You don't need an aircraft carrier, General, you need a worm!

Apologies for the slight slowdown around here but I am under a certain amount of domestic pressure at the moment, which roughly translates as 'the Memsahib is a bit crock and I'm having to do things I normally take for granted.  I have warned her that much more of this and I'm going to trade her in for new model!

Anyway, I have been amused (slightly) by China's efforts to build and operate an aircraft carrier.  This has caused the Indians to redouble their efforts to bring their aircraft carrier capacity up to the maximum.  It reminds me of all those admirals between the wars who followed Adm. Fisher's pre-WWI policy of building bigger and bigger battleships with bigger and bigger guns.  After the First War it was the cheeky young officers who saw that the battleship era was over and that aircraft carriers were the new queen on the naval chessboard.  Today, of course, it is missiles, both attack and defence missiles, which are critical and, I guess, a titchy little destroyer now carries ten times more destructive power than Adm. Yamamoto's favourite 18" gun battleship, the Yamato.

But tomorrow, I suspect, it is going to be 'electronics' that will be key to success on the battlefield.  Of course, I use the word 'electronics' in the widest sense, not least because I am a man who gives himself a silent cheer everytime I manage to switch my computer on and off!  As the bankers have learned - the hard and expensive way - just recently, we are all utterly reliant on 'electronics'.  When they go wrong, or just go off, we are well and truly stuffed.  It is essential, I believe, that armies and navies need to practice operations without 'electronics' and see how far they get and how well they do.  Being essential, my guess is that that they don't bother!

I am provoked to these musings on modern warfare by a small story on the BBC News site introducing us to 'The Worm'!  It's a pity this is written and not spoken because it really needs that American guy who does the voice-overs for thrillers to use his deep-pitched, gravelly voice to say omminously, "The Worm is coming!"  Here it is:

Doesn't look much, I admit, but the possibilities are manifold.  It's the latest robot made for the Pentagon and it imitates not so much "the action of the tiger" but more that of the worm! Made of a flexible mesh 'skin' with wires around it, the operator can send pulses down which makes the 'body' contract and expand and slowly, 0.2" per second, cross ground.  So be careful if you are walking along scanning the skies for a drone so small it looks like a bird (that too exists!) because you might tread on a 'worm'.

Right, that's enough meandering for this morning, I will return later.

 

Comments

[backofanenvelope]

Back in the day I had an interest in the ship-launched missiles of the Russian Empire. I seem to remember they had one that flew at about mach 2 and about 30 feet above the sea. A couple of those and your average aircraft carrier would be in trouble.

[David Duff]

Yes, I suppose your only hope would be that the Russian mafia had nicked the rocket fuel and flogged off the warhead!

[JK]

"But tomorrow, I suspect, it is going to be 'electronics' that will be key to success on the battlefield. ..."

Tomorrow David?!!!

http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj09/sum09/singer.html

Given what's in the above link, consider the awful possibility - there may come a time when a basically Stone-Age force could overcome the most technologically advanced armed force on the planet.

Without a Worm!!!

Wait a second. Anybody got any idea how our nice little Afghanistan adventure is proceeding?

[JK]

Ah, almost forgot 'Envelope' - yep those pesky Russians and their cruise missiles. Sounds kinda like the French Exocet.

But it really ain't those surface-skimmers carrier task-forces should be focused on. Rather those ASBMs.

http://www.informationdissemination.net/2009/06/important-chinese-asbm-article.html

[Hank]

David

These are being produced by DARPMA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s ) The best bet is (even if it is possible) the field sill never see them.

I understand the M-16 was an interim solution while one of Darpma's processors was developing the perfect combat rifle.. This project was killed by congress because it was over due, over budget, and showed no promise.

-------------------------

JK

Great links.

In case you need a laugh.
http://eclecticmeanderings.blogspot.com/2011/05/carriers-in-west-pacific.html

http://eclecticmeanderings.blogspot.com/>Hank’s Eclectic Meanderings

[JK]

Thanks Hank,

2nd link doesn't seem to be working though.

Interesting isn't it? Both the Chinese and the Indian's carriers were formerly sailing under another flag? The Chink's naval aircraft developed from an earlier "somebody else's" design? The Indians looking to possibly some variant of the PAK-FA?

Here's another link for you Hank, hopefully it's a new (and handy one) to you. *There is some question whether these sorts of links aren't under some degree of influence by the PLA itself.

Oops - just discovered the links I have well - you'll need Google Translate for sure. Here's one I sent to David via email:

http://www.psmag.com/politics/chinas-accidental-spies-40541/