Americas next Manhattan Project

Prometheus

Have been thinking about this for a while. Really believe that America has to have a new, truly war winning weapon. I do not mean a new type of nuclear device, but a completely new system. The amount of money America has been spending on defence is staggering, just google it!
With all the talk re America V China, just wondering if anyone agrees- disagrees.

Red Hand

I would expect them to be spending heavily on robotics for fighting wars conventionally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww

bluecode

There are plenty of loony websites out there which will tell you they already have super secret weapons and spaceships. Just take your pick.

On the other hand it's no secret that there is research into various future weapons systems.

As for them being war winning. Well given that most modern wars are low intensity like Afghanistan. Unfortunately no amount of technology will replace boots on the ground.

Prometheus

Yeah, fully aware of the looney sites!
What I,m talking about is in the real world. Read recently that America's black budget, the money that does not have to be approved by congress is bigger than Russia's normal military budget. That money or part of it has to have gone on some systems totally out of the public realm.

bluecode wrote: »

There are plenty of loony websites out there which will tell you they already have super secret weapons and spaceships. Just take your pick.

On the other hand it's no secret that there is research into various future weapons systems.

As for them being war winning. Well given that most modern wars are low intensity like Afghanistan. Unfortunately no amount of technology will replace boots on the ground.

goldie fish

Black budget? Thats racist!

bluecode

Read recently that America's black budget, the money that does not have to be approved by congress is bigger than Russia's normal military budget.

Bigger than Russia's defence budget? Do you have a reference for that. I doubt it somehow.

But it is no secret that there is a secret 'black' budget. I don't know about war winning but there are undoubtedly some interesting stuff they're working on. Tha Aurora project for one thing and pulse jet technology.

A good magazine to read is called Aviation Week and Space Technology. It's not a 'tinfoil hat brigade' magazine but a serious aviation journal. They also often have interesting information on new technologies and aircraft. You can't buy it in Easons or anything. You have to subscribe.

No doubt there are 'skunk works' in various defence contractors, not to mention Area 51. Let's face it even if all the UFO stuff is BS, which it probably is. Then whatever is going on in Area 51 has to be very interesting anyway. You read a lot of UFO crap about the place which deflects from the reality of what is actually going on there.

Donny5

bluecode wrote: »

Bigger than Russia's defence budget? Do you have a reference for that. I doubt it somehow.

Last year, the Ruskies spend $71.9 Billion on defence. Wired's Danger Room column reported that the DoD's black budget for the same year was approximately $51 Billion, so while close enough, it's not over. However, there is another $19.2 Billion Military Intelligence Program, and that doesn't included the National Intelligence Program, whose budget includes the CIA. There certainly could be more than $72 Billion in military-related black budgets in total.

Morpheus

Rail guns. they are stepping up development with a view to having one as the main gun on naval vessels and hypercavitation - although i believe russia has the edge in that area.

Jawgap

Petca4 wrote: »

Have been thinking about this for a while. Really believe that America has to have a new, truly war winning weapon. I do not mean a new type of nuclear device, but a completely new system. The amount of money America has been spending on defence is staggering, just google it!
With all the talk re America V China, just wondering if anyone agrees- disagrees.

Have to disagree with you there - why would the yanks (or the Chinese) go to war with one of (if not their largest) trade partners?

the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, was fairly spot on when he said that the US national debt was their top national security threat. Co-incidentally, it's also the Chinese top national security threat!

they are locked in a mutual economic embrace that practically guarantees they won't be fighting each other.

Myrddin

bluecode wrote: »

Let's face it even if all the UFO stuff is BS, which it probably is. Then whatever is going on in Area 51 has to be very interesting anyway. You read a lot of UFO crap about the place which deflects from the reality of what is actually going on there.

Isn't a UFO an Unidentified Flying Object? Plenty of those documented & detected over the years. If however your referring to Aliens flying brightly lit ships around the place, it's important to remember they're not mutually connected. For instance one exists, the other, likely doesn't.

bluecode

Well yes but in popular culture UFOs = alien spaceships and there's plenty of nonsense talked about in relation to captured alien spaceships in Area 51.

As for UFOs generally most are merely illusions, mistaken identity and certain phenomena not quite explained yet. Certainly not aliens.

Prometheus

With the greatest respects lads, can we leave the UFO's for the fairytales thread! Bit off topic.
Thanks

bluecode wrote: »

Well yes but in popular culture UFOs = alien spaceships and there's plenty of nonsense talked about in relation to captured alien spaceships in Area 51.

As for UFOs generally most are merely illusions, mistaken identity and certain phenomena not quite explained yet. Certainly not aliens.

bluecode

With the greatest of respect if you cared to actually read my comments you will see it was a discussion of black projects which are often centred on the facility at Groom Lake. Aircraft like the U2, SR-71 and F117 were tested along with a great deal of 'black' projects. Clearly there is ongoing research on other projects.

But you can't mention Area 51 without the UFO nonsense which no doubt suits the people running the place. Alien technology my ass.:mad: In the real world there are plenty of interesting possibilities without drifting off into the realms of fantasy. But you cannot but avoid mentioning it.

Prometheus

Jawgap wrote: »

Have to disagree with you there - why would the yanks (or the Chinese) go to war with one of (if not their largest) trade partners?

the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, was fairly spot on when he said that the US national debt was their top national security threat. Co-incidentally, it's also the Chinese top national security threat!

they are locked in a mutual economic embrace that practically guarantees they won't be fighting each other.

America and China are already in a cyber war, economics do not mean a damn thing when nationalism and expansion are beginning to be ramped up.
Productivity is down in China because of the downturn in the economy in the west. Inflation is rising. If you buy an apartment in Beijing or Shanghai today, by this time next year it will be two and a half times that price, sound familiar? The Chinese economy will collapse, its only a matter of when. When that happens it will start to lash out.
Just one small incident is all it takes. At the moment it has to be the rising tensions around the Diaoyu Islands, and there are a number of these disputed zones in that area.

"they are locked in a mutual economic embrace that practically guarantees they won't be fighting each other"

Famous last words. if ever I heard them

bluecode

Indeed, historically speaking, Germany, France and Britain had no good reason to go to war in 1939. I too am convinced the next big war will be against the Chinese, with ironically the Russians on our side. But I'll be long dead by then so it will be my kid's, kids who will fight it.

It's not imminent that's for sure.

Geekness1234

Americans have the lead in R&D by far,look at how much they spend.Including rail guns, robotics,direct energy weapons etc.
Russian Military capability was non-existent up until the mid-2000s and Putin's gobsh!te ain't helping.
The Russians are more concerned about getting credible capability than anything else in my opinion.

Also worthwhile noting a Chinese economic collapse,will lead to a world economic collapse.
Great Depression anyone? :cool:

Franticfrank

I agree with the view that the US and China couldn't go to war - they depend on each other for trade. Statistics show that China has ramped up its military expenditure hugely over the past 20 years and they would be difficult to defeat with any secret weapons. Any war, conventional or nuclear would be devastating.

seanmacc

Probably what would be a game changer in moden warfare would be something like a EMP bomb which would make all electronic devices useless over a certain area. The US, Russia and China have been thought to of been experimenting with this technology for years.

Geekness1234

seanmacc wrote: »

Probably what would be a game changer in moden warfare would be something like a EMP bomb which would make all electronic devices useless over a certain area. The US, Russia and China have been thought to of been experimenting with this technology for years.

All three you mentioned as well as the likes of Israel (possibly) all have emp weapons.
They began testing emp in the 1960s.

Calibos

If the UK's privately funded Skylon Space Plane project proves successful, I worry the US will buy exclusive rights to the design for military use and prevent it being the commercial space flight game hanging quantum leap it could be.