Sunday, February 03, 2019
Saturday, February 02, 2019
Why can't we make the ACV into a 6x6 and turn it into our next Amphibious Recon Vehicle???
The USMC had good news and bad news this week when it comes to its armored vehicles. First the good. The ACV is going to become a family of vehicles and they're already looking at upgunning the beast.
Fucking awesome.
The bad news? The replacement for the LAV-A2 is more than likely gonna be canceled. It was an ambitious program and I doubt that industry would have been able to meet the request anyway.
But all is not lost. We have the base vehicle we need. The ACV.
Many that lack imagination or have an impulsive response to any challenge of "we can't" then the talk is that the vehicle is too big. Yeah in this form its too big but we can make it into a 6x6, or rather BAE should be able to and if they can keep the basics of this ride intact then we'll have a vehicle that can swim ashore, have excellent mobility and hopefully enough room/power generation and carry to accommodate all the bells and whistles planners want for the next gen amphibious recon vehicle.
Check out the pics below.
The absolutely awesome Patria AMV. It has a stablemate in 6x6 form.
FNSS has the PARS 8x8.
It's stablemate only loses size in comparison but still retains all of its bigger brothers capabilities only in a smaller size (gives up carriage capability but you get the point).
But back to the issue at hand. We know that BAE can build us the amphibious recon vehicle we need (in partnership with IVECO) because of what we see in Brazil. Check out this Wikipedia entry on the VBTP Guarani...
The VBTP-MR Guarani (Portuguese > Viatura Blindada Transporte de Pessoal - Média de Rodas; "Armored Personnel Carrier Vehicle - Medium Wheeled Type"[1]) is a 6×6 armoured personnel carrier developed by Iveco and the Brazilian Army as part of its "URUTU-III" modernization program aimed to replace all EE-11 Urutu by 2015.[2] The 8x8 version of the VBTP-MR is the base of Iveco's Superav armoured personnel carrier.[3] In the program other Brazilian Companies also participated, such as IMBEL (Communications), ELBIT (Armaments), Usiminas and Villares [pt] (development of national ballistic structural steel).
Long story short?
The USMC should investigate the possibility of adding ONE MORE VEHICLE to the ACV family of vehicles. A 6x6 based on the ACV.
If it can built with 90 percent commonality (if not greater...it should be damn near 100 percent in my opinion) then we're looking at simplified logistics, training and maintenance.
We would in effect be necking down our armored vehicles which will be a cost savings. Additionally we should see an increase in our lethality and if it can retain its open ocean swim capability then we'd even open new uses for our LAR Battalions in the coming fight.
The helicopter program that's completely under the radar...the MH-139...
Think about all the programs that we talk about on these pages. Now think about the one that's escaped everyone's notice and is completely under the radar. Yeah, the MH-139 for USAF Security Forces.
That puppy is sliding right along and is completely forgotten. I didn't even remember it till I got this press release from Boeing. Check it out below...
The famous UH-1N “Huey” helicopters are set to retire — and their replacement is turning heads.
The Huey’s replacement — the MH-139 helicopter — is a cutting-edge upgrade for the U.S. Air Force. Like the Huey, the Boeing MH-139 will be used to protect crucial intercontinental missile bases across the U.S. and to transport security forces and government personnel.
In 2019, Boeing is set to deliver the first of up to 84 of these game-changing helicopters to the U.S. Air Force, with MH-139 scheduled to enter service by 2021. The modern helicopter features an advanced communications suite, improved and more versatile defensive systems, and equipment that qualifies the helicopter to perform both conventional and combat search and rescue missions. All of these upgrades are focused on one goal — keeping Americans safe.Make no mistake.
That’s not all this amazing helicopter has to offer — it also saves the Air Force $1.7 billion in procurement costs, according to the Secretary of the Air Force.
These are not fully rated combat aircraft as the US Army or Marines would classify it.
They're general purpose helicopters capable of carrying out a multitude of tasks nonetheless.
Considering the fact that Canada is in a position of having to make their elderly Griffon Helicopters soldier on till 2030 it kinda makes you wonder why they aren't piggybacking onto this USAF program.
I'll keep an eye on this one, but if it comes in on time and on budget then maybe we should adjust procurement DoD wide.
Final Flight of the F/A-18 Hornet (B-Roll)
The end of an era.
Just wondering out loud.
We got the F-16 and the F/A-18 from a time when the total focus was on affordable airplanes that could win aerial fights. When first introduced the F-16 was not a ground attack platform. The F/A-18 was sold as being dual purpose but when initially presented, it too was focused on being the "lower tier" of a hi-lo mix.
Today?
Today we have the F-35. It was originally sold to us as a strike fighter, and as production/development has stretched its morphed into a multi-role platform.
Will it serve us well or will it go down in history as the biggest defense blunder of a generation that just couldn't get stuff right militarily?
Time will tell but I'm not hopeful. Don't get it twisted. The men and women serving this country in uniform have done what was asked and did it well. The defense strategy, from the battlefield to procurement is what's come up short in my opinion.
F-35 Woes...Reliability Concerns, Poor Gun on the A model & The Brits are in procurement hell...
Wow. When it rains it pours. A little spin thru the blogosphere revealed this article from Breaking Defense that covers reliability and gun concerns...
I asked Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the top uniformed official for Air Force acquisition, how concerned the Air Force is that Lockheed Martin has not been able to improve fleet availability above 60 percent for three years. The Director of Operational Test and evaluation issued his annual report yesterday and that fact was the grimmest in the review of the F-35.
“There was no improving trend in fleet aircraft availability….Fleet-wide average availability is below program target value of 60 percent and well below planned 80 percent needed for efficient conduct of IOT&E,” the report says. “The trend in fleet availability has been flat over the past 3 years; the program’s reliability improvement initiatives are still not translating into improved availability.”
More broadly, Robert Behler’s report says that the “reliability and maintainability metrics defined in the JSF Operational Requirements Document are not meeting interim goals needed to reach requirements at maturity.”
Story here.
Speaking plainly, not in General-ese? This bird is hard to keep in the air and its gonna cost a metric shit load of money to operate.
Thing are worse for the Brits though. They're in procurement hell and now we get a bit of clarity about the raging debate they had last month about the RAF crowing for F-35A's instead of more F-35B's. via Telegraph.
Britain may not be be able to expand its F-35 fighter jet fleet unless a black hole in the Ministry of Defence budget is plugged, MPs have warned.Story here.
A scathing report by the Public Accounts Committee has exposed how the MoD is staring at a £7 billion funding gap, which could double over the next 10 years.
Under scrutiny is the F-35 fighter jet program, which is supposed to deliver some 138 F-35 Lightning aircraft over the coming decades.
Britain has already signed a contract for the first batch of 48, which are estimated to cost £9.1bn by 2025, including support such as training and maintenance.
But the committee say that there remains uncertainty on the plans for F-35 beyond the procurement of the first 48 jets, with clarity on future support and maintenance costs dependent on the results of current trials.
Two stories from different countries on the F-35 and it all boils down to the same issue.
This thing is gonna cost alot to maintain much less buy and FINALLY policy makers are starting to look at the numbers instead of simply listening to the promises.
The F-35 saga is far from over...
Spanish Army Dragon Modernization Program...
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| via Google Translate....The Dragon is an important advance in the modernization of the Army, and a significant improvement in the capabilities of the ET, which sees improved protection, security, and combat power of the receiving units...NOTE: Base Vehicle seems to be a Piranha V. |
Friday, February 01, 2019
Special Operations Advanced Mountaineer School
Wow. Never knew this was a thing. Bet they keep class size low, and I'm betting that its crazy technical. Selection to attend must be pretty rigorous too. Can't have a person easily rattled doing goofy stuff on the side of a mountain!
I've never heard of anyone even attending this school. Is it new or is it one of those secrets that only a select few get to know about.
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