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With the Western Range declared ready to resume launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base after a six-month lull, an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile is set to become the first liftoff early Sunday morning.

The operational test launch of the Air Force Global Strike Command ballistic missile is planned for 12:01 a.m. Sunday from an underground silo on North Base.

However, the launch window remains open until 6:01 a.m. in case of delays due to unfavorable weather or technical troubles at Vandenberg or downrange.

“This is our first launch following six months of scheduled downtime on the Western Range,” said Col. Greg Wood, 30th Space Wing vice commander and launch decision authority for Sunday’s mission. “The 30th Space Wing team is well prepared and we are ready to get back to business.”

Launch time is scheduled for 12:01am. I might stay up and try to see if it is visible from here.

Sooner punter Sam Foltz died in a car accident this past July. Yesterday, in the first punting situation of their first game of the season, they lined up a man short, and took a delay of game in his honor.

Graciously, Fresno State declined the penalty.

We had to take a delay of game, weren’t able to get all 11 guys out to punt in time.

Missing one of them. pic.twitter.com/o3mzXQZqlO

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) September 4, 2016

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The first half shows Marine tanks unloading from a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) operated by the US Navy. That’s the primary way to get Marine armor ashore during any amphibious assault.

The second half is a tad interesting, as it shows tanks practicing loading and unloading a US Army operated Landing Craft Utility (LCU 2000 class). The LCU 2000 is not an assault asset, and instead is used for intratheater logistics support.

Finally, after some 2500 battles, and for only the second time, I’ve managed to unleash the Kraken.

When you manage to sink five enemy ships, you get the Kraken award.

The Guard did a fine job, by the way. It’s just kinda funny to see Hogan on an official Air Force video.

Hah. Guys, he has no shame.

President Barack Obama’s trip to China for the G20 summit Saturday opened with an unusual tarmac altercation involving Chinese and U.S. officials, including national security adviser Susan Rice.

After Air Force One landed in Hangzhou, a Chinese official began shouting at White House staff after the traveling American press contingent was brought onto the tarmac, according to pool reports.

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The Chinese official also attempted to block Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes after they lifted a blue rope holding back press and walked to the other side of it, closer to Obama.

The press pool was brought under a wing of Air Force One where the pool was supposed to stay behind a blue rope. However, a member of the Chinese delegation began shouting at White House staff, demanding the pool leave the arrival scene.

The Chinese can be the most gracious of hosts, when it suits their purposes. Deliberate slights such as forcing President Obama to disembark Air Force One via its built in stairs, and the petty squabbling are not in any way accidental. They are deliberate slights to cause the US to lose face.

On that note, I highly encourage you to read this piece from yesterday by Jerry Hendrix.

And if that doesn’t take up enough of your weekend reading time, here’s an analysis of war between China and the US from Rand.

I’m not really impressed with the Tier IV German battleship, the Kaiser, against other battleships. But it sure does seem to work pretty well against cruisers.

As Boyd and the Fighter Mafia envisioned the Lightweight Fighter, the ideal was a very maneuverable jet armed with two Sidewinders and a gun.  It was to be equipped with a very simple radar, and have a very high fuel fraction (that is, the percentage of the gross weight made up of fuel, versus the weight of the airframe itself). They actually envisaged the plane not normally carrying any drop tanks during normal operations. The thinking was that the reduced drag would outweigh the benefits of extra fuel.

What the Fighter Mafia  had in mind was a jet that could go to Hanoi, and tangle with MiG-17s and MiG-21s.

What the Fighter Mafia didn’t quite grasp was that improvements in electronics, radars, and especially missiles meant that such a scenario was unlikely to repeat itself.

And what the Air Force really needed wasn’t a lightweight replacement for the F-4 in the fighter role, but rather a replacement for the F-4 and A-7 in the attack role.

In the end, the F-16 was considerable different than the YF-16, and has proven to be an extremely adaptable aircraft in the later production blocks.

Kitwar, in the Tier IX Japanese destroyer Kagero executes the most perfect ambush against a battleship I’ve ever seen.

Well, not really.

But I’ve long thought the Tornado F3 was one of the prettiest planes around. And when you realize it isn’t a fighter, but rather an interceptor designed solely to protect Britain from Soviet bombers, it’s not half the miserable failure its critics contend.

Also, the pan fried cod looks quite tasty.