Training with the people you will meet in combat? Partnerships have gone too far....

U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicolas Villanueva, right, motor transportation operator, Combat Logistics Detachment, Marine Rotational Force Darwin, works with soldiers from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to build a hut during Indigenous Australian culture classes for Exercise Kowari 2017 Aug. 23, 2017.

When will leadership get it thru their heads?

Partnerships are good in theory but just like all things have to be done with an eye toward PRACTICALITY!

You know when I knew things had gone off the rail?  When every Special Ops outfit on the planet started looking like US forces.  Those Special Ops partnerships did nothing but give hints, techniques and modes of operations to people we might cross swords with.

And unfortunately the insanity continues.

Why would I train with people I'm liable to meet in combat?  What good does "relationships" have when the guy you were training with 2 years ago now has you in his crosshairs?  What did you unknowingly tell, let slip or allowed him to see that will cost your life in those precious seconds?

This partnership craze needs to end before it ends us.

This is the Chinese economic reality that no one talks about.

via Reuters.

 China’s state-owned enterprises will face more mergers and bankruptcies as the government overhauls the lumbering state sector, the head of the country’s state asset regulator told Reuters.

In a rare interview with a foreign news outlet, Xiao Yaqing, chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), stressed Beijing’s commitment to streamline its bloated and debt-ridden state-owned sector and create conglomerates capable of competing globally.

China embarked on a revamp of its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in 2015 to tackle rising corporate debt and also to make them more profitable and responsive to market forces.

It has claimed progress in its SOE restructuring through mergers, reductions in excess capacity, the relocation of workers, closure of “zombie” firms, and implementing a controversial scheme under which debt is converted into equity.

Story here.

Why is this on a military blog?  Simple.  I believe China is the number one threat to US survival as a nation.  Additionally I believe that we have a number of boosters/ill informed people that want the status quo to continue.

They can't see a future where internal pressures inside China couple with their building military power to push a future conflict.

They're wrong.

If you don't have time to read the entire article then drink in the last paragraph that I highlighted in red.

Reductions in excess capacity?

Relocation of workers?

Closure of zombie firms?

Debt converted into equity?

The Chinese leadership is walking a fine line.  One slip up and they risk internal turmoil.  People without jobs...even fake jobs are unhappy people.

Want to know when China will strike?  Start watching the Chinese economy and how these "reforms" work out.  If they're going badly then you'll see nationalism rise.  When that happens dig your boots in.  The next thing you'll see is a Chinese horde rushing your line.

Sampson 30 RWS with integrated Trophy APS...is this the turret for the ACV?

via Defense Update.

RAFAEL has designed a new version of the Samson 30 unmanned turret fitted with an integral Trophy active protection system (APS). In addition to a 30mm automatic cannon and coax machine gun, the new turret integrates two independent sights, and two multi-purpose guided missiles, recessed launchers for smoke grenades and complete Trophy APS system comprising four radars and two countermeasures units enabling complete hemispheric coverage of the protected vehicle. RAFAEL unveiled the new initiative at the International Armored Vehicles (IAV) conference in London this week.

Story here. 

Is this the turret that fits the bill for the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle?

The only thing I would like to see (and it might be covered in the base vehicle) are a few more optics to see around the rig.  As things stand it mounts the 30mm cannon that ATK developed for the EFV, still trying to figure out the stretched deal there, and its much lower profile than that monster the Army is putting on the Stryker.

For an already tall vehicle, a low profile turret can make a difference.

First things first though.

Let's see the Marine Corps pick a winner this summer then we can start lobbying hard to make our APCs into IFVs.

Something tells me that on future battlefields we're gonna need the firepower.

KJ-600 carrier-based AEW aircraft .... stealth detector?

via Defense Aerospace.

China is developing a surveillance plane designed to be launched from the country’s newest aircraft carrier and fitted with a radar system to spot enemy stealth jets, military observers say.

State media confirmed for the first time on Monday that China was building its first carrier-borne early-warning plane called the KJ-600.

The announcement comes as the United States has deployed F-35 stealth jets to bases in Japan and other parts of the Asia-Pacific over the last year, challenging China’s air defences in the region.

Chinese military observers said the KJ-600 would be fitted with an advanced active electronically scanned array, or AESA, radar which could enable it to spot stealth aircraft such as US F-22s and F-35s. 

Beijing-based military expert Li Jie said the new surveillance plane could also become a command centre in the air. “AESA can detect stealth fighters at a very long range,” Li said.

He said the aircraft would fill a critical weapons gap with the US and improve the combat effectiveness of Chinese carrier battle groups.

Li said the KJ-600 would likely be used on China’s third aircraft carrier under construction in Shanghai and be compatible with its advanced electromagnetic launch system (EMALS). EMALS can launch jets more quickly and effectively than the ski-jump ramps used on China’s first two aircraft carriers.

US-based military website Eastern Arsenal reported last year that the KJ-600 was being built by Xi’an Aircraft Corporation, weighed 25-30 tonnes, was powered by twin turboprop engines, and had a large AESA radar on its fuselage.

Story here. 

US just pulled the rug from under the Kurds...they're proper fucked!

The Kurds are the rabbits in this scenario. 

I make fun because it's enough to make you punch walls.  We just pulled the rug from under the Kurds, threw the under the bus....buddy fucked the hell outta them. 

Check this out via Almasdarnews.

Any YPG fighter that leaves the battle against the Islamic State (ISIS) in order to participate in the Afrin operations will lose U.S. backing, the Pentagon told Turkish state owned Anadolu News Agency on Tuesday.

“If they [U.S.-backed forces under the SDF] carry out military operations of any kind that are not specifically focused on ISIS they will not have coalition support,” according to Pentagon spokesperson Adrian Rankine-Galloway in reference to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, another name for Daesh.

“Let’s say for example, a unit of YPG says, ‘Hey, we’ll no longer fight ISIS and we are going to support our brothers in Afrin.’” then they are on their own, he said. “They are not our partners anymore.”

Story here. 

Breaking Defense has the best write up on Rheinmetall's ADS ....

via Breaking Defense.

German arms maker Rheinmetall is rolling out a new Active Protection System (APS) it says should lay Army safety concerns about such systems to rest. The Army is rushing to install anti-missile defenses on its armored vehicles but remains concerned about whether they might accidentally shred nearby civilians or friendly troops. The Rheinmetall system has been tested and certified to meet uniquely stringent safety standards, the company says.

It shoots down incoming missiles at the last instant, which they argue is (ironically) safer for surrounding troops than an early kill. (We explain below).

Story here. 

BD has the best write up (in my opinion) on the new German system.

So why ain't screaming at the moon calling this the next best thing since sliced bread?

Cause I remain unimpressed.

For these things to work they're gonna have to be cheap enough to put on every vehicle in your inventory.  If that can't be accomplished then they need to be so small that you can't identify a vehicle that has these protection systems.

I can imagine an Assault Man would not waste a missile on a tank with active defense.  He'd go after another vehicle that doesn't have it.  Or if a particular unit is fully equipped then if the commander has even one active brain cell they'll seek to launch on one target, identify how many missiles actually go thru the defenses, adjust and then start shooting the prescribed number till they ran out.

One other thing.

I don't know how they're testing these things.  Will they actually perform on a modern battlefield?  What happens when you have tanks advancing and the enemy is shooting small arms, raining artillery, sending every LAW rocket they have and finally hitting you with heavy ATGMs?

I know we're playing catch up.  I know the Russians and Israelis and Chinese already have these systems in service.

I just want to know more before we invest heavily in first gen tech that will undoubtedly improve over the next few years.

Why the Pentagon Isn’t Happy With the F-35

via Bloomberg

Efforts to improve the reliability of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 are “stagnant,” undercut by problems such as aircraft sitting idle over the last year awaiting spare parts from the contractor, according to the Pentagon’s testing office.

The availability of the fighter jet for missions when needed -- a key metric -- remains “around 50 percent, a condition that has existed with no significant improvement since October 2014, despite the increasing number of aircraft,” Robert Behler, the Defense Department’s new director of operational testing, said in an annual report delivered Tuesday to senior Pentagon leaders and congressional committees.

The F-35 section, obtained by Bloomberg News, outlined the status of the costliest U.S. weapons system as it’s scheduled to end its 16-year-old development phase this year. Starting in September, the program is scheduled to proceed to intense combat testing that’s likely to take a year, an exercise that’s at least 12 months late already. Combat testing is necessary before the plane is approved for full-rate production -- the most profitable phase for Lockheed.

-------------

By the end of testing designed to demonstrate that the F-35 is operationally effective and suitable for its missions more than 600 aircraft already will have been built. That’s about 25 percent of a planned 2,456 U.S. jets; 265 have been delivered to date.

Story here. 

Amazing isn't it.

The Pentagon is pressing ahead with this program despite the fact that so many problems still remain.

Even worse?

Despite the idiocy of declaring the plans IOC, and combat testing yet to occur we know that they're building nothing but mistake jets.  And before that testing is over the Pentagon would have bought 1/4 of the programmed buy before they have the problems solved...if they can be solved.

It's obvious that they're running on pure religious faith.

Despite evidence to the contrary they're pressing ahead on the BELIEF that somehow they can salvage this program and have an effective fighter that delivers as promised.

I believe in God, not Lockheed Martin.  Unless there is divine intervention we're looking at a procurement program that could endanger the security of the nation.

Faith, Vanity or Arrogance.  It really doesn't matter at this point.  The window to fix this thing and reorient is rapidly closing.  Hopefully common sense will prevail.

The F-35 cult needs to be burned at the stake to keep the disease from spreading.

Fleet Air Arm Merlin...

Forwards, Backwards, Left & Right. This @RoyalNavy Merlin is being put through its paces - Post maintenance checks to ensure it behaves correctly! Look at those rotor blades spin. #Flynavy #fidgetspinner #rnasculdrose #flynavy #royalnavy #defence #fleetairarm #cornwall #merlin #helicopter #aircraft #flying #flight #skies #hover #dance #rotor #defenceimages #milstagram #avgeek #aviation #spin #blades

A post shared by Fleet Air Arm (@fleetairarm) on Jan 23, 2018 at 2:43am PST

Thor : Ragnarok / Fenrir .... so this is the wolf that's suppose to eat the world?

Norse mythology is pretty entertaining (no offense to believers just my look at things).  Not quite as good as Greek mythology but definitely worth a read.

But come on!  This is the wolf that's suppose to destroy Odin, kick Thor's ass and eat the world only for everything to start all over again?

I mean he's freaking huge but gobble up the planet?

Chinese J-20 completes first air combat exercise via Sputnik!

via Sputnik

China’s fifth-generation J-20 jets took part in their first air combat drills at the start of January, according to a People’s Liberation Army Air Force announcement.

The exercises featured J-20 aircraft simulating aerial combat with older J-16 and J-10 fighters and involved H-6K long-range bombers in some capacity, the Diplomat reported Tuesday, citing the air force. The location of the drills, which lasted nine days, has not been disclosed, the news outlet noted.

Story here. 

A big AESA.  Long range missiles.  High flying.  Super cruise.  Long ranged.

The F-35 supporters say maneuvering is irrelevant.  What if the Chinese agree and decided to build a big honking, fast as fuck missile carrier that has frontal stealth, can fly far and high and can rain down missiles (if its at say 50K feet) on its prey?

It doesn't matter.  Something tells me we'll all know more than we want soon enough.