USMC ACV/AAV7A2 trades terrain capability for survivability?

via Janes.

The US Marine Corps’ (USMC’s) two-pronged amphibious vehicle modernisation effort will include some significant survivability upgrades to its legacy AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles, and be complemented with a new personnel carrier with mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP)-levels of protection.

The AAV7A2/Survivability Upgrade package and Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 and 1.2 are, aside from improving USMC sealift, focused on protecting against underbelly blasts from mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Major Darrel Commander, a requirements officer within the USMC’s Assault Amphibian Vehicle programme, said on 15 November at the SMi Future Armoured Vehicle Survivability conference in London.

Indeed, the AAV7A2 plans to upgrade four battalions-worth of vehicles with additional belly armour, integrated buoyant armour, blast attenuated seats, and an external armoured fuel tank, improving the vehicle’s underbelly blast survivability to approximately half that of a MRAP-type vehicle, according to Maj Commander.

To compensate for the 11,000 lb additional weight burden of these elements, improvements to the vehicles’ powertrain, marine drive train, and suspension were also necessary. However, despite these, the AAV7A2 has a reduced capacity on soft soil and can carry one less dismount compared with the original AAV7. The two variants share the same capacity to operate at sea and the same weapons.

Story here (most behind a paywall). 

With this upgrade the AAV picked up 5.5 tons?  Has reduced capability on soft soil?

I didn't see this coming and everything I've read seemed to indicate that this was an upgrade with no tradeoffs.

We really need to see the cost of the program.  Many have said and I'm beginning to wonder if this is even worth the effort.

Open Comment Post. Nov 16, 2017

Saab Gripen with a vintage paint job...

Airbus Defence & Space - 5th Generation Stealth Fighter Unveiled

Wow.  Talk about variations on the US airpower roadmap!  I miss the days when Europe actually approached problems and came up with different solutions.  Those days are over it would appear.

The only thing I'm seeing different in this vid is that they're using European systems to do the samething that the US is planning to do.

I guess that F-35 briefing served not only the German Air Force but also AirBus well.

As far as that new fighter?  Not impressed.  It looks like a slightly modified Advanced Super Hornet with twin engines.  The Japanese have a much more impressive offering on tap.

What does this mean?

I think we're they're gonna wind up with a new fighter that will be called 5th gen but will actually be in the same class as the Advanced Super Hornet.

The only saving grace is if the Europeans have actually crunched numbers and determined that stealth is dead (as I believe).

If that's the case and if they can produce this new plane at a reasonable price then they might be onto something.

Russian Landing Ship Tank (LST) Ivan Gren completes builders trials...

Thanks to s300v4 for the pic!

Wow.  I've been calling for the US Navy/Marine Corps to investigate the possibility of a modern day LST on these pages for years!  My thinking?  If we're talking about a forcible entry situation, and if its gonna happen the way Greenert once said then we need to be able to put as many forces ashore as quickly as possible.

A little explanation.

Greenert said that the solution to the forcible entry dilemma would be the tried and true method of rolling back enemy defenses and providing corridors to get our forces ashore.  Amos disagreed and was talking about launching from 200 miles offshore and putting penny packets of Marines on the beach while hoping that air power would keep the enemy from overwhelming this small air delivered force.

I preferred the idea of putting the combined arms team on LSTs, have them make high speed dashes to the beach, deposit Marines in AAV/ACVs, our tanks, artillery etc... and then head back out to sea to our Mobile Landing Platform to pickup the next load.

The benefit of the LST over doing the same by LCAC?  You're talking about putting 13 tanks and 300 Marines ashore on every trip.  A comparable number (probably greater) of ACVs or whatever you decide.  4 LSTs assigned to the mission could put a battalion of armor on the beach in one trip.  I don't even want to calculate how many LCACs it would take.

I'll definitely keep an eye on this ship.  I'll also be interested in the Russians concept of operations with her too.

Patria AMV28A glamour pics!

Note: You might have seen these already..I haven't!  Also check out how much less bulk it has when the flotation armor is removed.

Note 1:  Just noticed this but when it loses its flotation armor it also lost its swim vane.  I wonder if this is an indication that without the flotation kit it loses the ability to swim...even across small bodies of water?

Oriole Capital Group invests in AN-74 via Defense Aersopace

Oriole Capital Group, US-based investment fund, has agreed to inject $150 million to launch the production of the Antonov An-74 twin-jet transport aircraft, a variant of the An-72 originally developed in the 1980s. 

Just plain wow.  Oriole is getting a steal.  Everyone is looking at the Japanese and Brazilian offerings for a small jet transport to compete with the C-130 but they're forgetting about this puppy.

What has me a bit impressed and miffed?  The USAF had a requirement to replace the C-130 and Boeing came up with the (I think) awesome YC-14. Those engines above the wing?  Supposedly they provide OUTSTANDING short field takeoff performance and don't degrade normal flight performance.

We had a winner in the blocks ready to go but had the attention span of a gnat and now the Russians are picking up the ball and running with it.

Too bad.

The C-130 is good but its elderly and has its time in the sun.  We should have moved on long ago.  Looks the Russians are about to.

Turkey will buy HMS Ocean if Brazil backs out...via Naval News Instagram...

Story via Naval News.

According to a written question in UK Parliament asked by Mr Kevan Jones (North Durham) , to the Secretary of State for Defence; Government of Turkey is willing to buy HMS Ocean if it is not sold to Brazil.

The question is answered by Mr Tobias Ellwood on Nov 13, revealed that "The Ministry of Defence has received an expression of interest from the Government of Turkey about the potential sale of HMS OCEAN"
According to local media in Brazil, the U.K. Ministry of Defence have offered HMS Ocean for sale to the South American country on Mar 17.

HMS Ocean is the UK’s only helicopter carrier and the fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. She is designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force.

The helicopter carrier was constructed in the mid-1990s and commissioned in September 1998.

In November 2015, the MoD confirmed that HMS Ocean is to be decommissioned in 2018 with no like-for-like replacement.

This comes as the Brazilian Navy have decided to abandon the refit of the  aircraft carrier Sao Paulo and decommission the vessel after a series of technical issues and accidents.

Rectification costs are understood to be a major factor in this decision.

Jesus.

Turkey with a helicopter assault carrier?  Just plain awesome.  So now they'll be able to project power too?

Mark my words.  The nations inside and on the periphery of the Middle East aren't all arming up for giggles.  We're looking at a major regional war sometime soon.

This is why I think the deployment of 3 carriers to the Pacific for the current exercise is both awe inspiring and risky.  What if something kicks off and we have 6 carriers down for maintenance because someone decided that a massive show of force was necessary?  Oh and all those forward deployed Marines and Soldiers are dogmeat in our way of war if they can't get adequate air cover.

I hope to God I'm wrong....but Turkey with the HMS Ocean?  This just don't smell right to me.

9 Assault Squadron Royal Marines embarked on HMS Ocean conduct a winching exercise

Heads up tribe! This book is worth reading!

Hmm.  How can I say this without sounding like I'm chest thumping instead of simply telling my boys about a book that is blowing my socks off?

Forget the nonsense, let me get to it.

You'd be surprised how many times I've gotten "asks" to check out a book and if I like it to tell my readers about it.  I guess the world of military blogging is small because I've hit a few radars.

If you've been here more than a minute then you know that it's not often that I get on a hilltop and scream BUY THIS BOOK!

Well I'm doing that now.

The Author?  Never heard of him.  The subject matter?  The USMC way of war...in essence a primer on how we're going from "hey diddle diddle straight up the middle" to maneuver warfare.  Yeah. It touched all my hot spots.

So what do I think?

I got the book on Monday.  I've been reading it at my leisure and I'm halfway thru today.

I'm hooked like a crackhead and I can't wait to finish today's activities so I can climb back into it.

A full review is coming but like I said.  Halfway thru and I'm learning about the visionaries inside the Marine Corps that "transformed" (hate that word but in this instance it applies) the way we fight.

Trust me guys.  At this point it's a must buy.  Full review coming soon but unless it crashes and burns in the second half this is one for your personal library.