Thanks to Beowulf75 for reminding me of this...he said...
If the AAV hangs around as long as they are planning on won't that be about the same as if we had used WW2 Sherman tanks in the first gulf war, if another conflict comes up before their service life ends anyway, which is likely.That's exactly right!
The better analogy would be that if we use the AAV for as long as is currently planned it will be like having kept the LVT in service through WW2, Korea, Vietnam and finally retiring it after service in the first Gulf War.
Additionally we will be operating an armored vehicle that will serve in frontline combat longer than we (the USMC) has operated ANY vehicle in its history.
I think I'm merging two blog posts by accident, but William asked in my blurb about the AAV Program Office letting the cat out the bag....
Can anyone provide a logical explanation for why full production cannot begin until 2018 with initial operating capability in 2019? Is it really that hard of an engineering task to add armor, put on a 30mm gun, add blast seats, ect? I would guess that a good team of mechanics and engineers could do that in months if allowed free reign to do so.The dirty secret that HQMC, F-35 program office, the Commandant's office, F-35 supporters and the DoD don't want you to know is that this program and others are all being held hostage by that airplane.
The Marine Corps is still trying to stagger purchases so that they can properly budget things. The delays with the F-35 have already bitten hard, jumbled things and will continue to do so into the future.
IOC for that airplane is 2015. They plan on increasing production (ie buying more of them) in 2016, 17 and 18. That means that the Marine Corps won't have funds free to buy more armor...or even upgrade.
This is why the JLTV program is being delayed. Its also why the US Army couldn't go forward with the GCV. If you examine the program, nothing being proposed was risky. It was all proven tech that was simply going to be used in heavy armor. Additionally the controversy about weight was a canard. To get the type of blast protection required, a vehicle weighing as much as an Abrams was a given. Additionally it wasn't expected that this would be a strategic...the Army had Strykers for that mission.
Its also a major reason why the ACV/MPC program has been in such disarray. It was never about the engineering. It was always about the funding.
If I were a Chinese or Russian spy agency, I think I'd do everything possible to help Lockheed lobby to keep the F-35 going.
ReplyDeleteRemember Charlie Trie?
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/01/28/charlie.trie/
Ironically the USM is facing major cuts in everything but the buget, how do they manage to maintain military exepnditure whilst litterally ever branch has both equipment and personal cut, who knows!
ReplyDeleteFrom the other news... the Navy just hang itself. From December of this year woman's will be serving on subs. For now on Ohio (yeah, woman with PMS near nukes... wonderful idea!) because they are large enough to fast modifies them for "woman friendly" state. At the end they want to made whole crews in 20% woman...
ReplyDeleteI will go sleep now, wake me up when this nightmare will go away...
this is the silly time in Western history. the left better enjoy it because when it comes time to get serious, alot of this bullshit will be swept away.
DeleteThe Military has been told they will not be doing amphibious landings that require an AmTrac over the beach assault.
ReplyDeleteThey plan therefore on capturing, borrowing a port intact by request of host nation, or capturing and, or borrowing an airfield from a Nation alongside the AOE.
If it cannot be done by Helo and Osprey it will not even be considered.
Much as the run up to the Korean war 1950-1953 end date open, it was stated by folks as renowned as General Douglas MacArthur that NO MORE AMPHIBIOUS landings would be made in the Atomic age and the United States Marine were obsolete.
Then along came Inchon and a Corps that was still able to do the job due to stubbornly holding on to WW2 equipment because they couldn't get funding for anything else.
This will bite somebody on the ass one day and as God is my witness I know for a fact it will be some unknown United States Marine.
Riding to a beachhead in a rubber boat while F-35's dash about useless overhead.