PTINS

Read the NOELREPORTS post, some funny comments in there ... S-500, from Wiki - The S-500 Prometheus, is a Russian surface-to-air missile/anti-ballistic missile system supplementing the S-400 and the A-235 ABM missile system. The S-500 was developed by the Almaz-Antey Air Defence Concern. Initially planned to be in production by 2014, the first unit entered service in 2021 with the 15th Air Army. Russia claims that the S-500 is capable of intercepting all types of modern hypersonic weapons; and has claimed to have successfully tested such capability. In May 2018, Russia conducted the longest range surface-to-air missile test to date with the S-500. According to reports citing unnamed sources familiar with U.S. intelligence on the program, the S-500 was able to hit a target 482 km (300 mi) away, which is 80 km further than the previous record. The first S-500 prototype went on combat duty in Moscow on 13 October 2021. However, it did not yet meet the full set of requirements specified by its operator, the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army. Type Mobile surface-to-air missile Place of origin The Russian Federation In service 16 September 2021 Used by Russian Space Forces Designer Almaz-Antey Manufacturer Almaz-Antey Unit cost $2.5 billion? (that's with a "B") Produced 2021–present No. built 1 S-500 regiment in service From 1 of the references ... Where is Russia’s S-500 air defense system? - By Maxim Starchak, Oct 5, 2023 MOSCOW — In late August, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to a factory of air defense systems manufacturer Almaz-Antey to inspect its artillery production, emphasizing to the company the importance of round-the-clock work, according to state-run news agency Sputnik. During the more recent tour, Shoigu and the head of Almaz-Antey emphasized the effectiveness of the S-300, S-350 and S-400 air defense systems amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, there was no mention of the more advanced S-500 Prometheus air defense system. As far back as 2018, President Vladimir Putin called for the mass production of the S-500. However, its manufacturer appears behind. According to Michael Jerdev, a Russia military expert, international sanctions levied against the country may be negatively impacting work on the air defense system. “Russia can multiply the production of air defense missiles, primarily missiles of the 48N6 family, as they are technological products with minimal dependence on foreign components,” said Jerdev, referring to the primary missile series for the S-400. “As for the production of anti-aircraft complexes and radars themselves, their production has a long cycle and depends on the supply of foreign electronic components, which obviously does not allow them to be produced around the clock.” Furthermore, an Almaz-Antey employee said, the company is experiencing “problems with machine tools and a shortage of components.” “The enterprise’s [production rate] has increased,” the source told Defense News on the condition of anonymity to speak freely, but “there are not enough workers.” Developing aerospace defense capabilities has been a major component of Russia’s State Armament Program since 2020. The program is meant to lead to the deployment of 100 battalions, which include 800 launchers made up of S-350, S-400 and S-500 systems. Under the latest iteration of Russia’s State Armament Program, also known as GPV-2027, funds are to go toward the production of the S-500 Prometheus. The previous iteration, GPV-2020, laid out efforts to create, produce and maintain military equipment. Russia began developing the S-500 in 2010, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which tracks the status of air and missile defense systems. In 2011, Russia unveiled plans for two new plants to produce the S-500; they opened in 2016. According to Russian media, one S-500 system would cost an estimated $700 million to $800 million in 2020, and up to $2.5 billion dollars in 2023.

Starting to produce? The Houston area has always produced top tier players. Texas just quit prioritizing the Houston area. Somewhat coincidentally, Texas football sucked for 10 years. Texas All Time Running Back Recruits from the Houston area, per 247 Sports: 2005 Jamaal Charles, Memorial (Port Arthur, TX) 2007 Cody Johnson, Waller (Waller, TX) 2007 Fozzy Whittaker, Pearland (Pearland, TX) 2008 Jeremy Hills, Alief Elsik (Houston, TX) 2008 Ryan Roberson, Brenham (Brenham, TX) 2014 Duke Catalon, Aldine Eisenhower (Houston, TX) 2014 D'Onta Foreman, Texas City (Texas City, TX) 2015 Tristian Houston, North Shore (Houston, TX) 2016 Kyle Porter, Katy (Katy, TX) 2017 Toneil Carter, Langham Creek (Houston, TX) 2017 Daniel Young, Westfield (Houston, TX) 2022 Jaydon Blue, Klein Cain (Houston, TX) Texas took 5 "high rated" RB in the 4 years between 2005 to 2008, or 1.25 per year Texas took 7 "high rated" (extremely generous) RB in the 16 years between 2009 to 2024, or 0.44 per year, including 2 4-year periods of not getting any. Texas fucked up in abandoning the Houston area.

These pics are from slides taken from the Clark AFB, Philippines, '59-60. Its hard to time stamp them, going off subject matter, and the relative sizes of the siblings. They all have greenery and a volcano, which means its not Holloman AFB in New Mexico, '61-62. Most of the US planes at Clark had the Orange accents (or course). Maybe to prevent friendly fire? My sister in the foreground, same hair and dress as in OP. Notice the cowboy hat looking at the plane. Thank you for your support!!! TLDR. I don't no where else to put this so ...More on growing as an Air force Brat ...

"Going after transformers. Nice." Transformers are to power generation/supply as process towers are to oil refining. These typically have the longest lead times to purchase/replace equipment.

Italy's PM Meloni comes out on top in EU vote, strengthening her hand ROME, June 10 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's arch-conservative Brothers of Italy group won the most votes in the European parliamentary election over the weekend, boosting her standing both at home and abroad. "I am proud that Italy will present itself to the G7, to Europe with the strongest government of all. This is something that has not happened in the past but is happening today, it is a satisfaction and also a great responsibility," Meloni said early on Monday from the party's headquarters. The EU ballot indicated that Meloni's ruling coalition, made up of parties that stretch from the centre-right to the far right of the political spectrum, saw its support climb to more than 47% from just under 43% in 2022. "It's a spur for (the government) to move forward. Italians are giving us a loud and clear message to go ahead with our work ... and if possible with greater determination." Meloni's party traces its roots back to a neo-fascist group, and her 2022 victory set the tone for far-right gains across Europe, including in the latest EU ballot, which has seen the continent swing right. However, Meloni has moderated her image on the international stage, dropping her previous anti-EU rhetoric and presenting herself as a bridge between the mainstream centre-right and her own national conservative camp, which was previously shunned. Her strong showing on Sunday came in stark contrast to setbacks suffered by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose parties were routed. Speaking on radio, Meloni said, however, it was still too early to say whether she would back a second term for centre-right European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Her group of lawmakers might prove decisive should Meloni decide to back von der Leyen, potentially giving Rome leverage over the new EU executive. I won't pretend to understand the inner workings of the EU, but Meloni's strength is good for Ukraine, I think. She won in 2022 as a far-right candidate, and quickly pivoted as one of Ukraine's strongest supporters. She is a powerful, passionate speaker who put right and wrong principles over the party politics that got her elected. I don't understand Italian, but I would support her for the simple reason I wouldn't want to be against her. Whether or not Italy's military and economic posture match her rhetoric I don't know, but she does not appear to be a sit on the fence and let's see what happens kind of gal.

HAWK Pallet & Trailer, Clark AFB, Philippine Islands, ~1959-60. I’m the kid in the red hat.

"Tonight...Is The Night... Of Nights"

...I'd, uh , like to get a few pictures ...

Earl scoring the only TD right before halftime and Texas beating OU for the first time in 7 years.

Google Earth screen shot of the ATACMS/Neptune hits in the Kerch area May 30 & 31. Kavkaz Oil Depot (Russia) - The video shows Ukraine targeting the oil storage terminal north of the Taman Bay; nothing on whether they hit the ferry loading facilities. This is ~ 3 miles from Crimea. Kerch (Port Krym) Ferry Port - This is a smaller Port facility, closest to Russia. It looks like they hit the ship that was docked; Doesn't look like it sank from the photo, though it may be laying on the bottom now. This facility has limited rail access. Kerch Ferry Port - This is the main Kerch-Crimea Port; The area targeted is to the south. The northern portion looks like a traditional ferry port, in the center of the city with auto, truck and rail ferries. The southern port appears to be is a single berth, rail roll on-off facility. There does not appear to be a means of unloading any kind of cars and trucks. This looks like it would be the main rail ferry port for moving military equipment, and tank cars with fuel, to Crimea. Again, it looks like they hit the ship that was docked; Doesn't look like it sank from the photo, though it may be laying on the bottom now. This is Ukraine shooting at Russian's occupying Ukraine. Their targeting looks to be to stop the supply from coming in without fucking up all the infrastructure. Bottom line;

Thanks!!!

Some of us were older, and didn’t care about his character or acting …

Now that’s the “No fucking doubt about it” way to hit a terminal.

"... why are you guys (Texans) that way?" I moved to Boulder in '93, and was talking with some old, and new, friends and colleagues. I shared stories of my nomadic career in O&G and my kids being born in Oklahoma; how I took some dirt from my mothers home in Austin, put it in baggies, and put it under the hospital bed so my kids could be born on Texas soil. Exasperated, one of my older Colorado friends asked me, "... why are you guys (Texans) like that? You seem normal, until you start talking about Texas, and then, its all about Texas, the biggest this, the greatest that... Why are you that way? Do they teach you that in school?" "As a matter of fact, yes, they do. 7th grade Texas History, everybody takes it." With a blank expression looking back at me, "Oh. .. " "You know, ..., I got to be honest with you. I'm jealous. Every single person I've ever met from Texas acts that way. Every one. I wish I was from a place that everyone felt that way, that had that pride." Many years later, at an industry conference, the same guy was late to a session, walked down the middle aisle, and found a seat on the front row. Later, I was kidding him about his bold entrance, standing out in the crowd. He winked and said, "I learned it from you."

Me thinks China has been watching too many movies. Loading and unloading 300,000 vehicles for an invasion would be a cluster fuck of epic proportions. It would be more like Dunkirk than Troy in that Taiwan's biggest concern would be not having enough ammo for the turkey shoot. Spending ~ 5 hours bouncing around in a smallish boat so you can go rock climbing, on a volcanic island, loaded with provisions for a military invasion, all while somebody is shooting at you, sounds like a hoot and a half.

Got me some season tickets today!!! FA, and almost FO.

China was always gonna win; Russia has no other real geographical choice than to put their teeny 'nads into China's hands. Europe found a reasonable alternative to Russian oil & gas , which is huge. Europe is by far the chosen market for Russian O&G, due to geography, simply supply and demand. That connectivity has been temporarily benched the past 2+ years, but simple economics dictates that it will, and must work. The location of 1 of the 3 worlds largest energy producers proximate to a large population and demand center has to happen. Too much money involved. North America and the Middle East have resources, but no people or demand within their shadows. Russian and Europe is different. China is a demand center, but building a pipeline network from $iberia to coa$tal China is problematic for many reason$, most notably that Ru$$ian ha$ to depend on China and China ha$ to depend on Ru$$ia. There are reasons why Alaska North Slope gas has never been connected by pipeline to the lower 48. For the benefit of everyone, Russian resources must find a way into the market that it is already connected too. That is everyone, except the large LNG producers, the US, Australia & Qatar. Now that Europe has emphatically demonstrated that it doesn't need Russian energy, they will be able to secure that same energy, cheaper than before, under a unified umbrella in a post sanction world. The long term Take-or-Pay contracts of the past will be replaced with interruptible, best efforts contracts, at a fraction of the cost. This will wear the mask of war reparations, must it will smell like a deal that can't be refused. Germany still has that same access to cheap Russian gas, but now it has the EU & NATO as advisors and influencers to future energy agreements with Russia. They are the still the same industrial base, and still the landing point for the Nord Stream Pipelines, but they are not alone anymore in dealing with Russia. At its core, Germany and Germans are efficient. And resourceful. They co-existed with the Comanche's in Texas when nobody else could. And, I like Annalena, their Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs; Brisket? Down Boy!!!

You can get shot now for not producing electricity - or get shot later for not producing electricity. I’m pretty sure I know which one they will pick. Other comments referenced the 6 Gazprom execs who "suicided" themselves in 2022, probably for recognizing how bad the Special Operation was going to impact selling gas to Europe. Fucked around, Found out.

From the Newsweek article in the thread; Newsweek.com/russia-gazprom Putin's Crown Jewel Forced Into Fire Sale Amid Record Losses Published May 09, 2024 at 7:38 AM EDT By Brendan Cole Senior News Reporter Gazprom, the energy giant at the heart of Russia's economy, has announced it is selling property in Moscow, one week after posting record losses linked to restricted supplies to Europe linked to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The company said on Wednesday that the properties include office and non-residential buildings, a car parking lot in the capital, and the Imperial Park Hotel and spa sanatorium and resort complex in Rogozino village, just outside of Moscow. "Gazprom is engaged in a fire sale. They had their worst year in decades, and their production has fallen precipitously, down to what it was in the 1970s," said Tom O'Donnell, an energy and geopolitical analyst based in Berlin. "This is a result of a miscalculation by Putin," he told Newsweek. In announcing the real estate sale, Gazprom posted a statement on Telegram next to phone numbers for prospective purchasers. "Taking into account the completion of the relocation of the Gazprom Group companies to St. Petersburg, PJSC Gazprom is announcing its intention to sell real estate in Moscow," the statement said. Until 2023, the majority state-owned multinational energy corporation headquartered in Putin's home city, St. Petersburg, was the world's largest publicly listed natural gas company and Russia's biggest company by revenue. However, last week, Gazprom Group, which also includes oil and power businesses, posted a net loss of 629 billion rubles ($6.9 billion) for 2023, according to Bloomberg, its first loss since 1999. Core profit, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), slumped to $7.2 billion in 2023 compared with $25.1 billion in 2022, the agency said. Gazprom has restricted gas flows to Europe amid the Kremlin's retaliation for Western support of Ukraine. Decreasing gas prices due to mild weather, sluggish demand, full inventories, and Western sanctions have also hurt Russia's revenues. O'Donnell, a fellow at the Wilson Center think tank, said that before the full-scale invasion, Russia had supplied Europe with 40 percent of its gas, and Putin had been planning to make the continent more dependent on its energy export. He said that before the war, Putin had cut off gas, mostly through the Nord Stream pipelines and conduits through Belarus and Poland in what was "part of his war strategy." "It was intended to shock Europe and force them into submission with an energy war to prevent their acting in solidarity with Ukraine. To his surprise, this did not happen," O'Donnell said. Gazprom has not published its export statistics since the start of 2023 but Reuters said its calculations showed that the energy giant's natural gas supplies to Europe had slumped 55.6 percent to 28.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2023. Last October, Gazprom said in the first half of 2023 that gas production in the first half of 2023 had decreased by nearly a quarter (24.7 percent) which independent Russian-language news outlet Agentstvo reported was the lowest since Soviet times. From the comments in the article: Russia is going to start having massive problems with power generation. The natural gas fired steam turbines have a very short life expectancy if "minor" and "major" refits are not completed on a 3 and 5 year basis... precision bearings are replaced and drive shafts are checked at theses times as well as numerous other components. I imagine or hope these all are under sanction. If they are, "home building" replacements isn't something that's going to work on these incredibly massive and precise machines. Once these start failing and electrical grid load is transfer to an increasingly small number of them their attrition rate will go up.... and the lights will start to go out. Dozens and dozens of these rebuilds would normally happen on an annual basis in a rotating / staggered fashion. When this next winter hits and the demand is at peak I expect Russia's energy grid to be in worse shape than Ukraines. In the mid 80's, the Exxon operated Blue Water Gas Plant in Louisiana was running at 110% capacity due to record offshore production volumes. Plant owners opted to forego scheduled maintenance (48,000 hrs/5 years) on the GE Frame 5 Gas Turbines (DC 10 engines, ~ 45,000 HP), which would have reduced plant capacity by 33% for ~ 2 months, and cost of ~ $1-2 million. Later, the turbines had a major failure, that lasted 6+ months, at a cost ~ $5+ million. The turbines rotate at 4,670 RPM, driving a gas compressor that moves 350 million ft3/day. The millwrights who do this work, "known as the most highly trained workforce in every industry they serve", are not the same yahoo's Russia has building tank engines by hand. I expect Russia will run the existing equipment flat out until they don't run anymore.

Russian oil refinery in Tuapse halts operations after drone attack – Reuters Rosneft's refinery in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, resumed operations only in late April after a drone attack in early 2024 Vira Kasiyan news editor MAY 17, 2024 TLDR - (In the absence of factual information, I'll make some up.) According to the agency's sources, the plant's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production unit was damaged. "There was no black smoke during the fire. That means it was just the gas (LPG) burning," a source explained. Black smoke is indicative of incomplete combustion. Crude oil is heavy, long hydro-carbon chains, with a low vapor pressure that does not vaporize easily and gives off thick black smoke when burned (the vapor burns, not the liquid). When crude is refined, (long hydro-carbon chains are broken into smaller chains), gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc are made. Diesel has similar characteristics to crude oil. Gasoline has a higher vapor pressure, ignites easily (explodes), and burns more rapidly. The Natural Gas Liquids are by-products of refining (and Natural Gas Processing). Natural gas (a single carbon) & natural gas liquids (LPG, have between 2-5 carbon atoms) are generally lighter than air. The C2 & C3 vaporize immediately on loss of pressure. Propane (C3) vaporizes immediately on loss of pressure, but the vapor is heavier than air. It lays on the ground until it dissipates, or finds an ignition source.) In a controlled environment, Natural gas (C1, methane), and C2 & C3 combust completely, without smoke. The C4 & C5 vaporize dependent on the "ambient" temperature, but much more quickly when proximate to a fire. They C4 may or not smoke, and the C5 will probably always smoke. In the US/western world, propane (C3) is used primarily for petro-chemical feedstock (to make plastics) and rural residential heating; in Russia, probably just as a feedstock, not sure of domestic fuel use. The C4 & C5 are used as pet-chem feedstock and for motor gasoline blending. If they cannot make the purity products, it probably gets used as fuel. The LPG unit, the towers (between 2 and 4) that separate the purity products, might have been hit and the initial blast with black smoke would have burned quickly and burned itself out with only limited residual vapors burning. If the towers were damaged, the unit is down until replaced/repaired; not likely with sanctions in place. The source believes the refinery could be restarted relatively quickly. "The LPG unit can be bypassed and primary processing can resume. Some of the gas can remain in the oil up to the saturated vapor pressure limit, while the rest can be used for the refinery's own needs – in the refinery furnaces," the source said. Like the old days, when high vapor pressure NGL were kept in the motor gasoline stream, increasing volume (good) but blowing in your face when you unscrewed the gas cap (bad). "Using the rest for refinery needs" means burning it as fuel. The Tuapse refinery, one of Russia's oldest, was built in 1929 and has a capacity of 12 million tons of oil a year. It produces naphtha, fuel oil, vacuum gas oil and high-sulphur diesel fuel. Exports via the nearby oil terminal go to Turkey, China, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2023, the Tuapse refinery processed 9.322 million tons of oil. *(~ 240,000 bbl/day capacity, similar to Conoco-Phillips in Lake Charles)