Bill Sweetman goes out on a limb...A MUST READ...

Back in the days when I was a huge F-35 supporter, this latest by Bill Sweetman would have me frothing at the mouth preparing to slam him at every turn.  His latest proves that he's willing to go out on a limb and basically give critics the middle finger.

In this article he sings the virtues of the Gripen.  But I have to ask...What does the Gripen bring to the fight that the Advanced Super Hornet couldn't?  Why does the Gripen have him acting as such a fan but the ASH doesn't?

Read the article here, but the questions remain.

Forcas Terrestres takes a look at the VBTP-MR manufacturing process

Forcas Terrestres takes you through the the manufacturing process for the VBTP-MR.

Nicely done and concise.  I love the vehicle and remain impressed by how fast the Brazilians got it into service.  All pics from Forcas Terrestres and you can read the article here.

NASA proves again that its lost its mind.

The old timers must be losing their minds and throwing up all over their keyboards.

Back in the days of its glory, NASA was all about results and getting stuff done.  These days?  They hold votes on which space suit they should go with!  Below are the three models...

If you want to know why NASA and the US is behind in the space race.  If you want to know why NASA isn't capable of grabbing the imagination of the American people then I point to this as exhibit number two.

Long story short.  NASA should get back to doing space exploration and leave the crowd sourcing, social networking bullshit to the kids.

Read about this nonsense here and here.

BMC Kirpi finally delivered to the Turkish Army.

via Chian.com

The TSK considers the Kirpi vehicles highly important for field operations. The threat of land mines associated with the ongoing civil war in Syria makes the Kirpi even more crucial. The Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM) earlier fined BMC 7 million euros for not keeping its end of the deal. 
The Kirpi can hold a crew of 13 and has proven to be better than competing mine-resistant, armored vehicles due to its integrated seating system, which absorbs pressure generated by mine blasts. Moreover, it is equipped with run-flat tires and equipment that adjusts the air in the tires to deal with various surface conditions.

I highlighted the above section of the article because it points to something that everyone forgets.

Ergonomics saves lives.  Blast seats save lives.

The Turks are showing us two things that should trouble the current leaders of the pack when it comes to vehicle production.

1.  Despite there being very credible offerings on the market, they still chose to produce their own vehicle.

2.  Despite a lack of experience in producing MRAPS they were able to produce a capable vehicle.

More importantly even though the Kirpi took a long and tortured path to service, it still got there.  Despite all the naysayers, from my seat it looks like the Turks are cleaning up bad procurement practices while still moving forward.  We should do the same. 

The Unthinkable. Should the US Navy release the USMC from its carrier obligation?

Its time to think about the unthinkable.

Should the US Navy release the USMC from its carrier obligation?

I don't mean it to say that Marine pilots and crews won't be part of the carrier compliment...just that they'll fly and work on NAVY aircraft.

Why even contemplate this?

Well its simple.  The Navy is migrating away from the EA-6B toward the EA-18G.  The USMC is not.  The Navy is flying the FA-18E/F.  The USMC is not.  The USMC is all in on the F-35B/C.  The US Navy is not.

Quite honestly the Navy might benefit from the pilots and the maintenance personnel that comes with the attached squadrons but they see diminished returns once you factor in dissimilar aircraft and their supply needs.

Fewer aircraft carriers plays a role too.

Not as many flat tops need to be filled.

Does the USMC get anything out of this?  Not sure.  I do know that if we have designated squadrons to go aboard carrier and everyone else isn't that our pilots will be able to focus more closely on the close air support mission....fleet defense will be an add on to the their training syllabus, not something that is primary.

We'll see.  One thing is certain.  If the Wing is going to become "primary" in the USMC then we need to twist it, turn it and bend it toward the needs of the USMC.

If they want to be a "joint" enabler then they need to detach from the Marines and become part of the USAF.

Ending our relationship with Scribd...

Hey all.

What follows is one of about 75 e-mails that I received from Scribd...

Dear snafu-solomon-blogspot-com,
Scribd's automated copyright protection system identified a book in your Scribd account as a copy and a possible copyright infringement of a book distributed through Smashwords. As a result, Scribd has proactively disabled access to the copy of the book titled "Marine Corps Operations" (id: 25408427) in your account and will be replacing it with a version distributed through Smashwords.
Scribd has recently signed an agreement with Smashwords to offer many of their titles as part of our subscription reading service. As part of this agreement, we are removing all detected copies of the Smashwords books and replacing them with the Smashwords distributed version.
If you are the author of this book, you don't necessarily need to take any action: by default, your copy will simply be replaced by the Smashwords copy. If you would like to restore your version on Scribd, please forward this notification to copyright@scribd.com with a brief explanation of the situation. A member of our copyright team will review the matter, confirm your status as the author, and work with you to re-instate the content.
For more information about Scribd's relationship with Smashwords, please see this article: http://blog.smashwords.com/2013/12/smashwords-signs-distribution-agreement.html. For more information about Scribd.com's copyright policy in general, there are several articles available at http://www.scribd.com/copyright.
Best regards,

Long story short?

Scribd can suck a dick.

They're blacklisting open source materials?  Fuck them!  All I have on my Scribd account are Military Manuals, Govt Brochures, Weapons Brochures etc...

NOTHING COPYRIGHTED to an individual!!

If you enjoy my stuff then get it before midnight tomorrow.  I'm looking for a new home for my content and will give you the location once my migration is complete.

Oh and I gotta say it again.

FUCK SCRIBD! 

Norinco's latest offerings to the Chinese military

The Chinese are involved in an across the board arms buildup...including armored vehicles.  Of interest in the following pics?  The pedestal mounted anti-tank missile system, the Mobile Gun System (manned) and the modernized MBT.

Club K

Eric Palmer blog: Marketing video now makes real sense: This new and improved marketing video of the Rutech missile system in a shipping container.... ...takes on new meaning with a U.S. mili...

Korean AAV RWS turret (Samsung)

Stunning realization.

With the Japanese, S. Koreans, Brazilians, Thailand, Taiwan and Philippines either already operating or soon to operate the AAV.  With the undeniable fact that Asian corporations WILL provide upgrade packages to these vehicles...and with the continued delay in the ACV, MPC and AAV Upgrade....

The USMC might soon operate the most primitive version of this vehicle in the region.

Indecision and vacillation.  Display it at the Basic School and you drop in class.  Display it as Commandant and future Marines die.

Chinese Marines on exercise...