Hypersonic SR-72 Demonstrator? Is speed king again?

via Popular Mechanics.

Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs, better known as Skunk Works, might be further along in the development process for the SR-72 than it has let on. A proposed hypersonic reconnaissance and strike aircraft, the SR-72 would serve as a replacement for the famed SR-71 Blackbird, which was retired by the Air Force back in 1998. In June, Lockheed announced early progress on the program, and now a source told Aviation Week that they spotted a small demonstrator aircraft landing at Skunk Works facilities in Palmdale, California, possibly associated with early tests for the unmanned SR-72 program.

Story here. 

If true then this is stunning.  The idea that the US military might actually have a working hypersonic airplane is a real game changer, not the idiocy that many generals talk about when the latest consumer electronic is adapted to military use (my biggest pet peeve with this is how the military took remote control airplanes flown by enthusiasts, saw them put cameras on them for recreation and adapted that to the military and claimed a new breaththrough...pathetic).

I've always thought that the clearest "rhyme" in history that we're living thru is the interwar period.  The time between WW1 and WW2 saw tremendous technological advancements that totally changed the way that the war would be fought.

What I believe is happening is that many are searching in the dark hoping to find that next great thing that will shape the future.  Predictably most will be wrong, and at best much money will be wasted and at worst many will die chasing these ghosts.

Hypersonics though.

That would change things radically.

I can't quite wrap my head around what that would mean.  Any spot on the globe could be hit in a matter of hours.  Quicker if you're forward based.  Current defenses would be rendered useless.  Airpower would rule the day...for awhile at least.  Additionally I could see the move to AI speeding up.

The biggest change?  Speed would be king again.  Faster, higher and farther would become the new thing once again.  Stealth would be tossed into the dustbin of fool's gold. 

This bears watching.

Open Comment Post. Sep 29, 2017

Exercise Worthington Challenge 2017 @ 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown...pics by Cpl Geneviève Lapointe

Caption.

Members of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps and 4 other countries (Poland, Chile, Denmark, United States) participate in Exercise WORTHINGTON CHALLENGE 2017 at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, September 24, 2017.

This one looks interesting.  I'd like to see a bit more on this exercise.

J-20 officially enters service in the Chinese Air Force.

via Air Recognition

China's latest J-20 stealth fighter has been officially commissioned into military service, according to Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense on Thursday. The flight tests are being conducted as scheduled, Wu said at a press conference.

The J-20 is China's fourth-generation medium and long-range fighter jet.

It made its maiden flight in 2011 and was first shown to the public at the 11th Airshow China in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, in November last year.

The aircraft features a glass cockpit, with two main large color liquid crystal displays (LCD) situated side-by-side, three smaller auxiliary displays, and a wide-angle holographic head-up display (HUD). According to analysts, the J-20 could features the Type 1475 AESA radar.

China’s 2017 defence budget is to grow by a further 7% to over $150 billion, Beijing announced last week. This is still roughly only a quarter of what the United States spends on its military.

Uh ok.  This is interesting.

F-35 News. China can detect stealth aircraft with Terahertz Imaging Radar...

Thanks to John John for the link!

via SCMP.com

“It looks like they will soon be able to have an echo image of the F-35 with some high-definition details ... from a respectable distance.”
China has claimed that some of its existing very-high-frequency military radar can detect traces of stealth aircraft but doubters say the microwaves from those devices would be absorbed or deflected by stealth materials.
Qi Jiaran, deputy director of the department of microwave engineering at the Harbin Institute of Technology, said the new instrument could be a game changer.
Qi, a terahertz imaging specialist not directly involved in the Chengdu project, said the report suggested that China had made a breakthrough in some key technology and components.

Story here. 

Game over for the F-35 if this is true.  The plane is slow, short ranged, has a pathetic weapons load when in stealth configuration and now it can be detected by Chinese radars.

We won't even go into claims by SAAB and Northrup Grumman of being able to detect stealth.

Long short?

The age of stealth has passed.  It lasted for a couple of decades but it will no longer work against a peer opponent.

This Is What World War III With China Might Look Like Spoiler alert: We probably wouldn’t win.

Thanks to IDonT4 for the link!

via The Nation.

For the past 50 years, American leaders have been supremely confident that they could suffer military setbacks in places like Cuba or Vietnam without having their system of global hegemony, backed by the world’s wealthiest economy and finest military, affected. The country was, after all, the planet’s “indispensable nation,” as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright proclaimed in 1998 (and other presidents and politicians have insisted ever since). The United States enjoyed a greater “disparity of power” over its would-be rivals than any empire ever, Yale historian Paul Kennedy announced in 2002. Certainly, it would remain “the sole superpower for decades to come,” Foreign Affairs magazine assured us just last year. During the 2016 campaign, candidate Donald Trump promised his supporters that “we’re gonna win with military.… we are gonna win so much you may even get tired of winning.” In August, while announcing his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, Trump reassured the nation: “In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed.” In this fast-changing world, only one thing was certain: When it really counted, the United States could never lose.

No longer.

The Trump White House may still be basking in the glow of America’s global supremacy but, just across the Potomac, the Pentagon has formed a more realistic view of its fading military superiority. In June, the Defense Department issued a major report on “Risk Assessment in a Post-Primacy World,” finding that the US military “no longer enjoys an unassailable position versus state competitors,” and “it no longer can…automatically generate consistent and sustained local military superiority at range.” This sober assessment led the Pentagon’s top strategists to “the jarring realization that ‘we can lose.’” 

Story here. 

A few things...

1.  I forgot the name of the reader that recommended this article but major thanks goes out to him.

2.  I fucking told ya so!  I've been beating on this drum but the Pentagon is just now acknowledging the threat?  Correction.  We saw the Chief of Naval Intel in the Pacific try and warn, but he was forced to retire for telling the ugly truth.  We won't be dealing with the threat till you hear these camp followers stating in public what they do in private.  China is a threat to the survival of this country.

3.  We can and will lose if we don't get harder, faster, stronger and return to common sense thinking when it comes to military affairs.

The Pentagon has been waged by Think Tanks, Globalists and Neo-Cons for the past two decades.  Those 5th Columnist have received aid and comfort from the zealots in uniform that carried out their half baked ideas.

We no longer have the luxury of fantasizing and dreaming for future battlefields where everything works right.  Our future enemies will be coming at us with a smile on their face and a cloned K-Bar Fighting Knife in their fist.

Where are the elements of the Sea Base in the Puerto Rican relief effort?

Thanks to Matthew for the thought!

Matthew brought up an outstanding point when we were talking about the 26th MEU during this HA/DR.  Where are the JHSVs?  They could be ferrying huge amounts of gear between the US and Puerto Rico!

To take it a step further where is the rest of the sea base?  A HA/DR effort of this scale is simply an exercise in logistics.

Stop pushing your pet concepts Marine Corps!  Act to prevent chaos!  Deploy the sea base.  Get the JHSVs running between the US and PR!  Educate the NorthCom Commander on our capabilities and take charge of this situation before everyone is covered in bovine excrement!

Dunford:China will be 'greatest threat' to US by 2025

via CNN

America's top military officer, Gen. Joseph Dunford, told Congress Tuesday China is likely to be the "greatest threat" of any foe to the US within a decade.

"I think China probably poses the greatest threat to our nation by about 2025," Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on his re-appointment as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Dunford was responding to a question from Hawaii Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono, who noted that the general had previously identified Russia, followed by China and North Korea, as representing the greatest military threats to US national security during a 2015 appearance before the same committee.
But on Tuesday Dunford took the opportunity to reshuffle his list of national security concerns, saying that North Korea now "poses the greatest threat today" due to the "sense of urgency" involved as Pyongyang's develops its nuclear and missile programs.

Story here. 

Told ya! He's almost a decade late but at least they're finally on the radar!

This is the face of misery....photo by SSgt. Marcin Platek

A Marine with Marine Rotational Force-Europe holds a defensive position during Exercise Aurora 17 in Lärbro, Sweden, Sept. 20, 2017. Aurora 17 is the largest Swedish national exercise in more than 20 years, and it includes supporting forces from the U.S. and other nations in order to exercise Sweden’s defense capability and promote common regional security.

The title to this pic was "if it ain't raining it ain't training".  Believe that moto shit if you want to, but most of you guys know the real deal!  That is the face of pain, misery and slowly building hate.  Wonder why Marines are so fierce in battle?  It's cause they finally can let the hate out!

Germany to upgrade 104 tanks to Leopard 2A7V standard.

via Defense Aerospace.

Rheinmetall will soon be modernizing part of the Bundeswehr's fleet of Leopard main battle tanks, implementing a comprehensive array of upgrade measures. The Düsseldorf-based technology group for mobility and security will be responsible for key parts of a combat performance upgrade programme that will bring 104 Leopard 2 tanks up to state-of-the-art design status.

Coupled with additional services, the modernization package is worth a total of €118 million. The first serially retrofitted Leopard 2 A7V tanks will reach the Bundeswehr starting in 2020.

Rheinmetall will be transforming a total of 68 Leopard 2A4, 16 Leopard 2A6 and 20 Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks, bringing them up to A7V standard. In the process, Rheinmetall specialists will be eliminating obsolescent features in the fire control computers and control consoles as well as installing a new laser rangefinder and thermal imaging device. 

Story here. 

Pretty decent upgrade package.  I'm not sure it will keep pace with the threat if the new standard is the Armata but we'll see.

Tatra unveils new self-propelled 120mm mortar on Pandur II CZ

via Army Recognition, story here (along with additional pic).

Side note.  Is it just me or does it seem like the Pandur II is alot more popular than I gave it credit.  Don't quite understand why but more than a couple of forces use the thing.  I might need to do a deep dive to learn more about this ride.

Warhammer News. The messaging campaign is working.

via Roll Call.

Nearly half of the Americans believe the tough rhetoric between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un of North Korea is more than just a war of words, a new poll shows.

Close to 50 percent of the 1,500 people polled in the latest Economist/YouGov survey believed Trump “actually means to attack North Korea” while 45 percent believe Kim intends to do the same to the United States.

The rest of those polled on those questions were relatively split between “just talking tough” and “not sure” hovering between 24 and 29 percent.

Harsh rhetoric between Trump and Kim has escalated in recent weeks in response to Pyongyang’s development of long-range missiles and nuclear arms programs.

Story here. 

The first step is done.  Get the American people to believe that the threat of war is real.  Next step is to develop the justification.

The plan is working.  The schedule is on track.  My prediction holds.  The US will launch a STRIKE (or series of strikes) this winter (late this year, early next).