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#21
Current Events / Re: Russia's War Against Ukrai...
Last post by JasonPratt - Yesterday at 02:58:12 PMI wonder if M111 Vulcan APCs, or equivalents thereof, will make a return vs drones. Wouldn't need to be cannons, of course, just the 7.62 minigun varieties. Heh, R2D2 APC drones using old point defense weapons from cold war ships!
I am reliably told they work well against dragons, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Doomfarers-Coramonde-Brian-Daley-ebook/dp/B005CRDDQE
I am reliably told they work well against dragons, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Doomfarers-Coramonde-Brian-Daley-ebook/dp/B005CRDDQE
#22
Current Events / Re: Tragic Loss of Pilot and W...
Last post by FarAway Sooner - Yesterday at 01:34:03 PMYeah. I really appreciate being able to tour the "original" WW2 boats and planes, whether it's one of the 3 WW-2 aircraft carriers I've visited, the USS Pampanito docked in San Francisco, the U-boat stored in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the restored B-29 housed outside Pueblo, CO or a handful of B-17s around the country.
My brother and I originally had flying together in a B-17 on our Bucket List. After I visited Normandy, my opinion of that is changing. The vehicles are fascinating to behold, but it was the deeds done in those vehicles that really warrant my admiration and attention.
My brother and I originally had flying together in a B-17 on our Bucket List. After I visited Normandy, my opinion of that is changing. The vehicles are fascinating to behold, but it was the deeds done in those vehicles that really warrant my admiration and attention.
#23
Current Events / Re: Russia's War Against Ukrai...
Last post by FarAway Sooner - Yesterday at 01:27:16 PMThe M1 is being singled out because the media made it out to be an Allmighty Savior of the Battlefield 2 years ago, before the Ukrainians had any. Now that it's not living up to the hype, they're pretending that it was the military experts (and not the overzealous mediots looking to sell a story) who predicted this would be a game changer.
Much of the media coverage of the Ukrainian war has been a Military Tech Pornfest. Some of that is just the nature of what sorts of stories draw clicks. Some of it is because certain vested interests (political and economic) do all that they can to pump up those stories.
Some of that is because a few early weapons made a real difference. NATO supplied profligate amounts of 1- and 2-man ATGMs and SAMs (mostly Javelins, NLAWs, and Stingers) in the early months of the war, where the Ukrainian durability against the Russian invasion seemed almost miraculous.
The introduction of the HIMARS had a lasting impact for two reasons: 1) The logistical tail for HIMARS was relatively modest, compared to an Abrams or an F-16; 2) By extending the range of Ukrainian artillery, they put a major crimp in Russian logistics at a time when the Ukrainians were enjoying the most battlefield success of the war. PATRIOTs and other air defense systems also performed well in protecting Ukrainian cities.
All of these systems were typical of the sorts of high-value/high-cost weapons systems that NATO focused on. As inventories of those ran low, their effectiveness lessened. NATO's tardiness in supplying adequate low-value assistance (artillery shells, etc.) compounded the problem.
As did poor execution of the doctrine in question. The advent of thousands of cheap, disposable recce drones has really changed the definition of "air superiority" on the battlefield. I'm curious to know what lessons NATO has learned there and whether/how it will affect their own drone procurement strategies.
Much of the media coverage of the Ukrainian war has been a Military Tech Pornfest. Some of that is just the nature of what sorts of stories draw clicks. Some of it is because certain vested interests (political and economic) do all that they can to pump up those stories.
Some of that is because a few early weapons made a real difference. NATO supplied profligate amounts of 1- and 2-man ATGMs and SAMs (mostly Javelins, NLAWs, and Stingers) in the early months of the war, where the Ukrainian durability against the Russian invasion seemed almost miraculous.
The introduction of the HIMARS had a lasting impact for two reasons: 1) The logistical tail for HIMARS was relatively modest, compared to an Abrams or an F-16; 2) By extending the range of Ukrainian artillery, they put a major crimp in Russian logistics at a time when the Ukrainians were enjoying the most battlefield success of the war. PATRIOTs and other air defense systems also performed well in protecting Ukrainian cities.
All of these systems were typical of the sorts of high-value/high-cost weapons systems that NATO focused on. As inventories of those ran low, their effectiveness lessened. NATO's tardiness in supplying adequate low-value assistance (artillery shells, etc.) compounded the problem.
As did poor execution of the doctrine in question. The advent of thousands of cheap, disposable recce drones has really changed the definition of "air superiority" on the battlefield. I'm curious to know what lessons NATO has learned there and whether/how it will affect their own drone procurement strategies.
#24
Sports / Josh Gibson - Now All-Time Bat...
Last post by ArizonaTank - Yesterday at 01:19:15 PMThe MLB just officially recognized Negro League stats. Josh Gibson, has now replaced Ty Cobb as the lifetime batting leader.
https://apnews.com/article/mlb-negro-leagues-statistics-changes-39321b1e2566f94e15359e65da96b34d
https://apnews.com/article/mlb-negro-leagues-statistics-changes-39321b1e2566f94e15359e65da96b34d
#25
Current Events / Re: Russia's War Against Ukrai...
Last post by Jarhead0331 - Yesterday at 11:41:46 AM^Valid points, but is that a problem with the M1 itself, or just the nature of the combat environment in which it is being employed? Wouldn't those issues also impact the survivability of German and British tanks, as well? Why is the M1 being singled out?
#26
Current Events / Re: Russia's War Against Ukrai...
Last post by ArizonaTank - Yesterday at 09:57:50 AMQuote from: Jarhead0331 on Yesterday at 09:08:44 AMRTFM!
I'm not ready to go there yet. The Ukrainians are dealing with two things that US commanders never had to deal with when deploying the M1; a contested air superiority environment, and drones (in both recon and guided-munition roles).
#27
Current Events / Re: Russia's War Against Ukrai...
Last post by Jarhead0331 - Yesterday at 09:08:44 AM^I'm sure it has nothing to do with the manner in which they are being used. 
RTFM!
RTFM!
#28
Current Events / Re: Russia's War Against Ukrai...
Last post by ArizonaTank - Yesterday at 08:57:06 AMInteresting Ukranian assessment of the utility of the M1 Abrams on the Ukraine battlefield... Basically, 'better than a Soviet tank,' but fraught with issues.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/29/world/video/abrams-tanks-ukraine-russia-nick-paton-walsh-digvid
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/29/world/video/abrams-tanks-ukraine-russia-nick-paton-walsh-digvid
#29
Military (and other) History / Re: Just another day at the of...
Last post by ArizonaTank - Yesterday at 05:50:22 AMQuote from: Tripoli on May 28, 2024, 03:53:51 PMYeah, the Ike Skeleton collection has been a big help for the BoC project. My current project is to try to get a CMBN AAR of the first scenario of the "Blue and Grey" campaign done by 5 June. The scenario portrays the attack of the video of the 1/116 on DOG GREEN. The game scenario is basically unwinnable, as it was in real life. To make it both interesting and as a memorial on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I've decided to present the actual information the troops had going ashore, and to make my moves based on that. Hence my recent foray to the Ike Skeleton library.
Cool idea!
#30
Music, TV, Movies / Re: Jukebox Playlist
Last post by Silent Disapproval Robot - Yesterday at 01:59:01 AMQuote from: bobarossa on May 26, 2024, 05:37:45 PMNot half bad if you turn down the sound and mentally delete the guys.
Babymetal actually has some pretty banging songs.
I just saw the live concert version of their song Kingslayer from Tokyo last November. Fuggin awesome! They need to make more of this and less of that weird Daft Pink stuff.