Anti-Missile Defenses!

  Israels new Laser System?

Which may soon be tested out if there is to be another war in the region with Iran!

This new weapon fires a beam of energy knocking out the guidance system of the rocket or missile thus causing it to crash, rather than explode in mid air?

It is not yet clear how many they have in service and do they still need to be re-supplied with support weapons from the United States to back up Davids Sling and the Iron dome!

What ever happens Israel will once more prove itself well able to damage and destroy their enemies who are on all sides of their little nation?

Drones verses Missiles!

 Ukrainian war a proving Ground?

Kiev does not yet see that the NATO is using the Ukraine to test out their military systems and to prove that missiles are still better than drones!

When Zelensky offered his new drones to the U.S. President Trump was offended, because only America makes the best of everything, but this is another lie that comes from this silly man?

Russia, China and N-Korea, if not India and few others have much better systems than the U.S., as well as armor, guns, small-arms, and aircraft, while shipping is a difficult area and drones continue to have a limited capability, because of size and weight issues!

Donald Trump has been very critical of U.S. naval design, since he has a limited understanding of what stealth is and has to look back to warships with big guns?

But the future of air-defense is to be laser weapons, rather than rockets, while drones will continue to be effective in localized situations, rather than anything with a long range that Ukraine may never get.

But

Vulnerability at Sea?

 Oil and gas tankers, hijacked and hit by Missiles!

With the current situation developing now between Iran and the U,S, revenge for the overnight attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities is putting the Hormuz strait and others in danger of being blocked and shipping lost, but revenge may come in the loss of aircraft and British interest as much in the region, if not in our own lands?

Shipping is large and hard to protect, this has been seen in the Red and Arabian seas already with the Houthis and earlier by Somali pirates, but now Iran has long range tentacles and they will use them to cause economic disaster on the world markets, if they want too with loss of life and limb!

Security guards will not be able to deal with missile attacks, they can prevent hijacking and maybe take down a few drones, arming ships with anti-aircraft weapons would make them military vessels and not civilian?

Iranian Missiles!

 Not a powerful as claimed?

But despite the foiled attack on Israel, Iran has been able to launch its own satellite with a ICBM system and it will be their preferred platform for a nuclear weapon, other wise they have an arsenal of smaller missiles for home defense and gifts to their proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and the Hamas in the Gaza strip, when they can smuggle them in from Egypt!

The range of these missiles has gradually increased since the 1980's to ranges that can hit targets in Israel from Iraq and the Yemen, but they like the shorter ones based in S-Lebanon are not accurate and mostly miss their intended targets, but with time and technology this will change for the worse for Israel and the U.S. in the region?

With the changing scenery in the region, tact may change with more precise targeting of shipping, U.S. bases and Tel-Aviv, if not other in Europe, instead of what we already have seen and apart from International terrorism this will be the cause of havoc, destruction and the loss of a lot of life in the name of 'Allah!

Yemen Houthi, Somalia and Iran?

 Attacking International Shipping in the Red and Arabia Seas!

We are entering a phase of difficult times ahead, were what we order on Amazon and other may not get to us on time and the blessing we have had may become worse?

Now that shipping is being targeted on three or more sides over the conflict in the Gaza strip, we are possibly going to war in the region unless nations can get together and stop the drones, missile and rockets that are hitting commercial vessels, tankers and other and in time we will see the sinking of shipping!

We enter 2024 with a developing major crises that will spread to the Malay-Singapore channel and also to the Gibraltar straits with militants active in Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and other place once more.

Prices for fuel will rise and we thought we had it bad with the Russian-Ukraine war?

Russias Nuclear Powered Drone?

Unlimited Flight!

Russia has revealed a series of new weapon systems, including a claim it has the worlds first nuclear powered drone! This is a major breakthrough in unmanned flight and may lead eventually to commercial aircraft being powered in a similar way?

Finally we have an alternative to fossil fuels, but what of the dangers and radioactivity, if they are shot down or captured by hostile forces? These claims come with the upgrade of several former Soviet era missiles and other technologies and a warning that when they wanted peace they were ignored by the world or left behind!

But now that they were back the world was all worried again and so the New Russia is going to defend its allies India and the Republic of China, while perhaps this is an indirect warning to the U.S. and NATO that they will not stand by to allow N-Korea, Iran or Syria be walked over?

The North-Korean Crises. One.

Chumping at the Bit!

North-Korea is defending itself from a hostile west, rather than what our media claims is their mad dictator! This small nation does now possess a viable nuclear weapon, one that is much improved on the U.S. bombs that were dropped on Japan in 1945 that ended World War-II (1939-45)!

The problems of starting a war of this time, is that of the long period of no testing of platforms on all sides and the N-Koreans not as yet having a stable enough ICBM to take-off and reach its target? On the other hand the west is known to have a high failure rate in their missiles of either going a rye or failing to detonate?

So hopefully nations and intermediaries will still want to keep talking and not be offended by Korean cultural blustery?

Auxiliary Ships.

Backing up and supporting the Navy.

Warships, aircraft carriers and submarines may be the front line of many of the worlds great navies, but it is the auxiliary fleet that is the key to keep them going. Even with nuclear powered vessels, we still need some support at sea!

The Internet and skype may have replaced the post, but in hostile conditions even carriers need to change equipment, aircraft and helicopters. Re-armament is another role and the evacuation of the injured, many vessels need to be refuelled at sea and the change over of crew.

Over the years with N.A.T.O. deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq and possible soon Syria, much needed armour, artillery, tanks and missile systems were brought in by transport ships. 

Another role for the auxiliary fleet is training from sail ships to tenders to combat simulations and actual war games action.

The Alvis Family. Part-Two.

How far a chassis can Go.

All military vehicles have the option of other uses with their chassis to be fitted with different platforms or bodies, this is perhaps the same with many commercial vehicle type too. The Alvis family is one of the largest with over ten different platforms all in their own right a new type of vehicle.

Scorpion 90 has a Belgian Cockerill 90mm Mk III gun.
Striker (FV102) ATGW (Anti-tank guided weapon) carrier. Fitted with five Swingfire missiles with a range of 4000 metre.

Spartan (FV103) APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier). 3+4  Variants have included a two man turret fitted with the Euromissle MILAN or the Hughes TOW or a turret with two 20mm cannon.


Stormer, based on components of CVR(T). APC 3+8 there are many different versions for export from 1981. UK versions air defence, guns and missiles. Engineer vehicle, recovery, ambulance, minelayer, 81mm 0r 120mm mortar carrier, and command and control vehicles.


Streaker high mobility load carrier, prototypes.
Samson (FV106), ARV (Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle) member of the family.
Samaritan (FV104), armoured ambulance with higher roof.
Sultan (FV105), command post vehicle with higher roof.
Scimitar (FV107) similar to Scorpion, but has 30mm RARDEN cannon in two man turret.
Sabre, is Scorpion chassis with Fox turret (UK only).

Swedish Navy.

Stealth.

Sweden has a long history for its navy from the Vikings to Empire and then decline. Today it boast the most powerful navy in the Baltic sea, apart from the Russian Federation.

Recently the amazing stealth ship design got itself into hot water with Russia after identifying Russian submarines operating in its inshore coastal waters, but in reflection of the sonar data this has turned out to be two World-War-II (1939-45) subs.

The Swedish navy has had a history with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw pact, trying to avoid detection in patrolling the Baltic's and they have been successful up to now in protecting their interests.

Sweden has a long history of quality development in military hardware, such as the Bofors 40mm gun, the Saab Draken, Viggen fighter jets, Volvo trucks, Surface to air hand-held missile launchers and it range of Stealth shipping from fast Patrol boats to frigates.

The Concorde Story. Part-Two.

Supersonic Bombers.

Both the Concorde and the Soviet Tupolev TU-144 Charger were civlian off shoots of their military counterparts. It was inreality only the super powers of Soviet Russia and the United states that employed these types of aircraft. 

Toay many of the survivors of the 'Cold War era' have other uses, than what they were initially intended for. America has its B1 and B2, while Russia its Tupolev Blackjack and Backfire.

These types of aircraft have been superceeded by more advanced fighters such as the F-14/15, MiG-31/33 and Sukhoi Su-50. On the otherhand we also have the ICBM and new missile platforms today along with longrange drones. 

Road-Rail Vehicles.

Atlas to Unimog.

The means to have any type of vehicle, wither it be a boat, aircraft, truck or other to have a double capability role is ever great advantage. Land and water ability, cuts out the need to depend on bridges, while aircraft do not need an airport or land, but can land and take off from water.

The next advantage is to have a truck capable of using the railway network to cross a country at speed and safer from hurting people or damaging the surface. I must admit that I have a limited knowledge to these types of vehicles, only knowing about the Atlas and the Unimog.

There are many more other Russian, American, Australian and Chinese types out there. Many vehicles (MAC, Ural, MAN) have as powerful an engines as a Locomotive, but these come to their own, when railway infustructure may not be available or defunct. 

It is not just the movement of tanks and armour, artillery that the military use such vehicles.The need to move ICBM's and other missiles can be done quickly and smoothly. Civil uses,can be large cranes and buildings.

Corvettes and Frigates.

Future?

Which navies around the world still operate Corvettes, and do they not all employ Frigates of varying sizes?  

Since the second world-war (1939-45) many navies have developed greatly with many advances in missile systems over guns and sonar. Meanwhile there has also been many new advances in the gathering of electronic intelligence and systems for counter attack.

What is the differences between a Frigate and a Corvette?
Has it more to do with their role in the theatre of warfare.

Today some navies, if they are not just called defense forces employ the Corvette for inshore patrol, with a bit of a punch. While the Frigate is more of a real warship, missiles, air defenses, Helicopter facility and torpedo tubes.