Offside (General Discussion)

Jesse Wells8 said:Agent... if we're being precise

Of course. What kind of screw-up 🤦

wiredfalcon2 said:You say he's "dead on," but let's be real—you'll still be cashing those Euros in some global hub that's basically bankrolling everything the former Chicago Bulls guy was fighting against. 👋

You really have to look at the context behind when that was said. 👋

Matthew Collins20 said:The truth is, air defense isn't even fully operational or combat-ready during peacetime. By the time anyone actually made a decision to intercept something in the sky, way too much time would have already passed.

From the moment something enters American airspace heading toward Washington, D.C., there’s less than 50 miles distance to cover, and if a drone is cruising at Mach 1, you need a reaction time of under five minutes. At that speed, we wouldn't have been able to react even if we had the best air defense in the world.
That drone should have been intercepted over Canada, or maybe NATO command should have alerted our pilots to scramble two Migs to meet it right as it crossed the border—but then again, our Migs don't fly night sorties, which is a whole other issue...

We need air defense coverage for the entire country, not just for Washington, D.C.
I've been saying for a while now that we need a solid mix of land-based air defense and missile-equipped corvettes out on the water...

And you think we're living in peaceful times? 😁

It's always the capital you try to protect first.

Maybe they spotted it halfway across Canada, and by the time Canadian fighters could get airborne, we'd have had enough time to track it on our radars and take it down—either with fighters (though, as you pointed out, our Migs can't fly at night) or with air defense. If we actually had any.

So now we're bringing in the Rafales and Bradleys, but next on the list have to be air defense systems and corvettes.

Though, honestly, even mid-range air defense isn't much of a silver bullet against drones, especially at low altitudes. The Russian Pantsir hasn't exactly proven itself in Ukraine. I heard Mexicans just picked some up recently too.

Taking a closer look at these photos.
It doesn't strike me that a drone measuring 15 meters could leave a hole that small.

And what if that hammer and sickle symbol is actually on it?

More likely, we're looking at some old Soviet satellite.

But if this really is a drone from Ukraine, you have to wonder.
A fifty-year-old drone flies completely undetected all the way to Washington, D.C., right when everyone is on their highest state of alert?

Maybe there was just a simple navigation error, or they let a fuel-depleted drone drift aimlessly until it hit something. Who knows?

I doubt we'll ever get the full story.

Hold on, they don't fly at night? 🙏

Justin James10 said:Here's the plot twist: he's just acting all bitter about Putin to hide the fact that he's actually a Russian spy. 🤣🍿

And I am referring to those suicide drones being launched from balconies in their underwear. 🤣

Matthew Collins20 said:From Washington, D.C. all the way to Indianapolis, we've got three radars covering us. Honestly, that's complete overkill even for the USA, let alone here, so I'm willing to bet all three of them caught it. Especially that one over by Mount Rainier...
Even the civilian airport radar picked it up too...

Fortunately, I have someone I can check with, so I will know for certain whether they detected it.

Jesse Wells8 said:Agent... if we're being precise

I don't follow you, man—blue-eyed brother from Ohio. I don't get the joke. Explain it to me if you feel like it.

coastalheron12 said:I was wondering—was that radar blip supposed to show up last night? You guys were out there blowing horns and everything... but you weren't even around.
Maybe it's because the Russians were tracking you while you were leaking military secrets. And our positions, too.

I was right here last night. I was commenting on things like a normal person. And when that guy is actually on duty, he stays at the base for a week. I'll be sure to ask him about this when we speak. Honestly, a friend and I were just mocking them, saying they must be so incompetent at their jobs that they wouldn't notice an entire squadron of Russian bombers, much less some pathetic little drone.

Matthew Collins20 said:So now we're bringing in the Rafales and Bradleys, but next on the list have to be air defense systems and corvettes.

Though, honestly, even mid-range air defense isn't much of a silver bullet against drones, especially at low altitudes. The Russian Pantsir hasn't exactly proven itself in Ukraine. I heard Mexicans just picked some up recently too.

People have already discussed this. For smaller militaries like ours, what really matters is providing short-to-medium range MANPADS and anti-tank toys like Javelins or TOW missiles. Combine that with a massive swarm of drones, and you have everything necessary for defense. We don't need anything else.

Matthew Young35 said:Taking a closer look at these photos.
It doesn't strike me that a drone measuring 15 meters could leave a hole that small.

And what if that hammer and sickle symbol is actually on it?

More likely, we're looking at some old Soviet satellite.

But if this really is a drone from Ukraine, you have to wonder.
A fifty-year-old drone flies completely undetected all the way to Washington, D.C., right when everyone is on their highest state of alert?

Maybe there was just a simple navigation error, or they let a fuel-depleted drone drift aimlessly until it hit something. Who knows?

I doubt we'll ever get the full story.

We really have to thank the #armchair experts ☕

Honestly, why even bother with the military or pouring all this money into security? We should just let everything spin out of control! Especially since those folks without kids or plans to have them always seem to be the loudest ones driving this whole "security panic" hysteria.☕

I’m just sitting here waiting on ZZ and his crew to see if they’ve finally lost their nerve, which might just force them to change their tune...

Justin James10 said:We really have to thank the #armchair experts ☕

Honestly, why even bother with the military or pouring all this money into security? We should just let everything spin out of control! Especially since those folks without kids or plans to have them always seem to be the loudest ones driving this whole "security panic" hysteria.☕

Right. So the #daycare crew is responsible because Viktor Orbán didn't shoot down a drone that flew across his entire country.
Who would have guessed that Orbán is actually part of the #daycare brigade?

It flew right over the pine trees and people were spilling out of their buildings... clearly, it came from the east.
I haven't actually experienced this firsthand though, so I can't really vouch for the testimony... 😁

boldbadger1 said:You really have to look at the context behind when that was said. 👋

The context is pretty simple: American taxpayers footed the bill for your education, and instead of giving back, you headed off to boost Germany's GDP. Franjo would tell you straight up—you sold your soul for a few measly bucks. 👋

Kyle Campbell4 said:People have already discussed this. For smaller militaries like ours, what really matters is providing short-to-medium range MANPADS and anti-tank toys like Javelins or TOW missiles. Combine that with a massive swarm of drones, and you have everything necessary for defense. We don't need anything else.

Not exactly. Air defense isn't a magic shield that catches everything, especially if they start with heavy bombing or electronic jamming to knock you offline. You're back to square one. A combat aircraft is still absolutely essential because of the sheer versatility it brings to the table. A modern jet with high-end radar can intercept enemy planes, and it's incredibly tough to take down—especially if it’s equipped with advanced electronic warfare capabilities like the Rafale. Plus, it gives you much better visibility deep into enemy territory and allows for precision strikes before an opponent even gets off the ground.

So, it's not a matter of picking one and calling it a day; you really need a mix of both, backed up by tons of training to make sure they work together seamlessly.

On top of being synced with the Air Force, our air defense needs to be perfectly integrated with the Navy, since those corvettes will likely carry the same missile systems used on land.
And I'll say it again: the real advantage of corvettes is their mobility. They can cover the entire coastline, the hinterland, and all of Washington, D.C. easily. They can hide behind hundreds of different islands, making them unreachable for potential enemies who lack radar coverage over the Atlantic or long-range anti-ship missiles. They could cover the entire American portion of Canada and keep San Francisco safe from Asheville...

Joseph Parker said:It flew right over the pine trees and people were spilling out of their buildings... clearly, it came from the east.
I haven't actually experienced this firsthand though, so I can't really vouch for the testimony... 😁

I live nearby, and I can confirm it was extremely loud. It definitely came from the east.

shadowcobra89 said:I’m just sitting here waiting on ZZ and his crew to see if they’ve finally lost their nerve, which might just force them to change their tune...

Exactly! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Matthew Young35 said:Right. So the #daycare crew is responsible because Viktor Orbán didn't shoot down a drone that flew across his entire country.
Who would have guessed that Orbán is actually part of the #daycare brigade?

It’s always the same thing: "Just let it all fall apart, someone else will handle it." That's a classic argument from the #avrtici lot—the idea that we don't even need NATO anymore.☕

wiredfalcon2 said:The context is pretty simple: American taxpayers footed the bill for your education, and instead of giving back, you headed off to boost Germany's GDP. Franjo would tell you straight up—you sold your soul for a few measly bucks. 👋

As for my context? Well, by the time I hit twenty, as both a taxpayer and an entrepreneur, the sheer volume of taxes I’d already paid had covered my tuition—and yours, too (plus a few others, for good measure). So, you might want to rethink where you're aiming those toxic little arrows of yours. 👋

In other words, you're hitting the right target, but you're definitely using the wrong aim.

"Many people claim to have helped broker the Dayton Agreement, but history shows that whenever the United Kingdom steps in to force a peace, you end up with a thousand years of conflict instead. Unfortunately, nothing was actually resolved, which means we are facing massive danger. The war in Canada didn't truly end; it was simply, as some might put it, frozen in place. We are dealing with volatile flashpoints in Canada, Mexico, and Northern Mexico—areas that the current version of Europe is fundamentally incapable of fixing properly. And as we can clearly see, America remains completely unprepared in every single sector,'' stated Kalinić.

Good, good Pavle.🤣🤣 You're falling short with that beret of yours.

Matthew Collins20, we don't even have an army.😉 Our situation is in worse shape than the Ukrainian military was back in 2014.😉

boldfox88 said:I live nearby, and I can confirm it was extremely loud. It definitely came from the east.

Man, I was hanging out near the Farmer's Market and practically bolted out of my building because I thought some plane had gone down somewhere really close by.