Major Hat tip to StrategyPage.com
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (June 4, 2010) Marines
assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon of the 3rd Assault Amphibious
Battalion (3rd AABN) conduct amphibious assault vehicle maneuvers on Red
Beach at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. during Dawn
Blitz 10. Dawn Blitz is a series of amphibious operations involving
Sailors and Marines to reinvigorate the core competency of amphibious
operations and enhance interaction between the Navy and the Marine
Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua A. Rucker)
Friday, June 18, 2010
Australian Special Forces Vid.
Via Australian Ministry of Defense. I tried 3 different labels to describe this vid. It ranged from Propaganda to After Action Report. I didn't know how to classify it other than a General being proud of his troops.
You decide.
You decide.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Christopher F. Foss on the Ground Combat Vehicle.
via Janes.
Combat weight could be more than 60 tonnes because of the high levels of protection required as a result of operational experience in Iraq and more recently Afghanistan. With such a heavy platform, there will be constraints as to where the vehicle can be deployed. It is expected that the GCV will be fitted with a remote-controlled turret armed with a 30/40mm ATK MK44 cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.I am so happy to see the "experts" finally weighing in on this concepts extreme weight. Foss is the first of (I believe others will join him) many voices raising concerns about the strategic mobility of this vehicle.
As a side note, I wasn't aware that the Puma was 42 tons...a better option might be to simply upgrade Bradley's. This GCV concept is sounding more and more like a terrible idea.
Piranha V Brochure.
Another follow up on some of the vehicles that caught my eye at Eurosatory. The Piranha V has crossed the threshold. A 30 ton wheeled armored vehicle? I can't wait to see how it performs operationally. The Germans are pushing the class with the 'Boxer' but I'm still not sold. I wonder if it would be cheaper for the Army to buy new built Piranha's instead of doing a radical upgrade to their Strykers.
Piranha Clas5 En
Piranha Clas5 En
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Unit Poster.
"The mission is and 18-year-old with a rifle. All else is support" is a
sentiment expressed by wing leadership at the 380th Air Expeditionary
Wing which is home to 1,900 personnel supporting one of the most diverse
combat wings in the Air Force. The wing's mission is to provide
high-altitude all-weather intelligence, surveillance, reconaissance,
airborne command and control and air refueling for Operations Iraqi
Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of
Africa. To accomplish its mission the wing is equipped with four diverse
weapons systems which are shown as silhouttes. From top to bottom, The
RQ-4 Global Hawk, E-3 Sentry, U-2 Dragon Lady and the KC-10 Extender.
They are a unique combination of aircraft which act as the "eyes and
ears" serving as guardians of the sky for troops on the ground and
providing greater range and endurance for coalition aircraft over the
battlefield.
Photo by Captain Cathleen Snow.
Photo by Captain Cathleen Snow.
More AH-1Z's.
via DefPro.
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $546,001,600 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the manufacture and delivery of lot seven UH-1Y and AH-1Z helicopters for the Marine Corps, to include 18 UH-1Y build new aircraft; nine AH-1Z remanufactured aircraft; and two AH-1Z build new aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60 percent), and Amarillo, Texas (40 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-10-C-0035).Another program operating in the background that's getting the job done. The change from the AH-1W to AH-1Z is progressing nicely (to include the upgraded UH-1Y). After a rough start its nice to see them hitting stride.
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