A “Stimulator” mission. Wow. We used to use SR-71s to troll potential adversaries air defense systems 😮😊 Makes you wonder if we still do it with some other aircraft…

@GrigoriZhukov

4 ай бұрын

We'd NEver. Ok, maybe little. But more politely this time.

@bladercentral

4 ай бұрын

⁠@@GrigoriZhukov this lines up directly with the recent video can’t remember what ocean/carrier but there was a ship being followed by an aircraft with the US hovering higher watching them 💀

@locktab3815

4 ай бұрын

Edging the air defence

@ajback2917

4 ай бұрын

Most "major" powers do it to their adversaries. Sometimes it's just to "troll" them but with (what I imagine) the cost of the SR-71 sorties were I'm guessing the US had a tonne of Elint pointing in that direction to coincide with the "Stimulator" flights.

@jj4791

4 ай бұрын

The SR-71 ms primary mission was to map Soviet air defense networks. Get them to light up, and gather data about radio signal, guidance ability, position, response time, etc. The Blackbird was fired on by state of the art SAMs over 4,000 times and evaded every one. It could spoof the incoming missiles radar signature, copy it, and transmit a signal back to it that showed the aircraft was in a different location. This in conjunction with spoiling the solution, once the SAM radar stopped guiding and the missile switched to its own tracking, the Habu could accelerate or turn several degrees, and this would spoil the targeting solution of the missile. They could also bank and turn at high altitude and speed, whereas a missile with its extreme velocity and small, low aspect ratio fins could not. Spectacular performance and technology. The speed alone was not enough, the XB-70 could also cruise at Mach 3 but it was obsolete before it was built. The Blackbird was clearly not.

Those citations man.. they mean so much more than any award - its confirmation your work is and has been foundational to saving lives and preserving peace. I cannot think of a higher honor. Great work, Alex.

Well deserved award. Keep producing the well reasoned content!

A camera directly under the Apache is a no brainer.

_"I've got enough of these clips to go on for days..."_ *YES PLEASE!*

It’s been a privilege to watch you. Grow to where you are today Alex. Longtime fan. Keep up the great job.

I had been in the USAF for 20 years and have been teaching about military aircraft for about 5 years online, and I love military aircraft. I have to say you are my number one trusted source on military aviation on the web. I have a few others I look to for credible info, but you are at the top of my list. You deserved every award and recognition you got. Keep up the fantastic work that you do, in-depth analysis, and keep bringing the info. Have a great New Year and look forward to what you will be doing next.

As a regular viewer of your channels, I still sometimes get sucked in by clickbait about AirPower. Sometimes the videos are legit, but other times I can spot the BS rather quickly thanks to your reporting. Thanks for being a great resource to this amateur.

@DUKE_of_RAMBLE

4 ай бұрын

Thumbnails are what I study, and then I look at the channel name. You can learn alot from those two things! But yea, there's alot of that crap out there, unfortunately... Which is why it's SUCH A SHAME that YT removed the Dislikes count, as that was the litmus test for *_many_* of us! If it seemed fishy, but might just be someone embellishing a thumbnail, the Dislike count was the deciding factor in whether to waste time watching it. #BringBackDislikeCounter

I knew you were awesome at this, but I wasn't aware of the awards. Kudos to you.

During the interview with General Baylor 11:52 there’s two models behind him. One is an SR-71, what is the other..?

@b.g.1844

4 ай бұрын

I was wondering that also….Aurora?

@99kitfox

4 ай бұрын

@@b.g.1844 yes I was thinking that possibly, or SR-72

@bushgreen260

4 ай бұрын

*Something classified. Faster, and better than the SR-71. Looks more aerodynamic. You can't even see the engines. Probably SR-71's secret successor.*

@apatrioticamerican3803

4 ай бұрын

I was wondering the same thing

@claytongarrels7342

4 ай бұрын

Looks so similar to silhouettes of NGAD teased recently by Skunkworks, but an older generation. Inboard engines, two angled vertical stabilizers. Diamond shaped delta wing like the F-22.

There's a British Apache pilot who said that "during the process of learning to fly the aircraft and the systems, you basically have to teach your eyes to work like a chameleon....... which is incredibly tiring and you have permanent headaches for weeks until you nail the technique."

Tom Clancy… now I understand!👍 Thanks much Alex, I so appreciate your work.

I'm Alex Hollins and this is airpower!

@ladeedaa

4 ай бұрын

Spelling is not important, you all know what I mean! 😂

@crystallineentity

4 ай бұрын

I'm Sparta....Hollins!

I built Apaches for 16 years from 1983 to 1999, I started on AV001 and finished after building 942 A models and the first 16 Longbows

@donbentley2466

4 ай бұрын

That's awesome, Norman!

@snugglecity3500

4 ай бұрын

You saved a lot of lives

As Don said, pilots have a tough job... On one hand, they have to be bold enough to think they are capable of handling a dangerous machine, on the other hand, they have to be humble enough to acknowledge that they can mess up. It's a fine line they have to negotiate every time they fly. I really respect them.

@donbentley2466

4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Flying the Apache was an incredible priviledge.

Congratulations on winning an award. It just confirms what I already knew. You guys know your stuff.

Absolutely deserved, what I find remarkable is the fact that throughout all you always stress the positive in this age of bringing pointless adjectivity. Please, by all means, continue the content!!! This old jarhead enjoys it!

Thanks for the incredible year of punditry you have regaled us with Alex. Heres looking to 2024 and all the great stories you will share with us Miscreants Alex.

THIS WAS WORTH WATCHING THANKS AGAIN, HAPPY NEW YEAR 😮. 😊

What stories from the cutting room floor! Alex, put more of these snippets together; they're fantastic!

I can listen to the apache stories and especially sr71 stories for hours! More please😊!

_"Don... Is that you?!?!"_ 🤣 Love it... Reminds me of my dad, who wasn't in the military, but just had been around and met enough people that resulted in him _always_ seeming to run into someone he knew, no matter where we were! lol _(which for me, as a kid, was rough, since that meant he'd be bullshitting for 10 of 20mins... in a time before endless entertainment in our pockets [cellphones]! 😅)_ Anaya, thanks Alex, for all you've done and coverage you've gotten for us. Those nominators and awards are *well deserved,* and those mentions in all the papers just further proves it! 🤘♥️ So you brag about it all you want! *_You've earned it, man!_* (plus, it's a *humble* brag, it's not like you're being pompous!) Looking forward to what you bring us in 2024!

Brag all you want man. What makes Sandboxx, and you, so special is your ability to convey all the highly technical information into a media that the layman can grasp.

So many well-deserved rewards, Alex. Thanks for giving me one more reason for getting up every day. You make my inner little kid smile with your modern day Weekday Wings (only on the Alex Hollings channel =P). Thanks for all you do. Seeing someone geek out on modern (and futuristic) jets makes me so happy. And you have a wonderful community, too.

❤ Yes please Alex, share more like this!

I flat out love your videos and try to see every single one! Kudos to you for all of your work! I am a vet, disabled 100%, not service related, living on fixed income so I am unable to support all of the channels that I enjoy so much. Keep up the good work and God Bless!

Great vid, great year! Thanks

Kudos, Alex!

The intro with all those prices and all just gives me motivation to get right to work in 2024 on this website too, I want to make several different videos and I'll not give up this time

Congratulations to the entire team. You folks do a great job covering a very wide, active, and changing field with limited resources. Thank you for working so hard to provide this information.

Congratulations!

Alex, such a breath of fresh air knowing no mis/disinformation out of your websites. Such respect for that and for what you and other former US service personnel perform on behalf of our nation. I, for one, am greatful. Thank you!

I once visited a friend at Kadena in 1972 and had the privilege of seeing an SR-71 take off. I had no idea a plane could move like that! Must have had minimal fuel load. Massive roar felt in my gut.

The "Like" thumbs-up needs to be augmented with a triple or quad tap. A simple like isn't good enough for this. Amen on a well-deserved award! Great work done the whole year through! See you in 2024!!

While life took me in a different direction, energy as opposed to aerospace, I became an engineer to build aircraft like the Blackbird. Completely agree with the statement about inspiring engineers.

Congratulations on the Award, its well deserving. You have the best, most informative, and most accurate channel on KZread. Keep up the amazing work.

I can relate to his comment on foresight in traffic to avoid situations all together. If you’re observant you’ll see cars have “body language.” For example, you can tell which cars might suddenly change lanes without warning or are not paying attention.

Alex, what’s the other model next to the sr71 behind General Baylor?

@AviationStation85

4 ай бұрын

Hopefully this question gains some steam. One person guessed it may have been Lockheed's LRS-B entry.

Flying the bag was my favorite part of the movie Firebirds! Eye dominance! Tommy Lee Jones duck taping women’s underwear to Nicholas Cage’s head with periscope to see over the Humvee’s windshield. The General and his wife pulled up next to them and the woman yelled “He’s got panties on his head!” 😂

Alex, I'm so appreciative of your work this year. I hope you can continue to make such great contributions in the times ahead. Thank you.

Please... go on for days! Fantastic listening to these amazing guys.

THanks for these anecdotes, Alex and have a happy and prosperous NEw Year!

Congratulations Alex and your team for the awards , your channel is second to none , all the best for 2024 👍

Thanks Alex for your energy and enthusiasm and commitment. Happy New Year to you:)

Congrats on the accolades! And those citations as well are an incredible recognition to your reporting and accurate information, bravo!! Keep up the great work 👊 Much respect from Australia 🇦🇺

You are by far the best overall source on air power and the nominations/reward is well deserved. I also enjoy your personal enthusiasm!

Great work !!! You will have a even better 2024 👍🏻🫡🇺🇸👏🏻

Humility, courage to try new things, keep going after making a mistake ... all very important concepts that apply to almost every job.

Thank you for a great 2023 aviation reporting. I've loved it all and can't wait for more to come

Great episode! Holding back is always hard to do.

Love the channel for the accurate info and insight. I could listen to that pilot talk about SR-71 missions all day!

Yes you definitely need to have more of these videos! Fascinating to hear from those first person stories. Great job as always.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year Alex. Thanks for the show.

Dude I'm fuckin stoked for you that you got all that affirmation like that. I truly wait on ur videos to come out. Keep up the good work!!!! Fly fight win boi

CONGRATS ALEX!!!!!! your the best when it comes to military reporting, you have always been my go too in order to get the latest in the armed forces and so forth, im happy for all your success and hard work you have put into this channel. thankyou.

Congratulations and happy new year, alex!

I have alot of different content and fav creators I follow on KZread but Alex is my favorite. His content is amazing and for somebody who always gets questioned or face checked on obscure military things (me) it’s always nice to hear him bring it up. He’s incredibly humble and non biased and has a very good narrating voice. Here’s to another amazing year for sandboxx!

Thank you Alex and the rest of the Sandbox team. Have a great New year and I will see you next year.

Thanks for the upload and The Art of Clear Thinking 📕 is definitely a good read. Congratulations on the awards and achievements and Happy New Year 🎆

Excellent video. You could feel the emotion in their voices.

Happy New Year Alex! Well done!

as always - excellent content - Happy New Year Alex !!

Congratulations Alex and team on a job well done. Y'all are doing a great job. I'm looking forward to your input in the years to come.

I'm ready for the stories to continue for days. Thanks for all the great content.

More amazing videos like this!! Great stories from great people. Happy New Year Alex to you, your family and all viewers of the channel. Mach 3+ into new year we go...

great video, thank ya, Alex . . . they don`t call you the best for nothing.. lee`s book is great.

Congrats on the award...well deserved. I look forward to your videos. Cool interview clips here as well. Onward to 2024!

I'm so pumped for your man! Keep it up! I love this channel!

Great show. !! Thanks !!

Fantastic Episode Alex, great close for 2023!

I'm glad I found this channel in 2023. Keep up the good work. I'll be watching as long as you keep posting

I think a ride in a B-21 Raider would be a nice way for the Mil-Aviation community to say thanks to you for all your great work.

Well done man, really enjoyed your videos this year

This was a good idea! I look forward to you videos and can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Damn if Bentley's writing is as beautiful as his attitude I'm going to buy his books.

@donbentley2466

4 ай бұрын

Thank you, Daniel. Happy reading!

Don was talking about the Swiss cheese model when talking about his near miss landing the Apache.

Thanks for this video and for doing such a thorough job with your content in all your videos

It's been a heck of a year. Happy new year!

Well deserved! Congrats man

Congrats on the accolades Alex, I enjoy your content and think the recognition is well deserved.

In the background of the Robert Behler interview their are 2 model planes. Plane to the left is clearly the SR-71 Blackbird but the plane to the right isn't recognizable. Is that an experimental prototype. Did you have a chance to ask Robert?

Great job Alex!

Great video to close out the year! 👍 Keep up the great work!

Thanks Alex. Fine work as ever sir.

Superb content, Alex !!

Don's experience is what we Navy aviation fixers, and flyers, call a "Grampaw Pettibone" tale. As a fixer, I pressed this kind of thought into my crew mates constantly.

Don Bentley's comment re 250hrs is close to the mark. As a newly qualified pilot, I can recall joining the pattern for a straight in approach from the wrong end & having to make a rapid climbing left turn to avoid outbound traffic. Very embarrassing.

@donbentley2466

4 ай бұрын

Flying can be a dangerous profession for sure.

Congratulations on your award. Great channel never miss a episode. Merry christmas and happy new year's....

Awesome stuff! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to everything you have for us in 2024. Best of luck to you and your family!

I truly enjoyed following in 2023.

I always look forward to new videos from Airpower.

I knew a dude that was in the Air Force in the 60's. He was assigned at some point to guard the SR-71 (RS...). He said that on the tarmac was a circle that was a shoot to kill zone for the unauthorized. He also mentioned that his M16 was set to auto.

Congrats! Well deserved.

Keep up the good work brother ! Thank you for the awesome content ! Congratulations!

For me, this combination of tech specs/performance numbers, along with the "feel" that the pilots had, for the process, is one of the coolest ever. (Maybe a new series of historical gold, like this one?)

Thanks Alex I've loved your content in 23 roll on 24 wishing all at Sandbox health wealth and happiness for all of 2024

Well done to you and the team Alex, you have an unbelievable channel going here mate, good luck for the future!!

Not bragging at all. You're awesome and everyone whos somebody should recognize this. I love your channel. Thank you for all the content it really keeps me up-to-date and entertained.

THIS IS AN AMAZING VIDEO......Thanks Alex🇺🇸

I absolutely love this stuff brother.