Video from the latest Chinese "armor" show!

Thanks to Costas TT for the link!



Wow.  Great find!  Drink it in boys.  These are the people that we will be hookin' and jabbin' with...and it will be an "all hands on deck" situation.  Too old for service?  Maybe not if its as I think...a fight for national survival!

Bonus! Hirez pics of Chinese VT5 Light Tank.

Thanks again to Skylancer for the link!

I posted this for two reasons.  First I think it's a neat design.  Second is because it tells us something.

Think about it!

The Chinese have several IFVs sporting large caliber cannons but still developed a dedicated Light Tank.  What does that tell us?  Did they do an analysis of the Mobile Gun System and decide that while attractive it didn't provide enough "umph" to be worth pursuing?  What did they find out in their study of the issue that the Italians with the Centuro and the Japanese with their version didn't?

Who's right and who's wrong?

More hirez pics of the new Chinese VN17 IFV.

Thanks to Skylancer for the pics.

Geez.  This things looks like a Marder/Puma hybrid!  Additionally that fucking turret is unmanned.

The Chinese are making strides boys.  1st and 3rd MarDiv better get ready.  Sooner or later this fight is coming!

Chinese APS demonstrated

Thanks to Koxinga for the pic!

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

I told you people that China would soon be making next gen fighting systems and here they are being rolled out.

Thanks to my readers you're getting a first look at these systems thru open sources.  This shit isn't secret.  They're basically spitting in our face telling us that they can take us in a straight up fight.

Between new armored systems coming online, new APS that might be able to defeat our short ranged anti-tank weapons and an ability to produce on a scale that we can't, it's obvious what the Chinese are doing.

They're on the verge of fighting the perfect war.

They're on the verge of winning without having to fight.  Sun Tzu would be proud.


Side note:  Now do you get the force of connection?  Forward basing US forces around the world has made us weaker, not increased stability!  We're wasting strength in Europe trying to "surround" Russia while the real threat goes unchallenged in the Pacific.  Additionally we have too many forces in the second island chain that are now VULNERABLE to a Chinese first strike.  A few dozen missiles lobbed at Guam and Okinawa and suddenly we're lost almost a third of Marine Corps forces in the minutes that it takes to fly from mainland China and a few artificial islands (talking non-nuclear ballistic missiles).  Russia is not the threat!  China is!

Pics of the new Chinese IFV designated VN17

Thanks to Costas TT for the pic!

A gunner and commander optic setup for efficient targeting and killing of enemy material, two anti-tank missiles on turret sides, additional armor on the sides and front (have no idea of the type but its reminiscent of the AJAX Scout setup) and finally a large caliber cannon (unknown what size).

Don't see any secondary weapons, not even coax for the main gun.

How are the Chinese viewing this vehicle I wonder.  I'm guessing that they're gonna build a dedicated APC version with multiple machineguns to provide support for dismounted infantry while these vehicles tangle with enemy IFVs and fortifications.  This could be more tankette than IFV.

JESUS! China is converting old Type 59 MBTs into IFVs

Thanks to Donno for the link!

Donno has been finding the good stuff lately and this is huge (in my opinion).  China has come up with a modification to their old Type 59 MBTs to turn them into a pretty credible looking and modern IFV.

I can't get much detail from the pic but that appears to be larger than a 12.7mm in the turret and its difficult to make out more detail.

One thing is apparent.  The engine seems to have been moved.  I can't tell if its to the front or side (guessing side by the exhaust) and they've built a raised troop compartment in back.

Let me shout this from the rooftops.

RUSSIA IS NOT THE THREAT!  The EU can solve any issue they have with Russia by themselves.  The country that is a threat to the existence of the United States is CHINA!!!!  We should orient to face this threat on a mental, military and economic basis.

Australia's Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle - Light

Thanks to Jason for the link!

Hmm.  Interesting.  Got to look up the weight on this rig.  Looks right though.

Open Comment Post. Aug 15, 2017

China's Next Gen IFV?

Thanks to Costas TT for the link!

I've been waiting for at least a  year for China to come out with their next gen armored fighting vehicles and it looks like the wait is over.  This should send a chill down the spine of Marine Corps leadership but I could see this coming from my desk chair.

The problem?

The wrong lessons have been learned from the wars in the Middle East and the Russian "little green" campaign in Ukraine.

To be precise, armor still counts, air power can be blunted and close combat is still a bear.

Company landing teams?

Dog meat against a mechanized formation!

The Marine Corps seems to be building into itself the same vulnerabilities as SOCOM faces.  Have you noticed that in Syria we saw SOCOM "getting heavy"? Did you notice in Ukraine that close air support was almost non-existant due to formidable air defenses right across the border?

The issue is simple.

When these new IFVs hit deck and when we cross swords, I fear we're gonna read stories about a USMC Gunny telling his tale of having to escape and evade (much like we heard from the Ukrainian LT) while being hunted by enemy infantry, tanks, UAVs, military working dogs and helicopters.

We are being foolish to throw away what was the most complete combined arms team on the planet.  Future Marines will wonder what drugs we were taking and why no one spoke out against it.

Rant over.

What do you see on this new vehicle?  Optics heavy.  Sensor heavy.  Can't tell the caliber of gun but it appears to at the very least be a 30mm and maybe larger.  Lots of armor and seems to be following the Western trend of going heavier when it comes to IFVs.  Despite the add on armor it still appears to be relatively compact.  Does that mean its sacrificing troop carriage for armor protection?  Probably.  Will we see a dedicated APC version?  Maybe, I don't know what their thinking is but the new Combined Arms Brigades they're building would seem to favor firepower and speed/shock over infantry.  What don't I see?  An APS.  Something tells me Russia is gonna get a call to sell them a few....if they can't steal it!

War-hammer News. This could escalate quickly.

via The Hill

Defense Secretary James Mattis said Monday that the United States will attempt to shoot down any North Korean missile launched at the country or its territories.

"We’ll take it out," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

He later said that, should a North Korean missile hit U.S. soil, including the Pacific island of Guam, it would constitute an act of war.

“If they shoot at the United State, I’m assuming they hit the United States. If they do that, it’s game on,” Mattis added.

North Korea last week threatened to launch ballistic missiles at waters off the coast of Guam, a U.S. territory that hosts about 6,000 American troops and thousands of civilians.
The isolated nation made the statement after President Trump warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to stop making threats against the U.S. and allies or it would "be met with fire and fury ... like the world has never seen."

North Korea then warned that a plan to attack Guam would be in place by mid-August.

Mattis said the Defense Department would “know within moments” if a North Korean missile has been launched and if it was headed toward Guam.

“I think if they fire at the United States it could escalate into war very quickly. Yes, that’s called war, if they shoot at us,” Mattis said.

Mattis also said that should North Korea fire in the direction of Guam but not hit the territory, “that becomes an issue that we take up however the president chooses.”

“War is up to the president, perhaps up to the Congress. The bottom line is we will defend the country from an attack,” he later said. “Yes, that means for a lot of young troops, they’re going to be in a war time situation.”

He added: “You don’t shoot at people in this world. You don’t shoot at people in this world unless you want to bear the consequences.” 

A couple of things....

1.  The news media is so busy beating up on Trump and lauding the generals that they've failed to notice the  absolute consensus in the  Pentagon.  From the Commander of Forces in Korea, to the Commander of Naval Forces in the Pacific, to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and even the Sec of Defense they're all on the same page.  War in Korea will be bloody but in their opinion doable.

2.  The Sec of Defense is hardly the dove that many thought he would be. He isn't over the top like Trump but he is MOST ASSUREDLY daring the N. Korean dictator to pull the trigger.

3.  Everyone is hanging their hats on sanctions in the belief that suddenly China will see the light.  How stupid is that?  This is Asia.  China will not be seen bending to the will of the United States.  That goes against everything I've ever learned about the region.  Two things are at play here.  On a cultural level they would individually rather die than be seen to lose face. The next is what's happening on a national level in China.  They see themselves as the rising power.  The Chinese Chairman would lose his seat if he were seen to back down in the face of American threats.  And make no mistake about it. The threat of sanctions is not taken with favor.  This was suppose to be a way back for the Chinese.  Instead its painted their leadership into a tighter corner.

In essence this thing is still spiraling.  China can't back down.  N. Korea can't back down and the US can't back down.

S. Korea is fucked.  They know they're fucked, but despite statements by the S. Korean leadership that they have a veto they don't.

National pride will see war on the peninsula.

India says its ready for war with China over border dispute.

via Business Insider.

Chinese and Indian troops are readying themselves for a possible armed conflict in the event they fail in their efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to their border dispute on the Doklam plateau in the Himalayas, observers said.

On Friday, India’s defence minister Arun Jaitley told parliament that the country’s armed forces are “prepared to take on any eventuality” of the stand-off, Indian Express reported the same day.

Sources close to the Chinese military, meanwhile, said that the People’s Liberation Army is increasingly aware of the possibility of war, but will aim to limit any conflict to the level of skirmishes, such as those contested by India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

“The PLA will not seek to fight a ground war with Indian troops early on. Instead it will deploy aircraft and strategic missiles to paralyse Indian mountain divisions stationed in the Himalayas on the border with China,” a military insider told the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity, adding that he believes Indian troops will probably hold out for “no more than a week.”

Story here. 

Now of course India will DEFINITELY hold out for more than a week.

Ukraine, who we're suppose to support against Russia is supplying N. Korea with weapons tech?

Thanks to Darkness 99 for the link!

via New York Times.

North Korea’s success in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears able to reach the United States was made possible by black-market purchases of powerful rocket engines probably from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia’s missile program, according to an expert analysis being published Monday and classified assessments by American intelligence agencies.

The studies may solve the mystery of how North Korea began succeeding so suddenly after a string of fiery missile failures, some of which may have been caused by American sabotage of its supply chains and cyberattacks on its launches. After those failures, the North changed designs and suppliers in the past two years, according to a new study by Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Such a degree of aid to North Korea from afar would be notable because President Trump has singled out only China as the North’s main source of economic and technological support. He has never blamed Ukraine or Russia, though his secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, made an oblique reference to both China and Russia as the nation’s “principal economic enablers” after the North’s most recent ICBM launch last month.

Analysts who studied photographs of the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, inspecting the new rocket motors concluded that they derive from designs that once powered the Soviet Union’s missile fleet. The engines were so powerful that a single missile could hurl 10 thermonuclear warheads between continents.
Those engines were linked to only a few former Soviet sites. Government investigators and experts have focused their inquiries on a missile factory in Dnipro, Ukraine, on the edge of the territory where Russia is fighting a low-level war to break off part of Ukraine. During the Cold War, the factory made the deadliest missiles in the Soviet arsenal, including the giant SS-18. It remained one of Russia’s primary producers of missiles even after Ukraine gained independence.


But since Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was removed from power in 2014, the state-owned factory, known as Yuzhmash, has fallen on hard times. The Russians canceled upgrades of their nuclear fleet. The factory is underused, awash in unpaid bills and low morale. Experts believe it is the most likely source of the engines that in July powered the two ICBM tests, which were the first to suggest that North Korea has the range, if not necessarily the accuracy or warhead technology, to threaten American cities.
“It’s likely that these engines came from Ukraine — probably illicitly,” Mr. Elleman said in an interview. “The big question is how many they have and whether the Ukrainians are helping them now. I’m very worried.”

Story here. 

Ukraine.  It had to be fucking Ukraine.  I've wondered why we should be supporting that hot bed of Nazism ever since I first saw pics of the Azov Brigade, felt uneasy about taking sides in a civil war and wondered why we should care at all.

Now I find out they're supplying weapon tech to N. Korea?

Russia can have them.

Split it up take what they want and we need to sit back and watch.  The good thing about this plan?  We might get a bit of control over weapons tech cause it's obvious that Ukrainians will sell anything to anyone.