Category Archives: modern military conflict

ADA, the CIWS Way

Posted on by One comment

Official caption: Army field artillerymen conduct reload training in the Middle East on a counter-air defense Land-based Phalanx Weapon System, which can eliminate threats with its rapid-fire 20 mm Gatling gun, Aug. 12, 2026.

U.S. Army photo 260812-D-A0839-9196

The patch is of the Marion helmets of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team “Gator Brigade” of the Florida National Guard, whose ADA units are drawn from the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

While some 1,000 Mk 16 CIWS mounts have been produced for use afloat around the world in 24 fleets, it is believed that the Army only has between 30 to 45 trailer-mounted LPWS/Centurion C-RAMs in its possession, a number which may be significantly lower with guns given to Ukraine.

Of note, they use specialized self-destructing rounds (M940 MPT-SD or M246) designed to detonate in the air to prevent collateral damage on the ground, and have successfully zapped incoming mortar rounds and rockets in Iraq and Afghanistan going back to May 2005.

Iranian UAVs and cruise missiles are new to the menu.

Do you know the German .45ACP Service Pistol?

Posted on by One comment

While the huge (37 ounces, unloaded) H&K Mk23 SOCOM freakbeast in .45ACP is well known in the West, at least in video game use, the Bundeswehr’s similar (in concept) P12 flies largely under the radar.

You know, this bad boy:

The beefy Mk23 was a stepping stone for HK to create the USP (Universal Self-loading Pistol), which the Bundeswehr adopted in 9mm in 1994 as the Pistole 8 (P8) to replace the Walther P1– which itself was just an aluminum-framed Walther P-38.

With the Bundeswehr eager to fill a niche for a full-time suppressed pistol with subsonic ammo for commando and sniper support roles, the USP Tactical in .45ACP got the nod for adoption as the P12.

It comes in a tiny bit lighter (32 ounces, unloaded) but confusingly uses a longer standard suppressor (7.7 inches) than the 7.5-inch KAC found on the Mk23!

Meanwhile, the German Landespolizei also uses the 9mm USP Compact as the P10, but that’s a different story.

Land Cruiser, is that you?

Posted on by Leave a comment

OK, Ok it isn’t the size of a guided missile cruiser on wheels, but Rheinmetall has marked a key advance in modern loitering munition technology by successfully demonstrating the FV-014 loitering munition/kamizakee drone launching from a container while in motion.

Developed entirely in-house, the system was launched from a modular Containerized Missile Launcher at the National Test Centre in Cochstedt in July 2026. During the test, the loitering munition demonstrated its flexibility by launching from an 18-cell VLS HX truck both while stationary and while moving, then completing simulated attack flights.

For reference, the 66-pound FV-014 can pull off recon, target tracking, precise single or swarm attack scenarios with a range of about 60 miles before delivering its 13-pound HEDP warhead with a penetration capacity of more than 24 inches of rolled armor.

In other words, it is akin to a smart TOW missile with a whole lot longer range and without the need for guidance wires.

FRCs Roaming from San Diego to Panama, to Manila

Posted on by 2 comments

Sentinel (Webber) class Fast Response Cutters USCGC Douglas Denman (WPC-1149 and Forrest Rednour (WPC-1129) transit in formation during a photo exercise off the coast of San Diego, July 23, 2026.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Chris Sappey)

The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Denman (WPC 1149) returned to her homeport at Coast Guard Base Ketchikan on Saturday, following a 41-day patrol in the Eastern Pacific. Douglas Denman conducted 42 investigative boardings and queries in support of Operation Border Trident along the sea frontier south of San Diego.

That’s a lot of time underway on a 154-foot boat.

Speaking of which, we have an update on the former PATFORSWA flotilla of six 154s that fell back from Bahrain through the Straits of Malacca and appeared in Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines since the war with Iran made their old base and mission in the Persian Gulf untenable.

It has been confirmed by U.S. Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby earlier this week in a speech during a forum organized by the Stratbase Group in Makati City, PI, that four of the former PATFORSWA boats, now designated the Expeditionary Cutter Squadron (ECS), will be in that Westpac archipelago on a rotational basis. I’d imagine the other two FRCs will be in yard/workup periods in Guam, co-located with the three 154s currently based there.

The USCG is falling back on its FRCs to fill in the gaps left by the stalled $20 billion frigate-sized Offshore Patrol Cutter. The 66th of 77 planned FRCs was delivered in June, bound to be the fourth 154 sent to Guam, set to join the family in a couple of months.

Meanwhile, another sister is roaming off the coast of Panama, winning hearts and minds.

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Robert Ward (WPC-1130) alongside Mexican, Ecuadorian, Colombian and Panamanian vessels conduct tactical signaling training during Panamax in the Pacific Ocean near Panama, Aug. 7, 2026. The exercise was designed to improve interoperability, sharpen skills, and demonstrate the ability to respond and deter threats to the region and its critical waterways. (Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class William Kirk)

EOTECH, B.E. Meyers seen in more NGSW Spaces

Posted on by One comment

While the Vortex M1157 Fire Control System is the electro-optic of record for the Army’s 250,000 Next Generation Squad Weapons in rifle (M7), carbine (XM8), and LMG (M250) variants to the tune of a fantastical $2.7 billion, Big Green is also looking at other, more modular, options under what is being termed the “M7 Surrogate Fire Control Program.”

The Vortex NGSW-FC has a direct view 1-8×30 magnification and combines a laser rangefinder and ballistic computer in an overlaid display for increased first-round hit probability. Even if the high-tech add-ons take a dirt nap, the backup etched reticle should still allow the sight to work as akin to an LPVO. (Graphic: PEO Soldier)

EOTECH just picked up an award for 14,000 sets of OGL (On-Gun Laser) systems, HWS (Holographic Weapon Sights), and compatible magnifiers.

The EOTECH OGL (On-Gun Laser) aiming and illumination system mounted on a rifle rail, as part of recent U.S. Army modernization and surrogate optics evaluations

The moto video on the OGL:

Plus, and this may or may not be folded into the contract, EOTECH just introduced a CUAS (Counter Unmanned Aircraft Sight) reticle to its existing EXPS3 and XPS3 HWS models, which you could see being deployed downrange very rapidly.

Similarly, B.E. Meyers has also been awarded a contract for 8,936 DAGIR‑V1 systems. The DAGIR is an infrared and visible aiming and illumination laser system designed for multi-platform applications.

Sure, they look more 2026 than 2036, but it seems like they may have a shorter road to realization.

Sea Control Ship, is that you?

Posted on by Leave a comment

On the road in Utah for an industry event this week, so I didn’t have the 10-20 hours needed to pull off a Warship Wednesday.

In its place, let us talk about one of Uncle Elmo’s pet projects.

Back in the 1970s, CNO Elmo Zumwalt’s “Sea Control Ship” concept that would provide a Cold War-era evolution to the escort carrier concept for convoy protection and ASW hunter-killer teams, the basic idea was to turn these small flattops (18,000-tons, 592-feet oal) like the Iwo Jima-class LPH into economical CVEs overnight through the fly-on of a Marine Harrier det for air defense/surface strike and a Navy Sea King SH-3 ASW/SAR element.

The entry for Iwo Jima-class LPH USS Guam as an interim sea control ship in the 1973-74 Jane’s

Of course, Zumwalt wanted some dedicated SCS hulls, but, barring the shipbuilding dollars, the Iwo Jimas could work in a pinch.

Planned Sea Control Ship concept, art

Planned Sea Control Ship concept, model

Sea control ship outline, Janes ’73

Fast forward to earlier this year, and we have seen perhaps the most fleshed-out example to date of Zumwalt’s SCS concept.

The America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) just returned home to Okinawa after six months in CENTCOM.

While she deployed in less than an all-out “Lightning Carrier” configuration which would have allowed for 20 embarked F-35Bs, her MEU’s Aviation Combat Element included at least six F-35Bs of the “Green Knights” of VMFA-121.

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) refuels USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) at sea (U.S. Navy Photo)

These F-35Bs, coupled with the rotary-winged assets of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Rein.), flew 1,600 combat hours with zero mishaps, including 300 aerial refueling evolutions, Sidewinder/AMRAAM-equipped counter-air sorties, and enforcing the naval blockade of Iran, turning back 140 ships.

America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) sails in the 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East, April 24, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

An F-35B Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, takes off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), April 23, 2026. Tripoli is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo)

An F-35B Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, takes off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 11, 2026. Tripoli is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo)

An F-35B Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, takes off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 13, 2026. Tripoli is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo)

An F-35B Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, takes off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 13, 2026. Tripoli is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo)

U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning IIs assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, land aboard forward-deployed America-class assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), during flight operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 30, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Victor Gurrola)

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class MarkJoshner Dait, launches an F-35B Lightning II jet on the flight deck of forward-deployed America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), July 20, 2026. Tripoli is currently underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Danian C. Aiko-Douglas).

Navy MH-60s helped shuttle around VBSS dets from Tripoli’s deck while her embarked UH-1Y Venoms rode shotgun, literally, with Mini Guns, rockets, airborne snipers (w Barrett .50 cals), and EW at the ready.

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit rappels out of an MH-60S Sea Hawk USS Tripoli (LHA 7)

AN/ALQ-231(V)3 Intrepid Tiger II electronic warfare pod on a 31st MEU UH-1Y Venom helicopter aboard USS Tripoli (LHA-7) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, June 11, 2026. Of note, the ALQ-231 is also carried by the F-18. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Maksim Masloboev)

U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit load onto a UH-1Y Venom assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Rein.), 31st MEU, during aerial sniper and close air support training in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 31, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Victor Gurrola)

Tripoli was relieved on station by USS Boxer (LHD 4) with F-35Bs of VMFA-122 embarked as part of the 11th MEU.

You know…

To control the sea…

As per Zumwalt.

A U.S. Sailor assigned to Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) signals a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, to take off during flight operations aboard in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, July 17, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Trent A. Henry)

KelTec Bullpup Shotguns: Holding the Maritime Line off Korea

Posted on by One comment

Florida-based KelTec announced last week that a major Pacific Rim maritime agency has once again selected the company’s tactical bullpup shotgun for use on patrol.

The South Korean Coast Guard has long used the well-reviewed (once you get used to it) KelTec KSG, with some 200 of the shotguns already in service, dating back to 2015. A new contract, signed in June, will continue that trend with the pump-action shotguns used across its patrol vessels.

The South Korean Coast Guard traces its lineage to 1953 during the Korean War and has some 10,000 personnel. Like the USCG, its Korean counterpart conducts law enforcement missions, polices the country’s maritime borders, and enforces fisheries regulations, among other tasks.

It has several large frigate-sized white-hulled cutters, including the 6,500-ton KCG Sam Bong and KCG Lee Cheong Ho, as well as numerous smaller patrol boats.

The Korean Coast Guard patrol vessel KCG Sam Bong (ARS 5001). She carries a forward 40mm Doosan DST “No Bong” twin DP Gun, a 20mm Sea Vulcan, six GPMGs, and a small arms locker– including KelTec KSGs. (Photo: KCG)

The KSGs are officially for non-lethal use, akin to how the Remington 870P is used for firing LA51 flash-bang warning devices in the USCG, but, you know, some slugs and buck are on the shelf just in case.

Per KelTec:

The KSG Tactical serves in a less-lethal role, firing rubber and impact rounds during maritime interdiction operations, including efforts to deter illegal fishing activity in Korean waters.

The South Korean Coast Guard also has several special response units such as the SSAT (Sea Special Attack Team), and the KSG-12 has been seen with them as well as in the hands of the Black Berets of the South Korean Army’s 707th Special Missions Group, used as a breaching gun with the latter.

The KelTec KSG was officially unveiled at the SHOT Show in 2011 and has undergone several generational changes while the line has simultaneously expanded.

Deckies Recalling the old DEMs Gunners

Posted on by Leave a comment

The British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is roughly akin to the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) in that they man naval auxiliaries with civilian mariners on contract.

While the MSC’s CIVMARs kinda “go native,” the RFA wears a very RN-like blueberry coverall complete with badges and patches, and they run their own ship’s defense. All RFA ships have a small arms locker, and many also have larger mounts as well.

Take these recent shots of the MNTS Gunnery Teams on RFA Mounts Bay (L3008) conducting quals on mounted FN MAG GPMGs into account.

The ship carries six GPMGs and has the weight and space to carry two CIWS, two 30mm guns, and two M2 50 cals as well.

The RFA’s “trigger pullers” are civilian Able Seamen (Deck), or “Deckies,” who are trained in the use of arms during their 12-month military-style apprenticeships, which include 11 weeks of classroom work ashore at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint.

While the RFA was only established in 1905, British merchantmen carried arms for self-defense going back centuries. During both world wars, the country had full-fledged initiatives to “stiffen up” merchies with the Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (DAMS) program in WWI and the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) organization run by the Admiralty Trade Division.

DEMS (DEFENSIVELY EQUIPPED MERCHANT SHIPS AND SERVICE), GUNNERS TRAINING. LIVERPOOL, 14-16 OCTOBER 1942 A DEMS seaman-gunner arrives to join his first ship.IWM (A 12370)

The Lewis Gun Mark III DEMS was a specialized World War II British adaptation of the Lewis light machine gun. Allocated to Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS), it featured a .303 caliber setup, a crude skeleton stock, a wooden fore-stock, and an added pistol grip to allow free-standing shoulder firing from ship decks

The latter grew quite large, with over 3,400 merchant ships flying the “Red Duster” also festooned with not only small arms but deck guns up to 6 inches of bore, with “the regulars” shipping aboard to control the bigger guns.

DEMS guns were manned by 24,000 Royal Navy personnel and Royal Marines and 14,000 men of the Royal Artillery Maritime Regiment. 150,000 merchant sailors were trained to assist by passing ammunition, loading and replacing casualties. Initially, Royal Artillery personnel provided anti-aircraft protection by bringing their own machine-guns aboard ships operating close to the British Isles.

DEMS gunners were often retired military personnel and young Hostilities Only ratings, commanded by a petty officer or Royal Marine sergeant. Large ships sometimes embarked a junior naval officer to command the DEMS gunners.

Seeing the sights along Battleship Row

Posted on by Leave a comment

How about these great RAF images from Ford Island at Pearl during last month’s RIMPAC?

U.S. Navy and partner nation ships dock at Ford Island and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, July 3, 2026. Note USS Missouri at dock at the top left of the island and the USS Arizona Memorial just ahead of her. (RAF)

Clockwise from bottom, U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Peruvian Navy tank landing ship BAP Pisco (AMP 156) and Royal New Zealand Navy Polar-class auxiliary ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A11) dock at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, July 3, 2026. (RAF)

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) stands proud in the above image. Other vessels identified alongside include the 11,000-ton Peruvian Navy Makassar-class landing ship BAP Pisco (AMP-156) and the 26,000-ton Polar-class New Zealand Navy tanker HMNZS Aotearoa (A11). The USS Essex (LHD 2), a 40,000-ton Wasp-class amphibious Swiss army knife, is in the top right.

The San Diego-based TR for nearly a decade had an “All-Hornets-All-The-Time” air group, CVW-11,  including four strike squadrons with F-18Es (VFA-154, VFA-211, VFA-34, and VFA-25), as well as the EA-18G Growlers of VAQ-115, fleshed out by MH-60S/Rs of HSC-8 and HSM-75, and a Hawkeye det of VAW-115. Last year this was changed as VFA-34 was replaced by F-35C Lightnings from the “Sidewinders” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86. You can spot at least 35 Rhinos on TR’s deck along with 10 F-35Cs, four Hawkeyes, and six MH-60s.

Of interest, the Peruvian Navy assumed command of the Combined Amphibious Task Force 176.1, a first in the 55 years of the exercise, based on Pisco, under Peruvian VADM Gian Marco Chiapperini Faverio.

VADM Favero with Pelotón de Operaciones Especiales commandos

Prest-O Change-O: 19 New SSGNs!

Posted on by Leave a comment

Much in the same way that the SECNAV in 1975 created 15 new “cruisers” from thin air by reclassifying DLGs to CGs to gain a two-cruiser lead over the Russkis, the Navy has just dubbed 19 planned Blocks V and VI Virginia class SSNs as SSGNs to fill the gap left by the four retiring TLAM-commando boats.

The first of four Ohio-class SSGN conversions, USS Georgia is pending decommissioning after 42 years of service, with her sisters Ohio, Michigan and Florida soon to follow. Each was given a $1 billion conversion between 2002 and 2008 to carry up to four platoons of SEALs (64 operators and two support ratings) and two Dry Dock Shelters topside in addition to 154 VLS Tomahawks and a dozen torpedoes for their four tubes. Basic math gives you 616 TLAM tubes leaving the fleet in a very short period. Add to that the fact that the 22 122-cell Ticonderoga-class CGs are being replaced by 96-cell Burke DDGs by 2028, and you see how fast this is going south.

The Navy’s 19 planned Block V/VI Virginias will be able to carry 40 Tomahawks in a series of two six-cell Virginia Payload Tubes forward and four 7-cell Virginia Payload Modules amidships in addition to their 25~ torpedo tube launched weapons, theoretically backfilling 760 VLS TLAM slots back to the tally sheet starting with the planned USS Oklahoma (SSN now SSGN-802), covering (by 2038!) the cells lost on the retired Ohios and four-ish Ticos.

A rendered image of the Virginia-class Block V attack submarine, in this case, the future USS Oklahoma (SSGN-802). (Courtesy of General Dynamics)

The thing is, the four Ohio SSGN conversions were to backfill the massive loss of 128 TLAM cells when the battleships were laid up and 1,528 TLAM cells when the Spruance-class destroyers were retired early.

Plus, the capability to land more than a 16-man SEAL platoon (and even that is a stretch) via submarine will be all but gone when the Ohio-class SSGNs are retired, as the Virginias only have a nine-man lockout and very limited “spare” berthing (still using hot racking and torpedo cots to accomidate around 135 crew members using roughly 94–95 bunks), compared to the dual lockouts on the leaving SSGNs and their room for as many as 66 embarked riders when serving as a frogman bus.

Keep in mind that the Navy just has six portable Dry Dock Shelters needed for SEAL mini-sub operations. This wasn’t that big of a deal with just four SSGNs currently, but moving forward, it just seems like a skill set and capability is on the bubble– no pun intended.

PACIFIC OCEAN (June 18, 2021) — The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) conducts operations off the coast of Oahu, Hawai’i. Note the precious DDS on her deck. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alex Perlman/Released)

Also, it is clear the Block V/VI Virginias need to be their own class at this point. While all 18 Ohios, SSBN and SSGN, shared the same hull, propulsion, and dimensions, this new Oklahoma-class SSGN will be significantly larger (10,200 tons, 460 feet oal) than Virginia herself (7,900 tons, 377 feet in length), going beyond the anticipated strike mission creep that comes with being a TLAM slinger.

“Reclassifying Virginia Payload Module-equipped submarines as SSGNs accurately reflects the extraordinary strike capacity, operational flexibility, and global reach these platforms bring to the Fleet,” said the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »