Naval and Defense News

[Blast33]

A gun-launched, hypercone-shaped projectile launched by Dahlgren from White Sands last month set a new world at 109 n.m. distance. The launch supports Dahlgren’s research on guidance and control for future hypersonic vehicles.
https://twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1 ... 7978083329

[thewood1]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ru ... 022-04-13/

Seems highly coincidental that a fire would suddenly break out in a war zone.

Interesting and maybe prescient report on Moskva's pattern of deployment around Snake Island. Not sure of the impact on any Op Sec that Ukraine might have been able to take advantage of.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... a-pattern/

[thewood1]

Update on Fleetmon says the Moskva has capsized and it sank. Still unconfirmed. The pic is showing the hit, but its not confirmed its authentic.

https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/ ... -missiles/

[Hongjian]

Two new hypersonic reveals in a single day:

YJ-21 shipborne version, launched from a Type 055, footage in link.
This might be the world's first shipborne HGV.

https://twitter.com/kt396/status/1516424440258703381

We have known that the Type 055 is testing a shipborne anti-ship HGV since 2018:


And finally a clear picture of the ALBM, also reportedly being designated YJ-21 Air-Launched version:
https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/stat ... 0689298444

[Blast33]

What appears to be Ukrainian TB2 UCAV strikes targeting and successfully engaging two Russian Navy Project 03160/Raptor-class patrol boats.

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/15 ... p4?tag=12

[Blast33]

Posted ISR flights the last week:
\
https://twitter.com/Orion__int/status/1 ... 08/photo/1

[BeirutDude]

Thanks for that post Mike!

Interesting the E-8C patrols in eastern Poland along the Belorussian Border. I would have thought a Black Sea patrol to monitor movement in teh Donbass and near Mariupol. Wonder if they are looking for Russian troop movements in southern Belorussia with a thrust toward Kyiv possible or even a Belorussian assault in the Kyiv direction with Ukrainian forces drawn off toward the Donbass??? Also, IMHO, a little frightening they're monitoring Kalininagrad that closely!

[Broncepulido]

Another bad point for ASW tasks!

"LCS is as noisy as an aircraft carrier"

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... decisions/

[BeirutDude]

Another bad point for ASW tasks!

"LCS is as noisy as an aircraft carrier"

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... decisions/

We ALWAYS have ay least one Freedom Class LCS in BAE Systems Shipyard in Jacksonville, hard to tell if it is the same one but looks like one has taken up semi-permanent residence.

[Tcao]

Ukraine Strikes Back: Su-27s Bomb Occupied Snake Island In Daring Raid
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/u ... aring-raid

I haven't seen anyone reenacting this in CMO or in DCS

[Gunner98]

Perhaps because they were flying so low, probably to avoid AD, that only one of two bombs dropped by the lead worked and it almost Fragged the second aircraft which has to pull up quickly and his bombs go wildly off target...

Also it only happened a couple days ago and it's not much of a strike for CMO

[Blast33]

Presenting MQ-9B’s new short takeoff and landing capability: MQ-9B STOL

With this developing capability, MQ-9B will be the first #UAS in its class to enable big-deck amphib takeoff and landing, unlocking potential at sea.

SAN DIEGO – 10 May 2022 – To further extend the versatility of its MQ-9B line of Remotely Piloted Aircraft, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announced today that it will begin developing a short takeoff and landing (STOL)-capable MQ-9B aircraft, which includes the SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® models. GA-ASI is taking on this revolutionary engineering effort to meet an evolving operational environment in contested expeditionary environments.

GA-ASI began STOL development in 2017 as part of its Mojave initiative. STOL capability was initially flown on a modified Gray Eagle Extended Range platform in 2021, but now the company will begin developing STOL on the MQ-9B, a platform already selected by the Royal Air Force, the Belgium Ministry of Defence and the Japan Coast Guard. MQ-9B STOL will combine GA-ASI’s proven long-endurance, highly reliable UAS products with the versatility to execute missions in more austere locations, opening the operational envelope for commanders across all Services and geographic locations.

The MQ-9B STOL configuration will consist of an optional wing and tail kit that can be installed in less than a day. The core aircraft and its sub-systems remain the same. Operators can perform the modification in a hangar or on a flight line, delivering a capability that otherwise would require the purchase of a whole new aircraft.
“Imagine taking the hard top off your Jeep. You lift it off, stow it in your garage and now you’ve got an open vehicle. If it rains, you put the hard top back on. We’re the same. Take a standard MQ-9B, put the STOL kit on, and then go fly,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.

MQ-9B STOL, which is part of GA-ASI’s Mojave series of unmanned aircraft, also presents an opportunity for future operations aboard an aircraft carrier or big-deck amphibious assault ship. The wings fold so that MQ-9B STOL could be parked on the deck or in the hangar bay, just like other naval aircraft. When it’s time to launch, operators will start the aircraft, unfold the wings, and take off over the bow without the need for catapults. GA-ASI believes the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps will take note of this innovation as it opens the door to persistent and long-range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations over blue water.

https://https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-g ... ol-package
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fho4kMP-aA

[Blast33]

Perhaps because they were flying so low, probably to avoid AD, that only one of two bombs dropped by the lead worked and it almost Fragged the second aircraft which has to pull up quickly and his bombs go wildly off target...

Also it only happened a couple days ago and it's not much of a strike for CMO

The first destroyed the buildings, and I, at first, thought the second missed but wait till the end and you see the secondaries. There where two targets.
But it was daring, also taking the frag into account..

[Gunner98]

Perhaps because they were flying so low, probably to avoid AD, that only one of two bombs dropped by the lead worked and it almost Fragged the second aircraft which has to pull up quickly and his bombs go wildly off target...

Also it only happened a couple days ago and it's not much of a strike for CMO

The first destroyed the buildings, and I, at first, thought the second missed but wait till the end and you see the secondaries. There where two targets.
But it was daring, also taking the frag into account..

Maybe, not convinced. The first was certainly a hit, and there were secondaries on that for sure, the two bombs that came off the second Flanker went long, one landing in the middle distance and the one of the left almost in the sea - there is a building there but I doubt it was a target and it is still standing in the end. Primary target (assuming that was the building in the middle) destroyed; low level daring attack - yes but; a bit of separation would have had better effect overall and been much safer I think.

Not too much here for a CMO scenario though.

[Broncepulido]

Again and again, more ridiculous again. Now Independence-class limited to only 15 knots by structural cracks (But only the even numbered hulls, hahaha):

https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-n ... ll-cracks/

[Broncepulido]

Confirmed, Russian pump-jet SS Alrosa now has Kalibr capabilities:
https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.p ... -soon.html

[thewood1]

So on Taiwan, my personal take (and it goes for the Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia as well) is it (they) are indefensible in the short run. The trick is to make them as indigestible as possible. If I were calling the shots (and thank God I am not) the Ukraine would be flooded with ATGMs, MANPADs, and other weapons systems to make Putin's task that much harder. For Taiwan. land based/boxed ASCMs and SAMs to take their toll on any PRC invasion force. That won't stop the PLA/PLAN/PLAAF but will make them pay for every inch of Taiwanese ground.

As far as landing any significant U.S./allied SOF, Airborne or Marines, in Taiwan (or the Baltics), IMHO, that's just dumb. Fighting "China's War" as they envision it is a recipe for disaster. Their Achilles heel is trade, resources and power projection. The USN/RN/ Australian Navy/JMSDF are better served destroying anything PLAN/PLAAF going east of the First Island Arc and eventually retaking Okinawa and other Islands lost (and they will be). Meanwhile we destroy China's trade routes/Merchant Marine/Silk Road Initiative infrastructure (bridges) until their economy crashes. Might take a year or two but they will collapse, and that makes any Taiwanese success a Pyrrhic Victory. Bottom line, is we have this idea we have to rush in and save Taiwan (or the Baltics), we can't, but we can take ultimate victory away from them with the long game.

Of course this all assumes nobody gets stupid with nukes...

BTW: I've through about this for a scenario but sinking merchants is pretty boring!

I was searching for something else and stumbled up on this post. You now look like a tactical genius as far as Ukraine goes.

[Broncepulido]

Exercise assesment six months later, great points here:

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... e-polaris/

Quote: "After the first minutes of combat, it turns out that the result is severe, and this is what the report underlines. In fact, within fifteen minutes of combat, two frigates were sunk and two more were neutralized. 200 to 400 sailors were put out of action, killed or missing. But the result was even worse at the end of the exercise, with a total of eight ships sunk or out of combat".

[kevinkins]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ch ... ar-AAY9eNJ

Another base to be aware of for future scenarios.

[ultradave]

A PR type video but the good part is that there are some good pictures of the new facilities at Electric Boat Groton and Quonset for building COLUMBIA class submarines.

And a personal note, I know and have worked closely with a number of people in this video (in particular, Doug Studwell and I started at EB about the same time, in SEAWOLF design - loong time ago now - I'm retired and he must be close). I had a great career there. Challenging (very) engineering and outstanding colleagues. What more could an engineer ask for?

Some quick looks at the 3d models showing missile tube fixturing, and views of the Electronic Visualization Rooms in use where design reviews are done using the 3d models.

Good stuff, even if it is a bit propaganda-ish. It's a link to EBs facebook page. I couldn't find another way to link it.

https://fb.watch/dugppUf9eE/

Dave