IB-003 - Practice | HWS | RCS
Intel of Note
[Deliberate Practice: What it is and how to use it to find flow and improve any skill]
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. – Peter Drucker
Deliberate Practice is the process of committing to the intentional improvement of a specific skill. There are two main objectives that the process of deliberate practice is tasked with achieving:
Focus the improvement efforts on the area that requires it.
Obtain clear, usable feedback to assist in completing the first objective.
When seeking to implement concepts such as deep work or to take an ability to the next level traditional practice will only get you so far. The reason for this is caused by a natural tapering-off point that is reached once a skill becomes "second nature." Here there is minimal improvement gained for the amount of effort exerted. The issue is that improving past this point requires a more "targeted" approach which requires quality feedback.
Feedback is heavily relied upon to provide vital information on how the process is progressing towards achieving its first objective. Feedback sustains & facilitates the process in the same way that jet fuel sustains & facilitates aerial refueling, a critical infrastructure system for air forces around the earth. It is the lifeblood of Deliberate Practice without feedback the process dies. Collecting feedback on its own can be a complex system though it doesn't have to be. After each session of focused and intense practice, conduct a review of what took place.
Ask yourself:
What went well?
Can I see a significant change in my skill?
What did I learn as a result of this session?
What could be improved for the next session?
The purpose of this review is to collect information so that each successive session will be more effective at improving the skill than the previous one.
If you had to spend one hour each day improving a skill you already possess, what would you focus on to improve?
A Basic Look At The Current State Hypersonic Weapons
What are Hypersonic Weapons?
Hypersonic Weapons are a launched weapon similar in concept to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) or Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) that can achieve speeds many times that of the speed of sound or 1,125Â ft/s. Most HWS concepts (specifically the HTV-2 and the X-47 resemble the Omnidroid Launch Craft from 2004's The Incredibles (This will most likely not be the last Disney referenced in regards to space weapons.):
There are two main types of Hypersonic Weapons Systems (HWSs):
Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCMs) - Hypersonic Missiles are similar to conventional cruise missiles in that they are guided rocket-propelled explosives but with the added advantage of being able to achieve a speed of at least Mach 5 or 5 times the speed of sound. Most HCMs are powered by scramjet engines or supersonic combustion ramjet engines.
Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) - Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (sometimes called Boost-glide) are essentially giant hunks of metal and composite materials that are lifted into space using a conventional missile and then released into space. Once released they are guided, unpowered, towards their target while skipping in and out of the atmosphere to avoid radar detection. HGVs are so powerful, due to their kinetic energy, that they do not require explosive warheads to cause large amounts of destruction. However, that has not stopped humans from making them nuclear-capable. HGVs are especially dangerous due to the fact that most conventional missile defense systems have almost no way to counter the speeds and stealth aspects that HGVs provide.
What Countries are Developing Hypersonic Weapons?
There are only a handful of countries currently developing Hypersonic Weapons including France, Australia, India, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United States & China with the latter three having the most advanced programs. Currently, Russia seems to be the only nation with an operational HGV, named Avangard, which has a claimed top speed of Mach 20 or above 15,000 mph. Meanwhile, China recently successfully tested an HGV, even though they insist it was just a spacecraft:
Bloomberg: The Financial Times has reported that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile. Could the foreign ministry confirm if China has such a missile?
Zhao Lijian: As we understand, this was a routine test of spacecraft to verify technology of spacecraft's reusability. It is of great significance to reducing the cost of using spacecraft and providing a convenient and cheap way for mankind's two-way transportation in the peaceful use of space. Several companies around the world have conducted similar tests. After separating from the spacecraft before its return, the supporting devices will burn up when it's falling in the atmosphere and the debris will fall into the high seas. China will work with other countries in the world for the peaceful use of space for the benefit of mankind.
AFP: Is the missile you mentioned the same missile reported by the Financial Times?
Zhao Lijian: As I just said, it's not missile, but a spacecraft.
The USA currently has some hypersonic weapons in development including the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Concept (HAWC), a DARPA project being developed by Raytheon & Northrop Grumman that had a recent successful test, as well as the USAF's AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW but nothing that is operational.
So What Was That Thing Spotted in The Mojave Desert?
The video of the craft was originally posted to TikTok by what is presumed to be a construction worker. Using Open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques, user Ruben Hofs identified that the location in the video as the Helendale Avionics Facility in the Mojave Desert.
The facility is used to test the radar cross-section (RCS) of stealth aircraft, this measures how "large" the craft appears on radar. The facility is conveniently located near where the USAF builds and tests all manner of interesting things and is operated by Lockheed Martin. Both locations are usually associated with projects from their more "advanced" programs. When asked the head if he could provide any information on the craft Jeff Babione, the GM at Lockheed's Skunk Works, replied, "I can't."
Based on historical RCS testing there is the possibility that the craft was upside-down, as shown below, but in the current era of UAVs, it is possible that the final version of whatever this is will not be manned.
The most concerning aspect of this story is that the military brass "seem" to not know what it is either.
