Army Says It Needs $2B More Per Year For Big Six: Over Half For Air & Missile Defense

via Breaking Defense.

For example, the most expensive single initiative — part of the Air & Missile Defense portfolio — is $3.2 billion for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, the Army’s crash program to rebuild the frontline anti-aircraft units it largely disbanded after the Cold War. Identified as an urgent need in the face of Russian aggression, the M-SHORAD was already underway before Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley identified the Big Six. The program also relies on putting proven missiles and radars on a proven platform, the 8×8 Stryker, rather than inventing any new technology, so it can move quickly into production.

The second most expensive line item, also under Air & Missile Defense, is $2 billion for the Integrated Air & Missile Defense Command System. IBCS is meant to share targeting data among Patriot, THAAD, future anti-missile systems like lasers, and an array of Army radars. IBCS was the Air & Missile Defense community’s top priority before the Big Six were named and was already underway well before M-SHORAD.

Story here. 

This story should make every F-35 supporter pause in his tracks.  The US Army is basically declaring that the era of allied air superiority is over and that its up to the ground forces to protect themselves.

If they have the data to back this up, and I'm sure they do because they're shoveling money at air defense as fast as they can, then that's a stunning indictment of the USAF and will out of necessity cause a realignment of things.

The Army doesn't need ground attack because the USAF can do it. The Army doesn't need fighters cause the USAF can do it. The Army doesn't need transport airplanes cause the USAF can do it.

But what happens if a service doesn't live up to it's end of the bargain?

What happens when a service doesn't fulfill its roles and missions?

SAIC’s Mobile Protected Firepower light tank

Thanks to Vodknar for the pic!

Wow.  The ST Kinetics (SAIC) Light Tank looks good.  But it does highlight an issue.  Light is definitely relative.  I know ST Kinetics does good engineering. I wouldn't be surprised (I don't think even disappointed if they won the ACV contest...somehow the Marine Corps lucked into two great candidates) if they won the ACV contest, but on this vehicle I'm thinking a little thick, a little tall.

But this is the meta.

Placing a turret on an APC/IFV chassis and making it a light tank is all the rage.

We'll keep an eye on Army testing.

Russia confirms its armed robot tank was in Syria

via C4isrnet.

 And, according to statements published today in Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti, Deputy Minister of Defense Yuriy Borisov confirmed that the country tested Uran-9 robots in Syria.

“This is where it gets interesting. The exact RIA quote is as follows: ‘В военном ведомстве заявили, что отлично зарекомендовали себя в Сирии роботизированные комплексы ‘Уран-6’, предназначенные для разминирования местности, и ‘Уран-9’ — многофункциональные комплексы разведки и огневой поддержки подразделений на поле боя’,” says Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. “Verbatim translation: The defense ministry announced that the robotic Uran-6 complexes designed for mine clearance were well-proven in Syria, as well as Uran-9 multifunctional reconnaissance and fire support system.”

While observers have written about the Uran-6 mine-clearing robot in Syria, and Russian media has even released video of the Uran-6 in action, the Uran-9 would be an altogether different phenomenon. Bendett says that, is all his time following Russia’s use of robots in Syria, there was only a single instance that purported to be the Uran-9, an instance that under further scrutiny was revealed to be not the robot, but a blurry photograph of a souped-up Soviet battle tank, the T-55 MBT, in Syrian government hands.

“In reality, Uran-9 tests in Syria should have garnered major attention from all major Russian news outlets, given how proud Russian are of their remote-controlled tank,” says Bendett. “Still, such tests may have taken place in secret – the way Russians supposedly tested Soratnik UGV in ‘near-combat conditions.’ Such ‘conditions’ may or may not have referred to Syria proper, although officially Russians announced tests at temperatures exceeding +30 Celsius, which many thought means Syria. Such tests may in fact have taken place in Russia’s own Ryn Desert - we tend to forget that Russia actually has a real desert near Kazakh border, on the Caspian Sea shore, with extreme heat of up to +45 Celsius.”

The statement from Borisov is clearer about the theater in which the robot was tested, but doesn’t resolve any of the questions about why no observers have spotted the Uran-9 yet, and why Russian media itself hasn’t heralded the fighting power of the robot. Indeed, when it comes to listing the capabilities of the machine, RIA is upfront.

Story here. 

Hmm.

The US Army is desperate to catch up to the Russians and get an "armored wingman" in the field as soon as possible.

But I have to wonder.

Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Would we better served with upgraded Abrams and more powerful guns on our IFVs instead? 

I know everyone thinks they're cool but I can't help but think these will be easy targets for human gunners...at least at this stage of their development.

Open Comment Post. May 8, 2018

Iranian nuke deal. Should we pull out of it? UPDATED!!! We Gone!

UPDATE:
Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin (biblical reference).  Supposedly Trump is now informing Congress of his intent to pull out of the deal.  The course is set.  You can whine or you can try and figure out a way to make it work.  If a new deal can even be made.  I don't know.  Don't care.  The Iranians needed to be yanked back and for those of you that don't remember the Quds force has been active in Iraq AND in Syria. We've already been shooting at these bastards so no nuke treaty is really no big deal.  We're either gonna continue to cross swords or they're gonna get their minds right.  It's really up to them.

The president is suppose to make a decision on the Iranian nuke deal but I can't wrap my head around whether we should stay or go.

One thing is clear.

The former president pulled a fast one with this idiocy.  He went around Congress, played fast and loose with the rules and now we have this mess to deal with.  It's so obvious that they just KNEW that Hillary would win and preserve this thing and since she didn't they're going bat shit crazy that a blind man could see it.

But I can't let that one part of this thing go.

This was a total backroom deal that is flimsy at best and we don't even know all the issues with it because its confidential/secret or whatever classification they're using to keep the American people in the dark.

At this point I'm leaning toward pulling out.

With the Europeans, Iran and John Kerry doing behind the scenes lobbying it makes me wonder what they're trying to keep us from seeing.

I believe the Iranian people are worth an effort to reach out to.  I believe that the average man and woman on the street there is worthy of if not friendship then at least not being enemies.

But it's that 10 percent.  The religious zealots.  Those are the people that need to be shot in the face.

And that's the rub.

To get to the 10 percent THAT ARE ENEMIES of the US we have to go thru the other 90 percent...which means the good have to suffer for the bad.

Yep.

I decided.

End this mockery, set up a new deal thru Congress and do this the right way...if it can be done.  But either way we end this travesty now.

Republic Of China San Juen Short Range Coastal Gun & Rocket Defence System

Wow.

I must have the devil sitting on my shoulder this morning.  All I can think is that I'd love to see China make a run at Taiwan so I could get a chance to get some visibility on how well their amphibious and parachute forces would perform in an offensive operation.

On a side note, the Taiwanese have the anime down cold.  That multiple rocket launcher looks like it's straight out an anime movie or manga comic.

It's understandable.

They're gonna need large volumes of fire and it's essential that they blunt the first wave so they need big magazines that can put out alot of fire in a hurry...before they're found, fixed and destroyed....so the anime look makes sense.

Mass fires don't even begin to describe it.

One other thing though.  Is it even possible for them to have weapon sites hidden?  My understanding is that the island has been completely penetrated and "Chinese patriots" are in every level of their govt.

They'll try hard to defend their land but they've already failed due to the traitors in their midst.

Ulan IFV with Mechanized Infantry on exercise...

Note.  They operate tight.  Was this a photo op or is that how they actually do things?  Vehicles close, infantry right up against them in a wooded environment....is this the new meta?  

Austrian Army Commandos @ Flintlock 2018 in Africa...

Specialists of the hunting commando recently took part in the exercise "Flintlock 2018" in Africa. They trained with soldiers from the Burkina Faso army to help stabilize their country.

First.  I subscribe to so many European Army pages that I sometimes get them jumbled.  Poor language skills don't help, so while its labeled Bundesheer, I'm guessing that this is the Austrian Army.  If I'm wrong let me know so I can correct this.

Second.  Wow.  Africa is the new playground for Special Ops Units of the world.  They're even running exercises in what I would consider an active warzone.  Just goes to show how big that place really is.  You can party in one country...get drunk...get laid...and then hop a plane and be in the middle of the shit in a couple of hours.  This truly has the vibe of being a modern day Vietnam.  Not the Middle East.  Too restrictive.  But Africa?  Yeah. It's wide open, you can get your hands on anything you want as long as you have the bucks and if you have dollars and/or euros then you're golden.  That's the playground of the future.

Winter Warfare | Marines on Skis

Looks like fun huh?

Seems like something cool don't it?

Makes the young ones think "damn I want to do that shit!"

Don't be fooled cupcake.  A hump is still a hump (did you note how much ground they covered...those boys were stripped down to skivvy shirts by the end of that sweating like pigs)!  A ruck is still a ruck!  Combat load is still a combat load and that shit is HEAVY!

Oh and I guess I have to say this too.  Snow is on the ground which means that as soon as the sun goes down your nuts will be around your throat trying to stay warm.

Gunner's Underground | PMAG Fix...Gunner Wade's legacy lives!

Gunner Wade retired.  Bless ya bro wherever you are.  Hope you're banging chicks (or your wife), getting drunk and having a good time!

What sings thou is that his legacy lives on.

Don't know the bubba in the vid giving tips and tricks but it rocks.  Good on the Gunner community for getting the knowledge out.  Kinda pissed that we haven't seen anyone from the West coast doing these things but I guess they're keeping up the otherside of the Gunner mythos...being unicorns that are talked about but never seen!

Regardless this is good shit!