F-35 readies to ferry...

F-35A AF-3 comes in for a landing after its eighth flight on 9 December 2010 with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. The aircraft is the first fully low-observable compliant F-35. The 2.5-hour flight at NAS Fort Worth JRB was an endurance flight in preparation for a ferry flight from Fort Worth to Edwards AFB, California.

(thanks B. Olsoy!)

MineWolf.

StrategyPage has an interesting article on this bit of machinery that to be honest I had never heard of.  The MineWolf seems to have a rather strong following in the Middle East and I'm interested to see how it performs in the war zone.

Bill Sweetman's Rant against the Marine Corps.

via Defense Technology International...
 

Bill is quick to point out the costs of Marine Corps weapon systems...but this critic of the Corps fails to recognize the failings of his beloved Air Force....

These figures are copied directly from Wikipedia...

F-22...
US$150 million (flyaway cost for FY2009)
B-2....
$737 million (1997 cost for each aircraft only, $1.01 billion today)
F-15E....
[F-15E: US$31.1 million (flyaway cost, 1998)^[2]
F-15K: US$100 million (2006]

But if that's not enough then lets look at the growth in the weight of vehicles...

M-113
12.3 tonnes (13.6 ST; 12.1 LT)
Bradley IFV
27.6  tonnes (30.4  short tons)
Stryker ICV
ICV: 16.47 t (18.12 sh tn)
MGS: 18.77 t (20.65 sh tn)
GCV
up to 60 tons

In short Bill is simply taking aim at the Marine Corps because it serves his purpose but his argument is flawed beyond belief.

Its been a slam the Marine Corps month at Ares and now in DTI.

That's a shame.

Commercial Spacecraft kick NASA to the curb...

via ASD News.  Read it all here.

WASHINGTON - NASA and SpaceX chiefs shook their heads with disbelief and joy Wednesday after a perfect launch into orbit and back of the company's Dragon capsule, a historic first for the future of space travel.

Never before has a private enterprise attempted to launch its own spacecraft to orbit the Earth and splash back down intact, and SpaceX pulled off the operation perfectly, NASA and company officials said.

The demonstration launch invigorated the US space agency and boosted confidence in the prospect of using commercial vendors to carry astronauts into space and to supply the International Space Station.

"I am sort of in semi-shock. I wish I could be more articulate at moments like this," said SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

"It blows my mind. It is hard to be articulate with a blown mind," Musk told a NASA press conference.

"This has really been better than I expected," he added. "If there had been people sitting in the Dragon capsule today, they would have had a very nice ride."

The Dragon spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida atop the massive Falcon 9 rocket at 1543 GMT.

I slammed the Air Force on ARES Blog recently (hey, posters were coming after the Marines so I struck back in an appropriate manner) but truth be told...THANK GOD FOR THE BOYS IN BLUE!

The idea that our future in space will be in the hands of a private corporation instead of a dedicated US government agency is....stunning.  I wonder what Niel Armstrong would say about this?  Anyway --- good job Space X --- you resurrected the Large Apollo Concept to perfection ---- NASA ---- you suck ---- how about a little less Muslim outreach and a lot more space exploration ---- and the administration ---- get a clue guys ---- China is going to beat us to the high ground unless you get it in gear.

Read about SPACE X here...

Dragonlab Datasheet

F-35 (AF3) another new pic....

F-35A AF-3 taxis to the runway at NAS JRB Fort Worth for its seventh flight on 2 December 2010. Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti is at the controls for the mission, which was the first for the aircraft with fully compliant low-observable coatings.

Company (2) of the week. AVX.

This is a repeat of sorts but I'm really cheering for these guys and hope that their concept gets a fair hearing.  I seriously doubt it with all the success of the Piasecki Speed Hawk and it struggling for financing but the AVX OH-58D is just a great looking bit of kit.

If anyone knows where they're at in the conversion process, please send an e-mail or note my way...

Sikorsky Frontlines spotlights the S-97 Raider.

Frontlines_Q4_2010_issue22

Weep and Whine Haters...the F-35B lives!

This via Bloomberg (read the entire article here)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will recommend giving the Marine Corps as much as two additional years to develop its version of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter to correct technical and manufacturing glitches that have delayed testing, according to two defense officials.
Gates told General James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, of the decision in a Dec. 3 meeting on the fiscal 2012 budget, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified because the session wasn’t public.

We won't get our birds in 2012 but the Harrier will do until then...good news...now we just have to save the EFV and all is well in procurement.

F-35A (AF3) takes off...

F-35A AF-3 takes off on its seventh flight on 2 December 2010 with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. The aircraft is the first fully low-observable compliant F-35.

Harrier GR9 fans...do I have a site for you....

MJAviation.co.uk is a treasure chest of awesome GR9 photos.  Check'em out.

Dingo 2 not loved by Norway's Troops.

Thanks Jonathan!

via Defense News...

“

In Norway, Anger Over Dingo Vehicle Buy

By GERARD O’DWYER

HELSINKI — The Norwegian govern­ment’s decision to “rush through” an order for 20 Dingo 2 armored personnel vehicles has drawn accu­sations from opposition parties that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) picked a vehicle type spurned by its ground forces in Afghanistan.

On Nov. 18, the opposition con­servative party, Høyre, sent 13 ques­tions to the ministry, expressing doubts that the Dingo 2 would offer adequate protection.

“We want to know why so much money was spent on a vehicle which our troops in Afghanistan do not feel safe in,” said Ivar Kristiansen, a Høyre representative on the Norwe­gian parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “There is also the risk that the Dingo 2 may be used as a route-clearing vehicle. It has never been used by any force in such a role.” In a Nov. 26 written response, De­fense Minister Grete Faremo de­fended the decision but conceded that defense chief Gen. Harald Sunde had expressed a preference for U.S. company Oshkosh’s MRAP all-terrain vehicle (M-ATV).

Faremo said the selection was made by Forsvarets Logistikkorgan­isasjon (FLO), Norway’s defense lo­gistics organization, and endorsed by Forsvarets Operative Hoved­kvarter, the armed forces’ opera­tional headquarters.

She said the Dingo 2 was the best available vehicle for improving Norwegian forces’ overall protection against improvised bombs and oth­er explosives. Delaying the purchase would expose Norwegian soldiers to an unnecessary and unacceptable high risk, she said.

“This has been a rapid acquisition under severe time pressure, and I’m happy with the result,” Faremo said in her statement. “I recognize that not all our soldiers in Afghanistan agree with the choice of vehicle, but I must emphasize that the Dingo 2 was the only acceptable option that could be deployed now.” Faremo said the FLO would test the Dingo 2’s suitability for clearing routes.
On Oct. 29, the MoD signed an ini­tial $25 million contract for 20 Din­go 2s with Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. Three weeks later, the first vehicle entered service with Norway’s troops in Afghanistan.

The quick move angered opposi­tion groups and divided military opinion, said Jan Arild Ellingsen, the Progress Party’s spokesman on defense.

“The jury is out on whether the Dingo 2 is the best armored vehicle in Afghanistan of its type,” Ellingsen said. “This seems like a costly tem­porary solution. We have received honest feedback from our troops in Afghanistan, and the general feeling is that they do not have confidence in this vehicle.” He said the Army’s weapons test­ing center wrote to the MoD on Oct. 18 advising the government against the purchase of the Dingo 2, Ellingsen said.

The Armed Forces Command, in response, stated that the testing cen­ter has changed its position after re­ceiving additional technical data on the Dingo 2 from the FLO and now supports the purchase.

Ellingsen said the MoD should have considered the Oshkosh M-ATV, the armored fighting vehicle designed for U.S. Army use among the prevailing threats and moun­tainous terrain in Afghanistan.

Faremo said the MoD was in­formed by U.S. Central Command that the vehicle would not be avail­able to purchase or lease before 2012.

The operational headquarters com­mander, Maj. Gen. Bernt Brovold, confirmed that the military had been interested in the M-ATV but that U.S. officials said it was not yet available. Brovold said Norwegian forces in Afghanistan needed an armored ve­hicle quickly, and the Dingo 2’s V­shaped hull and elevated chassis would do the job.

“The Dingo 2 is a maneuverable heavy vehicle with a surprisingly quick acceleration,” he said. “It pro­vides improved protection for our soldiers.” Ellingsen said the “rushing through” of the Dingo 2 purchase represents a knee-jerk response to rising Norwegian casualties in Afghanistan.

AFC figures reveal around 200 separate attacks on Norwegian forces in the first 10 months of 2010. These include around 20 roadside bombs, including a June blast that killed four soldiers traveling in an Iveco light multirole vehicle on pa­trol in Faryab province.

Nine Norwegian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2004.

“Our soldiers deserve the best ar­mored vehicle protection,” Ellingsen said. “This means using the same ve­hicles that the Americans do. We should buy or lease. What is very clear is that Army personnel and the military’s weapons testing unit are not convinced by the Dingo 2.” Faremo said such critical com­ments and assessments were based on general opinions and inaccurate data that failed to take full account of the Dingo 2’s absolute technical qualities and capabilities.

Belgium, which has ordered 220 Dingo 2 units, already deploys the vehicle in Afghanistan. It is also in service with the militaries of Ger­many, Austria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic.

from the electronic version of DefenseNews.com

Wow.  I always had a neutral opinion of the Dingo 2 and at worst thought it was as good as the other MRAPs out there.  Now I'm not so sure.  Hopefully a European reader will be able to let us know if this is politics or an actual issue.  

A Sheep Dog takes down wolves...

If you don't know what a modern day "Sheep Dog" is then shame on you.  This is from the Firearms Blog....

The last stand of Alejo Garza Tamez

Narco-gansters gave 77-year-old Mexican rancher Alejo Garza Tamez an ultimatum, move out in 24 hours or die. Instead of capitulating he heroically made a last stand. NY Post reports ...

He shot so fast and furiously that the confused cartel assumed there were several people inside. Dropping their assault rifles, the thugs lobbed hand grenades into the ranch house until the shooting stopped.
When the Mexican army finally showed up after the gunfight, they found four dead and two injured gang members piled in a heap outside the shelled, bullet-pocked farmhouse.
Inside, amid a pile of rubble, was the lifeless, bullet-riddled Garza, two weapons at his side.
The unassuming timber businessman was given a hero's burial last week in his native Monterrey, Mexico.

The man is a hero and an inspiration. I hope his story is made into a movie.
[ Many thanks to the reader who emailed this in ]