bullets

The wildest race on the Olympic tracks in Cortina was in 1981. A man launched himself dodging bullets and assassins on a motorcycle

by

There are places that seem calm until someone decides to take them beyond reason. Scenarios conceived for precision and discipline that end up becoming, through a combination of ambition and audacity, within the framework of feats that border on the impossible and they leave a mark that is difficult to erase. The slopes of Cortina, in Italy, have seen all kinds of sporting feats, but few like the one that occurred in 1981. Return with the aroma of cinema. When the Winter Games They return to Cortina d’Ampezzothe tracks not only recover their sporting history, but also one of the sequences more wild and brutal never shot in the snow. The scene in question turned these mountains into the scene of impossible chases, shootings adrenaline in full descent and suicidal jumps that were etched in the collective memory long before he was once again at the center of the Olympic calendar, or even before Tom Cruise himself will amplify the scene in his Mission Impossible saga. The wildest chase. The story took place in 1981, during the filming of For Your Eyes Only which led to James Bond himself (then played by Roger Moore) to flee skiing of armed killers, motorcycles and even a biathlete who shot him while he was descending at full speed. In fact, the brutal sequence culminated with a maneuver as absurd as it was legendary: sliding down an Olympic bobsleigh track at more than 80 kilometers per hour and be thrown into the void as if it were a ramp. It was an extreme scene even for the saga, which came from sending the agent into spacebut which found in the Italian Alps a new limit for its formula of constant danger. Six weeks on the brink of disaster. The sequence in question required more than a month of filming, expert drivers inherited from The Italian Jobpiano wires, cameras mounted on bobsleighs and snow transported by trucks in the middle of the drought. Not only that. The team continued despite injuries from Roger Moore himselfburning bobsleighs and a level of risk so extreme that it was necessary to check every screw on the cameras before launching across the ice. Bogner and the men who did know how to ski. Behind the camera was Willy Bogner Jr.former Olympian and pioneer of ski filming, who decided roll the action back and designed double-tip skis to survive the challenge. Around them, specialists as John Eavesworld champion freestyle skier, learned to bobsled down the slopes again and again, while some actors struggled simply to stay upright on skis. Curtain, specialists and memory. Another of the key names was in the figure by Giovanni Dibonaa local specialist recruited to test whether it was possible to ski in and out of the ice channel, a feat that defined the entire final sequence. Decades later, The Wall Street Journal said that Dibona barely remembers why they were chasing Bond, but he remembers the titanic effort involved in filming in those conditions, an experience that made him understand that action cinema was not very different from extreme sports. Between glamor and tragedy. Plus: the filming was also marked by death. During a break for the 1981 world bobsleigh championships, an American athlete died in competition and, on the last day of filming, a young Italian stuntman He died when his sleigh overturned. All of this contrasted with the glamorous premiere of the film, a grand premiere attended by the then Prince Charles and Diana of Wales. Bond got off his skis, Cortina didn’t. The truth is that, over the years, the character of James Bond left the snow behind for other purposes such as hanging of trains and helicoptersbut Cortina remained a temple of vertigo, one shared by cinema and sport. There, those who lived through that filming know that the Bond films and the Olympic Games have something essential in common: they both look elegant from the outside, but they hide a hardness that only those who have ever gone downhill understand (or above) without network. Image | United In Xataka | One of the best comedies in history turned this simple scene into the most expensive. 9/11 and a highway were to blame In Xataka | In 1987 a death was filmed so savage that people had to cover themselves. The trick to achieve it turned RoboCop into a cult work

Now they have woken it up and it is already surpassing the US in bullets produced per year

by

For much of the Cold War, Europe assumed that its industrial role in defense was secondary to American muscle, and that mass munitions production was on the other side of the Atlantic. Eight decades later, that logic starts to invest: not because the continent is fully rearmed, but because a single European company It is already capable of manufacturing more bullets in a year than the entire US military industry. The geopolitical trigger. The turn of American policy under Trump, with insinuations as extreme as possible annexation of Greenland and one increasing pressure for Europe to assume its own defense, has reopened a question that for decades seemed unnecessary: ​​whether the continent would be capable of arm and defend yourself without the United States. The response of analysts and policy makers is affirmativebut with important nuances, because replacing the US military umbrella (from personnel to equipment and critical capabilities) would have an estimated cost of around a billion dollars and would require years of industrial and strategic transformation. The awakening I remembered a fact the wall street journal that we recently told: after decades of underfinancing and fragmentation, the European defense industry is experiencing its greatest acceleration since the Cold War, driven by the war in Ukraine and a massive increase of military spending. The production of drones, ammunition, armored vehicles and ground systems has been shotwith new companies emerging in record time and large groups expanding factories and workforces, supported by a political and financial environment that just five years ago would have been unthinkable. This rearmament has turned Europe into an industrial actor much more dynamic, although still uneven according to sectors. Money changes the balance. Another fact: Europe spent around to 560,000 million dollars in defense last year, double that of a decade ago, and its investment in equipment is on track to reach 2035 about 80% of that of the Pentagonwhen in 2019 it did not reach 30%. This change not only brings operational autonomy closer, but also threatens to reduce the weight of American manufacturers in a market that today contributes up to 10% of your incomefueling a slow but perceptible shift towards weapons produced on the continent itself. Rheinmetall Panther KF51 Advantages and successes. In some areas, Europe is no longer just defending itself, it is surpassing the United States. Companies like Rheinmetall will soon be able to produce more 155mm artillery ammunition than all American industry togetherwhile the continent dominates the manufacturing of battle tanks, ships and submarines that are successfully exported around the world. Names like that of the leopard tankEuropean shipyards and the rise of drone manufacturers in small countries like Estoniaassets that illustrate a solid and increasingly competitive industrial base. The great lagoons. Despite progress, they persist critical deficits that limit real independence: Europe lacks, for example, its own stealth fighters, and depends on the United States for what is called satellite intelligence, anti-missile defense, military cloud computing and very long-range missiles. Not only that. How we countstill tied to maintenance and updating of American systems such as the F-35 or the Patriot. These gaps explain why many countries continue to purchase weapons outside the continent, even as they declare their intention to strengthen strategic autonomy. Fragmentation, the great brake. More than the lack of technology, one of the main obstacles is the political and industrial dispersion: Each country wants its own plane, tank and ship, diluting investments, delaying programs and making production more expensive. This fragmentation slows down rearmament, forces us to resort to external suppliers (like South Korea in the case of Poland) and makes it difficult for Europe to act as a coherent bloc capable of responding quickly to a major crisis. Autonomy yes, but gradual. In summary, experts agree that Europe can arm and defend himself by itself, but not immediately, but progressively. Projects for long-range missiles, satellite constellations and greater industrial integration are already underway, with countries such as France and the United Kingdom trying to reduce key dependencies. However, a significant degree of American supportwhich makes this billion dollar career in a hybrid something different than a sudden break with Washington, something more like a slow and complex transition towards a more self-sufficient European defense. Image | 7th Army Training Command In Xataka | Germany is experiencing a new “industrial miracle” that it already experienced 90 years ago: that of weapons In Xataka | 100 years later, Renault is on the verge of producing war machinery again: military drones together with Turgis Gallard

In the midst of rearmament, Europe has realized an unimportant detail: it does not have enough bullets

by

The European defense industry is experiencing a decisive moment after decades of demilitarization, outsourcing of key processes and a growing dependence on suppliers that seemed assumed to be structural until the Russian invasion of Ukraine revealed its weaknesses. In that context, that of rearmamenta chemical compound with more than a century of military history has reappeared as a critical link: there is no TNT. The strategic resurgence. Yes, the shortage threatens the continent’s ability to sustain its ammunition production. The panorama is as simple as it is disturbing: Europe, with giants such as Rheinmetall, BAE or KNDS, only has a TNT plant operational (Nitro-Chemin Poland), while Russia manufactures millions of projectiles annually and receives direct support from North Korea. This combination has created a strategic asymmetry that the EU is trying to correct with massive investments and new industrial playersamong them a Swedish start-up that aims to break a historical blockade with a modern and fully European factory. At the center of this story appears Joakim Sjöbloman entrepreneur who abandoned fintech to build the first Swedish TNT plant in 30 years and contribute, as explainedfor her daughter to grow up in a continent capable of defending itself. The geopolitical urgency. Although its origin was almost anecdotal (a yellow dye produced in Germany at the end of the 19th century), the TNT It became a fundamental piece of modern warfare since its explosive properties were discovered. Today it is essential for almost any ammunition that exceeds the size of a bullet: artillery projectiles, grenades, aerial bombs and countless military loads require this compound which, paradoxically, is almost no longer manufactured in the West. The gap between capabilities is evident: while Russia produces between 4.5 and 5 million of projectiles per year, Europe barely reached 600,000 in 2024a figure that rose to 1.2 million adding US production, but still far from what is necessary for a balanced deterrence. Each projectile requires about 10 kg of TNTso matching the Russian pace would require about 50,000 tons of explosive per year. The great dependence. Nitro-Chem It manufactures a significant part of that volume, but exports much of it. outside the EUand the rest of the European market depends on India and China, suppliers that would automatically be left out of the equation in a conflict between blocs. For Sjöblomthis dependence is an intolerable risk: any diplomatic or military crisis could immediately cut off the supply, just as happened with vaccines during the pandemic. The Swedish bet. It counted on Insider that Swebalthe company founded by Sjöblom after selling Minna Technologies to Mastercardaims to produce 4,500 tons of TNT per year in a facility located a few kilometers from Alfred Nobel’s historic dynamite factory. The project (which plans to start in 2028) aims to only use Swedish and Baltic raw materialscreating a completely European supply chain and drastically reducing delivery times that today depend on ships diverted around the Horn of Africa. Although its capacity does not even remotely cover the continental gap, Sjöblom himself maintains that it will be a significant contribution for at least a decade, because even adding all the projects planned in Finland, Greece, the Czech Republic and the United States, Europe would still be far from balancing the industrial pulse with Russia. The rebirth of TNT is not a historical eccentricity, but the reconstruction of a capacity that Sweden had until 1998 and that it dismantled because demilitarization made it unnecessary to maintain a dangerous, expensive chemical industry for which there were no commercial incentives. A dangerous process. The construction of a TNT plant It requires overcoming a regulatory labyrinth that Sweden applies rigorously even in the era of rearmament. To obtain the environmental permit, Swebal has had to carry out 14 studies on protected faunaarchaeological remains, acoustic impact and risk analysis, in addition to guaranteeing a perimeter isolated by forests that would act as a natural barrier in the event of an explosion. The plant’s own architecture reflects the delicate nature of the process: acid tanks connected to a concentration tower, chemical reactors enclosed in an enclosure of six-meter earth walls, video control, electrified fencing and permanent security equipment. Automation. The goal is that 90% of the process be automatedso that workers only enter in a final laboratory testing and in a shielded control room. Mixing toluene with sulfuric and nitric acid involves managing extreme temperatures and toxic gases, and any mistake can lead to lethal fumes or spontaneous detonation. Additionally, producing TNT generates “redwater”a carcinogenic waste that Swebal will send to an external plant for incineration, avoiding repeating polluting practices of the past. All this requires between 80 and 90 million of euros of investment, well above the initial financing of 3.5 million that the company has already closed. The European dilemma. Behind this industrial commitment there is an economic argument that transcends TNT. Europe spends 200,000 million euros annually on defense, but more than 60% of that money is allocated to US suppliers. For Sjöblom, relocating supply chains would generate millions of jobs and reinforce strategic autonomy, two objectives aligned with the plan ReArm Europe 2030which could mobilize up to 800 billion in investments and loans for the defense industry. However, the sector continues to face a structural obstacle: Orders do not arrive as quickly as companies need to take risks. This inertia (coupled with the lack of interoperability between European weapons, which forces the maintenance of multiple calibers and standards) is, according to Sjöblomone of the greatest dangers to the defense of the continent. If Europe does not unify criteria and build a robust industrial base, it will end up depending on others to support its own security doctrine, a reminder that is summarized in a phrase which he considers essential: “either you have an army, or you have someone else’s army in your country.” Local tensions. There is no doubt, the factory, located near a group of summer huts next to a lake, has awakened reluctance among the residents of Nora, who fear truck … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.