 |
|
Tuesday, August 04, 2020
Qatar Emiri Land Force DINGO 2 HD Command Post variant..equipped with an extendable mast system
Israeli Defense establishment puts V-22 Osprey deal back on the table
via Cleveland Jewish News.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said on Sunday that they intend to reconsider procuring the V-22 Osprey aircraft from U.S. manufacturer Boeing.I find this hyper interesting.
Israel had decided several months ago not to purchase the aircraft due to budgetary restrictions.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. Gantz, who during his tenure as IDF chief saw the United States and Israel reach an Osprey procurement deal, is an adamant supporter of purchasing the advanced aircraft.
In a meeting two weeks ago, Israel Hayom has learned, Gantz and Kochavi agreed to revisit the decision to scrap the Osprey deal. If Gantz’s position is indeed adopted, the Osprey would be part of a broader initiative to replace the IDF’s aging fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, which were first incorporated in the 1960s and 1970s.
Despite the air force’s efforts over the decades to preserve the quality of its CH-53 fleet, in 2019 the State Comptroller said in a report that keeping the aircraft operational beyond 2025 would put lives at risk.
That contest to replace the aging CH-53s is between the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and the Boeing CH-47F Chinook. While the IDF hasn’t yet declared its preference, according to Israel Hayom the country’s defense establishment prefers the CH-53K due to its better performance.
The Israelis are planning on going after someone and they plan on going after someone in a big way.
Nothing else makes sense.
They keep gravitating back to the V-22 despite the V-280 seemingly coming online in a few years.
So they need speed, range (both of which the V-280 gives in spades) AND a relatively large troops compartment (which the V-280 doesn't).
Budget constraints are going to be a reality on both sides of the Atlantic so I don't see a sweetheart deal being worked out especially if Biden wins the election.
Which means that the Israelis will forgo other kit to get the V-22.
Yeah.
You heard it here first.
The Israeli SF are gonna do a long range raid against someone and its foreseen/being planned right now.
USMC moving ahead with ground vehicle divestiture....is LAR & AAV/ACV next?
via Janes.
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has retired 200 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, M88 armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured vehicle launched bridges, and is planning to transfer them over to the army.What should surprise and worry everyone is the speed at which this Commandant killed Tank Battalions across the Missile Marines. What should concern us all is his next steps.
Over the past few weeks, the USMC has been standing down various ground vehicles as part of Commandant General David Berger’s Force Design 2030 plan. On 6 July, for example, the service announced that the last tank assigned to 1st Tank Battalion had departed the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California.
The service is now consolidating the vehicles at a logistics base in Barstow, California, and recently announced that its Railhead Operations Group staff is now verifying that everything is in order before sending the vehicles on to army depots in Herlong, California, and Aniston, Alabama.
“We have Marines from several units here to assist with the offload, on load, and securement of the equipment,” Chad Hildebrandt, the railway operations supervisor for the logistics base, said in a 30 July announcement. The loaded cars will be stored on base until we have all tanks loaded and secured, then they will all ship out to the army at the same time”.
Earlier this year, Gen Berger unveiled his vision for how his service should be manned and operating by 2030 to compete with China and Russia. One of his ultimate goals is to design a smaller force that is more nimble to support naval expeditionary warfare operations, and to achieve this the service is funneling dollars away from legacy systems and towards modernised ones.
Will LAR & AAV/ACV be next?
I contend that in keeping with his current rationale of concentrating on fighting one fight, in one region, against one enemy that its a forgone conclusion.
LAR & AAV/ACV must die.
The Marine Corps has morphed into the Missile Marines and will be INCAPABLE of participating in any other conflict (maybe aviation but why would the USAF want them...why would the Navy clear deck space...would we even have units available?).
With ground combat off the table (God Bless the US Army...they're gonna have to carry the whole load) why would they remain in service?
Tanks was just the beginning.
The Ground Combat Element needs a four star advocate at the highest level of the Missile Marines or it will become just a token part of the fight (funny to think that all Marine Infantry will be prized for in the near future is ceremonial events).
Pic of the day. French Army All Terrain Tracked Vehicle in the mountains...
 |
|
Australia's Boxer CRV keeps rolling on...
 |
|
I have to give the Aussies credit. You should too.
Think about it. In the span of a decade they will have basically revamped and modernized EVERY one of their services. I don't agree with all the platforms they selected but the speed, domestic production and INNOVATION I'm seeing is impressive.
Even better is the fact that they seem to be moving forward at full speed with a LIMITED amount of risk. Even where we do see that development risk its so contained that if delays or failure does occur it will be a minor irritant, not an earth shattering event that requires a crash development program to be initiated (I'm thinking that fabulous Loyal Wingman concept they're working on).
If I recall correctly the K9 Thunder is the next thing up but regardless I'm betting it'll be on time, within budget and provides a boost to the Australian economy.
That's what I call SMART defense spending.
Russia launches production of latest Armata tanks
via TASS
MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. The production of tanks and fighting vehicles based on the latest Armata combat platform under a contract signed with Russia’s Defense Ministry several years ago is already underway, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told TASS on Monday.Did we talk about the Armata being tested in Syria? I seriously can't remember. Seems like something like that would be front of mind but it isn't. Did it perform well? I'm not really sure how good a workout it would get in that shit show that no one wants to leave but no one wants to win.
"Yes, the work is underway," the minister said, replying to a question about whether the production of these armored vehicles had begun in Russia.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko announced in August 2018 that a contract on 132 T-14 tanks and T-15 infantry fighting vehicles based on the Armata combat platform had been signed. He did not specify, though, when the document was inked. The deliveries of serial-produced Armata tanks to the Russian troops have not begun yet. Industry and Trade Minister Manturov said in April this year that the troops would get the first Armata tanks in 2021.
The Armata is a heavy tracked standardized platform serving as the basis to develop a main battle tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier and some other armored vehicles.
The T-14 tank based on the Armata platform was shown to the public for the first time at Red Square’s Victory Day parade on May 9, 2015. The new combat vehicle features fully digitized equipment, an unmanned turret and an isolated armored capsule for the crew.
Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport earlier announced that the T-14 tank and the T-15 infantry fighting vehicle based on the Armata combat platform would be demonstrated to potential foreign buyers at the Army-2020 international arms show in August.
The developers of the latest Russian T-14 Armata tank have resolved the problems with its engines and thermal imagers, Manturov said. "Yes, the problems with both the engines and the thermal imagers have been resolved. The engine generates the parameters and the technical characteristics that were laid out in the performance specifications upon its designing," he said.
"As for the thermal imagers, I can confidently say that we have a fully import-substituted Russian product that is made by Shvabe [holding]," the minister said.
The Armata’s trials in the troops are proceeding in accordance with the schedule, the minister said.
Russia is also preparing the Armata for export. As Manturov said in April, Russia plans to start work with Armata’s foreign customers in 2021 and has already received several prior requests. The tank has already been tested in Syria.
Marine Special Operations members face manslaughter charges after brawl in Iraq
via Stars & Stripes.
The party was winding down around 4 a.m. when the fight erupted. The crowd at a bar in northern Iraq — including Special Operations Marines, defense contractors and civilians — had been drinking and dancing for hours, ringing in the new year.Here.
A conversation between two Americans turned sour. A burly, bearded defense contractor speaking to a Navy corpsman screamed at least one profanity at him, witnesses later said. Bouncers ejected the contractor, an Army Special Forces veteran, who threatened to hurt the sailor when he came outside.
Bouncers told the sailor and two Marine friends to wait five minutes before leaving. But that did not de-escalate the situation.
The three men approached the contractor and his colleagues outside, and a brawl ensued. One of the Marines punched the contractor in the side of the head, and the contractor spun around and landed on the back of his head, suffering a nine-inch skull fracture, according to previously unreported military documents and security video reviewed by The Washington Post. He died a few days later, on Jan. 4, 2019.
Jesus! What is it with MARSOC and Special Forces? I've met some of those dudes and they treated us better than a FEW of our Recon/Force Recon guys. Seriously professional, seriously about the work (without the bullshit)...just good dudes.
I can't understand the apparent friction between the two groups but at this rate MARSOC is gonna get invited out of SOCOM.
This is a tragedy full stop. But it's also the second incident between MARSOC and Special Forces that resulted in death (that I know of).
Whatever is broken needs to get fixed asap.
Monday, August 03, 2020
Russian Navy exercise "Ocean Shield-2020" at the Khmelevka training ground (pics)
 |
|
 |
|
Army Diver Discusses Underwater Recovery Missions
Chilling but important video describing the recovery of personnel after a tragedy.
They're doing God's work here. Good on them for helping bring closure to families.
US Army Prepares Live-Fire Test of Anti-Air Version of Stryker Armored Vehicle After Pandemic Delays
via Sputnik
A modified version of the Stryker infantry carrier vehicle built to carry anti-air missiles will soon be tested in upcoming live-fire drills by the US Army.
The US Army has already begun a limited user test of its new Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range. Those tests will now enter a live-fire stage as the Army brings in two new systems for testing: a new version of its MIM-108 Patriot missile battery and the Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD), a modified version of the Stryker, Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson, director of the Army’s air and missile defense modernization team, told Breaking Defense for a Monday report.
The essence of IBCS 2.0 will be the networking of different air defense systems. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) “Missile Threat” project, the IBCS is “intended is to integrate the communications between weapon launchers, radars, and the operators, allowing an air defense unit, such as a Patriot battery, to fire its interceptors using information provided by the radar of another.”
The IM-SHORAD will fill a key gap in US air defenses, which have for decades prioritized targeting ballistic missiles and strategic bombers over short-range perimeter defense. The proliferation of drones on the battlefield in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the September 2019 suicide drone attack on two Saudi oil facilities, rushed short-range air defense to the top of the Pentagon’s list of concerns.
Enter the IM-SHORAD. With Stinger and Hellfire missiles as well as a 30-millimeter autocannon and a 360-degree multi-mission hemisphere radar, the Stryker could fill a vital gap. The eight-wheeled, armored vehicle can hit 60 miles per hour on roadways and hard surfaces and can go offroad as well, making it a potent way to quickly move anti-air systems into new areas and displace them from old ones.
The US Marine Corps has weighed a similar modification of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), which will replace the service’s Humvees. The Direct Fire Defeat System could potentially include anti-air missiles such as the FIM-92 Stinger as well as a 30-millimeter autocannon and a suite of electronic warfare tools, Sputnik reported in April.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the White Sands tests, which required extensive reworking in order to minimize the risk of spreading the disease. It’s just the latest delay for a system that should have gone active last year, Defense News noted. The Pentagon’s budget for upgrading the weapons systems of both anti-air and regular Stryker vehicles has also come under scrutiny, with the House Armed Services Committee questioning the fairness behind the awarding of contracts that were included in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act in June.
One day, the IM-SHORAD will get a less clinical name which, as Task & Purpose reported, has the potential to be derived from the fictional Manticore missile-armed tank from the “Warhammer 40,000” tabletop gaming franchise, depending on how many votes the suggestion gets.
As expected the US Army WILL fight in every clime and place...examining options to base NEW weapons in the Indo-Pacific region.
via National Interest.
The Army continues to analyze options for basing new long-range precision weapons in the Indo-Pacific region, to be used by one of its new multi-domain task forces, the service's top officer said July 31.Here.
The Indo-Pacfic continues to grow in strategic importance for Pentagon planners as great power competitor China modernizes its military and takes a more aggressive posture toward its neighbors and deployed U.S. forces.
The Army's multi-domain operating concept envisions the service employing advanced capabilities — such as hypersonics, anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft systems and cyber weapons — to aid the other services in countering near-peer adversaries. The multi-domain task force pilot program was assigned under the Army’s Pacific Command in 2017. The Army is using information from the program to establish additional task forces.
“We're standing up a new organization, it’s called multi-domain task forces that provide the ability to do long-range precision effects," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville.
Long-range precision fires is the No. 1 modernization priority for the Army. The capabilities will boost deterrence in the region, McConville said.
Told ya so. The US Army is coming to drink the Missile Marines milkshake and won't buy into the "one fight only" paradigm that Berger is foisting on the Missile Marine Corps.
They will fight in every clime and place and thankfully they won't repeat the mistakes of the past by trying to predict where the next fight will be. They'll be ready to fight across the globe and against any opponent.
They will become the new tip of the spear because they won't be a one trick pony, confining themselves artificially to one region.
I suspected it was coming and can't help but applaud them
The Army is new hotness in the DoD. Everyone else is simply flailing trying to find their footing and reason for being.
It must be nice to be a Soldier tonight. Their leadership is competent, brings order to chaos and are unswayed by pundits that shift positions every few years.
In other words the US Army seems to be the only service that has its shit together.
15th MEU identifies personnel killed in AAV mishap
via Press Release.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Officials with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), identified on Aug. 2 the one Marine who was killed and seven Marines and one Sailor who are presumed dead after an amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) mishap July 30.
Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene before being transported by helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego. He was a rifleman with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/4, 15th MEU.
Presumed dead are:
Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 19, of Corona, California, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California, a hospital corpsman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Oregon, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Oregon, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, California, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Injured were:
A Marine rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU. The Marine was transported from the scene to Scripps Memorial Hospital by helicopter and was in critical condition.
A Marine assault amphibious vehicle crewmember with Mechanized Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU. The Marine was transported from the scene to Scripps Memorial Hospital by helicopter and was in critical condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition per a competent medical authority.
In total, 16 personnel were aboard the AAV when on July 30 around 5:45 p.m. they reported taking on water while conducting shore-to-ship waterborne operations training in the vicinity of San Clemente Island off the coast of Southern California. Five Marines were rescued and brought aboard USS Somerset.
The incident is under investigation.
Photos of the deceased are not immediately available.
Imagery of the search and rescue efforts, as well as the current recovery efforts, are available at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/15thmeurecovery.
They were Marines but they were also just kids. Damn shame. God bless. Remember this when some piece of human waste is called a kid after committing a horrific crime at a young age. Others do the hard thing for God, Family and Country at the same tender age.
Map for August 1st: The PLA Navy Marine Corps
 |
|
They're becoming what we once were.
The real question is this. Have Chinese Marines surpassed the Missile Marines in ground combat capability? Are they projected to be so powerful that the ground fight must be passed to the US Army?
Is the very question distasteful to you? GET OVER IT! Something has Berger and the DoD spooked to such a degree that they're tossing away a war winning formula. The threat was/is so stark that instead of adding capabilities to our Ground Combat Element they're seeking to remake them. Transformation instead of evolution is seen as the key to survival. Gimmicks instead of hard work.
Pic of the day. Inverted Super Hornet.
Note. I'm sad to say I don't know what those "folding wing" missiles are under the wing. Help a bro out.
Leclerc tank repairer (DCL)
 |
|
Chinese Military Aviation "Ooh-Rah" Tweet...
受阅空中梯队起飞 pic.twitter.com/3y1ZxTMiX1— 蜜柑🍊 (@KushigumoAkane) August 1, 2020
Special Forces of the Rosgvardia Directorate for the Tula Region (Russian SF)
Looks like Russian SF are big on ATVs and Team Wendy helmets now. Weird thing is that almost looks like a Brit Tomcar or whatever that contraption they have that they claim to be an "equivalent" Polaris...
Subscribe to:
Comments
(
Atom
)