Given the controversy over the A-10 and F-35 Congress ordered a fly-off to determine which offers the best close air support. Each had a major advantage and disadvantage leaving Chris the deciding vote.
A multi round grenade launcher sound like a great thing to have in combat. But it doesn't work for the US Army and most other armies around the world. Here's why.
In general the US Marines are a rapid deployment force that engages in brief, intense conflicts. The Army handles larger scale conflicts in terms of in time and territory that require extensive logistics. The result is the two forces have very different cultures, organizations and missions.
Chris thinks the United States Army is finally serious about replacing the M-2 Bradly infantry fighting vehicle in response to a 2016 announcement that Russia is developing a remote controlled version of the BMP-3. Five contractors have been selected to design upgrades to their existing combat vehicles with final selection planned for 2027.
The September 11 Attacks made it clear that external threat to the United States had changed and the United States Military needed to change to combat them.
In 2011 Izhmash designed the innovative ak-12 assault rifle to replace the AK-74. The Russian Infantry didn't like it so they bought the company and designed an AK-74 look alike that supports advanced optics.
The difference between the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces is apparent in their mottoes. One is unit is adept at working with and training indigenous forces essentially as a force multiplier. The other specializes in direct, rapid combat operations against a specific target. Which is which?
The DSHK heavy machine gun was intended as an antitank weapon in World War Two. Heavier armor quickly made the weapon ineffective but it is still valuable as an antiaircraft gun and against lightly armored vehicles and fortifications.
If the Thompson submachine gun was popular enough that every gangster had to have one, what was the Army's beef with it after fighting a World War using it.
The western press has reported a number of Urkranian victories defeating Russian forces in their 2022 invasion of Urkraine. Yet the Russians keep moving ahead in various places so they must also be having victories that aren't being reported in the west. Here is where Chris thinks the Russians are succeeding.
.300 blackout is a cartridge that uses fast burning, pistol-type powder with a 7.62 mm rifle-size bullet. It is a nice option for special forces because it is quiet with subsonic velocity and medium range accuracy when used in short barreled rifles.
As of 2022 the Bayraktar TB2 is a lowest-cost, unmanned, missile aircraft capable of attacking and destroying tanks. It was effective in the 2022 Russo-Ukraine war because it caught the Rsussians off-guard before they could develop defenses against them.
The United States Army has selected the SIG Sauer MCX-SPEAR rifle, Army designation XM-5, to be its new battle rifle. This weapon replaces the underpowered M4 carbine and is now being criticized for being overpowered. Chris has been following the competition for a new rifle for three years and shares the pros, cons and implications of the XM 5.
The M191 machine gun was a rugged modular gun used from World War Two through the Vienam War. It was designed to be modified to support up to ten calibers. It was man portable and mountable on vehicle, tanks, boats and aircraft.
North Korea from time to time threatens to invade South Korea and seems to be preparing to do so sporting a huge army, navy and air force each with a wide variety of weapons including a nuclear arsenal. But is it really capable?
America's M1224 Maxxpro MRAP is a fast, well armored squad vehicle design to protect troops from improvised explosive devices. The United States bought about 20,000 of them for Iraq war and now no longer needs them. They are expensive to decommission so well over 1,000 have been provided to city police forces. Ukraine now offers another place to unload them but how Urkaine will use them remains unclear.
The United States Army is preparing to field it's first light tank in 25 years. It is referred to as "Mobile Protected Firepower" to emphasize its combined arms role with infantry which will be a new combat doctrine for the Army.
Japan has tremendous soft power in Asia, already spending considerably more on infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia than China's entire Belt and Road initiative in Asia and Africa. But Japan is extremely dependent on East Pacific sea lanes for trade which it sees as threatened by China. So it had begun a substantial increase in defense spending.
Since the United States has a strategic stealth bomb fleet, China just has to have one too, even though it means stealing it. But just what sort of threat is the stealth bomber China is developing?
The United States has a guerrilla warfare playbook. It was shared with Ukraine's partisans along with extensive training. Ukraine's partisans are now active, effective and coordinate with Ukraine's military.
Since the end of the Cold War India has tried to navigate the superpowers by remaining non-aligned. It's reliance on Russia and the United States has seesawed over the decades since but now India is adding greater self-reliance to the mix.
Considering the Chinese fentanyl connection and the corruption along the Mexican border, Senator's are tempted to authorize the United States Military act against Mexican drug cartels. Despite some successes, such as Colombia and Panama, in the past, Mexico is a different and more complex situation.
The troops in China's first contributions to UN Peacekkeping forces typically had little or no live combat experience and so were unprepared for the turmoil of the United Nations Mission during the South Sudanese Civil War.
Over the past few decades the United States has developed the ability to effectively conduct military operations at night. Chris shares the technology that has made this possible and discusses why Americas toughest adversaries have not kept up.
Tiawan's CM-32/34 Clouded Leopard Armored vehicle is tailor made to the needs of its army. By discarding unnecessary feature like tracks and in some cases heavy armor they gained modularity, leathality, all-terrain and amazing speed and range.
At $13 billion each many consider the Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers an expensive target. But they provide a lot of bang for the buck. Are they worth it? You be the judge. But no matter what you decide, Congress will still buy them.
Although Urkraine and Russia are flying the same air frames, the Russian planes have the benefit of upgrades received over the decades since they were built. F-16s give Ukraine an advantage in air combat. But that's the easy part.
Yemen is in the midst of a civil war between Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized, though somewhat fragmented, established government. This plays out on Saudi Arabia's southern border draw them into the conflict. Saudi Arabia's concerns suit Iran just fine so they have supported the Houthis.
The JDAM bomb guidance kit provides the most economical way to put a munition on target thereby destroying the target while minimizing collateral damage.
Russia's doomsday submarine, the belgorod-k-329, has been under construction for nigh on forty years but is now seaworthy and undergoing testing. To the expert eye it looks like it is designed to attack aircraft carriers. But Russia is claiming a variety of other trouble capabilities.
A brief history of the formation and expansion of Hamas amid the turbulence in Palestine from the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 to the 2023 terrorist attack on Israel.
China is preparing to launch its Type 003 Fujian Aircraft carrier that, according to China's promotions, is a state of the art warship. That is questionable and it appears to be facing some difficult birthing issues.
The rise of the terrorist ISIS rogue state created and international crisis that required an international military coalition to defeat. Remnants of the coalition remain in Iraq and Syria today (2024) to prevent the organization from reconstituting.
As the US Air Force prepares to upgrade the B-1 Lancer fleet for service beyond 1940, Chris takes a look at this beautiful plane's capabilities and combat roles.
Antimissile defenses have come a long way since Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. But ballistic missile have gotten better and more numerous in the same time period. Let's see if America's missile defense is finally up to the job.
