Things Get Real as Russia's T-14 Armata Tanks Start Battle Tests (VIDEO)
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Thanks to stealth technology, the machine is practically invisible in infrared and other spectrums. It is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA, or active phased array radar, APAR) similar to the one designed for Russia's T-50 PAK FA 5th generation aircraft
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The armored capsule, unmanned turret, an APAR radar and active defense weapons make the T-14 Armata a unique vehicle capable of intercepting all kinds of currently operational anti-tank arms. This cascade of characteristics makes the T-14 Armata nearly invincible on the battlefield
US backed rebels prepare to attack Raqqa City from 3 axes
The U.S. backed rebels from the “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) are preparing for their largest military operation inside the Al-Raqqa Governorate, as they look to liberate the provincial capital from the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).
With 500 U.S. military advisers in northern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces are now ready to attack Raqqa City from its stronghold at the border-city of ‘Ayn ‘Issa.
The Syrian Democratic Forces will likely launch their large-scale offensive from three different axes, which would not be out of the ordinary for them, given their past offensive contingencies at Al-Shadadeh and the Tishreen Dam.
The primary attack is expected to come from ‘Ayn ‘Issa (north), while two other units attempt to advance from the Tishreen Dam (west Raqqa) and Jabal ‘Abdel-‘Aziz (west Hasakah).
Brigade 93 Base in ‘Ayn ‘Issa is situated just 45 km north of Raqqa City; this will be the preferred method to the ISIS stronghold, despite being the most arduous route of the three because of the large terrorist presence at the northern flank.
Should the SDF break through this corridor in northern Raqqa, then ISIS’ defenses will likely fold at the other two fronts.
Official: US lifting Vietnam arms embargo will not affect Russia’s exports
MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. The US lifting the embargo on arms sales to Vietnam will not affect the supplies of Russian armaments to the country, deputy head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Anatoly Punchuk said on Monday.
US President Barack Obama announced that Washington has decided to "completely lift" its embargo on trade in lethal arms with Vietnam on Monday during his historic visit to the Southeast Asian country. The decades-old embargo was already eased in 2014.
"Our relations with Vietnam are of a strategic character and their further development will depend on the leadership of Vietnam. I think that this (lifting embargo) will not affect the export of Russian weapons," Punchuk said.
Vietnam is one of the biggest importers of Russian weapons. The country buys a broad range of Russian armaments, including Gepard-3.9 frigates and submarines of Project 636 (known as Varshavyanka). Vietnam also builds Molnia-class missile boats (project 12418) under the Russian license.
Official: US lifting Vietnam arms embargo will not affect Russia’s exports
MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. The US lifting the embargo on arms sales to Vietnam will not affect the supplies of Russian armaments to the country, deputy head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Anatoly Punchuk said on Monday.
US President Barack Obama announced that Washington has decided to "completely lift" its embargo on trade in lethal arms with Vietnam on Monday during his historic visit to the Southeast Asian country. The decades-old embargo was already eased in 2014.
"Our relations with Vietnam are of a strategic character and their further development will depend on the leadership of Vietnam. I think that this (lifting embargo) will not affect the export of Russian weapons," Punchuk said.
Vietnam is one of the biggest importers of Russian weapons. The country buys a broad range of Russian armaments, including Gepard-3.9 frigates and submarines of Project 636 (known as Varshavyanka). Vietnam also builds Molnia-class missile boats (project 12418) under the Russian license.
Throwing Off Scopes: 'Dazzling' Camouflage Developed in UK
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“We have shown that this dynamic texture can successfully change the perceived speed of a target, either increasing or decreasing the speed, depending on the direction of the pattern relative to the direction of the target motion,”
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Hall and colleagues from CamoLab made this discovery when studying the history of the British Royal Navy during WW1. Zebra stripes painted on battleships deceived the enemy and made ships more difficult for the enemy to target
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“Dynamic stripe patterns moving in the same direction as the target are found to increase the perceived speed of that target, whilst dynamic stripes moving in the opposite direction to the target reduce the perceived speed,”
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The experiments showed that when the pattern on a target moved in the same direction as the target itself, the impression was that the target was moving faster than it actually did and vice versa
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In the case of a Land Rover, that could mean a targeting error of up to 2m at a distance of 70m when the vehicle moves at 90km/h
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the method could be used to protect military vehicles against rocket-propelled grenades, as the distortion in speed perception could throw the attackers off target and reduce the risk of a direct hit
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Some experts insist that this technique could fool humans but computer-based targeting systems would see through the deception. It could still be very useful during counterterrorism operations
Dutch designers create anti-surveillance 'invisibility cloak' to protect private data
Dutch designers have mixed fashion with function, creating an anti-surveillance coat that makes wearers electronically undetectable. The 'invisibility cloak' makes credit cards unreadable and mobile phones untraceable. Calling itself a 'wearable counter-movement,' KOVR is the brainchild of two designers who wanted to protect people's personal information from falling into the wrong hands.
“We started researching surveillance systems here in the city of Rotterdam, and while doing this research we found out about these so-called RFID chips,” KOVR designer Leon Baauw told RT.
He went on to explain that the chips are part of our everyday lives, installed in ID cards, passports, bank cards, and clothing labels.
“These chips contain a lot of sensitive information and we wanted to protect the individual,” Baauw said.
The answer was a coat and bag made of metal-containing fabric and reinforced with a stainless steel frame, protecting the private information of wearers by making credit cards unreadable and blocking mobile phone signals.
“Metal blocks every in and outgoing signal, protecting you from people who want to trace, scan, or hack you,” Baauw said.
Wearers waiting for important calls can, however, put their phones in an outside pocket which allows the device to remain connected to cell phone signals.
Those looking for yet another layer of anonymity can use the hood, which zips completely over the wearer's face so that the person cannot be recognized.
But while the anti-surveillance clothing is a step in the right direction towards protecting data while on the go, Baauw has stressed that the clothing does not protect against all types of surveillance.
“We focused on certain types of data retention that use radio waves found in some chips. We created a line of clothing that protects against these signals. Unfortunately, it's impossible to cover all the surveillance types within one project,” he told Metro.
Baauw says KOVR is currently in the process of creating a “first small batch of coats” out of the initial prototypes, and that it will “keep experimenting, researching, and designing products and prototypes.”
That’s the year that, according to current planning, the U.S. fleet will grow to 308 frontline vessels, up from 278 in 2009. The fleet should number 287 “battle-force” warships — that is, ships with a combat mission — by the fall of 2016
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“With the strong support of Congress and close adherence to the long-range shipbuilding plan over the period 2009 to 2016, the Navy is certain to reach a battle force of 308 ships in 2021,”
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In 2016, the Navy will possess 25 of the $500-million, 3,500-ton LCSs. Under current planning, that number swells to 34 LCSs by 2021
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The number of large surface combatants — destroyers and cruisers — in the U.S. fleet increases from 90 to 97 between 2016 and 2021 in the current shipbuilding plan
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The new combatants include all three Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers — each displacing a whopping 15,000 tons and costing around $4 billion. Lead ship Zumwalt recently transferred to Navy ownership. She should become operational in 2016
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The Navy should also get six new Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The $2-billion, 9,000-ton Burkes—arguably the best surface combatants the U.S. Navy has ever possessed — are set to remain in production for decades. A new version, the so-called “Flight III,” boasts more power-generation and a new, more-capable main sensor, the Air and Missile Defense Radar
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Meanwhile, the Navy wants to lay up two old Ticonderoga-class cruisers in 2020 and gradually update the 10,000-ton vessels, eventually returning them to the fleet to replace other Ticonderogas currently in service
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Navy’s preferred platform for the “air-defense commander” role, overseeing the defensive operations of other missile-equipped warships. The Navy wants to maintain at least 11 Ticonderogas in service at any given time, in order to provide one cruiser to each aircraft carrier battle group
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In 2016, the Navy possesses 32 amphibious assault ships. That number increases by two by 2021, thanks to the completion of 25,000-ton San Antonio-class vessels, each costing $2 billion
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In 2016, the Navy possesses 52 nuclear-powered attack subs. That number remains essentially flat through 2020 before beginning a precipitous decline to a low of just 41 in 2029
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Despite this, the U.S. fleet is on track to continue growing. From 308 ships in 2021, the fleet should expand to 310 in 2022 and peak at around 313 vessels in 2025
ROME, May 23 (UPI) -- The Italian navy's sixth FREMM-class frigate has left a Fincantieri shipyard to begin initial sea trials, the Italian navy says.
On board the ITS Luigi Rizzo is Vice-Adm. Donato Marzano, Italian navy logistic commander and chairman of the Naval Ship Acceptance Commission, navy test personnel and representatives from technical organizations involved in testing activities.
"This activity marks the beginning of the program of sea trials which will continue until the completion of the ship's outfitting phase," the Italian navy said. "The FREMM frigate is scheduled to be delivered to the Italian Navy in early 2017."
FREMM, or European Multimission Frigate, ships were designed for France and Italy by DCNS/Armaris and Fincantieri. They are between 466 feet and 474 feet long, depending on national requirement, have a speed of more than 27 knots, and a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles.
Russia has inked a new deal with Laos for the repair of military equipment.
According to media reports, Russian Helicopters, which is part of the state firm Rostec, signed the contract with the Laotian defense ministry. Under the four-year deal, experts from the firm will carry out helicopter repairs. Among the equipment to be serviced are two Mil Mi-17-1B and two Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters, the latter of which will be upgraded to Mi-17-1B during repair.
Laos had initially gotten the helicopters from Russia in the 1990s, with a contract signed for 12 Mil Mi-17s in 1996 and delivered over the next few years.
Russia and Laos have been discussing the possibility of new repair arrangements for a while now. At the Dubai Airshow last year, RIA Novosti deputy general director Alexander Scherbinin had said that the possibility of repairing two Lao Mil Mi-17s at Sevastopol repair plant was under discussion.
The Mil Mi-17 helicopter made headlines in Laos last year when one of them carrying 23 people – 19 passengers and four crew members – was declared missing after losing contact with air traffic control in the capital city of Vientiane.
Russia has after-sale maintenance helicopter contracts with other countries as well. With respect to Laos’ neighbor Vietnam, for instance, Moscow and Hanoi had even undertaken a joint venture to set up helicopter company HELITECHCO which was founded in 1994. HELITECHCO has since repaired more than 80 civil helicopters belonging to government and commercial operators from several Asian countries, including Vietnam, Laos, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Earlier this year, Russian Helicopters had said at the 2016 Singapore Airshow that it was performing a scheduled technical audit to check on the possibility of conducting Mi-8/17 military helicopter repairs there. Necessary boosts for operations were said to include more training for specialists as well as additional equipment and infrastructure.
UN warns of 'great risk' to civilians as battle for Fallujah looms
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The United Nations has warned that around 50,000 civilians in the Islamic State-controlled Iraqi city of Fallujah remain "at great risk" as Iraqi forces advance
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"We are deeply worried by reports from people inside Fallujah that Daesh (IS) is rounding up families and using them as human shields,"
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More than 30,000 Iraqi troops headed by counter-terrorism units are poised to invade the city
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Iraq’s government has dubbed the operation the “Break-Up of Terrorism.”
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By recapturing Fallujah and several small towns, Iraqi troops will be free to advance to Mosul
Key Syrian airbase ‘partly destroyed’ by ISIS attack
Newly-released satellite images show huge devastation at the strategic Tiyas airbase (T4) in central Syria.
The images were published by the BBC, which had obtained them from the US geopolitical intelligence company Stratfor.
According to analysts who examined the images, 4 Russian combat helicopters and some 20 supply trucks have been completely destroyed inside the airbase, which has been extensively used by the Russian Air Force, especially when liberating the ancient city of Palmyra.
On May 10, ISIS shelled the Tiyas airbase with artillery and rocket launchers after controlling the deserted battalion nearly 8 km to the northwest of the airbase.
PASCAGOULA, Miss., May 23 (UPI) -- A new amphibious transport dock being built for the U.S. Navy has been christened the Portland by Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding.
The Portland (LPD 27) is the 11th San Antonio-class vessel for the Navy, which are used to embark and land U.S. Marines and their equipment and supplies.
The vessels are 684 feet long and 105 feet wide.
"Marines love these ships," said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Christopher Owens, director of the U.S. Navy's expeditionary warfare division, at the ceremony Saturday. "They are perhaps the most versatile ships in the fleet.
"And in this current era when the United States faces a variety of threats and potential crises across the globe, LPDs uniquely enable the Navy and Marine Corps team to adapt and respond to a full range of scenarios we might face."
Ingalls delivered to the Navy the tenth LPD, John P. Murtha, on May 13 and has received more than $300 million in advance procurement funding for the 12th ship in the class, the Fort Lauderdale.
"Portland is the 11th ship in the San Antonio class, and she is the best LPD to date," Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. "Working closely with our Navy partner, we continue to improve on each ship we build."
Russia killed 28,000 militants in Syria, third of all ISIS forces – Russian deputy security chief
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We estimate that at the beginning of our operation Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] possessed about 80,000 fighters, of whom 28,000 (35 percent) have already been eliminated. This is [the result of] our actions together with the Syrian Army,” Evgeny Lukyanov said at the VII international security summit being held in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic.
“Well, the [US-led anti-terrorist] coalition eliminated an additional 5,000 in two years,” Lukyanov added.
“There were people predicting that it [Russia’s anti-terrorist operation in Syria] would result in another Afghanistan or something like that. That would never be. There are only limited military plans,” Lukyanov said, stressing that Syrians “must solve their issues for themselves.”
The principle task of the Russian operation in Syria has been to force the sides to start a political dialogue, the Russian Security Council’s top official stressed.
“Otherwise this [war] would have no end in sight.”
Russia rejects reports of Russian combat helicopters destroyed in Syria
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MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. All Russian combat helicopters in Syria are performing scheduled tasks and there are no casualties among personnel, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.
The ministry’s spokesman thus commented on some media reports referring to the US intelligence firm Stratfor that a group of Russian combat helicopters and two dozen trucks had allegedly been destroyed at the Tias airbase in the province of Homs.
"All the Russian combat helicopters staying in the Syrian Arab Republic are performing planned assignments to destroy terrorists. There are no casualties among the personnel of the Russian airbase," the spokesman said.
According to the spokesman, "the rumors about the destruction of a group of Russian helicopters and two dozen trucks were created by the propagandists of the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terrorist organization outlawed in Russia] who unsuccessfully tried to ‘sell’ this alleged piece of news about ten days ago."
The transforming 'hypercopter' that can hit 293mph: Airbus awarded patent for record breaking helicopter with two jet engines
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Airbus has been awarded a patent for, what claims to be, the fastest helicopter in the world. Illustrations reveal a unique design with components found in fixed-wing airplanes, two Rolls Royce Turbomeca RTM322 series engines and technology that transforms the copter into an airplane. Called 'Compound Helicopter', the patent describes a vehicle that is high speed, long range hybrid helicopter that maxes out at speeds of 293 miles per hour
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In traditional helicopters, the tail rotor is used to provide an anti-torque to stabilize the helicopter, but Airbus' patented design gets the anti-torque from thrust variations of the two propellers. Airbus says the combination of higher cruise speeds and excellent VTOL performance is ideal for military missions like Special Forces operations and medical evacuation. But he airplane manufacturer has not made it clear if the patented compound helicopter will make it will be produced for the masses or if it will even make it that far.
Vietnam May Buy F-18 Fighter Jets, Littoral Combat Ships From US
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"Among the systems Hanoi reportedly is interested in are Lockheed Martin’s F-16 jets, Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, competing littoral combat ship designs from Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, and precision-guidance munitions from Raytheon and Boeing,"
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"News reports indicate that Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics are already lining up, with some major announcements expected before the end of this year,"
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"President Obama’s decision to lift bans to weapons sales to Vietnam is another step along the road to a major confrontation between the United States and China."
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"Vietnam is the world’s eighth-largest arms importer with purchases virtually all aimed at China, and therefore it is set to become another Saudi Arabia in terms of the influence it exercises over US policy."
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"The Obama administration has treated China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea with the same recklessness evident in NATO’s beefed-up presence in the Baltic and Black seas with respect to Russia."
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"But a budding US-Vietnam axis does not directly threaten Russia in its own neighborhood: It is likely something Moscow can find a way to adjust to."
THE M1 ABRAMS SPENDS ITS AUTUMN YEARS IN THE ARAB WINTER
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The M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT) gained a vaunted status in the American arsenal after its performance in the Gulf War. With over 2,162 enemy tanks destroyed, in exchange for 23 Abrams damaged or destroyed
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When videos of burning M1 Abrams in Saudi Arabia and Yemen began to appear online, it is no wonder Americans were surprised
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A Tosun Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) seconds away from impact with a Saudi M1 Abrams. The resulting ammunition fire completely consumes the vehicle. The Tosun is an Iranian copy of the Russian 9M113 Konkurs ATGM
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In the Jizan region of Saudi Arabia, near the Yemen border, Houthi rebels film the destruction of a disabled Saudi M1
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Another M1 smolders in Jizan. Stricken by a powerful improvised explosive device (IED), the M1 in this footage betrays a trend repeated in other videos: Saudi M1 tanks seem to be deployed with little-to-no infantry presence. After the well-documented, hard lessons wrought from the SAA employment of lone T-72s, it is baffling to think that Saudi commanders would freely commit the same errors. Unaccompanied armor is easy prey to ATGM teams due to the lowered risk of reprisal. Infantry working in conjunction with armor is crucial to spot and engage threats, even if it is after the initial missile attack
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The inevitable end for an M1 captured by Houthi rebels. Unlike ISIS and US-backed criminal gangs in Syria, the Houthi suffer from a lack of trained vehicle crews. Unable to use or repair the damaged equipment, the tribesmen render captured tanks unrecoverable by Saudi forces
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Evidence, such as the images above, indicate that the M1A2 in Saudi hands is little more than a static target for Houthi rebels armed with Konkurs-type missiles. The Saudis possessed 440 of the M1A2 and M1A2S “Systems Enhancement Package” (SEP) at the onset of hostilities with Yemen, and while it isn’t clear exactly how many they’ve lost, estimates in January, 2016 placed total Saudi vehicle losses at 136
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In Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Houthi rebels armed with forty-year-old ATGMs continue to reap a high number of modern U.S.-provided tanks in close combat. The M1 was not designed to face ATGM threats on its flanks, which appears to be a regular reality in Yemen and Saudi Arabia
The M60A3 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) would hot-rod the Patton via kits supplied by Raytheon and its partners. The new V-12 diesel engine is rebuilt with stronger internals, increased fuel and airflow capacity, better cooling and more compression, and coupled to a strengthened transmission. The changes bump its output from 750 to 950 horsepower
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The Patton's turret can be converted from hydraulic to electric power. Hydraulics are hard to maintain and the hydraulic lines running through the M60's hull are downright dangerous. The kit replaces them with digitally-controlled electric wiring and actuators, making the turret quieter and lighter while allowing it to rotate faster. In place of the original 105mm M68 rifled gun, the M60 SLEP slots in a 120mm M256 smooth bore cannon
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"It's directly out of the M1A1," Guzulaitis says of the gun. "It's substantially more accurate, definitely more lethal, it's lighter and it allows you to use a wider range of NATO-partner ammunition." The gun's range is "substantially greater than an off-the-shelf M60 cannon," too, thanks to a not only the gun itself but also the new digital fire control and sight systems that come with the SLEP. The new configuration has sighting and fire control linked via Ethernet integrated with a laser day sight and night thermal sight, all connected to the electronic turret drive
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"A legacy M60 tank requires you to stop to shoot to achieve a high level of accuracy," he says. "The new system allows you to shoot on the move, which equals increased survivability. If you have to stop to shoot, you're opening yourself up to getting hit."
Military Thread V20 
May 23 2016, 11:03 AM
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