Episode list

The US Navy's two Littoral Combat Ships design were built for another time and aren't capable enough to engage the emergent Chinese Navy. So the Navy is moving as quickly as possible to field the Constellation class frigate. It is a large versatile platform based on an established European design to ensure a quick and reliable path to production.

At one percent of GNP Japan's military spending is low compared to the 2.2% average for the rest of the world. Japan plans to remedy that by 2027. But with a declining birth rate creativity will be needed to increase military manpower. Easier will be converting from a purely defense military with the addition of new strike weapons.

The F-16 is an improvement over Ukraine's current Russian built fighters but it doesn't out-class the Russian air force. So it's best utility will likely be to plug holes in Ukraine's antiaircraft defenses and stand-off ground attack missions. Most important Ukraine can probably expect a steady stream of F-16's displaced by F-35s in NATO countries is contrast to the Russian planes that cannot be replaced.

Eurocoter's Tiger helicopter is in service in several countries but the largest user, Germany seems reluctant to retain the Tiger. The over all trend with Western militaries seems to be to move to the more powerful AH 64 Apaches or abandon attack helicopters entirely.

The US Army is working on a new Abrams tanks currently tagged M1E3. Primary goals are crew survivability in a lighter tank with better fuel efficiency. That likely means an unmanned turret with auto-loader and a new power-plant. Development will likely take a decade.

Iran has the ability to directly attack Isreal by aircraft, stand-off cruise missile, ballistic missile and aerial drones though distance is a major challenge. But Israel has extensive, multi-layer air defenses that will make the cost per hit very high with minimal impact compared to Hamas rocket attacks. A bigger risk is an Iranian supported invasion by Hezbollah.

In urban warfare threats can come from any direction but are generally limited to less powerful man portable weapons. And, the attacking tanks don't require anti-armor weapons. Here's is a detail analysis for how the Merkava IV is the world's best suited tank for urban environments.