Amphibs again prove their worth.

Defense Tech is reporting this...

Here’s a quick rundown of the tech the U.S. military is sending to help in the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami that just hit Japan. From a Pentagon news release:

• The USS Tortuga, in Sasebo, Japan, is preparing to load landing craft and to leave for the disaster areas as early as this evening.
• The USS Essex, with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, this morning. The ship is preparing to depart as early as this evening.
• The USS Blue Ridge, in Singapore, is taking on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies and preparing to depart tomorrow morning.
• The USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group, at sea in the western Pacific on its way to Korea, can respond if directed.

So far, there are no reports of U.S. military casualties or major damage to American military equipment in Japan.

4 ships on call...2 are amphibs...1 is a carrier and 1 is a command ship.

Why this mix?

Quite simply...Manpower and equipment.

Disasters require personnel to physically search for and treat survivors...operate heavy equipment for clean up...fly helicopters to aid in casualty evacuation....man amphibious assault vehicle to travel flooded areas to reach stranded persons..etc...

A unique capability found on amphibious ships.  A capability not found on Destroyers...Subs...Frigates or Patrol Ships.

It does little good for a ship to arrive in 2 hours if it can't provide meaningful assistance.

A carrier---as effective a ship of war as it is---doesn't have the resources to provide the kind of assistance that is needed.


It can show the flag but it can't do the work.

Amphibs again prove their worth.

Force Protection Ocelot. Let's get real about its size.

Time to get real about the Force Protection Ocelot.  Its not a small vehicle.  Its almost 18 feet long.  Its almost 8 feet tall.  Its narrower than a HUMVEE but only by a few inches....and once the HUMVEEs are RESET and Upgraded they will only gain a capsule and suspension improvements.  Meaning that they will be no wider and will probably only match the Ocelot in height.  Much as my buddy Think Defence loves the Ocelot, its not the world beater that our friends across the pond might want us to believe.

via Wikipedia...Production history
Designer	Ricardo Plc / Force Protection Europe
Designed	2009–2010
Manufacturer	Force Protection Europe
Produced	2011– (projected)
Variants	Prototype
Specifications
Weight	7,500 kg (7.4 long tons)
Length	5.32 m (17 ft 5 in)
Width	2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
Height	2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)
Speed	110 km/h (68 mph)

Price of the 2nd Dutch F-35 known!

GvG sent me this link and information from the Dutch Ministry of Defense regarding the quoted price of the F-35 test airplane (absolutely awesome GvG...thanks).

By letter dated February 29, 2008 Parliament received confidential information on the estimates of the price of the second F-35 test plane including engine, which was € 91.7 million (2007 prices).

The now agreed target price of the unit including the engine is € 91.2 million (2007 prices,  plan-dollar $ 1.00 = € 0.83). In 2010 price level this amount is equivalent to € 99.2 million.

The ceiling price of the unit without motor is 6 percent above the target price, but the ceiling price of the engine is not yet known..Translated by GvG.

Read the whole thing here..its in pdf form...but despite what you hear from the critics and naysayers...this program is not only on track but meeting cost expectations.

Button and Curtiss Support Operations During Exercise Pacific Horizon 2011

Maritime Prepositioning ship USNS Sgt. William R. Button floats three miles off the coast off Camp Pendleton's Red Beach during Pacific Horizon 2011. Button and the Maritime Prepositioning ship SS Curtiss are supporting the 14 day exercise which provides the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group-3 the opportunity to exercise essential core competencies at the brigade level to rapidly respond to an emerging crisis with a flexible, full spectrum capability. (Photo by Sgt. Jason Fudge)

A crane offloads a beach landing module from Maritime Prepositioning ship USNS Sgt. William Button anchored three miles off Camp Pendleton's Red Beach, during exercise Pacific Horizon 2011. Button and the Maritime Prepositioning ship SS Curtiss are supporting the 14 day exercise which provides the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group-3 the opportunity to exercise essential core competencies at the brigade level to rapidly respond to an emerging crisis with a flexible, full spectrum capability. (Photo by Sgt. Jason Fudge)

An amphibious assault vehicle with 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion drives onto a roll on/roll off discharge facility attached to USNS Sgt. William Button near Camp Pendleton, Calif., during Pacific Horizon 2011. Button and the Maritime Prepositioning ship SS Curtiss are supporting the 14 day exercise which provides the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group-3 the opportunity to exercise essential core competencies at the brigade level to rapidly respond to an emerging crisis with a flexible, full spectrum capability. (Photo by Sgt. Jason Fudge)

Lee sent me the link to this story on the Military Sealifts Command participation in Exercise Pacific Horizon 2011...thanks guy!!

But the thing thats hitting me  more than almost anything else..especially with this re-emphasis on amphibious operations is the role that the Follow-on echelon and the ships in the MPF play in sustaining combat power ashore after the initial assault.

MEU's and the larger MEB-MEF are able to sustain themselves for at least 30 days ... but high intensity combat will chew up men, vehicles and supplies at a much higher rate so the importance of these ships increases with the level of resistance...in short...I've been concentrating on the sharp end of the stick but the shaft is just as important....

Eurofighter...Worse than we thought???

My buddy Bjørnar sent me an article on the Typhoon Eurofighter.....Read it all here but these are some highlights...

This shows the acquisition cost of the Eurofighter/Typhoon in an even worse light than it had previously appeared, when an RAF fleet of 160 had been expected. It is now acknowledged that the development and production cost to the UK of Eurofighter will be £23bn with planned upgrades.
This means that we UK taxpayers will have shelled out no less than £215m for each of our 107 jets – that's $350m at today's rates, rather more than the US taxpayers have been made to pay for each of their 185 Raptor superfighters², almost all of which will be used operationally. And the Raptor has third-generation Stealth: the Eurofighter has no stealth features at all. The Raptor has thrust vectoring for unbeatable manoeuvrability in a dogfight: the Eurofighter doesn't.

I don't quite know what to make of the article or the source.  I wish I had a better grasp of British Newspapers and how seriously to take them.  One thing is certain though....if even half the claims made are true then the UK's Ministry of Defense has some explaining to do!

Joint Strike Fighter make 100th flight...the official pics...

On March 7, 2011, the first F-35B Joint Strike
Fighter test aircraft (BF-1) completed its 100th flight with BAE test
pilot Peter Wilson at the controls. BF-1 flew in short take-off,
vertical landing (STOVL) mode to continue expansion of the STOVL flight
envelope to demonstrate design durability and in preparation for
shipboard testing scheduled for later this year. The F-35B is the first
JSF variant with two aircraft completing 100 flights and will be the
first stealth fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps and is undergoing test
and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

On March 7, 2011, the first F-35B Joint Strike
Fighter test aircraft (BF-1) completed its 100th flight with BAE test
pilot Peter Wilson at the controls. BF-1 flew in short take-off,
vertical landing (STOVL) mode to continue expansion of the STOVL flight
envelope to demonstrate design durability and in preparation for
shipboard testing scheduled for later this year. The F-35B is the first
JSF variant with two aircraft completing 100 flights and will be the
first stealth fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps and is undergoing test
and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

Trimarans as Sea Based Aviation Platforms.

Large Trimaran Concepts Tech Elements

Marines declare AH-1Z Cobra operational

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - The Marine Corps' newest attack helicopter, the AH-1Z Cobra, achieved Initial Operating Capability ahead of schedule in February.

"Getting the AH-1Z to IOC has been a huge achievement for the entire team," said Col. Harry Hewson, program manager for U.S. Marine Corps Light and Attack Helicopters. "Now we get to put the Zulu in the hands of the Marines and prove that it is indeed the most capable marinized attack helicopter in the world."

As part of the H-1 Upgrades Program, the AH-1Z replaces the currently fielded AH-1W. The AH-1Z will serve a primary role in assault support, offensive air support and air reconnaissance. Cobras will play a supporting role in anti-air warfare, electronic warfare, and control of aircraft and missiles.

The new Cobras feature 10,000 flight-hour airframes, a new four-bladed rotor system with semi-automatic blade fold of the new composite rotor blades, new performance matched transmissions, a new four-bladed tail rotor and drive system, upgraded landing gear, and pylon structural modifications. The Cobra also incorporates modernized, fully integrated cockpits/avionics that will reduce operator work load while improving situational awareness and safety.

The AH-1Z is equipped with two General Electric T700-GE-401 series engines and greatly increased lift capability and stores capacity, giving it a significantly greater ordnance payload for future growth potential. The primary weapon system is the Hellfire missile. It is fully shipboard compatible, and capable of operating from prepared or unprepared landing sites, day or night.

The Marine Corps will remanufacture 131 AH-1W helicopters into AH-1Z aircraft and build 58 new AH-1Zs. The projected inventory for the AH-1Z is 189 helicopters. Full operational capability, defined as when all AH-1Z maintenance and repair support, test equipment, and spares are in place to support active component force primary aircraft authorization, is expected to be achieved in 2020.

AH-1Z Cobras were first delivered in 2007 by prime contractor Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated. The Department of Defense authorized the Cobra for full-rate production in November 2010. The first deployment of the AH-1Z is scheduled for later this year with a Marine Expeditionary Unit. This will be the first opportunity for the AH-1Z and UH-1Y to deploy together. The UH-1Y is already on its third rotation to Operation Enduring Freedom.

"The expeditionary agility that the Yankee/Zulu package brings to the Marine Air/Ground Task Force is exactly what the Marine Corps needs as we continue to fight two wars and conduct numerous other engagements in every clime and place," Hewson said. "I am proud to be a part of the team that is making that happen."

Aviation Neck Down Strategy tossed without an after thought.

Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

The USMC had such a plan.

Aviation was to be an all STOVL force.

The Navy didn't like it but oh well ... eat fish heads and rice and suck it up big boys....

That's what a GRUNT Commandant would have told the big Navy...Congress...and anyone else involved/concerned about Marine Corps procurement.

That's not whats happening now.

Read this ...from Defense Tech.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos confirmed today that the Marines are looking to operate some F-35C carrier variant Joint Strike Fighters. This is a big deal. If the Corps buys C, it will solidify the future of fixed wing tactical jets in the Corps if the troubled B-model gets axed. It also shows that Marine Corps aviators will keep flying long-legged (I mean long-range) strike jets off big deck aircraft carriers.

This sucks on too many levels.

It gives the vociferous critics of the B model new ammo.

It ignores the work of previous commandants that set a roadmap for future Marine Corps procurement.

Its done without explanation.  This makes no sense at all.  If we're not moving to an all STOVL force then why not procure F/A-18EF's now?  It would lower costs, receive Congressional support and serve as a bridge to the JSF.  Is this going to increase the costs of the B model?  It will...so why do it at all?  This is idiotic! 

B's only!

Think Defence on the Ocelot.

Lee sent this article on the now modular Force Protection Ocelot and the story that Think Defence ran on it (thanks Lee...I already subscribe to him but...).

And the 'but' is in regards to the Ocelot concept.  What is it to actually be?  The British forces already have the Panther...they have the Jackal....the have a range of light weight MRAP type vehicles.

How would this vehicle fit into the US structure?  We have the JLTV...we're considering uparmoring and resetting the HUMVEE...where does this vehicle fit?

In my opinion this appears to be a 'rapid fielding initiative' that took too long and is no longer applicable.

LAV-25 A2 as the Marine Personnel Carrier.

Thanks Mike...I never saw this...great find buddy...keep'em coming!

Mike found this brochure of the tech demonstrator model of the LAV A2.  A quick look at this reveals that after removing the turret, making a few modest upgrades/changes and you have your MPC.

The time for lengthy development schedules is over.  We have the blueprint already in service...time to sole source this puppy and get it done.

CH-53A Loops and Rolls.

If anyone knows where I can find the full video of this flight then please shoot me an e-mail.

A couple of points. 

Fastest helicopter in US service.

Most powerful helicopter in US service...I always cringed at the long flight times until I read the stats and heard the stories.  UH-1, CH-46 and AH-1 pilots would tell '53 drivers to slow down---even when they had a cabin full of Marines.

Amazing.