"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (2 Viewers)

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The future may be closer than we think, if the politicians don't mess it up

The UK military has carried out its first high-power firing of a laser against aerial targets - with the weapon using an "intense beam of light" to cut through drones.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said latest trial of the DragonFire system, which typically costs less than £10 a shot, marks a "major step in bringing this technology into service".

DragonFire is a "line of sight weapon" that can "engage with any visible target" at the speed of light, the MoD has said.
The ministry added that the weapon "boasts pinpoint accuracy" and uses an "intense beam of light to cut through the target, leading to structural failure or more impactful results if the warhead is targeted".

The laser has been fired at aerial targets for the first time during a trial at the MoD's Hebrides Range in northwest Scotland.
DragonFire was able to destroy incoming drones from several positions miles away, The Times has reported.

It is hoped the weapon could reduce the UK Armed Forces' reliance on high-cost ammunition, with the cost of firing the laser for 10 seconds equivalent to using a regular heater for an hour.

Both the Army and Royal Navy are considering using this technology as part of their future air defence capabilities.
The MoD recently announced its intention to fund a multi-million pound programme to transition the technology from the research environment to the battlefield.
 
WARSPITER said:
Britain doesn't have the need for a large navy anymore.
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A huge world navy? No, I agree. But I would argue that Britain needs a larger navy. Earlier this month, the RN removed a not insignificant portion of its anti-mine capability through a mishap at HMS Juffair in Bahrain. This wouldn't matter if the RN wasn't so thinly stretched.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tefY7S7J9T4
With cost-cutting accountants now running the Admiralty, HMS Bangor might well not come back from this crushing hit.


View: https://twitter.com/MilitaryBanter/status/1748427691374584105
HMS Chiddingfold will also need to be surveyed and likely drydocked for some weeks to repair any damage. The rudder and screws at the stern of this recently refurbished ship can be seen below - both of which may have suffered damage.

Royal Navy minehunter HMS Chiddingfold returns to water after extensive refit

Royal Navy minehunter HMS Chiddingfold was launched at BAE Systems’ Portsmouth site after undergoing what the company described as the “most extensive package of work ever carried out to the plastic hulls of any Hunt Class mine countermeasure vessels.” The vessel was refitted after returning...
www.navaltoday.com

Given that several units are in refit, imagine if one of the Royal Navy's new Type 45 destroyers was crushed against the dock side, taking out a full 25% of the RN's available air defence destroyers.
 
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MOSCOW, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The wife of a Russian soldier delivered an emotional appeal for his return from Ukraine on Saturday at the election headquarters of President Vladimir Putin, a defiant gesture in a country where open criticism of the war is banned.

"Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has issued a decree that my husband has to be there (in Ukraine). I'm interested to know when he will issue a decree that my husband has to be home," Maria Andreyeva said as campaign workers looked on.

She became involved in a heated exchange with a woman who told her that Russian soldiers in Ukraine were defending the motherland and she should pray for them.

"So what's next? The Ministry of Defense has spent its money, now we need to squeeze everything out of our guys, get the last life out of them? So that they come back to us just as stumps?" Andreyeva demanded.

"Will they give me the stump? What will I get back? A man without legs, without arms, a sick man? Don't you know what's happening there?"

The exchange took place during a visit to Putin's election base by a small delegation from "The Way Home", an organisation of soldiers' wives that is campaigning for their return from the front.
It showed the depth of anger and despair among some soldiers' families as the war grinds on, with no end in sight after nearly two years.

 
The Russian P-35 missile looks surprisingly like the Northrop B-62 (SM-62) Snark of the USN from the same period.
 

Polish-made kamikaze drone blew up Russian Tor air defense system

Ukrainian forces have once again proven their resourcefulness in the ongoing conflict with Russia, employing a Polish-made kamikaze drone to effectively eliminate a Russian Tor air defense system. The Tor surface-to-air missile system, a critical component of Russia's air defense capabilities...
defence-blog.com
 
Thumpalumpacus said:
It'll buff out.
Click to expand...
Repairs are definitely possible, even in much worse cases of in-port hull damage. The USN got USS Cole repaired after the terrorist strike almost sank her. But that ship was repaired as a demonstration of US resolve. That's not case here, where the RN's embarrassingly clumsy ship handling is on full display and many will want this to be forgotten. His Majesty's Exchequer might seize the opportunity to scrap a ship.

Back to Russia-Ukraine, I don't think any of Russia's damaged warships can be returned to service. This is not going to buff out, lol.

 
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