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May 26, 2024 05:43
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- Rutibex
- Sep 9, 2001
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/images/svgs/permabanned.svg)
by Fluffdaddy
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Fighter pilots have a lot of old school romanticism surrounding them. They're basically the closest thing to a Medieval knight that still exists in the modern day, even if actual dogfighting hasn't really been a thing for like 60 years. The idea of it is so seductive that we have to reach for reasons why we would still need these guys instead of just putting a robot in the air or flying them with xbox controllers.
noble fighter pilots are the myth of the medievel knight. helicopter gunship pilots are the reality of the medieval knight, bullying people who can't fight back
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Jun 27, 2022 19:00
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- KomradeX
- Oct 29, 2011
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/96/4a/00180917.0001.png)
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I remember that one Iraqi guy who shot down an Apache with an AK when the invasion was going on
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Jun 27, 2022 23:10
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- Filthy Hans
- Jun 27, 2008
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/images/title-banned.gif)
by Fluffdaddy(and can't post for 10 years!)
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I remember that one Iraqi guy who shot down an Apache with an AK when the invasion was going on
don't forget the time an Iraqi in a Mig-25 Foxbat shot down an F/A-18 during the first gulf war, that was pretty lit
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Jun 28, 2022 00:13
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- Palladium
- May 8, 2012
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/65/e3/00186762.0002.png)
Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️
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don't forget the time an Iraqi in a Mig-25 Foxbat shot down an F/A-18 during the first gulf war, that was pretty lit
ospreys go down the moment they feel a stiff wind
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Jun 28, 2022 00:16
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- The Atomic Man-Boy
- Jul 23, 2007
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/57/c4/00120915.0001.png)
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Peak oil means we're going back to warfare with sail boats.
And I am loving here for it.
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Jun 28, 2022 00:25
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- sullat
- Jan 9, 2012
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the continental system was against britain, which responded with a terror bombing against neutral denmark
not entirely sure how the analogy goes from there
Vengeance for Lindisfarne!
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Jun 28, 2022 00:37
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- Omnicarus
- Jan 16, 2006
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/6a/32/00090983.0001.gif)
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I think it is John Dolan that has said that modern piloted aircraft and carriers are just waiting for their Agincourt/Crecy moment at the hands of drones and miniaturized smart weapons.
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Jun 28, 2022 00:45
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- Weka
- May 5, 2019
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/f9/e1/00224666.0002.png)
That child totally had it coming. Nobody should be able to be out at dusk except cars.
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Fighter pilots have a lot of old school romanticism surrounding them. They're basically the closest thing to a Medieval knight that still exists in the modern day, even if actual dogfighting hasn't really been a thing for like 60 years. The idea of it is so seductive that we have to reach for reasons why we would still need these guys instead of just putting a robot in the air or flying them with xbox controllers.
I'm expecting China to just hack every drone in sight if it does come to WW3 so I guess atleast if the plane has a pilot all they can do is make it order spare parts.
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Jun 28, 2022 02:17
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- Danann
- Aug 4, 2013
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/49/f3/00203707.0001.png)
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https://www.mbtmag.com/video/video/22301443/major-aluminum-manufacturer-shuts-down
quote:
mbtmag.com
Major Aluminum Manufacturer Shuts Down
Unit 202 Productions
Eric Sorensen
David Mantey
2 minutes
The Century Aluminum plant in Hawesville, Kentucky is shutting down production due to rising energy costs.
In a statement, the company says the plant idling is the "direct result of skyrocketing energy costs," specifically blaming the Russian war in Ukraine for the dramatic increase.
The production stoppage will impact some 628 workers who will be laid off at the second largest employer in the area, according to the Messenger-Inquirer.
The company will close the smelter for nine to 12 months beginning today, until energy prices return to normal levels. The company only gave employees about three days' notice, informing them on the closure last Wednesday.
According to the company, the plant is its largest U.S. smelter and the largest producer of high purity aluminum in North America. The aluminum is used extensively in the defense industry as well as in aerospace applications. For example, it's used in F16s, naval war vessels, Boeing 747s and even at the International Space Station.
As recently as last week, the company was increasing production and hiring, but power problems brought everything to a halt.
According to Jesse Gary, president and CEO of Century Aluminum, power costs have more than tripled the historical average in a very short period. However, he remains confident that the smelter could re-open once prices stabilize. Still, the company gave no assurance that the plant will re-open after the shutdown.
The closure of the Hawesville smelter will mean that only 6 aluminum smelters will be operating in the United States. In other words, this reduces the MIC's ability to manufacture more war planes and other fancy gear that requires non-recycled aluminum. And only the Sebree, Massena, and New Madrid smelters seem to be fine, the other three are curtailed or operating at reduced capacity.
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Jun 28, 2022 02:36
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- Filthy Hans
- Jun 27, 2008
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/images/title-banned.gif)
by Fluffdaddy(and can't post for 10 years!)
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https://www.mbtmag.com/video/video/22301443/major-aluminum-manufacturer-shuts-down
The closure of the Hawesville smelter will mean that only 6 aluminum smelters will be operating in the United States. In other words, this reduces the MIC's ability to manufacture more war planes and other fancy gear that requires non-recycled aluminum. And only the Sebree, Massena, and New Madrid smelters seem to be fine, the other three are curtailed or operating at reduced capacity.
they smelt it
Biden dealt it
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Jun 28, 2022 02:52
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- Delta-Wye
- Sep 29, 2005
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who cares we'll just print some money and order some from china
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Jun 28, 2022 05:16
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- monkeypox truther
- Jun 27, 2022
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![](https://i.somethingawful.com/images/title-permabanned.gif)
by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
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so like, do they just have big electrical batteries aboard or what
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Jun 28, 2022 13:34
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- indigi
- Jul 20, 2004
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/dc/25/00059416.0004.png)
how can we not talk about family
when family's all that we got?
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https://www.mbtmag.com/video/video/22301443/major-aluminum-manufacturer-shuts-down
The closure of the Hawesville smelter will mean that only 6 aluminum smelters will be operating in the United States. In other words, this reduces the MIC's ability to manufacture more war planes and other fancy gear that requires non-recycled aluminum. And only the Sebree, Massena, and New Madrid smelters seem to be fine, the other three are curtailed or operating at reduced capacity.
is this a ploy to get bigger defense subsidies or something
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Jun 28, 2022 14:11
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- Cabbages and VHS
- Aug 25, 2004
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/23/a9/00062218.0008.png)
Listen, I've been around a bit, you know, and I thought I'd seen some creepy things go on in the movie business, but I really have to say this is the most disgusting thing that's ever happened to me.
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what if they called WWIII, but no one showed up?
because they were all dying of water shortages, heatwaves, firenados and unchecked pandemics
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Jun 28, 2022 14:14
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- double nine
- Aug 8, 2013
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![](http://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/39/45/00203882.0001.png)
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out of curiosity, why is drone warfare (of the predator/remote flying missile platform type) possible without getting jammed by the enemy? Is jamming that much more difficult technically or is it bc both sides use the same type of frequency & no one wants to adapt?
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Jun 28, 2022 14:18
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- GlassEye-Boy
- Jul 12, 2001
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out of curiosity, why is drone warfare (of the predator/remote flying missile platform type) possible without getting jammed by the enemy? Is jamming that much more difficult technically or is it bc both sides use the same type of frequency & no one wants to adapt?
Drones have only been used against brown people with no real air defense or EW capability.
There was a recent article saying how Ukraines Turkish bought drones have now become virtually useless now that Russia had gotten some of its poo poo together in regards to air defense.
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Jun 28, 2022 14:29
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- indigi
- Jul 20, 2004
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/dc/25/00059416.0004.png)
how can we not talk about family
when family's all that we got?
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out of curiosity, why is drone warfare (of the predator/remote flying missile platform type) possible without getting jammed by the enemy? Is jamming that much more difficult technically or is it bc both sides use the same type of frequency & no one wants to adapt?
I assume it’s very difficult to bring that much EM interference to bear on a small, fast moving target. if jamming were simple you’d be able to jam fighter jets and bombers the same way
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Jun 28, 2022 14:36
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- KomradeX
- Oct 29, 2011
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/96/4a/00180917.0001.png)
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don't forget the time an Iraqi in a Mig-25 Foxbat shot down an F/A-18 during the first gulf war, that was pretty lit
That I don't think I'd ever heard before
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Jun 28, 2022 15:59
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- gradenko_2000
- Oct 5, 2010
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/03/63/00168081.0003.png)
HELL SERPENT
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Lipstick Apathy
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That I don't think I'd ever heard before
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/ira...n-desert-storm/
quote:The opening round of Operation Desert Storm began at 0300hrs on the night of Jan. 17, 1991. On that night there were three US Navy’s strike packages — two SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses) groups and an “alpha strike” against Tammuz AB. Crossing the Saudi border between 25,000 and 29,000ft, the “alpha strike” was led by ten F/A-18C Hornets from VFA-81 and VFA-83, From USS Saratoga (CV-60), arrayed in a wide “wall” (actually a wide right echelon), with two to five miles between aircraft and each “stacked” 1,000ft above the one ahead to avoid mid-air collisions.
As explained by Douglas C. Dildy & Tom Cooper in their book F-15C Eagle vs MiG-23/25, the F/A-18s were sweeping the airspace ahead of the strikers and would provide SEAD support for them. Five from VFA-83 “Rampagers” formed the left/west half of the “wall,” with five jets from VFA-81 “Sunliners” comprising the east/right half. The Hornets fanned out to arrive at individual HARM launch points that formed a semi-circle around the western side of Tammuz.
The strikers were eight Grumman A-6E Intruders, four (Saratoga’s VA-35) dive-bombing from 25,000ft at 0400-0403hrs, each dropping four Mk 84 2,000lb bombs on two large hangars, followed by four (from VA-75, embarked on USS John E Kennedy (CV-67)) hitting the two hardened MiG-29 assembly facilities with 2,000lb GBU-10 LGBs at 0404-0407hrs. They were supported by three EA-6Bs (VAQ-130) escorted by two pairs (“sections”) of F-14As (VF-32), all from Kennedy. Due to the Tomcats lacking onboard electronic identification (EID) capability, to eliminate the risk of fratricide (also known as “blue on blue” or “friendly fire”) to USAF F-15Cs and F-15Es exiting the area, the F-14s were not allowed to sweep ahead of the US Navy strike packages (except for in the far west H3 area). Instead, they were relegated to close escort of the slower and relatively defenseless carrier-based attack and support aircraft.
Because the remaining Iraqi radars had greater range at higher altitudes, the large US Navy strike formation was detected before it had crossed the border, headed northbound. By this time (approximately 0330hrs), the only Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) fighters still airborne were a pair of MiG-29s attempting to intercept B-52s hitting Talha. Once the Tammuz IOC determined that the largest group of attackers was apparently headed north towards Qadessiya AB (Al Asad), No. 96 Sqn was ordered to scramble a MiG-25PD to intercept the approaching “alpha strike.”
Taking the call was Lt Zuhair Dawoud, one of four “Foxbat” pilots “on standby alert in the main aircraft shelter” at Qadessiya. Dawoud later recounted, “At 0238hrs [“Baghdad time”/0338hrs “Riyadh time”] the Air Defense telephone rang and I answered. There was a guy screaming at the other end of the line `MiG-25 IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF!’ So I hurried to the aircraft. In fact, the technicians were ready for this moment, as was the jet, so the takeoff was exceptionally fast — I was airborne just three minutes after I had received the call. After takeoff I switched to safe [secure] frequency and established contact with GCI of the Air Defence Sector. The sky was clear, with very good visibility. The GCI started to give me directions to a group of aircraft that had penetrated Iraqi air space to the south of the base.”
Immediately after takeoff, Dawoud turned south, climbing in full afterburner to 8,000m (26,247ft) and accelerating to Mach 1.4, with his Smerch-A2 radar in “standby” mode, still warming up. Ahead of him, in the darkness, he was pointed at the center of the phalanx of Hornets, almost directly at the “Sunliners” boss, Cdr Michael T. “Spock” Anderson.
About 70 miles south of Qadessiya, at 25,000ft, Anderson, flying aircraft “AA401,” saw the MiG-25 on his radar. “I got an immediate, radar contact on an airborne target climbing out of an airfield [ahead us],” Anderson subsequently recalled. “I immediately knew it was an enemy airplane because we have some [EID] technology on board the F/A-18. I could see the afterburner flame, and it was an extremely long yellow flame that I had seen before on a MiG-25. There is no question about what you have when you see that. As soon as I took a radar lock on him, he turned right, and at that point he started to go around me in a counter-clockwise direction. I did a couple of circles with him.”
Dawoud confirmed the initial intercept and maneuvering geometry, stating, “My radar was still warming and I was 90km [48.6 miles] from the target formation when an enemy aircraft locked [onto] me with radar. So I performed a hard maneuver and the lock broke.”
Despite his positive EID and visual identification (VID), Anderson held his fire while awaiting a confirmation from AWACS (callsign “Cougar”). However, the quick-reacting, fast-climbing “Foxbat” had just appeared at the far edge of the Sentry’s radar scopes and. without an electronic signature (Dawoud’s radar was not transmitting) to correlate with the radar contact, “Cougar” could not confirm the target was hostile. The Hornet and “Foxbat” both turned towards each other, making a complete circle in the darkness —afterburners burning brightly — until passing each other “180-out,” then Dawoud rolled out and came out of afterburner, causing Anderson to lose sight of him, and “bugged out” headed almost directly east, roaring over Anderson’s wingman, flying “AA406.”
Flying “tail end Charlie” in the long, wide echelon was Lt Cdr Scott “Spike” Speicher in “AA403” (BuNo 163484). Approaching his launch point at 364 knots and 28,160ft, he disengaged the autopilot at 03:49:43hrs, selected “burner” and “bunted” over slightly to accelerate for his first HARM launch — recovery of “AA403’s” digital storage unit during the 1995 examination of the crash site provided a detailed account of the jet’s flight parameters. In 17 seconds Speicher accelerated to 540 knots and descended to 27,872ft.
Dawoud continued his story. “I reported what happened to the GCI and he told me to return to my original intercept course as I had ‘targets at 38km [20.5 miles]. ‘ Meanwhile, my radar became ready. I locked a target 38km [20.5 miles] from me and at 29km [15.6 miles] I fired [the] R-40RD missile from under my right wing. I kept the target locked with my radar [un]till I witnessed a huge explosion in front of me. I kept looking for the aircraft going down spirally to the ground with fire engulfing it.’
At 0350hrs an AWACS controller saw two contacts “merge.” The R-40RD detonated, from the left side, beneath the Hornet’s cockpit. The explosion of the 154lb high-explosive (HE) blast-fragmentation warhead instantly slewed the aircraft 50-60 degrees right, causing 6G side-forces that sheared off the external fuel tanks and their pylons, as well as one HARM. Speicher ejected, but died later. ‘AA403″ crashed 48 miles due south of Qadessiya.
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Jun 28, 2022 16:04
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- KomradeX
- Oct 29, 2011
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/96/4a/00180917.0001.png)
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Shows how thorough the propaganda was during my childhood that I haff never heard of this happening before.
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Jun 28, 2022 16:36
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- Delta-Wye
- Sep 29, 2005
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finally, a reliable m4-patterned rifle
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Jun 28, 2022 23:59
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- Filthy Hans
- Jun 27, 2008
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/images/title-banned.gif)
by Fluffdaddy(and can't post for 10 years!)
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always felt the AK needed a forward assist
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Jun 29, 2022 00:11
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- Palladium
- May 8, 2012
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/65/e3/00186762.0002.png)
Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️
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who cares we'll just print some money and order some from china
in the grim dark future of america, there's only more grifts
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Jun 29, 2022 00:50
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- War and Pieces
- Apr 24, 2022
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/7d/14/00229368.0002.jpg)
DID NOT VOTE FOR FETTERMAN
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I think it is John Dolan that has said that modern piloted aircraft and carriers are just waiting for their Agincourt/Crecy moment at the hands of drones and miniaturized smart weapons.
As long as the house of Saud keeps making princelings they'll need fighter jets to keep them occupied
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Jun 29, 2022 07:41
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- Danann
- Aug 4, 2013
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/49/f3/00203707.0001.png)
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https://www.defensenews.com/land/2022/06/28/us-army-unveils-contract-to-build-new-light-tank-for-infantry-forces/
quote:
defensenews.com
General Dynamics unit wins contract to build new light tank for infantry
Jen Judson
6-8 minutes
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army on Tuesday selected General Dynamics Land Systems to build a light tank meant to improve mobility, protection and direct-fire capabilities for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams.
The production deal is a key step forward for Army Futures Command, which has promised faster and more successful modernization programs through a competitive prototyping approach.
GDLS will deliver 26 vehicles initially, but the contract allows the Army to buy 70 more over the course of low-rate initial production for a total of $1.14 billion, according to the Army.
At least eight of the 12 prototypes used during competitive evaluation will be retrofitted to be fielded to the force, service officials in charge of the competition said.
The first production vehicles are expected to be delivered in just under 19 months. The first unit will receive a battalion’s worth of MPF systems — 42 vehicles — by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. The Army plans to enter full-rate production in calendar year 2025, according to GDLS.
“MPF shows the Army is committed to doing acquisition rapidly and using all the new approaches and new authorities we have to do modernization in a new way,” Army acquisition chief Doug Bush said in a June 28 media roundtable.
He noted it’s the first major platform going from prototyping to production under Army Futures Command, which relies on new rapid prototyping authorities.
“This program is leading the way in that effort, and prototyping into production is not easy. There’s a lot more work to do as we go into low-rate production and then we have operational testing,” he said. “But I’m very encouraged by the work so far.”
The Army expects to spend roughly $6 billion on the MPF program through the procurement phase, including what’s already been spent in research and development and prototyping, according to Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, the service’s program executive officer for ground combat systems. The total life cycle cost of the program including sustainment, military construction and personnel is estimated at around $17 billion.
The Army plans to buy 504 vehicles, and they are projected to be in the inventory for at least 30 years. The bulk of procurement should be complete by 2035, Dean said, adding that the MPF program has remained on schedule and budget.
Once fielded, the MPF capability will be organized by battalion, but will be employed as companies “generally” at the brigade level, Maj. Gen. Ross Coffman, who oversees combat vehicle modernization, said during the same roundtable.
GDLS and BAE Systems — selected in 2018 to build prototypes — were competing to produce MPF. Reports earlier this year indicated the service had already made its choice, taking BAE out of the competition several months ahead of announcing the winner.
At the time, Bush said the Army had conducted a fair and thorough evaluation of both vehicles, but did not address the reports the Army had already decided on a winner. Dean, during Tuesday’s roundtable, declined to discuss the selection process, citing the sensitivity of the competition.
The two prototypes differed significantly. GDLS offered a new, lightweight chassis with a high-performance power pack and an advanced suspension, combined with a turret featuring the latest version of the fire control system found in the Abrams main battle tank.
BAE Systems’ design is an updated M8 Buford armored gun system with new capabilities and components.
BAE System will build an M8 Buford Armored Gun System with new capabilities for its prototype for the Army's Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle. (BAE Systems)
Army officials said the service opted to move forward with GDLS because it offered the best value. The cost of the system, the maturity and the readiness for production were all factors, Dean said.
In 2021, the companies were tasked with delivering prototypes to a soldier vehicle assessment with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina There, soldiers worked to validate the MPF concept and provide feedback on how the service should develop tactics, techniques and procedures for fighting with this capability.
GDLS delivered vehicles to the soldier evaluation in January, months ahead of BAE Systems, which struggled with production delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. Soldiers wrapped up evaluations in early August.
In fall 2021, the competing light tank prototypes moved into the Army’s limited-user test, including live-firing of the systems, which marked the final step before the service selected a winner.
“The soldiers the Army selected for [the soldier evaluation] were tankers, so they were familiar with the Abrams tank when they started last year’s evaluation and they immediately saw how common the look and feel and operations inside the turret were [compared] to the Abrams tank today,” Tim Reese, GDLS’ director of U.S. business development, told Defense News on June 28. “It didn’t take a lot of training to get them up to speed.”
The company also included a commander’s independent thermal viewer, which was not originally an Army requirement, Reese said.
Reese said the commonality to Abrams will mean the vehicles can be upgraded together where appropriate.
He said the company designed its vehicle with growth capacity “for what we would imagine over the lifetime of the program will be the desire to upgrade things or add capabilities” and said GDLS made some tweaks to the vehicle after soldier feedback.
“One of the things that the soldiers really wanted was the skirts on the track to be more easily removable and turn-able, so they could get in and clean and adjust the track,” Reese said.
“We made some changes to the seals around hatches based on their feedback. We learned a few things about the cooling system,” he said. “There’s a number of things that are better today or will be better when we get into low-rate production than those first 12 that we built for the competition.”
BAE Systems told Defense News in a statement that while the company was “not chosen to move forward in the MPF competition, we will take the innovation and lessons learned from our solution with us and apply it to future modernization efforts.”
Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College.
i think this is the 120mm version that's going to be built either way there's a new light tank for the usa war thunder tech tree now
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Jun 30, 2022 02:20
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- gradenko_2000
- Oct 5, 2010
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/03/63/00168081.0003.png)
HELL SERPENT
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Lipstick Apathy
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Pentagon Wars sequel lookin' good
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Jun 30, 2022 03:14
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- Weka
- May 5, 2019
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![](https://fi.somethingawful.com/safs/titles/f9/e1/00224666.0002.png)
That child totally had it coming. Nobody should be able to be out at dusk except cars.
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Conveniently sized for Soviet bridges.
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Jun 30, 2022 03:28
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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May 26, 2024 05:43
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