SNAFU!

Friday, June 01, 2018

Lockheed MQ-25 Porn...

Super Hornet Service Life Modification (SLM) Begins!

Story and Vid here!

Boeing and the US Navy! You cheeky little fucks! I see what you're doing here!

Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Modernized fuel tank? They're gonna squeeze out extra range ... before they add conformal tanks! Modernized touch screens? They're gonna do the Boeing version of sensor fusion, and make no mistake this will be fully compatible with Navy Net-Fires! Finally the wording on the last item is tantalizing.

"Updated Advanced Targeting Systems"! Is it just me or does the wording indicate it being more than a step ahead of another plane that will not be named?

All in all I think we're seeing a very solid plan B to the F-35.

Greenert's legacy lives on.

It's really quite stunning, and I guess I was spoiled. The Marine Corps has had outstanding leaders for so long that when a hiccup occurs, not only is it devastating but the effects linger.

But the opposite is also true.

Greenert laid the groundwork for a Navy that is survivable in an age of austerity. His payloads over platforms mantra is being realized as we speak and because of his leadership the Navy isn't in an even worse hurt locker than it is.

We can throw stones at certain procurement items but considering the role of Congress and a certain DefSec that insisted on a total focus on terrorism while ignoring a return to nation state conflict (or even evolving terrorist forces), he did a really good job.

Back on topic.

If Boeing can keep costs under control and if the upgrades actually work as advertised I think it can be safely said that they're back in the fighter business.

Economics Talk. We're facing MORE THAN full employment yet inflation isn't raging?

via Reuters.

U.S. job growth accelerated in May and the unemployment rate dropped to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent, pointing to rapidly tightening labor market conditions, which could stir concerns about inflation.

The closely watched employment report released by the Labor Department on Friday also showed wages rising solidly, cementing expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this month and boosting the probability of two more hikes later in the year. It renewed fears about the economy overheating.

“The strength of the labor market supports our forecast for the Fed to raise rates three more times this year,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “The Fed is going to get antsy that the labor market will blow too far past full employment.”

Story here.

I would love to audit a modern economics course, cause what we've seen over the last decade plus has defied every economic theory I've ever heard of.

We're well south of 5 percent unemployment and we don't see crazy inflation?

We're well south of 5 percent unemployment and we don't see wage increases that are boggling the mind?

We're well south of 5 percent unemployment and the real price increases we're seeing lies ONLY in gas and medical costs (well you could throw in college expenses but those have been fraudulent since the late 70's)?

Then we have some analyst at Moody's saying the Fed is going to get antsy?

THEY ALREADY SHOULD BE ANTSY!!!!!

If this was a normal economy acting on real economic factors then the Fed would be so far behind the power curve that it's laughable.

Name a time in our economic history when every factor I pointed out didn't point to double digit interest rates!

I can't explain it because my knowledge is obviously outdated but something is definitely off with this economy!

Armor Talk. Do we need to classify the new breed of Wheeled IFV's as heavies?

Quick question.

Do we need to classify the new breed of wheeled IFVs as heavy to distinguish them from vehicles that have gone before or is this just part of the evolution and no distinction is necessary?

Above is the Terrex 2. Entered into the Australian competition and in my opinion (feel free to disagree) the best vehicle for that particular category. I will have no heartburn to see it win the ACV competition for the Marine Corps (both rigs are simply awesome...somehow the Marine Corps did it right, assuming of course that it gets funded and gets to the fleet).

Compare it to the LAV-A2. Once this was the standard sized vehicle for 8x8's.

The difference in weight?

Almost 18 tons if we're talking about the first gen model (don't know how much the LAV-A2 weighs...I'm figuring on the LAV-25).

It doesn't just stop there. The real monsters are just arriving on the scene.

The Eitan is about to enter service with the Israelis and although I've looked at everything except how much it weighs I feel confident in stating that it has to be at least 30 tons. Wikipedia puts it between 30 and 35 tons.

For better or worse the evolution to heavier wheeled apcs/ifvs has already happened. The only thing we need to decide is whether or not they're worthy of a new designation.

Interestingly enough we're seeing it happen already when it comes to tanks. The days of "Main Battle Tank" covering everything with a large caliber cannon is over. The US Army is leading the way (along with my nemesis, the Chinese) by developing Light Tanks. Those vehicles will be lighter than these wheeled IFVs and will mount large caliber guns.

Back on topic. I found this chart from Defense Update.

Going by this I think we see the natural divide.

More than 30 tons and its a heavy IFV/APC. Less than ten tons and it's light. Everything between is medium?

In essence we see the dividing line already in place. Just as light tanks disappeared from the scene for almost 50 years we see the same happening to wheeled 8x8s. In the future we might see them return but not now.

Politics Talk. The Average American's view on tariffs....

On this one I want to hold the door open for my European, Canadian and Mexican readers. Why? Because I've heard from the leadership but I want to hear what the average person in your respective countries think about this thing.

My personal view?

Trump kept his campaign promise. I also believe that free trade has nothing to do with FAIR trade and I believe that the entire world has been sucking off America's teet for far too long. Additionally I believe that the entire global framework is fraudulent at its core and is unsustainable no matter who won office here.

As far as the average American is concerned they'll fall into their respective camps witout even thinking about subject. Trump haters will admit that the current system is unfair but will at the sametime attempt to defend it and say that we need to wok with allies to fix it.

Trump supporters will impulsively support it without considering the ramifications of such an action. We will see price hikes in goods that are outside the targeted industries. This could spark a wider trade war that could sink the world into a new recession.

I know what you're thinking. What a fucking second Solomon! You just made a case earlier in this little rambling rant that the system is flawed and seemed to indicate that you supported this thing!

Well thank you for asking.

I don't mind the tariffs, what I do mind is where they're aimed. I want China on a stick over a fire and I want them cooking till they're burned. The idea that Trump could save a Chinese cell phone company and then make this move seems batshit crazy to me.

But this isn't about me!

I want to know what you guys think so fire away!

BMP equipped with 57mm Cannon (vid)

Thanks to Dragon for the link!

I'm not a fan of big guns on IFVs. I really believe that 30mm is big enough to get the job done for the vast majority of the work found on the modern battlefield.

Additionally I don't like the creep toward becoming Main Battle Tanks when the focus should be on infantry transport and support.

Having said that....

I can't deny this is a sexy beast.

Watching that gun work is a sight to behold. Maybe the Brits and French are onto something with their compromise solution of using caseless 40mm rounds?

Sidenote. Do stowed rounds really matter when you have a caliber this large? We're so used to the idea of sending 3 to 5 rounds to getting the job done with 25 or 30mm cannons that with this beast one round will do. Is the stowed kill argument really valid when discussing this?

F-35 woes (mostly ALIS inspired) are the ultimate condemnation of the "just in time" supply method...

Thanks to Bryan for the link!

via Defense News.

When maintainers enter in orders for components needed to repair the jet, the F-35’s Autonomic Logistics Information System — which walks users through maintenance and helps manage the supply chain — will sometimes project an expected arrival of “a couple years out,” said Sgt. Pedro, a maintenance controller from VMFAT-501. Defense News agreed not to publish last names of Marines associated with VMFAT-501 due to security concerns.

“That’s [just] a forecasting,” Pedro quickly added. “Then we make a call and find out where it’s actually at, and so we get the parts sooner than what the forecast date is.”

One of the features of ALIS allows it to see the number and types of parts available across the entire supply chain, which is shared by the U.S. services and international F-35 operators. The system can reprioritize parts, so sometimes maintainers can actually receive a part as quickly as three to five days even if a longer date is projected.

However, it’s not uncommon for certain parts to take around a month, Pedro said.

In some scenarios, maintainers will “cannibalize” other F-35s — harvesting parts from one unavailable jet to repair another. That practice isn’t uncommon across fighter fleets and has been used to service F-15s and F/A-18s, but Pedro said that cannibalizing aircraft is a last resort.

“Before we start looking at cannibalizing that part, if it says a year out, we’ll monitor it,” he said. “Because the next report might say, ‘We have that part. It was going to be prioritized to that unit, but you need it more.’ So it will reprioritize that part.”

Story here.

The part was going to one unit but you need it more????

What kind of batshit insanity is that!

Works awesome in peacetime (I guess!) but what if you have two units in combat? Who gets what when????

This is the ultimate condemnation of the "just in time" supply method. It's time to make Supply Sgt's great again! Fill the warehouses, pull shit when you need it (automate it if you must so no one can build a Humvee at home and you can keep better track of stuff) but for God's sake don't make us prisoners of a jacked up bot that can't figure 1's and 0's!

The only other thing to really focus on is availability rates. We talk all about the procurement trainwreck but aviation also has to deal with a maintenance trainwreck and no one seeks to have a plan to clear the tracks.

What good is it to buy a ton of new gear if you can't use it because its constantly broken?

That's a looming story but it won't be covered till someone dies strapped to an F-35.