General Dynamics completes design review for Scout Recon variant

via Press Release.

General Dynamics UK has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the SCOUT Reconnaissance variant, as part of the SCOUT Specialist Vehicle (SV) programme.
The completion of the SCOUT Reconnaissance variant CDR is a significant marker in the SCOUT SV programme, with the first SCOUT Reconnaissance pre-production prototype to be completed later this year.

The CDR covered the fully-integrated SCOUT Reconnaissance platform, including the platform hull design, the Lockheed Martin UK-developed turret, Electronic Architecture, onboard software solutions, sub-systems and variant-specific products, such as the Primary Sight.
In service, the SCOUT Reconnaissance variant will provide best-in-class protection and survivability, reliability and mobility and all-weather Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Recognition (ISTAR) capabilities. It will enable the soldier to be at the point of collection of accurate all-weather commander information within a network-enabled, fully-digitised platform.

Ok.

I still don't know what this vehicle is suppose to do and the Brit rational for it is confusing as hell.

Its not a Warrior replacement even though its in the same class, its a recon vehicle even though its as big as their IFV, and at the end of the day its going to be "supposedly" more advanced than their primary infantry carrier!

What are those limey bastards thinking?

The world is burning news. Add Bangladesh to your list of countries infected with Islamic terrorists.

via BBC Asia.

A knife-wielding mob has hacked to death a US-Bangladeshi blogger whose writing on religion had brought threats from Islamist hardliners.
Avijit Roy, an atheist who advocated secularism, was attacked in Dhaka as he walked back from a book fair with his wife, who was hurt in the attack.
No-one has been arrested but police say they are investigating a local Islamist group that praised the killing.

And this...

The killing of another secular blogger in early 2013, which was blamed on religious hardliners, sparked protests from free-speech supports and counter-protests from Islamists.
The police said the attack on Mr Roy was similar to the 2013 murder.
A group of men ambushed the couple, who live in the US and were visiting Dhaka only to attend the book festival, as they walked toward a roadside tea stall.
At least two of the attackers hit them with meat cleavers, police chief Sirajul Islam told the AP news agency.
The attackers dropped their weapons and ran away, disappearing into the crowds.

If you still believe that the move to the Pacific will bring a rest period from the troubles with Islamic terrorists then I've got a bridge to sell you.  The fight will be the same, only the terrain will be MUCH more difficult.

Jungle fighting in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines or Bangladesh will not be easy.  This will not be pretty.  Some future Marine will laugh when you tell him about fighting a war in the desert. 

F-35 News. Is the Pentagon moving toward more EA-18's?

via Reuters.

Greenert told the committee the Navy had enough EA-18G electronic attack jets after Congress funded 15 more of the planes in fiscal 2015, but he said a Pentagon-wide study could result in possible additional sales to other military services.

I placed this portion first because its the most "interesting" part of the story.  As usual the reporter buried the lead and this was the last paragraph.  Long story short....the operative words are "additional sales to other military services".

Does that mean that the USMC or USAF could end up with EA-18G's to assist the US Navy in the electronic attack mission?

Thats a BOMBSHELL!

We've been told over and over again that the F-35 would be able to do electronic attack but obviously the Navy doesn't agree and they're pushing for assistance in the mission.

This is the other piece of relevant news from the article (read it all though)...

"It's still very much on the fence," said one defense official when asked about the likelihood of continued orders for the popular Boeing warplanes.
Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert told reporters after a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense that the Navy was weighing "a whole host" of items for the wish lists that help guide lawmakers as they decide whether to add items to the Pentagon's base budget.
He said the Navy faced possible fighter jet shortfalls on its aircraft carriers next decade when most older model F/A-18s will be retired but the Navy will still be buying newer F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

This is the other big news out of this story that will be ignored by most.

Instead of buying MORE F-35's to fill the fighter shortfall the Navy is looking to purchase the Super Hornet instead.

I said it once, I'll say it again.

Something is seriously broken with the F-35.  The Pentagon knows it.  The US Navy knows it.  The USMC knows it.  The USAF knows it....even our allies know it but everyone is remaining quiet.

I wonder what it is?

SIDENOTE:  I told you sequestration was here to stay.  Want proof?  Check this out from Reuters....

Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, chided President Barack Obama for proposing a $534 billion Pentagon base budget that "ignores the law" by exceeding federal spending caps by nearly $35 billion.
Frelinghuysen told Navy and Marine Corps leaders to submit specific lists of programs that could be cut if Congress failed to approve the Democratic president's request for more funding.
"With respect, I will advise you that we will cut the $13 billion with you or we will cut it without you, but we need to do the job the law requires us to do," he said, noting the Navy's budget request was about $13 billion above the levels allotted under spending limits passed in 2011.

Do you think that the US military will continue to wall off funding for the F-35 when other programs are competing for the same funding...especially after 20 years of development and still no active squadrons?  The Navy is pushing for its new ballistic missile sub, the USMC is pushing for more amphibs and ground vehicles not to mention CH-53K's, the USAF is pushing for its Long Range Bomber and the US Army is trying to protect the JLTV.

The F-35 had its time and the window is rapidly closing.

Its time for the gun community to go underground.

via War is Boring.

by KYLE MIZOKAMI
I built a semi-automatic rifle in my kitchen. I’ll bet that’s one sentence you’d never thought you’d hear. Neither did I, until the day I decided to do it.
The job required drilling aluminum, and tiny shards and slivers of metal were going to fly everywhere. It’s not something you want to do over carpet, so I decided to do it in my kitchen.
Did it work? Hell yes, it did. After three hours of work with light tools, I had built the essential component of an AR-15 rifle. America has now reached a point where people can construct modern weapons in their kitchens.
Is this awesome, crazy—or both?

Time for some plain talk.

Its time for the gun community to go underground.

When "War is boring" and "Foxtrot Alpha"...two publications that are geared toward yuppies, urban dwellers and hipsters start talking about firearms then its spread too far and its time to try and stuff the genie back into the bottle.

I won't talk about firearms, prepping etc...anymore on this page.  If you're not into it then I'm done trying to convert and if you're an enemy of the movement then I'm not giving you ammunition to use against us.  Its time to circle the wagons.  

280 pound, 8 feet 8 inch long CATFISH?????

If I saw a catfish this big I would fill it with so much lead the EPA would ticket me for pollution!

What did this beast eat to sustain itself?

Read about it here.  On a sidenote it does make you wonder what kind of animal is out there that we haven't seen before....how big do snakes actually get....is there a super croc or alligator or shark or some other predator the size of a blue whale thats lurking deep in the jungle?

The world is burning news. The Philippines looks to be slipping into a full scale insurgency.

via Manila Times.

Thousands of civilians fled their communities in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao early Friday after heavily armed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were sighted in the village of Kitango, an Army official said.
Capt. Joann Petinglay, 6th ID spokesperson, said elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion are now engaged in a running gunbattle with BIFF forces, led by a certain Commander Kadafi in Barangay Maytumaig, Datu Saudi Unsay.
Portions of the highway between Crossing Salbo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan to the town hall of Datu Unsay town, were closed.
The firefight started at 9:30 a.m. in Sitio Kuwari, Barangay Maitumaig, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao.
Evacuation continues.
“There was massive evacuation of civilians,” Petinglay said adding that before the encounter between Army and the BIFF, thousands of civlians have already evacuated anticipating armed skirmishes.
Heavy fighting is taking place between the towns of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Unsay Ampatuan, specifically near the road.
The road from Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat until Shariff Aguak town, both in Maguindanao, have been closed to traffic as Army and BIFF are poised to engage in shooting war, a commuter told Radyo Bida Koronadal.
Armored personnel carriers and artillery have been positioned beside the highway as the clash site was only a few kilometers away from the road network.

This sounds like a "cordon and sweep" operation. 

The Philippine military is up to its neck dealing with insurgents.  The turn to the Pacific will bring no relief from endless combat it seems.  Besides the Philippines you should keep an eye on Thailand and Indonesia for "activity against the government".

F-35 News. Weapons bay redesign for the Small Diameter Bomb.

via Inside Defense

The internal weapons bay of the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter cannot fit the required Small Diameter Bomb II weapons load, and a hydraulic line and structural bracket must be redesigned and modified ahead of the planned Block 4 release in fiscal year 2022, the joint program office confirmed this week.
The Air Force and Raytheon plan to begin scaling up production of the 250-pound class, precision-attack munition, except the current F-35B internal weapons bay cannot fit four of the eight required SDB IIs in its current configuration.
The Marine Corps is purchasing 353 of the F-35B jump jets and 34 had been delivered as of Feb. 2, according to a fact sheet from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. JSF partners Italy and the United Kingdom are also procuring F-35Bs and three of those international orders have been satisfied.
In response to questions from Inside the Air Force, F-35 spokesman Joe DellaVedova confirmed the weapons bay does not currently meet the requirements to house the planned Small Diameter Bomb II load and is being redesigned and modified in line with the scheduled rollout of Block 4 capabilities.
The short-takeoff-vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft has unique weight requirements compared with the Air Force's conventional F-35A and Navy's F-35C carrier variant because of its vertical lift fan and it has a smaller internal weapons bay.
According to DellaVedova, the JSF program has been aware of the issue for some time and expects to award Lockheed a contract later this year to complete the design changes. The F-35 is designed to carry eight precision-attack small diameter bombs internally and 16 externally on its wings, and the program office has not publicly acknowledged the issue.

We've been hearing nothing but happy news from the F-35 program lately.  I almost, no thats a lie...I know its an attempt to take control of the messaging on the program.

But this should make even the most ardent fan boy sit up and pay attention.

This "most open program in procurement history" is anything but.  A reporter scouring over documents had to dig this out.  That leaves us with questions.

What are they not telling us?  What is news has been deemed so bad that they refuse to even put it into documents that people could find?  This is no longer about a defense program.  This has turned into something different.  Has this whole escapade turned into a "Lockheed Martin" is too big to fail story?  Is that why common sense has left so many in positions of power?

The World Is Burning News. This is why we won't win this fight.

The above photo is from the New York Post.  It covers a massive 100 million dollar deal with the Kardashian family so that they can exhibit their behinds on national TV.  Don't get me wrong.  I appreciate a woman's posterior as much (ah hell probably more) than the next guy but really?  Seriously?  On the same day that 3 men were arrested for wanting to join ISIS?

Additionally we heard that there are active investigations about radicalized individuals in all 50 states?

On this day 3 people that were immigrants to the United States.  One of them operating a mobile phone kiosk in 3 different states the other two university students, threw away what could have been the American dream and wanted to join ISIS?

This isn't a battle for hearts and minds.

This is a religious battle.  Its not about jobs, opportunity, being brought into the American fabric...it has nothing to do with that.

To paraphrase James Carville....ITS THE RELIGION STUPID!

I said all of the above to say this.  We won't win the fight unless we properly assess our enemy.  Stop looking away.  Stop equivocating and just accept the cold hard facts of what we're dealing with.  They want us dead.  

Norway getting new CV90's.

via BAE Press Release.

BAE Systems Hägglunds’ contract, signed in 2012, includes the upgrade of the Norwegian Army’s existing fleet of 103 CV9030s and 41 new-build vehicles, giving the Army a total of 144 state-of-the-art CV90s in varying configurations. They will all include enhanced capabilities for future battlefield and conflict scenarios, such as in the areas of protection, survivability, situational awareness, intelligence, and interoperability.
“I’m really pleased that we are able to reach this key milestone,” said Colonel Ragnar Wennevik, Norwegian Army CV90 project leader. “BAE Systems Hägglunds is an impressive supplier, and with the new CV90, we are buying the world’s most advanced armored combat vehicle family. Already proven in combat, we are now taking it to the next generation with state-of-the-art survivability, lethality, digitalization, and mobility.”

Is the CV90 the best IFV in the world today?  I think an argument can be made.

USMC deserter sentenced to two years in the brig.

via JDNews.

Camp Lejeune Marine will be spending more than two years in the brig after a military judge on Monday found him guilty on several charges including desertion.
Cpl. Wassef Hassoun, 35, was sentenced to 735 days of confinement in the brig, a dishonorable discharge from the Marine Corps, forfeiture of all pay and reduction to the rank of E-1 or private by Maj. Nicholas Martz.

First congrats Major Martz.  You just guaranteed yourself some silver oakleafs.

Second.  The sentence is not as tough as I'd like but reasonable.

Third.  You know an Army general somewhere is pissing his pants.  The USMC acted first, moved decisively, preserved good order and discipline...and I can't prove it but I would bet that there was political pressure applied to make this case go as easy as possible...probably something like a time served and an other than honorable discharge.

This USMC ruling places tremendous pressure on our sister service.  The White House will not want the visual of the US Army putting a Soldier in the brig after they negotiated for his repatriation.

Yeah.  That Army general is pissing pants, and shitting bricks right about now.

3rd LAR Marines test new LAV-Anti-tank Weapon System

A Light-Armored Vehicle equipped with a new Anti-Tank weapons system sits stationary at the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion ramp prior to operational testing with Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided missiles on range 500 aboard the Combat Center, Feb. 10, 2015. During testing, 3rd LAR Marines got a first-hand look at what the new system will add to the Marine Corps’ arsenal and combat readiness. New capabilities include mobility while firing TOW missiles and improved optic magnification for enhanced target acquisition. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Charles Santamaria/Released)

At what point does this become genocide against Christians?

via CNN

(CNN)ISIS is holding many more Assyrian Christians hostage than previously thought -- and it is reportedly planning to release a message Wednesday threatening to kill them.
Osama Edward, founder of the Assyrian Human Rights Network, told CNN that the extremist group is now believed to have 150 hostages, citing the latest information from the network's team on the ground.
Initial estimates put the number seized at between 70 and 100 people, among them women, children and the elderly.
The video message will be directed to President Barack Obama and other members of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, Edward said from Stockholm, Sweden.

At what point does this become more than murder and kidnapping and  tip into genocide against Christians?

The president says that this is not a religious war.  ISIS would beg to differ...whether slaughtering Christians or those they consider apostates, they're killing for and about religion.

But back to the issue at hand.

When do we start calling this genocide?

I hate to use the old internet meme, but in this case its applicable.  When did the Nazi atrocities tip into genocide?  I really don't know.  I've never seen it quantified.

One thing is clear.  ISIS is different.  This war is different.  Hearts and minds has never worked and will definitely NOT work with these people.

Ukraine News. US Armor paraded 300 meters from Russian border.

via RT

Over 140 pieces of NATO military hardware took part in the parade, including four US armored personnel carriers M1126 Stryker flying stars-and-stripes. Another foreign nation, the Netherlands, provided four Swedish-made Stridsfordon 90 tracked combat vehicles (designated CV9035NL Mk III by the Dutch).
Estonia also showed off its own howitzers, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, armored vehicles and other hardware. Over 1,400 troops also marched the streets of Narva.

Read it all here.

I've been looking for news of this event on US Army websites to get the context of this.

Reassuring allies while provoking your enemy is a weird cost/benefit equation. What has me scratching my head is that it appears the US is once again being pulled back into Europe after doing our best to get our "allies" to pay for their own defense.

With ISIS, a resurgent Russia and a need to get eye on and focused on the Pacific...something has got to give....its past time for the EU/NATO to get its members to pick up a bigger part of the defense bill, or pay us for doing it.

Dakota Woods rates Marine Corps capabilities "marginal" to fight two regional conflicts...

via Breaking Defense...

To that end, he and his peeps at Heritage performed an open-source analysis of the abilities of each service to meet that standard. All but — quite surprisingly — the Air Force are ranked as “marginal,” which isn’t really marginal but means that the service “would exactly meet a two-MRC force size.”  Here are the scores with his assessments:
Marine Corps as “Marginal.” The Corps’ strongest suit was in readiness, but even here there are problems as stated by the Corps itself. While the fighting competency of the service is superb, it is hampered by old equipment, troubled replacement programs for its key ground vehicles, and a shrinking force. The progress it has made in replacing its rotary-wing aircraft is a notable bright spot in its modernization portfolio.

Read the whole thing here.

I want to emphasize..."hampered by old equipment, troubled replacement programs for its key ground vehicles"....

The AAV replacement issues are becoming mainstream.  Upgrading (a bit) existing vehicles and buying new ones in the middle to end of the next decade is NOT the answer.

Issue with comments. An update.

Hey All.

I got informed by a reader that he was still having problems with the comments section.  The move to Disqus has been a good one but not entirely trouble free.

My solution?

I've limited Google comments to only "members" of the blog and since that is a legion of one (me), commenting via Google comments is effectively over.

Now you must use Disqus (of course they allow you to use Google, Google Plus, and other common platforms to still get on) since it is now "native" but I don't see that as a problem.

This is just a heads up on what's going on in the house of SNAFU!

Australia. Something this batshit crazy has to be from Australia.

Yep.

I was right. If its batshit crazy animals it has to be Australia. Perth, Australia in this case.

Ukraine News. The King of Battle is back.

I've been trying to run down Ukrainian combat losses since the chaos began and one thing is becoming apparent in the quick glance I've taken at the battlefield.

The King of Battle is back.

Rocket, cannon, and tube artillery is the biggest "life taker" in this fight.  If Ukraine is a taste of things to come then we're planning and organizing ourselves for the wrong fight.

US ground forces have not faced sustained artillery barrages since WW2.  All we've faced in the modern era is what the old timers would call harassment
fire.

If mass artillery fire is the wave of the future then we better hope that lasers make it to the battlefield sooner rather than later.  R2D2 might be able to stop a mortar or two but a barrage?

UAE's Nimr armored vehicles to be equipped with Raytheon Talon 2.75 guided rockets.

NIMR 6x6

Talon 2.75 laser guided rocket.

via Press Release.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and NIMR Automotive, part of the Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC), are collaborating to equip NIMR armored vehicles with TALON™ Laser Guided Rockets.
Using the Raytheon remote weapons station, each vehicle will carry 16 TALON LGRs.
The RWS enables TALON to be fired from both stationary and moving vehicles, while an elevated sensor/designator enables the TALON to be fired from concealed positions ensuring mission effectiveness including survivability for the ground vehicle.
"Integration onto the NIMR vehicle further demonstrates the versatility of TALON," said Michelle Lohmeier, Raytheon vice president of Land Warfare Systems. "In partnership with EDIC, we are providing the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces with an affordable, near-term and reliable solution."
"The NIMR 6x6 tactical platform provides a range of modular system integration to support a full range of missions including armed reconnaissance, infrastructure defense, defensive fire suppression and border security," said Dr. Fahad Saif Harhara, NIMR CEO. "It can also support rapidly advancing infantry. The mobile and fixed firing modes enhance the vehicle's effectiveness and provide a significant advantage over existing heavy artillery."
In 2014, Raytheon began full-rate production of TALON LGR for the UAE Armed Forces. Under the signed contract, Raytheon will maintain full integration of the TALON system into the UAE Armed Forces to include logistics, training and warranty support.

From what I can tell from this press release, UAE is going to use the Talon/Nimr combination as some sort of "quasi" Mobile Gun System.

Interesting.

Ukraine News. Listen to the "Fuck the EU" tape again

Victoria Nuland: US-Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Geoffrey R. Pyatt: United States Ambassador to Ukraine
Jeff Feltman: head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs
Oleh Tyahnybok: member of the Verkhovna Rada and the leader of nationalist Svoboda political party
An international guy as the new president (?)
Robert Serry: Dutch diplomat serving as United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
Ban Ki-Moon: Secretary-General of the United Nations
Jake Sullivan: national security advisor to Joe Biden
Joe Biden: Vice President USA
Viktor Yanukovych: President of Ukraine
Vitali Klitschko, the complicated electron: Leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform and Member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

Listen carefully to this tape.

Listen twice if necessary to get the full ramifications of what's being discussed here.

Now.

Think about the situation in Ukraine.

Ain't pretty is it?

Ukraine News. Rebels outgun the govt.

via USA Today.

Ukraine's recent losses to separatist forces underscore how much its military is outmanned and outgunned by an adversary backed by Russian might and a willingness to commit troops and arms to the fight.
Last week, Ukrainian national forces lost the strategic railway hub at Debaltseve despite committing thousands of troops and hundreds of armored vehicles to its defense. Less than a month earlier, they lost the Donetsk airport, where troops won praise for putting up a long, tough fight before they were defeated in a city that has been a rebel stronghold.
Ukraine's losses were so bad that President Petro Poroshenko sought a cease-fire, as he did last summer, when his military lost two-thirds of its armored vehicles to Russian tanks, artillery and rockets.
"The Ukrainians knew they can't counter Russian tanks, Russian armored vehicles and Russian unmanned aerial vehicles," said retired general Wesley Clark, a former NATO commander. "They knew they were at a military disadvantage, and sought protection" under the cease-fire agreement signed Feb. 11 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Geez.

I thought that I had been doing a fair job of following the fighting in Ukraine. I never thought it was this bad for the Ukrainian govt's forces.

Remember the story posted about the LT leading his men back through enemy lines?  A part of that story that stood out to me but I didn't write about is how they had to dodge snipers, enemy checkpoints, armored vehicles AND unmanned aerial vehicles.

All the talk about supplying Ukraine with defensive weapons now is just talk without substance.

Ukraine is literally hanging on by a thread.