Iran Super Thread- Merged

[Colin Parkinson]

Swarming confirmed, anyway …

Mysterious drones swarmed US Air Force base home to nuclear bombers

More than a dozen unsanctioned drones repeatedly swarmed a US Air Force base that is home to a nuclear bomber fleet — and were able to resist efforts to bring them down via jamming technology…

nypost.com

Air base drone incursion: What to know about incident over B-52 bombers

There were multiple unauthorized drones detected flying over Barksdale Air Force Base, earlier this month.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

'Multiple waves' of unauthorized drones recently spotted over strategic US Air Force base

A drone sighting that temporarily raised alarms at one of the United States Air Force’s largest airfields this month was potentially more dangerous than first reported.

abcnews.com

USAF ignoring lessons learned over the last 4 years elsewhere, because they are the USAF and "We don't do those things"

 

[brihard]

Guys, I love the idea and the line of thought - but in all honesty, with Trump bashing us continuously about needing nothing from us and doing all that he can to gut our car industry and move it all back to the US, why do you believe that he would want us taking over any sort of military industry contributions to the US? It runs counter to all that he's been doing for the last 18 months.

I don’t imagine any of us are thinking we would produce for the U.S. Given our abundant wealth of raw materials of all sorts, we could certainly become a key munitions production partner for other allies. It may require some crown corporation involvement to ensure certain raw resource industries remain solvent against Chinese price manipulation (Rare Earth element inputs come to mind), but this is a field where we really cannot rid market failure, so I’d see that as justified.

 

[The Bread Guy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2037397211126862074

Related? Not even sure if this is confirmed. But if so, then hybrid warfare is really taking a leap forward.

P.S. - Only one public source I've found saying countermeasures didn't work.

Sophisticated drones attacked Louisiana's Barksdale bomber base - Asia Times

Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, in Bossier Parish not far from Shreveport, was attacked by drone swarms during the week of March 9. The attack

asiatimes.com

 

[brihard]

P.S. - Only one public source I've found confirming countermeasures didn't work.

Sophisticated drones attacked Louisiana's Barksdale bomber base - Asia Times

Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, in Bossier Parish not far from Shreveport, was attacked by drone swarms during the week of March 9. The attack

asiatimes.com

There’s no reason to think something like Ukraine’s ‘Operation Spiderweb’ couldn’t be repeated at any number of U.S. or NATO bases. Or Canadian, if anyone cared enough to hit us.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I don’t imagine any of us are thinking we would produce for the U.S. Given our abundant wealth of raw materials of all sorts, we could certainly become a key munitions production partner for other allies. It may require some crown corporation involvement to ensure certain raw resource industries remain solvent against Chinese price manipulation (Rare Earth element inputs come to mind), but this is a field where we really cannot rid market failure, so I’d see that as justified.

Just the two proposed ammunition plants makes us one of the top tier suppliers of 155mm rounds and propellent. Hopefully the new industrial ministry looks at the weaknesses in the NATO supply chain and tries to encourage other smaller Canadian companies to fill some of the needed niches. (rocket motors, guidance systems, etc, etc)

 

[HavokFour]

There’s no reason to think something like Ukraine’s ‘Operation Spiderweb’ couldn’t be repeated at any number of U.S. or NATO bases. Or Canadian, if anyone cared enough to hit us.

The fact that they were up there for hours is extremely concerning. This could easily be rehearsal for such an attack, and now whoever it was knows they have a pretty significant window to work with to position things.

 

[brihard]

The fact that they were up there for hours is extremely concerning. This could easily be rehearsal for such an attack, and now whoever it was knows they have a pretty significant window to work with to position things.

If you look at Barksdale, Minot, or Dyess AFBs on Google Maps, most of the B-52s and B-1s are out in the open, very exposed. Minot less so due to the distance from a population center, but still.

Even the B-2 hangars at Whiteman are easily identified. Shaped charges dropped from above would probably at a minimum compromise the stealth characteristics of the bombers parked within.

America’s strategic bomber fleet is no less vulnerable than Russia’s. Maybe even more so.

 

[Czech_pivo]

There’s no reason to think something like Ukraine’s ‘Operation Spiderweb’ couldn’t be repeated at any number of U.S. or NATO bases. Or Canadian, if anyone cared enough to hit us.

Am I wrong to assume that nuclear power plants should (will?) have strong anti-drone measures currently in place, throughout Ontario, Canada and the US?

 

[brihard]

Am I wrong to assume that nuclear power plants should (will?) have strong anti-drone measures currently in place, throughout Ontario, Canada and the US?

I don’t know and if I did I wouldn’t answer.

 

[PrairieFella]

Welcome, troops, to CENTCOM!

https://twitter.com/x/status/2037906827778682900

Good luck guys. I hope that they arent needed.

 

[PrairieFella]

USAF ignoring lessons learned over the last 4 years elsewhere, because they are the USAF and "We don't do those things"

The loss of those KC-135s really gives me Ukraine War vibes. Lessons learned...

 

[McG]

Europe and North America watched the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War and decided it did not need to take aboard lessons from those lesser militaries. Then in 1914 they learned that industrial era rifles, machine guns, and artillery were in fact substantial change factors in warfare. It's not surprising that we ignored critical lessons while watching the Russian invasion against Ukraine today.

Some of what has been happening in that theatre will be unique to that theatre, but NATO nations need to identify and adapt to the new dynamics that are not going to remain unique to that theatre.

 

[HavokFour]

23% of unwrought aluminum that the US imports comes out of the Middle East (UAE and Bahrain), up from 16% in 2024.

Emirates Global Aluminium reports 'significant damage' from Iranian strikes

Emirates Global Aluminium said on Saturday that its Al Taweelah production base in the UAE had sustained "significant damage" during Iranian missile and drone attacks.

www.reuters.com

EDIT: I have a feeling that the titanium sponge plant in Yanbu, Saudia Arabia is going to be targeted soon either by Iran itself or via the Houthi, the US also imports a significant amount from the country.

 

[GR66]

Guys, I love the idea and the line of thought - but in all honesty, with Trump bashing us continuously about needing nothing from us and doing all that he can to gut our car industry and move it all back to the US, why do you believe that he would want us taking over any sort of military industry contributions to the US? It runs counter to all that he's been doing for the last 18 months.

There are non-US companies that I'm sure would greatly benefit from expanded production capability...especially far from any potential front lines in a major conflict.

Products

As a global player, we provide efficient and precision effects complex weapon systems, which are decisive force multipliers in military operations.

www.mbda-systems.com

 

[brihard]

23% of unwrought aluminum that the US imports comes out of the Middle East (UAE and Bahrain), up from 16% in 2024.

Emirates Global Aluminium reports 'significant damage' from Iranian strikes

Emirates Global Aluminium said on Saturday that its Al Taweelah production base in the UAE had sustained "significant damage" during Iranian missile and drone attacks.

www.reuters.com

EDIT: I have a feeling that the titanium sponge plant in Yanbu, Saudia Arabia is going to be targeted soon either by Iran itself or via the Houthi, the US also imports a significant amount from the country.

Ouch.

I read that three major Iranian steel plants were all hit the other night. Iran may be going tit for tat on economic destruction.

 

[ytz]

It's starting.....

https://twitter.com/x/status/2037676543665733673

 

[Brad Sallows]

Ouch.

I read that three major Iranian steel plants were all hit the other night. Iran may be going tit for tat on economic destruction.

Tit for tat is generally "you hit me; I hit you". "You hit me; I hit that guy over there" isn't it.

The "neutral" community should act to force Iran to confine itself to dealing with the US and Israel and their stuff. It's an elementary requirement of any "rules-based order" that the community enforce rules, equally, even when it rather would not. Iran isn't in the same league as trying to force the US, or Russia, or China to behave. This sort of abandonment in the face of egregious misconduct (for decades, no less) is why some people started ignoring things like "IRBO" and doing things their own way.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Tit for tat is generally "you hit me; I hit you". "You hit me; I hit that guy over there" isn't it.

The "neutral" community should act to force Iran to confine itself to dealing with the US and Israel and their stuff. It's an elementary requirement of any "rules-based order" that the community enforce rules, equally, even when it rather would not. Iran isn't in the same league as trying to force the US, or Russia, or China to behave. This sort of abandonment in the face of egregious misconduct (for decades, no less) is why some people started ignoring things like "IRBO" and doing things their own way.

I'm not sure that the definition of 'neutral' would cover off the 3rd party country when they are allowing the basing, resupply or overfly to occur.

Imagine if Sweden or Turkey had allowed the Luftwaffe to base planes in their country and the Luftwaffe then bombed the Soviets from those airfields. Would the Soviets have been in the right to attack Sweden or Turkey in turn?

 

[Good2Golf]

Tit for tat is generally "you hit me; I hit you". "You hit me; I hit that guy over there" isn't it.

The "neutral" community should act to force Iran to confine itself to dealing with the US and Israel and their stuff. It's an elementary requirement of any "rules-based order" that the community enforce rules, equally, even when it rather would not. Iran isn't in the same league as trying to force the US, or Russia, or China to behave. This sort of abandonment in the face of egregious misconduct (for decades, no less) is why some people started ignoring things like "IRBO" and doing things their own way.

KSA, EGP, UAE, BRN, QTR, JOR, OMN….all are part of the “You.” They are not ‘that other guy over there’ in the eyes of the IRGC.

 

[OldSolduer]

KSA, EGP, UAE, BRN, QTR, JOR, OMN….all are part of the “You.” They are not ‘that other guy over there’ in the eyes of the IRGC.

We are all Satan’s children in the eyes of the despot Iranian clergy.