German Sub sporting an unusual screw setup...

Thanks to Hristo for the link!

Story here.

Supposedly this is common but I don't recall seeing it on other subs.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

French Serval Multipurpose Light Armored Vehicle

We talk about vehicles that just look right.  There are a few examples of vehicles looking all wrong.

No offense French readers, this bad boy just looks wrong.  I wonder what they're seeing that everyone else is missing.  I don't see any of the same design cues that we're seeing from other nations and to be honest this almost looks like a blast from the past, not a modern vehicle.

I stand ready to be corrected on its capabilities.

The Best Twitter Thread (Analysis) of the Syria/Kurd issue I've read...

Note.  The title says it all and the author of this Tweet Thread says it better than I ever could.

But I must add this.  Is Washington, the Congress and the Dept Of Defense caught up in Normalcy Bias?  What do I mean?  I hear constant whining, crying and gnashing of teeth about the pullout.

Did anyone think that a withdrawal would be anything BUT nasty and problematic?

After almost 20 years stuck in a quagmire with seemingly NO SOLUTION to the crisis/drama the answer from most of the so called smartest people in foreign/military policy is just to do more of the same?

The word for that (if you're expecting change) is INSANITY!

So we have no solutions, no plans, no epiphany on solving this issue but they decry a withdrawal?  If that ain't Normalcy Bias then I don't know what is.

Back on task.  Read the Tweet and follow the link so you can read the whole thing.

Then comeback and IF you disagree then give me your solution besides more of the same.  No one polls on the question but my sense is that the American people are sick and tired of the Middle East.

There is a national security strategy behind Trump’s withdrawal from Syria.

You may not like it (neocons). You may doubt it will work (Beltway “experts”). Or you may just hate Trump (Dems).

But there is a plan.

Here it is...

— Bryan Dean Wright (@BryanDeanWright) October 14, 2019

General Dynamics Mobile Protected Firepower Concept...

Interesting.

An Abrams turret on an ASCOD hull?  Should be well protected AND provide tremendous firepower.

But will it be too heavy?  If I recall this is aimed at Airborne/Infantry Brigade Combat Teams.  If the focus is on Airborne then I'm guessing the BAE offering might have an edge.  If the IBCT and survivability is the need AND you're looking to standardize your logistics lines to the greatest extent possible (with a smaller training syllabus) then General Dynamics all day.

How do I think this will turn out?

I think the US Army will buy both!

Hear me out.

I didn't post on it but concern has been building in Congress (much too late in my opinion) about our industrial base.  From my seat the only "industrial base" we have left is in the defense sector.

Word is that everyone is all onboard protecting it AND growing it.

The BAE M8 Buford will be purchased for the Airborne and a few might even get tossed to the 101st Air Assault.  The General Dynamics offering will be tossed to the rest of the IBCTs (Stryker based).

You heard it here first.

Chinese Naval Ship Numbers...Congress we have a problem...

Hot off the press! Ron O’Rourke’s latest #CRS report (20191002):

“#China #Naval Mod’zn: Implications for @USNavy Capabilities—Background & Issues for #Congress”https://t.co/B6yYQ1hddN

Don’t miss the 2005-2019 ship numbers table!

It even includes China #CoastGuard vessels. pic.twitter.com/IddN2c83Zo

— Andrew Erickson 艾立信 (@AndrewSErickson) October 16, 2019

If we're lining up for a naval battle and attrition becomes an issue then head up we're at a disadvantage.

For better or worse, even if we mass ships we'll need allies in the region.

One thing.

We're counting hulls.

I'm not sure how naval aviation will play in any scenario and how it should be counted toward the tally of forces.  I guess we would need to count heavyweight anti-ship missiles too.

Regardless.

Things APPEAR to be problematic if we tie up with the Chinese...at least now. The 2nd Fleet is gobbling up resources for a Russian Navy that is to be frank, not that formidable.

If we're serious we need to realign our forces.  Even if Russia is a threat we might need to accept some risk, toss some responsibility for their own defense to the Europeans and get after the Chinese threat.

Open Comment Post. 18 Oct 2018.

Sikorsky HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter: The next generation CRH has arrived.

Bell V-280 Valor Multi Domain Operations

Late, Late, Late Open Comment Post. 17 Oct 2019

QinetiQ North America and Pratt and Miller Defense Announce Robotic Combat Vehicle Partnership

via Press Release.

- QinetiQ North America (QNA) and Pratt and Miller Defense are pleased to announce their partnership on the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program at the 2019 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

QNA is a leading provider of unmanned systems for the defense market with over 20 years of experience helping the US Military develop and field advanced, safety-critical, robotic solutions. Currently supporting the US Army with robotic systems from 20 pounds to 20 tons, QNA is focused on modular interoperable solutions that ensure the systems fielded today are ready for tomorrow's threats.

QNA and Pratt & Miller will submit a variant of the Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle (EMAV) tailored to the Robotic Combat Vehicle program's specific requirements. The Robotic Combat Vehicle submission will leverage QNA's modular open architecture unmanned ground vehicle control systems integrated with Pratt & Miller's advanced mobility platform. The resulting system is a robust non-developmental solution demonstrated to fulfill the Government's required attributes. The RCV base platform has been proven through direct warfighter experimentation to be agile, powerful, and highly reliable.

"QinetiQ North America has focused on fielding advanced technical solutions to help our military counter emerging threats for over 25 years," stated QNA's President Jeff Yorsz. "We are excited to team with a company that has equal passion of providing groundbreaking real-world solutions to our warfighters."

Pratt & Miller Defense specializes in the development and manufacturing of advanced vehicles and systems for the demanding requirements of the military. Matt Carroll, Pratt & Miller CEO expressed his support of the team "Our combined cultures of innovation and expertise in supporting the warfighter will provide the US Army with a mature world class solution for the RCV program."

The RCV configuration of EMAV will be displayed at AUSA 2019 in Washington, D.C., October 14-16.

I have no problem with this vehicle.

So don't take this statement as being a slam against QinetiQ NA in anyway.

I'm thinking about the concept of combat armored vehicles.

Are we putting the cart in front of the horse here?

I still remember the Terramax.

It was supposed to fill in for convoy work but got shelved.  Now they're not even going for a basic logistics role but pushing forward into combat vehicles?

Are robots that smart?

I keep seeing leap ahead tech instead of doing the NASA thing of working in building blocks.  Ya know the old crawl, walk, run thing.

Are we getting industry spun up on something that won't be bought?  Are we seeing effort being wasted on concepts that will never be purchased (at least not within the next 5 years)?

I hope not but I think so.

GLSDB | Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb | Saab

Eli Lea's Tweet shows the AS21 Redback rollout!

Thanks to Ogden for the link!

AS21 Redback in the flesh in Sth Korea. Similar, but not the same turret as that on offer for L400 P3 but first clean shots of the Hull on offer. @MatthewsECLIPS @2805662 @DTRmag @nicholadrummond @thinkdefence @strategic_tank @MMaenpaa1 @gammelfenkan https://t.co/AD14O2tIky

— Eli Lea (@EliLea1) October 15, 2019

Like Ogden said.  We have us a damn horse race in Aussie land.

Thanks Aussies!  Your competition has given us a couple of outstanding IFVs...I don't think you can go wrong by picking either.

Is this gonna boil down to a price shootout?