USAF to start training on the F-35 before the end of the year.

via Defense News.

The 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will take delivery of 20 F-35A-model conventional take-off variant aircraft with Block 1 training software after a brief informal operational evaluation so that instructor pilots can begin their training, said Vice Adm. Dave Venlet, the new JSF program executive officer.

 "We're going to put them in the hands of the fleet and the Air Force is going to be operating [Conventional take-off and landing aircraft] in training at Eglin before the year ends," Venlet told a luncheon hosted by the National Aeronautic Association.

Why is the discussion of the F-35 so contentious.

Click here and the link will take you to an article written by Sweetman about the F-35.

From the start the conversation was contentious, with a commenter named JackJack being double and triple teamed...all because he supports the program.

What surprised me even more was the fact that even Sweetman (whos come out in the past against outing commenter s because it could deny a link to the inside story on these program) goes so far as to insist that JackJack come out and identify himself by name.

All of the above is neither here nor there...the question is this...Why do conversations about the F-35 become so contentious.

F-35C.

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus performs the first F-35C flight by a Navy test pilot at Naval Air Station Patuxent River on Feb. 11, 2011. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter currently undergoing test and evaluation. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

You just knew I had to add this pic to the blog.  Remember..."except for discussions about my beloved F-35B" I can be quite lucid!

Pic of the day. Feb 15, 2011.

Marines with Combat Assault Battalion, Ground Combat Element, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Forward, III Marine Expeditionary Force, in amphibious assault vehicles train with smoke grenades here Feb. 11, 2011. The training evolution also included courses of fire with the M2 50. caliber heavy machine gun and the Mk19 automatic grenade launcher at a newly-constructed range built for multinational training by Marines from 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III MEF, and Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd MarDiv, both assigned to GCE during Exercise Cobra Gold 2011.Cobra Gold 2011 is a yearly multinational, joint training exercise designed to improve partner nation interoperability. Courtesy PFC Mark Stroud.

BAE's ugraded HUMVEE.

all photos courtesy of BAE...

We lost on the EFV but won a Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) Vessel!

Defense Tech reports...

The Navy is also asking to buy 11 ships: Two Virginia class attack subs, one DDG-51 class destroyer, four Littoral Combat Ships, One San Antonio class amphibious transport ship, two Joint High Speed Vessels and one Mobile Landing Platform.

We lost on the EFV but the bigger battle...the battle to make the sea base a reality seems to be well in hand.  The biggest obstacle, the US Navy is onboard (notice another San Antonio Class LPD is also to be bought along with 2 JHSVs)...

All the hand wringing about the Marine Corps future is beyond premature...it was wishful thinking by a cabal of critics.

Royal Air Force begins its death spiral in earnest.

from Alert 5 via the Daily Telegraph.

Up to 100 student pilots will be told the news on Tuesday with some of them only a few hours away from becoming fully qualified to fly fighters, helicopters and transport aircraft.

The cuts will mean the waste of an estimated £300million already paid for training the pilots, plus the cost of redundancies. The training of RAF pilots can cost up to £4million a man.

There are fears that the sackings will lead to a shortage of helicopter and transport pilots on the front line in Afghanistan.

Tomorrow, one in four of the 400 student pilots will be taken aside to be told their commissions have been terminated when Air Vice Marshal Mark Green, the head of RAF training, visits each of the three flying schools.

Up to 20 trainee fast jet pilots, 30 helicopter pilots and 50 air transport pilots will be axed, The Daily Telegraph understands.

Well that's that.  They're cutting muscle and the future of the force from the budget now.  I wonder why they couldn't just reduce by attrition?

CB-90 in US action.

Marcase sent me these photos. Thanks guy.

Funny thing is I remembered seeing them but just couldn't place...a quick Google and what do I find?

A Huffington Post article on a bio-fueled combat boat.

The US - freaking - Navy is testing bio-fueled boats instead of trying to get its act together when it comes to littoral combat.  Yes, I've heard the stories about US Military fuel usage but still....AMAZING.  A low density asset that should be off the coast of Africa chasing pirates is instead in San Diego taking glamour shots....AMAZING!

Let's get serious about Littoral Combat.

Mike over at New Wars first proposed this ... and now that he no longer blogs it up to me to carry out his cause.  The LCS isn't about getting serious about Littoral Combat (LC).

Mission modules aren't about getting serious about LC.

Fire Scouts aren't about getting serious about LC.

Putting enough boats in the water with trained personnel is getting serious about LC...the CB-90, along with detachments of Marines...operating with attack helicopters ---all deployed from mission specific LPD-17's or LHD's is getting serious about LC.

Yes, the above video is promotional.

Yes its a fanciful demonstration of the CB-90's capabilities...but a look at the island chains in the Pacific...along with the current threat of piracy points to one direction.

Our efforts at LC are woefully inadequate, improperly resourced and missing what's needed to win the future.  The CB-90, with a Marine Corps with one foot in the water is exactly whats needed.

If we can't win the Piracy "war" against rag tag fleets of boats operated by criminals then how are we going to defeat an enemy that uses this tactic in asymmetric warfare against us?

Have you seen this video about Port Security?

Eye opening isn't it?

How did a light helicopter become the Navy's workhorse.

Lets take a stroll down memory history lane.  During the 1950's  the US Navy became alarmed by the threat to its carriers posed by Soviet Subs.  The solution for the close in fight and to work with anti-ship frigates was a light multi-purpose helicopter...the Kaman SH-2 Seasprite.  The heavy helo was the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King.  Both helicopters served world wide and side by side for years.  The latest example retired just a few years ago.

In the interim though, the SH-60 has gone on to become the primary helo of the US Navy.  A mistake.  With the turn toward littoral combat and the need to keep enemy subs at bay, a larger more sophisticated helicopter is needed with the range to be a real shield against enemy subs.

The AW-101 is just such a helicopter.  I am becoming more and more convinced that the MV-22 while unique and capable is too niche a vehicle to suitably fit the Marine Corps needs into the future.  What is needed is a jack of all trades that is affordable, capable and able to not only back stop the UH-1Y but also the MV-22 and at times even the CH-53.  The Marine Corps has had the luxury of having the CH-46 continue on in service for the past few years while the MV-22 came online.  This "breathing space" is about to come to an end.  If the Navy can be convinced to buy the AW-101 with the Marine Corps buying a squadron or four along with them then the buy should be an easy sell.  Money projected to buy more MV-22's can be reprogrammed for this new purchase with the end result being more helos purchased and more robust Marine Amphibious Units being deployed (yeah I know its Marine Expeditionary Units but I'm campaigning for a name change...the term "Expeditionary" has been bastardized and is no longer relevant).


AW-101 Utility

Pic of the day. Feb. 12, 2011.

F-22 Raptor 4173 takes off from Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Ga., facility on its delivery flight to Langley Air Force Base, Va., Jan. 27. Lockheed Martin has delivered 173 of a total of 195 Raptors to date.