Saturday, May 10, 2025

We're winning the tariff war with China but we've pushed them into a corner...

 

 

Watch the whole vid if you can but to summarize? Xi is in trouble and facing factions within the CCP that want him gone. The Chinese people have reverted to their traditional "low consumption" ways. Chinese factories/businesses are closing without paying workers. Layoffs are widespread. The housing market is getting crushed and people are losing big on homes that bought just a few years ago. Youth unemployment is crazy high, college kids are graduating to unemployment. Middle aged people (didn't know this about China) are locked out of jobs because they're over 35. Many are worried about societal breakdown. "Left over women" are worried about their futures and think that they'll never have a family. The list goes on.

China's leadership is in a rough spot because of their own past behaviors.  Manufacturers are running to Vietnam, Mexico and other lands.  Chinese leadership is trying to save face by demanding that the US lower tariffs but they have a track record of delaying negotiations till a new President is elected (happened in the first Trump term....he knows better now).

My worry?

They typical.

Internal problems at home mean that you want the focus outside at an enemy everyone can rally around.

That means activity around Taiwan ramps up dangerously or worse they actually make a run at the island NOW.  Not much more we can do to damage their country (except block the straits but they would probably consider that almost a direct attack on their homeland which would further starve their economy and MIGHT lead to a limited nuclear confrontation) so why not?

Forget Chinese propaganda.  We're winning but we might have acted too late which might lead to unintended consequences of the kinetic kind.

If "payloads over platforms" is real then the days of the single seat fighter are over...

 Everyone here has read about the shoot down of the French Rafale being operated by the Indian Air Force in the furball with Pakistani fighters.  Many are trying to rethink how they view the Rafale & J-10.  

I think that's incorrect.

What I believe everyone should be looking at is the fight itself.  Yeah the platforms are important but I think the payloads are the real stars of this fight.

Think about it.

Everyone believes this was a fight between the Rafale and J-10.  I think it was a battle between the AIM-120 and the PL-15.

We don't know alot about the fight so I'm ahead of my skis on this but apparently the PL-15 won.

What can we speculate on...What do we know?

1.  Both sides are saying it was a beyond visual range fight.

2.  We can guess that AWACS or maybe even ground radars assisted in the fight.

3.  We can guess that both sides were ripple firing missiles at range.

4.  We know that the planes involved should have been using their AESA style radars.

5.  We guess that full electronic countermeasures were used by both sides.

My point.  We need bigger, longer ranged missiles that are NOT confined to the size of single/twin seat fighters.  We need bigger AESA arrays that give longer range and can identify/target more hostiles.  We need longer range so that we reduce our reliance on tanker support.  Lastly we need the capability in this new platform to go supersonic so that it can both add energy to its missiles, get out of dodge if necessary and possibly power energy weapons that might come online.

What am I really calling for?  The B-1R!


Fill the nose cone with a huge honking AESA array.  24 AIM-260 missiles.  It can fly at distance.  It can loiter in its patrol area.  It can do the job of a whole squadron of F-35s with much less support.  Partner this plane with a "scout" UAV to detect enemy fighters at distance and the threat envelope goes way down.  Make those UAVs stealthy and they might even remain undetected while the enemy is dodging (trying to dodge) incoming missiles.

A pair of B-1Rs along with a half dozen stealthy scout UAVs (similarly equipped with AESAs) could take on a regiment of enemy aircraft and probably come out on top.

Dedicate a few B-21s to act as penetration "fighters" and you can pick off the stragglers that avoid the main clash because they can get closer to make those kills.

Regardless I believe that once we get the full tick tock of the furball between India and Pakistan it will show that fighter combat has evolved to a point where it SHOULD look different from what we're doing right now.

The fighter mafia as we know it should be disbanded.

ROK Army nighttime artillery live fire exercise

Open Comment Post. 10 May 25

Wahash Korkut Air Defence Gun

Vehicle info here

Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Pakistan downed one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF)

 via CNN

A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN that Pakistan downed one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF), in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat. Pakistan had claimed to have shot down five IAF jets in retaliation for Indian strikes, including three Rafales. Indian officials are yet to respond to the claim.

WOW!

If Pakistan knocked down an Indian Rafale with a Chinese jet this will send shockwaves thru the French version of our DoD.  It will tank sales in a heartbeat. I need more info! 

Late Open Comment Post. 7 May 25

 


Sunday, May 04, 2025

Ukraine's Army is preventing Zelensky from making peace?

A reader sent me this and I forgot to note his name. Apologies and thanks!

This is stunning.

An Army that is engaged in a peer war doesn't want peace?  Doesn't want the fighting to end after years?  This ain't the guys on the ground talking.  This is another hand exerting pressure.  The generals might be bought but the guys on the ground are taking hits they shouldn't.

I haven't done an update on the fighting in Ukraine but put it like this.  Ukraine damn sure ain't winning and it could be described as "just holding on". 

Open Comment Post. 4 May 25

I wonder how many will recognize the greatness of this pic!

We're either blessed or spoiled. We play games for cars/money. They play games & are happy to win basic staples...

Get your mind right. You don't know what tough is if you have a roof over your head and food to eat...

Friday, May 02, 2025

Democrats are floundering in the polls

FINALLY some are seeing the real plantation...

Ahhh but it goes deeper. When the rap industry is shaping the culture, when crime is not punished, when work is not respected...there is alot more to talk about. SA is finally wrapping his head around this. Hope others do too. Dirty secret? The black community does better when "an enemy" is in the White House. Every so called "friend" has just added to the grief (Obama, Biden and yeah even Bush Jr).

Damn Trump. You're doing too much now son!

Stop it bro. The economy needs changing. The borders need securing. The waste and fraud in govt needs to eradicated. But now you're touching on some basic shit that EVERYONE has grown up on and for what? Just to be doing something? Someone close to him needs to tell him to knock it off and concentrate on the basics that won him the election. He's moving to doing Democrat shit.

S. Korea can solve our shipbuilding problem...we need Hyundai setting up shop in the US

Are you working with as psychopath?

Alot of you people on this blog probably can be called a "psychopath". Some might think that's crazy but I think its cool!

Gang hits video (GRAPHIC)

 

The back story is that the guy that got shot knew that the other one had a gun on him. The motion was that the guy was trying to strong arm the gun from him, grabbed him, the other guy slipped out of the hold and then the strong arm dude got the bright idea that it wasn't gonna work. Things flipped hard on him and now (within micro seconds) he knew he was the hunted. Gun guy circles and shoots and kills him. Weird sad, pathetic thing? This was the big Amazon warehouse in Baton Rouge. They built it in the hood to give the area economic development. Its not working out too good but they're trying (for now). Oh and all of the above is just from rumors on the street. NONE OF IT is official.

Open Comment Post. 2 May 2025

 


Hegseth tasks Army to transform to leaner, more lethal force. Is the US Army doing a "Force Design 2030"????

 via DVIDS

“The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength,” he said. “To achieve this, the United States Army must prioritize defending our homeland and deterring China in the Indo-Pacific region. Deterring war, and if required, winning on the rapidly evolving battlefield requires Soldiers who are physically and mentally resilient, rigorously trained, and equipped with the best technology available.”

.....

Hegseth directed Driscoll to field long-range missiles capable of striking moving land and maritime targets and to achieve electromagnetic and air-littoral dominance by 2027.

.....

The Army will increase its forward presence in the Indo-Pacific by expanding pre-positioned stocks, rotational deployments, and exercises with allies and partners to enhance strategic access, basing, and overflight. 

.....

 To maximize efficiency, accelerate modernization, and pay for the Army transformation within existing resources, Hegseth said Driscoll will end the procurement of obsolete systems and cancel or scale back ineffective or redundant programs, including manned aircraft, excess ground vehicles and outdated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).


The Army will reduce spending on legacy sustainment, including outdated weapons systems and unnecessary climate-related initiatives, Hegseth said.

Read it all here. 

This is concerning.  I'm asking my readers to READ between the lines on this announcement.

The ENTIRE PENTAGON NOW is tilting toward a war with China on or around 2027.

No "ifs" or "buts" about it.  Even our premier ground service is being tilted toward a war with China.

What is particularly concerning to me is that he's tasking the Army to do what Berger did to the Marine Corps.  Jettison gear now to "pay" for modernization?  

That leads to SERIOUS GAPS IN CAPABILITIES!

My biggest concern is that historically, great powers NEVER DIRECTLY ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER!  They use proxies or cut outs.  Making a complete tilt to fighting in  China's backyard will leave us vulnerable to a fight elsewhere (I'm still looking at Africa as being the next battleground).

In short?

Our leadership (in this case the Trump administration) is betting it all on getting the fight they want in the location they want.

That's a huge gamble.

Maybe they have intel that is informing this decision.  If they don't then we're gonna be caught so flat footed its gonna hurt...hurt bad.