The bottom line news on the F-35C's problems from Navy Test Pilots!

Thanks to Filippo for the link!

via Inside Defense

Further, Navy pilots determined the catapult launch for the Joint Strike Fighter is "not operationally suitable" after conducting extensive at-sea testing, according to a Navy carrier qualification report viewed by Inside Defense.

Major props to my bro, Filippo for finding that nugget.

What is it that a certain Air Force General is running his cock holster about over at Business Insider?  Don't have time to search?...here it is...

Pleus began his remarks, his delivery blunt and confident, "I'm hopeful that as we continue to grow this fleet, we all take the opportunity to form opinions on this airplane from experts. And the only experts in the F-35 business, are those that fix, maintain, and fly the F-35 on a day-to-day basis."
"Whether they be at Eglin, Luke, Edwards, Nellis, or Hill, if you go and talk to them they will give you the ground truth. If you are forming your opinions by somebody that has not fixed or flown the airplane I would tell you you're wrong."

Hey General!  The experts HAVE spoken and they say the C model is unsuitable for carrier operations.

Italian woman is hanged by soldiers of the fascist Italian Social Republic

pic/caption via Bag of Dirt Tumblr Page.

An Italian woman is hanged by soldiers of the fascist Italian Social Republic as German soldiers look on with curiosity. On her skirt is pinned a sign with the charges of helping the partisans for which she was summarily executed. The Italian Social Republic (Italian: Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI) was the second and last incarnation of the Fascist Italian state, a puppet state created by Germany. After the Italians overthrew Benito Mussolini and began negotiations to change sides during the war, the Germans freed him from arrest and placed him as head of the puppet state in the German-occupied north. Rome, Lazio, Italy. Summer 1944.

Wow. Is this what the SPMAGTF-CR is reduced to crowing about?

Thanks to Josephine for the link!

via Military.com

During a six-month rotational deployment last year, which wrapped up as U.S. forces began conducting airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Sirte, Libya, at the behest of the country's government, the task force received a call to conduct the rescue, said Col. Martin Wetterauer, commander of the 8th Marine Regiment.
The U.S. has acknowledged that a small number of special operations troops have been on the ground in Libya to assist Libyan forces in defeating ISIS militants.
"It was a no-notice," Wetterauer said of the mission during a December post-deployment briefing near Washington, D.C.
The response element, stationed in Moron, Spain, was on its normal "N-plus-6" alert, Wetterauer said, meaning the Marines would be able to respond to a crisis within six hours. They received their mission between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., he said.
"We got the call that one of our [special operations forces] partners had been injured down on the continent; basically, he ended up with something in his eye," Wetterauer said. "So we went through the planning cycle. We initially didn't know if it was going to be an Osprey/C-130 mix, or a C-130 CASEVAC."
Ultimately, he said, the unit learned from the special operations team on the ground that they would be able to move the injured operator to Misrata, in the northwest corner of the country. Based on that decision, he said, the task force opted to leave the MV-22 Ospreys in Moron and execute the rescue with a single C-130 Hercules aircraft.

Here.

A few things.  First is this the type of mission that SPMAGTF-CR is forced to crow about?  Its a big nothing burger.  It hardly demonstrates the utility of the force and to be honest this was hardly a combat situation.  Second the SPMAGTF-CR concept is doing nothing but jacking up rotations and wearing out aircraft.  If Combatant Commanders are actually calling for this unit then we need new CC's.

Last.  Want to know how valuable this setup actually is?  They recently pulled the MV-22's from a SPMAGTF-CR that was forward deployed.

Its past time to put another one of Amos' idiot ideas into the trash b

UK's 3rd Para at Exercise Listed Paratrooper...

This is for one of you "Para-pups"....why do the Europeans (and quite a few folks in the Pacific region) all jump from the ramp in their C-130's?

I just don't get it.  Going out the doors seems just as fast if you're using two sticks and is a bit safer since you won't have guys crowding the ramp on the way out the plane.  Seems like it would give the same kinda elevator ride that going out of a helicopter would too.  Like I said...I don't see the advantage.

Turk anti-air system winds up in Greek hands...UPDATED! Previous info wrong!!!

Thanks to AL Z. for the link!



via Popular Mechanics

Earlier this week in the Aegean Sea, the M/V Alcatras, a Turkish-flagged vessel, lost rudder control. The 29-yard-long fishing boat began to drift and eventually ran aground on the Greek island of Kos. No injuries among the crew were reported.
Turkey and Greece, although NATO allies, are bitter rivals that have almost gone to war several times. And while this isn't the first such naval mishap, this time things were different. Alcatras was not carrying a cargo hold full of fish, but a prototype weapon system—one that would be used to shoot down Greek planes if the two countries ever went to war.

The fishing vessel was apparently being used as a test bed for a naval version of the Korkut air defense system. Korkut (Turkish for "stern" or "resolute", or even "big hailstone") consists of two 35-millimeter autocannons that can fire 1,100 rounds per minute.

Simply amazing.  Its not like there is anything earth shattering on this vehicle...the Germans developed the Gepard almost 30 years ago and the Russians a similar anti-aircraft cannon based vehicle years before that (interestingly only the US tried and failed to develop a comparable system...long live the Sgt York!).

The anger in Ankara must be delicious to the Greeks!

UPDATED!!!

Thanks to Faithon for more up to date info on this incident!

via ptisidiastima.com

My Google Translator has gone tits up on the webpage but Faithon tells me that the weapon system was a naval variant with 35mm cannons designed to be a CIWS for Turkish warships and the export market.

That explains the early reports of this being a prototype when we've seen the armored vehicle anti-air system for at least a couple of years now.

The tears really must be flowing!

The latest problem with the F-35C will all but kill the plane for the US Navy.

Thanks to Super Rhino for the link!

If the story is important I usually put a link at the top of the portions that I quote on the page.  This one is so stunning that you can read it all at Business Insider here.

Essentially the problem, detailed in a Navy report with data dating back to 2014, deals with rough takeoffs that hurt and disorient pilots at the critical moment when they're taking off from a carrier.
The Pentagon's red team found the problem was due to several factors central to the plane's design, and recommended several fixes that will take several months to several years to fully fix. The report states that long term actions to address the problem will not take place until 2019, at which point they'll take 12-36 months to implement.

Redesigns to the plane, as well as to carriers, may be necessary to fully address the problem.
A Pentagon deficiency report in 2015 stated that extreme movements in the cockpit during launch risked pilot health.

One hundred and five pilots completing catapult launches rated their level of pain or discomfort on a scale of one to five. Of the 105, 74 pilots reported "moderate" pain or a 3, 18 pilots reported "severe" pain or a 4, and one pilot reported "severe pain that persists" after launching from an aircraft carrier.

But wait boys and girls.  IT GETS WORSE!

"The oscillations shake the pilot's head sufficiently to impair their ability to consistently read flight critical data, which poses a safety of flight risk," reads the report cited by Inside Defense.
This pain, more than a mere inconvenience, threatens the ability of pilots to read flight-critical data as they perform the complicated task of launching from a moving platform at sea. Exacerbating the problem, some pilots locked down their harnesses to avoid jostling around during the launch, but this makes it more difficult for the pilot to eject, should they need to.

Much of the article is the usual double talk that I've come to expect from the program.  LM saying that all catapult launches were successful...WTF!  If the plane doesn't crash into the ocean its successful, it doesn't tell us if the airplane is trying to shake its pilot apart!

I'll save my fire for Bogdan but this quote from him is telling...and in my mind damning.

At a roundtable discussion in December, F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan assured reporters that F-35C takeoff problems only occur when the planes takeoff with low weight load outs, saying " you don't see this problem at all" when the plane is more laden with ordnance or fuel.

Is he a program manager or a cheerleader?

One thing is clear.  Naval Aviation can't wait till 2020 at the earliest to get a working model of the F-35C.  This will all but kill this model and the F/A-18 Super Hornet will remain the king of the carrier.

Add Bogdan to the list of generals that needs to be fired.

KFX-GSC single engine, stealth concept fighter!

Thanks to 61 Mech for the link!

Note:  I believe this is concept art but have no visibility on what the Koreans are doing.  Still a mini F-23?  Freaking awesome!

Houthi "Scud like" Missile kills scores of Saudi Troops.

via Press TV

A large number of Saudi soldiers have been killed in a Yemeni missile attack against a military base in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border region of Asir.
An unnamed Yemeni military source said military forces and their allies launched a ballistic missile at the al-Montazah base in Asir on Tuesday, leaving scores of Saudi troopers and their mercenaries dead and injured, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.
The source added that two Saudi armored vehicles were also destroyed in the attack.
Shortly afterward, Yemeni soldiers and fighters from the Popular Committees fired several artillery rounds at the Mosallas al-Rakbah base in the Saudi Jizan region, located 967 kilometers southwest of the capital, Riyadh.
A blaze swept through the military site as the projectiles struck.
Separately, Yemeni soldiers and allied fighters launched a domestically-manufactured Zelzal-2 (Earthquake-2) missile at a gathering of Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to the former government in the al-Maslub district of Yemen’s northern province of Jawf.
Several pro-Saudi gunmen also lost their lives and sustained injuries when their military camp was targeted by Yemeni forces in the al-Hariqiyah area of the southwestern province of Ta’izz.

Story here. 

I wonder if anyone has wargamed mass firing of tactical ballistic missiles against a high value target?  How would a battalion in the attack handle the added stress of facing precision ballistic missile fire?  I know a Marine Corps Task Force wouldn't be equipped/able to defend itself against such an attack but could a similar US Army formation?

There is a lesson here but I'm not sure what it is.  Is this a credible threat or a one off that's giving the Saudis fits?

ROK Marines to get 30 Surions.

via Flight Global.

Korea Aircraft Industries has secured a KRW630 billion ($523 million) contract with Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to provide KUH-1 Surion transport helicopters to the country’s marines.
The package covers 30 helicopters to be delivered from 2017 to 2023, says a source familiar with the transaction.
Originally, KAI had anticipated the initial marine order to be for 36 examples.

 And then this.

The marine variant’s rotor blades can be folded. In addition to a four man crew (two pilots and two gunners) it can carry nine fully-armed marines. The type has emergency floats that can deploy with the press of a button. If required by the mission, crews can quickly add special internal long-range fuel tanks.

I'm sorry but I am so unimpressed with this helicopter.  A modded Puma in an age of heavily upgraded UH-60, NH-90, and Mi-8/Mi-38s?  It might be built in S. Korea but I don't see it keeping up with the competition.

KFX 홍보영상

Household Cavalry Regiment on Ex Iron Scout 3 on Salisbury Plain.

AAV-SU (Survivability Upgrade) to have better water speed?

via Shepard Media.

New rotary dampers and improved torsion bars in the suspension have increased the ground clearance and offer smoother ride. Replacing the water jets with new axial flow machined jets has demonstrated significantly greater efficiency.
This combined with the recouping of reserve buoyancy to 22%, rebalancing the vehicle trim to be more ‘bow-up’ and a possible redesign of the forward trim-vane/bow-plan hold a strong potential to increase water speed beyond the 7kt (13km/h).
Speculation by industry sources suggest that with some minor design refinements (improved/reconfigure trim vane or re-trimming the vehicle) could increase that further.

Here.

The rest of the article is basically a rehash of the info that we already knew (with the exception of SAIC being able to squeeze out an additional 100 hp when they rebuilt the engine...it's gone from 525 hp to 675 hp).

But the increase in water speed is intriguing.  Its also a bit confusing.

We have over 1000 of these vehicles in inventory.  If this upgrade is going to actually deliver the ballistic protection and improved ground mobility that they're shouting about then the next question becomes...Why do we need the ACV?  Does it offer increased performance that will justify the expense?  Does the Marine Corps need to operate two APCs?  What will that do to the AAV Battalions?  Is the plan to have all AAV-SU platoons with a few ACV platoons thrown in?  Will Companies operate mixed vehicles?  How will maintenance work with two different vehicles in the same role under the same roof?

I've been disappointed with the cancellation of the EFV.  Tried to wrap my head around the idea that the ACV (wheeled) would have better mobility than a tracked vehicle.  Been enthusiastic about the BAE-Iveco SuperAV...but now I'm just plain confused.

The Marine Corps needs to get its armor house in order.  If the AAV-SU delivers as this article talks about then why are we continuing with the ACV?  If it doesn't then why aren't we going all in on the ACV?  Marine Air is in trouble, but Marine Armor is in a state of confusion.

The Amos years (and the idiotic ACV 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) just keeps on giving.

Take away the canards, add gold to the canopy and that's a F-22!

Thanks to Filipio for the link!

Am I wrong or does the entire front section...from the air intakes to the nose of the plane look like an almost carbon copy of the F-22!

US military drills evacuation of civilians from S. Korea.

via CNN

Seoul (CNN)It's a bitterly cold, bleak day on a military base in South Korea.
People are milling around calmly, clutching hot coffees, making small talk. Kids are chasing each other around an air hangar.
It's hard to believe they are practicing a high-stakes emergency evacuation that simulates what would happen if North Korea invaded.
"In real life, everyone would be wearing masks, rushing through places," says mom of two Nicholle Martinez. "There would be chaos everywhere. It would be scarier."

Story here.

Martinez understates the chaos that would occur in the opening salvo of a war between North and South Korea.  The number of artillery shells that would be raining on Seoul would boggle the mind (what's left unsaid is the fact that N.Korean Special Ops will be swarming all over the place killing anything that moves).  The idea that the US military could actually pull off an evacuation of civilians in the middle of that fight is stupid on a stick.  The 2nd ID would be fighting for its very existence.  They wouldn't have time to evacuate the wife and kids.

Whoever decided to make Korea anything but a hardship deployment was smoking crack....common sense took a day off in Army planning the day that families were allowed to go there.

Of course the same can be said of Okinawa and perhaps Guam.  The only location that is "family safe" in the Pacific is the Northern Territory in Australia...if you don't take the local wildlife into account that is.

When will we know that the US military is getting serious about warfighting?  It'll be when you see Korea, Okinawa and Guam revert to hardship postings and not places you take your family.  But the military is more into a proper command climate (can anyone get me a definition of that phrase!) and being family friendly....even if it means that when the unthinkable happens your forces are more concerned about evacuating their loved ones than they are of fighting the enemy swarming over the hill.

What do you do now Jump Master?

Hey Jump Master!  What do you do now? Speak up Airborne that young para-pup is dangling on the rope, twisting in the prop blast and you have to decide...do you cut him loose knowing that at best he's disoriented and at worst unconscious or do you try and drag him back into the aircraft?

You have 5 seconds before this shit turns into a bodybag.  So what's your decision Airborne?  SPEAK UP SON!

Marine Aviation continues its downward spiral....why does Davis still have a job????

via Military.com

Third Marine Aircraft Wing leader Maj. Gen. Mark Wise has relieved another commander following a "loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue to serve" at the Miramar air station, according to a written statement provided to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Citing "issues concerning command climate" within Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, the Corps announced the firing of Lt. Col. Wade "Casper" Workman on Wednesday. A highly decorated fighter pilot, Workman took command of the "Red Devils" on Jan. 15, following a stint as the Operations Officer of Marine Aircraft Group Eleven.
Miramar spokesman Capt. Kurt M. Stahl indicated that Workman was not relieved over allegations of misconduct or criminal activity but rather "an unhealthy command climate that negatively impacted trust within the unit that is critical to effective operations."
Workman, 41, told the Union-Tribune, "It just didn't work out."

Workman fell on his sword in appropriate Marine Corps fashion.  He has a story to tell but will keep his mouth shut because of allegiance to the Corps.  He will be shuffled off to the side and will work to regain his reputation but will toil in obscurity till he finally retires.

Its a shame.  Its a disgrace.  Its all too common in the Marine Corps today.

Marine Corps Aviation continues its downward spiral because of INCREASED OPS TEMPO due to the ill conceived SPMAGTF-CR, the budget busting F-35/MV-22 and the attempt to transform the Marine Corps into an aviation centric organization.

The real villains in this story appear untouchable.  The think tanks that came up with this idiocy during the Amos era, the leadership since then that hasn't had the moral courage to shit can that thinking and Davis....who still has a job and I can't figure out why.  Speaking of Davis.  Name one public appearance that doesn't revolve around the F-35.  He even appears at Rotary Club/Veteran functions to promote the plane.  Taking care of the Marines under his leadership that are doing the work today is off his radar.  Remember the past reports that of 300 odd F-18's less than 50 were operational?

Marine Air is broken.  

You can fix it but it starts with new leadership.  Davis must go!

Dunkirk - Trailer

This is one of those films that I think might become one of those "must sees".  Think about it.  The Germans had the British Expeditionary Force pinned on a beach totally surrounded yet they allowed elements of it to escape to fight another day.

The battle is listed as a loss but I'm not so sure.

Additionally I've never been into the sea battles of the Atlantic.  They just never captured my imagination the way the fight in the Pacific did.  I might need to rethink that.  The fight in the channel from just a general overview seems to have been particularly vicious with the German E-Boats being very effective in what could be considered the WW2 Atlantic version of combat in the littoral zone (from my seat I wonder why more people don't look at our PT Boat/Fighter Bomber actions in the "slot" and between the islands as a primer on future combat).  Yeah.  Dunkirk might be one for the digital library.

Open Comment Post. Jan 3, 2017

I'm back from the near dead...or at least it felt like that while coughing up crud.

Whats happening in the world from what little coverage I've seen?  The main thing is power.  All eyes are on the transition and the new Congress.  Meanwhile ISIS is claiming credit for attacks in Turkey and Iraq against civilians and the Central Command Head Shed is talking about Iraqi forces operating at "optimal" level against insurgents in Mosul.

If I didn't know better I'd think that everyone is taking an operational pause in the fighting and getting ready for spring/summer fighting season.  But that's me, what's on your mind?

DCNS - BELH@RRA Stealth Digital Fighting Frigate Combat Simulation

Open Comment Post. Jan 2, 2017

Wow.  Had a great holiday but got the gift of "the crud"....trying to kick this stuff but its hitting hard.  Prediction?  Dr visit today, I'll be back strong tomorrow.