Armor is back in the game.

via Defense News.

Following the deployment of Merkava Mk 4 tanks equipped with Rafael Defense Systems’ Trophy (ASPRO-A) Active Protection Systems (APS) along the Gaza border last month (January 2011), following a Palestinian Kornet missile attack, battle testing of the system was only a matter of time. Today (1st March 2011), the Trophy was baphtized in combat, proving its worth in a first combat engagement with a hostile RPG, fired by Palestinain anti-tank team from Gaza.

F-35 flight test compilation.

Thanks B. Bolsøy

Marines Deploy to Med for Libyan Crisis

via Military.com

About 400 Marines are deploying from the U.S. to the Mediterranean where they'll be stationed aboard the U.S Navy warships while the U.S. continues to consider its response to the rebellion in Libya.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a Pentagon press conference that the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge and the amphibious transport dock ship Ponce "will provide us with the capability for both emergency evacuations and . . . humanitarian relief."

Kearsarge deployed about 1,400 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Afghanistan last month.

Hmm.  A Battalion (-)  to conduct this mission?

Seems like we could be witnessing the first operational "Company Landing Team."

This could get real interesting.

Even a humanitarian effort would be challenging...also be on the look out for these CLT (+) (reinforced) to operate in a dispersed fashion.

P-8 arrives at PaxRiver

Men then and "Men" now.

Sad but true.

*Update*

I posted this because it showed warriors of yesterday being compared to effeminate men of today.

It was suppose to be funny.  Nothing more, nothing less.  If you can't take the joke then its a "you" problem. 

LAV A2. A simple solution to the MPC issue.

The Marines already have a tailor made solution to the issue of what to buy for the Marine Personnel Carrier.  That solution is in production and being delivered today.  It would need minor modifications and is transportable by CH-53E/K.

Its the LAV-25A2.

Simply remove the turret, replace it with a remote weapon station and the issue is resolved.  Approval by the SecDef should be easy, it can be sole sourced (by passing competition) and it can be in the fleet by the 1st quarter of next year.  IF they act now.

USMC LAV A2

Amphibious warriors take SoCal beach

All photos courtesy of Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn

An amphibious assault vehicle from 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, lands on a beach here, Feb. 28, during a bilateral training exercise with various Marine units from Southern California and more than 180 soldiers of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.

An amphibious assault vehicle from 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, lands on a beach here, Feb. 28, during a bilateral training exercise with various Marine units from Southern California and more than 180 soldiers of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.

Amphibious assault vehicles from 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, land on a beach here, Feb. 28, during a bilateral training exercise with various Marine units from Southern California and more than 180 soldiers of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force

F-35B completes milestone.

via NAVAIR

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- On Feb. 26, 2011, an F-35B test aircraft (BF-2) completed its 100th flight with Lockheed Martin test pilot David "Doc" Nelson at the controls. The 100th flight for BF-2 accomplished further short take-off envelope expansion in preparation for shipboard testing later this year. The F-35B is the Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and is capable of short take-offs and vertical landings undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

XC-142A

Modest Proposal. A new foreign policy.

Just joking (a little).  It would be nice if we actually talked to terrorist, despots and dictators like this.