International Military Discussion

Manish_P · Post by **Manish_P** » 21 Nov 2010 08:44

The F22 pilot is feared dead.

Search-and-rescue teams have found "conclusive evidence" that the pilot of an F-22 aircraft that crashed while on a routine training mission in Alaska did not survive, the military said Friday.

Haney "did not eject from the aircraft prior to impact," said Air Force Col. Jack McMullen, 3rd Wing commander. McMullen made the remarks Friday in written and video statements.

A recovery team found part of the ejection seat and several life support items that Haney wore during the flight.

"If a pilot was able to eject, the seat would go with him and it would not be anywhere at or near the site," McMullen said

The plane was found near a creek bed between two mountains, about 100 miles north of Anchorage, near Denali National Park.

Link - http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/11/19/al ... index.html

Some of the comments are just

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Nov 2010 14:18

RUSSIAN INFANTRY COMBAT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 22 Nov 2010 16:11

Rats being used to sniff out explosives.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i= ... =AME&s=LAN

When U.S. Army Maj. John Ringquist first encountered an African giant pouched rat in Tanzania, he was surprised by how affectionate it was."They're gentle, friendly animals," said Ringquist, a history instructor at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., who specializes in sub-Saharan Africa. "They're relatively charming."But interest in the African giant pouched rats goes well beyond their cuddle factor. Ringquist and Cadet Kayla Khan recently traveled to Tanzania to watch the rodents demonstrate their ability to sniff out land mines and see if there is any potential use for the animals in the U.S. military.

"I regarded the trip as proof that they are effective," Ringquist said.

At first, he and Khan had no idea what to expect, having experienced only the urban variety of rat that people tend to avoid.

But before the demonstration, the rat handlers at APOPO, an African humanitarian organization that runs the training project, asked Ringquist and Khan if they would like to hold the rats.

"The rat scurried up my shoulder and wrapped its tail around my neck," Ringquist said. "They like to lick your fingertips."

The African rats will work for food - preferably banana paste - and have a big advantage over dogs in field environments: They weigh only about 6 pounds, so they won't set off mines and other explosives when they step on them.

In the APOPO program, the rats are trained from birth not only to sniff out explosives but also diseases such as tuberculosis, or even humans who may be trapped after an earthquake or tornado.

After a disaster, it can take a week to set up a lab to test for tuberculosis. The rats provide a diagnosis immediately.

They can also scurry and climb in tight spaces, such as tunnels, and are much cheaper than mine-clearing vehicles or dogs. One drawback: They can cover only about 100 square yards a day.

The handlers have them sniff cigarette-sized filters doused in the scent of TNT, then train them to look for it. Land mines dot Tanzania's borders; the rats are being trained to find those old mines. When they find one, they start to dig in that spot.

After seeing the rodents in action, Ringquist proposed a research project to the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which sent a team to watch operations in Mozambique, where the rats look for real bombs.

"They were also convinced that it's highly effective," Ringquist said, adding that the rats could be effective for humanitarian missions, border control or in explosive ordnance detection as the U.S. leaves Iraq, for example

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 22 Nov 2010 16:38

New missiles planned for US military.

http://defense-update.com/wp/20101121_new-missiles.html

The U.S. military is embarking on several new missile development programs promising to change the rules of air- and naval warfare as it is fought today. Many of the new programs are tailored for forward deployment with the naval surface fleet, with the majority of new missiles to be deployed in and fired from Vertical Launch Systems used on U.S. Navy surface ships, introducing new capabilities and extended reach for surface combatants. With these innovations the VLS is proving once again the success of the modular design approach pursued by the Navy, enabling the service to extend the life of its combatants without major changes to the hardware and with minimal down time for the vessels.While being developed as a naval weapon system, Next Generation AEGIS Missile (NGAM) is about to become the mainstay of the missile defense network to protect the European continent. The recent decision by NATO members to extend current radars and future missile defense capabilities into a European-wide network will rely initially on U.S. navy assets and at a later phase, on land-based AEGIS systems. Contracts for early development phases of the Standard Missile 3 Block IIB (SM-3 IIB) were awarded in November by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The new missile will enhance the capabilities of future AEGIS cruisers and land-based Aegis systems, defeating ballistic missiles at extended ranges. Three companies were awarded contracts to demonstrate NGAM conceptual designs – Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. While Raytheon, the original manufacturer of all Standard Missiles was absent from the list of vendors it is expected to partner with Lockheed Martin, as it did on many other programs, the most recent is the support for ground based mid-course interceptor missiles. The SM-3 IIB is scheduled for fielding by 2018.Another new missile being developed for U.S. Navy AEGIS cruisers and missile destroyers is the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). Part of DARPA’s Advanced Weapon Systems initiatives, LRASM has moves into the second phase of development this month, with the award of $157 million to Lockheed martin for the development of a successor for the current Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon. The new missile is required to counter the perceived threat from China, equipped with land based or naval ballistic missiles capable of targeting U.S. Carrier groups from a distance of hundreds of kilometers away. After the completion of the current demonstration phase LRASM is expected to transition to the U.S. Navy for full scale development.

Another, more ambitious development currently at an early conceptual phase at DARPA is ArcLight, a missile system designed to engage surface ships or other targets at ranges of 3,000 miles. The missile’s terminal stage will be accelerated by a rocket booster to the edge of the atmosphere where it will reach hypervelocity speed, gliding over thousands of kilometers to reenter the atmosphere and reach its target in less than half an hour. A similar concept will be demonstrated early next year by the second test of the DARPA/U.S. Air Forces’ Falcon HTV-2.A different mission also pursued under DARPA’s advanced weapons program is the Triple Target Terminator (T3) air dominance weapon. With this program the agency is developing a high speed, long-range missile that can engage enemy aircraft, cruise missile and air defense targets. It will be designed for internal carriage on stealth aircraft like the F-35, F-22 and F-15SE, or externally on fighters, bombers and UAVs. T3 would allow strike fighter aircraft to rapidly switch between air-to-air and air-to-surface (counter-air) capabilities. Both Raytheon and Boeing were each awarded $21.3 million contracts to develop the new missile, which is expected to enter flight testing in 2014.

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 22 Nov 2010 16:39

X-posted

DARPA plans for a new generation of Air Dominance missiles named T3 or triple target terminator.

http://www.defense-update.com/products/ ... 10_t3.html

DARPA has awarded two competitive development contracts to Boeing and raytheon, to conduct conceptual design and development of a multi-mission air/air and air/ground missile dubbed 'Triple Target Terminator' (T3). The program, part of the agency's advanced weapons initiative, is pursuing a high speed, long-range missile that can engage enemy aircraft, cruise missile and air defense targets. T3 will be designed for internal carriage on stealth aircraft like the F-35, F-22 and F-15SE, or externally on fighters, bombers and UAVs.

T3 would allow strike fighter aircraft to rapidly switch between air-to-air and air-to-surface (counter-air) capabilities. The missile is likely to be equipped with multi-mode seeker and network-centric data links, providing high level of target discrimination, employment of kinetic network-centric applications and human-in-the-loop control. An advanced multi-purpose warhead will be required to engage the wide range of targets with maximum lethality.

Raytheon and Boeing were each awarded $21.3 million contracts in November 2010, for the development of T3. The companies are expected to deliver conceptual designs within a year, and continue developing the future weapon, providing prototype missiles for flight demonstration by 2014.

Parallel to DARPA's T3 program the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is also examining new technologies for a future air/air weapon known as 'DRADM'. Boeing was awarded contracts for the demonstration of a vector thrust propulsion and control, terminal guidance sensors, shaped-charge warhead and fuse mechanism for such a missile. In 2010 DARPA has also funded technology tradeoff studies associated with similar aspects of T3. It has yet to be determined whether the two programs will compete or supplement each other in a common design. ATK, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have teamed up to pursue future, dual-role missile development to date, but none of these companies were awarded contracts for T3 or DRADM.
Whatever the future missile will be, it is expected to replace current AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-88 HARM 'air dominance' missiles currently in service with U.S. air Combat Command, U.S. Navy, Marines, and many allied air forces.

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 22 Nov 2010 16:43

Information on Long range Anti Ship Missile(LRASM) and Arclight programmes.

http://www.defense-update.com/features/ ... lrasm.html

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth $157 million for the development of an advanced long range anti ship missile (LRASM). The new anti-ship missile and its associated systems will extend the effective attack range of Navy warships beyond current or projected enemy anti-air and anti-ship capabilities. The new missile is required to counter the perceived threat from China, equipped with land based or shipborne ballistic missiles capable of targeting U.S. Carrier groups from a distance of hundreds of kilometers away.

Unlike current anti-ship missilesLRASM be capable of conducting autonomous targeting, relying on on-board targeting systems to independently acquire the target without the presence of prior, precision intelligence, or supporting services like Global Positioning Satellite navigation and data-links. As an autonomous weapon LRASM will rely exclusively on on-board sensors and processing systems. According to DARPA, these capabilities will enable positive target identification, precision engagement of moving ships and establishing of initial target cueing in extremely hostile environment. The missile will be designed with advanced counter-countermeasures,to effectively evade hostile active defense systems.

LRASM will comply with existing weapon launchers and storage systems, fitted to match existing the VL-41 Vertical Launch System carried on board all modern U.S. Navy combat ships. There are currently 8,500 VLS tubes in the US Navy including those based on cruisers (CG-47), destroyers (DDG-51) and submarines (SSN, SSGN).

Since 2009 Lockheed Martin has completed trade studies, system performance analysis, and passed preliminary design review and operational effectiveness assessment through the first phase. Two LRASM concepts were assessed - a high altitude, high speed ramjet-powered concept and a low level, slower but stealthier version. The later is considered more suitable for air launched applications. The current 27 month second phase will refine these concepts, culminating in flight testing and a critical design review of the chosen design.

While LRASM is positioned as a direct successor for the Harpoon, the development of a more ambitious weapon known as ArcLight is also under evaluation at DARPA as a quick reaction weapon hitting time critical targets at a distance of 2,000 nautical miles within 30 minutes. ArcLight will employ a rocket booster, sustainer accelerating the weapon to hypersonic speed, from where the strike vehicle will glide at high speed, carrying a warhead weighing 100-200 pounds to strike the target with pinpoint accuracy. ArcLight, like LRASM, will also be stored in, and launched from existing Mk 41 VLS.

"ArcLight will offer a game changing warfare capability." DARPA explained, "The ability to hit targets worldwide from several ships reduces the need for having less capable strike assets forward deployed and enables tactical and political flexibility. The cost of launching a comparable strike from Continental US (CONUS) is significant, likely to limit use of such a system and provides an opportunity for adversaries to observe launches from fixed sites" the agency explained. A major challenge for ArcLight designers is the design of a wing assembly able to transform from storage, through acceleration to high speed gliding formation. According to DARPA, such wings would likely use shape changing or harden post launch formations to withstand the flight environment.

Another design known as RATTLR (seen in the image above) was also studied by the US Navy in past years but has not matured into a full scale development program.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 22 Nov 2010 21:51

“The U.S. offer to provide additional fighters for free is an offer we cannot refuse,” a senior defense source told Aviation Week.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... el=defense

wow, that is something.. free!!

perhaps it is time to engage Israel from our side to get those old solahs so that we could do some squadron additions, testing, and some peeing games with our enemy minds - jee that should really irk pakis that if we get those old F16Is, at dead cheap rates.

wig · Post by **wig** » 23 Nov 2010 14:35

North Korea bombs South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island

A South Korean soldier was killed and 13 others injured after North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells onto a South Korean island setting more than 60 houses ablaze and sending civilians fleeing in terror.
The attack, which comes days after it emerged that North Korea was pressing ahead with its illegal nuclear programme, marks a serious further escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The incident is believed to have been sparked by South Korean military exercises in the area, which the North had objected to.

Officials said “dozens” of artillery rounds had landed on Yeonpyeong Island at in the Yellow Sea, 50 miles off the South’s northwest coast in an area close to a disputed sea border. Other reports suggested around 200 shells could have been fired in the attack which began at 2.34pm local time (7.34am GMT).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... sland.html

DavidD · Post by **DavidD** » 23 Nov 2010 14:42

wig wrote:North Korea bombs South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island
A South Korean soldier was killed and 13 others injured after North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells onto a South Korean island setting more than 60 houses ablaze and sending civilians fleeing in terror.
The attack, which comes days after it emerged that North Korea was pressing ahead with its illegal nuclear programme, marks a serious further escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The incident is believed to have been sparked by South Korean military exercises in the area, which the North had objected to.

Officials said “dozens” of artillery rounds had landed on Yeonpyeong Island at in the Yellow Sea, 50 miles off the South’s northwest coast in an area close to a disputed sea border. Other reports suggested around 200 shells could have been fired in the attack which began at 2.34pm local time (7.34am GMT).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... sland.html

Arg, how terrible. Somebody needs to set NK straight, KJI has gone mad. I really hope he dies soon and his son is better, though I'm afraid that if Kim Jong Un is indeed better, he'd be removed from power by the generals. I hope China, SK, and the U.S. cook up something to take care of this thing once and for all.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-1 ... roops.html

Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- South Korea scrambled fighter jets and returned fire after North Korea lobbed dozens of shells into its waters and an island, injuring 14 soldiers according to the government and YTN reports.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Nov 2010 14:49

looks like US is looking to make its own version of vl-brahmos.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Nov 2010 15:02

photo of burning south korean island - looks like a town was directly shelled

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/imag ... 024540.jpg

Dmurphy · Post by **Dmurphy** » 23 Nov 2010 15:09

As sadistic and pervertish as it may sound, I would love to see the world make an example out of NoKo for all the nuclear profileration. It's been a faithful minion of the chinese and has proliferated enough nuke stuff to Pak and Iran over the years to make these guys cocky and spread terror in their neighbourhood.

Dmurphy · Post by **Dmurphy** » 23 Nov 2010 15:22

A closer look:

wig · Post by **wig** » 25 Nov 2010 10:05

Full cost of European missile defence could run to billions

European states will have to spend billions of pounds over the next 10 years to build a ballistic missile defence shield designed to protect the region from nuclear attack, according to Nato officialsaround £ 170 million on the system.

But that sum, a Nato background document says, will only meet the cost of command-and-control networks which will link future national interceptor missile and radar sites to a separate Europe-based US system designed to protect its troops.

Ballistic missile defence systems consist of three distinct elements. Aegis, now deployed by the US and some allies like Japan and Spain, uses ship-based radar and an interceptor missile called the SM3, to protect forces in the field. Aegis Ashore is a land-based version of this system which uses a ground-based radar sites that are to be built in Turkey.

The second element of the ballistic missile shield is called Ground-based Midcourse Defence. Data gathered from satellites guides interceptors towards their targets, which release an infrared-guided kill vehicle that locates and destroys the warheads mounted on hostile missiles.

Finally, the US operates the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system, as well as short-range missiles like the Patriot PAC3, to hit incoming ballistic missiles at their terminal stage – that is, shortly before they hit their targets.

Few countries have pursued territorial missile defence, instead focussing on protecting their counterforce capabilities – that is, ensuring that not all their nuclear weapons are eliminated by an enemy first strike.

Russia operates the Galosh interceptor, which is armed with a 5 megaton nuclear warhead capable of destroying all incoming threats in a 20-kilometre radius. This eliminates for interceptor missiles to be accurate, but at the risk of causing considerable collateral damage.
The Pentagon's April, 2010 acquisitions report placed the cost of a similar US system at $58.01 billion (£36 billion) – after budget constraints forced the killing-off of futuristic components like Boeing 747-mounted lasers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... lions.html

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Nov 2010 16:04

Afghan battle,WW1 style.

Paratroopers defeat Taliban in decisive day of battles
Paratroopers have defeated the Taliban in a decisive day of battles in fighting similar to scenes from the Second World War.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ttles.html

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 28 Nov 2010 16:45

Interesting bit of news. Floating Body Armour

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20101128/161528969.html

rkhanna · Post by **rkhanna** » 29 Nov 2010 18:41

Brazil takes back its slums..

Brazil police have surrounded a Rio de Janeiro shantytown following days of clashes with drug traffickers.

Rio de Janeiro police searched homes and secured the perimeter of a Rio de Janeiro shantytown on Friday that has long been a stronghold for drug gangs and a symbol of their ability to rule vast areas of the seaside city with impunity.

About 80 federal police officers joined state police in door-to-door searches in the Vila Cruzeiro slum as 800 military troops, trained in surrounding and isolating conflict areas, stood ready in their headquarters, 12 miles (20 kilometers) away, to back them up.

Officials say eight people have been killed in the battle.

After bulletproof vehicles had their tires blown out by gangs or were stymied by burning tires, police relied on armored personnel carriers equipped with caterpillar treads to roll over or push aside barriers and enter the fortified shantytown.

The running gun-battles have killed nearly two-dozen more since Sunday. Some 200 suspects have also been arrested in the same period.

The violence started after police invaded key shanty towns where drug gangs have been hiding for years.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/152764.html

Unit involved is BOPE with army providing logistics

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Dec 2010 16:09

Russia to buy 10 Italian armored vehicles

Russia will buy 10 Lynx light multi-role armored vehicles (LMV) from Italy's Iveco, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Friday.

He said Russia would like to set up a joint venture to assemble LMVs in Russia after the purchase.

Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa confirmed the country's readiness to transfer production technology for LMV manufacturing in Russia and their subsequent sales to CIS states, Serdyukov's press secretary Irina Kovalchuk said.

A Russian defense industry source said in August talks were underway on LMV assembly under license at the KamAZ automaker in Naberezhnye Chelny.

Iveco Lince(Lynx)

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Dec 2010 16:18

Surprisingly there is a video of snow mobility test between Iveco Lince and Russian Tigr which Iveco failed to clear

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Dec 2010 16:35

This looks like a real "gamechanger"!

US deploys 'game-changer' weapon to Afghanistan
It looks and acts like something best left in the hands of Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo," but this latest dream weapon is real – and the US Army sees it becoming the Taliban's worst nightmare.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... istan.html

The Pentagon has rolled out prototypes of its first-ever programmable "smart" grenade launcher, a shoulder-fired weapon that uses microchipped ammunition to target and kill the enemy, even when the enemy is hidden behind walls or other cover.

After years of development, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, about the size of a regular rifle, has now been deployed to US units on the battlefields of Afghanistan, where the Army expects it to be a "game-changer" in its counter-insurgency operations.

"For well over a week, it's been actively on patrols, and in various combat outposts in areas that are hot," said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lehner, program manager for the XM25.

The gun fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to 2,300 feet, well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralise insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.

"This is the first time we're putting smart technology into the hands of the individual soldier," Lt Col Lehner told AFP in a telephone interview.

"It's giving them the edge," he said, in the harsh Afghan landscape where Islamist extremists have vexed US troops using centuries-old techniques of popping up from behind cover to engage.

"You get behind something when someone is shooting at you, and that sort of cover has protected people for thousands of years," Lt Col Lehner said.

"Now we're taking that away from the enemy forever."

Gaur · Post by **Gaur** » 04 Dec 2010 01:29

Just read an article by Bill Sweetman regarding F-22.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... SF&next=10
It brings outs some interesting points:

F-22 upgradation

program that is years behind the schedule set in 2008 and under fire in Congress.

Currently, the F-22 can only release one bomb type, the GBU-32 1,000‑lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition, on pre-loaded or externally supplied coordinates.

F-22 will not be able to communicate with the rest of the force in a low-observable manner until the late 2010s at best, except possibly by using the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node package installed on Block 20 Global Hawks.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 05 Dec 2010 02:22

Stats for you, via the NoKo vs. SoKo drama:

South Korean Outlines Muscular Military Posture

The South Korean military said its artillery response last month inflicted heavy damage on North Korean positions. But satellite images obtained by Stratfor, a geopolitical risk analysis company, showed that “it is not clear whether South Korean counterbattery fire was sufficiently timely to be at all effective,” the company said in a report.

North Korea fired 170 rounds, apparently from rocket launchers, and a Stratfor analysis said the munitions “appear to have been incendiary or perhaps even thermobaric, with the intention of starting fires.” A quarter of the shells were found to be duds.

In response, South Korea fired 80 rounds from howitzers on the island. But, two of the six guns were out of commission.

Satellite photos showed that 14 shells landed in rice paddies and farm fields, and that 35 reportedly splashed into the sea, the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported. The National Intelligence Service said 10 shells landed on or near a North Korean barracks in Mudo. The remaining 21 rounds were unaccounted for.

Seems very inefficient.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 05 Dec 2010 02:24

Philip wrote:This looks like a real "gamechanger"!

It looks and acts like something best left in the hands of Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo," but this latest dream weapon is real – and the US Army sees it becoming the Taliban's worst nightmare.

US deploys 'game-changer' weapon to Afghanistan

Here is a picture of it:

Hiten · Post by **Hiten** » 05 Dec 2010 13:37

photographs of a S-400 battery with its crew
http://mmet.livejournal.com/48847.html

robotic surveillance snake used by the Israelis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t2nFHjtIJQ

doesn't appear to be able to move as effectively, though a well-implemented one would be path-breaking

koti · Post by **koti** » 05 Dec 2010 16:56

^^I remember reading that S-400 had only 2 missiles per TEL. Maybe this is a modernized launcher.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 09 Dec 2010 05:21

Russian navy jets disrupted US-Japanese military exercise

Japan and the US were forced to scramble fighter planes to intercept Russian navy jets apparently attempting to gather intelligence during a joint military exercise. .................
In what Japan said was an unprecedented show of force two 'submarine hunter' Ilyushin-38 jets from Russia's Pacific Fleet circled the biggest joint US-Japanese military exercise in history for several hours in an apparent attempt to gather intelligence.

The incursion was deemed so serious that the exercise was temporarily halted and F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept the Russian planes.

Although it is not unusual for foreign planes to try to spy on other countries' war games, Japanese media interpreted the move as Russia's latest warning shot in a festering territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo. ...........
The military exercise that had to be temporarily halted, in part to hamper any Russian attempts to gather intelligence on it, is reported to be the biggest such war game organized by Washington and Tokyo ever. More than 34, 000 Japanese and 10,000 American troops, along with about 400 planes and 60 warships are participating in the exercise. It is due to finish at the end of this week.

Talk about good old days

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 10 Dec 2010 21:38

Navy Goes for World Record With Incredible, Sci-Fi Weapon

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/ ... tromagnet/

A theoretical dream for decades, the railgun is unlike any other weapon used in warfare. And it's quite real too, as the U.S. Navy will prove in a record-setting test today in Dahlgren, VA.

Rather than relying on a explosion to fire a projectile, the technology uses an electomagnetic current to accelerate a non-explosive bullet at several times the speed of sound. The conductive projectile zips along a set of electrically charged parallel rails and out of the barrel at speeds up to Mach 7.

The result: a weapon that can hit a target 100 miles or more away within minutes.

An electromagnetic railgun offers a velocity previously unattainable in a conventional weapon, speeds that are incredibly powerful on their own. In fact, since the projectile doesn't have any explosives itself, it relies upon that kinetic energy to do damage. And with today's test, the Navy hopes to produce a 32-plus megajoule firing -- more than three times the previous record set by the Navy in 2008.

A single megajoule is roughly equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 mph. Multiple that by 32 and you get a picture of what would happen when such a weapon hits a target.

Furthermore, current U.S. Navy guns can only reach targets about 13 miles away. The railgun being tested today could reach an enemy 100 miles away. And with current GPS guidance systems it could do so with pinpoint accuracy. The Navy hopes to eventually extend the range beyond 200 miles.

There's also a cost and logistical benefit associated with railguns. For example, a single Tomahawk cruise missile costs roughly $600,000. A non-explosive guided railgun projectile could cost much less. And a ship could carry many more, reducing the logistical problems of delivering more weapons to a ship in battle.

So when will the railgun become a working weapon? Both Ellis and Carr expect fully functional railguns on the decks of U.S. Navy ships in the 2025 time frame.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Dec 2010 08:15

what prevents them from mounting a conventional warhead on the railgun shell rather than rely on kinetic energy alone?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 11 Dec 2010 10:19

Singha wrote:what prevents them from mounting a conventional warhead on the railgun shell rather than rely on kinetic energy alone?

I think a small amount of warhead in the shell would add little value compared to KE effect/impact of a Mach 7 shell , they would probably make the shell heavier and get more bang from KE then add warhead to it.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 11 Dec 2010 10:20

Nice video of Pantsir-S1 test

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Dec 2010 22:15

why did dunkirk escape happen? the theories I have read are

hitler asked kliest,guderian,rommel to back off and let them escape because he hoped to make a quick peace with UK and turn on his pet peeve USSR after redeploying the western formations to the east intact.

goering who was a old hitler comrade from his political party days convinced him that luftwaffe would do it alone and make an example of its strike power from this position of strength

the leading panzer divisions ran ahead of their supply lines stretching back to germany and were short of POL and needed time to refit after a month of fast moving blitzkreig war, so they could not fall quickly upon dunkirk and crush the pocket.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 13 Dec 2010 03:47

Good news in a way.

Japan to Shift Its Military Toward Threats From China

China seems to be attracting a LOT of attention now a days.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 13 Dec 2010 03:54

^^^^^^^.

Monumental change from an Indian PoV.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 13 Dec 2010 11:24

The attention is of the negative kind onlee. They are making enemies they can do without.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 13 Dec 2010 14:50

Singha wrote:why did dunkirk escape happen? the theories I have read are

hitler asked kliest,guderian,rommel to back off and let them escape because he hoped to make a quick peace with UK and turn on his pet peeve USSR after redeploying the western formations to the east intact.

goering who was a old hitler comrade from his political party days convinced him that luftwaffe would do it alone and make an example of its strike power from this position of strength

the leading panzer divisions ran ahead of their supply lines stretching back to germany and were short of POL and needed time to refit after a month of fast moving blitzkreig war, so they could not fall quickly upon dunkirk and crush the pocket.

whilst hitler had hoped to not prolong a war with britain, he also hoped that britain would capitulate quickly - hence operation sea lion preparations, etc. the luftwaffe did attack the beachhead and the flotilla, but they were also defended by the raf, and possibly the luftwaffe had lost momentum after the blitzkreig through france and belgium for the past few weeks. the supply chain issue was very critical, at some points rommell drove past french tank units still forming up not realising that they had been already cut off. Also RN strength off the coast and in guarding the air coridoor remained greater than the german naval capability

sunilpatel · Post by **sunilpatel** » 13 Dec 2010 17:29

Pratyush wrote:The attention is of the negative kind onlee. They are making enemies they can do without.

as soon you will get the power; your enemies will increase.... to be honest; still we are not able to talk eye to eye with many countries; chinese can do do it...not only because of comparatively good leadership but also due to power they gained... ( both are interrelated... )

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 Dec 2010 18:50

More on the naval rail-gun here.Good diagrams.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=topnews

'Missile ranges, bullet prices:' How railguns work
The Navy fired an experimental "railgun" Friday at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren that uses electricity instead of gunpowder to hurl shells hundreds of miles at Mach 7 speed. The Navy hopes to test the weapon at sea by 2018.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 14 Dec 2010 19:38

Object 95 MBT

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 15 Dec 2010 02:42

Snipers Will Soon Shoot Taliban Three Quarters of a Mile Away

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12 ... mile-away/

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 15 Dec 2010 12:10

The news has been revealed by an Israeli general that in a future war,where Israel would be bombarded by thousands of missiles,first preference would be gvien to defending military installations and not civilian centres,with expected casualties in the "thousands",even after the "Iron Dome" acquisition.This is bound to upset the general populace,which has all along thought that they were relatively safe.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Securi ... 292344580/

Israel general drops defense bombshell
Published: Dec. 14, 2010 TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 14 (UPI) --

Maj. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, commander of Israel's northern front, has dropped a bombshell by disclosing that the anti-missile systems the defense industry has developed are intended to protect the country's military installations, not its cities and civilian population.

Xcpts:

In November, the outgoing head of Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, painted a stark and unvarnished picture of what the Israeli population can expect in the country's next war.

"Tel Aviv will be a front line in the next conflict," he told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Cabinet in his final briefing after five years as the military's intelligence director.

A few days earlier he gave an equally bleak forecast to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, noting that "future wars … will be much bigger, much wider and with many more casualties" than Israel's conflicts in Lebanon in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008-09.

The key factor here is that Iran, Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza are expected to bombard Israel relentlessly with an unprecedented firestorm of missiles and rockets if hostilities break out once again.

Israel got a taste of that in the 34-day 2006 war, when Hezbollah unleashed nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel, the heaviest bombardment Israelis have ever suffered.

These weapons, mainly unguided rockets, killed around 50 people.

Next time, Israel is likely to be hammered with far greater broadsides using missiles with far greater range, accuracy and destructive power than ever before. Fatality forecasts run into thousands.

The Israeli military estimates Hezbollah has at least 42,000 rockets and missiles, hundreds of which can hit anywhere in Israel. Syria is reported to be receiving advanced missiles from Iran and to be upgrading the capabilities of its existing arsenal. Iran reportedly has more than 100 Shehab-3b ballistic missiles deployed and to be developing a more powerful weapon, the Sejjil-2, capable of hitting Israeli targets.

After 2006, when Israel's vulnerabilities to missile attack were exposed for all to see, the country's defense industry raced to develop defense systems to counter this new threat.

The Arrow system, capable of intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles at high altitude and at long range, was already in operation.

Arrow, developed by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and the Boeing Co., was largely funded by the Pentagon. But this system is useless against shorter range weapons.

Enter a system called Iron Dome, designed to counter the short-range rockets like those used by Hezbollah and Hamas, and another, called David's Sling to defend against medium-range missiles.

Two batteries of Iron Dome, built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, are ready. But military planners say at least 20 are needed if the system is to be anywhere near effective.

Rafael is still developing David's Sling and the first live-fire test is scheduled for the next few months.

The first hint Israelis got that Iron Dome, which critics say will never be able to counter heavy rocket fire, won't be deployed to protect their cities came Nov. 9. The Jerusalem Post daily reported that the system would be stored at an airbase and would be deployed only in cases of extreme rocket fire.

"Budget limitations will obviously prevent the procurement of tens of thousands of defensive missiles," Reuven Pedatzur, a strong critic of the air-defense strategy, wrote in the Haaretz daily Dec. 2.

"In the best case, defense officials talk about hundreds of such missiles. Thus even if these systems prove effective (and there is no guarantee of that), they can provide as defense against only a small proportion of the rockets and missiles that would be fired at Israel during a war."