Thursday, May 16, 2019
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Former UK Chief Of Defense Staff hates their carrier buy...
Army vehicles are being neglected while the Royal Navy is getting new aircraft carriers, a former Armed Forces chief has warned.Story here.
General Lord Nick Houghton, who was Chief of the Defence Staff from 2013 to 2016, blasted the decision to spend £6.2billion on two huge carriers.
Outlining the state of Army vehicles, the ex-soldier told peers and MPs: “We should not be having those in the inventory still of a Tier One nation.”
He added: “It’s not a national disgrace but it needs urgent attention.”
Top brass and ministers are “neglecting” vital refits of vehicles, said the peer.
Comparing investment in new equipment between the Army and Navy, he added: “To an extent, the Army should be in a better condition with its armoured fighting vehicle fleet than it is, and the Navy has done reasonably well out of the programme of late.”
Pride fuelled the move to splash the cash on HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales - and continue with the projects even when costs spiraled and cuts were needed, he suggested.
He told Parliament’s National Security Strategy Committee that in 2010 he warned: “I think this is a bad idea. We will rue the day - we can’t afford these things.”
The warships - the Navy’s biggest ever at 65,000 tonnes - would be “the totemic capabilities of Empire”, he told ministers.
This guy is voicing some of the same issues as I have. Replace the F-35 with the Queen Elizabeth (with regard to this discussion) and you have my concerns with Marine Corps procurement.
The last highlighted line is a bit stunning.
He thinks that this is just a symbol of a dead empire...a struggling nation...not smart defense spending.
Could that possibly be true?
Are the Brits going for symbolism over substance? The General makes a good argument for the idea of the nation being better served with more destroyers and frigates.
In essence he argues that two 65K ton carriers are more for show than go.
Side note. Expect the debate to pick back up and probably intensify when they come to the US to embark USMC F-35s....to fill in for aircraft they don't have yet.
Many are pushing that as interoperability. Others are saying its a dog and pony to keep the ship in action and also serve as F-35 propaganda.
This town in Norway is amazing!
I use the word "wow" way too much. Not this time. Wow! Never knew this was a thing!
Wow! Apparently the Russian Pantsir is trash...
I'll never forget the video feed of the Israelis striking a Pantsir-S1. I thought no big deal, they caught it after the system was shut down OR was gonna be reloaded.
I WAS WRONG!
Check this out via Army Recognition.
According to anonymous and, hence, unconfirmed sources in the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Army and Navy are dissatisfied with the Pantsir air defense system and, consequently, are looking for new systems.Story here.
For the army, the Pantsir-S1 air defense system proved too heavy, complex and not effective to protect against most of the potential threats. The Syrian campaign has revealed a number of technical flaws of the Pantsir-S1 which even took direct hits during an Israeli airstrike with impunity. Pantsir’s radar can’t keep up with acquisition and tracking of small size targets, like drones and precision munitions.
Amazing.
I have Russian readers so I'd like to know their view of this story. If these reports are true then one link in the Russian anti-air system is completely broken.
Spain illustrates the lie of coalition warfare.....
via USNI
A Spanish guided-missile frigate is temporarily dropping out to the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group over the U.S. shift in operations toward Iran, according to statements from Spanish defense officials.Story here.
ESPS Méndez Núñez (F 104) started operating as part of the strike group when it arrived in U.S. 6th Fleet in April and had planned to join USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for its deployment and homeport change to San Diego, Calif.
However, the U.S. repositioning of the strike group in response to increased risk from Iran has changed the situation for Spain – at least temporarily.
“The U.S. government has taken a decision outside of the framework of what had been agreed with the Spanish Navy,” acting defense minister Margarita Robles told reporters in Belgium, reported Reuters.
This has been a long time coming.
Don't get it twisted either. I have nothing against Spain for their decision. Their ship, foreign policy and relations with Iran.
We don't get a call in that and they have to do what they consider is in their best interest.
But it does show the lie that is coalition warfare/cross training/joint exercises.
It's all nonsense. To be more precise its bullshit on a stick.
Yeah.
We should take advantage of training opportunities. We should seek allies WHEN possible. But we can't fool ourselves.
There will be times when we WILL stand alone.
We are capable of operating at a pace, with more capabilities and across a wider range than any ally.
Quite honestly in real world situations we have been at times slowed because of how our allies operate and their inability to keep up.
What does this "irregularity" have to do with the future?
EVERYTHING!
If an ally will pause because of Iran then what do you think will happen when we cross swords with China?
Additionally we could face the worst of all possible worlds. We're faced off against a deceitful China, Russia sides with them because of our recent sanctions stance and our presumed allies in the region stay on the sidelines.
Do you want to have your children...who might be Sailors and Marines and Soldiers and Airmen...fighting against two peer powers?
Do you want them in that fight when every war plan includes having allies fighting with us that might instead stay on the sideline?
Yeah, I thought so.
So how do you fix it?
You plan on fighting solo now. You don't waste time with dog and pony exercises that are just for the visuals. You train against a challenging scenario against an implacable foe.
You take the lesson of Spain dropping out as a warning for the future.
Marine Air Group-24 Spokesman says "the A-10 is the “preferred escort platform” for the MV-22...
Thanks to Bryan for the link!
Read the entire article. To be honest I passed it by because it was titled that they were working on a drone that could be launched from the ramp of an MV-22. Luckily I had a reader that was focused and grabbed this delicious and a bit disturbing tidbit...
“While the Corps’ Osprey has an escort gap, the Marine Corps at times has partnered with Air Force A-10 Warthogs to address the issue.”Story here.
“Lt. Colin B. Kennard, a spokesman for Marine Aircraft Group 24, previously told Marine Corps Times that the A-10 is the “preferred escort platform” and that the aircraft is “commonly paired” with the Osprey when conducting evacuations and extractions.”
I remember when the above pics were first posted. I thought it was just a glamour shot.
Little did I know it was an exercise that was based on fixing a capabilities gap within the Marine Corps.
We just don't have an airplane that can properly escort the MV-22.
The AH-1Z can't.
The UH-1Y can't.
The Harrier is too fast.
The F-35 is too fast.
The OV-10 Bronco is long retired.
So what do we do? We depend on USAF A-10's to do the job. Pretty stunning isn't it. Especially when we know that A-10s will not shadow MEUs (well I guess its possible...KC-130s do) and might not be available to perform this essential job.
What have they tried?
Arming the MV-22 is looking like a lost cause. A ramp gun appears to be the best we can do.
For some reason the Marine Corps didn't take the OV-10s that were rebuilt for SOCOM.
We haven't acquired a few A-10s from the USAF even though it appears they'd love to unass them with a quickness.
Super Tucanos are sitting out there but we haven't heard a whiff for the USMC.
The solution the USMC is reaching for?
An unmanned tiltrotor or the Army's next gen utility/attack platform (the Marines would like it to be tilt rotor but no guarantees)!
We need an interim solution. If the USAF can bring back a prehistoric B-52 from the boneyards then surely we can do something with some OV-10s in storage (or are they all flying for California fire now).
Regardless, it appears that this aviation centric Marine Corps is going to require more and more of the budget to accomplish what the planners want.
We're building a wing that we can't afford and can't support. Either we adjust concepts to fit our reality or we pound the table in Congress and tell them that the "national bargain" that was the Marine Corps is no more and we need alot more money.
B-58 elephant walk...via Chris Bolton's Twitter Page..
Always thought this was a sexy airplane. Too bad it was so specialized that it could perform in the conventional role.
Canadian Army practicing stabilization mission (water crisis & refugees)...pic by Corporal Djalma Vuong-De Ramos
 |
| Members of Canadian Armed Forces conduct stability operations at 3rd Canadian Division Support Base (3 CDSB) det Wainwright’s training area during Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE 2019, May 14 2019. WT08-2019-0011-028 |
AH-64 with pusher propeller via Graham Warwick's Twitter Page...
Fuckin' Sweet!
Here’s the beauty shot. @Boeing Advanced AH-64 Compound - note the frameless canopy and other aerodynamic refinements beyond the propulsor and longer wing. @VTOLsociety #Forum75 pic.twitter.com/6H1lpTGBQz— Graham Warwick (@TheWoracle) May 15, 2019
FARA: Why AVX Has Shot At Army Scout
via Breaking Defense.
Compared to its top competitors, aviation giants Sikorsky and Bell, design firm AVX is innovative but small, like a hornet fighting eagles. But a new partnership with the much larger L3, more time to refine its technology combined with changing Army priorities all give AVX a better chance than the last time it took on its far larger rivals five years ago.Story here.
“AVX has a deep bench of seasoned veterans of the helicopter industry and a broad team of partners,” said Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the independent Vertical Flight Society. “With the addition of major defense contractor L3, they pose a formidable contender for the FARA competition.”
Interesting. I wonder how the USMC putting its finger on the scale for tilt rotors will affect this competition.
USMC to upgrade MTVR...
via Military.com
The Marine Corps is hoping to squeeze another two decades of service out of its tactical workhorse truck with a series of upgrades ranging from updating the cab design to improving the fuel efficiency.Story here.
The Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement, a truck also known as MTVR or 7-ton, entered service in 2001 and has since been the Corps' go-to vehicle for hauling supplies, as well as towing combat systems such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the M777 lightweight 155mm Howitzer.
"The MTVR was originally designed to have an item exit date of 2024," said Walter Kelley, project officer for the MTVR Technology Demonstrator at Program Executive Officer Land Systems, in a recent Marine Corps press release.
"But being the platform that it is -- a robust, good, solid performer -- Marine Corps leadership decided to make it last roughly another 20 years," he said.
I've been looking for this to happen. Wasn't sure it was gonna be a upgrade or new buy but either way I'm happy. The MTVR has been a solid performer .... so good that another two decades of service makes nothing but sense.
Nice overview of the KF41 from Thai Military & Asian Region Blog...
Story here.
Ran across this person's blog by accident but if you like Think Defense type blogging (the long form stuff) then he's your cup of tea. Check him out and give a follow if you like his stuff.
We need to support military blogging. Don't know how it happened but military blogging has got caught up in the anti-firearm fever sweeping Google and other main stream search engines.
Seek out military blogs and if you like them, then support them and pass me a note so I can get the word out on other people covering stuff we're interested in.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
If you're into military aviation then you MUST follow Lloyd Horgan's Twitter Page!
Lloyd Horgan has a MUST follow Twitter page...if you're into military aviation that is! The above pic is just a sample of what's on his page. Check it out here.
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