Egypt operates it’s AH-64D Apache gunships on the Mistral LHD For the first time

#Egypt operates it’s AH-64D Apache gunships on the Mistral LHD For the First time during #MEDUSA8 joint Naval/Air Training. pic.twitter.com/hXLEXlD5ru

— Mahmoud Gamal (@mahmouedgamal44) April 18, 2019

Blast from the past.... V-22 Osprey achieved First Flight at Bell's Flight Research Center on March 19, 1989

Amphibious Combat Vehicle with 40mm Bushmaster Cannon being tested...

via Warrior Maven

Navy and Marine Corps interest in up-gunning its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle with a stronger, longer-range 40mm cannon may have taken a step forward following a live-fire demonstration which blasted off the cannon -- destroying enemy pick-up trucks, aerial drones, groups of fighters and other metal targets.

Integrating the new cannon brings a new level of firepower to the Corps’ emerging new high-tech ACV, which is currently armed with a 30mm Bushmaster Northrop Chain Gun - Cannon. The live-fire demo, taking place at a recent Northrop Grumman Bushmaster User Conference in the Arizona desert, showed the 40mm armed cannon’s ability to explode, burn and shatter larger, more fortified targets at longer ranges -- compared to the ACVs 30mm cannon.

A 40mm diameter brings a larger attack explosion, significantly longer range and -- in a newer cutting edge development -- and ability to target and hit air-flying enemy drones.

Story here.

Not a fan!  Don't get it twisted.  I am a fan of upgunning the ACV, but this seems like a half step.

Why go with a 40mm when the Army has already signaled that they're moving to the 50mm?

LEVERAGE OFF THEIR WORK!

Thanks to the Army Dawgs we can improve our lethality without worry about the costs of development! 

Another issue I have is that they seem wedded to that turret.

Why?

I love the Israeli offering they've displayed on the Eitan (without a doubt the most formidable non-amphibious 8x8 on the planet) and its got built in APS and anti-tank missiles!

This is good news but I would recommend a different approach.

F-35 News. Since Jan, the Japanese Air Force has made 7 emergency landings in the F-35...a pace of almost twice a month...

via UPI

 In the months before Japan's first F-35A stealth fighter jets crashed in the Pacific Ocean, the country's air force made seven emergency landings of the aircraft, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.  

The Japanese air force began using its fleet of 13 F-35As in January, and on April 9, the first plane off Mitsubishi's assembly line crashed off northern Japan.

Speaking during a news conference Tuesday, Iwaya said the seven precautionary landings each happened before the end of February. Of those landings, seven involved aircraft assembled in Japan and one assembled in the United States. The plane that crashed made two of the emergency landings.

Iwaya said a pilot made one landing in response to a cooling system warning light and another pilot made a landing due to a navigation system problem.

"The technology on board the F-35 is highly classified," Iwaya said. "With cooperation from the U.S., we would like to take the initiative in thoroughly investigating the causes while gaining cooperation from the United States."

Though the Japanese coast guard and U.S. Forces Japan suspended their search for the missing pilot from the April 9 crash, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force search was underway.

"Though U.S. search and rescue efforts have ended, we will continue to coordinate with our Japanese partners on efforts to locate and recovery the missing aircraft," U.S. Air Force Col. John Hutcheson told Stars and Stripes.

Japan grounded its fleet of 13 F-35As in the wake of the crash. 

A brand new airplane that is averaging almost two emergency landings a month?  The problem isn't isolated to just Japanese built aircraft but also aircraft built in the US?

I wonder how many emergency landings the USAF, USN, and USMC have had that are going unreported!

I don't have the juice to find out but oh God I wish I did!

Open Comment Post. 18 April 2019

RuAF Sukhoi Su-25SM fighters launching unguided missiles and bombing targets simulating enemy armored vehicles

Two things.

1.  I'm waiting for Russia to get a new CAS airplane built sometime soon.

2.  Have you noticed that the Chinese don't have a China A-10 or Su-25 in service?  Is it because they don't see a need or is it because they just haven't gotten around to it yet?

Open Comment Post. 17 April 2019

Marine Corps Fires Weapons at its New Amphibious Combat Vehicle...

via Warrior Maven.

The Marine Corps’ ongoing offensive and defensive live-fire exercises with its emerging Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) are intended to refine the new vehicle’s weapons systems and survivability - while aligning the modern vehicle with the service’s evolving amphibious warfare strategy. 


The combat exercises include firing live weapons at targets from the vehicle, while also testing the Amphibious Combat Vehicle’s ability to withstand enemy fire. To assess survivability, Corps live fire plans will attack the ACV with enemy weapons until the attacks achieve "total destruction," to prepare the vehicle for long-range, high-intensity amphibious land-attack missions.


The Corps is preparing to deploy its new BAE-built Amphibious Combat Vehicles by 2021. The new amphibious attack ship-to-shore combat vehicle is intended to massively expand mission length, attack potential and sensor networking for amphibious assaults well beyond what the current AAV --  Amphibious Assault Vehicle -- can accomplish.


The new vehicle, currently under a Navy Low-Rate Initial Production deal with BAE Systems to deliver 30 vehicles, is engineered to swim from ship to shore bringing advanced weapons, new sensors and “deeper, stronger,” land attack possibilities. As part of this strategic and tactical emphasis, the new ACV is built with new survivability technology such as a precision weapons station, v-shaped hull and “swim” capability enabling it to operate within the “littorals and beyond,”Corps officials say.


“The ACV provides a mobile capability that mechanizes the force to maintain tempo with the remainder of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, specifically the M1A1 tank,” Col. Kirk Mullins, ACV 1.1 Product Manager, Advanced Amphibious Assault,  Program Executive Officer Land Systems, said in a Marine Corps statement earlier this year.

Story here. 

The ACV marches on....good to know they're pushing forward with its employment with a bit of intensity.

What I can't figure is that I've have a couple of web crawlers to gobble up any news on the vehicle, any pics, etc...but the USMC is dead silent on its testing.

I find that surprising (because it appears they're doing alot of work), a bit depressing (with the F-35 and the uber expensive CH-53K you would think successful procurement programs would be shouted to the rooftops) and a bit pleased (they're farther along than I dared hope).

As usual I'll be keeping an eye on this.

Army Sec to concentrate on building Armored Fighting Vehicles and aircraft...

via Breaking Defense.

The service’s top civilian painted the JLTV Tuesday as a product of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which might not be suited for potential future high-tech fights. Mark Esper placed it alongside other programs that started life before the 2018 National Defense Strategy. 


“Now my emphasis has to be on rebuilding my armor, rebuilding my fighting vehicles, having aircraft that can penetrate Russian and Chinese air defenses,” Esper said. In those potential conflicts, the Army needs platforms “that can shoot down Russian and Chinese drones, and missiles, and helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.”

Story here. 

Wow.

The Chinook and JLTV were built to COIN specifications and not nation state? That's wild.  Don't know if its true but it's a bold statement.

His remarks regarding Army aircraft is a bit puzzling though.

Why is the Army talking about "penetrating" enemy air defenses?  I thought Army Aviation was dedicated toward supporting the forces on the ground exclusively.

And we all know what happened the last time the Army did an "Apache Raid" (story here...did you know that its considered the only battle won by the Iraqis during the war?).

Overall the plan makes sense but I wonder if they didn't wait too late.  The terrible 20's are here and funding will be difficult.

Modest Proposal from OverTheHorizon Journal... B-1 Sea Control Bomber!

Thanks to Norman for the link!!!

via OTHJournal.

Abstract: Rather than sending the B-1 Lancer into early retirement, the Department of Defense could transfer it to the Navy for duty as a land-based ship-killer. Considering its speed, range, payload, and flexibility to employ the new Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), the B-1 is an ideal candidate for rebirth as a Sea Control Bomber. 

For better than a decade, the United States’ defense establishment has agonized over China’s aggressive military modernization. A growing arsenal of land-based anti-ship missiles abets an increasingly capable and assertive Chinese navy, threatening to quietly transform the East and South China Seas into de-facto Chinese territory if not forcefully challenged. The military aspects of this competition demand an ability to fight in the contested environment, prompting the development of concepts like the former Air-Sea Battle and its successor, JAM-GC, as well as a steady drumbeat of calls from senior leaders for disruptive thinking and creative solutions.

It was in this spirit of disruptive thinking that, at a CNAS-hosted panel discussion titled “A New American Way of War,” former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work casually offered up a fascinating bit of heresy:

“If the Air Force is getting rid of the B-1 bomber, I’d say ‘You are out of maritime strike.’ We’re going to give the B-1 to the Navy, we’re going to load up with 3,000 LRASMs, and we’re going to base them in Guam and all over the place, and in the first 72 hours [of a conflict] they are going to go out and hunt down and kill every ship in sight.”

Story here. 

This has awesome written all over it!  The USMC and USN both operated land based bombers during WW2 to great effect.  This isn't just a good idea, this is a BRILLIANT one.

READ THE ARTICLE and then comment!

Guy recording the final moments of his life!

Guy records the final moments of his life. pic.twitter.com/xRXxAjy3H8

— Darwin Award 🔞 (@AwardsDarwin) April 16, 2019

Border Patrol buys a Frankenstein Glock....

via Military Times.

Glock just quietly released yet another pistol, albeit with a catch — the company’s latest offering is exclusively available to US Customs and Border Protection, and will not be available on the commercial market for civilians to purchase.


This new pistol was announced as part of an $85 million dollar contract signed with the CBP which will see the largest federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security shed its current standard sidearm, Heckler & Koch’s P2000 in .40 S&W, for a trio of Glock pistols chambered for the 9x19 mm Parabellum round.


Officially designated the Glock 47 (or G47), the gun is a functional blend of a few of Glock’s other products which the company hopes will give CBP agents a distinct advantage when in the field, should they need to draw and fire their weapons.


The G47 uses a 4.5 inch barrel, the same used on the company’s first full-sized pistol, the Glock 17. It can feed from a standard G17 double-stacked magazine with a capacity of 17 rounds, or from G19X, G34, and G45 magazines should the need arise.


According to The Firearm Blog, although the G47 uses a G17 barrel, the G17 slide is not compatible with the new gun. However, the end user can swap the G47 slide for the shorter G19 slide on preference.

Story here. 

The only thing even mildly interesting is the fact that the G47 can use the G19 slide.  But that's just the G19X.

Long story short?

Border Patrol wasted money.

Make up your mind dudes.  Either buy the G19, G19X or the G17.  This G47 is vanity and hubris mixed with a big dose of arrogance.

I don't see the utility and can't think of ANY tactical sense this gun makes.

Blast from the past. French Collaborator's Execution...

The instant bullets from a French firing squad hit a French man who was executed for collaborating with the Germans, Rennes, France, November 21, 1944

Open Comment Post. 16 April 2019

Bougainville III Amphibious Assault...Video by Cpl. Eric Tso and Lance Cpl. Jacob Wilson

Ukroboronprom creates new command-and-staff vehicle

via Ukinform.

Kyiv Armored Plant has created a new command-and-staff vehicle BTR-3KSh, which has an automated combat control system and ensures the rapid transfer of combat tasks and control of their execution, the press service of the Ukroboronprom State Concern has reported.

"A new command-and-staff vehicle BTR-3KSh, which is intended to control divisions in the conditions of the modern battlefield, has been created in Ukraine. The new vehicle based on the BTR-3 has been developed by Kyiv Armored Plant, part of the Ukroboronprom State Concern, together with other enterprises of the concern and private companies," the report reads.

It notes that the "heart" of the BTR-3KSh is the latest automated battle control system that combines all information transmitted via secured digital communications regarding the location of divisions, targets and means. This information can come from the commanders of departments, individual combat vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, counter-battery radars, etc. An automated battle control system, in turn, displays a full picture on tactical computers and ensures the rapid transfer of combat tasks and control of their execution.

Such a system can significantly improve the effectiveness of a combat task and fully corresponds to the modern concept of warfare when superiority over the enemy is achieved by better coordination and interaction between all units on the battlefield and the constant exchange of information.

Interesting.

So others are looking at the Command and Control issue seriously.  Additionally they're developing vehicles so that they can move with the troops.

Even more interesting? 

It seems that others are looking at a "battlefield internet" that will get information from every possible asset.  I guess this is the ground based version of "everything a sensor".

The future battlefield will be a sight to behold.  I feel sorry for anyone fighting on it. 

Indonesia building a 300 ship Navy???

via Defense and Security Monitor.

Indonesia continues to expand its amphibious capability with the awarding of an IDR360 billion ($25.5 million) contract to local shipbuilder PT Bandar Abadi for production of two additional landing ship tanks (LSTs).  The contract was inked on April 12, allowing for manufacture of what will become the eighth and ninth ships of the Teluk Bintuni class serving with the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL).


The primary mission of the new amphibious LSTs will be ferrying the Indonesian Armed Forces armored vehicles.  The ships can carry and launch up to 15 BMP-3F infantry fighting vehicles via a roll-on/roll-off ramp at the bow, plus operate a 10-ton helicopter from the flight deck.  They have a standard range of 7,200 nautical miles at 12 knots and a top speed of 16 knots.

Ok.  So Indonesia is putting into service another amphibious ship.  No big deal right?  I mean they have a ton of islands so this only makes sense right?

Check out the last line in the article...

 Hence Indonesia is focusing on building up a nearly 300-ship Navy replete with at least 12 submarines.

Story here. 

Question.

What happens when you claim to be the big boy on the block but everyone in the neighborhood has firepower that at least rivals your own and they only play in the "hood" and don't have to roam all over the city?

It means that you might be big but you ain't necessarily bad.  Why?  Because you can't be in two places at the same time.  At least not in force.

Why all the drivel above?

Because one thing is obvious.

Our Navy is WAAAY too small for the world we're entering (we might already be there).  As a matter of fact Reagan's 600 ship Navy might be considered the starting point to cover the world and more than half that mythical fleet would need to be committed to the Pacific.

In light of strides being made by ALL the nations of that region, we've got to rethink our drink.

Long range strike, long range missiles and the platforms to deploy them is the way forward.

For the Air Force that means a return to the days of Strategic Air Command.  We need a motivated, dedicated and substantial bomber force.  We have the high end bombers covered.  Tac Air can't cover our needs in that region.  So we probably need a low end replacement for the B-52.  In essence a big flying missile truck that can haul long range anti-ship/anti-surface missiles a long way at high subsonic speed (just talking about airliner cruise speed).

For the Navy it means Missile Ships...I'm talking Battleship sized ships that are filled to the brim with anti-ship and land attack missiles that can reach a long way and have small crews.  Additionally they should have enhanced survivability features built in.  What are those features?  Don't know for sure but they've got to be there for damage control because they won't have the crews to shut hatches and control flooding.  The people aboard the ship will have to care for wounded and fight the ship when they're in contact.

What about the USMC and Army?

Keep SOCOM if that turns you on but realize that growth isn't gonna be there.  Modernize EVERYTHING!  When we enter that region on the ground its gonna be EXTREMELY kinetic.  EXTREMELY lethal.  Move forward with unmanned ground systems.  Make sure the Kill Net is up and running.  Digitize and Ruggedize systems so that lost comms will not be a mission kill!

The Pacific is looking more and more dangerous and the nations there more and more dangerous.

Quad-A, AVX Aircraft and L3 Technologies unveil the team’s design for U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft-Competitive Prototype. via Dan Parson's Twitter Page!

Rest easy Brothers!  I'm digging for more info!

V-280 meets USMC objective cruise speed goal NOW!

via Breaking Defense.

The aircraft has exceeded 300 knots true airspeed — over 345 miles per hour. That’s 55 percent faster than the needle-in-the-red “never exceed speed” (193 knots or 222 mph) of the UH-60L Black Hawk that it’s designed to replace. Now, the prototype is reaching these speeds in short flights without carrying full loads. But 300 knots is already well above not only the Army’s objective for sustained cruise speed (280 knots, the number for which V-280 is named), but also the Marines’ more ambitious objective (295 knots), so those lower speeds should be doable in a real mission.

Story here.

This is impressive.  This early in the test program to be achieving this type of performance?

Is it possible that the bar was too low?

Doesn't matter.  Bell is crushing it.  I wish we could see some of this performance pushed back to the V-22 so we could get it faster but we've kinda had that debate.

If you recall during the development of the V-22 we had an internal talk about whether we should wait for the tech to mature before going tilt rotor.  It's obvious how that thing was settled, but the next gen is gonna be impressive.

This is gonna lead to a real big question if the US Army goes with the V-280 solution.

You do get the force of connection don't you?

Suddenly we're gonna see them flying a plane that can go as far as the V-22 but do it faster and assumably be more maneuverable in the landing/take off phase.

Additionally because of its layout it'll be able to self protect more effectively out the box than the V-22.

This is a win win for Bell.

If this works in their favor then they've made a couple of legacy products obsolete (UH-60 & MV-22) and depending on how the US govt decides, will have a Black Hawk replacement to fill Western Air Forces going into the future.

All we need to do now is to figure out if the Army is serious and if they are then now is the time to buy stock in Bell!~

Fletcher 70mm land based, laser guided rocket launcher system

Story here.

Wow.

This is almost getting comical.  Don't get me wrong.  I like the idea of a lightweight guided rocket, but to mount them on UTVs?  The lightweight vehicle craze and the weapon systems attached to them is getting a bit out of hand!

I long for the good old days of SEALs and Force Recon slapping big guns to their dune buggies and zooming out into the badlands with enough commonsense to call for fire if they ran into something big.

These are at BEST raid vehicles, not stand and fight rigs!

Side note.  Arnold Defense, the producers of this guided rocket system, are not advocating for this.  From my reading they're simply offering the top pic as an example of its lightweight and a possible application!