Dunkirk - Trailer

This is one of those films that I think might become one of those "must sees".  Think about it.  The Germans had the British Expeditionary Force pinned on a beach totally surrounded yet they allowed elements of it to escape to fight another day.

The battle is listed as a loss but I'm not so sure.

Additionally I've never been into the sea battles of the Atlantic.  They just never captured my imagination the way the fight in the Pacific did.  I might need to rethink that.  The fight in the channel from just a general overview seems to have been particularly vicious with the German E-Boats being very effective in what could be considered the WW2 Atlantic version of combat in the littoral zone (from my seat I wonder why more people don't look at our PT Boat/Fighter Bomber actions in the "slot" and between the islands as a primer on future combat).  Yeah.  Dunkirk might be one for the digital library.

Open Comment Post. Jan 3, 2017

I'm back from the near dead...or at least it felt like that while coughing up crud.

Whats happening in the world from what little coverage I've seen?  The main thing is power.  All eyes are on the transition and the new Congress.  Meanwhile ISIS is claiming credit for attacks in Turkey and Iraq against civilians and the Central Command Head Shed is talking about Iraqi forces operating at "optimal" level against insurgents in Mosul.

If I didn't know better I'd think that everyone is taking an operational pause in the fighting and getting ready for spring/summer fighting season.  But that's me, what's on your mind?

DCNS - BELH@RRA Stealth Digital Fighting Frigate Combat Simulation

Open Comment Post. Jan 2, 2017

Wow.  Had a great holiday but got the gift of "the crud"....trying to kick this stuff but its hitting hard.  Prediction?  Dr visit today, I'll be back strong tomorrow.

Syria just went 18th century warfare...literally!

pic via Molon Labe Tumblr Page.

This is crazy.  I don't know if that's a hillbilly cannon or if its an antique but the ingenuity shown is awesome.

I am now convinced that the people with the most potential to cause massive mayhem and carry out the attack without being detected are machinist/welders.  Its been shown that with a well stocked shop, a little imagination and a lot of determination you can get stuff done.

Leave the gun stores alone...investigate the machine shops! Just kidding.

Did we all miss a cut in the Navy's F-35 buy?

Thanks to Don for the link!

Don reposted a link to this 2015 Navy Times article (here) and while everyone was going ga ga over the statement made by Greenert with regard to stealth not being the end all be all and the repeat of his "payloads over platforms" meme we missed something huge.  Check this out...

"There are some officers in the Navy who would like to see stealth brought to carriers, but quite a few who wouldn't, who would rather stick with something they know, at a price they know, with two engines that they know and perhaps, shift all funding to the sixth generation [F/A-18]," Aboulafia said.
He said the Navy's buying pattern is telling as to how it sees it integrating into the fleet.
"They are just not acting like the F-35 will be a major part of their force structure in the future," he said, noting he estimated that the Navy might end up buying roughly 200.

Roughly 200?  The programmed buy was 260.  Additionally if the Navy is buying fewer F-35C's than projected then that will increase the buy of those planes for the USMC.

Trump has an option to find a middle ground on the F-35.  He can cut the F-35C completely, let the Navy buy an advanced Super Hornet and still squeeze Lockheed Martin to get the best price possible on the A and B models.

One thing is obvious though.  The Pentagon is in panic mode.  Real cuts to this program are on the horizon and we've already seen the first hints of it...we just all missed it when it came out.

Women's UFC just died.

First.  Go here to see the post fight interview with Nunes.

You're back?  Hear me out.  Women's UFC just died.  Nunes will not be half the ambassador for the fight game that Rousey was and other female fighters have been.  Why?  Well its sensitive for many but obvious.  She's lesbian (think that doesn't matter...check out women's NBA).  She's obviously on the juice.  She doesn't speak english well so she can't be an ambassador for the sport in the US.

The problem for the UFC?  There isn't a person on the horizon that could unseat her.  She'll be champ for at least a couple of years and will see opportunities to cash in (at least in America, not sure about Brazil) dry up because no one will fight her.

Nunes won but Women's UFC died.

The Imperial Japanese Diplomat that saved 6K Jews during WW2.

via gdfalksen Tumbler Page.
Chiune Sugihara. This man saved 6000 Jews. He was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania. When the Nazis began rounding up Jews, Sugihara risked his life to start issuing unlawful travel visas to Jews. He hand-wrote them 18 hrs a day. The day his consulate closed and he had to evacuate, witnesses claim he was STILL writing visas and throwing from the train as he pulled away. He saved 6000 lives. The world didn’t know what he’d done until Israel honored him in 1985, the year before he died.

comment made by robowolves 

He was often called “Sempo”, an alternative reading of the characters of his first name, as that was easier for Westerners to pronounce.

His wife, Yukiko, was also a part of this; she is often credited with suggesting the plan. The Sugihara family was held in a Soviet POW camp for 18 months until the end of the war; within a year of returning home, Sugihara was asked to resign - officially due to downsizing, but most likely because the government disagreed with his actions.

He didn’t simply grant visas - he granted visas against direct orders, after attempting three times to receive permission from the Japanese Foreign Ministry and being turned down each time. He did not “misread” orders; he was in direct violation of them, with the encouragement and support of his wife.

He was honoured as Righteous Among the Nations in 1985, a year before he died in Kamakura; he and his descendants have also been granted permanent Israeli citizenship. He was also posthumously awarded the Life Saving Cross of Lithuania (1993); Commander’s Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (1996); and the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2007). Though not canonized, some Eastern Orthodox Christians recognize him as a saint.

Sugihara was born in Gifu on the first day of 1900, January 1. He achieved top marks in his schooling; his father wanted him to become a physician, but Sugihara wished to pursue learning English. He deliberately failed the exam by writing only his name and then entered Waseda, where he majored in English. He joined the Foreign Ministry after graduation and worked in the Manchurian Foreign Office in Harbin (where he learned Russian and German; he also converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church during this time). He resigned his post in protest over how the Japanese government treated the local Chinese citizens. He eventually married Yukiko Kikuchi, who would suggest and encourage his acts in Lithuania; they had four sons together. Chiune Sugihara passed away July 31, 1986, at the age of 86. Until her own passing in 2008, Yukiko continued as an ambassador of his legacy.

It is estimated that the Sugiharas saved between 6,000-10,000 Lithuanian and Polish Jewish people.

Just plain wow.  The unknown stories of this war....I'm blown away.... Everyone knows about the "big stuff", the propaganda and the story crafting to illustrate to those that would come later on how they were expected to perform.  But these stories lost to time of sacrifice and bravery are just plain cool and show a type of strength that 99.9% of the population can't muster and the majority of those could never comprehend.

Open Comment Post. Dec 30, 2016.

Above is the T92 Airborne Light Tank.  One thing you can give the US Army credit for.  Every 20 or so years they get a wild hair and start talking about making an Airborne Tank.  After a few prototypes are made they're always declared unsuitable and they go on doing business as normal.

Regardless...the T92 was cool.  But forget all that.  What's on your mind?

Household Cavalry Regiment on Ex Iron Scout 3 on Salisbury Plain.

Pictured is a C Sqn Household Cavalry Regiment Scimitar Vehicle at night during Exercise IRON SCOUT 3...The Household Cavalry Regiment is an Armoured Cavalry regiment equipped with CVR(T) recognisance vehicles (soon to receive the new AJAX vehicle) that allow the Regiment to project forward large distances and provide the forward recognisance for 1 (Armoured) Brigade. 

The Scimitar armoured fighting vehicle's exceptionally low ground pressure and small size make it useful where the terrain is hostile and movement is difficult. 

Scimitar carries a 30mm Rarden cannon for self-defence. It is used by reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps and 'recce' elements of the armoured infantry.

Wow.  I thought the Brits had retired all these vehicles.  The funny thing? This would make an ideal Airborne Fire Support Vehicle if it just had a bigger gun...considering that there is an anti-tank version maybe if both versions were bought it could get the job done.

I wonder why the 82nd never considered borrowing a few for some experiments.

Advanced Super Hornet could perform 80% of F-35 missions

via Next Big Future.

Dave Majumdar, the defense editor for The National Interest, assessment is that an Advanced Super Hornet could perform could offer a less costly 80 percent solution for the U.S. Navy’s requirements. Once developed to its full potential, the Advanced Super Hornet could perform most of the missions envisioned for the F-35C except penetrating strike—it would have to rely on stand-off weapons for that mission.
The Marines would simply be out of luck since a short takeoff/vertical landing variant of the Advanced Super Hornet is simply a physical impossibility
Switching to mostly Advanced Super Hornet's could save around $15 billion per year or more for 30-50 years.
Sensor Fusion can be matched
When development is complete, the F-35 will be able to correlate all of the data from its various sensors and data networks and then present that information in a single coherent and easily understandable display. Currently, only the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 have such a capability, but the Navy is working on adding a similar “sensor fusion” system to the Super Hornet. The Navy’s Multi-Sensor Integration effort for the Super Hornet is being developed in three phases—some of which have been fielded—with the goal of developing a sensor fusion capability similar to the F-22 and F-35.
According to Navy officials, the Super Hornet’s MSI program drew lessons from both the F-22 and F-35. However, one major difference between the Super Hornet’s sensor fusion and the F-22 and F-35 is the limited capabilities of the F/A-18E/F’s current displays. Boeing, however, has an option to fit a new large 11’X19’ high-definition color display into the Super Hornet cockpit that would address that issue.

Story here. 

This story is a must read and shows how the talking points put forward by Bogdan, Davis, Joint Program Office, Lockheed Martin and Leroy are nothing but lies.

Remember how they've all vacillated between Sensor Fusion being the key to the F-35's lethality (because its kinematic performance sucks donkey dick) to stealth being essential?

This article clearly shows how false those claims are.  Something you guys have known all along and I've suspected.

Kill this monster now.  Its past time to take this project down to the bayou, punch it in the head till it stops moving, hold it under till you know the deed is done and then tie cement blocks to it and toss it in the water so the gators and catfish can get big.

Thurs Funny?

Thurs funny?

Maybe if you're a Walking Dead fan, and since I am (or was until that episode...they jumped the shark with Glen getting his skull caved in and still being able to talk) I get the humor.