F-35 team argues: “Maneuverability doesn’t matter”

May 10, 2009 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

As Steve Trimble reports, the team behind the F-35 has began countering the allegations of inferior kinematic performance (as expressed, for example, in the infamous RAND report) by flatly regarding them as irrelevant:

"With [the F-35’s Distributed Aperture System and high off-boresight weapons], maneuverability is irrelevant. Instead of mutual kills, the F-35 simply exits the fight, and lets its missiles do the turning."

Naturally, not everyone agrees on this. ELP, for example. It doesn’t help that those with a bit historical perspective remember similar bold claims being made back when the Sparrow-armed Phantom was all the rage.

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Patrol boat mounted anti tank guided missiles

May 10, 2009 · Posted in ASuW, Littoral Warfare, Missile, Uncategorized · 7 Comments

Nothing more exciting to think about than antitank guided missiles mounted on small agile patrol boats for that littoral fight. Particularly on a sportless Sunday morning! Remember to call Ma though, it’s Mother’s Day!

I’ve found three somewhat current examples of ATGM’s mounted on Patrol boats of which one seems truly operational. Check out these vids

Norwegian test of CB-90 mounted Hellfire.

Russian Mirage with Shturm/Ataka (4 minute mark shows the firing)

Finally, the operational Israeli Super Dvora III with Typhoon mounted Spike ER Missiles.

After watching these videos you get the sense that the key ingredient for these weapons to be effective at sea is they need to have good opticsdesignation and a stabilized mount.

In terms of modeling these weapon systems in simulation or game there a probably some things to think about.

What impact does smoke and other battlefield have on the chance of a hit? Land armies use chemical smoke extensively to mask their movements from ATGM sites. Could this translate to the littoral fight?
Within the context of a real brown water environment what are the likely obstructions based on the flight characteristics of guidance of the missile? Will SS Minnow find itself between missile and target. How different is SS Minnow’s profile compared to your average pirate mothership etc.
If the weapons are as precise as the videos make them out to be, isn’t the chance of a critical hit significantly higher if not almost a certainty particularly in the realm of little ship vs. big slow ship? How does this impact damage and critical hit models. Think about hits designated at the water line or critical areas like engine or bridge.
Do current ships defensive weapon systems have any reasonable chance to engage these weapons at all? If not an active defense such as phalanx or a navalized Arena is their an electronic defense?
In terms of a small patrol boat vs. small patrol boat fight is there a point where a target is too close and too fast to be a valid target, particular as gun warfare comes into play with boats trying to unmask various systems by aggressive maneuver?

Anyways just some thoughts….what do you think?

Bundy/Bostonmyk/MM

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First RS-24 ICBM regiment to deploy in late 2009

May 9, 2009 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

The deployment schedule seems to have been accelerated. RS-24 is essentially a Topol-M (SS-27) with MIRVs instead of a single warhead.

(Thanks to Kobus)

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Su-27s in the US

May 9, 2009 · Posted in Uncategorized · 1 Comment

Bound to happen eventually (MiG-29s have been used for DACT in CONUS for quite a while now) but still an eye-catcher nevertheless. Bill Sweetman reports on the arrival of ex-Ukrainian Su-27s in the US; hauled in by An-124s no less.

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Pentagon seriously looks into phasers

May 9, 2009 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

Trekkies rejoice…

The famous “set phasers to stun” command sums up the weapon’s two key advantages: It has several different modes, and it can be used to knock out a target without harming them. Both of these are capabilities that the military has been seeking ever since they got serious about non-lethal arms in the 1990’s. The fictional phaser has always been a benchmark for nonlethal weapons, and it has inspired numerous directed energy projects.