en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/925734 Comments by The_Hand http://defensetech.org/2015/06/23/f-35b-leaps-off-ski-jump-for-the-first-time/#IDComment980574512 How are you going to launch Super Hornets without cats and traps? Are Super Hornets stealthy? What is more expensive, one F-35 or two craters that used to be F-18s before they got shot down? Thu, 25 Jun 2015 00:01:41 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2015/06/23/f-35b-leaps-off-ski-jump-for-the-first-time/#IDComment980574512 http://defensetech.org/2015/06/23/f-35b-leaps-off-ski-jump-for-the-first-time/#IDComment980573925 Yeah, finally just did something the Harrier can do. Only stealthy, supersonic, longer ranged, with off-axis targeting. Wed, 24 Jun 2015 23:57:37 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2015/06/23/f-35b-leaps-off-ski-jump-for-the-first-time/#IDComment980573925 http://kitup.military.com/2015/01/army-chief-adds-confusion-camouflage.html#IDComment938872501 You know, as long as the guys in the field get camo that actually works, I'm good. It should have happened years ago and I roll my eyes at the wasted time and money, but whatever. Thu, 8 Jan 2015 07:29:08 +0000 http://kitup.military.com/2015/01/army-chief-adds-confusion-camouflage.html#IDComment938872501 http://defensetech.org/2015/01/02/a-tale-of-two-gatling-guns-f-35-vs-a-10/#IDComment936827022 If you're flying a $50M stealth aircraft within gun range of the bad guys on the ground, you're doing it wrong. Sat, 3 Jan 2015 01:53:34 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2015/01/02/a-tale-of-two-gatling-guns-f-35-vs-a-10/#IDComment936827022 http://defensetech.org/2014/09/26/navy-tests-new-vehicle-mounted-laser-weapon/#IDComment882504010 Unfortunately all the countermeasures you propose would be fabulously expensive (random spiral trajectory? Plasma shields?) or simply wouldn't work (reflective materials). People need to realize that a 10kW laser isn't a flashlight that can be stopped with a bathroom mirror. Even smoke isn't going to be very effective--that much laser should burn through smoke particles pretty efficiently. Lasers are perfect for AA and point defense which is why the DoD is pushing at least two such systems right now. Unlike a kinetic round, a laser reaches its target instantly, is not affected by gravity or wind, and can use any source of electricity for ammunition. The current downside is a total lack of penetration that makes them useful only against fragile (UAVs) or volatile (incoming explosives) targets. Against those targets, however, it doesn't take that much power to be effective. Consider that you can mission kill an airliner (and put yourself in jail) with a handheld laser pointer. 10kW of that is going to fuck up every sensor on a UAV almost instantly. You don't even have to shoot it down. Tue, 30 Sep 2014 02:40:39 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2014/09/26/navy-tests-new-vehicle-mounted-laser-weapon/#IDComment882504010 http://defensetech.org/2014/07/17/4-russian-surface-to-air-missile-systems-that-could-shoot-down-the-malaysian-jet/#IDComment855066230 Yes, but who would pull the trigger? Not the Ukraine military; the separatists have no aircraft and Russia is (probably) not flying air support any more. Unlikely that it'd be the Russians, who would at least have the sense to check the target's transponder code. That leaves the separatists, who are known to have captured a Buk missile system a week or so ago and have been happily shooting down planes ever since. Problem is they had to have had help--a multi-vehicle SAM battery is not like operating an iPhone. Fri, 18 Jul 2014 00:46:39 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2014/07/17/4-russian-surface-to-air-missile-systems-that-could-shoot-down-the-malaysian-jet/#IDComment855066230 http://kitup.military.com/2014/05/army-taps-scorpion-replace-ucp.html#IDComment835361842 This is how government R&D supports private enterprise. If the Army stopped Crye from reselling modified Scorpion people would scream bloody murder about Big Government quashing small businesses. Instead the Army helped foot the startup R&D costs for a very successful company. I know I'm glad MultiCam existed during the last couple of land wars in Asia, even if the Army was too dim to realize what they had. Mon, 26 May 2014 19:03:45 +0000 http://kitup.military.com/2014/05/army-taps-scorpion-replace-ucp.html#IDComment835361842 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/hagel-moves-to-kill-cold-war-aircraft-fleets/#IDComment799622121 Dude, we haven't flown F-111s for sixteen years. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 22:08:08 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/hagel-moves-to-kill-cold-war-aircraft-fleets/#IDComment799622121 http://kitup.military.com/2014/02/russia-upgrades-soldiers-standard.html#IDComment798426350 They've outsourced the copying of our tech to the Chinese. Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:45:56 +0000 http://kitup.military.com/2014/02/russia-upgrades-soldiers-standard.html#IDComment798426350 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/cyber-is-likely-winner-of-2015-budget/#IDComment798425680 Not an excuse, I'm afraid. There is no reason the HVAC systems should have been able to reach customer credit card data. There's also no reason for Target to not have had data loss prevention systems in place. Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:43:30 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/cyber-is-likely-winner-of-2015-budget/#IDComment798425680 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/hagel-moves-to-kill-cold-war-aircraft-fleets/#IDComment798169091 Unfortunately the A-10 was obsolete for its own mission by the time it was deployed. No other fixed wing aircraft flies squarely in the envelope of every known air defense system. The A-10 had by far the worst per-sortie loss rate in 1991, to the point where it was completely banned from flying at low levels. The A-10 was lucky in that it got to see a couple of asymmetric warfare theaters where the bad guys didn't even have significant numbers of SA-7s, so we actually got some use out of that silly gun. But in reality it's a dreadfully slow bomb truck that can't loiter or outrun anything. Even if low and slow is the best way to do CAS, if I were a grunt and the SHTF, I think I might prefer a JDAM on the bad guys in 15 minutes than some gun passes in 30. Real CAS is better served by Apaches and Cobras anyway, that require no airfields and can take advantage of terrain as well as doing anything else the A-10 can. Tue, 25 Feb 2014 02:34:19 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/hagel-moves-to-kill-cold-war-aircraft-fleets/#IDComment798169091 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/cyber-is-likely-winner-of-2015-budget/#IDComment798106406 They're cutting the A-10. Commence internet howls of impotent rage in 3... 2... 1... Mon, 24 Feb 2014 22:31:13 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2014/02/24/cyber-is-likely-winner-of-2015-budget/#IDComment798106406 http://kitup.military.com/2013/09/army-unveils-modular-helmet-prototypes.html#IDComment717807237 You know, helmets like this just don't look right unless paired with body armor. That has shoulder pads. Wed, 11 Sep 2013 02:12:05 +0000 http://kitup.military.com/2013/09/army-unveils-modular-helmet-prototypes.html#IDComment717807237 http://defensetech.org/2013/02/12/pentagon-ig-rips-air-forces-f-22-investigation/#IDComment569853093 One theory I read was that the stealth coating gave off toxic gases at the altitudes and airspeeds the F22 can reach. Not sure if it's been discounted yet or not. Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:58:16 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2013/02/12/pentagon-ig-rips-air-forces-f-22-investigation/#IDComment569853093 http://defensetech.org/2012/12/12/nk-missile-launch-a-sign-of-progress/#IDComment517777249 Their bomb program is also atomic, not thermonuclear. Not that atomic weapons are anything to sneeze at, but we're talking tens of kilotons on the order of Nagasaki, not megaton-range citybusters. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:42:13 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2012/12/12/nk-missile-launch-a-sign-of-progress/#IDComment517777249 http://defensetech.org/2012/11/15/will-it-take-a-cyber-pearl-harbor-to-break-congressional-deadlock/#IDComment493645214 You think cutting the link to the outside makes a network secure? How refreshingly naive. Sat, 17 Nov 2012 23:49:13 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2012/11/15/will-it-take-a-cyber-pearl-harbor-to-break-congressional-deadlock/#IDComment493645214 http://defensetech.org/2012/11/15/will-it-take-a-cyber-pearl-harbor-to-break-congressional-deadlock/#IDComment493644150 A few comments: I'm not up to speed on the details of the Cybersecurity Act but I assure you something like it is absolutely necessary. I'm reading some comments here along the lines of "private industry can make their own lines secure", which I think has been utterly disproven over the past fifteen years. Industry has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, toward more secure networks. The only reason networks are more secure today is because of regulations like HIPAA and PCI. As for air gapping "critical" networks, that's basically what the Cybersecurity Act is trying to accomplish to the degree that it's actually feasible. You can't unhook all the financial servers from the internet and expect business to continue, and even if you did they still wouldn't be automagically secure. Iran's centrifuges weren't hooked up to the internet either. It is possible, using a combination of encryption, tunneling, virtualization, and endpoint security, to enclave critical assets while allowing network connectivity. But these solutions have to be carefully architected, and they cost money, so it'll never happen without government encouragement. Sat, 17 Nov 2012 23:47:18 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2012/11/15/will-it-take-a-cyber-pearl-harbor-to-break-congressional-deadlock/#IDComment493644150 http://defensetech.org/2012/10/12/laptop-built-to-protect-classified-docs/#IDComment464744097 Before everyone freaks out, note that this device is only approved for use at Secret and below, and that it's meant for use in barracks and in the field. I'm sure some bright junior officer will use one at Starbucks anyway, but the TVE architecture is pretty mature at this point. On-disk encryption should prevent data theft in the event of physical theft (depending on the encryption), and data in transit will be protected with strong IPSec. Balancing information security with information availability is difficult in our line of work, but this is one of those tools that makes it at least possible. You can't air gap everything and expect to function effectively here in 2012. Now if only the contractors would eat their own dog food and implement their own security solutions in house... Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:43:36 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2012/10/12/laptop-built-to-protect-classified-docs/#IDComment464744097 http://defensetech.org/2012/10/10/nsa-director-pushes-cybersecurity-bill/#IDComment460920600 There have been a couple of instances of small- to mid-size companies that went bankrupt after having their bank accounts fraudulently drained. Even if you work with law enforcement and the bank to try and recover the funds, the delay can easily cause cash flow and credit issues that sink the company anyway. Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:01:29 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2012/10/10/nsa-director-pushes-cybersecurity-bill/#IDComment460920600 http://defensetech.org/2012/09/26/cyber-security-an-air-force-punchline/#IDComment451163016 Good points. Air gaps also create severe usability and management problems. We've all seen the image of that one user's workspace that had 14 separate workstations, all connected to different networks. Since 2000 there have been cross-domain and multi-level secure solutions that can connect air-gapped networks while maintaining auditable control over information flow. Sat, 29 Sep 2012 02:48:39 +0000 http://defensetech.org/2012/09/26/cyber-security-an-air-force-punchline/#IDComment451163016