CSI's Mountain Lion III

CSI was (I thought) a prime take over candidate by one of the big industry players.  As it is they seem to have found a nice niche and are continuing to exploit it. 

BAMS - U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton Capabilities

I HATE how they continue to emphasize Homeland Security Operations.  That is beyond disturbing but I seem to be alone in being concerned by this.

Navistar withdraws protest. Hmmm.

Check out this story from AOL.

Truck maker Navistar is withdrawing the protest it filed Friday with the Government Accountability Office over the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, company spokeswoman Elissa Koc told AOL Defense this morning.

Had Navistar persisted, its protest probably would have delayed JLTV development for months while the GAO investigated whether the military ran the competition fairly.

I'm not saying that the US Army influenced things here...but it makes no sense for them to pull this protest unless they got threats...

The Army wants this program bad.  Why I don't know.  They have yet to justify where the JLTV fits into its vehicle programs setup.  The Marine Corps damn sure doesn't have a clue.

Of all the questionable programs floating around this has to be at the top of the list.

Congratulations to the US Army.  You're about to get a vehicle that you definitely don't need, for a requirement that you haven't spelled out or justified, to achieve a mission that is already performed by vehicles already in inventory.

They should be proud.

Pics from the Fleet Marine Force.

Two U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 466, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) infiltrate Marines with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance (3rd LAR) Battalion to execute Operation Halberd V in Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 20, 2012. HMLA-469 provided aerial reconnaissance and security for the Marines of 3rd LAR during operation Halberd V to prevent the distribution of contraband in support of counter insurgency operations.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meghan Gonzales)

Marines with 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, conduct a security patrol out of Forward Operating Base Shamsher, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 23, 2012. Marines conducted a partnered patrol to disrupt the flow of lethal and illicit aid in the area.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jason Morrison)

Marines from Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, test the Expeditionary Fire Support System M327 120mm mortar at Pohakuloa Training Area Aug. 23. The battery was selected to train on the new mortar system for the Marine Corps.
(Photo by Navy Lt. Joshua R. Lebenson)

Southern Hemisphere Firepower. Venzuela's Off Shore Patrol Vessel.

via Defesa Blog.

Venezuelan Navy´s (Armada Nacional Bolivariana de Venezuela -ANBV) PC-22 ANB “Warao” offshore patrol vessel has had an accident in Fortaleza, Brazil. Important damages were made to the ship´s hull.

The Venezuelan Navy is now evaluating the serious damages.

Four Avante 2200´s POV (Patrullero Oceánico de Vigilancia) ships were built by the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia according a contract firmed in Caracas, Venezuela on 28 November 2005. They were commissioned in March 2011, August 2011, December 2011 and April 2012 respectively.

Four Avante 1400´s BVL (Buque de Vigilancia Litoral) patrol vessels were also acquired under the same contract. The last BVL is being built by the Venezuelan shipbuilder Diques y Astilleros Nacionales CA (DIANCA) in Puerto Cabello.

A couple of things.

Venezuela and Brazil appear to be forging closer ties.  Good for them.  The second?  Not bad for what is essentially a Coast Guard Vessel.  A 76mm gun up front (a rapid fire multi-munition gun at that...adequate for anti-air, anti-surface and land attack applications) along with a 35mm revolver gun at the rear.  Wrap all that up in a semi-stealthy platform built by Navantia and you have an impressive little ship.

Its hard to get a handle on whats going on down south but something is.

My frankenstien AAV upgrade...

Upgrade rehash...my updated wish list for AAV upgrades.

You listening BAE????

The MTU powerpack for the PUMA infantry fighting vehicle excels with its outstanding power-to-weight ratio and extremely compact design. Together with the 10V 890 engine, the powerpack includes a Renk 6-speed transmission unit, the starter-generator and the air cooling and filtering plant.

1.  MTU Powerpack....I want something compact and powerful.  If you can give me a diesel engine that puts out 1500 horsepower then we're cooking.  I'll accept a little less if I have to but I want max power in a compact  package.  MTU has the track record of providing this kind of powerplant.  Just to show that I have some international flavor I'll even compromise and take the powerplant from the PUMA IFV..yeah its only a little over 1000 horsepower but I'll take it.  No!  I want it in my redone AAV.

Elbit 30mm RWS (foldable trialed on the AAV)

2.  Firepower.  This one is tricky.  It depends....  Do we want our Track Commanders fighting heads down?  Are we going to designate a crewman as gunner so we can have a RWS...if we stick with the MK44 turret will it take up too much room on the AAV?  Will a RWS be too tall?  Are foldable options good enough?  It really doesn't matter what they decide as long as its 30mm or bigger.  I despise the RAFAEL mount but it does have the option to mount anti-tank missiles along with the gun.  Leaning toward the ELBIT option as its already been trialed on the AAV.

CV-90 Armadillo sporting rubber tracks.

 3.  Tracks.  I don't know how this one is gonna go over.  I believe at one time the tracks were used to help with self righting.  We can find another way to accomplish that mission but its time to switch to rubber tracks.  I admittedly don't know as much about them as I should and this one might be subject to getting dumped from the list...for instance can you shorten the track and run with it if you sustain damage with rubber like you can with steel?  Do they last as long?  Are they cost effective?  If they are then its time to get on the rubber bandwagon.  Besides BAE has already done this the CV90 and SEP.

4.  Trophy or some other anti-missile system.  Detractors like to talk about AAVs never being used in an amphibious assault.  Even if they're not RPG's and Anti-Tank missiles dot the landscape.  How about we build in the latest anti-missile defense onto the vehicle instead of questionable add-on armor that won't do the job against the latest threats and add unnecessary weight?  I have no idea of what works and what doesn't but its a thought.

5.  More to come.  The goal is to upgrade the AAV to such an extent that if Congress goes crazy (and they will) and money dries up, that we can have a vehicle that is good enough to serve another 20 years if need be.  Upgraded power, transmission, suspension, firepower, protection and ride should help get us more than halfway there.  I have no faith that the ACV will be developed on schedule and am beginning to wonder about the Marine Personnel Carrier Program.  The budget crunch is coming and their is no sense of urgency when it comes to programs except for the F-35 and MV-22.  This is unsat.  TIme for the groundside to get what it can while it can.

Does this point to future issues with the LCS?

Check out the Australian story....

DEFENCE will not say whether its ability to rescue asylum boats has been compromised by a high-seas incident in which seawater gushed into the corroded hull of a navy patrol boat off Christmas Island.
The incident forced HMAS Bathurst to retire from border patrol duties late last week and limp to Singapore for repairs, just days before the navy was called on to rescue a sunken asylum boat with 150 people aboard.
As many as 100 people are missing, presumed drowned, after the boat sank on Wednesday. HMAS Maitland arrived at the scene, 70km from the Indonesian coast, on Thursday afternoon to search for survivors.
Defence failed to respond to questions submitted yesterday morning from The Weekend Australian about whether the loss of the Bathurst had compromised the navy's rescue capability around Christmas Island at a time when asylum boats were arriving every few days.

The Australian Navy Chief of Staff has already denied allegations that the crew did not properly care for the refugees.  As tragic as that is...and it is tragic I'm focusing on the other part of the story.

These are relatively new boats and they're suffering catastrophic hull ruptures?  They're built with the same philosphy as our LCS and this is happening?

These ships look like something the dog dragged home after a couple of days at sea and we're given the explanation that this is how they're designed to weather and yet we have Australian ships limping into port because the hull collapses unexplainably!

Its definitely time to slow our roll with the LCS and make sure the concept is sound.

SOFREP's take on The Asymmetric Warfare Group

Head over to SOFREP to read their take on the AWG.  Interesting.  I never knew these guys existed but I'm a bit confused.  I thought the US Army already had an AWG....its called US Army Special Forces.  From taking a look at the vid (you can see it below) I've never seen so many tabs, CIB's and jump wings on anyone outside of a Special Forces Group (and I'm talking about old skool SF guys).  I wonder why the Army didn't just detail a platoon or company from SF to provide this service?  I'm looking forward to more articles to fully explain the why with this unit.

Operation Helmand Viper

B-roll video of Regimental Combat Team 6, Scout Snipers doing the Marine thing.

Compare and contrast with the pic of the happenings with the 82nd Aviation Brigade out of Bagrahm.  Interesting yes?

Your war may vary.

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Creative Arts Dance Team performs to "I Just Can't Give Up Now" by Mary Mary in celebration of Women's Equality Day, Aug. 24, 2012. The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade celebrated Women's Equality Day on Bagram Airfield, with servicemembers and civilians from all across the large base. Congress designated Aug. 26 as "Women's Equality Day" in 1971, to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Pahon)

I don't give a damn about the dance.


Its not about gender.

Its about the war effort.

If you have the time to hold celebrations for whoever and you're in a war zone then you don't need to be there.  Its suppose to be a max effort to locate and destroy the enemy.

This indicates to me that the initiative has been lost.  This indicates that even at the Brigade level the focus is not on winning the war.

Its time to bring our people home...especially if they have time to do this stuff.

Girls just wanna have fun

USMC's MV-22 belly all quadrant gun is a blast from the past.

The 24th MEU's Public Affairs Office (they do a great job by the way) ran an article on the underbelly gun for the MV-22.  Its designed to provide fire mainly to the front and sides during insertion and extraction.

Its been done before and its being put on the MV-22 is a blast from the past.  Whether or not its known as such is beyond me, but if it isn't tribal knowledge then the Marine Corps is losing touch with its institutional history.  The above pic is of an OV-10D.  If I'm not mistaken they slaved the gun with the pilots view through the FLIR mounted on the nose of the airplane.

A simple and elegant solution that seems to have eluded the otherwise fine folks at NAVAIR.  Its time to get our house in order.  First we need a detailed study of our history...both in battle and research...and then we need to proceed with programs that we actually need.  If we don't then all we'll be doing is repeating blasts from our past.

Its time to push BAE on new built AAV's

Its time to brutally use an ally to see what kind of deal the USMC can get when it comes to new built AAV's.  The Japanese are in the market to buy AAV's and the deal they had brewing with SAMSUNG of S. Korea (who have the license rights to build them) fell through so they're looking at a US company to get the job done.  That company would be BAE.

Additionally Brazil just put out that they're in the market for 24 or 36 of these vehicles.

Its time to get medival on BAE and get our armored vehicle issues solved once and for all.

Approach BAE with a wish list of modifications, improvements and armaments fits for the vehicle....get a bulk buy including the Japanese and Brazilians in the deal and there you have it.

SEALY, Texas has jobs....the USMC has its vehicles...Japan and Brazil too...and good enough but not great is satisified.

Additionally BAE has already done the leg work on this.  We can have this setup for next years budget instead of playing the usual procurement games.

But is leadership smart enough to get it done?  I doubt it.  They're fans of process and paperwork instead of results.

Mike Sparks analysis of COIN Aircraft.

Many consider Mike Sparks a madman.  I totally disagree.  Except for him being RABIDLY anti Marine Corps the guys was spot on.  Plus he put work in when it came to his blog.  It can only be found on way back machines but its definitely worth a look.  One of his best posts was on COIN aircraft.  Check it out here.  Photos  are from his site...

Congrats! And a warning for the Fleet Marine Force

First.  Congrats to a Marine that is super squared away, lives right, is a moral family man on his being selected for promotion and MARSOC.  You deserve everything that's coming your way and I wish you nothing but the best.  Unlike some, you don't whine and cry.  You make a decision, work your ass off and make things happen.  I wish more people were like you.

Second.  My biggest fears are coming true when it comes to MARSOC.  The Army can support a special operations force.  It has the personnel.  With the coming drawdown in the Marine Corps you're seeing the conventional forces being cherry picked for the best and brightest...this from an already limited pool of people.  The end result will be that Marine Corps conventional forces will only be worthy of conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.  USMC conventional forces will soon approach the competency of our reserve forces during the 80's and 90's...and those were part time folks.  General Amos, you stupid bastard.  I hate you and can't wait till you're gone.  You're destroying my Marine Corps.

Crazy like a fox.

Just a note on the Republican Convention and the firestorm over Clint Eastwood's speech.

If I didn't know better I would think that he purposefully set the whole thing up.  I mean I've heard some pretty wild stuff from both sides of the political isle this year and I thought that Clint was funny rather than offensive.  But even better is the fact that Clint has a movie coming out Sept 1st.  Yeah, if Clint knew that a few jokes were going to start this firestorm and have his name all over the place.  If he knew that the media would react the way that they did...then ole' Clint is crazy like a fox.

Indonesian Trimaran Stealth Missile Boat at Sea.

Awesome pics!  Thanks DWI!

RAF Merlin Helicopters on Exercise Pashtung Vortex

Augusta Westland in India.

Augusta Westland had penetrated the Indian helicopter market place and sold a couple of AW101's for VIP transport there according to the LIVEFIST Blog.

And just imagine.  We could have had the same helicopters in operation by now for our VIP transport with HMX-1.

The US Army's Air Defense Force (formerly Air Defense Artillery) is how they get into Air-Sea Battle.

The US Army has a problem.  Its on the outside looking in when it comes to Air-Sea Battle.  Some journalist have tried to paint the Marine Corps with the same brush as the Army...that we're a land force, but that's to be short sighted, naive and foolish.  Traditionally the Marine Corps has been part of the Navy and quite honestly it always will be.

The Army needs a dog in the fight and the way in is with its Air Defense Force...I like that name better than Air Defense Artillery because it better covers the functions that it will perform if the concept is followed to its logical conclusion.

The video above gives the best example of how Air Sea Battle is suppose to work when confronted with a missile raid.  But whether its a missile raid, air raid or even a ballistic missile launched at an aircraft carrier or amphib, the Army can play a role if its willing to garrison a few islands with our allies...fully fund the ground based interceptor...and integrate the Patriot missile system into the network.  Goure over at the Lexington Institute covered it well.  A tidbit.

The Army could turn theater air and missile defense into a major future franchise. This means getting rid of the idea that air and missile defenses are a supporting capability for an Army that wants to focus on combined arms maneuver. As ballistic missiles, advanced fighters and long-range precision weapons proliferate, air and missile defense may be one of the most important military missions in the 21st century. To defend valuable territory and people at risk requires being there, forward deployed. In the Asia-Pacific region, air and missile defense could be the shield behind which U.S offensive power, resident largely in the Navy and Air Force, will organize and prepare to deliver a crushing counterattack.

I contend that between participating in Air Sea Battle with their Air Defense Force and taking a leading role in Cyber Warfare, the Army will have a major role to play in any conflict in the Pacific.  Additionally by de-mechanizing and establishing a few pure Light Infantry Divisions, then they'll also have forces that can deploy quickly by air to assist in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions.  Think back to Haiti.  The one thing that was needed besides food, water and medical assistance was man power.

The Army has its script.  I wonder if they have the leader to read it to the force.