Its a beautiful thing!

The F-35 is just a beautiful thing....


Like an old girlfriend that doesn't want anything to do with you but sex...


Like Ford Pickup Trucks with suspension lifts...


Like a personally customized AR-15.


Yeah the F-35, even during pit tests is a beautiful thing!

82nd Airborne Hookin' and Jabbin'!

A U.S. Army paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team fires his M4 carbine at insurgents during a firefight June 30, 2012, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The vehicle he is using for cover is a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod, Task Force 1-82 PAO)

Check out that ANA in the background.  I'd put a foot in his ass and tell him to get in the fight.  Notice I said ANA.  The Para-trooper is on the radio calling in the contact. 

Long Beach Police Raid.

If these guys were Iraqi's and Marines had conducted the raid....and of course they would have weapons and they wouldn't comply like these men did, but if they were Iraqi's and Marines hit the shop and the vid hit YouTube then before you know it, LCpl's would be busted to Privates, Cpl and Sgt's busted to LCpl's, Gunny's given double signers and the Skipper would get a letter of reprimand.

That's if they're lucky enough not to have discharged a weapon or used breaching tools to take down the door.  Add that to the mix and time would be spent in the brig....no matter what the Marines had to say about intel indicating this that or the other thing.

It will be interesting to see how civilian law enforcement is treated in this situation.  Oh I got off on a tangent.  Read the story here.

IDF river crossing.

RAW VIDEO: Marines Fight Known Insurgents

UK Ministry of Defence

Hey Commandant. Make me a believer.

I saw your video Commandant and SgtMajor.

I now know why everyone was sending me e-mails saying that women in combat is gonna happen now.  Its obvious by your presentations.

Make me a believer.  Integrate the Silent Drill Team right now!

Yeah they're an infantry outfit but they have a mostly ceremonial mission.  Integrate them and make it work at 8th and I before you send this bullshit out to the fleet.  Put some females on the burial detail at Arlington.  C'mon.  You're shoving this down our throats why don't you do it in your own back yard first!

I dare ya!

Marines test aviation capabilities at Geiger Fury

Lord Sweetman. Riiiiiiise.....

He's back.  The dark lord rises from the depths of Aviation Week and is again attempting to rally his evil Horde of Goons to strike back at the F-35.

Read his latest here.

Did you see what I did there?  That little jab at AirPower Australia?  Damn sometimes I impress myself!

More Bushmasters for Australia.

Australia is getting more Bushmaster.  Story here.

Thales Australia has announced that the Australian Government is to purchase an additional 214 Bushmaster vehicles for the Australian Army. Thales made the announcement on 3 July 2012 in a company statement.

Over 800 Bushmaster vehicles are on order and in-service with the Australian and Netherlands armed forces. Thales called the Australian government’s decision a ‘tremendous expression of confidence’ in the vehicle.
Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins commented: ‘Bushmaster vehicles are proving their worth every day in Afghanistan under some of the harshest conditions imaginable. The vehicle’s life-saving design, off road mobility and reliability have made it a mainstay of Australian operations.’

At first blush you would say good for Australia.  They see a need for their MRAPs after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But with a second look they appear as confused as the Army and Marine Corps.  They just upgraded their M-113's and also have ASLAVs in service so figuring out exactly how they plan on using these Protected Mobility Vehicles seems to be missing.  They're also looking at the JLTV or Hawkei so we can't expect these vehicles to act as a surrogate for the cargo carrier or utility role either.

Defense spending to prop up the economy or military necessity?  I don't know.

T-90M

Cops get their ass kicked by a naked dude.

Did you watch the vid?

Crazy huh?

But did you notice that the female cop went straight to her tazer?  That's the difference between males and females.  Female cops can escalate the levels of force based on the sex of the person they're engaged with and have greater leeway in the use of force than male cops.

Its a fact.  Deal with it.

Rumor has it that its baked in the cake that females will be allowed in the infantry in all roles.  The experiment is bullshit and the results will fit the agenda (I've gotten several e-mails begging me to watch the Commandant speak on heritage and values...I will today but everyone is saying that I should pay special attention to the SgtMajor speak and it'll be obvious what's coming.)

There are no rules on the battlefield and standards will have to be lowered to allow females to keep up.

The Marine Corps that you have known is dead.  Politically correct Amos has allowed the destruction of a once fine military organization.  You can call me alarmist, I'll call you naive. Oh and if you want the story on this ninja that kicks cop ass click here.

Russia offers US firefighting planes.

via Aviation News.

As the U.S. fights an epic summer fire in Colorado, Russia offers an aircraft with fire-fighting technologies that has a chance in the U.S. market.

The United States has its eyes on Russia’s Be-200 amphibious aircraft to bolster American-made fire-fighting aircraft, just as the country contemplates a radical renovation of its fire-fighting fleet, according to sources in the industry.

The ongoing fire in Colorado, both epic and uncontrollable, may spur the country to quicker action to renew its fleet.
These planes are sometimes the only means to fight fires, especially at industrial sites or large explosive facilities. The ability of a plane to travel at jet speed and begin extinguishing fire often offers the only chance to save people or prevent a large-scale environmental disaster.

The Be-200, a multipurpose amphibious aircraft made by Taganrog-based Beriev Aircraft Company, passed the first Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) certification tests this month. Specialists with the U.S. Interagency Tanker Board visited a test base in Taganrog to examine the Be-200ChS, a modification developed for fire-fighting operations.

Russia and the United States already contracted for the sale of ten planes in May 2010, and deliveries will start as soon as the aircraft completes tests and obtains an FAA certificate, according to Nikolai Lavro, deputy chief designer at Beriev Aircraft Company.

The Russian aircraft factory said in a statement that the initial Be-200 tests confirmed that the amphibious model is in compliance with U.S. requirements for scooping water when skimming the surface. However, the Americans would also like to be able to fill the tanker with flame retardant at the airfield, which calls for some minor alterations in the fire-extinguishing systems. After its upgrade, the Be-200 will continue certification tests, which is an essential part of the effort to bring the Russian technology to the international market.

The Be-200 can operate from a 1,800-meter long runway or an area of open water not less than 2,300 meters long, with waves of up to 1.3 meters high. Its corrosion protection system allows the plane to be used in the open sea. The Be-200 has a range of 3,600 kilometers, an altitude of 8,000 meters and a cruising speed of 710 kilometers per hour.

Currently, six Be-200 aircraft are successfully operating in Russia, and one more airplane is used for fire-fighting in Azerbaijan. The Russian Ministry for Emergencies has placed an order for eight more Be-200 units for three fire-fighting wings in the Central Region, Siberia and the Far East.

Interesting.

The US Forestry Service has antiquated fire fighting equipment and now a foreign nation is offering us gear to fight those fires.  Sad but true.

Rant time.

The US government can't properly monitor welfare, is behind on processing veterans cases, is unable to control our border with Mexico, is spending money it doesn't have...

They can't do the things that the founders charged them to do and yet somehow someway people believe that they won't jack up the health care system?

Give me a break!

US Army Drill Sgt's don't yell. Pussification on roids!

Thanks for the article Joe!

Check out this bullshit!  I would make fun of the Army but Amos will probably make this SOP for Marine Corps Drill Instructors.  via Yahoo.

Less than a foot away, an evaluator from the Army's Training and Doctrine Command stood with a clipboard in hand and listened to every word Heilman said, evaluating whether he had the right leadership and critical thinking skills to be named 's Drill Sergeant of the Year.

Noticeably absent from the test scenarios last week were any of the yelling, screaming and order-barking associated with in popular culture. To be sure, Army drill sergeants can still instill fear in new recruits. But as the Army focuses more on developing the critical thinking skills of its soldiers and less on rote memorization and one-size-fits-all training, some of their top drill sergeants say bellowing is a last resort.

"I really consider myself a new generation of drill instructor. I mean, unless you do something really, really out of place I don't think there's any need to do the whole yelling and screaming," said Staff Sgt. Danneit R. Disla, who is part of the 98th Reserve Division based in Rochester, N.Y. "I just think if you talk to them like a person, like a man, they will act like a man, like a grown man."

Wow.

Just wow.

Just fuckin' wow.

Georgian Lazika Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Texas DPS fully militarizes.

Looks like law enforcement has become fully militarized.  I would prefer the US Navy operating in these water than see law enforcement take on this military role.  Defense of a nations border IS a military responsibility. 

Terminal Lance on Stolen Valor.

He nails it.

The only thing that would have made it better is if he throat punched the bastard.

Happy 4th.

Happy 4th.


I originally posted a pic with fireworks going off and all that jazz.


I had to take it down.  I still wish you a Happy 4th but to me things are off the rails in this country.


This just doesn't seem like a time to celebrate.


Happy 4th anyway.

VFM 5 Light tank

Anders Light Tank & IFV...Polish Perfection.

UltimateRatioReg (one of only two writers worth reading at USNI Blog...CDR Salamander is the other) always talks about a new alliance between Eastern European Nations.  The countries that were once under Soviet control and now are free and are willing to go the last mile to protect their freedom.

Well Poland is one of those nations and if you haven't kept up with some of the moves that they've been making to develop not only their defense industry but also the capabilities of their military then you've been missing out.

One of those projects is the Anders Light Tank.

Probably better called an Infantry Support Vehicle it's cutting edge and innovative.  An unmanned turret with a 120mm gun?  Enough room in the hull to have a decent number of reloads, sensors and a bit of comfort for the crew?  I like it!