A Turkish semi-auto box-fed 12 gauge shotgun, with the Rock Island Arms brand…
Of course, you may live in a region that does not allow you to buy a semi-auto shotgun. Well, in that case there is an alternative…
Jan 082018
Jan 032018
And now it can be seen:
The USAF Has Finally Released a Glowing Film About the A-10 It Tried to Suppress
The article discusses the USAFs numerous attempts to kill the A-10. Realistically, it’s days are numbered. yes, it would be awesoem to have more. Even more yes, it would be great for the Army and Marine Corps to ahve a bunch of their own. But the newest A-10 is decades old, the production lines and tooling are long gone. There won’t be any more. Spare parts are dwindling, expertise is going away.
The A-10 needs a replacement, but sadly nothing quite like the A-10 is in the offing. Hilariously, there are those who think the F-35 will do the job. More likely, the actual job of the A-10 of getting down in the weeds will be done by drones. An A-10 can get in low and slow and take a beating; an F-35 probably can’t really get low and slow, and it certainly can’t take a beating. A drone can get low and slow, and who cares if it gets blown out of the sky… it’s a drone.
It would be great if a direct replacement could be manufactured. it might even look like the A-10. But due to the fact that any new aircraft is necessarily going to be designed from the ground up with all-new components, it won’t *be* an A-10.
What would be great is if the US Army told the USAF to go piss up a rope, and the Army embarks on the development of a fixed-wing ground support platform of their own, perhaps in cahoots with the Marines. A modern “A-10” with the same or better capabilities, using modern materials (but still metals rather than composites, since metals are more flak-tolerant), modern electronics, modern engines. Heck, design it to be “optionally manned,” with a two-man version flying in the midst of a swarm of unmanned hunter-killers.
Dec 272017
Need a knife? Don’t have iron? Use fish!
Probably just the thing for that cross-country trip that goes through several TSA checkpoints…
Dec 212017
It wasn’t that many months ago when we were told that due to Donald Trumps incompetence, the Unitest State had lost its place as “leader of the free world,” and now Angela Merkel of Germany was going to show us all how it’s done. But… in order to be a leader, you have to have *power.* And one of the most important ways for a nation to project power is with a navy. Whenever there’s a major hurricane or a tsunami, sooner or later a US Navy carrier battle group will show up to provide humanitarian and logistics support. Whenever Iran or China or the Somalis gets sporty with their naval piracy, the US Navy shows up to put a stop to it (or at least to *tell* them to stop). So… Germany. There was only ever one German aircraft carrier, and it was never completed nor did it see service; it was mostly built, but was ultimately used by the Soviets as target practice. Germany did have a number of battleships and battlecruisers, but by far Germanys biggest impact on naval power was with submarines. Seems like it might be a little challenging to rule the waves with little more than subs, but I suppose it can be done. So, how is the German submarine fleet doing these days?
Germany’s Entire Submarine Fleet Is Out of Commission
Das boot ist kaputt: German navy has zero working subs
Germany a whopping *SIX* submarines, none of which are functional. None of which even are nuclear powered or carry ballistic missiles.
Germany’s decrease in spending has had broad consequences across its entire military. Of the country’s 244 Leopard II tanks, only 95 are ready for action. In 2014, only 42 out of 109 Typhoon fighter jets were fully operational. Of the country’s 14 new A-400M Grizzly transport aircraft, sometimes none are available. And in 2015, when Germany debated sending Tornado strike jets to Syria, it was revealed that only 29 out 66 Tornados were airworthy. Given such low readiness rates, it’s not surprising the submarine force is also in a bind.
Good luck using that fleet of clunkers to control the ongoing invasion of Europe, Ms. Merkel. Good luck using them to convince Putin to not invade, conquer and annex Eastern Europe. I look forward to seeing how that military powerhouse is used to broker peace in the middle east or to foster contentment in the South China Sea, or keep things going smoothly as Russia and Norway and Canada fight over Arctic resources.
Dec 142017
The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne was without a doubt the niftiest helicopter ever to *almost* make it into production. but, alas, it was ahead of its time… more precisely, ahead of the available technology.
The gunner sat in a seat that could spin 360 degrees (like the gunner in the Gunstar… and if you don’t get the reference, you’ve a geekiness deficiency). The Cheyenne had a pusher prop for very high speed for a helicopter, and small wings to generate lift and offload the rotor at speed. Lockheed had considerable faith in the future of that propulsion concept and incorporated it into designs for civilian passenger transport helicopters such as the CL-1026 9described in US VTOL Projects issue #01).
Dec 062017
House OKs GOP bill expanding gun owners’ rights
Marriage licenses and drivers licenses are issued by individual states, but recognized by all. Marriages and driving are *not* explicitly called out as rights in the Constitution… but bearing arms is. And perversely, up until now states have often *not* recognized the concealed carry licenses issued by other states. This may be about to change, at long friggen’ last.
But some politicians never let an opportunity to slander millions of law abiding citizens pass by unremarked. Example: Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., called the bill an attempt to “allow dangerous criminals to walk around with hidden guns anywhere and at any time.” I wonder if it might be possible to sue her for slandering law abiding concealed carry license holders, who she has just said are “dangerous criminals.”
Dec 052017
Why build one when you can get two at twice the price?
Having two independent triggers seems like asking for trouble, unless each side is fully independent (which they don’t seem to be).
Dec 042017
Concealability seems poor.
Dec 032017
There is apparently some discussion about parking some THAAD missiles along the west coast to protect against the likes of a Nork missile. The THAAD isn’t a full-up anti-ICBM system, but it’s the best the US currently has for land-based systems. It’s also the only missile in operation that has an important subsystem (the igniter) designed by *me.* So there.
The US May Add THAAD Missile Systems On The West Coast
There is, of course, no actual money for this.
Dec 032017
An updated version of a post from a few years ago with obsolete formatting, with added editorial bloviation!
Point of note: 1963 is 54 years ago. With all the advances in the last half century, America still relies on the Minuteman. Since the Minuteman was developed, we also developed the Midgetman and Peacekeeper ICBMs… and got rid of them.
Note as well that the five year development time for the original Minuteman is year and a half longer than the time since I originally posted another version of this old Minuteman video. And in that three and a half years, the United States does not seem to have developed a new ICBM, while in that time the North Koreans and Iranians *have.* The Russians have tested updated versions of the “Satan” ICBM (the RS-28 Sarmat), which carries 10+ warheads; the Minuteman III currently mouldering in American silos were designed for a whopping 3 warheads, but now carry a grand total of *one* warhead due to treaty restrictions.
Also of historic note: when the Minuteman was developed, a lot of components that, were they to be developed today, would be digital were then analog. The safe-and-arm for the solid rocket motors was essentially a heavy chunk of clockwork. The S&A simply served the purpose of making sure than an accidental electrical or mechanical discharge somewhere, if it inadvertently set off the ordnance lines leading to the motor igniter, would not actually get to the igniter. They are simple mechanical blocks that prevent the signal from getting through unless they are properly activated.
The Minuteman S&A’s worked well enough. So, when Thiokol was developing the solid rocket boosters for the Shuttle, they used the Minuteman S&As. And since once something is designed and fielded at NASA it almost never changes, the 1963-vintage S&As stayed with the RSRMs throughout the lifespan of the Shuttle. Last I knew, they were also in use on the five-segment boosters to be used on the “next generation” Space Launch System.” So *if* the SLS gets built (doubtful) and flies for decades (doubtful), the relatively ancient Minuteman S&As will probably fly with them throughout the SLS’s lifespan. If SLS flies in 2020 and lasts 20 years, the Minuteman S&A will have an 80 year operational life. Of course, by the time the SLS is retired, the Minuteman ICBM itself might still be in service.