Lockheed Martin’s ATHENA Can Destroy A Truck From A Mile Away … So Can A Barrett

Lockheed Martin’s Laser Weapon Destroyed A Truck From A Mile Away Within Seconds

 

 

 

 

 

” Lockheed Martin announced on Thursday that a prototype for a new laser weapon system had successfully destroyed the engine of a small truck “in a matter of seconds from more than a mile away.”

  The defense and aeronautics giant named the 30-kilowatt fiber laser weapon system ATHENA, an acronym for Advanced Test High Energy Asset.

  The field test demonstrated the laser’s military effectiveness against enemy ground vehicles, Lockheed stated, and demonstrated its “rapidly evolving precision capability” envisioned to “protect military forces and critical infrastructure.” “

 

 

     While we remain ambivalent in the debate over the necessity of spending billions in the development of these space age weapons , we recognize the fact that even if the US does not create these futuristic weapons China will .

    However , we must fault Lockheed Martin for their marketing strategy . 

   It hardly seems wise to advocate the multi-billion dollar ATHENA as a weapon to destroy trucks “from a mile away in seconds” when a single round from a Barrett M107 can accomplish the same result for a couple bucks .

While it is possible that the R&D costs can eventually be recouped and that the ATHENA system can become a cost-effective means of destroying missiles , jets and other large and expensive war machines , we find the emphasis placed on the destruction of regular trucks found throughout the articles currently proliferating on the web to be highly insulting to our intelligence .

 

Read the rest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For $180K You Can Own A US Navy Littoral Combat Ship That Originally Cost $15 Million

A US Navy Warship, Yours For $180,000

 

 

 

 

 

” This is the Sea Slice, a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), and the coolest craft a civilian can buy. No one else in Monaco, or even Lake Havasu will have one. For a craft that cost $15 million in the late 90s, it’s a steal.

  When Lockheed Martin (of SR-71 Blackbird fame) finished designing and building, the US Navy launched the Sea Slice in 1996, built to dart around lakes and near-shore water bodies.

  The design is a descendent of the small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) class of ship. Regular SWATHs have two cylindrical pontoons for hulls, both of which sit below the water’s surface. That way, it avoids the speed- and stability-sapping waves on the surface. The Sea Slice here has four shortened teardrop-shaped hulls in total — two on each side, in lines behind each other. That design reduces drag even more, and reduces the wake.”

 

Popular Mechanics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Check Out The Awesomeness Of This .50 Cal Minigun From General Dynamics

Terrorist Killer US Military GAU 19B 50 Cal Gatling Gun

 

 

 

Published on Oct 27, 2014

” Another great weapon for the US military and us army. Could prove useful in combating terrorists in Iraq and Syria. The GECAL 50, officially designated by the United States military as the GAU-19/A, is an electrically driven Gatling gun that fires the .50 BMG (12.7×99mm) cartridge.

Technical specifications

  The GAU-19/A is designed for a linkless feed, but can be fed from a standard M9 linked belt if a delinker feeder is used. The rate of fire is selectable to be either 1,000 or 2,000 rounds per minute. The Humvee armament kit version fires at 1,300 rounds per minute. The average recoil force when firing is 500 pounds-force (2.2 kN). In January 2012, General Dynamics announced they would be delivering a new version designated the GAU-19/B. It provides the same firepower in a lighter platform, weighing 106 lbs.[1]
History

  The GECAL 50 was first manufactured by General Electric, then by Lockheed Martin, and now by General Dynamics. Design work began in 1982. Early prototypes had six barrels, but a three-barreled configuration is now standard. The GAU-19/A was originally designed as a larger, more potent version of the M134 Minigun. Due to the loss of nine helicopters in Grenada GE started building prototypes of the weapon in both a three-barreled and a six-barreled configuration. The six-barreled version was designed to fire 4,000 rpm, and could be adapted to fire up to 8,000 rpm. The GAU-19 takes 0.4 seconds to reach maximum firing rate.[2] Soon it was recommended as a potential armament for the V-22 Osprey.[3] The magazine would be located underneath the cabin floor and could be reloaded in-flight. However, plans to mount the gun were later dropped.[4] In 2005, the GAU-19/A was approved to be mounted on the OH-58D Kiowa helicopter. It also could have been used on the Army’s now cancelled ARH-70.[5] In January 2012, the U.S. Army ordered 24 GAU-19/B versions for use on helicopters. All were delivered by the next month.[1]

  In 1999, the United States sent 28 GAU-19s to Colombia.[6] Oman is known to use the GAU-19/A mounted on their HMMWVs. The navy of Mexico uses MDH MD-902 series helicopters with the GAU-19/A system mounted for anti-narcotics operations.[7]
Users

Colombia: Used by Drug Enforcement troops, and the Colombian national police
Japan: Used by Japan Coast Guard, on PC Kagayuki class
Mexico: Used by the Mexican Air Force and the Mexican Navy in Humvees, UH-60 Black Hawks and the MD Explorer
Oman: Used on Army HMMWV.
United States
Gatling Gun History

  The Gatling gun is one of the best-known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. Invented by Richard Gatling, it is known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat. Later it was used in the Boshin War, the Anglo-Zulu War and still later in the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.[1]

  The Gatling gun’s operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing/reloading sequence. Each barrel fired a single shot when it reached a certain point in the cycle, after which it ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new round, and in the process, allowed the barrel to cool somewhat. This configuration allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrel overheating.
History

Patent drawing for R.J. Gatling’s Battery Gun, 9 May 1865.

  The Gatling gun was designed by the American inventor Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented on November 4, 1862.[2][3] Gatling wrote that he created it to reduce the size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and disease, and to show how futile war is.[4]
Although the first Gatling gun was capable of firing continuously, it required a person to crank it; therefore it was not a true automatic weapon. The Maxim gun, invented in 1884, was the first true fully automatic weapon, making use of the fired projectile’s recoil force to reload the weapon. Nonetheless, the Gatling gun represented a huge leap in firearm technology.

  Prior to the Gatling gun, the only weapons available to militaries capable of firing many projectiles in a short space of time were mass-firing volley weapons like the French Reffye mitrailleuse in 1870–1871, or field cannons firing canister, much like a very large shotgun. The latter were widely used during and after the Napoleonic Wars. Although the maximum rate of fire was increased by firing multiple projectiles simultaneously, these weapons still needed to be reloaded after each discharge, which for multi-barrel systems like the mitrailleuse was cumbersome and time-consuming. This negated much of the advantage of their high rate of fire per discharge, making them much less powerful on the battlefield. In comparison, the Gatling gun offered a rapid and continuous rate of fire without having to manually reload by opening the breech.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Meet Some Honorable Texas Cops … Video

Did That Cop Just Say “We’re Here To Protect Your Rights, Not Violate Them”? Yes, Yes He Did!

 

 

 

 

 

” Activist and independent journalist Brett Sanders was conducting a First Amendment test in White Settlement, TX.

  He was filming outside of the Lockheed Martin facility when 3 officers pulled up to inquire as to what he was doing.

  What happened next was completely unpredictable. The officers from White Settlement police department weren’t belligerent or confrontational. They were actually cordial.

  Sanders refused to identify and they actually respected him for it! Instead of shoving his camera down or trying to confiscate it one officer sparks up a conversation about Sanders’ camera and equipment because he also enjoys photography.”

 

   

Credit where credit is due … we spend plenty of time highlighting the actions of horrible cops that have no respect for the Constitution and it is only fair to publicize the honorable actions of law enforcement officers when they come to our attention as well . Kudos to these three White Settlement officers .

 

 

Free Thought Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pentagon To Spend $20 Billion On Presidential Helicopters

Obama’s New Helicopter Fleet Could Cost $20 Billion

 

 

 

 

 

 

” The Pentagon has awarded a contract to begin development of the most expensive helicopters ever made.

  Each helicopter will probably cost at least $400 million. The entire project, to build at least 23 helicopters, has been estimated to eventually cost between $10 billion to $17 billion. By comparison, the project could pay the combined defense budgets of Finland, Norway, and Sweden for one year ($16.9 billion).

  The passengers for this enormously expensive helicopter fleet? The President of the United States and his entourage.

  Marine One helicopters must satisfy a number of requirements. The president’s helos must be small enough to land on the South Lawn, but large enough to lift 14 people and several thousand pounds of equipment a distance of 300 miles. The helicopters must be armored, with a bullet-resistant fuselage and glass.

  Finally, the president’s helicopter must include a toilet.

  The new, initial contract awarded to the American defense contractor Sikorsky, is valued at $1.24 billion. Under the terms of the new contract, the U.S. military will take delivery of two prototype helicopters—based on the Sikorsky S-92 medium helicopter–in 2016. Another 21 fully capable helicopters will follow.”

 

 

    The S-92 can travel at 175 mph and is required to transport its passengers 300 uninterrupted miles , a distance it can cover in an hour and three quarters , yet a bathroom is a requirement ? WTF ? You mean to tell me that the passengers cannot hold their water for the time it takes to watch one feature length movie ?  

    Read more on this astoundingly arrogant waste of taxpayer funds by the Pentagon at The Daily Beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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If You’ve Ever Wondered What It Would Be Like To Fly In The SR-71 Blackbird , This Interview Is For You

Flying The World’s Fastest Plane: Behind The Stick Of The SR-71

 

 

 

 

” The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is the fastest jet ever built, a machine so far ahead of its time even its own pilots thought it looked more like a spaceship than an airplane. It is an engineering marvel, powered by innovative engines that operated most efficiently at Mach 3.2, its typical cruising speed. From 1966 to 1998, it operated in secrecy, flown only by a handful of the Air Force’s most elite pilots. Rick McCrary was one of them.

  SH: How did you end up flying that thing?

  RM: Well, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a lot of luck involved. I entered the Air Force in 1970, and was accepted for pilot training. After I completed that, I was a pilot instructor for about five years in the T-38, the supersonic trainer the Air Force still uses to this day. Subsequent to that I flew the F/B-11, the Aardvark, up at Pease AFB, New Hampshire. Then I was actually on nuke alert up there when I got a phone call from a fella I flew T-38s with who asked if I was interested in “a new position.” I was due to rotate, so I said sure.

  I was anticipating a desk job, which is just part of the rotation cycle as an Air Force officer. I can’t say I was looking forward to it. He said that he’d been out with the SR-71 program, and that they were looking for a pilot. Of course, that was an easy answer. They said, “Well, why don’t you come out and have a look,” so when I got off alert that tour I flew out to Sacramento and drove up to Beale AFB to meet everyone.”

 

Lots more of the interview and pictures here . Enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Here’s A Glimpse Of Lockheed-Martin’s Replacement For The SR-71 Blackbird

Hypersonic Successor To Legendary SR-71 Blackbird Spy Plane Unveiled

 

 

 

 

 

” Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works has finally unveiled the long-awaited successor to the SR-71 Blackbird. Aviation Week and Space Technology’s Guy Norris pulled the covers off the project that Lockheed Martin is simply calling the SR-72. The new airplane will be roughly the same size as the record-setting Blackbird, but will be able to fly twice as fast as the jet that still holds the speed records.

The new spy plane will be capable of Mach 6 cruise speeds, making it the first hypersonic aircraft to enter service should it be produced. Only the rocket-powered North American X-15 was able to regularly fly those speeds, and the three examples built were used for research. The SR-71 Blackbird is legendary in aviation circles for its Mach 3 capabilities, and different iterations served as a spy plane for 35 years until its retirement in 1998. It still holds several records, including a flight from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in 64 minutes, 20 seconds.

The new SR-72 has long been rumored and debated, and is part of the U.S. Air Force’s plan for hypersonic capabilities that will allow fast reaction for gathering intelligence around the world. A Mach 6 airplane fills the gap between current surveillance aircraft that can loiter for long periods of time, but don’t have the ability to transit to a new area quickly. The SR-72 is also expected to have optional strike capabilities, according to Aviation Week.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The New Apache From Boeing

A Soldier’s Guardian

 

 

” Boeing adds control of unmanned aircraft to the Apache helicopter’s impressive capabilities. Using “eye-in-the-sky” technology, the Apache Guardian, the world’s most advanced combat helicopter, is now even more effective in keeping soldiers safe.”

 

• Read more about the AH-64E Apache Guardian
• Boeing-built US Army Apache Fleet Surpasses 3.5M Flight Hours
• See images of the AH-64E Apache Guardian in action
• Join the company that continues to inspire John

 

 

 

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Navy’s Brand New $500 Million LCS Is Vulnerable To Hacking …

Littoral Combat Ship Network Can Be Hacked, Navy Probe Finds

 

 

 

 

”  The computer network on the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship is vulnerable to hacking, according to findings by Navy cybersecurity specialists.

A “red team” assigned to test weaknesses in computer systems found major deficiencies last year on Lockheed Martin Corp.’s USS Freedom, said a government official familiar with the findings who asked not to be identified because the Navy report hasn’t been made public. The Freedom, the first of the new ships to be deployed, sailed to Singapore last month for eight months of testing of its manning and logistics operations.

The estimated price to build each vessel has doubled to $440 million, and its ability to survive to fight after an attack has been questioned.

The Littoral Combat Ship depends for its combat capability on communicating with better-armed vessels through its “Total Ship Computing Environment,” a maritime battle network linked by computers and sensors. The Navy and the Pentagon’s weapons testing office declined to say whether the vulnerabilities would affect operations of the ship or coordination with other vessels.

The program may face added scrutiny this year, starting tomorrow with a hearing on Navy ship programs convened by the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower panel. The U.S. Government Accountability Office also is working on a review that may be published in June.

The LCS depends on mission modules that are supposed to be swapped out depending on the duty at hand. The GAO said last month that the Navy plans to purchase 30 of a planned 52 vessels by 2018, before the first fully combat-capable modules for surface warfare, counter-mine operations and anti-submarine patrols are ready.

The modules the Navy has accepted so far “do not yet meet requirements,” GAO said.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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More F-35 Problems

New Pentagon Super Fighter Will Get Pilots Shot Down

 

 

 

” The U.S. Air Force version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has shortcomings that will get pilots shot down in combat, according to a leaked Pentagon report evaluating combat testing of the plane.

“The out-of-cockpit visibility in the F-35A is less than other Air Force fighter aircraft,” states the report from the Defense Department’s Directorate of Operational Test and Evaluation, referring to a pilot’s ability to see the sky around them.

Test pilots’ comments quoted in the report are more blunt.

“The head rest is too large and will impede aft [rear] visibility and survivability during surface and air engagements,” said one. “Aft visibility will get the pilot gunned [down] every time” in dogfights, opined another.”

 

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