APA saved the F-35!

A comment made today...

Sgt C said... Kudos to LM if they can keep the plane in the 60-70m range. There would be no reason for anyone who could buy a JSF to buy anything else. Why buy a Yugo when you can get a Corvette for the same amount of money?
USN reluctance and those wild operational cost numbers that came out are pure F18/Boeing mafia. They're pretty entrenched at NAVAIR.
However, don't think that LM is keeping costs in line out the generosity of its Corporate heart. Public scrutiny of JSF (and many defense contracts in general) have them putting the screws to costs. Which is the way it's supposed to work, I believe.

Saw two BF's fly today. Maybe they will make their goals this year. It would be nice to be wrong in this case.

His statement gave me this wild thought.  Without Air Power Australia sounding the alarm (most of the time falsely)...without the criticism from the many critics out there...without the breach....the F-35 program would have probably failed without hope of resurrection.

But because of the early and often fire/brimstone thrown at the program....

Policy makers and Lockheed Martin got a heads up that they needed to make changes---and to do it now.

The irony of the situation is this.  The people that sought to kill the F-35 might in the end have saved it...they did not allow the builder or the government to be lulled into a sense that all was well.

This is beyond delicious! 

Certifiably Crazy.

This guy is certifiable.  5150!

Thompson on the F-35.

After some initial reluctance to comment, prime contractor Lockheed Martin has begun to forcefully rebut the absurd cost estimates being issued by CAPE -- estimates that made the plane sound unaffordable. Lockheed chairman Robert Stevens stated last week that the company expects the actual purchase price of each Air Force variant will be roughly the same as a current Lockheed F-16 or Boeing F/A-18. That would be about $60 million in today's dollars -- less than half the price of an F-22 Raptor -- and it includes all the necessary mission equipment.

Read it all here.

The Whitewash is complete. No Punishment from the loss in Wanat.

Listen to this drivel and weep.  The US Army and the Pentagon has successfully swept this incident under the rug.  Another failure by Brigade and higher Officers in relation to the needs of the men on the ground.  Politicians in uniform, not warriors.  These senior Officers need to be fired, not given the official pat on the back that they received from this report.

AN-70 to the Russian Air Force?

 image via FlightGlobal

via Ria Novosti.

Russian military to receive first An-70 transport planes by 2012

Russia may start receiving its first An-70 military transport planes as early as in 2012, the defense minister said on Thursday."We hope to start receiving the tested aircraft by 2012. We need this plane and the Russian Defense Ministry plans to buy it," Anatoly Serdyukov said during his visit to the Black Sea Fleet's base in Sevastopol on Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
The An-70 is a medium-range turboprop military transport plane developed by Ukraine's Antonov design bureau. The Antonov company first tested a flying prototype of the An-70 in 1994, but a lack of Ukrainian state funds, and political disputes between Moscow and Kiev have prevented large-scale production of the aircraft.
The recent thaw in Russian-Ukrainian relations saw Moscow renew long-stalled funding to Ukraine for eventual joint production of the plane.
There are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, Il-76MD and An-124 Condor transport aircraft.
The An-70 is intended to replace Russia's An-12 military transport aircraft.
Russian Airborne Troops Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said in May that his service had ordered 40 An-70 planes under the new state arms procurement program for 2011-2020.
SEVASTOPOL, June 24 (RIA Novosti)

Wow, I really thought this was a dead program.  Russia has been making alot of announcements regarding weapons purchases....I wonder if this is real or just another bit of propaganda?

Pic of the Day. June 24, 2010.

A Marine with Company B, Marine Barracks Washington fires an Anti Tank-4 weapons system during a training evolution aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. The Marines from MBW completed annual training and sharpened their infantry skills during the three-day training evolution. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Jeremy Ware)


One of the best kept secrets of the Marine Corps.  The ceremonial unit at Marine Barracks is quite simply an Infantry Unit.  If their is turmoil or danger they can be used to protect important sites and institutions in the area.

New CV90 Armadillo Pics.

Black Knight Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle.

Want to know the state of US unmanned ground combat systems?  All you have to do is look at BAE's Black Knight.

An unmanned ground combat vehicle just begging for further development and a trial in combat but can gather no attention.

Whatever the reason, the UGCV is just not going to be a part of military forces for the foreseeable future.

More info here.