Whispers

Rheinmetall Decides to Bulk Up for the Gun Show

Rheinmetall MGCS

If you thought Rheinmetall was content with its superb 120mm main gun used on many of today’s main battle tanks, then you’d better think again. Reports out of the German firm indicate that they will soon be producing an even larger 130mm main gun, which, according to Defense News, “weighs more than 3.5 tons, compared to the approximately 3-ton 120mm gun, and uses a cartridge of more than 30 kilograms at about 1.3 meters long. Given these enhanced parameters, Rheinmetall engineers believe the weapon can only be used with an automatic loader and a new turret design.” So vehicles such as the family of M1 Abrams tanks constituting the bulk of US armored forces won’t be able to adapt the gun to its vehicles, since its fleet is designed for a human loader.

To make the most use of such a gun, a new MBT would have to be developed, likely resembling the recently introduced Russian T-14 Armata, which places the entire crew in a capsule within the body of the vehicle thereby enabling the gun, located in the top turret, direct access to its armament racks located behind the gun. Such a system would likely load the main gun much faster, reduce the overall profile of the vehicle, and probably offer better crew protection, particularly when coupled with the Trophy active protection system still being tested on different vehicle types. The gun should be in production by 2025.

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Namer Overcomes Its First Obstacles

Namer

The Israeli Namer, an indiginously-built armored personnel carrier designed in part from the Merkava main battle tank, passed its first series of hurdles, taking on berms and other ground obstacles to perform its intended missions. Large and quite heavy for an APC, the Namer incorporates the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) on certain command and control and engineering versions. According to Defense News, “Trophy is designed to neutralize all types of chemical energy threats in flight, from rocket-propelled grenades to high-explosive rounds and tandem warhead anti-tank guided missiles. The system provides 360-degree protection against multiple launchings “while maintaining a pre-defined safety zone for friendly dismounted troops,” according to Rafael marketing data.”

What makes the test so important is that a version of Trophy will likely be integrated into future land combat systems for the US Army, enabling nearby troops operating alongside the vehicles some measure of protection in a hostile combat environment.

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Thunderbolt Down

P47

It’s been a rather eventful weekend here in New York City, which included the ditching of a vintage Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter in the Hudson River. The pilot and plane were involved in a photo shoot and practicing for an aerobatic exercise at the Bethpage Air Show on Long Island, NY, when he experienced mechanical problems and forced to set his plane down in the water. While NYPD divers were able to retrieve the plane from the bottom of the river, the pilot, William Gordon, of Key West, FL, wasn’t so fortunate, drowning before he could release the cinches holding him to his seat.

The P-47 Thunderbolt was the heaviest single-engine fighter plane used by Allied forces in World War II, which contributed to its quick sinking. The aircraft first went into service in 1942 with the 56th Fighter Group based on Long Island. The American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport on Long Island was going to honor the plane’s 75th anniversary of coming into service this weekend at the air show. The P-47, known as “Jacky’s Revenge,” was supposed to fly in this weekend’s airshow.

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Boeing Heralds the new 2040C F-15 Eagle

Advanced F-15

The Tactical Air Network is reporting that Boeing has created a slick commercial touting the benefits of an upgraded F-15. According to TAN, “This upgrade, called 2040C or Advanced F-15, will incorporate technology from Boeing’s older Silent Eagle program, along with a few new gadgets, in order to give the USAF’s F-15Cs a brand new lease on life, turning it into an even deadlier air-to-air fighter than ever before.”

According to Flight Global, the 2040C upgrade features “quad packs” which fit onto standard under-wing and belly hardpoints (the F-15C has 11 combined), effectively doubling the Eagle’s current air-to-air loadout to 16 missiles. That’s also double the F-22 Raptor’s internal air-to-air loadout. Additionally, conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) similar to the FAST Packs used on F-15E Strike Eagles will help increase the 2040C Eagle’s range without tanking up pylon space for larger drop tanks, which are typically slung in pairs underneath the wings of the aircraft, or on its centerline pylon station (underneath the fuselage).

Congress has even explored the possibility of restarting the F-22 production line as a means of augmenting their fleet of air superiority fighters, who may be charged with a variety of roles in both eastern Europe and along the periphery of Southeast Asia. For more information, feel free to visit this page:

Boeing’s New 2040C Eagle Commercial is Incredibly Badass!

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Tis the Season(s) of Star Trek

Summer viewing or winter, large screen or small, it appears as if the makers of Star Trek have got everyone covered for the foreseeable future, that is, if they like all things Star Trek. The new trailer for the feature-length film, Star Trek Beyond, is out as is the first look at the upcoming TV series set to air on CBC and CBS On Demand.

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The Widowmaker Takes Wing

Ever wonder how they make some of those cool 3-D animations you see on such series as Dogfight or Enterprise 360? A German firm, Mackevision, showed how they made a similar short subject, employing a program called Vray to render the 3-D aircraft models seen in the accompanying film, and making use of several older Luftwaffe F-104 Starfighters to create the two-minute story. Enjoy!

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Raytheon Offers CPR to the War Weary M60A3

M60A3 SLEP

In a bid to breathe new life into a tired-but-true weapons system, Raytheon has pitched the US government, as well as several client nations that operate the venerable M60A3 battle tank, with a revitalization program that could conceivably bring the tank up to today’s standards – but at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a modern battle tank. According to The National Interest, “the Raytheon M60A3 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), the upgrade is being offered for export to nations that need the performance to take on threats like a Russian-built T-90S, but can’t afford a top-of-the-line machine like the M1A2 SEP(v)3 Abrams or Leopard 2A7.

At the core of the upgrade is a new 950-horsepower diesel engine—which replaces the original 750-horsepower unit. As part of the deal, the engine would be reconditioned to a zero hour condition. Meanwhile, the old turret hydraulic controls would be replaced with new electrical systems, which are faster, more responsive and quieter than their predecessors.

Offensive firepower is exponentially improved by swapping out the old 105mm M68 rifled gun in favor of the Abrams’ German-made L44 120mm smoothbore cannon. The addition of the new weapon would give the M60A3 the ability to engage enemy tanks as advanced as the T-90MS on a near equal footing. In fact, with the upgrade, the M60 probably outperforms older M1A1 variants.

That’s because in addition to the new cannon, the M60 would receive completely new digital fire-control and targeting systems—including day and thermal sights. The system is comparable to the U.S. Army’s M1A1D standard. Indeed, the fire-control software was developed for the U.S. Army. While Raytheon does not specifically mention networking—it’s reasonable to assume the modernized tank would be compatible with the U.S. Army’s networks.”

Its conceivable that the vehicle could be fitted with an active protection system, which typically includes some sort of anti-projectile firing system to defeat incoming threats. Typically, the US and several western nations have been loathe to incorporating this system onto many of the current land battlefield systems because it could cause collateral damage to other units operating near the platform, particularly to dismounted troops.

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Popular Mechanics: “Star Wars Gets its All Wrong”

When it comes to military might in the old and new Republics, Star Wars gets it wrong. So says Popular Mechanics, one of the oldest mainstream publications that likes to cover everything from jet skis to sci-fi epics. To coincide with May the 4th, the date Star Wars aficionados like to play up everything related to the Star Wars universe, the magazine claims that many of the groundpounding combat vehicles seen in the feature-length films sacrifice sensibility for hype, reasonable looks at military science for jaw-dropping appeal. You can view the full article here:

Popular Mechanics on Star Wars

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Fans Boldly Go Where Eaglemoss May Not Trek

Sometimes I’m blown away by the creativity some online enthusiasts exhibit when imagination takes hold. In the case of the Eaglemoss Star Trek Starships series, one fan boldly went where the manufacturer may or may not decide to trek over the course of product development. Not only did he flesh out some of the ships found in the Star Trek universe, but he even went so far as to render the magazine covers with the ships on them, making the finished goods look every bit as convincing as the real McCoy. You can check out his handiwork here: GlykokalyxBlog

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100 Years of the Tank

WWI Tank

Located in England, the Tank Museum has put together a specially web site dedicated to 100 years of the tank. All sorts of information have been posted about the tank, particularly its earliest beginnings as a land battleship traversing the barb-wire strewn battlefields of World War I. For more information on the site, you can visit it here: Tank 100

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