Swift was never designed to take a hit. A catamaran with an aluminum hull, vessels like Swift are thinly armored, and if hit with a missile they will burn. However, the aluminum, angular and low-draft hull makes the catamaran fast — up to a brisk 45 knots at sprint speed — and able to operate close to shore.

The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command leased her from Australian shipbuilder Incat between 2003 to 2013. America’s experience with Swift would later influence the boxy Spearhead-class fast transport vessel and the better-armed Littoral Combat Ship.

“I can say from experience that the aluminum hull design is NOT meant for taking damage,” one sailor who claimed to be stationed on Swift wrote in a Reddit post five years ago. “We’ve had a couple of our bigger dudes onboard drop a heavy squat from their shoulders in the gym and put a 2 inch gash in the deck. The aluminum hull is not rated for fire and if there was hot burning fire (say from AVgas) it would literally melt the ship in half.”

“Having said all that though, we are fast as fuck and can maneuver in places that a normal ship would not even dream of going. The superstructure is made to flex and can take a punishment as sea as well.”

U.S. defense contractor Boeing and South Korean aircraft manufacturer Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on September 21 to jointly develop an unnamed variant of the U.S.-made MD500 light attack helicopter for the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army and the international market, according to a September 22 Korean Air press release.

Boeing will provide technical support, including for flight control, and both companies will also market exports of the MD500. “Korean Air successfully remodeled the ROK Air Force’s retired MD500 helicopters to unmanned helicopters from 2014 to May 2016,” the press release notes. “Based on this success, Korean Air has launched a new project that will run until 2017 to remodel MD500 helicopters into unmanned armed helicopters.”

As I reported previously (See: “South Korea Unveils Unmanned Combat Helicopter”), the unmanned MD500 light helicopter gunship, dubbed KUS-VH, is the result of extensive technology cooperation between Boeing and Korean Air as a part of the U.S. defense contractor’s offset obligation following South Korea’s decision to acquire 36 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in 2013.

The MD500 would be an ideal addition to the ROK Army’s new fleet of AH-64E Apache gunships and could serve as a reconnaissance unnamed aerial vehicle (UAV) guiding the heavily armored attack helicopters. “Equipped with a so-called manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability, the AH-64E Apaches’ slated to be delivered to South Korea will already come equipped to control the sensors and weapon systems of UAVs,” I explained elsewhere.

However, the unmanned helicopter will also be armed. “The new MD500 armed unmanned helicopter will not only be able to perform day and night reconnaissance and surveillance missions but will also be able to conduct a short-distance precision strike, a feature which will maximize the helicopter’s usage at the front line when an immediate response is required,” the press release notes.

During the 2015 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition, a full-sized mockup of the unmanned MD500 variant was armed with two Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and a pod of 2.75 inch-diameter rockets.

Every week, I will be hosting a War-Cast: a live webcast with War on the Rocks experts, for members only. The experts will rotate based on what’s going on in the world. If you are listening live, you can submit questions for us to answer. If you’re busy, you can watch or listen to it later. It’s like our podcast series, but better, more regular, and more exclusive.

The second service is a gated social network called the War Hall using a new tool called Ryver.  Those of us in the “natsec” community use different tools to interact. We all get too many emails and the tech is limited.  Twitter is noisy and, for some conversations, too public, and there are too many trolls. Facebook is fine but how often do we want to subject our high school friends to our thoughts on the war against the Islamic State?  This gated forum combines all the upsides of Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail and avoids the downsides.  And your favorite natsec experts, including many of our writers, are already in the War Hall waiting for you.

So why am I holding this two-week Indiegogo campaign? I wanted to give an opportunity to you to be the first-in on this premium plan for members of our tribe. Only a limited number of people can access it this year. If you want to get involved, this is your chance. We will open the War Hall and start the War-Casts for members only shortly after this campaign ends. During the remaining presidential debates, the election, the transition season that follows, and as the new administration comes into office, your favorite experts on national security will be there providing real time analysis and interacting with members directly on the issues you care about. Our weekly War-Casts will keep you up to date on what you need to know as a member of the national security community.

Beijing should make Singapore "pay the price for seriously damaging China's interests" with retaliations and sanctions, an influential Chinese military advisor has said.

Professor Jin Yinan, of the Public Liberation Army's National Defence University, made the remarks on Chinese-state radio on Thursday (29 September), reported the South China Morning Post.

The statement is the latest offensive in an on-going war of words over the South China Sea dispute after the Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, reported that Singapore endorsed the Philippines' case to bring international arbitration against China.

Speaking on China National Radio, the SCMP reported that Yinan said: "It's inevitable for China to strike back at Singapore, and not just on the public opinion front.

"Since Singapore has gone thus far, we have got to do something, be it retaliation or sanction. We must express our discontent."

Singapore allegedly lodged the claims against China at the latest summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Venezuela.

In 35 years of military and CIA service, the Blackbird became legendary for its blistering top speed and sinister appearance. But a just-released, formerly top-secret official CIA history underscores the Blackbird’s lesser-known but equally important accomplishment.

In addition to being really, really fast, the Blackbird was also the world’s first operational stealth warplane—an honorific that most historians currently reserve for the 1980s-vintage F-117.

The Blackbird’s stealth qualities took shape at a secret base in Nevada that would come to be known as Area 51. A small team of engineers tweaked and tested the spy plane’s radar-reflectivity, pursuing the two main principles of stealthiness—materials and shaping.

“The airframe areas giving the greatest radar return were the vertical tail, the inlet and the forward side of the engine nacelles,” the CIA noted. “An improvement in the chine [the side edge of the plane’s fuselage] and wing regions was also being looked at.” The engineers experimented with new ceramic materials with high degrees of magnetic permeability and low conductivity, meaning they can suck up electromagnetic energy such as radar.

The results were… disappointing. The Blackbird was a stealth jet. But it wasn’t as stealthy as the military and CIA had hoped it would be. “Enemy radar tracking was reported on all but four missions,” the agency admitted. Communist forces launched eight surface-to-air missiles at the Blackbirds. Seven missed. One exploding missile apparently managed to nick a Blackbird with a small metal fragment.

Washington banned Blackbirds from flying directly over hostile territory unless they were assisted by electronic radar-jamming. But that doesn’t mean the Blackbird failed as a stealth plane.

Indeed, the Mach-3 spy jet helped the Air Force and CIA to appreciate an important truth. Stealth alone can’t protect any plane. “There is no silver bullet,” Col. Alex Grynkewich, the Air Force officer heading the flying branch’s concept-development for its next stealth fighter, said… in 2016.

Which is why today’s F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters are also heavily armed and supersonic. And why the Air Force’s current B-2 stealth bombers usually attack their targets in concert with other warplanes, cruise missiles, and plenty of electronic jamming.

Seventy years after their heyday, World War II cargo planes are patrolling the skies over Colombia’s vast jungles. The AC-47T Fantasma is equipped with infrared sensors to scan the jungles below — and also packs three side-mounted .50-caliber Gatling guns.

Under Project Talechaser, the Air Force fitted a C-47D with three M134 7.62-millimeter mini-guns — multi-barrel, Gatling-style weapons that could fire up to 6,000 rounds a minute. Even though they generally shot in shorter bursts to conserve ammunition, the sheer density of firepower they put out made them a devastating weapon. The “gunships” would orbit the battle area, banking at a 25-degree angle to keep its guns in line with the target.

To avoid ground fire, the AC-47s primarily flew at night — and thus earned the appellation “Spooky.” During the first several years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, at least one AC-47 remained airborne at all times, ready to come to the defense of any isolated outposts that came under Viet Cong attack.

The United States passed AC-47s to various Southeast Asian countries, where they continued to see action. Taiwan and Indonesia improved their own AC-47s, the latter using them to strafe East Timor. South Africa also created its own variant armed with 20-millimeter cannons.

After the U.S. turned down Colombia’s request for AC-130 gunships, in 1993 the Colombian military sent the first of seven AC-47s to the Basler Turbo company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for modernization to the BT-67 standard. The cost — $5 million per plane

The Colombian military also fitted the AC-47s with a forward-looking infrared sensor pod under the cockpit. The upgraded gunships were christened “AC-47Ts.”

Over time, some if not all of the Fantasmas received night-vision-goggle-compatible cockpits, targeting computers and upgraded weapons, including GAU-19 .50-caliber triple-barrel Gatling guns firing at a rate of up to 2,000 rounds per minute. At least one Fantasma mounts a 20-millimeter cannon.

The Fantasmas typically fly with a crew of seven — a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, engineer and three gunners. They can remain aloft for up to 10 hours at a time as they observe the jungle, coordinate friendly aircraft, and provide fire support for troops on the ground. The Fantasma’s engines are frequently described as being remarkably quiet — allowing them to approach their targets unaware and unleash their terrifying firepower as a surprise.

On Nov. 1, 1998, more than 1,300 FARC guerillas led by Mono Jojoy infiltrated Mitú, the state capital of Vaupés, an isolated state on the Brazilian border lacking road links to the rest of Colombia. The FARC laid siege to the police headquarters, killing 60 of the 120 officers there and kidnapping more than 80 officials including a general.

A single AC-47 and two Bronco attack planes were the first government reinforcements on the scene. They struck targets in the city center to support the beleaguered police holdouts.

As night fell, an AC-47 dropped flares to guide additional helicopters deploying troops to Querari. While launching the flares, the Fantasma crew detected a column of guerilla fighters approaching the area — and gunned down many of them.

Mitú came back under government control soon thereafter. And in the following years, Fantasmas continued to serve as a fast-reaction force for besieged towns and outposts. One video from 2002 depicts policemen, pinned down by rebel fire in San Pablo, watching as a Fantasma rakes the surrounding hills with its guns.

Low-flying Fantasmas would rake the target area after the initial bombardment, “shooting the wounded trying to go for cover,” The Washington Post reported. Finally, Blackhawks would deploy troops to mop up the survivors.

Starting in 2008, the Colombian military targeted FARC’s leadership from the air. Three top rebel leaders and 42 mid-level commanders were killed between 2008 and 2013. The Fantasma gunships, directing attacks by Super Tucanos and Dragonfly attack planes, were key assets in the campaign.

More than 70 years later and chaff is still being used. In the video above the German frigate Karlsruhe fires off its Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Countermeasures Chaff and Decoy System—mercifully shortened to SRBOC.

SRBOC is a system of launcher tubes on both the port and starboard, each tube set at a slightly different angle so at least one is covering every position of the ship. Once fired, they create a new fake "ship" for the incoming missile, confusing it, and hopefully improving the defender's odds of survival. SRBOC uses aluminum-coated glass fibers that linger in the air longer instead of aluminum strips.

All modern navies have a countermeasures system similar to SRBOC. Some simply launch chaff, but the Karlsruhe appears to also have the TORCH infrared decoy system for fooling infra-red guided missiles hunting for its smokestack.

Here's a video of the US Navy destroyer USS McCampbell firing SRBOC in daytime. It's not as impressive, but does show the mortar-like launcher chugging away.

Milrem's the Titan, the first fully modular, hybrid unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that complies with the initial requirements put forth in the US Army’s Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport Initiative.

The Estonian defence solutions provider, Milrem, and QinetiQ North America, a defence technology company, on Monday launched the Titan, the first fully modular, hybrid unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that complies with the initial requirements put forth in the US Army’s Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport Initiative.

Milrem and QinetiQ partnered to create the UGV that combines Milrem’s THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System), the first fully modular hybrid unmanned ground vehicle made for military applications, with QinetiQ’s robotic control technology – the TRC (Tactical Robot Controller) and RAK (Robotic Appliqué Kit).

“As a multi-mission vehicle platform, [the] Titan can assist and replace soldiers on the battlefield to perform complex and hazardous tasks,” the companies said in a statement.

Unlike the existing UGVs, the Titan is “a highly modular platform that allows different superstructures to be easily mounted and integrated onto the middle vehicular platform for complex missions such as rescue, transport, combat, and reconnaissance”, the statement said. “The flexibility and versatility of the system not only increases efficiency, but also significantly reduces warfighter and operator workload and lowers total life-cycle system costs.”

A top Chinese military technology company announced the development and preliminary testing of a new form of radar able to detect stealth planes 100km away, South China Morning Post recently reported.

The state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), one of the top Chinese military industry groups controlled directly by the central government, develops and deploys key hardware components, software, and information systems for military and civilian applications. Since March 2016, the CETC is also tasked with technical support to counter-terrorism.

According to a statement published on the CETC website, the new radar developed by engineers at CETC’s Intelligent Perception Technology Laboratory is China’s first “single-photon quantum radar system” and uses entangled photons to identify objects invisible to conventional radar systems, which has important military applications.

Quantum entanglement, the “spooky action at a distance” that baffled Einstein but was later recognized as a key feature of quantum systems, results in correlations between remote particles that, in some cases, can be exploited for remote sensing. Given the military applications of the projects, it’s not surprising that the CETC scientists have not disclosed detailed information. However, quantum radars studies have been published in the open scientific literature. See American Physical Society’s “Focus: Quantum Mechanics Could Improve Radar” for an overview.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A revolutionary piece of new wearable technology that can turn clothing into networked technology is set to begin production. BAE Systems’ Broadsword® Spine® has been designed specifically as an alternative to the heavy portable data and power supplies currently carried by military and emergency service personnel. The company has agreed to an exclusive new partnership with world-leading e-textiles developer Intelligent Textiles Limited (ITL) to deliver the ground-breaking wearable product in high volumes at low cost.

Broadsword® Spine® is on display this week at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. It is an e-textile based layer that, when added to a user’s clothing, creates an invisible electronic network and power supply, by using conductive fabrics instead of wires and cables. With the innovative network, users can plug vital electronic devices straight into their vest, jacket, or belt and have them instantly hooked into power and data via USB — all delivering an estimated 40 percent weight saving per user versus alternative solutions.

Working together, BAE Systems and ITL will be ready to deliver these lightweight devices to personnel including the armed forces, fire, and rescue services, as well as law enforcement, all of whom rely on carrying electronic equipment and having a durable power supply for long periods of use.

Broadsword® Spine® is also designed to be robust enough to operate in the harshest environments, including being resistant to water, fire, humidity, and shock — and can be easily recharged in the field via in-vehicle charging points or through simple battery replacements.

Paul Burke, director of Defense Information and Technology at BAE Systems Military Air and Information, said: “Broadsword® Spine® will deliver a lightweight, cable free, and better alternative to existing systems. It is the first product of our partnership with ITL and uses its revolutionary e-textile allowing power and data to move through fabric. It will be more flexible, robust, and lighter than the heavy, unwieldy harnesses that are currently used. Broadsword® Spine® offers an open architecture, meaning it could be used to power communications used by anyone from a soldier on the battlefield to a first responder called to an emergency.”

We knew Chevrolet was turning the Colorado pickup truck into some kind of military test bed, but I was not expecting the thing to look straight out of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Forget a Raptor rival, GM has gone totally Hollywood and I kind of love it.

Let’s get this out of the way first– the Colorado ZH2 is technically “real” (though these media shots look a lot like illustrations) but you will not be running in fear while these things roam the streets any time soon.

Don’t let it be your excuse for enlisting either: I wouldn’t count on satellite radio or Recaro seats making it onto the battlefield.

The ZH2 was born out of the U.S. Army’s desire to test the viability of hydrogen as a fuel for ground vehicles. But I can assure you it only got that Hollywood body kit out of Chevrolet’s desire to have some cool pictures for a press release.

Not that I’m complaining, I’ll never knock an opportunity for a car designer to get let off the leash a little.

But at least it sounds like the ZH2 will get a little further off the car show carpet than the last ZR2 concept did; the Army actually is taking this thing out to their enormous sand boxes to see how hydrogen holds up in the kinds of hell that soldiers call their office over the next year.


GM reports that they worked directly with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center to take the Colorado ZH2 “from contract to concept in less than a year.”

You probably recognize the crew cab from the civilian Colorado as introduced in 2015, but the chassis has been stretched and body ended up at over 6.5 feet tall and 7 feet wide.

Oh, and don’t worry, it has red tow hooks. Did I mention the red tow hooks? You’re not a real off-roader with that shit, hoss.

EXCLUSIVE: Russia has deployed an advanced anti-missile system to Syria for the first time, three US officials tell Fox News, the latest indication that Moscow continues to ramp up its military operations in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

It comes after Russia's actions led to the collapse of a cease-fire and the cut-off of direct talks with the U.S. 

While Moscow’s motives are not certain, officials say the new weapon system could potentially counter any American cruise missile attack in Syria.

Components of the SA-23 Gladiator anti-missile and anti-aircraft system, which has a range of roughly 150 miles, arrived over the weekend “on the docks” of a Russian naval base along Syria’s Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus, two US officials said.

It is the first time Russia has deployed the SA-23 system outside its borders, according to one Western official citing a recent intelligence assessment. The missiles and associated components are still in their crates and are not yet operational, according to the officials.

The U.S. intelligence community has been observing the shipment of the SA-23 inside Russia in recent weeks, according to one official.

While the purpose is not clear, one US official asked sarcastically, “Nusra doesn’t have an air force do they?” speaking about the Al Qaeda-linked group in Syria.  The Islamic State also does not fly any manned aircraft or possess cruise missiles, in a sign that Russia is directing its actions to protect itself against any potential attack from the United States or its allies.

The SA-23 can fire two different types of missiles. A smaller missile is used against aircraft and cruise missiles and is known by NATO as Gladiator. The larger missile is used against intermediate-range ballistic missiles and jamming aircraft and is known as Giant. Both missiles use the same type of warhead containing over 300 pounds of explosives, according to military-today.com.

Just because China’s “carrier-killer” missile has a greater range than the planes aboard a US aircraft carrier doesn’t mean the US would shy away from deploying a carrier within that range, Richardson has stated on different occasions.

Again, Richardson challenged the notion that a so-called A2/AD zone was “an impenetrable keep out zone that forces can only enter at extreme peril to their existence, let alone their mission.”

Richardson took particular issue with the “denial” aspect of A2/AD, repeating his assertion that this denial is an “aspiration” not a “fait accompli.” The maps so common in representing these threats often mark off the limits of different system’s ranges with “red arcs that extend off coastlines,” with the implication that military forces crossing these lines face “certain destruction.”

But this is all speculation according to Richardson: “The reality is far more complex, it’s actually really hard to achieve a hit. It requires the completion of a really complex chain of events…. these arcs represent danger for sure… but the threats they are based on are not insurmountable, and can be managed, will be managed.”

Defense contractor General Dynamics has unveiled a new armored vehicle designed to fulfill a U.S. Army requirement for a new light tank. The Griffin Technology Demonstrator is designed to be a lightweight, fast-moving vehicle with a powerful gun that's made to support light infantry troops on the battlefield.

Several months ago, the Army told its tops defense contractors it was interested in a new vehicle it was calling the Mobile Protected Firepower. It seems the Army is worried that in a future war, its "light fighters" could be temporarily cut off from air and naval support and wants to make it easier for them to survive on their own. The MPF would give a boost to firepower-strapped light infantry divisions, especially against enemy fortifications and lighter armored vehicles such as the Russia's new Kurganets infantry fighting vehicle and China's new light tank.

The Griffin is a 28-ton concept vehicle that combines the hull of the British Army's new Ajax scout vehicle (seen above), also built by General Dynamics, with the firepower of the M1 Abrams. Griffin uses a new turret incorporating the XM360 tank gun designed for the Army's Future Combat Systems, which was an early 2000s effort to field lighter, more rapidly deployable replacements for the Army's M1 Abrams tank, M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, and M109 self-propelled howitzer. FCS ultimately failed, but the gun designed for the Abrams' replacement lives on.

The Griffin uses a new gun of the same 120-millimeter caliber that weighs 2,000 pounds less.

According to a video interview with a General Dynamics representative, the turret is "just like an Abrams", with the touch and feel that a tanker would be instantly familiar with. That kind of familiarity will help with training, allowing trained operators to transition to the smaller vehicle faster.

Currently known under the technical name Izdelie 2-F66-1, the vehicle was developed by the Burevestnik Central R&D Institute. It is based on the KamAZ-6560 eight-wheel chassis.
The new vehicle is equipped with a special manipulator which enables instant resupplying of an SPG without involvement of its crew.

"As for now, the vehicle has undergone government tests. Deliveries to the armed forces will begin next year," a Burevestnik representative told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The newest vehicle will be delivered along with MSTA-SV self-propelled howitzers, which were contracted by the Defense Ministry in September.

On the outside, the new reloading vehicle looks like an ordinary truck with a container mounted in the cargo box. Inside the box, there is a revolver-type reloading system which contains 92 artillery shells. Controlled by the operator, the system rotates and delivers a projectile to a special manipulator resembling a human’s arm. The manipulator grabs the projectile and puts it in the loading mechanism of an SPG.

Until now, having run out of ammo, SPG units had to leave artillery positions for a safe place where they could replenish ammo. Traditional reloading is time-consuming because it is done manually by the crew. The new reloading vehicle will accelerate the procedure several-fold. If previously reloading usually took up to several hours, the 2F66-1 can reload 50 shells in just several minutes.

Its capabilities will increase the firing rate of artillery units by 2-3 times and seriously reduce the reloading time," a Defense Ministry source told Izvestia.

Currently, analogues of the 2F66-1 are used with the newest Swedish howitzer Archer. It is based on the Volvo A30D chassis and can carry over 40 shells. Analogous reloading vehicles are also in service with the French military, working with the Caesar self-propelled gun.