Defense Writer was talking Korean arms industry but explained the Terrex 3 problem!

via Asia Times.

Most important of all, the global arms business is not an equal-opportunity marketplace. There is no level playing field, even if market leaders like the United States, Europe, Russia and a few others (Israel and China, for example) were not fixing the whole affair. Countries buy arms from certain suppliers for many reasons other than cost or capability.

In the first place, buyers often exhibit what can only be termed as “brand loyalty.” My dad was a “General Motors” guy: His entire life he bought only Buicks or Pontiacs; purchasing a Ford would never cross his mind. It is the same with weapons: Countries will acquire US weapons, for example, because they always have, and they are content to go on doing so.

Politics is also critical. Countries buy from the US or Russia in order to build friendly relations or show that they are reliable allies. That is why Poland bought F-16s from the United States, for example. The joke goes that when a country purchases US weaponry, Washington throws in the US Marines for free.

Story here. 

I consider this a must read!

Think about this.  Have you wondered why the Terrex 3, a vehicle I consider to be at the very least equal too if not better than others in its class has received no offers?

Let me take it a step further.  Have you wondered why the BAE SEP from a couple of decades ago, a world beating vehicle that was so far ahead of its time that if it was updated with additional armor and power pack would still be competitive, but never even got a nibble of an order?  Ever wonder why BAE and other corporations are flooding into the US (well defense firms anyway) so that they can get the stamp of the US DoD on their products?

It is as we've always suspected.  Nothing to do with the quality of the vehicle. I don't even think it has anything to do with the Not Invented Here syndrome that Europeans always complain about (you guys have lost a step on innovation...sorry but it's the truth).

It comes down to military power, industrial base, foreign policy and the desire to maintain relations.

This has been obvious all along but it took this guy to actually spell it out for me to lock onto it.

Going by his playbook what can we expect?  If things continue as they are and the world doesn't change drastically then we can expect to see more and more Chinese weapon systems worldwide.  Have you not noticed that Africa is starting to look like a Chinese weapons bazaar?  We can expect them to continue to saturate that market, probably flow over to N. Africa, attempt even more inroads into S. America before they make a big push into the Middle East.

Before that happens we'll see a few more bases that will make American policy makers uncomfortable and we'll see more treaties to make it stick.

In this light the Russian intervention in Syria was just good business practice to ensure that they preserved a market for their goods!

What does it mean for countries like Singapore, Japan, S. Korea and others that want to make inroads?  They will fail.  Not because they make shoddy equipment.  In many ways they make world beating gear.  They'll fail because they lack the other levers of power to make big arms deals a reality.

Japan's X-2 continues development...

via Aviation Week.

The latest concept design of Japan’s proposed indigenous fighter may have moved a little away from the bias toward long-range and endurance over flight performance that marked the previous preliminary design. The latest design exhibited is evidently 26 DMU, the one prepared in the Japanese fiscal year beginning March 2014 as the last of a series of preliminary concepts. Japan has planned to decide in mid-2018 whether to proceed with an indigenous or possibly internationally developed,

The rest of the story is behind a paywall, but my guess is that the Japanese will develop this airplane fully.

The F-35 will not meet specs for their defense needs and will only guarantee favor from the US (especially now...they're pushing the F-35 hard, so hard that it will probably affect future defense buys from allies).

A purpose built semi-stealth fighter that leverages advances in computing power, electronic warfare and the latest missile tech that they're developing will better meet the threat that China presents.

Just like the USMC is monitoring the development of the Mitsubishi Tracked ACV, I'm sure we'll monitor their work on this airplane.  Could we be making a step back to the future?  During WW1 we bought a large number of fighters from allies.  Considering the current state of aircraft development in the US and how work is now starting in Europe, Japan and S. Korea (and only God knows what the Israelis are doing) on their next combat aircraft, we could in a few years see the F-35 going the way of the F7U Cutlass with a short service career and a hasty replacement.

C-2 Pilot showed tremendous airmanship and courage...he saved lives....

via Daily Caller.

The pilot of a U.S. Navy aircraft that went down in the Pacific last week reportedly gave his life trying to save the rest of the people on board the aircraft.

Lt. Steven Combs, 28, died alongside two other service members last Wednesday when a U.S. Navy twin-engine C-2A Greyhound crashed in the Philippine Sea. Through his efforts, eight of the eleven people on the plane survived the crash, the latest fatal accident to hit the Navy’s 7th Fleet in the past six months.

“Lt. Combs’ airmanship was nothing short of heroic, and was instrumental in savings the lives of the eight survivors,” Navy spokesman Commander Ronald Flanders told The Berkshire Eagle. He revealed that the co-pilot, who survived the crash, told Navy officials that “Steve flew the hell out of that plane.”

Story here. 

Well done.  Heroes...real heroes still exist.  The amazing thing is that this guy gave all and as usual the only ones that will remember his bravery tomorrow are the people he saved and those left behind.  We've got to do a better job of telling their stories and remembering their bravery.

Open Comment Post. Nov 28, 2017

Pics via Artstation...Luv me some military sci-fi!

Sexual identity has gotten out of control! I hope to God I'm being pranked!

pic via SKDTactical!

Open Comment Post. Nov 27, 2017 and a few agenda items!

I love those Jeep Comanche pickups.  The new hotness is to find one that's rusting in a junk yard or to grab one that's been sitting in a barn unused and bring it back to life like you see above.

Jeep is talking about building a "Jeep Truck" based on using the front end of a Wrangler...sorta like the AEV conversions.  I think they're screwing up.  They should have gone back to the future and just modernized these jewels.

Having said that I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Hope you didn't make a glutton out of yourself (God knows I didn't....an ill timed bout of sickness saw to that) and I hope you're back on the grind of staying in shape.

I was told that no matter what you should do three things everyday.  Hygiene like you're about to be inspected.  Work like you're making a million dollars that day.  And finally workout because you only get one body and you've got to task it, challenge it and rip it (muscles...don't be an ass, you know what I mean) to make it last.

Last thing I need to say is that I'm traveling back today from the holiday hangout so posting is gonna be LIGHT.  Still, I have ONE PRIORITY!  I have a book review to post this afternoon and I was lucky enough to get a give away for an item that I'm gonna recommend for the Commandant's Reading List.

Stand by for that to drop later today.

Oh and just a reminder gents.  We're in the Christmas season and for some reason my fellow Americans seem to get more stressed out and do more stupid shit during this time of year than the rest (well with the exception of summertime months in certain locations....if you don't understand than I recommend you talk to law enforcement).

Stay safe boys.  I told you about the talk I had with a Sheriff's Deputy in the emergency room while getting shots of antibiotics and later I heard that a DPS Trooper in Texas had been shot and killed in a freaking traffic accident.

I can't imagine.  Pulling some idiot over and ready to write him a ticket and send him on his way and end up in a gunfight from hell?  Many times at the time and place of his choosing (assuming he knows the area well and most people are remarkably "close to home" in their driving habits).

Terrible stuff.

Don't be a victim.  Don't be paranoid but keep your head on a swivel.  You might like to think it couldn't happen to you but it happens to someone everyday...so enjoy the holidays but protect yourself and your family.

SNAFU out!

Another Marine Legend passes away. Colonel Wesley Fox....

Col. Wesley L. Fox, who earned the Medal of Honor for actions during the Vietnam War, passed away. 
He served 43 years in the Corps and was a true Marine’s Marine. 
Semper Fidelis, Col. Fox.

I unfortunately met him at a critical time with an unfortunate outcome but he was the real deal.  Respect.

Open Comment Post. Nov 26, 2017

Russian Zircon Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile is ready now???

via Naval News Instagram Page.

RUSSIA has confirmed its hypersonic missle that can destroy the warships in a single strike are ready "as of today". Vladimir Putin's defence boss reportedly confirmed the weapons, which can travel up to six times the speed of sound at 4,600 mph and reportedly more than 600 miles, were ready for war.

The lethal Zircon missile can travel at speeds of Mach 5–Mach 6 (3,806–4,567 mph; 6,125–7,350 km/h; 1,701.5–2,041.7 m/s). Such high speeds have led to concerns that it could penetrate existing naval defense systems; the Royal Navy's Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile is only capable of intercepting targets flying up to Mach 3.  In April 2017, it was revealed that the Zircon had reached a speed of Mach 8 (6,090 mph; 9,800 km/h; 2,722.3 m/s) during a test.

Moscow tested the weapon back in June and the Zircon – also known as Tsirkon – has been in development for over 20 years.

Don't have time and I'm too tired to check tonight but this can't be true!  If it is then we need new anti-missile defense systems like yesterday.

We saw what happened when the kinetic energy of a destroyed anti-ship missile struck a British ship and they were subsonic.  The speed alone of this type missile will mean that a warhead is irrelevant.  Energy transfer alone will totally wreck the thing.

What I don't know is how a battleship would fare against this type of weapon.  The Iowa Class Battleships were designed to withstand the firepower of 18in guns of the Japanese battlewagons so perhaps (and I'm just throwing this out there...I have no idea just spitballing) they could handle the threat.

If we can't do that then I've heard/read don't remember the idea of using supertankers loaded with sand to act as missile magnets and have them emit the way that aircraft carriers do to protect them.

Doesn't matter though.  We need to find out if this is real first.  Once that's confirmed then we can start on solving this problem.

Sidenote.  How did the Russians get the lead on us in this field?  I thought we were ahead of everyone in the field of hypersonics, rail guns and laser warfare! 

If this don't give you feels then you need to check yourself

A WWII soldier was found after 70 years and returned to the US for burial. His wife waited for him all this time. @legends.of.glory

Just plain wow.  If this story is even halfway true then I'm floored.  To wait 70 years for your fallen husband?  Knowing for more years than you want to count that he's probably dead but you wait anyway?

Feels man.  Pure feels.

Japanese militarization...we play with forces we don't understand. Read about Yukio Mishima.

pics via fujisan-ni-noboru-hinode tumblr page.

The above Tumblr Page has me on a new mission after reading a bit about Yukio Mishima.

First I must learn more about this guy.

Second I must rethink my views about how to contain China.  To put things plainly I have to wonder if US participation isn't making things a bit easier for China in the Pacific.

I speak often about China's militarism.  I warn about the things that I've read on Chinese boards and how they have a martial spirit that should have us on almost a war footing and getting ready for a fight.

I've talked about how the S. Koreans view Japan as a greater threat than China and how the Chinese worry more about the Japanese than they do the US.

But I've never put it all together.

Then I read just a snippet about this guy.  I recall some of the stuff that I've read on Japanese boards and I realized something.

Japan has a martial spirit that scares the entire region.

If the US were to simply step out the way.  Stop acting as big brother and attempting to "guide" the region as it always has I have to wonder if we wouldn't have a better outcome.  Don't get me wrong.  We would probably see a bigger uptick in incidents between countries we consider allies.  The Japanese and S. Koreans would definitely become engaged in naval skirmishes, Vietnam would lose their shit, and Singapore would undoubtedly become alarmed at the rapid militarization that we would see.

But at the same time we could see China's activities virtually halted in light of a resurgent Japan and we could better allocate our forces and marshall our strength toward actively ASSISTING their efforts against our common foe and referee fights between our allies.

Our relations with the Japanese, S. Koreans and others in the region would be more adult like.  Instead of playing massive power we would instead fall into the roll of partnership...real partnerships instead of shouldering the whole load ourselves.

Yukio Mishima had the wrong idea when it came to putting a new emperor in charge of Japan, but a greater role for Japan in defense of itself?  I think he might have been onto something.

South Korea K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tanks South Han River Fording