16 June 1999 - flying buttress

I wonder about the flying buttress. It sounds like some medieval military engine that Eritrea and Ethiopea could use against each other—you know, cry havoc and let slip the surly bonds of earth. In real life I’m sure flying buttresses are just some highfalutin’ way to support an argument. Of course you have to be pretty loud to do that nowadays. Do the modern ones have jet engines?