News Stories

[Anh_Minh]

I made a thread on our robot-dominated future, since the subject's come up. (Not that I remember how it did.)

[ganbaru]

U.S. accuses Bank of America of mortgage-backed securities fraud
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9750ZU20130806

Disney projects up to $190 million 'Lone Ranger' loss
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...97512H20130806

[Ithekro]

Well than Disney will need to push for a better film. Especially when Star Wars comes out in a few years. It will make a lot, but they better make sure it will make a hell of a lot.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Disney projects up to $190 million 'Lone Ranger' loss
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...97512H20130806

This part of the article just made me do a double take.

For the quarter that ended in June, operating income at Disney's film studio declined 36 percent as hit film "Iron Man 3" failed to match the spectacular success of last year's "The Avengers."

I'm sorry but...we ARE talking about a film that grossed 1.2 billion internationally here. That's pretty damned fantastic, even with a 200 million dollar budget. Sure it wasn't the Avengers, but the Avengers was the big crossover movie where the fans of all the Marvel cinematic universe came together. Trying to pass this off as a disappointment seems weird to me.



Really. Everyone at Disney who isn't Pixar and the people who do the Marvel cinematic universe movies needs to get their shit together. Because Disney churning out two duds like John Carter and Lone Ranger back to back two years in a row is not a good sign.

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Well than Disney will need to push for a better film. Especially when Star Wars comes out in a few years. It will make a lot, but they better make sure it will make a hell of a lot.

I think the fact that Star Wars will be coming out in a few years will be a reason for them to get their shit together. A new Star Wars franchise is a goldmine of box office and merchandising revenue that they CANNOT mess up by making it another John Carter or Lone Ranger.


I suppose there's a difference. John Carter and Lone Rangers were adaptions of older, more obscure works that didn't exactly have any cultural recognition with modern movie goers.

[JokerD]

Japan unveils 'largest battleship' since World War II

Destroyer.... right, with a 250m flight deck

[Ithekro]

Sometimes you have to love the Japanese extentions of meaning of words. A Helecopter Destroyer...that's suppose to carry about a dozen helecopters...and is about the same size a World War II fleet carrier.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by JokerD

Japan unveils 'largest battleship' since World War II

Destroyer.... right, with a 250m flight deck

That is the future of aircraft carriers - I still don't get it why the US would still build something as big as the Nimitz-class when aircraft are now being built to have S/VTOL capabilities.

Though it would be interesting if it is built like the LCS to have interchangable weapons-platforms - the next ship of this class might be named Yamato and can mount wave-motion guns.

[JokerD]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

That is the future of aircraft carriers - I still don't get it why the US would still build something as big as the Nimitz-class when aircraft are now being built to have S/VTOL capabilities.

Though it would be interesting if it is built like the LCS to have interchangable weapons-platforms - the next ship of this class might be named Yamato and can mount wave-motion guns.

Because usually the S/VTOL capabilities came at the expense of range and payload. Also the size of the Nimitz-class also means the ability to carry more aircraft than some air forces have

[Renegade334]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

That is the future of aircraft carriers - I still don't get it why the US would still build something as big as the Nimitz-class when aircraft are now being built to have S/VTOL capabilities.

The Izumo (DDH 183) is designed to carry 14 helicopters. The Nimitz (CVN 68) and its successor, the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) are meant to carry between 70 and 80 fixed-wing airframes. See the difference? It's all about firepower - the bigger the hangar belowdecks, the greater the force projection. And supercarriers were expressly designed to bring as much American firepower around the world as possible.

Besides, with aircrafts the size of an F-18E/F Super Hornet, an E2 Hawkeye or a C2 Greyhound, you still need a lengthy landing strip so that the airframe can be effectively stopped without it dropping into the sea or - in the case of a "bolter" (i.e. when the aircraft's underbelly hook misses all the arresting wires) - you need enough distance for the pilot to realize he just missed his chance at a successful landing and needs to take off ASAP (standard procedure dictates that the very second the aircraft's landing gear hits the flight deck, the pilot must immediately switch on the afterburner). Besides, VTOL is not easily achievable - it often results in enormous engines, which gobble up the space reserved for internal fuel cells (thus reducing effective/combat range) and require some hefty maintenance (multiple exhausts, pivoting nozzles, large turbines/fans) - and the STOL privilege requires certain wing/airfoil designs (the STOL version of the F35 has some metal pieces near the leading edge extensions that generate very specific turbulences over the upper part of the wing during takeoff, to maximize lift) that could or could not play nice with the aircraft's proficiency at dogfighting. So, the S/VTOL concepts have their pros and cons, but they're not an universal, perfect answer.

Also, right now, the Izumo is meant for ASW (antisubmarine warfare) and it only houses vehicles capable of fulfilling such an objective (SH60 Seahawks); it doesn't boast V/STOL-enabled fixed wing aircrafts (yet). It doesn't even have Ospreys (AFAIK Japan never ordered the model in the Foreign Sales Agreements), though a couple weeks/months ago the JMSDF had USMC Ospreys land on one of its previous "antisubmarine destroyers", the Hyuga (DDH 181), as part of a joint USN-JMSDF exercise. The Izumo is probably built with the ability to receive VTOL-enabled F35s (the USMC's LHA/LHDs certainly are), but as to whether Japan will buy these planes...that's another debate. The reason why the Izumo has such a large deck is probably because the JMSDF wants it to be able to launch and receive as many helicopters as possible simultaneously: if you step foot on a LHA/LHD, you'll be able to observe that choppers keep a sizable amount of berth between each other to prevent their rotor blades from catastrophically shearing each other off. In other words, a lot of deck surface is wasted on safety (I'm not disputing its importance, I'm just saying that the safety margin is eating a lot of the flight deck's real estate). So how do you address this problem? Either design a chopper with a smaller main rotor or build a larger, longer deck.

In the meantime, a smaller flight deck means smaller takeoff and landing cadence, which could pose problems in wartime.

Here's a picture of the Hyuga (length: 193m; the Izumo is 248m long) sailing alongside the USS George Washington (length: 333m) - note how the helicopters are spaced for safety purposes:



Note: this isn't the first time countries have fudged around with designations and titles. Back in the Cold War, the USSR called its Kirov- and Admiral Gorchkov-class aircraft carriers "aviation cruisers" so that they could pass through the Mediterranean and the Black Seas without causing too much of a fuss among NATO countries.

And, yes, despite its clear nature as a helicopter carrier, the Izumo should be still somewhat of a destroyer...if it's anything like its predecessor the Hyuga, it should still have a couple missile VLS cells on top of the CIWS/SeaRAM stations. So it's possible it can launch antiship missiles, in addition to antiair and antimissile weapons like the SM3 Standard and the ESSM.

Though it would be interesting if it is built like the LCS to have interchangable weapons-platforms - the next ship of this class might be named Yamato and can mount wave-motion guns.

The LCS' two breakout qualities are its speed (45+ knots) and its ability to get VERY close to enemy littoral without running aground. But otherwise, even the Navy is fostering concerns about this ship class: it's underarmed, doesn't always have room for much-desired modules (especially VLS packs - which were turned down because they were heavy enough to cause tangible speed reductions) and is not as survivable as one would think: the superstructures are made of aluminum, which is flammable - as the USN (when the USS Belknap collided with the USS John F. Kennedy and practically had its entire superstructure ripped off the hull) and the Royal Navy (cf. Falklands crisis) found out when some of their ships caught fire. All-steel ships are better and sturdier, but heavier and thus slower.

The idea of modularity is interesting, but right now...successful examples of its implementation are rare. And the LCS not only have had some problems integrating those modules/mission packs - they're also rather unimpressive and not much of a game-changer. And, yes, I know the LCS are currently being pitched as special forces support ships rather than maritime domination units...

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

That is the future of aircraft carriers - I still don't get it why the US would still build something as big as the Nimitz-class when aircraft are now being built to have S/VTOL capabilities.

That's because Aircraft Carriers are now full blown US military bases by their own right. It is no longer about having a long runway, but the capacity to have a floating city that can go anywhere at sea.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by JokerD

Japan unveils 'largest battleship' since World War II

Destroyer.... right, with a 250m flight deck

I just loved China's reaction after this.....

[Seitsuki]

Please, do we really have to go there? Let's not. Seriously.

[Renegade334]

@GenjiChan: what can you say, everybody is arming up in the Pacific basin right now. Yesterday, the Philippines received a new Coast Guard ship, the Ramon Alcaraz (a 46yo decommissioned USN frigate/destroyer) and they've already ordered 10 more ships from the French and the Japanese. Additionally, the Philippines are opening up to the idea of formally giving the US Navy leave to freely roam Filipino territorial waters, in addition to further developing Subic Bay so that USN ships can once again be berthed there.

And Vietnam's recently acquired two Russian Gepard-class frigates with two more in option - and they've been cozying up with the Americans, even getting themselves invited aboard one of the Nimitz carriers sailing in the Pacific in a show of reconciliation/friendship.


Of course the Chinese are going to get pissed. Everyone's acquiring or building more warships that will be used to add pressure on areas of interests like the Scarborough Shoal or the Senkaku Islands. If it's not Chinese fishermen/smugglers that getting shot at or arrested, it's the Scarborough+Senkaku problem that'll make them scream "provocation".

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Renegade334

@GenjiChan: what can you say, everybody is arming up in the Pacific basin right now. Yesterday, the Philippines received a new Coast Guard ship, the Ramon Alcaraz (a 46yo decommissioned USN frigate/destroyer) and they've already ordered 10 more ships from the French and the Japanese. Additionally, the Philippines are opening up to the idea of formally giving the US Navy leave to freely roam Philippine territorial waters, in addition to further developing Subic Bay so that USN ships can once again be berthed there.

And Vietnam's recently acquired two Russian Gepard-class frigates with two more in option - and they've been cozying up to the Americans, even getting themselves invited aboard one of the Nimitz carriers sailing in the Pacific in a show of reconciliation/friendship.


Of course the Chinese are going to get pissed. Everyone's acquiring or building more warships that will be used to add pressure on areas of interests like the Scarborough Shoal or the Senkaku Islands. If it's not Chinese fishermen/smugglers that getting shot at or arrested, it's the Scarborough+Senkaku problem that'll make them scream "provocation".

Ehem.... I'm pretty glad my country is doing something that involves protecting our territories.... I understand that Westerners think we are pretty dumb like "Hey, it's China you are facing".. like we give a damn about China's military. We are not scared... If we die then we die... Go to hell those who think what I say is dumb... you are not us. We are not some people who talks smart because they are so secured back on their home.

[HasuMasu]

I wish we'd gotten something else.

We don't need battleships, it's not like we're going to win any wars with China. We can't even use it to intimidate anyone other than fishermen maybe.

And really against fishermen and the like you don't want live rounds to be your only or even main option, only a last resort.

We should've asked for a pressurised hose with a pump system. And a fast boat, not a big one.

Rather than stockpiling weapons which don't help, I'd rather we better equip ourselves to handle day-to-day situations as peacefully as possible.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

That is the future of aircraft carriers - I still don't get it why the US would still build something as big as the Nimitz-class when aircraft are now being built to have S/VTOL capabilities.

Probably because VTOL jets tend to be a little bit wussy compared to regular jets spec wise. They sacrifice quite a bit to do that fancy S/VTOL.

and that doesn't even cover the fact that the smaller carriers that move VTOL's tend to only be able to deploy say, a dozen of them. As opposed to the 70-80 that a Nimitz can carry around.

[SeijiSensei]

Japan Considers Wall of Ice to Stop Fukushima Runoff

Abe told his cabinet that the government needs to step in and help Tepco resolve the contaminated water problem. They are considering a $400 million project to freeze the soil around the plant and create a wall of ice.

The plan calls for freezing the soil around the buildings to shut off the flow of contamination into nearby groundwater, and thus end the leaks into the sea. Doing this would require an ice wall nearly a mile in length that would reach almost 100 feet, or 30 meters, into the ground. Officials said that an ice wall of such a scale had never been attempted before, making it unlikely that Tepco could pull off the feat alone.

“There is no precedent in the world to create a water-shielding wall with frozen soil on such a large scale,” the government’s main spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference. “To build that, I think the state has to step in to support its realization.”

Somehow the scale of this project suggests to me that a lot of radioactive water will have been dispensed into the Pacific before this wall is completed.

I wonder how much power it will take to maintain refrigeration of the ice. Presumably once it is frozen deep below the surface, it will probably remain fairly solid. The parts of the wall near the surface will likely need to refrigerated continuously.

[LeoXiao]

No article, but yesterday was the 68th anniversary of Hiroshima getting nuked.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Renegade334

in addition to further developing Subic Bay so that USN ships can once again be berthed there.

don't you mean the OCU?

[SaintessHeart]

Thank you all for the replies; was working and can't answer to them all.

Since they want to name it the "helicopter carrier", I think it is about time Japan make their own helicopters, with anti-ground and anti-submarine capabilities.

With the kanji name 保村 and designation XQB-XX for subsequent upgrades and iterations.