2016

SUnknownCould USS Iowa have stood up to the might IJN Yamato if the two had met?

Thu, Feb 22, 2018

The battleships Yamato and Iowa both had certain advantages over the other. In hind site, with the detailed performance characteristics now available, there was a sweet spot that, barring bad luck, would have made Iowa a near certain victor though not without a good deal of damage. However, lacking that knowledge Iowa was at great risk if it chose to engage Yamato.

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SUnknownBattle of Midway Animated (1942)

Thu, Sep 20, 2018

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SUnknownThe Secret War: When Israel fought the Soviet Union

Thu, May 21, 2020

Following the decimation of Arab forces in the 1967 six day war Egypt courted the Soviet Union to rearm. The Soviet Union complied with a covert operation to bolster Egypt's air defenses and attack aircraft. The Soviets also reluctantly sent clandestine front line troops. Soviet pilots eventually engaged Israelii pilots directly resulting in losses on both sides.

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SUnknownIf the Soviets and the West went to war in 1945 - who would have won?

Thu, Jun 04, 2020

Operation Unthinkable was a hypothetical plan for the Allies to extend World War Two against the Soviet Union. As of 1945 both sides had rough parity at the front line but the defenders would be increasingly at an advantage as an attacker advanced. With relatively little room for a massive military force to maneuver a break through would be unlikely. In the long term the Allies ability to resupply coupled with superior technology would likely lead to victory but only after many years and only in Europe.

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SUnknownCan the A-10's gatling gun still rule over tanks?

Tue, Mar 16, 2021

The A-10 Thunderbolt II was designed around it's high capacity armor piercing Gatling gun to kill Soviet tanks during the Cold War. And though it saw a great deal of action during the Gulf War most of its tank kills were with Maverick missiles rather than with its gun due to the greater threat from antiaircraft weapons. It appears the age of killing tanks with its gun is over for the A-10.

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SUnknownDo modern Russian Air Forces have a big problem?

Tue, Apr 27, 2021

After the Cold War active Russian aircraft inventories dropped precipitously. There have also been few replacements so Russia's inventory is getting old. New designs are available but are coming on stream slowly. Air to air and air to surface munitions suffer form the same trouble. Focus seems to be first, the nuclear triad, second, air defense, third, ground attack.

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SUnknownThe secret history of Israeli nuclear arsenal

Fri, May 28, 2021

Isreal is in a precarious situation a small country surrounded by larger militant enemies. It is generally assumed that Isreal possesses a triad nuclear deterrent including ICBMs, submarine launched cruise missiles and strike aircraft supported by aerial refueling. Rumors of nuclear artillery, land mines and suitcase bombs have been leaked by Israeli intelligence to maximize the deterrence effect of its arsenal.

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SUnknownF-15EX - Is the most heavily armed USAF jet worth it?

Tue, Jun 29, 2021

The US Air Force unveiled the new F-15EX Eagle II and announced plans to acquire more than 100 aircraft. Although it will continue to use the conventional non-stealth air frame it is much cheaper to maintain than the F-22 and F-35, offers considerably more range, speed, and greater weapons capacity in terms of weight, size, and number of weapons. Thus it is complimentary rather than competitive with stealth fighters.

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SUnknown1980: could NATO stop a Soviet tank rush in Europe?

Tue, Jul 13, 2021

In 1980 the Warsaw Pact had a bit of a numerical edge relative to NATO among roughly comparable mechanized armies. So the Soviets were certainly prepared to defend themselves. But an offensive against NATO posed logistical challenges that might have been insurmountable. Here are the details.

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SUnknownRussia's Sukhoi just unveiled a brand new stealth fighter!

Tue, Jul 20, 2021

Russia unveiled a new Sukhoi light stealth fighter dubbed 'Checkmate' at the MAKS-2021 Air Show. The aircraft displayed was clearly a mock-up that will not be ready for delivery for about a decade. Given the early public announcement it is probably intended for export and rumors have it that there is a foreign investor.

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SUnknownHow does the upcoming Chinese supercarrier compare?

Fri, Aug 20, 2021

A third Chinese aircraft carrier is under construction. It is non-nuclear and smaller than the Unites States' Nimitz and Ford class aircraft carriers but larger than the aircraft carriers of any other country. China does not have aircraft entirely suitable for the new aircraft carrier but they are under development.

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SUnknownWhen a Single Tank Saved Israel

Thu, Sep 02, 2021

Here is an account of Zvika Greengold's actions in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Zvika destroyed at least 20 Syrian tanks which were part of an effort to take the Golan Heights from Israel. For twenty-four hours he fought alone using hit and run tactics against Syrian tank columns forcing them to halt their attacks until Israeli reinforcements joined the battle.

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SUnknownChina Just Showed off Its Future Weapons at Its Biggest Arms Expo/Airshow

Fri, Oct 01, 2021

China's last Zhuhai Arms Exposition/Air Show was three years ago. The show is geared toward export so China was anxious to impress so several of it's newest weapons and aircraft were on display or demonstrated. But there were also a great many mock-ups and it was unclear which were truly in development rather than just for show.

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SUnknownHow would have WW2 gone if the US had not used Nuclear Bombs on Japan?

Tue, Apr 26, 2022

Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of Japan included Operation Olympic, the invasion of the southern island of Kyushu followed by Operation Coronet, the invasion of Kanto Plain around Tokyo would have been incredibly difficult and costly. But had Japan not surrendered it likely would have gone forward if for no other reason than to prevent Russia from gaining control of Japan.

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SUnknownPoland on course to become the strongest land force in the EU?

Thu, Jul 21, 2022

An overview of Poland's military buildup of the 2020's relative to Germany, UK and France.

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SUnknownHow is HIMARS used in Ukraine?

Tue, Aug 16, 2022

The Commissar discusses the availability, limitations and Ukraine's tactics for HIMARS.

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SUnknownWhen might Ukraine run out of Artillery and how many Rounds can the US Give to Ukraine?

Tue, Nov 15, 2022

Nato's production of artillery rounds cannot keep up with Ukraine's recent levels of consumption. But it is likely consumption will decline in the near future.

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SUnknownRussia's top attack helicopter performing poorly in Ukraine?

Tue, Nov 29, 2022

Russia lost more Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters than any other type. The reason for the high loss rate seems to relate to the missions Russia uses them for.

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SUnknownOn LCS being crap and Constellation being US Navy's answer to China

Sun, Jan 29, 2023

The US Navy's two Littoral Combat Ships design were built for another time and aren't capable enough to engage the emergent Chinese Navy. So the Navy is moving as quickly as possible to field the Constellation class frigate. It is a large versatile platform based on an established European design to ensure a quick and reliable path to production.

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SUnknownJapan's Military Budget to Double (and Jump from 9th to 4th Place in the World)

Tue, Feb 28, 2023

At one percent of GNP Japan's military spending is low compared to the 2.2% average for the rest of the world. Japan plans to remedy that by 2027. But with a declining birth rate creativity will be needed to increase military manpower. Easier will be converting from a purely defense military with the addition of new strike weapons.

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SUnknownHow will F-16 impact the war in Ukraine?

Thu, Jul 06, 2023

The F-16 is an improvement over Ukraine's current Russian built fighters but it doesn't out-class the Russian air force. So it's best utility will likely be to plug holes in Ukraine's antiaircraft defenses and stand-off ground attack missions. Most important Ukraine can probably expect a steady stream of F-16's displaced by F-35s in NATO countries is contrast to the Russian planes that cannot be replaced.

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SUnknownDrones, politics and costs are killing Europe's Tigers.

Thu, Jul 27, 2023

Eurocoter's Tiger helicopter is in service in several countries but the largest user, Germany seems reluctant to retain the Tiger. The over all trend with Western militaries seems to be to move to the more powerful AH 64 Apaches or abandon attack helicopters entirely.

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SUnknownM1A3 Abrams is finally happening. And it may get an unmanned turret, like the Russian Armata T-14.

Thu, Sep 21, 2023

The US Army is working on a new Abrams tanks currently tagged M1E3. Primary goals are crew survivability in a lighter tank with better fuel efficiency. That likely means an unmanned turret with auto-loader and a new power-plant. Development will likely take a decade.

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SUnknownHow could Iran hurt Israel? (If it intervenes)

Thu, Oct 26, 2023

Iran has the ability to directly attack Isreal by aircraft, stand-off cruise missile, ballistic missile and aerial drones though distance is a major challenge. But Israel has extensive, multi-layer air defenses that will make the cost per hit very high with minimal impact compared to Hamas rocket attacks. A bigger risk is an Iranian supported invasion by Hezbollah.

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SUnknownGaza is a nightmare for tanks. So why is Israeli Merkava IV uniquely suited for it?

Tue, Nov 14, 2023

In urban warfare threats can come from any direction but are generally limited to less powerful man portable weapons. And, the attacking tanks don't require anti-armor weapons. Here's is a detail analysis for how the Merkava IV is the world's best suited tank for urban environments.

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