C-130
Photo Source: U.S. Navy

The U.S. military is developing a new weapon, a new type of gunship. As we probably all know, the U.S. had special types of gunships that they used in Vietnam. They were cargo planes that had howitzers put on them along with miniguns, explosives and just about anything the military could think of. The planes were converted C-130s, a very reliable cargo hauler. They were used in Iraq, in the first invasion and in Bosnia. They could clear an area of every living thing once they concentrated their fire into it and proved extremely deadly. Now I don't know if this figure is correct, but they have been credited with over 10,000 truck and vehicle kills during the Vietnam war. So why do I bring up this old news? I guess I want to illustrate a point. The old plane was very effective, but the new plane that is planned is going to be something out of the future, not because the plane will be improved, but because the weapons will. It will deploy lasers. Contrary to what the military says, they love a war that they feel isn't too threatening to our country and Iraq sort of fits into this mold. It gives them a chance to test out their new weapons under battlefield conditions. Guess what plane will carry the Advanced Tactical Laser? It is our old reliable friend the C-130. The more things change the more they remain the same. It seems to me that this is like putting Air Conditioning in a model T Ford. So why would the military use such an old plane as the platform for this thing? Probably because it is so heavy that smaller craft couldn't carry it along with the equipment that would have to be with it, to generate the huge voltage to power its deadly beam.

Iraq
Graphic Source: U.S. Department Of Energy

I would like to know why the soldiers in the field, in Iraq, haven't received the new clothes treated with the new liquid armor yet? These guys need all the protection that they can get. The way it works is that the liquid, called shear thickening fluid, is made from nano particles and nonevaporating liquid. As long as the material it is treated with isn't subject to force or energy, it remain flexible, the same as ordinary material, but once a projectile or any object hits it with force, the nano particles clog up, almost instantly, preventing the object from penetrating the material. When it is used on Kevlar vests, the liquid makes a dramatic difference in the stopping power of the vest, but it can be used on ordinary clothes also and the military originally said that one of its main uses would be to cut down on the amount of wounded by treating all the clothes worn by the military. For every soldier or marine killed, about 8 are wounded, the highest rate of any war we have ever fought. The liquid is not coated on the material but is, "...actually intercolated directly into the material". When the material stiffens from a force blow, it spreads the force over a large area. The Kevlar vest, after being treated, became very resistant to even knife stabs. This is one of the first knife wound prevention devices, since armor. When material is treated with this liquid it only becomes 20% heavier, not enough to become uncomfortable. The material was supposed to start to become available at the end of 2006. It is needed to protect exposed parts of the body not covered by the flack vests. Is there a problem or is this another one of those things like troops without armored vehicles and bullet proof vests, because the military didn't provide them?

Joint Strike Fighter
Photo Source: USAF

There is a problem for engineers who are developing the new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. It seems that the beyond line of sight communications will not work properly. The reason is simple, they were bases on a satellite the hasn't been developed yet. Does this seem a little crazy to you? It make me wonder, because we are advancing so quickly in computers and such that the satellite may be obsolete before it ever gets off the ground, if it ever does. The earliest date it can be developed by, is said to be 2010. So what is the bottom line here? I'll let a naval officer answer that for you. He said that the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) is not meeting its interoperability requirement. Is this weapon going to be another multi billion dollar failure? I hope not. In connection with this, Australia is replacing the center barrels of some of its fleet of F-18. They want the planes to be available through 2020, in case their order for 100 JSF planes don't get delivered on time. The Australians haven't decided yet if they will upgrade 49 planes or 69.

A new radar has been developed for ground mobil air defense at the Misnk Belarus design bureau. It will replace the Spoon Rest D radar that is in general use now. Britain is deciding if it should adopt the German Mauser 27mm canon for the Royal Air Force Eurofighter named the Typhoon. Well here we go again with the flying tanker business. There are only two companies who have bid on the contract, they are Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The contract is said to be worth 40 Billion dollars.

Think Iraq is winding down? Then why is the USAF considering buying 30 more C-17s? It is said that the military wants more air mobility. Studies suggest that current projected mobility assets are sufficient. So why more cargo planes? I think the answer is simple, the military thinks that they are going to be in Iraq a very long time and that there may be other conflicts in the future where more planes will be needed.

Austria may cancel its Typhoon order. Typhoon is the new Eurofighter. The contract is worth 2.7 Billion euros. The reason for considering the cancellation is the discovery of a payoff, to the tune of 87,600 euros. Does anyone wonder why sometimes the best planes don't land up in the military? This is true for any country.

The US Air Force is contracting out the making of synthetic fuel. The contract is for only 208,000 gallons this year, but if things work out, look for this amount to increase significantly. The rational is obvious, the U.S. Air Force want to be able to take the planes out of the petroleum loop. I wonder how closely the manufacturing of the synthetic fuel is being monitored? Is more petroleum fuel going to be used to create it, than the amount of fuel created? Did anyone ask these questions? Both the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force have been asked, by the Department of Defense, to submit memos about combining their two biggest unmanned aircraft programs. The memos are four months overdue.

I guess by now we all know that the tour of duty in Iraq for our brave men and women has been extended to 15 months. Even in World War II, the powers that be, knew that the military couldn't go anywhere near that long, so they instituted programs for Rest and Relaxation known as R&R and limited the tours of duty on the front lines. Does anyone care about our soldiers and marines in the White House or are they just so much cannon fodder? A report has come out that states that almost 50% of the U.S. Army and 37% of the U.S. Marines are effected mentally from the war, when they come home from Iraq and this was when they had 12 month tours. The U.S. Marines have shorter tours.

Britain says that its GMLRS system is ready for service. GMLRS stands for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. It uses Lockheed Martin Missiles and other parts which were funded jointly by France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the U.S. It is being used in Iraq by the U.S.

General Dynamics Electric Boat has revealed a proposed redesigned bow for the U.S. Navy's Virginia class submarines. It will allow more modular space for storage and different types of payloads. Australia has developed a new decoy system for defense against ship launched missiles. It will be sold to Japan, New Zealand and eight other NATO countries.

The U.S. has given out a 8.1 million dollar contract to refurbish rifles for the Iraqi army. You would think with all the weapons around in that part of the world that this would be totally unnecessary.

Well that's it for today. Take care.