Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Russia has been warning us for decades...
Thanks to Thiago for the link!
Note! Russia has a viewpoint. Even if you don't agree with it you have to take it into consideration if you want ANY chance of de-escalating this. Consider the article and dare to think!
via Time
When I was a journalist for The Times (London) in Moscow in December 1992, I saw a print-out of a speech by the then Russian foreign minister, Andrei Kozyrev, warning that if the West continued to attack vital Russian interests and ignore Russian protests, there would one day be a dangerous backlash. A British journalist had scrawled on it a note to an American colleague, “Here are more of Kozyrev’s ravings.”Andrei Kozyrev was the most liberal and pro-Western foreign minister Russia has ever had. As he stated in his speech, his anxiety about Western behavior was rooted in fear that the resulting backlash would destroy liberalism in Russia and Russian co-operation with the West. He was proved right as we see today. Yet when he expressed this fear, in entirely moderate and rational terms, he was instinctively dismissed by western observers as virtually insane.The point about this history is that the existing crisis with Russia has origins that go far beyond Putin. Russia has a foreign and security blob, just as does the United States, with a set of semi-permanent beliefs about Russian vital interests rooted in national history and culture, which are shared by large parts of the population. These include the exclusion of hostile military alliances from Russia’s neighborhood and the protection of the political position and cultural rights of Russian minorities.
KF-21 prototypes #003, #004 are close to being finished
According to this report, the KF-21 prototypes #003, #004 are close to being finished and it seems each prototype has different paintings on its tail.
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) January 23, 2022
Also, #001 is going to have an engine-run test next month, taxi tests in March and maiden flight is planned for late June. pic.twitter.com/oGSD0CZpkV
Jackal 2 via Royal Armoured Corps
Note. Not trying to slam the Brits but this vehicle looks COMPLETELY out of place in snowy conditions. Is it considered adequate for assigned roles or is it simply "what they have on hand"?
The horrors of siege artillery (MUST READ!!!!)...via Tankers Forum
Thanks to BlackTail for the link!
via TK
This talk about the 130mm bring back bad memories about the bitter nemesis of the infantryman. Out of the four weapons I've faced in my life and would not want to ever face again (even in dreams), three are Russian artillery weapons (the fourth is the Russian spring mine). In a Katyusha barrage the infantryman has no where to run. They fall everywhere simultaneously and destroy everyone / everything not under cover. A truly gruesome weapon. Both the Syrians and the Egyptians tended to fire them in timed salvos, with a second flash barrage landing out of nowhere several minutes after the first decoy one, just as people emerged from cover. They also learned how to mix different Katyusha types as well as barreled artillery in order to confuse and terrorize their targets. In 1973 I saw a Katyusha barrage pulverize a M107 battery (which was at the time engaged in anti SAM site interdiction) while another Katyusha barrage caused an entire infantry battalion to simply get up and bug out almost to the man. We occasionally got even by calling in the IDF's two Katyusha battalions. These were some of the hardest working units throughout the entire war - they fought non-stop on both fronts, day and night. One even got pulverized by counter battery fire, loosing its CO in the process. Another trick we picked up on the last few days of the war was using Druze scouts (which arrived from the dormant Golan front looking for action) to spread dis-information and fool the Egyptian into targeting their own troops (although this worked only once or twice). The 130mm were essentially similar in sheer effect plus their great reach meant no warning whatsoever, no time to take cover and no counter battery fire to silence them. Both the Syrians and the Egyptians were well aware of the 130mm's intimidating nature and so tended to use them primarily by night, for added psychological terror. With the 240mm warning and cover didn't really matter since if you happened to be in the same general area where they impacted, you'd be dead (if lucky) or horribly maimed / injured from giant shrapnel and flying debris (if not so). During the war of attrition that developed on the Hermon following the 1973 armistice, the Syrians used 240mm (and 180mm) to rake the ridge from end to end, sometimes on a nightly basis, until we put an end to that in an operation which still cannot be discussed. That was a very unsettling experience to say the least, with many brave men succumbing to mental fatigue under the relentless bombardment. We used to call them these huge bastards "Goliaths", both after the biblical character and after the map grid in which one of the more notorious batteries was located (submerged under nearly 2 meters of anti air raid concrete, with only the barrels sticking out, ala Guns of the Navarone). Generally speaking, what the Arabs lacked in accuracy and finesse, they more than made up for in sheer barbaric volume and density of explosives they could place on a given map grid from multiple vectors and for extended periods. Regards Alon HarksbergGo here to read the whole thing. Harksberg answer questions and its quite a read!
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Russia just upped the ante on Europe. This will fracture the alliance. No Russian gas? No heat. No heat and the natives will get restless!
This has all been theory. Now its becoming clear. Putin just blunted the dull tool of using economic sanctions as a weapon (always thought they were being overused...you can't use the same tool for all problems!). If there are new sanctions then Europe will freeze, economic activity will ground to a halt and due to the global economy we'll all probably be facing a recession borderline depression.BREAKING: Russia’s Federation Council warns Europe will not receive gas if Russia is suspended from SWIFT
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) January 25, 2022
The weird thing?
By attempting to deter Putin we might have in effect pushed ourselves a few steps closer to conflict.
Ain't the 2020's grand?
Note. I hope that policy makers aren't crazy enough to actually push this. Protest in the US over mask and vaccine mandates has been getting all the attention (no debate at all just being used by both sides as political weapons...reason left the building long ago). If you add extreme discomfort in the form of rationing of energy AND layoffs as a result of declining economic activity because of the lack of energy then you're liable to see govts topple. Not being alarmist. Society is on the edge!
New Blog Alert....Check out "THE INSTITUTE OF TANKNOLOGY"!
Thanks to Ogden for the link!
BAE Systems receives $169 million production contract from U.S. Marine Corps for additional Amphibious Combat Vehicles
The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded BAE Systems a contract modification for the second lot of full rate production of Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs). The contract award of $ 169 million is for 33 vehicles.The ACV is proven and highly mobile, capable of conducting rapid ship-to-objective maneuvers and delivering enhanced combat power to the Fleet Marine Forces. Developed with teammate IVECO Defence Vehicles, the ACV represents the optimum balance of sea and land mobility and survivability, with future growth potential.“BAE Systems is dedicated to helping the Marines meet their expeditionary and Force Design 2030 needs,” said John Swift, director of amphibious programs at BAE Systems, referring to the Marine Corps’ force structure goal for combat operations in a rapidly-evolving future environment. “This follow-on contract is a testament to our commitment of getting this critical capability to the warfighter and supporting the Marine Corps’ priorities.”BAE Systems is already under contract to deliver two variants of the ACV Family of Vehicles to the Marine Corps: the ACV personnel variant (ACV-P) and the ACV command variant (ACV-C). The company has also received a design and development contract for a 30mm cannon variant (ACV-30), and a recovery vehicle (ACV-R) is also planned. In addition, BAE Systems has received task instructions from the U.S. Marine Corps to complete a study of incorporating Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle Command, Control, Communication and Computers/Unmanned Aerial Systems mission payload into an Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) variant.BAE Systems was awarded the first full-rate ACV production Lot 1 contract option in December 2020 for the first 36 vehicles and the second option in February of 2021 for an additional 36 vehicles. Earlier this fall, the ACV team delivered the 100th Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) ACV to the Marine Corps and is on schedule to complete LRIP deliveries by January 2022, as ACV fielding to the Fleet Marine Forces continues on time and budget.
Don't get it. Don't understand it. The statements coming from the Commandant would seem to indicate that the ACV isn't part of the future that he plans for the Marine Corps.
Yet here we are.
Amazing.
Turkish ULAQ AsuW - G/M by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence will be the first armed unmanned surface vessel (AUSV) to carry anti-ship missiles.
Thanks to Alpay for the link!
The Turkish ULAQ AsuW - G/M by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence will be the first armed unmanned surface vessel (AUSV) to carry anti-ship missiles. Four 220+km-ranged Atmaca AShMs can be carried in addition to a 12.7mm RWS. pic.twitter.com/M3IPbMbgUN
— Oryx (@oryxspioenkop) January 24, 2022
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