Tomahawk cruise missiles and Fighters strike Syria!

Breaking news...more to come....

Navy narrows down the cause of the F-35 from 136 possibilities to 4.

via Courant.com

"We started with about 136 or so possibilities of what we thought this could be. And we are down to about four," he said.
The June fire at Eglin Air Force base in Florida resulted in a grounding of the F-35 fleet and kept the planes from flying at two major air shows this summer. It renewed concerns about the about Pentagon's nearly $400 billion weapons program. The engine is manufactured by East Hartford-headquartered Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp.
Military and company investigators determined the fire occurred as a result of fan blades rubbing against an adjacent seal. Weeks ago, officials at the F-35 program said a solution should be found by the end of September and be moderate in cost, a price that Pratt has agreed to cover.
Hempstall's comments Monday at a Connecticut defense and aerospace conference hinted that a solution could be found in October rather than by the end of this month as initially planned.
"Within the next couple of weeks, we believe we are going to come to a resolution and know what that is," he said. More than 100 of the planes have been built, the vast majority of them production aircraft that will be put into service, he said.

So they're walking back earlier, more optimistic estimates...I'm not surprised.

I wonder how this is going to affect the "C" model going out to the boat for testing?  I'm willing to bet that the testing will be delayed.

Read the whole story here. 

Ukraine lost 65% of its military hardware in the fighting around Donetsk

via RFE/RL.org

"The more Ukrainian army battalions or brigades are brought up, the more troops there are from the Russian Federation," Poroshenko said in a question-and-answer session with Ukrainian journalists.
He also said Ukraine had lost 65 percent of its military hardware on the front lines during fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Jesus!

The fighting was that intense around Donetsk?  Still I don't know.  Russian forces indicated that they were suffering heavy losses while Ukraine denied it.  Additional the Ukrainian President was just in the US asking for heavy weapons.

So once again we're caught in the murky world of propaganda.

What's true?  I just don't know. 

Amphibious Combat Vehicle 1.1 (ACV 1.1)

BAE just put out the above video and supposedly there is suppose to be an industry day later this week.  Additionally HQMC is putting out a bit more information on how the upgraded AAV and MPC will work together (like how they're going to have to increase the size of the AAV battalions).

It all points to politicking for Dunford to continue the MPC/ACV 1.1 project.  I'm not sure he'll be swayed.

It all depends on that 900 pound gorilla in the room, the F-35.  If it turns out to be as cheap as we're being told...AND...its maintenance costs aren't back breaking then maybe (but I seriously doubt it).  Additionally the CH-53K flies in December and is going to gobble up funds soon too.

My guess?  The AAV will continue for another 20 years.  Just a reminder of what we were told.  Check out the vid below...

Why have camo uniforms been turned into a seasonal item?

Marine infantrymen with the III Marine Expeditionary Force make their way to a compound held by the Guam Army National Guard who are acting as an opposing force Sept. 20, 2014, during the island seizure portion of Exercise Valiant Shield 2014 at Tinian’s North Field. The Marines were transported from Okinawa to Guam and from there to Tinian. Valiant Shield is a U.S.-only exercise integrating Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps assets, offering real-world joint operational experience to develop capabilities that provide a full range of options to defend U.S. interests and those of its allies and partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. D. A. Walters/ Released)

You probably look at the above photo and you might say "hey, its just a Marine doing the Marine-thing"...you might say "ok, they're getting back to jungle warfare"...you might even say "that M27 looks sweet"....

I look at it and wonder why camo uniforms are suddenly a seasonal item instead of what they were designed for...to help Marines blend into the environment.

I hope the next Commandant releases the hold and gives local commanders the choice of what uniform to wear based on conditions, not an edict from HQMC.  Amos has done alot of silly stuff but a seasonally based wearing of uniforms was just INSANE!  It comes with having a jungle/temperate climate and desert uniform.

You want one style to fit all then climb on the multicam option.  You want to have a distinctive Marine uniform (and I do) then deal with having some Marines have faded deserts or jungles and sparkling new of the other type.  Besides, isn't that what the uniform allowance is for?

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2014

Uh.  Chinese armor has the right look.  I would love to see it in action.  Maybe we should invite them to participate in the "war against ISIS" just to get a look-see on how far they've progressed in the military art.

BAE & Patria to work on Australian combat recon vehicle project.

Thanks for the link Jonathan.

You ever read a story that has you saying WHAT THE FUCK outloud?  Check this out via Janes.

BAE Systems and Finnish aerospace and defence group Patria are to jointly bid for the Australian Army's programme to procure a combat reconnaissance vehicle (CRV) platform.
A statement on 22 September said the two companies were offering to meet the requirement - part of Land 400 Phase 2 - with a platform based on Patria's 8x8 Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV). BAE Systems said it would act as prime contractor in the joint bid.
A spokesperson from BAE Systems Australia told IHS Jane's : "The tender for Land 400 is not expected for some time but together we aim to meet the requirement with an evolved solution." The spokesperson said other details of the joint CRV bid would be released later.

Ok.  I admit right up front that I have no idea how the inner workings of the armored vehicle market work, but I would have expected Patria to tap Lockheed Martin on the shoulder and said lets go for this thing in Australia...and for BAE to do the same with Iveco.

Whats going on that has everyone abandoning what I thought (and has presented) were solid alliances to pursue a program that is probably much smaller than even the USMC was contemplating?  Certainly they could get the same type of support from their previous couplings.

So why this new partnership?