Matters Blackwater (Merged thread)

[davidbfpo]

Today a federal court finallys entenced four Blackwater contractors for the shooting / murder in Baghdad in 2007:

Three of the guards — Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — were each handed down 30-year sentences for voluntary and attempted manslaughter. Nicholas Slatten was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder.

Link:http://www.wbur.org/npr/399339092/bl...iraqi-killings

As this report explains the door maybe shut, but this has happened before in this case.

[davidbfpo]

A long report on Erik Prince's company developing a militarised version of a "crop duster" for clients:https://theintercept.com/2016/04/11/...ate-air-force/

Viktor Bout even had a role, leaving aside the Chinese investors.

[AdamG]

A long report on Erik Prince's company developing a militarised version of a "crop duster" for clients:https://theintercept.com/2016/04/11/...ate-air-force/

Viktor Bout even had a role, leaving aside the Chinese investors.

Devil in the details.

Reference weapons pylons,

After failed attempts to acquire them through multiple countries, they conceded defeat. The plane would have to deploy without the pylons. But they instructed Airborne to begin building customized pylons capable of carrying both Russian and NATO munitions that could be added later. According to Prince’s original Thrush blueprint, the aim was to patent a new pylon. Creating such a device was a challenge, but Airborne’s engineers would eventually succeed in building it, according to the former Airborne employee. “It was really an impressive engineering accomplishment,” he said, pointing out that Western and Russian bombs required different mounts. “You could arm those aircraft with any weapons — NATO or Warsaw pact — with the pylons we built. It was kind of incredible.”