123 replies to this topic

[TehKiller]

You do realise thats a model of the plane on a background?...


Note: offtopic reference to Warbz's post

Edited by TehKiller, 30 September 2008 - 11:14.

[CommanderJB]

There's something very odd about the image I agree, but it's not a model, as this uber-high-res versions floating around on the internet should show (I have them somewhere, but on my other computer). The background may have been digitally altered to show off the camouflage better, but if so it's been bloody well done, because you can still see the background through the cockpit and there's nary a blur. There's no real reason for anyone to go to this kind of effort, so it might just be caused by different light conditions.

Edited by CommanderJB, 30 September 2008 - 11:41.

[Waris]

Can you ID these vehicles? I hazard the right one a KV series tank, not sure which ones though.

Edited by Waris, 30 September 2008 - 15:02.

[Razven]

I have a feeling you've taken that from /k/.

The right is a Sturmpanzer (Panzer I with giant gun on turret) and the other is a KV-2.

Edited by Razven, 30 September 2008 - 21:57.

[CommanderJB]

Well, thankyou Razven, because I haven't a clue. Unfortunately, as I stated earlier, my military knowledge really begins in the 1980s, with the exceptions of having a fair understanding of the aircraft of World War II, and of the history of battleships. While I can ID the basic tank types or what have you, anything beyond that isn't really my forte. Apologies again.

[CommanderJB]

Okay, okay, so that was rather longer than a day. So sue me. I've been on camp. Anyway, I thought I'd share another image (sorry, don't really have the time for a large write-up, besides which you should probably know about it anyway).
These images amply demonstrate the sheer size of the world's largest submarine. The size of a WWII aircraft carrier, the Typhoon class was the prestige vessel of the Russian SSBN forces throughout the 80s and 90s, but has been pulled out of service after a relatively short life after the collapse of the Soviet Union, combined with their size and expense, saw them uneconomical to continue operating. One example, the Dmitri Donskoi, soldiers on as the test platform for the SS-NX-30 Bulava ICBM (effectively a navalised Topol-M) however. They also have an onboard sauna and swimming pool. I might have posted some of these images before; if so I'm sure you'll get over it.







There's some debate over whether or not that last image has been photoshopped, but I don't think it has, as I turned up these three different versions of the same image (taken at varying zoom levels, one after the other):
http://www.flickr.co...@N00/298063094/
http://www.flickr.co...@N00/298063093/
http://www.flickr.co...@N00/298063091/
For someone to doctor all those that consistently would be frankly impossible. At any rate these are just absolutely giant vessels, and were quite astonishing technological achievements, even if they didn't really introduce any innovations to speak of.

Edited by CommanderJB, 05 October 2008 - 23:55.

[partyzanpaulzy]

It can be photomontage as it's from one direction. Also it can be real.
When I consider idea of "the soviet man" (soviet idea they have been something more than the others, see some Chernobyl cleaning videos...) it can be real (I also know in 1980's they were hiding MiG-31 from the public as it was important plane, but they were hiding it so it could be seen hidden badly under the tilt from one building of air university in Kyiv although no many mechanics from there were repairing this plane then).

What I know Russia's new submarine class is Borey capable to carry 12 TOPOL-M derivate ICBMs (!). It's not important how the sub is big, main is attack power.

Quote

Can you ID these vehicles? I hazard the right one a KV series tank, not sure which ones though.

It reminds me what Nazis did with Škoda [Shkoda] Lt 38. They used them on Blitzkrieg frontlines (how long would last Poland defeat without Munich diktat) against Poland, France, Romania, USSR...
The Gift to the Nazis from Appeacement politics ...

Light Tank 38
modification Marder III
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/:)/Marder_III_auf_Pz_38_Sins_1.jpg[/img]

Edited by partyzanpaulzy, 05 October 2008 - 21:16.

[CommanderJB]

Also, quick update; the Su-35BM has made a new test flight.
http://knaapo.ru/rus/gallery/events/combat...u-35_flight.wbp
That IRST unit is actually quite huge.

[CommanderJB]

partyzanpaulzy, on 6 Oct 2008, 7:52, said:

What I know Russia's new submarine class is Borey capable to carry 12 TOPOL-M derivate ICBMs (!). It's not important how the sub is big, main is attack power.

The Borei class actually sacrifices four missiles from the Typhoon's 16, meaning it's not quite so good at the saturation thing (not that you need more than one of the things in any case). They were originally planned to carry the same number of modernised R-39M (SS-N-28) missiles, but they found it much easier to adapt the considerably heavier Topol-M into the Bulava, and so the former was scrapped, and the former took its place, requiring the modifications. The Borei is however considerably more modern than the Typhoons it is planned to replace, with improvements to automation, digitisation and propulsion. The program is going very slowly however.

Edited by CommanderJB, 05 October 2008 - 23:54.

[partyzanpaulzy]

Grizzly armored vehicle


It's new armored transport for Bundeswehr (German army) built by Krauss-Maff ei Wegmann.
This vehicle should resist mines, fire from the machinegun, top speed is 100 km/hour.
10 fully-equipped soldiers can be transported by this truck.
BTW, engine is armored, too.

for more informations read here

[Soul]

Future Canadian amphibious assault ship and Joint Support Ship Project. I can't wait to see them.

[CommanderJB]

While I'm really thankful to you for trying to keep this thread going, I would just like to point out this:

CommanderJB, on 27 Sep 2008, 19:10, said:

I'd request that people don't post their own stuff in here; and while the whole point of this is to promote discussion, if I see particularly heated debate on any single thing in particular I'll split it off into a separate thread, as it's easy for the thread to go way off course with something like this.

If you see something interesting, post it in your own thread! Two threads get more attention than one after all. 'Share the love', as they say!
Now, I'd firstly like to apologise for the gaping hole between my last updates. Exams are coming on and a combination of these, other RL concerns and hefty amounts of procrastination and, oh, all right, flat out laziness have prevented me from summoning up the time and will to add anything. Today, however, this gets rectified, so enough apologising and on with the update!
Today's entry is on the Oerlikon Skyranger and Skyshield Air Defence Systems.

Flak cannons have been around for a long time now. They're a bit different these days though. Still, most would question their relevance in an age of super-manoeuvrable super- or hypersonic infra-red or radar homing anti-air missiles; and Oerlikon Contravenes would disagree. This is an area they're very good at, having made the signature 20mm weapons of most shipboard AA batteries in WWII, and they have applied this to modern technology to create Skyshield and Skyranger.
Skyranger is the mobile multi-platform version; Skyshield is the emplaced cannon version. I'll cover each of these in turn.
First up, Skyranger comprises a family of turret-mounted weapons, targeting and control systems that can be installed on a vehicle of your choice; it's shown above on a Piranha III LAV chassis. The complete system uses gun vehicles, tracking radar vehicles and a control vehicle. The gun vehicles are operated remotely from the central hub, and the whole system is fully automatic after target selection.
The gun itself is Oerlikon's new trademark 35mm revolver cannon. Occupying a unique calibre in between lighter 20 and 30mm fully-automatic weapons and heavy 40mm semi-automatic weapons, the 35mm has been specially developed to provide the correct ammunition weight, rate of fire and ballistic performance desired for the anti-air rounds it carries. It's designed around just one type of round, but what a round that is; the 35mm AHEAD cartridge is perhaps the most lethal anti-aircraft projectile there is. AHEAD works on the principle of flak; producing a large volume of smaller shrapnel which it showers at a target, overwhelming it with high-velocity shrapnel and increasing hit probability. These are no metal shards however; they're precisely machined pellets designed to spread in a controlled spiral pattern to maximise the chances of getting as much of the spread on target as possible. Here's a cutaway of the round, which should give you a very good idea of just how much firepower is contained within the shell;

The cannon itself uses a clip system to fire groups of projectiles very rapidly from a revolver-type loader, hence the name. In this way it differs significantly from an autocannon in that it must reload after an automatic burst, but the idea is that it doesn't have to. At 400 rounds a minute the system dispenses a set number of cartridges into the area in an instant, which then detonate in a veritable hailstorm of AHEAD pellets. The rest of the system uses the short-range tracking radar to identify, tag, and automatically lay the guns on target in a space of time said to be approximately 4.5 seconds. Which is pretty darned fast. The large size of the 35mm round also makes it accurate out to a significantly longer range than most other gun-based AA systems; the projectiles can hit targets up to 4km away vertically, and probably more in the horizontal directions. The control system's targeting computers automatically compensate for round ballistic performance when tracking a target.
The other part of Skyranger is a flexible short-range missile platform for Stingers, Iglas, Mistrals or other MANPADS adaptations, as well as more modern short-range air defence missiles in the Sidewinder category, operating on the Kashtan principle that guns + missiles simply have to be better than guns alone.
The system has not yet been adopted by any armed force, though it has been marketed for about three years ago by the German giant Rheinmetall AD in conjuction with Oerlikon (I think the former owns the latter, feel free to prove me wrong.)
Skyshield is pretty much the same but not mobile, and hasn't yet been offered with the missile system. Still, it looks pretty cool. Also, there is another slightly older system called Skyguard just to make things confusing; this is emplaced like Skyshield but uses the twin 35mm weapon firing standard projectiles and is much less automated. Here's an image of the former for reference:

But now I have to go. Till next time (which I will make no promises about),
CommanderJB

Edited by CommanderJB, 03 November 2008 - 11:27.

[partyzanpaulzy]

Well, I forgot on those 2 lines.

This flak system reminded me Izraelic anti-missile system where they will use small short-range (3 - 5 km) cannons against small rockets used by Hamass (or Hezbollah).
They were trying to use some American laser cannons (not THEL, some smaller and weaker, like Generals:ZH AA humvee uses), but they aren't effective enough (defective).

That sharpnel shower reminds me those missiles which can be seen in Behind enemy lines (where Serbians are evil and Albanians are good (both sides did barbarities in real life like US Army x Vietcong in the Vietnam War)), they did same effect.

I still thing our "kind" politicians should have bought new Piranhas instead of those Pandurs II 8x8 (even with Rafael armament), but it's like Gripen causa...

[Dutchygamer]

CommanderJB, on 20 Oct 2008, 11:29, said:

Am I the only one who immediately thinks of the TD/RA1 Turrets?

[Waris]

No

[CommanderJB]

Not a real update but I just came across this video of the Ka-52 Alligator:
http://en.rian.ru/vi.../118052350.html
I just absolutely love this helicopter. Its manoeuvrability is just insane, it has a radar, a 30mm cannon, up to 24 heavy ATGMs or whatever other external stores you care to name, and an awesome black paint job. It can turn faster than the turret on an Apache can aim, and it's obviously suffered no terrible effects from having an extra seat added over the original Ka-50. Russia plans to buy 12 of them next year and 30 up to 2015. Very, very impressive machines.

[Zero]

Dutchygamer, on 20 Oct 2008, 16:35, said:

CommanderJB, on 20 Oct 2008, 11:29, said:

Am I the only one who immediately thinks of the TD/RA1 Turrets?

They remind me of the top half of the Daleks in Doctor Who.... it just does, also, it reminds me of the turrets from one of the C&C games (Can't remember which...)

[CommanderJB]

Not a full update again (yes, I suck at remembering to update this even now I'm free) but here are a couple of rare photos of a Russian 'Don-2NP' tracking radar installation. These enormous facilities provide massively long-range tracking of high-altitude targets, and are built for the acquisition of incoming ballistic missiles. I suspect this installation is a part of the A-135 Anti-Ballistic Missile System that covers Moscow and the surrounds, though I have no evidence. Doesn't look like it's in Sary Shagan (on the coast of lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan) though, which was the other major USSR ABM site.

[NergiZed]

The Zubr, The world's largest military Hovercraft.


The wiki

I'm actually quite amazed that there's eight of these out there (2 for Russia, 2 for Ukraine, and 4 for Greece). Although I guess the US has like 70 of their much smaller ones, so maybe it makes sense.

The thing might look like a giant target, but it's got quite a few countermeasures.

[Dutchygamer]

Waris, on 30 Sep 2008, 16:02, said:

Can you ID these vehicles? I hazard the right one a KV series tank, not sure which ones though.

Razven, on 30 Sep 2008, 22:39, said:

I have a feeling you've taken that from /k/.

The right is a Sturmpanzer (Panzer I with giant gun on turret) and the other is a KV-2.

Seems like I missed those post. Anyways, the right one is a KV-2, and the left is the German one (aka it's the other way around Razven ). Just wanted to fix this, because the KV-2 is too good to be seen as a German tank

[Razven]

The Panther tanks would like a talk with you, through their barrel.


Anyway, no images from me but China's J-10 was seen zipping around in an airshow and there are talks about it covering the South China Sea.

[Someone]

1st post on this thread in 2009:

Ever heard of SM-36 / F-26 STALMA?


Artistic rendition of STALMA (with Israeli Air Force roundel)


Another artistic rendition of STALMA (this time with Republic of China Air Force roundel)

www.gallery.military.ir/albums/userpics/f26-1.gif
1200 x 1594 diagram of SM-36 demonstrating its variable geometry wings

This is what Stavatti Corporation (the company behind the project) has to say about it:

Quote

The F-26 STALMA (Short Takeoff Advanced Light Multi-role Aircraft) is an advanced, sixth generation multi-role fighter suitable for Direct Commercial Sales to U.S. and NATO/allies. Designed to replace F-16C and F/A-18C/E combat aircraft in U.S. and NATO air arms, the F-26 is a single seat, single engine, high performance weapon system incorporating variable geometry, supercruise, pitch/yaw thrust vectoring, integrated avionics, enhanced agility and low observability characteristics. Conceived for maximum performance and combat capability, the F-26 is designed for all-weather, supersonic operation at both low and high altitudes. Optimized for air-to-air interception, combat air patrol, air dominance, close-in air-to-air engagements ('dogfight'), carrier air defense, anti-shipping strike, wild weasel/anti-radiation strike, all weather precision attack, interdiction, battlefield close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, tactical reconnaissance, conventional bombing and tactical nuclear penetration, the F-26 STALMA will counter threats to US and NATO allied air superiority.

Addressing a projected market need for over 6,000 multi-role fighter aircraft during the first quarter of the 21st century, the F-26 STALMA is anticipated to gain a 15% market share upon introduction. With a unit flyaway price in the $35 million class, Stavatti will begin manufacture of the F-26 in 2007 at an annual production rate of 100 units. Total program revenues are again estimated at $54.3 billion.

The aircraft will be produced in single place multi-role fighter (F-26A) and two-place tandem strike fighter/instructional trainer (F-26B) variants. The aircraft primary structure is conventional aluminum, titanium and stainless steel alloys in sheet or extruded form. Carbon fiber, aramid, thermoset and thermoplastic composites are employed as secondary structures. Approximately one third of the airframe consists of conventional alloy construction while two thirds of the airframe consists of composite construction by volume.

The aircraft is designed for an operational service life of 15,000 hours, accumulating an average of 500 hours per annum. Aircraft fatigue life is based upon 18,000 landings and fatigue testing to 75,000 hours. Service life of carrier variants includes 4,000 catapult launches and 4,000 traps. The airframe will exhibit load limits of +15/-6 to 27,850 lbs design gross weight and +9/-3 to 60,750 lbs maximum gross weight. Ultimate load factors are 1.5 times design load factors.

Other Facts:
-Clean F-26 RCS is on the order of 6 x 10-6 sq. m. The plane it's replacing (F-16) has an RCS of 2 to 2.5 sq. m.
-Originally competed for US Multi Role Fighter Project contract in '94 (canceled in favor of JSF program)
-variable wing sweep 5-70 degrees

………………………………………………………………………………………….

For reasons of national security, as well as a general desire to preserve the human race, Stavatti refuses to market the F-26 STALMA to any of the following nations:

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbajian, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Syria, Tarjirkistan, The People’s Republic of China, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Zaire

(Sine this information was removed from the company’s website, the above information was found at www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread13487/pg1)

So why are no F-26’s flying around if they were suppose to be manufactured in 2007?

Well, there is some evidence that Stavatti Corporation is hoax. It is also possible that they are just what they claim to be – real company trying to get into the lucrative arms business (but too small to compete with established defense contractor like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, etc.)

Whether Stavatti is real or not, STALMA plane’s design (albeit “sci-fi”-looking) seems to have some resemblance to real aircraft concepts. It seems to me like a fusion of McDonnell-Douglas X-36 and Grumman X-29 or Sukhoi Su-47:


X-36 tailless aircraft


X-29 (above) and Su-47 (below)


If a scale model of SM-36 were to be build, would it fly?

Edited by Someone, 04 January 2009 - 20:29.

[CommanderJB]

It's a little, um, anime. I think that 'hoax' is a pretty good explanation - even a cursory examination of their website should show that their 'designs' are pretty much nonsense, and even if they weren't, no-one would ever fund them. I doubt totally that that SM-36 design would ever be aerodynamically stable or practical (I mean, look at the tail design - what?) and would suspect that while fly-by-wire might be able to get something that outlandish into the air these days it'd be ludicrous to try.
Oh, and their RCS figures? Purr-lease.

[Someone]

Although I agree with most of what you say in the above post, I do not understand this statement:

Quote

while fly-by-wire might be able to get something that outlandish into the air these days it'd be ludicrous to try.

What exactly do you mean? Are not almost all modern aircraft aerodynamically unstable and can fly only due to fly-by-wire technology?

P.S.: While I too think that Stavatti’s concepts are “outlandish”, I cannot dismiss it as a hoax on that bases. After all, is not “truth is stranger than fiction”? Still, one has to be wary of things found on World Wide Web – just because something is on a decently-done webpage does not make it true.

[CommanderJB]

There's a point where a degree of aerodynamic instability is desirable to maximise control, of course, and as you say, many modern aircraft are naturally unstable (the Eurofighter is a prime example). The SM-36, though, doesn't even look (to, I will admit, what is mostly an untrained eye) like it'd produce enough lift and both the wing roots and tail (and those extremely odd forward-swept canards) seem extraordinarily fragile.

I'll won't utterly deny any possibility that it could be real - stranger things have, as you say, happened - but I will eat all the hats in Panama if it ever flies.