Bloggers roundtable on the EFV.

DoD Live is going to have a bloggers roundtable on the EFV on the 27th of this month.  If the "professional" blogosphere is up to snuff then we should get some visibility on the state of the program.  I'm not holding my breath, most of the "professionals" are Navy centric.  If they comment on the EFV its to engage in more of a bash session rather than an information seeking exercise.  But we'll see.  Follow the link above and you can sit in on the discussion --I know I will.

MRAPs. We get heavier, allies get lighter.

The latest news from Australia and the UK gives interesting news.  While our MRAPs have on average gotten heavier (with the M-ATV being the lone exception) our allies are looking at lighter offerings.

From the UK, we have the example of Force Protection UK's Ocelot Light Protected Patrol Vehicle.  This truck will operate in the same manner as our future JLTV (perhaps in a more tactical role with no provision for the utility variants).


In Australia we just got word that their new Hawkei Light Protected Vehicle has made it to the second round in their selection process.

What's obvious is that the JLTV as its currently designed (by all competitors) is just too heavy.  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against highly protected vehicles.  The issue becomes one of fewer returns with every ton increase in weight.  MRAPs are notorious for poor ride and handling qualities (bad for troop effectiveness once they reach the objective) and for their inability to navigate confined areas of roadways (mostly tight mountain passes).  The number of injured and killed by accidents is probably one of the more under reported consequences of the war against IEDs.

All this leads to the Marine Corps decision to pursue an uparmored Humvee, instead of the JLTV.  The more I look at this issue the better I like the Granite Tactical solution.

Navy loves the F-35C.

via DefPro...

"I want to dispel the contention that the Navy is soft on F-35C," said Rear Adm. Michael C. Manazir. "The Navy has had the F-35C in her horizon for more than a decade. As we built the path from F/A-18 aircraft on to the carrier to fifth generation, we grew the E/F Super Hornets in the limits of fourth generation capability. We now need to move into the F-35C to realize our vision for TACAIR (tactical air) coming off the carriers."

Outstanding.  Read more at DefPro, but this is another blow to the many critics of this airplane.  Just like the LPD-17, only later will the doubters understand the leap ahead that these systems represent...and then they will claim to have supported them all along!

XM25 explained.

Hat-tip to Tactical Life.com.

I don't know who that is that's giving the briefing on this weapon system but I do know that their is no way in hell this can be used under the current rules of engagement.

If an enemy soldier is spotted shooting from inside a building, you are not allowed to return fire against the building.  You can engage the shooter.  Do whatever it takes to time him up and hit him but you cannot target the building....you know the worry about civilian casualties and all that.

With that being said I can't see the joy the Army has in fielding this weapon.  Its a lawyers dream and a soldiers nightmare.

This has pre-trial confinement written all over it.

US Marines intercept hijacked ship.

...a detachment aboard ship?

US marines intercept hijacked ship

Manama - A US destroyer intercepted a hijacked ship with around 50 pirates on board last week, authorities said on Monday.

The container ship M/V Iceberg I, with 24 crew members on board, had been captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, nearly two months ago.

The USS McFaul identified the ship, despite the pirates having painted over its name and re-named it Sea Express, a spokesperson from the region's counter-piracy task force said in the Bahraini capital Manama.

The US marines had first noticed the ship on Wednesday and sent a radio message. The crew answered that they were on their way to the next port to have some repairs done.

The marines then radioed that they wanted to come on board, at which point the crew replied that they had been hijacked by heavily armed pirates.

"First and foremost our responsibility is to ensure the safety of the crew," said the commander of the USS Faul, Ronald Toland. "Given the report of heavily armed pirates on board, it was more prudent to monitor the ship's movement, rather than attempt a rescue."

His crew followed the ship's movements for the next 36 hours, until it begin to sail towards the coast of Somalia.

The marines said they suspected the pirates wanted either to help other pirates who had fallen into difficulties at sea, or to use the ship to capture another vessel. - Sapa-dpa

David Beckham in Afghanistan.

AVX updates.

AVX is upping the communication on their efforts to modernize the OH-58.  One of their biggest selling points is the ability to hover out of ground effect and the virtual elimination of brownouts when landing.  The info below is from their website.

AVX 509.

Remember the AVX Aircraft Corporation.  They're the makers of the innovative OH-58 ducted fan design, but they've also come up with a beautiful civilian derivative.

Quotes of the day. May 24, 2010.

My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military.

There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights.

 War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

General Smedley Butler, United States Marine Corps.

Russians are ready to build the Mistral. Which one?

Ria Novosti is reporting that the Russians are ready to build Mistral class vessels.  Read it here.  My question is ...Which one?  I never realized but in the video above, the Mistral comes in 4 different classes.  From a small 16000 tons to a large 21000 tons version.

In the end it really makes little difference, but the implications are clear.  The Russians are trying to get into the power projection game and they seek to have the ability to have a sustainable presence whenever they decide to project that power.  

The Russian military has a powerful airborne force which makes this move even more telling.  Sustainable power arrives by sea...not by air.  We should remember that fact.