Story here (Google Translate needed).
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
We're building ground based SKYNET robots that will eventually be faster, stronger and more agile than any human...
This robot can do an entire gymnastics routine 😳— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 24, 2019
(via @WIRED, @BostonDynamics) pic.twitter.com/EyimhVQCTx
We're building SKYNET ground today.
Do you see the little gymnastics routine that thing did? Give it twenty years and you'll see bipedal robots that are faster, stronger and more agile than any human could ever be.
Add in a computers "relentless" desire to work a problem and you better have your shit stacked deep.
Based on the development that I've seen in the last 5-10 years I think we can honestly say that we could EASILY special ops units formed from robots and commanded by Geeks by 2050.
Forget lasers. EMP weapons will replace anti-tank weapons as the must have big stick against the new breed of enemy 'armor'.
An innovative product from the UK that the USMC/USN should take a look at....
Thanks to THINK DEFENCE for the link!
I keep thinking about the "long range" mission sets that the Marine Corps is talking about in the future.
I keep worrying that if an enemy has a missile complex advanced enough to threaten our amphibious ships then they'll have a complex advanced enough to threaten our rotary aviation.
I keep thinking that we're gonna need to get small units ashore from further out than we do currently and a single point of failure (aviation) shouldn't be a show stopper.
We could use tech like this to launch small units from far away (two hundred miles) and have them arrive at the beach ready to go instead of beat up, cold and wet as they would be today in our current rigs.
I keep thinking about the "long range" mission sets that the Marine Corps is talking about in the future.
I keep worrying that if an enemy has a missile complex advanced enough to threaten our amphibious ships then they'll have a complex advanced enough to threaten our rotary aviation.
I keep thinking that we're gonna need to get small units ashore from further out than we do currently and a single point of failure (aviation) shouldn't be a show stopper.
We could use tech like this to launch small units from far away (two hundred miles) and have them arrive at the beach ready to go instead of beat up, cold and wet as they would be today in our current rigs.
Rethinking using the Austal LCS as a possible Offshore Support Vessel for the USN/USMC amphibious fleet...
Thanks to Ogden for doing the leg work on my initial idea...
I did a post (here) where I mused about using the Austal LCS, with a plug in module to give it a bit more capacity, as the OSV that was talked about at a Modern Day Marine briefing.
Ogden did the legwork and this is what he came up with (I'm personally impressed)...
Do you get the force of connection in the above graphics?
Ok, that was perhaps unfair to ask. Let me be clear. I wanted a cheap, quick fix for this requirement. The Austal LCS seemed like the most likely candidate.
But the USMC is aviation centric (for better or worse). We need more flight deck space.
The question becomes this. What will give us the necessary deck space to fulfill this requirement.
My first thought was to revive the old lust for the Absalon Class.
Before the USMC started down the aviation centric side of things this ship could have been almost perfect for what's being asked. The problem? In my opinion while it would provide a very capable multi-role capability it just doesn't give us enough aviation facilities to support the "new" Corps.
So what do I think they're actually looking for? How about a blast from the past but with a twist.
Imagine a modern day Iwo Jima LPH but in a mini size. The Iwo Jima displaced 18K tons fully loaded. Cut that in half. Ditto with the aviation carried. Triple the same with troop carriage. Supposedly the Iwo Jima carried up to 2K Marines.
So what ship in existence gives us about half the Iwo Jima's displacement, aviation capabilities and troop carriage?
None.
We could replicate it's ability with the Mistral BPC class from France (that ship is remarkably similar to our LPH from years gone by in all specifications), but we're not needing that much capacity.
Unfortunately from my reading we're gonna need a new, clean sheet design to achieve what I think they're looking for.
In other words can US shipbuilders design and float a modern mini-LPH at an affordable price in a quick time frame? I'm really not sure.
I did a post (here) where I mused about using the Austal LCS, with a plug in module to give it a bit more capacity, as the OSV that was talked about at a Modern Day Marine briefing.
Ogden did the legwork and this is what he came up with (I'm personally impressed)...
Do you get the force of connection in the above graphics?
Ok, that was perhaps unfair to ask. Let me be clear. I wanted a cheap, quick fix for this requirement. The Austal LCS seemed like the most likely candidate.
But the USMC is aviation centric (for better or worse). We need more flight deck space.
The question becomes this. What will give us the necessary deck space to fulfill this requirement.
My first thought was to revive the old lust for the Absalon Class.
Before the USMC started down the aviation centric side of things this ship could have been almost perfect for what's being asked. The problem? In my opinion while it would provide a very capable multi-role capability it just doesn't give us enough aviation facilities to support the "new" Corps.
So what do I think they're actually looking for? How about a blast from the past but with a twist.
Imagine a modern day Iwo Jima LPH but in a mini size. The Iwo Jima displaced 18K tons fully loaded. Cut that in half. Ditto with the aviation carried. Triple the same with troop carriage. Supposedly the Iwo Jima carried up to 2K Marines.
So what ship in existence gives us about half the Iwo Jima's displacement, aviation capabilities and troop carriage?
None.
We could replicate it's ability with the Mistral BPC class from France (that ship is remarkably similar to our LPH from years gone by in all specifications), but we're not needing that much capacity.
Unfortunately from my reading we're gonna need a new, clean sheet design to achieve what I think they're looking for.
In other words can US shipbuilders design and float a modern mini-LPH at an affordable price in a quick time frame? I'm really not sure.
Airbus A400M performs first helicopter air-to-air dry contacts
Press Release.
The Airbus A400M new generation airlifter has successfully achieved its first helicopter air-to-air refueling contacts with an H225M. Over the course of 4 flights, operated in day conditions over the south of France, the A400M performed 51 dry contacts marking a decisive milestone towards its full capability as a tanker. These tests were performed under the coordination of the French “DGA Essais en vol” flight test centre.
The tests, involving no fuel and performed between 1,000 ft and 10,000 ft at flight speeds as low as 105 knots, confirmed the positive results of previous proximity flights conducted at the beginning of 2019. The next step in the flight test program will involve wet contact operations scheduled to take place before the end of 2019 ahead of final certification in 2021.
The flight test campaign also included the first proximity trials between the A400M and an H160 helicopter requested by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) in the frame of the feasibility study for the Guépard (future military multirole helicopter for the French armed forces). Tests were performed successfully.
The Airbus #A400M new generation airlifter has successfully achieved its first helicopter air-to-air dry contacts with an #H225M.@DGA @AirbusHelihttps://t.co/TZ22GYHltp pic.twitter.com/yFuynMMgUx— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) September 24, 2019
Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific tests remote control AAV (pics)...
Caption to pics...
The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific tests there autonomy software system on an Amphibious Assault Vehicle provided by the Amphibious Vehicle Testing Branch at the Del Mar Boat Basin on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 23, 2019. The autonomy software system allows for AAV’s to be remotely guided or navigate themselves into different terrain, to create a route and clear the way for troops on the ground. This testing has been going on for two years, and continues to be developed to assist Marines in accomplishing the mission. (U.S. Marine Corps pics by Lance Cpl. Andrew Cortez)
Australian Army receives first batch of BOXER IFVs according to DTR Magazine...
Rheinmetall this morning handed over the first Block 1 Boxer vehicle under the Australian Army's Land 400 Phase 2 CRV program (MPV variant). Just 13 months after contract signature - an outstanding result!@AustralianArmy @RheinmetallAus @Defence_CASG pic.twitter.com/Edi4XuxTif— DTR Magazine (@DTRmag) September 24, 2019
Wow. Congrats to the Australian Army and Rheinmetall.
Is it just me or is this remarkably quick for a major defense procurement?
Monday, September 23, 2019
Stunning result...Netanyahu won majority of votes to head new Israeli Government ...we were told he lost!
Netanyahu won majority of votes to head new Israeli Government – reportshttps://t.co/18DUt4C4v6— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) September 23, 2019
Pretty stunned to see this and as usual Sputnik is the one reporting it not mainstream news in the US.
This is stunning.
Netanyahu won.
I don't know the implications of this but there certainly must be a few. Additionally while the Iranians have released the Brit tanker, nervousness about their intentions must have played a role in his victory.
The Middle East continues to burn.
Offshore Support Vessels for the Navy/Marine Corps amphibious fleet?
via USNI News.
“How do we, as an amphibious warship force in the United States Navy, how do we support this [Expeditionary Advance Base Operations] concept?” Frank DiGiovanni said during a panel at Modern Day Marine 2019, referring to one of the Marines’ two new operating concepts.Story here.
“We came up with kind of the same thing the commandant put out in his guidance: we saw a need for a smaller set of diversified ships, we call them OSVs.”
DiGiovanni made clear that this wouldn’t come at the expense of the large multi-mission amphibious warships the Navy already buys, but “the more that you can diversify and complicate the enemy’s targeting capability, the better.”
He went on to note that Marines need large ships to get people and gear into a theater, but once there, they may be at risk if they remain concentrated. OSVs would contribute to Marines being able to disperse for their own protection, as well as giving them the agility and maneuverability to get in and around islands or other littoral water features.
“It’s a concept we’re looking at, and the commandant calls it out,” he told USNI News after the panel presentation.
“He doesn’t call it an OSV, but he does say small, scalable, more maneuverable, flexible kinds of things. The OSV is certainly a class or a type of ship we’ve worked with before.”
He acknowledged that the Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF), which the Navy bought for intratheater lift and will soon be used for ambulance-type medical transports, is also being looked at. The Austal-built EPF comes in at 103 meters long with a draft of 12.5 feet. The OSV the Navy has developed for the Iraqi Navy is 60 meters long and is primarily used to bring personnel and supplies to and from oil production platforms in the Persian Gulf. The OSV was also the basis for the design of two Pentagon-built Large Unmanned Surface Vessels, dubbed Ghost Fleet, that are being used to begin experimentation and prototyping efforts in the LUSV field.
“The book’s open right now; no decision has been made on what we want to do. But it’s certainly something we need to think about,” DiGiovanni said.
Hmm. So we need a ship to shore connector that doesn't have to reach the beach? We're looking at something that can handle high seas but doesn't necessarily have to sail with the gators?
We need something in theater that can ferry supplies from our amphibs 200 plus miles off shore to about 3 miles from the beach and won't have our guys tossing around like corks in the water, but has high water speed?
I think the DiGiovanni has it pretty much covered. We're probably looking at what we already have but more specialized.
So what are we looking at? Keep the guns and missiles up front (that's the party)...and stretch the back, reinforce the deck, add a ramp or if possible a small well deck (the business end) and I think we have what they're looking for.
Modification? You bet. Major mods? Don't know, I'm not a naval engineer but in my mind it sounds doable. Can we plug a new section of ship into existing models to get what I'm looking for?
If we can make it work then we have a semi-credible platform for the Reinforced Company Expeditionary Team. Tailor its aviation, armor, artillery and logistic support for minor operations, scale it so it plugs into a MEU and send them to the four corners of the world.
Give me 30 modified ships of this type and we suddenly can float more Marines than ever before. Hell we would have an additional MEU afloat...just disaggregated/dispersed.
USMC testing EOS R400S Mk2 for legacy AAVs.
via Military.com
The Army is testing a high-tech dual remote weapons station that can be operated from inside a vehicle -- a capability Marine officials are eyeing for their aging fleet of Assault Amphibious Vehicles.I talked to the guys at EOS and the chest thumping was real...the confidence high. They believe they have a winner and I believe them.
Last month, soldiers at Fort Sill in Oklahoma tested the R400S Mk2 dual remote weapon system. The R400S Mk 2, which is produced by EOS Defense Systems USA, Inc., can operate a variety of weapons including a machine gun, automatic grenade launcher, 30mm cannon or Javelin missile. It weighs less than 1,000 pounds and can "provide significant and flexible lethality from a land or sea platform," according to company officials.
The system, which can be used from the back of a vehicle or another remote location, uses high-tech sensors that allow soldiers and Marines identity targets more than 7 miles away.
"You can identify your target at a distance further than the effective range of the weapons systems," Steve Below, vice president of operations with EOS Defense Systems USA, told Military.com at the Modern Day Marine expo here.
Over and over again they talked about only two things.
Hyper accuracy of the system.
Identification/engagement range.
For better or worse the AAV will be with us for awhile longer. I can live with that. What I can't live with is the lack of lethality that its age has brought with it. This system can make up for that shortcoming in a BIG way.
Personally I'm thrilled.
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