BAE. Holding the cards close when it comes to an upgraded AAV.

BAE is cagey.  They're cagey as hell.

But they have good public relations people.

I put a simple question to them....Are they making plans to upgrade the AAV in case the EFV is canceled and if so what would they include in that upgrade package?

This was the response from their spokesman.

To follow up regarding your AAV question, there isn't a lot of info that I can provide at this time except to say we are watching the situation closely, and as the customer develops the requirements, we will respond with an appropriate course of action that will reflect our long history as the premier AAV development, design, production and fielding authority.

Hmm.  Reading between the lines, I've come to this conclusion.  Yes they are working on a set of upgrades and if the EFV fails they'll be ready...BUT!  I get the feeling that the FMTV contract left a bitter taste and that they're not going to risk going public with anything until the time is right.  That whole once bitten twice shy thing.

Despite their lack of clarity I'm rather pleased.  If my suspicions are correct then defense contractors are working on a fall back position for the USMC. 

Whether we like it or not, there is an option in case of EFV failure.  And options are never a bad thing.

A more hi-resolution F-35C pics.

F-35 and Israel.

via Alert 5 from the Jerusalem Post.

The defense establishment will hold a series of high-level consultations over the next month with the aim of determining, by the end of July, whether it will buy the fifth-generation stealth Joint Strike Fighter.

The first meeting will be held in the coming weeks and be led by IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.- Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi as well as OC Israel Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan. The second meeting, scheduled for the end of this month, will be led by Defense Ministry director-general Udi Shani. The final meeting, scheduled for July, will be headed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Despite a recent round of JSF-related talks between Israeli and American officials, the parties have yet to reach an agreement regarding the sale of the plane to Israel.

The F-35 will be one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world and, according to the IAF, would significantly boost Israel’s deterrence in the region.

Prediction.  They'll buy the airplane and if my hunch is correct they'll even buy a batch of B models.  Israel is feeling besieged right now.  I imagine that Lockheed Martin might get that vaunted high rate production.  I can easily see the Israeli's buying their airplanes in the less than full capability mode that the Marines will be operating.

PS.
Alert 5 (I love those guys) also dropped this tidbit.  Canada is expected to purchase the F-35....without competition.

Defense Review on the "super mag".

David Crane of Defense Review has an outstanding write up of the next gen magazine for the Infantry Automatic Rifle.

This is a must have if this system is going to work.  I'm still not convinced and STILL believe that this is a boutique purchase to satisfy a small segment of Marine Corps leadership.

The Gunners are getting their way.

PS.    

First.  The drop test that they performed was silly.  If it works then we'll know when its tested out at 29 Palms with the boys from the 7th Marine Regiment.

Second.  I can tell you what's going to happen operationally with this weapon once it hits the fleet.  Officer, SNCO's and Squad leaders are going to scoop them up and take the tracer rounds from their boys.  They're going to use this to mark targets for their Marines or as a way for them to apply suppressive fire themselves at targets of opportunity.  I guarantee SAWs will still be humped and this will be used in ways that are not being thought of at Headquarters Marine Corps.

 

More Info on the IAR can be found here.

Kel-Tec PMR 30. Hitting store shelves soon?

I despise made up "must have" items.  I have a second gen I-pod that I waited to buy and refuse to upgrade as long as this one works.

I make an exception when it comes to firearms though.  Just like not having enough money or being handsome enough, you can't have enough guns.  I want this gun!  This comment was made in a previous post on the SMG version of this weapon (its theoretical so don't expect that one anytime soon).

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Kel-Tec PMR 30 SMG Prototype.":

finally got the skinny on when the pmr-30 will hit stores. my ffl said he ordered five and they told him they will definatly fill his order (that means to his door step ), by june 25th.So i should be shooting my pmr-30 the 26th at the latest...

OOOH  I hope he's right. 

I wonder if there's a waiting list?  I better start calling my FFL buddies today....got to get in the line!

Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson. His 14 Rules.

Kelly Johnson, the famous aeronautical engineer was a revolutionary thinker.  What's even more revolutionary but often overlooked are his management principals.  Maybe we should insist on making his 14 rules a part of any reform that's pushed through the Defense Dept.

(You'll need to enable full screen to read his rules)

Http Www.lockheedmartin.c..

New justification for Mistral BPC's. Island Patrol!

via Defense News.

Russia is close to purchasing a Mistral-class French warship and needs such a vessel to patrol waters around Pacific islands that are the subject of a long-running dispute with Japan, a top general said June 8.
Russia's plan to purchase the Mistral - capable of carrying up to 16 helicopters and a 750-strong landing force - has alarmed some of its neighbors amid expectations it would become part of its Black Sea fleet.

and then this juicy tidbit...

He said in the region around the Kuril Islands "we need mobile means so that a landing force can be rapidly sent there at the necessary time".

Read the whole thing but if Japan is thinking about scaling back defense spending this should give her pause.  Wolves are lurking and territory is at stake.

MV-22 vid.

Defense Update has a video channel that they haven't been advertising but its pretty awesome.  You can see it here.

Forgotten Concepts. Cormorant UAV.

The US military has a history of pushing forward exciting new concepts and then letting them die on the vine.  The Cormorant UAV is one such concept.  This from Aviation Week...back in 2005!

A new contract to Lockheed Martin marks the beginning of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to study the feasibility of deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle from submarines, a DARPA spokeswoman said.
The UAV, called Cormorant, after the sea bird, would "provide close air support for vessels such as the Littoral Combat Ship and SSGN," a specialized version of the Trident ballistic missile submarine, Jan Walker said. "This is the very first award ... this is the beginning of the program," she said.
Its aim, she said, is to "explore concepts that launch from both the sea surface and submarines."

But since then not a word, not an official update on the program.  You can read the Lockheed Martin page on the program here.

Amazing.  The video advertisement is exciting and if it could deliver just half of what is on it then subs would become a viable part of Air-Sea Battle.  A very viable part. 

Crazy Idea Time.

Ok, this is my crazy idea.  But has anyone thought or considered taking the gun system from the Stryker Mobile Gun and fitting it to the hull of the M1 Abrams?  That should (at least theoretically) shave about 30 tons from the weight of the vehicle and since horsepower would remain the same, it should literally turn into a hot rod.  If a further modification is done and its engine is switched out to an MTU turbo diesel then fuel savings might be found while we're at it.  Just tossing it out there.

Thanks to Military Today.com my vision of the future in a slightly different form is illustrated with the Chieftan Falcon Turret.  BAE has teamed with KADBB so its technology that we could acquire rather easily.