Interesting News. HMH-461 have been some busy, quiet boys.

via Navy Recognition.

Off the coast of Djibouti, a Sikorsky CH-53 "Sea Stallion" from United States Marine Corps (USMC) Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) conducted several approaches and landings on the Dixmude, French Navy's newest LHD.

Dixmude is the third ship of Mistral Class and is curently used to form and train future French Navy's Officers. The French vessel's flight deck directors dubbed "yellow dogs" were present on the flight deck to assist the Marines crew of the Sea Stallion in his deck landing maneuvers. The CH-53 was able to perform all its TAG (Touch and Go), and obtain the landing qualification on this French type of LHD.

Marines mechanics disembarked from the CH-53 to spend some time on the Dixmude and watch the approach of their aircraft. It was an opportunity for sailors of both nations to exchange a few words, visit parts of the French ship and exchange their unit patches.

Thanks Navy Recognition!

Now we know the name of the unit operating those CH-53's at Camp Lemonnier.  We also know for a fact that the images of that base have indeed been frozen...indeed the images of the region have been frozen.

But even more telling is the fact that in addition to French Foreign Legion, French Airborne Marines and French Paratroopers (and not counting French Special Ops Forces) we also have a French Warship operating off the coast of Africa.

Interesting indeed.

UPDATE:  Bryaxis states that this is indeed a training cruise for the junior officers.  Wow.  I couldn't imagine the US Navy taking out a frontline warship and using it for a training cruise.  Different ways of doing business I guess.  BUT!  The Legion, Airborne Marines and Paratroopers from France are all running wild and wooly on the African Continent.  

Marines in or headed to--The Fight.

Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, navigate the water before loading their Assault Amphibious Vehicle onto the USS New York, March 29 before embarking upon a scheduled eight-month deployment. The 24th MEU, partnered with the Navy's Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, is deploying to the European and Central Command theaters of operation to serve as a theater reserve and crisis response force capable of a variety of missions from full-scale combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael Petersheim)

Marines with Engineer Support Company Detachment, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) dig into the Afghan dirt during a two-day road reconstruction project along Route Yellow near Shir Ghazay, Afghanistan, March 13-14.
(U.S. Marine Corps phot by Cpl. Anthony Ward)

The Wild Man of the Air Force..

Read about this Wild Man (and hero) over at Black Five's place.

Seriously jacked up Harrier.

The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) arrives in Sasebo, Japan. Bonhomme Richard is relieving USS Essex (LHD 2). (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Joe Kane/Released)

That is one seriously jacked up Harrier.

I've seen training jets moved around.  Cars in hangars but I wonder what the story is behind this airplane.

If you know then please hook me up.  I'm beyond curious.

F-35C High Speed Fly-by

Suck on that AW!

Mythical Fleet Part 2. Sea Control Ship (Littoral)

The next thing my mythical fleet needs is a mothership/sea control/littoral support ship.  My choice?  The Mistral class.

Specs from Wikipedia...

General characteristics
Type:	landing platform helicopter
Displacement:	16,500 tonnes (empty) 21,300 tonnes (full load) 32,300 tonnes (with ballasts)
Length:	199 m (653 ft)
Beam:	32 m (105 ft)
Draught:	6.3 m (21 ft)
Installed power:	3 Wärtsilä diesels-alternators 16 V32 (6.2 MW) + 1 Wärtsilä Vaasa auxiliary diesel-alternator 18V200 (3 MW)
Propulsion:	2 Mermaid azimuth thrusters (2 × 7 MW), 2 5-bladed propellers
Speed:	18.8 knots (35 km/h)
Range:	10,800 km (5,800 nmi) at 18 knots (33 km/h) 19,800 kilometres (10,700 nmi) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Boats and landing craft carried:	4 CTM (chaland de transport de matériel) alternatively, 2 LCAC (Landing Craft, Air Cushion)
Capacity:	59 vehicles (including 13 Leclerc tanks) or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion
Troops:	900 (short duration) 450 (long durations) 150 (serving as operational headquarters)
Complement:	20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 quarter-masters
Sensors and processing systems:	DRBN-38A Decca Bridgemaster E250 navigation radar MRR3D-NG air/surface sentry radar 2 optronic fire control systems
Armament:	2 x Simbad systems 4 x 12.7 mm M2-HB Browning machine guns
Aircraft carried:	16 heavy or 35 light helicopters
Aviation facilities:	6 helicopter landing spots

The vehicle capacity is really over kill, in my vision it'll be used for enhanced aviation and munitions storage.  I'd fill this ship with Navy MH-60's armed to the gills and then I'd stuff the back end with Riverines and make this a US Navy Special Ops platform.

SOCOM would get its mothership, Riverines would get its mothership and NAVAIR would get a sea control beast from hell.  MH-60's patrolling off the coast of Africa could shut down piracy in a week.  In addition you'd have Riverines running patrols and SOCOM conducting raids from its deck.

What ship would be canned in order to bring this true mult-role ship to the fleet? 

LCS.

What capability would we lose?

Mine hunting.  Every other trick the LCS was expected to perform would be covered by these Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH).  Its not much of a stretch either.  They displace less than a San Antonio Class LPD so they would be considered relatively small ships.  I envision a total of 4 being procured.

Gunfighters at sunset...

The sun sets as UH-1Y Huey crews with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, the "Gunfighters," fly across the flight line on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, April 1. The Gunfighters continued combat operations while celebrating their 40th anniversary(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot).

NOTE:

I wish to all that's right in the world that Marine Corps Combat Photographers would standardize on a simple standard.  Place the name of the Combat Photographer at the end of the caption.  Too many times I'm seeing great shots like this and no credit can be given because the name isn't included.  Come on PAO's.  You can make this happen!
Thank You!