Armenian army destroys 4 Azerbaijani armored vehicles...we are entering a period of many small wars globally

via AlmasdarNews

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:45 A.M.) – The Armenian army recently delivered a powerful blow to the Azerbaijani forces, as new photos showed the aftermath of an Armenian attack on the former’s positions along the border.

In a photo that has been widely shared on social media, four destroyed vehicles belonging to the Azerbaijani forces can be seen from an aerial image taken near the border of the two countries.

“A day earlier it became known that Azerbaijan had already lost at least four tanks in the regions bordering with Armenia, however, the military from Armenia published new photos – as a result of the strikes, another Azerbaijani tank and an armored recovery and recovery vehicle (ARV) were destroyed. , according to some reports, under the cover of the same destroyed tank, several more units of damaged equipment were to be removed from the attacked area, which could indicate much greater losses from Azerbaijan,” the Russian publication, Avia.Pro, reported.

Previously, the Armenian Ministry of Defense announced that their air defense forces shot down as many as 15 Azerbaijani drones.

The clashes between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces broke out on July 12th, and since then, the two sides have traded accusations over who is to blame for this flare up in violence.

I call what's going on in the Middle East right now a REGIONAL war.  It could however be broken down into many small wars between different combatants but similar supporters over the region.

The big and middle powers are using proxies like street hookers in the bad part of town.

This thing though surprises me.  Did not see this coming.  Guess all the saber rattling would finally shake something loose.

What has me spinning just a bit is the fact that we didn't see this skirmish escalate.  Kinda makes me wonder if you didn't have a Company Commander sink his fangs in and not know how to extract them before people started dying. 

Lengthy F-35 Upgrade List To Transform Strike Fighter’s Future Role

Article is at Aviation Week (here).  This is the part I want you to focus on ... it's towards the end of the thing and he lays out the optimistic, neutral and pessimistic possibilities going forward.  See them below then head over and read the whole thing.

Optimistic
After short-term stagnation, global defense spending resumes growth and Lockheed delivers 4,000 F-35s overall
Despite early concerns, Lockheed completes the Block 4 modernization program on-time and on-budget

Neutral

Global defense spending stagnates through 2040, increasing downward pressure on programs of record
Block 4 modernization suffers some delays and overruns but does not affect aircraft procurement

Pessimistic
Global defense spending enters a long-term decline, setting off a 1990s-style “procurement holiday” for fighters
TR-3 Refresh and Block 4 are delayed significantly, with cost overruns leading to further cuts in the procurement budget

If you're neutral or optimistic then I applaud your faith.  The trainwreck is here and the F-35 is gonna make it harder than it should have been....and it still won't be worth a bucket of spit.

FNSS Korgan – Fortress on Wheels

via FreeNews.

The word korgan, translated from the ancient Turkic language, means “protected place” or “castle”. It is with a well-fortified and safe structure, as conceived by the designer, this vehicle should be associated.

FNSS Korgan – a military-designed amphibious hybrid car with remote control, ballistic protection, and modularity, which, if necessary, allows you to transform it to perform various missions.

The concept provides for a large enough interior space to accommodate many different modular solutions. The combat vehicle is capable of transporting 14 people, acting as a command post, an ambulance, a fire engine, as well as transporting ammunition and fuel.

With intelligent drive control, a diesel-electric hybrid power supply, and easily replaceable two battery modules, Korgan delivers top performance in any terrain.

When developing the hull and the concept of the layout of the armored vehicle, special emphasis was placed on maximum practicality. Electrically operated double-wing gullwing side doors and a wide tailgate with a retractable ramp allow servicemen to exit the vehicle at high speed.

The independent suspension system, airless tires, and the highest lean angles give Korgan countless advantages over rough terrain. Thanks to two unmanned drones located in the niches in front of the combat vehicle, it is possible to conduct reconnaissance of the surrounding area in advance in order to avoid possible threats.

In addition, with the help of a retractable 360-degree front camera and four lidar sensors, the vehicle can be remotely controlled or, if necessary, complete unmanned missions.

The project was created by Turkish designer Emre Husmen for the FNSS Mildesign International Land Vehicle Design Contest, hosted annually by the US-Turkish military-industrial consortium FNSS, and won one of its prizes in 2019.

If you're not checking out their design contests then you're missing out.  They actually invent people to conceptualize future vehicles.  Many of the designs flat out look terrific.

Hoping to see alot more of it this year.

Open Comment Post. 20 July 2020

People wigging out about wearing a mask is a worldwide thing apparently....

How about some McPunch instead? Customer beats #McDonald’s employee in #HongKong after being asked to wear a face mask pic.twitter.com/C93sLOWqrp

— RT (@RT_com) July 18, 2020

Mexican cartel becoming "militarized"

This is terrifying. Video released by the Mexican cartel and paramilitary group CJNG show the extent of militarization of their special forces. Scores of armed & kitted out fighters in standardized uniforms line a large convoy of up-armored troop transport vehicles and technicals pic.twitter.com/Kffz6UYwIX

— Hugo Kaaman (@HKaaman) July 18, 2020

Hmm.  Don't know if that's a show of force or a declaration that the Mexican govt should handle this as an insurgency rather than a law enforcement issue.

AT4's should become standard loadout for all forces engaging them...but then it becomes an issue of those weapons getting into the hands of the cartel.

Maybe they should hire the KGB to take care of the problem...heard they were quite effective in the middle east when dealing with terrorists and these cartels seem to fit the bill.

Does the Littoral Combat Group sound useful in Africa, the Middle East or Europe?

via USNI News.

USS Somerset (LPD-25), USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) and Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SP-MAGTF)-Peru deployed together as Littoral Combat Group 1 in November and December.

While at sea, the operations the group conducted leveraged both ships’ bread and butter missions: supporting Marines and pushing them ashore, embarking a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment, hosting a surgical team for humanitarian assistance work, and more. The two ships sailed to Valparaiso, Chile, for the Eleventh International Maritime and Naval Exhibition and Conference for Latin America (EXPONAVAL) and the 200th anniversary of the Chilean Navy. Also during the deployment, the 1,000 sailors and Marines from LCG-1 worked with the Peruvian Naval Infantry in a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise in the disaster-prone Chorrillos district outside Lima, and conducted a maritime patrol exercise with Ecuadorian navy assets to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, among other activities.
---------------------------
The goal of the LCG-1 deployment was to work out the command and control, which placed a Navy captain as the commodore of two ships and the SP-MAGTF, as is the case with the commodore of an amphibious squadron (PHIBRON) who oversees an Amphibious Ready Group and Marine Expeditionary Unit, or a destroyer squadron commander (DESRON) commanding a surface action group. Still, though the focus of the deployment was on command and control and not the actual missions that a DDG and an LPD could conduct together, it’s easy to see how the Littoral Combat Group could be useful higher up the range of military operations: the DDG firing missiles at an enemy defense system to allow the Marine forces to move ashore, the Marines using their MV-22B aircraft in support of the DDG’s maritime security missions at sea, and so on.

Story here. 


This is in connection with the Brute Talk that I posted earlier this week.  Go back and watch that vid then read this article.

Does this formation sound like it would be useful anywhere besides the Pacific (if there)?

I don't think so.

This concept is a failure.  That's why the Commandant is shedding units as fast as he can.  He knows that once the cheerleaders stop cheering and start thinking they'll all be asking "WHAT THE FUCK!"

By the time that the yes men, kiss asses and sycophants realize their mistake and join others who are questioning this abomination it'll be too late.

The die will be cast and the future of the Missile Marine Corps will be too far along to change.  China is gonna eat this force alive.

Open Comment Post. 18 July 2020

My money is on the Harris Hawk but that Rattler will put up a good fight....he won't go easy...nice sized too...

Saturday Funny. Not safe for work...

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The 81st Group Army of the PLA has recently taken delivery of what appears to be a battalion set of Type 99A2 MBTs

The 81st Group Army of the PLA has recently taken delivery of what appears to be a battalion set of Type 99A2 MBTs, according to footage from CCTV-7. It is part of the Central Theatre Command with responsibilities to protect Beijing and act as a reserve for the rest of China. pic.twitter.com/k1CQ3Y6O9r

— Sam Cranny-Evans (@Sam_Cranny) July 10, 2020

I had a sudden epiphany.

The NEW Missile Marine Corps (MMC) will be in the same position as the Japanese Imperial Army & Navy versus the United States Marine Corps during WW2.

We will be holding pieces of land in the Pacific and will be doing our very best to prevent them from making an amphibious assault onto those islands so that they can conduct further operations...ie setup FARPS for further action against our fleet (in essence doing to us what we're hoping to do to them).

Just like the Japanese in WW2, if the Missile Marine Corps can't keep them from hitting shore then it will be over.  The GCE is almost non-existent (or will be in the near future) so those Chinese Mechanized Army, Marine and Airborne formations will simply roll over our forces.

Even worse?

I can actually see a time when we make the same determination as the Japanese Imperial Forces and allow landings in the hope that defensive positions (along with the vain hope that supporting fires will arrive from over the horizon) will somehow make the survival of those MMC Marines possible.

This scenario is bad enough in the Pacific but if the Chinese take the advise of a former CNO then they'll simply roll back our defenses, attritting us into oblivion then having their way with the feeble remnants of a once powerful ground force. 

I really see that happening in N. Africa against the Chinese, possibly against the Iranians in the Middle East (so many naval choke points in that region that it's a wonder how they think this concept can apply there) and against the Russians the MMC would be food on the table waiting to be devoured.

18th Airborne Corps' Twitter Series...Chapter 9: The Expendables

Chapter 9: The Expendables

1 of 58 pic.twitter.com/tVuOOZySjS

— XVIII Airborne Corps (@18airbornecorps) July 17, 2020

TUNE INTO THIS FOLKS!  Good stuff...

Thai Army takes delivery of Black Widow Spider 8×8 armored vehicle

Story here.