The F-22 Raptor, designed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat is the most dangerous stealth fighter in the world. So why was it cancelled? A memoir by retired Gen. Norton Schwartz states that the F-22 stealth fighter was eventually traded for the B-21 bomber. Defense secretary Robert Gates argued that the F-22 was a cold war relic and it was useless in the Afghanistan and Iraq counterinsurgencies. He also argued that the Chinese stealth fighter wouldn’t be fielded until at least 2020, when in fact, China’s J-20 stealth fighter hit the skies in 2017 and the F-22 has been a pivotal … [Read more...]
Mossberg 590M Review
Nice review of the Mossberg 590M by Clay Martin at GunsAmerica: In the United States we treat our pump shotguns like we do trucks, as in we tend to stay brand loyal. And we tend to fall into two camps on this one, the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 590. Both sides are equally fanatical, and the reasons tend to be less fact and more emotion based. Usually, we prefer whatever we started with, the duck gun our dad gave us at 13 sets the tone. Then it is all familiarity, mostly the safety position and pump release being the difference. I myself am an 870 guy, which is something I felt it was … [Read more...]
Inside China’s Plan to Overwhelm and Dominate the South China Sea
The Chinese are developing and fine tuning robo-boats to overwhelm enemy vessels. A video surfaced on the Chinese news site DW News on May 29th. The video shows 56 unmanned robot boats performing highly coordinated maneuvers in the South China Sea. Robert Beckhusen of The National Interest talks about how China could use this low-cost method to overwhelm a much more advanced adversary. A video from late May 2018 shows a swarm of 56 small, unmanned boats operating in the South China Sea. While a rudimentary demonstration, it mirrors similar exercises performed by U.S. Navy boats practicing — … [Read more...]
Syria’s Four Fronts and a Perfect Storm of Chaos
As you can see in the map above, the Syrian civil war has many fronts and many players. Those fronts are increasingly more complicated as outside forces are getting increasingly involved. As Haaretz explains in “Syrias Four-Front War and the Unprecedented Chaos It Has Created,” the recent chaos has seen al-Qaida rebels shooting down a Russian jet, Kurdish fighters downing a Turkish helicopter, Israel downing a Iranian drone, and the Syrian army shooting down an Israeli F-16, all within a week. Below, Haaretz breaks down these Syrian Fronts. 1) Turkey's war on the Kurds Turkey opened a new … [Read more...]
The F-35C is about to Extend its Deadly Reach
The U.S. Navy is reporting that the final developmental test was completed to integrate Raytheon’s Joint Standoff Weapon C (JSOW C-1) with the F-35 carrier variant, the F-35C. The deployment of the JSOW on the F-35C is on schedule for 2019. The F-35C with the JSOW will be able to eliminate the toughest ground targets from a distance of more than 100 kilometers. The new system will be positioned inside the jet’s internal weapons, maintaining the platform’s stealth profile. The extended range of the JSOW C coupled with the F-35C’s massive internal fuel capacity (20,000 pounds the largest of the … [Read more...]
The U.S. Navy’s Carrier Deck of the Future
Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Program (ADP), also known as its Skunk Works, which is responsible for many famous military aircraft designs has released a video of its unmanned-carrier based MQ-25 stealth tanker plane. The video sheds light on the U.S. Navy’s carrier deck of the future with its purpose-built MQ-25 concept. The Skunk Works® purpose-built MQ-25 unmanned tanker concept is designed to deliver robust refueling capability to support our combat strike fighters and extend the range of our aircraft carriers. Our offering builds on our unmanned systems legacy including the … [Read more...]
China’s Plan to Defeat the World’s Most Advanced Fighter Jet
The Chinese are working on a solution to identifying targets at 200 miles for its very-long-range air-to-air missile (VLRAAM). David Axe of the National Interest reports that the Chinese military has proposed building a targeting network around its Divine Eagle, a high altitude long endurance (HALE) counter stealth UAV. The hypersonic VLRAAM is truly state of the art and, if coupled with an effective targeting network, could put the U.S. stealth fighters in jeopardy. The U.S. currently does not have a VLRAAM in its arsenal. The most advanced air to air missile in America’s arsenal is the … [Read more...]
Can the Army Save Lives with Virtual Reality?
Researchers at the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronic Research, Development and Engineering Center are working on a new technology that troops could soon be using to locate IEDs reports Todd South of the Navy Times. The new technology uses virtual reality (VR) goggles and/or tablets to paint a digital picture of what lies beneath the ground. This creates a virtual map of the ground for explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) specialists. The research could eventually lead to robots equipped with these new sensors. Troops hunting hidden bombs or IEDs by hand often rely on upgraded metal … [Read more...]
U.S. Army Racing to Catch Up to Russian and Chinese Armor Technology
The U.S. Army has been frantically searching for an Active Protection System (APS) to protect its armored vehicles against a proliferation of Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs). Recent events have shown just how vulnerable the American military’s vehicles are to RPGs and ATGMs. The U.S. Army has found itself left behind as many nations have already deployed APSs on their armored vehicles, most notably Russia and China. In a press release yesterday, the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) awarded Lockheed … [Read more...]
Russia Modernizing Its Flying Tanks for Arctic Deployment
Russia is turning to its Soviet Era jet -propelled T-80 as it continues its Arctic military buildup. The Russian Defense Ministry decided that it was more cost effective to modernize the T-80 MBT, which are currently collecting dust in Army depots, than to build new models. The modernization package includes a greater fuel efficiency, modern thermal and laser systems, dynamic protection layers, and crew compartment modifications to withstand temps of -43.6 Fahrenheit. T-80 tanks with jet-propulsion engines have been gathering dust in army depots since the collapse of the Soviet Union. But to … [Read more...]