Gravity Bombs!?

 No, really--is this a comedy or what? 

 

Surprisingly Fast...

 ... but here it is!

В Петербурге 18 июня на воду спустили восстановленный после пожара корвет «Проворный». Это событие стало важным как для «Северной верфи», которая занималась строительством корвета, так и для Военно-морского флота России, ведь новый корабль в будущем войдет в его состав. - Мы спустили на воду первый серийный корабль нового поколения - корвет «Проворный» проекта 20385. Головной корабль, корвет «Гремящий», был ранее принят в состав ВМФ и сейчас достойно несет службу на Тихоокеанском флоте, - сказал главнокомандующий Военно-морского флота России Александр Моисеев в ходе церемонии спуска на воду.

Translation: In St. Petersburg, on June 18, the corvette “Provorny”, restored after a fire, was launched. This event became important both for Severnaya Verf, which was building the corvette, and for the Russian Navy, because the new ship will be part of it in the future. “We launched the first production ship of the new generation - the corvette “Provorny” of project 20385. The lead ship, the corvette “Gremyashchy”, was previously accepted into the Navy and is now serving with dignity in the Pacific Fleet,” said Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseev during the launching ceremony.

This is 3M22 Zircon carrier, mind you. 

Good as new and with a salvo capable to sink CBG.

The Hell You Say...

 ... this cannot be. Nah, I am screwing with you, of course. 

PARIS — Hypersonic weapons are likely still decades away from fielding, and the requisite research is best carried out collaboratively among Western nations, according to Kerstin Huber, executive officer for applied vehicle technology at NATO’s Science and Technology Organization. “I would think it needs another 20 years,” Huber told Defense News on the sidelines of a round table discussion on the technology at the Eurosatory defense show in Paris.

And how could this be, for years we have been told that any minute now those things will be developed and deployed. Ah, here it is:

Shielding hypersonic missiles’ sensitive electronics, understanding how various materials behave and predicting aerodynamics at temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,649 degrees Celsius) will require extensive flight testing, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said in a 2023 report, adding that test failures in recent years have delayed progress.

No shit, geniuses, pardon my French. How about "going back to school" and trying to develop supersonic missile, such as P-800 Onyx or, for that matter, Mach=4.2 Kh-32, both of which have been used to a devastating effect in SMO? How about getting those precious datasets, telemetry, develop materials, develop extremely high impulse fuels such as decilin, ability to control missile et al. Recall, two plus years ago I warned: 

The "catch up" is in quotation marks deliberately, because as Knutov (and many other serious specialists in the filed, not least the President of Russia himself) note for years--the lag of 5-7 years which will be permanent (why, is a separate issue) will constantly mean not only better and generation ahead weapons, but systems of countering of appearing US weapons as a systems of previous generations. 

Boy, was I overly optimistic. So, 20 years, eh. Hey, I merely report the news here. Remember 2018 and all those Western "experts" who spoke about those boutique weapons? And then suddenly the term hypersonic became so popular in the West. Well, as they say in Caucasus--no matter how many times you repeat the word baklava it will not get any sweeter in your mouth.

Karen Makes Great Points...

 ... at Judge's about West's "children".

 

Two Things...

 ... in re. this news:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun a two-day state visit to North Korea, where he will meet with the country’s leadership for talks on economic, security, and international issues. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally greeted Putin at the Pyongyang airport, for the Russian president's first visit since 2000. The trip, which kicked off on Tuesday, will involve a “very busy agenda,” according to Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, who noted that the two sides intend to sign several agreements. The Russian president has already authorized the signing of a landmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with North Korea. Ushakov also said Putin and Kim were expected to hold lengthy face-to-face talks to discuss “the most important, the most sensitive issues.” The visit will be largely focused on the international agenda.

The result will highly likely be:

1. A dramatic improvement of North Korea's economic development;

2. North Korea suddenly being able to "develop" state-of-the-are A2/AD capabilities based on North Korea's scientists "breakthroughs" in developing long range supersonic anti-shipping missiles and ISR. Damn, those North Korean scientists. 

Ah, yes, there is a third point--it is all on the border with South Korea which houses some US military bases. Nothing that intermediate range missiles with excellent targeting cannot rectify.

"Why We Fight"...

 ... remember this series of propaganda WW II movies? It has been revealed now why. This is Zaporozhye today (pay attention--empty streets) and a recruiting office. I wonder what this emblem reminds me of, cannot put a finger on it exactly... ah, wait... 

How appropriate--Stars and Stripes and good ol' Nazi crest together (granted with Trident instead of Swastika)...

Hey, remember Patton? After all he was right when he concluded that the United States was "fighting the wrong enemy".

Meanwhile...

 ... why not take interview with some... French general. In related news--hypersonic weapons are hard, like really-really hard. PR, on the other hand, is easy. 

Problems with the launcher and launch sequence of the new Long Range Hypersonic Weapon System will keep the U.S. Army from fielding its first LRHW battery until fiscal 2025, a government watchdog said Monday. The service aims to fix the problems and test the missile and launcher together no later than the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Even a successful launch might not be the end of the Army’s worries. Service officials told the GAO that problems with missile performance in flight testing could further delay the program. They expect to have the eight missiles required for a battery ready within 11 months after a fielding decision is made, according to the GAO. 

Didn't I warn about it like... two years ago? Let me translate this for you: "Problems with the launcher and launch sequence." (c) No, the problems are not with that, this all is utter BS. The problem is with gliding body, its inability to sustain hypersonic flight and, finally, inability to control it because this is the key to REAL hypersonic weapons. Now, this cretin from Defense One--a collection of butthurt US military amateurs tries to compensate:

U.S. officials have described an “arms race” against China for hypersonics development, a field that Russia also invests in. In 2023, Ukraine shot down six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, although experts noted that they were not the maneuverable type of missile typically referred to under the umbrella term of “hypersonics.” In February, Russia attacked Ukraine with the Zircon hypersonic missile for the first time. 

Yes, in fact--404 shot down all Zircon and Kinzhal missiles, because, you know, Patriot PAC3 is the best thing in universe like... ever. In general, most of Western military academies, let alone some shitty courses in "Security Studies" and other "Strategy" crap should simply be dissolved due to professional incompetence and their staffs moved to fiction writing departments in liberal arts colleges. To Sam Skove who penned this crap--he should take basic military courses from people who actually know how to fight real wars and maybe take intro courses in math and physics. But I feel his pain... tough to be a loser.