General Dynamics....the snake in the room...

A good look at the General Dynamics website revealed some interesting things...

Who is making the Ocelot vehicle here in the States and offering it to the US Military?


Who bought the Jamma Internally Transportable Vehicle and is offering it to the USAF Special Ops?


Who is the only maker of a NBC detection vehicle?  And lastly...who has an Amphibious Combat Vehicle Center of Excellence that's been recognized by the US military at the end of 2011??

General Dynamics.

I wondered why all the vehicle manufacturers have been so tight lipped when it came to their products being produced for the upcoming Marine Corps competitions and now I know.

They're (BAE and Lockheed Martin and now ST Kinetics..) facing a formidable foe that already has its tentacles deep into the US military...When it comes to ground combat vehicles they're well placed

That's enough to explain the caution I see from those firms.

Time to see if General Dynamics will give up some info on the ACV, AAV upgrades and exactly what vehicle they're going to offer for the MPC competition.

Stay tuned guys...this will be cut throat...probably end in a price shootout and MIGHT feature a bit of industrial espionage.

This is gonna be good!

This is what Singapore packs into 3,000 tons.

Read it weep naval enthusiast.

The LCS is coming in at 3000 tons.

Its really a frigate but the Navy wouldn't dare call it that because it would immediately be compared to vessels around the world at the same weight class and would be found wanting.

No.

The Navy pulled a fast one and invented a new class of ship.  The littoral combat ship.

This is pure bullshit but the congress critters like it..

Compare that to what others are doing with 3000 tons on the open water and it makes you want to punch walls.  Take the Singaporeans for example.  They didn't fall for the mission module bullshit, they built a combat ship and will modify it as needed.  Let me introduce you to the Formidable class stealth frigate.

General characteristics
Type:	Frigate
Displacement:	3,200 tonnes (3,150 long tons; 3,530 short tons)
Length:	114.8 m (376 ft 8 in)
Beam:	16.3 m (53 ft 6 in)
Draught:	6.0 m (19 ft 8 in)
Installed power:	4× ISM V1708 diesel generators, each producing 800 kilowatts (1,070 shp)[1] Total output: 3,200 kW (4,290 shp)
Propulsion:	4× MTU 20V 8000 M90, each rated at 9,100 kW (12,200 shp)[2] (CODAD) Total output: 36,400 kW (48,800 shp)
Speed:	Maximum: 27 knots (50.0 km/h; 31.1 mph) Cruising: 18 kn (33.3 km/h; 20.7 mph)
Range:	4,200 nautical miles (7,780 km)
Complement:	71, excluding air crew detachment of approx. 19
Sensors and processing systems:	Search radar: Thales Herakles multi-function radar Navigation radar: Terma Electronic Scanter 2001 Sonar: EDO Model 980 active low frequency towed sonar (ALOFTS)
Electronic warfare and decoys:	ESM: RAFAEL C-PEARL-M Decoys: Sagem Défense Sécurité New Generation Dagaie System, 2× forward & 1× aft.
Armament:	Anti-ship: 8× RGM-84C Harpoon SSM Anti-air: MBDA Aster 15/30[3] launched from 4× Sylver A50 8-cell VLS Anti-submarine: EuroTorp A244/S Mod 3 torpedoes launched from 2× B515 triple tubes with reloads Guns: Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid gun (mounted in stealth cupola), 4× CIS 50MG 12.7 mm (0.50 in) HMG
Aircraft carried:	1× S-70B Seahawk multi-mission capable naval helicopter
Aviation facilities:	Flight deck and enclosed hangar for up to two medium-lift helicopters

Kinda makes you wonder what the hell the US Navy is thinking doesn't it?

The USMC Marine Personnel Carrier Contest so far.

Terrex 8x8...the new boy on the block

Patria AMV

Left off the photo list is the Super AV 8x8.

Think about the RFI for this program.

An off the shelf solution to for a wheeled 8x8 Marine Personnel Carrier.

In my basic way of thinking that eliminates the Super AV 8x8.  Also left off this list is the Piranha 3, the real monster in the room General Dynamics.

I just don't find the offering interesting and its a bit dated in its design concept.  It predates the Stryker and I'm not convinced that it will pass blast tests in its configuration as designed for the Brazillian or Spanish Marine Corps.

I personally feel that with the news that the Terrex 8x8 is now in the field that this is a two vehicle race.

The Terrex vs. the Havoc (AMV)

The Havoc is proven world wide, has a substantial following and is supported by the largest defense manufacturer in the US.

Its also been in the hands of Marines who have given it rave reviews.

The Terrex is a son of Singapore.  Its technologically advanced and if the Marine Corps follows the US Army in networking its forces (which would make nothing but sense) then the network capable Terrex would seem to hold an edge.

But all of this pales in comparison to a somewhat troubling fact to a traditionalist like myself.

WE HAVE HEARD NOTHING ABOUT THE AAV UPGRADE PROGRAM!

All these programs are being run out of the same office yet the only one that has any traction is the MPC.  The AAV upgrade is stuck in development quicksand and the Amphibious Combat Vehicle is locked away in a dungeon not to be seen.

Are we seeing a subtle hint that the future of Marine Amphibious ops is going to rest in the wheeled category?  Is the US Marine Corps going to follow a path that the Army left and is about to go majority wheeled?

I hope not.

The battles of the past show the fallacy of conventional landing craft in the Pacific.

Modern warfare shows that wheeled vehicles just lack the cross country mobility of tracked ones.  Heck, even combat in Afghanistan shows that sticking to roads is deadly!

More to come on these issues and the MPC contest.  Confidence is not high that HQMC will get this one right.

It's time for HQMC to experiment with this concept.

Its time.

We've seen the vids and the powerpoints.

We've talked about it forever and a day.

Its time for HQMC to return to its experimental roots and wargame this Maersk concept.   The ground work for WWII was laid by the work done between the wars.  We should be laying the foundation for our nations defense today...instead of worrying about seatbelts.


The potential looks amazing...time to put it to the test.

ARES writers reimagined as Sith...

I tease all the time that the writers at ARES believe in the "there is no such thing as good F-35 news" meme.  Along with that thought, I also think that Bill Sweetman got together in a bunch of conversations and converted the rest of the staff over there...which makes him the Dark Lord of anti F-35 thought.

So since its Friday I thought it might be fun to label each of the anti F-35 Sith....

Sean's alter ego has to be Darth Bane.  An otherwise likable guy...except that he's become a full follower of the dark side.

Amy's double would be Ventress.  Not full Sith but its obvious that she's be touched by the dark side of the force.  Lethal as any, fully capable and occasionally sides with the forces of the light ---when it suits her, she is yet a follower of the dark side.

Winslow Wheeler...just like Darth Maul, he's ferocious in his hatred, but will always be on the outside.

Robert is Darth Tyranus.  Eloquent, refined yet as tainted by dark forces as any of the above.

And last but not least we have the Dark Lord himself....Bill "Darth Sidious" Sweetman...

A "possible" player in the US Army M-113 replacement program?

MAJOR LEAGUE HAT TIP to Military Today.com for bringing this vehicle to my attention. 

The German company FFG has introduced a new vehicle called the G5. I think it has the hallmarks of being a competitor in the M-113 replacement competition.

It suppose to be mine resistant, modular and carries a large number of troops.  Check it out at the FFG website here.

Whoa! New player in Marine Personnel Carrier Competition!

A new player and definite wild card!

The Terrex 8x8!

I've always been a fan of this vehicle and to be honest and not to throw bombs at Lockheed Martin/Patria or BAE/Iveco but this may be the most technologically advanced vehicle yet in this competition.

via Defpro.

16:28 GMT, March 23, 2012 Singapore | ST Kinetics, the land systems arm of ST Engineering, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) today announced they will team for the upcoming U.S. Marine Corps Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC) programme.

The MPC will provide U.S. Marine infantry formations with an advanced generation eight-wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The MPC is intended to be a highly protected and swim-capable vehicle, with requirements shaped to provide a balance of performance, protection, and payload to ensure it is effective across the full range of military operations. The MPC programme calls for the production of approximately 100 units per year for up to 7 years, with initial awards for the testing and demonstration phase expected in April 2012.

"The SAIC and ST Kinetics team will base its offering on the modern TERREX 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carrier already fielded by the Singapore Armed Forces. By using existing and proven technology, tailored to Marine expeditionary requirements, we will be able to quickly deliver a simple, elegant, enduring and USMC-usable capability to meet the programme's critical needs and schedule." ~ Dan ZANINI, Senior Vice President and Landforce Systems Operation Manager, SAIC

Under the teaming agreement, SAIC will serve as the prime contractor for the MPC programme, with both companies combining their ground vehicle integration, design, production, fielding, and support expertise to field and provide the best solution to the U.S. Marines.

"We are proud to field ST Kinetics' TERREX as the basis for our team's offering for the USMC MPC programme. We are confident that the advanced design of the TERREX, particularly in the areas of survivability and crew habitability, will underpin an effective and affordable solution usable by the US Marines in a myriad of tough environments." ~ Patrick CHOY, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, ST Kinetics
 

As a sidenote...

Who are these guys????  SAIC shows up whenever a foreign company tries to penetrate the US market place.  I don't care where it comes from as long as US workers are assembling the product for US forces...but a look at the SAIC website clarifies nothing.  SAIC is a mystery to me.