The B-17 “Flying Fortress” is one of the most iconic aircraft of World War II. Built by Boeing, the four-engine bomber was the United States’ primary weapon of destruction in the air campaign to annihilate cities and bring Nazi Germany to its knees. Its combat performance was decidedly uneven, yet no one questions its primacy in the war. read more
Raytheon is developing what is billed as a universal remote for the US Navy that will allow a single unit to control a wide range of unmanned vehicles. Designed to save space onboard ships as well as make pilot training easier, the Raytheon Common Ground Control System (CGCS) is based on the modular, open architecture Unmanned Aircraft System Control Segment standard (UCS) that promotes vehicle software interoperability. read more
Russia launched the world’s longest submarine today, the special mission submarine Belgorod. Designed to support a variety of military missions, including the Poseidon long-range strategic nuclear torpedo, the sub is far larger than anything operated by any other naval force, including the U.S. Navy. The six hundred foot long submarine displaces more water than a World War I battleship and can dive to a depth of 1,700 feet. read more
What should we make of the situation in Venezuela? Is this really something the United States should be involved in, or is it just another in a string of American buttinskies, injecting ourselves into a nation’s internal struggle?
While many on the right are cheering the most recent coup attempt to overthrow the current Thug-in-Chief, Nicholas Maduro, by Juan Guaidó, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s just another case of replacing the devil we know with the devil we don’t. read more
The Blue Angels are getting new jets for their 75th anniversary—kind of.
The Navy’s flight demonstration team will move from the older F/A-18C Hornet to the newer F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the 2021 flight show season. read more
The U.S. Army says it will develop technology to block the heat signatures of ground troops and armored vehicles. Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley said the future of warfare, in which soldiers will operate in a “highly lethal” environment, demands that the service develop the means to hide its soldiers. read more
A YouTuber dedicated to reviewing soldier rations, past and present, has finally run into one pack of military chow even he can’t eat.
Steve1989MREInfo has reviewed rations from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, in conflicts from the American Civil War (believe it) to those feeding troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s reviewed scores of military rations from countries as diverse as the U.S., Russia, Spain, the U.K., South Korea, Belarus, France, New Zealand, Finland, Canada, Japan, Slovenia, and Indonesia. “Steve” has eaten it all…or tried to. read more
The U.S. Army has officially selected the Brugger and Thomet APC9K to outfit its Personal Security Details.
The APC9K is the first new submachine gun for the U.S. Army since the M3 “Greasegun” of World War II. The service will buy 350 of the compact automatic weapons for $2.5 million, with an option to buy 1,000 more. The B&T APC9K beat out guns from more than ten other companies, including Colt and Heckler and Koch, as well as guns based on the M-16 and MP-5 weapons platforms.
The APC9K is an entirely new submachine gun developed in conjunction with and for EKO Cobra, Austria’s counterterrorism unit. The gun uses a closed-bolt blowback system, has a maximum rate of fire of 1,080 rounds per minute, and weighs just 5.9 pounds with 30-round magazine, foregrip, and Aimpoint micro red dot aiming sight. It’s chambered in 9-millimeter Parabellum and comes standard with two 30-round translucent magazines.
The modern solider is overburdened, so defense researchers have been trying to invent new ways to lighten the load, such as wearable exoskeletons that shoulder some of the weight. Now, here comes the latest possible solution, a tracked robot designed to operate with Army ground forces, carrying important, heavy gear. read more
LG-1K, developed by Logistic Gliders Inc under contract with DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, is meant to be a very low-cost drone capable of being released from fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter. The plywood and aluminum drone is 10.4 feet long with a 23=foot wingspan. The LG-1K can carry up to 700 lb.s of supplies. It’s now flown twelve missions demonstrating its ability to glide—in some cases autonomously—to a landing zone with GPS precision.
