World Top 10 Fastest Roller Coasters

1. Kingda Ka – Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA

 

Top Speed: 128 mph / 206 km/h

Kingda Ka is not just the fastest, but also the tallest roller coaster in the world. A hydraulic launch mechanism rockets the train from 0 to 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) in 3.5 seconds, pulling about 1.67 g’s. At the end of the launch track, the train climbs the main tower, twisting 90 degrees to the right before reaching a height of 456 feet (139.5 m). The train then descends 418 feet (127 m) straight down through a 270-degree spiral. Finally, the train climbs the second, 129 foot hill, producing a moment of weightlessness before being smoothly brought to a stop by the magnetic brakes. Due to the high speed and open nature of the trains, this ride will not operate in even light rain, as rider contact with rain drops can cause discomfort.

2. Top Thrill Dragster – Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

 

Top Speed: 120 mph / 193 km/h

Top Thrill Dragster was the first “Strata Coaster,” loosely defined as a complete circuit coaster that is 400 to 499 feet tall. It was the last one to use lapbars instead of over-the-shoulder restraints due to mechanical problems. Shortly after reaching its maximum velocity in less than four seconds, the train begins its ascent up a 90-degree incline that has a 90-degree counter-clockwise twist that takes the train straight over the top of the 420 foot hill, where riders will experience significant airtime (zero g-forces). On the way down the other side, there is a 270-degree clockwise twist that leads into the magnetic braking section that brings the train to a swift but comfortable stop.

3. Dodonpa – Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan

 

Top Speed: 106.9 mph / 172 km/h

Dodonpa opened in 2001 and is a steel sit-down roller coaster with a compressed air launch. It is 52 metres (170 feet) tall, and has a launch speed of 172 km/h (107 mph), which is reached in less than 2 seconds. The launch is followed by a huge, sweeping, overbanked curve, giving riders a chance to catch their breath back, before they hit the 170 foot top hat; an element with some extreme negative G forces. The name ‘Dodonpa’ comes from the musical sound which is played to customers waiting to board it.

4. Tower of Terror – Dreamworld, Coomera, Queensland, Australia

 

Top Speed: 100 mph / 161 km/h

Tower Of Terror is a steel reverse freefall coaster. The six ton passenger vehicle, is electro-magnetically powered, accelerating its passengers rapidly to 160.9 km/h (100 mph) in seven seconds. The track then turns skyward, with the passengers pulling 4.5 G’s. The car climbs to almost 38 stories high. Following the climb, there is a 6.5 second free-fall before the 90 degree turn is executed in reverse. The vehicle then hurtles into the station where it comes to a rapid stop.

5. Superman: The Escape – Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, USA

 

Top Speed: 100 mph / 161 km/h

Superman: The Escape, is probably the most hair-raising of the coasters listed here. Instead of looping and twisting, the Escape is a straight track that rises to 41 stories in a matter of seconds and then, after pausing, drops back down. The ride is L-shaped and accelerates to 100 miles per hour (the first roller-coaster to reach that speed) in 7 seconds. The drop involves 6.5 seconds of weightlessness and when you drop, you drop backwards.

6. Steel Dragon 2000 – Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan

 

Top Speed: 95 mph / 152.9 km/h

Steel Dragon 2000 is the tallest coaster to utilize a traditional chain lift. Because of the length of the lift hill, two chains are used – one for the bottom half and one for the top half. A single chain would have been excessively long and heavy, at least twice the weight of one of the trains. As a result, two trains can safely occupy the lift simultaneously. It debuted only months after Millennium Force and surpassed the Cedar Point coaster as the world’s tallest complete-circuit coaster. It also set a record for longest track length – 8133 feet, 2 inches (2479 m).

7. Millennium Force – Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

 

Top Speed: 93 mph / 149.7 km/h

Debuting in May, 2000, the Millennium Force is one of the highest roller coasters in the world. It boasts 10 world records. It rises to a height of 310 feet and travels through Cedar Point Park before crossing on to an island. During the trip you experience corkscrew turns in dark tunnels, 300 foot drops, and an 80 degree plummet down its highest point. The 2 minute 20 second ride covers 13 acres of track.

8. Titan – Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas, USA

 

Top Speed: 85 mph / 136.7 km/h

The Titan was built by the same Swiss designers that built the Goliath but includes extra twists. It has 5,280 feet of track, allowing for more drops, loops, and corkscrews. After dropping from the 255 foot hill, you are plunged in to a dark tunnel at the speed of 85 miles per hour. Titan includes a spiral that creates forces of up to 4.5gs.

9. Goliath – Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, USA

 

Top Speed: 85 mph / 136.7 km/h

Not only is the Goliath the 9th fastest roller coaster, but it also has the third highest drop and is the seventh tallest (standing at over 20 stories high). It includes a 255 foot drop, at 85 miles per hour, leading to a tunnel full of smoke. It also includes camel-like humps and an amazing bunny hop in which riders float off their seats due the force. It is recognized as one of the most entertaining roller coasters in the world.

10. Phantom’s Revenge – Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, USA

 

Top Speed: 82 mph / 131.9 km/h

In 2001, the Phantom’s Revenge was built to replace the Steel Phantom, which had consistently been ranked in the top five roller coasters in the world. It includes a 228 foot drop, subterranean tunnel, and reaches a maximum speed of 82 miles per hour. For the sake of tradition, some of the features of the Steel Phantom were retained, including the steel track. Replacing the loops and corkscrew, it now offers an array of hills and drops. With more than 1400 roller coasters in the world how do you know which ones to pack into your summer? If you are crazy about speed then here are ten of the fastest rollers coasters in the world. The interesting fact about this list is that USA holds seven places in ten 

 

Source :- http://worldtoptenthings.blogspot.in/2011/09/world-top-10-fastest-roller-coasters.html

The 10 Most Expensive Vehicles of U.S. Military

1. Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit

 

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, better known as the Stealth Bomber, can launch conventional and nuclear weapons against the most heavily protected enemy lines on earth thanks to its ability to evade radar detection. Originally, it was supposed to be manufactured in a run of 132, but it was so expensive that the initial 1987 order was slashed to 21. The cost of the B-2 program in 1997 was $737 million, or just over $1 billion today. Combined with procurement costs, the B-2 Spirit costs over $2 billion. The craft was first used during the Kosovo War in 1999, and it has been used successfully in Iraq and Afghanistan as well. They have also been used during the 2011 Libyan uprising, according to the BBC.No other country on earth has a larger defense budget than the United States. According to the Department of Defense, its base budget for fiscal year 2010 is over $500 billion, with another $130 billion to bolster the War on Terrorism and another $33 billion in supplemental spending on top of that. And that’s not to mention Homeland Security or nuclear arsenal maintenance.A lot of this money is spent on aircraft, tanks and ships, all of which are top – of – line and represent the furthest advances in military technology. In other words, they cost a lot of money.

2. Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey

 

The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey is a versatile aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities similar to those of a helicopter. However, it’s much faster than any existing chopper and it can fly at speeds as high as those of conventional turboprop airplanes. It was first used for combat in 2007 in Iraq, and the Marine Corps intends to use them in Afghanistan by late 2011. Unfortunately, the Osprey was plagued by a series of accidents during its design and testing phase between 1991 and 2000, and during that period the aircraft was involved in multiple accidents that caused thirty fatalities. Since 2008, the Osprey program has cost $27 billion, and as of 2010, each unit has cost $67 million.

3. USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)

 

Named for World War II veteran and former President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is the final Nimitz supercarrier to be produced for the US Navy. It was commissioned in 2001 and built by Northrop Grumman for a cost of $6.2 billion.

The carrier was completed in 2009, and is docked in Virginia. At almost 1,100 feet in length, it’s one of the longest warships in the world. Its top speed is over 30 knots, which it reaches with the help of two onboard nuclear reactors. This power source is capable of keeping the ship running for more than twenty years without once having to refuel.

4. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

 

The F-35 Lightning II was developed as part of a joint program between the US, the UK and other allies known as the Joint Strike Fighter program. It was developed for use in air, ground and reconnaissance missions, it has a wingspan of 35 feet and a length of over 51 feet. Its internal fuel capacity is over 18,000 pounds and it can reach speeds of 1,200 miles per hour.

The F-35 Lightning II is armed with a 4-barreled Gatling cannon and eight types of missiles, and if all else fails, it also has a B61 nuclear bomb. The cost for one aircraft is $122 million. The US plans to purchase over 2,000 units, at a cost of $323 billion. When this deal was cut in 2001, it made Lockheed Martin the recipient of the largest military contract in history.

5. McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

 

The F/A-18 Hornet was introduced by McDonnell Douglas and is manufactured by Boeing, who acquired the company in 1997. After making it maiden voyage in 1978, it was introduced in 1983 and since then, it has been used in a variety of capacities. It was used in Operation Desert Storm, and it’s the featured aircraft of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron. However, its primary functions are reconnaissance and air support.

The Hornet can reach a maximum speed of 1190 miles per hour, and it can climb up to 50,000 feet in a minute. Outside of the US, the fighter is used by the armed forces of such countries as Australia, Canada and Switzerland, and it has appeared in the 1996 science fiction film Independence Day as the aircraft used to defeat the alien menace. A 2006 report by the US Navy estimated that the cost of one unit is $57 million.

6. Boeing EA-18G Growler

 

The Boeing EA-18G Growler is a carrier-based fighter used for electronic warfare. It can disrupt radar and jam an enemy communication system with electromagnetic radiation and directed-energy weapons. Because of its use as an electronic warfare fighter, it carries no guns, although it carries missiles for self-defense.

The Growler is a modified version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, and it’s relatively new; it went into production in 2007 and only began operating in September 2009. The aircraft has a wingspan of over 44 feet and a length of over 60 feet. According to the US Navy, it costs $67 million to manufacture a single unit.

7. Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle

 

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle had its fifteen minutes of fame when 2008 presidential candidate John McCain cited the amphibious assault vehicle as the basis for a costly program that was wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. Developed for the US Marine Corps, it is deployed at sea and transports a full marine rifle squad to shore, then operates on land with the full capabilities of a tank.

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle is manufactured by General Dynamics, and the cost for each unit is over $22 million. To date, the program, which is expected to be complete in 2015, has a project cost of $15 billion, $3 billion of which has already been spent. The Bowles-Simpson Commission has recommended that the program be cancelled, and Secretary of Defense Gates said in January 2011 that he believes the program should end.

8. Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye

 

The E-2 Hawkeye is an airborne early warning aircraft that dates back to the 1960s. It has been upgraded to the E-2B and E-2C models when advances were made to its radar and communications capabilities, but the most recent model, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, is the most sophisticated yet. It features a new radar system that triples the craft’s ability to monitor territory.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, which took its first flight in 2007, costs $232 million to produce. It features a brand new avionics suite, complete with satellite communications capability, and the capability for midair refueling. According to Northrup Grumman, the aircraft began delivery to the US Navy in 2010.

9. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

 

The C17A Globemaster III is a military transport aircraft in operation since 1993. The plane, which can drop over 100 paratroopers into a war zone at one time, has been used to move troops into Iraq and Afghanistan, and has also been used to deliver humanitarian aid and perform medical evacuations.

The price for one unit is $191 million. McDonnell Douglas developed it during the 1980s for strategic and tactical airlift, and it’s used by the militaries of the U . K . and Canada, as well as by NATO. Both the United Arab Emirates and India are planning to use the aircraft as well.

10. Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

 

According to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, the F-22 Raptor is the best combat aircraft on earth. While this might seem tantamount to saying your son is brilliant, one look at the aircraft’s capabilities actually bears out the manufacturer’s statement. It can break the sound barrier, it can avoid detection by radar and it can shoot down cruise missiles.

Unfortunately, an Air Force budget document estimated that one unit costs $150 million, with an overall program cost of $65 billion. The high price inspired the Defense Department to call for the program’s end in 2009. The Senate voted to end it in July of that year, and when the military policy bill was signed into law three months later, funding for further production of the F-22 had been cut.

 

Source :- http://worldtoptenthings.blogspot.in/2011/09/10-most-expensive-vehicles-of-us.html

World Top 10 Generals of Western History

1. Napoleon Bonaparte

 

 

Born a Corsican, Napoleon became by far the most able general of the modern age, rising from obscurity during the Revolution to Consul and Emperor of the French Empire which spanned from Madrid to Moscow and from Oslo to Cairo. Originally an artilleryman, he led campaigns that conquered the Italian States, Austria, Egypt, Prussia, Spain, the Netherlands, Swedish Pomerania, parts of the Caribbean, and large swathes of Russia. Leading brilliant campaigns, using concentrated force in lightning strikes on the field, developing independent and complete army corps (a system still modeled today), installing puppet rulers, conscripting troops from each nation he subdued, and inspiring a host of marshals who were all able tacticians themselves (Murat, Massena, Bernadotte, Ney, and many others), Napoleon revolutionized warfare. No less than four international alliances of powers were required to bring his empire to its knees, and without the simultaneous pressure or Russian winter, British naval domination, Spanish guerillas, and Wellington’s stolid and unbreakable Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army, very likely Bonaparte would have sat astride the his European conquests for years to come.

2. Hannibal Barca

 

 

The most feared opponent Rome ever faced, this Carthaginian general was raised to the task of defeating the Romans from early childhood by his father, Hasdrubal. Hannibal abandoned previous Carthaginian tactics of passive naval superiority, and marched a force on elephants over the Italian Alps. Defeating the Romans at nearly every battle he fought, he made a Roman general, Quintus Fabius Maximus, famous merely for being able to delay Hannibal’s advance without enormous loss of life (Fabius was granted the title “Cunctator”, or delayer, by the Roman senate). At Cannae, Hannibal’s forces, cobbled together and suffering from losses, routed an enormous Roman army, killing or capturing upwards of fifty thousand enemies. Eventually defeated by Scipio Africanus and deserted by his government, he remained a scourge the Romans invoked to justify razing Carthage.

3. Salah ad Din

 

 

Saladin, as he is known in our language, was the most outstanding leader of the Crusades, hampering the fledgling crusader states and European invasions with equal aplomb. Known for his calm and rationality, his lack of fanaticism, and his respect for his opponents, he conquered Syria, Egypt, and most of modern day Israel steadily and without great difficulty. He was enormously respected by nearly all of his rivals, and maintained an epistolary friendship with Richard the Lionheart, sending him gifts, horses, and his own physician.

4. Robert E. Lee

 

 

Lee, perhaps the most successful commander in history against numerically and materially superior forces, was the gentle genius in charge of the Army of Northern Virginia and most Confederate forces during the Civil War. He developed a reputation of near omniscience among both enemies and allies, and soundly thrashed Union forces soundly on numerous occasions. His losses, few as they were, were generally more devastating to his opponents than himself, and Ulysses S. Grant, the only general to successfully corner Lee, was forced to adopt a strategy of attrition, rather than any attempt to outfight Lee.

5. George Washington

 

 

Washington was the pivotal, and probably most successful, leader of the American revolutionary forces vying for independence from the British Empire. Though ably assisted by several subordinates (including Benedict Arnold, whose military acumen has been overshadowed by his famous betrayal), Washington proved the uniting force of the Continental Army, leading it to victory at Trenton and Yorktown, and holding the piecemeal forces together in the hard winter at Valley Forge.

6. Julius Caesar

 

 

The famed consul of Rome was perhaps the ablest of the late Republic’s military leaders, vying with his co-consul, Pompey for glory in subjugating territory to Rome’s expansionist will. His campaign against the Gauls is still required reading in many military academies, and his defeat of Pompey nearly granted him the kingship of firmly republican Rome. The political and personal treachery that ended his life and provided the opportunity for his nephew, Octavian, to become emperor, is legendary, but Caesar’s successes were more reliant on the loyalty and victory of his armies than political maneuvering.

7. Joan of Arc

 

 

The maid of Orleans is the only commander on this list to have had to share command in even her finest moments of victory, but as she is also the only woman, one feels an exception is in order. A French peasant girl who claimed visions from God, she traveled to Charles II, the French king losing the war to the English. Though she was hampered by skepticism at first, Joan influenced several important French victories, leading charges personally, and inspiring French troops to renewed fervor.

8. George S. Patton

 

 

The most controversial figure of the Allied forces in WWII, Patton himself may have believed himself to be reincarnated from more ancient warriors, carrying their bravery and experience into his battles. A promising early career helping Pershing hunt Pancho Villa jumpstarted Patton into the armored corps, where he became a mentor to Eisenhower (later promoted over his head). In WWII, he gladly used the Germans’ blitzkrieg against them, using the maneuverability of American armored units to out maneuver German lines and gaining large amounts of ground over short periods of time. His infamous incidents, including troops under his command executing more than one massacre, and Patton’s slapping of a supposedly cowardly soldier in a field hospital, contributed to his decline, but more than anyone else, he led the Allies to victory in Europe.

9. Frederick the Great

 

 

Frederick II of Prussia was a student of modern warfare, and later its guiding voice in the late 18th century. He modernized the army of his disjointed pseudo-German kingdom, and fought continuous wars against Austria, the dominating power of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. Known for both his books and treatises on warfare, as well as leading troops into battle personally (he had six horses shot from under him).

10. Attila the Hun

 

 

Leader of the Hunnish empire that stretched from the borders of modern day France to the steppes of Russia, this thorn in the side of both Roman and Byzantine empires assembled a massive force of all the tribes and nations traditionally viewed as provincial savages – Huns, Goths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, and many more, and nearly conquered mainland Europe. In the template of other “barbarian” conquerors to come after him, like Genghis Khan, he showed the lie of assumed Western superiority; and whenever your enemies names you “the Scourge of God”, you can assume you’ve proved yourself a respected threat.

 

Source :- http://worldtoptenthings.blogspot.in/2011/09/world-top-10-generals-of-western.html

Top 10 Badasses of the World’s Special Forces

In honor of a recent list of cheesy 80s actioners, here is a list for us James Bond wannabes. This list looks at 10 of the special forces from around the world that have the honor of being the most elite and – consequently – badass. Feel free to mention your own favorites in the comments which will no doubt include a lot that are not listed here.

1 British SAS

 

 

The Special Air Service is trained to perform equally well in all the fields listed for the SEALs, but is also trained by MI-5 and MI-6 for in-depth counter-espionage, more so than the SEALs. Physical competency must be of equal stature to the SEALs, to the degree that both special forces work closely together when necessary (Iraq and Afghanistan) and have good camaraderie.

They wear a tan beret, just as the U. S. Army Rangers, and both the SAS and SEALs are trained in knife fighting by experts in Apache Indian knife techniques, as well as Sayoc Kali, Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do, and for the last 3 years or so, the Keysi Fighting Method, made famous by the Chris Nolan “Batman” films.

2 Navy SEALs

 

 

You might think there are a lot of them, given the number of action movies dedicated to the plot device of an invincible warrior, but there are only about 2,000 of them. They are the Unites States’s most elite special warfare combatants. They are trained in all the fields in which the other U. S. special forces are trained, but to an even higher degree of competency.

SEAL training lasts over a year, and requires an age of between 17 and 28 years, male, incorrect vision no worse than 20/200 in either eye, and correctable to 20/20, and the physical screening test, which is beyond belief.

500 yd (460 m) swim using breast or combat sidestroke in under 12:30 with a competitive time of under 10:30. Then training begins. Physical conditioning, diving, land warfare, for 24 weeks, then 26 more weeks of SEAL qualification training. Then specialization in whatever fields a SEAL team needs expertise in: anything from sniper to language specialist, rope climbing, diving, jumpmaster, surreptitious entry, dynamic entry (door breacher), etc.

3 Shayetet 13

 

 

The name means “Flotilla 13,” and their official motto is the same as the Israeli military: “Never Again,” in reference to the Holocaust. Their unofficial motto, as they like to joke, is “When the going gets tough, the Jews get pissed.”

They are 1 of the 3 most elite Israeli special forces units, but Shayetet 13 is the unit most similar to the Delta Force. They specialize in hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, and because they live so close to a host of nations that seem bent on eradicating them, they are at all times ready in an instant to travel abroad and kill. They are very secretive, but of their missions publicized, the most notable include Operation Spring of Youth, in which they hunted down members of Black September in Beirut Lebanon and killed them, in revenge for the 1972 Munich massacre.

Apart from their firearms and heavy weapons training, they train extensively in Krav Maga, the national martial art of Israel, to which they endearingly refer as “Jew-jitsu.” It’s philosophy is based on the principle that in a real street fight no quarter will be asked or given. Fight to kill. Groin strikes are quite prevalent.

4 The Delta Force

 

 

The only official United States counter-terrorism unit, dedicated to hostage rescues, counter-insurgency, and general counter-terrorism. They’re full name is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, managed by the Army. Selection is done according to a physical fitness test: situps, pushups, followed by a 3-mile run, in an undisclosed time limit.

Then an all-night, 18-mile hike over mountainous terrain with a 35 lb backpack and a compass, no map. This finally culminated with a 40-mile hike with a 45 lb backpack, in a shorter time limit.

Then psychologists conduct a grueling battery of mental exams on the recruit to try to break him into confusion. If he passes this, he actually gets to begin Delta Force training, for 6 months. Firearms, heavy weaponry, elite hand-to-hand training.

5 U. S. Army Green Berets

 

 

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That’s their nickname. Technically they are the U. S. Army Special Forces, as opposed to the special forces of other countries, many of which also wear green berets.

Typically, the Green Berets are trained to administer “unconventional warfare,” which entails infiltrating a hostile area in anticipation of a large-scale military engagement, and training the local resistance populations to fight back against the enemy. This was done in South Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.

In the event that there is no local resistance to the enemy, the Green Berets infiltrate and soften up the enemy by “neutralizing” as many of its officers as possible. This usually involved sniping and throat cutting.

Training is very extensive and begins with the Army’s assessment of the recruit’s possession of 12 attributes: intelligence, physical fitness, motivation, trustworthiness, accountability, maturity, stability, judgment, decisiveness, teamwork, influence, and communications. 40% of applicants satisfy the Army that they have these attributes.

Final training consists of various endurance courses, carrying heavy backpacks over 40 miles of rugged terrain, with nothing but a live chicken and a knife, day and night. If the recruit can make a fire, he can eat the chicken cooked. He is not given matches or a lighter. He is allowed only a compass and his own hand-drawn map, completed from earlier reconnaissance courses.

6 U. S. Army Rangers

 

 

After basic Army training, voluntary enlistment into the 75th Ranger Regiment will train the recruit for the HALO parachute jump, SERE, languages, elite combatives expert, mountain warfare, combat diving, in addition to all the weapons qualification training.

After nine weeks of this, they enroll in Advanced Individual Training, to become masters of their chosen fields, then immediately enroll in the Army Airborne School, then in Ranger Indoctrination or Orientation Programs.

By the time they’ve graduated, they’re so well trained that members have reported waking up screaming from nightmares about Ranger school to be relieved that they are only in Vietnam.

But then, they lose a few points for an incident a Ranger told me about: he was the captain of a tank regiment on maneuvers in the Amazon jungle. Just an exercise, but because of the sweltering heat, they had to open their tank hatches. This captain, who shall remain nameless, heard a thump behind him, and turned to see a Goliath Bird-eating Spider crawling toward him, raising its front legs and hissing.

He admits to screaming like a girl, knifing the tarantula, jumping out of the tank and running off into the jungle for a mile and a half. His buddies still rib him about it.

7 MI-6

 

 

The closest thing to James Bond can be found in the personnel of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, or Security Service, section 6. It works in close partnership with section 5 (MI-5), the latter which is more of a pure spy agency, dedicated to counter-intelligence and counter-espionage.

MI-6, however, is the unit which deploys its agents all over the world to detect international intelligence threats and “neutralize” them before they become truly dangerous. Their headquarters is at Vauxhall Cross, London, and they will be quick to tell you there that there is no James Bond among them, and that their assignments and missions are quite boring.

They do, however, have an agent very similar to “Q,” who is in charge of all equipment and weaponry deployed for each operation. They also have indoor firing ranges, dojos, and a gym.

The closest thing to James Bond can be found in the personnel of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, or Security Service, section 6. It works in close partnership with section 5 (MI-5), the latter which is more of a pure spy agency, dedicated to counter-intelligence and counter-espionage.

MI-6, however, is the unit which deploys its agents all over the world to detect international intelligence threats and “neutralize” them before they become truly dangerous. Their headquarters is at Vauxhall Cross, London, and they will be quick to tell you there that there is no James Bond among them, and that their assignments and missions are quite boring.

They do, however, have an agent very similar to “Q,” who is in charge of all equipment and weaponry deployed for each operation. They also have indoor firing ranges, dojos, and a gym.

8 Marsoc

 

 

Currently, only men are allowed to try out for the U. S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. It’s primary missions are typically special reconnaissance, direct action, and internal defense within foreign nations.  Their training regimen is comprised of 4 phases, increasing in strenuousness. Phase 1 is SERE training, survival, evasion, resistance, escape. They are trained to make fire by friction, fire by mirrors, even fire by ice, depending on the location to which they are deployed. You mold the ice with the heat of your hands into the shape of a lens, which works just like a magnifying glass. Of course, they take matches and Zippos with them. After this, they begin physical fitness training, and hand-to-hand combat, practicing a hybrid of the most functional martial arts: Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, even Pankration. Then, Sayoc Kali, which is Filipino knife fighting. This is just phase 1. Phase 2 is marksmanship, amphibious demolitions, reconnaissance. Phase 3 is a contrinuation of 2, but with the addition of field radioes and satellite data-uplink systems. Phase 4 is “irregular warfare” instruction, which is a euphemism for “anything goes.” This phase consists primarily of the Derna Bridge operation, which forces the recruits to use all skills acquired during the course.

9 French Naval Commandos

 

 

They call themselves “berets verts,” or “green berets,” and consist of 6 units: Hubert, Trepel, de Montfort, de Penfentenyo, Jaubert, and Kieffer. Each unit is trained for special tasks, whether combat diving, close quarters sea combat, exfiltration, canine units, or long range fire support, including snipers and missile launchers. They were established much at the behest of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who was a naval officer in WWII.

10 Spetsnaz

 

 

Whereas most of the training regimens of militaries around the world are designed to teach, Russia’s Special Purpose Regiments, equivalent to the U. S. Green Berets, endure punishment daily throughout their training. They may quit anytime they want. The Spetsnaz want only the best, pain-hardened, battle-loving killers. They spar with the express goal of injuring each other, breaking ribs, fingers, vertebrae, healing only long enough to get back on their feet and complete the training. They are typically deployed for reconnaissance or house-to-house close quarters combat, but are also employed as extremely formidable bodyguards for high-ranking politicians. They claim that they are not taught to ignore pain, since that is impossible. They are instead taught to enjoy it. 

 

Source :- http://worldtoptenthings.blogspot.in/2011/09/top-10-badasses-of-worlds-special.html

Top 10 War Animals of All Time

Humans have enlisted animals to help fight their battles since the dawn of war, and today’s militaries use an even wider range of creatures for everything from bomb sniffing to coastline patrolling. Here we count down some of the creatures that have become unwitting recruits in both ancient and modern warfare.

1. Bat Bombs

 

 

These nocturnal flying mammals became part of a bizarre animal experiment during World War II. A dental surgeon upset by the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor proposed attaching tiny incendiary bombs to bats. The creatures were meant to set thousands of small blazes across Japan’s cities as they flew to roost beneath building roofs. But the idea floundered after receiving the green light from President Roosevelt. Many uncooperative bats simply dropped like rocks or flew away, despite the U.S. Army using as many as 6,000 of the mammals in their experiments. The U.S. Navy spent $2 million after taking over the effort, before finally giving up. Still, the bat bombs did manage to set fire to a simulated Japanese village, a U.S. Army hangar and a general’s car. Nowadays, Pentagon scientists study how bat flight mechanics could inspire future aircraft designs and spy robots.

2. Camel Cavalry

 

 

Camels only provide a few modern militaries with patrol mounts, but camel cavalry once flourished in certain regions of the world. Camels found much use in the arid or desert regions of North Africa and the Middle East during ancient times, given their ability to survive harsh and often waterless conditions. The smell of camels reportedly frightened enemy horse cavalry, even if the camels did not provide as much of a shock to enemy troops during charges. The Parthian and Sassanid Persians sometimes armored their camels as heavy cataphract cavalry (picture camels equipped with armor, artillery and carrying cavalrymen), and Arab warriors often rode camels during raids against other tribes or during the Muslim conquests of North Africa and the Middle East. Camels fared less well outside their natural ranges, where horses became the preferred battle mount. The combat role of camels rapidly declined with the development of guns throughout the 1700s and 1800s, but they still saw some action with British general Lawrence of Arabia and Arab forces during World War I.

3. Angry Bees

 

 

Stinger-equipped bees could become effective weapons when provoked. The ancient Greeks, Romans and other civilizations occasionally used the insects as tiny weapons of war to deter enemy troops. Besiegers would sometimes catapult beehives over the walls, and Greek defenders of Themiscyra supposedly returned the favor by barraging Roman attackers with hives. The Heptakometes of the Trebizond region in Turkey even tricked Roman soldiers under the command of Pompey with a tribute of toxic honey, which led to the defeat of the subsequently vomiting, intoxicated Romans. A more direct use of angry bees continued during castle sieges of the Middle Ages, as well as during World War I and the Vietnam War. These days, U.S. scientists have found more peaceful uses for bees by training the insects to detect land mines.

4. Sea Lion Patrol

 

 

California sea lions have gained odd fame in the service of the U.S. Navy’s marine mammal program, alongside dolphins and a beluga whale or two. The marine mammals have excellent low-light vision and underwater hearing, can swim 25 mph (40 km/h), and do repeated dives of up to 1,000 feet (300 m). The U.S. Navy has accordingly trained sea lions as minesweepers that can locate and mark mines. The animals can even attach a special leg cuff to human divers or saboteurs, which allows sailors to haul the suspects to the surface. A special sea lion harness also carries cameras that provide live underwater video. Just one sea lion, two human handlers, and a rubber boat can replace a full-sized naval vessel, its crew and a group of human divers in searching for objects on the ocean floor.

5. Messenger Pigeons

 

Carrier pigeons carried messages for conquerors and generals throughout much of human history, based on their homing ability and navigational skills that enable them to return home across hundreds of miles. But the pigeons gained much of the military fame during World War I, where Allied forces used as many as 200,000 of them. One pigeon named Cher Ami even earned the French “Croix de Guerre” for delivering 12 messages between forts in the Verdun, France region. He made his last message delivery despite suffering serious bullet injuries, and is credited with saving the “Lost Battalion” of the U.S. 77th Infantry Division, which had become cut off by German forces. Another group of 32 pigeons earned the British Dickin medal for animal valor during the D-Day invasion of World War II, when Allied soldiers kept radio silence and relied upon the pigeons to relay messages. The birds have since retired from military service because of advances in communications technology.

6. Navy Dolphins

 

 

Bottlenose dolphins have served alongside sea lions in helping the U.S. Navy patrol the seas since the 1960s. The brethren of Flipper use their sophisticated biological sonar to search for mines based on the concept of echolocation. A dolphin will send out a series of clicks that bounce off objects and return to the dolphin. That allows the marine mammal to get a mental image of the object, and it can then report to its human handler using certain yes or no responses. The handler can also follow up on a yes response by sending the dolphin to mark the object’s location with a weighted buoy line. Those mine-marking abilities came in handy during both the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War, with Navy dolphins helping to clear the port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq during the latter. Dolphins can also tag enemy swimmers, but the U.S. Navy denies rumors about training dolphins to use weapons against humans.

7. War Elephants

 

 

The largest living land mammals on Earth left their mark in warfare as creatures capable of devastating packed formations of enemy troops. Elephants could trample, pierce soldiers with their tusks and even throw hapless humans with their trunks. They sometimes wore armor or carried archers and javelin throwers. Ancient kingdoms of India may have been first to tame elephants as living tanks, but the practice soon spread to the Persians in the Middle East. Alexander the Great encountered enemy elephants during his conquests of the ancient world, and eventually the Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans made use of war elephants at certain times. Horses feared the sight and smell of elephants, and human soldiers also had to deal with the psychological terror of facing down the huge animals. Still, elephants could go mad with fear or pain after taking too much punishment, and the advent of cannons on the battlefield essentially ended their combat role.

8. Military Mules

 

Mules have played an unsung but crucial role throughout the history of warfare by carrying or pulling along much of the food, weapons and other supplies needed by armies. Born from a male donkey and a female horse, they became preferred over horses for carrying loads because of their greater endurance. They also displayed more intelligence and unwillingness to push to the point of injury, which led to the stereotype of being stubborn. Still, the ancient Roman legions marched with about one mule for every 10 Roman legionaries. Napoleon Bonaparte himself rode a mule across the Alps, in addition to using the animals in his baggage trains. The U.S. Army alone used about 571,000 horses and mules in Europe during World War I, and lost about 68,000 killed in action. Mules have continued to find use even today, as U.S. Special Forces, marines and soldiers rely upon the animals to keep supply lines open for remote outposts in the mountains of Afghanistan.

9. Dogs of War

 

 

Most people may look upon man’s best friend as a cuddly creature, but humans have let slip the dogs of war for thousands of years. Large breeds served as war dogs on the battlefield and as defensive sentries for everyone from the Egyptians to Native Americans. The Romans equipped some of their dogs with spiked collars and armor, and the Spanish conquistadors also used armored attack dogs during their invasion of South America in the 1500s. Many European factions and nations used war dogs in ancient conflicts and throughout the Middle Ages, but more modern warfare reduced the battlefield role to that of messengers, trackers, scouts and sentries. The U.S. military and others have more recently trained dogs as bomb-sniffing detectors to work in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the four-footed companions get their own bulletproof vests.

10. Horses

 

Perhaps no other animal has played so great a role in the history of warfare as the horse. Humans domesticated horses as early as 5,500 years ago in modern-day Kazakhstan, and the spread of horses across Eurasia soon gave rise to their use in large-scale warfare. The ancient Egyptians and the Chinese used horse-pulled chariots as stable platforms to fight from, before the invention of an effective saddle and stirrup gave mounted warriors a decisive edge. Armored knights on horseback could deliver devastating charges against all but the most steadfast foot-soldier formations. The stability provided by the saddle-and-stirrup combo allowed the Mongols to fight and shoot arrows effectively from horseback, and gave them the mobility to conquer much of the known world. A thunderous appearance of horses on battlefields often signaled the beginning of the end for civilizations that lacked similar warrior mounts. Major combat use of horses did not waver until the modern era of warfare, when tanks and machine guns entered the fray.

 

Source :- http://worldtoptenthings.blogspot.in/2011/12/top-10-war-animals-of-all-time.html