The USAF hypersonic missile test was successful.

The B-52 "Stratofortress" carries  AGM-183 hypersonic missile during tests. 

The USAF tested AGM-183 ARRW ("Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon") hypersonic missile. And this time test was successful. The ARRW is meant to use against fixed targets like bunkers and runways. The speed of this weapon is about Mach 5+ and the difference between ARRW and the Russian "Kinzhal" hypersonic missile is that AGM-183 doesn't need a supersonic carrier. To reach the hypersonic speed. 

The limit of the "Kinzhal" missile is that its carrier plane is a MiG-31. And that aircraft can carry only one of that missiles. The drop airplane for AGM-183 is always been a B-52 Stratofortress. And that means the global strike force can use that missile on any platform that it has. So it can be the ultimate weapon for the B-52 "Stratofortress", B-1 "Lancer", B-2 "Spirit", and the new B-21 "Raider". There is the possibility that AGM-183 can also be installed in the ballistic missile. That allows ballistic missiles to make the ballistic jump outside the atmosphere. 

Then that missile releases the hypersonic missile that can fly by using a low trajectory to the target. It is suspicious that the AGM-183 and its successors planned to use along with the new top secret hypersonic aircraft that are basing the SR-72 test plane. The fact is that hypersonic weapons are shown their capacity. And the development of those systems continues. That thing means that the next-generation hypersonic missiles can destroy also naval targets like moving warships. 

The fact is the hypersonic missile is an ultimate weapon. If that weapon flies over the target area at a low altitude with a speed that is much higher than the speed of sound the pressure wave that follows the weapon is devastating. The hypersonic missile can carry conventional or nuclear warheads. But it can also use kinetic energy for destroying the target. The last option would be useful in surgical strikes against small-size targets. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-13/air-force-hypersonic-missile-scores-second-consecutive-success

Image: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/28576/behold-the-first-flight-of-a-b-52-bomber-carrying-the-agm-183a-hypersonic-missile

Satellites spotted the new Russian laser station meant for ASAT purposes.

Image 1:) Artist's conception of a Soviet space laser. (Image credit: U.S. National Archives)

Satellites spot for a Russian new laser station. That station is developed, almost certainly for ASAT (Anti-satellite) weapon research. The laser weapons that can destroy the satellites from orbit are real. The high-power laser systems that can aim laser rays by using mirrors are a threat to almost all satellites in the orbital trajectory. The effective distance of a laser weapon depends on its power. 

And another thing is the wavelength that the laser system uses. The megawatt-scale carbon dioxide lasers are kilometer-length systems. At the end of the exit point of the laser is the mirror. That is used to aim the laser ray to the right point. If those lasers are in an "X"-shaped formation that allows that laser can cover the entire sky. That means the system must not turn the entire laser. That allows using of kilometers-long lasers. 

Turning the mirror is enough for aiming the laser ray to the right point.  The cooling system denies the melting of the mirror. There are claiming that the laser system is meant to destroy satellites. Are not dangerous for people on the ground. But the fact is that the power of the laser system determines how dangerous it is. 

The land-based laser stations are effective tools against the low-orbiting recon satellites. But the larger mirror-telescopes are making it possible that the racon satellites can stay far away from Earth. The Moon-orbiting space telescope can see the entire Earth in one sight.  And it can zoom to any point on the Earth in seconds. 

Image 2:) Artist's conception of a Chinese space station. 

But large mirror satellites can also aim the large-size spaceborne laser's rays to the right point. 

The reason why Chinese plans for making a kilometer-long space station should cause concern is that a similar kilometer-long structure can also be the spaceborne laser system. The spaceborne laser system can use solar light for making the laser ray. The mirror system will aim the sunlight at the laser element. 

The kilometer-long lasers can benefit modular structure. It can be the series of satellites where the laser elements are put together by docking those satellites to one entirety. That giant laser can use a relay satellite to send the laser ray to the right target. The relay satellite can be a smaller laser satellite or mirror satellite. And the more powerful system will shoot the laser ray through that smaller satellite to the right point. 

If we are thinking about the large-size mirror satellite that is orbiting the moon that kind of satellite can use to aim the high-power laser ray that is shot from Lagrange point between the Moon and Earth to targets that are orbiting the Earth. There is the possibility that a kilometer-long carbon-dioxide laser can create so much power that this ray can cause fire on Earth. 

https://curiosmos.com/china-to-build-a-kilometer-long-space-station-10-things-you-need-to-know/

https://www.space.com/russia-anti-satellite-laser-facility-satellite-photos

Image 1) https://www.space.com/russia-anti-satellite-laser-facility-satellite-photos

Image2) https://curiosmos.com/china-to-build-a-kilometer-long-space-station-10-things-you-need-to-know/

https://artificialintelligenceandindividuals.blogspot.com/

Narrow corridor in our life. (Narrow Corridor Part 2)

Our life is like a narrow corridor. There is a line. And at the sides of that line are rooms. The line or great room between those rooms is the life itself. In that room is the beginning. And the final door is waiting for us. The greatest paradox in life is that the only certain thing in that corridor is the end. The length of that corridor is not described. 

So we know only that there is an end. In that corridor, we can only make choices that are allowed by law. If we want to stay free. In the real world, there is no absolute freedom. When somebody takes too much freedom that takes the person to jail.

The beginning of that corridor is the birth. And the door that is opposite to us is the death. The rooms at the sides of that corridor are points where we spend some time in our life. Those rooms are schools, marriage, and other things that are connecting with our life. In every single room is two doors. And when we are stepping into those rooms we will step out from them. 

The reason why I say that life is like a corridor is that we ever have free will to make choices. We can select things like high education but it takes something away. But we can select the life of an uneducated person. And that also takes something from our life. There is the possibility that we are easier to hire. But we are also easier to kick out of a job. So the corridor is like the route or line. 

When we are finishing elementary school we choose the line. And believe me, there is no perfect choice in our life. When we are stepping into those rooms around that corridor we don't know what is in that room. We know that there is something that affects us. Those rooms can be positive, like education. Or they can be negative, like being in prison.

Being in prison is like the fine ring. It spends time. And the corridor of life has a limit. When a person has been 10 years in prison, there is no way to get those years back. The thing is that life might seem clear, but it's full of surprises. Disappointment can turn into wonderful happiness. The person who has been so-called zero can turn to somebody. 

There is a possibility that the person who ever spoke with anybody invented the new natural law. Or the nerd from the back seat invents the new type of artificial intelligence. Or person who ever learns to program writes some philosophical bestseller and becomes a new literature version of Andy Warhol the cult person whose autograph queued. And whose ideas are repeated time after time? Those things might feel great. Or that's what I think. 

https://artificialintelligenceandindividuals.blogspot.com/

Narrow corridor in democracy.

When you are the leader of the company. All that is needed is to remember that the leader represents stakeholders. At the national level, the leader represents the people. But then we must understand that the term "people" means different things. The problem is that benefit of a nation and its people might be different from what people want. The private company can kick their workers out. 

The state must take care of them until they get new work. But the state cannot kick people out. And even if the person ever pays taxes the state must take care of them. 

What if people want something, that is against the long-term benefit of the nation? The populists are the people who are promising short-term benefits. Things like refusing to pay back international loans can seem very nice things.

But the problem is this, who gives investments to a nation that will not pay back its loans? There is the possibility that the World Bank will not ask for those loans back. Then all other nations will want that they will get free money. And even in the case of the World Bank, there are limits on the money that this organization controls. Even the largest international organizations have limited resources. And the need for free resources and gifts is always without limits. 

The Narrow Corridor is a book that is telling about freedom and democracy. Democracy is like a narrow corridor where people must follow the laws or they are in trouble. The biggest threat to democratic institutions like freedom of speech and freedom to publish are people who misuse those rights. The paradox of democracy is that authoritarian organizations are protecting freedom.

But the worst threat to democracy is democracy itself. There are lots of nations in the world that are democratic. The power is in the hand of the majority.  But the majority is attacking the ethnic minorities.

Democracy is like a narrow corridor. If things like demonstrations are crushed by using a massive police force. That thing will drive the entire society to the path there is no return. When we think about a democratic government that cannot fulfill promises that thing causes demonstrations. But should the democratic government refuse to order new elections? 

Should it use police force in the case that it failed? Or otherways, how large-scale demonstrations should be needed, that the government should resign? There is always the possibility that the government says that there is only a couple of people on the streets. And the majority still supports its actions. 

In business life leaders of the groups are responsible only to the company's owners. In the private sector, the number of shares means who is a person, who controls the company. The directors of the companies operate between stakeholders and workers. 

The purpose of those directors is to act as a shield for the stakeholders. And director's mission is always to supervise the benefit of stakeholders. 

Groups and narrow corridor

We are always facing things that the leaders of the groups are making decisions. And everybody must follow those orders. The narrow corridor means that the henchmen have no freedom to do anything without following certain formulas. 

When we are putting it all on one card, that means we are putting everything into that project. When we are putting all our resources into some project or some choice, we have a very small possibility to take another course if something goes wrong. In economics, we can say that we have a narrow corridor. If something goes wrong we cannot take another route. So narrow corridor means that there is only one allowed way to act. 

Why do some people choose narrow corridors rather than wide corridors? 

The wide corridor means that the person who makes decisions is leaving the resources also for something else. The narrow corridor means that there is only one accepted way to act. If all resources are not put into supporting the goal. That means the profits would not be so high. In but same way the losses in the case of failure would be higher. 

One of the reasons why the controllers are not pulling back is that they must confess that project was not successful. So they want to put a little bit more resources into operation or project and then they hope that tomorrow that thing will turn successful. 

The narrow corridor means this. When a leader makes some kind of decision. That leader wants to make the thing. There is nobody who the leader must-hear. Advisors are advisors, but their pieces of advice are only advisory. And the leader must not follow them. 

https://artificialintelligenceandindividuals.blogspot.com/

The economics and environment.

 

Things like delivery robots are important for making something interesting. When marketing people offer products, their job is to make the product interesting. That people will click them or touch them. The image of the robot makes homepages interesting. People are always interested in high tech. 

And when some new services like home delivery are marketed to customers. The first challenge is to make people click the homepage. Homepages are making products that customers use interesting looking. But they are also making some marketing areas interesting. 

Economics is not an independent thing. The economic conditions are connected to the will to invest in the country. And when we are looking at things. That is looking good from the point of view of investments. Investors are afraid of things like dictatorship, corruption, and authoritarian governments. Also, areas that promise nothing cause investors are not interested in that kind of thing. 

When an investor gives money to some project, that person wants something for that money. Things like ethics in the production and value chains also mean very important. And in the time of the internet, the data is traveling very fast. And if there is some kind of problems with ethics in the production plants that causes problems in the markets. 

Bad economics causes a whirl that rises corruption makes authoritarian touch possible. Finally causes the nation falls into dictatorship. And when the nation turns to open dictatorial. That makes investors escape from that area. 

The image of the area means very much in modern marketing. If some products are made in areas. That is not good for the image. That means nobody buys them.

Marketing plays a big role in sales. If nobody buys the product. That thing means that the factory will bring losses. And sooner or later the investor must decide to close the factory. That means the investor takes the money away from that area. 

And the investors are bringing their money to the areas because they want to sell products to customers. If investment will not bring value and profit the investor will take money out from the area. If that investor is the central actor that can cause a chain reaction. And lots of investments can lose in a short moment. That causes inflation and destroys economics. 

The main effect of destroyed economics is that the society turns unstable. That accelerates things like brain leaks to more stable countries. And then the most innovative people are leaving the area. And that causes problems for new startups. 

But how to call investors? 

The key element is that we must sort, out what kind of jobs and economics we want to make? We can, of course, make a business environment where are a lot of low-tech companies like hamburger restaurants. But then we can think that there. Is some other way to make the business area interesting. 

If we want to call high-tech industry to some region, we must make that area addictive for that kind of companies. Things like universities that offer high education are good places. Where tomorrow's professionals can get there at least basic skills. 

But another thing is that education is a good moment to familiarize the environment where schools or educational faculties are. The thing is that higher technology and artificial intelligence are interesting things. 

If we want to make a sewing shop or garment factory. That thing might be very big news. But if we want to make a garment factory where robots are making the work, we might get also more positive publicity. 

The main problem in manned garment factories is the poor salary of those workers. The thing is that the robot factories are an elegant way to make ethical business. The problem is that in markets their highest quality-price relationship wins. But the problem with production costs is that the low production costs mean low salaries. 

A bad economic situation causes untrustworthy conditions. 

The problem is how to fit low production price and low selling price together with an image of the product? Low production prices mean poor salaries. And that thing is one of the biggest problems in markets. Even if we would transport our factory to some cheap land, we must realize that there is something that keeps salaries low. 

And that thing is bad economics. Bad economics is making society unstable and violent. That means there is a danger that a person will get physical injuries because of some robberies. And bad economics is the thing that causes low education. Low education makes people susceptible to populists that are offering a simple medicine for that kind of economic situation.

Those things are refusing to pay loans, hiring more people to the army, and finding outside enemies. Also, corruption makes investors afraid of that area. Corruption is the thing that makes investors fear things like arbitrariness. 

Why Kaliningrad area is so important to Russia?

Image 1) Nanuchka-class corvette

The thing that causes a crisis in Kaliningrad is the location of that city and naval base. When the Soviet Union was gone in 1992 Russia lost all other Baltic bases than Kaliningrad. Another naval base at the Baltic Sea is at St. Petersburg. The naval base is located at the fornix of the Gulf of Finland and the route to that base is very narrow. The distance between Helsinki, the capital of Finland. 

And Tallinn the capital of Estonia is about 70 kilometers. And that means the troops can close that sea route quite easily by using missiles and long-range torpedoes. Another thing is that the reconnaissance systems like hydrophones and underwater cameras can observe ships and submarines when they try to go to the open sea. 

The location of Kaliningrad is on the straight coast of the Baltic sea. The naval base cannot be closed so easily. And ships and submarines can slip to the open sea easier than from St. Petersburg. The location makes Kaliningrad a more suitable military base than St. Petersburg. But the problem is that Kaliningrad is like an island. The remote part of Russia. And all cargo between the Russian mainland and Kaliningrad is going through Lithuania. 

The location of Kaliningrad makes it possible that the missiles and aircraft in that area can strike very fast against NATO troops in Central Europe. 

During that period those cargos are under observation of NATO intelligence. Another way to transport equipment from St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad is to use cargo airplanes or sea routes. Those routes are more expensive than using railroads. But secrecy and security are better guaranteed in sea cargo. 

The Kaliningrad base can cause problems in the future. The reason for that is that the naval base is extremely important to Russia when it guards its interest in the Baltic Sea. We can see that there is a risk that the situation that launched the war in Ukraine can repeat in Kaliningrad. At the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis was the role of Sevastopol naval base at Krim peninsula. 

Sevastopol is one of the key elements to control the Black Sea and the oil and gas routes to Europe. This is the reason, why Russians supported the separatists of Krim and wanted to connect that area to Russia. The Kaliningrad naval base plays a similar role in the Baltic Sea. It allows service and combat ships along with recon units can break to the sea and operate on the coast of Denmark and Germany. That base allows the natural point for recon airplanes and ships. They are traveling across the Baltic coast from Kaliningrad to St. Petersburg. 

Image 1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanuchka-class_corvette

Image 2) Google maps

Question about the survivability of drones against the anti-aircraft systems.

Image 1) Grey Eagle 

Some Ukrainian operators criticized drones and say that those systems would not survive a long time because Russians transported effective anti-aircraft systems to the front. A drone is so-called loitering ammunition. 

It is a similar tool to submarines and other aircraft. The idea is that the system stays undetected. If the submarine is detected, it's easy to destroy. Same way, aircraft is easy to destroy if some weapons are targeted and locked to it. 

*********************************************************************

Forbes says: 

The Bayraktar TB-2 Drones are made this kind of result and destroyed the next targets:

-6 armored fighting vehicles 

-5 towed artillery,

-1 multi-rocket launcher

-2 anti-aircraft guns

-10 helicopters

-6 naval ships

-3 command posts

-1 communication station

-2 logistics trains and numerous resupply trucks.

Ukrainians lost 8 Baraktar drones

The Ukrainian military reportedly started the war with just 30 of these drones and has lost only 8 in combat. So the ratio is good for drones. 

Source: Forbes/The Ukrainian Military Is Changing Its Tactics With The Bayraktar TB2 Drones

**********************************************************************

The laser systems above are meant for manned aircraft. But drones can use similar systems. 

Drones are easy targets for anti-aircraft missiles if they are detected. This is the thing that people must realize. The use of drones bases that the drone itself is undetected. So the drone is so-called loitering ammunition. The purpose of it is to be hard to see, and easy to destroy. But then we must ask one question: why do the Russians transport effective anti-aircraft systems to the front only now? 

The drone flies slowly. And it's easy to jam. So it should be an easy target for combat helicopters and aircraft. So why Russians didn't shoot those Bayraktar drones down? if they are easy targets. When we are thinking about the survivability of the drone, we must understand that there is the possibility that some western drones have counter-missile systems. 

That anti-missile system is like an airborne version of the Israeli Trophy system that is made to protect tanks. When the system detects incoming missiles it will shoot them by using some kind of laser or some other directed energy weapon or machine gun, that mission is to destroy or jam the incoming missiles. But the question is what drone makes those kills? Is it some kind of Bayraktar or smaller Kamikaze drones? 

The Kamikaze drones are smaller and cheaper than those larger drones. Drones like Grey Eagle are like remote-controlled aircraft. But Kamikaze drones are easier to make. They are more like some small-size cruise missiles. All drones can point the targets to artillery, aircraft, or kamikaze drones. Also, kamikaze drones can make the targeting missions. And when their fuel is ending they can dive against their target. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2022/06/23/ukrainian-military-is-changing-its-tactics-with-the-bayraktar-tb2-drones/?sh=a5310951ec0e

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophy_(countermeasure)

Image 1) https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-puts-gray-eagle-uas-one-system-remote-video-terminal-through-test-64617/

https://artificialintelligenceandindividuals.blogspot.com/