Nissan what? 🚗

A useful summary of the situation in Iran.

And then he played golf - again.

Drone has an inverted V-tail and high wing so is mostly likely a Ukrainian FP-1.

Your thoughtful comments are much appreciated although I disagree with the idea that EU countries (and Canada) generally ignore trump & his band of sycophants when they insult, threaten and lie. This is not the case. More likely, you (the USA) will receive a polite FOAD letter.

Really interesting comments regarding the Iran war. It's worth watching to get a different perspective on this highly complex conflict.

- YouTube

Panic is growing in Russia – regions request air defense systems from the Kremlin #shorts
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In the latest news, everything is fine. Nothing to see here. Move along.

You are correct in that the IRGC is bad news. The USA has made a giant mess, and it is not clear how this is going to work out. Almost certainly, the USA will have a lot less influence and alliances will shift.

That it is Iran, not the USA, who has opened the strait is an important detail. It tells us that Iran is controlling the narrative. It will be interesting to see what concessions the USA makes in order to get themselves out of this mess.

"Iran has just announced" tells us that it is Iran, not the USA, who is controlling events. "Strait of Iran" confirms this. The USA is a bully who kicked a dog only to find out the dog has very sharp teeth. It will be interesting to see what concessions the USA makes.

Two guys in a Yak-52 have shot down more hostile aircraft than all of NATO has. Did I get that right?

Yes. They need to issue a correction.

The near collision occurs 38 seconds into this video.

A Ukrainian FP-2 drone nearly collides with another FP-2 drone while flying over a russian air defence system that was destroyed earlier by a Ukrainian FP-2 drone. Ukraine has been quite successful at destroying russian air defences with these drones.

Trump does not know what to do. At this moment the world understands that the mighty US military has lost to Iran. The US and Trump will be much weaker as a result. So Trump lashes out but has no plan.

📚🐬TRUMP “LIBRARY” 2030 - You are invited to the Library/Museum/Hotel/Legacy in Miami

2. Not only was it a superior image to film, it was trivial to capture. That was the moment I knew film was dead. By the way, here is a photo of the cheap telescope I used.

1. Twenty-three years ago I held a Canon A10 digital camera up to the eyepiece of a cheap 60 mm refracting telescope and pressed the button. This is the photo I captured on that cold winter night. It was far better than I could have ever got using film.

18. Many thanks to @exit266.bsky.social for helping with this thread. Please follow Exit, especially if you're interested in shipping.

17. So, it probably was not a false-flag operation but the Midvolga 2 may have been the wrong target. If you found this thread interesting, please repost as a quote. Respectful comments are appreciated. Also, see my previous posts listed under "highlights".

16. This ship seems a strange target. Possibly this was a targeting error, which would also explain Ukraine's denial. Regardless, it appears the ship's crew simply got lucky when the drone hit the radar antenna instead of the wheelhouse.

15. If a Ukrainian drone hit this ship why did Ukraine deny it? This was a single exchange on X, so it's hardly an official response. There was also some confusion because the ship's location was inconsistent with "sailing from russia to Georgia" as claimed.

14. Hitting the mast could easily have caused the drone's engine to land in the sea. One component assumed to be part of the drone may actually be part of the radar antenna. The deck is very dirty, possibly with debris from the explosion.

13. A photo taken after the attack shows the radar mast is leaning, consistent with an impact. This event would have flexed the wheelhouse roof causing the door frame to pop out and the ceiling tiles to fall. The masts are also scorched from the drone's fuel burning off.

12. What likely happened is a Liutyi drone dove towards the wheelhouse but collided with the ship's radar antenna. The explosion destroyed the antenna but did minor damage otherwise.

11. A drone view of the damaged ship (when being inspected) shows the radar antenna is missing and the antenna's mounting plate is bent. What is not seen is any obvious impact damage to the roof of the wheelhouse.

10. A closer look at the images sheds some light. This photo of the ship taken a few years prior helps explain what happened on December 2. There is a radar antenna mounted on its own mast. Also note how the masts are painted white.

9. A number of inconsistencies made me wonder if this was some sort of fake, i.e., a false-flag operation. These inconsistencies include:

8. One curious detail is that Ukraine denied this incident.