Mitsubishi Heavy Industries new, heavy wheeled IFV?

Pics are via Military Technology Magazine Blog.  I'm sending them a note for more info on this vehicle.

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Piranha 3+ pics via Warfare Technology Blog...

Warfare Technology Blog got us the first looks at the General Dynamics Europe Piranha 3+...for some unknown reason GD Europe announced the vehicle but didn't provide visuals....WT is the first blog to get us a look at the vehicle.

NOTE:  Is it my imagination or is this simply the LAV High Technology Demonstrator???

Quote of the day. Air Force appreciation for Marine Grunts!

It will not bother me should I live my entire life without having to kill a man but I have to say I'm glad to be surrounded by a thousand 19 year-old Marines who can't wait to.

The above quote is from an Examiner.com article talking about the fact that US Marines have not been moved into position to evacuate the US Embassy in Iraq...wait for it...because of political sensitivity!

Remember my article here, where I speculated that we weren't being proactive and evacuating the embassy had more to do with presidential prestige rather than the desire to save lives.

Looks like I was right.  Read the Examiner article here.

Sidenote:  I'm not slamming the Air Force guy that made the above quote but it does point to something that is being heard more and more among men...and its disturbing.  Men are expecting other men to protect them.  Not for them to be responsible for each others safety (like standing watch while your buddy catches some sleep and vice versa) but for one man to be responsible for protecting another.  On the surface it sounds innocent enough, but dig into it.  Since when is a man not responsible for protecting not only himself but his loved ones?  This is an unnoticed trend that needs to be stomped out.  The feminization of the American male continues...even in the military.

F-35 in-flight emergency. Burning questions....

via WSJ

The Pentagon temporarily grounded the entire F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet at the start of the weekend after one of the advanced jets suffered an engine oil leak and declared an in-flight emergency.
While the suspension of flight and ground testing on Friday was described by F-35 program officials as a precautionary move, it is the second time in 16 months that engine problems have grounded the entire fleet. It comes just two weeks before the plane is due to make its first international appearance.

And then this...

Engine maker Pratt Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. UTX -0.05% , said most of the 104-jet fleet had been cleared to resume flying by late Saturday following the safety inspections mandated by the F-35 managers on Friday. The F-35 program office said these revealed potential problems on two more jets.

There are more than a few burning questions that need to be answered.

What was the tick tock of events leading to the pilot declaring a in-flight emergency?  Are these recurring engine problems due to weight saving measures?  Why is Pratt Whitney and the Program office not on the same page?  The office is saying there are potential problems with two more jets while PW is touting the clearance of the "majority".  Are we seeing some type of systemic design or maintenance problem?

F-35 News. Turkey says F-35 is weak air-to-air...

via DefenseNews.

Despite ups and downs, we remain fully committed to the [Joint Strike Fighter] program. But independently, we will develop our own fighter. There is an established policy understanding to keep our [fighter] fleet limited to these two only,” said a senior government official for defense procurement.
An official from the procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), confirmed: “We think a combination of both aircraft will ensure sufficient firepower and deterrence.”
The SSM official said the F-35 has some weaknesses in air-to-air combat, but the TF-X would compensate. TF-X is Turkey’s indigenous fighter under development.
After delays of more than a year, Turkey’s top procurement panel last month officially decided to order the country’s first two F-35s. The order is for the first F-35A aircraft with Block-3F configuration under Low Rate Initial Production-10.

The evidence is mounting.

The F-35 is going to be a DOG when it comes to aerial combat.

How do we know this?  The RAF has constantly stated that the Typhoon will be their air to air platform of choice and that the F-35 will be used for strike missions.  The Italian Air Chief said it out loud.  The F-35 doesn't cut it for air to air combat and now this.  Turkey is saying that they will build their own indigenous airplane instead of relying on the F-35.

I wonder.

How can the Netherlands, Canada, Japan and S. Korea have been fooled into thinking that the F-35 will be an adequate replacement for F-16/18's when they got the same briefs as the RAF, Italy and Turkey?

To save Western air forces we must kill this airplane.

Now we know why they're so desperate to pass gun laws...Gang Member Teens are flooding across the border....

via The Washington Times...

Chris Cabrera, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 3307 in the Rio Grande Valley, said that confirmed gang members in Mexico — including those from Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) — are coming into the country to be reunited with their families, National Review reported Friday.
“If he’s a confirmed gang member in his own country, why are we letting him in here? … I’ve heard people come in and say, ‘You’re going to let me go, just like you let my mother go, just like you let my sister go. You’re going to let me go as well, and the government’s going to take care of us,’” Mr. Cabrera told the magazine.
He said that the only way to solve the problem was to implement harsher restrictions on who can be allowed to cross.
“Until we start mandatory detentions, mandatory removals, I don’t think anything is going to change. As a matter of fact, I think it’s going to get worse,” he said, National Review reported.

Crime is at a historical low.  So why the push to pass gun laws?  I've often wondered because it didn't make sense but now I see it clearly.  They need and want to control the population.  Too conspiratorial for you?  Then how about this.

We're importing our next crime wave.

Import many young people, with a portion of them being confirmed gang members and you're going to see crime increase which will lead to the American people arming up like never before.  They have to pass these restrictions now, before those that are more into reality TV than real life realize whats going on.

The implications are clear.  No one wants to say it so I will.  Police are militarizing because they have to.  We're importing our next crime wave (you could even say domestic terrorist...look up some of the atrocities committed by MS-13)...and its happening right before our eyes.

"Barrel Bombs' gaining in popularity?

Bayou Renaissance Man covers an issue I knew absolutely nothing about. Barrel Bombs! Interesting and primitive concept but it does open up an interesting door. Can't afford bombers? How about filling a transport with these 'bombs' and simply roll them off the ramp! Read about it here.

F-35 grounding points to future problems!

Commenter Lou G stated that the grounding of the F-35 is no big deal.

I beg to differ.

If the F-35 fan boys are successful (and I don't believe they will be) then you can look to a future where the USMC is flying only F-35s.  If they're grounded then that means that if the balloon goes up we won't have fast mover air support.

The same will apply to the USAF.  The majority of their fighters will be F-35 if the plan carries the day.

A grounding for safety concerns can effectively cripple at least 2/3rds of the available fighters available to a future USAF/USMC/USN.

That is unacceptable.

This points out the need to have proven airframes in service for the foreseeable future.  This is why we need the Super Hornet in USMC colors!

BREAKING NEWS!!!!! ENTIRE F-35 FLEET GROUNDED TILL JUNE 18TH!

Thanks William for the feed!!!!

If this is true then this is ground shaking news for a program already in trouble!

Trying to get up with contacts in the defense media to verify!

Border crises epiphany...

I just realized something about the border crises...you know, the one...where kids are crossing by the thousands.....

If a child, in many cases a toddler with her mother can make it across our border then certainly some hardened terrorists can too.

We're gonna get hit and we're gonna get hit hard.  Our borders are wide open.

Boxer 30mm Lance Turret 8X8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Nexter Titus Live Demonstration

The Marine Corps lip syncs while our enemies prepare for war.

Note:  This is one of my punch the walls subjects.  Why HQMC is so enthused about producing videos of Marines acting an ass is beyond me, but it reached STUPID levels and was never condemned by the Commandant.

Let me take you through a trip down memory lane....



Yeah.  In this vid at Camp Leatherneck you see Marines lip syncing to the song "Call Me Maybe".  This was July 2012.

Two months later...while I'm still punching walls and people are telling me that I'm old skool, terrorist attack ... killing the Squadron Commander and a Sgt.  via CNN...

(CNN) -- A band of insurgents dressed in U.S. Army uniforms waged a deadly assault on U.S.-British military complex in Afghanistan before being beaten back by coalition forces, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Saturday.
Two U.S. Marines and 14 insurgents died in the "sustained" fighting during the Friday-night attack, ISAF said. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the strike was in response to the anti-Islam film stoking anger across the Muslim world.

I don't care why the Taliban claimed they attacked.  The issue is simple.  The Marines were playing instead of securing there base.  Fast forward to May 2014.  What do we see on national news?  Marines lip syncing again...



Meanwhile, only a month later what do we see....

Terrorists are on the march in Iraq.

My Senior Drill Instructor once told me after a surprise inspection that you can't get ready...you have to be ready...at all times.

The Commandant is calling for a re-awaking?  How about a simple return to the basics.  Nothing fancy, nothing silly, nothing that will require additional funding.  Simply get back to the job of doing the Marine thing instead of appealing to people (and I'm assuming that these videos are designed to reach this "new" generation) that probably don't pack the gear to be in my Marine Corps.

Blast from the Past. RF-4X...the Mach 3 Phantom!

The "Unwanted Blog" has a link to a story about a Mach 3 capable (for a short time), recon Phantom was under development for the Israeli Air Force.  Read the story of this fascinating plane here.

Burning World News. While Iraq explodes, is Russia & China preparing to make their moves?

If you watched the vid then you can clearly see the Russian Flag flying from the from the truck leading the convoy.

Oh and if you think the vid is fake then none other than the US Govt has verified it.  Three of the tanks were destroyed before they got very far into Ukraine but the implications are clear.

We're about to see multiple disruptive events in different parts of the world.

The boogey man in all this is China.  Will they see the perceived weakness in US foreign policy and decide now is the time to act?

Private Contracting Peril. US Contractors trapped at Balad, Iraq.

via CNN.

I am writing from ballad Iraq as a employee of sallyport, ksillc..there are approx 500 US citizens on balad air base north of Baghdad trapped..we are part of a little known F16 iraq support mission here...The company has reportedly for the last 3 days to fly us out, we are now all herded into a central location on base..and being told nothing..The clint lockheed martin, DoS and most women have already been evacuated days ago but we are all still here. I hope this message is received by someone that can break this as headline news to bring attention to the situation for us..we are all worried and in dire straight as last security Intel reports Isis elements around us..

This is one of those things that if you're lucky will never happen to you if you decide to be a PMC.  Luckily, I had a "daddy" in the business that took me under his wings to teach the in's and out's.

I forget the number of the rule, but it goes like this.  ALWAYS KNOW WHEN ITS TIME TO SAY FUCK THE CONTRACT AND GET OUT OF DODGE!

Hope these guys stay safe, but it sounds bad...if its true that is.  Something else to consider?  Know who you're working for.  Triple Canopy.  Lockheed Martin.  BAE.  Raytheon.  SAIC.  Booz-Allen.  They take care of their people.  Some of the others?  Not so much.  Its a dangerous world and unless they're careful we might be looking at a few more Sgt Bergdahl's.

Watch these ISIS terrorist play with a beheaded victim (NSFW)

Reports indicate that over 2000 people were summarily executed when the ISIS took over Mosul. How many of those were Iraqi soldiers, civilians or children is unknown.

NOTE:  For those that will complain I simply say this.  This is reality.  Don't look away, don't be afraid, just drink it in and know your enemy.  This is why I have no sympathy.  They won't have any for us.

F-35 News. Reliability still sucks.

via Otawa Citizen.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft has not yet demonstrated sufficient reliability improvements, the Bloomberg news service is reporting. That verdict comes from the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, who talked to reporters after an F-35 management conference.
In total 104 F-35s have been delivered for testing, flights and training.
In June 2014, Kendall told U.S. lawmakers that “we’re not where we need to be on reliability right now.” The F-35 program is “lagging our own goals by a significant margin.”
“I would probably pretty much make the same comment today,” Kendall said, adding that there’s “some marginal evidence of improvement but it’s not enough.”

Nuff said.

And this plane is suppose to go into service with the Marine Corps next year?  In name only.  This turkey will be a hangar queen...not flying off the decks of amphibs! 

Nexter Titus 6x6 via Military Tech Blog.