Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Normalcy Bias and how many view Chinese defense advancements...
The normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a belief people hold when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the likelihood of a disaster and its possible effects, because people believe that things will always function the way things normally have functioned.I've read the comments about the Chinese and their defense advancements and one recurring theme comes up.
People go thru mental gymnastics to state that its nothing.
Those people are wrong.
What have we seen? The Chinese have a robust space program. They have a very robust aviation, armor and ship industry.
They're pumping out scientists and engineers the way we did back in the day when every little boy dreamed of being a pilot or astronaut.
Yes! They've stolen tech to make leaps ahead of their normal evolution. Yes! They continue to steal like bandits from old westerns. Yes! They're lacking badly when it comes to engine tech.
But they're working hard.
The funny thing is that this applies across the board. India? They have difficulties in their defense industry. Quite honestly they annoy me so much that I don't cover them on these pages as much as many would like. Brazil? Same. Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Jordan, Iran...the beat goes on.
There are countries around the world that are working overtime to catch up with the west in general and the US in particular.
The globalization scheme (which is thankfully dying) made that easier. Trump is disrupting that scheme a bit but the beat goes on. Everywhere you look you're seeing tech transfers. You never hear the term "dual use tech" anymore because it will get in the way of the mighty dollar.
Long short?
Get out of your normalcy bias. Things are not normal.
More Super Hornets for the US Navy...
Thanks to Super Rhino for the link!
via UPI
Pentagon officials have announced a new modified contract with Boeing for the manufacture and delivery of F/A-18 Super Hornet variants.Read the story for yourself, but to me the big news is that they're even purchasing the aircraft.
The contract, from Naval Air Systems Command and announced on Friday, is valued at more than $862.2 million and enables Boeing to provide 15 F/A-18E and three F/A-18F aircraft for the U.S. Navy, according to the Defense Department.
The F-35 is suppose to be the next gen uber fighter but the Navy is buying more Super Hornets?
That makes me even more curious about the study that Mattis commissioned comparing the F-35C to the Super Hornet.
No one is asking about it but I'm shouting to the rooftops begging to get a peek!
The reality?
The US Navy dropped its drawers in public and is exposing itself to the whole world.
They've picked and its the Super Hornet into the future...not the F-35.
Side note. Ironically the F-35C will probably be the airplane that is cut for economic reasons. It will have the smallest production run, obviously has a US customer that is not enthused and is different enough that "economies of scale" won't apply. Long short? The F-35C will never be affordable.
Armor Porn. Rheinmetall Lynx KF41 Video
I wonder if Rheinmetall is pushing the KF41 so hard because the Puma is having such difficulties? German media has stated that the Puma won't be fully capable till 2030 so perhaps this is a running do-over to provide an alternative that is "more affordable"?
Monday, June 11, 2018
Chinese Dark Sword is the world's first 6th Gen Fighter???
via Sputnik.
The recently-revealed Chinese ‘Dark Sword unmanned aircraft, already dubbed a “nightmare for the US,” might be the first military flyer to achieve the “sixth generation” milestone.Story here.
The recently-unveiled Chinese unmanned combat air platform known as Dark Sword might be the first sixth-generation warcraft, according to Militarywatchmagazine.com.
At this point, "4++"- and fifth-generation aircraft are mostly limited by the durability of the human pilot. Today, pilots survive thanks to pressurized inflatable suits, oxygen masks and extreme physical training. Increasing a plane's maneuverability would certainly crush a human pilot, necessitating a call for unmanned warcraft.
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