This is great, but what changed in Slovakia for these to be supplied to Ukraine? The politics of it coming to fruition must be really interesting, and perhaps hopeful for the future as well. Hard to believe that Fico signed off on this.
Porter, maybe Fico figured the billions his country could earn by building that production line for exports outweighed the ideological but empty Putin line.
Across the ever expanding spectrum of my ‘stacks, yours sir is the one that I most look forward to and immediately devour. Thank you for your awesome stuff. It’s well… totally awesome. 👏
The UK army and the rest of NATO needs this. Thank you for the tech detail information. My mother who was a Transport Regiment Major would have loved this.
Wes is going to make us combat gear-heads. In the midst of taking in all the detail I had a chuckle. You know how every favorable car or camera review has a "golly, and you won't believe this incredible gizmo on top" tone to it? Almost like there is an official enthusiast style book that they all follow. I sort of felt like that vibe was having an influence on how I was reading this.
The serious point shouldn't be lost. The US military-industrial ecosystem went from 0 to 60 almost instantly for WWII to invent, build and deploy the arms needed for the war that no one expected it to be, one that was a war of movement, not static defense on land and a war of aircraft against battleships at sea. Since then, it brought the same toolkit and mindset to Korea and Vietnam with no innovation besides jet propulsion, which wasn't decisive. Where attention was focused was first on strategic bombing gone mad (the MAD triad) and then on a war to be fought in West Germany tank-on-tank with tactical air supremacy. That one didn't happened but turned out to be outstanding kit for Gulf War I and Gulf War II, right up to the point in Gulf War II that the bad guys decided to play asymmetry. And the kit didn't work too well in the Afghan War playing whack-a-mole small unit engagements. It didn't matter much that you could call in your friendly neighborhood Warthog to rain down death and destruction on a suspected hostile position in the daytime and they returned at night.
During all this time and trillions spent, big and slow trumped small and fast. Systems came to be designed 20 years in advance for service lives of 50 years. (When civilization goes down I don't doubt that the last plane to land anywhere on earth will be a B-52 with an airframe built in 1961.) But the future has no obligation, and very little inclination, to conform to our predictions of it. I'll make one though.
The next phase of World War III will summon forth innovations of greater scope and reach than we have seen in Ukraine. There will be fully autonomous swarms of units out-maneuvering to take out rear-area server farms, among other delights.
It’s very unlikely they will be using these to support infantry assaults, or that they’ll be very near the front lines except in very specific circumstances such as a mechanized counterattack.
Much more likely they’ll be on the back lines providing escort for the thin-skinned vans and cars the Ukrainians use for logistics because Russian drones have been so effective at killing those vehicles, along with the drivers inside.
What an excellent concept. I hope Ukraine is able to get a hundred or more of these if they perform as claimed. An autonomous drone/chopper/missile/IFV/+ killer! All it needs is a chauffeur!
Love ur work man , big up from Scotland 🏴 keep it up
Thanks for reading, Ru. Alba gu bràth
I love your writing style (and not just that).
This is great, but what changed in Slovakia for these to be supplied to Ukraine? The politics of it coming to fruition must be really interesting, and perhaps hopeful for the future as well. Hard to believe that Fico signed off on this.
Porter, maybe Fico figured the billions his country could earn by building that production line for exports outweighed the ideological but empty Putin line.
Across the ever expanding spectrum of my ‘stacks, yours sir is the one that I most look forward to and immediately devour. Thank you for your awesome stuff. It’s well… totally awesome. 👏
The UK army and the rest of NATO needs this. Thank you for the tech detail information. My mother who was a Transport Regiment Major would have loved this.
Wes is going to make us combat gear-heads. In the midst of taking in all the detail I had a chuckle. You know how every favorable car or camera review has a "golly, and you won't believe this incredible gizmo on top" tone to it? Almost like there is an official enthusiast style book that they all follow. I sort of felt like that vibe was having an influence on how I was reading this.
The serious point shouldn't be lost. The US military-industrial ecosystem went from 0 to 60 almost instantly for WWII to invent, build and deploy the arms needed for the war that no one expected it to be, one that was a war of movement, not static defense on land and a war of aircraft against battleships at sea. Since then, it brought the same toolkit and mindset to Korea and Vietnam with no innovation besides jet propulsion, which wasn't decisive. Where attention was focused was first on strategic bombing gone mad (the MAD triad) and then on a war to be fought in West Germany tank-on-tank with tactical air supremacy. That one didn't happened but turned out to be outstanding kit for Gulf War I and Gulf War II, right up to the point in Gulf War II that the bad guys decided to play asymmetry. And the kit didn't work too well in the Afghan War playing whack-a-mole small unit engagements. It didn't matter much that you could call in your friendly neighborhood Warthog to rain down death and destruction on a suspected hostile position in the daytime and they returned at night.
During all this time and trillions spent, big and slow trumped small and fast. Systems came to be designed 20 years in advance for service lives of 50 years. (When civilization goes down I don't doubt that the last plane to land anywhere on earth will be a B-52 with an airframe built in 1961.) But the future has no obligation, and very little inclination, to conform to our predictions of it. I'll make one though.
The next phase of World War III will summon forth innovations of greater scope and reach than we have seen in Ukraine. There will be fully autonomous swarms of units out-maneuvering to take out rear-area server farms, among other delights.
It’s very unlikely they will be using these to support infantry assaults, or that they’ll be very near the front lines except in very specific circumstances such as a mechanized counterattack.
Much more likely they’ll be on the back lines providing escort for the thin-skinned vans and cars the Ukrainians use for logistics because Russian drones have been so effective at killing those vehicles, along with the drivers inside.
It's an intelligent physical agent. Brava. Semantics are important.
MAKES AN OLD MAN WANT TO GO TO WAR AGAIN
That is slightly less thin-skinned than a tactical with a bigger gun. Seems like it wouldn't do well with artillery.
Too heavy
What an excellent concept. I hope Ukraine is able to get a hundred or more of these if they perform as claimed. An autonomous drone/chopper/missile/IFV/+ killer! All it needs is a chauffeur!
I don’t know what vehicle I’m getting next but the only feature I hope it tries to emulate is “like a drunk goat with something to prove”.