Steeljaw Scribe

When Russia planted a flag on the Arctic Ocean seabed in August 2007, it was in part, political theater meant to cement its claim to the region's vast natural resources (especially mineral).  Of course, such action served as a shot across the bow of the other states bordering the region, leading, among other actions, to a 2008 joint Canadadian-Danish geologic study that supports Canada's claim to the Lomonosov Ridge as a natural extension of the North American continent and as such, a significant portion of the Arctic seabed.  While the five nations with competing claims have agreed to work under UNCLOS through the aegis of the Arctic Council (founded in 1996), there has been an increase in military presence (primarily Russian) in recent months and something of an information campaign as well. All of this is pretext to an event in the South China Sea that occurred earlier this summer - but only recently announced: A Chinese submarine planted a national flag deep on the floor of the South China Sea during a test dive last month to reinforce China's territorial claim, the boat's designer said yesterday. The State Oceanic Administration and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly announced yesterday that a Chinese scientific submarine with three civilian crew members had explored unknown terrain at a depth of more than 3,700 metres at the heart of the South China Sea. Before resurfacing, they planted a Chinese flag on the ocean floor. The motivation of such as pretty clear: "We were inspired by the Russians, who ... Continue Reading

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At its root it is all about resources -- protein to supplement meager domestic harvests and oil to drive economies that governments push to unnatural and unsustainable annual growth.  It is about an emergent regional power, poised on the brink of asserting itself as something more, flexing new found muscle in new domains and deepening suspicion of others in the region. . .  "It" is a body of water, bounded to the west by Indochina,  to the south by Indonesia and the east by the Philippine Islands.  A marginal sea, it is the largest body of water after the world's five oceans, measuring some 3.5 million square kilometers. Bordered by nearby home for over 270 million people. Through its passages at Malacca and Taiwan,  pass great streams of commerce -- more than half the world's supertankers and almost half of the world's tonnage by most counts.  Outward-bound to distant lands with finished products, inbound with the raw wealth drilled, mined, scraped and otherwise pulled from the earth, grist for the shore-bound industries.  From crowded, stinking cities and wave-swept shore, fishermen set to sea to bring its bounty back to a waiting family, village or hungry nation.  They set sail in everything from small boat to vast maritime industrial fleets, so efficient at harvesting but with so little thought of sustainment.  At day's end, visitor and native alike pause to consider the marvels of a watercolor sky, brushed in deep shades of vermilion and azure from above met by molten gold and ... Continue Reading

Perusing the usual pull from a variety of sources, happened across this item: Two Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers have carried out a record-breaking 40-hour patrol over three oceans, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday, RIA Novosti reported. "The Tu-95MS bombers carried out patrols over the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans and set a new flight duration record of about 40 hours, exceeding the previous record by four hours," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said at a news briefing in Moscow. The crews practiced instrumental flight and carried out four in-flight refuelings from Il-78 aerial tankers, the official said. Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans in August 2007. All flights are performed in strict compliance with international law on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without intruding the airspace of other countries. (Ria Novosti) Some other sources noted the distance was in excess of 30,000 km.  Video of the flight was run on Russian TV providing some interesting views: Rough translations follow: (Presenter) two Tu-95 strategic bombers have set a new flight time record for this type of aircraft.  They have spent more than 40 hours in the air, to cover a distance of 28,000 km.  During the air patrol, the aircraft refueled in flight from air tankers four times. (Yevgeniy Semenyuk – crew commander (captioned)) The difficulty was our rendezvous with tanker aircraft.  We had to rendezvous in the clouds.  There was turbulence.  We also had to approach the tanker aircraft.  Everything went off as normal.  We rendezvoused and ... Continue Reading

Couple of items of note form the past week re. the future fleet: VAW-120 Receives First Fleet E-2D Advanced Hawkeye NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the Navy's newest airborne early warning and control aircraft, was delivered to the fleet July 29 at Naval Station Norfolk.  Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, accepted the Hawkeye on behalf of the Navy during a ceremony held on Chambers Field. "It's going to be a game changer with information dominance for the U.S. Navy," Roughead said. The Advanced Hawkeye, while not significantly changing the mission of early warning and control, will enable the aircraft to perform its mission with greater improvements. The new aircraft will be able to scan a larger area, detect smaller objects, process information faster. The aircrews will be able to accomplish these tasks through improved all glass cockpits and tactical operators stations "While the Advanced Hawkeye may look familiar, on the inside it is a totally new aircraft," said Gary Ervin, president of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems Sector. "The systems represent a multi-generational leap in technology." The advanced Hawkeye will go to Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 120, the "Greyhawks," first. They are the Navy's Fleet Replacement Squadron and will train pilots and Navy flight officers to fly and operate the new systems before assignment to an operational fleet squadron. "Now it is up to Cmdr. Watkins and the 700 professionals of VAW 120 to push ... Continue Reading

Via 'Phib comes a link to check your writing style and it looks like . . . I write like Edgar Allan Poe I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! Wonder if my Freshman English prof is still around. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before... ... Continue Reading

Underway once again, Fleet CQ in VACAPES... Background here.  Petition here. Over 3,000 signatures as of today (28 July) -- let's keep pressing.  50th Anniversary of her christening is coming up in September.  Just think, what a great way to kick off the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation next year with the naming of the next CVN as ENTERPRISE! ... Continue Reading

Have been a bit sparing of late on posting here and at USNI, in large part because the day job(s) have been demanding their pound (more like tens of pounds) of flesh.  And developments appear to promise a major surge on one front in the next few weeks, so we'll take advantage of the relative calm afforded during the next day or two to catch up on some previously reported events.  Today -- Russia and some updates on the PAK-FA and Bulava SLBM... Russia: Putin Pledges 30 Billion Rubles for Fine-tuning PAK-FA (Source: Свободная Пресса, 18 June 2010 (translated)) Russia's fifth generation fighter program began roughly the same time as the US' effort that yielded the F-22A, according to Russian sources.  Delays stemming from defense and industry reform and economic slowdown in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union drew out the program.  Cul-de-sacs beginning with the Berkut and later the MiG 1-44 added further delay until Sukhoi was back in charge of the project with the PAK-FA proposal.  Taking the occasion during a recent demonstration/test flight (16th since first flight in January?), Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin identified about 90B rubles (руб) (~ US$ 3.3B ) in development funding for the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), the Aircraft Construction Center at Zhukovsky and the PAK-FA.  60B руб is to go for building three additional tunnels at TsAGI and another 11B руб to the new center to be constructed at Zhukovsky.  The former will be spread out in installments over ... Continue Reading

Cars, chases and guns...but not what you think (see esp. beginning at 7:34).... (h/t: SailorBob) ... Continue Reading