Zach 🇺🇦

I don't understand Trump's obsession with steam catapults. Why tf would you want the Navy to deal with pressurized oil and hot steam systems that keep putting uneven strain on the airframes of aircraft thus worsening their aging?

German version was released many days prior and is available here: suv.report/quo-vadis-fc...

Quo Vadis, FCAS? - Defense Archives When Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel announced the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) in 2017, they envisioned a European flagship project: a joint sixth-generation air combat system, supported by Germ...

New piece on FCAS that the DA team has been cooking: defensearchives.com/news/quo-vad...

155mm Ratshot into their flanks

KHIT paved the way for the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile (LEAP) program. This program funded and demonstrated multiple light KKVs. Some of the vehicles tested and developed under this program weighed as little as 7 kg (14 lb)

ERIS (Exoatmospheric Reentry Vehicle Interceptor Subsystem)

Homing Overly Experiment (HOE)

EHV/KHIT was a major milestone for US KKVs. Just a few years prior the US tested ERIS (Exoatmospheric Reentry Vehicle Interceptor Subsystem). This vehicle weighed 150 kg (330 lb) and was a follow-on system to the HOE (Homing Overly Experiment) which weighed 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).

As a bonus, here is a video of the EHV's April 1989 test:

The EHV finally took flight and stayed airborne for 21.6 seconds in April of 1989. The fourth test provided a ton of data showing that the vehicle's performance closely matched the pre-flight simulations. Divert thrust was calculated at 325 Ibf (goal: 400 lbf) and ACS at 3.0 to 5.0 Ibf (goal: 5 lbf)

In November 1988, the first test flight of the EHV took place. The test was terminated early due to a failure of one of the attitude control nozzle's valve. The second and third test flight attempts were also terminated early due to complications with range safety at the hover test facility.

After 2 years of development, the KHIT program was initiated to integrate all of these tech into a single vehicle and test it out. Rockwell's EHV had the following characteristics:

This effort kicked off in 1985 and included the development of divert and attitude control systems, fuel and propellant tanks, and valve systems.

Long time no post, today I have this rare image for you guys. This is a photo of Rockwell's Experimental Hover Vehicle for the KKV Hover Interceptor Test (KHIT). Following the start of SDI tech development in 1983, the USAF started working on future tech that would go into space-based interceptors.

I have been making use of it more recently but I often use direct websites that they have archives of (Scihub).

Back on my shit

I also make use of archive.org extensively and sometimes catalog.archives.gov Other times I might have to buy or source a few books on a given topic.

For more info on enemy systems I try to make use of the CIA Reading room and sometimes Congressional hearings (these are on google books). For US systems I often look for Selected Acquisition Reports or else DOTE reports. For industry news I use Aviation Week or else Inside Washington Publishers.

More tips are case based, if i am trying to find more system details from tests I go search for stuff on journals like AIAA or else ASNE. I use Google scholar to find journal stuff. If I think the system has been documented by the DoD, I search on DTIC or else OSTI.

the trick is called "spend 6 hours searching for a piece of info". in all seriousness, I usually search for specific terms by using quote marks. Google has been turning more shit as such I also use the search tools to limit my search range (years) so they don't involve anything recent.

0, it should be smooth.

But I am happy that the video work isn't entirely insurmountable if I just put in the hours. So i will keep at it.

I have been somewhat busy since August due to a mix of life + work related stuff. Turns out researching, writing, graphic design, editing, animating and voice over videos is quite a task. I thought doing the magazines prepared but I couldn't have been more wrong.

It has been a long time since I last did an AMA, so I guess you guys should throw me some questions you have had for me?

Mmmm forbidden protein bar

Carriers are the only class of vessels where the Soviets looked at them and decided "we will fire 12 missiles each carrying close to a ton of explosive at each carrier and if that isn't enough for a good measure we will throw in a megaton nuclear warhead"

The US Navy had a number of major aircraft carrier fires that resulted in major explosions inside the hangar and they have learned from these mishaps

If you actually go back to WW2 you will see that what killed allied carriers was inability to deal with onboard fires due to
1. Lack of ability to pump enough water
2. Correct for list
3. And a combination of these things in both pumping in and out water.

The only class of vessels in US inventory designed to take punishment are aircraft carriers.

counterpoint: look at this modern battleship under construction

Modern tanks have frontal arcs that are more protected (on a RHA equivalent) than Battleships of yore and they are still getting penetrated frontly by the cones of magic.

In reality, your armor belt doesn't matter so much when I can fly a 500 lb warhead straight into your bridge