Open Comment Post. April 25, 2018

British Army declares best 8x8 APC available...without competition????

via Defense News.

British Ministry of Defence officials have defended the decision to forgo a competition and instead name the Boxer wheeled armored vehicle as its preferred choice to equip new Army strike brigades.

In explaining the move to lawmakers, the officials said the German-developed machine stood out from its rivals.

“When we looked at the marketplace, the Boxer was the standout vehicle, and procuring through OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) offers us a lot of value in the way we can acquire that vehicle,” Lt. Gen. Paul Jaques, the MoD’s chief of materiel (land) told the parliamentary Defence Committee on April 24.

Jaques said the Boxer was chosen without competition because it is the best protected vehicle available, has the best power-to-weight ratio, has the best mobility and has proven its reliability in service with the German military in Afghanistan.

Rivals had questioned the high costs of the Boxer, but to that point, Jaques said: “It offers us the best value for money, taking together performance and cost.”

The British had come to the same conclusion as the Australian Army, which recently announced it was purchasing the Boxer, Jaques noted.

“We carried out an exercise done at reasonably low cost, working with our allies and doing some very sensible interrogation of the marketplace based on what exists, and we came to a conclusion. And the Australians, running a parallel fully competed system, which cost them a lot of time and money, came to the same conclusion,” Jaques told the committee.

“The Australians last week have opened up to us all the data from their competition. What that gives us is a mine of data for us to understand what we will shape, what we will do in the demonstration phase,” he said.

He added that exactly the same vehicles considered by the Australians were looked at by the British.

Uh...wow.

So the Brits are following the Australians and basing this decision in part on their competition...even though the Aussies were looking for a RECON VEHICLE?????

This is weird....bordering on batshit crazy.

On the surface this looks like pure corruption.  They just picked the most expensive option, based on the results of a different competition for a different requirement and they want the public to believe that they're good stewards of taxpayer money.

Simply amazing.

US Army speeding development of Next Generation Combat Vehicle...did the Armata scare them that badly?

via Next Big Future.

The US army effort appears focused and appears inspired by the Russian Armata combat vehicle platform. The Armata is a common platform for tanks, armored vehicles and manned and unmanned systems. The US system will have more lasers and advanced electronics and power generation. The US systems will have proper funding. Russia does not have the funding to buy the Armata in volume.

Army officials have laid out the groundwork for developing the Next Generation Combat Vehicle, or NGCV. The NGCV will replace the M-1 Abrams main battle tank and M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). Both the Abrams and Bradley, while highly successful, were introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Army regularly updates both with the latest technologies, including new ammunition, anti-shaped charge reactive armor, remote-controlled weapons systems, advanced networking and communications, and ballistic shields for the crew.

The three vehicles will then be assigned to an operational combat unit around 2021. By 2023, seven manned and 14 unmanned vehicles will repeat the schedule, hopefully winnowing the process down to both manned and unmanned systems ready for mass production.

Story here. 

Wow.

Did you check out that schedule?  For the Pentagon and US industry that's breakneck speed.  I mean think about past procurement schedules and that is a blistering pace!

Did the Armata scare them that badly?

Isn't this the same Pentagon and Army that stated that the M1 Abrams could hold it's own against that Russian tank?

I guess they kinda telegraphed this with how quickly they got those APS systems out in the wild but the statements we heard indicated a normal procurement rate.

One thing you have to admit though.

Admit that I was right.  Admit that I was spot on when I stated that we had fallen behind in the armor race and that the focus from all services on aviation to the detriment of our ground forces had put us in a bad position.

I repeat.

All the enemy has to do is to deny us air superiority...once they achieve that then the current way of war for the US (and many of our allies) breaks down.

We saw a glimmer of this in Syria.  Special Ops troops had to rely heavily on artillery to provide air strikes because calling in close air got to a point of being damn near impossible because the Russians had air up.  Helicopters were no better as we saw numerous Turk Attack Helos get shot out the sky.

In a peer vs peer battle it'll be even worse.

If the enemy can deny us air superiority then the script is flipped...and certain potential foes outrange, outgun us when it comes to ground based fire support.

THIS IS THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE!

The F-35 will not guarantee air superiority.  The Army and Marines are woefully lacking when it comes to anti-air systems.  The Army and Marines are in a hurt locker when it comes to keeping up with advances in armor tech.  The ground forces are facing a pain train when it comes to ground based fire support.

We have to move fast to correct things (good on you Army..don't screw it up with an emphasis on mega city fights).  The Army delivered the message with this procurement decision.  I hope everyone is paying attention.

BMC wins contract to build the Altay Main Battle Tank...Turkey does it right!

via Hurriyet

BMC, a Turkish-Qatari armored vehicles manufacturer, has won a key contract on the road to developing and producing the country’s main battle tank, dubbed “Altay,” defense sources told state-run Anadolu Agency on April 24.

It was decided to start contract talks with BMC for the mass production of Altay and the development of its engine, according to sources.

Any financial or production details were not yet released.

In the Altay mass production race BMC was competing with FNSS and Koç Holding’s Otokar, the maker of Altay’s prototypes.

The companies, including the public engine maker Tümosan as well as BMC, Figes Fizik, Istanbul Denizcilik and Tusaş Motor, were last year invited to start work on the engine development.

I can't stand the Turkish president.  In my mind he's a baby Hitler in the making and has ambitions of conquer/conquest that MUST be blunted.

But you have to admire the way the Turks approached this procurement...they're just doing it right.

Otokar built the prototypes but doesn't get to build the production models?

That is just too awesome.  If BMC charges too much (theoretically...I've heard many stories of cronyism/fraud/corruption with that company with regard to the govt) then Otokar or FNSS can be called on.

If something terrible happens and they need many more then all three companies can be called on.

Imagine if Lockheed Martin built the prototype F-35 and then it was bid on with BAE, Boeing, SAAB etc...all trying to get the contract. 

Imagine what we could have done when things went south...ok LM, you tried and failed, you want to try at this SAAB?

This should be our model.

The Turks might have relearned something we knew in WW2 but for some reason got away from it.  Expand this a bit further and we could see dynamic new partnerships.  BAE N. America and Ford to build the ACV at an affordable price and so on.

I like it.

Dallas PD takes another hit...Two officer seriously injured in shooting...

Note:  Thanks to Kali for correcting me on an image I posted.  No disrespect intended just a lack of knowledge on paying respect to those injured in the line of duty.

via Caller.com

Two Dallas police officers and a civilian were shot Tuesday after responding to a Home Depot. A manhunt is underway for the shooter.

A tweet from the Dallas Police Department asked for prayers for the officers, who were critically wounded, and their families.

The shooting happened about 4:30 p.m. in Lake Highlands near U.S. Highway 75, according to reports. 

Wow.  Dallas PD keeps getting gut punched...is that city becoming the Chicago of the south?  I don't recall any city in this region suffering this many officers being shot.

Not banging on those guys at all.

Not one bit.

But they need to get a bit more tactical and a bit less community policing if this is the reality.

Why do I say that?

Because if society gets to a point where killing cops becomes a passing fancy then we are on the verge of losing our civilization...that means anyone can be shot at anytime for any reason....that would mean bastards like me would switch to Glock 17 open carried with two mags on the belt.

If cops are being shot then that means we're close to anarchy.  It was ok during the Wild West because population levels were low.  In today's world that would be messy.

I know about bad cop shootings.  I know about cops being used to generate money for municipalities.  I know  the controversy.

But name a more visible enforcer of social norms and behavior.  You can't.  For better or worse they're the gate keepers for a peaceful society.

God bless in Dallas.  Hope those LEO's get well quick...and I hope they get to the bottom of why they're suffering a rash of these incidents.

French main battle tank AMX-56 Leclerc on exercises in Lithuania. April 2018.

Open Comment Post. April 24, 2018

Late Open Comment Post. April 23, 2018

Admiral admits that China has regional superiority in S. China sea...

via Inside Defense.

 The nominee to be the next chief of the U.S. forces in the Pacific has called for an increase in U.S. forces from all three services stationed in the vital region, adding that China is now effectively able to control the South China Sea and challenge the U.S. presence in the region.

In his testimony at last week’s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Adm. Philip Davidson also said he will work to recalibrate U.S. force posture in the Indo-Pacific region to align with the recently released 2018 National Defense Strategy, an effort he said “entails ensuring the continued combat readiness of assigned forces in the western Pacific (and) developing an updated footprint that accounts for China’s rapid modernization.”

Davidson, who has been nominated to take over U.S. Pacific Command, or PACOM, also said the strategic and operational environment outlined in the NDS clearly identifies the importance of developing and fielding a force posture that is capable of “countering Chinese malign influence in the region,” while describing actions in the South China Sea such as the One Belt One Road Initiative as China executing its own deliberate and thoughtful force posture initiatives.

Due to the distances involved in the Indo-Pacific, Davidson stressed that the U.S. cannot solely rely on surge forces from the continental United States to deter Chinese aggression or prevent a fait accompli. He also said PACOM must maintain a robust, blunt layer that effectively deters Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

Story here.

Wow.

We're finally getting a bit of honest from military leadership with regard to China. 

This is a beginning but I fear its too late.

First you have to acknowledge the problem.  A good man, the former intel Chief for the Navy in the Pacific lost his job because he sounded the alarm bell.  Now others are picking up but do we have time to prepare?

Second.

To outright say that China controls the S. China Sea is stunning.  To say that we must counter their "Malign Influence" is obvious.

Last.

He just made an OUTSTANDING case, really the only case I've heard for forward presence of our forces.

We need to counter and hopefully contain the Chinese.  We need forces forward to do that.

Makes sense to me!

China is the threat.  China is the nation that actually threatens our national survival.  Russia?  Russia is in a defensive posture against NATO encirclement. We can reach an understanding if not friendship with them.  Friends?  Maybe not, but we definitely don't have to be enemies.  We have too many intersecting interests.  A handshake alliance on shit we can agree with, an understanding and respect on shit we don't (both sides...if they fuck up the respect part then we fuck with them and should expect the same in reverse).

But I do want to point out something here.

With regard to China and Russia we have the right policy for the wrong country.  What we're doing with China is what we should be doing with Russia...what we're doing with Russia is what we should be doing with China.

Politics at home and the hatred of Trump is what makes our foreign policy so batshit stupid.

This CH-53 Driver just gave me the best argument for the "K" that I've heard...

One of the good things about this blog is it's community.  I have readers from a wide variety of backgrounds and from various nations across the world.

Some keep me informed of what's going on with the FMF, Frazier you magnificent bastard stay safe while doing the hard thing, all my LEO bro's the same applies to you.

The list goes on and I can't name all the contributors to this little enterprise.

My readers give me knowledge, wisdom and insight into things that I have little visibility on.

One of those things was the CH-53K.

I've been lukewarm to the thing.  Thrilled by what I saw from the presentation on what it promised to deliver, excited by the way the beast looks and a bit pissed at the price.

Pissed is an understatement.

I balked at it.

Luckily a reader set me straight and gave me the best argument for the "K" that I've heard.

via Ian B

Disqus managed to eat my first response. Let’s see if I can be that coherent again.

1. Even if I wanted to simply build “new” CH-53Es, there’s no production line in existence to restart. You’d be building a production line from scratch, with all the cost and time that takes, and likely wind up waiting even longer for new airframes than with the Kilo line, which is already established.

2. More a 2a: a “new” Ch-53E would still be 1980s analog technology. Almost all of the design features of the Kilo aren’t ground-breaking untried science experiment s like the F-35, but rather the incorporation of long-standing aerospace engineering developments simply used on all new aircraft. Digital cockpit? Airlines have had them for years and years. Fly-by-wire technology? That was new in the F-16 … in the 1970s. Composite airframe? Also used by aircraft for years. Aerodynamically efficient rotor blades? H-60s have had those for a long time. Digital fuel control? To my knowledge, the Echo is the only rotary wing aircraft in the MAGTF that still uses a mechanical fuel control. These are much harder to calibrate, not as efficient as they could be, and don’t have the internal response to time to prevent a pilot from potentially causing an over speed/overtemperature condition on an engine that requires even more maintenance. If we’re going to get a new heavy lift platform for the MAGTF, it might as well be one that utilizes the almost 40 years of aviation technology developed since the Echo first came on line.

3. More a 2b: much of upgraded aerospace engineering on the Kilo is what helps it lift more. Composite airframes reduce weight, which lets the aircraft lift more stuff for Marines. Fly-by-wire replaces yards and yards of physical metal control linkages between the pilot in the cockpit and the main and tail rotors; that’s also more weight the aircraft can now lift. The digital fuel control also makes the engines more efficient and helps mitigate excessive wear based on sudden changes in power requirements; more efficient engines can lift more, and also burn less fuel so we can move stuff farther.

4. Another key thing on the Kilo is that it’s various defensive, navigational, and other systems are integrated. Over the decades, the Echo has had lots of things slapped on it to make it a better aircraft and more survivable: the FLIR, various countermeasure systems, etc. These are great, but they were add where there was room in the cockpit, which means their placement isn’t always ideal from a tactical perspective. The FLIR screen sits in the pilot’s natural line of sight with other instruments, which is fine. But the missile countermeasure system is on the middle lower console, which means that when the pilots hear a missile alert, they have to look DOWN AND AWAY from outside to see where the missile is coming from. They have to take their eyes away from their exterior scan, which is where their eyes NEED TO BE to see the missile coming at them. Not very efficient or tactical. The countermeasure in itself is great, but it’s not optimized in the way it would be when it’s built into the aircraft from day one.

Long story short, if the Marine Corps has a heavy lift requirement, which I think it does, and you’re going to get a replacement for an aging platform, t hat replacement might as well be new in the fullest sense, incorporating the many advances in aviation engineering since 1980. Whether the Kilo was the best way to do that, it’s too late to say now; but simply building new Echos isn’t an option, and I really wouldn’t want that anyway since the technology dates back to when most of its pilots were either learning how to walk or still gleams in daddy’s eye.

In either another comment or this one (that Disqus ate) he said something that made me pause even more than what you're reading above.

To paraphrase he said that "they're seeing weird shit with the airplane that they've never seen before".  That's the kind of talk that portends planes falling out of the sky.  That's the kind of talk that let's you know that the people flying and maintaining them know they're on borrowed time.  That's the kind of talk that should be reserved for combat not a milk run from Pendleton to 29 Palms.

I've slammed HQMC for the trainwreck that I blame on the F-35 (I still hold that position), but the ship has sailed.  Whatever the reason..... mismanagement, poor planning or simply fucked up priorities the CH-53E has to be replaced.

Yeah.  I think Davis and Amos totally fucked up.

Yeah.  I think they made a bad situation worse by buying aircraft so fast that they screwed up logistics/maintenance all because they worshipped at the altar of a former Commandant saying to a couple of Colonels testifying to Congress on the then radically new Harrier Jump Jet way back yonder that they should say that "the plane is perfect", while privately admitting that "we'll fix it once we get it" (can someone please find me the quote and the Commandant who said that....I've been looking but it seems to have almost been scrubbed from Marine Corps history).

But we're hear now.

I am thinking that Marine Air is in worse shape than anyone will admit and that those airplanes are unsafe.

All we can do is deal with things the way they are now, not as they should be. They fucked up but we have to move forward.  That means buying the CH-53K now.

The problem?

Everything including this program is gonna be slow walked. 

Every part of the Marine Corps is screaming for more money but the pot is not endless.

Something will be left undone.  So what will that be?  Do we fuck over the GCE?  Leave portions of the ACE in shit shape?  Neglect logistics?

Everything is all screwed up and I have no idea how they'll fix it.