Walrus

[BoarSpear]

http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/050912_walrus.html

The Walrus operational vehicle (OV) is envisioned to have the primary operational task of deploying composite loads of personnel and equipment (for example, the components of an Army Unit of Action) ready to fight within six hours after disembarking the aircraft. Walrus will operate without significant infrastructure and from unimproved landing sites, including rough ground having nominal five-foot-high obstacles. It is intended to carry a payload of more than 500 tons 12,000 nautical miles in less than seven days at a competitive cost. Additionally, Walrus will be capable of performing theater lift and supporting sea-basing and persistence missions to meet a range of multi-Service needs.

this looks like it could be a handy tool if it comes to pass

[HtTKar]

The germans tried something similar to this, did they not? I beleive they were going to use blimps? I'm probably wrong on this. But I think that even though they could take a lot of shots, and drop a lot of bombs, they were too slow to be effective against fighter jets and SAMs.

[BoarSpear]

Yeah i think they are gonna discover we already have some experts at movin alot of stuff around the globe ...its called the navy

Its a romantic idea though huh? goin to war in a high tech balloon

somehow we have this notion of Air superiority.

however once and IF we can accomplish air supremecy (and it withstands significant ground fire of various sizes) then the walrus might be faster than by water .... but it seems to me we could oh station larger fleets stocked n ready to go. a REAL rapid deployment force you know stock the ships with amphibous soldiers i dunno we could call 'em Marines...locate the fleets in hot spots...yeah we already do it......... but we could do it bigger GO NAVY!!!!

[HtTKar]

For some reason this brought up something I've been finding interesting for a couple years.

A blimp can be compared to a submarine.
we all know jets fly faster than blimps.

recently (I think 3-4yrs ago) a guy invented the underwater jet.
"winged submersables", "underwater flying machines"

Imagine if we could have fighter jets underwater. The Navy would have a whole new role, talk about faster by water. I've been looking around but cannot find any military plans on taking up this idea. I know that doesnt mean they dont exist, but you'd think you'd hear something. It is an idea worth checking out, especially since they just developed those new underwater steam engines.

http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=2401455&nav=6uy670e4

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3321

http://www.pursuitdynamics.com/news-detail.php?id=259

http://www.pursuitdynamics.com/pdx.php

[BoarSpear]

Marines in Spaaaaaace!

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001815.html

Starship troopers anyone?