RSAF gets its AEW airplane.

via AsiaOne.

Singapore gets new early-warning aircraft as four Gulfstream jets went operational on Friday in a ceremony at Tengah Air Base, officiated by Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen.
With a detection range of more than 200 nautical miles, the Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW) aircraft allows the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to see farther, and respond more effectively to aerial threats in various operational situations.
The four Gulfstream 550s are the same business jets used by the rich. They were converted for military use and replace the RSAF's E-2C AEW Hawkeye that had served the Air Force for more than 20 years.
The G550-AEW is one of the most sophisticated airborne early-warning (AEW) platforms in the world today. AEW eliminates risks of surprise from the air as they provide persistent and all-weather ability to detect, identify and track aerial threats.
The jet is equipped with a sophisticated mission suite that includes an active electronically scanned array radar to detect, identify and track aerial targets.
It has a modern 'glass' cockpit that comprises four 14-inch multifunction LCD screens and a state-of-the-art avionics suite which includes a weather radar to warn the pilots of any adverse weather that potentially affects the aircraft's flight path.
For self protection, the G550-AEW is equipped with a radar warning receiver, a missile warning system, and a chaff and flare dispensing system.
Since the arrival of the first G550-AEW aircraft in Feb 2009, pilots, air warfare officers and maintenance crew of 111 Squadron have undergone intensive training to operate and maintain the aircraft, as well as to integrate the aircraft to support the Singapore Armed Forces' round-the-clock operations.
During this period, the squadron also participated in major exercises such as Exercise Cope Tiger and Exercise Bersama Lima.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Ng described the AEW platforms as "critical for a small country like Singapore".
"They eliminate risks of surprise from the air as they provide us a critical edge with persistent and all-weather ability to detect, identify and track aerial threats the whole year round."

Interesting on a couple of levels.

I guess the first is that Sinapore maintains its lead in the Pacific as far as fielding one of the most technologically advanced forces in the region.

Second is the comparison of this airplane, not to the E-3 but rather to the E-2.  It flies higher and stays in the air longer.

And the last is the competition between the G550 and the 737 is becoming a bit more interesting.  I can't compare the electronics but its 737 two three (Korea and Australia+ Turkey....thanks Aussie Digger!) and the G550 two (Isreal and Singapore)...this race should be good.

Is the Battalion Landing Team dead?

via UPI.

The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton will be training along the central California coast April 15-21 in preparation for deployment to the Western Pacific and Middle East later this year.
The 15th MEU will send its Maritime Raid Force and some of its aviation units to a Navy base in Ventura County where they will practice assaults on offshore platforms near Carpenteria. The exercises will also include "urban flying and navigation" by helicopter crews that could produce some noticeable aircraft noise.
The Marines said in a written statement they were taking steps to minimize any inconvenience to the folks in Ventura County but noted the exercises were critical to their upcoming deployment.
"This realistic training allows the MEU to operate as a complete Marine Air Ground Task Force in an urban environment," said Col. Scott Campbell, the unit's commanding officer. "The importance of an exercise such as this cannot be understated; our future success depends greatly upon the amount of practice repetitions we have during training exercises like this one."

This is a disturbing question for me, but one which must be asked.

SOCOM is taking on more and more missions...even missions that were traditionally done by conventional forces.

But now.

The premier unit in the Marines.  The most visible and forward deployed.  The MEU is sweeping aside its BLT and focusing on its Raid Force.

This doesn't sit well with me but its obvious...just read the article.

My real question then becomes....

Why send a BLT out on these pumps if they're just tasked to play backup for the raid force.  We can chop the BLT down to company size and let them play nurse maid to the raid force.  If all they need are perimeter guards then recruits from Boot Camp can fill that role.

The Marine Corps has been bitten with the Special Ops bug and its destroying its own infantry in order to support SOCOM.

This is a sad day.

A MEU should consist of the Raid Force, a company of Infantry and Aviation.  The rest of the MEU can go home.  Chesty must be punching walls.

Now the SEALs Haze?

OK.

I hope Brandon Webb is doing some damage control.

I hope there are some serious misquotes.  Outright lies.  Spinning of facts going on.

Otherwise the Navy SEALs are going to be up to their eyeballs in Congressional Investigations and possibly face Criminal Charges.

This from the Mirror.

Mr Webb also revealed the extreme hazing ritual forced on him after his colleagues discovered that he had lied to them about secretly marrying.
His hands were duct taped into a ‘lobster claw’ and his eyes were taped shut while he was force fed tequila.

He then had alligator clips attached to his nipples and was shocked using a handheld generator.

Mr Webb wrote: “You can squeeze it in rapid succession and then it lets loose a charge, only in this case the wires were hooked up with alligator clips to my nipples.

“I don’t know how many volts go through that thing but when the charge hits you, you lose all control, and that was exactly what I did.”

Mr Webb was then subjected to a final insulting ordeal which involved Tabasco being poured over his private parts and his pubic hair shaved off and glued to his face.

Just for comparison.

Marines were almost Court Martialed for "Blood Wings"...have faced NCIS investigations for making Privates do pushups for falling asleep while on guard duty in a combat zone and had the Commandant restate an already solid hazing policy.

If what Webb is saying is true then even I (as jaded and twisted in the head as I am) believe that someone should go to jail.

IF THIS ISN'T TRUE.  

Then Webb needs to clarify this stuff poste haste.  Like this weekend, on his blog in BOLD letters.

Not only the conventionals are watching.

So is SOCOM.

So are the SEALs.

So is America.

This is hitting hard in the UK.  Its only a matter of time before these blurbs in the Mirror and the Mail make it back here.

SIDENOTE: Mr. Webb was then subjected to a final insulting ordeal which involved Tabasco being poured over his private parts and his pubic hair shaved off and glued to his face??????  GEEEEEZZZZZ.  This is sounding more and more like embellishment and fiction.  I can't see that happening in any military unit.  SEALs are too laid back for that type of nonsense.  This has to be bullshit.

100 years of Marine Corps Aviation...the E-book....

The powers that be came up with a great E-book ready for download.  Go here to get your copy....

Be warned.

Its over 100 megabytes and if you have a slow connection, it'll bog down your computer but its really worth a look.

BSN's military discount....

BSN® has always supported the US military, and we value the support we’ve received in return from our military customers all over the world. The company takes great pride in the knowledge that so many of the men and women who protect our nation every day rely on BSN® supplements to help them reach their full potential and perform to the best of their abilities. For this reason, BSN® is proud to offer military customers an exclusive discount on all our industry-leading products.
Orders from BSNOnline.net that ship to an APO/FPO address will receive 45% off the order total as well as free shipping. If you are not shipping to an APO/FPO address, proof of service will be required in order to receive the special pricing. Just contact Customer Service by submitting a ticket so that we can verify your military service and apply the discount to your account.

*Discount applies to full-sized individual supplements only. Apparel, Trial Kits, Stacks and Specials are excluded. Discount will be applied after submitting your address at checkout.

That's right Jar Heads...Doggies...Zoomies...Squiddies....

If you're in the military you get 45% off and free shipping.  That beats the price you're getting in the PX and you only have to plan ahead a little bit to take advantage of the savings.  This is really geared toward you guys down range but hey...it even works stateside.

So...put down those wimpy ass kettle bells, pick up some real iron....grab a pull up bar (or make one)...get some proper supplementation and get ready for summer.

You don't want to be a fat ass on the beach do ya?

Check out the offer on the BSN website here.

NOTE:

The only BSN product I'm familiar with is the protein powder Syntha-6.  I can't vouch for the rest of their line but the S-6 kicks booty.

The latest teenage prank that could be weaponized...

A drano bomb.

Kid stuff right?  Maybe.  Check out this story from Yahoo about an alert sent out by NYPD....

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Some people are using a popular household cleaning product to make explosives, according to the NYPD.
Police put out an alert earlier in the week that warned of so-called “Drano bombs.
Drano is most often used to unclog drains in sinks, but the NYPD said the creation, also known as a “bottle bomb,” could be exploded by using readily available household products in plastic containers, like soda bottles.
“We will periodically send out information about what’s being seen in various commands that we think is useful for all members of the department to know about,” Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told 1010 WINS.
If shaken even gently, the dangerous hydrochloric acid in the containers can react and lead to chemical burns or even blindness when they explode.
Authorities have seen the devices being used by gang members in Far Rockaway as a “dangerous” prank, Browne said.

This is kinda interesting though.

I sat through a class on improvised explosives and they're making it up as they go.  I don't know whether to be impressed or worried.

Add bleach to the mix instead of water...increase the size (I mean adding MANY MANY more bottles of drano to the mix)....add soap and gasoline in huge quantities....and you're heading toward something fierce.  And thats without even trying.

Lets face it.  Our entire society can be weaponized if the desire is there.  In the meantime be on the lookout for the little gobblins playing tricks.

Friday Funny.

A button was placed in a quiet Belgian town and they waited for someone to come along and push it.  Check it out below!



If you've seen this already cool.  I just thought it was awesome.

General Tactical Vehicles pulls a fast one.

Don't know how I missed this.

GTV is pulling a fast one and it won't go unnoticed by the competitors in the JLTV comp.

The GTV Eagle...or Mowag Eagle...or Duro Mowag...or whatever you want to call it is basically an off the shelf solution to the JLTV issue.

Problem is...BAE could have teamed with Iveco and submitted the Panther.  Lockheed Martin would have built and designed a less costly and probably less robust vehicle etc....

The Army led ground vehicle programs are a mess.

This will be contested.  The competition will have to be redone.  The Humvee will soldier on and the MRAP will continue.

Looks like the Marine Corps might end up rebuilding the Humvee after all.  Read more about this vehicle and the other contenders here.