Michael Duitsman @DuitsmanMS Twitter profile

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Well played, Wikipedia. Well played.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

Oh my god, is Kissinger going to outlive Twitter?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

No. Stop paying attention to Pro-Russian spam accounts like this. Everything about this is wrong, except that it's in Moscow (on the ring road, approximately 55.809 N, 37.839 E, the convoy is headed north). 1. The Sarmat is a silo-based missile and ISN'T EVEN IN SERVICE YET.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

I'm honestly surprised that people expected the Ukrainian military to collapse so fast. They already had 8 years of experience fighting the Russian military and proxies. In previous engagements, Russian forces struggled enormously to remove entrenched Ukrainian troops.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 month

I never thought we would see actual pictures of Kim Jong Un at a uranium enrichment facility. There is no subtlety here.

Decker Eveleth

@dex_eve

1 month

This is a fucking huge facility.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

You know who I feel sorry for in Saudi Arabia right now? The Air Defense Forces officer in charge of the short range air defenses at the Abqaiq oil facility. He'll be lucky to get out of this with his life. 1/7

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

There is a distinct difference between "The Iranians missed" and "Thankfully, the building was empty when the missile hit" The Iranians didn't miss.

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

@ArmsControlWonk

5 years

The Iranian missile strike destroyed several buildings/structures at Ain Al Assad Airbase. @planetlabs has images from this morning that @DaveSchmerler analyzed.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

I had initially filed these under "huh, that's interesting." In retrospect, I'm really embarrassed that we didn't follow this more closely. 1/7

John Ismay

@johnismay

3 years

A mystery munition first seen in Ukraine two weeks ago is an advanced countermeasure deployed by Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles to evade air-defense systems. Story w/ analysis by @CAT_UXO and @ArmsControlWonk :

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

I think it's very unlikely that Moskva was carrying nuclear warheads. However, if it was carrying nuclear warheads, two is probably the right number. 1/4

Ward Carroll 🇺🇸

@wardcarroll

3 years

BREAKING: Intel sources say Moskva had at least two nuclear weapons aboard when it went down in the Black Sea.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

So that "Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement" Office thing is pretty horrifying. You know what else is horrifying? How it's funded.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

2/7 For the longest time, we'd wondered what these circular caps on bottom of the missile were for. Now we know: they're covers for penetration aid tubes. During the terminal part of its flight, the Iskander-M can poop out up to six penetration aids. But what are they?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

If you're wondering why Trump's tweet was a very bad idea, and what other countries (and the open source community) can learn from it, read this:

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

4/7 The Iskander-M PENAID does all three. The body's radar return adds clutter around the missile. The end of the PENAID has a flare to create a strong thermal signature. The interior of the PENAID has a radio transmitter to jam or spoof radars.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

Camera: Potato Frame rate: PowerPoint Tell me you're hiding something without telling me you're hiding something.

Минобороны России

@mod_russia

2 years

🇷🇺Today at 15:12 Moscow time, Sarmat, land-based intercontinental ballistic missile, was successfully launched from a silo at the Plesetsk state testing cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Region.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

New thread: Why did Abqaiq's air defenses fail? First, updated maps of the air defense sites at Abqaiq. First one is April 2019 (the date of the image), the second is how forces were deployed as of this week. This thread will by much more analysis, much less satellite imagery.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

6 years

Hey, I just met you And this is crazy, But here's my number So nuke me, maybe?

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

6 years

Sadly, I was forced to cancel the Summit Meeting in Singapore with Kim Jong Un.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

3. The entire point of mobile ICBMs is to move them out of target zones. Moscow is a GIANT TARGET ZONE. Those vehicles are either doing parade prep or travelling to/from exercises. Based on location and direction, they might be headed to the 54th Guards Division in Teykovo.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 year

Someone mentioned the 4D10 (the rocket engine in the R-27/SS-N-6) on Twitter. The 4D10 is one of the reasons I got into rocket propulsion. It's also a ridiculously complex engine. (I put this together in a hurry, so it's a bit short of pictures.)

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

@ArmsControlWonk

1 year

Ted is still mad. 🤷‍♂️

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

On paper, the point air defenses at the Abqaiq oil processing facility are rather formidable... by 1995 standards, at least. A battery of Shahine SAMs (French system from the early 1980's) 3 or 4 anti-aircraft gun sections, each with 2 twin 35mm cannons and a fire control unit

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

Today I learned that the Duga-1 over-the-horizon radar (the receiver station for which is near Chernobyl) was not considered entirely successful. Due to ionospheric interference in the polar regions (polar cap absorption?) it did not initially perform as expected. 1/4

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

3/7 Generally speaking, penetration aids (PENAIDs) can work three different ways: physically, as a decoy, using its radar return; thermally, using a flare to spoof heat-seeking weapons, and electronically, spoofing or jamming radars and electronics.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

2. There aren't even four TELs in that video. One of them is a 15T418 support vehicle.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

5/7 As @CAT_UXO noted, the GRAU index is 9B899. We've seen five different serial numbers, the highest being 2257, plus at least two more that we can't see the serial numbers of.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

1/12 Continuing from the previous thread on Soviet nuclear turbojet research, I will now give a quick overview of Soviet nuclear ramjet research. This thread is a bit longer, since the story is rather convoluted. (Previous thread linked below)

Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

@GeorgeWHerbert @CherylRofer @mgubrud I dragged these up a year or so ago, looking for old Soviet nuclear aircraft propulsion research. The first is a "ring/coaxial" scheme (looks kind of like the US XNJ-140E), the second is a "shoulder yoke" scheme. I'm guessing they're impractical (esp at cruise missile sizes)?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

7/7 There is obviously more analysis to do here, but to conclude: -Where can I get one? -I think I found @Ascii211 's new mission.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

6/ Two companies are known to be involved in the 9B899. The Central Radiotechnical Research Institute named for A.I. Berg issued contracts during the mid-2010s, and the Stavropol Radio Factory "Signal" claims to have started production of the 9B899 in 2008.

Bit

@Bit111111

3 years

@CAT_UXO @EliotHiggins Interestingly, it looks as if it was: 1) described in that forum post as 'secret' 2) purchased by a radio research lab 3) manufactured by a facility that also contracted to make electronic surveillance equipment around the same time

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Here is something interesting. It looks like North Korea actually fired three rockets in the most recent test. In the first picture, the first rocket is being launched, and three launch tubes still have their caps. After the test (2nd & 3rd pics), only one tube appears unfired.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

Behold, the ultimate TEL shenanigan: Object 829. A proposed TEL for the Temp-2S ICBM, it died fairly quickly after the design team at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology decided the vibrations of a tracked chassis might cause problems for the new missile.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

Two North Korean Mercedes Benz limos meet in the wild. Now they must fight to the death for mating rights.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

6 years

Did we ever tell you about the time @CNS_Updates bought the turbopump from a Thor IRBM engine and made a teaching aid out of it? I don't think we did... Operation IDLE HAWTHORNE Status: Completed, pending write-up

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Wait, is this real? "The ship received serious damage, the crew evacuated completely." Sounds fairly significant.

РИА Новости

@rianru

3 years

На ракетном крейсере "Москва" в результате пожара сдетонировал боезапас

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Except that none of those systems were designed to intercept cruise missiles, and against aircraft-sized targets, the Shahine and Skyguard radars have a 20km detection range. Against smaller targets, like a drone or cruise missile, the detection range (& warning time) is shorter.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

Oh. Oh dear. Those look like some big solid fueled missiles.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

I hate to break it to you, but that's not a rocket and spacecraft anything. In 2021, it wasn't even occupied, as best I can tell. It's this building (55.9247 N, 37.8226 E), next to the sausage factory and the hardware store.

Visegrád 24

@visegrad24

2 years

The Russian Rocket and Spacecraft Scientific Center in Korolyov is on fire right now. It’s the main analytical center of the Russian Space Agency (Russian NASA) Roskosmos. 2 strategic fires yesterday, 1 today. Greeting from Ukraine?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Gentlemen, set your press releases to MAXIMUM AMBIGUITY.

ELINT News

@ELINTNews

3 years

#BREAKING : North Korea may have launched a projectile that could be a missile- NHK citing defence ministry

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 year

Oh hey, I recognize that scope. Looks like a Nikon Prostaff.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

4/7 The attackers knew this, and didn't waste cruise missiles on the air defense sites, as shown in post-strike @planetlabs images. Perhaps they flew drones into the radars, but either way, if the strike package arrived simultaneously, it would easily overwhelm Abqaiq's defenses.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

4/4 However, that would raise the question of why they were running around with nuclear-armed missiles in peacetime. Which, again, I consider unlikely, though I am open to correction.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 year

Many people, including @ArmsControlWonk & myself, have been monitoring this site. If Russia planned to re-use an old site to store nuclear weapons in Belarus, it makes the most sense, given its proximity to Belarus's only ballistic missile brigade. 1/10

Thord Are Iversen

@The_Lookout_N

1 year

Anyone sitting on high-res imagery of the 1405th, from late May or June, that is shareable?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 years

If I recall correctly, the DPRK reportedly tested a new engine a few weeks ago, so #2 makes sense. The second stage burn time on the first two HS-14 tests was crazy long, so it could benefit from a different engine.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 years

Left: fuel tank from Kim's visit to the Chemical Institute today. Right: Aramid fiber seized en route to DPRK by Russian customs last year.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

It's already been said, but North Korea did not 'fake' SA-5's. They've always looked like this, as shown in the original Soviet manuals.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

7/7 Addendum: I only figured out the Shahine site using Sean O'Connor's 2013 SAM site file. Confirming it was a bit of a chore - the identity of the vehicles wasn't apparent until I saw this 2018 Google Earth image. The silhouettes of the radar antenna and launchers are obvious.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

@GeorgeWHerbert @joebarnard @lougrims @KingNeptune767 @scrappypunkbrew @DaveSchmerler Yes, the 1st and 2nd stages of the R-29 are welded together and separated by annular and longitudinal explosive charges. The 2nd stage engine is submerged in the 1st stage oxidizer tank. I've significantly slowed the actual test footage for ease of viewing.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

I see the ghost of the R-27 has returned to haunt us again. "Ampulization," referring to the fueling & hermetically sealing of a ballistic missile at the factory, was a Soviet innovation, developed by the Makeev bureau & first used in the R-27 SLBM. 1/12

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

@ArmsControlWonk

3 years

The DPRK statement has a little bombshell in it. "It also ascertained the stability of the engine as well as of missile fuel ampoule that has been introduced for the first time." "He also noted the military significance of turning all missile fuel systems into ampoules."

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

6/7 So, yeah, the Saudi military has some questions to answer, but at the same time, there wasn't a whole lot they could do, especially at the short-range end of the spectrum.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

Since it was popular, I fixed up my Brahmos notes and added extra information on the booster.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

I'm not sure the nuclear SA-N-6s still exist (if they ever did), and removing a depth bomb from the magazine is probably an easy task. I suspect the SS-N-12s, however, are a pain to move around, and can understand the crew avoiding switching out missiles whenever possible.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 years

1/ Ability to make wound-filament solid rocket casings would be very significant for North Korea's solid fuel ballistic missile program.

Tal Inbar

@inbarspace

7 years

Confirmed: NK is using fiber filament winding for the casings of it's solid rocket motors of the BK-1. Type of fibers still unknown.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

5/7 Even if the air defenses did respond, they were short-handed - the south-eastern and south-western gun emplacements were empty. And with old equipment defending a site well inside of Saudi Arabia, these probably weren't the RSADF's elite troops.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Aww yiss. The NK-15/NK-33 is easily my favorite turbopump. Not because it's good, mind you, but because it's batshit insane. Six shafts, only two of which rotate at the same speed. One of the shafts isn't mechanically linked to the others and is drive by a hydraulic turbine...

Techniques Spatiales - French Space Guy

@TechSpatiales

5 years

Work in progress... #NK15 #N1

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

1/17 I agree with this assessment. Nonetheless, since I am apparently a masochist, I geolocated all of the nuclear weapons storage sites active in Belarus during the 1980s. I'm pretty sure there were 22 of them, though I am open to corrections.

Hans Kristensen

@nukestrat

3 years

@gregkoblentz @IISS_org @walberque @NATO @Maxar @ArmsControlWonk @wslafoy @DuitsyWasHere @JosephHDempsey @mattkorda @NonproJoe @EliotHiggins The facilities in Belarus that were used during Cold War have long been inactivated or atrophied. I’m not aware there are any today. Also, although Iskander is nuclear-capable, the current deployment almost certainly does not bring nukes. Same for aircraft.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

At @JamesMartinCNS , we agree with @ColinZwirko that some of the footage released by North Korea is from the failed test on the morning of March 16 instead of the successful March 24 afternoon test. The TEL's shadow matches a morning launch much better than an afternoon launch.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Poppity pop pop pop. Lockheed's MKV-L. Nice example of small thruster pulsing. Many reaction control system (RCS) thrusters fire in pulses like this, rather than long burns.

Rocket Rundown

@RocketRundown

3 years

No, this is not CGI. This terrifying little guy was built by Lockheed Martin to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles. The control is amazing. Credit: Lockheed Martin

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Watching a potential war begin in near-real time is weird.

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

@ArmsControlWonk

3 years

According @googlemaps , there is a "traffic jam" at 3:15 in the morning on the road from Belgorod, Russia to the Ukrainian border. It starts *exactly* where we saw a Russian formation of armor and IFV/APCs show up yesterday. Someone's on the move.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

... Is that a Mark 41 VLS cell bolted to a semi-trailer?

Aaron Mehta

@AaronMehta

5 years

JUST IN: Pentagon has announced that it has tested a ground based cruise missile that went over 500 KM - that is, a weapon that had been banned under the INF treaty. Data from test will be used to inform future weapon development.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

In his 2012 paper, Igor Sutyagin estimates that the Slava-class cruisers had 4 warheads assigned to them - 2 nuclear-armed SS-N-12 anti-ship missiles, 1 nuclear-armed SA-N-6 surface-to-air missile, and 1 nuclear depth bomb for the ship's helicopter.

Atomic Accounting: A New Estimate of Russia’s Non-Strategic Nuclear Forces

Igor Sutyagin summarises key findings of a study on Russia's non-strategic nuclear weapons stockpile, concluding that Russia may have far fewer weapons than previously estimated.

europeanleadershipnetwork.org

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

1/ Was glad to help with this. Now that it’s out, I can give some explanations. I have the first nine tweets planned out. Then I’ll need to pause and write the rest This thread might end up rather long. I apologize in advance.

Josh Smith

@joshjonsmith

5 years

'Missiles like these will start the war': North Korea tests showcase growing capability. Experts weigh in on what Thursday's tests show about the new missiles

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

We have pictures; the geolocation race has begun.

William Gallo

@GalloVOA

2 years

North Korean state media pictures of Kim Jong Un attending Friday's launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM:

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

6 months

Iran has a wide variety of missiles and drones in its arsenal. Too wide, perhaps. Seriously, the rate at which Iran iterates different missile designs almost makes Soviet ICBM development look rational.

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

@ArmsControlWonk

6 months

A quick summary on Iran's drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles that can reach Israel. Reminder, Iran is about 2000 km from Israel.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

1/? To recap on these mystery containers. As @bm27_uragan noted, they are for sub-munition cassettes for the KMGU dispenser.

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

@ArmsControlWonk

8 years

In case you are pondering those containers at ,Shayrat, here is that image along with two reference images. Have fun.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

When a side project pays off 😀

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

1/18 Okay. Now let's talk about what can be done to defend against this type of attack. This is sort of pushing the limits of my knowledge, so please chime in if I miss something.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 years

This looks... awful. NASA is underfunded as it is, and a lot of the other cuts directly or indirectly affect education and culture. We're pawning the underpinnings of our society to pay for a crippling addiction to military hardware.

James Bullock

@jbprime

7 years

White house proposes to eliminate NASA Office of Education, National Endowment for the Arts, 5 Earth Science Missions, NASA WFIRST, & Corporation for Public Broadcasting

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

10/7 The Patriot site to the southwest of Abqaiq is also apparently real. A @planetlabs image taken earlier today shows that it is occupied. After dinner I'll start a new thread on the specific problems faced by the defending forces.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

I've spent the past week learning how to use @AGItweets Astrogator and simulating the Iranian satellite launch. I'm pretty close now, most of the orbital elements are within 5% of the TLE data. Still trying to figure out Target sequences, though.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

I refuse to be part of your silent majority. I have been trying to avoid tweeting on politics since the election, but someone ( @PaperMissiles , I think?) said that now is the time to look beyond career and stand up for what we believe in. I agree. 1/7

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

Another North Korean missile launch. The updated database I sent for uploading on Friday is already out-of-date.

Yonhap News Agency

@YonhapNews

2 years

(URGENT) N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

That's all. I will probably never use this information again, but thought I should share it. I will not, however, be sharing the picture of a random naked dude standing on top of the radar unit. That picture will haunt me for the rest of my life. 4/4

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 months

"That's really weird" - Decker Eveleth, 2024

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

@GeorgeWHerbert @CherylRofer @mgubrud I dragged these up a year or so ago, looking for old Soviet nuclear aircraft propulsion research. The first is a "ring/coaxial" scheme (looks kind of like the US XNJ-140E), the second is a "shoulder yoke" scheme. I'm guessing they're impractical (esp at cruise missile sizes)?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 year

It is difficult to imagine a missile analysis article being more wrong. The only part Postol got right is that missiles go up.

The Transfer of a Russian ICBM to North Korea? - Beyond Parallel

Russia’s multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile Topol-M (SS-27 Mod 2) and […]

beyondparallel.csis.org

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Not sure if anyone else has pointed it out yet, but Google has updated its imagery of Severodvinsk with pictures from May and June. These barges near the SLBM loading area look... familiar.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

The Russian encampment is at 46.7627° N, 33.3847° E. The column of vehicles was headed southeast (away from the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam) on the R-47. #OSINTatMIIS #Ukraine

Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

There are Russian forces camped out next to the R-47 in Nova Kakhovka. They've been pulling over civilian vehicles and checking them. A column of vehicles, including tanks, just passed through, heading towards Tavriis'k (and possibly Melitopol)

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

9 months

Oh, looks like the new missile is two-stage.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 year

The CNS OSINT team has published its response to Ted Postol's article on the Hwasong-18. His analysis is flawed at a fundamental level. Our team has spent weeks examining, analyzing, and modeling the Hwasong-18, and I have full confidence in our work.

Errors in Analysis of the Hwasong-18

Errors in Postol’s Analysis of the Hwasong-18 Daniel Allen, Madeline Berzak, Michael Duitsman, Decker Eveleth, John Ford, Sam Lair, Jeffrey Lewis, Tricia [...]

www.armscontrolwonk.com

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

This is why the US Navy's Phalanx close-in weapons system (CIWS) has a fully automatic mode (i.e. without a human in-the-loop) - because engagement times against sea-skimming missiles (which travel much faster than 75 m/s) are often a minute or less.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

8/7 Ack! Turns out I missed the Patriot battery (or two) located next to Abqaiq. My sincere apologies.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

108 years later, the lamps are going out all over Europe once more. May we, and the people of Ukraine, live to see them shine again.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

And the Moskva is gone. Sunk. It is an ex-ship. Joined its ancestors. Promoted to submarine. To quote Vladimir Putin, "It sank."

ТАСС

@tass_agency

3 years

Крейсер "Москва" затонул при буксировке в условиях шторма, сообщили в Минобороны РФ:

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Explosions on a live cam from Kharkhiv a few minutes ago.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Was an exciting Monday in Koltsovo, Russia. There was an explosion at the Vector institute, home to an exceptional library of dangerous pathogens (including smallpox and ebola). The town's mayor notes that the affected room contained no biohazards.

Роспотребнадзор подтвердил взрыв в центре вирусологии под Новосибирском

Роспотребнадзор подтверждает взрыв газового баллона и возникновение пожара в принадлежащем ведомству научном центре вирусологии и биотехнологии "Вектор" в поселке Кольцово Новосибирской области.

www.interfax.ru

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

North Korea continues its war against @ArmsControlWonk 's family life.

Yonhap News Agency

@YonhapNews

5 years

N. Korea fires 2 unidentified projectiles into East Sea: JCS

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

6 years

Nothing to see here. Just the main liquid oxygen valve for an LR-79. Waiting to get some high-temperature wire so I can rewire the heater unit and put it on display.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

Apparently, other Duga installations did not transmit over the north pole to the same extent, and so did not suffer from this problem. In 1980, the Duga site near Komsomolsk-on-Amur detected ICBM test launches from Vandenburg. 2/4

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 years

USA: We're deploying the USS Carl Vinson off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea: Hold my beer.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Let's get some misconceptions out of the way: -The Saudis are not incompetent -Patriot is not useless -The attackers were not merely "lucky" -I am not actually air defense expert

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

Ah, the Prosperous Casket Company - your 24 hour casket source.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 years

14/ Even if the monstrosity could fit on a vehicle, it would cause center of gravity issues in both the horizontal and vertical positions.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

7 years

Short version: I wanted to write an article about why NK is nowhere near producing a Topol-like missile. I’m no longer writing said article.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

8 months

Pavel points out that the satellite launched by Russia earlier this month is likely a small optical reconnaissance satellite, part of the Razbeg program. The orbital parameters for the launch agree with this. So that satellite is likely unrelated to the current discussion.

Pavel Podvig

@russianforces

8 months

The satellite launched on February 9, Cosmos-2575, is said to be a Razbeg small optical reconnaissance satellite. Sun-syncronous orbit suggests that it is. So, I very much doubt that it's about this one

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

3 years

Aaaaand I think we pissed someone off. Fun time is over. Fuckers.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

I haven't seen any news about whether a test actually took place at Nyonoksa last week, but @planetlabs got some Skysat images of the test site over the weekend. It's active, and there has been some construction since last August.

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

2 years

Hmm. The front end of the tube looks DF-41-like (no Russian-style guidance interface), rear end looks Topol/Yars-like (no cover over the base extension). Not sure what those pairs of loops on the tube are for (camo netting?)

NK NEWS

@nknewsorg

2 years

BREAKING: North Korea reveals new likely solid-fuel ICBM

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

20 days

If the first stage engine fails to ignite, the entire missile comes crashing down on the silo, with catastrophic results. This precise event happened during the first test launch of the SS-18 mod 5 in March 1986. The resulting crater looks rather familiar...

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

From India - an SLBM launch tube, or a big gas turbine?

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

5 years

9/7 Yup, that's definitely a Patriot battery to the east of Abqaiq. Looks like it was fairly empty on September 16, though. (Aspect ratio on that Planet image might be weird, had to play with it in Powerpoint to get it to display right)

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

6 years

@NuclearAnthro on Trump's "nuclear button" tweet: "And this is the moment I stopped worrying about paying off my student loans"

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

4 years

In the early-mid 1980s, NIIDAR worked to fix the problem at Duga-1, and in 1982 it could detect Space Shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral. I guess it still wasn't satisfactory, as work continued after that, and the site was offline at the time of the Chernobyl disaster. 3/4

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Michael Duitsman

@DuitsmanMS

1 year

14/18 This is the only test of this engine that we were ever shown, and it was made obsolete a year later when North Korea showed us its (probably RD-250-derived) March 18th engine. Kim was so excited by the March 18th success that he started giving out piggy back rides.

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