X-47B Hi-Rez Photos

The X-47-B takes to the skies at Edwards AFB on the first flight.

The Navy X-47B flies over Edwards AFB, Calif. on its maiden flight.

E-2D Carrier Suitability Trials...

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye approaches USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during Carrier Suitability Testing today. Aircraft 501 is assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 and is the first of 75 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to be acquired by the U.S. Navy. The program remains on track for Initial Operational Capability scheduled for first quarter fiscal year 2015. (Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman)

The latest aircraft variant of the E-2 platform, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during Carrier Suitability Testing today. The aircraft, assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX-20), remains on track for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation scheduled for first quarter fiscal year 2012. (Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman)

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX-20) catches the arresting wire aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during carrier qualifications testing. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye’s command and control capability makes it a multi-mission platform through its ability to coordinate concurrent missions that may arise during a single flight. (Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman)

I'm back and its time to take care of a few odds and ends!

Hey guys, I'm back and let me tell ya...the old Corps saying of fighting through some pain and carrying on does not serve one well later...a simple nick in the weight room and days later you watch your leg fill up like its being pumped full of helium will definitely get your attention and a new perspective on not only fitness but of body maintenance.

But forgetting that nonsense, I appreciate the wishes and wanted to hit you with a couple of issues I was able to read up on, follow on the news concerning current defense issues...


1.  The F-35 as seen by Air Force Flight Test School...via Combat Aircraft Magazine...

Unfortunately the issue is by subscription only.  It is well worth the read but here's the highlight from one of the pilots with the Air Force Flight Test School...

"It'a a little too early to tell but I would say that all indicators show that the F-35 can be a very capable airplane"

Major Matt Hayden, F-35 Flight Sciences Test Pilot, Edwards AFB

2.  The NEO in Egypt.  via Information Dissemination.

G-Man has been rather cautious in his outlook on this situation but I personally get the whiff that things might be a bit more dicey than many in the West are being told.  If the Enterprise and her group are headed toward Egypt than the situation is not a benign as we are being told.  Even now, I believe more is brewing beneath the surface and it deserves a much more careful look.

Break...

Hey guys...I'll be on a short break to take care of some personal problems....the blog will be back in action hopefully this weekend...

State Dept Evacuation. Epic Fail.

I wrote a post here on the possibility of the US Military conducting an NEO in Egypt.  I received this comment this morning and just have to respond.  Anonymous wrote:

Ok, if we do a NEO we will only put in a few very small security forces at a couple of airports - Cairo, Alex, Luxor - and we would contract a bunch of commerical airliners (or even cruise ships) to haul out all the US (and EU, Japanese, etc) tourists. We'd do that in cooperation and coordination with (especially)the EU. If we have to RESCUE those tourists as opposed to a NEO then it is a whole different ball game. Not at that point yet. Keep in mind that we already have quite a few US military folks there as part of the training/advisor mission... Such a NEO is most definitely NOT "mission impossible" - just a trifle difficult, expensive and a big operation - and, oh by the way, it is already underway.

Wow.

He/She/It seems quite sure of themselves.  I had to check this out...from CNN...

...At least 220 Americans had been evacuated from Egypt as of Monday evening, according to the State Department. Another 175 were boarding a flight to Athens, Greece, Monday evening, according to the agency.The first plane out was a Cyprus-bound flight with 42 people aboard, the government said. It landed Monday afternoon.
Despite earlier reports that flights would be subject to Egypt's 3 p.m. curfew, the State Department said flights would depart around the clock. U.S. officials hoped to evacuate 900 people on Monday.
About 52,000 Americans are believed to be in Egypt. Of those, more than 2,400 have asked to be evacuated, Jacobs said. But she expected those numbers would rise as the unrest continues...

Sorry, but if this were a military operation, I'd be lambasting the Officer in Charge for non-performance.

Operations are underway and they have initially evacuated 220 people?

2400 people have asked to be evacuated and the number is almost certain to rise?

Not text book in my mind.

Also I'm sure that the writer is speaking about troops in the Peace Keeping force out in the desert.  Do you think that they can be easily retasked?  I don't know the unit and really its irrelevant.  The point remains that the US State Department much like USAID in Haiti is in over its head.

I've tried to remain open minded but it appears that the current Commander in Chief is attempting to usurp traditional military missions and give them to civilian agencies.

EFV is dead...Time for a new gun for the LCS.

With the EFV suffering an unwarranted death (well maybe, it was expensive but maybe pressure could have been applied to the manufacturer to lower it) its time to ditch the ATK gun and get something designed from the outset for service aboard naval vessels.

My candidate is the Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun System...the following information and photos are from NAVWEPS.com

Prototype 35 mm Naval Gun System (GDM-008) Millennium on the Lockheed Martin Sea Slice
Note the triple-coil muzzle velocity gauge and fuze setter
Photograph copyrighted by Oerlikon Contraves AG

Stats via Wikipedia...Oerlikon Millennium 35mm Naval Revolver Gun System
Type	CIWS
Place of origin	Germany, Switzerland
Service history
In service	2003
Used by	Denmark
Production history
Designed	1995
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall, Oerlikon Contraves
Specifications
Weight	Gun: 450kg Turret: 3300kg
Length	5.5 m
Width	2.39 m
Height	1.94 m
Crew	unmanned
Shell	35 x 228 mm
Caliber	35 mm
Action	Revolver cannon
Elevation	-15 / +85 degrees rate: 70 degree/s
Traverse	360 degrees rate: 120 degrees per second
Rate of fire	Single shoot Short Burst: 200 rounds per minute Full automatic fire: 1000 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	AHEAD: 3,445 fps (1,050 mps) HEI: 3,854 fps (1,175 mps) APDS/T: 3,950 fps (1,440 mps)
Effective range	3500m (3830 yards)
Feed system	252 linkless rounds on turret

Long story short, Rheinmetall-detc has created a modular weapon system that can be changed out in 30 minutes, is tailor made for the LCS mission and is in worldwide service. It can be had for a song (relatively) and is effective against air and surface targets.

Non-combatant Evacuation (NEO) of Egypt???

Information Dissemination has posted an interesting article with the dangling fruit of the POSSIBILITY (remote in his opinion) of there being an NEO in Egypt.

It is worth remembering there are some 90,000 Americans in Egypt. Nothing has been decided, but preparations are being made just in case.

The U.S. Marines have a pair of warships -- the USS Kearsarge and the USS Ponce -- just hanging around the southern end of the Red Sea waiting to see if they're needed to rescue U.S. diplomats and citizens from Cairo. They're half of the Marines' 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a mini-armada that recently dispatched 1,400 of its 2,000 Marines into Afghanistan. But they've got a "fair number" of helicopters, and Marines, still aboard.

Something to keep an eye on.

Can you imagine?

Even if only half those people request to be moved then you're looking at a "mission impossible"...

Think about it.

You'd have to fully commit the remainder of the 26th MEU.

You'd probably have to fly in the 82nd Airborne Division Ready Brigade.

An entire wing from the Air Forces Air Mobility Command would have to be deployed....

All while a friendly nation other than Israel was lined up to take in this massive infuse of humanity.

The whole idea gives me shivers.  And we haven't even begun to think about terrorist mixing with refugees blowing up airplanes or even gaining body counts in the crowds.  Not even considered the population turning violent.  Not even thought about the Egyptian military attempting to stop the effort.

Is it time for the US Military to rethink its understanding with Americans in foreign countries?  Is it time for it to be understood that if trouble erupts they should be PREPARED---and be ready to protect themselves---cause as much as we'd like to, help might not be coming?

I think so.  If you can change my mind, I'm all ears.

Mountain Sniper Course...

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper takes an observer, watching to see the any position changes in his target Monday during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:37 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A shooter and his spotter prepare a shot Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:39 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-Marine scout snipers wait for word in their dug in position at the top of a mountain Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:41 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper prepares his shot on target Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:52 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper takes an observer, watching to see the any position changes in his target Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:53 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A shooter and his spotter prepare a shot, Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif.
, Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 8:00 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper prepares his shot on target Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. His class 1-11 graduated Jan. 25, 2011. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 8:39 AM

Latest Centennial of Aviation Aircraft...

An F/A-18 Hornet sits in an overflow hangar at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Jan. 12, awaiting its return to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122 in Lemoore, Calif. The aircraft is part of the Centennial of Naval Aviation’s Heritage Paint Project to recreate vintage paint schemes on modern aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Vic Pitts/Released)

On Jan. 13, F/A-18 Hornet Pilot Cmdr. Mitch Conover prepares for takeoff at NAS Jacksonville, Fla., in a jet painted in a vintage WWII paint scheme used from late 1943 to late 1944. Painters at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast are applying heritage color schemes to several military aircraft for the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation. (Photo courtesy of NAS Jacksonville Air Operations)

On Jan. 28, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., completes a heritage paint scheme on a P-3C Orion for Patrol Squadron (VP) 9 attached to Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The squadron chose to honor the VP-6 “Blue Sharks” by using the defunct squadron’s insignia on the modern aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Vic Pitts/Released)

Pic of the day. Jan, 28, 2011.

NAVAL AIR STATION, NORTH ISLAND, Ca. (Jan. 26, 2011) An E/A-18G Growler from the "Vikings" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Wash., arrives at NAS North Island. The Growler is painted in a throwback three-tone paint scheme (circa 1944), honoring Air Group 85 which operated from USS Shangri-La (CV 34) during World War II. The specially-painted Growler is one of more than 200 naval aircraft, from pre-World War II to the present day, participating in a Parade of Flight over San Diego Bay, kicking off a series of nationwide events celebrating the Centennial of Naval Aviation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Briana C. Brotzman/Released)

M-1A3?

I saw this over at MilitaryPhotos.net...

I'm slightly intrigued.  Could that be the prototype for a new M-1A3 that the US Army is developing?  The only external difference seems to be the turret but some are speculating that a new larger gun is being used.

I report, you decide.

Large Vessel Interface Lift-on/Lift-off (LVI Lo/Lo) crane

*Note, this is a follow on to the "LCS Tender" post. What do we need to make it work? How about something as mundane as a good crane to transfer gear, containers and such at sea in almost any sea state. The Office of Naval Research already has it covered with the LVI Lo/Lo Crane.

via Office of Naval Research...

What Is It?

The LVI Lo/Lo crane is an advanced motion-compensated at-sea cargo transfer system that will be able to transfer fully-loaded cargo containers between ships at sea in Sea State 4 and below by providing six degrees-of-freedom control of the payload without taglines.

How Does It Work?

The system enables the rapid and safe at-sea transfer of standard ISO containers and other heavy loads from military and commercially available ships onto the Sea Base. Capability details include:

• Ability to maintain optimal cargo throughput rates through Sea State 4
• Ability to transfer cargo between two ships directly alongside each other at zero forward speed or underway at slow speed in the open ocean.
• Motion sensing and compensation for the ships and/or the cranes will allow safe and efficient transfer of cargobility to transfer car

What Will It Accomplish?

The LVI Lo/Lo crane is a key technology for enabling the fl ow of joint logistics through the Sea Base. Currently, to off -load a container ship,
it must have a safe deep-water port.  By adding the LVI Lo/Lo crane to the Sea Base, the container ship can be off -loaded at sea, with the containers transferred to other modes of transportation for the final leg to the shore.  This eliminates the need for a secure deep-water port and enables the flow of containerized logistics through the Sea Base to the shore.

Rocket fire.

Marines use high mobility artillery rockets to support infantry

Marines with 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment launch a high mobility artillery rocket system from Forward Operating Base Delaram II, Jan. 26. These systems have been used to support Marine infantry units operating throughout Helmand province in the fight against the Taliban

LCS Tenders.

USS Shenandoah

What does the LCS class desperately need?  Some are calling them motherships but the proper name for ships that would carry replacement crews, mission modules (if the tasking changes), extra munitions or even transport specialist or Special Operations troops to support the LCS mission are Tenders.  This from Wikipedia...

A destroyer tender is a ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of the 20th century as the roles of small combatants have evolved (in conjunction with technological advances in propulsion reliability and efficiency).
Due to the increased size and automation of modern destroyers, tenders are no longer as necessary as they once were.

Replace the word 'Destroyer' in the above paragraph with the word 'LCS' and you realize the need exists.

My modest proposal.  Build a stripped down LPD-17 class hull, place cranes on it and you have instant modern day LCS Tender.

*While looking up information on the Dash Drone, I ran across this site which provides more information on Destroyer Tenders of old.  Check it out.

C-5.

A C-5A Galaxy strategic airlifter arrived at Lockheed Martin from the U.S. Air Force to begin major maintenance. This C-5A is assigned to Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, home of the 105th Airlift Wing, and will be at the Palmdale site for five months.

A C-5A Galaxy strategic airlifter arrived at Lockheed Martin from the U.S. Air Force to begin major maintenance. This C-5A is assigned to Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, home of the 105th Airlift Wing, and will be at the Palmdale site for five months.

Nigel is AWESOME!

A few days ago I ran the a video featuring Nigel Farage.  While I support his cause and his words echo my feelings... comments from my European readers were alot less than flattering.

I wrote the UKIP to get a response to the criticisms that flew Nigel's way.

Today I got that response.

Dear Solomon

Many thanks for writing to me about this.  I notice that the comments you mention, from your "readers in Europe", do not address the substance of my speech - which was all about the EU's Central Bank bailing out failing eurozone-countries - at all!

What those "readers" are saying amounts to an ad hominem attack - an ancient rhetorical device for avoiding an argument you can't win - and, in addition, this attack is the oldest canard in the book - "racism", if you please, when UKIP is a declared libertarian, inclusive, democratic Party, battling to remove the megalomanic grasp of the Brussels-bureaucrats from our social, economic, political and judicial throat!  

I don't think you can take it seriously.  UKIP always says , "love Europe - hate the EU!"  It is the neo-soviet EU-system, we are fighting, and the Quisling-conspirators in national governments, who have created this system, and who stay in power, because they are using taxpayers' money, via the EU and directly, to bribe the media and all society's opinion-formers to support them.

As for our neighbours, European and otherwise, we fear for  them - as the EU's power grows - just as much as we fear for ourselves.

What your critics are saying is cynical tosh.

Yours sincerely

Nigel

Wow.


Nigel rocks!

Navy/Marine Team Practice "Logistics" in the runup to Cobra Gold 11...

Marines and Navy personnel offload humvees from the USNS Lummus onto a causeway ferry as they perform a maritime prepositioning force offload during exercise Freedom Banner on Jan. 25, 2011 at the Sattahip Naval Station, Kingdom of Thailand.

Marines and Navy personnel offload humvees from the USNS Lummus onto a causeway ferry as they perform a maritime prepositioning force offload during exercise Freedom Banner on Jan. 25, 2011 at the Sattahip Naval Station, Kingdom of Thailand.

A Navy causeway ferry, top, docks with the USNS Lummus to offload hummvees and other military gear as part of Exercise Freedom Banner on Jan. 25, 2011, Sattahip Navy Base, Thailand. Exercise Freedom Banner utilizes a Maritime Prepositioning Force to offload gear in a timely manner that is unique to the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy.

“An MPF squadron, like MPSRON 3, can support a brigade sized element of more than 16,000 for up to 30 days. For Exercise Cobra Gold ’11, the MPF will provide 160 pieces of equipment that will be utilized by units within 3rd MEB,” said Lt. Col. Michael Curtin, 3rd MEB logistics officer. “MPSRON 3 is an operational asset to the Navy’s Seventh Fleet focusing on the Asia-Pacific region.”

F-35 final development jet.

A Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter comes in for a landing at Edwards AFB, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 22, after a 3.2-hour ferry flight from Fort Worth, Texas.

Appeasement is the proper policy towards Confucian China???

via The Telegraph.

The correct statecraft for the West is to treat Beijing politely but firmly as a member of global club, gambling that the Confucian ethic will over time incline China to a quest for global as well as national concord. Until we face irrefutable evidence that this Confucian bet has failed, 'Boltonism’ must be crushed.
Appeasement, your hour has come.

Wow!

Wow!

Wow!

Before any action is taken...after we have acquiesced to every demand...the pacifist want even more.

Wow!

If you feel like being highly pissed off then read the whole thing, but remember, I warned you!

I love this guy!