Messerschmitt Me 262 HG III Prototype Fighter...

The Nazis were some fanatical, evil bastards that deserve their spot in hell. But they sure came up with some awesome looking designs.  Additionally I think you can simply eyeball some of their tech and it looks like they were pretty far ahead of the allies.

The emphasis on destroying them first (and waiting to deal with the Japanese) was wise beyond words.

If they had just a couple more years...If Hitler had played on the "fake peace" with Russia for a bit longer instead of rushing to invade...If the Battle Of Britain turned out to be a victory for the Nazis...If they had two or three more years of war then we could have been faced with the distinct possibility of WW2 turning into the world's first nuclear war.

Additionally considering the airplane and armored vehicle designs they were coming up with, we might have been facing a stalemate on the European continent AND major US/Russian cities nuked.

But back on task.

Do you see that airplane above?  Its the follow on to the Me 262 and to my layman's eye it has rudimentary stealth features.  It was gonna be fast too.  Mach .96!  Probably would have broken the speed of sound in a dive (ie. diving on bomber formations to destroy bombers and break up the formations, disrupt the fighter escort). 

Alternate history has gone goofy.  Nazis on the moon or Antarctic.  I would love to read a book from a historian that outlines a credible "what if" on the biggest war in human history.

Kurconur...aviation photographer you should follow!

Kurconur is an aviation photographer out of Istanbul and he has some amazing pics.  If you're not following him you're wrong.  He has a huge dose of Turk aviation but despite the issues between the US and Turkey, he should be on your daily list of must see!  Check out his instagram page here.

Is the Russian 57mm the heir to the WWII German 88?

Thanks to Mr T for the pics!

Simple military history.

What was the most effective German anti-aircraft gun of WWII?  What was the most effective German anti-tank gun of WWII?  What was the most effective main gun of German Tanks in WWII?

Opinions of course vary but if you said the 88 you'd be in good company.

Now check out these pics (and the pics of the BMP-T 15 that I posted earlier).

The Russians seem to be making moves to mount the 57mm cannon on everything in their arsenal (or at least have it fitted).

This is the evolution in ground combat that I've been waiting for.  Whether these are plentiful or not doesn't matter.

A new standard for IFV firepower is being established.

Much like the 88, this new 57mm cannon looks well placed to fulfilling an anti-air and anti-vehicle role.

Plus its an extremely tidy package too.  I LIKE IT!

BMP-T-15, the Infantry Combat Vehicle on the Armata platform looks BEASTLY with its 57mm Cannon~!

Thanks to Pitch Black Universe for the pics!

Russia's Poseidon Nuclear Powered, Nuclear Torpedo is being taken EXTREMELY seriously...

via Popular Mechanics.

The world is still processing the sheer awfulness of Russia’s new Poseidon long range torpedo. The multi-megaton weapon, like something from a science fiction film, is designed to attack coastal targets, creating radioactive tsunamis and rendering entire regions uninhabitable. Once thought a possible hoax, we now know Poseidon is very real, prompting the question: How do you stop it?

Story here. 

I've been monitoring open source on this weapon for a couple of weeks and every story becomes a bit more dire.

A few things...

1.  I predicted and have stated over and over that Russia is not the THREAT! As "awful" as this weapon is it's still defensive in nature.  Not a Russia lover but a fact teller.  This is in response to our anti-ballistic missile work. Only a fool would think that competitors would not come up with viable solutions to the problem presented by our work in that field.

2.  Russia has a DEFENSIVE conventional military and a "stay the fuck back" nuclear force.  This weapon should not cause alarm.  It should be looked at maturely and without alarm.

Having said that this thing does have me thinking back to the old Star Trek TV show (the original).  Who remembers this episode?  Doomsday Machine...yeah it was a planet eating monster machine but the similarity are KINDA there!

Sequestration due to return next year. The Pentagon will be back in the hurt locker...those good times didn't last long!

via Washington Examiner.

President Trump was in a triumphant mood on Monday when he signed the $717 billion National Defense Authorization Act in front of a crowd of cheering soldiers in Fort Drum, N.Y. "We are the most powerful. We are the best funded. We are the biggest, we are the strongest, [and] we are the smartest," the president said.

But a new assessment by the Congressional Budget Office is tossing a bucket of cold water on Trump’s budget victory. After two years of spending hikes, the much-maligned Budget Control Act caps are set to snap back into place next year and could force a $71 billion reduction in total defense spending. The cap for the Defense Department will fall from $647 billion in fiscal 2019 to $576 billion, the CBO said. The Pentagon’s fiscal 2019 budget set by the NDAA is $639 billion, though no final defense appropriations bill has been passed yet. Some defense spending happens outside the Pentagon and the caps do not cover overseas contingency operations, which will run about $69 billion.

Story here. 

What happens when you run out of money?

Well if you're govt you have two choices.  You either get smart about spending and live within your means or you do like a criminal and steal it ... I mean raise taxes.

But the US govt has another big problem and the Republicans an even bigger one.

They cut taxes, raised defense spending and now they have ballooned the deficit.

No matter who wins, Republicans or Democrats, a cut in defense spending is assured.

For better or worse we're looking at a time of fiscal responsibility coming and coming fast.

Defense will suffer first but you can bet the "butter" portion of the budget will be coming soon after.

Prototype for the LAV/AD being trialed in 1985 with the GAU-13/A 30mm gun + FIM-92A Stinger 4-unit rack

Hat Tip To ToyotaWars Twitter Page for the pics!

PC-9 Pilatus aircraft from No. 4 Squadron successfully escort USMC MV-22 Ospreys...

Now here's something you don't see everyday! Watch PC-9 Pilatus aircraft from No. 4 Squadron successfully escort a @USMC MV-22 Osprey during an air-land integration mission on Exercise Pitch Black. #AusAirForce #USMC #ExPitchBlack18 #ALI pic.twitter.com/r7ajBpnHrz

— RAAF - Aus_AirForce (@Aus_AirForce) August 17, 2018

Light Attack Aircraft escort MV-22s...

Thanks to Dragoon for the link!!!

Wow.

Why did it take so long to do this?  It's curious when you think about it.  Amos pushed the SPMAGTF-CR which was built around the idea of MV-22s conducting long range mission...missions that would reach too far for the AH-1Z to ride along, and it was too slow too.

My guess?

They pushed for the perfect instead of reaching for the doable now.

I'm not a fan of the concept and I believe that it makes a Marine Corps formation much less flexible and much too light..BUT!

If we're gonna do it then doing it right would mean getting a Super Tucano, AT-6, OV-10 II or some other light attack plane to provide escort and close air support.

This isn't rocket science.

Every person on this blog has at one time or another pushed for it but it took this long?

Oh well.  Better late than never I guess.

Open Comment Post. August 17, 2018