CV32

The info about the DPRK submarine being absent from its berth was, iirc, already known and publicly disclosed back in March, following the sinking. The bit about the artillery being manned and ready is interesting but I understand that these (or nearby) batteries regularly conducted fires into the ocean in that broader area. I am not sure that either piece of intel could have helped Cheonan.

I do not wish to overstate the threat of 'swarming' attacks (because there are many more factors to be considered), but these vids are pretty good at showing the potential ineffectiveness of defensive weapons at engaging them, particularly in cluttered or multiple target environments: Ineffectiveness of ultimate defense Apparently, 'ray guns' will be the answer: US Navy to battle Iranian mini ekranoplan swarms with rayguns

Kopp and the gang continue to be unhappy about the impending demise of the RAAF F-111 force: F-111: Deadly strike fighter to be trashed

The China Air and Naval Power blog is posted in the Links section of HarpGamer (since February 2010), thanks to HG member pmaidhof.

From Ares An interesting legal question, one in which I suspect Israel (and others) would advise that Iran is due a rather large sum of general and special damages.

Which, I understand (and might have guessed), means budgetary constraints.

Duly noted, thanks.

I am thinking that Avatar must have been filmed in Indonesia, because apparently the defense ministry there has struck upon a large deposit of unobtainium. Indonesia plans to buy 180 Flankers

I've just uploaded a new version of the DB, including entries for both a damaged merchant ship and an ELINT station. Also in there is an entry for the Avenger version of the Predator/Reaper, but take note that it is very provisional and will probably need to be seriously overhauled in due course.

HCDB-100930 Aircraft: Avenger - USA F-16A Falcon - USA F-16C/D Blk 25 - USA OH-1 Ninja - Japan Ships/MLUs: Arktika AG - Russia ELINT Station - INTL Lomonosov NHPP - Russia Merchant damaged - INTL MLP MPS - USA Saettia Mk 4 OPV - Iraq SAM Grom 1 Team - INTL SAM I-Hawk PIP1 Bty - INTL SAM I-Hawk PIP2 Bty - INTL Submarines: Charlie I (670A/IN) SSGN - India Hai Lung (2009) SS - Taiwan Hai Shih (Guppy II) SS - Taiwan Mystic DSRV - USA

Its been awhile since the last update, so I apologize for that, but its been a busy summer and something else always seemed to take priority. In any event, a new version of the official Harpoon Commander's Edition (HCE) Database (HCDB-100930) is now available. Get the new DB in the Downloads section. New additions (or overhauls of existing entries) include: Ships/MLUs: Aircraft: Avenger - USA F-16A Falcon - USA F-16C/D Blk 25 - USA OH-1 Ninja - Japan Ships/MLUs: Arktika AG - Russia ELINT Station - INTL Lomonosov NHPP - Russia Merchant damaged - INTL MLP MPS - USA Saettia Mk 4 OPV - Iraq SAM Grom 1 Team - INTL SAM I-Hawk PIP1 Bty - INTL SAM I-Hawk PIP2 Bty - INTL Submarines: Charlie I (670A/IN) SSGN - India Hai Lung (2009) SS - Taiwan Hai Shih (Guppy II) SS - Taiwan Mystic DSRV - USA Enjoy.

I find myself nodding in agreement to much of this. Any surface warship, no matter how impressive, only has so many rounds of gun ammunition, so many missiles, so many decoys, etc. Moreover, it is forever limited by the quality of its crew, their sharpness (or lack thereof) on the day of reckoning, the reliability of their equipment and electronics, and myriad other factors. Of course all of the above is true of the other guy too. But there is much to be said for simple equipment/weapons and their operators being driven by blind fanaticism. Simulations like HCE are in many ways very forgiving. The virtual sea is rarely a tempest, the air never clouded by haze or smoke, the electronics never broken, the crew never tired, and the politics always clear. Real life battle isn't like that. Ever. The Iranians (and other, less sophisticated foes) are probably well aware of their limitations and know full well they need to play to their strengths, and not try and compete on equal terms. The Bavar-2 might be a laughable bit of kit at first glance, but toss in a few dozen of them in a determined attack, give em bombs instead of a MG, add a bad day for luck for their opponents, and toss in a swarm of small boats and maybe a shore based C-802 (or worse, a SS-N-22 or SS-N-27) or two for good measure. (I am reminded by this article and the book I am currently reading, Castles of Steel, of the Cuxhaven Raid).

I read Dr. Fox's leaked letter. He was rather candid (at least on the face of it).

You appear to have answered many of your own questions. In any event, I do not think it is necessarily a matter of the 'aerial dogfight' being a thing of the past, but that rather future dogfights will be different. Think about the ramifications of stealth (or low observability) and high off boresight short range air to air missiles, for example. (Query: Is this a H4 issue?)

That is pretty vile behavior. Hopefully eyes will stay peeled for signs of these "souvenirs" on the market.

From Defense Aerospace U.S., South Korea Plan Anti-submarine Exercise (Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued September 24, 2010) YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea --- South Korean and U.S. forces will conduct an anti-submarine warfare exercise in the waters west of the Korean peninsula Sept. 27 to Oct. 1. The exercise is part of a series of combined naval training events that are defensive in nature and enhance interoperability, officials said. The exercises also are designed to send a clear message of deterrence to North Korea, they added, while improving the overall anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the U.S.-South Korean alliance. Participating units from the U.S. Navy include the guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald and the ocean surveillance ship USNS Victorious. Assets also include a fast attack submarine and P-3C Orion aircraft from Patrol Squadron 9. The USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald are forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and Patrol Squadron 9 is home-ported at Kaneohoe Marine Corps Base, Hawaii. Participating units from the South Korean navy include two destroyers, a fast frigate, a patrol craft, P-3C aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 6 and a submarine. The exercise will focus on anti-submarine warfare tactics, techniques, and procedures, officials said. The first exercise in this series, Combined Naval and Air Readiness Exercise Invincible Spirit, was conducted in the seas east of the Korean peninsula in July. This exercise was originally scheduled to occur Sept. 5-9, officials said, but was delayed for safety reasons related to Typhoon Malou arriving in Korean waters. [CV32: Interesting assets at play here. Anyone know which sub is involved?]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. We do try to be responsive. And, if you make a scenario with the DF-21 (or anything else, for that matter), please do share your work so the rest of us can enjoy it!

If you're saying a ship like the LCS deserves a 76mm gun, then yes, I'd certainly agree. For all round military application, its better in most every way. (I think our own Halifax class frigates should have had the 76mm, if only for the purposes of better interoperability). But for dealing with drug smugglers and pirates, and especially a tough surface target like the 'go fast', a 57mm Bofors Mk 3 is not a bad choice at all.

LCS aside, small arms vs Bofors 57mm Mk 3? Surely you jest.

A minor issue in the HCDB. (There is a thread for these things, btw). Thanks for pointing it out. It will be fixed.

They are representative of the real thing, but they do not perform refueling or resupply. Nor is it possible to actually perform an amphibious landing in the sense of putting troops ashore.

Yep, already there, and downright scary.

From RIA Novosti Israel ready to counter Yakhont missiles — General Staff Israel is concerned by Russia's decision to sell anti-ship Yakhont missiles to Syria but the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would be able to "deal" with the challenge, the chief of Israeli General Staff said on Tuesday. Russia earlier announced it would honor a 2007 contract on the delivery of several Bastion anti-ship missile systems armed with SS-N-26 Yakhont supersonic cruise missiles to Syria, despite efforts by Israel and the United States to stop the deal. "We have been following the deal for a long time. There were attempts by the highest political levels to thwart the deal but they did not succeed," The Jerusalem Post quoted Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi as saying. "This is a negative development and we will know how to deal with it," the general added. Military-technical cooperation between Syria and Russia has always been an issue of criticism from Israeli authorities, who express a strong concern over the increase of Syrian defensive potential, but also see a threat of transferring weapons to Lebanese or Palestinian radicals. The Yakhont missile has a range of 300 kilometers, the capacity to carry a 200-kilogram warhead and the unique ability of being able to cruise several meters above the water surface, making it difficult to detect and intercept. TEL AVIV, September 22 (RIA Novosti)

Its possible that we may need more players to complete this longstanding wargame. If you're interested, drop me a PM or post in this thread and I will put you in touch with Bill Jennings.

Refers to Synthetic Aperture Radar/Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar. I am not sure there is an applicable rule, but generally speaking, the advantage of SAR/ISAR is a very high resolution radar image typically used for ground mapping and targeting. Update: Hat tip to Brains for pointing out Rule 4.2.2.3 - Radar Information: With SAR/ISAR radars, "Detected aircraft and ships can be classified by type or class, and ground targets can be identified".