Current Events

Hi All, @donaldseadog let me know that no new Raw Intel threads have been appearing for a couple of weeks so I looked into it just now and of the four blogs we had feeding Raw Intel, three have no posted recently and the other put their feed behind CloudFlare making it inaccessible. In any event, if you had a topically appropriate RSS feed you'd like to see feed our Raw Intel section, please note it on this thread and I'll have a look. Thanks!

From DTI September 2007 issue Long Shots Sep 7, 2007 Bill Sweetman Naval gunnery is back in fashion as surface ships go for greater impact Guns on warships are like the guns on fighter aircraft, in that they have often been considered on the road to extinction. When the U.S. Navy's gigantic Iowa-class battleships were decommissioned in 1992, the era of 16-in. guns firing 2,700-lb. shells ended forever. Arguably, advances in ship gunnery had stopped long before, with the automatic high-rate-of-fire 8-in. (203-mm.) weapons on the Des Moines cruisers. The 4.5-in., 5-in. and 130-mm. guns on more modern warships -- all in the same overall class -- were second…

Secret Projects (Aviation Week)

Here is a teaser. "We didn't encounter them in the Gulf or in Kosovo. Next time, we will. The Double-Digit SAMs By John A. Tirpak, Senior Editor Since the inception of stealth aircraft such as the B-2 bomber and the F-22 fighter, the Air Force has been warning that advanced surface-to-air missile systems in the early 2000s would begin proliferating among US adversaries, sharply raising the danger to nonstealthy combat aircraft. As if on cue, Russia in December announced it had struck a multibillion dollar arms deal to equip Iran with the deadly S-300 family of SAMs and its associated radars." The full article is here.

The newly revamped Code One website has some great pics that I thought I would share: The ROK Air Force's Black Eagles: Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16s during Falcon Air Meet 2009: F-16 Block 52+ for Greece (under the Peace Xenia IV program): F-35C roll out: Turkish Air Force F-16 (undergoing Peace Onyx III program upgrade): C-5M Super Galaxy: C-130 Hercules taking part in MAFEX at Nellis in November 2009:

Are Fighters the New Capital Ships? (The Diplomat, Flashpoints)

Earth Penetrating Warheads Against Deep Targets FAS.org The Administration is requesting funds from Congress for exploring the feasibility of a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, or RNEP. “Robust” means that the nuclear bomb will be able to penetrate some distance into hard rock before exploding. The RNEP is being pursued in response to the worldwide proliferation of deeply buried targets. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has just completed a study, “Earth Penetrating Warheads against Deep Targets,” that examines arguments for the RNEP, analyses countermeasures, and calculates the consequences of using an RNEP. We find it comes up short on all accoun…

For those of you who have fond (or perhaps, not so fond) memories of the RGM-109B TASM antiship variant of the Tomahawk cruise missile, I have news: From Defense Aerospace Raytheon Develops Anti-Surface Warfare Capability for Tomahawk Block IV Missile (Source: Raytheon Company; issued May 4, 2009) TUCSON, Ariz. --- Raytheon Company has developed a technology plan to enhance moving target capabilities for the combat-proven Tomahawk Block IV missile. The technology will enable naval forces to effectively engage moving maritime surface targets and conduct anti-surface warfare missions. "This capability will allow the warfighter to attack a new tactical targe…

Mine Countermeasures Face Setbacks Warfighters The U.S. Navy's first destroyer fitted for modern mine countermeasure operations has begun searching for mines in the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) is forward deployed and has begun using the AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System (RMS). Mines are a major concern for U.S. warships operating in forward littoral waters, such as the Persian Gulf. Beginning with Operation Desert Storm in 1961, three U.S. Navy ships have been severely damaged by mines in the Gulf-a helicopter carrier, an Aegis missile cruiser, and a guided missile frigates. Mine are cheap, readily available, and can be clandestinely emplac…

Missile Defenses Real Enemy: Math (The Diplomat, Flashpoints blog)

Here (requires registration): https://www.flightglobal.com/asset/21905/waf/

Is this ... Raytheon Looks At Options For Long-Range AIM-9 (Aviation Week) because of this?

On Perdix and other micro-UAVs swarms, fot the future history: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/08/inside-the-secretive-pentagon-office-planning-skyborg-fighters-and-drone-swarms/ https://warisboring.com/imagine-f-16s-deploying-swarms-of-tiny-drones-8c6593fe51c6#.glcsfd99c https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1044811/department-of-defense-announces-successful-micro-drone-demonstration https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/Perdix%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a24494/chinese-drones-swarms/?src=social-email

Flight Global 2023 World Air Forces directory (pdf)

An excellent 'detailed analysis' of the Soviet/Russian S-300P SAM system by Sean O'Connor can be found at his (also excellent) IMINT & Analysis Blog site here: http://geimint.blogspot.com/

All in PDF US nuclear warheads, 1945-2009 Russian nuclear forces, 2009 US nuclear forces, 2009

From Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists [excerpt]

Interesting excerpt on the Mk41 VLS system. MK 41 Naval Vertical Missile Launch Systems Delivered, Supported (updated) Posted 03-Nov-2006 02:48 Defense Industry Daily The naval MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) hides missiles below decks in vertical slots, with key electronics and venting systems built in. A deck and hatch assembly at the top of the module protects the missile canisters from the elements et. al. during storage, and the hatches open to permit missile launches of various types. Lockheed Martin is the system's prime contractor, and BAE Systems Land & Armamaents also makes components and cannisters for the MK 41 system. This post w…

Computing the Value of Stealth: It’s Not That Simple (War on the Rocks) These guys get it.

Two explosions at Boston Marathon finishing line - many injured.