Sunday, November 29, 2020

The USS Wasp HAS TO BE an experimental test bed...

This ship HAS TO BE an experimental test bed.  For what?  Don't have a clue but this thing is constantly in the shop and the CNO and Commandant aren't batting an eye about it.

Sustain its warfighting capability?

Don't buy it for one second.

Anyone have any ideas? 

Remote controlled machineguns used in the attack on the Iranian nuke director?

Wow.

Iran WILL release more details of this attack and I'm sure it will be intriguing, a bit horrifying and denounced as propaganda all at the same time.

We're living in the land of mirrors.  

Is this our new normal?

Never to know the real truth? To be searching blindly for nuggets of truth and having to piece it together ourselves?

Unfortunately I think so.

This incident is exhibit 1. 

Battle of Chosin Reservoir Begins

Emergency flotation system for British WAH-64 attack chopper

 Note.  I just found this interesting.  I've never seen this before...Caesar always finds good stuff!



Bradley IFV's leave for a patrol in Syria (pics)...

 I will never understand this war.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  No one seems to be fighting to win.  Everyone seems to be fighting to be fighting.  Military Operations for the sake of military operations...






South Korea Tiger 4.0 programme: Rafael proposes its NGCV-

 


Story here.

Rafael is proposing a pretty impressive package to the South Koreans.  I find it extremely compelling.

The Brits are expanding the number of helo spots on the Queen Elizabeth...

 


I have no idea what they're doing or where they're going with this.  If I were to guess it would be that they want to be able to flex one of their carriers into a big LHA for another Falklands type situation or maybe to support allied operations.

Or.

They could simply want to be able to flex their carriers more and play with the complement of aircraft on deck.

Who knows?

Regardless they can fit many more helos on that deck ... this is just a progress shot and I'd bet they can get at least 30 up there not even counting what they could have parked below deck.

Even with helos this will be a high value target. 

Type 726 putting infantry and Type 96A MBT on the beach.

 *The USMC might be out of the "amphibious assault" mission but the Chinese Navy/Marines are fully embracing the forcible entry mission. Please note that the United States Of America now only has ONE VIABLE form of forcible entry.  Airborne Assault. The 82nd Airborne will exist for another 100 years or until we develop drop ship troopers and since the Marines won't be around they'll probably be all Army!  The Romans once put up forts on the wilderness to keep their enemies at bay.  Rome still fell. Is this new strategy the first real whiff of a dying empire? Think about it before you slam me!





There was once a time when we could do this!

Gazelle Helicopter...

 





Italy is getting smashed by floods...

Jesus!  If you're uninitiated then let me tell ya.  Flash floods are no joke.  I've seen a few but never with water moving this fast.  An inch of water moving like this would sweep a car away much less a person.  An inch!

Prayers up for the people of this island. 

Italian F-35 "Beast Mode"...





 I'm still a critic of this program...

*  ALIS doesn't work and the work around is still getting fleshed together.

*  Critical systems have been either downgraded or workarounds established with no visibility on their solution.

*  The variety of munitions carried is still pitifully small...many weapon systems that should be available STILL aren't.

*  Full rate production decision has been pushed into 2021...this puppy should be getting cranked out if all was well!

*  Allies ARE BUYING THE THING...but they're also developing their own stealth fighters at the same time.  Even the USAF is buying F-15EX's and the Navy has started a crash program for it's next gen fighter that the USAF is globbing onto.

Yeah I'm still a critic but its a slow defense news day....

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Exercise PATRICIA STRIKE

 





Open Comment Post. 28 Nov 2020

 


Our response to this virus will last for decades & will have implications going well into the future...

Gonna hit you with one of my old chestnuts.

A Russian warning was that they would have us "living in the land of mirrors"...that we wouldn't know up from down, the truth from a lie.

The Russians were right.

I'm getting so much conflicting info on this virus that I can't see straight.  Once infected you have a high level of immunity that could last years?  That's mind boggling.

The lockdowns have me pissed though.  The American people (in my opinion and I know I'm in a minority) have been placed on house arrest and the ability of so many to make a living has been stripped away.

The mask idiocy has me rolling.  We aren't suppose to wear N-95's (although I can get my hands on them due to the job) so we have people running around with various degrees of protection even IF THEY DECIDE to comply with the edict.  In other words they can be wearing something that does jack shit but they believe they do EVEN THOUGH a basic standard hasn't been established.

This whole thing is craziness!

At the end of the day I don't care which side of this issue you fall on.  Our response to this virus will be debated for decades and the implications for our country/society will last well into the future. 

Friday, November 27, 2020

LA County Scanner...Prayers Up on this one....

Prayers up on this one. Side note. Why isn't LA County Comms encrypted? Anyone can listen in obviously which includes people YOU DON'T want listening in. I'm curious why this is going on....

Think Defence Twitter Page reveals in one pic thread just how old the Boxer IFV really is..


 The Boxer program extends all the way back to when Alvis Vickers was a thing? For the uninitiated that was comparatively ages ago.  I think the Soviet Bear still roamed the world!

Griffon command post

 


Story here.

Open Comment Post. 27 Nov 2020

 


Quick Hit. Trump might have been batshit crazy but he didn't radiate weakness like Biden is...

 SNAFU! Quick Hits are just a few quick thoughts that I toss to ya'll for debate. Usually information is just coming in and that info will evolve.  Participate at your own risk but we're in the land of INTENSE speculation on these topics (usually).


Wow.

Did you guys see the news?  Someone (most think the Israelis) just smoked the top Iranian Nuclear Scientist like a cheap cigar in a seedy hotel with a 5 cent hooker between his legs after a long night of drinking.

No missiles.

No poison.

Old fashioned run up on a car, switch your rifle to fun and cut loose. Quite honestly it looks like some Ranger Battalion shit.

But back on task.

I'm thinking the Israelis are cleaning up their neighborhood and doing their best to slow down the Iranian nuclear program and sending a message to the Iranians at the same time.

The million dollar question.

Did Trump know (did the Israelis inform us before the operation) and did we provide support in anyway?

I just don't know.

What I do know is that we might be on the edge of terrorism rising dramatically in the near term.  We could see this ongoing regional war in the Middle East/North Africa increase in ferocity and while the economy will roar back I think we could see another oil shock with activity in the Persian Gulf disrupting shipping.

I really do believe 2020 was bad but 2021 will be worse...both internationally and domestically.

This is just the prologue to a fucked up year.