Boeing's CHAMP missile

Thanks for the link Bjørnar!  Read the whole story here but check out the vid below.

General Dynamics. What does the Tracked Styker tell us about the their Marine Personnel Carrier Entrant.

General Dynamics took a page out of BAE's playbook and dominated the AUSA meeting like BAE dominated the Modern Day Marine get together.

Totally out of the blue they came up with a medium tracked vehicle to add to their portfolio based on the Stryker.  I'm trying to read tea leaves here but could we be looking at a strategy to get the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle and Marine Personnel Carrier contracts?

What I mean by this is that they're playing the price shootout game.  They leverage the massive Army buy by basing a family of vehicles off one variant. 

Imagine this...the Tracked Stryker along (that will have further modifications like the driver moved further back, the vehicle widened and larger tracks placed on it) wins the Army's AMPV contest, with a few more modifications its made to swim and because of the Army's buy they'll be able to price compete on the Amphibious Combat Vehicle and with the work done to make the Amphibious Combat Vehicle they simply revert to wheels and enter the Marine Personnel Carrier Program with the same basic hull that swims.

I could easily be wrong but it makes manufacturing and design sense.

Suppression. Not destruction?

I noticed in the video that the USAF Chief of Staff is talking about suppressing enemy defenses instead of destroying (or "dominating") them.  Is this a nice way of saying that Air Dominance is no longer an Air Force goal?

NOTE:
Before anyone adds a couple more weird statements to this post, I recommend you check with the USAF and get their definition of Air Superiority, Air Supremacy and Air Dominance.  I'm just the messenger.  Oh and for you guys that consider yourself "air guys" and don't know the difference--get a clue---I'm a ground guy and I know what's what.

A Marine and His Horse

Lance Cpl. Tyler Langford, anti-tank missileman, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, leads his pack mule during a hike at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport, Calif., Oct. 13, 2012. Langford used skills he learned in the Animal Packers Course, taught four times a year at MCMWTC. The 16-day course teaches Marines how to use animals in the region they find themselves in as a logistical tool to transport weapons, ammunition, food, supplies or wounded Marines through terrain that tactical vehicles cannot reach.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi)

Tracked Stryker. A pic.

Hat tip to Bruce for pointing me to Vuurwapen Blog.

via Vuurwapen Blog

Hmm.

I can't tell much from this angle.  I'll contact Andrew and see if he has more pics of this.

via Shepard Media.

 Shepard has a good article up on this vehicle now.  What caught my eye immediately were the narrow tracks, but GD says they're already looking to replace those.  Other than that I still don't know.  To be honest I still have misgivings about basing a tracked vehicle on a wheeled vehicles platform.  Generally, wheeled vehicles are larger than tracks when having the same internal volume because of the room that is required to house the wheels suspension system.  If GD has cracked the code and is using the extra space given because of the switch to tracks then good.  If its the same then they might have been better served starting with a clean sheet. 

Definitely need to get my hands on the data sheet.  This should be interesting.

USMC stands up first operational F-35B unit!

via...Aviation Week????

The U.S. Marine Corps is preparing to begin operations for the first operational F-35 squadron next month at MCAS Yuma, Ariz., and officials are optimistic for a mid-month standup despite some challenges ahead.
Key to starting up squadron operations will be a small but growing cadre of maintainers, pilots and aircraft, says Col. Kevin Killea, aviation requirements branch head for the Marine Corps.
The first F-35B is expected at Marine Fighter Attack Sqdn. 121 in early November, with the second slated for delivery mid-month. These will be the first low-rate-initial-production aircraft delivered from prime contractor Lockheed Martin to the Defense Department, and these aircraft will include the 1B software. A total of 16 F-35Bs, the number needed for full operational capability, are expected at the base within the next year, Killea says.
Six pilots have been tapped for early operations at Yuma, as well. They are currently in various stages of training; some are already qualified to use the 1A software and simply need to get “difference training” between the two blocks. Killea says small group tryouts are slated for November to determine which two of five pilots in the first 1B class at Eglin AFB, Fla., where pilot training is handled, will be among those first six pilots selected for ops at Yuma.
But to begin operations, the Marine Corps must continue to implement a foundation for the squadron’s infrastructure at the base, including delivery of the Autonomic Information Logistics System (ALIS) Block 1.03. Last month, Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 deputy program director, pointed out that the squadron will not be able to properly stand up without this system. ALIS is a comprehensive system of hardware and software used to manage the F-35, including health and diagnostics of each aircraft, supply tasks and mission planning. The 1.03 release is critical for Yuma because it includes the security features needed to conduct classified operations; Killea notes that Eglin is using ALIS 1.02 because the training base doesn’t need to access classified flight data. An operational squadron, however, cannot function without it.
Lockheed Martin has had problems with ALIS 1.03 owing to security vulnerabilities. Killea says that the work “has come a long way in the last couple of months,” and what could have been a six-month slip was compressed to allow for standup of the squadron next month.
The Marines still decline to outline a specific initial operational capability (IOC) date for the F-35B. IOC will require 10 F-35Bs available for ship- or land-based deployment and surge options. That also will include the appropriate number of pilots and two-shift maintenance operations, Killea says.
IOC is tied somewhat to release of the Block 2B F-35 software. But Killea says the Marines will withhold an IOC declaration until all of the needed capabilities—such as basic close-air-support and interdiction activities as well as initial air-to-air and data-linking—are delivered, whether they are included in Block 2B or a subsequent release.

Stealth has finally come to the Naval Services.

IOC for the F-35B is 2012, calendar year!

Great job Commandant.  Now get me a MPC, and ACV!

Hamas now has FN2000 Assault Rifles. What else leaked out of Libya?

via the Firearm Blog.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad al-Quds Brigades in Gaza has acquired a number of FN FN2000 rifles complete with grenade launchers. Given the relatively few potential sources of these rifles, the most obvious explination is that former Libyan rebels are exporting the weapons they captured during the civil war.

Hamas by any other name is Hamas.

Its my bet that these weapons leaked out of Libya and are in the hands of these terrorist.  The more troubling question should be what else got out.  Khaddafi was a fan of modern weaponry and what he couldn't buy outright he bought on the black market.  There is obviously more to the Libya story than we're being told.  Rumor has it that 10,000 Surface to Air Missiles-Man Portable are out and about.  How long before the bad guys setup at the end of a runway and take a shot at an airplane during takeoff or approach?  I'd bet valuable body parts that I cherish that bad news on this front is coming down the pike.

The next Assistant Commandant?

Hell Yeah!

Lieutenant General John M. "Jay" Paxton Jr. USMCCommanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, United States Marine Forces Africa
Life Member

Lieutenant General Paxton is the Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, United States Marine Forces Africa. Prior to his current assignment he served as Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff and before that as the Chief of Staff for Multi-National Force Iraq in Baghdad. Additional General officer assignments include Commanding General, 1st Marine Division, Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region, and Assistant Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps, Programs and Resources (Director Programs).

Lieutenant General Paxton graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with Bachelor of Science and Master of Civil Engineering degrees. He was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1974 through Officer Candidate School. A career Marine infantryman, the general has commanded Marines at every level from platoon through division and has served and commanded in all three active Marine Divisions (1st Bn, 3d Mar; 2nd Bn, 4th Mar; 3rd Bn, 5th; 1st Bn, 8th Mar; 1st Mar; 1st Mar Div). Lieutenant General Paxton has also served as an operations, plans and training (G3-S3) officer within Fleet Marine Force units at the battalion, regiment, division and Marine Expeditionary Force levels.

In addition to service in Iraq, Lieutenant General Paxton has operational tours supporting stability efforts in the Bosnian conflict with Landing Force Sixth Fleet (LF6F) and in Mogadishu, Somalia as United Nations Quick Reaction Force (QRF), both while commanding Battalion Landing Team (1/8). Other staff and joint assignments include the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, Amphibious Operations Officer and Executive Officer Crisis Action Team (CAT) at UNC/CFC/USFK in Korea; and in Strategic Plans Branch, Deputy Commandant Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters US Marine Corps. Supporting establishment commands include Company B, Marine Barracks 8th & I as a Captain and Marine Corps Recruiting Station New York, New York as a Major.

In addition to The Basic School, Lieutenant General Paxton’s professional education includes United States Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (non resident), United States Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He was a Federal Executive Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution as a Lieutenant Colonel, as well as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations as a Colonel. He has also been a Marine Corps Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI.

(Updated as of March 2011)

Quite obviously my approval isn't needed but this is good news.  This guy rocks, is hard as woodpecker lips and will get the job done without the associated bullshit.

An added plus...he know the battlefield AND the Washington DC jungle.  We should be well served in the coming budget wars AND see a movement back to Marine Corps fundamentals.....something that we've seen deteriorate over the past few years.
 
Somebody hit a home run.  Do I see the retired General's clubs fingerprints on this selection?

Viper Medium Crew Served Weapon Mount.

Major league hat tip to Soldier Systems.

Northrop Grumman Medium Assault Vehicle-Light Brochure

MAV-L

Northrop Grumman Medium Assault Vehicle-Light

The Northrop Grumman Press Release...

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) unveiled its offering for the U.S. Special Forces Command Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 competition today at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington, D.C. The Northrop Grumman vehicle is known as the Medium Assault Vehicle – Light (MAV-L).

Northrop Grumman teamed with BAE Systems and Pratt & Miller Engineering for the GMV 1.1 pursuit. The MAV-L is modular, transports up to seven operators, and is air transportable in a MH/CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The vehicle is built specifically for the special operations forces and is designed to function worldwide on any battlefield.
"Our clean-sheet approach and purpose-built solution applies innovation from across our industry team. We deliver an affordable solution that meets the warfighter's mission requirements and a great new capability," said Tom Vice, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Technical Services. "We're fully committed to providing the Special Operations Command with the most modular and agile vehicle capable of top performance in any operational environment."
BAE Systems is a leader in vehicle design, manufacturing and through-life support of military wheeled vehicles and their associated systems. The company's Sealy, Texas, facility has served as the manufacturing site for tens of thousands of tactical vehicle programs and many survivability and mobility upgrades to various tactical platforms.
Pratt & Miller Engineering is a respected industry leader in the defense, automotive, motorsports and powersports industries. Their work provides clients with innovative, high-performance engineering and manufacturing solutions.
"The capabilities of our partners combined with Northrop Grumman's decades of experience integrating C4ISR systems into land forces sustainment and military platforms, ensure that our customers receive a vehicle as capable and flexible as their mission requirements," said Frank Sturek, deputy director of land forces sustainment and MAV-L program manager, Northrop Grumman.

SOCOM has deep pockets and all the big boys are coming out to play.  I can tell the thinking is that this will lead to buys by state and federal departments all over the US and possibly overseas.  Again, BAE is taking a background role in what should be its "thing"...I wonder why.

Special Ops could have been there in 3 hours. F/A-18's in 1.

via National Review.

On September 11, at about 10 p.m. Libyan time (4 p.m. in Washington), Ambassador Chris Stevens and a small staff were inside our consulate in Benghazi when terrorists attacked. The consulate staff immediately contacted Washington and our embassy in Tripoli. The White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and numerous military headquarters monitored the entire battle in real time via the phone calls from Benghazi and video from a drone overhead.
Our diplomats fought for seven hours without any aid from outside the country. Four Americans died while the Obama national-security team and our military passively watched and listened. The administration is being criticized for ignoring security needs before the attack and for falsely attributing the assault to a mob. But the most severe failure has gone unnoticed: namely, a failure to aid the living.
By 4:30 p.m. Washington time, the main consulate building was on fire and Ambassador Stevens was missing. In response, the embassy in Tripoli launched an aircraft carrying 22 men. Benghazi was 400 miles away.
At 5 p.m., President Obama met with Vice President Biden and Secretary of Defense Panetta in the Oval Office. The U.S. military base in Sigonella, Sicily, was 480 miles away from Benghazi. Stationed at Sigonella were Special Operations Forces, transport aircraft, and attack aircraft — a much more formidable force than 22 men from the embassy.
In the past, presidents had taken immediate actions to protect Americans. In 1984, President Reagan had ordered U.S. pilots to force an airliner carrying terrorists to land at Sigonella. Reagan had acted inside a 90-minute window while the aircraft with the terrorists was in the air. The Obama national-security team had several hours in which to move forces from Sigonella to Benghazi.

Wow.

Excuse me.  I'm going to go punch walls.

Spectre Special Ops Vehicle Brochures.

NOTE:  General Dynamics Land Systems is producing a wide and narrow track version of this vehicle. 

Spectre Wtc


Spectre Ntc

First F-35 AMRAAM Release

WTF! A tracked version of the Stryker?????

Check this out from Defense News.

Donald Kotchman, vice president for Heavy Brigade Combat Team at GD Land Systems, said the company has developed a tracked version of the Stryker that builds upon the company’s decades of work producing the Abrams tank, as well as the more recent double-V-hulled Stryker. While the tracked version is not aimed specifically at the AMPV program, Kotchman said that “depending on how the requirements flow for the AMPV, then it would be finalized to be in that competition.”
The “Stryker TR” was designed to fill a gap in the company’s combat vehicle line, Kotchman said, since it had not offered a medium tracked vehicle up to this point.

Go to DN to read the entire article but that's crazy!  I can't even begin to imagine what they've worked up but it sounds...interesting.

The armor market is really going to be worth watching for the rest of this year and next.

CTA 40mm Cannon.

Thanks for the brochure THINK DEFENCE.

I still don't know about the US Army going with a 40mm cannon on their Bradley's but the mockup of it shown inside the brochure does seem "right." 

CTAI Brochure

A chilling video.

If this vid doesn't chill your blood then nothing will...

Nexter XP2 at AUSA.

Thanks for the link Jonathan.

via DefenseNews.

PARIS — Nexter is sending its XP2 armored vehicle technology demonstrator and CTA International 40mm cannon to this week’s Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) show, both bearing the French company’s hopes of winning orders from the U.S. Army and other forces, a company executive said.The target for the XP2 is the U.S. Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) program, intended to replace the M113 troop carrier, said Patrick Lier, Nexter vice president for international affairs.The M113 saw service in the Vietnam War.The XP2 is a six-wheel-drive vehicle in the 20-ton class, designed to show “capability for innovation and know-how in armored vehicles,” Lier said.The French vehicle is designed to provide a high level of protection up to the NATO Standard Agreement 4 level, offer high mobility and be equipped with advanced onboard electronics and 360-degree camera vision, Lier said. The vehicle can carry nine soldiers and rations for two days, and its motor can be changed in an hour, he said.Nexter faces stiff competition.General Dynamics is expected to pitch its Stryker, while BAE Systems has said it will offer a modified Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.Navistar has said it is interested in competing with a partner.The U.S. Army, which could buy up to 3,800 units, has said it would likely opt for a vehicle already in service and has set a cost target of $2.4 million per vehicle.Another potential buyer of the XP2 is the Australian Army, with a requirement for about 1,500 armored vehicles under its Land 400 program, Lier said.The Australian planners have not yet said whether the new vehicle will be tracked or wheeled, Lier said.Nexter developed the XP2 as a contender for the French Army’s Véhicule Blindé Multi-Role (VBMR), a multirole armored vehicle, for which the previous Army chief of staff set a price cap of 1 million euros ($1.3 million) for the planned 1,000 armored personnel carrier units of the VBMR program.The cased telescoped CTA 40mm gun is aimed at arming the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), Lier said.Army procurement is looking to buy more than 1,800 GCVs that will be armed with a 25mm gun, but that choice of caliber has sparked comments of “not enough,” Lier said.Nexter hopes to spark interest with its CTA 40mm, built under the CTA International joint venture with BAE.Nexter also hopes to sell the CTA 40mm to Australia, which is looking for a gun for its infantry fighting vehicle, Lier said.“The 40mm could be a serious contender,” he said.The GCV is intended as replacement for the Bradley.Nexter sent its Véhicule Blindé Combat d’Infanterie (VBCI) to AUSA two years ago, and the Caesar 155mm artillery piece last year.The French company had hoped the VBCI might be picked for the Ground Combat Vehicle, but the requirement for a tracked unit left the wheeled infantry fighting vehicle out in the cold.

Hmm.

I really see the XP2 as having a snowballs chance in hell for winning this.  Who then?  BAE.  Don't call me a fanboy, just calling it like I see it... if they can get the Army to buy into using Bradley's that are in storage and rebuilding them to cover the AMPV mission set, then Congress would probably fund it.  New build vehicles though?  Not likely.

As one writer wrote, one or two ground vehicle programs are going to go away...its Ground Combat Vehicle vs. Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle vs. Marine Personnel Carrier vs. Amphibious Combat Vehicle vs. AAV Upgrade vs. Double Hull Stryker.  

Blast from the past. M113 Fire Support Vehicle.

Transport Infantry to the area of the objective.  Allow them to assault on foot.  Use armor to provide supporting fires while the grunts assault the objective.That is the real function of armored personnel carriers.  

Infantry fighting vehicles, with the idea of allowing the infantry to ride to the objective while assaulting it from inside vehicles is as dead as disco.  The very idea is a remnant of cold war, atomic war thinking.   Check out the pics below of the  M-113 FSV.  One of the first vehicles to get it right (the others were the LVT-(A)4 and later the LVTH-6).

They were killed and wounded by a domestic enemy