US fires more Tomahawks on Libyan defenses

 via Alert 5 from AFP.

US fires more Tomahawks on Libyan defenses

(AFP) – 18 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The United States fired 16 new Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets on Thursday and Friday as part of the US role in the UN-mandated mission to protect Libyan civilians, the Pentagon said.
The new missile launches brought the total number of Tomahawks used by US and coalition forces to at least 170 as they enforce a UN resolution to set up a no-fly zone over Libya to stop air attacks by the forces of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Pentagon officials said 16 new missiles were fired in the 24 hours to 0500 GMT Friday by US warships and submarines. The missiles are aiming to take out Kadhafi's anti-aircraft and artillery positions.
In the nearby seas, submarines including the USS Providence, USS Florida and the USS Scranton are patrolling alongside the destroyers USS Stout and USS Barry.
The number of Tomahawk missiles used in Libya has started to approach the number used in the 1991 Gulf War, the first conflict in which they were deployed. In that conflict, some 297 missiles were used.
During the same 24-hour period coalition warplanes carried out 153 sorties, officials said, including 67 by US forces.
Washington has said it hopes to turn over command of all Libya operations to NATO while maintaining a support role.
NATO has so far agreed to take control of enforcing the no-fly zone, and is considering whether to broaden its role to take over all military operations from the US-led coalition.

Wow.  This is an impressive war load for a few Destroyers and Subs that are operating in the area.  What would be nice is to see a 'war time replenishment' mission.  Regardless, the sea services continue to deliver.

Arlington (LPD 24), to be christened on March 26.

101123-O-XXXXX-001 PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Nov. 23, 2010) The future USS Arlington (LPD 24) launched Nov. 23 from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Pascagoula shipyard, marking a key milestone in the ship's construction process. Arlington honors the 184 victims who died when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the first responders from the county. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding/Released) 

 

 

 

The good news keeps coming...

The Navy will christen the newest amphibious transport dock ship, PCU Arlington (LPD 24), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss, March 26.

The ship is named for the city of Arlington, Va., honoring the 184 victims in the air and on the ground who lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the military and civilian employees, emergency, fire and rescue personnel of Arlington County and surrounding communities who provided critical assistance after the attack.

Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz, the incident commander coordinating the rescue response efforts on the ground at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attack, will deliver the ceremony's principal address.

Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, is the ship's sponsor, and in accordance with Navy tradition, will break a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship.

Designated LPD 24, Arlington is the eighth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support the Marine Corps "mobility triad," which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, amphibious vehicles and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

Arlington will provide improved warfighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

Two previous ships have carried the name Arlington. The first was a steel-hulled C1-B type cargo ship operating during World War II. The second USS Arlington was a 14,500-ton Vietnam War era, major communications relay ship, which assisted with communications during a June 1969 conference between U.S. President Nixon and Republic of Vietnam President Thieu.

Canadian JSF Briefing Notes.

Thanks Michael!  This should spark some debate...they definitely contradict information given on ARES Defense Blog.

UPDATE*
This is the actual article written by Sweetman over at ARES.  Just to flesh out the information that Michael sent me and is contained in this presentation document, here are the more 'inflammatory' statements made by Bill...

Canada is likely to be headed for new national elections by the end of the day, following a vote of no confidence inspired, in part, by the majority Conservative party's handling of the F-35 issue.

A single defense project...not even one as important as the F-35 could bring down a government.  Bill knows this...

This figure was challenged by a Canadian reporter who noted that the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in its latest report, is projecting an average acquisition cost of $133 million. No, Ross said, that number includes research and development -- a direct misstatement of facts.

This is a favorite tactic of F-35 critics...they parse numbers, compare apples and oranges and use different dynamics than that being used by the Department of Defense (US) and the F-35 Program office.  Its not dishonest...but it is misleading.

DoD acquisition czar Ashton Carter has also made it clear that, absent new management initiatives and efficiencies ("should cost") the program is headed ("will cost") towards a price that the customer cannot afford in planned numbers.

Another misleading statement.  Carter has already taken steps as has Lockheed Martin to drive down the price of the F-35 toward the established goal.  To be honest at this point in the program, the airplane is already remarkably affordable.  I can't help but restate that the F-15K, being sold to S. Korea costs 110 million dollars.  For the F-35 to have a cost of approx 130 million dollars per plane at this stage is quite simply astonishing.  Well done DoD, Lockheed Martin and the Program Office.



Presentation Deck 15 Mar 11_blue_FINAL

Terrible couple of weeks for the world...great weeks for the sea services.

Think about it...

The tragedy in Japan...the start of fighting in Libya...war still raging in Afghanistan...everyone holding there breath to see if the 'uprisings' in the Islamic world spread to nuclear power Pakistan....

But through it all the sea services have had great weeks.

I'm don't mean to be ghoulish but consider this....

On one side of the planet the US Navy/Marine Corps mobilized a fleet of ships/personnel/aviation assets and sailed to the aid of the Japanese..

And on the other side a Marine Expeditionary Unit, a couple of Destroyers, some subs (with another unidentified and unconfirmed sub landing Navy SEALs) and began an air campaign in conjunction with the USAF and our allies.

Add to it the 26th MEU mobilized a TRAP mission and sent an MV-22 along with a couple of AV-8B Harriers riding shotgun to pick up the crew of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle.

And before that happened (and even during it) they've been sailing around the world conducting partnership missions, anti-piracy missions, keeping an eye on the N. Koreans, performing exercises and normally scheduled training.

The sea services have delivered.

Pic of the day. March 25, 2011.

U.S. Marines assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) drop from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Squadron (HMM) 163 to the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) while conducting a fast-rope exercise in the Indian Ocean March 24, 2011. Boxer is the flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, which is under way with the 13th MEU on a regularly scheduled western Pacific Ocean deployment. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Welsh, U.S. Navy/Released)

B-2 bomber ops. Lets get real.

Lets talk B-2's and the raid in Libya.

First we have an airplane that in today's dollars cost 1.1 Billion dollars a piece.

Second we have a fleet of 19 of these airplanes.

Third we have two of them being sent on a transcontinental mission to drop a total of 45 JDAMs.

We have mission failure.  We have a glamour shot.  We have the USAF trying to justify a ridiculously expensive airplane while lobbying for more (NGB).

We have a service without a vision of the future.

Shoot down the idea that this was a silly waste of resources that ultimately wasn't needed and one that took support away from the main effort and all you're doing is ignoring the obvious.

Lastly...if the mission was so necessary for the success of the air war then why haven't they duplicated the effort?  The Navy did with its Cruise Missile Strikes...the Brits did with its Tornado missions...the USAF has had F-15E's flying continously....so why no more B-2 missions?

Because it isn't necessary.

Time to put this turkey out of its misery.  Kill the B-2 and save money.  Put Nuclear strike in the hands of the Navy's Trident Missile Subs and be done with it.

UPDATE*
SMSgt Mac has a website called Elements of Power.  Would you believe he has written a rebuttal to this post?  Check him out.

Pararescue and the rest of the Special Ops Corpsmen/Medics...

I promise this is the last one I'll do on the USAF CSAR mission (at least for a minute) but one thing has been bugging the hell outta me.

My buddy Marcase made the case that PJ's (and again they're probably as tough as woodpecker lips...though I've never met one) are more medically skilled than the Corpsmen that rode out with the TRAP team picked up the F-15E Pilots a couple of days ago.

That bothered me.

It bothered me alot.

The reason why is because the Corpsmen that I've run across have all been extremely capable members of the family.  I've seen Doc's go to Marine's homes when the kids were sick to give advice on what was going on.  Seen them even deliver babies in terrible circumstances and of course watched them help injured Marines when strong armed men stood and all the could yell is "Corpsman Up!"

So what's a guy to do?  Whip out the old Google-foo and see what the real story is...what I found was surprising...only because I didn't remember it.

The US Army Special Forces has a dedicated Medical Sgt.  He not only takes care of his team but administers aid to local forces when they're leading insurgents against a hostile nation.

I looked on BlackFive and saw that Froggy posted that Navy Seal Corpsmen are no longer called Corpsmen but Navy Seal Medics...

I went to ForceRecon.com and saw that Navy Corpsmen are "Recon" qualified...they jump, fight, fast rope and dive with their teams...as well as perform medical treatment....

Long story short...its not about their qualifications or medical skills.

I take the training schools and selection boards at their word---these men are all highly skilled warriors.

But I do doubt the efficacy of the mission set as the USAF has established it.

A simple solution is for the US Air Force to step away from the CSAR mission.  It requires gunfighters that its force does not have.

Give the mission to SOCOM to be shared with the Navy/Marines and elements of the Army (thinking mainly the 82nd and 101st...I don't know if the other Army Divisions have the air assets or training to carry it out) or...

Get serious about the entire thing and get its Security Forces trained and armed up to take part.

Over 5 minutes in hover...

BAE test pilot Peter Wilson made the longest hover during the ninety-fourth flight of F-35B BF-1. On the final vertical landing, Wilson spent more than five minutes in hover, with almost six minutes elapsing from entering the hover to touching down. The flight consisted of three other vertical landings, five short takeoffs, and one slow landing.

One week in...who are the 'stars' of the conflict...

Time to do a tally of events in Libya...who are the stars and who are the big losers....

Stars...

1.  Surface Navy.
The Tomahawk strikes prove that they're relevant, vital and a strategic and tactical resource.  Our vaunted air arm still relies on this 70's era technology to kick in the door.
2.  26th MEU.
Its understrength but still delivering.  Everyone has forgotten that they deployed elements of this unit to Afghanistan then turned around and are supporting this effort.
3.  France.
They took the lead and pushed the US President into supporting this effort.  They might have blundered but they brought the US along for the ride.
4.  RAF.
They've effectively neutered the Royal Navy and established themselves as a long range strike force despite the Typhoon not being a capable ground attack platform.  Harriers would have been more effective off one of their carriers but they've nullified that with their early performance.

Losers...

1.  USAF CSAR.
An after action report showing that an understrength MEU was able to pull off this mission will effectively force the end of CSAR as the USAF practices it.  I see deep missions reverting to SOCOM entirely.  Expect more service specific efforts in the Army and the Marines to operate at the edge of the battlefield with SOCOM operating deep.  I expect the USAF to be out of a job and the Navy to piggy back on Marine efforts.
2.  B-2 bomber.
Despite the transcontinental flight of two of these airplanes, the efficacy of them as platforms of war must be questioned.  They're costly to operate and they still need tremendous support.  I believe calls to retire them and replace them with some type of advanced cruise missile will escalate.
3.  France.
They want a free hand outside of NATO control.  I don't think they'll have there way.  Whatever they planned for an endgame appears to already be in jeopardy.

Is dedicated CSAR a thing of the past? Part 2.

Quick follow up to my first post.  Is dedicated CSAR a thing of the past?

Yes....at least as the USAF conducts it.

USAF CSAR is still based on the Vietnam model.  They use PJ's operating in pairs (I've heard up to 6 now) to rescue a downed pilot.  Even with up to 6 highly trained men, they'll face one unfortunate fact.

They'll be savagely out gunned.

Just as the N. Vietnamese soon learned that they could use injured pilots to draw in vulnerable aircraft for easy kills, so too do our current enemies (this explains the actions taken by AV-8B pilots in dropping bombs upon request of the downed pilots when they saw approaching crowds...think Black Hawk Down).

Loren Thompson said it best in his article today...

In other words, a commitment to doing search and rescue the old way led the service to overlook the much greater performance of the V-22, which might arguably have made it the most cost-effective airframe for the mission.

I recommend you read the entire article but Thompson failed to go far enough.  The Air Force erred in not keeping CSAR inside the Special Ops umbrella.  Unless its properly resourced and staffed (and I'm talking available platoons of gunfighters) then it just won't work in the 22nd Century.

Pics of the day. March 23, 2011.

If you haven't checked out Brian Aitkenhead's Flickr Stream then you're missing a treat.  All photos credited to him.

HMS Diamond is the third ship of the Type 45 or 'D' Class of air defence destroyer built for the Royal Navy. She was launched in 2007, completed her contractor's sea trials in July 2010 and arrived at her base port on 22 September 2010.

The Type 45 (or Daring) class is considered to be the most advanced air-defence warship in the world.[9] The ship's capabilities centre on the SAMPSON Multi Function Radar, which can detect targets out to a distance of 400 kilometres (220 nmi), and the PAAMS missile system.
The Type 45 has frequently been cited by the British press as being the first class of warship to include e-mail and entertainment systems (including iPod charging points)[10] within the messdecks. These reports relate to 230-volt domestic supplies and access to external e-mail, both of which have been common features in most RN vessels for several years.[11]

Ok, I might've been wrong.

Mix the Surefire Mags with the IAR and you might not lose a thing.  Check this out from Military Times Gear Scout.  Awesome.  100 Round Mags and the IAR?  It just might work.

Second Line of Defense's Rescue Timeline.

Pretty interesting read...I'm really warming to SLD's site.  Check them out here.

USN/USMC-”Ready Now”

By Ed Timperlake
03/23/2011 – An old saying comes to mind when looking at the UN action against Quadaffi  and Libya—“Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure.” Regardless of the outcome, some very important 21st Century military lessons learned are already being seen. The USMC for over two decades kept the visionary flame of the need for unique capabilities of the MV-22 Osprey burning. In Afghanistan, it has been a potential war tipping technology and in today’s headlines in the Libyan “adventure” a life savor.

As a fellow Marine Fighter Pilot said to me about rescuing pilots who go down- “I can remember a brief to my squadron (VMFA-451) two days before the start of Desert Storm by a SEAL who had to be all of 21-22 years old, telling us how HE was gonna get US out if we got bagged. This is why US pilots walk confidently to their planes and their competitors may decline to launch; US Marines, USAF PJs, and US Navy SEALs.” With the success of the USMC “TRAP” (Tactical recovery of Aircraft and Personnel) operation to rescue an Air Force pilot on the ground, the 26th MEU time line and distance flown by the MV-22 and AV-8 Harriers is impressive.  Let us review the operational timeline of this effort.
Timeline:
Ø 2333B 21 Mar:  USAF F-15E goes down, pilot and WSO eject safely
Ø 0050B: 22 Mar: 2xAV-8Bs launch USS Kearsarge (KSG)
Ø 0055B: JFACC approvesTRAP
Ø 0120B: MEU KC-130J launch Sigonella IOT refuel TRAP aircraft
Ø 0120B: AV-8Bs overhead downed pilots with F-16 in comm with F-15 pilot.
Ø 0130B: (quick reaction force) QRF 2xCH53E ready for launch with 46 Marines
Ø 0133B: AV-8Bs drop 2xGBU-12 ISO F-15 pilot
Ø 0133B: 2xMV-22s launch KSG
Ø 0151B: QRF (CH-53E) launch KSG
Ø 0219B: MV-22s overhead F-15 Pilot
Ø 0238B: MV-22 lands LZ recovers F-15 Pilot
Ø 0300B: MV-22s recover KSG with F-15 Pilot
Ø WSO reported in-hands of opposition forces at safe house.
Recently, senior policymakers have called into question the need for Marine Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) and also put the USMC F-35B “on probation.” But reality has a quality all of its own, even within inside the Beltway considerations.
Current combat has just demonstrated that not only did the USN/USMC capabilities in the Libyan fight save a pilot but they also are ready to live up to a famous  US Navy World War I quote.  When a US Navy Destroyer Squadron crossed the Atlantic and joined with the Royal Navy the US Commander was asked when his Destroyer Squadron would be ready–
“Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, asked Squadron Commander Taussig that question and he replied, ” We are ready now, Sir.”
Currently, from the deck of the USS Kearsarge and other ships off Libya, the America Navy battle cry of “ready now” is being heard. The importance of that battle cry cannot be overstated.  Because of recent political squabbling, and independent of the fact that forces are already engaged in combat, current air operations against Libya from Italian Bases might be aborted.
“The squabbling continued as Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini again threatened to take back complete control of Italian airbases if NATO did not take the reins of the mission.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/03/22/libya.nato.squabbling/
So in addition to keeping faith in the Osprey, the USMC should pause to give an additional thanks to the UK for V/STOL Harrier– which the Brits unfortunately just retired -  and now on to take the  F-35B V/STOL off probation. The MV-22, with the coming F-35B and Marine helo modernization, “Zulu Cobras” and CH-53K, along with Marine Infantry and their combined arms will put a true 21st Century  US “sovereign territory” force off any coast in the world.
Currently, today’s 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit might prove to be an invaluable military capability to shape American capabilities to get out of the Libyan mess.

CH-53K.

With ARES reporting that the CH-53K is finally taking shape, I thought a repeat of this vid was in order.  I can't wait to see its first flight.

Hold the F*&k UP!

The UK website MailOnline is reporting this....

Six Libyan villagers are recovering in hospital after being shot by American soldiers coming in to rescue the U.S. pilots whose plane crash-landed in a field.
The helicopter strafed the ground as it landed in a field outside Benghazi beside the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Eagle which ran into trouble during bombing raid last night.
And a handful of locals who had come to greet the pilots were hit - among them a young boy who may have to have a leg amputated because of injuries caused by a bullet wound.

Flashy...headline grabbing...demonizing US Marines.

But wait one fucking minute.

We now have additional reports that the downed pilots requested air strikes because they felt endangered and Harriers dropped two bombs....the crew of the MV-22 is denying firing shots and the Pentagon is conducting an investigation.

Sounds like another liberal leaning paper was too damn quick to get a headline...too quick to judge...and eager to paint US fighting men in a bad light. 

Combat Camera...You Guys Rock!

If you've taken the time to watch the video to the right, then you'll see some of the work that USMC Combat Camera does.  I might also add that every scene you see on these pages is taken by someone in that MOS.  Taking pictures while the Grunts are shooting...Shooting when Grunts need cover...They're Marines and I appreciate their work.  The vid below is done by a member of that MOS for a project...nicely done!  Check out his page here.

Is dedicated CSAR a thing of the past?

I originally asked this question as part of the story about the 26th MEU performing a successful TRAP mission in regards to the downed pilots of the F-15.

I decided that it needed its own space.

Why is it necessary to have a dedicated, service specific CSAR force?

The Marine Corps has on numerous occasions proven that it is capable of performing the mission.  So has the US Navy.

I'm not discounting the work of the Air Force PJ's...Combat Controllers and the Pilots in blue that perform this mission....but when we have operations that are as far afield as we have...when a captured pilot is a valuable commodity...when whoever is closest is the best...is it really effective to have a dedicated force?

I'm not sure.

Marines rescue downed pilot after fighter jet crashes in Libya

Marines rescue downed pilot after fighter jet crashes in Libya 
3/22/2011 By Staff , Headquarters Marine Corps ARLINGTON, Va. 
— Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit rescued a U.S. Air Force pilot downed in Libya March 22. The F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in northeast Libya March 21 while flying in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the joint coalition enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to protect the Libyan people from the country’s ruler. Using two AV/8B Harriers, two MV-22 Ospreys and two CH-53E Super Stallions carrying a quick reaction force, the Camp Lejeune, N.C., based Marines conducted a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel mission to recover the pilot. The Marine aircraft began launching off the the USS Kearsarge, which was roughly 130 nautical miles from the pilot - within 30 minutes of the crash - according to a senior Marine officer in the Pentagon. Marine officials attributed the quick reaction time to the versatility of the Osprey. "Total time from launch to return - 90 minutes roundtrip. That's what an Osprey gets you, that speed," the official said. According to official reports, the Harrier close air support element dropped two laser-guided 500-pound bombs in the area in support of the downed pilot. One MV-22 Osprey landed and extracted the pilot. Once extracted, the aircraft returned to the USS Kearsarge with the pilot. Navy Lt. Lauren A. Weber, a doctor with the 26th MEU, said the pilot returned in good condition. The cause of the crash is still under investigation and the names of the pilots will be released pending next-of-kin notification. The recovery force remains on standby while aviation assets are conducting operations in any environment. All seven Marine expeditionary units are trained, equipped and ready to conduct similar missions when called upon.

Absolutely, positively awesome.

Forward deployed Marine Forces have once again proven their worth.

Harrier pilot interviewed on NPR.

 via NPR...(thanks Anonymous...whoever you are!)

 Captain MICHAEL D. WYRSCH (U.S. Marines): Thank you, Steve. Good morning, Renee.
INSKEEP: What was your last mission?
Capt. WYRSCH: Sir, I was on the first night of the campaign when we were asked to go in and assess the Libyan forces - Saturday night, sir.
INSKEEP: You say assess the Libyan forces. So you weren't dropping bombs on them. You were trying to get a sense of where their tanks and armored vehicles were?
Capt. WYRSCH: Yes, sir. Our targets were south of - targets south of Benghazi. As Eric said, Gadhafi's forces were south of Benghazi pressing north towards the city and the rebels up there. And our initial targets were the main elements would be the tanks and the anti-air pieces in that - in the convoy.
INSKEEP: We have seen from photographers on the ground what the results look like - tanks destroyed and blown all along the road there. What did that scene look like from the air, Captain?
Capt. WYRSCH: Well, it was certainly surreal. You know, it was a nighttime mission for us. So when we were approaching the land from our ship, we could see that the Air Force was their first, and we could certainly see targets that they had prosecuted very successfully prior to us getting there.
The enemy force on the ground was very large. There were still many tanks on the ground, rocket launchers that had been firing into Benghazi, and they were pretty easy to pick out on the side of the highways. They were certainly still established in there.
INSKEEP: Is it hard for you to know what you're hitting?
Capt. WYRSCH: Well, sir, we have - the intelligence department here on the Kearsarge, it's part of the MEU(ph). They've done an outstanding job of providing imagery and, you know, up to the minute that we walk, it's one of the unique capabilities that the MEU provides.
You know, before I got in the aircraft I was given, you know, grids - updated grids within an hour of where the enemy forces were located.
INSKEEP: Rapid information. Captain, one last...
Capt. WYRSCH: ...out there, it was very easy. Within minutes we were able to locate the locate the targets that we were targeting out there.
INSKEEP: Captain, one last question, but very briefly before I let you go. There's been anti-craft fire over Tripoli, presumably elsewhere. Is there much opposition when you're flying?
Capt. WYRSCH: No, sir. That was certainly a concern. Prior to, you know, prior to our first mission we were very concerned about some of the threats that you see on the news - the SA5, the SA2, the SA3 and the SA8.
INSKEEP: Anti-aircraft missiles.
Capt. WYRSCH: However, we've got certain aircraft out there that can help mitigate those threats.
INSKEEP: All right, Captain Michael Wyrsch, thanks very much. I really appreciate you taking the time.
This is NPR news.

Sounds almost like a repeat of the "highway of death"....too bad there is such limited imagery. 

AS332 C1 SAR

Eurocopter released these pics of the AS332 C1 SAR Helicopter.