For Those About To Read This;)

1. Some on the boards continue to be hysterical after every pinprick by 404 terrorists. Well, boohoo--this is war, however packaged into the SMO, and desperate crooks in Kiev will continue their attempts to strike at whatever Russian target they can reach. For those "concerned citizens" with basic arithmetic impairment (forget about algebra and calculus), here is Larry explaining it to them:

With no success on the battlefield Ukraine is opting for the drone hail Mary — i.e., attacking a couple of Russian ships with maritime drones. These attacks are pin pricks with no strategic significance in terms of diminishing Russia’s military power. However, these attacks are likely to inspire the Russian General Staff to look at attacks on NATO ISR operating over the Black Sea because of the role played by Western aerial surveillance in providing Ukraine with intelligence needed to attack those two Russian vessels. In addition, these attacks are likely to stiffen Russia’s resolve to impose a de facto embargo on Ukrainian ports in the coming weeks.  

If those people who become hysterical each time some drone breaks windows in Russian skyscrapers or makes a hole in a civilian or, once in a while, naval vessel, I want to remind them--see highlighted above. Yes, if they could--they would kill as many Russians as possible, because this is what their masters in Washington and London want, but Russians are notoriously difficult to kill on the battlefield so attacks on civilians WILL continue until all terrorist infrastructure and Kiev regime will be annihilated. 

2. In funny news. No, I mean it. 

The stealth US Navy destroyer USS Zumwalt has been plagued by a wide range of problems throughout its development, including guns that are all but useless, but the ship on its way to do something about it. After a brief hiccup — an abrupt return to port for unexpected maintenance— the ship departed San Diego, California Wednesday for Pascagoula, Mississippi, home of Ingalls Shipbuilding, part of the major Navy shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. The Zumwalt will "receive technology upgrades including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike weapons system," the Navy said in a statement, adding that the coming "upgrades will ensure Zumwalt remains one of the most technologically advanced and lethal ships in the US Navy." During the upgrade period, according to a USNI News report, shipbuilders will remove the impotent twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems and replace them with missile tubes that altogether are expected to carry a dozen hypersonic missiles, weapons that are still in development and expected to be fielded in the next few years.

Can someone, please, make The Pentagon Wars 2 movie? This USS Zumwalt clusterfuck totally qualifies. For starters. 

This is SU-57. 

This is the only 5th generation fighter in the world with outstanding combat record both as air-to-air and as main node of the group of fighters. It carries a mind-boggling arsenal of weapons, including unrivaled R-37. And what SU-57 can do maneuvering-wise only other Sukhoi aircraft can do. Yet, this is GSh-301 30-mm gun this advanced fighter, with BVR score unmatched by anyone, carries. 

Even this flying brick carries 25-mm gun. 

Here is Gorshkov-class Frigate--for now it is the only combat ship in the world which carries hypersonic 3M22 Zircon. 

Gorshkov-class carries not only 1,500 km range Zircon but 4,500 km range 3M14M. In terms of its strike power it makes Zumwalt look like Ford model T against T-90M. But what do you see on the bow of this and other ships? Right--in this case a very respectable 130-mm gun, plus two other 30-mm CIWS Palash. Most modern Russian Navy ships carry guns. This is the only way navies will continue to evolve--they will continue to carry guns and not just for some remote possibility of fighting off Jack Sparrow, but for a vast number of combat contingencies, including coastal fire support and even AD defense. Russian Navy ships ALL, without exception, train their guns for participating in AD, including through the use of SMART munitions. And that is just one of a truckload of tasks assigned to naval guns. 

This is why I love watching one of my most favorite YT channels--a treasure, really.  

No, it is not sentimental, it is very educational and is STILL relevant. Why, is a separate issue. But not in the case of USS Zumwalt, which now will have NO guns and NO so called "hypersonic" Conventional Prompt Strike weapons. Good luck with that. Here is how "development" and "procurement" of those weapons happens nowadays, this is from Congressional Research Service. Remember the fanfare? Well, read yourself. 

As previously discussed, the Army has experienced a number of test delays and “no-tests” since 2021. In addition, the DOD Inspector General has undertaken an evaluation “to determine whether the Army Long Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Navy Conventional Prompt Strike Program Offices are meeting their weapons systems development and fielding timelines and milestones.” Despite these events, the Army seemingly remains publicly committed to fielding its first operational prototype LRHW battery by the end of FY2023. If the LRHW testing program is “at least six months behind schedule” as has been suggested, policymakers could examine if the Army’s 2023 LRHW fielding plans are realistic and if additional testing to account for “no-test” events and past test failures might be warranted. 

Again, remember the fanfare about deploying some empty launchers? Yes, just about the time when they reported also that the Russian Army is about to disintegrate. Haven't we heard this story before? Poor late Elmo Zumwalt who, should he have been alive today, would be terrified by useless overpriced monstrosity which was given his name. And no guns now? Needless to say, Elmo Zumwalt served not only on destroyers but also as a navigator on USS Wisconsin. These four of the class have been magnificent mighty carriers of 16-inch guns...

Ah yes, those are still one of the most beautiful ships built, unlike three ugly and horrendously expensive contraptions which are absolutely useless in modern day combat and their "stealth" not only makes them preposterously ugly but is useless in modern ISR environment and that means that they will be detected, tracked, the targeting will be issued and... well, make your own conclusions.