Thursday, April 11, 2019

MCAS Yuma Aerial Refueling....pics by Pfc. John Hall

U.S. Marines with Marine Aerial Refuel Squadron VMGR-252 conduct an aerial refuel for a CH-53 in support of Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-19 in Yuma, Ariz., April 6, 2019. WTI is a seven-week training event which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of the Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force. WTI also provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation training readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics.





Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Aviation Porn. Chinese Z-8 Heavy Lift Helicopters doing work in the snow....



Blast from the past....4 divisions of the Canadian Corps stormed Vimy Ridge.

LGen Jean-Marc Lanthier‏Verified account @Army_Comd
At daybreak on April 9, 1917 all 4 divisions of the Canadian Corps stormed Vimy Ridge. The success of this battle gave immense momentum to battles that followed. This day reminds us of the perseverance, skill and courage demonstrated by every soldier in this conflict. #WeRemember




PIRANHA 5 for Romanian Army appears to have been substantially "uparmored"....UPDATED!!!


Above you see a pic of the Piranha 5 for the Romanian Army.  I didn't notice it at first but it appears that they've slapped some substantial.  Check out the pic below to show the obvious added armor panels.


Now check out a "standard" Piranha 5 that General Dynamics European Land Systems shows at various events or advertisements.




Yep.  That bad boy got an armor buff!

Many thanks to Toni that found this version that's being presented to the Spanish Army to fulfill their requirement.  Note that the armor is INCREASED in comparison to the buff that the Romanian vehicles got.


CH-53E Super Stallion, with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, on exercise on Camp Lejeune....pic by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel Q. Hamilton

Marines with @2dmardiv prepare to sling load two Utility Task Vehicles onto a CH-53E Super Stallion, with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, during a field exercise on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 4, 2019. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nathaniel Q. Hamilton)

The FBI spied on the Trump campaign?

Just heard this on MSNBC!

Just plain wow.

My instincts were right.  This was a two year coordinated campaign against Trump!

This was a soft coup!

I believe the intent was to build up public opinion, to push opinion to the point where Trump would resign because he believed that he would be impeached.

Just wow.

The psychological assessments of the man were obviously wrong.  Wonder if our enemies and allies did a better job?

This thing is gonna get good.  The Mueller Report was the first act.  The behavior of the FBI will probably see Comey vilified and possibly up on charges.

Mig-29 flight in the stratosphere H = 19 000 m. Video Recording: Arthur Sarkisyan




Is normal operating altitude for fighters?  Or is this a modified example?

Chinese SWAT trains hard....we need to get better, faster...and work harder...




First.  I am under no delusions.  They post vids like this of their very best. Mistakes are edited out and these images are put out for propaganda purposes.

Second.  Don't be fooled.  You think I hate the Chinese?  You're wrong.  They have several admirable qualities.  They are worthy foes.  I respect them so much that I believe it will take our best effort to defeat them.

That's why I'm shouting to the rooftops that we need to get better, faster and work harder than we currently are.  To win this "cold war" and to keep it from turning hot we will need to be as focused as they are.  As determined as they are.

My worry is that we've grown complacent.  We've become decadent.  That we're no longer willing to do the hard thing.

To beat the Chinese will take a "whole of govt" approach.  A rebirth of the focus that was seen during WW2 when Americans were for the most part all in on the war effort.

Can we do that today?

I have doubts but we have to try.

Open Comment Post. 10 April 2019


FREMM frigates of the Italian Navy in AsW( anti submarine warfare) and GP (general purpose) asset


This!  This is what the Navy should buy for it's next frigate.  Sole source the thing and make it a general purpose version with a lean toward anti-sub warfare.

Get it done.  Get them in the fleet.  Get enough to make a difference.  Oh and make no mistake about it.  We have anti-air covered.  The Burke class is an air defense asset with few rivals.  It even flexes a bit into the general purpose category.  What we need is something to cover the gap.  A frigate that can help the sub hunt while killing ships and doing patrol/picket duty is what we need now.

Three Marines killed in action, April 8, 2019, in Parwan province, Afghanistan have been identified...




Someone tell me that these men died for a worthy cause.

Someone tell me that the fight in Afghanistan is worth this sacrifice.

Someone explain to their loved ones that they died protecting American interests and that this was an endeavour worthy of their suffering.

If you can't explain the above then we need to pull out now.  Not later.  To be frank...Afghanistan ain't worth it.  To be blunt, I don't even know if our Afghan "allies" are worth it.

God have mercy on the fallen and their families.

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

Tyler Rogoway has an update on the Japanese F-35...




US Army Special Forces night fire from Flyer 72 Mobility Vehicles...

U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) fire the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, April 2, 2019 at Fort Bragg, NC. The Green Berets fired multiple weapon systems during the live fire range to include the M240B machine gun, M320 grenade launcher and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.

Two-stage Crewed Lunar Lander Concept

This illustration is Lockheed Martin's concept of a two-stage crewed lunar lander that NASA could use to go to the surface of the Moon. The accent module is derived from the Orion spacecraft to ensure quicker development.

This Lockheed Martin concept show what an “Early Gateway” could look like along with the accent stage of a crewed lunar lander. The lander would be derived from the human-rated, flight-proven Orion spacecraft, which is also shown docked to the Early Gateway.

Armor Porn... Jaguar armoured vehicle (somewhere in France...)





I think we've all failed to realize exactly how big this vehicle is!  It's freaking huge.  It's a pure cav vehicle too so recon is a primary mission set.  

Can't wait to see how the French use it on exercise and how it performs. It should inform all of NATO and especially the USMC/US Army.

We've seen the evolution.  Wheeled vehicles for the role, then light tanks, then medium tanks, then full on MBTs weighing more than 65 tons and now back to everyone using all of the above except for light/medium tanks in the role.

Wonder what the answer is.

F-35 News. Espionage from China/Russia with regard to the F-35 isn't the threat...its from other powers that are worrisome...


Thinking a bit about that F-35 crash off the coast of Japan.  The worry voiced by some is that Russia and China might be zooming to recover it.

That's not the worry.

China successfully downloaded files on the F-35 and probably sold/traded them to Russia.

The worry is what happens when others see a chance to grab it.

If the sale with Turkey falls thru and Greece buys it.  You can bet Turkey will be doing its best to get its tech thru a shootdown.  I'm betting Iran would love to get ahold of a crashed Israeli example.  Brazil isn't about that type of subterfuge but they'd take advantage of the tech if it fell into their hands.

France is WELL KNOWN for their industrial espionage and if they haven't already penetrated our systems for details then you can bet that everytime an allied nation flies they'll have snooper planes up soaking every ounce of info they can from the thing.

At the end of the day when thinking about this program all that's been done is to rush the end of stealth as being dominant in aerial warfare.

If many have it then its no longer unique.  The more its "out there" the more likely countermeasures will be developed to counter it.

The reality?

This version of stealth will be obsolete before they've completed Block 4 upgrades.

Marine Corps Warfighting Lab robotic concept on Pratt & Miller chassis





Armor Porn...ACV with Kongsberg Turret...

Thanks to Dragon for the pic!!!



Dude!  Someone!  Get me this pic but showing the entire vehicle!  Where was this taken....?

Forty Years of Bradley doing work...

The Bradley Fighting Vehicle has been on front lines since 1983, right; played an integral role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, center; and has been upgraded repeatedly to stay in the fight, supporting training exercises in 2018, for example. (Photos by Spc. 5 Bobby Mathis; Shane A. Cuomo, U.S. Air Force; and Spc. Hubert D. Delany III, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

New China submarine without a sail is unique