General Dynamics. I figured out your play for MPC!

laviih

I've been scratching my head for months...

I've sent e-mail after e-mail to General Dynamics asking about their offering for the Marine Personnel Carrier...

I got no response and couldn't understand the silence.

Then tonight while surfing the web I took another look at the LAV II High Tech Demonstrator.  Examine that PDF document carefully.

The vehicle carries 9 troops.  Is designed to carry a RWS.  Improves the swim capability of the original LAV-25.  Has blast attenuating seats and extra armor for protection against IEDs (belly armor will help with self righting too).  Has hatches for the crew and passengers (a real big deal in the Marine Corps) and has been tested for transportability by USAF transports and Navy LCACs.

I thought that the Piranha III was the choice.  I think I was wrong.  General Dynamics Canada and USA doesn't have that vehicle in its portfolio.  They do offer the LAV II High Tech Demonstrator.

I'll bet you body parts that this will be the vehicle they offer. 

Brazil to buy Amphibious Assault Vehicles. BAE gets a nice little win.

via DefPro.

13:57 GMT, August 2, 2012 WASHINGTON | The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress July 31 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Brazil for 26 Assault Amphibious Vehicles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $233 million.

The Government of Brazil has requested the possible sale of 26 Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAVs)/Reliability, Availability and Maintainability/Rebuild to Standard (RAM/RS), with ancillary equipment, and machine guns. Also included are the upgrade of Brazil’s existing AAVs to the RAM/RS configuration, weapons and ammunition, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $233 million.

The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of Brazil, which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in South America.

Brazil will use this equipment to augment its current inventory of amphibious vehicles and to modernize and strengthen its naval operational amphibious capability in support of national defense objectives. Brazil will have no difficulty absorbing these vehicles into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The AAVs will be procured through a competitive procurement. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Wow.

Just plain wow.  This is surprising news to me.  I assumed that Brazil was on the road to going to an all wheeled force having acquired the VBTP.

What exactly does this mean?  I ask because the Brazilian Marines have operated their Piranha III wheeled APC's in Haiti during peacekeeping/disaster relief and have conducted "internal security ops" inside Rio with those same vehicles.

Did they experience deficiencies that have led them back to tracked vehicles?

But the big winner is BAE.  Even if they rebuild vehicles from Marine Corps stocks (and by this announcement it looks like these are new builds) then they'll gain some pretty solid info for the upcoming AAV upgrade program.

Nice win boys...I heard the design shop likes Jamie almost as much as I do so here's your Friday eye candy.

US Army Combatives goes hard. Pussification halted.

Army Staff Sgt. Glenn Garrison, right, and Army Staff Sgt. Shane Lees grapple during the finals of the lightweight division of the 2012 U.S. Army Combatives Championship on Fort Hood, Texas, July 28, 2012. Garrison, who won the match, is assigned to Fort Carson, Colo. DOD photo by EJ Hersom

Damn.


That looks like full contact combatives to me.  


US Army Combatives you make this JarHead proud.  YOU GUYS HAVE A COMBATIVE PROGRAM THAT GOES HARD!  No marching out to the back forty to get in some real training and hoping that you have a Corpsman (that's a Medic to you Soldier boys) that lives up to the Devil Doc rep and praying you don't have to explain a black eye that comes from building a little unit cohesion.


This is good shit!

First Supersonic AIM-9X

Maj. Ryan Howland of the F-22 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, California, was at the controls for the first supersonic AIM-9X launch From an F-22 on 30 July 2012.

Wow.  Too much military fiction for me.  Everyone one of the aviation writers I've ever read always talks about pilots going supersonic or darn near to add umph to their missiles.  I didn't know it was actually done in real life...until now.

Upcoming posts. Plus. JTAC calling in the pain.

U.S. Marines Corps Capt. Rob Gambrell, a joint terminal attack controller assigned to the 1st Battalion , 3rd Marine Regiment, uses a radio to call out target information to a UH-1Y Venom helicopter and an AH-1W SuperCobra helicopter assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 169 during a close air support live-fire combat training mission at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, July 23, 2012, during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012. RIMPAC is a U.S. Pacific Command-hosted biennial multinational maritime exercise designed to foster and sustain international cooperation on the security on the world’s oceans. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Upcoming posts....


1.  UPDATE on turret system offered by FNSS (the PENCE)...


2.  GEAR REVIEW by a hard charging Jar Head...


3.  UPDATE on Marine Personnel Carrier Program...

Textron's Trident Warrior anti-mine surface unmanned vehicle.

Unmanned vehicle designation are going to get confusing if the Navy and Army ever get serious about getting those systems in their respective elements (Navy-on sea...Army-on land...)

UAVs...Lockheed Style...

I added this just because it was crazy cool...why DARPA wanted to pursue this is beyond me but hey!

Blast from the past. Towed missile barges.

The towed missile barge.

I thought I had hit on something new and unique but as usual...nothing is new under the sun.  The US Navy has more than enough sensors.  From ships to planes to uavs to sats to allied forces...we have enough sensors.  What we might need are more shooters.  A couple of barges in the Pacific and in the Atlantic maintained like our prepositioned ships might be just what the doctor ordered.

Worried about saturation attacks by anti-ship missiles?  Tow a couple of these behind a Burke loaded with about 1000 plus quad packed SM3's.  Want to savage a coast line?  Fill the other half with about 500 tomahawk land attack missiles.  When done, have your crappy little LCS do some real work and tow it back to base for refill so that the real ships can stay in the fight (just joking...had to slam the LCS for fun).

This is a winner.  Admit it!

Musclefest at Marine Barracks

Lance Cpl. John Hartley, Marine Corps body bearer and native of Kalama, Wash., carries two 120-pound dumbbells during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to carry two dumbbells totaling their body weight for 100 yards. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

Lance Cpl. Gaige Roberts, adjutant clerk and native of Milford, Iowa, flips a 100-pound tire during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to flip the tire without rolling it for a distance of 40 yards for time. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

Lance Cpl. Ruben Franco, Marine Corps body bearer and native of Montgomery, Texas, pushes a 2.25-ton, pickup truck during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to push the truck 40 yards for time. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

Lance Cpl. John Hartley, Marine Corps body bearer and native of Kalama, Wash., carries two 120-pound dumbbells during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to carry two dumbbells totaling their body weight for 100 yards. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

HMS Daring.

The HMS Daring just got back from its first deployment and by all appearances it was quite successful.  But a couple of questions hang out in the ether for me...

Is the Daring the most advanced anti-air destroyer in the world?  By everything I've read (even knocking off a 10% embellishment fee) it is.  Nicely done by whatever design shop did it.  Next, I love the concept of independent operations by warships...but when they do integrate with allied navies why do they always aim to link up with Carrier Battle Groups?  The capabilities that these ships bring would be most useful (especially when I think about the US and the UK teaming up) to Amphibious Ready Groups.  The HMS Daring could almost provide anti-air coverage for almost all engagements up to full fledged warfare against a peer competitor.  An example would be a joint US-UK intervention into Syria.  One Daring class destroyer could protect a combined amphibious group all by its lonesome.

I really like this ship.

Blast from the past. Bring back the MH-53J.

The biggest mistake that US Air Force Special Ops made was retiring the MH-53J.  The CV-22 is great...I like the MH-60s but SOCOM needs the size and space that was lost with the retirement of these helicopters.  Want a perfect example of what a modernized MH-53J could have looked like?

Check out what EADS did for the German's with the CH-53GA.  This is a work of art.

A kick in the teeth to British air power.

This has got to be a kick in the teeth to British air power advocates.  The decision has been made and even though many disagree with it what's done is done.  But to now see US Marine Harriers flying air support for British units must be a serious WTF moment for at least a few Brit flyers.

Generational pussification defined.

We know what the ARMA 8x8 turret isn't.

Lance Turret.

Mizrak-30 Turret mounted on an ARMA 8x8.

PENCE CLAW

We'll my google-foo isn't as strong as it should be but I did find out a couple of things.

First the turret mounted on the ARMA 8x8 isn't a version of the LANCE turret.  Second.  The MIZRAK-30 doesn't seem (at least from what I've seen) to be a development version of the LANCE.  Last.  Rheinmetall teamed up with the Turkish company Aselsan to develop the PENCE CLAW.  If you look at it closely the PENCE CLAW does have a couple of design features that show its lineage.  The similarities are probably stronger beneath the skin though.

Research continues.

ARMA 8X8

ARMA_8X8

14th Air Support Operations Squadron.

Airmen enter an obstacle course as they take part in a combat mission readiness evaluation at the Pre-Ranger Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. The Airmen are being evaluated for various skills to ensure that they are ready for deployments with the 82nd Airborne Division. (U.S. Air Force photo by Val Gempis)

Army unit patches hang next to Air Force name tapes and uniforms at the 14th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Bragg, N.C. To match their Army counterparts, tactical air control party Airmen wear different uniforms in theater and in training. At the squadron, Airmen here have their own cage-locker, where they store gear and uniforms for use in training and real-world emergencies. (U.S. Air Force photo Airman 1st Class Alexander W. Riedel)

Maj. Christopher Wright, left, 1st Lt. Bradley Dewees, center, and Capt. Tyler Harman check their location on their maps during a mission combat readiness evaluation at Fort Bragg, N.C. The Airmen are air liaison officers assigned to the 14th ASOS. (U.S. Air Force photo by Val Gempis)

Staff Sgt. Kyle Terry, second from left, listens to instructions from the jumpmaster during a pre-jump exercise with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. Tactical air control party Airmen from the 14th Air Support Operations Squadron support 82nd Airborne Division operations by providing a liaison to close air support. Terry is a joint terminal attack controller and has completed multiple deployments to Afghanistan in support of Army operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexander W. Riedel)

Uniforms and equipment sit inside a locker of a TACP Airman assigned to the 14th ASOS at Fort Bragg, N.C. TACP Airmen have their gear ready at all times to provide air and space power expertise and integration to the 82nd Airborne Division. (U.S. Air Force photo by Val Gempis)

Ooohrah for G/ATOR. WTF is G/ATOR?

Ah that's so goofy its cool.  Uh wait.  What the fuck is G/ATOR?  Read about it here.

Rolling Air Frame missile upgrade and small boat threat.

The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $51.7 million contract for low rate initial production of the Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2. The contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to more than $105 million. RAM Block 2 features enhanced kinematics, an evolved radio frequency receiver, a new rocket motor, and an upgraded control and autopilot system.
"This next-generation RAM will enable U.S. and allied naval warfighters to defeat the more sophisticated threats emerging around the world today," said Rick Nelson, Raytheon Missile Systems' vice president of Naval Weapon Systems. "Through Raytheon's collaborative relationship with our German partner RAMSYS, we continue to improve and expand the capabilities of RAM."
The contract award follows a series of key milestones, including successful guided flight tests for RAM Block 2. The program is preparing for another intercept test later this year, as well as initiation of government developmental testing in support of fleet deployment.
"RAM has been fired in more than 300 flight tests with a 95 percent success rate," said Nelson. "We intend to bring the same or even greater reliability to RAM Block 2."
About RAM
RAM is a supersonic, lightweight, quick reaction, fire-and-forget missile providing defense against anti-ship cruise missiles, helicopter and airborne threats, and hostile surface craft. For more than 35 years, the U.S. and Germany have worked together developing and maintaining RAM. Development, production work and funding are shared between Raytheon and RAMSYS.

I wonder if the threat from small boats isn't a bit overblown.

The Navy already has in its arsenal a NUMBER of systems that are capable of dealing with the small boat threat but we're still being hit with the idea that our carriers and large amphibs are vulnerable.

I just don't believe it.  The only weakness in our system is the human element in the form of restrictive rules of engagement and how Commanding Officers interpret them.  Long story short.  If you're on a ship and they person running it has stars in their eyes and love to be called by thier first name when talking to the boss then you're probably screwed.  If he's old skool Navy and protects his ship then you have a better than fair chance of surviving.

The Tueller Drill -- Scenario from The Best Defense

Javelin Thrust 2012

Pure craziness.  Not the training.  That's good to go, but the confusion on operational philosophy is annoying.  All the rage was once distributed operations with a focus on small unit tactics.  That even extended to amphibs with distributed Amphibious Ready Groups and Mini-ARGs.  Now we're seeing an emphasis on Marine Expeditionary Brigades ... first with Bold Alligator and now with Javelin Thrust.  The Marine Corps is confused when it comes to future direction.