america doesnt deal in air superiority, they deal in supremacy.

I sat next to a Raytheon engineer 15 years ago on a transcontinental flight across the USA. He told me about their goal of transforming the modern battlefield with loiting swarms of drones with each being networked together and controlled by AI targeting systems, stealth wingman drone fighters carrying large quantiies of ordnance, and sub orbital weapons delivery systems capable of attacking the most remote locations on earth. Turns out the dude wasn't bullshiting.

@darrylweaver7462

7 ай бұрын

Had a similar conversation in 1991 at the Port of Dammam, SA with a LTC DARPA engineer. He spent his Army career was spent on the MLRS's I was back loading un fired pods after the MLRS first combat use. He said then " I wish we could figure out a way for the MLRS sub-munitions to talk to each other and self-select targets". I am absolutely thrilled that our services are moving in this direction. We cut defense cost, minimize broken up young guys and crying moms. I'd bet that by 2045 we may even see robotic infantry troops( Think 3 0r 4 bots from the movie "Monsters of Man") lead by future human fire team leader. Let's defend our interest but be smart about our spending.

@killingmasheen

7 ай бұрын

​@@darrylweaver7462This is an interesting paradox I've been thinking about my whole life. At what point does robot on robot warfare just become a giant BattleBot episode without the risk to human life? Do we accept the outcome of what is essentially an elaborate video game to determine who wins wars?

@robertharper3754

7 ай бұрын

@@darrylweaver7462, until non-nuclear EMP weapons get much better, then it's back to grunt, rifle, compass, ect. Don't get me wrong, I love the tech stuff, BUT, we shouldn't lose anymore of the capabilities we have, we've already lost more than enough.

@EranRicos

6 ай бұрын

Good as long as not hacked or if the command is not fighting against its own citizens.

@davel696969

5 ай бұрын

Yeah, let me guess he told you all the classified shiiite. My uncle worked out there on their overhead gantry cranes. The guys behind the curtains told him crap as well & then laughed as if it was truthful.

I am reminded of the WII story that a soldier was asked how they could tell whom they faced if they couldn't see them: "If we shoot and get back accurate, intermittent fire - they are British. If it's mass machine gun fire, they are German. If there is a pause, then you are hit by over-whelming, mass artillery, bombings, and mortars, they are American."

@death_parade

4 ай бұрын

Who TF was fighting British, German and American troops at the same time in WW2?

@hifinsword

3 ай бұрын

@@death_parade All 3 forces were on the same swath of the earth at the same time in the early days of WW2. Remember Monty failed to close the noose around the Germans while Patton encircled them?

@death_parade

3 ай бұрын

@@hifinsword That was Americans and British fighting the Germans, no? I am asking about the nation that was fighting Germany, USA and UK at the same time in ww2.

@hifinsword

3 ай бұрын

@@death_parade AFAIK no one.

@death_parade

3 ай бұрын

@@hifinsword Exactly why the OP's comment left me confused.

I love the MALD combined with stealth. It's like Army of Two game mechanics.

@defective6811

7 ай бұрын

MALD is so absurdly underappreciated, I love that thing

@alpacaofthemountain8760

7 ай бұрын

Such a cool device

@ericb.4358

7 ай бұрын

MAULD is the epitome of, "Confuse the shit out of them them hit them hard."

@aymonfoxc1442

7 ай бұрын

Now, that's a reference I can appreciate. Great but underappreciated games!

Very reassuring to see America's military continuing to lead the world in the implementation of the most advanced systems and air platforms to not only overwhelm an enemy when necessary, but to intimidate them with unstoppable, inescapable and non-survivable consequences so they never consider initiating military conflict in the first place. New Sub.

@tedk2814

7 ай бұрын

Peace through Strength !!

@adaeptzulander2928

7 ай бұрын

Yeah, and how is that "so they never consider initiating military conflict in the first place" working out?

@firstnamerequiredlastnameo3473

7 ай бұрын

Do you not realize other countries, like Russia, and not also developing are doing the same thing? Are you not aware that Russia is already using (and now mass producing) uncatachable hypersonic missiles in Ukraine while the US is still testing its version? Are you aware that Russia has missiles that can be launched from mainland Russia and hit anywhere on the globe? Are you not aware of the Russian subs keeping station off both American coasts (but in international waters)? Do you know how a dead man switch operates? Russia may take some nuclear hits, but America will have a bunch of non-usable American cities. Be aware that Russia, China, etc, do not publicize what their weapons are capable of or even what they are working on. Why does America not gamble their high tech weapons in Ukraine? The Russians are anxious to capture some samples.

@InterWebGuy99

6 ай бұрын

@@adaeptzulander2928What are you even talking about? We haven't been attacked. And stop drooling down the front of your shirt. It makes you look more intelligent than you actually are.

@nedkelly9688

5 ай бұрын

Sorry Australia was in the lead of using mass swarms of drones to saturate a enemy defences and why built Ghost Bat to do this. why it has Australian designed drone swarm capabilities in it. why was designed to be cheap and expendable. Why USA has another Australian drone called DefendTex D40 in it's military is similar to switchblade but also has fully AI and AI drone swarm capability. Why Australia is ahead in combat drone AI while USA try it with a F16 Ghost Bat is in service next year fully with RAAF. Is even a VTOL Quad copter Australia has built as loyal wingman to Australian military helicopters now too. has same AI as Ghost Bat and same capabilities. also a submarine drone uses Ghost Bat AI too.

I for one welcome our computer overlords!

@overlordone1246

7 ай бұрын

I have arrived… kneel

@spacecowboy1845

7 ай бұрын

+100 social credit score

@kineticstar

7 ай бұрын

@@spacecowboy1845 if only I was Chinese. Sadly, I'm a Texan. But I do got good credit.

@davidwatson7919

7 ай бұрын

Until..they become so fast and small that bad actors control against us... Pandora's Box is open once again

@johnmoriarty6158

7 ай бұрын

Unfortunately it would also be effective against civilian uprisings.

Calling it the replicator initiative makes the Stargate fanboy in me happy.

@Kissypooh

7 ай бұрын

Actually, the replicator makes Captain Picard's earl grey tea, instantly upon verbal command.

@MrC0MPUT3R

7 ай бұрын

@@Kissypooh I have that Pogo song stuck in my head now

You have the best channel on the www covering this subject. Thank you for all your hard work. Semper Fi

Great content, Alex. My only worry with the new direction using drones, 'wingmen' and AI, is that we MUST be certain there is no possibility some of the components of these systems come from questionable or outright adversarial sources. So many times in recent history we have seen some manufacturers (either due to cost or availability) using chips and other electronic gear originating in China. There must be strict control and inspection of every unit before going into service.

@maliusmaximus1428

7 ай бұрын

This has already been realized by the semiconductor crisis. 90% of chips for DOD are supplied from Taiwan, so it's already happening and has been for a long time. It's just only recently come into focus

@muskepticsometimes9133

7 ай бұрын

China has huge advantage on civilian drone manufacture

@Matthew-sp5kv

7 ай бұрын

The good shit has always been domestically produced. Most of it will use Texas Instruments chips.

@TheEathenFaust

7 ай бұрын

I got one for ya, did you know that our very "American" bank Chase Manhattan invested in the Nazi War effort? And that Ball Bearings during world war 1 & 2 were the pinnacle of military and manufacturing might? cool stuff.

@liberatumplox625

7 ай бұрын

@@Matthew-sp5kv That was my first thought too. Also, there's a big push to build even more semiconductor facilities in Texas. In Europe, the same thing is happening, with semiconductor facilities popping up in Ireland and elsewhere.

*Protoss Voice* "Carrier has arrived"

Thanks Alex, I’m a big fan of Rapid Dragon. I think with stealth missile and 3 to 4 times the current range, plus having a mould - not sure of the spelling? - would cause havoc with the enemy. A few years ago Taiwan was advised to use the hedgehog plan for defence. It is equally effective for attack. Ukraine is proving that right now. One from within one small bomb can destroy a multimillion dollar tank. I have always said in theory long range missiles fired from a WW2 bombers would be hugely effective because they would be out of range of the enemy. We could restore hundreds of Boeing jumbos from the Arizona graveyard to augment the C 130s for Rapid Dragon. The key thing is to massively build up the missile stocks right now.

@MaxIsStrange1

7 ай бұрын

It’s “MALD” and the full designation of the newest variant is ADM-160C “MALD-J”

@edwardsummey8843

7 ай бұрын

or a single C-5 Galaxy. Again, the problem is supply.

@mosescyrussolomon-wo6pu

7 ай бұрын

I fully agree with you.

@LeonAust

7 ай бұрын

JASSM-ER and future designations have very long ranges. Hey how about Rapid Dragon Tomahawks Block VA: Block V in C-17.

@jakeaurod

7 ай бұрын

MALD is an acronym for "Miniature Air-Launched Decoy"

This is my favorit sort of content on the channel. Thanks for all you do!

@larry3591

7 ай бұрын

Yea let's go kill and steal

The replicator initiative? I hope the US has already plans for a certain Squad called SG-1 to contain it once it becomes a life of it's own.

@kineticstar

7 ай бұрын

Commander John Connor reporting for duty.

@dgthe3

7 ай бұрын

I assumed it was more of a Star Trek reference: anything you need can be made nearly instantly

I was the original video editor in one of the clips you showed. I'm not even a professional video editor - engineer who just happened to be there with a high end laptop and some free time on my hands. Looks like I have another claim to fame.

You never disappoint Alex. Another great presentation.

@JZsBFF

2 ай бұрын

Agreed. It watches like reading like an encyclopedia on the future of air combat systems, without actually having to do the effort of lifting the book and turning the pages AND still having all the pretty pictures;

With every weapon system you develop you have to make sure you're ready for the enemy to copy it (I wonder who) and develop a reliable counter to your own systems.

@n111254789

7 ай бұрын

That's all weapons in human history. No secret there, we know they will.

@wnose

3 ай бұрын

This is not WW1 - some tech simply cannot be copied.

@BravoCheesecake

3 ай бұрын

@@wnose Never said it could. Just saying that you need to prepare for that.

Thanks Alex! You make consistently great content.

@jasonc9423

7 ай бұрын

I agree. One of the best videos yet.

*Airwolf?!* They can’t name it that unless it’s a helicopter & manned by Stringfellow Hawke.

@MrTotalAhole

7 ай бұрын

And makes a weird combined sound like the wind and an animal howling.

It is interesting to note that all MIC aviation manufacturers have invested heavily in Large Format 3D Printing, advanced synthetic material manufacturing, fabrication, and construction. They also have invested in huge autoclaves for curing large carbon fiber (and other material) constructs. All of these are for use in rapid construction of platforms that require use of these materials. The advent of 3D CAD/CAM design and test software moving to prototype in more automated systems not requiring human occupancy engineering requirements should really get the construction time down.

I'm a little surprised you didn't talk about real use of the MALD in recent times with them being used by Ukraine instead of the hypothetical, and how it's aided them in their missile strikes.

I havent seen one of Alex's videos for a long time, stopped showing up in feed - but miss them. Does such a fantastic job!

Very informative and thus reassuring. Thanks for all the research it takes to put one of these together.

Alex, you really bring the goods in all of your stories. Sandboxx is in the top tier of my most valued YT content.

Ender's Game really did a good job of depicting what future warfare might look like. And the movie was set in a very similar time as the present. Drone-swarm technology truly seems like 'the next phase' in the evolution of warfare. And then comes the evolution of counter-measures (EMP shockwave? Signal jamming? Mega-shotgun canons? Lol.).

@cedriceric9730

7 ай бұрын

Couldn't agree more, the definition of " infantry" is going to be a dude in a bunker or vehicle with a common picture of all the battlefield and controlling a drone swarm of basically everything just like gamers do

@captmack007

5 ай бұрын

Ahhh I was thinking the same

Just wanted to say this is one of the most informative channels

Thanks Alex for your recent video on the concept to overwhelm enemy defences. You looked at Boeings/RAAF loyal wingman’s Ghostbat and Kratos’s Valkyrie but to my knowledge, you’ve never covered the General Atomic’s concept of Gambit and the four types of aircraft with supposedly around 70% commonality between the four types. This would make an interesting further look at another CCA that’s on the drawing board and where Gambit might further enhance available options to complicate the enemy’s plans.

@nedkelly9688

5 ай бұрын

He has never done anything on Australia Boeing Ghost Bat and this video he makes it out to be American.the AI does a lot of what he said USA want in the future, Also said these need a human pilot to accompany them Ghost Bat is so advanced it will be used by Australia RAAF on missions where no pilot will fly near it and do it completely autonomously and will do it in swarms of other drones all using it's AI drone swarm technology, it will also be used as a loyal wingman but not needed.. Australia is very good at drone swarm AI

@nedkelly9688

5 ай бұрын

How bad he is in journalism is American hypersonics were done with the help of Australia HACM HAWC all done during HIFIRE and SCIFIRE. even states this when you deep research it on the web. SCIFIRE stands for Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment joint USA Australia hypersonics programme.

His thought process was on so many levels that he gave himself a phobia of heights.

Outstanding graphics Alex. Thanks and Semper Fi Brother.

Another fantastic presentation Alex!

Im interested in what their production lines look like for this, and the projected loss rate in theater.

That footage of the F/A 18 releasing that “drone swarm” is over a decade old, maybe even two if I recall correctly… just imagine how that system has advanced.

Excellent presentation. After a discussion about what weapons define the Russo/Ukraine war I stuck with drones. A few others were hesitant because the Bradley IFV has shown itself to be a necessity in the protection of transporting infantry, taking out minefields and taking out Russian tanks. That is why the Pentagon has suddenly taken the Bradley off the obsolete list and will be juiced up. However we all agreed that the sheer number of drones used in Ukraine and their constant evolution is beyond fascinating; we don't think Ukraine would still be in the fight without them. I'm the only historian in the group and I remember reading about drones in college while studying WW l and it felt surreal when I saw how many different drones purchased, donated and used by Ukraine and how the drones Ukraine has developed for particular purposes have done so well. My favorites are the Sea Babies because I think a slew of them will have the honor of taking out the Kerch Bridge but I am also betting that Ukraine has developed a small and fast long range drone air drone that has been striking targets in Russia. For me I think of the history of the drone and I can't help but think of the engineers that were dreaming about building drones that could fly on their own in the early 1900's either as practice targets, reconnaissance, or to attack unsuspecting ground forces. We always like to think that our generation is responsible for the idea of a weapon like the drone but they were building and experimenting with radio operated drones during WW l. Even the title Drones was coined around 1918. So now we have a massive variety of drones based on current needs and some in the pipeline for testing for future needs and the very real possibility that in future wars there will be less lives lost when we have drones to do the fighting. I had hoped for an end to war but humans are not built for that. I also need to add that I believe in the old phrase "If you want peace prepare for war."

I was always fascinated by the use of drones in the Dune books. A machine that spews millions of tiny drones that attack human shapes and drills a hole through them.

@gordie2377

4 ай бұрын

Sci-Fi is always way ahead on things and ideas. It's almost as if the writer can see into the future. As crazy as things and technology in Sci-Fi may sound now-a-days, don't think that it can't ever happen. In fact, many things have happened. It's been said that there may be some kind of a library out there in the universe, that only certainly people can access or see. People like Einstein, DaVinci, Newton, just to name some of many.

@hifinsword

3 ай бұрын

Rather than fascinated, I would use the word horrified!

This type of warfare is coming and not just for the Airforce but the Navy as well. The army will be a little further behind because of the "history" of infantry fighting but the low recruitment will force that issue. In the future it will be a few dozen techs programing systems with a few hundred mechanics getting them ready and 100 pilots controlling a few thousand combat systems. Sadly I don't think it can be stopped at this point and as every good sci-fi geek will tell ya "when you give a gun to a robot and it decides what's the target, that's all she wrote for humanity eventually" Glad am to old to see that day my self ....

@jakeaurod

7 ай бұрын

There might be a long-duration middle ground for infantry and armor bots that are either decoys or remotely controlled. I imagine it could be decades before we get capable and autonomous equivalents to the T-800 Terminators like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It might be years or decades before we get bots that can walk in a way that looks human. However, we could probably field wheeled bots to replace armor tomorrow, and bots that have articulated armatures that look roughly humanoid from a distance could be used as decoys in the near future to fool surveillance and draw fire.

@bradheath4200

7 ай бұрын

Randy, I too am kinda glad that I'm reaching the end of my free fall. I've often pondered the idea of if each generation has had the same thought when some new box of **** is introduced to the planet. Prayers out for future generations.

@dgthe3

7 ай бұрын

If its any comfort, when it comes to warfare, we've been trying to program people to become mindless robots for centuries. That's what training is. And we've long worried about what happens when those automatons get a mind of their own. We call it a coup or a mutiny depending on the level of violence & who it's directed at. But machines are an awful lot easier to predict & manage. After all, their programming doesn't change unless you let it. Not so with people. Their programs change every minute of every day. And retraining is super easy with a bot. Put a bit of time into writing some code, distribute it, and bam: everyboty is retrained. Now, think about how you would re-program a bunch of meat computers that have tried to overthrow the rightful government. It gets even harder if they're successful.

@djbenje4019

7 ай бұрын

Ender's game did a pretty good job of depicting what the next era of warfare might look like.

@rogerioluz9066

7 ай бұрын

When the inteligente robots realized that America is the CANCER of the world , they will fight for the enemy ...

This is so cool, thank you Alex and Sandboxx team.

Really great episode, Alex. Thanks. I will share.

You never disappoint. Good stuff. Thanks

Love these longer episodes.

Alex, I find your videos some of the most thoughtful and informative pieces on KZread. The depth and skill you bring makes understanding the present and future war fighters entertaining and informative, and gives me great ideas for novels that I write. You richly deserve the awards the industry has given you. 👍🏆

@VernisDavis

7 ай бұрын

Amen! 🇨🇱✝️🇺🇲

@nedkelly9688

5 ай бұрын

He is not that good at all Australia MQ28A Ghost Bat is made by Australian's at Boeing Australia even head engineer is Australian who also is a lead engineer at Phantomworks. the designer is Australian. The Ghost Bat will not just be a loyal wingman needing a pilot nearby to control it. it can and was made to perform mission fully autonomously on it's own and even in swarms of other AI drones as Australian company that built the ai is very good at drone swarm technology. some of his speech came straight out of the Boeing Australia video about Ghost Bat and how the Australian RAAF came up with what they wanted from a Australian defence company to build them this drone for their plan of future warfare.

Seems to me that quickly launching all of these air assets in order to coordinate a strike with the least amount of waste will be a significant challenge.

This is a heady vision you offer, sir, with potential for an exponential increase in air capabilities. Unfortunately, one understands that the obstacle here lies in the industrial capacity to produce such new equipment at volume. It's not like WWII, when manufacturers were able to rapidly reconfigure and retool existing production lines for quick turnaround times. One hears that such capacity no longer exists, and that years will be required before new factories can be built tp accommodate these plans?

@Nick0wnsz

7 ай бұрын

That’s the point of all those new chip factories

@ThePfunky

7 ай бұрын

There are many absolutely brilliant manufacturing engineers who could be enlisted to RAPIDLY build very efficient manufacturing facilities, and the USA is already moving to take back production of strategic items from China and other countries. We did it in WW II, and we can do it again! Not overnight, but RAPIDLY!

@dgthe3

7 ай бұрын

It still took years to build/retool those factories in WWII. Work started before Pearl (the US saw where things were headed, and was also producing materiel for others) and continued increasing through 1944. The critical limit is generally the ability to make the tooling for molds & dies and such. But that is becoming less of an issue. 3D printers and new CNC machines can create the tooling at a pace never seen before. Or they can make parts without the need for any tooling. Depends on the scale you want.

@djbenje4019

7 ай бұрын

It sounds like you missed his entire point. The 'exponential increase in air capabilities' is made possible because you'd be augmenting the force with LOW-COST, EASY-TO-MANUFACTURE drones or munitions. And if you think it will take YEARS to build the manufacturing facilities to make CHEAP DRONES from LOW-COST/BASIC MATERIALS, you don't know much about modern manufacturing capabilities. We are SO FAR ahead of WW2 capabilities. You talk as if we've gone backwards or something.

@lonpfrb

5 ай бұрын

Now will people in business and government understand that sovereign capability matters so that globalisation resulting in off shore manufacturing may be good short-term for shareholders but ultimately everything depends on effective deterrence. Having an economy that sees no value in sovereign capability is a strategic error.

That was a great one, thanks Alex.

One of the best videos on this topic I ever seen and I watch a lot of them

Amazing video as always. Kinda scary to think of a fleet of "faceless", hive-mind drones v

Seems to me that we are still fixated on categorising aerial munitions. The lines between drones, cruise-missiles , loitering-munitions and high-speed missiles have become so blurred that they are disappearing. A “cruise missile” can be autonomous, human-directed, single-use or recoverable and with different roles, all according to the needs and priorities of the mission. They’ll be as flexible as the modern multi-role strike-fighter. This will probably make life interesting for journalists like Alex, as his audience will often was simple categorisations where none really exist 😂 , but if it were simple, we wouldn’t be watching these vids anyway. Simplifying complex issues is part of the art of communications.

great content - as always - Thanks !!

Another outstanding, insightful and well researched video, my friend. Greatly enjoy the information. 👍🏻🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸👍🏻 Thank you and congratulations on the successful launching of your Sandbox Magazine. Best of fortunes in this endeavor, my friend. 👍🏻

Kratos had a booth at MCAS Miramar San Diego last week for the Air Show featuring the Blue Angles. I got to talk for a while with one of the exhibitor. The Launcher and aircraft looked top notch. It lands by parachute and airbags.

@curiousuranus810

7 ай бұрын

Blue Angles....? Are they flying through acute angels?

@LeonAust

7 ай бұрын

Kratos is way too small ...........what one needs is a drone with the range, payload, stealth and to take off and escort with an F-35 to be effective ....say the Ghost-Bat. Kratos if fitted out with required equipment is to small and reduced range compared to the F-35 but the Ghost-Bat is designed from the outset to escourt with the F-35 to the target and back.

@trumptookthevaccine1679

7 ай бұрын

Which is a terrible idea for operations

Waiting for this.

14:40 It shouldn't be lost on anybody that any vehicle that can carry more then 300lbs can loft a W80 style (150KT) nuclear warhead, much like the B61.

Wanted the magazine, and all I could get is the APP. You are one knowledge dude! I am not an Engineer, my father was! In the 50's he worked at China Lake. He worked on the Sidewinder, the first one! He is actually on the KZread story of the Sidewinder. When I watched the video and if one blinked, you'd miss him. He is holding a gyroscope with the other hand, a slideruler. Just gave it to my son. I was conceived in Ridgecrest and born in LA so he could work on his PhD.....as you can see,I am very proud son

@Schoenbaum_Paul

3 ай бұрын

Like to hear more about you!

I love your videos and content you put out. By far the best Military channel on KZread. that I have come across. I really like this concept and idea shown in this episode, however the goal to go back and replicate our success in the past to completely overwhelm our enemies with numbers, is a flawed endeavor. I am referring to our lack of industrial base we have today as compared to WW2 and the Korean War. We have become so dependent on having so many hundreds of suppliers in the U.S. and around the world for our planes, ships and tanks. A major war now or in the next few years will cripple the U.S. quickly. Not to mention, with the manufacturing we have now, we do not have the capability to produce the munitions, planes, ships, tanks or even train the personnel we would need. Love the idea, don't see it happening in the context they are dreaming about.

@peterwebb8732

7 ай бұрын

Firstly, “cheap and disposable “ is a really great way of getting numbers out of a reduced manufacturing capacity. Secondly, if you find yourself in a long war, it is far easier to build factories for that kind of system, than for the vastly complex ones. Thirdly, in that same long war we will be building those factories, not trying to win it with those we already have. Fourthly, with limited resources, this is one way to have enough options and numbers to make a potential opponent think twice because they suspect that they cannot win a short war. Right now we are seeing the consequences of putting all your eggs in the technology basket. Russia claims to have very modern systems. Su57 and T14 to pick a couple. But even if they are as good as the advertising, Russia hasn’t built enough of them to win even a medium-sized war. They may have capable long-range missiles, but they don’t seem to have enough to deal with a massed attack. That’s a weakness.

Just make sure we have great security during development so the PRC can't just rip us off as usual.

US Airforce: “Why go high volume low cost when we can do high volume high cost?”

Always love a new Air Power video!!

I think this approach makes a lot of sense, the key issue will be decreasing costs per unit. Robotic production lines could help.

It kind of reminds me of Vietnam. I can’t remember which replaced which when it came to sead but either the two seat Thunderchief replaced the super saber for the sead missions or the other way around due to losses. When you think about it now it makes sense to do what they’re thinking now.

@trevorcrook5753

7 ай бұрын

Vietnam ? America didn’t do well there .

Excellent report!

What can I say, you're definitely one of the best at what you do!

Great video, Alex. I suspect that we're going to have to find ways to build 100,000 dollar planes if we're going to win in a future big conflict. They'll need to be able to roll these off assembly lines in quantities that would make a World War 2 production line blush. Same with tanks. The M4 Sherman was a great tank for mass production and shipping over an ocean. We need a modern M4 Sherman equivalent that we just turn on the production line and we're cranking them out in bulk packs. But that's just my opinion.

@alpacaofthemountain8760

7 ай бұрын

Sherman of the sky

@mattfleming86

7 ай бұрын

I've been saying that something in the breath of the light attack/light fighter. Something with an OK radar that can sling a couple GPS bombs, or pack 2x amraams and 2x sidewinders. Use those F15s and F35s and data link to saturate the sky with numbers. You'd also have a great airframe for CAS once you gain more control of an airspace and missile dispensers before hand. Keep it small. Fuel efficient. Lots of modular composite assemblies and whatever stealth coating is most affordable when its made.

@pedrohpires6608

7 ай бұрын

THE roll these off assembly lines in quantities , WHAT assembly lines.??

@taylorc2542

7 ай бұрын

This feels like the Vietnam mistake where we took guns off of fighters and expected missiles to do all the work. We know how that turned out. Now we will have millions of drones that become useless in the face of massive jamming and electronic warfare. And if we get a real war there will be a huge AI arms race, which of course will end with the robots killing humans on both sides.

@jayedatredes2890

7 ай бұрын

Nah, these drones will probably be made in.......India and Mexico. Cheaper and more profitable that way.

So in the RC world there has been for a while smaller jet powered aircraft. These are hobbyist aircraft and quite fast and loud etc.. I've always looked at them and wondered if these would ever become a battlefield weapon but this also would need the ability to control over long distances. Now looking at something like MQ-9 and what it does around the world I can see these two marring up. Another hobbyist air craft are those massive drone displays that can make objects in the sky with thousands of drones operating together. I can totally see this as a way to overrun air defense to allow more important items to make it through.

Excellent vid/report !

Enjoyed the video, great content.

Alex, this is the most encouraging and interesting video you have ever made. I am thrilled that the Air Force and Navy are looking to place thousands of drones and "spoofing missiles" in the skies, especially in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea. We all knew that China had the same strategy, and I have no doubt that America's military/industrial complex will STEP UP and build these important weapons of war, to bring us Air Superiority over our enemies in ANY theater. Very exciting! You are right to state that we cannot easily replace highly trained pilots and super-expensive stealth aircraft. As radar and other detection technologies improve, their effectiveness will be limited or even negated. But having a fleet of thousands of drones under human control or even pre-programmed or autonomous is the WAY TO GO! Great video, Alex!

@Jareers-ef8hp

7 ай бұрын

We have no business in the south china sea

Thanks Alex, great content. You said these systems are being designed to assist the modern war fighter not to replace the war fighter. However, I am thinking that replacement of the "war fighter" is likely a smaller incremental step than the step to develop these systems to "assist" the "war fighter". Similar to how we have gone from ChatGP2 to ChatGP3 to ChatGP4 in a relatively fast fashion, each successive step taking less time, but each step exponentially improving upon the prior step. Scary thought, but Terminator Skynet system seems to be the logical goal, although the military will give it some kind of euphemistic name like "Peace Keeper" or "Tranquility Program". Hey, maybe the machines can be programmed to be more humane and gentler and kinder rulers than the likes of Putin, Xi, and Kim.

@jamespope2840

7 ай бұрын

I agree 💯

@michaelnurse9089

7 ай бұрын

As they iterate and US adversaries iterate humans in the loop during combat will be a liability, even if only because computers react about 10 000 times faster than humans. Humans will give the command to attack but this can be done from HQ.

@Unit232-rk2qq

7 ай бұрын

А как же РЭБ, серверок со скриптами каждая из этих повезёт с собой ?

@trevorcrook5753

7 ай бұрын

America humane ? Lol killed one million Iraqis 400,000 Libyans , dropped nukes on Japan . A very human country 😂😂😂😂

@ryangaudreau8380

7 ай бұрын

We all know they’re going to name it Skynet.

Awesome video!!🙏🏾🙏🏾

Great video, my friend!

While it is hilarious to see people's reactions to the "ai takeover" that will "inevitably occur" with all these autonomous weapons systems, even a tiny bit of research into how they actually work would dispell any such fears immediately.

@TK199999

7 ай бұрын

That's exactly what an AI would say....burn the witch!

@luigimrlgaming9484

7 ай бұрын

I wonder what will happen when war breaks out and suddenly the thousands of drones we had in storage get blown up by some Special Forces saboteurs.

@mattt525

7 ай бұрын

I found the rogue AI

@nedkelly9688

5 ай бұрын

Look at Australia MQ28A Ghost Bat it's AI is most advanced in the world can perform air to air and air to ground combat on it's own. Australia RAAF commander head of the programme said it can not go rogue and has a limit to this. somethinf=g like it hits a wall if ever tried to. something to do with run time assurance, it's AI checks it's programme to make sure it is going as is programmed to do.

@IndigoSeirra

5 ай бұрын

There is a difference between an algorithm and a true artificial intelligence. The only time an autonomous weapons platform will take actions it's not supposed to take (and therefore 'take control' or maybe 'turn on its creators') is because either A: a software error or unintentional bug in the algorithm. B: an operator accidentally entered incorrect instructions. Both of these outcomes are easily fixable and will not result in the supposedly inevitable "ai takeover" of these various autonomous weapons platforms.

In addition to an AI copilot, could the pilot in the aircraft get assistance from a remote co-pilot in the same way that many surveillance drones are piloted remotely?

@happykiwi

7 ай бұрын

It's an interesting idea but I believe it would only be practical if the operator is nearby because distance inevitably creates lag which can impact the time between split second decision making and action on those decisions in real time.

Man, if I were a young man today I'd certainly be looking into becoming a combat aviation pilot!!!

War changes all the time. Greek wars used to have set piece battles where the kings would lead from the very front lines, the "losing side" would have only 5-10% casualties and battles would last a few hours. Imagine showing an ancient greek soldier stalingrad and being like "war never changes, hurr durr"... He would look at you like you had three heads.

Alex, have you ever done a piece on how Science Fiction warfare has influenced any real military development programs or weapons ?

@danielbeshers1689

7 ай бұрын

This is a very cool concept for a video.

@jyy9624

7 ай бұрын

Lasers for one

Thanks, Alex, for another informative and fascinating video. NOW, how about another on on our plans for defending against a swarm of such drones? I ask because China, Russia,, Iran, and North Korea aren't idiots and I'm sure are working on low-cost swarming weapons.

Please expand your comments made regarding the Wart Hog as a delivery vehicle for cheap AI controlled drones in the close air support role. Historically, the A-10 was a terrific CAS machine, but it is felt to be too vulnerable in the modern battlefield without air superiority. The advent of AI/CAS drones launched by A-10s in support of ground troops is intriguing.

@Skinflaps_Meatslapper

7 ай бұрын

The amount of hard points and ability to carry a lot of external stores means that it can effectively bring the same number of drones to the fight as a B-52. Keep in mind that the B-52 is every bit as vulnerable as an A-10, so both aircraft would be loitering a safe distance away from the fight to launch their payloads. These aircraft wouldn't be going to the fight, the drones would, and they'd essentially be turned into launch vehicles and nothing more.

wow, vid was over before I knew it. great job

Ai drones will destroy all air defenses. Simple math. Thousands of drones cost 100 million? One patriots S500&400 etc… cost billion?

Why aren't we strapping drone launchers to all our land vehicles? You could literally mount a switchblade drone onto a tank. You get a loitering weapon system and recon tool. And you could immediately mount it to every tank Humvee etc

@Inyourbox-kr5uf

7 ай бұрын

Too smart and cost effective

@kineticstar

7 ай бұрын

That's been tried. Issues were found for both the army and the navy.

@Frankie5Angels150

7 ай бұрын

Because RPAs (there’s no such thing as a military drone) are assets above the tactical level of the individual soldier or vehicle crew. They follow the Commander’s intent up to two (and only two) levels above their own. Otherwise it’s anarchy - everybody thinks he’s a general. Do you understand that?

@cowpotpi3

7 ай бұрын

Because you can carry a switchblade. Why would you ok mount it? For a more capable drone they fly from airfields.

@2bidfilmsguy

7 ай бұрын

The US is postering for a possible conflict with China over Taiwan, because Taiwan is an island it would be primarily an air and naval war, as it wouldn't be possible to even get ground troops or even military aid to Taiwan unless China's airforce, navy and anti access area denial weapons are degraded or suppressed to a point where it would be safe for slow and vulnerable transport or cargo planes/ships to safely get there, so thats probably why the emphasis is on systems that can fly or at least be deployed by military aviation

This channel is so underappreciated.

As always great content

War... It always changes. Sometimes it even goes back to trench warfare, like we're seeing in Ukraine. 😋

@Player2blood

7 ай бұрын

Trench warfare is a warfare that prove each side are equal in the battlefield. No one able to advance because the other will counter. So trench ware prove equality's between force's except one find a technological way to pass the enemy. That's why trench stop as soon as the British develop tank and the Germans couldn't stop it in world war 1

@Player2blood

7 ай бұрын

But in Ukraine , everyone can shoot down tank and everyone is using drone, so the need to dig trenches 😂😂

@Morally_Immoral2

7 ай бұрын

War changes it's the reason for war that never do, is what the quote means

@davewolf6256

7 ай бұрын

Or perhaps it is war that stays the same. To a large degree, the war in Ukraine resembles WWI because the belligerents have the same infrastructure and doctrine that they created 1914 to 1918. Similarly, the strategy and tactics of the US in the War for Independence are conceptually similar to the tactics of revolutionaries and terrorists in MENA and Vietnam against enemies they perceived as colonizers-such as guerrilla tactics and mobilizing civilian communities that are traditionally non-combatants. The implications are that the character of a war are defined at least as much by history as by theories of political or military power. But it also implies that the character of war changes over time-meaning Iran and Saudi Arabia would not act very similarly to Isis because their factors of production would be grafted into their military infrastructure. It also offers an explanation why the US is more mobile that Europe in global wars-especially in Europe. Although the US experimented in trench warfare during the Civil War, there was little need to do so in either world war because they did not seek to annex any of the territory it occupied. Hence why America’s invasion of Iraq was far more successful than its later occupation. Furthermore, innovations in Civil War tactics borrowed from Napoleon’s France-infantry mobility was emphasized by the commands of Sherman and Jackson. Altogether, this means studying the military history of each nation is paramount to predicting the character of their future wars. Understanding China’s innovations in Air and Naval combat is important for war planning. But equally are the Communists’ war histories during the Civil War and Korea. When their command structure breaks down, their decisions will conform to how they interpret centuries of their military history. Just as will America’s decisions, and just as has Ukraine and Russia’s.

@anthonykaiser974

7 ай бұрын

​@@Player2bloodwhat actual won the war in the end was a fresh American Expeditionary Force in the Meuse-Argonne campaign penetrating the Hindenburg Line cutting off the German double railway that allowed them to move forces up and down the line.

Replicator just sounds like the end of the world doesn't it now. "The US called it the replicator project. The plan was to provide an army of flying drones artificial intelligence so they could numerically overwhelm any opponent while conducting sophisticated operations. We didn't expect them to turn against us"

Great newscast.🤘.

Awesome, great information!!

Gee, I'm glad they finally thought of doing this. I've been watching them do this in the movies for 40 years. That's some innovative thinking by our military minds.

Thanks, Alex. How do these work in bad or cold or hot weather?

thanks for your post

Thank you Mr Hollings....🇺🇸

That was a hilarious image at 5:04 "...serious force multipliers, without having to multiply the forces themselves..." [image of military personnel saluting, LOL]

Bravo Alex!

Another great episode Alex keep up the good work.

Am not greatly obsessed by military posts but this is one of the very best put together contributions anywhere on Utube

Finally! Been waiting for this ever since I read about pod dreadnoughts in the Honor Harrington books haha

Alex I love this channel! You are one of my go to sources for information and understanding. I’m wondering what you think of autonomous solar powered flying wings something akin to Helios that NASA flew decades ago. It is my understanding they can have a very low radar return. With zero fuel burn they can have a low IR return. The technology exists for them to fly 24/7 for months at a time. They provide real-time area intel and communications from 60,000+ feet on up to possibly 100,000 feet. They are relatively low cost. And they are a low hanging fruit compared to other technologies. How do you see these platforms working within a military of the future?

Jason lived his life by the motto, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.

This is really cool to hear about, can’t wait to see our force stricter near the end of the decade

An unusually exceptional video even for you Alex.

Years and years ago Dale Brown wrote a novel where B-52’s were dropping autonomous drones….so cool to see this actually come out…

Another good post, but I would temporize with the fact that the Chinese are copying US systems and in some cases improving on them. The MQ9 Reaper system which they have copied and improved is a rather frightening case in point.

@RaytheonTechnologies_Official

7 ай бұрын

My concern - as a completely uninformed civilian - has always been that China could win a conventional war against the US by simple attrition. I believe (based on no evidence whatsoever, I should add) that China might think that, no matter how much better US weapons are, they could eventually overwhelm them with superior numbers. If that is correct, then it wouldn't matter if China copied this technology, because the whole point is just to let China know that they can't just overwhelm the US with sheer numbers.

Air Wolf dropping Switchblades: I heard you like drones, so I strapped some drones to your drone so you can fly drones while you fly drones.

This video is a great tip to adversaries.