Archive for June, 2007
The justification game for the F-22 Raptor continues: F-22 superjets could act as flying Wi-Fi hotspots:
US defence contractors have carried out the first flight tests in which America’s latest cutting-edge fighter targeting radars have been put to novel use – as high-capacity wireless datalinks. This crafty use of existing hardware has the potential to ease military bandwidth bottlenecks, and could offer a chance for expensive superfighters to be of use even in the absence of serious aerial opposition.
The latest generation of US military aircraft carry so-called Active Electronically Scanned Array* (AESA) radars, which are made up of many separate transmit-receive elements. AESA radars have long been heralded as miraculous multi-tasking kit, capable of acting as electronic-warfare scanners, jammers, or even electromagnetic weapons capable of frying enemy circuitry from afar.
There have also been ground trials in which the radar from America’s ultra-advanced, hyper-expensive F-22 “Raptor” stealth superfighter has been used as a kind of Wi-Fi card on steroids, able to transmit data at a blistering 548 Mbit/sec and receive it at Gigabit speed.
Now, I’m not arguing against taking advantage of everything you can. But as time goes on the F/A/R/C/E-22 Raptor…cleans windows too! plan seems more and more obvious. I noted that in December of 2005, and nothing since then has lessened the pressure to justify the planes in any number of weird ways.
Seems that flying datalink hub would be a great job for a UAV that could loiter for days. Or for a blimp that could loiter for weeks or more. Not for a superexpensive superfighter that can hang around for an hour.
Incidentally, why not put a megadatalink into a B-747 JDAM platform that could be circling miles above the battlefield? Wouldn’t a B-747 program command enough develpment dollars?
Northrop Grumman Delivers Center Fuselage for First F-35 Ground Test Aircraft
Northrop Grumman press release:
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has delivered, more than two and one-half months ahead of schedule, the center fuselage for the first F-35 Lightning II static test aircraft, a non-flying, short take-off, vertical landing (STOVL) variant designated BG-1…
The purpose of the static test program is to demonstrate that F-35 airframes, as designed, can successfully endure the structural stresses likely to be experienced over an aircraft’s lifetime. The test program includes both “worst case” testing and repetitive life cycle testing.
Meanwhile: New F/A-18s at The Low, Low Price of $49.9 Million.
Since the F-35 seems to be dragging (a bit) and the price seems to be climbing (a bit), it could be worth a look. Or at least a pretend look to get the F-35 back on track.
In the comments section at Defense Tech:
What next? Is Boeing going to start building B-52′s again and sell them to the Air Force and Navy at margin prices?
We can dream, can’t we?
After 5 Years In U.S., Terrorist Cell Too Complacent To Carry Out Attack
The Onion:
“Five a.m. is when the facility is most vulnerable to attack, when the morning shift security personnel replace the overnight crew,” said Adib Dhakwan, the cell’s second-in-command. “Unfortunately, Starbucks doesn’t open until six, and I don’t know about you, but if I don’t have that first cup of coffee, forget it.”
Despite the terrorists’ successful assimilation into American society, the FBI has been monitoring the activities of the “San Clemente Six” since late 2005. According to declassified intelligence documents, the cell’s status was recently downgraded to “low risk,” due in part to a near absence of cell phone chatter to parties other than Moviefone, and last month’s online purchase of a hammock.
Though most suicide squads will be immune, eventual victory will be along the lines depicted in this satire.
I’ve made it back to Michigan and I barely hit any deer at all this time.
Posting will resume shortly, though if Buckethead has more he’s still free to post.
A major thanks goes out to BH, who did a great job helping keep things going and his posts garnered a lot of reader feedback. Good stuff, and I intend to comment on some of it in the coming week or so.
I always think the best way to end a vacation is when you wish it would continue for a bit longer. That’e exactly where we are this morning as we load up and prepare for the trip back to Michigan.
Look out, deer…Murdoc is on the road.
All there is is sea, and birds, and fish. And 20,000 tons of crude oil. And a fire.
UPDATE: Incidentally, they’re talking wargames at the Ministry. Yes, it’s the cross-post of Buckethead’s Linzookerylike post from the other day, but it turned into a conversation about wargames. That’s how things go at the Ministry. Well, usually it turns into a conversation about zombies, but give it a minute or two.
The inestimable Noah Shachtman has a post up at the Danger Room, which I assume that you have all read. It’s hardly worth even linking, right? Oh, what the heck. It’s this one, where he talks about the new counterinsurgency guidance that the Army is adopting in Iraq. Read the guide here, (scroll down for the English part) and check out the Small Wars Journal while you’re at it.
This is good advice – and a lot of it goes back to the Marine Small Wars Manual. I have often been befuddled by why we have not been making more use of the lessons to be found there. The American military is unstoppable in a straight up fight, but counterinsurgency is a different ballgame. One that we have played before, with success. Max Boot’s Savage Wars of Peace is an excellent history of exactly that.
Hopefully, it is not too late. The missteps we have made have not lost us the war, by any stretch. But they have given ammunition to certain elements here in the States who do seem to be less in favor of leaving Iraq a democracy than merely leaving.
Here’s an interesting thing: a map of the United States with the names of the states replaced with the names of countries that have equivalent GNP’s. It seems that my home state of Ohio is, economically, a brother to Australia. Cool. Take a look. Thanks to Rocket Jones for the link.
USS Michigan Returns to Service
The former ballistic missile boat USS Michigan (SSBN 727) is now the newest guided missile sub in the fleet. The refit Michigan (now SSGN 727) returns after two years in the yard.
Michigan became the third of four ballistic-missile submarines to be converted to a guided-missile platform. With the change, the ship’s mission capabilities are more sophisticated and will be able to perform more tasks than before.
“The difference between an SSBN ballistic missile submarine and an SSGN guided missile submarine is the SSBN goes out to patrol,” said Gale. “One of the SSGN specialties is going out and dropping off special operation forces insertion and support.”
The guided missile submarine program first mentioned on MO at Deuces wild for SSGN conversion
Pic of the new Michigan below.
Read the rest of this entry »
The surge has failed, says noted military expert and Senator Harry Reid.
Here he is, looking into the Radiant Socialist Future:
Reid referred to the surge as an “escalation” that failed to achieve “political reconciliation.” Now, I may be a simpleton, a conservative and an ignoramus. But I thought the purpose of the surge was in large part not to reconcile, but to kill and overawe those who are committed to never, ever, reconciling with anything except a new Caliphate. And if that involved more troops – sure, but using the terminology of tired leftist anti-nuculer rhetoric from the seventies and eighties (maybe I’m oversensitive here on the escalation thing) is a little sad, and a little typical.
The fact that he’s declaring failure before the surge is even complete, well, I’ll leave the accusations of Treason and Un-Americanism to Murdoc, should he feel it necessary. But since Gen. Petraeus says it will be late summer before anyone can know how well the surge has done, it does kind of make Reid seem the defeatist little bastard, doesn’t it? Almost like he wants it to happen.
Feh.
