Interested Amateur

Soryu-class SSK In the June 2010 Proceedings article, " The Right Submarine for Lurking in the Littorals ", Milan Vego, of the Naval War College, lays out a case for a US Navy SSK.   Advantages include, Better suited for operations in shallow, confined waters. Sufficient sensors and weapons for operating in these regions. SSNs are three to five times more expensive than SSKs. Less problematic to home-port SSKs abroad. Sufficient range and speed for operational deployments, if home-ported near their operating areas. Another Naval War College professor, James Holmes, laid out similar arguments at the National Interest, " Diesel Submarines: The Game Changer the U.S. Navy Needs " and " U.S. Submarines: Run Silent, Run Deep...On Diesel Engines? " He adds, Procuring and operating a common SSK with allies would show the US has "skin in the game" and demonstrate US resilience and resolve.  However even if not common, home-porting SS...

Previously, I proposed a  Medium-Weight Cruise Missile  designed for use against smaller surface combatants, based on the ADM-160B - Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD).   This could be carried by helicopters and fighters in greater numbers to deal with numerous Chinese small combatants. Here, I propose a somewhat larger missile, the Quad-Packed Cruise Missile (QPCM), with a focus on land attack.  Obviously, from the name, it is still intended to fit quad-packed in an Mk41 or Mk57 VLS cell, but growing beyond the MALD airframe allows us to develop a larger, more capable munition.   Target Set Target set for this munition is the same as SDB I (and eventually SDB II): Additionally, the warhead should be capable vs ships, though its small size means it would require multiple hits to disable or sink a large warship.  Even so, an SDB-sized warhead is around the same size and weight as an 8" armored piercing projectile but with ten times the bursting ch...

Much focus today is on hypersonic and ballistic, long-range munitions.  However there is still a significant need for a large number of boring, subsonic cruise missiles, especially to fill VLS cells.  The Tomahawk cruise missile has performed well in this role, but it's getting long in the tooth. It has three major shortcomings, It has no RCS shaping to speak of, which makes it vulnerable to enemy IADS.   It doesn't have sufficient range to allow ships to operate in "safe" waters when an enemy has a extensive A2AD system and hold at risk more depth of enemy territory. It only carries a 1,000lb warhead.  This limits its ability to strike hardened and deeply buried targets, as well as large infrastructure targets like bridges. (which can require 10 or more 2,000lb class warheads) To fill these gaps, I propose we build a Next Generation Cruise Missile (NGCM).  The notional requirements are as follows, Fits in a Mk57 VLS cell  Carries either a Mk84 or BLU...

Background Short of nuclear weapons, there are certain military targets that simply demand a Really Big Bomb (RBB).  Smaller ordinance just won't do.  And not just any RBB, such targets require a bomb with considerable earth and concrete penetration.  These targets include super-hardened airfield hangars; submarine pens; command and control facilities; and WMD storage, research and production facilities. From Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons  on Strategic Hardened and Deeply Buried Targets, BASIC FACTS AND ESTIMATES Following is a concise list of background facts and estimates relating to HDBTs: Potential U.S. adversaries worldwide are using underground facilities to conceal and protect their leadership, military and industrial personnel, weapons, equipment, and other assets and activities. These facilities include hardened surface bunkers and tunnel facilities deep underground. Many underground command, control, and communicatio...

(aka Land-based Maritime Strike Tomahawk) BGM-109 Gryphon GLCM (fas.org) With the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty, the US Army and/or Marine Corps should immediately reconstitute the USAF BGM-109 Gryphon GLCM system using the modern Maritime Strike Tomahawk.   They should stand up independently deployable Gryphon companies and battalions that can be deployed to Europe and the Pacific to greatly bolster anti-ship and land attack capabilities in the region. The Marines and Army have made noises about developing land-based maritime strike capabilities, but the weapons considered to date are just too short-ranged (e.g. 115 mile range NSM, 190 mile range ATACMS) to have a major impact, given the limited number and location of potential bases. Maritime Strike Tomahawk's 1,000 mile range can cover large portions of the theater from a handful of friendly operating areas. Forward-deployed Gryphon battalions in Thailand and Japan can hit targets throughout most of t...