Z-20 "Copyhawk" medium-lift utility helicopter via China Defense Blog

Yeah.  The Chinese are innovative.  The Chinese aren't stealing our intellectual property.  The Chinese are rising because they're smart and NOT because our leaders have given away the bank.

Are you smoking crack?

This is another example of how they've used American greed against us.  So anxious to break into the Chinese market that they've failed to realize that its a communist govt that will NOT play by the rules.

To be frank the Russians are much more open, cooperative and honest yet they're the target of our policy makers while everyone with even a single operating brain cell can see what's going on in the Pacific.

China is the threat, not Russia.

Story here and scroll down...there are several articles and pics of this new plane.  I missed it but it was just inducted into Chinese service not too long ago.

The right is worried about Antifa? That's mental masturbation...the real threat is attacks on political leaders...

via Reuters.

Rene Boucher, 59, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, was arrested and charged with one count of fourth-degree assault causing minor injury, the Kentucky State Police said in a statement on Saturday.

Paul and Boucher were acquaintances, said Jeremy Hodges, a state police spokesman, who declined to say what led to the incident.

Paul’s office said in a statement the former Republican presidential candidate “was blindsided and the victim of an assault. The assailant was arrested, and it is now a matter for the police. Senator Paul is fine.”

His office did not immediately respond to questions about the extent of any injuries the 54-year-old senator may have suffered or the circumstances of the incident.

via Reuters.

Did you hear about all the gun loonies (I'm a gun nut, not a loon) and alt right zealots gearing up because they thought that Antifa was coming?  I sat back and laughed my ass off.

Why?

Because what you saw was grown men engaged in mental masturbation over an idea that could NOT happen (at least as things currently stand).  I can't tell you how many Instagram posts I saw where they had guys posting pics of their gear all lined up with ammo being taken out of safes etc...(what continues to amaze is that so many have so much high priced gear that looks pristine, never used and showroom new!).

What should worry the REGULAR right is the recent attacks on conservative/right wing leadership (I could personally careless about the Alt Right....they get curb stomped and throat punched I wouldn't bat an eye...the only sympathy would be to the simpletons that got swept up in that movement).

We had a Republican Congressional baseball practice ambushed?  Now we have a sitting Senator attacked (don't be fooled by this initial report...dude has busted ribs...they're no joke and he'll be sitting in a chair to sleep cause you can't lay down with them!).

We're seeing something new...at least new to me...we're seeing members of a party being targeted and attacked.  What is especially worrying is that it appears that the left and possibly (have to get more info on Paul's attacker) alt right is teaming up to attack centrist Republicans.

The only saving grace to all this is that the Republicans are further down the road when it comes to the deconstruction/reconstruction of their party than the Democrats are.

I expect to see much the same on their side of the isle when they finally let the cork off (or if it simply explodes) and they realize how much they were messed with in the selection of Hillary as their nominee.

My prediction?

Both parties are headed toward bad times.  The old leadership wouldn't leave on their own so they'll be forced out by the new crowd.  Pelosi and her supporters?  Done.  Bill Kristol and his acolytes on the right?  Done.  Even Obama and Bush Jr won't escape this culling.

Forget fantasyland and mental masturbation techniques.  This is about to get real....and for both parties.

Power plays in the Middle East. Hezbollah says Saudi Arabia forced Lebanese PM to quit....

via Reuters.

Lebanon’s Shi‘ite Hezbollah group on Sunday accused Saudi Arabia of forcing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to quit, and called for calm in an effort to contain the political crisis unleashed by his resignation.

Story here. 

Wow.  This story is from this weekend and it got no air time.  Saudi Arabia is making power moves all over the place (or desperation moves) and no one is noticing.

You do get the force of connection here don't you?

The ground is being laid for the next war in Lebanon.  I can see it now, and of course it'll break down along religious/sectarian lines.

Israel will intercede to maintain a buffer zone, Lebanese Christians (what few are left) will align with Israel and the rest will all form a nice, tight furball fighting whoever runs in front of their sights.

Yep.  My hope for things to settle down now that ISIS is taking its death breath was so STUPID, I can't believe I actually thought it a possibility.  Once again the so called tin foil hat crowd got it right.  ISIS was obviously a pawn being used by the players in the region.  I don't know if the mass migration was part of the game plan (I hope not) but the chaos and death was certainly figured into the equation.  I've heard the theories and I believe one of them fiercely (dealing with pipelines) but can't understand how anyone in their right mind could unleash all this pain and suffering on a region and consider it just a part of doing business. 

The evil we saw in the Church shooting in Texas pales to those that are playing games with people's lives on the international level in places like Libya, North Africa, Central Africa and of course Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope these real demons fry in hell.

2/8 conduct mechanized exercise@ Onslow Beach ... pics by Lance Cpl. Scarlet A. Sharp

Readers have talked about it for a couple of days but this confirms it. The House of Saud is on the brink!

Thanks to AO for the link!

via Gulf Business.

Saudi authorities detained a billionaire global investor and the head of the National Guard as part of an anti-corruption purge that consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s hold on power.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, was among 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers detained, two senior Saudi officials told Reuters on Sunday.

A top security official, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, was detained and replaced as minister of the powerful National Guard by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf. This consolidates Prince Mohammed’s bin Salman’s control of security institutions which had previously been headed by separate branches of the ruling family.

Story here. 

Why am I saying my readers were right and I'm becoming alarmed?  Because this guy was in charge of the Saudi National Guard.  Unlike the US and other Western nations, the National Guard in Saudi Arabia is home to the most advanced and well equipped troops in that nation.

If you want to point to an "elite" or a "Praetorian Guard" then you point to the Saudi National Guard.

For this guy to put their commander under arrest means that their is a serious power play going on.  Additionally you have to think that this guy has his own resources and own group of loyalist that are still in the Guard.

That means trouble.

Between the pressures of Yemen, Iran, the huge loss in Syria, Turkey coming to the aid of a GCC country they were trying to bully and an unpredictable US president/ineffectual SecState you have the Saudis in a pressure cooker of their own making.

This might not happen fast but it will happen.  I'm calling it.  The House of Saud falls in less than 5 years.  Turmoil in the Middle East will probably continue long after I'm dead and buried.

Hillbilly mods...Captured M-ATV sporting a BTR-80 turret!

Thanks to Delta Sierra for the pic!

You can call them all the derogatory names in the book...camel jockey, goat fucker, sand nigger (I need to do a serious self check on that one...I've been around guys that I THINK would never call me that but referred to them in that way and I never checked them....have to reflect on that...probably had a bit to do with personal hatred aimed at a group instead of the individuals that committed the acts...self check definitely in order) but you have to give them credit.

They have modified vehicles in such a way that the US Army, Marine Corps and allied forces have begun to pay attention and are putting more polished examples into service (or plan to).

You do realize that this is simply the "technical" concept taken to its logical extreme don't you?

Where this ends up I don't know, but I can imagine a future battlefield where meeting engagements between light infantry riding these steeds is unusually
bloody.  Heavy guns (for the size of the vehicle) and light armor has got to result in terrible casualties.

For better or worse we've come full circle and we're reinventing the 9th Motorized Infantry Division (on a small scale).

China to launch their space plane by 2020..

via Futurism.com

Officials from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC) released a statement on Tuesday saying they’ll be ready to launch the next-generation spaceplane by 2020, according to a report by state news service Xinhua. If the statement is any indication, China seems to be have made significant headway on the development of a highly-secretive advance spacecraft.

At first glance, it may not seem to be a remarkable feat: reusable space rockets have been making headlines consistently since SpaceX successfully launched a used Falcon 9 earlier this year. The company has been flying missions aboard reusable Falcon 9 rockets to the International Space Station, as well as to ferry satellites from private corporations and even several nations.

China’s new space plane — note, not space rocket — is expected to be different. CASTC researcher Chen Hongbo said that unlike traditional spacecrafts, this new spacecraft “will fly into the sky like an aircraft,” Xinhua reports. This would, then, differentiate it from rockets, hence the name spaceplane. Supposedly, the spaceplane will take off from a runway, then fire its ramjet propulsion once high in the atmosphere. At that point, the plane will shift to rocket motors in order to reach orbital space, according to reports noted by Ars Technica.

Story here. 

The Chinese have no shame and we have no cyber security.  They constantly make these splashy announcements and then we see them  building a clone of a western vehicle.

I expect the same here (hence the picture above of the Chinese copy of our X-37).

They're a threat because they can match us militarily, but when it comes to influence they will fall flat.  Their culture is unique and in many ways admirable but few will want to duplicate it.  That and their lack of innovation/vision/creativity will doom them in the end.  They'll be tough, they'll be competitive but they'll always be beatable...if we harden the fuck up!

HOT! Defense Intelligence Agency Russia/Chinese (Threat) Military Power Report

Thanks to Joe for the linK!

Reports can be found here!  Must read!  Must see!  Grab it while you can I don't expect it to stay up for long!

New Kaplan Medium Tank (FNSS & PT Pindad) Video!

Thanks to Dwi for the link!



It looks good!  But!  I have to wonder about slapping a tank turret on a tracked vehicle IFV/APC hull.  I know it cuts down on development time but I still wonder why not simply take components and build a fresh, purpose built light/medium tank hull?  Because we're talking about a light/medium tank does it negate the rationale or does it still count?

One other thing has me curious.  If you have APC/IFVs that are tagging in at 30 tons, can you really say a light tank can be any less than 40? Weight is going up and the old classification system that we've used for decades doesn't seem to apply.  We call Heavy Tanks, Main Battle Tanks these days and they range anywhere from 50 tons all the way up to almost 80.  If that's the continued benchmark then our IFVs could all be labeled as being medium weight vehicles.

New Thai Marine Infantry Fighting Vehicle Prototype...in other words the Terrex 2!

Thanks to Ogden for the linK!



Just plain wow.  The Thai military is buying a hodge podge of vehicles!  That ride you see in the background is quite simply the Terrex 2.  What has me spinning (just a little) is his description of it being ship to shore capable.  The same vehicle was offered for the Marine Corps ACV program but was redesigned to enable better swim capability.  Unless they've incorporated improvements into the orginal design then I just don't see it happening...at least not to a "Marine" standard.  Regardless this is gonna be fun to watch. How many vehicles can a relatively small force acquire anyway?

Leonardo - M60A3 Main Battle Tank Upgrade

Open Comment Post. Nov 5, 2017

Sorry for the late and spotty posting lately.  Going thru a slight health thing and trying to pursue fleeting opportunities as well.  Things should smooth out shortly.  Appreciate your patience.