GBAD - The return of 'FOBS'

[Kirkhill]

Alert is a massive target, with zero support close by. In reality, I suspect Alert will be abandoned and flipped to "auto" as soon as a realistic threat in the arctic shows up.

Have you ever even been to Alert in peace time to see how remote it actually is? It's about as remote as anyone can get in the northern hemisphere... You don't plan to fight from your remote listening posts.

Why wouldn't you if it gained you an extra extra thousand or so kilometers of range?

The Ukrainians were all about artillery raids in 2022. Pushing their guns as far forward as possoble for a shoot and scoot. And the USMC is practising artillery raids with C130s delivering HIMARS trucks to Pacific islands (with no infrastructure) to launch PrSMs and then flying out immediately.

What could be done with C130s and HIMARS at Thule?.

 

[Furniture]

Why wouldn't you if it gained you an extra extra thousand or so kilometers of range?

Because you can do that more effectively with ships, subs, and aircraft.

The Ukrainians were all about artillery raids in 2022. Pushing their guns as far forward as possoble for a shoot and scoot.

That's comparing apples to Mac Books...

And the USMC is practising artillery raids with C130s delivering HIMARS trucks to Pacific islands (with no infrastructure) to launch PrSMs and then flying out immediately.

You know the distances involved are much shorter, and they intend to use locations that aren't clearly marked on Google Maps... There is also the small matter of the climates being entirely different. How many days below zero do those islands see? How many days of fog do they get in a year? How many days of 3-5 hundred foot ceilings with light snow/mist/ice crystals do they get? I highlight days, because those sorts of events can last for several days in a row, meaning your far away help is completely unable to come help.

I can tell you that due to the location of the islands the USMC is concerned with, the ocean currents mean they see little fog, and most severe/limiting weather is convective and relatively predictable. Even Typhoons generally give lots of advanced warning, so you can move your forces to places that they can both fight, and receive help.

 

[Kirkhill]

I'll stop chasing. We disagree.

 

[Kirkhill]

It didn't have to be 100%

2000 m

Ukraine unveils new laser weapon

Ukraine has unveiled a cutting-edge ‘Trident’ laser weapon after the UK said earlier this year it would be sharing its prototypes with Kyiv.

Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky, the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said the laser would be capable of downing aircraft at distances of more than 2km.

“It really works; it really exists,” he said at the Europe Defence Industry conference, adding that efforts are underway to scale up its capabilities.

He mentioned Ukraine was only the fifth country to have a high-power laser weapon in its arsenal.

In April, Grant Shapps, former British Defence Minister, said that the UK’s DragonFire laser could be used in Ukraine to counter Russian drones.

He warned the advanced laser technology could have “huge ramifications” on the conflict, adding the military was rushing to get it into service by 2027.

“It didn’t have to be 100% perfect in order for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it,” Mr Shapps said at the time.

A CIWS-Phalanx supplement for last-ditch defence?

 

[Kirkhill]

Ukraine Becomes Latest Country to Possess Laser Weapon: Report

Ukraine has reportedly acquired a new laser weapon capable of shooting down low-flying aircraft and drones.

thedefensepost.com

The Brits were planning on fielding their laser system in 2027. It appears as if they transferred the technology to the Ukrainians who have decided it was good enough to give it a try.

Much like the British Brimstone, slinging NATO missiles from Soviet aircraft and mucking around with robot Seadoos and Chinese UAVs.

They are doing things and building stuff and figuring out what works on the fly.