JLTV. Will it survive?

AM General

Lockheed Martin

Oshkosh

via Defense News.

The Army plans to purchase 20,000 JLTVs, while the Marines expect to buy 5,500. The current development and procurement schedule is expected to stretch out over an unknown period if the automatic spending cuts triggered by sequestration are allowed to remain permanent, according to Heidi Shyu, the Army's top acquisition executive.

"Clearly sequestration is going to stretch out the program," Shyu told ITA in a brief interview on Feb. 28. The delay will most likely result in increased development costs, which could cause the Marine Corps to balk at staying aboard (ITA, Feb. 18).

The Army's new equipment modernization strategy maintains that the service is fully committed to the JLTV and is planning for the "aggressive divestiture" of tens of thousands of light wheeled vehicles to be able to afford it (ITA, March 6).

Both the Army and Marine Corps have pointed to the JLTV as an acquisition success story because of how rapidly the services were able to tone down the vehicle's technology-development requirements for greater affordability and technological tenability (ITA, April 4, 2012). Those efforts rescued the program from termination after Senate appropriators recommended canceling the JLTV in their FY-12 spending bill.

Go to Defense News to read the whole article, but the question must be asked.

Will the JLTV survive?

The Marine Corps has already stated that if cost rise, participation in the program will have to be reconsidered.  That appears almost certain now.  The question at hand is what will the Army do?

Will it fight to keep the GCV, AMPV or JLTV.  Quite honestly I see the Marine Corps being given the same choice.  MPC, AAV Upgrade/ACV or JLTV.  

I see both services dumping the JLTV.

Upgrading the HUMVEE is already planned and the JLTV was never planned to replace it on a one for one basis.  Both the Army and Marines will cast aside a combat support vehicle in favor of combat vehicles without blinking an eye.

The JLTV is DRT.  Dead right there.  You heard it here first.

AM General Website.

Lockheed Martin Website.

Oshkosh Website.

Time for some adult supervision in this Marine Shop.

I know what the intent was.

It was to jump on the NCAA Final Four Fever and to toss a match up of Marine greats against each other to increase public knowledge of the Corps.

Sorry to tell whoever is in charge of this effort but its bullshit.

Pure, 100%, rolled in the hay...BULLSHIT.

Example.  They're pitting Cpl Joseph Vittori against Col John Glenn.

How do you even think of doing something like this?  Cpl Vittori was a Medal of Honor winner, dying in the act of winning the award!  What follows is a PORTION of his citation....

With a forward platoon suffering heavy casualties and forced to withdraw under a vicious enemy counterattack as his company assaulted strong hostile forces entrenched on Hill 749, Corporal Vittori boldly rushed through the withdrawing troops with two other volunteers from his reserve platoon and plunged directly into the midst of the enemy. Overwhelming them in a fierce hand-to-hand struggle, he enabled his company to consolidate its positions to meet further imminent on slaughts. Quick to respond to an urgent call for a rifleman to defend a heavymachine gun positioned on the extreme point of the northern flank and virtually isolated from the remainder of the unit when the enemy again struck in force during the night, he assumed position under the devastating barrage and, fighting a singlehanded battle, leaped from one flank to the other, covering each foxhole in turn as casualties continued to mount, manning a machine gun when the gunner was struck down and making repeated trips through the heaviest shellfire to replenish ammunition. With the situation becoming extremely critical, reinforcing units to the rear pinned down under the blistering attack and foxholes left practically void by dead and wounded for a distance of 100 yards (91 m), Corporal Vittori continued his valiant stand, refusing to give ground as the enemy penetrated to within feet of his position, simulating strength in the line and denying the foe physical occupation of the ground. Mortally wounded by enemy machine-gun and rifle bullets while persisting in his magnificent defense of the sector where approximately 200 enemy dead were found the following morning, Corporal Vittori, by his fortitude, stouthearted courage and great personal valor, had kept the point position intact despite the tremendous odds and undoubtedly prevented the entire battalion position from collapsing.

Colonel Glenn's heroic's should be known to everyone...even those outside the Corps.

But back to the issue at hand.  How do you pit two Marine greats against each other like this in order to be like everyone else during this Final Four stuff?

Keepers set free.

He tossed them back!  They'd be in my frying pan so fast it would make McDonald's drive thru look slow.

I thought only catfish ate anything that moved.  Live and learn.

Army Ground Combat Vehicle in trouble.

via AOL

The Army's proposed Ground Combat Vehicle would offer less combat power, at a higher cost, than buying the German-made Puma already in production or even just upgrading the Army's existing M2 Bradley, according to the Congressional Budget Office. CBO issued a report todayassessing different alternatives to upgrade Army heavy brigades' infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), tank-like war machines with tracks and turrets designed to carry troops into combat.
The non-partisan CBO, Capitol Hill's in-house thinktank, has slammed the Ground Combat Vehicle program before, but never this hard. The office's analysts took the Army's own criteria and created a grading system that scored different combat vehicles for effectiveness. Using a scoring scheme that prioritized protection above all, followed by firepower, mobility, and passenger capacity, in that order, the CBO rated the Puma highest, followed by a notional upgrade to the Bradley, followed in distant third place by the GCV. (The Israeli-built Namer came in fourth). Even under an alternative grading scheme that weighted all four criteria equally -- putting much more emphasis on the capacity to carry troops -- the 6-passenger Puma still edged out the 9-passenger GCV, largely because of its superior firepower.

Read it all over at AOL if you haven't already.

I'm making the call now.  The Ground Combat Vehicle program is going to be scrapped and you'll see the Bradley upgraded even further.

There isn't much to add to this story except that I wonder what would happen if the GAO evaluated all these vehicles with the exact same weapons fit.

Lets go middle ground and magically put 30mm cannons on all the vehicles involved.  I would bet that the Bradley would win going away.

Havoc 8x8 Completes Swim Tests

via Reuters

The trials in and near the surf at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., were conducted with the vehicle loaded to its full combat weight. During the Camp Pendleton testing, Havoc demonstrated its resistance to water penetration while easily accommodating a full complement of Marine Corps battle gear for the crew.
"The Havoc 8x8 showed its ability to negotiate all surf and wave conditions required by the United StatesMarine Corps," said Scott Greene, vice president of Ground Vehicles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The vehicle maintained 100 percent operational readiness throughout the test."
Lockheed Martin leads a team that includes industrial partner Patria Land Systems. Havoc is a multi-mission, expeditionary ground combat vehicle that is an evolution of the Patria 8x8 Armored Modular Vehicle, a battle-tested design used by armed forces globally. Its configuration allows for a wide range of weapons, sensor and communications options to address evolving mission requirements. Employing the baseline architecture of the Patria vehicle, Havoc features exceptional mobility and transportability, and can protect its crew against a variety of extreme threats.
Havoc's designed-in supportability combined with Lockheed Martin's award-winning experience in managing performance-based logistics programs for ground platforms enables increased system readiness and lower ownership costs. Lockheed Martin's total-system approach to vehicle missionization reduces crew workload and ensures troops remain connected on the battlefield.

Interesting.  Ordinarily this would be a big "meh" (where did that come from...meh isn't even a word) but I wonder if they're doing a X-35.

They show up and do the armored vehicle version of flying supersonic and then performing a vertical landing on the competition.

100 percent reliability, full combat load and meeting all objectives in the swim test?

Sounds like they're banging on a drum saying we're ready now.

One other thing has me curious too.  The release photo is the best fan dance I've seen in a long time.  They show just enough of the vehicle so its recognized as the Havoc but nothing else.  Could a design change of some type taken place?

Who knows.  Next up....General Dynamics and BAE.

Korea Utility Helicopter

China building up forces on N. Korea's border

via Free Beacon.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troop and tank movements were reported in Daqing, located in northeastern Heilongjiang Province, and in the border city of Shenyang, in Liaoning Province.
Officials said one key military unit involved in the mobilization is the 190th Mechanized Infantry Brigade based in Benxi, Liaoning Province. The brigade is believed to be the PLA’s frontline combat unit that would respond to any regional conflict or refugee flows. Troops and tank movements also were reported in Dandong, in Liaoning Province.
Fighter jets were reported flying in larger numbers in Fucheng, Hebei Province, and in Zhangwu and Changchun, Liaoning Provinces.
One of China’s Russian-made Su-27 jets crashed on Sunday in Rongcheng, a city directly across the Yellow Sea from the Korean peninsula. The accident may have been part of the increased warplane activity related to the military mobilization, officials said.

Go to the Free Beacon to read the entire story.

First let me say that I continue to be amazed that the American people are so blind to how dangerous the situation is on the Korean Peninsula.

Can you say normalcy bias on steroids?

Second, let me say that the Chinese are playing hardball.  While we're making some shows of force, China appears ready to take over the North.

A quick test of your knowledge of military history.  Name the units that were part of the now defunct Rapid Deployment Force (RDF).  If one of the units you named was the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division then you win a prize.  I point that out because even with a limited view of the Chinese Army, the 190th stands out.

The 190th Mechanized Infantry Brigade is one of China's all star units and is modeled on a modern Western style outfit.

I won't even touch the increased activity by China's air force.

I'm more convinced than ever that we're seeing the "Korean Missile Crisis" play out right before our eyes and the news media is missing it.

A modern day Cuba Missile Crisis?

Question.  Why is the US sending its sea based X-band radar closer to the Korean coast if the threat isn't real?

Question.  The N. Korean missiles MIGHT be able to reach the West Coast but the volleys of missiles fired to defeat them from our Aegis cruisers would surely destroy them, right?

Fact.  The N. Korean's launched an unknown payload into space last December.

Fact.  A nuclear device that is exploded over Nebraska would have the capability to knock out all electrical devices in the US.  It would cost 1 to 2 trillion dollars to get the grid online and take upwards of 10 years for full recovery.

I won't dive into this.  Its way outside my lane.  But some required reading...

EagleSpeak.

Heritage.org.

WND.com.

One thing is certain.  The US military has acted extremely aggressively and its getting only casual attention.

Consider.  A B-2 flight.  A flotilla of warships.  A large X-band radar on the move.  F-22's repositioned.

And that's what we can see.  We don't know what the S. Koreans are doing, we don't know what the war load is on those ships and we don't know what SOCOM is doing.

We might be looking at a modern day "Cuba Missile Crisis" but our news media is just missing it.

Update::::
http://news.sky.com/story/1073137/north-korea-us-in-nuclear-state-warning

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/02/us-moving-ships-radar-systems-in-response-to-n-korean-threat/

I lust after this 300 AAC Blackout!

The 300 AAC Blackout in the video above was built by Keuch...a gun guy.  A good guy.  When I'm flush again he will definitely get a call so he can build me an exact copy of that weapon!

Check out his YouTube Channel here.

Stir fried baby rat with your rice?

Better you than me!

I wonder how many people have enjoyed stir fried rodent without knowing it?

F-35B Lightning II carries eight SPEAR (Selective Precision Effects At Range) MissilesDon

SMSgt wades into the fight.

The slide you see above is from the Elements of Power Blog.  I won't spoil it.  Just head over there to read his latest.

Air Defense Artillery can they get into the game?

During the battle of 73 Eastings, supposedly an Iraqi ZSU-57 engaged an Abrams Main Battle Tank.  The ZSU fired what appeared to be its entire load of ammo at the tank and failed to even damage it.  Word has it that the paint wasn't even scratched after the ZSU subjected it to sustained heavy cannon fire.  NOTE:  The story always drifts between a '57 and a ZSU-23.  Either way the results would be the same and the Iraqi's were brave but crazy---no way a traditional anti-air vehicle could hope to win against a MBT.

What if that wasn't the case anymore?  What if the Canadians were in a way right with the Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle but aimed too high.

General Electrics DIVAD proposal

During the early 80's the US Army was seeking to regain mobile air defense.  The thinking was that the US and Soviet Union would be racing across the Middle East trying to control oil fields, the air war would be in the balance and that armored formations would have to provide their own protection against SU-25's seeking to swoop in and kill them.

General Electric  proposed every skool boys dream.  The GAU-8 cannon (the A-10 monster killer) inside the body of a main battle tank.  The limited research that I've done indicate that its fire control and radar system cost them the win.  But in an updated form, based on an Abrams should prove to be devastating.  Imagine a Gatling gun equipped tank able to fire depleted uranium at ranges equal to a main gun, and yet versatile enough (and cost effective enough) to engage every other vehicle on the battlefield.

One thing is certain.  With the proliferation of UAV's, stand off strike weapons, and with stealth becoming wide spread and threatening our ability to maintain Air Dominance (much less supremacy) its going to fall back on Air Defense Artillery to protect armored formations in the attack.  The real problem is two fold.  Commanders lack of knowledge on how to use them and ADA not providing a capability if air supremacy IS achieved.  The future belongs to vehicles like the one shown above via the Brislin Presentation or with hybrid vehicles equipped with guns, anti-air missiles and DAGRs.

NOTE:  Marine 83 brought another issue up that's rather disturbing.  The clearance to fire is going to be an issue.  If you're even a second late and you're able to kill the launch vehicle--- if the missiles are zooming toward your forces then its all for naught.  It might be time for the Army/Marines to start conducting anti-air drills again.

Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle.

Thanks Steve for correcting me on my previous post.

I posted an earlier article talking about Air Defense Artillery and under the posting ADATS I incorrectly showed a Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle.

While using a similar "turret", its weapons fit was totally different.  My bad.

New ammo from Lucky Gunner.

Big Brother is watching, and with modern technology, if Big Brother can see it, he can turn it into a giant smoking crater with just the press of a button. Even your secret remote wilderness bunker is no match for today’s military drones. In partnership with Tacnition Ammo, Lucky Gunner is happy to introduce a new way for you to fight back against the All Seeing Eye with our new anti-drone shotgun loads.
Years of research and development have gone into these highly effective 12 gauge shells that can turn even Joe Biden’s double barrel shotgun into an instant anti-aircraft platform. Specially formulated propellant is capable of launching 9 pellets of depleted uranium rounds up to 1 km straight up into the air. With accurate shot placement, this armor piercing buckshot will disable vital systems on modern military drones. At minimum, the force of impact will disable navigation systems, but in over 60% of our field tests, the drones were incapable of remaining airborne after contact with our Anti-Drone Loads.
NOTE: Drone Loads are intended for entertainment use only and not intended to be used in any manner not in accordance with federal and local laws. Lucky Gunner assumes no responsibility for any illegal activity involving Tacnition Drone Ammo.Additional Information

Manufacturer	Tacnition
Condition	new
Bullet Weight	1-3/8 oz
Bullet Type	Depleted Uranium Buckshot
Ammo Casing	Not Applicable
Quantity	5
Ammo Caliber	12 Gauge
Manufacturer SKU	4-1-2013
Primer Type	Not Applicable
Shell Length	3"
Muzzle Velocity (fps)	No
Muzzle Energy (ft lbs)	No
Cost Per Round	$3.55 per round

Tacnition

new

1-3/8 oz

Depleted Uranium Buckshot

Not Applicable

5

12 Gauge

4-1-2013

Not Applicable

3"

No

No

$3.55 per round

Its still cheaper than 50 cal ammo and although its a joke you know someone is sitting in a shop or garage trying to figure out how to kill or disable a drone if it comes snooping around.

Kids are cool...

"Dear Park Rangers, I am a Yosemite Junior Ranger. I went to Yosemite recently and accidentally brought home two sticks. I know I'm not supposed to take things from the park, so I am sending them back. Please put them in nature.

Thank you, Evie."

Now compare that note from a Junior Ranger to this little guy....

Kids are cool...until adults fuck them up.

Chinese Special Operations place 1st at International Competition.

A couple of things to note on this first.

1.  The Chinese probably didn't send their very best to this competition.  Why would they?  Their top guys surely have other, more pressing work or exercises to attend to.
2.  They're participating in these events.  Confidence is increasing in the land of the rising dragon.  I fully expect to see them used over seas in a hotspot so they can cut their teeth.  Africa maybe?  Perhaps in a peace keeping role in the Middle East?
3.  Don't under estimate these guys.  They'll probably be showing up in a war zone near you.

via Chinese Miltary Review.

Chinese Special Operations Forces (SOF) teams has displayed the best overall performance at the fifth Warrior Competition organised by the Jordan Armed Forces at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre (KASOTC).
Special Operation Teams of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (CAPF) won both first and second places in the overall results.
Thirty five Special Operation Teams including eighteen from Arab and foreign countries took part in the fifth Warrior Competition.

SIDENOTE:  I wonder if our guys have been operating against Chinese Special Ops forces in Afghanistan.  I keep going back to the rash of helicopter shoot downs.  It really seemed too sophisticated for the Taliban to have pulled off.  Foreign operatives seems like a good if off the wall guess. 

Are subguns dead?

I read an article at "The Firearms Blog" and they talked about the demise of the sub-machine gun.

I totally disagree.  The sub-machine gun has alot to offer but because its out of favor with our military its use has declined.

And that's the rub.  Because police departments have militarized they've overlooked the efficiency that could come with using pistol calibers in carbines.

Civilians are not following their leads.

HK MP-7

not really sure what you call this one...its from AR-15.net and is setup to run P-90 mags.

another from the AR-15.net site...running glock mags.

Endo Mike's adapter to run AR stocks to convert your glock into a SBR or submachine gun.

Whether you're talking about HK MP-7's, P-90's or Lone Wolf Glock Carbines...heck even adding stocks to the Glock 17 (Mack has a video on his setup...I haven't watched it yet).

The point is sub-guns are alive and well.  Just not in the conventional military or visible Special Ops.

NOTE:  I make the caveat on visible because several Law Enforcement Units and Special Ops are hidden from public view.  While you see plenty of exercises between SWAT and military units you don't hear about Special Operations detachment Delta, US Marshals Special Operations Group (I want to watch these guys train!), FBI Hostage Rescue and others.  I wouldn't be surprised if they had unique weapons that included specially designed sub-machine guns.

NOTE:  I played with the definition to ignore the automatic fire capability when talking about civilian use.  

The push back against Women in the Infantry begins.

Thanks for the article Joe!

The General's club must have been in over drive over this issue.  Notice too that its a Marine General that is coming with the push back.  I wonder if this is with the quiet agreement of the current Commandant or in spite of.  We might be seeing an end to the silence that has come from retired General's when it comes to current policy.

Read the article for yourself here.

Air Defense Artillery. Out of style? Definitely out of balance.

Video from the THINK DEFENSE Blog.

The Marine Corps is lucky.  It can operate under the US Navy's anti-missile shield when conducting amphibious operations.  The larger the operation, the greater the shield.

The US Army isn't quite so lucky.  When conducting high speed, aggressive actions, its left with depending on USAF interdiction strikes or MLRS locating and killing missiles before they can be used against ground forces.

If you watched the video above then you'll notice one thing.  Probably the only true thing about the video.

A Stryker Brigade doesn't have integrated air defense capabilities.

The closest we've seen to that is the Canadian ADATS.

As it currently stands, the Stryker Brigade might be faster than a Heavy but it has at least this one capability hole.

Strategic missile defense is one thing, but battlefield missile defense is important too.