The Flanker is huge compared to the Hornet...Maybe we should have supersized the thing!

Yeah I know.

Perspective.

But I'm not getting caught up in that just tossing this out there.  In hindsight I wonder if we shouldn't have supersized the Super Hornet when it went in for a design change.  I mean really plus size the beast into an F-14 sized bird...maybe even larger.

We have to remember that the F-18 was derived from the failing contestant in the USAF's Lightweight Fighter competition.  Due to decision made based on economy (and I can't fault them for that part) it ended up being the Navy's mainstay.

Moving into the future and assuming that the F-35C can actually deliver on all the promises it's made (and I seriously doubt that...the Navy would seem to agree considering the limited numbers being bought...in actuality it would make too much sense to cancel the F-35C but that's for another day) it would still seem to be lacking.

So what does the future hold?

More UCAVs.  Definitely more UCAVs.  A supersized Super Hornet?  I think it's probably approaching its design limits.  A plus sized F-35C?  Perhaps but with the move to UCAVs it might not seem practical.

I can't put my finger on it.  UCAVs are the obvious solution but I really think manned fighters will hang on a while longer.  The F-35C is simply failed.  I don't see it making a comeback with the Navy.  A supersized F-18 seems to be just more of the same with longer range.

Who knows.  But the next gen Navy fighter should be a sight to behold...meanwhile the Super Hornet is really tiny next to the Flanker.

433rd Weapons Squadron (WPS) takes off from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada....pics by Airman 1st Class Bryan Guthrie

Bomb Proof Your Knees...

💗Huge Calf Tips 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/mmOKAJORKa

— Bakhar Nabieva (@Bakhar_Nabieva) December 1, 2019

Just learned something that many of you probably already know.  To bomb proof your knees (or to help recover from a knee injury) you need to power up the supporting muscles.

Calf raises are a good start.  It will burn if done correctly but it's essential because they run up the back of the knee and provide support.



TLDR?  Well the guys above are a little nerdy but they hit on a good point if you checked out the vid.  If not then this is your benchmark.

If you have a weak elbow then you need to hit your forearms, biceps and triceps to help bring it back.  Can you expect discomfort?  You bet your ass but nothing ventured is nothing gained and pain is just weakness leaving the body (or so I was told).

Anyway hit the major muscle groups individually if you have to (if squats will bomb you out).  That means leg extensions, calf raises, leg presses and/or leg presses.  Those are all low impact, you can vary the resistance and more importantly it'll get you back in the game.

How much longer will China be patient with Hong Kong? The violence/info campaigns are ramping up ...

A masked rioter in Hong Kong on Nov. 30 hit a man on the head with a heavy object while he was clearing the road of debris left by radical protesters. pic.twitter.com/6RfiNhxl6P

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) December 2, 2019

I really can't tell what's real or not when it comes to the situation in Hong Kong.  To my surprise some of the "reliable" dudes I follow that blog from the Pacific region are all quiet on the issue.

If the above Tweet is true then damn.

It's getting pretty wild.  Not inner city America wild but wild nonetheless...especially for a comparably tranquil Asian country (yes I'm aware that all cities have their vicious underbelly but if you've ever been to the Pacific then you know it has to be sought out and is almost NEVER displayed in the open).

How much longer will China be patient?

Personally I thought they would have acted long ago.  Maybe they are already in a covert manner.

Regardless this is becoming a sign of weakness and I would have never thought in a million years that a Chinese ruler would allow himself to be seen as weak.

PLA Showed Another New Rocket Artillery System

via 21CenturyAsianArmsRace Blog.

A month after the military parade the Chinese news agency Global Times published a short analysis by Liu Xuanzun that offered few useful insights. The article claimed the vehicle, whose designation is unknown, mounted eight 370 mm rockets. The non-standard caliber is just one among several large diameter munitions the vehicle can be armed with. Apparently, this rocket artillery system is the sibling of the SR5 that’s designed to launch either 122 mm Grad rockets or a variety of missiles. When the newer system is loaded with the same rockets as the PHL-03 each of its modular launchers carry five rounds for a total of 10.

A more useful comparison is the Polonez developed as a joint venture between Belarusian and Chinese companies. The Polonez is the deadliest rocket artillery weapon in Europe at the moment and is superior to the Russian BM-30 Smerch in two aspects. First, its munitions are able to target farther, reaching an impressive 200 kilometers. Second, the Polonez’ launcher is designed for short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) known as the M20 with an estimated range of 300 km.

This new PLA rocket artillery system does share a few external commonalities with the Polonez; it’s an 8×8 truck supporting an elongated bed that fits a pivoting launcher. The launcher itself has eight tubes that may also carry containers for individual SRBMs or cruise missiles. If this is its intended role as a division level weapon, then the PLA have once again overmatched NATO and the US military as well as its main rivals in East Asia, Japan and Taiwan. 

Here. 

Pentagon doesn‘t really know how $2.1 BILLION was spent on F-35 parts

via Stock Daily Dish.

The Pentagon has failed to properly manage and account for $2.1 billion worth of parts for F-35 fighter jets, a new report by a government watchdog reveals. Now, the military simply has to take the word of Lockheed Martin on that.

The US military failed to account for 3.45 million pieces of government property – parts and equipment for F-35s, according to issued by the Department of Defense‘s (DoD) Office of Inspector General. Pentagon officials have “failed to implement procedures, and failed to appoint and hold officials responsible, to account for and manage government property for more than 16 years.”

Lacking the paperwork and even people to hold responsible for the blunder, the Pentagon has no actual idea how much the aforementioned pile of parts cost, and has to simply trust the word of the main contractor – Lockheed Martin – and its subcontractors, according to the report. The corporation valued the parts at $2.1 billion.

Here. 

Hmm.  What could we have done with 2.1 Billion Dollars?  Don't like safety net programs (although defense could justifiably be classified as such these days) then keep it entirely inside the Pentagon and think about what that could have bought.

Weep bros.

We have become Ancient Rome.  Decadent. Wasteful.  Fat.  Corrupt. How can we do the hard thing (and that time is coming) when we can't even muster the courage to do proper accounting on the biggest project in Pentagon history?

Open Comment Post. 2 Dec 2019.

Does warning of the dangers of China (not Russia) and critiquing our defense practices make me unpatriotic?

I had a very interesting couple of comments on the blog.  Dude called me everything but a child of God.  No worries.  I'm cool with that. 

What made me pause was the implication that I was fear mongering and being unpatriotic in my critique of our defense practices.

Is it even possible that anyone would look at this blog as being unpatriotic?

I would think not, but in case there is any doubt let me be clear...I AM ULTRA-PATRIOTIC and believe in my country.

But just like any living entity it can and does make mistakes.

I've chosen to start this little platform to share my opinion on things that I think are simply awesome (the ACV, the CH-47F, etc...) and things that I think are simply fucked beyond recognition (the F-35, LCS and others).

Is it valid?  Yeah.  Have I been wrong?  Occasionally but it's kinda hard to keep tally (with my critics) when the blogosphere rotates so viciously and other so called pundits start acting like what was once rebellious is now common knowledge.

Long story short?

We've made numerous mistakes (continue to do so) and our National Security Establishment has made critical mistakes that I believe will doom us going into the future.

1.  The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, N. Africa and Yemen.  All poorly won, did not change the status quo (could easily be said to have made things worse) and will probably go down in history as a failure of epic proportions.

2.  F-35.  I can find no other program in the history of the Pentagon that has been so poorly run, had such pathetic oversight and wasted so much money. Again this will affect our future defense and no one has the balls to say so in the mainstream defense establishment much less mainstream press.

3.  Haven't posted on it but the Ford Carrier is a nightmare that is probably doing it's best to become the next F-35.  The only thing saving it is that its only one ship but God did they screw it up.

The list goes on. 

Everyone knows this crap but no one wants to say it out loud.

So why don't I pound on our allies?  They're as screwed up as we are if not more?  Yep.  But I'll leave that to their own citizens to worry about.  If I find reports of interest I'll happily pass them on but I'm an American and my focus is the good ole' USA.

Let me leave you with this.  Dissent does not mean lack of support. 

End of Rant.

Finnish Coastal Recon has some pretty good camo...

Finnish @Navyfi coastal recon guys protecting the archipelago flanking the @Maavoimat defensive operations on the mainland.#ReconHorror #Kaakko19 pic.twitter.com/AepwxvLj2z

— Petri Mäkelä (@pmakela1) December 1, 2019

Russian Ka-52 helicopter crashes in Syria, both pilots killed – MoD

Russian Ka-52 helicopter crashes in Syria, both pilots killed – MoD https://t.co/eXfzkDzFvP

— Kublai HAN (@KubilaiH) December 1, 2019

Sunday Funny. Some of you reading this need to get checked!

Yep!

And with the luck that my readers have it won't be a big breasted female with small hands...more like a 6ft 2in, 250 pound linebacker sized nurse with a ruthless smile as he gloves up!

Russian Uran-9 armed UGV somewhere in Syria

Russian Uran-9 armed UGV somewhere in Syria pic.twitter.com/056huUSZSI

— Abraxas Spa (@AbraxasSpa) December 1, 2019