Polish AF PLF105 departed Dayton, OH Cox Int'l after a ground stop-earlier ground stop at Huntsville, AL Int'l Airport
They habs two of these G5's
>>47420 pb
FORGE94 US Army G5 departed Richmond Int'l Airport after a ground stop to JBA
FORGE63 US Army G5 wn from JBA depart-this AC traveled to Peterson AFB and MacDill AFB prior to JBA return
FEAR42 USAF B-52 Stratofortress from Minot AFB, ND hooked up with INDY84 USAF KC-135 tanker from Grissom ARB north 'o Kokomo, IN over Iowa west of Peoria for a refueling exercise
Like the E-4B's they are switched off once they get lined up and will update just prior to a split-off
Rare Lumber Trade Shows How Extreme U.S. Shortages Have Become
For a look at just how extreme America’s shortage of lumber has become, consider this: For the first time in recent memory, a lumberyard was the one selling wood to a supplier.
This kind of trade is virtually unheard of. In a normal world, wholesale distributors buy lumber from sawmills and sell that to the yards that homebuilders frequent. But lumber markets today are anything but normal: Futures have surged by more than 60% to record levels this year as the entire timber supply chain collapses under the weight of soaring demand from people renovating their homes and buying bigger ones. Sawmills can’t keep up with orders. Truck shipments have been delayed. And distributors are running short on product. What’s more, reverse trades like the one that occurred earlier this month threaten to push wood prices higher. Distributors buying back supply from yards will inevitably mark up prices to the customers they resell to, potentially creating a vicious cycle that continues to stoke what has already proven to be an unrelenting lumber rally. According to MaterialsXchange, a Chicago-based digital trading platform for physical wood products, the trade involved a lumberyard selling about 30,000 square feet of oriented strand board -- a cheaper stand-in for plywood that is widely used to make house floors and walls. It’s known as OSB for short.
On Wednesday, the electronic platform brokered another OSB sale involving a U.S. East Coast lumberyard selling to another one in Arkansas at $1,500 per 1,000 square feet, surpassing a record $999 that was reached at the end of March, based on Random Lengths pricing.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/rare-lumber-trade-shows-how-extreme-u-s-shortages-have-become-1.1594126
UNKNOWN USAF Beech MC-12W Liberty from Al Asad Airbase, Iraq in between Fallujah and Ramadi
Been moar visible in Iraq over the last few weeks
Tankers, the trips by the BACN GLEX (aerial wi-fi for the various AC platforms) farther in to Iraq.
MC-12W Liberty Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Aircraft
The MC-12W Liberty aircraft is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) acquired for Project Liberty. Project Liberty includes Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Enduring Iraqi Freedom (OIF). OEF is the official name designated by the US government for its war in Afghanistan, while OIF is the official name for its war in Iraq.
An asset owned by the Joint Forces Air Component Commander, the aircraft’s key mission is to provide ISR services to the ground forces. A medium-altitude manned vehicle, the MC-12W is based on the Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 and King Air 350ER models, which are variants of the C-12 series. The aircraft is an augmentation of the two King Air models to include ISR capabilities. The MC-12W has been procured as it can support all the Air Force’s irregular warfare mission needs.
https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/mc-liberty/
SAM194 USAF G5 on approach for JBA from Miami Int'l ground stop and Santo Domingo, DR depart
BOXER45 USAF C-40c on descent for JBA from Scott AFB, IL ground stop-prior stop at McGuire AFB, NJ from JBA departure
BOXER45 departed Los Angeles Int'l yesterday and had a ground stop at Moffett Field, CA (Bay Area) prior to returning to JBA
FORGE63 US Army G5 from Ft. Hood, TX also inbound at JBA
US airdropped supplies near Senkakus in China-conscious drill
U.S. forces staged a rare military exercise near the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, going a step beyond its usual activity by airdropping supplies into waters near the islets in an apparent warning to China over recent incursions.
The U.S. military informed Japan's Self-Defense Forces shortly beforehand about plans for an exercise there involving a personnel drop, according to a senior Japanese official, though no troops were ultimately transported onto the islands. The drill took place in February, a few weeks before a summit of the Indo-Pacific security grouping known as the Quad. The tensions surrounding the Senkakus, which China claims as the Diaoyu, have taken on added significance as Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan. The islands sit only about 170 km away from the Taiwan Strait, and mounting tensions with China in either area could easily come to engulf both. A Chinese fighter jet approached the islands on the day of the drill, and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighters were scrambled in response. Chinese naval vessels were also sighted in the vicinity. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato declined Thursday to comment on the specifics of a U.S. operation, but said that "American forces conduct drills from time to time during peacetime as needed to fulfill the objectives of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty."
Washington and Tokyo have affirmed repeatedly most recently in the joint statement issued after the April 16 summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that Article 5 of the treaty, which obligates the U.S. to defend Japan if it comes under attack, covers the Senkakus. The language of the treaty suggests that if Chinese troops landed on the islands, for example, American forces would work with the SDF to retake them or stop the invasion.
While the U.S. military and the SDF have previously conducted exercises around isolated islands for such scenarios, this appears to be the first to come to light involving the Senkakus themselves. The move reflects a shift in Washington's attitude toward Beijing. Biden has called China America's biggest rival, and his administration has made clear that it seeks to partner with allies to counter Beijing on both security and economic fronts. The decision to take action specifically related to defending the Senkakus, a major concern for Tokyo, is part of this change. The topic was raised at last week's summit, after which Suga told reporters that he and Biden agreed to "peacefully resolve" issues involving China. Beijing has acted increasingly aggressively in the area. The number of days on which Chinese vessels sailed in the territorial waters around the Senkakus between January and March doubled from the same period last year, and Chinese ships have passed through the islands' contiguous zone every day since Feb. 13.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/US-airdropped-supplies-near-Senkakus-in-China-conscious-drill
Arrest warrants issued for Myanmar's NUG ministers
Myanmar's military says it has issued arrest warrants for 26 people, including all figures appointed as ministers by its opponents.
The military made the announcement through a state-run TV channel on Thursday night. It said an unlawful government is being formed to subvert the top decision-making body established by the military in accordance with the constitution. A committee opposing the military announced on April 16 the formation of what it calls a National Unity Government and the appointment of 14 ministers. The committee includes lawmakers of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
The National Unity Government is asking members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to recognize it as the legitimate authority in Myanmar. However, Myanmar's military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, is scheduled to attend an ASEAN summit-level meeting in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Saturday. The United Nations' special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, will also be in Indonesia on the same day.
Analysts say Myanmar's military is seeking to legitimize its rule by subduing opponents ahead of the ASEAN meeting.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210423_05/
Interpol asked to help arrest junta chief
Myanmar's National Unity Government, which stands in opposition to the military-led regime since Feb. 1, urges Interpol to work with Indonesian police to arrest junta leader Min Aung Hlaing when he travels to Jakarta for an ASEAN summit.
The unity government reveals the request on its Facebook page.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar-Coup/Myanmar-coup-latest-Interpol-asked-to-help-arrest-junta-chief
>>47487 pb
Tokyo Motor Show cancelled for first time in 67 years
The Tokyo Motor Show has been cancelled for the first time in its 67-year history due to rising virus cases.
The cancellation of the event comes even as the organisers of the Summer Olympics push ahead with their plans. It comes as Japan is expected to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures from 25 April to 11 May. Japan is facing a surge in Covid-19 cases, driven by more infectious variants of the virus. The Tokyo Motor Show, which started in 1954 and is usually held every two years, had been scheduled to go ahead in October.
The last event, which took place in 2019, attracted around 1.3 million visitors, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. The organisation's chairman Akio Toyoda, who is also the president of Japan's biggest carmaker Toyota, said the event was called off because "it is difficult to offer our main programme in a safe and secure environment". The show's organisers also said that, unlike other major industry exhibitions that have moved online during the pandemic, there were no plans to make it a virtual event. The cancellation comes as Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to declare a state of emergency in several parts of the country, including Tokyo and Osaka. These latest developments come just three months before Japan is scheduled to host the 2020 Olympics, which have already been delayed by a year. In China this week the first major global car exhibition since the start of the pandemic went ahead.
The country's biggest motor show, Auto Shanghai 2021, was open to the public but with attendees having to take Covid-19 tests to gain entry.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56840782