#DidYouKnow: When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, it had no divisions. President Woodrow Wilson promised the Allies he would send “a division” to France immediately. The 1st Infantry Division was literally America’s first division. #DutyFirst pic.twitter.com/pFvO10QaVO— 1st Infantry Division (@FightingFirst) April 6, 2019
Saturday, April 06, 2019
The Big Red One....America's First Division...LITERALLY!
US Navy starts to outline its plan for smaller warships...
via National Interest.
Reducing the number of large warships and adding frigates could help to reduce the cost of a larger fleet. A 9,000-ton-displacement Arleigh Burke-class destroyer costs more than $2 billion. A frigate, displacing just 5,000 tons, should cost around $1 billion, according to the Navy.I'm not understanding something here.
But the frigate still could carry many of the same weapons and sensors that a destroyer does, although somewhat fewer of them.
According to a Navy document that the Congressional Research Service obtained, the frigate will come armed with a 57-millimeter gun, a 32-cell vertical missile-launcher for SM-2 Block IIIC and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, a 21-round point-defense Rolling Airframe Missile launcher and eight launchers for over-the-horizon anti-ship missiles.
Its radar and combat system will be a smaller version of the Aegis system that equips the Navy's destroyers and cruisers. The frigate will embark an MH-60R helicopter and an MQ-8C drone. That weapons and sensor suite should give the frigate the ability to engage enemy aircraft, ships and submarines at a distance of 100 miles or more.
Over time, the ship could gain additional weaponry. The Navy document refers to potential upgrades for the frigate including a 150-kilowatt laser and an anti-submarine missile, which could be a rocket-boosted torpedo similar in concept to the defunct ASROC missile.
But the SM-2 Block IIIC, of which the frigate could carry 32, could be the new ship's most potent weapon. The Block IIIC replaces the semi-active radar-homing seeker on older SM-2s with the active radar-homing seeker of the SM-6 missile. The SM-6's seeker itself is a derivative of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.
With a semi-active missile, the launching ship must use its own radar to guide the missile through most of its flight. An active missile has its own, tiny radar, allowing the ship to launch and leave, thus protecting it from retaliatory strikes.
The SM-2 Block IIIC can do much more than just shoot down aircraft. With small tweaks to the seeker, the Navy already has given the SM-6 and SM-2 Block IIIC missiles anti-ship capability. Additional tweaks could allow the SM-6 -- and by extension the SM-2 Block IIIC -- to hit targets on land.
The new frigate also could function as a command vessel for robotic vessels, using Link 11 and Link 16 data links, satellite communications and Network Tactical Common Data Link to help the unmanned vessels to navigate and also to authorize them to fire weapons.
The Navy soon could select a shipyard to build the new class of frigate starting in 2020. "All shipyards have agreed that they can give us the lethality we need," Merz said.
We get less than half the payload, 4.5K tons lighter and yet the cost is still half that of a Burke Class?
That don't seem like much of a bargain.
Which is better. 20 Frigates or 10 more Burke's? Distributed operations sounds good but I'm not seeing the economics of this thing actually playing out to our advantage.
Are we chasing a fleet number or are we going for a more lethal, survivable fleet that can go toe to toe with the Chinese? If its the latter than we need more Burkes, not Frigates (we already have a mess of LCS). If its the former then I need to know why that makes sense.
275 ships that are in fighting trim with well trained sailors manning them vs 350 that are tin cans?
It all boils down to which is better. Quantity or Quality? That's what the Navy has to decide.
Kratos's art for the Valkyrie program
Kratos's art for the Valkyrie program seems simultaneously futuristic and like ye olde aircrafte. pic.twitter.com/UoeFuETwZR— Rachel S. Cohen (@rachelkaras) April 1, 2019
SAIC is back in the game! They're building Amphibious Recon Vehicle Demonstrators...
via Military Aerospace.
U.S. military researchers are asking Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) in Reston, Va., to build a prototype reconnaissance armored combat vehicle to enable U.S. Marine Corps battlefield reconnaissance units to fight through the enemy to gather and disseminate crucial intelligence information from the battle front.Wow! The USMC is tossing SAIC a HUGE BONE with this project. They will have not only a bird's eye view of what the USMC is looking for but at worst they'll probably be asked to partner with a contractor that actually looks to build these rigs (assuming they don't want to do it themselves).
Officials of the U.S. Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Va., announced a $19 million contract to SAIC on Thursday for a portion of the Armed Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) program that involves advanced high-risk technology development called "at the edge."
The future ARV will be able to fight for information on a complex and contested battlefield using an automatic rapid-fire medium-caliber cannon, remotely operated medium-caliber machine gun, and open-architecture advanced vetronics to include sensors, communications, and battlefield networking.
The project seeks to build two ARV variants -- a base model and an at-the-edge model -- to evaluate technologies, performance, and battlefield concepts. Contractors will build two demonstrators of each variant. SAIC has been selected for the at-the-edge model. Other contractors will handle the base variant.
SAIC engineers will develop an at-the-edge ARV demonstrator with relatively high-risk technologies -- some of which could have limited operability with development paths that would lead to full capability. This demonstrator is to push the upper limits of capability and performance.
The at-the-edge variant that SAIC will build will be operational, but isn't supposed to have the durability necessary to withstand sustained operations on the battlefield. It is to demonstrate enabling technologies at technology readiness level 5, which seeks to validate components in a simulated or real environment.
SAIC's at-the-edge demonstrator will push the limits of combat vehicle enabling electronic technologies such as a self-healing cyber-safe electrical and data distribution architecture; and power generation for all on-board systems with a 25 percent power buffer, with support for 100 percent power growth within 10 years for power and distribution, data distribution and processing, and memory storage.
Other electronics that SAIC engineers will address in this project are communications with technology refresh updates every four years that supports secure voice, video, and data exchanges in GPS-denied environments; interfaces to launch, control, retrieve, and recharge unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs); modular electronic architectures to support insertion of emerging technologies and multi-mission payloads; and manned and unmanned teaming operations with robotics and autonomy.
Makes me wonder though.
No offense but General Dynamics and BAE are larger concerns with a proven track record and vast experience in this field.
Going to SAIC seems like a reach but let's see what they can do with the thing.
Did a YF-23 Test Pilot give us the secret sauce to how LM has saved the F-35 even though its development has been a disaster?
Tyler has an interview with a famed YF-23 Test Pilot that tells the story of the competition between it and the F-22. It's a must read and will make you wonder once again if we didn't pick the wrong airplane.
Many state today that the YF-23 would be a natural in the Pacific and would fit better into future warfare and I agree.
But one thing stands out. Read the entire article (its just that good) but this part made me sit back in my seat.
Metz makes another incredibly valuable point about how Lockheed knew how to present and market their airframe far better than Northrop did. He notes that not everyone who would be in a position to select a fighter aircraft would be an engineer and that they may not even be technically astute. So leaving 'lasting impressions' on a conceptual level, even if they don't tell the whole story technically, can give one side an advantage over the other.Showmanship.
Northrop's team was made up of brilliant engineers—Metz says they were beyond compare—but they thought and spoke almost exclusively in engineering terms. Meanwhile, Lockheed infused far more marketing, salesmanship, and pizazz—'lasting impressions' as Metz eloquently puts it—into their YF-22 flight demonstration program. They fundamentally understood how to sell their aircraft and how 'showmanship' heavily impacts the acquisition decision-making process. Northrop didn't and that fact may have proven fatal for the YF-23.
Marketing.
Lasting impressions.
Is this what we want in airplane competitions? Is this how our military should select gear?
You guys won't like it but this same formula is being used with the F-35. Glitz. Marketing. Nonsensical terms that have no real meaning. "Sensor Fusion". "Quarterback of the sky".
Nothing solid that we the people can grab onto and make an evaluation for ourselves.
It's pixie dust.
It's religion.
It's faith.
Even though they haven't delivered in almost 20 years we're still suppose to believe!
Lockheed Martin isn't a defense corporation that happens to market its products. It's a marketing corporation that happens to dabble in defense.
DTR Magazine is all in on the Stern Landing Vessel...I think it's a viable option....
A task force with 4 x 70m stern landing vessels could deploy:— DTR Magazine (@DTRmag) April 2, 2019
6 x M1A2 + 3 x IFV in SLV 1
6 x IFV + 3 CRV in SLV 2
6 x IFV + 3 CRV in SLV 3
1 x M88A2 + 2 MSV + 2 IFV recovery + 4 HX77 refuel/rearm in SLV 4
All for under $100 million. Is the @Australian_Navy listening? pic.twitter.com/t6Dylyoc1L
DTR Magazine is all in on this ship and I think it's a viable option. I'm still trying to flesh out Marine Corps thinking with regard to the "L-Class" Carrier.
Is it still going to be part of the MEU or is it going to go off on its own to fulfill the sea control mission? If it remains are we gonna see future America Class Ships revert to a "no well deck" profile like the first two?
All that matters.
We're losing surface lift even with the San Antonio Class and the LX-R. We WILL have fewer LCUs and LCACs to get heavy gear ashore.
We need viable solutions.
The Stern Landing Vessel could be one of those solutions. That fold up Landing Craft that could be stowed on deck is another option. A purpose built LCAC/LCU carrier could also be options.
The reality?
We need to start working the surface connector problem NOW!
Friday, April 05, 2019
Can anyone confirm this? Ukrainian Minister supposedly says "we'll get to Moscow with our tanks, with our allies"?
Ukrainian minister:— Russia in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) April 5, 2019
'we'll get to Moscow eventually! With our allies! In tanks!'@MFA_Russia: the Moscow you’ll be in ‘with allies in tanks’ is located in Idaho
Ukrainian army today⬇️
Don't worry, @CityofMoscowId @Mpdailynews@JensStoltenberg & #nato70 will stop them with words pic.twitter.com/mjvxgweGYq
The infuriating thing?
1. IF THE UKRAINIAN MINISTER actually said this then he's batshit stupid.
2. More fucking Nazis!
If this is true then its past time to wash our hands of thUkrainianan mess and take some serious antibiotics to rid ourselves of the germs that come with being associated with them.
But first I need to know if this is true.
One step at a time.
India's Air Force is taking a public relations beating!
IAF claim of hitting F-16 by their Mig 21 before having been shot down by PAF gets exposed. All 4 missile seeker heads recovered intact from the wreckage & held. Pakistan and its professional Armed Forces staying humble by not drum beating. We have more truth on this to share. pic.twitter.com/jOklFU7GDJ— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) April 5, 2019
Pakistan is enjoying this. Every tweet I see from their military is doing this "humble brag" about the air to air battle a few weeks ago.
This is not good for India.
This is a black eye that will last for awhile.
Does it mean that we need to re-evaluate their effectiveness? I don't think so. It does mean that they need to get alot better with how they allocate their air force.
"Saving" the top gear for later on is a not workable in this age. With smaller forces worldwide EVERY BATTLE COUNTS. If not for effects on the battlefield then for public perception.
It looks like India has lost both the aerial fight and the public perception battle. The worst thing? They could have easily put a pin in this early on but instead allowed this thing to become a "he said, he said" and then finally for none other than the US to prove that they were wrong.
I expect resignations if not firings over this affair. A Squadron Commander will go from hero to clown ricky tick quick too.
Just plain sad.
I don't care how big, hairy and low hanging they are...this WILL raise the blood pressure of any military parachutist!
What a scary moments for that paratrooper 😯😯 pic.twitter.com/LEJyvivT4F— aviation-fails (@aviation07fails) April 4, 2019
Jesus! This is the stuff of nightmares. Hung up and dangling on the side of a plane? Hoping the Jump Master has his shit wired tight and didn't get pencil whipped thru the course!
You can bet whoever packed that chute is gonna have a microscope stuck up his nether regions for months...but before that they're gonna have him making back to back jumps from his pack for a couple of weeks straight!
Just glad it worked out. If this bubba had panicked and deployed his reserve it could have gotten real nasty.
Armor Porn....Norwegian Telemark & Panzer Battalions get up to speed on their new CV90RWS BK mortar carriers...
Why would such a light mortar require such a sophisticated and HEAVY mounting system to attach to a vehicle?
I guess if the ride dies then so does your fire support! You ain't taking that off and totting that thing on your back!
Correct my lunacy with facts if you know the deal but the story is here (have your Google or Babel Fish translate ready though!).
Fighting in Mali rages on...French paying tribute to a fallen comrade...
Gao, la force #Barkhane rend hommage à notre camarade, le médecin Marc Laycuras, mort pour la France au Mali. pic.twitter.com/Tx9pLkWkap— État-Major Armées (@EtatMajorFR) April 5, 2019
Haven't been paying much attention to this fight but apparently it rages on. I think it's time to pivot toward keeping a better eye on this thing. Many of European allies are hip deep in this thing (to include Canada).
Yeah. We're gonna get eyes on this thing.
F-35 News. Marines accelerate buy of F-35C. Those sneaky squiddies are making us fulfill the Carrier portion of the F-35 buy!
Those sneaky fucking squiddies are making us fulfill the carrier portion of the F-35 buy! Instead of buying cheaper, more affordable Super Hornets we're juicing our own budget by getting this plane. Meanwhile the squids are sitting back laughing. Here's the story via USNI News.
The Marine Corps is accelerating its F-35C carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter procurement and slowing its F-35B vertical landing variant to support Navy deployment requirements, the Marines’ top aviator told lawmakers today.Here.
In its Fiscal Year 2020 budget request the Marines asked for 10 fewer F-35Bs; in the budget’s projection for outyears, the service dropped its planned F-35B buys by five F-35Bs in 2021 and three in FY 2022. For the F-35C, though, the service increased its request by nine planes in the five-year Future Years Defense Program.
Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for aviation, told the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee that those changes were meant to support upcoming deployments.
With the Marine Corps on the hook for some of the planned F-35C carrier strike group deployments, “we rebalanced this year with more Cs – just really more to catch up. Now that we have begun training our first F-35C squadron up in Lemoore, we will be the second carrier deployment with the United States Navy with our F-35Cs,” Rudder said.
The Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 will conduct the first deployment with the F-35C integrated into the carrier air wing, and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 will conduct the second F-35C carrier deployment.
Rotating purchases my ass! The Navy is kicking back to see if the problems get ironed out before they go all in. Additionally by waiting they get to take advantage of the "price drop" from the production curve flattening out.
How are we getting rolled by a bunch of bell bottom wearing Sea-men?
Thursday, April 04, 2019
We might as well just air drop the weapons directly to the Taliban instead of giving them to the Afghans to drop once...
Taliban have captured a load more weapons recently in Bala Murghab district in #Badghis. Seems they may largely have control of the area.— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) April 4, 2019
- 10s of M16A2/A4
- Various M4s with Optics/PVS-7s & AN/PEQ-2
- M240 & M249
Seem to see so many large captures of western arms nowadays. pic.twitter.com/AvIXTb6x1E
We might as well just air drop the weapons to the Taliban instead of giving them to the Afghan forces to drop once before they get them anyway.
Look at these brand new weapons.
Look at the lack of dust, grime or scratches. Look at those brand new optics, that expensive fucking AN/PEQ-2 that I would love to have and marvel.
There is no doubt.
The Taliban is winning.
We're finally hurting China economically and instead of winning we're gonna let them off the hook with a few concessions...
#BREAKING: Xi calls for early conclusion of negotiations on text of China-U.S. economic and trade agreement pic.twitter.com/LTcuPe2ZjD— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 5, 2019
Damn It!
We have them. They're hurting bad. Yeah the world economy is taking a bit of a dip and we're seeing a bit of a slow down but nothing good comes without pain.
We're finally hurting China. We have them by the short hairs but instead of dealing with a little bit of discomfort we're gonna let them off the hook with a few concessions on their part.
When I hear the leader of China wants a quick conclusion to trade talks that makes me want to drag them out for a few more DECADES!
What they want is DEFINITELY NOT what we want...or need.
Sorry folks. There is no co-existence here. Only domination. Suffer a bit of discomfort now or suffer failure later.
Should Trump fire Neller? No. Neller should resign for the good of the service!
via AOL.
Marine Corps commandant Robert Neller allowed critical, internal memos to be leaked to news outlets, according to US Defense Department officials cited in a Newsweek report.Story here.
Neller, a four-star general and a 44-year Marine Corps veteran, is said to have leaked the memos in an effort to warn the public of the negative impact of President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration.
"He didn't want the Marines and families at Camp Lejeune ... to get f---ed," one official reportedly said.
The commanding officer of the US Marine Corps allowed critical, internal memos to be leaked to news outlets in March, according to a Newsweek report on Wednesday.
Marine Corps commandant Robert Neller allowed the leak to the Los Angeles Times and NBC News, according to two Defense Department officials cited in the report. The memos were signed by Neller and addressed to Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan.
Neller, a four-star general and a 44-year Marine Corps veteran, is said to have leaked the memos in an effort to warn the public of the negative impact of President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration.
This is kinda distressing. I highlighted the portion of the text that explains Neller's actions.
He did this for all the right reasons and for that I applaud him.
But this is still an "oh shit" moment.
He shouldn't wait for the fire to hit the Marine Corps. This is a time when a leader steps up and takes the brunt of the blow.
He shouldn't give the President a decision to make with regard to this breach of protocol. If he truly believes his actions were justified (and I believe he does) then he should offer his resignation.
If Trump is reasonable and understanding and doesn't want the backlash then he will refuse it, seek funding elsewhere and move on. If he wants his pound of flesh then he'll have Neller's scalp on the wall and other Marine Corps programs won't be hit.
Either way this is kinda disappointing.
Leaking to the news media? Private communication between him and the SecDef?
Terrible way to do business even if its common in Washington.
My preference?
Let the USAF, USN and US Army play those types of games. My Marine Corps needs to be above this type of filth...even if they consider it a gamme inside the beltway.
DDG-1000 arriving at Pearl Harbor....WTF is stuck on the side of this stealth ship?
Wow. This thing just entered service and what has the Navy done? Taken away its guns and now they've stuck some type of devices on the side of its superstructure.
A stealth ship is getting dirtied up for some reason.
This is almost obscene.
This is the first of its class? Sorry bro. You naval architects need to go back and clean up this cluster before we build more!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)