Flyer Light Strike Vehicle 1....

ALSV Brochure Web1

2nd Recon Bn airborne training...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJUENE N.C. -Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, parachute toward their target landing zone during the 2nd Recon Bn. airborne jump sustainment training held aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Dec. 16. The jump was part of a quarterly training regimen for the airborne qualified Marines of 2nd Recon. , Lance Cpl. Joshua J. Hines, 1/2/2008 11:49 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJUENE N.C. -Staff Sgt. Joshua Kircher, assistant platoon sergeant, 1st platoon, Company B, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, braces for landing during the 2nd Recon Bn. airborne jump sustainment training held aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Dec. 16. The jump was part of a quarterly training regimen for the airborne qualified Marines of 2nd Recon. , Lance Cpl. Joshua J. Hines, 1/2/2008 11:36 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJUENE N.C. -Staff Sgt. Joshua Kircher, assistant platoon sergeant, 1st platoon, Company B, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, signals for his Marines with the “OK” signal during the 2nd Recon Bn. airborne jump sustainment training held aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Dec. 16. The jump was part of a quarterly training regimen for the airborne qualified Marines of 2nd Recon. , Lance Cpl. Joshua J. Hines, 1/2/2008 11:36 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJUENE N.C. -Staff Sgt. Joshua Kircher, assistant platoon sergeant, 1st platoon, Company B, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, begins undoing his harness before recovering his parachute during the 2nd Recon Bn. airborne jump sustainment training held aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Dec. 16. The jump was part of a quarterly training regimen for the airborne qualified Marines of 2nd Recon. , Lance Cpl. Joshua J. Hines, 1/2/2008 11:37 PM

Pax River welcomes X-47B UCAS

via NAVAIR...

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System is scheduled to arrive here tomorrow after completing a yearlong test phase at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Personnel departed Edwards AFB last month with the X-47B loaded on a truck for transport cross-country. 
“The transition to Pax River is a highlight for the program,” said Capt. Jaimie Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager. “We are working toward demonstrating the aircraft’s ability to operate on and around an aircraft carrier.” 
The X-47B is a tailless, autonomous, unmanned aircraft that Northrop Grumman is developing and testing for the Navy’s UCAS Demonstration program. X-47B is the first fixed-wing unmanned system designed to operate from a Navy aircraft carrier.
The Navy and Northrop Grumman conducted first flight of the X-47B in February 2011 at Edwards AFB. Since then, the aircraft has undergone a series of flight tests demonstrating its performance under a variety of conditions.
The combined Navy/industry UCAS-D team will conduct shore-based carrier suitability tests at Pax River in 2012. Tests will verify the X-47B's ability to communicate with the aircraft carrier and to operate safely and effectively with the ship's catapult and arresting gear.
Testing at Pax River will be conducted following stringent flight safety procedures and will be conducted within restricted airspace. The first X-47B flight at Pax River is planned for spring 2012. A second X-47B aircraft is also scheduled to arrive early next year. 

ACV competition...what will we likely see...

What will we likely see in the ACV competition to replace the AAV?

More than likely two firms offering vehicles and a few others offering some types of upgrade packages.

I initially see General Dynamics revamping its original EFV offering.  Hopefully this will involve the removal of the  hydroplanning system...a redesign of the vehicles interior and a decent exit ramp.

I'm actually surprised that the Marine Corps didn't sole source this competition and list what had to go and what needed to stay with this vehicle that had so much money pumped into it.  Actually this is probably the best case scenario but won't happen as funds are tight and HQMC seems to be saving all of its money to support the F-35 and MV-22 even at the expense of the much needed CH-53K, AH-1Z, UH-1Y and an upgraded HUMVEE.

The other option is that we see BAE come up with an improved AAV.  This would likely involve an upgraded power train and suspension, added armor and blast seats, some type of improved weapon station and upgraded water jets.

What will be interesting is whether HQMC would allow for new build AAVs or if it would be a pure upgrade program.  The other players in this game will only offer upgrades of one type or another. 

Blast from the past. Cruise missile carriers...

Surfing the net I ran across the Cruise Missile Carrier concept from the 70's based on wide body civil airliners.

While the option at the time was between using them or the B-2 in the nuclear deterrence role, the concept is valid in my opinion in the Air-Sea Battle of today.

G-2 mil stated on his blog the following...

B-747s can also dominate the world's oceans.  A squadron of 12 B-747s loaded with anti-ship cruise missiles can be vectored toward a enemy fleet by satellites or submarines, while E-3 Sentry AWACS provide escort with long-range radar.  The squadron can break into four flights and launch a total of 1064 cruise missiles at a naval fleet from four directions a thousand miles away.

While he goes on to make some statements that I disagree with his basic premise seems sound.  And valuable for a future war at sea.  Taking the nuclear mission out of the equation and you have massive firepower that will have to be protected but could saturate targets at sea and land with cruise missiles outside the range of threat weapon systems.

If we were to develop high speed cruise missiles like our potential enemies then we could in essence have a Chinese carrier killer all in one airplane.  Any idea of denying our forces entry into a particular region of the Pacific could be denied with a flight of F-22's with tankers escorting a couple of B-747 cruise missile carriers.

The Air Force would never rethink its thinking on the concept but it is a fascinating blast from the past.

A-4's in the attack...

Neptunus Lex ran an article which details low level flight.

The link he provides is beyond awesome....and the photo you see above is from that link.  An Argentinian A-4 attacking British shipping.

Now take another look.

Did you only see the A-4 in the center of the photo?

Or did you notice his wingman to our visual right?

Low level attack in a small airplane.  I can't even begin to imagine how small the target must be with a high speed anti-ship cruise missile.

Blast from the past. Para-Marines.

Lets see...we have MARSOC being formed which traces its roots back to the Marine Raider Concept of WW2 so what's missing?

Or perhaps who else should they trace their lineage to?

I contend it would be the Para-Marines.

Although they never performed an Airborne operation in concert with an Amphibious Landing the concept still intrigues.  In some ways heliborne ops have negated the need for airborne ops in this regard, but I still wonder if one battalion of Marine Airborne Infantry could be of use in this day and age.  I can easily see this battalion that I propose being stationed in Australia and being deployed by Air Force C-17 in ultra rapid deployment situations.  Maybe Guam would be a better location?  Anyway, read the document below. 

Silk Chutes and Hard Fighting US Marine Corps Parachute Units in WWII

Pic of the day...

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean Marlow, a survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) specialist, performs a free-fall parachute jump from a UH-1N Iroquois helicopter above Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Dec. 5, 2011. Both static line and free-fall training courses are mandatory to become a SERE specialist. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Taylor Curry)

Program Office and Lockheed make nice.

Still a fan of the F-35 but my antenna is up for spin and manipulation.


I guess the program office and LM are making nice.  Why do I say that?  Pics released and a vid from NAVAIR that you see above.

I guess the good Admiral is trying to be friendly after telegraphing the report that came out.

CF-2 Flight 41

U.S. Marine Corp Maj. C.R. Clift flies F-35C test aircraft CF-2 for its 41st flight. (Lockheed Martin photo by Michael D. Jackson)

U.S. Marine Corp Maj. C.R. Clift flies F-35C test aircraft CF-2 for its 41st flight. (Lockheed Martin photo by Michael D. Jackson)

U.S. Marine Corp Maj. C.R. Clift flies F-35C test aircraft CF-2 for its 41st flight. (Lockheed Martin photo by Michael D. Jackson)

BF-5

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Fred Schenk flies F-35B test aircraft BF-5 in short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) mode during the aircraft’s 24th flight. (Lockheed Martin photo by Michael D. Jackson)

F-35B test aircraft BF-5 flies in STOVL mode for the first time on Dec. 5, 2011, on its 21st flight. (Lockheed Martin photo by Andy Wolfe)

AAV forever????

via DefenseMediaNetwork.  Check out the entire article but this stood out and punched me in the eye.

ACV program plans seem to be coalescing around an approach outlined, “As approved at the ACV Material Development Decision (MDD), the ACV program has been approved to enter a combined Material Solution Analysis/Technology Development Phase. An In Process Review will be held after the Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), at which time the material solution will be set and the subsequent Milestones will be established. For this RFI, the government is looking for industry input into an incremental acquisition program to deliver a series of incremental capability upgrades in order to inform ongoing affordability analyses. This could be achieved either through delivery of a baseline new vehicle with subsequent planned upgrades, or a set of planned upgrades to the legacy vehicle. The overall intent is to minimize the per vehicle cost of each of the increments without stretching the program over more than three increments, and preferably only two.”

Wow.

I don't know where I'm at with this type of thinking.  "A set of planned upgrades to the legacy vehicle"...WTF!

HQMC initially stated that they would be upgrading the AAV while developing and getting into service the ACV.

Now we might be left with the laughable position of the AAV getting renamed and rewrapped again.  Aviation----you're killing the ground side-----but if that is the game plan then it does make the Marines EXTREMELY frugal again.

Color me confused.

India to buy 42 Super Sukhoi's...

via Defense Talk...

After negotiating for more than a year, India has firmed up an order with Russia for the purchase of 42 upgraded Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft to strengthen its aging fleet. An agreement confirming this purchase will be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Russia starting Thursday.
While the Cabinet Committee on Security had taken a decision on buying 42 additional Sukhoi MKIs last year, negotiations have taken longer because India was also keen to include some of the features found in fifth generation fighter aircraft. Finally, the Russian side agreed to upgrade the SU-30 MKIs to its latest version known as ‘Super Sukhoi’ with additional characteristics.

Read the whole thing but this part has me intrigued...a Sukhoi with 5th gen characteristics???

Makes me think of a Russian Stealth Eagle.

I wonder if its possible?  A google search didn't provide much more information except for this article...

Most significantly, the aircraft will be able to carry a heavier weapon load, including the airborne version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, he added.
Fedorov said the 'Super Sukhoi' will be a potent aircraft similar in features to a fifth generation aircraft. However, he refused to provide specific details of the upgrade, stating that the exact nature of this was still to be decided between the Indian and Russian sides.
Discussions are currently on regarding various aspects of the proposed upgrade, he said.
The Irkut chief did not provide any indication of the cost of the upgrade project. However, going by the general cost trends of similar upgrades, the price could run close to $1 billion.
Meanwhile, HAL is upbeat over its participation in the cutting-edge technology fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project.

Wow.

I did a piece on the potency of the SU-34.  Now with the Russian Stealth Eagle in the offering its time to get our house in order with a quickness.  Add to the mix the BrahMos missile and you've got trouble in a handbag for amphibious shipping.

Every part of our air defense/air supremacy infrastructure needs to be examined.  Our air to air missiles, our anti-air and our anti-missile defense systems need to get updated.

Lightning Strikes Thrice

The first three-ship F-35A formation flight occurred over the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB on 10 December 2011. Flying lead was Maj. Matthew Hayden in AF-2, with Lt. Col. Dwayne Opella in AF-3, and Maj. Steven Spears in AF-4 forming up on his wing. This was Flight 85 for AF-4.

Light anti-AFV vehicle...

The JLTV issue continues but I saw this pic on the Survivable Combat Vehicle website and noticed that they have mounted an ATK light weight 25mm cannon onto one.

This is the real 'revolution' in military affairs that the theorist talk about but are unable to implement.  A humvee sized vehicle able to engage and defeat AFV's several tons heavier (if the proper ammo is equipped).

A motorized Marine Infantry Company would have the ability to range far and possible engage heavier forces or defeat larger infantry based forces with a little more out of the box thinking.  Granite/Textron...I like it!

UPDATE:
Specs on the ATK-25 mm gun can be found here....

Raptor Parade?

Wow.  I am absolutely dumb founded!  A parade for an airplane?  Wow.  Just plain wow.

THE USAF...The Storm Is Coming.

They're getting better at the propaganda! 

Royal Navy and Air Force shortcomings are exposed....

British naval strategy is in piss poor state.  In days long past, Nimrods would have been scrambled and fighters would be passing by port and starboard to annoy, and warn the Russians that they were under watch.

This response is simply pathetic.  Also note that the aircraft carrier in question has more firepower (not including the air arm) than the destroyer that is supposedly escorting it.

Pic of the day. Typhoon creates a tornado...

via David Cenciotti's blog the Aviationist

F-22...want to save it? Here's how!

Last F-22 off the assembly line..via Lockheed Martin

F-22 fans and air power advocates are all up in arms over the last F-22 rolling off the assembly line.  I'm agnostic.  I really don't care one way or the other and to be frank, believe that a pure air superiority airplane in this day and age is a non-starter.

But to those that do think that its worthwhile, I have a two birds with one stone solution...a solution that surprises because no one has mentioned it in a long time.

Why not build the FB-22 for the next gen bomber?  That would get the airplane into USAF service rather quickly...would maintain aspects of F-22 production and with the distances involved in the Pacific could easily form the basis for the next generation fighter.

Boeing would howl but hey...who cares?

UPDATE:

This is the Wikipedia entry on the FB-22...

In 2002, Lockheed Martin began studying a modified bomber version of the F-22 Raptor fighter, featuring a delta wing, longer body and greater range and payload.^[1] The FB-22 medium bomber is based on existing and planned capabilities of the F-22 fighter, a heritage that would limit development costs and risks should the idea go into production. The FB-22 was planned to serve as a regional bomber, a role previously covered by the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark.^[2]
The FB-22 differs from the original F-22 design significantly. A lengthened fuselage and larger delta wing provide greater fuel capacity for greater range of some 1,600 miles (2,600 km).^[2] This also allows room for a larger internal weapons bay, better suiting long range attack missions and improved stealth.^[3] Changing to an improved engine such as the F-35 Lightning II's Pratt & Whitney F135, or the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 is possible.^[4] The FB-22 would have a maximum speed of Mach 1.92.^[5]
One early FB-22 concept featured no tailplanes.^[5] The FB-22 design incorporated twin tailplanes and likely would have fixed engine nozzles as opposed to the thrust vectoring nozzles on the F-22.^[5] The FB-22 design could carry 30 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), which weigh just 250 pounds (110 kg), compared with the F-22's payload of eight.^[1]

I can tell you one thing.  Extended development times is the killing our military.

10 years and we have an aborted EFV?  FCS was in development for a similar amount of time before it was taken down to the river and drowned.  Same with Crusader...same with F-22...F-35...you get the point.

The only programs that are getting it done and out the door is the much maligned LCS, AH-1Z/UH-1Y (and the original design proposal for the AH-1Z first appeared in the 90's in the form of the Super Viper) and even the promising and much needed CH-53K is being delayed--even though they're ready to start churning them out....

To start from scratch for a next gen bomber when the proposed FB-22 fills the bill is beyond stupid.  Setup the specs, get it done and get it into squadron service.  That is if we really need it.  And listening to all the airpower guys we really do.

UPDATE 1:

Paulicus found this study on the FB-22.  Seems that at one time the USAF was beyond gung-ho about the idea.  A light quick read so enjoy.

RS21848