New Qatari Unmanned Ground Vehicle with Electro-Optical Mast & Radar!

[VIDEO]: Qatar Armed Forces showed new type of UGV during National Day military pride equipped with electro optics and radar .. it’s manufactured by Rheinmetall and Barzan Holdings in a JV called Rheinmetall Barzan Advanced Technologies (RBAT) pic.twitter.com/7h35jVlvP6

— Abdulmoiz (@abdulmoiz1990) December 20, 2019

Ok now this excites me!  The idea of using Unmanned Ground Vehicles as pickets or scouts?  It sings.  The idea of using them (or vehicles like them) as squad supply vehicles etc just seems like a tremendous amount of money for a boutique reason...hell the militarized ATVs get the job done at less cost and complexity.

Open Comment Post. 20 Dec 2019

Marines take ACV out for low-light tests (Part 2)...pics by Lance Cpl. Andrew Cortez

Marines take ACV out for low-light tests...pics by Lance Cpl. Andrew Cortez

MiG-31 with "Daggers" will close the coast of Russia

via IZ.Ru

The naval aviation of the Russian Navy now has two military units armed with MiG-31 fighters. One is based at the Monchegorsk airfield in the Murmansk region, and the second at Yelizovo in Kamchatka. Repair of the runway in Monchegorsk was completed in October 2013. More than 2 thousand concrete slabs on the runway itself, taxiways and equipment parking lots were replaced. In Yelizovo, work on the strip was completed in the summer of 2016. Its length was almost 3.5 thousand meters.

With the advent of the “Daggers”, the fleet will be able to “reach” almost any region of the Arctic adjacent to the shores of Russia. New missiles are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2 thousand km. Aircraft based on the Kola Peninsula will control the space from the coast of Iceland to the Kara Sea. And from Kamchatka, the MiG-31 completely covers the waters of the East Siberian, Okhotsk and Bering Seas.

Here. 

Ok.  A bit more of the same.  The Russians are going after the North Pole in a big way.  I get it.

What I don't get is the platform picked to launch this weapon.  Why the Mig-31?  I would think that an SU-34 would be the airplane of choice but it isn't. Why?

Turkey breaches airspace of Greece 40 times in a day, triggering mock dogfights between the NATO allies

via Stripes.com

Greek air force pilots scrambled to intercept Turkish fighter planes that illegally entered Greece’s airspace 40 times in a single day this week as tensions soar between the NATO allies over a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.

Fighter jets from the two countries on Tuesday engaged in 16 mock dogfights following multiple Turkish incursions into Greek airspace, defense officials in Athens told Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper.

Dogfights between the two NATO members are relatively commonplace and risky. Turkish jets and helicopters illegally entered Greek airspace 141 times on a single day in May 2017, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff said. Several Greek pilots have been killed in aviation accidents while intercepting Turkish jets in Greek airspace.

The fighter intercepts stem from a long-running row between the two countries over territorial claims in the Aegean Sea. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos recently said the disputed area is under Greek military control, Kathimerini reported.

Here. 

Different subject...

I got a little flag when I went to this story that said that I had four articles left till a subscription would be required.  I understand the need to pay for journalism but I thought running ads would cover it.  Am I wrong?  What do you guys do to stay informed when a story comes out and it appears only one source has it?  Recommendations are appreciated!  The race to monetize EVERYTHING will eventually break the internet.  Just mark my words!

USAF Global Strike Command receives its first MH139...

The #MH139 has arrived!

Name coming soon! pic.twitter.com/iC0AOkMTWF

— AFGSC (@AFGlobalStrike) December 19, 2019

Attack on FSB headquarters by armed gunman...

Another video that supposedly shows the attacker getting killed pic.twitter.com/ayT8NQc9h7

— Numbers Stations (@Spy_Stations) December 19, 2019

Pretty damn brazen if you ask me.  The above vid reportedly shows him being "neutralized"...

SHERP The Ark. Ice and water.

Patria cuts jobs in land business...

via Janes

Patria Group’s land business unit is eliminating 27 jobs, temporarily laying off 9 employees and altering the duties of 12 workers because “certain significant” export projects have been postponed, according to the Finnish aerospace and defence company.

The move follows negotiations Patria had with employees in Hämeenlinna and Tampere, the company said on 18 December. The land unit, which will be left with 230 employees after the cuts are made, builds and supports armoured wheeled vehicles and mortar systems.

Patria has been struggling financially. In October, the company said that its operating profit plunged 95.3% to EUR800,000 (USD891,875) in the first nine months of the year owing to “delays in certain international sales projects”.

Hmm.

95% profit "plunge"?  I'm surprised the job cuts aren't more extreme.  Wonder what's going on.  I always considered this a very well run company.  Am I missing something?

MQ25 continues flight testing...the Navy/Marines have their interim unmanned Strike/ISR/Refueling platform, just kit it out....

From late summer to fall and now winter - #MQ25 is still flying! Ongoing flight tests are providing hundreds of data points as we continue developing the @USNavy’s unmanned aerial refueler. pic.twitter.com/s6Ege4fxlr

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) December 18, 2019

This bird is in hand now time to make it work.  Want real innovation?  Take an LHA, strip off all the manned aircraft from it, load it up with these puppies and see how it does on exercise.

Want a POWERFUL MEU going into the future?  First call it by its correct name. MEU-RSG (Reinforced Strike Group).  Add two ship to the current package.  The first will be an additional LHA carrying nothing but unmanned aircraft...the MQ25. The second ship you would add is flexible.  In the Persian Gulf it would be (in my estimation) ANOTHER LHD with a standard loadout.  In the Pacific it would be a Expeditionary Transfer Dock.  It would carry additional Amphibious Combat Vehicles, its standard loadout of LCACs and any robotic vehicles the Corps can get running.

We're dabbling at the edges of this thing.  Real innovation next to be experimented on in the fleet, not in a classroom - boardroom - or over drinks in the O-Club.

Rheinmetall modernizing a further 21 Bergepanzer 3 armoured recovery vehicles for the Dutch Army

via Press Release.

The Royal Netherlands Armed Forces have awarded Rheinmetall an order for the second phase of the modernization of their fleet of Bergepanzer 3-Büffel/Buffalo armoured recovery vehicles. The operational effectiveness of twenty-one vehicles will be upgraded. The order is worth a mid-double-digit euro million figure. Now launched, Phase 2 follows a first order awarded in April 2019, when the Royal Netherlands Army contracted with Rheinmetall for the modernization of four Bergepanzer 3 Büffel/Buffalo ARVs.

Starting immediately, Rheinmetall will completely overhaul another 21 Bergepanzer 3 Büffel ARVs of the Royal Netherlands Army, bringing them up to the latest technological and tactical standard. This will extend the service life of these tried-and-tested combat support vehicles – developed by Rheinmetall on the basis of the Leopard 2 chassis – through to the year 2040. The Dutch armed forces will take delivery of the first vehicles at the beginning of 2021.

Modernization work will take place at Rheinmetall locations in Kassel, Germany as well as in Ede in the Netherlands. It will include a complete overhaul of the individual armoured recovery vehicles and a new digital operating concept; the installation of advanced visualization technology; mission packages featuring ballistic and mine protection; and new battlefield recovery equipment together as well as a universal transport platform. Also included in the contract are technical documentation, training and other services.

This service life extension will give the Dutch armed forces a reconfigured state-of-the-art ARV with significant growth potential. New force protection features both on and in the vehicle will keep the crew extremely safe from modern battlefield threats. Cutting-edge visualization systems, digital operating elements and command systems will support the crew while carrying out their tasks. Furthermore, new battlefield recovery equipment will boost the vehicle’s tactical effectiveness. It will be transferred to the rear section of the vehicle. This will let the crew hook up to a damaged Royal Dutch Army vehicle such as the Bushmaster, Boxer, CV 90 infantry fighting vehicle, PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer, Leguan bridge-laying tank, Kodiak combat engineering vehicle or the Leopard 2 main battle tank without having to leave the safety of the fighting compartment, before towing it from the battlefield at high speed in forward gear. In addition, the modified version of the Bergepanzer 3 Büffel ARV will feature a flexible-use universal transport platform mounted on the rear section of the vehicle. To cite just one example, this can be used for carrying equipment for recovering other vehicles. The new equipment has already demonstrated its effectiveness during deployed operations.

This contract confirms the emergence of a new standard for modern armoured recovery vehicles. As recently as December 2018, the Bundeswehr contracted with Rheinmetall to modernize its fleet of Bergepanzer 3 vehicles, ensuring they remain a match for current and future operational scenarios. Similar mission configurations are in service with the armed forces of NATO member Canada as well as Sweden.

Already underway, the service life extension of the Royal Netherlands Army’s armoured recovery vehicles underscores once again Rheinmetall’s comprehensive expertise when it comes to the globe-spanning Leopard 2 family. This expertise extends from maintenance and modernization programmes to advanced armament concepts, and from the production and technical knowledge of the system’s original equipment manufacturer right through to comprehensive technical and logistic support for entire vehicle fleets – including service support during deployed operations. The portfolio of the Düsseldorf-based high-tech group for mobility and security also includes training and simulation solutions for Leopard 2 crews.