Military Tech / Science

[Brian]

Side note, It seems everyone is big fan of war tools, to those who like this stuff, i highly suggest Destroyer man series. Written by weapon historian and balistic pro, its one of the best war/historic fictions i have read in long time. It also has alternative universe spin to it, that's really cool. Found it by accidentally seeing review of it in War history magazine in early october. On 4th book now.

http://www.amazon.com/Into-Storm-Destro ... men+series" target="_blank


Back to the topic.

Holy crap....that makes me wish I still read. Looking at the synopsis of a few of those they sound like amazing stories. I loved the movie The Final Countdown so these are perfect to me. Damnit .

I've got every book in the series. It really gets involved in the later books with multiple factions across several species.

[Kasey Chang]

In that case, you need to read "The Axis of Time" trilogy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_Time" target="_blank

[Grifman]

The USN has just christened the U.S.S. Gerald R Ford, first of a new class of nuclear aircraft carriers intended to replace the old Nimitz class. This is the first new CVN design in four decades. Construction of the next (also Ford-class) USS John F Kennedy is also underway.

Interesting little detail tucked away in the article:

The increased power capacity is needed for the four electro-magnetic aircraft launchers and for future systems such as directed energy weapons that might be feasible during the carrier's 50-year lifespan.

So will a future naval Enterprise have phasers after all?

[Kraken]

The USN has just christened the U.S.S. Gerald R Ford, first of a new class of nuclear aircraft carriers intended to replace the old Nimitz class. This is the first new CVN design in four decades. Construction of the next (also Ford-class) USS John F Kennedy is also underway.

Interesting little detail tucked away in the article:

The increased power capacity is needed for the four electro-magnetic aircraft launchers and for future systems such as directed energy weapons that might be feasible during the carrier's 50-year lifespan.

So will a future naval Enterprise have phasers after all?

I saw somewhere that the third carrier will indeed be named Enterprise.

[mori]

The USN has just christened the U.S.S. Gerald R Ford, first of a new class of nuclear aircraft carriers intended to replace the old Nimitz class. This is the first new CVN design in four decades. Construction of the next (also Ford-class) USS John F Kennedy is also underway.

Interesting little detail tucked away in the article:

The increased power capacity is needed for the four electro-magnetic aircraft launchers and for future systems such as directed energy weapons that might be feasible during the carrier's 50-year lifespan.

So will a future naval Enterprise have phasers after all?

I saw somewhere that the third carrier will indeed be named Enterprise.

So the timeline would make one or possibly two more Enterprise ships before we get to the interstellar Declaration class .

[Daehawk]

I would love to see a new USS Independence carrier. I know we got a whatever they are one. But indy should be a carrier.

[Daehawk]

The rail guns new sabot round.

An older video on the uses of a General Atomics Blitzer railgun system

this thing does mach 5 and after hitting a solid steel plate at 100 yards continues another 7 kilometers with a flat gun trajectory. F'n A!

Warp drive IS possible. A condom is used by a scientist to show how it is possible. A nice set of legs is included for viewing pleasure.

[Isgrimnur]

The USS Fort Worth survived being zerg rushed:

The U.S. Navy’s third Littoral Combat Ship fired its 57mm and 30mm guns against mock enemy targets while moving quickly through the water and coordinating with an MH-60R helicopter during its recent live-fire test of the surface warfare mission package aboard the USS Fort Worth, service officials said.

The live-fire exercise aboard LCS 3, which took place at Point Mugu Range, Calif., was designed to place the ship’s surface warfare weapons in a combat-like scenario in order to assess its ability to defend the ship from fast-moving small boats, said Capt. John Ailes, an official with Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships.
...
The surface warfare mission package on the LCS will improve the Navy’s existing ability to counter the swarming small boat threat, he added. The LCS has endured rounds of criticism following a report by Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation that the ship is “not expected to be survivable” in combat.
...
“This is a final verification that all challenges were behind us. Daytime and nighttime firings were spectacular. The 57mm and 30mm guns destroyed the targets and an MH-60R helicopter provided radar data which we then passed to the fire control system,” he explained.

Rule #1: Take out the chopper.

[Daehawk]

Looking at the ship I dont see how the stern is defensible. Say 5 pirate ships speed toward the ship...or worse 5 suicide boats...they are all travelling at high speed. The bad guys use a Stinger to remove the chopper and the little boats speed towards the rear of the ship to detonate on contact. I just dont see it being able to defend itself with 1 57mm gun on the front and the 30mm no telling where.

[Isgrimnur]

Looks like those 30mms cover the rear just fine.

[Holman]

Rule #1: Take out the chopper.

Is the ship dependent on the MH-60 for radar coverage (which seems crazy), or was joint coverage simply the point of this particular exercise?

I've read that the LCS "offloads" certain sensors to helicopters and other vessels to lower its electronic profile, but I can't believe it doesn't have a backup radar onboard.

[Isgrimnur]

It will use the SEA GIRAFFE.

[Daehawk]

Looks like those 30mms cover the rear just fine.

That would appear to be excellent placement of them.

[Brian]

Looks like those 30mms cover the rear just fine.

That would appear to be excellent placement of them.

Plus I see what appear to be gun mounts (.50 cal maybe?) on either side of the aft missile launcher.

We had four .50 mounts on our ship, two forward and two aft plus two 25mm chainguns amidships.

One of the .50's was my GQ station.

[Isgrimnur]

My research indicates that you are correct. Looks like the location may have been changed. Either that, or the ones on the aft are below the level that we can see from that angle and the ones visible have been added.

[stessier]

Well this makes me feel better - the launch codes for our nukes was 00000000 for 20 years.

The codes, known as Permissive Action Links (PALs), were supposed to prevent the use of nuclear weapons
...
And while Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara directly oversaw the installation of PALs on the US-based ICBM arsenal, US Strategic Command generals almost immediately had the PAL codes all reset to 00000000 to ensure that the missiles were ready for use regardless of whether the president was available to give authorization.

As Today I Found Out's Karl Smallwood reports, Dr. Blair stated that that the not-so-secret code was hardly a secret from the crews manning the silos. "Our launch checklist in fact instructed us, the firing crew, to double-check the locking panel in our underground launch bunker to ensure that no digits other than zero had been inadvertently dialed into the panel," Blair noted.

[Kasey Chang]

It will use the SEA GIRAFFE.

Wonder if a soft inflatable dirigible may be a better choice? If it has some RAM material, it'd be invisible on radar and thus almost invulnerable except home-on-radar missiles, and only while it's on. Set a couple of those with sonobuoy as anchors and you'd have something better than a Sea Giraffe. It'd be f***ing amphbious... Detect threats both above and below

[Kraken]

Giant WW2 submarine found

A research team has discovered a monster submarine built by the Japanese Navy during World War II, which sank off the southern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, in 1945.

Designed to ferry three seiran bombers in its massive 150-foot (46-meter) hangar, the I-400—also known as a Sen-Toku class submarine—was the first of three aircraft carrier submarines built by the Japanese for their war effort.

They were the largest submarines in existence until the construction of nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the 1960s.

"There were actually 18 of them that were ordered by [Admiral] Yamamoto at the beginning of the war, but only three were made," said Terry Kerby, operations director at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, which contributed to the recovery effort.

"The Allies didn't even know these submarines existed until after the Japanese surrendered," he said.

So how was it sunk?

The U.S. Navy took possession of the three Sen-Toku submarines—along with two fast-attack subs—and crews brought all five vessels back to Hawaii.

"[But] at that time, the Cold War had started to warm up," said Kerby, and the U.S. didn't want the submarine technology to go to the Russians.

So the Americans sank all five vessels—the 400-foot-long (122-meter-long) aircraft carrier submarines and the 256-foot-long (78-meter-long) fast-attack subs—off Barber's Point on southern Oahu in 1945.

[Kasey Chang]

Other than having a backpack that can fit 3 seaplanes with their wings folded and stowed, there's really nothing really special about these subs. They also handle like a pig having all that extra weight around. At least, that's what I recalled from the books I read about them...

[Bakhtosh]

Plus, the LCS is designed to maneuver to fire. If the suicide boats are headed for the stern, it can turn and use the main gun.

[Holman]

So how was it sunk?

The U.S. Navy took possession of the three Sen-Toku submarines—along with two fast-attack subs—and crews brought all five vessels back to Hawaii.

"[But] at that time, the Cold War had started to warm up," said Kerby, and the U.S. didn't want the submarine technology to go to the Russians.

So the Americans sank all five vessels—the 400-foot-long (122-meter-long) aircraft carrier submarines and the 256-foot-long (78-meter-long) fast-attack subs—off Barber's Point on southern Oahu in 1945.

I don't think scuttling them was any loss to us. Japanese subs couldn't teach us anything we didn't already know, and sub-launched aircraft were a dead-end idea. The USN would launch the first nuclear sub less than a decade later.

[mori]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets. Took the Soviets another decade and the US two.

Although Japanese submarine technology was not much use to the USA and other western powers, I am sure it was far ahead of anything the Soviets had.

[Holman]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets. Took the Soviets another decade and the US two.

Although Japanese submarine technology was not much use to the USA and other western powers, I am sure it was far ahead of anything the Soviets had.

I thought we were talking about the I-400's, which were submersible aircraft carriers (albeit only three planes each), not ballistic missile subs. I don't believe the Japanese navy had any missile-carrying subs.

In fact the Russians did produce the first ballistic missile subs, but not until the 1950's.

[mori]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets. Took the Soviets another decade and the US two.

Although Japanese submarine technology was not much use to the USA and other western powers, I am sure it was far ahead of anything the Soviets had.

I thought we were talking about the I-400's, which were submersible aircraft carriers (albeit only three planes each), not ballistic missile subs. I don't believe the Japanese navy had any missile-carrying subs.

In fact the Russians did produce the first ballistic missile subs, but not until the 1950's.

Exactly what I wrote. Aircraft = ballistic missiles.

[Grifman]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets.

Sure, if you totally redefine what the words "ballistic" and "missile" mean

[Kraken]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets. Took the Soviets another decade and the US two.

Although Japanese submarine technology was not much use to the USA and other western powers, I am sure it was far ahead of anything the Soviets had.

I thought we were talking about the I-400's, which were submersible aircraft carriers (albeit only three planes each), not ballistic missile subs. I don't believe the Japanese navy had any missile-carrying subs.

In fact the Russians did produce the first ballistic missile subs, but not until the 1950's.

Exactly what I wrote. Aircraft = ballistic missiles.

Well, not "ballistic," but your gist is right: They were the first subs that could strike inland targets as opposed to being purely antiship weapons.

Whatever their military or intelligence value, it's a shame we couldn't have preserved one for historical interest. It was a fascinating technological dead-end.

[mori]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets.

Sure, if you totally redefine what the words "ballistic" and "missile" mean

sigh

[mori]

They were the first ballistic missile subs I believe. Ballistic missile meaning they could launch a weapon to strike deep inland targets. Took the Soviets another decade and the US two.

Although Japanese submarine technology was not much use to the USA and other western powers, I am sure it was far ahead of anything the Soviets had.

I thought we were talking about the I-400's, which were submersible aircraft carriers (albeit only three planes each), not ballistic missile subs. I don't believe the Japanese navy had any missile-carrying subs.

In fact the Russians did produce the first ballistic missile subs, but not until the 1950's.

Exactly what I wrote. Aircraft = ballistic missiles.

Well, not "ballistic," but your gist is right: They were the first subs that could strike inland targets as opposed to being purely antiship weapons.

Whatever their military or intelligence value, it's a shame we couldn't have preserved one for historical interest. It was a fascinating technological dead-end.

Thank you. Exactly like I explained it in my original post.

[Kraken]

And on a related note, the US can now launch drones from subs.

It was a clear day on the Atlantic this week, with relatively calm seas, when what appeared to be a buoy suddenly popped up from out of nowhere.

The curious object bobbed about on the surface for a bit and then, responding to an unseen command, blasted a metallic device high into the air.

Just moments after its launch, the device unfolded a pair of wings, gained altitude and began to buzz through the sky – taking live video for hours and sending it back down American sailors hidden underwater in the USS Providence submarine.

Is that sloppy writing, or can submariners really get telemetry while submerged?

[Isgrimnur]

Possibly sloppy writing.

RT

The UAS surfaced before rocketing through the air for several hours, broadcasting the entire mission via live video to commanders watching from a nearby base.

[Kasey Chang]

They can launch a small comm buoy to use as command control channel.

[Kraken]

They can launch a small comm buoy to use as command control channel.

That's what I figured after I thought about it some more.

[Kasey Chang]

I knew reading Tom Clancy and playing Sonalyst games would come in handy some day.

[Isgrimnur]

Bring on the robot rescuers:

The scores are in. After a weekend of lifting hoses, clearing rubble and slicing through walls, a contest between sixteen rescue robots in training has a winner: a humanoid built by a Japanese team and owned by Google.

At the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials held in Florida this weekend, Team SCHAFT's humanoid, S-One, won top scores in four of eight tasks that the robots performed at the Homestead Miami Speedway over Friday and Saturday. DARPA announced the results at sundown on Saturday.
...
IHMC Robotics, a motley crew of roboticists with PhDs, grad students and high schoolers, placed second. Other top scorers included Tartan Rescue, from CMU, in third place, who built their own humanoid and the software that ran it, and Team MIT DRC, fourth, who wrote their own software to run on the Atlas humanoid built by Boston Dynamics.

[LawBeefaroni]

With a speed like that, who cares if it flies over third party nations? It's not like they'd be able to shoot it down.

China throws in UHSMV, checks bet:

China’s military last week conducted the first flight test of a new ultra-high speed missile vehicle aimed at delivering warheads through U.S. missile defenses, Pentagon officials said.
...
The hypersonic craft appears designed to be launched atop one of China’s intercontinental ballistic missiles, and then glides and maneuvers at speeds of up to 10 times the speed of sound from near space en route to its target, the officials said.
...
The United States, Russia, and China are all engaged in a hypersonic arms race. All three nations are developing high-speed aerospace vehicles. India is also developing a hypersonic variant of its BrahMos cruise missile.

In case you haven't been following along, the US program, as ISG posted earlier, is "Prompt Global Strike" [PDF] (how Orwellian). The Russians no likey. Probably because everyone else is getting there first.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia was “preparing a response” to plans by the United States to develop a new fast-strike weapons platform capable of hitting high-priority targets around the globe.

[LordMortis]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25727110" target="_blank

Hello skynet

The eventual aim is that both robots and humans will be able to upload information to the cloud-based database, which would act as a kind of common brain for machines.
Common brain

The system has been developed by research scientists from Philips and five European universities including Eindhoven.

"At its core RoboEarth is a world wide web for robots: a giant network and database repository where robots can share information and learn from each other," said Rene van de Molengraft, the RoboEarth project leader.

[Daehawk]

And NASA canned manned missions to keep us here. I wonder if that was really NASA??

[Kasey Chang]

Imagine supersonic flight without sonic booms... Yep, that's gonna be the next gen cruise missiles.

http://www.livescience.com/19092-biplan ... booms.html" target="_blank

[LawBeefaroni]

The future Littoral Combat Ship fleet may have just gotten about 40% smaller:

The Pentagon has given the U.S. Navy preliminary instructions to buy 32 of its troubled Littoral Combat Ships instead of the 52 previously planned, according to defense officials.

The directive to scrap 20 of the planned ships came in a Jan. 6 memo from Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine Fox to the Navy that could be overturned or modified before the final budget proposal for fiscal 2015 is released, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified before an announcement.

The program to build 52 ships by 2026, in two versions made by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and Austal Ltd. (ASB), has faced an expanding list of questions about the vessels’ manning, mission, firepower, defenses and survivability, even as costs have soared amid Pentagon budget cuts. The total cost to develop and build the ships intended for use in shallow coastal waters is currently projected at $32 billion.

[Isgrimnur]

Yeah, it's pretty much become a rule of thumb that the first number approved is going to get pared down at least once before construction is complete.