An interesting view of the future of the F-22 in USAF service, the alternatives and reasons why it may retire far earlier than originally planned. The publisher is usually pretty good with his facts so please ignore the sock puppet.

I still prefer the German unmanned turret (Lance-R) with its 30mm autocannon and Spike-LR2 missiles. Going down this route would mean major commonality with the Bundeswehr and Australian Army, A missile that is part of a family that can already meet all the requirements of the Army's next generation...

In other words beyond Sea Ceptor and the FC/ASW, there is nothing planned or funded at present, though it is probably more like no funding so we haven't thrown any resources at it yet.

The fact that each modern vessels hold so much cargo means that the loss of a single one can have a very substantial impact which is why such a convoy really need a Carrier Group nearby in addition to any dedicated Convoy Escorts. If escort are not in plentiful supply each needs to be as capable as ...

Ok I withdraw the "Insufficient", in the original context. I should have said the Royal Engineers have insufficient Armoured Engineering Vehicles to support the new Army organisation which includes predominately medium and light vehicles. The is especially so as many of these will be forwa...

Just out of interest how do we deal with the mission types carried out by the USAF's PJs?

But can Erdogan wait to see how things pan out of will he try to push things along and possibly make the whole situation worse. The race for natural Gas and oil is already dragging countries like Italy, Greece, Egypt and Israeli into competition in a very small piece of Sea and all are rapidly incre...

Right so I see the mounting brackets in the photo, but they are not for field replicable armour modules, which is how I see applique armour. However is applique is actually to mean any armour fitted over the core structure of an AFV either permanently or in easily replaceable modules than I accept t...

Well we shall see. The Army is supposed to have locked itself in its bedroom to try to figure out how to match existing programmes, mainly Boxer and Ajax, to the new doctrine, and is supposed to have the first answers in the summer. I believe it has become accepted that the current contracts and the...

Ok I admit defining a "Real escort", isn't that easy. A Police launch covering a cargo barge could be defined as as escort at one end of the spectrum and an Iowa class Battleship protecting an Essex class CV in WWII at the other. I suppose I used the phrase as I wanted to avoid using "...

As the current prototype is also the technical demonstrator for the programme, we will have to wait to see which aircraft receive engines with this new technology. Despite the USAF stating that they want to replace the existing F-35A engine, until the try to build one that will fit in said aircraft ...

PKK and YPG (Syrian PKK) are actually the same organization. They strongly deny this and the non Kurdish fighter who joined the YPG to fight ISIS also state this. Anyhow now to a video showing all the toys and gismos the Turkish Armed forces have and it is quite impressive. https://www.youtube.com/...

Does the article actually mention this as an alternative engine for the F-35? UI cannot see any mention of it myself. The description of some of the innovations sound similar to those Rolls Royce is developing for its advances military engine that could go into the result of TEMPEST. I think if we a...

Yes I would agree the T-31 could operate as a guard ship in the Gulf as long as it has the "Cavalry", available at very short notice in the form of air cover and "Real" warships. This is what has allowed the US to deploy USCG Cutters in the region. But to be forward deployed with...

Simple question then. How are the "Panels" of Dorchester amour fitted to the Challenger 2? Are there hundreds of hidden covered bolts holding it in so that it is removable or is it permanently attached? From being in and on a Challenger 1 I couldn't see any. My definition of applique armou...

I agree that the T-82 should be a clean slate design, what has been proposed is a class of between four and six evolved T-26 with more emphasis on AAW at the expense of being a Swiss Army Knife with a large Mission Bay that can bridge the gap in production between the T-26 and T-82, at the same time...

Yep look no further than the latest Merkava and Namer platforms to see how it is done properly on a new build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvD_fZr-6hw As usual a well orchestrated parade, but it is Putin's speech that bears listening too or more correctly reading the subtitles courtesy of YouTube. It maybe just me but hr is really ramping up the rhetoric about defending Mother Russia and her national int...

Well as I said, I group the T-31 in with the Patrol force, be it large and with good range. It can be a useful "Presence" ship but only where it will be safe like the Caribbean or off the Isle of white, as long as the French fishermen do not get agitated that is :D By the way does anyone h...

The majority of the Kurds who have fought against the Turkish occupation of their territory in northern Syria and Iraq were not PKK. Yes some of the weapons delivered to the indigenous Kurdish Militia in Northern Syria and Iraq may have found their way into the hands on the PKK but so did far more R...

I fully agree, as seem to be the usual practice the Army is looking to leap ahead in capability whilst sacrificing capabilities that are still and will still be needed. To maintain a deterrence capability you must have a certain conventional mass, as that is what a potential enemy sees, but the Army...

Poiuytrewq wrote:So far the shipbuilding renaissance, widely trumpeted by HMG amounts to little more than wind and piss.

But that is how it has been for generations and we build the Senior Civil Service on the same principal.

I personally do not see the T-31 being up armed now the T-32 has been announced. Instead it will be the larger better armed member of the Royal Navy's force of Patrol Vessels even if the MoD and Government still keep describing it as a Warship, which it is but only by a very large stretch of one's i...

So a Bridgelayer was being trailed. I wish the MoD was not so secretive about such things when there isn't really a need to be. But then they have always had the mentality the it is best to keep everything secret and release only what they want, where as the US military puts its resources into makin...

I have always taken Applique to means bolt on like on the Merkava 3 and 4. If panels are welded on they have for all intents and purposes become part of the Tank's structure. Yes you can cut away damaged bits that hinder the vehicles operation, but that is not the same. It has always been possible t...