Cool Mil Pics Options

[kuhla]

source - http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...-June-14th-2010



Other than the M2 machine gun, I'm wondering if this is one of the oldest infantry weapons we still use. The thing is over 50 years old. Not that there is anything wrong with it.

A Special Forces Soldier, from 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, fires an M-79 Grenade Launcher, during weapons training, with Special Forces soldiers, from 34th Hungarian Special Forces Battalion, in Táborfalva, Hungary, June 8, 2010. The Soldiers are participating in Joint Combined Exercise Training, between Hungarian Special Forces and U.S. Special Forces Soldiers, of 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Isaac A. Graham/Released)

Since we are talking about grenade launchers... the M320.

Special Forces soldiers, from 34th Hungarian Special Forces Battalion fire an M-320 A1, M-203 and M-79 Grenade Launchers, while Special Forces Soldiers, from 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group observe and coach, during weapons training, in Táborfalva, Hungary, June 8, 2010. The Soldiers are participating in Joint Combined Exercise Training, between Hungarian Special Forces and U.S. Special Forces Soldiers, of 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Isaac A. Graham/Released)

[kuhla]

source - http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...-June-15th-2010



Rambowned.

Spc. Joshua Gibson, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, attacks a rotational training unit during an exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center May 21. (Photo by Zach Morgan, Fort Polk Guardian staff writer)

[kuhla]

source - http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...18th-2010/page3



I hope I'm missing something here and that the coast guard doesn't teach hollywood style "snapping the neck from behind" bullshit.... not that it doesn't technically work... but I wouldn't exactly call it effective law enforcement either imho...

Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk practice their law enforcement training on the flight deck while underway to West Africa, Thursday, June 17, 2010. The Mohawk is deploying to Africa to help partner nations with building law enforcement capacities in their region. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd class Victoria Bonk)

[kuhla]

source - http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...-new-France-ICV




source - http://www.defence-observer.info/index.php...s&Itemid=18

Phanard is showing for the first time its SPHINX (Secret Project for Hight Intensity and New Conflicts); Today we have been so lucky we have been able to see a new secrete weapon! Really I do not know who chose the name of some systems. Jocking aside it is a really interesting system. By the way what shown is only a mock-up, but very well made.

This 17 tons vehicle (12 tons the chassis only) is expected to be powered by a 500-600 hp engine to be chosen between a Styer and an MTU model. The mock-up is armed with a 40mm CTA gun and an unidentified launcher for NLOS missiles to be provided by MBDA.

The CMI turret is obviously equipped with a lot of EO systems both for targeting and recognition purposes. Double wishbone suspensions on all the wheels should provide good/very good off road and in road mobility.

[Jedi2155]

That side picture looks very frenchy like in design...is it French?

As to your comment about the M79 on top, the M2 .50 cal and M1911 both which should've rang a bell has been another consistently used infantry weapon.

[kuhla]

That side picture looks very frenchy like in design...is it French?

I know right?! It is French. The whole design is just so typical French in the same vein as the:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMX_10_RC
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERC_90_Sagaie

[Jedi2155]

Yeah, all those rectangular shapes....makes it look very very weak.

[kuhla]

Yeah, all those rectangular shapes....makes it look very very weak.

source - http://translate.googleusercontent.com/tra...qXBrcdCqYTTO-qQ

You need to google translate it from Russian to English. It will have STANAG 4569 Level 5 protection in the front and STANAG 4569 Level 4 on the rest. For reference:

wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STANAG_4569

Level 5 = Direct 25 mm fire at 500 meters with 1258 m/s, Indiriect 155 mm HE at 25 m
Level 4 = Direct 14.5 mm fire at 200 meters with 911 m/s, Indirect 155 mm HE at 30 m, Mine blast 10 kg (explosive mass)

That is more protection than a stock LAV III IFV. I think it'll do.

I'm actually a fan of the modern French military doctrine that heavily emphasizes mobility and practical firepower over anything else. Take for example the ERC 90 F4 that I linked to earlier. It weighs "only" 9 tons. It is "fast" for a military vehicle. It can be rolled on-and-off a C-130. With its 90mm gun and modern munitions, it can take out any modern MBT.

In this day and age where even a MBT can be disabled with a large enough IED, I find it hard to consider building bigger and more heavily armed vehicles as the right course of action. Rather, I feel like we should be increasing mobility and mounting appropriate sized weapons on light and fast chassis much like the French do with all their wheeled vehicles.

(/end armchair general)

[Jedi2155]

Unlike the Lynx version which could only fire medium velocity HEAT rounds in the anti-tank role, which lacked the penetration to defeat the more modern MBTs, the Sagaie could fire armour piercing fin stabilised discard sabot rounds (APFS-DS) at a much higher velocity than the Lynx's F1 90 cannon and which at 2000 meters GIAT and Panhard both claimed would enable the Sagaie to defeat the heavy armour threat of the 1980s.

I wonder how well it stands up against more modern armor.

[kuhla]

I wonder how well it'll happens...

I wonder how well it stands up against more modern armor.

Not sure what you are referring to since most MBTs currently fielded are from the 1980s....

M1 Abrams - 1979
Leopard 2 - 1979
Challenger 2 - 1989
T-80 - 1976
Leclerc - 1986
Merkava - 1978

...or I'm assuming you are referring to the up armored variants with the stick-on ERA?

[Jedi2155]

Mainly ERA, but I was also thinking some of more modern one's from Russia (T-90+), China (Type 99), RoK K2 Black Panther and I'm sure I'm missing a few others.

[kuhla]

It's that time of year again. G-20 summit pics.

source - http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...-27th-June-2010

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 25: Toronto Police Officers line up for crowd control as the Feminist March makes its way through downtown June 25, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The protest was one of several planned in the city to coincide with the gathering of world leaders for the G20 and G8 summits being held in Toronto and nearby Muskoka June 25-27.

NILAND, Calif. (June 23, 2010) A student in SEAL Qualification Training Class 279 conducts immediate action drills to learn how to react as part of a team during enemy contacts. The Navy SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Operations Forces and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the Sea, Air and Land. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Blake Midnight/Released)

[kuhla]

source - http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/protone...eton-for-three/

...and now more news 6 months later...

source - http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/21/hulc-ex...e-ground-runni/

Its lack of jetpacks means Heinlein's visions of future warfare have still not come to pass, but we're getting closer with word that Lockheed Martin's Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) exoskeleton is ready for military testing. Since last we heard of the thing it's been "ruggedized" and made a little more battle-hardy, able to carry 200lbs plus its own 53lb heft without burdening the doughy soldier inside, demonstrated after the break. It supports the cargo plus its own weight through articulated rods that follow the legs to the ground, meaning grunts can haul heavy equipment to the battle and arrive feeling refreshed. Next up for the suit is eight weeks of military trials ahead of hitting the battlefield sometime next year. Hooah, future robo-jockeys.

The Heinlein reference is to Starship Troopers (the BOOK was VERY different from the movie ie. powered armor).

Video referenced:



"The exoskeleton will fit anybody between 5' 4" and 6'2"."

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[MrBlah]

I'd barely make the cut on that limit. Also if the military adopted it, they'd probably raise the maximum height to 6'6" or so. Otherwise imagine being the poor bastard at 6'3" and you have to carry that shit manually while your squad is all fucking cybernetic.

[Jedi2155]

You could also cut a part of your legs off...i.e. Gattaca style.

[MrBlah]

Actually he was too SHORT in that movie and had to break his legs and extend the bones with pins, this is a process that some very short people sometimes do, but it's incredibly invasive and only ends up adding a couple inches.

[kuhla]

source - http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...-July-28th-2010



Every time I see a picture of the M14, I think it looks kinda beastly. Something about its proportions.

US Army soldiers of the 1-320th Alpha Battery, 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, over-watch insurgent positions during clashes at COP Nolen, in the volatile Arghandab Valley, Kandahar, Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 27, 2010.

Oh... Russia...

A Russian soldier carries a desk with his teeth during a ceremony celebrating Navy Day at the harbour of Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok, July 25, 2010. Russia marks its Navy Day on Sunday.

[kuhla]

Oh shit folks, double main rotors are back in style.

source - http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/lockhee...ns-military-co/

When developing an unmanned vehicle there are two paths to choose from: create an entirely fresh design with no room for a carbon-based pilot, or simply take an existing craft and make it self-sufficient. That's the direction Lockheed Martin chose for its submission to the the joint Army Marines Autonomous Technologies for Unmanned Air Systems (ATUAS) program, and it turned out to be a winner. The idea is to create an autonomous helo that can resupply military forces, and Lockheed Martin started with a Kaman K-Max cargo chopper (demo'd after the break), capable of lifting 6,000lbs plus one pilot -- who was made optional. This customized K-Max can place its cargo within a 10 meter drop zone after flying 200km or more, but a principal advantage of this submission is that you can still put a pilot in there and use it like a traditional heavy lifter, while the competition from Boeing was a bespoke UAV with no room for meatbags. It's unclear when exactly this sentient K-Max will be hitting battlefields, but hopefully the Army and Marines come up with some other, rewarding jobs for their pilots, because between this and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap released earlier this year that particular job market could be getting tight.

Update: Bo from Lockheed Martin wrote in to let us know of a different video we've added after the break featuring higher production values, more guitar solos, and plenty of autonomous cargo liftin'.

Did you notice the PS3 controller? I dunno man, I'm laughing. I mean I understand that the ergonomic homework has already been by console companies to make a device that allows "precise" multi-option control that fits in the palm of your hand but I can't help making the joke "It's like playing a video game man!".

[MrBlah]

I dislike the rotor setup on those helicopters. I'm also rather sad that we're using such a small helicopter I don't know the logistics of this completely, but I would think you'd need more than just 6000 pounds of shit delivered on a daily basis so, it surprises me they aren't using something a bit bigger. Also I'm confused if this does fully automated or if it's just remote piloted. I saw the ps3 controller so I realize you can manually control it from range but I wonder if you can set this shit on autopilot and watch it go, I mean dropping cargo is about as simple as it gets so I would assume they have plans for it to be completely automated.

On a sidenote, I hate the idea of unmanned vehicles that are piloted by individuals. Yes that has benefits, but unless you manage to use less people to coordinated/pilot more vehicles you're only lowering the training needed for pilots and relocating them. I would much rather 3-5 guys be controlling several surveillance uav's and capable of bringing in combat uav's when necessary. It seems like more often than not everything is individually controlled which at that point seems rather redundant.