Birmingham, Alabama - Three teens and a baby were shot at the Cathedral of the Cross A.O.H. Church of God carnival Saturday night.
Just before 9:30 PM Saturday night, gunfire broke out at the carnival, leaving the four young victims injured by gunfire and a pregnant woman injured when she was knoc
Just before 9:30 PM Saturday night, gunfire broke out at the carnival, leaving the four young victims injured by gunfire and a pregnant woman injured when she was knocked down by people fleeing the gunfire, according to AL.com.
Initial reports to dispatch was that there was an active shooter with three people firing guns and mass casualties.
Approximately 900 people were at the carnival at the time of the shooting. It's believed that a fight broke out in the carnival before the gunshots. It's unclear how many people were shooting. Several deputies were working off-duty at the carnival and they were able to capture five people for questioning. It's not clear a this time if all of the shooters are in custody.
Felicia Stubbs told AL.com "I panicked. I couldn't breathe. I saw my 5-year-old and then I didn't. You either jumped the fence or you got shot. I just thank the Lord Jesus Christ that we're still here," she said. "I'm trying to see how they got a gun in there. Who shoots on church grounds? It's so sad. And it's ridiculous."
Stubbs said that a man knocked down a portion of the fence surrounding the carnival and that people were able to flee through the opening.
Chief Deputy Randy Christian of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said that none of the injuries were life-threatening.
"This could happen anywhere, this is not just focused in on Center Point. There was security on the site, its just when you have someone that comes into these types of events, there's the potential, unfortunately, of these things happening," said Center Point Fire Chief Donnie West.
Flying close to ground troops in combat in hostile and high-threat conditions requires a host of unique attributes for an aircraft -- such as flying slow and low to the ground, absorbing some degree of small arms fire and having an ability to quickly maneuver in response to fast-changing ground combat conditions.
These, and many more, are among factors now being analyzed as proponents of both the A-10 Warthog and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter assess their respective abilities to perform the crucial and highly valued Close Air Support mission. The Pentagon and the Air Force are now conducting a thorough examination of each plane's capability for this role - including extensive analysis, simulated tests, flights of both aircraft under combat-like conditions and a range of tests, Air Force and Pentagon officials have explained. While many of the details of the ongoing evaluation are not now being discussed publically, the results are expected to bear prominently upon the visible ongoing debate regarding the future mission scope of both the A-10 and the F-35. The Air Force has been working on a formal Analysis of Alternatives designed to address the issue.
While the cherished A-10 is unambiguously combat-tested in the role of Close Air Support, some F-35 advocates have mused that the JSF sensors, maneuverability, high-tech computers, 25mm canon and arsenal of weapons just might better position the 5th generation aircraft for the mission; at the same time, the A-10s titanium frame, built-in redundancy, famous nose-aligned 30mm cannon and wide-ranging precision-weapons envelope make clearly make it the best choice for close air support.
Sure enough, the A-10s performance against ISIS, Congressional lobby and broad adoration among ground troops are among the many factors believed to have influenced the Air Force's current plan to both extend the life of the current A-10 and also explore requirements options for a future Close Air Support platform. Air Force officials have told Scout Warrior the ongoing requirements and analysis procedure is looking at three options - upgrading the existing A-10 airframe, using the best available commercial-off-the shelf aircraft, or simply engineering an building a newly designed A-10-like Close Air Support airplane.
Many A-10 proponents are convinced that there is no other plane capable of succeeding with the highly-dangerous, revered and essential Close Air Support Mission. Nevertheless, the Air Force does plan to use the emerging F-35 for Close Air Support moving into the next decade. In addition, F-35 advocates argue that the stealth aircraft's speed, maneuverability and high-tech weapons and sensors give the F-35 a decisive Close Air Support advantage.
Pentagon has been directed by Congress to conduct a series of continued A-10 vs. F-35 weapons tests as part of an effort to more effectively the determine the future mission scope of the A-10 and F-35.
While Air Force officials told Scout Warrior that the service is not using the term "fly-off," they did confirm that there were ongoing assessments into the issue.
In the meantime, the F-35 weapons integration including live fire drops, weapons separation assessments and modifications for future munitions adaptions is progressing as well alongside the existing F-35/A-10 analysis.
The aircraft has already demonstrated an ability to fire an AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile), JDADM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) or GBU 12 (laser-guided aerial bomb), and AIM 9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
By the early 2020s, the F-35 is slated to be configured with a next-generation Small Diameter Bomb II
Also, F-35 advocates reiterate that the airplane's high-tech Electro-Optical Targeting System and 360-degree sensors Distributed Aperture System will give the newer aircraft an uncontested combat and close-air-support ability. The F-35s so-called computer-enabled "sensor fusion" might enable it to more quickly ascertain and destroy moving targets by gathering, integrating and presenting fast-changing combat dynamics and circumstances.
Finally, the F-35's stealth configuration and speed is expected to better enable it to evade air defenses and move closer to emerging ground-targets in many instances -- and its air-to-air ability will enable the aircraft to respond to potential air-threats which could appear in the course of a ground-support mission.
“If you think if a boresight in terms of a firearm… that’s the adjustments made to an optical sight, to align the barrel of a firearm with the sights. If you think of it in aircraft terms… traditionally air-to-air missiles are fired at targets in front of the them,” Joint Strike Fighter Program Office spokesman Joe DellaVedova, told Scout Warrior.
"The AIM-9X Sidewinder is an infrared-guided, air-to-air missile employing a focal plane array sensor for unparalleled target acquisition and tracking, augmented by jet vane control technology for extreme maneuverability against a variety of high performance threats,” Mark Justus, Raytheon AIM-9X program director, told Scout Warrior in a written statement. "The missile also has proven capability in air-to-surface and demonstrated capability in surface-to-air missions."
Weapons integration for the F-35 is designed to evolve in tandem with software advances for the aircraft, described as “increments.” Each increment, involving massive amounts of lines of computer code, improves the platform’s ability to integrate, carry and fire a wider range of weapons.
Block 2B, for example, is already operational and builds upon the enhanced simulated weapons, data link capabilities and early fused sensor integration of the earlier Block 2A software drop.
The Air Force planned to reach operational status with software Block 3i in 2016. Full operational capability will come with Block 3F, service officials said.
Last Fall, the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter completed the first aerial test of its 25mm Gatling gun embedded into the left wing of the aircraft, officials said.
“This milestone was the first in a series of test flights to functionally evaluate the in-flight operation of the F-35A’s internal 25mm gun throughout its employment envelope,” a Pentagon statement said.
The Gatling gun will bring a substantial technology to the multi-role fighter platform, as it will better enable the aircraft to perform air-to-air attacks and close-air support missions to troops on the ground – a task of growing consequence given the current Air Force examinations of the future of the A-10.
“Three bursts of one 30 rounds and two 60 rounds each were fired from the aircraft’s four-barrel, 25-millimeter Gatling gun. In integrating the weapon into the stealthy F-35A airframe, the gun must be kept hidden behind closed doors to reduce its radar cross section until the trigger is pulled,” a statement from the Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter said.
The Small Diameter Bomb II, or SDB II, is designed to integrate onto the F-35 by 2022 or 2023; it is engineered todestroy moving targets in all kinds of weather, such as small groups of ISIS or terrorist fighters on-the-move in pick-up trucks.
“It is built to withstand more damage than any other frame that I know of. It’s known for its ruggedness,” A-10 pilot Lt. Col. Ryan Haden, 23rd Fighter Group Deputy, Moody AFB, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
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The Saints, like stars, around his seat Perform their courses still. --Keble. To achieve (to come to the end or arrive at one's purpose) usually implies some enterprise or undertaking of importance, difficulty, and excellence.
2. Complete in acquirements as the result usually of training; -- commonly in a good sense; as, an accomplished scholar, an accomplished villain.
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