we will seek even more opportunities to exchange personnel.

Already a joint UK-US battlestaff have deployed on operations. I see this type of interchange becoming the norm, particularly in headquarters roles, but we are also exploring the opportunity to mutually support niche or perishable skills.

[Fourthly,] we will pursue mutual investment in the technologies that will allow us to operate together, because innovation has always been the hallmark of battle-winning navies.And absolutely crucial to this relationship, is interoperability.

Not as bolt-on or an afterthought, but right from the word go.

So, through the joint development of a Common Missile Compartment for our Strategic Missile Submarines, a common airframe for the Joint Strike Fighter, common weapon systems and stocks, common data protocols, we are establishing interoperability from the outset.

Source: UK/US naval partnership – Speeches – GOV.UK

This is pretty far reaching partnership and in line with the long standing policy of jointness being explored in eg the combined amphibious forces with the Netherlands and military partnership with the French. Given the huge costs of modern combat platforms this seems to me to be the only sensible way of being able to meet future threats, although I would rather the UK focusses her partnerships on the EU member states instead of the US, whose foreign policy is often much more ambitious (and morally questionable) than that of the UK. The US also has a long and proud history of taking secrets from their allies and returning little to nothing of value in return – eg. F-35 source code.

A test pilot has criticised the F-35 heavily, explaining the F-35 loses out in all regimes. He couldn’t even turn his head properly, as the size of the helmet was too large for the size of the canopy!

War is boring

DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program, which developed a self-steering bullet to increase hit rates for difficult, long-distance shots, completed in February its most successful round of live-fire tests to date. An experienced shooter using the technology demonstration system repeatedly hit moving and evading targets. Additionally, a novice shooter using the system for the first time hit a moving target.

This video shows EXACTO rounds maneuvering in flight to hit targets that are moving and accelerating. EXACTO’s specially designed ammunition and real-time optical guidance system help track and direct projectiles to their targets by compensating for weather, wind, target movement and other factors that can impede successful hits.

via 2015/04/27 EXACTO Guided Bullet Demonstrates Repeatable Performance against Moving Targets.

Tough Men for Hire: Ex-Special Forces in Demand for War on Terror | Military.com.
A good look at how mercenaries are now at the forefront of training armies, since the collapse of Blackwater.

As well as several other officers, they were bribed to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, allowing the company doing the bribing to overcharge for around $20 million dollars.
3 Rear Admirals Forced Out Amid Massive Navy Bribery Scandal | Military.com.

America’s $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, is slated to join fighter squadrons next year—but missing software will render its 25mm cannon useless.

The Pentagon’s newest stealth jet, the nearly $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, won’t be able to fire its gun during operational missions until 2019, three to four years after it becomes operational.

Even though the Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, is supposed to join frontline U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadrons next year and Air Force units in 2016, the jet’s software does not yet have the ability to shoot its 25mm cannon. But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.

New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 – The Daily Beast.

hahahahaha this programme is a joke! Except it’s so expensive to taxpayers!

How Dumb Cluster Bombs Are Becoming Heinously Smart.

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the University of Notre Dame, has demonstrated the airworthiness of a new beam control turret being developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and AFRL to give 360-degree coverage for high-energy laser weapons operating on military aircraft. A research aircraft equipped with the Aero-adaptive Aero-optic Beam Control (ABC) turret conducted eight flights in Michigan.

via Lockheed Martin Conducts Flight Tests Of Aircraft Laser Turret For Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency · Lockheed Martin.

The big thing here is that they’ve mounted it on a small business jet instead of the previous incarnation, which was a Boeing 747. What isn’t mentioned though, is the power of the laser – can it knock out ICBMs and aircraft? Smaller missles? What is the recharge time between firings and how long can the laser fire? Are we at the point where dogfighting is truly becoming obsolete?

Aside from using a mobile network, you can use low frequency radar to detect stealth aircraft.

Chinese and Russian Radars On Track To See Through U.S. Stealth | USNI News.

The change, the most dramatic policy shift since Japan set up its post-war armed forces 60 years ago, will widen Japan’s military options by ending the ban on exercising "collective self-defense", or aiding a friendly country under attack.

Abe’s cabinet adopted a resolution outlining the shift, which also relaxes limits on activities in U.N.-led peace-keeping operations and "grey zone" incidents short of full-scale war, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters.

via Japan takes historic step from post-war pacifism, OKs fighting for allies | Reuters.

And now it’s arming up with UAV’s / drones – Global Hawks
The real story behind Japan’s drone boom

The ships will be 65,000 tonnes at full displacement – over three times the size of the current Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers.

Range; 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles.

Each ship has two propellers which together will output 80MW of power – enough to run 1,000 family cars or 50 high speed trains.

56m from keel to masthead, which is four metres taller than Niagara Falls!

The distribution network on board will manage enough energy to power 300,000 kettles or 5,500 family homes.

Each ship has 1.5 million m2 of paintwork, which is 370 acres or slightly more than acreage of Hyde Park

Each ship’s two propellers will weigh 33 tonnes each – nearly two and half times as heavy as a double decker bus and one and half times as high.

Capable of a top speed in excess of 25 knots

80,000 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the two ships, three times that used in Wembley Stadium

Each of the two huge aircraft lifts can move two Joint Strike Fighters from the hangar to the flight deck in 60 seconds. They’re so powerful that together they could lift the entire ship’s crew.

Key Facts – Aircraft Carrier Alliance.

Global Strategic Trends (GST) describes a strategic context for those in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider Government who are involved in developing long term plans, policies and capabilities. Without a strategic context there is a risk that planners, policymakers and capability developers may assume a future that adheres to preconceived thoughts and assumptions.

As well as providing a strategic context, this 5th edition of Global Strategic Trends (GST 5) identifies long term threats and opportunities, out to 2045. GST does not attempt to predict the future, it cannot. Rather, it describes those phenomena that could have a significant impact on the future and combines these differing perspectives to produce a multifaceted picture of possible outcomes.

via Global Strategic Trends out to 2045 – Publications – GOV.UK.

The test that employed the Raytheon Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle Capability Enhancement II, or EKV CE-II, successfully collided and destroyed an incoming ballistic missile warhead high in space, identifying its targets amongst decoys and countermeasures representative of a long-range North Korean ballistic missile. The $200 million test was considered critical for the future of the US-based missile defense system, which suffered repeat failures in recent years.

via US ballistic missile defense interceptor scores a direct hit in space | Defense Update:.

Russia’s only aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov passed through the English Channel and into The Netherlands’ exclusive economic zone on May 8th. But the Dutch navy had no ships available for escort duty.

via The Dutch Were Powerless When Russian Warships Entered Their Waters — War is Boring — Medium.

Just over half (92) of the 183 nuclear missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana have been implicated in a widening exam cheating scandal, the Air Force said on Thursday, acknowledging it had “systemic” problem within its ranks.

The cheating was discovered during an investigation into illegal drug possession among airmen, when test answers were found in a text message on one missile launch officer’s cell phone. The Air Force initially said 34 officers either knew about the cheating or cheated themselves.

After, an investigation was started and all work personal were investigated. Due to the 2018 DOT drug testing regulations, each and all work personal had to take an obligatory drug test. Thankfully, the company, USA Mobile Drug Testing, offers their services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, all employees were pulled aside for a total of 15 minutes to get tested.

via UPDATE 1-Half of U.S. nuclear missile wing implicated in cheating | Reuters.

E.C.Snaith and Son Ltd – Supplier Of Military Medals, Ribbons, Badges, Buttons & Insignia.

The only way for Europe to project the military might it needs to be able to protect its vast economic interests is by unifying the military and foreign policies of its member states. Only this will allow the economies of scale necessary to create an effective, non duplicated, expeditionary tool for politicians to use when diplomacy fails. The NL seems to have seen the light and is leading the way not only by example (integrating withe the DE navy, the BE air force, the UK marines, the common air transport fleet, the NATO AWACS fleet and the EU battlegroups), but also by leading the charge in this speech to the EU member states to get other nations on board as well. Only this way can the reliance on the US and NATO be removed and will the EU be able to stand on its own two feet in order to pursue its independent interests.

http://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2013/11/05/46209209/Hennis_meer_samenwerking_op_defensieterrein_in_Europa

Specifically the qra (quick reactiin alert) and renegade tasks

http://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2013/10/23/46208943/Nederland_en_Belgie_gaan_samen_luchtruim_bewaken

Not only does this make economic sense, but also taking a wider view at European military cooperation, this is hopefully a first step towards many more far reaching integrated forces within the EU. Doing so will ease economic defense spending burdens, but also create a much more effective and flexible armed forces structure that can put some serious punitive weight behind the EU.

All the documentation pertaining to the replacement of the Dutch F-16 fleet has been put online in a website. True transparent democracy!

http://vervanging-f16.rekenkamer.nl/

Each Black Hornet system consists of two aircraft, with a single controller for the UAS and its payload and a base station. A tablet-sized monitor is also part of the package, which totals approximately 2kg (4.4lb).

The UAS carries three cameras – one looking straight ahead, one straight down and one at 45˚ forward and down. While the aircraft is flown manually to its target, it cannot be launched until it has established the GPS co-ordinates of itself and its base station. When the end of the 20min maximum flight time nears the system alerts the operator, who then has the option to command the aircraft to automatically return.

British Army operators detail Black Hornet UAV attributes.

It looks like something from the movie “Firefox”.

Iran's new Qaher-313 stealth fighter: No, it's not April fools day – The DEW Line.

This is an annual publication in Dutch concerning the armed forces. The main tasks are covered, as well as the ministry, materiel, locations, personnel and finances.

Kerngegevens Defensie | Brochure | Rijksoverheid.nl.

The gun is coupled with it’s own ammunition, which is manufactured to tight tolerances. It then feeds video into a recitcle or ipad app with HUD information on it. You point a laser at the target and move the gun aimer to cover the pip. Once it does, the gun fires. This makes it extremely accurate.

$17,000 Linux-powered rifle brings “auto-aim” to the real world | Ars Technica.

Two laser modules mounted onto Revolver Gun air defense turrets made by Oerlikon and attached to additional power modules. The laser modules are 30 kW and 20 kW, but a Beam Superimposing Technology (BST) combines two lasers to focus in a “superimposed, cumulative manner” that wreaks havoc on its targets.

First, the system sliced through a 15mm- (~0.6 inches) thick steel girder from a kilometer away. Then, from a distance of two kilometers, it shot down a handful of drones as they nose-dived toward the surface at 50 meters per second. The laser’s radar, a widely used system called Skyguard, was capable of tracking the drones through their descent up to three kilometers away.

After successfully testing their 50kW laser system, Rheinmetall Defense has its sights on a truck-mounted mobile system with 100kW of metal-slicing power.

For its finale, the laser’s ability to track a very small ballistic target was demonstrated. It honed in on and destroyed a steel ball 82mm in diameter traveling at 50 meters per second. The small ball was meant to simulate an incoming mortar round.

German Military Laser Destroys Targets Over 1Km Away | Singularity Hub.