Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau presents armor concepts for India....

Thanks for the link DWI!!

Hmmm.

It appears that while the US Army and USMC (in particular) are taking procurement holidays when it comes to new armored systems, the rest of the Pacific is charging full speed ahead.

All pics via Congnghequocphong.blogspot.com

Now its Libya vs. N. Korea!

Thanks to Tom for the link!!!

via CNN

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libya's prime minister threatened Saturday night to bomb a North Korean-flagged ship that had entered a rebel-held oil port, calling the ship's arrival there a "violation of international law."
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said if the ship does not follow orders, "it will be bombed and this could lead to an environmental disaster."
The vessel, dubbed Morning Glory, docked late Friday night in the oil port of As-Sidra. Zeidan said the ship's captain subsequently was warned by phone, though the captain responded that local militia on board did not allow them to depart.
Libyan government officials spoke with diplomats at North Korea's embassy in Tripoli, Zeidan said. He added that information showed a "Gulf nation" owned the ship and that it is registered in North Korea. A spokesman for Libya's National Oil Corporation indicated the tanker was Saudi owned, but Saudi Arabia's embassy released a statement saying it had nothing to do with the ship.
In addition, an arrest warrant has been issued for the oil tanker's captain and "the use of armed force, as necessary," has been authorized, according to Zeidan.

A few things...

1.  The visual of the Gulf Nations basically being in lockstep on most issues is washing away.  A regional war is coming.

2.  The news media is ignoring it but the low grade civil war raging in Libya is heating up.  Rebels control more and more territory.  The European Union, or more specifically the British and French playbook for Libya, which the Obama Administration followed from behind...while leading....has failed.

3.  Globalization is faltering.  Its failure is right around the corner.  Disputes like this one were suppose to be settled in court.  Remember the "Nations acting like its the 19th or 20th century" line from Kerry?  I now believe that the "new world order" that Bush Sr. was putting into place was nothing sinister.  It was simply based on the belief that economic entanglement would make war obsolete and that small units of Special Operations backed by airpower could handle any problems on the ground.  Instead of backing off that belief they've doubled down.   They were wrong.  So wrong.

4.  The world is becoming MUCH more dangerous and almost appears to be spiraling out of control.  Yet now we cut our defense?  Now we send combat hardened troops to the unemployment line?

We will pay dearly for the mistakes our leaders are making today.  Read the whole story here. 

Defense cuts are all political...

Check this out from the Suffolk News Herald...

By Rick Jensen
The difference between President Obama’s approach and that of Republicans like Senator Tom Coburn is the Democratic president wants to cut spending on military men and women’s salaries and benefits, while Coburn seeks to cut spending on jets and ships.
The president also wants to cut cost of living increases for retirees who served our country
Yes, the Pentagon is facing $37 billion in cuts. So what would be the best way to match those cuts? Reduce our well-trained fighting force when terrorists are recruiting and deploying forces around the world and amid serious international threats or reduce billions of dollars in questionable weapons programs?
Coburn has one of the most consistently diligent teams digging through defense spending reports from the Government Accountability Office.
A quick and easy way to achieve $37 billion in savings is to simply end the F-35 Strike Fighter boondoggle. It’s years behind schedule, billions over budget and will be just as expensive to fly and maintain each plane over its lifespan.
It’s also politically impossible to end the program outright, so Coburn’s team has proposed allowing the Navy and Marine Corps to purchase cheaper F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, instead of making the F-35 the standard platform for every branch of the military, thereby saving $18 billion.
Also, do we really need 11 aircraft carriers? Many analysts say we don’t Save $7 billion by reducing aircraft carriers from 11 to 10 and Navy Air Wings from 10 to 9.
Of course, beaching an aircraft carrier also means displacing a crew of about 5,000.
One of the more controversial ideas is closing Department of Defense elementary schools to save about $10 billion.
More than 25,000 students are taught by 2,300 teachers who are employees of the Department of Defense. Sadly, a report by the Center for Public Integrity stated, “Conditions are so bad (on military-run schools) that some educators at base schools envy the civilian schools off base, which admittedly have their own challenges.”
The problem with locking the doors on military elementary schools is putting that population pressure on some local school districts that don’t have enough classroom space. Building new schools would cost those taxpayers more than is being spent on the base schools.
There are billions more that can be saved by eliminating programs that simply duplicate other effective programs, but what congressman wants to face angry people who lost a job?
Perhaps it is easier for Democrats to simply fire people, but there are better ways to cut defense spending.
Rick Jensen is a talk show host on Delaware’s 1150AM WDEL and 93.7FM HD3. His show streams live on WDEL.com from 1 to 4 p.m

Geez I'm slow.

These proposed defense cuts that the Obama Administration is putting forward is designed to do one thing.

They are to be so painful.  So obviously dangerous to national security, that Republicans have to cave to increased domestic spending to get them reversed.

I don't agree with all Rick's points but he's right about more than a few things and nails it with his big takeaway.

There ARE smarter ways to cut defense.  They're not even trying. 

Saudi Arabia and Qatar at war against Iraq?!

Have you heard about the other war going on right now???

via Al Jazeera.

Maliki, a Shia, has in the past blamed unnamed regional countries and neighbours for destabilising Iraq, the AFP news agency reported.
But in an interview with France 24 broadcast on Saturday, the Iraqi premier said allegations he was marginalising Sunnis were being pushed by sectarians with ties to foreign agendas, with Saudi and Qatari incitement.
"They are attacking Iraq, through Syria and in a direct way, and they announced war on Iraq, as they announced it on Syria, and unfortunately it is on a sectarian and political basis," he said.
"These two countries are primarily responsible for the sectarian and terrorist and security crisis of Iraq."

Read the story here.

My thoughts?  Everyone is so anxious to give Sec of State Kerry a gold star for the work he is doing.  Everyone is so eager to pat the President on the back with regards to the world situation and how he's handling things.

The truth is much more stark.

The world is literally ablaze.  There is no leadership coming from the US, the EU....no one.

It is baked into the cake now.  A regional war...maybe a couple of regional wars are almost a certainty.  Something will kick off in the Middle East.  There is no stopping it, its gonna happen.  Additionally Africa is still boiling and tribal factions mixed with religious zealotry will ensure continued conflict...which leaves the Pacific.

Many will try and give you the "all is well" signal but thats pure bullshit.  I don't know what the issue will be, but there will be a confrontation in that region soon.

Shit is about to get real worldwide.  Meanwhile we're focused on triviality.  It would be funny if I wasn't seeing this with my own eyes. 

Your Saturday WTF story....via the Unwanted Blog.

Unwanted Blog....has the weird story.

My only thought is "WHAT THE FUCK!"

Weird makes the world go round but you don't have to try and corner the market.  I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they're paperbag material to me.  BIG paper bag at that!

Short term fix to the AAV issue....add on water speed?

Things are bad in Marine budget land and if my guessing is correct, its gonna get worse (by that I mean the F-35's maintenance costs will be so extreme that for the lifetime of the plane we won't be able to buy new armor).

If my beliefs are correct then we must do something about the AAV.

Unless the brainiacs at BAE or General Dynamics (not including Lockheed because I don't know if they would even bid on redesign work for an existing armored vehicle) can take the existing design and improve the hydrodynamics while increasing IED protection then we've got to work with what we've got.

I've covered what needs to be done with regards to firepower, protection and over ground mobility.  But what about water speed?  It seems like we've almost given up on making the legacy vehicle faster in the water.  I'm not sure we're doing the Marine-thing by giving up on it that easily (I'm not saying die in a ditch to get it done, but a little out of the box stuff is clearly called for).

That's when my World of Tanks research on Japanese tanks of WW2 comes into play.

Ya see World of Tanks is having a 3x experience weekend and I'm playing some of my lower tier tanks...and to HUGE success.  My computer is the same with the same mediocre graphics card and processing speed so what gives?  Poor play on the part of other players or is it the fact that I'm getting kills on TONS of Japanese tanks.  A quick google search brought me to this beauty that I've talked about in historical terms before...the Type 2 Kai-Ma.  An amphibious tank used during WW2.

So what does this have to do with the AAV?  Well check out the pic below....

Yeah.  A flotation device.  Quite honestly a ships bow.  It was disposable upon landing but most crews kept them in place because they acted as a type of spaced armor.

So.  Can we use some type of "outboard motor" that can be discarded (and later recovered) upon landing to improve the speed of the AAV?  Even if its just some type of pack that houses additional motors in some type of sponson at the back of the vehicle like the type used on some barges, could we get a useful boost in water speed?

I guess what I'm really talking about is taking the example of the extra fuel sponsons on the M-113 and using it to mount extra fuel and thrusters for higher water speed.

It might be goofy but somethings got to give.

Detroit Police Chief comes down on the side of gun owners defending themselves....

This should be the common approach taken by law enforcement and this shouldn't be newsworthy.

Unfortunately its not...at least up north.

Can you imagine the Chief of Police in Boston, or New York, or Chicago or even a dozen other cities making such a statement?

UN buys Otokar Cobras...

via Defense News.

ANKARA — Turkey’s leading armored vehicles manufacturer, Otokar, has said that it won a $24.6 million contract from the United Nations.
In a news release March 6, Otokar said the contract was for an unspecified number of the company’s Cobra vehicles. The UN will use the Cobras in peacekeeping operations, the company said.
Cobra, used by the armies of 15 different countries, is Otokar’s best known vehicle. Turkish security forces use the four-wheel-drive Cobra for reconnaissance and area control.
Otokar reported 40 percent growth in 2013, with exports of $117 million.
The company also is the developer of the Altay, Turkey’s first indigenous, new-generation main battle tank. In 2008, Otokar signed a $500 million contract with the Turkish procurement office, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, to produce four prototypes under the Altay program.

The big news here is that the UN buys armored vehicles.  Who knew?  Are tanks and helicopters next?  Additionally where does an international organization store such things and who maintains them?

I find the idea of this ... interesting.

As far as the Cobra?  Appears to be to be a great vehicle.  The fact that its amphibious is just another plus. 

BTR-4E1 Advanced Security.

Thanks Jonathan.

via Defense Aerospace.

State Enterprise Kharkiv Machine Building Design Bureau named O. O. Morozova (SE KMDB), which is part of the State Concern Ukroboronprom, completed production of a new version of armored combat vehicles BTR-4E1 with additional protection.

This variant of the BTR-4E1 extends the family of armored vehicles with wheel formula 8x8, which is already in mass production. SE KMDB has developed and manufactured a prototype and a set of armor hanging to it, which can significantly increase the security of the crew and landing BTR-4E1. With this armor can be installed and dismantled by the crew in the field, depending on whether you choose a combat mission and threat level.

BTR-4E1 is a floating armored vehicle with wheel formula 8x8. BTR-4E1 has a modular design, which has created on the basis of general chassis family of armored vehicles. It includes armored, infantry fighting vehicles, commander, command post, medical and recovery vehicle. Through the use of different combat modules and special equipment machine can be adapted to perform a variety of combat and support tasks.

BTR-4 adopted by the Ukrainian army. The machine is also great interest in foreign partners.

How is it advanced?  I haven't the foggiest.  All I can see is a bit of additional, bolt on armor at the side. 

Navy trying for more EA-18G's on the sly....

via Reuters...

(Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans to add 22 Boeing electronic attack jets to a list of "unfunded" priorities requested by Congress, but the document must still be vetted by senior Pentagon officials, who have underscored their commitment to Lockheed Martin Corp's next-generation F-35 fighter jet, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the military services in a memo on Thursday they could respond to the House Armed Services Committee's request, but said the lists should be coordinated with his office and that of General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a defense official.


The defense official and multiple other sources spoke on Wednesday and Thursday on condition of anonymity because the unfunded priorities lists have not yet been formally submitted to Congress.

This is so slick it hurts.

They're targeting the EA-18G because its the plane that will provide electronic support to even the ground pounders.  Additionally it will still be needed for legacy and other non-stealth aircraft.

The Air Force and Marines (HQMC that is) might bitch but its a necessary mission.

And right now into the foreseeable future only the EA-18G can do it.  Oh and yeah.  Lockheed Martin has it congressional boosters...but so does Boeing...and Boeing is located in the President's home state.  Just a bit of sauce for the goose.

Brilliant.

Sidenote:  I still believe that the F-35 is far from being out of trouble.  The Pentagon has to be crunching the numbers and I believe that this first "tranche" of cuts is simply a sop to the Generals.  Obama Care and increasing federal debt will cause the numbers of planes bought to plummet.  Its in a death spiral only ALIS doesn't know it yet.

F-35. Supporters are slipping up and telling the truth!

via The Province.com

Gen. Michael Hostage, head of air combat command in the U.S., said the F-35 is critical for the future of that country’s air force. But in an interview with the Air Force Times, published in February, Hostage pointed out the F-35 needs to work hand-in-hand with the F-22.
“The F-35 is not built as an air superiority platform,” Hostage said. “It needs the F-22.”
The U.S. Air Force is upgrading the F-22, which officers see as essential. Without the upgraded F-22s, “the F-35 fleet frankly will be irrelevant,” Hostage said.

Read the entire article here.

The question becomes simple.  If the F-35 is not an air superiority platform then what good is it to Canada, Japan, and a whole host of other countries?

If the F-22 is needed to make the F-35 relevant then what good is it to the USMC or the USN?

This is what happens when you go off script and start telling the truth.

Worldwide trouble is based on the bad economy...

I've been wondering if anyone would pick up on this but I haven't seen any of the big thinkers tap into it publicly...

The situation in Ukraine is about the economy.  I know.  We're being fed that its all about a freedom movement but thats not quite right.  The issue was closer ties to the EU.  What the Ukrainian people saw was Western lifestyles.  What they didn't see is the pain that would accompany making the move and the price that the EU would demand be paid to join.

The Ukrainian economy is a mess.

What has been done?  The US and the EU is now picking up the tab to prop up their economy.

Nothing more or less.

But look around the world.  The Arab Spring was touted as a freedom movement that erupted in the Middle East.  Wrong.  It started in those countries because of widespread discontent over economic conditions.

Long story short?  Globalization is collapsing all around us, yet no one seems to be noticing.  Every move is geared toward keeping this system going.  But to what end?  It hasn't made the world more prosperous OR safer.

If I'm right then we're looking at many more years of a chaotic planet that is treading water OR a final move toward a global depression.

A six division Army?

American Mercenary has another thought provoker.  The numbers are grim.  He does the math and the possibility of a 6 division US Army is entirely in the realm of possibilities.

Before you say that's no big deal consider this.  During WW2 the USMC had 6 divisions.  Additionally a Marine division is bigger than its Army counterpart so we're talking about far fewer people than even the WW2 example.

I said the Army is getting shredded.  I was wrong.  This is much worse.

A basic mistake the Army made is talking brigades instead of divisions. It clouds the issue when it comes to the size of the Army and the cuts its being forced to take. (Note:  Tim informs me that the Royal Navy is facing the same issues.  Many current and retired service members complain that the force is too small to perform assigned missions but is told that "tonnage today is greater than it was during the 1990's"...)

Historians, both military and civilian, will wonder what the fuck we were thinking.  Military Historians will wonder why the military didn't protest the cuts even though they knew that it would jeopardize the safety of the nation.

Read the article here.

The Marine Corps budget. An aviation Commandant prioritizes aviation...again.

via SeaPower magazine.

The budget request would buy six F-35Bs next year, going up to 20 a year by the end of the five-year program unveiled at a Pentagon briefing.
It also would fund the final group of MV-22 Ospreys, with 19 in each of the next two years, dropping off to 17 and then to two a year in fiscal 2018 and 2019 as the Corps nears its planned total of 360 of the tiltrotor troop transports.
And the budget will continue the rapid buy of the new H-1 helicopters, buying a total of 26 AH-1Zs and UH-1Ys next year, and 133 through the five-year plan.
It also would fund six new KC-130J transport and refueling aircraft over five years, with one planned for next year, and it would advance by two years, to fiscal 2016, the purchase of a C-40A passenger jet.
The budget restarts procurement of the MQ-21 small tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, which had been stopped in the current year, proposing to buy one in fiscal 2017 and seven more the next two years.
The one negative change to the aviation programs is a one-year delay in buying the first two of the new CH-53K heavy lift helicopters, sliding the initial procurement to fiscal 2017. The upgraded replacement for the well-used CH-53Es still is in research and development, with the ground-test vehicle built and the first flight-test aircraft under construction by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

The ground side gets screwed again, thanks to the fly boy in the Commandant's chair.

We need new leadership.  Read the article here. 

Kevin Martin 1's F-18 photo essay...

If you're not subscribed to Kevin Martin 1's Flickr Page then you're missing out.

AmericanMercenary: Regionally Aligned Brigades, link heavy

AmericanMercenary: Regionally Aligned Brigades, link heavy

This is a must read.  

Great info, but I must admit that I'm still digesting it and the implications of what's being brought forward.

Before I was opposed to the idea of R/A Brigades.  It seemed a step too far and something to further weaken and specialize the general purpose force.  Now?  I'm not so sure.  I'll be chewing on this for awhile.

It has begun. Weakness has a price.

IDF Intercepts Iranian Shipment of Rockets to Terrorist Organizations in Gaza

Early this morning, the Israel Navy undertook a complex & covert mission. Our forces intercepted an Iranian shipment of advanced weapons intended for terrorist organizations in Gaza. The IDF forces exposed Syrian-made M-302 surface-to-surface missiles, which are capable of striking anywhere in Israel.

Above you see photos that were posted on the Israeli Defence Force Flickr site this morning.

My take is that Israel is now in the process of laying out the case for a near future strike on Iran.

It might not be a "nuclear program killer" but I fully expect some type of punitive raid on military facilities.  You heard it here first.  A simple post on the internet is the first block in building the case for military action.  I expect it to occur near the elections this fall.  The Israeli conservatives will want to boost US conservatives before the election and this will be a huge black eye for the Obama administration.

Instant talking point?  We couldn't trust the US, led by the Obama administration, to properly deal with the Iranian threat...so Israel had to act alone.

We'll see if I'm right in a few months.

China has its foothold in the Americas.

via Want China Times

Security forces in Venezuela are using Chinese military hardware such as the Norinco VN-4 armored vehicle and Shaanxi Y-8C transport aircraft to suppress nationwide anti-government protests, according to US analyst Richard Fisher in an article written for the London-based Jane's Defence Weekly.
A photo taken on Feb. 21 and posted on Twitter showed "what activists described as Cuban special forces disembarking from Venezuela's new Shaanxi Y-8C transport aircraft," Fisher said. He added that Venezuelan interior minister Rodriguez Torres denied the deployment of Cuban special forces on Feb. 23, but the photo showed that President Nicolas Maduro is seeking support from Cuba and China to stabilize his rule amid the current wave of violence.
Venezuela purchased eight Y-8Cs from China in 2011. The planes can transport up to 18-20 tonnes of cargo. As for the VN-4, the Venezuelan National Guard introduced 141 vehicles back in 2012. The 4x4 9-tonne armored vehicle can carry up to eight personnel and is equipped with a light machine gun, according to Fisher. He said that the Chinese-made hardware has finally gained "'combat' experience" by being deployed to put down the social unrest.
"Chinese weapons' lack of combat experience has been a long-standing impediment to Beijing's efforts to win major deals on the global arms market," Fisher wrote.
China is planning to export its FC-1/JF-17 Xiaolong/Thunder fighters to Venezuela and has discussed the co-production of this fighter with Argentina. Meanwhile, China is looking toward Venezuela and Peru to be the buyers of its more advanced J-10 fighter. Fisher added that Peru is also considered a market for China to export its BP-12A short-range ballistic missile. China has also sold border surveillance equipment to Peru and Brazil.
To keep an eye on the situation, Washington has asked Beijing to hold six "Sub Dialogues on Latin America," Fisher said, with the most recent held in Beijing in November last year.

Lets put to one side the fact that the situation in Venezuela is of far more importance to the United States than the happenings in the Ukraine.

Lets ignore for the moment that Cuban Special Forces were used to put down protests in Venezuela.

Venezuela is moving from buying Russian kit to Chinese.  What I'll find interesting is if they buy J-10's.  How would they match up against Brazilian Gripens?  Does anyone fly aircraft in the region that could over match them?

Additionally the thought that they could purchase ballistic missiles brings up all sorts of issues that aren't being considered today.

I've watched the happening in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Peru with great interest.  Venezuela needs to be added to the list.

If you add S. America to whats going on in the Pacific and Middle East, I think we have the makings of a worldwide arms race developing.

The US & Japan to research a high speed troop transport/minesweeper based on the LCS-2?

Thanks to John Doe for the link...

via JiJi.com

　The 4th, The Governments of Japan and the United States agreed on the basis of (MDA) Japan-US Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement, to carry out joint development of small high-speed ship capable helicopter. Shore fields statement male same day, Kennedy Ambassador and Foreign Minister replaced the letter. U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense hits the research jointly.
　Ministry of Defense think you want to develop and deploy a minesweeper ship and transport of thousand several hundred tons the amount of drainage class helicopter can be installed, can navigate at high speed. U.S. Navy owns combine the conditions of these "Littoral combat ship", to promote the research based on this design technology. (2014/03/04-21: 14)

I seriously wonder why Google Translate is able to do such a good job handling Mandarin but just drops the ball completely with almost every other language?

Quite honestly I'm trusting John Doe on his take on the article.  He seems to think that this indicates that the US and Japan are going to research a high speed troop transport, helicopter capable, mine sweeping ship...based on the LCS-2.

The article is here is you want to try your own translation tool on it.

Marine Personnel Carrier. What should we aim for?

BAE SuperAV

Lets talk MPC and what the Marine Corps should be aiming for when it comes to the ACV Phase 1.

First up it must be emphasized that this is an enhancement but not replacement for the AAV/ACV.  We will still need an amphibious tractor to get from ship to shore.  BUT!  We also need a vehicle that will provide protected mobility to our Marines once ashore.  The MTVR needs to revert to its pure logistics role and not continue to serve as a surrogate troop carrier.

Patria AMV

Next we need to give industry a bit of clarity.  I still haven't heard whether or not reports of the "rebirth" of the MPC is true or not.  Additionally it appears that the ACV and AAV Upgrade are in some kind of limbo.  That will not do.  Time to clue them in on what to expect so that we'll have partners in this development and not half baked efforts.

SAIC Terrex

Next up is the tricky part.  We have an opportunity with this program and the US Army showed us the way.

We can finally neck down our ground vehicle programs in a HUGE way.  If we're smart enough and bold enough to develop a family of vehicles along the line of the Stryker system then we will be cooking with gas.  They won't be perfect solutions but by falling in on US Army systems we can save money and get quite a bit done.  The Engineer Support Vehicle?  Awesome.  We should adapt the bits to fit onto whichever vehicle is picked.  NBC vehicle?  Ditto.  It goes down the line.  The only vehicle I wouldn't adapt to Army equipment fits is the MGS.

Japanese Maneuver Combat Vehicle

I'm becoming sold on the concept of wheeled vehicles mounting large caliber guns (up to 105mm) and I think we can leverage work being done around the world to make it a centerpiece of our middle weight, rapidly/forward deployed, crisis response (still hate that term) force.

As part of our family of vehicles we should design a proper mobile gun system (manned) that will serve as infantry support.  By that I mean bunker busting, infantry fighting vehicle killing, anti-personnel dispatching ---monsters of the midway.

But what about tanks?  They'd operate this version of vehicles.  Oh and before you ask we'd put artillery men inside designated 120mm mortar carriers too.

As far as the tanks themselves?  Lets be honest.  The US Army has moved past the M1A1, a decision on whether to upgrade them to Army standards or maintain them as is, is under consideration and whatever choice is made its gonna be expensive.

So what do we do when we need heavy firepower?  We do what was done in the first Gulf War and we get the Army to assign a Tank Brigade to us...this time permanently.  One each for our Marine Expeditionary Brigades.  They'd be stationed at 29 Palms (God save the Soldiers headed there), Lejeune and then finally in say...Australia.  The problem with this is Army manning.  They're cutting to the bone and might not have enough personnel to get this done.  If not then its for wartime use only.

These are all probably decisions to be made by the next Commandant...to include whether or not to proceed with the MPC.  Pity.  We have lost 4 years to the debacle that has become Marine Corps ground vehicle procurement.  Whoever sits in the big chair next has some major league issues on the plate.  Unfortunately that includes what to do with the MPC/ACV/AAV Upgrade.