Beware the SU-35?

“The Su's ability to go high and fast is a big concern, including for F-35,” the Air Force official said.

The National Interest has a fascinating article on the SU-35 and how it might fare against our 4th and 5th generation fighters.

Once again Air Power Australia (APA) is being proven correct.  The people confirming?  Air Force and Naval Aviators.  More is known about the truth of this plane than is being publicly disclosed...and the impression I get is that it isn't good.  Check this out from a Navy flier...

One U.S. Navy Super Hornet pilot—a graduate of that service’s elite TOPGUN school—offered a sobering assessment. “When taken as a singular platform, I like the Su-35’s chances against most of our platforms, with perhaps the exception of the F-22 and F-15C,” the naval aviator said. “I suspect the F/A-18E/F can hold it’s own and F-35 has presumed stealth and sensor management on its side.”

How is sensor fusion and "limited" stealth going to help you in a fight when the other guy is flying faster, higher, has AESA and IRST to track your movements and can outrange you?  I haven't even talked about the advantages that threat forces have when it comes to missile tech!

The most chilling part of this article?  We're still talking about "old" Russian tech and aren't taking into account the J-20 and J-31 or the PAK-FA!  From the quotes from the aviators its obvious that we need to start a crash 6th gen program NOW just to maintain EQUALITY...forget about hopes of superiority!

Scorpion (EBCR & VBMR) Program Brochures...

The more I look at the EBCR (Jaguar) the more I like it.  The French have taken one vehicle design and are using it to replace a number of legacy models.  Additionally the French have an expeditionary mindset and are tailoring its vehicles to meet those needs.  I think I need to watch them a bit more closely than I have been.

  Jaguar

  Griffon

  plaquette de présentation SCORPION2

Epiphany! Marine Air is actually trying to do the Viggen thing!

Remember Sweetman's article that I linked to earlier this week?  I was high and to the right believing that the Marine Corps was looking at future Camp Leatherneck attacks in this plan...and if they were successful in thwarting them then we'd see an infantry battalion delegated to guarding aircraft.

Bill said that the plan was reminiscent to the way that the Brits deployed Harriers during the cold war.  I disagree.  If anything its more like the Viggen thing!

I wonder but no one is asking.  How will the asphalt deal with the heat produced by these engines?  You're going to have to move them around because after two launches your street is trashed!

Have the terrorist learned SOCOM's playbook?

via FoxNews.

The American freelance photographer kidnapped by Al Qaeda militants in Yemen in 2013 was 'murdered' Friday during a U.S. special operations rescue mission inside the country after it was learned that his life was in imminent danger, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a statement.
Luke Somers was still alive, but badly injured when the team reached him, a Yemeni national security official told Fox News. The official said Somers was shot by militants. None of the special forces members were injured.

A try doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters is failure or success.  A hostage rescue was attempted and it failed.

This is the second rescue attempt in the past few months that I've heard about that ended in failure.

The question must be asked.  Have the terrorist learned SOCOM's playbook?  If they have then what does that mean?  Remember it usually flows like this.  First the enemy evades, then he resists and finally he attacks.

We've gone through the evasion and resistance phase.  How soon before the enemy decides to setup an ambush for our Special Operations Forces?

I sense a Blackhawk down incident coming.  Over reliance on SOCOM, mixed with operational arrogance, driven by the desire to get a "win" and show military strength by politicians will lead to heartache.

You heard it here first.

French set to acquire Griffon and Jaguar armored vehicles. via Army Recognition.

Wow.  Even the French are able to start an armored vehicle development program and get it into service while the USMC, supposedly the most effective fighting force the world has ever known, diddles in a corner slobbering all over itself.

Read about it here.

Meanwhile I go to punch more walls.

ACV Question. What would happen if a contractor turned on a partner?

Hypothetical question.

The ACV program is dragging on.  The Marine Personnel Carrier has somehow morphed into our primary ride till at least 2050 and beyond.  With the program languishing in the budget hell that is the F-35, what happens if a US corporation decides to dump its foreign partner and go alone?

What would the fallout be?

Look at it like this.  Foreign corporations have had to basically turn over the specs to their most prized vehicles to US firms to gain entry into a program that they have no guarantee of winning.  Additionally those same foreign corporations have had to work hand in glove with US companies to setup tooling and manufacturing in this country so that if they do win they'll be able to start building the vehicles to meet what will likely be a very compressed production schedule.

So if Lockheed Martin stabs Patria, BAE body slams Iveco or SAIC dumps on ST Kinetics how would the foreign firms respond?

I'm hearing disturbing news about this very scenario and need help figuring out what it would mean.  Real deal info on this would be appreciated.  If you can't respond on site then hit me at my e-mail addy....Talk.To.Snafu@gmail.com

F-35 News. The plane gets a Public Relations Firm!

via Politico.

LOCKHEED HIRES MELODY CLARK CONSULTING: Defense giant Lockheed Martin has hiredMelody Clark Consulting to lobby for federal funding for the F-35 jet fighter, according to the latest Senate lobbying disclosures. The troubled F-35 program has faced major delays and cost overruns for years, and government estimates in 2013 pegged the program’s total cost at $400 billion — nearly twice what was expected when the program began.
The fighter was also targeted during sequestration talks in Congress, with several critical lawmakers slamming the program’s ballooning costs. Lockheed Martin is perennially one of the top spenders when it comes to lobbying the federal government. So far this year, the company has reported $10.6 million on lobbying efforts. It has a slew of outside lobbying firms on retainer including Podesta Group, Venable LLP, Van Scoyoc Associates and Capitol Counsel.

Absolutely Fucking Amazing!

If the subject wasn't so serious I'd be laughing my ass off!

But the reality is stark.  Its obvious that despite intense lobbying on the part of the USAF, USMC (leadership), allies, Lockheed Martin and the Program Office, the plane is being seen for what it is...A tremendous waste of money.

Despite what the fanboys have been saying it looks like the critics are gaining traction.

The plane needs to die.  "Nuff said.

Something is off about these protests.

I stand by my contention that the New York Police Officer was sloppy and didn't properly apply a lateral vascular neck restraint (LVNR) and instead applied a choke hold.

That's my belief and I have seen no evidence to change my mind.

But moving beyond that to these protests.

Something is off.  

We're seeing something new and I wonder if they're truly spontaneous.  Remember when the Rodney King incident took place?  Yeah you had a few protests but they died down rather quickly after it was announced that a Federal Investigation was launched.

The same should apply here but its not.

That makes me wonder.  Are these real protests by outraged individuals or are they being orchestrated?  Before you accuse me of being a conspiracy theorist do a little research on protests in the United States and tell me that these fit any of the past patterns.  I don't know whats going on here but I'm starting to become suspicious.

ACV News. The line up....and unconfirmed rumors...

Well finally we have a little...and I do mean little...view of the contenders in the ACV contest.

Ignoring the fact that this program has been going on for over a decade plus, ignoring the fact that it has been screwed up beyond recognition, and ignoring the fact that its so many years away from actually having a vehicle in battalions that YET ANOTHER upgrade of the AAV is going to take place (and even that won't happen till 2019!), we still see or rather still hear about some strange happenings among the manufacturers.

*  Rumor has it that a MAJOR manufacturer is basically stabbing its partner in the back.  My advice?  Never team up with a corporation that is lacking in morals.
*  Rumor has it that a certain "information" corporation has been probing a competitor for information on their vehicle (call it the domestic version of North Korea vs. Sony).

The biggest worry is the time frame. These corporations won't keep design teams intact for a project that won't start cutting steel for another 5 or more years. It just doesn't make sense from an economic viewpoint.

We're still seeing the inertia from the past Commandant in action here.  I have yet to see Dunford's fingerprints on the program or his hand on the wheel that is the Marine Corps.  More to come I'm sure.

Infrared Search and Track System achieves Milestone C approval

In February 2014, the aircrew of an F/A-18 Super Hornet carrying the Navy’s infrared search and track (IRST) system, inspects the aircraft before the first flight with the pod at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. IRST reached a critical milestone Dec. 2, authorizing low-rate initial production of the sensor pod system. (Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin)

Orion flies! Launch pics...

F-35 News. Marine Air is looking at more Camp Leathernecks in the future.

via Aviation Week.

Lt Gen John Davis, deputy commandant for aviation, unveiled the new Conops at a conference in London. That meeting was followed by reports that Marine F-35Bs could be filling deck spots on the carrier Queen Elizabeth while the UK builds up its own force, suggesting that the Marines are already working to get the U.K. onboard with its plans. Davis also addressed some of the detail concerns: although some M-Farps could be resupplied with weapons by vertical lift, either surface transport or KC-130Js would be needed to deliver fuel.

The M-Farp concept would also be stressed in any kind of hybrid war scenario where the adversary has insurgent forces or sympathizers in the area where the forward bases are located. That could make the targeting cycle much shorter or expose the F-35s to direct threat from manportable air defense systems - particularly on landing, any Stovl jet is a hot and non-maneuverable target. It would also complicate resupply by land. Whether the new Marine Conops will work better than the RAF's old Warlocs remains to be seen.

Read the entire article here.

How short is the tribal knowledge getting in the Marine Corps?  Have they already forgotten about Camp Leatherneck and the loss of a harrier squadron?  Do they really believe that these M-Farps won't be as vulnerable or more to enemy attack...especially in hybrid or conventional warfare?

If history is known and if they plan on increasing security then we're looking at an infantry battalion being taken out of the fight to provide security for the wing.

Awesome.

We're quickly heading toward the point of where everything and everyone is being focused on supporting the F-35.

That is NOT the USMC that I know, want to be apart of, or needs to exist.  Much more of this and I'll be calling for us to be disbanded. 

US considering sanctions against Israel.

via The Free Beacon.

The Obama administration is refusing to discuss reports that emerged early Thursday claiming that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on Israel for continuing construction on Jewish homes in Jerusalem.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf dodged several questions on Thursday when confronted with reports that the administration had held secret internal meetings to discuss taking action against Israel for its ongoing building in East Jerusalem.
The classified meetings were reportedly held several weeks ago and included officials from both the State Department and White House, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, which first reported on the meetings.
The possibility of sanctioning Israel for its ongoing construction sends a signal that the Obama administration is willing to go further in its denunciations of Israel then any previous White House.
At the same time, the White House is vigorously pushing Congress against passing new sanctions on Iran.

The world is upside down.

The administration wants to sanction Israel but opposes sanctions against Iran?

WTF is going on!

Its almost like they want the world to burn. This will do nothing but signal to Israel's enemies that its open season on them.  Do they really want a regional war?

USA re-enters the manned space game...

The USA re-enters the manned space game with the launch of the Orion Space Exploration Vehicle.

You can watch on NASA Television here.

The strangest SEAL mission capability that you never heard of...

What is a SADM?

This amazing declassified film shows a Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM) being parachute jumped by a U.S. Navy SEAL/UDT frogman with fins from a low-performance CH-46 SeaKnight helicopter and a high-performance P-5M Marlin ASW/maritime patrol seaplane.

So a few decades ago, Navy SEALs/UDTs were tasked with jumping out of aircraft with Special Atomic Demolition Munitions!

The question that no one wants to ask is simple.  Are they still tasked with this today?

Ok. Lets talk about the Police choke hold in New York.

By now you've heard about the choke hold "no bill" in New York.

Again, I'm going to be on the other side of the fence with the readers here but the cop was JUST FUCKING WRONG and the grand jury was stupid.  Full stop.  Let me explain.

Choke holds are illegal everywhere.

Police and military use what I was taught is a lateral vascular neck restraint.  When applied properly it will result in a person losing consciousness in less than 10 seconds.  If applied incorrectly it will result in death.  The officer obviously applied it incorrectly, there were numerous officers around that could have easily restrained the guy.  The guy threw no punches and simply pulled his hands away when cops wanted to put cuffs on.

Like the coroner stated it was a homicide.  A negligent homicide but a homicide none-the-less.  Tell me where I'm wrong.

UPDATE:  Zebra Dunn prompted me to add this to the above.  Its a tidbit of what I said in the comments....

What i am saying is that the cop attempted to apply a well known martial arts/self defense move, failed badly and killed a man because he wasn't proficient.  I've used the hold myself and its not difficult to apply it correctly if you've been properly trained...even against a large opponent.

So let me state clearly.  The cop was within his authority.  He was right until he misapplied a legitimate restraint move well known in the martial arts/self defense community and killed a man.  It wasn't intended.  It wasn't what he wanted but a man died.  That's why the cop should be charged.  Not because of what he intended to do but because of what he did. 

ACV News. General Dynamics is finally seen...

pic via Defense Daily.com

The above pic (click on it for a high rez version) is the first look at General Dynamics entry in the ACV program.

Where did I find it?  Defense Daily.com!

My usual afternoon sweep through the internet for news on the program led me to a 9/26/2014 article (can't believe I missed it...but it was behind a paywall) that you can catch a tidbit of below......

“Our vehicle is basically another family member of the most experienced 8x8 armored vehicle on the planet, the most combat experienced…from Strykers to Canadian LAV-3,” program manager Gary O’Brien said. “We built the MPC off the LAV-6.0 chassis, so it comes with all that credibility from the start.”
GDLS believes its ACV competitor is the most survivable light armored vehicle it has built, saying that it meets or exceeds many of the ACV requirements already. It swims above expectations, at 6.5 knots, and has 25 percent buoyancy.
O’Brien said the company’s MPC offering performed very well in testing but “was ugly as sin,” so GDLS hired a team to redesign the exterior and make it look sleeker. The vehicle was also lengthened to accommodate more Marines–meeting the threshold 10 Marines–but overall the vehicle design was kept the same from MPC to ACV.
O’Brien said his vehicle has 15 percent growth capacity built into it, the company has its supply chain in order, and “what we’re doing now is just basically confirming and bringing all the data together for the RFP.” He said he was comfortable he was prepared to move forward quickly if selected despite the tight schedule. “It’s up to the Marine Corps to maintain its schedule. They’ve set a very aggressive schedule, whether they can maintain it or not will be for them to say. We’re very agile” and ready to begin work quickly if chosen.

My take?

We're looking at an enlarged Piranha 5.  Remember the vehicle that was caught being tested by GD?

I captured that screen grab from a vid of GD conducting tests.  I thought it looked like a "big" Piranha 5 then and the latest graphic confirms it.

It also closes the loop on something else.

The teaming of GD and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries might actually have to do with improving the hydrodynamic performance of the vehicle.  6.5 knots won't do.  That will not do at all.  The talk about the vehicle being butt ugly has nothing to do with the redesign that took place.  It had to do with water performance.  I'd bet body parts.

CH-53K News. First flight delayed.

via Flight Global

The US Marine Corps will have to wait until at least March for its new heavy lift helicopter, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, to make its maiden flight.
Originally planned for summer 2014, the King Stallion’s first flight was pushed to the end of the year when a crack was found in one of the four gear boxes of a ground test article. US Naval Air Systems Command now says the aircraft will enter flight testing “sometime between March and May next year.”
“First flight is driven by the current ground test vehicle (GTV) test events,” says Kelly Burdick, a spokesman for the navy’s programme executive office for aviation. “The GTV is currently undergoing powered ground tests to measure and verify the ability of the drive system, transmissions and engines and flight control system to safely fly the CH-53K helicopter across multiple flight scenarios.”
Engineers at NAVAIR and Sikorsky have made adjustments to the CH-53K’s main rotor gearbox to improve load distribution and have been retesting the fix “to ensure optimal performance prior to the flight test phase”, Burdick says.
“All issues discovered to this point have a technical solution and are typical of developmental programs - this is why we do this testing,” she says. “These tests, their data, and their schedule all drive the timeframe for first flight and discoveries are typical during this phase of testing.”

How much trust has been lost over the past 4 years?

When I get news like this I seriously wonder if we're being lied to.  This smacks of the Marine Personnel Carrier drama.  Industry was ready to go forward but HQMC kept delaying it to protect funding for the F-35.

Are we seeing the same here?

I just don't know.  I do know that we heard all is well, and now suddenly just before the first flight we get news of a delay?

It just doesn't feel right and that's the problem with a lie.  Once you're caught telling one you're always suspect.  HQMC lied to us so even stuff that should be accepted without question isn't.

Keep an eye on oil...Ukraine might be the victim. Updated.

UPDATE:  Check this out from Business Insider...

Russia has lost its ranking as the world’s eighth biggest economy, shrinking in just nine months from a $2.1 trillion petro-giant to a mid-size player comparable with Korea or Spain.

Countries have been under less stress and gone to war.  The US State Dept, Pentagon and EU remain quiet.  This is bad.  Real bad. 

 

The decline in oil prices has been to the benefit of the average consumer but its fall points to serious trouble ahead.  Check out these articles.

*  Banks including Barclays and Wells Fargoare facing potentially heavy losses on an $850m loan made to two oil and gas companies

*  The rouble suffered its biggest one-day decline since 1998 as oil prices continued to fall on Monday

*   Nigeria’s currency tumbled to a record low on Tuesday, hammered by falling oil prices that have weighed on Africa’s top economy

Be aware.

Falling oil prices are great for us but possibly bad for the world...as its currently constructed.  Low oil has increased the value of the US dollar which means that our exports are high priced...including the F-35.  Additionally we're on the verge of a worldwide recession as long as this continues because not only is Russia taking a beating but so is Nigeria and other oil exporting countries.

That points to the possibility of even more instability worldwide.

Closer to home we have two banks that have admitted that they're vulnerable.  Some analyst are saying that oil prices will increase in short order but if they don't then these oil companies will have more than a short term cash flow problem.  They'll be in serious trouble.  Additionally we don't know how exposed small banks in the upper Midwest are.  Wildcat oil companies might go under and that could have a ripple effect.    What no one wants to talk about is the fact that we're seeing another bubble pop.  Did you ever wonder how the world could suffer the greatest economic contraction since the Great Depression yet gas prices move higher?  Its simple.  The market defied common sense dynamics, you had a rush of investor money into oil and oil related business and the price was pushed up artificially.

Now all that is unwinding.

My biggest fear?  Russia is getting hammered by economic sanctions from the West, and will look to punish those that are causing the pain. Ukraine is going to be nastier than anyone can ever imagine.

Royal Air Force Tumblr Page.

The services run too many image sites and its hard to keep up with them all?  Yep, I agree, but don't get pissed just pick out the best ones and monitor them.  You should add the Royal Air Force Tumblr Page to your docket if you haven't already.