CV32

What if there had never been a Joint Strike Fighter? (Part 1) (Atlantic Council) What if there had never been a JSF? (Part 2) (Atlantic Council)

The Baltic is known for its tendency toward preserving wrecks in good condition, but even this seems exceptional.

Looking forward to it. Btw, one thing I did notice was an obvious lack of use of 'neutrals'. Any particular reason you avoided using them?

I do see evidence of insanity, but its not the agility.

Everything Wrong With the F-35 (War is Boring)

US institute: NKorea launch site upgrade complete (AP)

It looks awfully clean and in good condition for a sub that was sunk nearly a century ago.

The F-35: Throwing Good Money after Bad (National Review)

Marines File Paperwork for F-35 IOC; Sign-Off 'Soon' (DefenseNews)

Spoilers apply! * * * * * * After Action Report: GIU2 v1.1 - Operation "Channel Watch" Acting as ECON, and with friendly forces arrayed through France and northeast to Denmark, the objective for the player is to suppress UK air defences over the English Channel and to prevent American reinforcements from reaching British shores. Intelligence reported that a US convoy was incoming, under the cover provided by a US Navy carrier and its escorts, and that the Americans had returned in force to Iceland. With 9:18:05 to go, I achieved minimum victory after the destruction of the USS Harry Truman Carrier Strike Group, the HMS Ocean battle group, most of a surface action group in the English Channel and another off The Wash, and all but one of the seven enemy bases in the United Kingdom. (This too was destroyed shortly thereafter, but the enemy base in Iceland remained intact). I had lost three ships (together with their embarked helos) and a total of 56 fixed wing aircraft. Interestingly, most of the friendly air losses were F-35s. In fairness to the F-35, this was probably because I used them as the spearhead of my air operations. At the same time, however, when they engaged in air combat (often against other F-35s or Super Hornets), they tended to take losses. This seemed to be most often because of a lack of weapons capacity and speed. Many of them were Royal Navy F-35B JSF operating from a pair of Queen Elizabeth carriers in the North Sea. That group saw a lot of action. Red suffered 678 air losses, resulting in a somewhat better ratio than the 10 to 1 that I usually see occur in the player's favour. Also destroyed were the carrier and 21 other ships. A few other interesting events included: * friendly French Barracuda class SSN torpedoing a good portion of the Truman CSG, including the Virginia SSN USS North Dakota, followed up an effective GBU-53 strike against surviving vessels * friendly German 212B class SSK U35 torpedoing the 688I class SSN USS Montpelier * Red launched several cruise missile attacks and bomber raids, the latter presumed to have launched from Iceland, but these were repulsed * U35 was later sunk in a torpedo exchange with an unidentified enemy submarine Major victory was achieved four hours later, with the destruction of the USS America, its two Wasp class cohorts and a number of supporting vessels and escorts, and without further friendly loss. This scenario was a real slug fest, with some frantic command & control happening at times, and was a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing it!

Yes, it was a good guess.

Maneuvering Russian Satellite Has Everyone’s Attention (Space News)

Thanks for the calc, Tony. So in game terms, for a fighter that shows 1 sec to execute turn, I am saying we will need to see changes that are 3x or 5x more before appreciable results.

The CMANO modelling would have been more interesting if ground based VHF radar (such as Nebo-M) and air defense systems were included (say, in the Kaliningrad enclave that was oddly ignored). This is also assuming that the F-35 stealth model is more or less an educated guesstimate. HCE lacks the sophisticated radar model, of course, but even there, a stealthy F-35 can be caught and killed by a modern fighter operating within its own air defence net, especially if it has long range missiles like Meteor.

I think we will need to increase the values by at least 3x (but more likely 5x) to see any appreciable difference in game play.

It is extremely busy. A real slug fest. I am about halfway through it, I figure.

Yes, Victor tankers refueled each other.

Yes, a tanker can refuel another tanker. Typically between tankers equipped for boom type refueling.

As some of you may remember, years ago we implemented in HCE a delayed turn rate for aircraft such that they could no longer "turn on a dime" and fly in the opposite direction. Essentially it delayed the ability to turn by a period of time (i.e. wait X number of seconds before executing a turn) and the values varied between types, e.g. more rapidly for maneuvering fighters and more slowly for large transport types. These turning rates (so to speak) are still quite simplistic and still allow an aircraft to change direction relatively quickly. The time has come, perhaps, to further adjust these values to impose a further degree of realism. Note that these are only for player-entered turns, and not turns between course points. Note as well that the same behaviour can potentially be applied against changes in altitude and would affect more than just aircraft (e.g. diving submarines). Thoughts? Would you be in favour of instituting these kinds of changes?

Probably a 26 meter Swiftships patrol boat. Islamic State claims bold strike on an Egyptian navy vessel (Washington Post)

Ten Signs The F-35 Fighter Program Is Becoming A Smashing Success (Forbes) Giggle. When Thompson says he resents it when someone calls the F-35 program a "laughing stock", he ought to perhaps take some of the blame for that upon his own shoulders. I mean, if you can read the title of this article with a straight face, you're made of sterner stuff than I.

I see you tweaked this one. Running through it again.

Precision and Purpose: Airpower in the Libyan Civil War (pdf, RAND)

Curious that the Kaliningrad enclave is absent from the scenario.

Russia Opposes UN Resolution for Tribunal for MH17 Crash (ABC News)