SNAFU!

UAV's stunning loss rate.

The BGOV Barometer shows Northrop’s Global Hawk and General Atomics’s Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles have had a combined 9.31 accidents for every 100,000 hours of flying. That’s the highest rate of any category of aircraft and more than triple the fleet-wide average of 3.03, according to military data compiled by Bloomberg.
The June 11 crash of a drone near Bloodsworth Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore illustrated the vehicles’ propensity for accidents, known as “mishaps” in military parlance. The concern is that drones’ safety record won’t improve as they’re increasingly deployed for testing, border surveillance and other missions in U.S. airspace, said Jay Stanley, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington.
“If we have 30,000 flying pieces of robotic hardware buzzing above our heads, Americans are going to want to be very certain that it’s safe, in addition to putting in place good rules to protect our privacy,” Stanley said in a telephone interview.

Read the whole thing but it points to a larger issue with the DoD.

They're latching onto technology for technology sake and aren't carefully examining whether or not its effective or wise to be using it in its intended roles....or whether those roles they perform today will be applicable in the future.

Another consideration? The Global Hawk costs 233 million dollars each. And with a loss rate of 15.6 per 100,000 that's going to add up real quick.

I look forward to seeing what the aviation guys have to say about this. Might be time to hit Elements of Power up to get his opinion.

Test Pilot Tuesday Episode 6 - Bill Gigliott

Before all the critics go high and to the left, remember that a whole host of naval fighters and attack aircraft have been single engined. One of my favorites from the past the A-4 was a single engined airplane that flew into the teeth of North Vietnamese defenses and accounted itself rather well.

Note...we will take some of the tech from the F-35 and put it into the F-22!

ACV surprise via General Dynamics or BAE. Is it possible?

Are we about to witness a General Dynamics version of an October surprise?

What I'm getting at is this. Are we about to see what I've always requested...an EFV without the complicated hydraulics and high waterspeed?
Its big boy procurement after all...but would the Marine Corps bite?

But if the surprise doesn't come from GD, could it come from BAE? They have the specs on the AAV. Instead of bidding for an upgraded model what if they were to offer new builds within a few hundred thousand dollars of the refurbed vehicles...would the Marine Corps bite?

This and the MPC will come down to price. The ACV, MPC and AAV upgrade program is all in one office. On reflection that indicates to me that not only are the competitors competing against each other but that the vehicle concepts are fighting to win the day too.

Meet the Jaguar.

Thanks for the pic and article Jonathan....I've been looking for a high rez pic of this vehicle since Eurosatory.

via DefenseIQ.

This week armoured vehicle manufacturer Streit Group unveiled its latest offering: a "semi-military" armoured personnel carrier called the Jaguar.
The name is of course synonymous with automotive excellence and has an engineering pedigree second to none. I anticipate the name is not just the result of a happy coincidence: Streit is attempting to emulate the same mark of quality in the armoured sector of the industry.
Guerman Goutorov, the Chairman of Streit Group, explained to Defence IQ that the Jaguar was the vehicle that completed the company’s collection. At 7 tonnes the Jaguar sits in the middle of Streit’s other armoured vehicle offerings and is aimed at being a diverse, modular all-rounder.
It’s a semi-military vehicle Goutorov said and can be adapted for a number of threat landscapes. As the future for militaries around the globe becomes less certain, particularly as the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan and begins to look towards Asia, the requirement for multi-role vehicles such as the Jaguar is on the up.

The V-shaped monocoque composite-steel hull is designed to withstand a 10kg blast although official testing under STANAG 4569 conditions will be undertaken later this year. The company is also specifying ballistic protection from a heavy machine gun (HMG), which is a protection level up to and including the Russian 14.5mm B32 anti-tank round.

Ask any vehicle manufacturer what’s more important to concentrate on with a new machine and they’ll stumble. Is it cost, weight or performance? Streit is no different – it’s clear that only a balance of all three is acceptable. Goutorov knows this and couldn’t pin down one capability over another. He did, however, say that the Jaguar is the most affordable vehicle in its class.

A couple of manufacturers stated that they were looking to the Middle East and Africa for new business. This offering from the Streit Group shows even that game plan is dicey at best.

Shotgun Blast

Cpl. Adeoluwa Sopade, a meteorology and oceanography analyst with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 12.2, and native of East Windsor, N.J., fires non-lethal rounds from a Mossberg 590 shotgun with other Marines during an exercise designed to familiarize them with the weapon system. The service members participated in non-lethal weapons and familiarization exercises June 8 and 9, 2012. The training, which included firing multiple weapon systems and different fire maneuvers, is to prepare the Marines to provide limited support in the event of a crisis in the U.S. Africom area of responsibility.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Adwin Esters)

Interesting turn of events when it comes to shotguns in the Marine Corps. The M1014 is suppose to be the successor to the Mossberg but is only seeing limited service in the Corps. Meanwhile the Mossberg continues to serve but obviously without the modifications that were once part of its upgrade package. Ghost ring sights, extended magazine tube and a rail system.

Small arms appears to be another part of the Marine Corps procurement system that needs refinement...or at the very least rationalization.

Foxhound...Brit vehicle done right.

This vehicle just looks right, is a decent weight and can perform numerous roles. Perhaps the Brits are onto something that we should take a closer look at. I wonder why it wasn't offered for the JLTV program.

ThinkDefence has more information on the Foxhound here. Check it out!