Saturday, April 30, 2011

Pic of the day. April 30, 2011.

Bjonar Bolsoy sent me these pics from Lockheed Martin......Enjoy. 

F-35A AF-2 flies over the sea test range off the coast of California on 22 February 2011 on its ninetieth flight. USAF Maj. Scott McLaren is the pilot.

F-35A AF-1 aerial refuels over the Pacific Ocean on a flight from Edwards AFB, California.

AF-1 has logged 178 total flight hours in its first 100 flights.

Friday, April 29, 2011

First flight for second F-35C

Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti was at the controls for the first flight of F-35C CF-2 on 29 April 2011.

Finally! Mainstream US Media is touting my position on Europe!

Joe Anselmo over at ARES is basically repeating my argument when it comes to Europe, NATO and the current weakness shown by both.  This from his article...
Unfortunately, just a month into the campaign, the European-led NATO coalition is showing signs of strain, such as a shortage of precision bombs. These problems are probably more a matter of logistics than money. But they also highlight an inconvenient truth: Europe has been underfunding its defense capabilities for more than a decade.
But wait my friends...it gets worse...
“I think there is a disconnect between the diplomatic ambitions of European countries and their military power,” says Antoine Gelain, leader of the aerospace and defense practice at Candesic, a London-based consultancy. “France and the U.K. still see themselves as the kind of countries that are able to bring law and order to renegade regimes. But the reality is they don’t have the means to do that anymore.”
The worse part of all this is the face that Joe is a business reporter!  He's looking at this from that perspective and as an explanation for why European companies are making a bee line to the US market place.

What he doesn't touch on, and what many don't want to see is this --- Unless Europe/NATO picks up more of the load, this Atlantic partnership is in serious trouble.  The danger doesn't exist between the US and individual countries but more with the European Union and NATO.  The US and UK, Poland, Romania, The Netherlands, Finland etc...will remain strong...but with the alliance...with the umbrella organization?  Not so much.

Anytime, Baby! F-14 Tomcat Sunset

Thursday, April 28, 2011

A question for the aviation experts...


I've been playing catch-up on my reading and I keep running into conflicting, confusing and what I believe is misleading information.

Exhibit #1 is this post by Winslow Wheeler from Huffinton Post back in 2009.

If the latest iteration of "beyond visual range" turns out to be yet another chimera, the F-35 will have to operate as a close-in dogfighter, but in that regime it is a disaster. If one accepts every aerodynamic promise Lockheed currently makes for it, the F-35 will be overweight and underpowered. At 49,500 pounds in air-to-air take-off weight with an engine rated at 42,000 pounds of thrust, it will be a significant step backward in thrust-to-weight and acceleration for a new fighter. In fact, at that weight and with just 460 square feet of wing area for the Air Force and Marine Corps versions, the F-35's small wings will be loaded with 108 pounds for every square foot, one third worse than the F-16A. (Wings that are large relative to weight are crucial for maneuvering and surviving in combat.) The F-35 is, in fact, considerably less maneuverable than the appallingly vulnerable F-105 "Lead Sled," a fighter that proved helpless in dogfights against MiGs over North Vietnam. (A chilling note: most of the Air Force's fleet of F-105s was lost in four years of bombing; one hundred pilots were lost in just six months.)
Nor is the F-35 a first class bomber for all that cost: in its stealthy mode it carries only a 4,000 pound payload, one third the 12,000 pounds carried by the "Lead Sled."
The question I have is this...
If bigger wings confer greater agility then why isn't the F-35C more agile than the F-35A.
Yes its a simple question.

But this type of thing has gained traction and is repeated by many...its even a pronouncement that I've seen on a site where the authors claim to be aviation experts and when challenged on any of the claims that they make "insist on comparing  resumes"...the comparison to the F-105 is also a much repeated phrase that I see popping up all over the internet.

So I'm asking the guys that might fly by this blog to give me the real deal...is it that cut and dry or am I being deceived?

Latest F-35 Vids

F-35A Compilation Vid



F-35B Compilation Vid


F-35C Compilation Vid

The UK's Huge Helicopter Carrier.


DoD Buzz (Phillip Ewing wrote another great article) has a story on the UK's carrier misery.
The Royal Navy’s pending class of two aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, could end up costing more than double what government officials initially projected, according to a BBC report today. It underscores how big a deal it was for the U.K. to decide to buy F-35C Lightning IIs, as opposed to the delayed B version.  When the Brits shifted to the Cs last fall, it was read in Washington as just another blow against the B, but many Americans may not have realized the consequences it would also have in today’s Austerity Britain. The Royal Navy now needs to redesign one or both carriers to accommodate the conventional C models, and that could raise the cost of the ships from £5.2 billion — or about $8.7 billion — to £7 billion, or about  $11.7 billion.
Or it could be worse — although there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, wrote the BBC’s Robert Peston:
One defence industry veteran said the final bill was bound to be nearer £10 billion, though a government official insisted that was way over the top. The Ministry of Defence and the Treasury believe that total final costs could be nearer £6bn, if only one of the carriers is reconfigured to take the preferred version of America’s Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. An MoD official said no final decision had been taken on whether the first carrier to be built, the Queen Elizabeth, or the second carrier, the Prince of Wales, or both would be reconfigured. He said it would probably be the case that changing the design specification for the Prince of Wales would be the cheapest option.
But if that happened, it is not clear when — if ever — the Queen Elizabeth, due to enter service in 2019, would actually be able to accommodate jets (as opposed to helicopters). Whatever happens, the increase in the bill will be substantial — and is only regarded by the Treasury as affordable because the increment is likely to be incurred later than 2014/15, when the expenditure constraints put in place by the Chancellor’s spending review come to an end.
The Royal Navy likes to look on the bright side: It argues that the F-35C will end up being a more capable aircraft (longer range, more payload) and cheaper to buy per bird. And it will make the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales — or whichever one is the full-fledged carrier — an equal partner with the U.S. in a potential future conflict, launching first-day-of-the-war sorties with the same aircraft that the Americans will be flying. Assuming, of course, that Britons are willing to continue paying what it costs to field carriers and air wings.
I never considered that part of the story when it was first announced.

The British leadership must be drinking/smoking something illegal.

In an attempt to cut costs, they might have instead raised them, gotten little in the way of commonality with the US Navy (they'll operate almost the same number of F-35C's that the Marines will) and have in essence thrown away one of the good news stories in regards to their attempt to field joint forces (having the F-35B continue in the role that the Joint Harrier Force occupied).

The decision to retire the Harriers, scrap the Nimrods, cancel the Sentinel project and switch to the F-35C all add up to some very disturbing trends.

The UK MoD has made some very serious miscalculations.

Unless they're lucky, they'll be cleaning up this mess for decades.

Note:

I believe the C version will be capable, but will lack the basing flexibility of the B model.  For the USMC and to a lesser extent the Royal Navy but perhaps more importantly the Royal Air Force (if they were still operating in the Desert Storm mode) this flexibility is extremely important.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of this is the fact that the F-35C will save Royal Navy Aviation...unless the Royal Air Force pulls a modern day "Buccaneer" on them.


The US Army's M4 Carbine Conundrum.


Paul over at Ares has an article on the Army's upcoming competition to upgrade its M4 carbine.

The US Army has a conundrum.  Either it keeps the current M4, upgrades it or replaces it all together.  Those would seem to be the choices.

But this isn't really an issue.  If the US Army and Marines want a compact RIFLE...then look no farther than the TAVOR.

I blogged about this recurring issue in 2009 (read it here).  The Tavor has an 18 inch barrel, keeping the 5.56mm bullets hitting power at long range.  Has integrated electronic sights.  Has attachment points for lasers etc...all in a package no bigger than the M4.

Win-win.

Riverine Factsheet.

Lee sent me this factsheet on the Riverine Forces.

Simple question...why isn't a module being designed for the LCS for these forces?  We talk about using Marines on those ships, we're even making room for Army Aviation, but this under utilized force seems to be ignored again.  Use it or lose it.  Time to get the Riverine Forces into the fight...whether against pirates or in the Pacific, its past time to get these forces involved.

Riverine Factsheet

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Downed F-15E Crew Talk About The Incident. This is what its all about. How did I forget that?


via CNN

After the ejection, Harney -- "Meso" to his fellow fliers -- and "Mask" Stark became separated. "When you find yourself alone, and you're isolated, in a country where there's hostiles, you are scared," said Harney, a veteran of both the Afghan and Iraq wars.
Stark was found by Libyan civilians who protected him from possible retaliation by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, and eventually he was taken safely back to Europe. Details of how he was taken out of Libya have yet to be disclosed.
Harney's rescue came more quickly. He stayed in communications with another F-15 pilot still in the air over Libya. Eventually an MV-22 Osprey carrying Marines who were part of a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, or TRAP, team landed near his position.
"As that back door opened, I see a group of young Marine recon units jump out, and that was probably the best feeling I've ever felt in my entire life," Harney said. He was flown to the USS Kearsarge for a quick medical check then a short time later sent home with Stark to RAF Lakenheath, where friends and family welcomed them with hugs and a rendition of "God Bless America."
Read the whole story at CNN but it details the recovery of these two men.  I didn't hear the story, only read it, but I can imagine the emotion behind the series of events.  First you lose your engine, are forced to bail out, land and you're separated from members of your flight crew...

You don't give a damn if its US Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines.


You just want to get out of that bad situation.


I'm glad they did.

F-35 tie down...

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The F-35B moved another step forward to shipboard testing on board USS Wasp (LHD-1) this year, as F-35 integrated test force personnel used weights to simulate shipboard padeyes during an evaluation of chain down procedures on F-35B test aircraft BF-1. The team observed no points of interference and identified ways to optimize aircraft jacking techniques. Padeyes are used on ships to secure equipment to the deck during various sea states. The F-35B and F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter variants are undergoing test and evaluation at Naval Air Station Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

"Fly Navy" Book.

 I usually don't shill for the Marine Corps Association but this book has me intrigued and I thought some of you might find it interesting...




UH-1Y on the firing range.

F-35 News....

Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson put F-35B BF-3 into STOVL mode for the first time on Flight 101 on 25 April 2011. The flight took place at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

The fourth F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing jet, BF-4, descends to its first vertical landing on 27 April 2011 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. Marine Lt. Col. Fred Schenk piloted the aircraft during the flight, which was the forty-seventh for BF-4.

Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti takes the F-35C CF-2 on its first taxi test in Fort Worth on 21 April 2011.

Collars on the RCB-X?








Does anyone know what the purpose of these "optional" collars on the Navy's RCB-X are for?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Who makes these charts????

I was cruising the web and happened across ELP's site.

God, ELP, tell me that someone gave you this chart!  Please tell me that you didn't come up with this rating yourself!  If you did, please tell me that you were in some drug induced haze which gave you "a total indifference to what is real!"

This is the most amazing thing I've seen in a long time ---- The F-35 is more at risk against legacy surface to air than gen 4 aircraft????

In air to air combat (vs 4th gen) the F-35 will be more vulnerable than the Gripen, Rafale and Typhoon?  What makes this even more laughable is the fact that with the exception of cost, he rates the Super Hornet inferior to every other airplane being made...except the Silent Eagle...which is still just a concept.

Wow.

Why are we letting Sailors perform Marine Missions?

Sorry Leesea, but the very fact that RIVRONs have to train with foreign forces Marines is a good indication of mission creep.  One other sad fact is that Marines are currently performing this mission forward deployed.  I would love for one of the boat guys to get me up to speed on their current mission set and their deployment schedule...or if possible...where they deploy.

Photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul D. Williams
Sailors with Riverine Squadron 3 and marines with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps practice formation drills using Riverine Assault Boats, March 23. Sailors from RIVRON 3 and Marines from the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps participated in a three-week cross-training exercise exchanging tactics and refining their skills as combat boat crewman.




Kajaki Foot Patrol.

Growler Internally Transportable Vehicle Stat Sheets.

While I was dozing the Marine Corps type classified the Growler ITV.  Below are the tech sheets.

m1161_and_1163_pd

And it would appear that American Growler has come out of hiding...

Agi Capabilities Statement

Monday, April 25, 2011

SAS facing recruiting difficulties. Is Special Operations so special anymore?

Real quick thoughts on this one guys.  Just a heads up...you'll probably disagree.

Via DefenseNews.com

LONDON - Britain's elite SAS is facing a recruitment crisis because the army is so overstretched that soldiers do not have time to prepare for the grueling selection process, a senior officer warned April 25.
Brig. Richard Dennis said that the high "operational tempo" of the armed forces and the "unrelentingly demanding" operations in Afghanistan meant that servicemen were being discouraged from joining the special forces unit.
In a letter leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Dennis, head of infantry, said the pressures affecting the forces were combining to "mitigate against Special Forces recruitment."
The US Army is already facing this issue with its Ranger School.  At one time I remember talking to a guy in the 82nd and he basically told me (before the wars) that in order to get promoted in the US Army Infantry, you had to have your tab (Ranger Tab that is) or else you'd better be a friend of the Battalion Commander.

Long story short, Special Operations has become so specialized (raids, raids and more raids) that conventional infantry is picking up the slack on missions that they once performed.

You have Marine Infantry training African troops in Partnership Missions.  US Army and Marines serving as trainers and advisors to the Afghan National Army....

You have MEU's performing TRAP missions that are suppose to be pure-dee Special Ops...

The question I have for you is this.  If we are using our Special Operations forces for almost nothing but raids now (nothing wrong with that but it is a limited mission set) then do we really need a separate command for them?

US Army Special Forces isn't training host or insurgent forces anymore...that belongs to the CIA or conventional forces...

Rangers are being used to back up the other Special Ops forces instead of performing their bread and butter raid missions solo...

Navy Seals are doing nothing but raids and deeeeeeep recon....but its the same mission set as Marine Special Operations....

USAF Special Operations has Para-Rescue but every Special Ops team has medical personnel that are trained to the standards of the teams that they accompany...as far as aircraft are concerned, with the exception of C-130's the US Army Night Stalkers are suppose to be as good ....

So say it out loud...is Special Operations so special now...or can they stand to be downsized too?

Dedicated Marine Air for Marine Special Operations Command?

Below you'll see an article written by a Marine Major arguing for *gasp* a dedicated Marine Air Group to be tasked to support Marine Special Operations Command. Personally, I think this is a terrible idea. But read his paper and see what you think. Epton-AY06-9816 Oh and Major. The debate on Marine Forces in Special Operations Command is not over. With expected reductions in personnel, I think you'll see this revisited.

ARH-70...I mean Block II's first flight...

Just a note to Bell Helicopter. I don't know who it is in your video studio that thinks the little "artsy" trash they stick on these vids is worthwhile but no one cares and it just gets in the way. We want to see your hardware, not a bunch of questionable graphics. Give us a sharp, clean video...you can even dump the music, just let us see the helicopter.

Hideaki Akaiwa -Bad Ass of the Week (a couple of weeks ago)


I've been watching whats going on in Japan but not posting much on it because I couldn't find what I was looking for.  In incredible horror like that.....with all the pain and suffering...somewhere there had to be a hero.  Here he is courtesy of the website Bad Ass of the Week.  Make sure you read the whole thing.  Its worth it!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

USMC/Special Operations unhappy with current design of JLTV.


Jonathan actually sent me two articles on the JLTV (thanks again guy!)...both articles are from National Defense Magazine.org and both give the same story...

1.  The US Army and Marine Corps are having issues arriving at a common vehicle to satisfy there requirements...and...

2.  Special Operations Command is voicing similar concerns to the Marine Corps.  The vehicle as currently configured is just too darn heavy.

With news that the Army and Marines are both sending Request For Information to industry on the viability of upgrading existing HUMVEES and with the looming budget cuts just around the corner, this is a program that is probably on life support.

Prediction.  This program will be killed before August.

UPDATE:
It occurred to me that the 'future of combat' as the DoD sees it will be told if this program survives or not.  If the USMC and SOCOM are successful then we will see this program shelved, the Marines going with upgraded HUMVEES and SOCOM going with unique solutions or piggybacking on the Marine program.

What goes unsaid is that the US Army has several light fighting organizations which will also balk at the heavy weight of the JLTV...the 82nd certainly wouldn't have a use for it and neither would the 101st.

10th Mountain is still to remain light fighters (not sure but I believe so) and so are elements of the 25th.  So you will have 4 Army divisions that will welcome a lighter vehicle.  With the other forces being Stryker Brigades, I don't see why they can't simply exist with the legacy but upgraded HUMVEE.  The focus is definitely on the wrong thing here.  Power generation and fuel economy should be the focus---right along with superior off road handling.  Its beyond time to get back to being maneuver forces and not fighting along MSR's.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Harriers from VMM-263 in action.

B-roll of AV-8B Harriers with Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, take off and land from USS Bataan during a strike exercise off the coast of North Carolina, April 10, 201. The Marines and Sailors of the 22nd MEU are currently deployed with Amphibious Squadron 6 aboard the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and will continue to train and improve the MEU's ability to operate as a cohesive and effective Marine Air Ground Task Force. (U.S. Marine Corps motion imagery by Lance Cpl. Ricky J. Holt.)

HX-21. Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE

via Wikipedia...
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE (HX-21) "Blackjack" is a U.S. Navy aircraft squadron located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. As part of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD), Naval Test Wing Atlantic (NTWL), HX-21 is responsible for the Developmental Test and Evaluation of Navy and Marine Corps rotary-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft, airborne systems, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in support of acquisition decisions that improve the Navy and Marine Corps' war fighting capability. Additionally, HX-21 tests and evaluates new mission systems to integrate legacy aircraft into the constantly evolving fighting force.
Ok, I'm at ease now.  In that formation, I saw a CH-53E in what appeared to be perfect condition along with two AH-1Z's and a UH-1Y.

First thought was...why aren't they operating with the fleet.

Now it makes sense.


Friday, April 22, 2011

HX-21 Formation.



Hard to believe that the biggest helicopter in that formation is also the fastest.  Now to Google HX-21...never heard of them!

FireStorm and the Marine Corps.


Produced by Metal Storm Limited, an Australian defense company, the FireStorm is an electronically fired, multi-barrel 40mm platform. Features include interlocking mechanical and electrical systems for safe operation and light weight.

The weapon and mount together weigh 120 pounds, with the entire unit 21.9 inches tall and 28.6 inches long. The FireStorm can be mounted on anything from humvees to remote controlled robots. It possesses the capability to render less than lethal weaponry, or fire a volley of high explosive rounds at a rate of 6,000 rounds per minute firing from all barrels.

Ammunition is loaded in the tubes, capacity ranging from four to six rounds per tube, depending on the ammunition used.
First the Navy and now the Marine Corps seems to keep toying with the FireStorm concept.  Why no one has pulled the "trigger" yet is beyond me...

British Ministry of Defence Insanity.


I got this article from Jonathan..thanks guy!

~Provides Increased Visibility to 2011 Full Year Vehicle Revenue Outlook~

LADSON, S.C., April 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Force Protection Industries, Inc., a FORCE PROTECTION INC. (NASDAQ: FRPT) group company, today announced it has received a $27.4 million sub-contract from Integrated Survivability Technologies Limited ("IST") for the delivery of 47 Cougar Mastiff vehicles to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence ("U.K. MoD").  IST is a joint venture between Force Protection Europe Limited, a subsidiary of Force Protection Industries, Inc., and NP Aerospace Limited, a subsidiary of The Morgan Crucible Company plc.  Work under this sub-contract will be performed in Ladson, South Carolina, and is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2011. 
This falls under the category of WTF!

British involvement is suppose to be winding down in Afghanistan.  They already have a vehicle issue (as in too many different types) and its a little late in the game to be adding additional heavy MRAPs that will have limited utility in other war zones.
If this is an example of the course of defense spending in the UK, then I must amend my complaint about the retirement of the Harriers.  It wasn't foolish.  It was criminal.


Operation Rawhide II.

U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Joshua S. Lum, platoon commander for 3rd Platoon, E Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion keeps watch from his Light Armored Vehicle 25, April 16. Marines were on the lookout for any suspicious activity or material.

Lance Cpl. Nicholas W. Sainz, an assistant team leader in 1st Platoon, E Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of La Habra, Calif., provides security April 16. Sainz stood watch while other Marines conducted a search.  
Photos by Cpl. Adam Leyendecker, USMC.

MUST READ!! McQuain strikes back!

The time has come.

We finally have a counterweight to all the nonsense that is being spouted by the critics of the F-35 program.

Bruce McQuain has written an article for the Washington Examiner that I will be forwarding to certain 'critics', writers and even to my Congressional Delegation.

It is a must read.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

100 for BF3

Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson was at the controls for the 100th flight of F-35B BF-3. The flight was from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. Five F-35s have reached or surpassed the 100th flight mark.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Fan accounting and the F-35.

I continue to be amazed at the 'fan accounting' regarding the F-35.  Want an example of the confusion involved and why I find Bill Sweetman (I like the guy but his fixation on the F-35 is not giving me the answers that I would normally expect) so infuriating?

This discussion on Information Dissemination sheds the light.
First Galrahn (author of the article)...
Joint Strike Fighter is an acquisition tragedy. The estimate for the per unit F-35 is only $25 million more than the F-22, and that is before a single F-35 is operational. This program is also part of Secretary Gates legacy, and it isn't pretty.

Then the rest of the comments...

Scott Brim, USAF Partisan 
The R&D costs for the F-22 are now sunk costs, while the current marginal unit cost for additional F-22 airframes is reputed to be roughly $160 million.

Someone please correct me on that last figure for the F-22's marginal unit cost, if you have updated information.
Paul Wayner 
I must be misreading something, isn't the Unit Cost for the F-22 listed as 67000/188~=358.2 while the F-35 is 379392/2457~=154.4? 
 
 
Scott Brim, USAF Partisan 
The R&D costs for the F-22 are now sunk costs, while the current marginal unit cost for additional F-22 airframes is reputed to be roughly $160 million.

Someone please correct me on that last figure for the F-22's marginal unit cost, if you have updated information.

Paul Wayner  
$160M marginal cost for the F-22 sounds right although the marginal cost for the F-35 looks below $100M (from those numbers). 
 
Scott Brim, USAF Partisan  
The F-35's marginal cost is less than the F-22s, but the F-35 cannot come close to covering the F-22's air superiority mission when operating in the kind of high threat environment that will exist in the 2020 timeframe and beyond.
On one simple blog post we go from the author of the story stating that the F-35 is a tragedy...then when his readers comment we finally arrive at the truth.

The F-35 costs less than the F-22 and the costs are being driven down.

The F-35 discussion is no longer fact driven.  Its all spin by its critics all the time.

My complaint is simple.  If the biggest blogs on the net (talking Information Dissemination and ARES) aren't giving their readers the right answers then how can we ever learn the truth?

UPDATE:
If you read the article then you'll also note the cost increase in the LHA-6 program for the third ship.  If I'm not mistaken then that increase has everything to do with a design change adding a well deck to the ship...not an increase in production costs.

B1-B Lancer Aerial Refueling Mission

A B-1B Lancer, from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, returns to mission after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker, assigned to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, while flying over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, March 29




All photos by MSgt William Greer, USAF

NAVAIR Photo Releases.

Fire Scout prepares for CENTCOM deployment

The Navy’s Fire Scout Unmanned Air Vehicle system is about to begin its first land-based deployment to U.S. Central Command this month.

The Fire Scout effort is led by the Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Air System program office, PMA-266, at Patuxent River, Md. In response to an urgent needs requirement from DoD’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance task force, the team rapidly modified, tested and verified the Fire Scout system to adjust to land-based operations and the demanding environmental conditions in CENTCOM.

“This is an exciting time for the Fire Scout program,” said Capt. Tim Dunigan, PMA-266 program manager. “The system has proven its capability on its two ship-based deployments, and I am confident it will perform well in CENTCOM.”

A combined team of military, civilian and contractor personnel loaded 90,000 pounds of equipment, including three aircraft, two ground control stations (GCS) and associated hardware, on U.S. Air Force C-5 and C-17 aircraft. The C-5 left with the GCS and hardware April 8, and the C-17 deployed April 13 with three air vehicles.

“It’s very unique for an aircraft to deploy directly from Pax River,” Dunigan said. “The activity conducted by our test team at Webster Field was done exceptionally well. We were able to meet tight schedule timelines so we could support the warfighter as soon as possible.”

The Fire Scout will provide hundreds of hours of Full Motion Video in theater supporting U.S. Army and coalition forces during its year-long deployment. The system will be operated by contractor personnel.

The Fire Scout’s first flight in CENTCOM is expected this month. The system is also currently deployed aboard the USS Halyburton (FFG 40) tallying more than 200 flight hours to date in support of humanitarian assistance and counter-piracy missions. 

Photo release: Third F-35B aircraft completes STOVL mode flight

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Over an Atlantic test range near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, U.S. Marine Corps test pilot Lt. Col. Fred "Tinman" Schenk completes the first flight of F-35B test aircraft BF-4 in short takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) mode. The flight marks growing maturity of STOVL flight with the third F-35B aircraft at NAS Patuxent River performing STOVL test missions. BF-4 is also the only mission systems test aircraft flying Block 1.0 software to fly in STOVL mode. The F-35B STOVL variant and F-35C carrier variant are undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet. Photos courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A theory on the J-20.








I haven't heard this theory regarding the J-20 and I want to throw it out there...

What we do know.

1.  The Chinese are developing weapons to not only exploit perceived Western weakness but also to match our capabilities and if possible exceed them.
2.  The Chinese have a hacking enterprise second to none.  An enterprise that fetched them details on the F-35...presumably on its avionics package.

What has been speculated.

1.  The J-20 is a large airplane to allow it to operate across the expanses of the Pacific.
2.  In its production version it will sport thrust vectoring and F-22 class engines.
3.  Its extremely agile and achieves it in a unique way not currently being utilized (exactly) in the West.

What I'm guessing.

The J-20 is a long range missile truck that operates under the assumption that maneuvering is irrelevant.  A Chinese version of helmet mounted cuing...rearward facing AESA and some form of EOTS would in essence change what is needed in modern day aerial combat.

If the Chinese have been reading and keeping up with Air Force and Navy Journals regarding the use of Electronic Attack...the possibility of microwave and solid state lasers in the near future and the Achilles heel of power generation then it would lead them to build what we consider a huge fighter.

My guess is that the Chinese have put it all together, possibly much quicker than we did, with primary considerations NOT being agility but instead power production, long range, extremely large internal weapons bays and the ability to carry large all aspect sensors.

Just a guess but I can't get past how big this sucker is!

AH-1Z / UH-1Y vid...

NATO, Europe and the US.

Military.com has an article detailing the movement of a US Army Combat Brigade out of Europe.  I find it surprising that moving so small a formation could cause so much controversy.  Read the article but this stood out.

First this...
Moving the brigade would weaken the NATO alliance, said Ståle Ulriksen, chair of the Security and Conflict Management Department at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs in Oslo. Norway, for instance, went to Afghanistan, like the other European nations, "to show solidarity and to stay on the good side of the U.S. -- to be an ally," he said.
Ulriksen said that "free-riding" on the U.S. had enabled Europeans to avoid devising their own coordinated defense structures and that they should "grow up and take responsibility."
But he also said a European alliance was hard to imagine without the U.S. as leader.
"It's a kind of a comfortable situation. You have a leader no one disputes," he said. "What would be the alternative -- the British? The French? The Germans?"
and then this...
In the House, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., spearheaded a plan last year to eliminate an Air Force fighter wing overseas, two Marine Corps infantry battalions on Okinawa -- and one Army brigade in Europe.
"NATO was a wonderful concept. But 61 years later, I think it's time to say our Western European allies should be on their own. We'll cooperate with them, but we shouldn't be subsidizing their defense," Frank said.
In the Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, whose state stands to gain troops at Fort Bliss in the restructuring, was advocating similarly.
"For the future security posture of U.S. military forces and for the fiscal health of our nation, [the] military construction agenda should be guided by these words: build in America," she wrote in Politico last year. "Some argue that the U.S. overseas presence provides assurance to our allies and deterrence to our adversaries. History has proven otherwise."
Long story short.

US forces will be coming home.  Europe will have to stand on its own two feet.  The alliance, if its to survive, must evolve.

Notice one thing.

You have a prominent Republican and Democrat saying the same thing.  They're reading the political winds.  Forward deployed forces on even allied soil is something that the American people are tiring of.

Bell Helicopter - Scouts Out Website.



Bell Helicopter has a website up that I hadn't seen before...its called "Scouts Out" and its advertising the upgrades to the OH-58.

Bad news EuroCopter fans.

The US Army looks like they're just going to do an upgrade to an existing system and the competition for a new observation helicopter is going away.  In a way its positively brilliant.  An upgrade.  No worries about a competition.  Easily approved by Congress.

To be honest I'm not sure if the OH-58 will be more capable than the UH-72 but its here now and good enough, appears to be enough these days.