Damn. Norwegian C-130 Crew presumed dead.

RAF sent me an update on the search for survivors (thanks man...even though the news sucks)...

Like the title says, the crew is presumed dead.  DN.se (google translated)...

Rescue personnel have found body parts at the crash site in Kebnekaise, police said at a press conference on Saturday night in Nikkaluokta. Rescue Service has suspended sökarbetet and relatives have been informed.

- At 17.30 the police decided that the rescue operation should be stopped. The decision was taken in consultation with the Norwegian authorities. The relatives are also informed about this, said Norrbotten police spokesman Borje Ohman at the press conference.
The missing Norwegian Hercules aircraft will have exploded, police said. The explosion occurred when the plane hit the mountain wall and triggered an avalanche. It was in the avalanche area which body parts were found.

Prayers for the family and the crew.

Prometheus Imax Trailer

They keep teasing this Aliens prequel and I have to admit....I'm pretty jazzed about seeing it.  A prequel that answers questions raised by the original movie instead of resetting the franchise?  Cool!

31st MEU conducts mock helicopter raid

Broken trust.

Remember the post I did on the Marine Corps not disclosing that another one of the family had been murdered by a supposed Afghan ally?

Remember me saying that the Marine Corps is broken?

Its worse than I thought.

While individual Marines are not only having to duck enemy fire, dodge land mines and IED's, sprint to cover while under sniper fire and evade RPG's, the leadership of the Dept of the Navy with apparently no push back from the Commandant of the Marine Corps is looking to give breathalyzers to Marines after they make it back to the safety of the barracks.

What does that tell you?

It tells me that our priorities are totally out of whack.

No longer are we a war fighting, battle winning organization.  Now we're just another part of the politically correct crowd...we're being emasculated without a howl of protest.

Instead of General's slamming fists on the table demanding that the Afghan Army (which we're training and appear to have been thoroughly penetrated by the enemy) clean up its act, our leadership is pounding the table demanding that Marines become teetotalers. 

What happened to our leadership?

How did it get this bad?

What is the solution?

I have no idea, but one of the few Marine Corps General's that I continue to have faith in is appearing on Midrats this Sunday.  Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper, USMC(Ret) will be a guest on this program.  I'll be tuning in and if possible I will specifically ask about the happenings that led to the missteps in Afghanistan, the current lack of focus by leadership and what it will take to get our Marine Corps back on track.

Update on missing Norwegian C-130.

All photos by Bjørnar Bolsøy do not use without his permission.  The photos are of the airplane that crashed during exercise "Cold Response 2012"

Bjørnar has been keeping in the loop regarding the missing C-130J that went down during exercise "Cold Response 2012".  His report follows....

Latest news:

* Pieces of possible wreckage has been found on both sides of the South Peak of the Kebnekaise mountain range
(Google Earth coordinates approx:  67°54'4.92"N   18°31'26.22"E)

* Metal pieces were found close to the peak's summit of about 6900 feet as well as part of a "seat with velcro soaked in paraffine"

* The area is now officially a crash site

* Ski hikers in the aera report hearing large bangs which they assumed were avalanches

* Last two radar contacts were a few miles west of the peak: a civilian radar contact at 7200 feet and shortly after that a military radar contact at 7600 feet
(http://static.vg.no/uploaded/image/bilderigg/2012/03/16/1331913742451_463.jpg)

 

* Yesterday's report of emergency radio transmission picked up by a Danish Merlin helicopter has not been confirmed

* Weather is still very challenging with storms, strong turbulence and limited visiblity, very steep terrain and avalanche danger

(panorama picture of the mountain range: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Kebnekaise_Panorama.jpg)

 

* It is believed that there were hurricane winds in the area at the time of the accident
 

* SAR helicopters have been forced to abort numerous times due to the bad weather

* Forecast however looks better for the comming night and tomorrow

* The ship lost has been confirmed as #5630 named "Siv" of 335. Sqn. at Gardermoen AB. It entered operational service mid-2010

* About 20 helicopters and aircraft as well as large ground forces are participating in the search

* Helis include RNOAF Sea Kings and RNOAF Bell 412SPs, Swedish HKP-10s (Eurocopter AS332), Lifeguard 906 (Sikorsky S-76++), EC135 police helicopter as well as two Danish Merlins

* Fixed winged aircraft include RNOAF P-3s and F-16s, NATO AWACS, US MC-130 and E-2C Hawkeye

So far the accident is a mystery. The crew was highly experienced, the C-130J considered a modern and robust airplane and has advanced support systems like terrain avoidence radar. Although challenging, the conditions were not deemed too difficult for flight operations. Earlier, two aircrafts had passed through the same area without incidence. Amongst the speculations are course deviations and a solar flare yesterday causing magnetic storms. However according to scientist Knut Stanley Jacobsen at the Norwegian cartographical service the flare hit the Earth some time after the accident and still wouldn't be strong enough to cause problems with aircraft systems.

On a personal note I flew with that very same aircraft on the official inauguration flight of the RNOAF C-130J fleet in August 2010. Photos attached. Note that airborne C-130J is #5607 "Idunn". It was quite difficult to get good shots bacause the chasing C-130s were directly behind the jet exhaust of our ship "Siv".

 

Hopefully we'll find the aircrew alive and well but "even training is dangerous"...

The thought of flying in hurricane force winds is bad.  Doing it during wintery conditions is brave beyond words.

So much for the European's being soft huh?  Best wishes and luck to the missing aircrew and the searchers.

When I get updates so will you.

2nd Recon Jump.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Corporal Rylan S. Miller, a reconnaissance Marine with Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, conducts the first round of parachute checks on Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, March 12, at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune prior to their low-level static line jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:00 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Gunnery Sgt. Brad Dean, a Richlands, N.C. native and operations chief for Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, makes an aerial assessment prior to the reconnaissance Marines’ low-level static line jump March 12 at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Jump-qualified Marines must conduct jump operations for sustainment and proficiency, quarterly. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:01 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Three reconnaissance Marines with Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, prepare to land after their high altitude open jump March 12 at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:03 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-A MV-22 Osprey aircraft prepares to land at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 spent nearly eight hours providing flight operations for Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion’s jump. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:00 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Marines with Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, parachute toward their landing zone at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, March 12. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:02 PM

Your hollow points just became obsolete.

That's right gun guys.  Your favorite hollow point just became obsolete.  Whether its Gold Dots or Rangers it looks like a new kid on the block might be worth checking out.  I know I will.  via Shooting Illustrated.

The initial goal of the EFMJ bullet was to provide a non-hollow-point projectile that would reliably expand without hydraulic dependence, yet would feed unfailingly in semi-automatic handguns. You see, conventional hollow-point handgun bullets need to impact a fluid-based material to expand. Bad guys are made of mostly water. As a conventional hollow point enters a bad guy, liquefied materials enter the hollow-point cavity and create pressure on the inside of the jacket walls. This forces the bullet to expand.
If the hollow-point cavity is clogged with some sort of material like cloth or dry wall, the bullet may not expand. EFMJ bullet expansion relies on mechanical force as opposed to hydraulic force. How does this work? The EFMJ bullet consists of a gilding-metal jacket surrounding a lead core located at the rear of the bullet. The open (rear) end of the jacket is crimped over the rear of the lead core, just like in a hardball round. The real difference is at the front of the bullet, where there is a void between the front of the lead core and the nose of the jacket.

Read the whole thing but I know I'll be taking these to the range as soon as I can lay hands on a box.

Wanna buy a Me163 cheap?

Ed (thanks man!  I thought you were punking me at first) sent me this ad on gun broker for a supposedly original Me163.

I almost hope this is fake....and if its real I hope a museum swoops in quick.  We have to preserve aviation history.


See the ad for yourself here.

Air Delivery Unit training.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-An MV-22 Osprey hovers above the ground March 13 during air delivery operations training at Landing Zone Falcon. The training certified Marines with the air delivery attachment of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in conducting air delivery operations. , Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, 3/13/2012 12:55 PM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-An MV-22 Osprey launches a Container Delivery System March 13 during air delivery operations training here at Landing Zone Falcon. The training certified Marines with the air delivery attachment of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in conducting air delivery operations. , Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, 3/13/2012 11:30 AM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -Marines with air delivery attachment, Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Air Delivery Platoon, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, parachute onto Landing Zone Falcon here, March 13, 2012. The parachute operations served as a smaller part of a training evolution certifying the 24th MEU in conducting air delivery operations. , Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, 3/13/2012 11:31 AM

More pics of the new State Dept CH-46

Revitalized with the distinctive brand of the Department of State, a recently retired U.S. Marine Corps CH-46E Sea Knight “Phrog” has gained a new mission serving the nation. The first Phrog to wear the paint of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security for the Department of State was delivered March 16 at NAVAIR’s Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. Besides the paint job, artisans at FRC East refreshed the Phrog for another five years of service. Three more retired H-46Es are in the works at FRC East for the Department of State. Currently, 16 are scheduled to be reworked and delivered to the department, but that number could grow, officials said. As the Marines’ medium-lift fleet transitions to the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, H-46Es have been transferred to the Department of State and are available for foreign military sales. (U.S. Navy photo)

160th in S. America??????

A U.S. Army crew chief observes the horizon from the side door of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as they prepare to land on a helipad at Camp Stehenson, Guyana, during a training event in support of Exercise Fused Response 2012 on March 8, 2012. DoD photo by Sgt. Taresha Neal Joiner, U.S. Army. (Released)

The caption to this picture is garbage!

That's a UH-60?. 

Yeah...on steroids...that's a MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator.  Stats via Wikipedia...

• MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP): US Army variant. Special operations modification of the baseline MH-60L, operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.^[81] The DAP is equipped with ESSS or ETS stub wings, each capable of carrying a M230 Chain Gun 30 mm automatic cannon, rocket pods, and various other armaments. M134D miniguns are used as door guns.^[75]

My geography is jacked.  Get over it.

After thinking this through I'm a bit miffed.  Why is Special Forces doing a training mission in S. America?  Convetional forces could easily do it and I thought that they were screaming that they need more man power????

SOCOM complains about not having enough assets in theater but then sends the 160th on a training detail to S. America instead of supporting the war effort????

This makes no sense.

Coverup: Marine killed by Afghan ally.

This is your Marine Corps and mine.


A US Marine was killed by a sorry, low down, bastard of an Afghan dog...and instead of being forthcoming, the leadership withheld the information.


Our Marine Corps is broken.

Via the Washington Post.

WASHINGTON — An Afghan soldier shot to death a 22-year-old Marine at an outpost in southwestern Afghanistan last month in a previously undisclosed case of apparent Afghan treachery that marked at least the seventh killing of an American military member by his supposed ally in the past six weeks, Marine officials said.

Lance Cpl. Edward J. Dycus of Greenville, Miss., was shot in the back of the head on Feb. 1 while standing guard at an Afghan-U.S. base in the Marja district of Helmand province. The exact circumstances have not been disclosed, but the Dycus family has been notified that he was killed by an Afghan soldier. Marine officials discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because it is still under investigation.

Read the whole thing for yourself.  My stomach is turning, I'm ready to punch walls and I would love to hear the explanation that the Corps has for with holding this info.

Time for some resignations.  This is a force protection issue and violates the tenets of the Marines.  

Mission accomplishment first.  

Troop welfare second.  

This mission in Afghanistan can't be accomplished so Troop Welfare becomes the primary mission set.

 

3 aircraft carriers off Iran. The new Yankee Station.

120306-N-QN361-038 ARABIAN SEA (March 6, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and the British Royal Navy Duke-class frigate HMS Westminster (F 237) transit the Arabian Sea. Abraham Lincoln is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jerine Lee/Released)

120310-N-BC134-191
STRAIT OF HORMUZ (March 10, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits the Strait of Hormuz. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class John Grandin/Released)

120309-N-DR144-973 ARABIAN GULF (March 9, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is underway in the Arabian Gulf. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans/Released)

120311-N-ZE938-078 NORFOLK (March 11, 2012) The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) departs Naval Station Norfolk for the ship's 22nd and final deployment. Enterprise is deploying as part of Enterprise Carrier Strike Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Frank J. Pikul/Released)

The Lincoln, Vinson and Enterprise....all operating near the Strait of Hormuz.  We have the New Yankee Station...

Fighters heading to the Middle East now this???

Information Dissemination has a story out about naval movements to the Gulf in preparation for a war against Iran.

Additionally there has been rumblings about Fighter Squadrons on the West Coast getting orders to ship out to the Middle East in support of operations and supposedly one of the Marine Expeditionary Brigades Headquarters is suppose to be going down range to become MEB (FWD).

These movements are outside the normal rotation pattern.

Between the information that Information Dissemination provided, in addition to the rumor control about fighters and I do believe we're seeing the world line up for ANOTHER war in the middle east.

Terrible news from Cold Response...

Bjørnar sends the following (thanks dude)...

Norwegian C-130J with five crew reported missing - presumed crashed - during exercise Cold Response in mountainous terrain near the Norwegian-Swedish border. Norwegian and Danish aircrafts are assisting Swedish search end rescue units. There are unconfirmed reports of a Danish Merlin helicopter picking up emergency radio transmissions and that Norwegian F-16s has picked up "heat signatures". If accurate it could however be animals or other people.

I hope the crew is alright.

If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times.

Even training is dangerous.

Air Delivery Operations Training

First Flight for Last Raptor

The final Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor took to the skies for its first test flight in Marietta, Ga., on March 14, 2012, with company test pilot, Bret Luedke at the controls. Raptor 4195 has a May delivery date and will join other F-22s in the U.S. Air Force’s 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

Now this partnership makes sense!!!!

Now I can get behind this partnership.

There are a few Army units that I consider squared away (probably because I got a chance to see them up close).

The 82nd, 101st, 10th Mountain and 25th are all good to go.  With that being said this news puts a smile on my face.  via Marine Times.

The two services are planning a series of exercises likely to take place in North Carolina, where tens of thousands of soldiers and Marines are based at Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, which are located just 90 miles apart. With the future security environment uncertain, and an end in sight to combat operations in Afghanistan, the services are discussing ways to leverage complimentary capabilities, said Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, the Corps’ deputy commandant for combat development and integration who serves also as commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va.
“As we look at new strategies, as we look at potential areas of operations in the Pacific, I think it’s very natural that the Marines and the Army discuss it … should we have to go somewhere where people don’t want us to go,” Mills said.

You can bet that Bold Alligator was the primer that got the Army on board with doing Forcible Entry training with the Marine Corps.

Good thing too.

These are the units that will win battles in the Pacific.  For all the Special Ops fan boys out there (and that includes the bastards in the White House and Pentagon), they just don't work in areas with a police force or military.

In those situations Special Ops teams will be isolated, pinned down and destroyed in place.

And that characterizes the Pacific battlespace.  In that arena you need the rapid response and firepower that comes with an MEU or a Ready Battalion from the 82nd.

The axe falls on Marine Combat Power.

The axe falls.  via Reuters....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Marine Corps said on Wednesday it would cut four infantry battalions and 12 flying squadrons over the next five years as it shrinks by 20,000 personnel to meet budget constraints and peacetime needs after more than a decade of war.

The biggest cuts would fall on Marine Corps bases in North Carolina, with Camp Lejeune and the adjacent New River air base losing 5,800 personnel and Cherry Point air base losing another 2,100. Three California Marine bases - Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms and Miramar - would lose a total of 6,000 personnel.

and then this...

 Mills said the corps would add 250 personnel to improve its strength in cyberspace, put an additional 821 people in the Marine Corps Special Operations Command and add another squadron of unmanned aircraft to the Marine Corps Reserves, bringing the total to two

This is poor planning.

Adding boatspaces to a cyber unit????

Adding boatspaces to Marine Special Ops????

Another UAV squadron????

This is all bullshit!

When the nation calls on the USMC they are asking for a robust combined arms team that can rapidly deploy, and act as shock troops in whatever action is deemed necessary.

They aren't calling on the Marine Corps to provide help with cyber warfare.

They aren't calling on the Marine Corps to provide help with Special Ops.

They aren't looking to us for another batch of UAVs.

They want HARD CORPS ass kickers that come from the sea. 

Admit it.  When you think cyber war  your think USAF or USN.  When you think Special Ops you're thinking Green Berets, Navy SEALs or Rangers.

When you think Marines you think hard charging infantry arriving from the sea in AAVs, helos, tilt rotors fighting battles that would make lesser units break.

The little feel good part about this being a gentle slope to a drawdown is bullshit and everyone knows it.

The clerk with a perfect record will be allowed to reenlist and go to MARSOC while the grunt that's been in trouble once but has been deployed four times won't.

Welcome to the pussification of the Marine Corps.

.

Gnarly ammo from back in the day...

Shooting Illustrated has an old article up about ammo from the past.  This is one round that I kept coming back to...The Pin Grabber.  That is one gnarly looking bullet!  I wonder what it would do to human flesh?