Commercial Spacecraft kick NASA to the curb...

via ASD News.  Read it all here.

WASHINGTON - NASA and SpaceX chiefs shook their heads with disbelief and joy Wednesday after a perfect launch into orbit and back of the company's Dragon capsule, a historic first for the future of space travel.

Never before has a private enterprise attempted to launch its own spacecraft to orbit the Earth and splash back down intact, and SpaceX pulled off the operation perfectly, NASA and company officials said.

The demonstration launch invigorated the US space agency and boosted confidence in the prospect of using commercial vendors to carry astronauts into space and to supply the International Space Station.

"I am sort of in semi-shock. I wish I could be more articulate at moments like this," said SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

"It blows my mind. It is hard to be articulate with a blown mind," Musk told a NASA press conference.

"This has really been better than I expected," he added. "If there had been people sitting in the Dragon capsule today, they would have had a very nice ride."

The Dragon spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida atop the massive Falcon 9 rocket at 1543 GMT.

I slammed the Air Force on ARES Blog recently (hey, posters were coming after the Marines so I struck back in an appropriate manner) but truth be told...THANK GOD FOR THE BOYS IN BLUE!

The idea that our future in space will be in the hands of a private corporation instead of a dedicated US government agency is....stunning.  I wonder what Niel Armstrong would say about this?  Anyway --- good job Space X --- you resurrected the Large Apollo Concept to perfection ---- NASA ---- you suck ---- how about a little less Muslim outreach and a lot more space exploration ---- and the administration ---- get a clue guys ---- China is going to beat us to the high ground unless you get it in gear.

Read about SPACE X here...

Dragonlab Datasheet

F-35 (AF3) another new pic....

F-35A AF-3 taxis to the runway at NAS JRB Fort Worth for its seventh flight on 2 December 2010. Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti is at the controls for the mission, which was the first for the aircraft with fully compliant low-observable coatings.

Company (2) of the week. AVX.

This is a repeat of sorts but I'm really cheering for these guys and hope that their concept gets a fair hearing.  I seriously doubt it with all the success of the Piasecki Speed Hawk and it struggling for financing but the AVX OH-58D is just a great looking bit of kit.

If anyone knows where they're at in the conversion process, please send an e-mail or note my way...

Sikorsky Frontlines spotlights the S-97 Raider.

Frontlines_Q4_2010_issue22

Weep and Whine Haters...the F-35B lives!

This via Bloomberg (read the entire article here)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will recommend giving the Marine Corps as much as two additional years to develop its version of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter to correct technical and manufacturing glitches that have delayed testing, according to two defense officials.
Gates told General James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, of the decision in a Dec. 3 meeting on the fiscal 2012 budget, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified because the session wasn’t public.

We won't get our birds in 2012 but the Harrier will do until then...good news...now we just have to save the EFV and all is well in procurement.

F-35A (AF3) takes off...

F-35A AF-3 takes off on its seventh flight on 2 December 2010 with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. The aircraft is the first fully low-observable compliant F-35.

Harrier GR9 fans...do I have a site for you....

MJAviation.co.uk is a treasure chest of awesome GR9 photos.  Check'em out.

Dingo 2 not loved by Norway's Troops.

Thanks Jonathan!

via Defense News...

“

In Norway, Anger Over Dingo Vehicle Buy

By GERARD O’DWYER

HELSINKI — The Norwegian govern­ment’s decision to “rush through” an order for 20 Dingo 2 armored personnel vehicles has drawn accu­sations from opposition parties that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) picked a vehicle type spurned by its ground forces in Afghanistan.

On Nov. 18, the opposition con­servative party, Høyre, sent 13 ques­tions to the ministry, expressing doubts that the Dingo 2 would offer adequate protection.

“We want to know why so much money was spent on a vehicle which our troops in Afghanistan do not feel safe in,” said Ivar Kristiansen, a Høyre representative on the Norwe­gian parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “There is also the risk that the Dingo 2 may be used as a route-clearing vehicle. It has never been used by any force in such a role.” In a Nov. 26 written response, De­fense Minister Grete Faremo de­fended the decision but conceded that defense chief Gen. Harald Sunde had expressed a preference for U.S. company Oshkosh’s MRAP all-terrain vehicle (M-ATV).

Faremo said the selection was made by Forsvarets Logistikkorgan­isasjon (FLO), Norway’s defense lo­gistics organization, and endorsed by Forsvarets Operative Hoved­kvarter, the armed forces’ opera­tional headquarters.

She said the Dingo 2 was the best available vehicle for improving Norwegian forces’ overall protection against improvised bombs and oth­er explosives. Delaying the purchase would expose Norwegian soldiers to an unnecessary and unacceptable high risk, she said.

“This has been a rapid acquisition under severe time pressure, and I’m happy with the result,” Faremo said in her statement. “I recognize that not all our soldiers in Afghanistan agree with the choice of vehicle, but I must emphasize that the Dingo 2 was the only acceptable option that could be deployed now.” Faremo said the FLO would test the Dingo 2’s suitability for clearing routes.
On Oct. 29, the MoD signed an ini­tial $25 million contract for 20 Din­go 2s with Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. Three weeks later, the first vehicle entered service with Norway’s troops in Afghanistan.

The quick move angered opposi­tion groups and divided military opinion, said Jan Arild Ellingsen, the Progress Party’s spokesman on defense.

“The jury is out on whether the Dingo 2 is the best armored vehicle in Afghanistan of its type,” Ellingsen said. “This seems like a costly tem­porary solution. We have received honest feedback from our troops in Afghanistan, and the general feeling is that they do not have confidence in this vehicle.” He said the Army’s weapons test­ing center wrote to the MoD on Oct. 18 advising the government against the purchase of the Dingo 2, Ellingsen said.

The Armed Forces Command, in response, stated that the testing cen­ter has changed its position after re­ceiving additional technical data on the Dingo 2 from the FLO and now supports the purchase.

Ellingsen said the MoD should have considered the Oshkosh M-ATV, the armored fighting vehicle designed for U.S. Army use among the prevailing threats and moun­tainous terrain in Afghanistan.

Faremo said the MoD was in­formed by U.S. Central Command that the vehicle would not be avail­able to purchase or lease before 2012.

The operational headquarters com­mander, Maj. Gen. Bernt Brovold, confirmed that the military had been interested in the M-ATV but that U.S. officials said it was not yet available. Brovold said Norwegian forces in Afghanistan needed an armored ve­hicle quickly, and the Dingo 2’s V­shaped hull and elevated chassis would do the job.

“The Dingo 2 is a maneuverable heavy vehicle with a surprisingly quick acceleration,” he said. “It pro­vides improved protection for our soldiers.” Ellingsen said the “rushing through” of the Dingo 2 purchase represents a knee-jerk response to rising Norwegian casualties in Afghanistan.

AFC figures reveal around 200 separate attacks on Norwegian forces in the first 10 months of 2010. These include around 20 roadside bombs, including a June blast that killed four soldiers traveling in an Iveco light multirole vehicle on pa­trol in Faryab province.

Nine Norwegian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2004.

“Our soldiers deserve the best ar­mored vehicle protection,” Ellingsen said. “This means using the same ve­hicles that the Americans do. We should buy or lease. What is very clear is that Army personnel and the military’s weapons testing unit are not convinced by the Dingo 2.” Faremo said such critical com­ments and assessments were based on general opinions and inaccurate data that failed to take full account of the Dingo 2’s absolute technical qualities and capabilities.

Belgium, which has ordered 220 Dingo 2 units, already deploys the vehicle in Afghanistan. It is also in service with the militaries of Ger­many, Austria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic.

from the electronic version of DefenseNews.com

Wow.  I always had a neutral opinion of the Dingo 2 and at worst thought it was as good as the other MRAPs out there.  Now I'm not so sure.  Hopefully a European reader will be able to let us know if this is politics or an actual issue.  

A Sheep Dog takes down wolves...

If you don't know what a modern day "Sheep Dog" is then shame on you.  This is from the Firearms Blog....

The last stand of Alejo Garza Tamez

Narco-gansters gave 77-year-old Mexican rancher Alejo Garza Tamez an ultimatum, move out in 24 hours or die. Instead of capitulating he heroically made a last stand. NY Post reports ...

He shot so fast and furiously that the confused cartel assumed there were several people inside. Dropping their assault rifles, the thugs lobbed hand grenades into the ranch house until the shooting stopped.
When the Mexican army finally showed up after the gunfight, they found four dead and two injured gang members piled in a heap outside the shelled, bullet-pocked farmhouse.
Inside, amid a pile of rubble, was the lifeless, bullet-riddled Garza, two weapons at his side.
The unassuming timber businessman was given a hero's burial last week in his native Monterrey, Mexico.

The man is a hero and an inspiration. I hope his story is made into a movie.
[ Many thanks to the reader who emailed this in ]

Company of the week. Reaction Engines.

Have you ever heard of Reaction Engines LTD?  How about the SKYLON project?  Neither had I but they're definitely up to something in the UK.  I didn't dig deep to see if the British military is interested in their work but with the success of the X-37B, I'm sure BAE or some other conglomerate is taking a close look to determine whether money can be made or not.

Pic of the day. Dec. 5, 2010.

Hi visibility AH-1W Cobras.  Never seen this before...photos taken by Joe Copalman on Feb 26, 2009.

X-37 landing.

via Alert 5.

The Crisis in Korea & Air-Sea Battle.

Just a couple of quick question....

Was the emerging doctrine of Air-Sea Battle (the deterrence portion of the concept) visible in the latest crisis with N. Korea?

If it was I didn't see it.

Let's face it.  As a means of deterrence in a rapidly evolving area of concern, only Navy ships with aircraft or Marines aboard are a credible threat...only they have the persistence or the capability to send the proper message while diplomats either de-escalate events or shape the international community for upcoming hostilities.

Did you notice the lack of Theater Entry (or more precisely the need for it if we actually went to war)?

That concept indicates a need to fight your way not to a shoreline but actually into your area of operations. 

The last war where that was an actual concern could possibly be WW2 with the Japanese...but even in those actions it was simply blue water warfare with serious island hopping ---the theater was the war...how the they came up with that concept is beyond me...

Two concepts...two strike outs.  Actual deterrence comes from fielding technologically advanced, hardened forces capable of conducting the full spectrum of operations.  These concepts only seek to cover gaps and make allowances for not funding our military properly.

Your Saturday Sci-Fi

Hey forgive me...I'm buying my son video games and new anime.

M1161 Internally Transportable Vehicle-Light Strike Vehicle (ITV-LSV)

ITVM1161

Harvest Hawk in action via 3rd Marine Air Wing.

Thanks Sgt C for the hook up.

via 3rd Marine Air Wing Public Affairs...

Maj. Marc Blankenbicker, a fire control officer for the only KC-130J Harvest Hawk in Afghanistan, checks the Hellfire missiles attached to the aircraft on the flightline at Forward Operating Base Dwyer. The Harvest Hawk, which is a 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) asset, has only been in country since October, but has already detected three improvised explosive devices and fired one GPS guided Hellfire.

The first and only KC-130J Harvest Hawk in Afghanistan sits on the flightline at Forward Operating Base Dwyer for routine maintenance. The Harvest Hawk, which is a 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) asset, has only been in country since October, but has already detected three improvised explosive devices and fired one GPS guided Hellfire. The battle damage assessment was five enemy forces killed in action and no civilian causalities.

KC-130J Harvest Hawk takes on new role in Afghanistan

CAMP DWYER, AF - (11.17.2010)
Story by Sgt. Deanne Hurla

Since 2003, KC-130Js have played a vital role in transporting coalition forces and cargo throughout Helmand and Nimroz provinces; however, the latest KC-130 to enter the area is providing a new kind of support.
The KC-130J "Harvest Hawk" of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), has all the same capabilities of a KC-130J "Hercules," but the Harvest Hawk carries four Hellfire and 10 Griffen GPS guided missiles and houses an infrared and television camera.
Its mission is to provide close air support, conduct intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance missions and find improvised explosive devices.
"This aircraft is not traditional – yet," said Maj. Marc Blankenbicker, a fire control officer for the Harvest Hawk.
There is only one Harvest Hawk operating in Afghanistan, and it is used to fill the gaps where coverage from other aircraft isn't available; it operates in a role similar to that of an F/A-18, explained Blankenbicker, who is originally from Avon, Conn.
Though the Harvest Hawk only began its first deployment in October, it has already had its first weapons engagement Nov. 4.
"We supported [3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment] in Sangin when they were in a fire fight," said Blankenbicker. "We shot one Hellfire missile, and the battle damage assessment was five enemy [killed in action]."
The assessment also stated there were no civilian causalities or property damage during the fire fight.
Using the Harvest Hawk, VMGR-352 Marines have already found at least three IEDs near 3/5's area of operation and in support of other coalition forces.

Missions such as these are aiding the VMGR-352 Marines to build relationships with ground forces that may be skeptical of the KC-130's new abilities.
"There wasn't time to teach battalions what we are capable of so a lot of it has been real time, and everyone has been really receptive," Blankenbicker said. "It's a matter of a little bit of education and a little bit of getting to know each other."
"When we first get [overhead], the [ground forces] ask what our capabilities are, but after having worked with them for a while, they've gotten used to it," added Capt. Joel Dunivant, a Harvest Hawk aircraft commander. "From what we've been told, the guys really like working with us. We're taken seriously, we're professional and we've got the time to sit there and dig thoroughly into what's going on, on the ground."
Marines and other coalition forces are all making the adjustment to having a KC-130J in the combat role, and according to the pilots, the transition is going smoothly.
"On a standard day, we arrive on station and talk to the forward air controllers attached to battalions to see what is going on," Blankenbicker said. "While we're on hand, we use our cameras to look at villages, watch pattern of life and assess what is going on in the [area of operation] at that time. If they get into some kind of conflict with the enemy forces, then we are available to provide close air support with our weapons systems."
Using the added capabilities, the Harvest Hawk is able to provide support to two or three ground units for up to three hours each time it flies.
The aircraft is kept at a medium altitude above ground level and can work alone or in conjunction with UH-1Y Hueys and AH-1W Cobras, added Dunivant, who is originally from Boise, Idaho.
Other than operating in a combat role, there are only slight differences between the Harvest Hawk and the Hercules. The four Hellfire missiles on the left wing, the Griffen missiles, secured on the aircraft's ramp and the addition of the camera are what make a Hercules the Harvest Hawk.
The KC-130J has provided transport and refueling capabilities throughout Regional Command (Southwest) and now provides the extra advantage of staying overhead for longer than any other aircraft operating in the region. The Harvest Hawk provides accurate and effective combat offensive capabilities to support coalition forces on the ground through surveillance and overwatch.

Romanian National Day Military Parade.

Thanks Alex. 

Resboiu Blog has pics up of the Romanian National Military Parade...Does anyone know what the 8 wheeled vehicle is?  I think its a Patria but I'm not sure.

K-Max and A-160 are awarded the USMC cargo UAV contract.

 K-MAX

 A-160

via NAVAIR.

Navy awards Cargo UAS contract

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- The Navy announced today the award of two fixed-price contracts to Boeing/Frontier Systems and Lockheed Martin for Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System services for $29.9 and $45.8 million respectively.

The Cargo UAS services contract is in response to an urgent needs requirement in support of Marine Corps forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. This capability will augment ground and air logistics operations, supplement rotary-wing assets and reduce warfighters’ exposure to Improved Explosive Devices in theater.

“We are trying to get this much needed capability to the warfighter as quickly as possible,” said Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons. “By evaluating two different systems, we have the ability to accelerate development of technology and use it immediately to support the warfighter while maintaining competition.”

Both contracts include development of two air vehicles, three remote ground control stations and a Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA). The systems will be government-owned and contractor-operated. Each contract also includes a separate fixed-price option for a six-month deployment.

In order to meet the operational needs of the Marine Corps, the Navy made a decision to award two contracts to reduce potential deployment delays and inability to meet performance requirements. The Navy will conduct a QRA in summer 2011 to prove systems’ ability to sustain cargo-carrying capability in an operational environment. Immediately following a successful QRA, one contractor's in-country service option will be exercised and their system will deploy to OEF.

“While we only plan on deploying one system after a successful QRA, we will explore options for using the second system for future operational missions and/or science and technology development, should it also meet performance requirements,” said Capt. Tim Dunigan, Program Manger for Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Air Systems (PMA-266).

The Navy intends to field Cargo UAS in fall 2011 for a six-month deployment. After the initial deployment, Navy and Marine Corps leadership will assess the value of the capability and determine if an extension or re-compete contract should be pursued.

Wow.  FireScout didn't make the cut.  I wonder what that means for the program.

K-21 Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle not so Amphibious.

Defense News is reporting that a design flaw has been found in the K-21.

"An armored vehicle weighing 25 tons or more is required to maintain at least 20 percent of reserve buoyancy when it crosses the river, but the K2 has been found not to meet that requirement," Kim said, citing the results of a two-month probe of the accidents.
The front of the vehicle, where crew members were on board, became heavier than the rear section, allowing water to flow into the air intake hose of the engine, he said.
The investigation revealed that the spread of the vehicle's weight is unbalanced, with 54.2 percent of the total weight in the front part, said the minister.
The height of the wave plate also is found to be shorter than the requirement, he noted. The plate was required to be 22 centimeters high under the original design requirement, but the manufacturer changed the design in consultations with the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ).
As a result, the plate's height was designed to become 7 to 11 centimeters.
There also was a problem with the drain pump, according to the investigation. When the vehicle moves at full speed, the pressure inside the engine compartment goes down, so more water flows into the compartment. But the pump fails to adequately remove the water.

Designing an amphibious fighting vehicle is alot tougher than many realize.  The K-21 was once touted by some to be a contender to replace the AAV in the USMC.  I never took that talk seriously and the unfortunate deaths and the findings of this study bear that out.

F-22 mission capable rates.

I was reading a story on the CV-22 and its mission capable rate and this juicy tidbit hung over the plate like a 50 mph fastball ready to be taken out of the park....

Many planes also see their mission-capable rates slowly improve as they age. The F-22 Raptor, for example, went from 51.25 percent in 2003 to 60.94 percent in 2010.

Read the whole story here, but this is curious...the Air Force Association and the USAF is not giving us the full story on the F-22 experience.  A mission capable rate that rises from 51 percent to 60 percent is hardly something to brag about and is well below the MV-22 rate which has been claimed as a reason to cancel that airplane.

AMAZING!~

Add to it that the Air Force Association is talking about building more F-22's (read that here) and you have another case of massive spin by an advocacy group for the USAF....the F-22 isn't the world beater many would have us believe.