Новости за 08.05.2024

Summary: The Alaska-class battlecruisers, conceived by the U.S. Navy in the 1930s to counter foreign naval developments, became a case of strategic misalignment by the time they were completed in the late 1940s.

Not big enough to be an aircraft carrier and heavier than a cruiser, the Russian Kiev-class carrier was a hybrid ship meant to answer the U.S. Navy’s growth of submarine-launched nuclear missiles during the Cold War.

Russia's Sierra-Class Submarines were built to sink the U.S. Navy in a war - Soviet submarine designers subverted expectations when they began building hulls from titanium instead of default steel. The titanium hulls had benefits – and also drawbacks, which is why the Americans never followed with a titanium-hulled submarine of their own.

Summary: The USS America, a retired U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, was subjected to an unusual final mission in 2005 to determine its durability against extreme damage. Instead of being preserved as a museum, the America was used in a SinkEx (sink at-sea live-fire training exercise), where it underwent a series of explosions over four weeks to test its survivability.

Summary: In March 2015, a team led by Paul Allen discovered the wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Musashi, one of the largest and most heavily armored battleships ever constructed, in the Sibuyan Sea at about 3,280 feet deep.

Summary: The B-21 Raider, designed by Northrop Grumman, is hailed as a potentially transformative asset for the U.S. Air Force. However, its impact could be limited by a slow production rate and insufficient numbers. The Air Force anticipates having between 24 and 30 Raiders operational by the early 2030s, with an acquisition rate peaking at about 10 aircraft per year during that period.

During the official kickoff concert for the inaugural Fleet Week Miami hosted by Blue Star Families, U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced that the future Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast submarine SSN-811 will be named for the Magic City. The vessel will thus honor Miami, as well as the crews of three previous Navy vessels to bear the name.

Summary: The concept of a modern battleship frequently surfaces in military discussions, drawing on historical examples like the proposed conversions of the USS Kentucky (BB-66). Originally part of the Iowa-class, this unfinished battleship was considered for transformation into a guided-missile ship during the 1950s, integrating advanced missile technology with traditional naval firepower.

In the 1960s, the USNS Card (T-AKV-40) - an old World War II escort aircraft carrier performing supply-carrying duties at the time - was sunk after 180 pounds of explosives detonated at the ship’s hull.

Summary: The USS Gerald R. Ford exemplifies the pinnacle of naval architecture, combining centuries of design evolution into a modern aircraft carrier that defies initial perceptions of instability. Despite their massive size and seemingly top-heavy structure, aircraft carriers like the Ford are engineered to be exceptionally stable. Their stability is due to the strategic placement of the center of buoyancy above the center of gravity, ensuring that the ship rights itself the more it tilts.

Are Israel’s ties with the United States starting to resemble the relationship between the old political and economic elites and the Jewish community in Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

Summary: Aircraft carriers, symbolizing national power and strategic mobility, carry hefty price tags, with the USS Gerald R. Ford costing $13 billion. These naval giants, escorted by formidable carrier battle groups, underscore the importance and complexity of modern naval warfare.

Summary: The B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman's next-generation stealth bomber, encountered a significant cost overrun of nearly $1.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, primarily due to rising production costs and macroeconomic disruptions.

Summary: U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall recently experienced a flight in the X-62A VISTA at Edwards Air Force Base, showcasing significant progress in autonomous aircraft technology. The X-62A, a modified F-16 Fighting Falcon, incorporates AI and machine learning from DARPA's Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. During the flight, the aircraft autonomously executed tactical maneuvers without human intervention, although a pilot was present as a safety measure.

Summary: Defense Expert Brandon J. Weichert criticizes the U.S. Air Force's pursuit of advanced sixth and speculative seventh-generation warplanes as a significant misallocation of resources.

China’s surface fleet is increasingly footloose—including its aviation component. Backed by an impressive armory of shore-based weapons, the fleet need no longer be closely tethered to defense of home waters and skies. It can be more venturesome and range farther from home. It’s even possible China will found a standing expeditionary for some important expanse like the Indian Ocean. 

5 Best Russian Submarines Ever Built: Like many of the military systems Russia employs today, the Soviet Union is responsible for the design world and innovation that created them. From fighter jets and aircraft carriers to main battle tanks and submarines, Russian forces heavily rely on Cold War-era weapons and programs today.

Before the rise of aircraft carriers, battleships were every navy’s most powerful asset.