Foxbat-B.

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"The UMPK (Unified Module for Gliding and Guidance) is a Russian guidance module used to transform 'dumb' bombs into precision-guided munitions. It is designed to be used with various types of bombs, including the FAB-500 and FAB-1500."

"Russia used rare FAB-500T aviation bombs that didn’t explode"

From https://bulgarianmilitary.com | By Boyko Nikolov On Jun 30, 2024

"Last week, between June 24th and 30th, the Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS or RuAF] made headlines by deploying the rare FAB-500T aviation bombs, equipped with UMPK modules, in two separate attacks on the Kharkiv region." [bombs did not detonate. UXB]

Delivery system a MiG-25RB warplane. Reconnaissance/bomber.

[ . . . . ]

"But most importantly, the FAB-500T bomb stands out because it’s usually paired with reconnaissance and attack aircraft like the MiG-25RB, capable of reaching speeds up to 3000 km/h [about 2,000 MPH]. The 'T' in FAB-500T denotes 'heat resistant'. These bombs are designed to endure the thermal stresses associated with carrier aircraft traveling at speeds up to 3000 km/h."

Foxbat noted for being able to attain very high altitude very fast. FAB-500T heat resistant as described rather impervious to heat "stresses" as generated by a very supersonic near vertical climb.       

With regard to MiG-25RB [NATO designation Foxbat-B]:

"Single-seat reconnaissance-bomber derivative of MiG-25R, fitted with improved reconnaissance systems and a Peleng automatic bombing system. The aircraft can carry a bombload of eight 500 kg. (1,100 lb) bombs."

See previous blog entry the Russian FAB series of glide bombs.

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Adjustment.

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A done deal? Light at the end of the tunnel?

The devil as usual is in the details

Cease fire and hostage/prisoner exchange the Gazan War.

In chronological order:

1. "Report details Israel’s deal proposal, including ‘permanent’ cessation of hostilities before all hostages return"

By MICHAEL BACHNER 10 June 2024

"Channel 12 news publishes extensive details of what it says is Israel’s May 27 proposed hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas, without citing sources or saying how it obtained it."

2. "Israel says it’s studying latest Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal"

From Times of Israel | By JACOB MAGID and TOI STAFF 3 July 2024.

"Senior Israeli official says terror group’s updated proposal gives more room for a possible agreement but stresses gaps still significant, suggests Netanyahu’s office harming talks"

3. "Israel sends delegation to renewed hostage-truce talks in Doha on Hamas proposal"

From https://www.timesofisrael.com | By LAZAR BERMAN and TOI STAFF | 4 July 2024.

"In phone call, Biden tells Netanyahu he welcomes the ‘effort to close out the deal’; Mossad chief David Barnea reportedly heading up team departing for Doha"

4. "U.S. sees major breakthrough in Israel-Hamas talks, senior administration official says"

From Reuters through Ha'aretz | 4 July 2024. 

"Hamas made a significant adjustment in its position over a potential hostage release deal with Israel, a senior U.S. administration official said on Thursday, expressing hope that it would lead to a pact that would be a step to a permanent cease-fire."

Three-stage plan to end the Gazan War with a cessation of hostilities, exchange of hostages/prisoners AND a total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

I would fully expect this to be considered as a loss for the Israeli side. Hamas not eliminated but active, alive and well able to reconstitute AND even as we speak reconstituting!

coolbert.

F & S.

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F & S - Feral and stray. The Gazan War.

Dog the PTSD military dimension.

"'We assume dogs coming to us have undergone very harsh training in Gaza, involving starvation, beatings, and being fenced off,' . . .  'Some dogs arrived with severe traumas also resulting from the explosions. We had a dog that was afraid of any small noise. We had dogs that were shot and burned. Some dogs were very aggressive in levels we weren’t familiar with here'" - Inbal Kesem.

"Israeli farm rehabilitates stray dogs found in Gaza"

https://www.ynetnews.com  | by Alexandra Lukash.

"Shanti Farm manager Inbal Kesem says most dogs brought back from the Strip are aggressive and usually euthanized but says they should be given another chance"

"The Shanti Farm provides rehabilitation for stray dogs found in Gaza. IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza often encounter stray dogs during their operational activities and many have been brought to Israel, but some are very aggressive and are often euthanized. Now some seek to give these dogs a second chance and rehabilitate them."

Important here to be able to differentiate between stray and feral dogs. The former previously habituated in some form to human. The latter dogs once domesticated and now gone wild no longer habituated to humans. Most of these hounds running loose are of the tame and now stray category?

"habituate: verb - transitive verb - 1. to make used to something : ACCUSTOM."

Dogs whether stray or feral running loose a danger. Carry disease, messy eaters leaving scraps of food all over the place attracting additional diseased scavenger animals.

Humans when confronted by a pack of strays in peril! Dog especially those that have CONSUMED human flesh as I strongly suspect the case Gaza.

I cannot help but notice that some of these dogs apparently in a process of devolution. Reverting to the true original form of the ancient canine type.

"It would take several generations for the breeds to blend into a generic type similar to the dhole, pariah or dingo."

See previous blog entries animals in context of the Gazan War:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2024/06/froggie.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2023/12/f-f.html

coolbert.

THEN & NOW.

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"Please stay within the markers, as the area outside has not been cleared of Explosive Remnants of War."

"Storming the Point at Peleliu"

"The 1st Marine Division staged a bloody amphibious assault for a questionable prize."

Here with an extract from an article as originally written 2010.

From https://warfarehistorynetwork.com |  By Dick Camp 2010.

See the You Tube video, Peleliu, then and now.

The Point Today:

"The 600 inhabitants of Peleliu today live on the northwest side of the island, where a small dock for boats provides their only link to Koror, the administrative capital of the Republic of Palau. Fishing, subsistence farming, and tourism—scuba diving and battlefield tours—support the local economy."

"Most of the battlefield remains relatively unspoiled. Dense scrub growth conceals the point’s battlefield relics from the casual observer. However, if one looks closely, the coral is littered with vestiges of the fighting. Relics abound in the caves, bunkers, tunnels. Ordnance litters the ground, including unexploded mortar and artillery rounds—and even Japanese hand grenades. Exploring the sites is not for the faint of heart. Shell fragments, expended .30 caliber cartridges, remnants of fighting positions—and on the edge of the 30-foot spit of land, two half-concealed concrete bunkers, still housing the Japanese 47mm antitank guns that played such havoc with the landing."

"At low tide, the exposed steel treads steel treads of an amphibious tractor (amtrac) lie just 55 yards from the embrasure of the left flank bunker, mute testimony to the deadly effects of the Japanese gun. During the landing, some unknown Marine had dumped an ammunition crate, the wood long since rotted away, in the salt water. Mounds of .30 caliber rounds lie fused together in the coral, the brass shiny from being scoured with sand."

That experience of one American combatant Peleliu best expressed by Eugene Sledge. Air field now Peleliu named in honor of Eugene.

See prior blog entry as relevant: https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2024/07/sledge.html

coolbert.

Motorcycle.

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"One of the ways of increasing the mobility of spetsnaz behind enemy lines is to provide part of the unit with very lightweight motorcycles capable of operating on broken terrain." - Suvorov.

As is now during the Ukraine Conflict? These Russian motorcycle units probably manned by special purpose units personnel. Spetsnaz!

"Russian Motorcycle 'Cavalry' Accelerate the Speed of Offensive"

From https://sputnikglobe.com | 7/1/24 | Ekaterina Blinova.

"Russian military personnel of the Vostok battlegroup actively used motorcycles and quad bikes during the liberation of the village of Staromayorskoye and other settlements on approach to Ugledar in the Donbass region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense."

"The Russian military has employed a new tactic of motorcycle assault to cross exposed fields, minimize the risk of attack by Ukrainian drones, and break through enemy defenses from the flanks, the Defense Ministry's press service revealed on June 30."

Motorized "cavalry" troops of the highest possible caliber more than likely spetsnaz competitive at the international moto-cross level of competition.

Diversionary units giving the Ukrainian a lot of aggravation!

coolbert.

Sledge.

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"Palau islands American military presence

Compact of Free Association: The Compact, signed in 1982, provides for U.S. defense responsibility for Palau for 50 years, with the U.S. providing financial assistance and support to Palau in exchange for access to the islands" [AI generated]

Air field Peleliu. As was agreed upon over forty years ago has now come to pass!

"US military rebuilds runway on site of ‘nightmare’ World War II battle"

From https://www.cnn.com | By Brad Lendon, CNN  |  June 30, 2024.

"(CNN) - A US Marine Corps aircraft has landed on a rebuilt runway on a World War II-era Japanese airfield on the Pacific island of Peleliu, site of one of the Marines’ bloodiest battles of the war and now a possible US basing option in a strategy to counter China."

"The KC-130 Hercules transport aircraft touched down on the 6,000-foot runway on June 22 in what a Marine Corps press release called 'a significant and triumphant return to this iconic World War II site.'”

"Marine engineers had been working on rebuilding the runway for months, clearing brush, removing trees and ensuring no unexploded ordnance remained from the World War II battle on the island, which is part of the island country of Palau."

EXPEDIENT AIRSTRIP TO BE USED AS A DISPERSAL FACILITY IN CASE OF WAR IN THE PACIFIC!

"The Marines named the rebuilt landing strip the 'Sledge' runway in honor of a veteran of the Peleliu battle, Pfc. Eugene Sledge, a mortarman on the island who wrote about it in a memoir"

As I have remarked so many times before, everyone making ready! Do I need to tell you for what?

coolbert.

Prepositioned.

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Undersea cables and other vital under-water infrastructure again! North Sea and probably beyond that. 

"Important development: Russia mine Western underwater communications in the North Sea – The first target to be hit!"

"NATO is strengthening its entire submarine [underwater] defense"

From https://warnews247 | Alexandros Boufesis info@warnews247.gr30.06.2024 | 

"NATO fears Russia has mine critical maritime infrastructure, at least in the North Sea. It is noted that a few days ago Russian analysts urged the country's Army to 'cut in two' Europe and the United States by hitting."

Internet fiber-optic cable, gas and oil pipelines mined in advance to be destroyed in the eventuality of war between NATO and Russia.

"In the last ten years, more than 160 non-military Russian ships have carried out 945 suspicious maneuvers. At least 749 – within a kilometer [half-mile] radius of the pipelines."

Guards Minelayers Russian naval GRU in action? At least during that period of the Cold War all [?] Soviet oceanic-going vessels designed with dual-purpose military/commercial mission. Has that long standing tradition continued?

See previous blog entries the potential for war-making, the undersea infrastructure problem:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2024/05/cables.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2024/05/undersea.html

coolbert.

Three-ton.

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Russian conventional bomb modified with wings and guidance system the war-winning weapon?

1. "It blows everything away." What Russia used for the first time in the Northeast Military District zone"

"Russian aviation began using three-ton FAB-3000 aerial bombs"

Glide bomb about 2700 kg.

From ria.ru  | by Andrey Kots | 06/25/2024.

"MOSCOW, June 25 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Several videos of attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions with heavy three-ton FAB-3000-M54 aerial bombs have already appeared on social networks. This weapon had not been used before. Read about what this most powerful weapon is capable of in the RIA Novosti article."

2. "Russian Glide Bombs: Cheap, Deadly and Almost Unstoppable"

From https://www.wsj.com | By Wall Street Journal | June 20, 2024.

"Russia is using cheap, highly-explosive glide bombs to devastating effect in Ukraine. WSJ explains how they work and why they are so hard to counter. Illustration: Louisa Naks"

"WSJ examines military innovation and tactics emerging around the world, breaking down the tech behind the weaponry and its potential impact."

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WITHOUT QUALIFICATION OR RESERVATION THE EMBEDDED VIDEO. EXPLAINS QUITE WELL THE GLIDE BOMB AND SIGNIFICANCE ON THE UKRAINIAN BATTLEFIELD.

Further:

3. "How Ukraine can defeat Russian glide bombs"

From https://www.c4isrnet.com | By John Hoehn and William Courtney | Jun 27, 2024.

"In recent months, Russia has terrorized Ukraine’s front-line troops and nearby cities with glide bombs. They are large, free-fall bombs with pop-out wings and satellite navigation, which operate similarly to weapons equipped with the United States’ precision-guided, aerial Joint Direct Attack Munition."

"Currently, Ukraine has few counters to glide bomb strikes."

Three methods as proposed to counter the Russian glide bomb. None of these methods easy, fraught with difficulties in all cases. Devoted readers to the blog must peruse the c4isnet article in entirety and decide for themselves suggested counter-measures Russian glide bomb feasible and do-able!

Hey! Nobody ever said any of this was going to be easy!

coolbert.

Sun Ke.

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“'These people suffer the most from being without a country, and for more than 2,600 years they have moved about homeless,' . . .  'The British want to set up a permanent settlement in Palestine,'. . . 'but this has provoked vehement opposition from the Arabs there, and the violence has not yet died down.'” - Sun Ke.

The Promised Land China? China? Consider this blog entry to be a borderline topic but interesting nonetheless.

Herewith an oddity and curiosity of history:

"How a Brooklyn dentist almost formed a Jewish homeland in pre-WW II China"

"Seeing a land free of antisemitism, Albert Einstein and Chinese leaders pushed plans to settle 100,000 Jews fleeing Nazis in Yunnan, the Himalayan foothills of China’s hinterland"

From https://www.timesofisrael.com | By HARRY SAUNDERS |  6/29/24.

"FOREIGN POLICY — On March 7, 1939, China’s top legislative official, Sun Ke, filed a dispatch to the government’s Civil Affairs Office. As a member of the Supreme Council for National Defense, he had spent the previous two years searching for ways to give China a fighting chance against the invading Japanese. Now, Sun Ke wanted to brief his colleagues on a seemingly unrelated issue: the plight of the Jewish people."

"Sun Ke believed that a more suitable refuge could be found in his own country. Not in Shanghai, where 20,000 Jews had already fled, but in the Himalayan foothills of China’s hinterland. With Laos to the south and what was then called Burma to the west, Yunnan was a border province with an unusually temperate climate, staggering natural beauty, and enough uncultivated land to accommodate 100,000 Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. What it lacked in scriptural significance, it made up for with its history free of antisemitic violence."

Idea of Sun Ke never came to fruition! Probably a no-starter from the beginning.

See other instances of proposed Jewish homeland settlement other than British Mandated Palestine:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Autonomous_Oblast

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-uganda-proposal-1903

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89vian_Conference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Plan

coolbert.