Saturday, February 25, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
USAF wants to speed up 6th gen fighter program...
via National Defense.
The Air Force needs to more aggressively pursue a next-generation platform capable of penetrating deep into hostile airspace, the head of Air Combat Command said Feb. 24.There is alot going on in this story. First he's basically admitting that the F-35 is not good enough. The USAF is pushing for the new car smell and not seeking new capabilities.
The primary focus now is on ramping up production of the F-35A joint strike fighter, a fifth-generation aircraft with stealth features and cutting-edge sensors. But the Air Force is already thinking about acquiring a sixth-generation “penetrating counter-air” capability, or PCA, that would have longer range and greater ability to outmatch the most sophisticated enemy air defense systems.
Service leaders aim to have this new technology in the fleet in the 2030s. “We should try to accelerate that left if at all possible,” Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle said at a breakfast with defense reporters in Washington, D.C.
The Air Force should procure more joint strike fighters than planned over the next five years and then pivot to a new system, he said.
“What I believe will happen is if we can increase the buy rate and continue to recapitalize our force with F-35s in the near term … then we can in the ‘20s look at that PCA,” he added. “We’ll be able to make a decision at that point where we’ll transition from [buying] more F-35s to a PCA, or we’ll transition to a different instantiation of the F-35” that is more advanced than the latest version.
The Air Force also needs a “penetrating electronic attack capability” that could potentially accompany the counter-air platform into enemy airspace, he said.
A sixth-generation system or family of systems might be unmanned and could be equipped with autonomous capabilities, he noted.
“There are things you can do with a penetrating platform that can probably use some unmanned [technology] … and would be either autonomous or semi-autonomous,” Carlisle said. “We’re looking at different ways to do that. But I do believe that there is some kind of platform that’s going to have to get an electronic [warfare] capability into the battlespace.”
The Air Force also needs to more rapidly acquire next-generation weapons for its newest aircraft, he said.
“We’re still flying with fourth-generation weapons on a fifth-generation platform,” he said. For F-22s, F-35s and a future penetrating counter-air system “we need weapons that are fifth- and sixth-gen that go with that.”
U.S. warplanes are not the only assets that are at risk from enemy air defenses, he noted. The weapons that they launch could also be destroyed.
“Not only does the airplane have to get into the theater to get to a range to deliver a weapon, but the weapon has to get to its target,” Carlisle said. “When you’re using fourth-generation weapons, the ability of the adversary to counter those weapons through a variety of means” is enhanced, he added. “You have to get something that can actually reach the target.”
Next he put that caveat on this whole thing by talking about a "new iteration" of the F-35. We all know that's a lie. The F-35 is constrained to a point that even getting current tech into the plane will be difficult. Additionally its slow, doesn't go as far as desired and doesn't fly high enough to be the "penetrating counter air system" that the USAF is looking for.
Last the USAF is finally globbing onto the payload question. Leadership knows it made a mistake. They're gonna waste money on the F-35 while they try and get it right with the next plane.
Who should be worried? Our allies that bought it. The USAF will be able to course correct. Our allies in A models not so much.
UAE buys Rabdan (Otokar's Arma) 8x8...that isn't the news though!
via Janes.
The United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) military announced during the IDEX show in Abu Dhabi that it had ordered 400 8x8 vehicles from the local company Al-Jasoor, a joint venture between the Emirati company Heavy Vehicles industries (HVI) and the Turkish armoured vehicle manufacturer Otokar Land systems.I can't tell you how many e-mails and comments I've seen about this vehicle? What I can't figure out is why this is so thrilling to so many. It's simply a locally produced Arma 8x8 from Turkey's Otokar armored vehicle manufacturer.
HVI is a subsidiary of Tawazun Holdings, an Emirati industrial development organisation.
Tawazun said in a statement that "the decision to purchase the vehicles was made following a thorough commercial/technical evaluation by Tawazun, the vehicle underwent an array of successful extensive all-terrain tests in the UAE."
The Rabdan 8x8 vehicle that was displayed on the Tawazun stand at IDEX is a development of the Otokar Arma 8x8 fitted with the turret from a BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
The specifications sheet provided by Tawazun said it has a minimum gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 28,000 kg with growth potential to 30,000 kg, compared to Arma 8x8's GVW of 24,000 kg. It said an amphibious capability will be standard on the IFV and optional on other variants.
What should be news is that the UAE has such a mixed vehicle fleet and so many armored vehicles that they can't possibly use them all. For a small military force they're playing with fire following their current procurement strategy.
How can they effectively keep up a decent parts supply chain much less capable trainers with so many different vehicles? Even training to a decent standard would seem to be hobbled by having so many different vehicle types.
The news isn't that the UAE bought another 8x8. The news is that they're continuing the insanity of buying every shiny toy they can lay their hands on.
Russia's PAK DA sounding more like an arsenal plane than a simple bomber...
via Sputnik.
Developers of the Russian new-generation strategic bomber, known as the Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA), have defended the preliminary design of the project, according to Evgeniy Fedorov, scientific director of the Russian State Research Institute of Aviation Systems.I'm guessing (limited knowledge here) that they're talking about the plane going thru what we would call a design review.
According to him, the Defense Ministry submitted very strict requirements for the new aircraft.
"The military mentioned everything they could, including a strategic bomber, an operative and tactic missile-carrying bomber and even a long-range interceptor capable of launching space vehicles," Fedorov told the Russian news agency RNS.
If they're just getting that done then they're slow walking the project. But that isn't the big news. The big news to me is that what they're describing is essentially an arsenal plane and not a simple bomber.
This had me thinking...are we seeing the evolution of the simple bomber into a multi-role airplane? A bomb bay can obviously hold missiles. If the bomber is designed to carry heavy bomb loads on pylons on the wings then you can certainly hang missiles there.
The bomber isn't dead it's evolving.
The next step is gonna be to use that bomb bay to hold the power system to operate lasers or even megawatt jammers that will completely blind the enemy.
The weird thing is that if lasers become a reality and power generation the key then the large size of the traditional bomber might see it flex into a more decisive anti-air role. Instead of simply launching missiles at long range it could enter enemy airspace, destroying enemy ground launched anti-air missiles and knocking down their fighters for as long as they have power generation.
Things are evolving and the pace will probably pick up soon.
Marines Land on Senoor Beach for Exercise Sea Soldier.....pics by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Brown
An LCAC to land a handful of Marines? Is this what we're gonna see with theExpeditionary Rifle Squad? If so then we need to invest in small boats instead...this is a waste of resources...
Blast from the past. The Mach 3 Phantom!
Hush Kit Blog has another piece out on our aviation past that is a nice read. In this one they cover the top 8 Mach 3 fighters and I saw the beast you see above. Plans for a Mach 3 Phantom? Crazy cool! Check out the article here.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
China Defense Blog defends their "Marine Regiment capable flotilla" story...
China Defense Blog did the calculations on paper, while I just added it up in my head. The results? The same! The Chinese Navy just floated a Regiment worth of Marines and their equipment in the S. China Sea.
The conclusion? The same! This was a powerful show of force that should have mall countries like the Philippines paying attention. They just did a no notice (to the military blogging community) sortie of a powerful amphibious force and we had no heads up about it.
When they're ready to do a modern day Pearl Harbor we might get got...again...
Hezbollah Terror Group now has P-800 Oniks Anti-Ship Missiles (Brahmos)????
Thanks to Ghostmourn for the link!
via Times of Israel.
The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has obtained advanced Russian-made anti-ship missiles, potentially threatening Israeli gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea and the Israeli Navy’s ability to operate in the area, according to a report published Sunday.Story here.
Hezbollah’s possession of the Yakhont missiles was revealed by unnamed Western intelligence officials over the weekend at the Munich Security Conference, where world leaders and defense ministers are meeting to discuss major security issues, according to a report in the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth. The report did not reveal in what forum the revelations were made.
If true, Hezbollah’s possession of the missiles would represent a serious threat to Israeli interests in the Mediterranean; endangering both Israeli commercial vessels sailing in shipping lanes off the Lebanese coast and the ability of Israeli Navy ships to operate in and around Lebanese waters.
Most significantly, the missiles would give Hezbollah the ability to strike Israel’s gas production platforms in the Mediterranean, a threat Israel reportedly intends to counter by installing maritime versions of the Iron Dome missile defense system on naval vessels as part of the Israeli Navy’s efforts to secure the country’s natural gas fields.
This is stunning. If Hezbollah has them then that means that the Russian controls on these missiles isn't as tight as I thought. The Persian Gulf, the Med and other blue-ish brown bodies of water are nearing being off limits to US warships.
The funny/hillarious/bone chilling makes you want to punch walls thing?
If this is true then Hezbollah has the potential to establish an Anti-Access/Area Denial zone in their neighborhood and short of a massive Ranger/MARSOC raid (probably the entire Ranger Regiment and every swinging dick in MARSOC) supported by a couple of Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) with overwhelming support from Nav/Marine Air and the USAF there is nothing we can do about it.
To recover these missiles will be a mission into the jaws of hell. I'm sure they're located in a populated area and I'm sure they're well guarded. Additionally Hezbollah has been seen operating armor and forming a quasi nation state armored brigade.
A mission to destroy/recover those missiles (assuming you aren't willing to risk massive civilian casualties by simply bombing the grid square they're located in) is gonna be rough.
I'm so glad I don't have to plan or make the call on this one. If its true then only one word describes it. SHIT!
Side Note; many are going goofy over my stating that the P-800 and Brahmos are similar missiles. GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE. via Wikipedia...
The BrahMos (Hindi: ब्रह्मोस brahmos, Russian: Брамос) is a short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace.[12] It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and other similar sea-skimming Russian cruise missile technology.The Brahmos is a locally produced P-800. Think before you bitch!
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