Major Hat Tip to Redken for the vid.
The above vid is a German Army demonstration of river crossing ops. A few things stood out to me.
1. The Fennek recon vehicle is probably a future star. I thought it was fully amphibious so I don't know why they would stop and not swim to the other bank to complete their recon.
2. The contraption for delivering the rubber boats to the area seemed ghetto. I wonder why they would use that instead of a dedicated trailer?
3. The FUCHs is probably the most under appreciated wheeled APC in any nations army...especially the German Army though. After watching this demo I'm more convinced than ever of the need to make your APCs amphibious. Crossing obstacles is one of the major functions of APCs and the thought that you have to do bridging ops to get vehicles like the Boxer or Stryker across gives me pause...it pauses the offensive too...and momentum is paramount in the attack.
All in all not bad for a dog and pony show. Everyone hates this stuff but they probably guaranteed funding for the next fiscal year for a few new toys.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Is Singapore Army's Leopard EVO the most powerful tank in the Pacific?
While doing a "by the numbers" post on MBTs/IFVs in the Pacific, I was struck by a realization.
Tiny Singapore has the best MBT (in my opinion) in the Pacific region.
Everyone knows about the Leopard 2. Many think that in its basic form its the best combination of firepower, protection and mobility. Add EVO armor to it and it takes it to another level. Mix in the professionalism of the Singaporean Army and you have perhaps the finest MBT in the region.
I never would have thought that a tiny island nation could somehow beat the best in the area but there you have it. The Leopard EVO is better than the M1A2 of the Australian and US Army, the Type 99 fielded by China, the Type 10 of Japan, and the K2 used by S. Korea. "Nuff said.
"Leave or Die" ... Ukrainian Civil War Back On!
via RINF.com
But I've also had my ears to the ground with whats going on in Ukraine.
That shit is still sizzling. Combat has never really stopped and it looks like we're going to see a bit more savage fighting before the first snow fall.
Seems like Kiev is setting up a decisive battle to stabilize the lines before winter.
Ukrainian Government is said to have air-dropped leaflets: “leave or die.”I've been focused on my usual fare (with the exception of Ebola)...Armored Warfare, the United States Marine Corps, the F-35 and general military matters.
Introductory note by Eric Zuesse: Below is from a recent day’s report by the Belarusian (or “Byelorussian”) management-consulting firm Geopolitics, a site which often posts the most-penetrating daily reports and analyses of the Ukrainian civil war, with a dozen or more articles written by various Belarusian academics. One of these news reports, shown below, is provocatively headlined “War will begin on Monday”; another is titled, “Kiev is preparing to capture Donetsk, and it will be the biggest defeat for #russia since 1991”; yet a third is “Donbass pending decisive assault”.
But I've also had my ears to the ground with whats going on in Ukraine.
That shit is still sizzling. Combat has never really stopped and it looks like we're going to see a bit more savage fighting before the first snow fall.
Seems like Kiev is setting up a decisive battle to stabilize the lines before winter.
CNAS Think Tank lays out alternatives to the F-35!
I've posted my thoughts on what we should do IF the powers that be decide enough is finally enough with the F-35. I'm just a blogger so my thoughts on the subject mean nothing.
Things have changed though.
Now we have a MAJOR Washington DC think tank that has published alternatives to the F-35. Center for a New American Security is a LEFT leaning organization. It was founded by Michèle A. Flournoy, former advisor to SecDef Panetta. Quite honestly this makes this paper even more important. This might be an indication of what policy makers are actually thinking.
Read it all and give me your opinion on the piece. Sidenote. How this escaped my attention (it was published in Feb of this year) is beyond me!
MAJOR HAT TIP to Canuck Fighter for the link.
Things have changed though.
Now we have a MAJOR Washington DC think tank that has published alternatives to the F-35. Center for a New American Security is a LEFT leaning organization. It was founded by Michèle A. Flournoy, former advisor to SecDef Panetta. Quite honestly this makes this paper even more important. This might be an indication of what policy makers are actually thinking.
Read it all and give me your opinion on the piece. Sidenote. How this escaped my attention (it was published in Feb of this year) is beyond me!
MAJOR HAT TIP to Canuck Fighter for the link.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
In layman's terms, EBOLA is airborne!
Major hat tip to Shepherd of the Gurney's.
The above form is via Gateway Pundit....its highly recommended that you read the entire article.
Rant time.
I'm not a medical professional but do you get what they're saying in this advisory? Do you not realize that when people talk they're constantly spraying spittle? Do you not know that a sneeze has been measured flying further than the 3 feet they're quoting?
WHEN THE GOVT STARTS PARSING INFORMATION I GET SUSPICIOUS! When they put out disinformation during a matter of national security/public health I get pissed.
We are NOT being told the whole story about Ebola. In layman's terms, Ebola IS airborne.
The above form is via Gateway Pundit....its highly recommended that you read the entire article.
Rant time.
I'm not a medical professional but do you get what they're saying in this advisory? Do you not realize that when people talk they're constantly spraying spittle? Do you not know that a sneeze has been measured flying further than the 3 feet they're quoting?
WHEN THE GOVT STARTS PARSING INFORMATION I GET SUSPICIOUS! When they put out disinformation during a matter of national security/public health I get pissed.
We are NOT being told the whole story about Ebola. In layman's terms, Ebola IS airborne.
SoG predicted it. Hospital staff calling in sick because of Ebola patient.
via New York Post..
Our vaunted medical system is just like our economy. Much more fragile than it looks and in danger of collapse with the first serious bump.
But if you want to cling to the idea that all is well with "this Ebola"...if you want to claim that more American's have sucked Clinton's dick than died of Ebola...then enjoy.
But be advised. There is a reason why the governors of Illinois and New York have stated that people coming from Ebola nations will be placed in a mandatory 21 day quarantine. Assume that they're acting out of self interest. Assume that they're attempting to protect their states. AND have knowledge that they have much larger populations of Africans in their states than many others.
An extraordinary number of Bellevue Hospital staffers called in sick on Friday rather than treat the city’s first Ebola patient — and those who showed up were terrified to enter his isolation chamber, sources told The Post.Shepherd of the Gurney's (SoG) predicted this would happen.
“The nurses on the floor are miserable with a ‘why me?’ attitude, scared to death and overworked because all their co-workers called out sick,” one source said.
“One nurse even went as far as to pretend she was having a stroke to get out of working there, but once they cleared her in the ER they sent her back up,” the source added.
Dr. Craig Spencer is being treated by nurses working in teams of two, “with one serving as a buddy watching the other,” said Health and Hospitals Corporation spokeswoman Ana Marengo, who denied there was a sickout.
The Doctors Without Borders volunteer — who is in stable condition — has even been putting his medical skills to use, lecturing the staff about proper treatment.
“As a doctor, he knows a lot about medicine, so he would call the nurses station all day and going back and forth with doctors on what to do,” the source said.
The sick doctor has been passing time in his pressurized room by watching TV and eating hospital food.
Our vaunted medical system is just like our economy. Much more fragile than it looks and in danger of collapse with the first serious bump.
But if you want to cling to the idea that all is well with "this Ebola"...if you want to claim that more American's have sucked Clinton's dick than died of Ebola...then enjoy.
But be advised. There is a reason why the governors of Illinois and New York have stated that people coming from Ebola nations will be placed in a mandatory 21 day quarantine. Assume that they're acting out of self interest. Assume that they're attempting to protect their states. AND have knowledge that they have much larger populations of Africans in their states than many others.
Modern Mechanized Bridging...
The K-21 post and how that vehicle will conduct river crossing brought up the issue with bridging ops. I never liked that term because I always considered river crossings as being "inland amphibious assaults". None the less below you'll see the product offerings from General Dynamics Europe which covers most forms of bridging options for mechanized forces....You can check out there website here.
Beaver AVLB.
I list this system first because it was the standard that replaced the old scissor bridge. You will find a great many forces world wide still using it but its mostly designed to accommodate heavy mech forces...meaning tanks...which also means that its fallen out of favor, just as tanks are seeing declining use. Clicking on the name of the system will lead you to the Canadian Army's website where you can find stats of this vehicle. Note that I did not include the REBS Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System simply because I view that as being the same just scaled for wheeled infantry fighting vehicles.
Improved Ribbon Bridge.
The IRB has been in service for many years with the US Army, Marine Corps and German Army (I've never seen one deployed though). It can easily handle (according to the manufacturer) most heavy military equipment and because of its width even oversized loads. You want to bridge the Mississippi? This is how you do it in combat.
M3.
This is the ultimate bridging vehicle in my opinion. The M3 can be used as a bridge, as a vehicle lorry and can keep up with mechanized formations without compromising one of your fighting vehicles or taking a MTVR or PLS truck out of action to tow it.
All in all I see bridging ops as a tremendous achilles heel and another reason for all IFVs to be amphibious. Rivers are natural choke points and that means they're danger areas.
You show me a river and I can dope out likely crossing points. Of all these systems only the M3 can really help you maintain momentum...even with your tanks. Its still going to be a tricky operation but ferrying a tank or two (depending on how many of those things you have) across a large inland water obstacle is perferrable to having to cover your combat engineers while they set up your ribbon bridge or assemble a couple of AVLBs to cover the distance.
Beaver AVLB.
I list this system first because it was the standard that replaced the old scissor bridge. You will find a great many forces world wide still using it but its mostly designed to accommodate heavy mech forces...meaning tanks...which also means that its fallen out of favor, just as tanks are seeing declining use. Clicking on the name of the system will lead you to the Canadian Army's website where you can find stats of this vehicle. Note that I did not include the REBS Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System simply because I view that as being the same just scaled for wheeled infantry fighting vehicles.
Improved Ribbon Bridge.
The IRB has been in service for many years with the US Army, Marine Corps and German Army (I've never seen one deployed though). It can easily handle (according to the manufacturer) most heavy military equipment and because of its width even oversized loads. You want to bridge the Mississippi? This is how you do it in combat.
M3.
This is the ultimate bridging vehicle in my opinion. The M3 can be used as a bridge, as a vehicle lorry and can keep up with mechanized formations without compromising one of your fighting vehicles or taking a MTVR or PLS truck out of action to tow it.
All in all I see bridging ops as a tremendous achilles heel and another reason for all IFVs to be amphibious. Rivers are natural choke points and that means they're danger areas.
You show me a river and I can dope out likely crossing points. Of all these systems only the M3 can really help you maintain momentum...even with your tanks. Its still going to be a tricky operation but ferrying a tank or two (depending on how many of those things you have) across a large inland water obstacle is perferrable to having to cover your combat engineers while they set up your ribbon bridge or assemble a couple of AVLBs to cover the distance.
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