Spanish Army Leopard 2A7's on exercise (pics)

Open Comment Post. April 4, 2017.

Germany May Buy Marines’ King Stallion Helicopter

via DoD Buzz

German officials are interested in buying about 40 of the ultra heavy-lift rotorcraft to replace their aging CH-53G/GA/GS aircraft, program officials said Monday at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference.

And that prospect could drive unit cost down and make the development of additional capabilities more efficient, both key selling points for the Corps, the King Stallion’s primary buyer.

Rep. Niki Tsongas, a Massachusetts Democrat, made headlines in March when she said in a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing that lawmakers had been briefed on a program cost increase, which, she said, would increase King Stallion unit cost to $122 million.

Marine Col. Henry Vanderborght, program manager for Heavy Lift Helicopters for Naval Air Systems Command, pushed back emphatically on that figure, saying the total program unit cost — now estimated to top $130 million, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last week — should not be conflated with the unit recurring flyaway cost, which includes just the cost of aircraft production and not the sunk costs of development.

Don't be fooled.  The Germans are seeking to buy a bit of good will with the Trump admin.  Who knew that demanding allies to step up to defend themselves could boost US defense sales?

L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle

Brits should just bite the bullet and buy Canadian AR's.

Terror Attack In Russia

An attack in Russia and barely any comment?  This!  This is an area we should easily be able to find common ground and work with them.  Until then, the Russian people have my sympathy.  To their military and security forces?  Good hunting!  Make the bastards pay!

Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner Completes First Flight

The Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner took to the skies for the first time today at Boeing South Carolina. This air-to-air photo shows the airplane during its flight.

Next gen AWACS?

BAE/Patria AMV35 special from Defense Technology Review

Find it here!

We're getting smashed by the weather....

We're getting smashed by the weather.  Thunderstorms, hail, a tornado and a flood watch along with power outages means light blogging.  Monday is gonna be a damage assessment, limb pick up, tree cutting, wreckage removal kind of day.

Be back strong in the afternoon or later.

SWEDISH POLICE FIASCO 3 female cops beaten by 1 male refugee

Thanks to Filippo for the link!



1. Don't laugh.  This is coming to a Police Dept or Infantry Squad near you!

2. Reality is a bitch.  Women do not possess the strength of men.  Biology is biology.

3. Lethal force MUST be taught and the understanding to use it sooner in the force continuum is the only way females can effectively (there is no efficient way) deal with a physical aggressor.

4.  A man/woman or woman/woman team will always be at a disadvantage against all male competitors/assailants of equal and sometimes lesser numbers.

Consider this a well known secret.  This social experiment will get the daughters of the women pushing it and their male enablers killed...unknowing Americans that send their sons will suffer too.   I will mourn the dead and brutalized but I will curse this generation of leaders for a lack of moral courage.

What the Jim Webb Debacle in Annapolis Is Teaching the Military

via Free Beacon

Webb opened a tremendous number of new positions in the service to women. Most of all, never mind that as of December 2015, combat units were all opened to women by order of then-Secretary of Defense Carter, overriding the objections of the Marine Corps (though not of the Army).

In other words, the proponents of including women in combat units have won. But, as the case of Webb shows, that's not enough. You have to salt the fields.

Returning to our midshipman, here is what the Naval Academy has taught you this week:

Do not take a bold stand, especially in public. It does not matter if your argument is made honestly and in good faith, or if you are an expert on the matter of policy under discussion.
Keep a keen sense of which way the political wind is blowing. Don't fight it—drift with it.
No matter the number of your accomplishments or their objective prestige, you will be humiliated for once having promoted a Wrong Opinion.
The more effectively and memorably you promoted the Wrong Opinion, the greater your punishment will be.
From the perspective of the left, of course, Webb's punishment is richly deserved, in part because of claims that his words contributed to an unsafe environment for females in the military at the time. The tactics used to force him to withdraw this week also have the familiar flavor of left-wing activism to them. In a statement last night, Webb noted that "those protesting my receipt of this award now threaten to disrupt the ceremonies surrounding its issuance." At the U.S. Naval Academy, just as at Middlebury College, a heckler's veto is apparently possible—though it is hard to imagine midshipmen themselves doing the protesting.

Just as interesting is how Webb describes the manner in which pressure was applied. He was told "that my presence at the ceremony would likely mar the otherwise celebratory nature of that special day" in "conversations with the Alumni Association, including information passed down from top Navy leadership in the Pentagon…"

A nation gets the military leadership it deserves. America's future military leaders are learning some important lessons this week—just not the ones we should want.

The fight wasn't lost.  It was never engaged.  Courage in battle is common...moral courage is rare.

Open Comment Post. April 2, 2017.

ATMOS on an 8x8 MAN platform

Thanks to Costas TT for the link!

Artillery.  We need to start looking at self propelled artillery on this blog!  I don't know jack about it but we'll see what we'll see!