Monday, 14 May 2012
IT Warrior
With thanks to Think Defence
IT in the armed forces remains remarkably undeveloped.
Many of the "Gucci" applications (see link) are toys, Funky toys, but still toys.
Most of the "real" applications are simply about doing what we did on slowly on paper 50 years ago, faster on a laptop tomorrow.
We'll be serious about IT when a Major doesnt radio a platoon to order them forward, he gets his ipad out and drags the platoons icon icon from their current location to their new location on a googlemaps (or better) real world map.
The platoons iphones (soldiers) and ipads (officers) all beep and they get their movement orders.
Or the above for a Lord Millitant and his 20 Brigades
Want to call in fire support?
Soldier whips out his iphone, drags the fire support icon from the side onto the building he wants destroying. Info box pops up detailing the next available fire support and a countdown starts.
soldier pokes yes, and phone pings fighter/gun battery/submarine with a target and a time to hit it.
Need resupply?
Open your logistics tab, either your preloaded favourites tab and select the items you need, or open up the full list and search.
Fill your boots and ping, off it shoots as an order to the logisitcs hub, who pick it, pack it, and whack it on to trucks.
Apache pops up from behind hill, longbow identifies 80 armoured vehicles, ping, suddenly every soldier in army has a live location for each of those vehicles.
Apache pops down behind hill, and that location greys out, and a timer appears. So anyone and everyone can see a tank was seen at that location and how long ago it was seen.
Overlays can be flicked on and off denoting the areas they could have moved too.
On the ball artilery officers get 80 exact targets to pulverise.
Thats IT taken seriously,
And thats winning wars.
IT in the armed forces remains remarkably undeveloped.
Many of the "Gucci" applications (see link) are toys, Funky toys, but still toys.
Most of the "real" applications are simply about doing what we did on slowly on paper 50 years ago, faster on a laptop tomorrow.
We'll be serious about IT when a Major doesnt radio a platoon to order them forward, he gets his ipad out and drags the platoons icon icon from their current location to their new location on a googlemaps (or better) real world map.
The platoons iphones (soldiers) and ipads (officers) all beep and they get their movement orders.
Or the above for a Lord Millitant and his 20 Brigades
Want to call in fire support?
Soldier whips out his iphone, drags the fire support icon from the side onto the building he wants destroying. Info box pops up detailing the next available fire support and a countdown starts.
soldier pokes yes, and phone pings fighter/gun battery/submarine with a target and a time to hit it.
Need resupply?
Open your logistics tab, either your preloaded favourites tab and select the items you need, or open up the full list and search.
Fill your boots and ping, off it shoots as an order to the logisitcs hub, who pick it, pack it, and whack it on to trucks.
Apache pops up from behind hill, longbow identifies 80 armoured vehicles, ping, suddenly every soldier in army has a live location for each of those vehicles.
Apache pops down behind hill, and that location greys out, and a timer appears. So anyone and everyone can see a tank was seen at that location and how long ago it was seen.
Overlays can be flicked on and off denoting the areas they could have moved too.
On the ball artilery officers get 80 exact targets to pulverise.
Thats IT taken seriously,
And thats winning wars.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Ruthless Commonality - Boring but essential
UKAFC has a piece on the T26.
Its going to be powered by yet another gas turbine.
Is there an engine out there that the Royal Navy doesnt use, beyond nuclear, the cheapest by a mile?
We've just spengt a small fortune designing a diesel and gas and electric hybrid system.
With a tiny bit more work, we could have thrown in some batteries, and have created a single open, modular propulsion system architecture.
Flexible enough to power everything from the smallest mine hunter to the biggest carrier, simply by adjusting the number of diesels and gas turbines, the number of batteries they feed in to and the number of pods they drive.
But that would be simple.
You could give every man in the army a different calibre and it would cost less than this folly.
Its going to be powered by yet another gas turbine.
Is there an engine out there that the Royal Navy doesnt use, beyond nuclear, the cheapest by a mile?
We've just spengt a small fortune designing a diesel and gas and electric hybrid system.
With a tiny bit more work, we could have thrown in some batteries, and have created a single open, modular propulsion system architecture.
Flexible enough to power everything from the smallest mine hunter to the biggest carrier, simply by adjusting the number of diesels and gas turbines, the number of batteries they feed in to and the number of pods they drive.
But that would be simple.
You could give every man in the army a different calibre and it would cost less than this folly.
Labels:
commonality,
Defence,
navy
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Bringing the Hammer Down Hours 6 to 12
With enemy runways punctured, support infrastructure at the three key fields crushed and anything in the air either shot down, crash landed, or overseas.
Overseas is out of the war, theres simply no chance Brazil is going to let Argentina use a Brazillian airbase to launch fighters (especialy considering what we've already done to Argentinas airbases)
So, 28 more C 's inbound, what shall we hit?
Buenos Aires
Hard
Luckily, We have three targets all virtualy right next door
From left to right
The National Congress
The Presidential Palace
The Ministry of Defence
Again, 28 aircraft are available.
To be on the safe side, I'd still want fighters and SEAD, say, 6 of each, to allow for a pair of each to cover a 2 hour slot each.
That leaves 22 bombers, each carrying a rather stunning 6 2000lb bombs, giving us 132 in total.
Again, I've marked targets, both small and large.
The small ones were just items that looked cultural significant, I'm thinking Nelsons column.
Why not spend seven of them on pretty things?
Anyway, the other 125 I'd just use to completely obliterate the three large targets.
Who knows, we might get lucky and kill the president and the legislature who voted for war, and the civil servants who planned it.
I know some people consider enemy leaders bad form, but the first bombs dropped in the second gulf war were aimed at Sadam, and we have a massive operation in Afghanistan whos sole task is to identify, locate, and assassinate Taliban Officers.
Not to mention of course, throwing Osama off a Carrier deck in the middle of the ocean. Shooting him first was probablhy a kindness too far, anyway.
And yes, I am aware that I have made no effort to actualy liberate the islands yet....
Overseas is out of the war, theres simply no chance Brazil is going to let Argentina use a Brazillian airbase to launch fighters (especialy considering what we've already done to Argentinas airbases)
So, 28 more C 's inbound, what shall we hit?
Buenos Aires
Hard
Luckily, We have three targets all virtualy right next door
From left to right
The National Congress
The Presidential Palace
The Ministry of Defence
Again, 28 aircraft are available.
To be on the safe side, I'd still want fighters and SEAD, say, 6 of each, to allow for a pair of each to cover a 2 hour slot each.
That leaves 22 bombers, each carrying a rather stunning 6 2000lb bombs, giving us 132 in total.
Again, I've marked targets, both small and large.
The small ones were just items that looked cultural significant, I'm thinking Nelsons column.
Why not spend seven of them on pretty things?
Anyway, the other 125 I'd just use to completely obliterate the three large targets.
Who knows, we might get lucky and kill the president and the legislature who voted for war, and the civil servants who planned it.
I know some people consider enemy leaders bad form, but the first bombs dropped in the second gulf war were aimed at Sadam, and we have a massive operation in Afghanistan whos sole task is to identify, locate, and assassinate Taliban Officers.
Not to mention of course, throwing Osama off a Carrier deck in the middle of the ocean. Shooting him first was probablhy a kindness too far, anyway.
And yes, I am aware that I have made no effort to actualy liberate the islands yet....
Labels:
Hammer
Friday, 4 May 2012
The Not So Secret Ballot?
Interest event at the polling station.
Brief time line.
I handed over polling card
Tard behind desk asked my name, somehow I was to have forgotten it during the five intervening seconds?
Tard wrote my unique voter ID on a sheets
Tard wrote something from the back of my voting slip on same sheet, in same box.
Was the long code on the back of my voting slip a unique number?
Was that number recorded next to my name?
So do the council, and therefore the local mafia know who I voted for?
Brief time line.
I handed over polling card
Tard behind desk asked my name, somehow I was to have forgotten it during the five intervening seconds?
Tard wrote my unique voter ID on a sheets
Tard wrote something from the back of my voting slip on same sheet, in same box.
Was the long code on the back of my voting slip a unique number?
Was that number recorded next to my name?
So do the council, and therefore the local mafia know who I voted for?
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Bringing the Hammer Down, the first 6 hours.
With the runways out of commission, temporarily at least, its time to inflict some damage. Argentina has three runways within striking distance of the islands. Villa Reynolds, Tandil and Enrique Moscini. Reynolds and Tandil base the two strike units, and are just inside the 1750km limit I set for refueled strikes. Moscini base a transport squadron, but its placement within unrefueled strike range means its almost certain to base at least some of the strike jets. A picture of the three dangerous bases, with their refueled ranges, and the sweet spot in which a carrier could wait for its moment to strike. The furthest, Reynolds, is 2490km from the staging area, technically within the range of the F35c, 2520km, although I remain unsure if that’s a return range or not?
The day one sortie rate of the CVF will be 110 launches, in out 6 hour window, that gives us 28. The first target, would be Moscini Firstly, even with enemy airfields down, we need to send in a fighter pair, they could always have moved a few fighters to a civilian airport, or some could have been airborne before the first strike. Added to that, we would need a SEAD pair. Argentina has no serious air defences, but theres no sense taking risks. Four more jets, each packing 6 2000lbers allow us to rather badly damage 24 targets. I picked these. On top of that of course, the Fighter and SEAD pair will be able to pack a couple of bombs as well, which can be dumped on the runway and taxiway in case anything survives the bombing mission. There were also what was obviously the residential accommodation of the airmen, which I graciously decided to give a miss, and of course, in case I’ve miss identified the airport…..
Secondly, Tandil.
Only found 13 targets here, so, perhaps extra drop tanks, or fewer jets.
Thirdly, Reynolds
A mere 12 there.
So plenty of spares, and every building wrecked, if not leveled.
Remember, these buildings are weather shelters, not Iraqi bomb proofs, which themselves lost that title once they started taking direct hits from 2000lbers
Labels:
Hammer
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Bringing the Hammer Down - T minus 0
Picking on everyones favourite punchng bag, and everyones favourite theoretical warzone.
El Palo Airbase
Home to the 1st Air Brigade (Transport)
A 2110 metre long airstrip, complete with two shorter taxi ways.
Justo Jose Airbase
Home the 2nd Air Brigade (Transport)
A 2100 metre long airstrip, complete with a full length taxi way
Reconquista Military Air Base
Home to the 3rd Air Brigade (Puccaras)
Francisco Gabrielli Airport
Home to the 4th Air Brigade (Training)
A 2789 metre long airstrip, with a slightly smaller taxi way
Villa Reynolds Airport
Home to the 5th Air Brigade (Fightinghawks)
A 2400 metre long airstrip, with a roughly equaly sized taxi way, and a considerably smaller one.
Tandil Airport
Home to the 6th Air Brigade (Mirages)
A 2500 metre long airstrip with two fairly short taxi ways
Mariano Moreno Airport
Home to the 7th Air Brigade (Transport Helicopters)
Long Airstrip with long taxi way
General Enrique Mosconi International Airport
Home to the 9th Air Brigade (Transport)
A 2827 metre long airstrip with taxi way
Above, is a map of every Argentina Military Airfield (I think, there may be one missing)
Highlighted, are sections I would target in a 0 hour strike, 49 of them.
And final picture, each of those airbases, with a 1250km and 1750km overlay
Only one airbase can reach the islands without refueling, a couple more can reach t with, and only one could reach out and touch the fleet wth refueling.
Given our current capabilities, it would require almost our entire stockpile of Tomahawk missiles (50 something), and almost the complete carrying capacity of the two submarines we could probably send down south, two trafalgars could carry 60 weapons, so 49 tomahawks and 11 spearfish.
Not perfect, but 11 spear fish remains enough to seriously **** up the Argentine Navy if it comes out to play, and 49 Tomahawks would shut down the argentine airforce for more than a few minutes.
Modest improvement would be to rehead the Tomahawk with a BROACH warhead,
should be a link
Rather than scratching the surface, blow a 10ft deep/wide crater, which will not be fixed with a couple of bags of postcrete.
A rather less modest improvement would be to increase the number of submarines sent south, or the warload of those we do send, or indeed, both.
4-6 of the "Basilisk Class" each with a 6x7 cruise missile module would give us 5 times as many missiles for land attack, and plenty of heavy weight torpedoes.
Posted by
TheRagingTory
at
16:19
2
comments
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Labels:
Hammer
Monday, 16 April 2012
Maybe not then
Argentina is moving to steal a spanish oil firm.
Spain being their only probable ally on ths side of the pond, escalating to an all out war seems less and less likely.
As I've said before, a war between the UK and Argentina is a fairly dicey affair unless the UK is prepared to act with some brutality. Couragous Restraint and an unwillingness to sink cruise ships loaded with children and materiel for the occupation forces.
Spain still has a light carrier with BVR carrying harriers, along with a pretty respectable landing force, and a few decent escorts, not Darings, but respectable.
A Spain smarting from being robbed, and an embattled broke government looking for a victory boost, we could have extra warships rather than votes aganst us...
Spain being their only probable ally on ths side of the pond, escalating to an all out war seems less and less likely.
As I've said before, a war between the UK and Argentina is a fairly dicey affair unless the UK is prepared to act with some brutality. Couragous Restraint and an unwillingness to sink cruise ships loaded with children and materiel for the occupation forces.
Spain still has a light carrier with BVR carrying harriers, along with a pretty respectable landing force, and a few decent escorts, not Darings, but respectable.
A Spain smarting from being robbed, and an embattled broke government looking for a victory boost, we could have extra warships rather than votes aganst us...
Posted by
TheRagingTory
at
18:55
1 comments
icon18_edit_allbkg[i-icon18_edit_allbkg]
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Sunday, 15 April 2012
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Camerons got a stiffy and its confusing him
Wont somebody think of the children!!!
Cameron wants download restrictons on "raunchy" music videos.
google the letter between w and y, and a small rodent from syria.
All the "raunchy" videos anyone interested could one, and I found that in under 90 seconds.
And "Dave" is bothered about Rhianna videos?
get a clue....
Cameron wants download restrictons on "raunchy" music videos.
google the letter between w and y, and a small rodent from syria.
All the "raunchy" videos anyone interested could one, and I found that in under 90 seconds.
And "Dave" is bothered about Rhianna videos?
get a clue....
Labels:
dave
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Suicide isnt the way to go, Opinion
I'm going to do something I've never done before, I'm going to point out this piece is an opinion piece.
A Greek man has commited suicide on the steps of the greek parliament, to send a message to the government.
I dont believe they will have received it.
Its not that they dont care, although someone, somewhere, will have a folder demonstrating the national gain from old people suicides.
Its that they dont care enough. They cant, you arent one of them.
They wont care until its MP's, Sir Humphries, Council Chief Execs and Solicitors who start eating bullets.
Real People.
We might care about your death, you're one of us, but they dont.
Be careful though, my nomination papers have already been entered, not all prospective councillors are scum, even if most are.
But then of course, the arab spring blew up when a fruit cart vendor set himself on fire, so maybe its one of those emotive issues I dont get
A Greek man has commited suicide on the steps of the greek parliament, to send a message to the government.
I dont believe they will have received it.
Its not that they dont care, although someone, somewhere, will have a folder demonstrating the national gain from old people suicides.
Its that they dont care enough. They cant, you arent one of them.
They wont care until its MP's, Sir Humphries, Council Chief Execs and Solicitors who start eating bullets.
Real People.
We might care about your death, you're one of us, but they dont.
Be careful though, my nomination papers have already been entered, not all prospective councillors are scum, even if most are.
But then of course, the arab spring blew up when a fruit cart vendor set himself on fire, so maybe its one of those emotive issues I dont get
Labels:
Revolution
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