Friday, June 11, 2010
1st Battalion, 7th Marines at Dawn Blitz.
Textron gobbles up Millenworks.
via DefPro.
Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced that it has acquired MillenWorks, an internationally recognized innovator in advanced mobility solutions for demanding on-road and off-road applications. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Tustin, CA-based company with expected 2010 revenues of about $28 million will add strategic capabilities to Textron Marine & Land Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, in New Orleans, LA.Wow. Talk about a preemptive strike! I thought for sure BAE would buy these guys out, instead Textron beat them to the punch. Millenworks is famous for its suspension work and its vehicles are beyond innovative...they're fabulous. Their Light Utility Vehicle was, in my opinion, more in keeping with what the JLTV was originally designed to be. A next generation, light weight, highly protected, highly mobile and highly adaptable platform.
I'm not sure the current participants can be called lightweight.
Textron stole one from the big boys with this acquisition.
Large Ship Vulnerability.
I've heard the arguments regarding the vulnerability of large ships in the littoral zone.
I've heard pundits wax on about swarm attacks by small boats.
I've read how antiquated it is to build US warships to warship standards...and why it would be better to copy the example of our European allies and to build them to mercantile standards.
Bullshit.
Do you remember this from a few years ago? Large ships don't go quietly into the night. After absorbing all that damage and without the benefit of Damage Control Parties, this ship still had to be destroyed by controlled INTERNAL explosives.
This from the Navy Site. DE
Note*
The results of US Navy test sinkings of aircraft carriers are still classified. If an LHA is this robust then imagine how much damage a modern aircraft carrier could absorb. Maybe the Chinese are signaling the truth by the desperate attempt to target our capital ships with ballistic missiles. Perhaps they've run the simulations and realize how difficult it would be and how much damage THEY would have to absorb in order to destroy a large US combatant conventionally!
I've heard pundits wax on about swarm attacks by small boats.
I've read how antiquated it is to build US warships to warship standards...and why it would be better to copy the example of our European allies and to build them to mercantile standards.
Bullshit.
Do you remember this from a few years ago? Large ships don't go quietly into the night. After absorbing all that damage and without the benefit of Damage Control Parties, this ship still had to be destroyed by controlled INTERNAL explosives.
This from the Navy Site. DE
The photos below were taken on July 13, 2006, and show the BELLEAU WOOD being sunk by EOD set off bombs. On July 12, 2006, the ship had already taken Harpoon hits and gunfire from the USS MOBILE BAY (CG 53) but refused to sink. Thanks to Mario Silva-Hernandez for contributing the potos.
HMAS Kimbala. Preparing for the Canberra Class LHD & Rimpac 2010.
CMDR Byles told Navy News that RIMPAC would mark an important milestone for Kanimbla which will be one of only three amphibious platforms in this large scale joint exercise.Wow. Amphibs. Again!
“Kanimbla for the first time is being used to launch and recover ten (a platoon) of US Marine Corps Amphibious Assault Vehicles involved in a battalion size amphibious assault,” he said.
He said the lessons learnt by Kanimbla will help the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to develop its amphibious warfare doctrine which will contribute to the integration of the Canberra-class LHDs that will give the ADF a truly expeditionary capability.
The Australians are highlighting not their Subs, Frigates or Aircraft at Rimpac but rather an elderly Amphib that was discarded by the US Navy much too soon. Surprisingly, the LST's having been some of the hottest sellers on the aftermarket (although a few LHA's that were sunk to form reefs would have been welcomed by allied navies too).
Change we really can believe in!
Hey all. I made some changes to the blog. Let me know if you like or if I should revert!
Thanks!
NOTE:
Modification 1.
I got some initial feedback. The white on pure black went over like Obama's health care policies, but unlike the President I do respond to the electorate's wishes...or in this case to my readers desires. More mods are possible...let me know!
Thanks!
NOTE:
Modification 1.
I got some initial feedback. The white on pure black went over like Obama's health care policies, but unlike the President I do respond to the electorate's wishes...or in this case to my readers desires. More mods are possible...let me know!
The very definition of a bad day.
Major Hat Tip to War News Updates.
Follow the link to read the story at his site, but if you think you had a bad day, think about what this guy is going through (not that he doesn't deserve it). This poor bastard is going to be praying for death soon.
Follow the link to read the story at his site, but if you think you had a bad day, think about what this guy is going through (not that he doesn't deserve it). This poor bastard is going to be praying for death soon.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
North Korea did LCS before LCS was cool.
Planeman's blog has an interesting article on the Soho class Frigates. Read more here. What's amazing is how similar the ships specifications are to the LCS. To be quite honest they appear to be a bit more heavily armed AND to have a superior anti-ship capability. I'm quite certain that the reason why this is a one ship class is due to poor sea keeping qualities. Catamaran's are notorious for being..."vomit comets". This from Wikipedia.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Soho |
| Operators: |  Korean People's Navy |
| In commission: | Unknown |
| Planned: | Unknown |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics (as per Janes) | |
| Type: | Twin-hulled frigate |
| Displacement: | 1640 tons full load |
| Length: | 73.8m |
| Beam: | 15.5m |
| Draught: | 3.8m |
| Propulsion: | Unknown |
| Speed: | 23 kts |
| Range: | Unknown |
| Complement: | Unknown |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Radar Surface search - Square Tie Fire control - Drum Tilt Sonar Stag horn sonar; hull-mounted active search/attack |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
China RW-23 Jug Pair (Watch Dog) ESM |
| Armament: | Missiles four CSS-N-2 SSM; Guns One 100mm/56; four 37mm/63 (2 twin); four 25mm/60 (2 twin); Anti-submarine mortars Two RBU 1200 5-tube fixed launchers |
| Armour: | Light |
| Aircraft carried: | None? |
| Aviation facilities: | landing platform for medium helicopter, no visible hangar |
| Notes: | Twin-hulled design; continuous maindeck from stem to sternShips in class include: Experimental - only one built, Pennant number 823 |
Note. Photo is from Wikipedia.
LPD-22 San Diego.
They are pumping these ships out like candy from a pez dispenser. With the next generation LSD to be built on the same hull this is good news. It appears that production has finally smoothed out and with these ships having demonstrated the ability to keep up with other ships in the fleet (read DDG-51's), they will be an asset for at least 2 decades...
...Designated LPD 22, San Diego is the sixth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support the Marine Corps "mobility triad,"� which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft...
...San Diego will provide improved warfighting capabilities, including an advanced command and control suite, increased lift capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines...
...The 24,900-ton San Diego is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet and a navigational draft of 23 feet. Four turbo-charged diesels power the ship to sustained speeds of 22 knots.
NAVAIR's LOGIR closer to fleet use.
LOGIR moves a step closer to the fleetNice. A reader has been pushing this as the solution to low cost, precision destruction of enemy vehicles, boats and emplacements. Beneath the radar it appears to have progressed quickly.
The LOw-cost Guided Imaging Rocket (LOGIR) completed its concept demonstration phase in May with a successful launch and direct hit at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Point Mugu sea range.
“It was our graduation exercise and it was a complete success,” said Howard McCauley, head of the Precision Guidance Office in NAWCWD’s Weapons and Energetics Department (4.7). “We have shown that the LOGIR concept is feasible and its technology is mature enough to transition into a program of record.” Follow the link to read the rest.
2nd AAV BN and the Combat Hunter course.
How do you say pre-sniper course without calling it a pre-sniper course? You call it Combat Hunter!
The Combat Hunter course is a five-day and ten-day training exercise, taught regularly at SOI East, that helps prepare Marines for upcoming deployments, so they can learn the fundamentals of observation, profiling and tracking.Read more here .
“We’ve combined material taught at sniper courses and outside law enforcement agencies and put it all into one course to supplement the training Marines undergo before stepping into theater,” said Capt. Modesto L. Gutierrez, Combat Hunter course officer-in-charge.
As the name denotes, Combat Hunter gives Marines the predatory skills to gain the edge on the battlefield. It gives Marines training on how to identify and determine potential threats and persons of interest.
“Were placing an interest in Marines on how to be more proactive versus reactive,” said Gutierrez. “The Marines are taught how body language in humans and how abnormalities in terrain features can indicate that a threat is present.”
Hemet CA Police Dept. under siege.
The police dept is under siege. When you have the bad guys firing rockets and placing bombs under police cars then you're dealing with a different breed of gang-banger. I wonder if the ATF or FBI is assisting or if they're too busy hanging out at gunshows to help? Watch the vid and be amazed.
Magpul is now making... wait for it....motorcycles?
I had to see it to believe it and I'm still not sure. First the Magpul Unimog (well actually that's quite cool) and now this. Amazing.
Check out the Magpul Ronin here.
And the regular Magpul site is found here.
Wow. I wrote "what for it"...amazing. Sleep and spell check can help.
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