dan/california

The only thing I am sure of about Russian insurance is that they will never pay a dime.

We seem to have a truly enormous level of paranoia about anything getting captured and making its way to China. This would be understandable if the Chinese were not already outstanding at stealing our technology directly from the manufacturers. I suspect a fair bit of this concern is about the political hit of the Russians capturing anything recognizably American and parading it around while the "the opposition" loses it mind over it on TV. I think winning the the bleeping war faster and easing at least some of the resulting economic dislocation would count for a hundred times more, but... Kamil Galeev wrote a great thread about how the entire Russian system is designed solely and only to feed the ruling class in Moscow. The ruling class there regards the rest of Russia as serfs to be exploited to the point of failure or alcoholic misery. Therefore Moscow is the place the power needs to go out. Anyplace else gives the Russians a propaganda advantage without any actual pressure on the people that matter. Put the power out in Moscow for the month of January though, and a lot of people who matter are going to start making different choices. Triply so if Europe would do a real visa ban.

A voluntary database of any game file people wanted to submit would be a heck of a place to start. It would at least give you a bigger database to attempt to train the AI with. And yes i know that is a very small opening in very large, and very unfriendly thorn bush.

The_Capt has mentioned this possibility multiple times, not sure this one is actually explosive, but the intelligent and mobile anti tank mine draws ever closer.

The number of people who would know about a fall in his private residence is not that large. The penalty for leaking this is beyond savage, so I have doubts about the details. The extremely bad condition of the economy and military are of course well known facts, so perhaps the author is indulging in a bit of embellishment.

Total agreement with this. The Russians total mendacity, lying, and general dysfunction in even attempting to describe reality is so bad I don't know why anyone would sign a treaty with them. Does anyone on this board believe the Russians would hold to any agreement whatsoever for for one second longer than they found it convenient to do so? How do you even attempt to negotiate with people like that? You just have to keep killing them until they go home and stay there, then make it extraordinarily clear to them that you are willing to do it again. Trying to annex territory that they held by force and terror for a few months, or never held at all is simply exhibit A.

Out of likes, but in total agreement with this!

When we give the Ukrainians the missiles to hit every air base west of the Urals the Russian negotiating position will get a lot more flexible. My vote for doing that would be three months ago, followed by last week, followed by RIGHT BLEEPING NOW.

I recall another post from an actual tanker, who knows how long ago, was that the preferred load out if there was a real risk of enemy armor was 95% DU sabot. I am not sure that the way Ukraine has played would supports that.

https://apopo.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAvqGcBhCJARIsAFQ5ke4rAg0LDV6eqnUPazm4wluw8IOwsoqnoxVYZU2ZEF8xnd_ZozMd2ucaAhJ9EALw_wcB&v=7516fd43adaa Just to clarify, the rats exist., it is some larger than average African species, and they mark mines with a good success rate. I just want to give them electronic minders... Edit: Ukraine might want to start a breeding program...

Fascinating, one more little step down this tangent. The single best thing they have ever tried for killing rats in New York was was throwing chunks of dry ice down every hole they could find. The CO2 just asphyxiated them. Now here is the kicker, despite the fact they were using FOOD GRADE CO2, the EPA made them stop. Because CO2 is not an approved pesticide, you can't make this stuff up. And no i am not applying.

This outstanding news, and evidence people are doing their jobs.

Outstanding post as always, was out of likes. I would just re-emphasize that this is Spain 1937, a whole lot of things have just hatched, we have not met the grown up versions yet. The exception to that statement is the performance of NASSAMS and Iris-T. I don't think their effectiveness bodes well for the future of manned aircraft. I realize the Chinses stuff isn't as good, but they are surely taking notes and trying like bleep to steal the relevant tech. A classic case of our only seeing the bay version. The integration Chrissl describes is probably crawling around a proving ground now. Rats are already pretty good at finding mines. imagine if each one had its own AI minder in a little backpack with treats dispenser to keep it motivated. I swear they were working on a program for the Abrams a decade ago, and then decided they didn't want to give the tanks the artillery's job. They might be about to change their minds. Was this discussed in the forum way back when? I can't think of where else I would have been talking about this that long ago. Just to ramble a bit more, the current Abrams fire control system would have all the data wouldn't it? So for the tank it would be almost entirely a software problem. The is even a data link in the lastest version to program the new programmable distance bursting round. So it would only take a round designed for the purpose, and some software. Could they use the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1156_Precision_Guidance_Kit that already exist for 155 ammo? I mean there is no such thing as a small development program, but this doesn't seem like huge one. It might make a nice bridge to a new generation of vehicles designed with the lessons of this war in mind.

Going to be one of the first applications for unmanned ground vehicles. Since all it has to do is follow a couple of way points and not crash. https://mil.in.ua/en/news/germany-will-transfer-14-themis-unmanned-ground-vehicles-to-ukraine/ Better than bleeding out in a muddy trench, probably. Yet another case of this being Spain 1937.

To be fair, we have paid Trillions for the privilege, but their may be a painful technological turnover in progress for the incumbent tech leaders.

Worth pointing out that this 105mm is firing low angle with not a lot of concern about counter-battery fire. This would perfectly explain the incoming fire in the thermal video of the platoon position getting disassembled.

" The Russian state continued to renege on financial promises to Russian citizens, further degrading morale and trust in the state apparatus.[58] Putin acknowledged in a televised press meeting that there are delays in receiving salaries in some oblasts" Above from ISW Why in the bleep can the Kremlin not even get organized to print money to pay the army? I know that causes big problems eventually, but not paying the army is going to cause big problems in weeks, not months. Just don't get it?!

Somewhat more seriously we are at the 1936, beginning of the spanish civil war stage in terms of drones, loitering munitions, and, and... As The_Capt is hinting above offensive operations against a technologically and militarily competent opponent might just not be a thing anymore, at least as theses things are currently conceived. Or maybe the Pentagon has a ray gun that isn't public yet and absolutely everything that shows it head above the horizon dies. But when the other side gets that too we are back to some version of the high tech trench warfare we see in Ukraine now. Edit: My money is still on the $100,000 ghillies suit.

If only there was a nice simulation to help with this process. Anybody heard of any projects underway? Company starts with a B, something, something...

It is worth reiterating that 50 Gripens manned and maintained by "foreign legion volunteers" could end this in a week. It goes on because we are chicken%$#@ and allow it to go on. At the absolute bleeping least send the Ukrainians every short and medium range surface to surface missile in inventory.

https://static.rusi.org/359-SR-Ukraine-Preliminary-Lessons-Feb-July-2022-web-final.pdf I didn't think I could be any more angry at the the Russians, but this reports details on the intentional savagery of the Russian occupation plan for Ukraine has proven me wrong, read pages ten and eleven.

Still reading, but this report is well worth your time.

I would simply question if ANY treaty with the current Russian government is worth the paper it is written on.

I am envisioning a bad novel scenario where the Russians leave the warhead on one of these missiles, but does not arm it. it lands gently in a swamp, and the Ukrainians become the proud owner of one almost working warhead. I am sure this would make everyone much calmer...