American military technology updates and general discussion

[LeGenD]

Learn about the Stryker Family of Vehicles in following videos:

 

[Super Falcon]

Sikorsky S 97 legend is born

 

[Soldier35]

The US Air Force has unveiled the new B-21 Raider bomber. The manufacturer positions the bomber as the world's only sixth-generation aircraft. According to Northrop Grumman, the aircraft is capable of reaching anywhere in the world, carrying nuclear and conventional weapons, and overcoming the most advanced air defense systems thanks to improved stealth technology. Since the introduction of the B-2 Spirit aircraft, the B-21 Raider has become the first new US Air Force bomber in 34 years. It is reported that using cloud technologies, you can create a "digital twin" of the aircraft, which will help track the performance of combat missions. The B-21 Raider bomber has evolved from the B-2 bomber and should incorporate all the best. As previously reported, the B-21 should become cheaper in terms of purchase and operation costs than its predecessor, the B-2. This should be achieved by reducing the size of the new bomber and its carrying capacity, as well as partial unification with other US Air Force aircraft. The B-21 has been given a more durable surface material for stealth, requiring less maintenance effort and minimizing operating costs and downtime. The price of the aircraft is $750 million. The first flight of the B-21 Raider bomber should take place in 2023. Detailed specifications of the B-21 are classified.

 

[Soldier35]

The V-280 Valor tiltrotor will become the main helicopter of the US Army. The V-280 won the tender, which also included the Defiant X helicopter, developed by Sikorsky and Boeing. The US will replace 2,000 Army UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters with one unified Bell V-280. The V-280 Valor tiltrotor was developed by Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin. The V-280 has an all-composite fuselage, superior flight performance and lower cost than the competition. The V-280 Valor does not have a removable rotary wing, which significantly reduces the weight of the machine, and there is no rotary engine - only the propeller rotor changes the position. By using dual motors with common drive shafts, both rotors can be powered by the same motor in the event of a mechanical failure. The tiltrotor crew consists of four people and can carry up to 14 paratroopers with heavy weapons. The tiltrotor has a cruising speed of 520 km/h, a service ceiling of 1800 meters and a combat range of up to 1480 kilometers.

 

[LeGenD]

The US Air Force has unveiled the new B-21 Raider bomber. The manufacturer positions the bomber as the world's only sixth-generation aircraft. According to Northrop Grumman, the aircraft is capable of reaching anywhere in the world, carrying nuclear and conventional weapons, and overcoming the most advanced air defense systems thanks to improved stealth technology. Since the introduction of the B-2 Spirit aircraft, the B-21 Raider has become the first new US Air Force bomber in 34 years. It is reported that using cloud technologies, you can create a "digital twin" of the aircraft, which will help track the performance of combat missions. The B-21 Raider bomber has evolved from the B-2 bomber and should incorporate all the best. As previously reported, the B-21 should become cheaper in terms of purchase and operation costs than its predecessor, the B-2. This should be achieved by reducing the size of the new bomber and its carrying capacity, as well as partial unification with other US Air Force aircraft. The B-21 has been given a more durable surface material for stealth, requiring less maintenance effort and minimizing operating costs and downtime. The price of the aircraft is $750 million. The first flight of the B-21 Raider bomber should take place in 2023. Detailed specifications of the B-21 are classified.

On further note:

The B-21 Raider Is And Isn't A 'B-2 Spirit 2.0'

The B-21 is a 'B-2 2.0' in some ways, and that is a major feature, not a bug, but in other ways it is truly revolutionary.

www.thedrive.com

 

[SQ8]

Interesting situation going on with LockMart and GAO - stating the Army always wanted a tiltrotor and the competition was biased to get that.

 

[Soldier35]

The largest joint US-Israeli military exercise in history has begun. The Juniper Oak exercise will be one of the most significant maneuvers between the two allied states, which will involve thousands of units, dozens of ships and 142 aircraft. The Juniper Oak military exercises will last until Friday and aim to deepen cooperation between the US and Israeli military as tensions rise over Iran's nuclear program. During the exercise, missile boats and submarines of the IDF Navy will conduct joint maneuvers with an American aircraft carrier. In addition, at sea, at a great distance from the coast, refueling of missile boats of the Saar-5 type by an American tanker will be practiced. The allies are working out command and staff interaction, the use of aviation in combat operations at sea, refueling aircraft in the air, "electronic attacks", suppressing enemy air defense, intercepting aircraft, and much more.

 

[Soldier35]

Northrop Grumman in the United States tested the Hatchet loitering ammunition launched from the MQ-1C Gray Eagle heavy UAV. Hatchet ammunition can hit objects with an accuracy of up to 2 meters, and its weight of 2.7 kilograms allows the Gray Eagle UAV to take on board up to 12 such loitering charges. The aerial bomb uses two versions of the guidance system, one uses GPS signals, the other is combined, using satellite navigation and a semi-active laser homing head. Ammunition "Hatchet" is packed in a launch container, after the release of the bomb from the container, the control surfaces are revealed. In this case, three sensors are activated, detecting a laser “spot” of target designation. The planning aerial bomb "Hatchet" has a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, the power of which is enough to defeat manpower and unprotected enemy equipment. The price of ammunition "Hatchet" has not yet been reported.

The United States conducted another test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, the missile was launched from the Vandenberg base in California. Minuteman III is the only land-based intercontinental ballistic missile currently in service with the United States since 1970. The Minuteman III missile has three warheads and is capable of hitting a target at a distance of up to 13,000 kilometers. The Minuteman III missile is one of the fastest nuclear missiles in the world, its speed reaches 30,000 km per hour, at the moment it is faster only by Russia's Avangard strategic hypersonic complex, which we talked about earlier. The United States currently has about 450 Minuteman III missiles in service, some of them used for testing. The missiles will expire in 2030.

 

[LeGenD]

A Patriot system operated by Ukrainian forces intercepted a Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv on 04-05-23.

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The leftovers of the Kinzhal missile that was intercepted over Kyiv on 04-05-23 is shown in following images:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654432674633613312

"Гіперзвуковий" Х-47 "Кинжал" успішно збито ЗСУ: уламки й пояснення причини сильного вибуху уночі 4 травня над Києвом (оновлено) | Defense Express

Ракету Х-47 "Кинжал", якої рашисти намагались уразити Київ у ночі 4 травня, було успішно перехоплено

defence-ua.com

Dagger Fallen – Assessing Ukraine’s Downing of the Kinzhal Missile

On 5 May 2023, Ukrainian local news outlet Defense Express announced that Ukraine’s defence forces managed to shoot down a Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile at around 02:40 on 4 May over Kyiv.

euro-sd.com

Ukrainian Patriot Missile Shot Down Kinzhal Hypersonic Missile Proving Russian Propaganda About Hypersonic Missile Wrong

Ukrainian troops reportedly shoot down a Russian hypersonic ballistic missile using a Western-made air defense system. According to Defense Express, Ukraine’s Armed Forces successfully intercepted …

www.globaldefensecorp.com

For the First Time, a Patriot Missile Has Killed One of Russia’s Hypersonic Missiles

That may burst the hype bubble around the mighty Kinzhal.

www.popularmechanics.com

Pentagon confirms Ukraine downed Russian missile with Patriot system

The Ukrainian military has downed a Russian missile using the U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system, the Pentagon’s top spokesman confirmed Tuesday. “I can confirm that they did down a Rus…

thehill.com

This intercept shows that Patriot is FAR more capable in its capacity to defeat sophisticated missiles then officially admitted.

More information in here and here.

SM-6 and THAAD are also capable of defeating hypersonic missiles. I pointed out this fact in here and here.

 

[Ali_Baba]

Kinzhal is not a proper hypersonic system - it is an "air launched ballistic system" with no maneuvering capabilities where is a pre-requisite of a hypersonic system. Ballistic missile can rage between mach 5 and mach 24 ( some icbms ) etc ...

Once again – more fake Russian propaganda that is over-hyping their weapons..

 

[Soldier35]

NATO military exercise Northern Forest 2023 in Finland. Military exercises of NATO countries "Northern Forest 2023" are held in Finland. About 8,000 military personnel are involved in the exercises, including more than a thousand soldiers from the United States, Great Britain, Sweden and Norway. The ground forces, the Air Force and the Border Guard forces from Finland will take part in the exercises. During the Northern Forest 2023 exercises, the tasks of coordinating the actions of units from different countries will be worked out, as well as the readiness for effective interaction in the provision of military assistance by the armies of NATO member countries and Sweden will be tested.

 

[Soldier35]

Footage of the incident of the Russian Su-35S aircraft and the US MQ-9 Reaper UAV in Syria. The US Air Force released footage of the July 5 incident involving a Russian Su-35S fighter jet and an American MQ-9 Reaper UAV in Syria. According to the US Air Force, the Russian fighter actively maneuvered near the UAV, including the afterburner, used heat traps to change the flight of the US drone. According to Russian media reports, the US MQ-9 Reaper UAV entered the closed area where the Russian-Syrian exercises were held, the Su-35 fighter did not use airborne weapons.

 

[Soldier35]

The American B-21 Raider bomber, worth $700 million, made its first flight. This is reportedly the world's first sixth-generation bomber. The B-21 Raider long-range stealth bomber was developed as part of the Long Range Strike Bomber program. Northrup Grumman Corporation received a contract for its development in October 2015. The US Congress in its report said that the new B-21 Raider should by 2040 completely replace the fleet of old strategic bombers - the B-1 Lancer, created almost 50 years ago, and the B-2 Spirit, which was created more than 30 years ago.

 

[Soldier35]

The United States has tested the promising operational-tactical missile PrSM, which will replace the ATACMS missile. Lockheed Martin did not provide any details, but it is noted that the missile is capable of “neutralizing” targets at a range of up to 400 km, the estimated missile range is up to 499 km. Preliminary test results showed that the Precision Strike Missile Increment 1 missile confirmed its nominal performance. The missiles are planned to be used on the M270A1 and M142 HIMARS MLRS. Lockheed Martin reported that the corporation received three new contracts for the production of missiles. In the future, the new missile should replace all MGM-140 ATACMS operational-tactical missiles.