Chinese Stealth Bomber

Thanks to William, Joe and everyone else to gave links on this story!

via Reuters.

China is developing a new long-range bomber, the head of the Chinese air force was quoted as saying in state media on Friday, the latest move in its ambitious military modernization program.
China has already improved its ability to strike at targets far from home and there will be further improvements in the future, the Global Times quoted air force chief Ma Xiaotian as saying at an air force open day.
"We are now developing a new generation of long-range bomber, and you'll see it in the future," Ma said, according to the paper, without elaborating.
China has been ramping up research into advanced new military equipment, including submarines, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles. This has rattled nerves regionally and in Washington as China takes a more muscular approach to territorial disputes in places such as the South China Sea.
The air force, which has for years relied on large numbers of Chinese copies of Russian aircraft, is now also developing its own stealth fighters. In July, it put into service a new, domestically developed large transport aircraft.

Ma said the air force had entered into a "transformation" stage, changing its focus from quantity to quality, the report said.

Tribe!  Many of you sent me links to this story, but lets take a look at this.  We've heard talk about the Chinese building a new bomber since at least 2011!

We've seen fanboy concept art of the bomber, we've heard talk of how its gonna be a B-2 clone - hypersonic wunder weapon - even a space plane that would orbit the earth before making a drop from height that would use pure speed and no explosive to achieve almost nuclear weapon type destruction (I think its called golden rods or something like that...I'm too lazy to look it up right now).

The point is, I just can't get excited till I see something sitting on a tarmac.

TOW Anti-Tank Missile shoots down Gazelle Helicopter?

Thanks to Info Infantry for the link!

I can't put my finger on it but something seems off with this video.

Royal Marines attempt to plug a glaring hole...they've had no TRAP capability!

via IHS Janes.

Senior UK Royal Marine officers are pushing for the country's two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to be provided with their own personnel and equipment recovery capability when they enter service later this decade.
Such a force would be "trained and equipped to recover downed aircrew and recover or deny highly classified equipment", according to a briefing on the joint personnel recovery capability prepared by a staff officer in the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade in July, which has been seen by IHS Jane's .
RAF Squadron Leader Phil Skinner, who co-ordinates air support within 3 Commando Brigade's headquarters in Plymouth, revealed that the Royal Marines have already set up a Personnel Recovery Co-ordination Cell (PRCC) in the brigade as a result of last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Just plain wow.

Quite honestly I thought the Royal Marines already had this capability.  The idea that they're just now creating it makes ya wonder.  What were they thinking? How did they let this slip?

What I find even more curious is that they're only seeking to recover personnel and sensitive/classified equipment.  They're not even looking at doing aircraft recovery.

For a top notch force this is just unsat.

Open Comment Post. Sep 1, 2016.

Its Friday, labor day is Monday, Venezuela is melting down, the jobs numbers are below expectations, the unemployment rate is 4.9% yet we're not seeing even the hint of inflation, Trump is the focus of everyone....and I'm waiting for a shoe to drop while the country is trying to enjoy the holiday.

But that's me.  What's on your mind?

Blast from the past. Oshkosh S-ATV (pic heavy).

Remember the light weight vehicle craze that was sweeping the Marine Corps and Army?  Remember how even SOCOM (looking at you AF Special Operations) even requested custom built rigs to accomplish their missions?

Well things have changed.  We saw the Boeing Phantom, a real nice offering from Northrop...General Dynamics upped their game and of course Oshkosh put forward my favorite of the group, the S-ATV.

Little did they know that some rednecks in Army Special Forces would simply bring their hunting rigs to work and do everything the special designed vehicles did but only cheaper.  SOCOM settled on the Polaris MRZR and the rest is history.

Now even the USMC is looking to dump the Growler and adopt the Polaris to its internally carried vehicle requirements.  The only question?  According to some reports that I've seen from the Marine Corps the Polaris is NOT suitable for the fast attack role and their is a question of cargo carriage.

I have a feeling SOCOM will prove the first false and as far as the second?  Its simplicity itself.  Again the civilian market is showing the way and all it will take to solve the cargo carriage issue is an all terrain trailer!

This is the trailer offered with the vehicle.  In my mind its too light, has too high a center of gravity and if loaded heavily could compromise the tow vehicle.

This is probably what you'll see SOCOM demand from Polaris.  A 4 wheel trailer is more stable on trailers, allows you to travel faster, can generally carry a heavier load and is less likely to tip over meaning that the chance of compromising the tow vehicle is lessened.

Breaking! MASSIVE PROTESTS IN VENEZUELA!

You want to know what an economic collapse looks like?  Check out this country. You're looking at over One Million people protesting in the streets.

How bad are things?  Food lines are common.  People are robbing bread trucks.  Big rigs are now rolling with armed guards to prevent them from being hijacked.

Things are about to get beyond nasty down south.  Overthrowing the govt is now talked about openly despite the military being deployed to the streets.

Even worse?  This was all caused by the oil bubble.

Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS)...that's what this is all about....

I had to dig thru my files to find the above graphic depicting a Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad in a fictional fight.

Do you notice something?  You have these MERS operating at distance....in a distributed fashion...depending on networked fires and air support for survival.

Even worse?  One Company has Battalion and MAGTF peeking over its shoulder?  Freaking seriously?  They might as well throw Regiment in to make it a real party!

But ignore all that.  Think about this.  What happens to these MERS in a fight against a peer opponent?  How will they survive against the new threats we're seeing in the Middle East?  The terrorist are now operating like quasi nation state armies.  Will they hold up against even them?

Sometimes pushing ahead is the wrong thing.  If the threat or information changes then you must adjust.  The terrorist threat has changed.  The fight against near peer threats will be more savage than we can possibly imagine.

Distributed Operations is a concept that just isn't worth the effort.  Side note. I hate to bring it up but even Marine Snipers have learned the lessons of the vulnerability of small units.  The days of a sniper and his spotter going out alone are done.  I believe they even operate in Platoon size strength during ops now.  SOCOM doesn't go out light either!

But the Marine Corps believes a MERS is workable?

Amazing.

Poles are going crazy over their Leopard 2A4PL Upgrade!

Correction (apologies to all)!  Thanks to D90 for the linK!!!

I found out two things while checking out Polish military forums.  The first is that they're loving what they're seeing in the Leopard 2A4PL Upgrade.  I MEAN REALLY loving it.

The second is that unfortunately a GROM member died from injuries while fast roping onto a ship.

Definitely need to pay more attention to things going on in Poland.....

Japanese Ground Self Defense Force Firepower Demonstration (pic heavy)

Note:  When I was a little guy I remember seeing one of these put on by the 1st Infantry Division.  Lots of boom, fireworks and a James Earl Jones sounding announcer telling us what we were seeing.  Do they still do this in the US military or is it a thing of the past?

The Japanese have to be one of the last forces in the West that use 8in guns.  Pity.  They're slow firing but God do they hit hard!

Modest Proposal. The US Army should combine its Mobile Protected Firepower and Recce Vehicle requirements.

This is a quick and dirty modest proposal.  We've seen Saudi MRAP type vehicles being taken apart by Houthi Light Infantry in Yemen.  We just heard of the proposal to upgun the JLTV, which the Army wants to use in the Recce role, with a 30mm cannon.

I don't know which way the Army is going with this.  Are they looking at a rebirth of the Armored Cavalry concept of fighting for intel?  Is the idea that they need heavier firepower in case of those 'chance' encounters?

Regardless the JLTV is a sub-optimal solution.

The answer is staring them in the face.  Combine the Mobile Protected Firepower and Recce Vehicle requirements and have a light tank in the recon role!  Properly equipped (meaning at least every third vehicle in a troop with a sensor mast) they can perform passive scouting, with the proposed main gun they can engage anything up to (and possibly including) main battle tanks effectively, and they would be able to properly screen the main force if we ever (highly doubtful) see a rerun of Desert Storm.

What do you guys think?  Personally I believe this proposal sings!

10 Incredible Soviet Fighter Aircraft that never entered service via HushKit Blog!

Pretty nice rundown of aircraft that I never knew existed.  Check it out here.

Defence Technology Review Sept Edition! PLUS BONUS Australian Armored Vehicle Program Overview!!!

Defence Technology Review Sept Edition (here) and the bonus Australian Armored Vehicle Program Overview (here) IS A MUST READ!  Drink it in boys...this might be one of the best yet!

JLTV Recon Variant to sport 30mm cannon? The US Army's first "miss" since its turn to preparing for a peer fight.

Thanks to Pete for the link!

vehicle shown is the Oshkosh Light All Terrain Vehicle...its similar enough to the JLTV to almost be a twin.

via Fox News.

Col. William T. Nuckols Jr., director of mounted requirements at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE) at Fort Benning, Ga., says the shift to new vehicles is a great opportunity for scout platoons to upgrade from the Humvees’ M2 .50-caliber gun.
“The design work for [the M2] was started in 1917 by General John Pershing,” he explained. “I don’t want to bash it; it’s the best heavy machine gun in the world, but technology has continued to move.”
Nuckols explained that, while scouts’ primary role is reconnaissance, they need heavy firepower when they run into enemy forces. “In a chance encounter scouts will be looking to engage the enemy, then disengage as quickly as possible,” he said.
A version of the M230-LF 30-mm. cannon used on Apache helicopters would significantly boost scout platoons’ weaponry, according to Nuckols, citing the cannon’s devastating explosive rounds.
“Having an exploding bullet is good when you’re facing enemy soldiers who are in a vehicle or behind a wall,” he said. “Anytime we can shoot bullets that explode, versus bullets that don’t explode, that’s a good thing.”
The M230’s 30-mm. rounds also cause much greater damage over long distances than the M2’s 12.7 mm bullets. Whereas the .50-caliber bullet can pierce just 7/8ths of an inch of armor at 100 meters, the 30-mm. round can penetrate 1.37 inches of armor at 500 meters, according to Nuckols. “At 1,500 meters, it actually goes up to [penetrating] 1.7 inches [of armor],” he added.

This is the Army's first certified miss since they started prepping to fight a peer opponent.  What do I mean?  The JLTV has the ride height of an MRAP, weighs more than a Humvee and its gonna depend on a 30mm cannon for those chance encounters with enemy forces?

Total miss.  The vehicle is wrong.  The focus on firepower is wrong.  Ignoring sensors so that they can conduct surveillance at distance from cover is wrong!

Above you see the Spanish Army solution to the Recon Vehicle issue.  Is it perfect?  Far from it.  Is it a better idea than what we're seeing from the US Army?  I personally think so.  Notice that mast mounted sensors?  They're focusing on missing those "chance engagements" while still succeeding at their mission of gathering intel on the enemy.

As strange as it might seem, I wonder if the Army is swinging a bit too far back to the direct fire solution meme for dealing with future threats.

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries interested in producing Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle.

via Reuters.

A partnership in armored vehicles would provide new avenues for MHI, the maker of Japan's main battle tank, to sell its defense technology in overseas markets.
Potential foreign partners could be attracted by MHI's armored vehicle technology, notably its heavy-duty tank engines, its gear technology and water jet propulsion systems that could be used to drive amphibious vehicles.
In its latest budget request on Wednesday, Japan's defense ministry said it will begin research on a new amphibious assault vehicle to replace the AAV7 built by the U.S. unit of BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L). The U.S. Marine Corp is also mulling a replacement for the 40 year old vehicle.

Once again the writer buried the lead.  The real story here is that while Japan is in the midst of purchasing new build AAV's from BAE, they're already looking to partner with a US firm to build a next gen model at the behest of the Japanese govt.

This is thrilling and a bit disappointing when you look at this from a US point of view.

I'm thrilled by the idea of Japan reclaiming its WW2 roots of being a leader in the development of amphibious vehicles.  During that war they had a number of pretty innovative designs that don't get enough notice from armor experts/enthusiasts.  Its a bit disappointing because the USMC was the undisputed world leader in amphibious vehicle tech since the middle of WW2 but appears to be throwing away that lead.

Side note:  Below are a few pics of Japanese amphibious vehicles from WW2. We've made note that the Dragon is roaring and that the Bear has reawakened...are we missing that the Rising Sun seems to be appearing on the horizon?

Confirmed. USAF on path to lose air superiority as early as 2025, as late as 2030.

Thanks to TTMedical for the link!

via War On The Rocks

America is on track to lose air supremacy in contingencies involving near-peer air combat. Even as soon as next year, achieving air superiority in a war with China within a politically and operationally effective time frame might be doubtful. In a 2025 war, American aircraft losses are expected to be severe. In a 2030 war, the U.S. Air Force, after assessing currently funded improvement programs, now expects to no longer be able to win the air superiority battle.

Then this.

First, the Air Superiority Flight Plan advances conflicting objectives. Instead of pursuing a direct replacement for the F-22 air superiority fighter, the plan proposes a family of capabilities. This family would include quickly fielding a new, affordable penetrating counter-air capability that eschewed revolutionary next-generation technology to meet a 2030 deadline that is, after all, less than two presidents away. Meeting this timeline seems to limit options to an evolutionary development of a current aircraft, either the F-35 or F-22.
What might this penetrating counter-air platform look like? The F-35 is the obvious choice as it is already in low-rate production, but there are some concerns. The aircraft is small, heavy, and already densely packed with electronics.Thermal management has proven difficult, which makes adding new capabilities without significant changes to internal plumbing problematic. Furthermore, the aircraft’s design means fuel consumption is already high, adversely impacting range. Additional modifications may exacerbate this by adding weight. Some suggest fitting the aircraft with a new engine for range and payload improvements, but given the limited space available, this might require a major redesign. Moreover, meeting the Air Superiority Plan would mean moving the F-35 design away from its primary air-to-ground focus. History suggests turning “bombers” into “fighters” is hard.
The F-35 program’s long delays seem to demonstrate the general technical difficulty in evolving the aircraft’s design. It’s already taken almost ten years from the F-35’s first flight to reach today’s limited air-to-ground focussed initial operational capability. Several more years will pass before the aircraft has the full capabilities originally sought. Evolving the F-35 design to the degree envisaged in the Air Superiority Plan in time to reach a 2030 full operational capability deadline seems doubtful.
In contrast with the F-35, the F-22 would need to be bought back into production to serve as the underlying platform for the penetrating counter-air capability. The F-22 has been in service for a decade and is currently undergoingmodernization and reliability improvements. The F-22 is twin-engined and considerably larger than the F-35. This means the F-22 has more thrust and space available to accommodate ongoing upgrades. The F-22, for example, can cruise supersonically and carry twice as many air-to-air missiles internally as the F-35. This much higher overall performance undergirds U.S. Air Force claims that two F-22s have a similar operational performance to eight F-35s.
This Air Force “two equals eight” claim illustrates the magnitude of the task if the aim is to upgrade the F-35 to meet the Air Superiority Plan’s objectives.

Story here. 

Is the Trump trip to Mexico really their president being worried about Southern Command's warning?

Everyone is trying to figure out why the President of Mexico invited Trump (and Hillary) to Mexico to discuss border issues.

MSNBC is spinning themselves in knots and the rest of the left is losing their minds.

I can't help but remember the news story about Southern Command warning that terrorists were coming thru the southern border.  This is pure speculation on my part but what if you got word that an attack was imminent?  What if you knew that Trump was about to basically call for sealing the border?  What if you knew that the terrorists would be tracked back to crossing the Mexico-US border?

If you were President of Mexico you would want to get out ahead of the story.  You would want to show a willingness to cooperate with the future president on securing the border while at the same time bolstering economic ties.

Like I said its pure speculation but I haven't heard a better theory.

USMC experimenting with Squad configuration. They're wrecking the ACV plan before its even selected!

Thanks to Joe for the link!

via Janes.

The US Marine Corps (USMC) is experimenting with new structures and equipment sets for infantry squads and will trial various designs with an operational unit over the coming year.
"We're going to be redesigning the squad make up down at the lowest level to see what the squad should look like as we experiment," Lieutenant General Robert Walsh, head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, told reporters during a 30 August breakfast meeting.
Squads in 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, will be reconfigured in a variety organisational constructs that include "different sizes, different make up, different fire team make up", and more, he explained.

Anyone want to place a bet that the Squad will go smaller?  Do you really believe that they will roll out a 9 man squad?

The point is stark.

If the Marine Corps jacks around with the size of the Squad...if it grows to 15 or even 20 Marines then you can basically throw out the ACV.

Why?

Because the ACV was built around the 13 man squad.  If the Squad grows then the number of vehicles required grows.  Additionally you're not only adding Marines but equipment.  We don't know what the "futurists" are thinking but I keep hearing about UAVs and Cyber at the Squad level.

That's gonna increase the amount of gear carried.  Which means that the Marine Corps is making the ACV obsolete before it even enters service.

So what is the game?

I have no idea.  My thinking is that the Survivability Upgrade for the AAV made no sense if the ACV was ACTUALLY a priority program for the Marine Corps (why waste the money?).  If you make the Squad larger then all of a sudden the ACV is no longer viable and the AAV gets pushed toward that 60 plus years of service.  The excuse will be that Squad integrity is important, that the ACV doesn't meet that need due to the changing battlefield and they get to upgrade more AAVs on the cheap while they lavishly buy every toy under the sun for the Wing.

Marine Corps Ground Component Officers need to sack the fuck up.  Neller is obviously ball-less, Dunford quit before he even had the job long enough to put up his "I love me" wall and the stench of Amos lingers because his little buddy Davis still has a job after his continued fuck ups (how hasn't he been fired after the crashes, the poor availability rate of the F-18s and the CH-53s falling apart?).

The Marine Corps needs an Alfred Grey for the 21st Century...a reformer to return it to its warrior roots.

"Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary".

USAF wants next generation fighter by late 2020s? The timetable tells it all...

via Defense News.

WASHINGTON — After undergoing a yearlong effort that explored the tactics and technologies needed to control the skies in the future, the Air Force is taking its first steps toward making its next fighter jet a reality.

The service has already begun preliminary work ahead of a 2017 analysis of alternatives that will shape the requirements and acquisition strategy for the F-35 follow on, which the Air Force been termed Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) or Penetrating Counter Air (PCA).

But Brig. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who led the Air Superiority 2030 enterprise capability collaboration team (ECCT), emphasized that there are two major differences between the NGAD effort and its that of legacy fighter jets. The first is the relatively rapid method of acquiring it.

“We need to have something by the late 2020s,” he said in an interview with Defense News. “I think a realistic timeline is somewhere around 2028 with key investments in some key technology areas, you’d be able to have some initial operational capability of a penetrating counter air capability.”

The second difference relates to the recently concluded Air Superiority 2030 study, which made the case that the Air Force’s future dominance will rest not on a single platform, such as a sixth generation fighter jet, but on an integrated, networked family of systems. That combination of penetrating and stand-off capabilities includes a fighter plane, but also a number of space, cyber and electronic warfare assets.

So let me get this straight.  The F-35 MIGHT achieve full operational capability in 2021 (that's a huge MIGHT according to the GAO) yet they're already looking at a follow on fighter?  A service life of 8 years?

Oh and make no mistake about it.  The guy said F-35 follow on.

My prediction isn't popular on F-16.net or at HQMC but its spot on.  The F-35 is not only obsolete before it enters service, is not only caught up in a death spiral that will see the numbers purchased sliced beyond recognition but they're finally admitting it.  Its not a full throated "we fucked up" but more like a series of news articles telling the tale.  Missile/Arsenal planes?  The idea of buying more F-16s and F-15s for the USAF?  The USN stating flat out that they need more Super Hornets?

The only outlier is the USMC.  HQMC has sold their soul for this airplane and the ramifications of this decision will be felt for generations.

I have always been a supporter of STOVL aircraft, but the price the USMC is paying for the F-35 is just way too high.  Maybe the answer will be found in developments by the Army and Navy with the next generation rotor craft.  It might be time for the USMC to give up on fast jets (yeah...I can't believe I'm even entertaining the idea but the Wing is out of control).

Brazilian VBTR-MP 6x6 APC in action (pic heavy...part 2)

NOTE:  When we talk about wheeled APCs we always forget about the Brazilian VBTR-MP.  Why?  I have no idea.  This mini-SuperAV is really one of the most advanced designs placed into service in the past few years.  The fact that IVECO was able to work with the Brazilian Army & Marines, get the vehicle plant setup and production started in less time than its taken the USMC to do a downselect for the final ACV candidates says it all.  Despite their problems, Brazil's military is doing it right.