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Macrosszero
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Noticed there are scattered current affairs threads for stuff related to military hardware, tactics etc. I'll kick it off with some of the more interesting things I learned about recently:

 

On the US front:

  • The F-117A Nighthawk AKA "Wobby Goblin" has been retired since 2008, after a remarkably short service life. Its shootdown in Yugoslavia in 1999 and subsequent compromise of the technology could have been a factor.
  • F-14 Tomcat flew its last flight in 2006 - the only operator of the F-14 is now the Iranian air force.

 

Moving to the UK,

 

  • The country that invented and perfected the VSTOL fighter, the Harrier jump jet, no longer operates the type as of 2011.
  • As a consequence of the Harrier retirement, the Royal Navy operates three STOVL aircraft carriers that do not have fixed wing aircraft.
  • The Royal Navy has recently launched their latest aircraft carrier, the angled-deck Queen Elizabeth, but it is solely dependent on the F-35B to enable it to operate as something more than a helicopter carrier. As a cost saving measure, it is conventionally, not nuclear-powered.

Japan

  • Incidentally, the JMSDF's Hyuga class of helicopter carriers are only slightly smaller than the Royal Navy's STOVL carriers - which used to operate Harriers.

 

Malaysia

  • In the 2014 version of Cope Taufan, Malaysia gave the Americans a first taste of the SU-30MKM and they brought their newest toy, the F-22 Raptor to play.
  • During the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, BAe Hawks operated as strike aircraft, with the RMAF's Hornets performing target designation.

General

  • The Rheinmetall 120mm gun, pretty much the standard Western tank gun, has a barrel life of between 50-400 rounds, depending on the type of ammunition fired.

Feel free to add on, or discuss current affairs topics. Please stay away from sensitive issues such as discussing classified information, or peeing contests in declaring Country X is better than Country Y, or whatever. These are hypothetical scenarios, whereas there is plenty going on just with the turmoil the world is in currently, and over the past decade to talk about.

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Germany to restart development of leopard 3 tank with twin main guns.

 

No kidding - you got a source for this? It would be surprising that they would think a second gun (ie. more rate of fire) is necessary. The trend has been towards increased survivability in low-intensity conflicts and unconventional weapons e.g. IEDs.

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Turbocharged

 

No kidding - you got a source for this? It would be surprising that they would think a second gun (ie. more rate of fire) is necessary. The trend has been towards increased survivability in low-intensity conflicts and unconventional weapons e.g. IEDs.

Leopard 3 development actually ran in parallel with leopard 2 but the sudden collapsed of the Berlin Walland tthe iron curtain force Germany to stop the development.

The prototype came with dual main guns without the turret.

Not sure if they will still stick to this design.

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Jordan and a South African company have been mucking around with that concept for 10 years or so, retrofitting the Challenger 1 with an unmanned turret. It doesn't look like it is complete - it looks weird actually, unlike the Russian version, which looks the business:

 

falcon_turret2.jpg

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Turbocharged

NUvZy.jpg

 

ST Marine's Endurance 160 class concept, helicopter landing tank. The closest thing we might ever have for an aircraft carrier.

 

That's is if the RSN decided to acquire them.

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NUvZy.jpg

 

ST Marine's Endurance 160 class concept, helicopter landing tank. The closest thing we might ever have for an aircraft carrier.

 

That's is if the RSN decided to acquire them.

an LST or HLT in this case would be a very useless asset in Singapore's war situation.

its just a moving target in shallow waters and is not supported by a fleet of ships.

it requires large manpower to operate and serves no strategic purpose.

it also carries at most a battalion of men and some vehicles with no way of landing them without a beaching vessel.

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an LST or HLT in this case would be a very useless asset in Singapore's war situation.

its just a moving target in shallow waters and is not supported by a fleet of ships.

it requires large manpower to operate and serves no strategic purpose.

it also carries at most a battalion of men and some vehicles with no way of landing them without a beaching vessel.

 

I believe Singapore's experience in using their largest ships as command centres during disaster relief and search and rescue operations has an influence in this, such that its military and offensive role becomes a somewhat secondary concern, even though it exists. A somewhat JMSDF Hyuga problem, as it could easily land JSFs. But by involving such large vessels with that obvious force projection capability in highly-visible peaceful operations could somewhat ease neighbours' acceptance of RSN's possession of such a ship. In the grander scheme of things, if the spirit of ASEAN is to be maintained, even our neighbours have to count it as an asset against external threats which could be nations or irregulars.

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Indeed weird looking - must have been designed by an engineer, not by a marketer....

 

Jordan and a South African company have been mucking around with that concept for 10 years or so, retrofitting the Challenger 1 with an unmanned turret. It doesn't look like it is complete - it looks weird actually, unlike the Russian version, which looks the business:

 

falcon_turret2.jpg

 

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I believe Singapore's experience in using their largest ships as command centres during disaster relief and search and rescue operations has an influence in this, such that its military and offensive role becomes a somewhat secondary concern, even though it exists. A somewhat JMSDF Hyuga problem, as it could easily land JSFs. But by involving such large vessels with that obvious force projection capability in highly-visible peaceful operations could somewhat ease neighbours' acceptance of RSN's possession of such a ship. In the grander scheme of things, if the spirit of ASEAN is to be maintained, even our neighbours have to count it as an asset against external threats which could be nations or irregulars.

 

I highly disagree.

 

The cost of a vessel like this to buy and run is very high.

The Peace operations though useful is actually a disguised show of force.

It goes no way to ease neighbours' acceptance for sure in this dual use purpose.

The spirit of asean and counting it as an asset against threats? how do you frame that? terrorists? China?

 

Believe it in no way will our vessels have approval to operate in their territorial waters unless invited, and only in SAR. if Philippines and China want to slug it out, you can bet not one country will want to get some of the action unless they have something to gain.

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Turbocharged

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIhfT3f8bx8

 

This reminds me of USSR laser tank during the cold war. thou it can't destroy a target like in the movie Star wars, it can damage electronics and communication equipment which is good enough to make the tank or plane useless.

I hope this concept can catch on if they can resolve the power supply issue to make the laser gun able to fire multiple shoots without drain all the power.

 

Next version of this could be what we used to play in Red Alert.

prism_tank_by_ravenrender-d31xlws.jpg

 

 

 

Jordan and a South African company have been mucking around with that concept for 10 years or so, retrofitting the Challenger 1 with an unmanned turret. It doesn't look like it is complete - it looks weird actually, unlike the Russian version, which looks the business:

 

falcon_turret2.jpg

 

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