J-10 totting 6 long range air to air missiles....

Pegasus Mechanized Amphibious Vehicle VMA 8331 via Blitzkrieg Korp.

First if you get a chance, you need to check out Circulotrubia blogspot to keep up with the latest on general armor happenings in S. America and general military related news.  And second, check out this new blog that Circulotrubia pointed to...Blitzkrieg Korps.

The photo above is from his blog and it tells a brief history of the VMA 8331.  It was designed to act as a surrogate LVTP-7 for the Spanish Marine Corps (if my Google translator is working right) and its another of those vehicles that came along that I didn't even know existed.

The internet is a wonderful thing.  Armor history is big and its found in the strangest places....gaming, modeling and blogs.  Christopher Foss better watch out...he has some serious competition.

Cops thru time...

Major thanks to Terrence for forwarding me this....too awesome and true....

Cops in the 60's....Just the facts Ma'am...

Cops in the 70's....One Adam Twelve in route....

Cops in the 80's...Be careful out there....

Cops in the 90's....

Swat Teams, MRAPS, Balaclavas, full on combat gear found in a Marine Rifle Company...WTF happened?????

F-35 Quote of the day, with a little blast from the past (from earlier this year)

“The rapid expansion of computing power also ushers in new sensors and methods that will make stealth and its advantages increasingly difficult to maintain above and below the water.”........Admiral Greenert.

This sums up the whole argument when it comes to the F-35.

If its stealth will soon be rendered irrelevant then what kind of plane do we have?  If its stealth is nullified do we have an airplane that equals the F-16, F-18 or Harrier?

Maybe the Harrier.

But is the cost of maintaining it worth the added cost?

I say no.

Make the planes that have been built, gate guards, museum pieces and experimental aircraft.  But its past time to bin the entire program and start over.  We did it with the EFV.  We can do it with this plane.  

F-35 with Amos' name on it.

Read about it here at Defense News.

Interesting.

Some of the Marine Corps greats would have been happy with an engraved sword, or firearm.  I just can't imagine Puller, Ripley, Shupe, Mundy, Krulak, Gray, or others being arrogant enough to have the most expensive and poorly run program in our nations history justified by having the Commandant of the Marine Corps name on the side.

The Marine Corps is being bitched out to a corporation.

It sickens me.

Cops behaving badly.

Thanks to Jason for the vid!

NOTE:  Need to clarify that I'm not painting with a broad brush, but there is a growing problem with this type of stuff.  The American community is fracturing.  Our system is under intense stress and it seems that the powers that be are either ignoring the reality of the situation OR they're egging it on.  Either way, trouble is coming.  Shit is gonna get real and when it does all bets are off.  Check out the vid below and think about your wife, sister, daughter or female relative getting treatment like this after having made a mistake...not a felony but sleep behind the wheel of her car at the side of the road.

World of Tanks Update 1.

Hey all.

This serves as an update to my jump into World of Tanks  First.  I killed a night playing the damn thing.  Its addictive.  Second.  Thanks to all for the advice.  Gunthy!  I watched the vid you suggested and the guy is a pro.  I had seen his stuff before but earlier it didn't interest me because I wasn't playing.  Now?  Words to live by in the game!

Andrew!  Spot on.  No money will be spent on the Lowe Heavy.  Its a dog of a vehicle.  But I might have to break the no spending pledge for the higher tiers.  I don't see how you can survive in a stock tank.

Speaking of game play.  Why does my moderately upgraded M5 Stuart...a tier 4 tank...land me in the battlefield littered with Tier IX, VIII, VII and VI ????  I was blasting away and I imagine some British 14 year old was talking shit saying stuff like...don't you understand I'm a rock son? when my  rounds would bounce off him.  Several times I turned into a running joke.  They would kill everyone else and save me for last.  Surrounded by Panthers, E-100s and American T26s.

It sucked.

It was fun.

I'll be doing it again tonight. 

Japanese Maneuver Combat Vehicle Vid.

Damn!  That's one beast of a vehicle!  I like it.

T-50. Flight Demo Vid. via Defense Update.

Partial stealth.

Full agility.

Super Cruise.

Huge AESA.

More than 200 to be produced.

Why do I think we headed down the wrong path?  Consider the fact that China and Russia are getting closer militarily (remember the joint exercises earlier this year?).  Consider the fact that despite the USAF's best efforts those F-22's are getting long in the tooth in airplane years.  Consider the fact that the F-35 is in reality a bomb truck.

What should send chills down the spines of aviation enthusiast, engineers and pilots is the obvious that I had trouble wrapping my head around.

Flashback in time to the 1960s.  BAE had developed the Harrier and someone decided that to save money we would use that airplane for all three services.  The land and carrier based versions wouldn't have STOVL capability and the carrier based model would have larger wings but all three would use it.

That's basically what we're doing with the F-35!

The Harrier is perfect for the role intended by the USMC, but fails when pushed into requirements for the USN and USAF.  The Marines need a bomb truck.  The USAF and USN need fighters.  Fleet defenders.  Interceptors.

What was needed was a hyper upgraded, carrier capable F-16 (oh wait the USN already has the Ultra Hornet waiting in the wings).  What we got was a mess that is going to be the end of allied airpower within a decade.

Lowe Heavy Tank. Blast from the past.

Note:  I'm on track to put this in my garage in World of Tanks....once I do the virtual world is mine!  Seriously though.  The game is a gold mine of information on WW2 armor.  I've learned about more obscure tanks from that time period than I ever did by reading a book by one of the greats...it pointed me in directions and gave me a peek at stuff I didn't even know existed.  Its highly recommended (the forum, if you don't want to play the game) if you're an armor nut.

F-35. Bulkhead Cracks.

via Yahoo.com

News of the cracks came after Bogdan and Lockheed officials highlighted progress on the $392 billion F-35 program, the Pentagon's costliest arms program, at the annual Air Force Association conference last month.
Hawn said Bogdan did not discuss the cracks during the conference because they were found on the Marine Corps' version of the plane, not the Air Force version.
Lockheed said there were about 50 F-35Bs with the same bulkhead. Modifications would be made and incorporated beginning with the eighth batch of low-rate production planes.

Click here to read the entire story. 

I disagree with those that say I'm bombing the F-35 with the continuous coverage.  When you have officials that purposefully ignore bad news and hide behind the "we were discussing the air force version so that's why I didn't talk about the USMC version"...then you know exactly how diseased this beast really is.

Ignoring a Pentagon that is morally bankrupt from top to bottom (I mean seriously!  You couldn't move money around to get those families paid that lost loved ones but you can keep this program on track???  Fuck you all in that five sided building!) how much is it going to cost to bring all these (yeah..I'm borrowing this from you ELP) MISTAKE JETS up to speed?

IOC for the Marines by the middle of 2015?  Fat fucking chance.

Textron LAV-300. Blast from the past.

The reduction in force starts in earnest...GySgt's and SSgt's on the chopping block.

First they ask.

Then they push.  Via Marines.mil

The Marine Corps announced a voluntary separation program for staff and gunnery sergeants per MARADMIN 519/13 Oct. 7, 2013.
The Voluntary Separation Pay program coincides with the Corps’ recent restructuring efforts and commitment to excellence Corps-wide.
The program allows active duty staff and gunnery sergeants with six to 20 years of service to voluntarily separate by Sept. 30, 2014. Marines must have at least five years of consecutive active service to be eligible.
The program applies to all active duty staff sergeants in the following military occupational specialties: 0369, 0481, 0619, 0629, 1361, 2146, 2311, 2862, 5524, 6074, 6112, 6122, 6152, 6172, 6174, 6212, 6252, 6322, and 6469. All active duty gunnery sergeants in the following occupations are also eligible: 0161, 6112, 6152, 6172, and 6322.
Additionally, all active duty staff sergeants of any MOS who have been previously passed over for promotion are eligible to apply.
Eligible Marines must meet all reenlistment criteria, and Marines with pending disciplinary action or medical disabilities are ineligible for the program. By accepting VSP, Marines are required to agree to serve three years in the Individual Ready Reserve.
Voluntary separations pay will be calculated as 20 percent, multiplied by years of service, multiplied by annual base pay. For example, an eligible staff sergeant with 12 years of service would receive 20 percent multiplied by his 12 years of service, multiplied by his annual basic pay rate of $41,940, which equals $100,656 before taxes. Marines will be paid in a taxable, single payment.

They're trying to make this attractive enough so that enough people bite so they won't have to push anyone out the door.

The problem is simple.

Bad economy.   Skill sets that don't necessarily match up with good paying jobs.  Having to start over again.  Contractors getting squeezed so you can't take advantage of the golden parachute by grabbing a fed job or hooking into Raytheon, GD or Lockheed and you have guys that can count and will probably take their chances.

This will be messy. 

Valour Class Frigate. They once envied our gear...now we envy thiers.

via Naval Today.

he ship is being sent on a month-long patrol Aimed at strengthening South African Navy's relations with its African counterparts.SAS Spioenkop is the third of four Valour class frigates of the South African Navy built by the European South African Corvette Consortium.The ship is 121m long and 18 meters wide.
The frigates of this class were built to a modern stealth design to avoid enemy radar and infrared detection.
The ship is distinctive with a new propulsion system, Comprising of a water-jet drive, in addition to two propellers.
During the patrol, SAS Spioenkop sea will attend the concert in Senegal, and visit some African countries.
She is expected to return home at the end of November.

We once had gear that made allies envious.

Now their stuff makes us dream of equally capable gear.

Even tiny, backwards, economically messed up S. Africa has a more capable "LCS" than we do.

China double hulled aircraft carrier????

via IDRW.org

SOURCE: CHINA DAILY MAIL Qianzhan.com said yesterday in its report: China has to put an end to its old practice of countries Following others' footsteps. Sources say que through meticulous engineering and mechanical analysis, China will conduct research and development of the first 180,000-ton double hull aircraft carrier in the world. If successful, it will be the Chinese territory with movable maritime hegemony.

This is wild.  Crazy.  Is it possible?  We've seen the idea floating around Chinese military forum sites for a while but could they actually pull this off?  That would make one juicy target.

Question.  What do we have in inventory that can take out a Chinese Capital Ship?  Harpoons?  SDB's?  JDAM's?

We're going to need new anti-ship missiles. 

F-35. 10,000 Flight Hours? That's really bad news.

via Examiner.

The U.S.-led F-35 Lightning II program has achieved a milestone of 10,000 flight hours, prime contractorLockheed Martin announced Oct. 9.
Through September, F-35s had flown 6,492 times for a total of 10,077 flight hours, the company said.
All three variants of the stealthy fighter jet contributed to the accomplishment: the conventional-takeoff-and-landing F-35A, the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B and the carrier variant F-35C. The F-35, also known as theJoint Strike Fighter, is being developed for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corp and Navy and for international partners. The U.S. military plans to begin fielding the aircraft in late 2015.
Lockheed Martin’s announcement came less than two weeks after the Pentagon’s inspector general released a report identifying a series of “quality assurance” oversight problems that “could adversely affect aircraft performance, reliability, maintainability, and ultimately program cost.” The government F-35 program office and Lockheed Martin countered that they have already fixed most of the problems outlined in the report.

Interesting.

10,000 freaking flight hours and its not ready for prime time yet.  Oh and consider this boys and girls.  Think about other programs that were killed in the crib that failed less than the F-35....

*  Comanche
*  FCS
*  EFV
*  MPC
*  F-22 (program was truncated at around 200 airplanes)
*  B-2

And those are just off the top of the head without any real research.

You wonder why I hate this program?

Its simple.

It costs too much, has delivered too little, is way too late and won't effectively combat our peer competitor in aerial warfare.

We're paying for a Ferrari with a 10 horsepower engine, with cheap plastic seats that has an AM/FM radio for entertainment.  Its weird, its obsolete and its not what we wanted. 

Thanks for this link Don!

Check this out people.  The Vanity Fair article was the program manager basically yelling, praying, begging for the program to be canceled and now this...
Chief tester Gilmore, Jun 19, 2013:

"Although mission systems testing has been able to keep pace with the program plans for generating sorties and accomplishing the test points, the program is falling behind in achieving progress in delivering capability. This lack of progress is caused in part by the need to add unplanned testing to evaluate problems, such as the 221 added points for dedicated testing of the helmet mounted display system, as well as for regression testing of new software loads delivered to flight test, where 366 test points have been added already in calendar year 2013 to evaluate four new software releases [now to be changed]. . .We haven’t actually tested any combat capability,” Gilmore told senators, adding that there may not be enough time or money for full testing of these crucial capabilities in 2018, as scheduled. . . .We need to have more rigorous developmental testing. We need to let that testing proceed before we make production decisions."
http://tinyurl.com/k2cjj4c 

Another official with the program saying for anyone to listen...stop this madness.  Stop production until we can get this thing fixed!!!!  If the Marine Corps had done the same thing with the EFV like the Pentagon is doing with the F-35 then we'd have all the vehicles bought and in the fleet before we had it working properly.  But we didn't do that.  So why are we doing it with a much more complex machine?  It makes no sense.

China just got the engines for its stealth fighters.

Thanks Slowman!

via Want China Times.

The Saturn AL-41F — a Russian-built variable-bypass ratio turbofan engine — is likely to be sold to China together with advanced Su-35 fighters under the contract signed last November, reports Kanwa Defense Review operated by Andrei Chang also known as Pinkov, a military analyst based in Canada.
A source within Russia's aviation industry told Kanwa that he opposed the sale of the sensitive systems to China. Even though Russia will only provide 24 Su-35 fighters, the official stressed that he does not know their true intentions for wanting to purchase the Russian aircraft, adding that China may be able to steal Russian technology through the deal.
Alexander Mikheev, the deputy CEO of Rosoboronexport, Russia's state intermediary agency for exporting and importing defense-related products, stated that an initial agreement had been reached between Beijing and Moscow regarding the sale of the Su-35s. However, the formal contract will not be signed until next year. To prevent China from stealing Russian technology, Mikheev admitted that an additional agreement was signed to defend Russian intellectual property rights back in 2008.


China's J-15 carrier-based fighter is based on Russian blueprints, and many in Russia believe that a second agreement must be signed to protect Russia's interests. However, Mikheev told Kanwa that if China is willing to follow the first agreement then a second agreement is not necessary. Russian aerospace company Sukhoi estimated that among the 200 aircraft it produces, 100 will be sold to foreign nations, the report said.

China just got the basis for the engines to fit its 5th generation fighters.

Now, if you consider the stolen tech from Lockheed Martin and BAE, along with this development, it becomes obvious that the F-35 is just not going to be good enough in the fighter role to stay in production.

We're selling our airmen and allies a lie.

The F-35 won't hold up and stealth won't be enough to counter high flying, fast and long ranged Chinese 4th gen fighters, much less 5th gens coming out.

Time to admit that this has turned out badly.  Stop throwing good money after bad...and start on a 6th gen fighter design that can rule the skies. 

Japan's New Maneuver Combat Vehicle.

Thanks DWI!

General Dynamics Land Systems Europe SK 105. Outside chance for the 82nd Airborne Tank?

I have been trying hard to figure out what vehicles the US Army would pick to compete for the 82nd's Airborne Tank Regiment.

Immediately BAE's CV-90120T came to mind but after that I was stumped.  Many people suggested the French ERC 90, but that vehicle is out of production so what could fill the need?  Almost every vehicle that I came up with wasn't a light tank but actually a mobile gun system mounted on wheeled vehicles.

Larger offerings in this category that come closer to what I believe the army is looking for are not transportable or droppable by C-130.

Then I remembered General Dynamics Land Systems Europe still has a dinosaur from the '60's listed on their site.

The SK-105!

Stats follow via GDLSE website.

The SK 105 is a light tank family of vehicles with a rifled 105 mm gun. The latest version of the vehicle (A2) incorporates a 2-axis stabilized turret with electrical drives. It further provides its users with latest generation IR sights, a ballistic computer and the ability to fire APFSDS rounds for increased lethality.
Due to its low weight, the SK 105 can be transported by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft or amphibious assault boats. This vehicle is specifically designed for mountainous terrain or areas with reduced infrastructure and has an improved climbing ability and maneuverability compared to heavier main battle tanks.
Variants
SK 105 A1
SK 105 A2
Greif armored recovery vehicle
Engineering vehicle
SK105 driver training vehicle
Armored personnel carrier
Mortar vehicle

What has me most geeked about this offering (and the BAE product) is the fact that we're looking at a family of vehicles.

We could, if the Army follows through, finally see that long lusted for but never achieved...Mechanized Airborne Forces!

That would be a serious.  Serious.  Oh shit type force that would compete with the Marine Corps realistically as a forcible entry option.  Instead of seizing an airport and moving out at 3 miles an hour, you could either parachute or LAPES in a mechanized force that can go out and kick ass.

SIDENOTE:  I just realized when trying to see what Army procurements officials were looking at in finding an off the shelf vehicle, exactly how limited armor innovation is becoming.  There are no new designs coming out of any of the design houses except BAE.  Even there new concepts are getting crushed.  Remember the SEP?  That had all the hallmarks of an outstanding 8 or 6 wheeled APC.  Modular for real and not just a talking point and it could get no buyers.  Instead we're seeing improvements on vehicles that were designed in the 60's and 70's.  Once the current design teams break up or retire, armor development in the West is going to stagnate.  The only good news is that Russia and China aren't putting together anything outstanding either.  TURKEY, S. KOREA, JAPAN and SINGAPORE will probably become the leaders in tank development. 

CV-90120T for the 82nd??

Thanks Nuno for the link!

via National Defense Blog (click here to read it all)...

Army paratroopers gave up their tanks in 1997. Now they want them back.
“The infantry needs more protection and more firepower,” says Col. Ed House, Army Training and Doctrine Command manager for the infantry brigade combat team.

Even in these times of deep budget cuts and a projected steep decline in purchases of military hardware, senior Army officials believe that a light tank is a high priority that should be funded. In a future war, they contend, Army airborne forces would parachute into a warzone equipped with only light weapons and might have to confront more heavily armed enemies.
Army leaders understand that, after 12 years of war, the infantry brigades have a “capability gap,” House says in an interview from Fort Benning, Ga. “The forcible entry forces we put in harm’s way lack sufficient protected firepower platform.”
The current plan is to provide the XVIII Airborne Corps — a fast-to-the-scene 911 force — a flotilla of light tanks that can be flown by C-130 cargo planes and parachuted into the warzone.

Light tanks existed in the Army’s inventory from World War I until the end of the Cold War. Production of the 16-ton Sheridan ended in 1970 after approximately 1,700 vehicles were delivered to the Army. The last unit to operate the Sheridan was the 3d Battalion, 73d Armor Regiment of the 82d Airborne Division, which was inactivated in July 1997 following a wave of cost cutting. The Army considered buying a replacement for the Sheridan, the Armored Gun System, but that program was terminated after the Army had bought just six vehicles.
House says the goal is to replicate the functions of 3-73 although he admits it will be hard to locate a modern version of the Sheridan. “The tough part of this is to find a vehicle that fits in the back of a C-130 and can descend by parachute,” he says. “The Sheridan did that pretty well back in the 1990s.”
Training and Doctrine Command officials are scoping the market for existing vehicles that could perform a similar role as the Sheridan.
Up to 140 candidates are being considered, says Col. Rocky Kmiecik, director of mounted requirements at the capabilities development and integration directorate.

So what will the 82nd pick?

A better question what are the vehicles that will be in the competition?

The biggest factor will be the air droppable and armor ratings.  That's going to knock alot of vehicles out right away.  Especially the airdrop consideration.

Stryker won't make the cut.  Patria AMV?  Nope.  BAE SuperAv?  Nope.  VBCI?  Hell no!  So what does that actually leave us with.

I think we're going to see BAE do some mods to its CV-90120T.  I think we're going to see General Dynamics offer the LAV-25A2 with a 105mm cannon.  Perhaps the Terrex might be offered with a turreted main gun. But I seriously doubt 140 different vehicles are seriously being looked at.  I don't think there are that many vehicles on the market.

Yeah.  In the end it'll be the CV-90120T by a landslide.  And then the Army will cancel the program.