Yup, the USA military is definitely past it’s prime – first the grounding of the entire F-15 fleet, then the ongoing A-10 grounding, the ancient tankers which have no replacement coming and now the F/A-18s are being grounded and inspected for structural faults found in many earlier models around the aerolon hinges. These kind of Read more about And now: the F/A-18 Hornets[…]
After the F-15 grounding, which left the US without an air defence in the beginning of this year, now many A-10s have been grounded due to cracks in the wings. With the tanker acquisition being put on hold, it’s looking more and more like the USAF is an organisation filled with geriatric aircraft. And congress Read more about USAF A-10s grounded[…]
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) staged an excercise pitting the JSF against the 4th generation russian fighters and it got it’s arse handed to it in the turning game. Link goes to the movie. Memorable quotes are: “The report says the JSF is: “‘Double inferior’ relative to modern Russian/Chinese fighter designs in visual range Read more about JSF doesn’t do too well[…]
Apparently Bush has done something smart! In July he signed an order allowing US troops to go into Pakistan and conduct gound assaults on known Al Qaeda / Taleban locations. They will notify the Pakistani government, but they won’t ask for permission.
And trick your enemy satellite intelligence into thinking you are way way mightier than you are – just try to use an electric pump, as this stuff’ll have you blowing for HOURS.
Earlier I’ve
The US Navy is going laser crazy! They want: Solid-State Fiber Laser Free Electron Laser High-Power Microwave Directed Energy Weapons The Revolutionary Approach to Time-Critical Long Range Strike (RATTLRS) Program Next Generation Integrated Power Systems Electromagnetic Railgun Laser-based Landing Aids and probably more. Where are the SWFLs*? Anyway, this is all high on the Office Read more about Frickin’ Lasers[…]
Foliage Penetrating Synthetic Aperture Radar Lockheed Martin has developed a radar that strips away foliage and allows you to track targets under the treetops. the dual-band FOPEN system uses low-frequency radio waves to achieve high-resolution penetration of concealed areas –– natural ones like leaves or wood, or man-made camouflage –– with relatively low loss in Read more about Foliage Penetrating Synthetic Aperture Radar (FOPEN)[…]
After trying to visit the factories of Rafale and Eurofighter, both companies have declared they will not be offering their products to the Dutch ministry of defence, leaving them with the Gripen, Advanced F-16 and JSF as options. Considering the leading role the Netherlands wants to take in international politics, yet again they will be Read more about RNLAF runs out of options[…]
Britain is training dogs to wear camera’s on their heads and do high altitude, high opening para jumps, so that they can work as point ‘man’ and stream information on targets back to the troops coming behind.
This has now gone into a total and utter farce. First there’s a competition, from which there’s a clear winner. This is what the USAF wants to have. The winner isn’t an American company, but will create and sustain more American jobs than choosing the American country. So Boeing sues on spurious grounds. Then the Read more about USAF Tanker acquisition[…]
Lockheed’s Multiple Kill Vehicle-L space superiority platform promises to be the final word in the event of an intercontinental ballistic missile attack. Part of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System, the MKV-L is designed to deal with the multitudinous targets an ICBM launch would provide, rather than take out a single warhead. ICBMs can be Read more about Star Wars gets unofficial sequel: Lockheed’s orbital missile barrage system[…]
A German inventor has developed a paint called AR 1 that can hide a vehicle from radar, and most importantly, “all militarily relevant frequencies.” How it works is unclear, though one test researcher proposes it’s either by reflecting radar waves in a pattern so they cancel one another out, or by utilizing microscopic magnets to Read more about Camouflage Paint Hides Vehicles From Radar, Subsequent Missiles[…]
We’ve been hearing rumblings about the U.S. Navy’s triple-hulled ships, but here’s one that was launched last month, the U.S.S Independence. Built by General Dynamics, it’s called a “littoral combat ship” (LCS), and the trimaran can move huge weapons around faster than any ship in the Navy. Ironic that with all that high tech built Read more about Navy launches U.S.S. Independence, first of new class of weapons-bristling speedster trimarans[…]
The Department of Defense (DOD) relies on a global network of critical physical and cyber infrastructure to project, support, and sustain its forces and operations worldwide. The incapacitation, exploitation, or destruction of one or more of its assets would seriously damage DOD’s ability to carry out its core missions. To identify and help assure the Read more about Some Classified DoD Documents are Too Secret to Protect[…]
You need green power offcourse to power your prison…. add extra wind power for torture center. Official Google Map Site
Fusilier Damien Hields used his grenade machinegun to destroy seven Taliban positions before his ambushers realised he was their main threat. After peppering his vehicle with bullets, they hit the 24-year-old soldier. He had to be dragged off for treatment by his driver after he tried to continue fighting. “Fusilier Hields showed extraordinary courage under Read more about British soldier awarded the Military Cross for fighting off 150 Taliban – Times Online[…]
In a copy cat of the Chinese around a year ago, the US Navy has managed to shoot down a satellite at 130 miles altitude using a kinetic kill vehicle (ie a rocket with no explosive), hitting it in the fuel tank. Of course China has not only proven that they can shoot them down, Read more about Anything China can do…[…]
The EU has had it’s own battlegroups since 2003. These are battalion sized (500/600 people) ground forces allowing the EU to project it’s power without outside help and reinforce its position as an international actor. Allthough this is a great step forward for EU independent operations, the battlegroups are far from perfect. This report was Read more about European Battle Groups Evaluated[…]
I’ve covered a few of these pages before, but this one comes from the Daily Mail. In principle, stealth cloaks are possible by using a camera on one side and a projector on the other. This story says it’s been done and demonstrated on a tank, and that they’re expecting to be able to do Read more about Army tests James Bond style tank that is ‘invisible’ | the Daily Mail[…]
The UK MOD has an interesting page with publications about what it’s doing, how it wants to do things and how it sees the world. A very interesting read is the DCDC Global Strategic Trends Programme, which has the UK’s best ideas on what will happen globally between 2007-2036
4 times more explosive power than the US built MOAB, the Father / Dad Of All Bombs is around the same explosive power as a nuke, but no radiation fallout. ABC Guardian
The US is tackling the problem of jointness the right way. Jointness is used to describe operations in conjunction with another (or mulitple other) military arm(s) (such as Air Force coordinating with the Marines). The US has set up a Joint Qualification System which offers points depending on joint actions each officer has had in Read more about Joint Qualification for US Officers[…]
Yes! A new way to destroy stuff! You send two sound waves and where they intersect the shock waves create a destructive cavitation field. Here’s some more stuff on supercavitation, which says it works on the surface and in the air as well (from a comment in the original article)
This site has a huge amount of links and resources to all kinds of activities the USAF is involved in.