Memo to Hegseth: Stop the next ‘Macheteros’ before they launch



While California Army National Guard troops handle lawless protests sparked by legal immigration enforcement, the California Air National Guard faces a far more dangerous vulnerability — one that demands immediate attention from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

It’s time to remember January 12, 1981. That day, Puerto Rican independence militants breached Muñoz Marin International Airport in Carolina, cut through the fence, and destroyed nearly $50 million worth of A-7 Corsair and F-104 Starfighter jets. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $162 million. Boom! Gone just like that.

Security forces could stop ground-based attacks, sure. But drones? Not a chance.

Jump ahead four decades to Los Angeles, where supposedly “spontaneous” mass protests feature factory-made signs in English and Spanish, freshly printed six-foot Mexican flags, and crowds of anonymous demonstrators. No IDs. No accountability.

Where does the funding for these instant flash mobs originate? According to a dynamite report by Jennifer Van Laar at Red State, much of the money appears to come from our own tax dollars! But let’s not rule out the Mexican cartels whose trafficking and smuggling operations Trump’s policies have severely disrupted. If so, what’s to stop them — or their proxies — from lashing out at the National Guard next?

What’s to prevent a replay of the Macheteros’ sabotage in 1981 — or something far worse?

Soft target in plain sight

Consider Moffett Field near Palo Alto. One side of its perimeter sits flush against Highway 101. Any outsider with a drone and a grudge has a clear shot.

Air Guard security might intercept intruders with enough warning. But drones don’t need to sneak past a gate. They can launch from a public park and cross 200 yards in seconds. For $500 and a payload of cheap explosives, a first-person-view drone could obliterate a $77 million HC-130J.

No active defense exists for drone attacks in densely populated urban areas. The U.S. Air Force knows this. Just ask about the 17-day drone overflight in 2023 — uninterrupted, unchallenged, and deeply embarrassing.

Federal law restricts counter-drone actions except over designated “sensitive” areas. But what happens if a missile interception sends debris raining onto adjacent neighborhoods? What if an electromagnetic pulse knocks out every pacemaker, microwave, and computer within a mile?

Wide open in Fresno, too

At the Air National Guard base in Fresno, things look just as bad. F-15s sit beneath open-sided shelters only 75 yards from the highway.

Security forces could stop ground-based attacks, sure. But drones? Not a chance. The only current defense is a few warning signs nailed to perimeter fences. That’s not security — that’s wishful thinking.

What’s the Air Guard’s plan to intercept drones without endangering civilians across the street? Paintball guns? Slingshots? Hula hoops?

Rethinking drone defense before it’s too late

The solution isn’t to ban drones or launch missiles over neighborhoods. It’s to rethink how to disrupt their precision.

RELATED: Dark thoughts about the New Jersey drones

Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Drones don’t rely on brute force. They rely on pinpoint accuracy — what the military calls “circular error probable." In World War II, a B-17 had a CEP of 1,200 feet. Today’s FPV drones, guided by first-person cameras, hit tank hatches with a CEP of just one foot.

That’s the bad news.

The good news? You don’t need to shoot down a drone to neutralize it. You just need to disrupt its accuracy.

Drones are fragile. A baseball bat will shatter one. Their video cameras bloom under bright light. Their inertial sensors lose calibration under unpredictable aerodynamic stress. Their rotors must stay perfectly balanced, or else guidance systems wobble and fail.

By attacking the CEP instead of the drone itself, the Air Guard can protect its assets without risking civilian casualties.

Cheap insurance, massive payoff

Practical countermeasures exist — right now, off the shelf. Iso-luminescent light sources. Targeted atmospheric aerosols. Forced inertial failures. Even decoys.

These aren’t billion-dollar Pentagon programs. They’re cheap insurance policies against an increasingly likely airborne threat.

If protest organizers or cartel affiliates can rent drones and buy fireworks, what’s stopping them from mounting small explosive charges? Nothing — unless the Air Guard rethinks its strategy.

Failing to prepare for the next wave of attacks is no longer an option. If the military won’t defend its own runways, someone else will take the shot.

Explosive Developments: Trump Trial Fire Incident and Imminent Cyber Threats | 4/19/24
play icon

Explosive Developments: Trump Trial Fire Incident and Imminent Cyber Threats | 4/19/24

Drone attack kills 3 US troops in Jordan and wounds at least 2 dozen service members, Biden blames radical Iran-backed militant groups



Three U.S. troops have been killed and at least a dozen service members were wounded in a drone attack on an American military base in Jordan, according to multiple reports.

U.S. military officials said the aerial drone attack on American troops occurred overnight on the Tower 22 – a small military outpost in northeast Jordan, near the borders of Syria and Iraq.

— (@)

U.S. Central Command – which oversees forces in the Middle East – said three service members were killed and 25 were injured from a "one-way attack" by an unmanned drone.

The names of the American casualties are being withheld for 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.

The deaths marked the first fatalities of U.S. troops in the region since the Israel-Hamas war erupted.

President Joe Biden said in a statement, "While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq."

Biden said America's "heart is heavy" following the "loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack."

"These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty. Unbending in their commitment to our country— risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. It is a fight we will not cease," Biden declared.

"The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense," he continued. "And their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation."

President Biden added, "We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism."

Biden vowed, "And have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing."

CNN reported, "As of Friday, there had been more than 158 attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the constant volley of drones, rockets, and missiles as unsuccessful as they have frequently not caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure."

Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

US military releases video of Russian fighter jet colliding with American drone, US tells Russia it will fly wherever international law permits



The U.S. military released video on Thursday of a collision between an American drone and a Russian fighter jet in international airspace over the Black Sea.

According to U.S. European Command, a Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted "an unsafe/unprofessional intercept" of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14.

None
— (@)

The newly declassified video of the collision shows the Russian Su-27 jet striking the U.S. reconnaissance drone, causing damage to the aircraft's propeller. The Russian Su-27 dumped fuel as it passed over the MQ-9 drone. Video transmission from the surveillance UAV was temporarily lost during the encounter.

The U.S. military was forced to down the unmanned drone into the international waters of the Black Sea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a press conference on Wednesday, "Two Russian jets dumped fuel on an unmanned U.S. MQ-9 aircraft conducting routine operations in international airspace. And one Russian jet intercepted and hit our MQ-9 aircraft, resulting in a crash.”

James B. Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in a statement, "Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on, and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional."

"This incident follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with U.S. and allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea," Heckler added. "These aggressive actions by Russian aircrew are dangerous and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation."

Russia blamed the United States for the aerial encounter.

CBS News reported, "Russia's Defense Ministry said Shoigu had told Austin that the collision was the result of 'increased [U.S.] intelligence activities against the interests of the Russian Federation' and 'non-compliance with the restricted flight zone' declared by Moscow amid its ongoing war in Ukraine."

The Russian Defense Ministry said it would react "proportionately" to any future U.S. "provocations" in the region.

"Flights of American strategic unmanned aerial vehicles off the coast of Crimea are provocative in nature, which creates pre-conditions for an escalation of the situation in the Black Sea zone," the Russian Defense Ministry stated. "Russia is not interested in such a development of events, but it will continue to respond proportionately to all provocations."

Austin declared, "The United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows, and it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner."

Three defense officials and one Biden administration official reportedly told NBC News that Russia is actively searching for the downed U.S. drone with ships and aircraft.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference Wednesday that the MQ-9 drone is likely 4,000-5,000 feet under the Black Sea, and recovery will be "very difficult."

Milley said the U.S. doesn't have any ships in the area of the crash, but does "have a lot of allies and friends in the area" to facilitate a recovery operation.

Milley explained, "We know that the intercept was intentional. We know that the aggressive behavior was intentional. We also know it was very unprofessional and very unsafe."

"As far as an act of war goes, I'm not gonna go there. Incidents happen," Miley continued. "And, clearly, we do not seek armed conflict with Russia. And, I believe that at this point, we should investigate this incident and move on from there, but we will continue to exercise our rights in international airspace."

US Air Force MQ 9 camera footage: Russian Su 27 Black Sea intercept www.youtube.com


Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!