Wednesday, June 13, 2018
The WARZONE talks F-35 EOTS upgrades, the real story is the Frankenstein fleet of F-35's we're building!
via The Warzone.
But this could easily create new headaches for the already often vexing Joint Strike Fighter program. Lockheed has already delivered 300 F-35s to the U.S. military and foreign participants in the project, all of which have the AN/AAQ-37. The firm has dozens of additional jets already in production or on order through Lot 10 and, as already noted, doesn’t even plan to make the DAS shift until it has finished work on at least four more production lots.Story here.
🥳Today the 300th #F35⚡️, designated as AF-150 was delivered to the @usairforce. Congrats to the entire F-35 enterprise on delivering 300 of the most advanced fighter jets in the world. Many more to come! https://t.co/6kDdh5jFMs pic.twitter.com/rwEEySkmH8
— F-35 Lightning II (@thef35) June 11, 2018
This can only create at least some new level of logistical difficulty by creating essentially at least two distinct configurations of each of the three variants. It's true that military aircraft receive significant upgrades and major modifications all the time, but the F-35 is a complex design to begin with that has suffered delays and difficulties in production owing in no small part to the stringent standards it has to adhere to in order to maintain its low-observable characteristics.
Raytheon's cameras will more than likely use as much of the existing mounting architecture as possible to save costs, but this won’t allow operators to mix and match cameras from the AN/AAQ-37 and the new system if one of them breaks, either. As such, any unit that ends up operating a mix of aircraft with different systems installed would have to source a larger array of replacement parts and services.
The same goes for the upgraded EOTS, which will require more significant and expensive changes to the aircraft’s internal structure. And unless the upgrades occur at the same time, it is possible that there may be aircraft with and without one upgraded sensor suite or the other.
Eric Palmer once talked, shouted and warned about "mistake jets". He tried to get the word out about how we're essentially spending BILLIONS of dollars on warplanes that won't be used.
Good God the guy was right.
And if he wasn't then that's worse. That means we're gonna spend BILLIONS more to get all those planes up to the same standard.
It also means that while we're waiting to do that we're gonna have a Frankenstein fleet of planes with different sensor suites of varying capability.
You still think this program hasn't reached the criminal stage? You still think the Pentagon is a good steward of the taxpayers dollar?
Armor Porn. Hi Rez Pics of the LeClerc - Leopard Hybrid!
Thanks to Skylancer for the pics!
Hmm.
So hybridization is back in style? Ok, then you know what tanks I want to see blended together? The M1A2 turret attached to a Merkava IV's hull!
THAT WOULD BE BEASTLY!
Hmm.
So hybridization is back in style? Ok, then you know what tanks I want to see blended together? The M1A2 turret attached to a Merkava IV's hull!
THAT WOULD BE BEASTLY!
Armor Porn. More Than 130 Cockerill 3000 Series Delivered
via Defense Aerospace.
In June 2016, at the Eurosatory International Defence Exhibition, CMI Defence presented, for the first time in Europe, two variants of the Cockerill 3000 Series turret, in 30 mm and 105 mm configurations.Awesome solution, but it just seems a bit bulky. Modularity comes with a price though so maybe its the perfect answer?
Two years later, CMI Defence is proud to announce that it has already produced and delivered more than 130 turrets, thirty of which are equipped with a Cockerill 105 gun, manufactured by CMI Defence.
Armor Porn. VLFS AREG light wheeled long-range patrol vehicle
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Specially designed for Special Forces penetration missions, beyond the front lines, the Areg achieves the alliance between off-road agility, robustness and firepower. Its 4x4 chassis adapted to military applications in extreme conditions allows rapid interventions on the most hostile terrain.
Stealthy and extremely mobile, the Areg can carry great firepower thanks to its circular and articulated arms armament for the skipper.
The Areg is designed to be airborne. This makes it the ideal vehicle for assault landing missions. Its robustness is also a guarantee of reliability on all terrains and in the harshest weather conditions.
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Trump's pledge to end military exercises with S. Korea (for now) upsets you? KNOW THE HISTORY!!!
I've been chewing on the preliminary agreement that Trump made with the little fat dude and I've been shocked by a number of things. I'll get to the title but check out these little factoids...
* Those demonstrations of force had us ALL believing that a military strike was inevitable...and soon. I fully expected to wake up to the news that USN Carrier X, Y and Z had launched an all quadrant alpha strike on select targets in N. Korea.
* This is a preliminary agreement. The SecState and his N. Korean counterpart will hammer out the details. That's their jobs. The leaders set the stage, give a framework for what they want to achieve and those that work for them make it happen.
* As far as the ending of military exercises...ARE THOSE THAT COMPLAIN ON CRACK!!!! Do they not remember that during the Second Gulf War the then SecDef had active plans to draw down the number of troops in S. Korea. Additionally there were plans to give operational control to the S. Koreans. The only thing that has kept us from completely removing our forces is basically the S. Koreans begging that we don't. It's been known for at least a couple of decades that the S. Koreans were not only militarily superior to the North but could EASILY defend themselves from an attack without our assistance.
By the surprisingly BRILLIANT use of military bluster, economic pressure turned to the max and some talk from the President of the US that matched the idiocy of his opponent in N. Korea we MIGHT have dodged the bullet of having to fight another war to keep nukes out of the hands of a madman.
Love him or hate him but on this one Trump deserves a pat on the back.
* Those demonstrations of force had us ALL believing that a military strike was inevitable...and soon. I fully expected to wake up to the news that USN Carrier X, Y and Z had launched an all quadrant alpha strike on select targets in N. Korea.
* This is a preliminary agreement. The SecState and his N. Korean counterpart will hammer out the details. That's their jobs. The leaders set the stage, give a framework for what they want to achieve and those that work for them make it happen.
* As far as the ending of military exercises...ARE THOSE THAT COMPLAIN ON CRACK!!!! Do they not remember that during the Second Gulf War the then SecDef had active plans to draw down the number of troops in S. Korea. Additionally there were plans to give operational control to the S. Koreans. The only thing that has kept us from completely removing our forces is basically the S. Koreans begging that we don't. It's been known for at least a couple of decades that the S. Koreans were not only militarily superior to the North but could EASILY defend themselves from an attack without our assistance.
By the surprisingly BRILLIANT use of military bluster, economic pressure turned to the max and some talk from the President of the US that matched the idiocy of his opponent in N. Korea we MIGHT have dodged the bullet of having to fight another war to keep nukes out of the hands of a madman.
Love him or hate him but on this one Trump deserves a pat on the back.
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