Thursday, May 25, 2023

What a name for a weapon!

 

It seems the US Air Force has deployed a new signals intelligence device, a wing-mounted electronic warfare pod, on its MQ-9 Reaper UAV's being flown in Poland to monitor activities over the border in Ukraine.



What gets me is its name.  Apparently it's called the ALQ-167 Angry Kitten.  Details at the link.

I've met lots of kittens during my life.  I don't know that I've ever considered an irritated, or angry, or PO'ed kitten to represent any real danger.  Was this the best choice of name they could come up with?

Regardless, it made me smile.  "Hey, enemy!  MEEEEOOOW to you too!"



Peter


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19 comments:

  1. tweellMay 25, 2023 at 10:47 AM

    A kitten isn't dangerous, but an angry kitten can certainly be an excellent distraction. Can you do anything when you have a cat pestering you?

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  2. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 11:36 AM

    I see you are unfamiliar with Pinky the Cat. Angry kittens are no joke. 🙃
    https://youtu.be/okZW3_5Gr4s

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 11:42 AM

    Well, the name of the Noisy Cricket didn't sound that imposing, either....

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  4. MichaelMay 25, 2023 at 11:47 AM

    And we cry Victim as in "We Didn't do nuffin" when Russian splashes those Reapers.

    If it weren't for bad morals we'd have none at all.

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  5. Old NFOMay 25, 2023 at 12:19 PM

    Has to be an Air Farce system... :-)

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  6. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 12:23 PM

    "Murder Kitty" sounds a bit more aggressive to me. The update for this 167 unit will be "Indignant Puppy".

    Putin will be reduced to a a humiliating retreat from Ukraine.

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  7. riverriderMay 25, 2023 at 12:53 PM

    its purpose is to induce laughing fits in putin that ultimately cause his demise via a heartastroke.

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  8. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 1:12 PM

    It gets even worse if you look up angry kitten, angry kitty, and angry cat in urban dictionary... smh

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  9. wolfwalkerMay 25, 2023 at 2:26 PM

    Oh, I see! It's an ECM pod -- meaning it jams or otherwise discombobulates enemy radars and communications signals. "Angry Kitten" is an excellent name for an ECM pod -- it may not be able to do anything to you directly, but man is it LOUD!

    I also suspect that when the ECM systems are active it makes an audible growling noise that reminded one of the airmen of a growling kitten. (Which is in fact rather a frightening noise - ask LawDog, he knows!) "Angry Kitten" has the same ring to it as "Electric Chicken" and "Cumulus Aluminus", unofficial airmen's names for the F-16 and EC-131 Constellation respectively.

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  10. boronMay 25, 2023 at 2:48 PM

    @ Michael
    x2
    how much are we gonna poke the bear

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  11. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 2:53 PM

    Given that it's EW, I have to wonder whether it sounds like anything to nearby radios. Maybe the name is apt? An angry kitten might not be much of a physical threat, but then neither is most EW...

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  12. VitaeusMay 25, 2023 at 3:17 PM

    Pretty sure active jamming is considered an offensive action. Especially if it contributed to Russia losing a pilot, let alone a plane

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 9:31 PM

      Doesn't say that it is being used. Just that it's been fitted to the aircraft.

      Delete
  13. MichaelMay 25, 2023 at 3:24 PM

    boron we will continue to poke the bear until our economy collapses and we CANNOT Bribe folks to ally with us and social unrest sets our cities on fire.

    As Sun Tzu said: An evil leader will burn his own country down to rule over the ashes.

    Protect your family and trusted friends.

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  14. Glen FilthieMay 25, 2023 at 4:51 PM

    That's the military mind for ya, Pete.

    In WW2, apparently the crews in the B29'S called their P51 escorts "pea-shooters"!

    HAR HAR HAR!

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  15. LLMay 25, 2023 at 4:53 PM

    The cutest little kittens have the sharpest claws...

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  16. Ben YalowMay 25, 2023 at 7:39 PM

    Originally (it's been around for a decade) the pod was designed to be EW for the aggressor squadrons in training scenarios. But that meant it was capable of all sorts of jamming, since it needed to be able to simulate most of the Red EW. And, once the Air Force figured out that if it was easy to program for lots of different EW, they realized that it might be useful in combat.

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  17. MerlinMay 26, 2023 at 8:15 AM

    *Chuckle*

    Peter, I can see you haven't had to deal with the kind of pissed off kittens that I have.

    Let me tell you, I've seen kittens go from their normally "I'm too cute even for myself" look they usually have, to the "I am the Destroyer of Worlds" shredding machine in about 0.001 seconds (the closest I can measure. I'm usually busy trying to extract whatever flesh I have left from their immediate location).

    Ask your local veterinarian about kittens sometime. I'm sure they'll have interesting stories.
    (Note: No, I'm not a Vet, but I have helped ours with a kitten or two. And I have the pictures (and scars) to prove it).

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  18. AnonymousMay 26, 2023 at 9:04 PM

    According to that all-knowing, unbiased fount of truth and knowledge, Wikipedia, F-14 Tomato's also carried an ALW-167, but that was called "Bullwinkle". See the "Upgrades" section of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_Airborne_Reconnaissance_Pod_System

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