Saturday, June 25, 2011

DARPA's Crowd Sourced Vehicle....









The above photos are from I09.

Don't even bother to go to the DARPA website....I don't quite get those guys....what is the purpose?  To show that some guys with a wrench, time and money could design a dune buggy?  Me and my buddies could do that...but this is so far from being a combat vehicle that it isn't funny.

This was a waste of time and taxpayers dollars.

11th MEU amphibious assault vehicles conduct training

F-35 Stealth Controversy. Air Force Magazine drives the final nail in the lie.


Via Air Force Magazine.

F-35 Partners Get Equal Stealth: Le Bourget, France—International partners on the F-35 will enjoy a stealth capability on the fighter equal to that of the US versions, according to F-35 program office officials. Maj. Gen. C.D. Moore, deputy director of the F-35 program office, gave a non-committal answer during a press conference here this week at the Paris Air Show when a reporter asked about the level of stealth available to foreign users. International reporters have long hinted that the United States would hold back some capability. However in a subsequent statement issued by the F-35 program office, officials said "the quick answer to the statement regarding partners being less stealthy than the US is 'no.' (Partners will have same capability)." The program officials noted that the stealth aspects of some partner versions will vary slightly due to their inclusion of some unique gear, such as drag chutes, but it is "a program objective to not impact [low-observable] characteristics. It is our intent to produce a common solution to ensure interoperability for coalition operations as well as production affordability."
—John A. Tirpak
Finally.

It seems like we won't have the same nonsense of two paid hacks that happen to wear General's stars debating this till the end of time.

Stick a fork in this boys.

The story is over.

The facts are there for all to see.

The partner nations will get equal stealth.

Now all we have to do is wait for the next made up lie.  Coming your way in 3...2...1....

Mexican Troops cross into the US.


This type of "mistake" is starting to happen with a bit of regularity.

Bad things will happen unless they get a handle on this nonsense. (click the title to go to the news site)

Go Wind Family of Ships.

Go Wind Family of Ships

Friday, June 24, 2011

St. Louis Marine Week finishes...strong...???

Marine Week in St Louis has been marred by some rather unfortunate incidents and statements.  Most glaring would be the statement by the SPMAGTF's Commander and the mugging of Marines without retaliation.
  Col. Tomko: I’ll tell you what, with that M1A1 Abrams we got across the street, if Halladay keeps on pitching well, we can fix that with one round pretty quickly.
  Announcer: - awkward laughs - I’m sure you could. I don’t know if we should say that, but you just did.
  Col. Tomko: I can say whatever I want because I’m a war fighter, and this is the Cardinals Nation the last time I checked.
U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 4th Recon Battalion demonstrate an amphibious assault at the Arch during Marine Week Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Mo., Jun. 24, 2011. Marine Week Saint Louis allows U.S. Marines a chance to interact with the community with volunteer work, physical fitness challenges, vehicle and equiptment displays, musical performances and tactical demonstrations.
U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 4th Recon Battalion demonstrate an amphibious assault at the Arch during Marine Week Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Mo., Jun. 24, 2011. Marine Week Saint Louis allows U.S. Marines a chance to interact with the community with volunteer work, physical fitness challenges, vehicle and equiptment displays, musical performances and tactical demonstrations.
U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 4th Recon Battalion demonstrate an amphibious assault at the Arch during Marine Week Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Mo., Jun. 24, 2011. Marine Week Saint Louis allows U.S. Marines a chance to interact with the community with volunteer work, physical fitness challenges, vehicle and equiptment displays, musical performances and tactical demonstrations.
An MV-22 Osprey displays its capabilities over the Mississippi River to spectators at the Arch Grounds June 24, 2011, as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force demonstration during Marine Week St. Louis.
U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 4th Recon Battalion demonstrate an amphibious assault at the Arch during Marine Week Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Mo., Jun. 24, 2011. Marine Week Saint Louis allows U.S. Marines a chance to interact with the community with volunteer work, physical fitness challenges, vehicle and equiptment displays, musical performances and tactical demonstrations.
Marines with 4th Recon Battalion and 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Marine Week, 'patrol' as part of a MAGTF demonstration during Marine Week St. Louis.

Bataan Amphibious Ready Group Participates Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise

Landing Craft Unit 1644 returns to the well deck deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41). The Whidbey Island is deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, participating in the Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise off the coast of Spain. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Desiree D. Green)

An amphibious assault vehicle from Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit,exits the well deck of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan June 23. Bataan is the command ship of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, participating in the bilateral Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise 2011 off the coast of Spain. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Julio Rivera)

Spanish marines along with Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit prepare to load into an MV-22B Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced) to conduct parachute operations into a Spanish military training area northwest of Naval Station Rota, Spain, June 23, as part of the bilateral Spanish amphibious landing exercise 2011. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, which includes multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island and the amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde are also participating in the exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Erin Lea Boyce)

Spanish marines parachute from an MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, into a Spanish military training area northwest of Naval Station Rota, Spain, June 23, as part of the bilateral Spanish amphibious landing exercise 2011. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, which includes multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island and the amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde are also participating in the exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Erin Lea Boyce)

The amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde makes preparations to conduct amphibious operations while participating with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group in the Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise off the coast of Spain. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Desiree D. Green)

In praise of the F-35B! The future of carrier aviation.


Thanks for the heads up on these two articles Phil!

Despite all the manufactured nonsense regarding the stealth characteristics of the F-35, it appears that some military thinkers are looking at things rationally, sensibly and with an eye toward future conflicts/roles/functions.

The articles are from The Early Warning Blog and Danger Room.

Read both articles in their entirety but here's a tidbit.  First from The Early Warning Blog.
Pity poor Britain, which decided to cancel its acquisition of the F-35B in favor of the conventional carrier variant. An equally good aircraft, the F-35C requires a full deck carrier. The British are building two, one to use and one to mothball. But because the Cameron government has decided to retire the British Harriers, the two existing carriers will only operate helicopters until such time as they are decommissioned.
So today it is the Italian navy that is providing responsive air assets for the Libyan campaign using Harriers launched from its aircraft carrier. Britain is forced to fly Tornado and Typhoon jets from Italian airbases with all the refueling that requires and the wear and tear on pilots and aircraft. This conflict signals the end of Great Britain as a naval power. It also underscores the value to NATO and its members of having a weapons system as flexible as the F-35B in future conflicts.
This is the argument that Sharkey Ward over at the Phoenix Think Tank has been putting forward.  The Royal Navy is in decline and will suffer an extended period of incalculable risk because of the decision to retire its Harriers.  The issue for the UK isn't simply an inter service battle however.  Its more important than that.  It exposes a risk to that nation.  An unacceptable one in my eyes. 

The next article is from the Danger Room.  This one should cause fear in the ward rooms of every Super Carrier at sea.  The real threat to our flat tops isn't 'ballistic anti-carrier missiles'....it isn't SSK's....it isn't hyper sonic cruise missiles.  Its the threat that LHD sized carriers will be proven to be just as efficient, cheaper and more economical to run and maintain.  If the X-47 is ever able to operate off LHD's then stick a fork in the super carrier.
“Moving away from highly expensive and vulnerable supercarriers toward smaller, light carriers would bring the additional benefit of increasing our nation’s engagement potential.” It would also spread out U.S. naval air power instead of concentrating it in just a few places, where it can be more easily knocked out.
Hendrix’s controversial argument is the subject of my first piece for AOL’s new military website.

To be clear: no one, including Hendrix, is claiming big carriers will become totally obsolete overnight. Besides the U.S., Britain, India and especially China are all building brand-new large carriers, though none quite as big as America’s 11 Nimitz- and Enterprise-class ships, each displacing around 100,000 tons. Hendrix insists the Navy keep some of its nuclear supercarriers as a “heavy surge force” capable of steaming into action during a major crisis.
Outgoing secretary of defense Robert Gates echoed that sentiment in a speech last year.
But for routine patrols, the Navy should have a larger number of smaller flattops. Hendrix doesn’t propose a specific number, but he does point out that three, 40,000-ton light carriers could be had for the price of one supercarrier.
A light carrier is viable because of a shift in the way air power is used. During the Cold War, the Navy’s focus was generating at many fighter sorties as possible within the first few days of a full-scale conflict. After all, big shooting wars weren’t expected to last very long. Supercarriers are optimized for that kind of “big and fast” fighting.
Today, conflicts tend to be drawn-out, low-intensity affairs requiring fewer but longer sorties by sea-launched planes. Carriers don’t need to embark as many fighters, or launch them as often. That’s why a smaller carrier is possible, according to Hendrix.
Imagine a fleet of 33 USS America sized carriers operating F-35's from their decks.  That would be beyond impressive.  That would be a sea control force that would terrorize our enemies.

The F-35's haters thought that they would start a storm that would raise doubts about the F-35 with Sweetman's article earlier this week.


Now it not only looks better than ever but it would appear that those of us that believed in the potential of this system are seeing converts to our position.

Life is good.