to put it kindly, everybody fears violent Arab-Muslim responses

to put it bluntly, those terrorists hold the world at ransom to their whims, and there are few govts or leaders strong enough to stand up to them

I really think Mrs Clinton would have been diplomatic enough to satisfy world politics, and cunning enough to continue prosecuting a drone war on these bastards

Yeah, few USD per head per day or someth like that

Thats why the Africans damn enthu about joining these things

Can we really turn a profit off that?

Severe typhoon damage to their naval dock?

Spike ER kira as antishipboat missile kah?

Yeah that's what I thought... comparable to the Hellfires mounted on US LCS for anti-suicide boat swarm, though with more range of course.

Nowhere near even Kongsberg Penguin missile...

Issue is accuracy probably

Spike ER naval is not wire-guided surely?!

Over water and waves...?!

you can barely see the fiber optic wires early in the video


i dun think the water is a problem as the missile flies really high up in a top-attack atgm pattern
though this does represent as a weakness as it can be easily spotted early in the flight by the target

Plus we still don't know what SAM missile was used. To be fair, missile IR seekers have come a long way from the sole 'chase the brightest heat source' mode of the 1970s and 1980s.

Advances in IR seeker and guidance computers means nowadays missiles can better differentiate between flares and actual IR heat sources coming off an airplane. Dumping shitloads of flares may still be effective against older missiles, but unlikely to be that effective in fooling modern missiles.

Someone Left a Hatch Open and Crippled India’s $2.9 Billion Submarine

Water damage put the submarine out of action for ten months.

India’s first ballistic missile submarine was out of commission for ten months after someone neglected to properly close a hatch. The nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant was flooded with saltwater, necessitating nearly a year’s worth of repairs. The submarine is designed to function as a floating arsenal of nuclear weapons, guaranteeing a retaliatory strike in case of surprise attack.

The incident was first reported by The Hindu. According to an Indian Navy source, a hatch was left open on the rear left side of the ship, allowing seawater to rush into the propulsion area while the Arihant was in harbor. Arihant was out of action for ten months as water was pumped out and pipes were cut out and replaced. Indian authorities likely felt that pipes exposed to corrosive seawater couldn't be trusted again, particularly pipes that carry pressurized water coolant to and from the ship’s 83 megawatt nuclear reactor. Failing pipes could not only endanger the ship’s crew but the entire submarine... and her nuclear weapons.

India’s first ballistic missile submarine is the result of a $2.9 billion submarine technology program. Construction on Arihant began in 2009, and the ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy seven years later in October 2016. The modified Russian Akula-1 class nuclear attack submarine was lengthened to accommodate twelve K-15 short-range nuclear missiles or four K-4 intermediate range nuclear missiles. K-15 missiles, with their 434-mile range, primarily target Pakistan, while K-4 missiles, with their 2,174-mile range can reach all of Pakistan and as far as the capital of India’s other neighborhood rival, Beijing. A second missile submarine, INS Arighant, was launched in December, and at least three submarines are planned.

India has a “No First Use” policy with regard to nuclear weapons, promising that it would only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack. The nation is only the sixth country in the world to put ballistic nuclear weapons at sea, a strategy designed to render at least part of the country’s nuclear arsenal invulnerable to surprise attack. The strategy, known as Continuous At Sea Deterrence, is employed by several countries including the United States and requires at least one nuclear-missile armed submarine at sea at all times.

How in the world could a $2.9 billion submarine be sidelined by a simple mistake? Not leaving hatches open that could potentially sink a ship, particularly a submarine, is basic common sense. Why were the propulsion section and nuclear reactor on the 364-foot long submarine unattended so the flooding went unnoticed as long as it did? As the star of the Indian Navy, Arihant should have attracted the best submariners India had to offer, which makes this accident all the more baffling.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/n...lion-submarine/

Iranian warship crashes at Caspian port, two crew missing

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Iranian warship crashed into concrete wave breakers at a port in the Caspian Sea and two of its crew members are missing, according to local media reports.

The 100-meter long warship, called Damavand, crashed at the harbor town of Bandar Anzali during stormy seas which kicked up waves as high as four meters, Gilnegah, a website focused on news about the northern province of Gilan, reported.

Six crew members from the warship were initially knocked into the water during the accident and four were recovered from the sea. Pictures posted on Gilnegah show the damaged warship listing to one side near wave breakers that protect the port.

No official statement has been issued on the number of dead or injured from the accident.

On Saturday, the tanker Sanchi (IMO:9356608), run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker Co, collided with the CF Crystal (IMO:9497050), carrying grain from the United States about 160 nautical miles (300 km) off China’s coast near Shanghai.

The Pentagon is looking into a video allegedly showing American troops firing on an Afghan truck

he Pentagon is launching an investigation into a video that seemed to show an American soldier firing his gun into an Afghanistan truck.

The 3-minute, 9-second video in question showed American troops wearing uniforms, which suggested they were part of U.S. special operations. Twenty seconds into the footage, a military armored vehicle could be seen approaching a truck. A soldier is seen firing a military-style shotgun into the driver-side window of the truck, shattering the glass in the process.



"The amateur video posted on a public website gives us serious concern. The video in question is not official, not authorized and does not represent the professionalism of the service members of U.S. Central Command," U.S. Central Command told Politico in a statement.

He added, "We are conducting an investigation into this video, and will take appropriate actions as a result of this investigation."

Other officials emphasized that the video should certainly be concerning.

"I have reviewed the video and I am disappointed and also concerned that the American people, our Coalition partners, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people will believe that American service members are callous and indifferent to the horrors of war or the suffering of innocent people trapped in conflict." Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of Central Command, explained in a statement on Wednesday. "I can assure you that this video does not represent the professionalism or humanity of the men and women of U.S. Central Command. We reject the unprofessional and callous message this video conveys."

https://www.salon.com/2018/01/12/the-pentag...n-afghan-truck/