I had no idea you were affiliated with the Nuclear Navy. I'm sure I knew something about CRDMs and RPIs at one point, long enough to get my submarine warfare qualification, but that isn't something that stayed committed to memory. I DO remember filling out supply chits and box of pens was over $100. I don't know this for sure, but I strongly suspect there were no certificates of traceability provided for the pens. I think there is more to it than the good reasons you cited. I think the military is accustomed to paying more for everything, so they just do. They have no incentive to shop around for a better price, on anything. If anything, the opposite. I remember my chief telling us to put together a needs list and wish list; any budget left over after needs was spent on "needs" because if we didn't use up the whole budget, we wouldn't get a full budget the next go-round.

Yes, the first 20 years I was NAVAIR community and the last 25 or so years it was Nuclear Navy NAVSEA community. so aircraft carriers and submarines. All of my spending was scrutinized and if I wanted to deviate from an approved vendor list I had to justify my request and I think prayer helped. Real familiar with spend it or lose it too. You get a budgeted or allocation amount you spend every dime or next year you will see less when you might need more.
On another interesting note the earlier reactor plants used on the Nimitz Class carriers had roughly a 20 year life span before refueling. The new reactor plants should run much longer before refueling. On the subs LOS (Life Of Ship) or about 40 years. It was strange to know that the men and women who would be commanding the ships I was building for when I retired likely had not been born yet.

Anyway, it was a great career and you get a real good dose of what spending is all about and learn why the $12.49 hammer becomes a $500.00 hammer.

We now return to drones which are pretty cool and actually useful when not abused and played with for all the wrong reasons.

Ron

 

With a $10,000 toilet seat cover.

We have a new price winner for a toilet.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/bayarea/heatherknight/article/million-dollar-toilet-17518443.php
S.F. is spending $1.7 million on one public toilet: ‘What are they making it out of — gold?’

 

And it doesn't even include a bidet. Well, that's inflation for you. Just increase taxes.

Ron

 

US man levies ‘spying’ charge on Walmart’s delivery drone; shoots it down


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According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida man, Dennis Winn, admitted to shooting down a Walmart drone with a 9-millimeter handgun in late June.

A bullet hole was discovered in the payload the drone was carrying. Witnesses identified Winn and directed deputies to his residence, the location of the incident.

 

Drone sightings spread beyond New Jersey as officials express outrage over federal response


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Malliotakis added that she’s concerned that drones were spotted overhead at a Coast Guard base on Staten Island, adding to reports of drone activity over military bases in New Jersey.

 

 

 

US man levies ‘spying’ charge on Walmart’s delivery drone; shoots it down
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The body cam footage for this is available on YouTube. The guy was completely honest with the cops, and felt really bad when it was pointed out to him the danger of firing into the air like that. Apparently, this was a test run of the delivery system—and it turns out they got some very valuable data.

One thing to note is they apparently use a winch to deliver the package without landing. From his PoV, there seemed to be a drone hovering over his property and lowering something mysterious. He tried to wave it off, but when it ignored him he shot once. A pretty good shot, too. It left at that point.

It wasn't actually over his property, but it is an easy mistake to me.

 

https://police.boston.gov/2024/12/1...ing-hazardous-drone-operation-on-long-island/
Two Suspects Arrested Following Hazardous Drone Operation on Long Island

On Saturday, December 14, 2024, at approximately 10:22 PM, officers from the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit arrested two individuals, identified as 42-year-old Robert Duffy of Charlestown and 32-year-old Jeremy Folcik of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The arrests were made on Long Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands, following a hazardous drone operation near Logan Airport’s airspace. Both suspects face charges of trespassing, with additional fines or charges potentially forthcoming.

 

https://police.boston.gov/2024/12/1...ing-hazardous-drone-operation-on-long-island/
Two Suspects Arrested Following Hazardous Drone Operation on Long Island

And that's the difference between a child and an adult ... the cost of the toy ... and the consequences of irresponsible play

 

Well as of last night they can come here and arrest more people. Drone(s) above Wright Patterson Air Force Base which is in the Dayton, Ohio area. Fortunately no flight operations were going on.

And that's the difference between a child and an adult ... the cost of the toy ... and the consequences of irresponsible play

Exactly. You can't fix stupid. What we seem to have is copy cat (no offense to cats) idiots who seem to think this is all funny.

Ron

 

 

There are idiots there with real Drones but most are, something else.


https://x.com/MatthewCappucci/status/1868052013164134899

 

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/14/24343928/dji-no-more-geofencing-no-fly-zone
DJI will no longer stop drones from flying over airports, wildfires, and the White House

“The FAA does not require geofencing from drone manufacturers,” FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor confirms to The Verge.
But former DJI head of global policy, Brendan Schulman, doesn’t seem to think this is a move for the better. Here are a few choice phrases he’s posted to X:

This is a remarkable shift in drone safety strategy with a potentially enormous impact, especially among drone pilots who are less aware of airspace restrictions and high-risk areas.

There was substantial evidence over the years that automatic drone geofencing, implemented using a risk-based approach, contributed significantly to aviation safety.

Interesting timing: Ten years almost to the day after a DJI drone infamously crash-lands on the White House lawn, DJI has removed the built-in geofencing feature that automatically impedes such an incident, replacing it with warnings that the user can choose to ignore.

 

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/14/24343928/dji-no-more-geofencing-no-fly-zone
DJI will no longer stop drones from flying over airports, wildfires, and the White House

That is very, very strange

 

That is very, very strange

When you see something that seems to make no sense, look for the lawyers.

I suspect some attorney somewhere decided the feature exposed DJI to action should the fence fail. By having no fence, which is in regulatory compliance, they can’t be sued for a failed fence.

 

 

 

Ukraine’s ‘invisible’ drones break 12-mile limit, ready to bypass Russian jammers


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Fiber-optic drones are different. They are physically connected to the operator by a thin fiber-optic cable, which carries light signals instead of radio waves.

This makes the drones immune to jamming. They also stay hidden. Since they don’t send out radio signals, Russian forces can’t detect them with radio reconnaissance tools. They’re electronically silent.

 

Stealth radio hides signal in background noise to protect drone pilots

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A stealthy military radio that hides communications in background noise is extremely difficult to jam or locate, meaning it could allow drone pilots to operate without detection.