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Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
May 25, 2019
Jura said:
related to the post right above is
Despite Congress, Trump pushes through weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan
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a Latin proverb comes to mind:
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Pecunia Non Olet, but
Senate Votes to Block Saudi Arms Sales as Trump Vows Veto
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The Senate has voted to block the Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia, launching a new challenge to President Donald Trump's alliance with the country amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Trump has promised to veto the measures. The White House said stopping the sales "would send a message that the United States is abandoning its partners and allies at the very moment when threats to them are increasing."

While all the resolutions of disapproval are likely to pass the House, supporters fell well short of a veto-proof margin. Two of the resolutions passed with 53 votes, while another group was approved narrowly, with 51 votes. Overturning a veto requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate.

Overall, there were 22 resolutions, one for each of the individual sales. But most of the resolutions were considered as a package to avoid tying up the Senate with lengthy debates over each of them.

Seven Republicans broke with Trump to reject at least some of the arms sales: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Todd Young of Indiana.

The votes came against the backdrop of heightened U.S. tensions with Iran. Iran shot down a U.S. drone Thursday, a move Trump declared "a very big mistake." Congressional leaders received a closed-door briefing on the situation at the Capitol and were invited to the White House in the afternoon the meet with Trump.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited threats from Iran when declaring an emergency to approve the weapons sales in May. The Saudis have recently faced a number of attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

"To reject these sales at this time and under these circumstances is to reward recent Iranian aggression and to encourage further Iranian escalation," said Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Risch added that blocking the sale would also "encourage miscalculation on the part of Iranians which will be disastrous."

The arms sales, worth an estimated $8 billion, included precision guided munitions, other bombs and ammunition and aircraft maintenance support.

Opposition in Congress to close U.S. Saudi ties escalated after the killing of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi by agents of the kingdom last year. But a small group of lawmakers has been voicing concern about the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen for years.

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the war in Yemen was one reason for his opposition to the arms sales.

"These are bombs that we know have killed thousands of civilians in Yemen, patients in hospitals, children on school buses," Menendez said. The conflict in Yemen has killed thousands of civilians and left millions more are on the brink of starvation. Menendez called the humanitarian situation "an incomprehensible moral tragedy."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., delivered an impassioned speech from the Senate floor criticizing Saudi Arabia's behavior as personally "disrespectful."

"My relationship with Saudi Arabia is forever changed," he said, accusing the Kingdom of taking their relationship with the U.S. "for granted" and caring more about "maintaining power at all costs," than their alliance.

"You've lost me, and that's too bad," he said.
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TerraN_EmpirE

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Jura said:
links to two similar (and of course vague) stories:

Air Force Developing AMRAAM Replacement to Counter China
6/20/2019
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AMRAAM successor: JATM breaks cover
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Basically the USAF and other services are looking into replacing the whole Air to Air missile systems currently in service.

There are 4 programs for this. Well 5 really.

SACM Small Advanced Capability Missile
Think a smaller Hit to kill missile with longer range that AIM 9 but easier to pack into a VLO fighter like F35’s internal bays.

MSDM Miniature Self-Defense Munition
Even smaller still this is more of a deterrent system that would be loaded in place of a countermeasure to kill an enemy missile or Aircraft.

JATM Joint Air Tactical Missile
apparently designated AIM260
Would replace AMRAAM targeted to offer capability equal to or superior to PL15 the 260 number is not in the normal sequence and many suspect it’s the targeted range a 260Km ranged Air to air missile able to be stowed in F22 or F35. It apparently doesn’t use a Ramjet.

LREW Long Range Engagement Weapon. A two stage extremely long range air to air missile intended to over match and be stowed in F22 bays if concept art is to be believed. Not sure on intent but my guess is Tanker buster/AEW killer.

Out side the DOD Lockmart has been working on the CUDA Missile concept aimed to offer a hit to kill missile with AMRAAM range that could in theory be loaded up in high volume low space of the F35 weapons bays.

The US had the option long ago to push the long legged missile in the late 1980s the choice was made instead to focus on F22 and then F35.
This seems like finally filling that gap and plugging the new missile into the low observable fighter. As Russia and China moved to advanced their air forces they created the same potential soft spot the USAF has. Tankers and AEW based off large and medium tactical transports are just as vulnerable as those based off civil airliners.
 
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
TerraN_EmpirE said:
Basically the USAF and other services are looking into replacing the whole Air to Air missile systems currently in service.

There are 4 programs for this. Well 5 really.

SACM Small Advanced Capability Missile
Think a smaller Hit to kill missile with longer range that AIM 9 but easier to pack into a VLO fighter like F35’s internal bays.

MSDM Miniature Self-Defense Munition
Even smaller still this is more of a deterrent system that would be loaded in place of a countermeasure to kill an enemy missile or Aircraft.

JATM Joint Air Tactical Missile
apparently designated AIM260
Would replace AMRAAM targeted to offer capability equal to or superior to PL15 the 260 number is not in the normal sequence and many suspect it’s the targeted range a 260Km ranged Air to air missile able to be stowed in F22 or F35. It apparently doesn’t use a Ramjet.

LREW Long Range Engagement Weapon. A two stage extremely long range air to air missile intended to over match and be stowed in F22 bays if concept art is to be believed. Not sure on intent but my guess is Tanker buster/AEW killer.

Out side the DOD Lockmart has been working on the CUDA Missile concept aimed to offer a hit to kill missile with AMRAAM range that could in theory be loaded up in high volume low space of the F35 weapons bays.

The US had the option long ago to push the long legged missile in the late 1980s the choice was made instead to focus on F22 and then F35.
This seems like finally filling that gap and plugging the new missile into the low observable fighter. As Russia and China moved to advanced their air forces they created the same potential soft spot the USAF has. Tankers and AEW based off large and medium tactical transports are just as vulnerable as those based off civil airliners.
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would be interested to know a P_k of any, which I won't
 
Gloire_bb

Gloire_bb

Captain
Registered Member
TerraN_EmpirE said:
The US had the option long ago to push the long-legged missile in the late 1980s the choice was made instead to focus on F22 and then F35.
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They(navy) did, with the AIM-154. It was killed only in the late 1990s for budget reasons. USAF never wanted it(and it wasn't designed to fit into its bays, to begin with).

AMRAAM size/capability was determined by one single platform, the F-16. Any larger and the plane would struggle to be 100% capable of employing it as its main weapon. On the other hand, this way USAF a2a combat capability managed to get such an incredible boost in the early 1990s, one which, for example, the sparrow-sized missile would struggle to provide.
 
M

Max Demian

Junior Member
Registered Member
Final RFP for FFG(x) issued:
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Highlights (some were already known):
  • EASR radar (SPY-6 derivative)
  • 32+ VLS Mk41
  • AEGIS combat system
  • CEC datalink
  • Space, cooling for 8-16 ASCMs
  • 1x 21 cell RAM (?)
  • 1 helo and 1 UAV
  • VDS
  • Space,cooling, energy reservation for a 150kW laser system
Cost approaching $800 million per unit.
 
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
Max Demian said:
Final RFP for FFG(x) issued:
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Highlights (some were already known):
  • EASR radar (SPY-6 derivative)
  • 32+ VLS Mk41
  • AEGIS combat system
  • CEC datalink
  • Space, cooling for 8-16 ASCMs
  • 1x 21 cell RAM (?)
  • 1 helo and 1 UAV
  • VDS
  • Space,cooling, energy reservation for a 150kW laser system
Cost approaching $800 million per unit.
Click to expand...
Yesterday at 8:51 AM
Jura said:
Dec 31, 2018
and
Navy Issues Final RFP for FFG(X) Next-Generation Frigate
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as for the "costs were coming down" hoopla inside, there's in fact 1200+m requested for one FFG(X) in the USN FY2020 proposal
EDIT I could link now, but nobody reads this
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