Russia and China trying to make stealth obsolete - Business Insider: The US and its allies continue to invest heavily in the F-35 and other stealth-capable aircraft. But Russia and China are rapidly developing systems that would negate the benefits that stealth offers.
According to Zarchary Keck writing in The National Interest, both Beijing and Moscow have begun development of unmanned aerial vehicles that have the goal of finding, detecting, and possibly even eliminating enemy stealth aircraft.
China's stealth detection drone, called the Divine Eagle, is believed to be specially built to counter stealth aircraft while they are still far from the Chinese mainland.
Friday, August 28, 2015
US 'to Deploy Heavy Weapons to Poland in 2016' | Military.com
US 'to Deploy Heavy Weapons to Poland in 2016' | Military.com: Poland's defense minister said Thursday the United States would deploy heavy weapons to the EU state next year, as regional tensions run high over Russia and the conflict in Ukraine.
Washington had said in June it would store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and eastern European countries.
"We expect this deployment to take place in mid-2016," Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told the local news agency PAP.
He said two locations for the weaponry had been identified in the west and northeast of the country following talks with the United States but would not specify the exact locations.
Siemoniak added that the terms would be finalised during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels in early October.
The deployment of weaponry will represent the first time since the Cold War that the United States has stationed such equipment in NATO members that were once under Soviet sway.
Washington had said in June it would store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and eastern European countries.
"We expect this deployment to take place in mid-2016," Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told the local news agency PAP.
He said two locations for the weaponry had been identified in the west and northeast of the country following talks with the United States but would not specify the exact locations.
Siemoniak added that the terms would be finalised during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels in early October.
The deployment of weaponry will represent the first time since the Cold War that the United States has stationed such equipment in NATO members that were once under Soviet sway.
Boeing patents flying drone that turns into a submarine - Business Insider
Boeing patents flying drone that turns into a submarine - Business Insider: Early this year, the US Patent and Trademark Office approved a patent application from Boeing's Nathan Hiller for a "rapid deployment air and water vehicle."
In other words, Boeing's has patented a remotely operated flying drone that can transform into a submarine.
Here's how it works.
According to Boeing, the patented craft could be carried into the deployment area by a host aircraft. The remotely piloted drone would then detach from the carrier aircraft and fly on its own. When required, the drone would then dive into the water.
To reduce weight and to optimize the drone's hydrodynamic properties, the craft would then shed its wings and propellers using explosive bolts and water-soluble glue.
When submerged, a set of propellers and control surfaces would appear in place of the detached wings and the propellers used in the air.
In other words, Boeing's has patented a remotely operated flying drone that can transform into a submarine.
Here's how it works.
According to Boeing, the patented craft could be carried into the deployment area by a host aircraft. The remotely piloted drone would then detach from the carrier aircraft and fly on its own. When required, the drone would then dive into the water.
To reduce weight and to optimize the drone's hydrodynamic properties, the craft would then shed its wings and propellers using explosive bolts and water-soluble glue.
When submerged, a set of propellers and control surfaces would appear in place of the detached wings and the propellers used in the air.
1st CAV aviators will deploy to Europe this fall
1st CAV aviators will deploy to Europe this fall: About 450 soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation, 1st Cavalry Division, will deploy to Germany in November, the Army announced Thursday.
The soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, will deploy for nine months as part of a regular rotation of forces to support, in part, Operation Atlantic Resolve and U.S. Army Europe.
While deployed, the soldiers will conduct medical transport and aviation operations throughout Europe, partnering with NATO and U.S. forces.
“Providing trained and ready forces in support of U.S. Army Europe and NATO shows our commitment to improve interoperability and strengthen relationships,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Bills, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, in a statement
The soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, will deploy for nine months as part of a regular rotation of forces to support, in part, Operation Atlantic Resolve and U.S. Army Europe.
While deployed, the soldiers will conduct medical transport and aviation operations throughout Europe, partnering with NATO and U.S. forces.
“Providing trained and ready forces in support of U.S. Army Europe and NATO shows our commitment to improve interoperability and strengthen relationships,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Bills, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, in a statement
Shadow warfare: The cyber relationship between China and the US at 'breaking point' - IT Feature from V3.co.uk
Shadow warfare: The cyber relationship between China and the US at 'breaking point' - IT Feature from V3.co.uk: Governments have always kept secrets. Governments have always spied. But the dramatic focus on technological advances in cyber espionage and hacking is shifting the battle lines of the 21st century.
Cyber attacks have now joined the traditional weapons of government as exploiting gaps in foreign networks, collecting zero-day vulnerabilities and installing network surveillance are just some of the tactics now used by nations with the ability to do so.
Nowhere is this escalation in the cyber arena being played out more openly than between the US and China.
Earlier this year a secret National Security Agency (NSA) document uncovered earlier this year revealed more than 600 successful attacks on US corporate and government networks over a five-year period had come from China.
Cyber attacks have now joined the traditional weapons of government as exploiting gaps in foreign networks, collecting zero-day vulnerabilities and installing network surveillance are just some of the tactics now used by nations with the ability to do so.
Nowhere is this escalation in the cyber arena being played out more openly than between the US and China.
Earlier this year a secret National Security Agency (NSA) document uncovered earlier this year revealed more than 600 successful attacks on US corporate and government networks over a five-year period had come from China.
US Army To Choose New Landing Craft Next Year
US Army To Choose New Landing Craft Next Year: In line with the Pentagon's so-called Pacific pivot, the US Army wants to buy a new fleet of boats to replace its Vietnam-era "Mike Boat," the service's first major watercraft procurement in 15 years, acquisitions officials said Tuesday.
The Army plans to solicit proposals for roughly two dozen multipurpose landing craft called the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), or MSV(L), according to Col. Steve George, transportation capabilities manager for Army Training and Doctrine Command. They would replace the Landing Craft Mechanized 8, known as the LCM-8 or Mike Boat.
Army leadership, according to George, has realized the criticality of watercraft based on their use in the Middle East, South America and especially the Pacific, where they have been used for humanitarian and partnership efforts. In terms of transportation procurement priorities, MSV(L) was second only to the Army's major Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Army officials said.
The MSV(L) is intended for sustainment missions and as a maneuver option to conduct riverine operations, or to get into a denied area, where there is a degraded port or none at all. It is envisioned as having an operational capability from ship to shore and along coastal waters, narrow inland waterways and rivers, according to budget documents.
The Army plans to solicit proposals for roughly two dozen multipurpose landing craft called the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), or MSV(L), according to Col. Steve George, transportation capabilities manager for Army Training and Doctrine Command. They would replace the Landing Craft Mechanized 8, known as the LCM-8 or Mike Boat.
Army leadership, according to George, has realized the criticality of watercraft based on their use in the Middle East, South America and especially the Pacific, where they have been used for humanitarian and partnership efforts. In terms of transportation procurement priorities, MSV(L) was second only to the Army's major Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Army officials said.
The MSV(L) is intended for sustainment missions and as a maneuver option to conduct riverine operations, or to get into a denied area, where there is a degraded port or none at all. It is envisioned as having an operational capability from ship to shore and along coastal waters, narrow inland waterways and rivers, according to budget documents.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Seabees build one-of-a-kind causeway
Seabees build one-of-a-kind causeway: A team of active duty and reserve Seabees from the East and West coasts have teamed up to build an expeditionary pier that has sat in storage for four years — and it’s likely that the Navy-Marine Corps team will need this one-of-a-kind pier in future operations.
With a reach of 3,000 feet, a width of 72 feet, the $60-million Elevated Causeway System (commonly called the ELCAS) is designed to provide over-the-horizon logistics to places where port facilities are damaged or don’t exist. While various floating piers are more common, they also become unusable in high seas. ELCAS sits a safe 7 feet above high tide.
“You pretty much have to drag [the floating systems] off the beach and place them in some sort of safe haven,” said Lt. John Orr, the man in charge of this ELCAS build. “This system just smiles and says, ‘Keep coming.’ So it is a perfect Seabee system.”
Indeed, hurricanes have increasingly hampered humanitarian aid, and combat can cripple port operations. As China builds air strips and outposts on reefs and islands in the South China Sea, many Pacific allies look to respond by building fortifications on desolate islands. Despite this potential demand, the ELCAS modular pier remains the only one in the world, and only 80 sailors are qualified to build it (a number that will double by the end of September). The system can be used to rapidly deliver vehicles and cargo ashore in an amphibious operation, for example.
With a reach of 3,000 feet, a width of 72 feet, the $60-million Elevated Causeway System (commonly called the ELCAS) is designed to provide over-the-horizon logistics to places where port facilities are damaged or don’t exist. While various floating piers are more common, they also become unusable in high seas. ELCAS sits a safe 7 feet above high tide.
“You pretty much have to drag [the floating systems] off the beach and place them in some sort of safe haven,” said Lt. John Orr, the man in charge of this ELCAS build. “This system just smiles and says, ‘Keep coming.’ So it is a perfect Seabee system.”
Indeed, hurricanes have increasingly hampered humanitarian aid, and combat can cripple port operations. As China builds air strips and outposts on reefs and islands in the South China Sea, many Pacific allies look to respond by building fortifications on desolate islands. Despite this potential demand, the ELCAS modular pier remains the only one in the world, and only 80 sailors are qualified to build it (a number that will double by the end of September). The system can be used to rapidly deliver vehicles and cargo ashore in an amphibious operation, for example.
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