JSF making progress.

via the Lexington Institute.

As the Pentagon moves towards negotiating for the next lot of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, it is doing so with a sense that things are moving in the right direction. Pentagon acquisition chief, Under Secretary Ashton Carter, publicly stated that he was more confident in the program. There is also said to be an improved working relationship between senior Lockheed Martin officials and the new head of the Joint Program Office, Vice Admiral David Venlet.

The test program for the F-35 is firing on all cylinders. If the current progress is sustained, by mid-year the program will be caught up to its planned test program, eliminating at least one of the probationary items established last year for the STOVL JSF variant, the F-35B. The program will also address another problem area when it begins testing of a redesigned inlet door that has been causing some vibration problems.
In addition to progress on the airframe, avionics and software, the F-35s engine maker, Pratt & Whitney (P&W), is also making progress. Fixes have been implemented for each of the problem areas identified in earlier tests and should be completed before the end of the year. Equally important, P&W has committed to its original cost reduction plan for the next lot of engines, despite the fact that the restructured program is buying fewer F-35s than originally planned. According to reports, P&W has committed to dropping its price by 13 percent through engine 250, a cost savings rate more than double the typical six percent reduction for an engine program at the same stage of development.
The biggest challenge facing the JSF program is not technical; all the problems identified for the aircraft and the engine have fixes in development or actually deployed on test vehicles. The biggest issue is cost. The program is on track to produce the aircraft for the target price of $60 million a copy when it reaches full production. The problem is that the Pentagon and the Congress are continually reducing the annual buys for the aircraft. This makes it very difficult for Lockheed Martin and P&W to move down the learning curve, provide predictability to their subcontractors or manage their labor force correctly. Everyone who shops at Costco or BJ’s knows that when you buy in bulk you save money. Well, the same thing is true for weapons platforms.
While it is right for the Pentagon to make affordability a priority in weapons systems acquisition, it is equally the government’s duty to act like a responsible buyer. If DoD wants a low, stable price than it has to commit to a predictable acquisition rate and to reaching that target as rapidly as possible.
Daniel Goure, Ph.D.

More good news you won't here about...

The program is on track to accomplish all of its goals.  Despite the e-mail campaigns that many bloggers, writers and critics are engaged in, the policy makers and the services are fully behind this airplane.

The naysayers have had their day in the sun...Blogs got readership by being anti-JSF.  Those days are coming to an end.

I couldn't be happier.

You're over the target when you're taking fire.

The UK blog Think Defence has an interesting article on the Eurofighter Typhoon.  In it he covers the costs of bringing the airplane into production and isn't gentle in his critique of the "first air to ground" mission.  To be precise, he calls it a publicity stunt.

I couldn't agree more.

But what's stunning about this revelation is that Think Defence is generally a huge supporter of placing all the UK's aviation assets in the RAF basket.  If he's turning on you then you've got issues.

More relevant and I think an even more stunning article is found at Sharkey's World Blog.  Here's a sample.

The Typhoon had to fly in company with a Tornado because the £160 million worth of laser targeting pods destined for fitting to the Typhoon were still in their packing crates and the Typhoon pilots were not qualified or trained to use them.  The Tornado was therefore used to acquire the targets for the bombs and the Typhoon pilot dropped his bombs when directed to by the Tornado crew. This can be viewed either as an innovative and sensible way of ‘making good’ serious national front line deficiencies or as a very expensive and inefficient way of doing so. The latter view seems more appropriate when Harriers from carriers remain available with trained aircrew to do a job which presently requires a Typhoon /Tornado combination which, even if either aircraft performed to desired specification, would be at a markedly higher cost.

and then this...

8.         The basic costs of this mission can be broken down as follows:

Typhoon: three hours flying time                                                        £240,000

Tornado: three hours flying time                                                        £105,000

Refuelling tanker: five hours flying time                                             £150,000

Fuel costs: approximately                                                                     £100,000

Total cost of the single mission                                                      £595,000

8.         Harrier aircraft from a carrier could have completed this mission for less than £80,000 and without this cost of deploying Typhoon, Tornado and tanking aircraft and associated ground support to Italy and Cyprus.

9.         Those are the basic mission costs. The support costs are more difficult to estimate but suffice it to say that running RAF Marham for one year is more than four times the cost of running HMS Ark Royal or HMS Illustrious for the same period.

Long story short.

My friend in the UK is able to put facts and figures to thoughts that many of us have.  The retirement of the Harriers was short sighted and not well thought out.

Inter service politics has cost the UK capability and the inability to admit the mistake will see that this capability is not restored.

Read the whole thing.  Sharkey is taking flak...that means he's on target.

101st Airborne, 2/327th, "No Slack" Battalion; fighting on a hill top.

U.S. Army soldiers From the 2/327th No Slack Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, return fire after receiving small-arms fire during combat operation in the valley of Barawala Kalet, Kunar province, Afghanistan, March 29, 2011.

U.S. Army soldiers From the 2/327th No Slack Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, return fire in the valley of Barawala Kalet, Kunar province, Afghanistan March 29, 2011.

U.S. Army soldiers From the 2/327th No Slack Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, return fire from behind cover during combat operations in the valley of Barawala Kalet, Kunar province, Afghanistan March 29, 2011.

A U.S. Army soldier From the 2/327th No Slack Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, relieved after a fire fight with the Taliban opens his mouth up towards the sky to taste the snow as it falls in the valley of Barawala Kalet, Kunar province, Afghanistan March 29, 2011.

A U.S. Army soldier From the 2/327th No Slack Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, returns fire with a M-249 squad automatic weapon during combat operations in the valley of Barawala Kalet, Kunar province, Afghanistan March 29, 2011.

UPDATE:

I sent the guys at BlackFive an e-mail asking why the 101st would establish a base camp on the sideslope of a hill instead of on top of it.  They responded that it was probably mission dependent...they were observing trade routes and established it where they would have the best field of fire.

Makes sense to me.  Mission first...Troop welfare second...

Long story short.  They established the base in an area that would help them accomplish the mission.

US Army is about to shelve the M24 Sniper Rifle.

This is really the end of an era.  I just really have to wonder when an up sized M110 will eventually supplant the XM2010...semi automatic sniper rifles appear to be the wave of the future.

via Military.com.

The Army is moving closer to arming all of its sharpshooters with the XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, a powerful new sniper rifle that can reach more than 50 percent farther than the weapon currently in use.

 

The XM2010 first hit Army ranges late last year, and the service's top gear buyer says it is already targeting bad guys in Afghanistan.

 

The new rifle takes some of the parts of the current Remington-built M24 bolt-action sniper rifle -- which has been in the Army's inventory since the late 1980s -- and marries them with an updated stock, magazine and rail system.

 

But in a major shift brought on by experience in Afghanistan, the XM2010 is being built to fire the .300 Winchester Magnum round, which can hit targets up to 1,200 meters away. The current M24 -- much the same as the civilian Remington Model 700 -- fires a 7.62mm round that can reach targets about 800 meters away.

Read the whole thing but the US Army appears to be setting course toward a two rifle system...the XM2010 for long range shots and the M110 for the shorter/urban stuff.

What remains unsaid is whether the .50 caliber rifles are going away.

I'd almost bet money that they are.  The 300 Win Mag can almost reach as far and as far as I know shoot flatter.

Eurofighter Typhoon teaches hard lessons on modern aircraft procurement.

The Eurofighter might be everything its designers claim it to be.  That doesn't mean that even after years of development and deployment that its quite there yet.

This story from SkyNews sheds some unfortunate light on the plight of the UK's Eurofighter force.

Get ready for some drastic cuts. A must read article.

Joe sent me this article (thanks guy, it spoiled my day but its a must read in my opinion).

Read it here. 

Long story short.  Defense is primed to get a major haircut if liberal leaning thinkers have there way.  Its totally understandable IF all programs get the same treatment but entitlement programs shouldn't be saved at the expense of constitutionally required  government functions.

I also find it interesting that Defense is considered a standalone entity when our foreign policy (including the protection of other advanced democracies) drives our spending.  Unless we have a policy change then any cuts in Defense spending will be a fools errand.

Pic of the day. April 14, 2011.

110411-N-EC658-004.ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 11, 2011) An aircraft director guides an MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 (Reinforced) to a landing aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5). Bataan is deploying to the Mediterranean Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julio Rivera/Released).

Trophy...active combat vehicle protection.

Impressive. Fire Scout flight record..

via ASDNews.

San Diego - The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)-built MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle marked a new single-day flight record of 18 hours.

U.S. Navy operators achieved the record using a single aircraft in a series of endurance flights Feb. 25 from the USS Halyburton (FFG 40). Fire Scout is providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data to support anti-piracy missions while deployed on the ship for the Navy's 5th Fleet.

I like it.  The only thing really missing with these advancements is the lack of standardization.  The K-MAX is about to enter service with the Marines as a cargo UAV and it would make sense to use either it or the Fire Scout for both missions.  Current budget realities demand it.  Still NGC is to be congratulated.

Did you hear about this incident at Camp Pendleton?

via 10News.com

SAN DIEGO -- One of the nation's largest military bases is reportedly under tighter security after three Middle Eastern men tried to enter without proper authorization.10News learned the three men -- 40-year-old Afghani Ahmad Rahmani Naeem, 41-year-old Iranian Vahik Petrossian and 27-year-old Iranian Sengekdi Norvik Avanosian -- attempted to get into Camp Pendleton last weekend under what was considered suspicious circumstances.On Wednesday, base officials said there was no threat, but others on the base told 10News security has been stepped up.According to a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert issued to high-ranking Camp Pendleton officials, someone reported hearing hateful comments and terrorist threats from three men at a gas station in Oceanside Saturday.Investigators at Camp Pendleton said the men asked the attendant for directions on how to get to Camp Pendleton before they left the gas station. According to the alert, shortly after midnight Sunday, a rented silver Toyota Corolla driven by Naeem attempted to enter Camp Pendleton through the main gate. As it was being searched, Petrossian and Avanosian drove up in a black Mercedes, but were told to wait. Instead, they continued past the gate and onto the base. Following a short pursuit, the Mercedes was stopped and searched.No weapons or contraband were found in the Mercedes, but base security noticed the air bag in the steering wheel of the Mercedes had been pulled out and re-attached with duct tape and had wires hanging free, the alert said.According to the alert, Naaem told base security he was lost and was trying to go to Glendale. When interviewed, Petrossian and Avanosian said they were lost and trying to go to Glendale. The three men claimed not to know each other, the alert said.Naaem, Petrossian and Avanosian were photographed and released after questioning, and a warning about the trio was posted to law enforcement.However, later that morning about 8:30 a.m., Naeem returned in the Toyota and tried to get on the base again, saying he made a mistake and was trying to enter Interstate 5, the alert said. After his vehicle was searched, Naeem was issued a letter of debarment from the base and escorted to the freeway.Since the incident, 10News learned high-ranking Camp Pendleton officials have notified other military bases and law enforcement of a potential threat.

This happened last month and I'm just hearing about it now.  Talk about a story being swept under the rug!  This is beyond interesting.  If you can add anything to this story, please let me know.  I'm beyond curious.

Winning! NAVAIR seeks multi-year V-22 buy.

via DoDBuzz...

The Navy hopes to hear back from Bell-Boeing on a proposal for a second multi-year contract for 122 V-22 Ospreys on May 26, such a  deal would round out the Air Force and Marine Corps buy of 50 and 360 aircraft, respectively.
If the five-year deal is approved, it means that the Pentagon will save a minimum of ten-percent over a one year buy of the tiltrotors, according to Col. Greg Masiello, NAVAIR’s V-22 program manager. The flyaway cost for each bird is roughly $65 million.
“At this point we’re confident of ten-percent savings over a single year price,” is all John Rader, Bell Boeing’s executive in charge of the V-22 program, would say when asked if the deal will save more than ten-percent.

Congress must approve the deal before it can go forward.
Meanwhile, the Air Force variant of the tiltrotor is seeing readiness rates pushing 80-percent for deployed units while Marine MV-22 squadrons operating in the field are up to around 70 percent, according to Masiello. Stateside units are still a little lower than that.
And in a very interesting piece of Osprey news, HMX-1, the Marine chopper squadron that flies Marine One presidential helicopters will receive 14 MV-22 Ospreys to haul the president’s gear starting in 2013, said Masiello. The tiltrotors will replace the VH-53D Sea Stallions used to carry the president’s gear (not the president) that are being pulled out of VIP duty and back into regular cargo hauling squadrons. Last year, Boeing announced that it was offering up the V-22 in response to a NAVAIR request for information on a new Marine One replacement chopper.

The only thing left is for the AAV replacement..the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, to get going.

Europe fights Europe. Are we hearing NATO's death rattle?

A death rattle is a medical term that describes the sound produced by someone who is near death when saliva accumulates in the throat.

British and French officials are calling out their NATO (read that to be European partners) allies for not pulling their weight when it comes to the conflict in Libya. 

via Defense News.com

"NATO is not able, at this point, to oblige our partners to take part in this action," Longuet told the French parliament.
"I regret, for example, that France and Britain are carrying the bulk of the effort," he said.

 and...

"That is why the United Kingdom has in the last week supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets threatening the civilian population of Libya," Hague said.
"Of course it would be welcome if other countries also do the same," he said. "There is always more to do."

This is a stunning development.  For all the complaints of "USA World Police" it seems that NATO is failing in this conflict.  Two of the Three traditional NATO powers are complaining of the contributions of other member states.  Replace NATO with EU and you have a failed European enterprise.

NATO is the walking dead.  The only people that don't realize it are the politicians.