairs. Bruce wasn’t sure if it was the words or the soft movement that made the spike of heat in his gut. John’s lips barely brushed his skin in a soft peck. “Don’t make me sleep alone.” 

Bruce felt John’s nails dig slightly into his back with the last word, and then John pulled himself away like nothing happened. “Have a good day!” he added brightly. “Uh, you know, as much as you can.”

His heart thudded with the small rush of adrenaline at the threat still burning against his ear. It was unreasonable to try and play this…murder-game Joker had established while Bruce and Batman had enough on their plates.  

“I’ll be waiting,” John added, tilting his head to look at Bruce through his lashes with a challenging sort of smirk. The kind normally reserved for when he was moments away from being bound and on his knees.

Bruce reminded himself that this unreasonable, manipulative, handsome sneak of a man was who he was choosing to marry. He wouldn’t promise him anything; he couldn’t. But he wouldn’t deny him, either. If he was this hell-bent on playing, it was clearly important to him.

“I’ll…try.” Bruce heard the cape of his suit swish across the metal tiles as he made his way to the elevator.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Notes: Finally, we're at our proper start, having returned to the classic TellTale formula! The Whole Nine Yards sure was a nice romantic break in the series, but things can't stay that way forever. (If you hadn't read it, no worries, I'll summarize for you: Bruce and John talked about their feelings and further built their relationship, boinked a lot, Alfred left again, and Bruce spontaneously proposed to John on a romantic sunset-lit beach.) I'm sure you realize that our return to base means "choices" have an impact again - for example, if you romanced Selina throughout and only befriended John, it would be her waking Bruce but John butting his way in partway to deliver his last whispered lines with a hug…minus the threat of sending Bruce to the couch, of course. Selina would then stick around to help next chapter as well, but only so far. A villainous Joker would have had made a real crime scene for our prologue and thus made his game a lot more pressing of an issue and a way more reasonable excuse to follow up on it. (No matter who he romances, Bats can't stay away from Joker's ploys.)

Y'all know by now that I love jokes in my work as much as I love making clues. Penguin's dead goon, Rocky Hopper, is both! The name comes from the rockhopper penguin, which is famous for it's bushy "brows", weird spikey mullet-like "haircut", and red eyes. We also have a callback to Season 4, The Tolls of Justice, with Iman's excuse for showing up to work early - Quick 'Fast (like "quick breakfast"), the mysterious food truck that eludes John and home of his coveted Pancake Burger! Apparently, Iman tried it and liked it enough to chase after it. Somewhere, in the recesses of my brain, there's a short story taking place before this where Iman and John hunt down the truck together… But that's for another day.

Next time, we'll see things from a certain bird-girl's point of view. After all, her choices matter as much as the rest, and she really doesn't get enough love around here. Until then...thank you, as always, for joining me on this journey! (●´□`)♡

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

seeing lots of people talking about drones making infantry obsolete but i don't buy it.

there are already-existing relatively cheap and mobile counter-drone technologies. whether it's ew weapons, net guns, or just straight up ordinary firearms. and these systems are becoming cheaper, more portable, and more effective all the time. not to mention all of the new technologies coming out (like literal counter-drones and directed energy weapons). or hell, i've even seen people destroy drones by using hawks, throwing stones and spears, or even just magnetic dust.

plus, humans simply fulfill roles that are so basic and critical that can't be replaced with drones. like, most importantly, taking and holding territory, clearing buildings, taking pows, screening for armor, dig trenches, operate in areas way behind enemy lines where anti-air is abundant, providing security, etc.

and now i'm not saying drones aren't an issue or that they're not going to have a significant role in the future of warfare or that they won't supplement infantry in the aforementioned tasks or that they'll never be able to do any of the above effectively.

i'm just saying drones aren't going to make infantry obsolete. honestly, even when we get fully fledged robot soldiers i don't think human infantry will be obsolete. i think the robots will just supplement human-based infantry units.

i think ukraine is an interesting case study for how a somewhat modernized military conducts drone and counter-drone warfare. i think we are learning a lot of valuable lessons. and i think it goes without saying that a highly advanced/developed country will have better odds against drones than a developing country. america has some of the most advanced sensors and automatic target recognition.

just have every squad have one dude with one of those mobile drone jammers like this:

then every man have a sidearm, maybe one or two guys with a shotgun, once they're better developed maybe one man with a dedicated anti-drone laser gun.

then make sure every infantry platoon has a couple of those electronic warfare vics like the m-lids plus some fixed counter-drone sensors and emplacements.

[alterrune]

Zulu Security Shadow: Sir, the intruders made it into Accounting.

Shadow Laurence: Send in more security there, activate the turrets and the Marauder Class Quadcopter.

Zulu Security Shadow: Yes sir.

*Enemy Detected: XB-31 Marauder*

Strategic Data:

* The Marauder drone is a heavily armored quadcopter that uses a chaingun and missile launcher to control the battlefield.

* Disabling the rotor blades causes temporary immobilization while the system software adjusts for the interruption.

* The sensor system can be blinded by attacking the primary camera.

* The Marauder drone is weak to electricity and resistant to fire

- Albert

Shadow Laurence: Let’s see if they handle the Marauder… wait, what are these emails?

(One of the Emails is sent from “The Investigation Team”, the other is send from “The Phantom Thieves)

Shadow Laurence: Oh, so you’re all here for your little mascots then? Sorry, but this is my domain, I hold all the cards here, just bad luck for you all to arrive in my building during maximum security.

(Unfortunately, The Maurauder is already locked onto Teddie...sorry, bud, this is gonna hurt.)

(Teddie gets hit by a dozen missiles and then stomped flat. Fortunately, he's still very much alive.)

I gotcha, Teddie. Just rest over here for a bit, you'll be back to your old self in no time. Now then...Magatsu-Izanagi!

(I crush the card in my hand and...wait. Why is nothing happening?)

What the hell?! What happened to the arcana card I've been using?!

(The card is continually being summoned, but nothing happens when I crush it.)

Maggy-Izzy, this isn't funny! I NEED YOU TO COME OUT NOW!!!

(Morgana summons his Persona, Zorro. Yeah, the same Zorro from those folktales is his Persona. And he's a bulky one, too, which you wouldn't expect from someone as small as him.)

Wait, but Zorro specializes in WIND attacks, Morgana! This Marauder thing's weak to Electric!

I never said Wind would not work, Kyle. I merely said what he was weak and what he was resistant to.

...You're right, Albert! Alright, Morgana, ya little show-off, hit this guy with all your might!

I guess I earned THAT one...

(Morgana hits the Marauder hard with a Magaru, knocking its' head clean off its' shoulders and destroying it with a huge gust of wind! Game over, we win, the Marauder loses.)

(I look to the ceiling and see...)

Some kind of signal jammer. If I had to guess...

(I quickly pull out The Blue Eye and shoot the jammer. I then try summoning Magatsu-Izanagi again, and, wouldn't you goddamn know it, he comes out without a hitch.)

Yep, just as I suspected. A Persona jammer. But...how the hell did that jam me, but not Morgana?

"It seemed to only target me. I tried numerous times to come out myself, yet I failed each time."

Oh, that makes sense, Maggy-Izzy. Anyways, guys, let's keep moving. I don't think Shadow Laurence likes using LIVE bait that much, so let's pick up the pace before the bait he's using bites the dust.

...what even is my life anymore...?

Ditto, Alter. Ditto.

[magnetarbeam]

Random headcanon: The "gravitic modulator" that Tempest lists as part of the StealthX's array of countermeasures is a further development of the gravitic signature decoys that started with Jaina's Trickster jammers. It's the same basic engineering concept, but instead of changing a ship's gravitic signature to imitate that of another ship, the StealthX is the only ship in history that gives off no external gravity, and thus negates all forms of mass sensors, including dovin basals and the comparatively poor galactic analogs like crystal gravfield traps.

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#Onthisday: Oct 1st, 2017

Title: Deathscythe Hell Chowder

Back in October 2016 🎃 , I've showed him in a dark silhouette for a Halloween. That is until October 2017 🎃, when I decided to reveal his new badass "Cuteness Mecha Armor", the armored "Deathscythe Hell", TV version to be specified. Nonetheless, let's bring down Deathscythe Hell Chowder's information. 😁🐻🤖

Deathscythe Hell Chowder Came from the real: XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell [CLICK ME!]

Armament(s):

• Vulcan Gun These head mounted shell firing weapons have a high-rate of fire, but have little power and are generally ineffective against opponent(s); however, the vulcan gun can damage lightly armored areas such as the sensors. These weapons are ideal for shooting down small, fast moving, lightly armored targets such as missiles or small vehicles.

• Twin Beam Scythe/Beam Scissors Similar to the original Beam Scythe on the Deathscythe. However, the twin beam scythe features an extra beam emitter as implied by its name, and also a rocket thruster to give it extra momentum in use, effectively quadrupling the power of the original scythe. When not in use, the beam scythe is retracted and stored on a recharge rack on the backskirt. The scythe also has the extra beam emitter, but it is fixed in place facing upwards and does not have the added thruster in E.W. custom version,this version is called beam scissors.

• Buster Shield An improved version of the original Buster Shield, it has a coffin like motif on the exterior and two thrusters on the back with higher output. The beam blade emitted when the blades at the front split apart is also more powerful. In E.W. custom version,Deathscythe Hell now has two Buster Shields, but instead of being attached to the forearms, the Buster Shields are now repositioned to the side skirts.

• Beam Saber A close-combat weapon used by the armor Wing Zero/Wing Proto Zero (/Wing Zero Custom).

Special Feature(s):

• Active Cloak The active cloak consisted of four large movable armor plates attached to the top of the shoulders, two on each side, and is equipped with four field generators. These field generators function similarly to the armor Mercurius' planet defenders, and are used when the active cloak is closed. The force field generated is strong enough to block shots (e.g. beam cannon), and the active cloak itself is also coated with an anti-beam coating. The active cloak also allows the Deathscythe Hell to turn invisible when closed, and can function as wings when opened, enhancing the armor's mobility.

• Hyper Jammer The nozzles protruding from the backpack scatter jamming particles which scramble the enemy's radar and cameras. Features twice the jamming power than that of the original Deathscythe.

• Self-Destruct System The Deathscythe Hell was built to self-destruct should the member choose to. A remote detonator is placed within inside the armor torso and if a dire situation arrives, the pilot can destroy the armor suit. The system was designed to overload its power systems and has enough explosive power to destroy several city blocks. It's a last option tactic if the member is incapable of protecting the armor suit, while not allowing it to fall into enemy hands. It also can be used as one large explosive device to eradicate large targets.

Chowder - CHOWDER © Cartoon Network, C.H. Greenblatt Armor (Mobile Suit/New Mobile Report Gundam Wing) - Gundam Series © Bandai Namco Filmworks/SUNRISE, Sotsu

[thetruearchmagos]

Last Line Tag!

Terrib;y sorry for the wait, @sleepyowlwrites , but I've finally gotten a WIP to a stage that I think warrants one of these! Since I'll also be taking up @dogmomwrites open Tag, I'll post two snippets!

Tagging @moonscribbler @sanguine-arena @theprissythumbelina and @lividdreamz

When Malik first accepted his present posting to the Republic of Nouvolouis, he was quite confidently informed that that was a land blessed with tropical sun and mild weather. He hadn't had much of either since he got here, and two months in he was a man looking for a way out. Until one arrived, though, he had a job to do.

------

No time for a mission brief, the air group commander rushed to relay the situation over the radio. Even now, the stand-off jammers were playing merry hell with their sensors. The first pair were off the deck in seconds, two more following every ten. In less than a minute, all ten Arrows were in the air, and heading out west at twice the speed of sound. Their onboard sensors were running quiet, and until they got into missile range their eyes into the sky would be those of Hotel-One, watching over the battle from afar. The Chevaliers and their machine minds did not notice them, though their escorting jammers were getting more anxious with each passing second on their path towards the far away carrier. The detachment commander was weighing the benefits of turning back early, when the whine of his threat warning receiver informed him that he had no reason to bother.

[automotiveanddefense]

Military Aircraft Modernization And Retrofit Market Size

Military Aircraft Modernization And Retrofit Market Size

The global military aircraft modernization and retrofit market size was valued at USD 49.43 billion in 2023. It is estimated to reach USD 60.32 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 2.34% during the forecast period (2024–2032).

Aging fleets and the increasing cost of acquiring new aircraft drive demand for retrofitting and modernization services. Retrofitting allows militaries to extend the operational lifespan of existing aircraft, optimizing performance while reducing maintenance costs compared to procuring new platforms. This is expected to propel market growth.

Get your Free Sample Report today to unlock actionable insights and stay ahead in the game. Click Here @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/military-aircraft-modernization-and-retrofit-market/request-sample

Military Aircraft Modernization and Retrofit Market Segment Breakdown

The military aircraft modernization and retrofit market is segmented by aircraft type and system type, each reflecting unique market dynamics and growth drivers.

By Aircraft Type:

Fixed-Wing: Fixed-wing aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers, and surveillance planes, are a key focus of modernization and retrofit efforts. These platforms require frequent upgrades to improve payload capacity, weapon systems, avionics, and survivability. As they represent the backbone of air forces globally, modernization ensures that fixed-wing aircraft remain effective and relevant for modern warfare scenarios.

Rotary-Wing: Rotary-wing aircraft, including helicopters used for reconnaissance, transport, and attack missions, are also undergoing significant upgrades. Modernization efforts in this segment focus on enhancing flight control systems, weapon systems, and defensive countermeasures to ensure these aircraft can operate effectively in dynamic, multi-threat environments.

By System Type:

Navigation Systems: Upgrading navigation systems is critical to ensure military aircraft can operate effectively in all environments, including GPS-denied situations. Modernization of these systems often involves the integration of advanced sensors, communication networks, and satellite navigation technologies.

Weapon Systems: Weapon systems are a major focus area for retrofit projects, as they directly affect the combat effectiveness of military aircraft. Modernization efforts aim to enhance targeting accuracy, missile guidance, and integration of next-generation armaments.

Head-up Displays: The introduction of advanced head-up displays (HUD) significantly improves pilot situational awareness and combat effectiveness. The retrofit of legacy systems with next-gen HUDs is essential for improving operational efficiency and reducing pilot workload.

Optronic Equipment: The integration of optronic equipment, including infrared sensors and electro-optical systems, improves the aircraft’s ability to detect, track, and engage targets under various conditions, especially in low visibility and adverse weather scenarios.

Fire Control Radars: The upgrade of fire control radar systems enhances the precision and targeting capabilities of military aircraft. Modernization of radar systems improves the ability to detect, track, and engage multiple targets in complex combat environments.

Defensive Systems: Defensive systems such as electronic warfare (EW) systems, countermeasures, and radar jammers are increasingly integrated into legacy aircraft. Retrofitting these systems is essential to ensure aircraft can defend against modern threats like missile attacks and electronic warfare tactics.

Others: This category includes various other systems such as communication suites, avionics, cockpit displays, and flight control systems that contribute to the overall modernization of military aircraft.

Market Segmentation: https://straitsresearch.com/report/military-aircraft-modernization-and-retrofit-market/segmentation

Military Aircraft Modernization and Retrofit Market Geographic Analysis

Geographically, the military aircraft modernization and retrofit market is driven by defense spending in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. North America, led by the United States, holds the largest market share, with significant investments in the modernization of aging military aircraft fleets. In Europe, countries like the U.K., France, and Germany continue to upgrade their aircraft in response to evolving security threats. The Asia-Pacific region, especially China and India, is increasingly investing in modernizing military aircraft to bolster defense capabilities. Meanwhile, the Middle East is also seeing a rise in modernization activities, driven by regional security challenges.

Top Performing Companies in the Market

The military aircraft modernization and retrofit market is dominated by several key players, each contributing advanced technologies and services that enable armed forces worldwide to upgrade their fleets. Leading companies in this space include:

BAE Systems: A global leader in defense and aerospace, BAE Systems offers a wide range of aircraft modernization and retrofit services, focusing on enhancing the capability of legacy military platforms with cutting-edge technologies in avionics, weapons, and defensive systems.

Elbit Systems: Known for its innovative solutions in defense electronics, Elbit Systems plays a pivotal role in modernizing military aircraft, particularly in the areas of cockpit displays, avionics upgrades, and electro-optical systems.

Honeywell: As a major player in avionics, Honeywell’s expertise in developing advanced navigation, communication, and weapon systems has positioned it as a key supplier of modernization solutions for military aircraft.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI): IAI’s modernization and retrofit programs focus on enhancing the operational effectiveness of fighter jets, helicopters, and surveillance aircraft. Its solutions include advanced radar, electronic warfare systems, and avionics.

L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris is a leader in providing avionics and communications solutions, offering comprehensive retrofit services for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing military aircraft. Their focus is on improving connectivity, situational awareness, and combat capability.

Leonardo: With a broad portfolio of aerospace and defense systems, Leonardo specializes in retrofitting military aircraft with state-of-the-art navigation, radar, and electronic warfare technologies.

Lockheed Martin: As one of the largest defense contractors globally, Lockheed Martin plays a central role in modernizing both legacy aircraft and cutting-edge platforms. Their retrofit solutions enhance radar, weapons systems, and avionics for greater performance and operational flexibility.

Buy Full Report: https://straitsresearch.com/buy-now/military-aircraft-modernization-and-retrofit-market

[babyawacs]

@nato .@otan @us_stratcom #hmmm theonlyway to enhance boosterlaunched asraam s is sahr in terminalstages especially aslong asyoucan relocate the tracker. anythingelse leads to the enhanced tranches types ofthe missile without shortcuts inaconstantrace with the jammers a n d t a c t i c s

@nato .@otan @us_stratcom #hmmm theonlyway to enhance boosterlaunched asraam s is sahr in terminalstages especially aslong asyoucan relocate the tracker. anythingelse leads to the enhanced tranches types ofthe missile without shortcuts inaconstantrace with the jammers a n d t a c t i c s ‎ any passive sensor sahr may be additionally useful but aslikely jammed links above certainranges…

[swtechspecs]

Kuat Drive Yards 220-SIG Tactical Combat Sensor Jamming Tower

Source: The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology (Del Rey, 1997)

[usafphantom2]

Electronic Warfare Systems On Ukraine’s F-16s Getting Specially Tuned To Russian Threats By USAF

The U.S. is using its highly classified threat library to improve the chances of survival for Ukraine's F-16 and to gather critical intel in return.

Joseph Trevithick Posted on Aug 26, 2024 8:15 PM EDT

Before the Ukrainian Air Force received its first batch of F-16 Viper fighters, the U.S. Air Force helped optimize electronic warfare (EW) systems on those jets against Russian threats.

Ukrainian Air Force

Before the Ukrainian Air Force received its first batch of F-16 Viper fighters, the U.S. Air Force helped optimize the electronic warfare (EW) systems on those jets to defend against Russian threats. As part of ongoing collaboration on this front, the Ukrainians will pass data they collect in real combat back to the United States to help further refine and improve electronic warfare capabilities available to both countries, as well as other allies and partners.

The U.S. Air Force’s 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron (EWS) at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, part of the service’s 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing led the reprogramming effort in collaboration with its counterparts in Denmark and Norway. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian Air Force showed off some of its initial tranche of F-16s, which includes ex-Danish and Dutch examples, at least some of which have specialized pylons with integrated self-protection systems, as you can read more about here.

At the time of writing, Denmark and the Netherlands, along with Belgium and Norway, are collectively planning to send Ukraine approximately 91 F-16AM/BMs in the coming years. This includes another six ex-Dutch jets pledged just today. A portion of these aircraft will be used as sources of spare parts for the others. There have also been reports that Greece may commit an additional 30 F-16C/D variants.

“With the third-party transfer of F-16s by Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands to Ukraine, another EW capability is joining the fight for Ukraine,” the Air Force said today in a release on the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron’s work. The electronic capability in question is not named, but it is described as one not currently in U.S. inventory.

As already mentioned, at least some of Ukraine’s initial tranche of F-16s have been spotted with pylons from defense contractor Terma in Denmark that have built-in approach warning sensors and that can be fitted with electronic warfare jammers, as well as dispensers for decoy flares and chaff. The pylons are tied to the jet’s internal self-protection suite to provide synergistic effects. It is worth noting that the Air Force has acquired similar pylon-based systems for its F-16s in the past, but without any express mention of integrated jammers.

An annotated image of a Ukrainian F-16 showing it equipped with 4 AIM-9s and a Terma pylon with integrated self-protection features. The inset at bottom left also shows a pilot wearing a Joint Helmet Mounting Cueing System (JHMCS). Ukrainian Ministry of Defense capture

A chart showing Terma’s various pylon offerings and their respective features. Terma

Regardless, the Air Force says unfamiliarity with the electronic warfare system in question, together with “the timeline needed to optimize these EW systems to meet the delivery date of the aircraft,” presented challenges for the 68th EWS.

“Relying on data provided by Denmark and Norway, then adapting new processes and approaches to the usual process, the team was able to understand the system and start their work. After understanding the system, the 68th EWS deviated again from normal methods and sent its members overseas to a partner-nation lab to collaboratively develop and test the system alongside coalition teammates,” according to the Air Force’s release. “By working alongside partner nations, the 68th EWS was able to test and verify the unique elements required by the Ukrainians and even improve the reprogramming processes by all parties.”

“This is not our standard operating procedure,” an unnamed individual described as “the 68th EWS director,” said in a statement in today’s release. “The fact that the team was able to figure out the system in two weeks, go in-country with a partner to develop a best-ever mission data file is unheard of and is thanks to the talent here in the squadron and the wing.”

Specific details about what the reprogramming entailed are not provided, but for electronic warfare systems to work most effectively, they have to be able to accurately detect, categorize, and respond to waveforms using the data in their built-in threat library. As such, operators behind air defense radars and other emitters have now long relied on tactics like switching between different operating modes, hopping frequencies, and/or taking other actions to alter the output signature to help reduce vulnerability to electronic warfare attacks.

In turn, electronic warfare systems have to be routinely reprogrammed to update their databanks to respond to evolving threats. The electronic warfare threat libraries available to U.S. forces are one of the biggest advantages available to America’s armed forces. As part of work on so-called cognitive electronic warfare capabilities, the U.S. Air Force and other branches of the U.S. military are also working to increasingly automate and otherwise accelerate various aspects of the reprogramming process, including the ability to push out upgrades rapidly, including to forward-deployed units or even aircraft in flight. Electronic warfare suites capable of adapting autonomously in real-time, even during missions, is the absolute “holy grail” of the concept, which you can read more about here.

Contractors with the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron prepare the Advanced Integrated Defense Electronic Warfare System test lab for a test run. Members of the Advanced Systems Flight of the 68th EWS work closely with their foreign customers to facilitate future requirements so their mission data can be tailored to the ever-changing threat environment and define the customer’s necessities to build future products. USAF

Last year, now-retired Air Force Col. Craig Andrle, whose last posting was as commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, shared a particularly relevant anecdote with Air Force Times about how the current process works and its importance. At the time, F-35A Joint Strike Fighters assigned to his wing had recently returned from a deployment to Europe where they had flown patrols near Russia.

“We’re looking at an SA-20. I know it’s an SA-20. Intel says there’s an SA-20 there, but now my jet doesn’t ID it as such, because that SA-20 is operating, potentially, in a war reserve mode that we haven’t seen before,” Andrle explained, using the NATO reporting name for certain versions of the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

Elements of a Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile system. Russian Ministry of Defense

“The F-35 flagged the object for troops who updated and re-uploaded the data into the jet,” Air Force Times‘ report added. “After that, NATO aircraft knew what they were looking at and how to geolocate it.”

The F-35’s electronic warfare suite is already extremely powerful, much more so than the capabilities that are found on Ukraine’s second-hand F-16s, and has an impressive secondary capability to collect and fuse electronic intelligence. That data is also highly classified, limiting who the U.S. government can share it with and where programming work can be done physically, which is then where units like the 68th EWS come in. The squadron is a focal point for electronic warfare reprogramming, and not just within the U.S. Air Force, but elsewhere across the U.S. military and in support of foreign allies and partners.

As of 2022, the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing overall handled “mission data or reprogramming… for over 70 systems for over 40 countries,” Col. Josh Koslov, then commander of the wing, told The War Zone in an interview that year. You can find the full exclusive interview, which provides deeper details about the 350th’s work, here.

A member of the 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron, another unit with the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, analyzes radio frequency signals at the B-1 Lab at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. (This photo has been altered for security purposes by blurring out portions of monitors). USAF

The electronic warfare partnership between the United States and Ukraine won’t end with the reprogramming of the systems on the F-16s being delivered to the latter country, either.

“With Ukraine now being onboarded as an official foreign military sales [FMS] case for the 68th EWS, the unit will provide reprogramming capabilities based on feedback from the Ukrainians,” according to the release from the Air Force today. “Traditionally, feedback from FMS cases is derived from training environments; this case will provide combat-tested data to improve capabilities.”

Like so many things about Ukraine’s incoming F-16s, it is important to stress that the U.S. Air Force’s reprogramming of their electronic warfare systems won’t make them work perfectly against all threats. Still, they could offer a critical edge in survivability for Ukraine’s Air Force, which is operating in one of the densest active air defense environments we have seen.

“One F-16 with a reprogrammed [electronic warfare] pod won’t achieve air dominance alone, but it may give you a pocket of air superiority for a moment’s time to achieve an objective that has strategic importance and impact,” the unnamed 68th EWS director added in the release the Air Force put out today. “When you’re talking about a near-peer conflict, you need all of your coalition partners to operate with the same playbook so you can achieve spectrum dominance.”

Ukrainian Ministry of Defense capture

As The War Zone has repeatedly pointed out, it will also take the Ukrainian Air Force and its pilots years to fully unlock what the F-16s have to offer, in general. At the same time, the jets bring a host of new and improved capabilities, including weapons and electronic warfare suites, to the Ukrainian Air Force beyond what its Soviet-era combat jets have to offer. Deliveries of additional types of stand-off munitions that could arm Ukraine Vipers, possibly including AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) cruise missiles, may already be on the horizon. The F-16s also bring the ability to carry various podded capabilities, including Lockheed Martin’s recently unveiled networked version of the Sniper Targeting Pod, which can act as a hub for localized ‘kill webs’ and would be ideally suited to Ukraine’s needs as The War Zone has previously highlighted.

While F-16s may not be silver bullets for Ukraine, we know now that the U.S. Air Force has helped with programming their electronic warfare systems to be as capable as they can be against Russian threats. Further data that gets collected, along with other lessons learned from the use of the self-protection systems on the Viper, looks set to be a major boon for both countries going forward.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

[percontaion-points]

Gate Crashers chapters 9 & 10

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Click here for the rest of the series!

Chapter 9

Felix sat at his desk and read Ridgeway’s report for the fourth time. Magellan was damaged and several crewmembers injured when the artifact tried to make a break for it.

I am relying really, REALLY heavily on the entire “trust the process” for the subplot(s) that are taking place on earth right now. Mainly because I seriously don’t know what they expect for the people on earth to do… Other than to simply be informed about what’s going on. 

Eugene had been honest about the compensation as well. Felix’s first payday had been an eye-opening experience, not that he had any idea of how to spend it. People accustomed to lean times generally reacted in one of two ways to a sudden cash windfall. Either they take great care to ensure that it lasts, or they spend it as quickly as possible to get back to more familiar financial territory. 

I’m serious; I don’t give a fucking shit about ANY of this right now. 

An impressive array of recording devices and passive sensors switched on and started taking notes.

Chapter 9 summary: While all of that is going on in deep space… We jump over to Felix going to a local seaman-themed bar with Jeffrey. What does this have to do with the aliens, you might ask? I am also asking the same fucking question. I seriously don’t know what the point of any of this was, since it had nothing to do with the literal alien artefact. Like hm… what do readers want to see more of? Some random side character failing to pick up women? OR LITERAL FIRST CONTACT?!

At the end of the chapter, for no fucking reason at all, the narration does jump back to Maggie and her crew. They’ve got the artefact strapped in now, and are working on creating a signal jammer to stop it from sending out things anymore. Then they start to head off again. 

Times laughed this chapter: 0

Total laughs this series: 0

Chapter 10

In the timescale of the cosmos, it would soon swell to many times its present size as a prelude to its ultimate destruction in a titanic explosion, vaporizing itself completely. Too big even to leave behind an infinite well. 

Look, I’m down for a good space documentary as much as the next person. 

But there is an entire. Mother. Fucking. Page. Of. This. SHIT. 

I am so fucking done with this book. I have 35 more chapters left to go. 

There was always more for a frontier manager to do, and many larims to go before he could sleep.

Chapter 10 summary: Some dude named D’armic contemplates an alien species. At least this is more interesting than clowns in DC going to get drunk… But I’m still kind of scratching my head over what this has to do with the main plot with the Maggie and her crew. 

Times laughed this chapter: 0

Total laughs this series: 0

[alexcarey09]

* How to Detect Hidden Cameras in a Hotel Room*

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When traveling, it's essential to be aware of your surroundings and take necessary precautions to protect your privacy. One way to do this is by detecting hidden cameras in your hotel room. Here are some steps you can take to detect hidden cameras:

- Visual Inspection: Look for any small, discreet cameras or lenses in unusual places such as clocks, lamps, or decorations.

- Check for Wires: Hidden cameras often require power and data transmission cables.

- Use a Flashlight: Shine a flashlight into suspected areas to detect any reflective surfaces or glints. https://bit.ly/3I3EWE9

- Use a Spy Camera Detector App: Various apps can detect hidden cameras using your smartphone's sensors.

- Scan for Radio Frequencies: Use a radio frequency (RF) detector to identify potential camera transmissions. https://bit.ly/3I3EWE9

*How to Track Hidden Cameras in a Hotel Room*

If you suspect a hidden camera in your hotel room, it's crucial to track its location and activity. Here are some steps you can take to track hidden cameras:

- Check for IP Addresses: Identify the camera's IP address and track its online activity.

- Use a Network Scanner: Scan your network for connected devices and identify potential cameras.

- Look for MAC Addresses: Track the camera's MAC address to identify its location and activity.

- Analyze Video Footage: Review footage to identify patterns, timestamps, and potential camera locations.

- Consult a Professional: If you suspect a hidden camera, consider hiring a security expert to help track and remove it.

*Tips for Protecting Your Privacy in Hotel Rooms*

Download it

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When staying in a hotel room, it's essential to take necessary precautions to protect your privacy. Here are some tips to help you do so:

- Be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts.

- Check for any unusual objects or devices in the room.

- Use a signal jammer to disrupt potential camera transmissions.

- Keep your personal belongings secure and consider using a safe or a secure bag.

- Report any suspicions to hotel management and seek their assistance in detecting and removing hidden cameras. APP LINK https://bit.ly/3I3EWE9

[silencejammer]

Wi-Fi Jammers: La Cañada Flintridge’s New Crime Trend: What La Cañada Flintridge Is Doing

　　　Changing Crime Trends

　　The City of La Cañada Flintridge has recently discovered a new criminal method that criminals are using to bypass home security systems using Wi-Fi jammers. As wireless technology becomes more common, home security devices are becoming more and more dependent on Wi-Fi connections. signal jammer However, this also provides criminals with new means to commit burglaries.

　　Arabo Parsejian, a member of the city’s Administrative Services Department, noted that criminals are increasingly using Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt the normal operation of wireless cameras, alarm systems, and door sensors. cell phone jammer The devices can block the signal, preventing the home security system from sending an alert to the homeowner, allowing criminals to steal without being noticed.GPS jammer

　　Actual Case

　　An attempted burglary a few months ago confirmed this new trend. At that time, police found a Wi-Fi jammer left behind by the criminals at the scene. Wifi jammerThis discovery further revealed the prevalence of this new criminal method. Parsejian said that this device is becoming more and more common among today's criminals and has become a new tool they use to combat home security systems.

　　Police response

　　Faced with this new criminal method, the La Cañada Flintridge City Government, in cooperation with the Crescenta Valley Police Department and Los Angeles County, has taken a series of measures to deal with it. They have not only increased police patrols, but also planned to conduct some undercover work to catch criminals using this new technology.

　　The city government also decided to purchase Flock Safety cameras, which can read license plates and mark suspicious vehicles, including those that may be involved in crimes. In this way, the police can more effectively monitor and track the whereabouts of criminals and increase the chances of solving cases.

　　Preventive measures and public advice

　　To help residents better protect their homes, the city government also made some suggestions to residents. First, homeowners should regularly update the firmware of all firewalls and home security devices to ensure that these devices can resist the latest attack methods. Second, install glass detectors on the doors that can send alarms for additional security protection.