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Some folks just have no respect for other people's property. Especially when they rip parts out of it for their own pet projects. NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thanks!

In December 2009, Ukrainian officials announced a 2.5 billion dollar arms sale to Iraq but, only provided limited details of the first 550 million dollars of the sale. Speculation pieces were written as to where the weapons would be distributed and what the rest of the 1.95 billion would buy. Then the wait began for more details. After 4 months, there have been no more details. Iraq appears to be classifying their arms purchases and the Ukrainians quit talking after their two announcements in December 2009. The initial speculation was that the follow on orders would focus on other weapons...

Very little data has been released concerning the planned distribution of new armor and the redistribution of the old. Iraqi OPSEC has tightened considerably. What follows is a speculation piece based on the few details that have been reported. There are several unconfirmed items that this article is based on. They are:

UPDATE 1-Raytheon says bidding for India tank upgrade * Partnering Larsen & Toubro for 1,000 tank contract Stocks * Contract value seen at more than $100 mln (Adds detail) NEW DELHI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Raytheon Co (RTN.N), the world's biggest missile maker, said on Friday it and partner Larsen & Toubro (LART.BO) have bid for the contract to upgrade 1,000 T-72 battle tanks in India. Defence ministry officials said India was looking to spend at least $100 million in upgrading the tanks, which India bought from Russia three decades ago. "The upgrade will increase the lethality of the T-72...

Piercing the army's armour of deception Ajai Shukla / New Delhi February 4, 2010, 0:31 IST Vital facts on the Russian T-90 tank deal were suppressed and its performance on the field has been a disaster. On August 24 last year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) dressed up failure as achievement when — almost nine years after India bought the T-90 tank from Russia — the first 10 built-in-India T-90s were ceremonially rolled out of the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) near Chennai. No reasons were given for that delay. Nor did the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reveal the T-90’s ballooning...

Alexander's men wore linothorax, a highly effective type of body armor created by laminating together layers of linen, research finds. A Kevlar-like armor might have helped Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.) conquer nearly the entirety of the known world in little more than two decades, according to new reconstructive archaeology research. Presented at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Anaheim, Calif., the study suggests that Alexander and his soldiers protected themselves with linothorax, a type of body armor made by laminating together layers of linen. "While we know quite a lot about ancient armor made from...

As the title states, this is heavy on speculation. I put on the blindfold, spun around until dizzy, and then threw a dart at a spinning dart-board. Not really but, not having firm data, I did some guessing. The recently announced 2.5 billion dollar sale of Ukrainian arms to Iraq only accounts for 550 million dollars of the sale. A review of Ukrainian weapons production limits the likely exports planned for the remaining 1.95 billion dollars. The Ukraine primarily builds and refurbishes transport aircraft, wheeled armored personnel carriers, and tanks. The initial orders are for 10 AN-32 transport aircraft and...

Peru to purchase Chinese tanks and Brazilian fighter planes Peruvian president Alan García defended his government’s decision to purchase Chinese tanks and Brazilian fighter planes just a few weeks after accusing Chile of an arms race and proposing an initiative to limit military expenditure in the region. García who presented his anti arms initiative to the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, argued that the purchase of Chinese tanks is not incoherent with his country’s policy, since it is only geared to replenish an obsolete military arsenal. “This does not contradict our commitment to stop an arms race in the...

Smart armor being developed by scientists and engineers at U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Michigan can not only predict its own failure, but also identify the size of bullets shot at it and even generate electrical power upon impact. "As a kid, everyone played those video games that showed you how much armor you had left as a percentage bar," said John Wray, a TARDEC contractor. "That's exactly what we're working on here and more." WATCH VIDEO: See the amazing body armor that can stop the AK-47's 7.62mm rounds. Intelligent armor is based on...

Taliban -led insurgents in Afghanistan have devised ways to cripple and even destroy the expensive armored vehicles that offer U.S. forces the best protection against roadside bombs by using increasingly large explosive charges and rocket-propelled grenades, according to U.S. soldiers and defense officials. At least eight American troops have been killed this year in attacks on so-called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, and 40 more have been wounded, said a senior U.S. military official who, like others interviewed on the issue, declined to be further identified because of the issue's sensitivity. The insurgents' success in attacking the hulking machines, which...

RPG's are cheap, lethal, and they're everywhere. They operate by focusing a jet of explosive gas on one tiny point of armor, piercing it with a tiny stream. Currently, heavy "birdcage"-type armor serves to prematurely detonate that gas stream, diminishing it to a level that proves comparatively harmless --but cage armor is HEAVY. This new armor concept is like a car air bag; the incoming warhead detonates, emitting a recognizable flash. The special light flash is picked up by the vehicle receiver, causing micro-second release of the airbag on the vehicle area of interest. The lightweight but sturdy airbag meets...

There have been significant changes in the reporting on the Iraqi Army's 14th Motorized Division in Basrah province. These changes indicate the 14th Division is the first to get armored battalions transferred from 9th Armored Division as the 9th upgrades to M1A1 armored battalions.

Cunning new UK technology will see British troops' vehicles in Afghanistan protected from armour-piercing rocket warheads - by cloth. The MoD was pleased yesterday to unveil its new TARIAN "textile based" vehicle protection system, which will see lightweight cloth attached to the sides of military vehicles in Afghan combat. TARIAN is expected to resist strikes from RPGs*, shoulder-fired antitank rockets in common use among the Taliban. That might seem to be impossible, as an RPG warhead can blast a hole through thick armour plate. But in fact TARIAN, already on trial in Afghanistan, apparently works well. That's because it's actually...

Since 2005, it has been the Iraqi Army’s stated policy to keep the Soviet-designed tanks in one division, the 9th Division based at Taji. New, non-Soviet design tanks would go to upgrade other divisions. That policy has colored all analysis and projections of where the new M1A1 tanks and M1126 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) were likely to go first. That policy has changed according to an 18 August 2009 comment by Jack Winters: "On another topic about the M1 and where they're going to go, that question was asked by reporters to the defense minister; and he said they're...

The recent discovery of the armor of Silla Dynasty cavalrymen has provided proof of the existence of these mythical men. GYEONGJU - The warrior’s body and bones are long gone, decayed into the soil. But the armor that once protected him from enemy swords and arrows has survived the passage of time and has been revealed for the first time in 1,600 years. The armor of the heavily protected cavalrymen of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. - A.D. 935) - proof of which has previously existed only in paintings - was discovered in the ancient tombs of the Jjoksaem District...

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers on Thursday blasted a White House decision not to provide money next fiscal year for upgrades to combat-worn equipment, and promised a fight to put billions back into the defense budget. The House version of the fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill already contains about $20 billion for the repair of equipment worn down by desert conditions and purchase of new gear to replace items destroyed in combat. About $11 billion of the total is for the Army alone. But that’s down more than $2 billion from previous years’ requests, and doesn’t include any funds for things...

Report: Indian Army to test Israeli defensive system suite on battle tank www.chinaview.cn 2009-03-29 NEW DELHI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Indian Army will evaluate an advanced laser-based defensive suite designed by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in collaboration with Israel, on the Arjun battle tank this summer, reported the local daily The Tribune on Sunday. Designated as the Advanced Laser Warning and Countermeasure System (ALWCS), the suite comprises a laser warning system, infra-red jammer and an aerosol smoke grenade system. The sensors of these systems are mounted on the front sides of the turret, said the...

World just not into U.S. battle tanks anymore WASHINGTON — The end of U.S. dominance over the main battle tank market has been projected. A leading U.S. consultant asserted that non-U.S. MBTs were expected to dominate the global market over the next decade. In a report, Forecast International asserted that MBTs from China, Pakistan and Russia would account for most of the market through 2018. "In terms of sheer numbers, Forecast Internat ional expects Pakistan's Al Khalid, the Type 98 of the People's Republic of China, and the Russian Federation's T-90 — including India's licensed T-90S production program — to...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — May 11, 2005 in Iraq was just one of the many days in the past that proved why Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles are necessary for marine forces. Aaron Mankin, who was a Marine combat correspondent at the time, would probably agree after his experience that day when an improvised explosive device destroyed the 26-ton amphibious assault vehicle he was in. The blast inflicted second- and third-degree burns over 25 percent of then-Lance Cpl. Mankin’s body, also permanently damaging his lungs after he inhaled the heat, flames and debris. He has since...

Concerned that U.S. troops are already saddled with too much heavy gear, military officials will not require them to wear improved body armor until manufacturers cut the weight of the new protective plates. The Army plans to buy 120,000 sets of the advanced bullet-blocking plates this year. This initial purchase of the plates, known as "XSAPI," will be stocked in Kuwait and be available if commanders need them, service officials said at a congressional hearing Wednesday.