Category: Military

Just in Case You are Wondering….

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The selection of former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs IS a big steaming helping of f$#k you to Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and and the rest of their Evil Minions.™

Shinseki, as you may recall, was basically fired for saying that we would need around ½ million troops in order to make sure that post invasion needs were attended to.

He was promptly cashiered, and both Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz made a point of not showing up to his retirement ceremony.

Rummie and Wolfie, suck…on…this.

Blow Up UAVs

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It looks like the folks at U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground have come up with concepts for inflatable structures for UAVs.

The folks at the lab believe that the use of inflatable structures would allow for lighter weight, which translates into slower flight speeds and less noise, both of which are optimal for the use of UAVs in an urban scenario.

Goodyear did actually develop and fly an inflatable aircraft, the Inflatoplane, in the 1950s, but the army decided it was too vulnerable to ground fire, and shelved the project.

Still, it has always surprised me that someone in the ultralight community did not go further forward with this. An ultralight made using this technology could fit in the trunk of a midsized car.

About a decade ago, I put an inqwuiry into Goodyear regarding the Airmat, basically balloon material with threads running between opposite walls to provide rigidity when inflated, material they used for the structure, but there was nothing left there.

Why go Bullpup

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In what should be a surprise to no onw, the Israeli Defense Forces have adopted the MTAR-21 Micro-Tavor as their weapon of choice.

Once again, it allows us to look at why the M4/M16 needs to be replaced in US service.

In addition to its gas tube operation requesting excessive cleaning, it’s just too damn long:

Overall Length

Barrel Length

TAR-21

725 mm (28.5 in)

460 mm (18.1 in)

MTAR-21

590 mm (23.2 in)

330 mm (13.0 in)

M16

1000mm (39.5 in)

508 mm (20 in)

M4

838 mm (33 in) (stock extended)

757 mm (29.8 in) (stock retracted)

368 mm (14.5 in)



While it’s clear that the both MTAR-21 and the M4 having 13½ and 14 inch barrels respectively, will have lethality problems at range. The 5.56 mm round is light and uses high velocity to carry to provide lethality, but the M4 is much more extensively used, because for any urban situation, the M-16 at 1m long is simply unmanagable, while the TAR-21, the normal rifle for the IDF with an 18 inch barrel is shorter than the M4.

The additional 4 inches of barrel also get the mussel velocity high enough to avoid the lethality issues at 100 m or so.

That is an very small package though.

Obama National Security Team Named

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President elect Obama rolled out his new national security team: (cut and paste from the Washington Independent)

  • Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, as secretary of state.
  • Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, to remain in his current position.
  • Eric Holder, a former federal prosecutor and deputy attorney general, as attorney general.
  • Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, as secretary of homeland security.
  • Gen. James L. Jones (Ret.), as national security adviser.
  • Susan Rice, national security adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign, as ambassador to the United Nations.

An interesting side story on all this is that
Hillary Clinton will not resign until she is confirmed.

My guess is that notwithstanding the famous collegiality of the Senate, she figures that there is at least one Republican willing do pull the secret hold crap, either to screw with her or Bill, and she just sent a message to them that if they do, she will be in the room with them for a long time.

George W. Bush Broke Our Army

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That’s, or at the least the conclusion that the US Army is broken, is the conclusion of well respected army analyst Andrew Krepinevich in a Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments report.

His basic points:

  • The quality of enlisted men and officers is decreasing despite significant pay hikes.
  • Physical, educational, and “moral” (i.e. criminal conviction) standards have been lowered for recruits.
  • NCO quality is suffering, because enlisted men ill suited to leadership are being promoted to NCO status.
  • Falling reenlistment numbers.
  • Increased use of stop loss to maintain staffing levels.
  • The Army is attempting to create units that are simultaneously configured for both conventional and counterinsurgency warfare, and thus under performing at both.

He does not explicitly finger Bush, but Iraq is clearly mentioned as a part of the problem.

His recommendations:

  • Make 15 Army BCTs dediucated to counter-insurgency/peacekeeping.
  • Delay expanding the army until personnel quality issues are resolved.
  • Cancel the FCS, which has dubious utility in a counter-insurgency scenario, and is sucking up too much budget.

It is likely that the ill effects of Iraq will weigh on the army for more than a decade.

NG Announces Plug-In Tactical Laser

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The good folks at Northrop Grumman Space Technology have announced a 15kW solid state laser module.

It’s a rack mount, though at 15 kW, your backplane on your rack better have some heavy duty busbars.

Still, the fact that what appears to be a fieldable electrically powered laser is available for military deployment, though it is unclear as to how soon this would actually hit series production, seems to be an important development.

Certainly, it is a step up from the expensive and messy chemical lasers that we are seeing in places like Boeing’s airborne laser, which would appear to need an environmental impact statement each time that it fires.

Northrop Grumman Announces the FIRESTRIKE™ Laser, World’s First Weaponized Solid-State Laser for U.S. Military Services:
‘This is a rugged electric laser with power levels, beam quality and runtime suitable for offensive and defensive military utility. Also available is a newly designed laser current source assembly (LCSA), which is compact, and specifically developed to precisely meet FIRESTRIKE(tm)’s power needs. Combined with advanced electro optical and/or infrared sensors, the FIRESTRIKE(tm) laser can provide self-defense, precision strike and enhanced situational awareness capabilities.’

Speaking of Insubordination

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How about Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who is now dissing the Iraqi status of forces agreement even before the ink is dry:

The withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, set to be completed by the end of 2011 under a proposed deal between Baghdad and Washington, should depend on the situation on the ground, US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said on Monday.

“I do think it is important that this be conditions-based,” Mullen told reporters, referring to the eventual withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

We have an agreement negotiated by the civilian leaders of both countries, and just now approved by the Iraqi cabinet, and he is already saying that he is opposed to the central feature of that agreement.

This is largely an artifact of the fact that Bush and His Evil Minions&trade politicized the military, and that Bill Clinton did not fire Colin Powell when he should have, which has emboldened his successors.

I Believe That This is Called Insubordination

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Well, we now have this report that the Pentagon is doing its level best to subvert the decision making capabilities of the incoming administration:

The uniformed services are trying to lock in the next administration by creating a political cost for holding the line on defense spending. Conservative groups are hoping to ramp up defense spending as a tool to limit options for a Democratic Congress and president to pass new, and potentially costly, social programs, including health care reform.

While it is the right of conservatives to weigh in on the defense budget, the actions of the, “Uniformed Services” appears to be a direct challenge to the idea of civilian control of the military.

Douglas MacArthur was fired for simply saying in a letter to a Congressman that he disagreed with the President’s policy, and these folks are trying to gaslight Obama.

Iraqi Cabinet Approves SOF Pact

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So, now the status of forces agreement goes to the Iraqi Parliament.

Changes demanded by the Iraqi government and accepted by Bush and His Evil Minions™:

  • Requiring the U.S. to get Iraqi consent before searching homes.
  • Giving Iraqis authority over the international zone that houses the centers of American power in Baghdad.
  • Enabling Iraqis to search U.S. cargo.
  • Prohibiting Americans from conducting raids in other countries from Iraqi soil.
  • Eliminating the judicial immunity that applies to foreign contractors and to a lesser degree that of U.S. soldiers working in Iraq under the occupation’s current mandate.
  • A time line for leaving the country.

Basically, the Iraqis knew that Bush had to have this agreement, and so demanded, and got what they wanted.

Passive Air to Air Attacks

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Well, here is an interesting nugget buried in an an otherwise run of the mill article on how an upgrade to an AESA radar will boost the Rafale’s export sales prospect

Meanwhile, the Rafale’s ability to shoot down an enemy aircraft using only passive detection was demonstrated for the first time in October, says Chaltiel. Two aircraft flew ‘several miles apart’, the first using electronic support measures to monitor the target and communicate its track via Link 16 datalink to the second Rafale.

The second aircraft also passively tracked the target using its infrared search and track system and was able to achieve a lock-on by sending ‘a few pulses’ from its laser rangefinder. The enemy aircraft was then ‘shot down’ using an MBDA ‘Mica-type’ air-to-air missile with an active seeker that became effective at a range of around 18km (10nm), says Chaltiel.

Youtube Vids of Talk on Su-30MKI at Red Flag

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It was a talk given by a Colonel Fornof, the Director of the Requirements and Testing office at Nellis AFB and an F-15 pilot.

There is nothing here that is particularly sensitive, though it is very interesting.

The bullet points, or at least the ones that surprised me:

  • The pilots in the Su-30MKI’s did not use thrust vectoring well, so when they used it, they got hosed.
  • The French showed up, after having changed aircraft, from the Mirage 2000 to the Rafale, and were there for the electronic signals. They were sucking up radar data from that IAF, and did not tend to engage much.
  • The Indians had real concerns with foreign object damage with their aircraft, which surprises me, as the USSR designed its aircraft for austere basing, though it might have been because the engines had to go back to Russia if there was any damage…Something that the Indians might want to discuss with the manufacturer.
  • That for both the Su-30MKI and the F-22, if they go into post stall maneuvering with thrust vectoring, it provides an opportunity, which seems to give an answer about thinks like the Cobra maneuver: They are flight show BS, at least most of the time.
  • That the IAF’s upgraded MiG-21s are formidable aircraft, not bad for a roughly 50 year old design.
  • His admission that he does not think that the F-22 carries enough missiles

Links here, here, here, and here, and the videos are below.


Part 1


Part 2


A compare/contrast airshow demonstrations Su-30 vs F-22

M14 Pr0n

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Well, it looks like the M-14 battle rifle is having a bit of a renaissance.

It appears that various US Army and Marines are looking at a “designated marksmen,” a sort of sniper-lite, and they are looking at an M14 as their weapon.

Basically, they are looking at using match grade barrels, a new gas piston system, a fiberglass inline stock, and provisions for a scope.

I’ve not had any personal experience with the M1/M14, though I once talked to an old soldier who hated it, he thought that the M1 was a better weapon, soldiers always hate the new weapon, but I just don’t think that the numbers work all that well.

An M16 weighs about 7 pounds +1 pound per 30 round clip, and the M14 weighs around 11 pounds with a 20 round clip, so weight clearly swings in favor of the M16.

Furthermore, the idea of retaining full auto on a match grade barrel is counter-productive. Once you go full auto the first time, it’s no longer match grade.

Marines are already achieving head shots with scopes with M16s at relatively long range, so I’m not sure how much an advantage one gets with this system.

I think the additional burden in terms of weight, and different ammunition, may not be worth it, and that taking an M16, or other 5.56mm rifle with a scope may be a better solution in most cases, see the United States Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle, a modified M16, by way of example.

Russians Look at Anglo-French CFV Purchase

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It should come as no surprise that the current Russian STOBAR carrier has not proved itself to be a world beater.

Even so, reports that the Russian Navy is in discussions with Thales about purchasing the Anglo-French CVF aircraft carrier is a bit of a surprise:

The idea being floated is that all indications are Russia would like to build 6 aircraft carriers similar to the 60-70 thousand ton CVF design being developed for the British and French Navies. Ilya Kramnik’s idea is to build the lead ship in France with foreign assistance, including some experience for Russian shipbuilders, then do follow on serial construction of the rest of the class in Russia.

There are a number of thorny issues that make this difficult, among them the likelihood that any US technology on the ships would not be cleared for export.

I think that its more likely that, if there were a joint venture with other countries, it would be Russia-China, and certainly the new shipyard planned at Cahngxing, will be used for the construction and service of larger ships, and the model of the facility, shows an aircraft carrier in a drydock.

Your Defense Dollars at Work

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Yes, the U.S. Air Force has paid to become the exclusive sponsor of the Xbox LIVE short film series ‘Horror Meets Comedy’:

As the sole sponsor of the series, Air Force will create custom intro billboards that will run with each pilot and interactive media placements that will live across the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network and the Xbox.com website. Users can click on these custom units and engage directly with the Air Force Brand Destination which offers users the opportunity to learn more about the Air Force through video downloads, gamer pictures and theme packages. GSD&M Idea City, the Air Force’s advertising agency orchestrated the sponsorship.

Barney Frank is right, we are spending way too much money on defense.

Japan Eying a Larger Stealth Aircraft Project

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I mean a physically larger aircraft than the F-5 sized ATD-X that I have written about before.

I had theorized that this was an attempt to pressure the US Congress to change the law forbidding exports of the F-22, but now It now appears that they are considering a stealth aircraft in the that is significantly larger. (paid subscription required)

They are talking about two engines in the 22,000 lb thrust range, which appears to put the new aircraft in the Superbug and Typhoon size range, though if it is a strike fighter, it could be larger still, as attack aircraft generally have lower thrust to weight.

It’s clear from the pictures above, that the Japanese are very serious about stealth, which is about attention to detail.

It’s clear that Japan’s immediate need, replacement of its F-4EJ, will not be filled by any such aircraft, the need is too immediate.

The leading candidates for an F-4 are the F/A-18 E/F, Typhoon, and Rafale.

If it weren’t so damn slow, I’d bet on the Japanese buying the Superbug, but I have no clue as to where they are going on this.

USAF Playing Budget Make-Believe on JSF

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The USAF is trying to boost JSF funding to move forward development and production.

This is not achievable:

The JSF program has set itself some lofty goals. Even with the new mid-2014 date for the completion of operational testing (OT) the flight-test team has to average 70-plus sorties per month, starting yesterday, to get there. (This is based on the 5100 total sorties mentioned in a GAO report early this year.)

That’s as many flights as the program has notched up in the past two years.

So,what is going on?

I think that they art either looking at a larger buy, or they want to make sure that they have spent so much money that cutbacks are simply not viable.

When you consider that military spending is the highest that it has been since the end of WWII, with fewer troops, ships, and planes than at any time since WWII, this is an indicator of profound dysfunction/

Zhuhai Air Show Picture Pr0n

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Well, let’s start with the UAVs, and the Chinese are clearly looking at matching US capabilities with large UAVs:


This rather looks like any number of low observability UAVS


The Tian Yi-3 looks like a Global Hawk


As does the Soar Dragon.

We also see new antiship missiles and a trainer, which looks a lot like the russian Yak-130 trainer.


These look identical to missiles that Iran have shown, which gives a pretty good idea as to the provenance of those.


Clearly separated at birth from the Yak.

It also looks like it’s not just the US and Israel that are seriously considering truck mounted SAMs based on currently fielded air to air missiles:

That being said, the highlight of the show tends to be the aircraft that actually, of which the canard delta J-10 was the star of the show.

There is a very good collection of pictures here, which in addition to the J-10 has pics of the henyang J-8II fighter aircraft (above), a Xian JH-7A strike aircraft, and the Xian H-6U (Beagle derivative?) tanker. But here is some canard:


Thankfully, we also get some pictures of the J-10 in flight:

A ‘chute for landing…That’s unexpected….In a 1970s way.

We also have a review of the demonstration flights at the airshow.

What is interesting is that the review of its performance by Vladimir Karnozov is very positive, “The pilot rarely used afterburner and the degrees of canard deflection were small. Still, the airplane flew very well. I reckon it will beat F-16C or MiG-29/SMT easily.”

A New VTOL UCAV Concept

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I present to you the Aurora Flight Sciences Excalibur VTOL UCAV, a 40% proof of concept version, which seems to be almost as much prop as wing, paid for by DARPA.

The twist in this design is that the lift fans are driven by electric motors:

For VTOL mode, the Excalibur’s turbine engine tilts vertically and provides about 70% of the thrust, says program manager Heather Brendle. Battery-powered lift fans in the nose and wing tips provide pitch and roll control by differential rotational speed, and yaw control via vanes that deflect fan thrust. For cruise, the engine tilts horizontally, the tip fans retract into the wing, a sliding door covers the nose fan and the aircraft rolls onto its back.

The Excalibur is designed as a close-air-support UCAV. The notional 21-ft.-span full-size vehicle is designed around a 500-lb. weapons capacity—enough to carry four Hellfire missiles. This aircraft would have a VTOL takeoff weight of 4,000 lb. and useful load of 1,000 lb., increasing to 4,800 lb. and 1,900 lb., respectively, with short takeoff and vertical landing. Maximum speed would be 300 kt. at sea level, increasing to 460 kt. at 30,000 ft.; loiter speed would be 90 kt.

Aurora’s subscale, 10-ft.-span, proof-of-principle (POP) aircraft weighs in at 720 lb., with a 100-lb. useful load and 280-kt. sea-level speed. The engine is a Williams F415 turbofan from the Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile. Each common lift-fan unit is powered by four lithium polymer batteries packaged with the electric motor. The motor’s fast response allows use of a fixed-pitch fan, says Brendle.

Someone seriously thinking outside of the box here.