On Being A Tool...

 ... or a fool or why I stopped cooperating with RT, which is a tribune for Valdai boys with pedigrees like this:

Andrey Sushentsov

Russian Federation

Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club; Dean of the School of International Relations at MGIMO University. Mr. Sushentsov specializes in the US foreign policy in international conflicts, as well as in South Caucasus, Ukraine, and the Middle East. He has substantial experience of analytical work. He took part in applied researches on the United States’ foreign policy, conflict resolution in South Caucasus, Ukraine, and the Middle East. In his studies, he examines the spheres of conflicting interests of Russia and the United States in Europe, the Middle East and the post-Soviet space. He was a Visiting Professor and Research Fellow at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Guido Carli Free University of International Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Harvard University and Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey. He is a member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and of the Working Group on the Future of Russian-American Relations. 

In other words, Sushetsov is a product of degree mills in the US and is shaped as "professional" by the environment which produced a staggering number of diplomatic and governing failures. So, it is no wonder that he writes the piece with the title which even commenters on RT board laughed at.  

Andrey Sushentsov: Here’s why the US can’t get along with the other major global powers. American elites believe in democracy at home and dictatorship abroad; that’s why the world is so dangerous right now. 

I wonder what stone did he sleep under for the last 24 years? Yes, I am talking about well coordinated assault on the American Constitution and Bill of Rights, starting from Patriot Act and final subversion of Capitol Hill by Israel. Boy, those Valdai boys are slow. But if that hasn't been enough, Sushentsov goes to prove Arthur Clark's Third Law that:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Modern military technology as well as its tactical and operational use, as well as formulation of military doctrine and strategy are extremely complex and require people with serious military and engineering background. This whole thing is in the foundation of global balance of power. But for Mr. Sushentsov who has a "soft degree" in essentially nothing, formation of the global power balance is indistinguishable from magic, because none of the Valdai boys have cognitive tools to grasp it. Because of that Sushentsov invents things trying to explain what he doesn't understand and views as magic.

Ukraine is a convenient, rather cheap tool for the US to weaken and contain Russia, and to force its European allies to keep their discipline and obey. This is all part of an international struggle for a new form of hierarchy.  Of course, it’s just a temporary phenomenon until a new balance of power, recognized by all, is established.

I have news for Sushentsov--recognition is always achieved through coercion and deterrence. In other words, this recognition and, hence, power balance are formed by those who know how to fight a war and win it. The whole structure of the international relations in XX and XXI centuries rests on warfare and industrial might. It will continue to be such until the United States is completely stripped off its grossly exaggerated military might, both through defeat in Ukraine and continuous unstoppable de-industrialization, and a complete loss of remnants of the US mythology as "the finest fighting force in history". This whole thing is in progress and it is Russia, and China, who already dictate conditions, with Russia leading the way because she did what China still cannot do--she accepted NATO's military challenge and brought about the implosion of the West as we know it. You see, magic. 

In other news, for those who still view Metternich (or Kissinger) as some kind of great diplomatic minds, as Stalin once responded to attempts to convince him on importance of Pope: "and how many divisions does the Pope have?" Until these guys understand that no diplomacy matters until one has Mr. Kinzhal and Mr. Borei-A behind diplomacy and international relations--they will continue to write this nonsense about the United States, its oligarchy selling "democracy" gospel to stupid, and power balance. Difficult to figure it out in XXI century without serving a day in armed forces and studying Theory of Operations, physics and systems integration. The might was always right in human history and it always was about the nature of this might.

Look at it--it is magic of the Project 955A Borei--it is a foundation of Russian diplomacy. I would love to quote Mr. Ostap Bender from the conclusion of the 12 Chairs immortal classics, but I only can quote Hofstadter:

… the complexity of modern life has steadily whittled away the functions the ordinary citizen can intelligently and comprehendingly perform for himself. In the original American populistic dream, the omnicompetence of the common man was fundamental and indispensable. It was believed that he could, without much special preparation, pursue the professions and run the government. Today he knows that he cannot even make his breakfast without using devices, more or less mysterious to him, which expertise has put at his disposal; and when he sits down to breakfast and looks at his morning newspaper, he reads about a whole range of vital and intricate issues and acknowledges, if he is candid with himself, that he has not acquired competence to judge most of them(c)

And don't call me Shirley.

Magic...

... couldn't miss this, just couldn't... 

 

LOL)))

I would love to see this awarded just to piss off Western so called liberals. In the same time it is clear that Nobel Prize has become a joke. 

Former US President Donald Trump has been put forward for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the signing of a treaty that helped normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states. The proposal was made by Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney, who told Fox News on Tuesday that Trump was “instrumental” in facilitating the “historic” Abraham Accords, which she said were “the first peace agreements in the Middle East in almost 30 years.” The lawmaker praised the former president and GOP frontrunner, saying Trump had proven many foreign policy pundits wrong who argued for decades that additional Middle East peace agreements were impossible without a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The whole thing is an absolute circus now. Yeah, Trump-the-peacemaker, LOL. The most Zionist and anti-Russian POTUS prior to Biden. While at it why don't they also cancel ridiculous Nobel Prize in literature, because they award it to nothing worthy of real literature. While at it, also, it is time to do away with utterly corrupt International Olympic Committee (IOC) and already damages beyond salvation the so called Olympic Movement. Every single Western political and cultural institution has been either utterly corrupted or destroyed. I think Trump should receive this prize to finish off this Nobel Prize BS. Just leave Physics, Chemistry and Medicine prizes--they still matter somewhat. Peace Prize my ass, VSU and 404 have been prepared for war at Trump's watch, if somebody chose to forget this little fact.

When You Have 8,000+ Kilometers...

 ... range missiles you don't need no stinking stealth or to look cool, albeit TU-95 does look cool. 

If the air frame holds--no, this thing is not going to retire any time soon. Stick new avionics into it (done), new targeting system (done) and 8 X-BD missiles and you can fly for another 50 years. TU-160Ms are already flying with X-BD (in Russian). I am not some kind of warmonger, but this simple picture tells one everything one needs to know about old Bears launching X-BDs from the safety of Russian airspace.

You just need to be a good platform in this case. I completed today the chapter on air operations and the way USAF feels itself--it doesn't feel itself well, to put it mildly, after it saw Russian VKS operations.

Well, That's CIA For Ya...

 ... US media increasingly begin to look like a North Korean TV and, in fact, this comparison is not a stretch. As any US legacy media, Foreign Affairs should not be taken seriously other than the propaganda and ideology rag, similar to the CPSU main ideological magazine Communist. Here is proof--Mr.Burns, current CIA's boss shares his analytical wisdowm about Russia. 

Putin’s war has already been a failure for Russia on many levels. His original goal of seizing Kyiv and subjugating Ukraine proved foolish and illusory. His military has suffered immense damage. At least 315,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, two-thirds of Russia’s prewar tank inventory has been destroyed, and Putin’s vaunted decades-long military modernization program has been hollowed out. All this is a direct result of Ukrainian soldiers’ valor and skill, backed up by Western support. Meanwhile, Russia’s economy is suffering long-term setbacks, and the country is sealing its fate as China’s economic vassal. Putin’s overblown ambitions have backfired in another way, too: they have prompted NATO to grow larger and stronger. 

These are some of the pearls by this guy who is running CIA and that explains why the US cannot beat Taliban or doesn't have any clear picture of the events around the world. Burns has been the US Ambassador to Russia and while there he learned absolutely nothing, which is the feature, not a bug, of what passes in the US for diplomacy, and now he toes the party line spreading incompetent and, frankly, sore loser's BS. 

The key to success lies in preserving Western aid for Ukraine. At less than five percent of the U.S. defense budget, it is a relatively modest investment with significant geopolitical returns for the United States and notable returns for American industry. Keeping the arms flowing will put Ukraine in a stronger position if an opportunity for serious negotiations emerges. It offers a chance to ensure a long-term win for Ukraine and a strategic loss for Russia; Ukraine could safeguard its sovereignty and rebuild, while Russia would be left to deal with the enduring costs of Putin’s folly. For the United States to walk away from the conflict at this crucial moment and cut off support to Ukraine would be an own goal of historic proportions. 

Somebody needs to give this guy basic intro into Strategy, REAL US military history, not its Hollywood version, and also explain what real industrial economy is and how it relates to modern warfare. The whole piece is a pathetic exercise in delusion and palliative therapy for the extreme case of  butt-hurt. So, here is your CIA boss self-medicating by fantasizing. With spies like these, who needs enemies. 

Vladimir Putin is...

 ... on the suicide watch, from worries, while most of Russia's Security Council members bite their nails sitting on the edges of their seats observing a riveting discussion between Finland's two Presidential candidates who decide...

If Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to congratulate Finland's future president, the phone would be buzzing for a long time. "I wouldn't answer. Putin would use it as some kind of propaganda. At the moment, we have no relations with Russia, Alexander Stubb replies. Unlike Stubb, Pekka Haavisto would pick up the handset. "Every time a head of state calls, they answer. I wouldn't give the phone to the cleaner at the presidential palace. I would reply and accept congratulations. I would not be having a debate on political substance without coordination. This is the opinion of Alexander Stubb (Conservative Party) and Pekka Haavisto (constituency association, Green Party), who were runners-up in the presidential elections. The candidates met for the first time in the second round in Studio A on Monday night. In the live broadcast, Stubb and Haavisto also answered questions sent by the audience. The question related to Putin's call was one of nearly a thousand audience questions received by Studio A.

What can I say, I am very happy for Finns for getting their priorities straight, but I have been to Finland--it doesn't look good in short to mid-term perspective. Per the long-term? Doesn't look good either, judging by the questions from audience. In related news, this issue, I am sure, will be brought up to Putin's attention who will discover soon that he should call Finland's President-elect, not that he wants to or has any intentions to do so. But those hot Finnish guys--they are so persuasive.

Open Thread With Garland's

... excellent commentaries. 

Go at it.

Vladimir and I Are Getting Ready...

 ... so, if you want--prepare questions you may want to ask my good friend Colonel (Ret.) of Central Apparatus of Ministry of Defense of Russia Vladimir Trukhan. I plan to get it live underway some time this week. So, post questions in comments section. I will ask the ones which are relevant to the issue of military art, SMO, operations.

Ah, Yes...

 ... 50 million views today. Who would have thought in 2014, in reality in 2017 when this blog began to get noticed. I guess this is a milestone. Thank you all, guys, for making it possible.

Larry's Warning.

We better listen. 

 

Modern US Has No Statesmen.

...nor can Washington establishment face the real facts of the XX century history, so they rewrite it constantly.  

Finally, Genocide of Soviet People by Nazism is recognized.
 

Here Is American Journalist...

 ... experiencing real Christmas in Russia. Tofurious Crane had a epiphany after working as a volunteer helping Donbass. Here is him three weeks ago. 

Do NOT discount metaphysical and religious element behind the events of the 21st century--as Patriarch Kirill stated it is the war with Antichrist. Literally, between the darkness and the light.

Larry Demolishes...

 ... War On The Rocks media outlet, especially Michael Kofman. 

What planet are these three living on? Starting in mid-December 2023, Russia has unleashed a devastating barrage of missile and rocket attacks on Ukraine’s military industrial plants, munition storage facilities and infrastructure. I can excuse Michael Kofman and Dara Massicot’s ignorance — neither has experience with actual military operations and are quintessential analysts from the ivory castle of political science — but how can Rob Lee, a former Marine infantry officer, sign on to something so imbecilic? They claim to be Russian experts but reveal a profound ignorance about Russia’s military and economic capability. I will make this real simple. Ukraine does not have the ability to implement the War on the Rocks prescription. First, manpower. Even Ukrainian sources are conceding that Ukraine has suffered more than a million casualties. The average age of the frontline troops is 43. For the math challenged out there (this clearly applies to Kofman, Lee and Massicot), if the average age is 43 that means you have a large number of 50 and 60 year old cannon fodder manning the trenches and bunkers. The under 40 crowd is not flocking to the recruiting office in Kiev to sign up. Just the opposite. They are going to extreme lengths to avoid being dragooned into the army. We’ve seen guys wearing disguises that make them look like 70 year old men and others dressing as women. Not because they are transgender but because the Ukrainian recruiters are not grabbing women off the street and throwing them on to the military bus.

Well, Michael Kofman's "planet" is known well--he is Ukrainian Jew born in Kiev. As any graduate from degree mills in "international security" in the US, Kofman has no tool kit to analyze the gas stoves in Home Depot, let alone being "subject matter expert" on Russia. He is political scientist, but he has scores to settle with Russia for whatever reason and because of that, same way as pharmaceutical Captain Harry Tabakh, who wouldn't know shit from shinola in real war, Kofman wet dreams.  

Generally, all those "military" media outlets in the US, be that 19fortyfive.com, Task and Purpose, or We Are The Mighty among many others, today serve only the purpose exposing an excruciating coming to terms by all those authors, including cadre military, who have been shown what real war is and what expects them in the real war, once the remnants of triumphalist BS about "finest fighting force in history" will be purged from their minds.  So, many of them cope and hope, hope against all fundamentals of military science and real history of wars humanity fought over centuries. It is like explaining an enthusiastic kid that 1812 Overture played by Boston Philharmonic on the 4th of July has nothing to do with the US whatsoever, but with defeating the largest (at that time) invasion of Western nations into Russia, which, eventually brought Russians to Paris in 1814.  

Today Russia marked the 80th of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad--an almost 900 days apocalypse which saw at least million and a half of Soviet people, primarily civilians, dying. The magnificent monument to at least 16 million Soviet civilians who died as a result of Nazi genocide was finally opened today at Gatchina. About time. This scale, these numbers are beyond the grasp of "subject matter experts" in Russia in the US because whole generation of ignoramuses from Ivy and other leagues have been graduated and brainwashed by Solzhenitsyn's lies and comparisons of Soviet Union and European Nazism. No more...

And then there were 11 million of Red Army's KIAs. Those 27 million.

 

But no worries, it was the US Army which liberated Auschwitz, and in general--Slavic and other lives DO NOT MATTER in Washington because nobody there has any experience with that--none. Will Spielberg shoot the movie about that? Nah, I am screwing with you--of course not. 

P.S. Dara Massicot wouldn't pass exams for entering any Russian military academy let alone 2-year programs for officers in what amounts to equivalent of US "war colleges". Yet, she graduated... 10 months long courses in Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies. Obviously based on Hollywood as life has shown us.

On A Lighter Note.

Some news from Texas. 

We just came to see Texas steeples. But then it somehow unfolded on its own. As you may expect, Russians are having a field day with Texas memes, some of them are hilarious.

About Elites.

Three years (almost) ago I wrote about HOW real elites are brought up. It was a discussion of Russia's new national security strategy. Recall:

The future of Russia, in addition to the material well-being of its citizens, also depends on how we manage to preserve spirituality and morality, traditions, and pass on to the young generation the memory of the heroic past of their ancestors. To neutralize the threats associated with the distortion of history, with the destruction of basic moral and ethical norms, with attempts to introduce alien ideals and values ​​in the field of education, culture, religion, the Strategy formulates a new strategic national priority "Protection of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, culture and historical memory ". 

After that  I added:

As the strategic truism goes--want the enemy to surrender its country, bring up its youth. Here is Brittany, speaks about this issue. 

Well, Vladimir Putin understands the issue really well:

War veterans returning from the Ukraine conflict should become Russia’s new elite, President Vladimir Putin has argued. Addressing ministers and top St Petersburg officials on Friday, Putin also called on Russian ministers to provide decommissioned military personnel with all the support necessary to facilitate this process. The Russian head of state previously revealed that some 617,000 service members had been deployed in Ukraine. “I met today with students, who put their studies on hold, many of them, [and] went to the warzone,” Putin remarked. “It’s out of these people that we should be forming the country’s elite in the future,” he added. The Russian head of state described returning troops as those who can be entrusted with the country’s development.

For those who still cannot get it--this is not the military class of the times of Plato or even of WW I. This is military class of Russia which is highly educated and with enormous combat and life experiences. Now try to push sick Western "cultural" agenda through this class--good luck with that. As elaborated further:

“Hence, they should be supported [and] assisted,” President Putin concluded. He also contrasted veterans with “people who, pardon me, expose their genitals or show their bottom” – an apparent reference to a private party featuring an ‘almost naked’ dress code organized by prominent Russian blogger Anastasia Ivleeva in Moscow last month. Photos and videos from the event, which was attended by Russian celebrities, mostly pop artists, ended up on the internet, scandalizing conservative activists and authorities alike. One attendee in particular, 25-year-old rapper Nikolai Vasilyev, aka Vacio, drew special attention as he sported nothing but a Balenciaga sock on his penis in the way of clothing. Some have since suggested that he was emulating Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis’ look from the 1990s.

So, Russia is going back to her historic root of having a military class as her elite of elites and it is the only way to preserve Russian culture.

Watch To The End.

It is very instructive and heartwarming. 

As one Russian commenter stated:"You brought to Russia your most important treasure--your nine children." Well, community is doing now everything to get this wonderful Canadian family everything they need as fast as possible. You can understand why they are so emotional, especially after what they went through in their native Canada. You jump into the unknown and suddenly recognize that you are safe. I know, I can relate to this, because these were our new American friends who stood by us in 1990s and helped us immensely, we will never forget their kindness. It is Russia now, who dramatically limits Middle Asia immigration to Russia, while for people with the real Christian root the doors are opening wider. The Ark... and the last bastion of Western Civilization. Remember? Moscow is the Third Rome. Increasingly looks like the old prophesy from 16th century: Two Romes fell, a third stands, and there will not be a fourth one. 

I have to admit--I scratch my head when observing the events of the last decade. It is down right creepy how the whole thing unfolds and how it matches some of the prophesies. Consider this call of Patriarch for Russia to lead the fight with antichrist (in Russian). This is serious, in fact it is as serious as it gets. This is not some sermon in church, this has been stated three days ago from the tribune of Russia's Federation Council (the upper chamber of the Federal Assembly). The consequences of this will manifest themselves over the long time period.

Open Thread.

Go at it. Busy now.

Do You Remember This Kid?

Usually children stars don't live long, still--recall this. 

Of course she entered the competition eight years ago with Tsoy's greatest song. 

Now she grew up and she made it her own (not even Polina Gagarina), there are only two of them who can convey the power of this poetry--Olga Kormukhina and this girl. Video will tell you all you need to know--Russians in the forest when hear the cuckoo they always ask--hey, cuckoo, how many years I have to live. I know, I did this too. And then they listen to how many times the cuckoo will, well, cuckoo. In war it matters...

 

This is 2024 if you forgot... Вот Так--That's the way!

They Predicted It...

 ... 30+ years ago)) Admiral Benson was ahead of his time... 

Immortal Lloyd Bridges being funny as hell... I remember watching the first time Airplane (of course with another immortal Leslie Nielsen) and the whole party we got together was fucking moaning from the laughter... it did hurt. And when we all thought the Airplane and the Naked Gun couldn't get any better--Hot Shots (both of them) came out. Can you believe they made movies like that then, instead of drudgery they pretend to be an art today? Instead of Lloyd Bridges we have Lloyd Austin today and it is not even funny. It is over for Hollywood--a bunch of pedophiles and snow flakes with pathetic claims to acting.

Tucker and Macgregor.

Thanks, Barotiki. Just confirms my point of many years--they have no idea what real war is inside the Beltway. There is not a single US Army officer from lieutenant to general who has any idea what real war is. 

Again, the US Army, allowed for historical adjustments, are amateurs compared to Prussian General Staff and Wehrmacht--and you know their real story, not the BS written by them into US Army field manuals (sour grapes will do this trick to you). But then again, when you have Hollywood directors teaching your army...

Lavrov, Iran and Avangard.

 My latest video. 

 

A Bit Of Clarification.

I am glad that Moat brought this up. Thank you.

Almost everything is right in this statement by this Retired US Army Major Richard Ojeda except one thing. This one thing is that US Army could never provide "real training" to VSU because US Army "training" and Field Manuals are written for beating the shit out of almost defenseless enemies. He got it exactly upside down--it was the US "training" which VSU discarded as useless for real war. Here is NYT.

Ukrainian Troops Trained by the West Stumble in Battle. Ukraine’s army has for now set aside U.S. fighting methods and reverted to tactics it knows best.

No US servicemen from General to the last grunt ever experienced the real combined arms multi-domain war, period. Some Ukie brigade commander who survived through the last 20 months of SMO can lecture JCS or any professor in US Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth on how to fight a real war. And yes, Afghanistan is not and never was a combined arms war. And yes, NATO built the best proxy it ever had by far. VSU was actually a real army and on the February 24, 2022 it was the best NATO's army, except for the US Army. So, major was a bit sloppy with his parallel to Afghanistan. Other than that, he is correct. 

Coming Up...

... today. 

 

They Knew It.

About IL-76 with 65 VSU POWs for exchange. 

On Wednesday at 11:15 Moscow time, reports came in that an IL-76 military transport plane carrying Ukrainian POWs had crashed and exploded in a field near the village of Yablonovo in the Korochansky district of Belgorod Region, which neighbors Ukraine.

The salvo of two AD missiles which downed this plane whose schedule (time of departure, flight plan etc.) was known in advance by Kiev regime came from the village of Liptsy, which is about 40 kilometers from Belgorod proper and the range of intercept was likely even less--the range for any medium-range AD system. The names of 65 VSU POWs are known now and the list has been published. In the same time, Russian MoD reports today:

МОСКВА, 24 янв — РИА Новости. Российские военные впервые сообщили об уничтожении в зоне специальной военной операции французского зенитного ракетного комплекса SAMP-T. «В течение суток уничтожены склады боеприпасов 31-й механизированной и 26-й артиллерийской бригад ВСУ, зенитный ракетный комплекс SAMP-T французского производства", — говорится в сводке военного ведомства. ЗРК SAMP-T предназначен для противовоздушной обороны войск и механизированных соединений, находящихся на марше, а также обеспечения противовоздушного прикрытия стационарных объектов.

Translation: MOSCOW, January 24 – RIA Novosti. The Russian military reported for the first time the destruction of a French SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system in a special military operation zone. “Within 24 hours, ammunition depots of the 31st mechanized and 26th artillery brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a French-made SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system were destroyed,” says the military department’s report. The SAMP-T air defense system is designed for air defense of troops and mechanized formations located on the march, as well as providing air defense cover for stationary objects.  

SAMP-T is a good ol' Aster family missile complex and it can reach to 100 kilometer range. But in case of IL-76 it could be even IRIS-T. Doesn't matter, really, the issue is simple, this was done deliberately and again only for PR purposes. Apart from 6 members of the crew of IL-76 and 3 liaison officers from Russia, Kiev regime slaughtered 65 own people. This is everything you need to know about this whole situation. Some people often bring up the argument of some sort of "success" on part of Washington in a sense that "Slavs are fighting Slavs". This argument is BS--Slavic Czechs worked for Nazi Germany non-stop in WW II and had very few problems doing it, many Poles hate Russian guts, Ukies marked their participation in both Chechnya wars primarily as snipers and torturers of Russian POWs who would give the run for the money to Dr. Mengele and SS. In present 404 there are very few people who have sympathy for Russia--this is brainwashed, hateful population (primarily) and it will face a long road of denazification once the SMO concludes. Nazi is Nazi, no matter the ethnicity or religion.  

Ah, Sweden.

ABBA, Volvo, IKEA. Those who say they didn't have crush on Agnetta--screw you, lying sacks of shit, we all did. 

But nowadays Sweden is rather a pathetic sight. 

PJW nails it! Cash grab plus infantile "defense establishment". But then again, Russians warned about it. Remember?

 

Swedes, you voted for that.

Let Him Die.

The only meme which comes to mind is this Russian one:

Home T-shirt: Let me die!

The guy: No, my home t-shirt, I love you. 

Isn't it the time of not only for Boeing to review its QA procedures but also retire this whole thing, except the ones who are manufactured roughly before 2012-2015 and let their service life to run out? 

United Airlines, one of the biggest buyers of Boeing jets, is losing patience with the troubled aircraft maker. “I’m disappointed that… this keeps happening at Boeing. This isn’t new,” said Scott Kirby, CEO of United, in an interview Tuesday on CNBC. “We need Boeing to succeed. But they’ve been having these consistent manufacturing challenges. They need to take action here.” Kirby made his comments after the airline warned investors that it will report a larger-than-expected loss in the first three months of this year because of the grounding of all 737 Max 9 jets after a door plug blew off on an Alaska Air flight on January 5, leaving a massive hole in the side of the plane. The plane landed without any serious injuries, but the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding and additional inspections of the more than 200 jets of that model worldwide. United Airlines said it now expects its fleet of Boeing Max 9 jets to remain grounded through the end of this month, and that the company will report a first quarter loss in the range of $116 million to $262 million. That’s more than the $138 million loss already forecast by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

Let's face it, B-737 has become the sort of this home t-shirt which wants to die but is still being worn despite obvious necessity for change. Or, speaking in aeronautical--new single isle aircraft. Boeing finally convinced me that my flying on B-737s is over. And, evidently, I am not the only one. B-737 served all of us well and its time to wind this almost 60 years old concept down. This plane becomes a liability.