F-111's at Pitch Black.

22 July 2010
No. 6 Squadron F-111 Aircraft Taxiing
The Royal Australian Air Force's iconic F-111s are participating in Exercise Pitch Black for the final time before they are decommissioned from service at the end of the year. Four F-111s from RAAF Amberley, Qld are operating from RAAF Darwin, NT during the three-week long exercise.

The venerable F-111 long-range strike aircraft has provided excellent service to Australia for the last 37 years and continues to perform a vital role in maintaining air power in the region in conjunction with the F/A-18 Classic and Super Hornets. The F/A-18F Australian Super Hornets are set to participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2012.

The F-111s will return to Darwin later next month to participate in Exercises Kakadu and Singaroo. 

 

VMM-261 back home.

The unit that first took the MV-22 to Afghanistan is back home....

VMM-261 Raging Bulls complete historic deployment 

7/21/2010  By Lance Cpl. Nichole R. Werling  , Marine Corps Air Station New River 

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, Jacksonville, N.C.  — Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, “The Raging Bulls,” returned to Marine Corps Air Station New River from Afghanistan July 16.  They were stationed at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, under the command of Lt. Col. Anthony Bianca, as an assault support unit.
 Due to a change of command in May, the Squadron completed their tour under the command of Lt. Col. Ivan Thomas.
The Squadron was the first MV-22 Osprey squadron to operate in Afghanistan, and the unit’s primary mission was to serve as assault support.
“The V-22 was used (in Afghanistan) to exploit its capabilities to the maximum extent,” said Maj. Timothy Miller, executive officer for VMM-261. “We were able to range the entire country. We flew to places that could only be ranged by plane, but only be landed by helicopter.”
This was the squadron’s fourth deployment. Before the recent tour in Afghanistan, the squadron supported Operation Iraqi Freedom during three separate deployments.
Miller said he believes the unit did very well, and performed all missions asked of them to the utmost of their abilities.
 “This environment was more challenging (than Iraq),” said Miller. “We performed all missions that were asked us and brought back all aircraft and Marines. Certainly, this was a mission success.”
More than twenty Marines with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 were attached to VMM-261 for the return trip.
It was approximately 8 p.m. when the buses carrying the Marines arrived onto the flightline.
One of the Marines who came back was Sgt. Frank Mershon IV. His family was anxiously waiting for him, wearing bright yellow shirts that read “Frank the Tank.”
“We are very excited he’s coming home,” said Terry Mershon, Frank’s mother.
“We are very proud of Frankie, and all the Marines that worked twenty-four-seven,”said Frank Mershon III, Sgt. Mershon’s father.

Another example of a weapon system that has been vilified by many before it even entered into Marine Corps service (strangely people seem to have no problem with US Air Force Special Ops flying this airplane) that has gone on and proven its worth in the war zone.

And now we start hearing from Canadian Aviation Blogs....

More good news and another sign of strong support for the F-35...this from Aviation.ca

“It’s pretty exciting to be part of the change that’s about to occur with the new aircraft coming in,” says Captain Forrest Rock, the fighter pilot who flew in a CF-18 from 425 (Tactical Fighter) Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, Que. for the news conference last Friday.
“I love flying the CF-18, but obviously flying the F-35 one day will be pretty exciting. I love what I do. It’s not every day you can wake up, and go to work and do something you love. Every time you put the throttles in afterburner you get a smile on your face.”
In announcing the $9 billion acquisition, Defence Minister Peter McKay emphasized why the conventional take-off and landing variant of the F-35 Lighting II is the right replacement for the CF-18 Hornet.
“The F-35 Lightning II’s technology in terms of sensors, stealth technology, weapons systems, survivability and the integrated nature of its systems make it a truly fifth generation aircraft,” said Minister McKay. “It is the only fighter to meet the Canadian Forces operational and interpretational requirements and needs.”

Read the whole thing but the Canadian Air Force seems pretty happy with this development.

Italy cuts Eurofighter buy.

via ASDNews.

Italy cuts Eurofighter order by 25 units, citing finances

MILAN, July 20, 2010 (AFP) - Italy will slash an order for Eurofighter warplanes by 25 from a planned 121 for savings of about two billion euros (2.6 billion dollars), the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The reduced order is part of "savings that the ministry must make under the austerity plan" adopted by the centre-right government in May, a press officer told AFP, confirming remarks by Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa at the Farnborough Airshow in Britain.

The two-year austerity package totalling 24.9 billion euros is aimed at cleaning up Italy's finances and reassuring financial markets.

The Eurofighter, a multi-purpose twin-engine fighter jet introduced in 2003, is built by a consortium made up of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Britain's BAE Systems and Alenia/Finmeccanica of Italy.

EADS' share is 46 percent, followed by BAE's 33 percent and Alenia/Finmeccanica's 21 percent.

The Eurofighter programme has been dogged by criticism over costs, notably from Italy and Britain.

Wow.

Everyone was predicting that the F-35 would fall prey to the financial crisis but it seems like the production schedule will preclude that type of hit. 

High tech jobs have a type of political capital that must not be underestimated. 

I do wonder what this will do to the planned upgrade of the AESA radar that is being developed.  Especially when it can be seen that the F-35 will be a more capable and lower cost airplane.

BAE teases!

I've been watching the BAE micro Farnborough website for news on this tantalizing bit of news on the F-35's defensive avionics suite.  Still no word but it appears to be game changing...or it could just be clever marketing.  I guess we'll see when we see.

US Army Air Defense Artillery.

Major Hat Tip to Sgt. C. for the website and pointing me to this video. 

More bad news for F-35 haters!

via Reuters...below are the highlights (which I've highlighted!)...

The United States and Israel are days away from reaching an agreement on the sale of 19 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jets, which would be the first foreign military sale of the new warplane.

"The ball is in their court," Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa, who heads the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, told Reuters at the Farnborough Airshow.
"I am waiting for them to make a decision any day," said Wieringa, who is retiring at the end of the month.
Lockheed declined comment on the status of the arms deal, since it will be concluded between the U.S. and Israeli governments, but said the fact that Israel wants to buy the new F-35 fighter underscored global confidence in the jet.
Analysts say the deal is worth about $3 billion.
"When they select F-35, we believe it's a testimony to the capabilities of the jet," Steve O'Bryan, Lockheed's vice president for F-35 business development, told Reuters, noting that Israel faces some formidable security challenges.
Lockheed said it is close to reaching an agreement with the U.S. government on procurement of a fourth batch of 32 F-35 fighters, and a deal could come "any day."
Company officials, speaking in interviews and at a news conference, underscored their commitment to working with the Pentagon to continue driving down the cost of the F-35 program -- at over $300 billion the biggest weapons program in history.
O'Bryan said the contract for the fourth batch of airplanes would be 20 percent lower than that of the previous batch of fighters, and half the price of the first batch.

Read it and weep critics!  Its over.  This program is beyond paring back and its beyond attempts at cancellation.  Its truly international in scope and with Turkey buying extra fighters and Israel finally getting off the fence, this program can easily absorb any reduction in buys from wavering partner nations and still deliver on the promise of affordability.

You've lost F-35 haters. 

Pic of the Day. July 20, 2010.

U.S. Marines conduct a beach assault with Peruvian marines in Salinas, Peru, July 11, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 24 aboard the USS New Orleans. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brian J. Slaght

Wow.  Look at all those M4's in that squad!  Has the table of equipment changed?  Seems like the "Gunners" are making an end run around the Commandant and pushing M4's out to the Marines to justify the acquisition of the Infantry Automatic Rifle!  If we have a Company of Marines that can't reach out and touch targets with M-16's then the need for precise automatic fire becomes more important.

A simple picture but I smell a rat!

Why the Marine Corps? The Quantico Power Point.

Why Marine Corps

BP, Lockerbie bomber, the oil spill and our special relationship.

Relationships evolve over time.  What was hot and steamy can become cold.  Is this what is happening with the US and the UK????  They are part of the EU and the pull of that institution over the UK was bound to alter our relationship.  Perhaps we should simply part as friends?  Read this from SkyNews and be amazed at the British Prime Minister's defence (yeah I used the British spelling) of British Petroleum (let's use their legacy name not just the new incarnation).