Real men hold umbrellas for ladies in the rain (Friday Funny)

Sorry but how much of a pussy are you when YOU ASK ANOTHER MAN to hold an umbrella over you?

That's just plain feminized beyond recognition!  Of course this is my opinion, you might disagree.

Blue Jeans Worn Right...(Friday Funny)

Police Militarization. They're not even trying to hide it anymore.

Read this article over at Black Sheep Warrior.  Read it and weep.  We're heading down a road that is bound to lead to trouble.  I always wondered why incidents between police and civilians seem to be escalating and now I know.  They (the Police) are looking at us as an occupied nation, not as fellow citizens. Citizens are looking at Police as an occupying force, not part of the community, and that they're enforcing the rules of a power that is not responsive to their needs.

Are we past the point of no return?  Are there any adults paying attention to this?

Taiwan's Tank Dilema.

Because of their defense needs and intense urbanization, the Taiwan military has not prioritized armor. But that is changing.  Via an old Defense News article (June 2012).

The announcement renewed debate over the need for a heavy MBT, said a Defense Ministry source, “but they are cheap and available now.” The deal would include refurbishment, but not an upgrade, he said. In 2011, Vice Defense Minister Chao Shih-chang was quoted by the local media saying the Army needed 200 new MBTs.
Since the 1996 Taiwan Strait missile crisis, Taiwan has focused on improving air-sea battle capabilities, and the Army has watched its grip on power and influence slip since the end of the Cold War. The Army maintained a large invasion force to retake mainland China during the Cold War.
Local defense analysts argue there are other pragmatic reasons for not procuring bigger and heavier MBTs. The island is composed of rugged interior mountains notorious for landslides. The coasts are either rice paddies, fish farms or are urbanized. Coupled with narrow roadways and anemic bridges, the island seems an unlikely home for a 60-ton tank 12 feet wide.

The highlighted sentences brings into focus the MBT in the Pacific region, but it must be noted that Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Japan, S. Korea and China all have either purchased or have in development heavy main battle tanks.

But back to Taiwan.  The CM-11 is unique.  It has the hull of the M60 and the turret of the M48.  Mixed in with all this is suppose to be a world class fire control system and other first rate electronic bits.  On some vehicles ERA tiles have been seen and it would appear that this is an adequate vehicle for their defense needs.

What really got me about this old article is what it only glances at...the CM-32 Snow Leopard and what that could mean in this debate.

There is a large caliber cannon available for the CM-32 and I wonder if the Taiwanese Army will seek to forgo the purchase of Abrams and instead go the "single family of vehicles" route and standardize.

The armor game is changing.  How Taiwan solves this problem will be instructive.  Some of the same issues they face in defense will affect the US in the offense.

I focus on the USMC but it must be asked.  How will a future US Army GCV perform in Asia once the Corps kicks in the door?  How will it navigate across bridges that struggle to carry 60 ton tanks when it weighs in at 70 or 80 tons?  If we solve the strategic mobility problem will it bog down because of its tactical mobility limitations?

I watch US Army specific forums and they don't seem to be having that discussion.  I'll keep watching.

TAM 2C.Elbit upgrades a classic medium tank.

Thanks Lucas for the vid!  I definitely need to find out more.

Every REAL gun guy should be against Kokesh' March.

Take the time to listen to this guy.

He isn't a supporter of gun rights.  He's a provocateur that wants to see bloodshed.  He wants chaos.  He is the perfect anarchist.

How people can't see through his line of bullshit and recognize this for what it is...well, its beyond me.  This won't be seen like Waco or Ruby Ridge where the federal government over reached.  This will be seen as a group of people being misled by Jim Jones the second.

Foodie Friday.

I'm on day eight of a strict No Carb Diet.  Trust me.  I want carbs so bad I can't see straight.  I'm talking about an endless stack of pancakes...a burger with patties stacked to the ceiling...yeah....I'm hurting.  So what do I see on BuzzFeed?  The following.  Go there to see the whole list...

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Eggo Waffle Sandwich

Mac and Cheese Burger

Spaghetti Tacos

Double Bacon Cheeseburger with Grilled Cheese Buns

VBTP-MR Guarani undergoing "doctrinal" evaluation by Brazilian Army.

photos via technodefesa magazine...

A 6x6 VBTP-MR Guarani extended baffle with its turret and equipped with Platt, when performing the transition from water to land in lane specially constructed for this test the premises of CAEx (Photos: CAEx / CECOMSEX)

It looks like the Brazilian Army version of the Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch and Nevada Proving Ground are putting the VBTP-MR through its paces.  The vehicle will pass its tests and the only thing left is to get it into service.  I never noticed before but it appears that they will have both a APC and IFV version of the vehicle.  Smart.  Very Smart.

AMZ Kutno's CPKTO Hippopotamus

The CPKTO Hippo is a heavy engineer amphibious vehicle.  I can't tell from the website whether its still in development or not, but it is an interesting design.  One thing that is confusing is the relatively small payload.  The industry standard is at least a couple of tons more and for the designated role it seems inadequate.

Stats from AMZ Kutno.

Armor:
The use of newly developed armor using modern composite technology and protection systems to ensure the crew to the maximum possible degree of ballistic protection (up to four levels according to STANAG 456,914.5 × 114 mm B32 of 200 meters at a speed of 911 m / s) and warfare with a modern design floor vehicle.
Number of seats:
Hippos design characterized by versatility and ability to adapt quickly inside, depending on the type of activities carried out.
Currently Hippo adjusted to the version KTRI / Wheeled Reconnaissance Engineering / housing a 5-man crew (commander, driver-mechanic, two engineers and scouts scout-chemist).
Use:
Several military applications as well as the liquidation of civil consequences of natural disasters.
A few selected examples of applications of the chassis for any purpose other than CKPTO:
· The vehicle is equipped with a cab (armored least one level by STANAG 4569) manned and frame the container can be transported standardized containers 20 alloy, which today serve in the Army, as mobile laboratories and mobile command posts,
· When mounting on the chassis support specialized equipment (elevator, blade, towing equipment, lifting equipment, winch system), we obtain a modular car Technical Assistance
· When mounting heavy artillery weapons - we get such mobile howitzers,
· The vehicle also designed to integrate with it in the future systems and specialized equipment (sapper), such as induction detector, hydroacoustic devices, etc.
· In addition, using the capabilities of the vehicle towing heavy trailers are specialist increased the applicability of the chassis as a Heavy Vehicle Transport.


Vehicle details:
Engine DEUTZ TCD 2015 V08 480 kW
Capacity 15874cm 3
Standard Euro 3
Automatic transmission ZF 7HP 902 7-speed
ZF reducer VG2000/396
Suspension Independent
Max speed up to 110km / h
Curb weight of 26 tonnes
Capacity 3 t
Weight to fly 29t.
32t GVW.

These are the crazy bastards McCain want us to aid?

I won't even spoil the story.  Go to CNN and read the whole thing.  The first line of it is too "weird" to not post here though.

A Syrian rebel carves the heart out of a dead man and bites it. His comrades nearby cheer: "God is great."

McCain wants us to help these people?

I don't think so.

Police vs Citizens.

I don't know what the real story is but this looks bad.  Go here to read the details for yourself.

Blast from the past. Bell Landing Vehicle Air Cushion.

The above pics are of a 1970's/early 1980's effort by Bell Corporation to give the Marine Corps an AAV with high water speed.  It reminds a bit of what the Koreans are doing today with their K-21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.  But unlike the K-21 which relied on inflating pontoons to aid in buoyancy, the Bell Landing Vehicle Air Cushion sought to combine the features of the LCAC with those of the AAV.

Which really brings us back to the issue at hand.  We have been lusting for a vehicle that is high speed in the water and yet capable of fighting as well as an IFV that doesn't have a requirement to be amphibious.

Is that really the way to go?  We had that with the EFV and it was considered too expensive.  WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN?  The answer is quite simple.  Nothing.

We're looking for a technological answer when we might be facing a tactical problem.

The Navy and Marines have tested deploying an LCAC with AAVs aboard from over the horizon, the LCACs making the majority of the run to the beach and then the AAVs launching from the LCACs to complete the final leg of the amphibious assault on their own power.

Whether you're talking about an ACV, AAV Upgrade OR a Marine Personnel Carrier, that concept should be explored further.  An LCAC that is doing 30 knots with 3 MPC's a piece on them and then allowing those vehicles to make the last dash would be more comfortable for the Marines inside the vehicles, would lower the water requirement and would give us more robust vehicles for land warfare.

THINK TACTICS.  STOP WISHING FOR TECHNOLOGY TO FINALLY CATCH UP WITH MARINE CORPS DREAMS!

Amphibious Combat Vehicle. The USMC basically told us it ain't happening.

via DoD Buzz (read it all there)....

Marine officials explained that the Corps using all the lessons learned from the EFV program – which focused on achieving increased high-water speed – to ensure the same mistakes don’t occur again.
“Capabilities such as high-water speed will be weighed carefully for affordability and for trade space so we understand what we are giving up if in fact we want to achieve the high-water speed,” said Lt. Gen. Richard Mills deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

and...

Marine officials said they would know more in October when the Corps is scheduled to receive a report from industry that will look trade space areas that will help program officials set requirement priorities.
“The number of Marines inside it would be one of those areas where we would look at possible trade space,” Mills said.
The ACV is capable of traveling at more than 15 knots in high water, compared to the current AAV which has a top speed of seven knots, Mills said.

So a decision on the ACV is now delayed till October.  A new fiscal year.  Additionally they're willing to trade high water speed for crew carriage.  Last we're not going to hear about this vehicle until October!

My prediction?

The Amphibious Combat Vehicle is dead.  They're going to use industry to put forth the reasons why and hide behind their coattails.

We're all being setup to see an upgraded AAV.  You can bet body parts that you highly value on that.  The real question is...do we get new builds or are we going to get refurbished vehicles?  Will we see a different design?  Think F-18 Legacy and F-18 Super Hornet...they look the same but are different.

The next question.  What does this mean for the Marine Personnel Carrier Program?

If I'm wrong and they somehow come up with some type of ACV then the Marine Corps needs to take heed to a warning from the past.  Remember the LVTP-5.  Biased toward water performance, a dog on land (where it spent the majority of its time) and got its men killed in Vietnam.  It had the shortest tenure of service of any LVT/LVTP/AAV in Marine Corps history.  It was such a dog that Marines preferred to take their chances on getting shot riding outside than be caught inside and burned alive by a buried mine the vehicle struck.  If we go after a water optimized ACV then we're going to relive that experience.

Northrop Grumman's X47-B Completes 1st Carrier Catapult Launch

The US Navy just found the reason to skip the F-35.

I'm a F-35B supporter (still extremely concerned about Marine Armor and think that it needs to take priority...a delay won't hurt the program)but today should give Lockheed Martin and supporters pause.

The Navy found a legit reason to skip the F-35 and go directly to the 6th gen stealth fighter.  The X-47 taxied, launched and the only thing left is for it to land on a carrier.   No pilot.  Greater endurance.  Good to great payload.  No worries about conducting combat rescue of pilots...just a determination of whether you're going to destroy the plane in place or recover it.  The X-47 probably changed combat aviation in a way that other drones never could.  The X-47 is a threat that must be taken seriously by technologically advanced forces.  Its stealthy, its fast and its a threat...to the enemy and the F-35.  What follows is a sequence of photos from taxi to getting set up on the catapult to launch.

Patria AMV Havoc/Rosomak...Combat Proven Veteran...Modular Too.

I've been caught up in the rush to find out info on the BAE SuperAV which (as a reader from a certain Scandinavian country informed me) has left coverage of the Patria AMV lacking.

I mean to make up for that.

Lockheed Martin is a curious place when it comes to messaging.  The F-35 (still a supporter) is a jumbled confusion when it comes to messaging.  Info is found at 3 or 4 official websites and they all take turns getting out breaking news.  The Havoc has one location and although the guys are cooperative, they seem to be rather muted when it comes to standing on a hilltop and singing the praises of a combat proven modular vehicle.

Modularity.
This was my biggest "wonder".  How was the Havoc modular?  What makes being "modular" a worthwhile asset?  How would it benefit the Marine Corps?  The answer to that question is rather straightforward   If (as I suspect) that the next vehicles will be the vehicles that we keep for at least two generations then that vehicle needs to be upgradeable...it needs to have growth potential...it has to have the inherent flexibility to grow.  If you look at the photos above you see the Havoc sporting a 105mm cannon, a BMP-3 turret with a 100mm cannon w/30mm cannon in coax, and last but not least you see a twin mortar carrier.  Quite honestly the Marine Corps should have moved to a 30mm cannon on the LAV-25 long ago...it should have sought more firepower on the legacy AAV and even if the EFV had come into service, I have had discussions with other bloggers that even now it would be going back for an upgrade to a 40mm cannon just to keep up with the evolving threat on the battlefield (the EFV was suppose to provide overmatch capability against threat vehicles).  The Havoc out the box gives the Marine Corps that option.  Other vehicles have it too but not to the DEMONSTRATED degree that the HAVOC has shown.  Additionally it has a plug and play architecture that makes these turret upgrades not simple, but easier than they would be otherwise.

Variants.
Similar to but different from "modularity" when you take a look at the different versions of the Havoc you can see that the "Single Family of Vehicles" concept is the guiding vision.  One vehicle, all roles.  via Wikipedia.

The AMV is offered in three main variants: a basic platform, a high roof platform and a heavy weapon platform.
*The AMV basic platform includes APC, IFV, C2, ambulance, reconnaissance, mortar carrier, FCV, ATGM and MGS vehicles. Basic platform can also be provided as an extended Basic L platform with increased internal volume.*The AMV high roof platform features a larger and higher rear compartment which allows more space-requiring work to be done inside the vehicle. The AMV SP is suitable for e.g. C3, large ambulance and workshop vehicles.*The AMV heavy weapon platform features stronger structure enabling heavy weapon systems e.g. Patria AMOS 120 mm mortar turret or Mobile Gun System.

Combat Record.
The Poles have deployed their version of the Havoc to Afghanistan and it performed well.  No.  That understates it.  It performed like a champ.  The Taliban began calling it the "Green Devil" and it successfully shrugged off RPG hits on multiple engagements and even IED blasts.  Unlike the US Army's Stryker experience in Afghanistan, the Havoc did its job and did it well.  Unfortunately the nature of warfare indicates that eventually no matter what the vehicle, you will lose men in it.  This happened and from my reading of events it was an attack by a large form IED and it shocked the Poles because (I imagine because I wasn't there) up to that point the Havoc had brought them to hell and back without the loss of any troops.  This should be a point of emphasis.  Of all the contenders in the Marine Personnel Carrier Contest only the Havoc is combat proven.

Conclusion.
The Havoc is a great vehicle and the Marine Corps (in my opinion) finds itself in a great place...if it would just decide to improve its armor the way that it has emphasized its air side that is!  Again, in my opinion, we have two great vehicles to choose from and it only takes someone, somewhere to get the contest rolling, make a decision and then to get them in production.  If the Havoc is chosen I would sleep well.  Its combat proven, modular, has several versions, can help us achieve the vaunted "single family of vehicles" concept that would help us "neck down" our armored fleet.

Headquarters Marine Corps needs to move forward with the Marine Personnel Carrier Program asap.

Meritor's Enhanced Mobility Upgrade System.

Its interesting...but.... Oskhosh has this segment sewn up with their TAK-4 system.  Add to it that the US Marine Corps and Army has experience with operating that system on their MRAPs and you have a built in lead that will be hard to beat.  Still I think I'd like to learn more....

  HMMWV Enhanced Mobility Upgrade System by snafu-solomon-blogspot-com

FNSS Pars News...

via Composite World (my focus isn't on the 'tape' but the vehicle)...

FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş., a producer of armored vehicles based in Turkey, won a contract from an Asian government to manufacture 8 by 8 PARS amphibious armored personnel vehicles featuring spall liners made with BT10. DSM Dyneema says that BT10 enabled FNSS to meet the highly stringent specifications for the spall liner.
Spall liners protect vehicle occupants from high-velocity fragments that are created when, for example, explosive shells send shock waves through the vehicle’s metal armor. In developing the armored vehicles, FNSS says it put special emphasis on mobility, protection and payload. FNSS will use Dyneema BT10 tape for spall liners in 257 PARS (Turkish for Anatolian leopard) vehicles. The amphibious vehicle will be supplied in 12 variants from 2013 to 2018.
“At FNSS, we take life protection very seriously and are committed to providing the highest possible degree of safety to the men and women who operate and travel in the vehicles we produce,” says Javier Garcia, chief engineer and ballistics specialist at FNSS. “This is why we selected BT10 from DSM Dyneema, one of the toughest, most lightweight and cost-effective ballistic-resistant materials in the world. Spall liners made with BT10 can make a tremendous difference in life-threatening situations. Not only was it a good business decision to choose this high-performance tape technology, but it’s a good feeling to know that we are doing all we can to help protect service people from harm.”
The tape as a spall liner is said to provide proven ballistic performance against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).

A few things...

*FNSS is on the move.  They've won quite a few contracts recently and the Turkish defense industry looks like its becoming more competitive everyday.  I don't know where they stand when it comes to arms exports but they've got to be moving up the charts---and at a rapid clip.

*This spall liner story is hitting at a good time for my blog.  I have a story thats coming out on Weds that will cover the work that Jankel is doing with their hot formed armor.  The armor market is also getting more competitive.  More protection but less weight is pushing the requirements and some of the most innovative work in the defense industry is taking place in this field.  The good news is that this will eventually lead to lighter body armor.  The bad is that the threat will evolve too.

*Noteworthy with the Pars vehicle is the Claw turret (Pence in Turkish).  It really illustrates the future of remote weapon systems.  Notice that the feed chute is protected by armor.  I consider that to be a major weakness of systems such as the Elbit 30.  Exposed chutes lead to all kinds of possible damage...either from enemy fire to something a mundane as a tree branch.  Check out the pics below...

The Elbit UT30.  Its quite popular but the exposed feed chute and electronics cause concern.  Additionally the crew must expose themselves to clear any malfunctions with the weapon system...not exactly ideal if you're receiving fire.

Now the Claw(Pence)...Unmanned turrets, preferably enclosed are in my opinion the future...especially for armored personnel carriers/ infantry fighting vehicles.

The Claw (Pence), compact (especially when used for amphibious vehicles aboard ship) and fully protected...the crew can clear and reload the system from under armor.

I direct your attention to the hatch visible at the top of the pic.  That is where the crew gains access to the weapon system to perform maintenance, reload etc.  Also notice that unlike a manned system you don't have a large basket extending into the crew compartment reducing the number of dismounts that can be carried.

Iveco/BAE SuperAv ... the confusion has been explained.

Do you remember the vehicle that appeared at Modern Day Marine, representing the SuperAV?

It looks like the big brother to the VBTPR that Brazil is building doesn't it....

But then we see what appears to be a completely different vehicle at the testing at the Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch...

Well the answer is that they're the same vehicle (the vehicle from Modern Day Marine & AVTB), the difference being that the vehicle that appeared at the AVTB was fitted with the additional armor, fuel cells, trim vane, lights etc...

That should clear up any confusion and put an end to the discussion of a bait and switch that has been hitting my blogs "in box" like a hurricane.

Tomorrow, its a detailed view of how and why the term "modular" applies to the Lockheed Martin Havoc.  I finally found the info to nail that piece down.

Loach and Bronco.

via Sobchak Blog.