Friday, May 20, 2011
A website you should check out...a cause you should support.
If you didn't know it ... the wounded warrior games were recently held. Quite honestly, I was conflicted when it came to posting pics of the events. Personal, and I won't get into it. But one thing I a strongly support and you should too is any organization that supports these men and women. The above banner links to just such an org. Find time or money or any other thing you can spare to help out.
Rant over.
Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Thailand 2011 (CARAT-2011)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Now CF-3 enters the program.
Aussies and US Marines train old skool!
OK, a quick few observations...
1. Why am I seeing so many US Army bayonets instead of Marine Corps issue? The Marine Corps spent good money to develop an excellent piece of gear and its not issued? What gives.
2. Whats with the P-Mags? Are they allowed for use or not? I heard that they're not but they look to almost be Corps wide.
3. Good on the Aussie Major General for showing up to this training evolution. He didn't have to but did. Outstanding.
4. Liberty in Australia...drooooolllll.....
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Lets talk air to air combat...
First up is Beesley. Probably the most frustrated man in America when it comes to the F-35 and the 'points' that critics attempt to make about its air to air combat prowess.
Next up Spudman WP...
Last but not least SMSGT Mac (Elements of Power Blogger)...
Next up Spudman WP...
Sensors and VLO are two sides of the same coin, the ability to be the first to see the other guy.
High altitude and supercruise are not features unique to "pure A2A" fighters. For example the F-35 can go above 50k and both Euro-cards claim super-cruise above M1.2 in A2A config.
While the F-22 has a kinematic advantage over current fighter/weapon configs, that will soon be changing as newer weapons are introduced at a faster rate than the F-22 can compensate (without changing it s own weapons).
I do not want you to forget 60 years of fighter combat history; I want you to learn from it. The in the 1st combat jets, maneuverability was absolute as you needed to get your target into a very small cone in order for your cannons to hit. Later, the need for absolute maneuverability was relaxed due to the cone becoming larger due to the introduction of AAMs. That cone expanded up to 180 degrees with the latest HOBS missiles like AIM-9x, ASRAAM, etc. Throughout these changes the need for absolute maneuverability was relaxed as the sensors & weapons became better (ie the latest F-16C Blk50 is not as maneuverable as the first F-16A).
The F-35 is just the next evolution in this process. It gives up nothing to previous generations, but gains much in terms of combat persistence, situational awareness and weapons capability. Maneuverability is still important due to the need (in a WVR fight) to keep from being in front of the enemy (and taking an AAM up the arse), but you only need to keep that up for a few seconds till your AAM hits.
As an example of how sensor & weapons upgrades will counter fighter generations at a faster pace, look at weapon integration. UAI allows new weapons to be used, fleet wide, with a few months of being developed. Far example; when ATK is done working on the AIM-120D+ s new motor and they complete whatever other changes they create as part of it s IOC capabilities, it can be shipped to any F-35, F-15E, and F-16 within 3 months of testing being done. No block upgrade needed. The same will be true of NGM, MALD, NGJ, etc.
Last but not least SMSGT Mac (Elements of Power Blogger)...
A couple of/three points if I may,Suffice it to say that in my mind this debate is dead. The F-35 will be a potent air to air platform and the critics are clutching at straws and depending on Korean War type solutions (invalid tactics) to solve modern combat problems.
1. BB1984 and Privateer:
Please read carefully and try to grasp my point as I typed it without overlaying emotion. I indicated that that increasing maneuverability does not bring much military advantage. I believe my use of a form of the verb 'increase' without any modifiers such as 'in relation to' or 'compared to x', to most people, would have immediately indicated that I was speaking in relation to current state. That should have in no way, shape, or form, indicated to any reasonable person implied anything other than what I typed. If you would like an aeronautical and operational explanation as to why what I typed was true, just ask. But don't twist other's words just to create an opening for making cr*p up.
2. I've noticed the question as to which version of the F-18 the F-35B maneuverability is being compared. Does it matter? The F-35B is replacing the Harrier, not the F-18. What kind of maneuverability does the AV-8 have at Mach 1+? Oh....(yeah).
3. A data point for the ‘hobbyists’:
------
The F-15 was larger and more visible than its predecessor the F-4, wrote Sprey, making it vulnerable in daylight close-in dogfighting. He claimed the Eagle was too dependent on radar guided missiles, which “are not likely to be more effective than those used in Vietnam.”
Since 1960, Sprey wrote in the 1981 piece, too much of the Air Force tactitcal aviation budget had been devoted to complex night/all-weather systems “of highly questionable capability.” Sprey urged the Air Force to emphasize the F-16 over the F-15 because “in visual combat, the F-16 has been demonstrated to be the superior aircraft.”
This was the point where the military reformers misfired.
Future air combat would not, as they assumed, take place largely in daytime, close-in engagements. The F-15 would go on to become the dominant air-to-air force in the skies precisely because of its radar missiles and long reach.
In the first Gulf War, the F-15 accounted for 36 of 40 Air Force aerial victories. Of those, 28 involved radar guided missiles. Worldwide, the Eagle has racked up an unprecedented kill ratio of 104-to-zero.
Writing in 2004, David R. Mets of Air University summed it up this way:
“The Korea-style dogfight seems to have all but disappeared from the air-to-air battle. The agility of both [the F-15 and F-16] remains highly useful in dodging surface-to-air missiles, but that is not what Boyd and the [military reform] acolytes had in mind.”
------
ref: http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2010/August%202010/0810failures.aspx
Just a data point.
US Marines/Canadians perform joint recovery of downed CH-47.
David's after a stealth Chinook now!
Interesting read....
Since the officials confirmed that 3 Chinooks were involved and given that a mixed formation of stealth and non-stealth helos would have rendered the entire formation clearly visible on radars and audible from distance, I believe that there must be also a modified MH-47 flying with the 160 SOAR. Unlike the Black Hawk, we have no photographic evidences of it, but I think that their existence is somehow confirmed by the fact that the officers admitted their presence on the scene. Furthermore, it is quite obvious that the sources are trying to deceive the public opinion when they say to the AP journalist that:Read it all here. I don't quite buy it but ...
CSI's Mountain Lion.
Thanks Jonathan for sending me this! Much appreciated.
Looks like CSI is trying to step up there game. A few month ago when I wrote asking for specifications on the "Mountain Lion" they were quite closed lipped. Polite, but politely refusing to give me any info. Now they have out front for the whole world to see. Refreshing if a little late.
NOTE:
Looks like this product has undergone a few design changes since the last time I saw pics of it. Probably just cosmetic but changes never the less. I'll try and find the pics.
ML
Looks like CSI is trying to step up there game. A few month ago when I wrote asking for specifications on the "Mountain Lion" they were quite closed lipped. Polite, but politely refusing to give me any info. Now they have out front for the whole world to see. Refreshing if a little late.
NOTE:
Looks like this product has undergone a few design changes since the last time I saw pics of it. Probably just cosmetic but changes never the less. I'll try and find the pics.
ML
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