F-35 First Departures

Lockheed Martin test pilot David Nelson is at the controls of F-35A AF-4 for the first intentional departure from controlled flight as part of the high angle of attack testing being performed at the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. This first departure test sortie occurred on AF-4 Flight 148 on 4 December 2012.

The Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier Infographic...

F-35C CF-6 With VFA-101 Scheme

K-55A1 Fire Mission...

Time to jump the shark again. Get'em Alex!

I love the push back and laugh at the people that are uncomfortable with the fight.  

Its half time and its over.

I hate Alabama but I love the SEC.

I can take another win for Alabama as long as the conference wins another title.

For tonight and tonight only.

Roll Tide!

Around the fleet...

UPDATE: Defense programs are ALL in trouble.

Just got this from the Washington Post.

The sequester put in place last year was supposed to be so unpalatable that both parties would have to come to an agreement. But House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) tells the Wall Street Journal that, now that tax increases are dealt with, the defense cuts in the deal don’t scare him. He has significant Republican support, he said, for letting the defense cuts (along with drastic domestic spending cuts) take effect. “I got that in my back pocket,” he said. The sequester is “as much leverage as we’re going to get” to force Democrats to cut entitlement spending. 

Both parties agree on one thing.

Defense cuts are acceptable.  Acceptable to the Republicans in order to balance spending (I can't argue with this logic as long as the cuts are reasonable) and the Democrats are in favor of cutting defense so that precious social programs can be spared.

They agree for different reasons but the results are the same.

The only real cuts that will take place in Washington will come out of the Pentagon.

Marine Personnel Carrier. Canary in the coal mine.

The Marine Personnel Carrier is one of the most needed vehicles in the Pentagon.

And because of that fact its also the canary in the coal mine when it comes to upcoming procurement trends.

If the Marine Corps is able to move ahead with selection, and then production of this vehicle then we can expect a moderate yet still painful---but at least planned budget reduction.

If we see the testing and selection of this vehicle delayed in the next few months (I'd say if we get word of a delay in either testing or selection by May) then we are up for nothing but pain.

If its the worse case scenario and the MPC is delayed and production moved to beyond 2020, then expect for the JLTV, Ground Combat Vehicle and other ground programs to be in serious jeopardy.  Even worse though is the knock on effect it will have with our European partners.  If the US signals a large reduction in defense spending then you can bet your last dollar that European countries will follow suit.

Its hard to tell what our Pacific partners will do...Japan, S. Korea, Singapore and others are all talking about increasing defense spending.  All that is dependent on the economy and if the Democrats or Republicans misplay the fiscal cliff then even that could be doomed...even with a China threat.

From now till May.  The next few months will tell the story.

The Commandant reaches for tradition.

Battle Rattle has it as its primer for the latest issue of Marine Times.  I can look at the headlines and make some educated guesses as to the whys behind the moves....

*Bravo Fridays.  Battle Rattle teases that its an attempt to identify over weight Marines.  Not hardly.  What it is though is a nod toward tradition and an attempt to kick faith with the "Old Corps".  It doesn't take much thinking to figure that many old skool Marines aren't happy with what they're seeing.  This move is to placate them.  Nothing more or less.

*IAR could replace the MK12.  I also saw this from a mile away.  The designated marksman is a point suppression element used to enable the squad or platoon to effectively act against the enemy.  The very thought that the IAR would replace SAWs was foolish...poorly concieved and without merit.  Area suppression with automatic weapons will remain an enduring part of ground combat.  Thinking that a precision weapon could fill that role should cause someone to lose rank and assignment to the Australian outback in meat underwear.  I would like to see the IAR become the M16A5 though.  Probably won't happen but it would be nice.

One issue not covered by Battle Rattle but deserving attention today.

*Hagel going to the DoD.  The Mayan apocalypse has come to the defense sector.  Expect this man to go through the Pentagon like Vikings through an English village.  Rape, carnage and sector killings will be the rage.  Quite honestly the Marine Corps (I haven't kept a close enough watch on the other services) deserves the butt kicking its about to get.  Too slow with the EFV.  Too slow with the MPC.  Too slow with the Upgraded AAV.  A dumbass move to delay the CH-53K....We might not get any of them now.  We are going to be properly fucked when it comes to procurement now.  I'm making the call and hoping I'm wrong.  The Marine Corps is about to become a hollow force.  Think 1970's era Marine Corps all over again.

Don't fear the obvious. I'm just the messenger.

A few points.

You can't ignore the number of weapons being bought by the American people.  Next, you can hate Buchanan all you want but he is tapped into a portion of the population that is constantly ignored.  Staunch conservatives.  Also, notice how the language is changing on this subject.  The emphasis from the gun grabbers is now all about not taking guns and wanting reasonable controls.

I've said this will get ugly and by the continued talk, its designed to focus attention on another issue besides the anemic economy.

But what should worry everyone and no one is talking about it is the fact that the most famous domestic terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, was motivated to act because of actions by the ATF at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

In both those cases the ATF sought to arrest gun owners and those arrests spiraled out of control and law enforcement officials were injured and killed.  Both events were the result of the ATF enforcing the first assault weapons ban.

The worry for law enforcement in general and ATF in particular isn't that the law might be defeated, but that it might pass.  The exact same conditions that led to the rise of the militias and the fear of domestic terrorism are being played out.

Quite honestly its probably to a point where some soul is becoming radicalized while we speak.

That's the danger.

So you're rockin' a Trijicon and think you're high speed? Uh...no!

SpecterDR1x4

I saw this optic being carried by the SOCOM bubba pictured below and had no idea what it was.  Thankfully Simester was johnny on the spot and filled me.

Just reading the stats on it, it looks like a winner.  Time to see how much these puppies retail for...

Found it.  Click here.  Seems like Trijicon and Aimpoint have some upper end competition.

Funny.  I've seen Canadian Forces sporting Raytheon Elcan tech but didn't think twice about it.  Time to re-assess.

Northrop Grumman Delivers Global Hawks to U.S. Air Force

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has completed early delivery of two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. Global Hawk allows military commanders to receive high-resolution imagery, survey vast geographic regions and pinpoint targets on the ground.

Both aircraft were delivered ahead of schedule in late November.

"Global Hawk's ability to fly more than 30 hours at high altitudes while gathering multiple types of intelligence data makes it extremely valuable to field commanders who need near real-time information," said George Guerra, vice president for Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems. "These new aircraft add to that capability."

In 2012, three new Global Hawks were delivered to the Air Force and five previously delivered aircraft completed installation of additional sensors that will allow them to gather multiple types of intelligence data during a single mission.

A total of 37 Global Hawks have been delivered to the Air Force.

Global Hawk carries a variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensor payloads that allow military commanders to gather imagery and use radar to detect moving or stationary targets on the ground. The system also provides airborne communications and information sharing capabilities to military units in harsh environments.

Combined with Global Hawk's ability to fly for long periods, the aircraft's 12,300 nautical mile range makes the system ideally suited to take on many different ISR missions.

Global Hawk has logged more than 80,000 flight hours and has been used over battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. The unmanned aircraft system has also supported intelligence gathering and reconnaissance efforts following the devastating earthquakes that struck Haiti and Japan.

What is the optic and BUIS on this rifle?

click on the pic to enlarge it.

Norwegian fallskjermjeger recruiting period.

via Military Photos.  Check it out here.

Generalize the US.

If you mix the above map with gun control and other social issues then you can basically see our divide.

The US is balkanized.  We are at the very least two countries in one.  I really think the above map is fairly representative of how things stand.

I could live with that.

The South, Midwest(portions) and the Upper Northwest all band together...the Northeast, Pacific and portions of the Southwest along with Florida form another country?

Yeah I think that could work.

The dirty little secret is that things have changed since the civil war though.  The North isn't a manufacturing sector anymore...all it is is a financial hub and "so called cultural center"...it produces the stock market and musicals and laws that the rest of us don't want.

The Pacific is home to movies and a few big cities that seek to copy the Northeast.

In essence, in todays world the fly over part of our country is where its at.  Food production, oil and gas production all come from this region.

Ports are available in New Orleans, Houston and North and S. Carolina.

It could work quite easily and the fly over states wouldn't miss a beat.  Its time to seriously consider what was once taboo.  I am beyond tired of being dictated to. Its time for a nationwide divorce.  The liberals don't want us and I don't think the conservatives want them.  Time to break this puppy up.

Its a military thing...

Maybe its a Marine thing.

Maybe its a military thing.

More than likely its a patriotic thing.  More than a few like minded people are beyond pissed about this gun control thing.  Take note of this letter to the California Yetti...

A U.S. Marine outraged by recent attention to gun control fired off a letter to a California senator to say he refuses to give up his weapons if her legislation is passed.Cpl. Joshua Boston, whose eight-year service included time in Afghanistan, wrote that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has “overstepped a line that is not your domain” by introducing a bill to ban assault weapons.

I can almost smell the fear from the anti-gunners.  I can feel their dread.  I like it!  Read the entire article here. 

 

Broad gun control measures???

I get tired of people in general and politicians in particular parsing there words.  Its dishonest at BEST, and a down right lie when you get rid of "societal correctness".

I won't take away your guns was his message but it was simply politically expedient.

Resistance is coming...He knows it, the Democrat party knows it and only a few are willing to accept how deep it will be.  I can sense the fear that some readers here have when they consider the fact that some of their countrymen are preparing to "buck" the government and not succumb like good little sheep-people.

via Washington Post.

A working group led by Vice President Biden is seriously considering measures backed by key law enforcement leaders that would require universal background checks for firearm buyers, track the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, strengthen mental health checks, and stiffen penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors, the sources said.
To sell such changes, the White House is developing strategies to work around the National Rifle Association that one source said could include rallying support from Wal-Mart and other gun retailers for measures that would benefit their businesses. White House aides have also been in regular contact with advisers to New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), an outspoken gun-control advocate who could emerge as a powerful surrogate for the Obama administration’s agenda.
The Biden group, formed last month after the massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that killed 20 children and six adults, plans to submit a package of recommendations to President Obama this month. Once Obama’s proposals are set, he plans to lead a public-relations offensive to generate popular support.
“They are very clearly committed to looking at this issue comprehensively,” said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, who has been involved in the discussions. The proposals under consideration, he added, are “a deeper exploration than just the assault-weapons ban.”

He won by 51% of the vote.  Hardly a mandate.

There is no "joy" in America at his re-election.  Not even his biggest supporters are jumping for joy.

The economy is still in a funk.

Defense contractors (one of our only remaining sectors of manufacturing) is about to face major cuts laying off untold number of people.

Green energy is an illusion that keeps getting money pumped into it.

Payroll taxes just went up on middle and low income wage earners.

Obama-care taxes are set to hit at any moment.

And this Administration wants a fight over gun control?

Amazing.

Liberals are just beginning to note that this fight will be different but I don't think they realize how different.  Law Enforcement that is going to be used as displays don't realize that they are about to cross swords with their biggest supporters.  Republicans that support the anti-gun bill don't realize that Mayor Bloomberg can provide no protection to turn coats.

Battle is about to be engaged. This is gonna get good.

Bravo 18. A sweet beast.

All it needs is a red dot and its ready to go.  Check it out here.

Airbus A330 wins in India.

via Aviation News.

India has selected the  European Airbus 330-200 MRTT over the  Russian Ilyushin-78 mid-air refuelling  aircraft in an Rs 8,500-crore contract.

Defence ministry sources on Thursday said the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Company (EADS) “is now being called for the final commercial negotiations” for acquisition of six Airbus-330 MRTT tankers.

So the Airbus offering racked up another win.

On a personal note I keep wondering if it wouldn't have been the better tanker for the USAF but they bungled the selection on more than a couple of levels.

*They made it a replacement for the KC-135 instead of a best value tanker contract.
*The Air Force didn't do market research to see what airplanes were available to fulfill its needs and got stuck picking between two different size airplanes--it was a no win situation from the beginning.
*Airbus treated the US like a colony..and this is a warning to other manufacturers...having simple assembly plants in the US for our defense products isn't good enough.  They need to be manufactured here in order to pass the smell test.

The good thing about the airplane though is that its one big beast and should take up some slack when it comes to transporting cargo and deploying air assets long distances.  But the bad is that the A400 will probably eat into  its sales.  If the turn to the Pacific is real and if we don't come up with a fancy two seat, stretched F-22 then we might miss having a tanker larger than the KC-10 to help us rampage over the area.