Hideaki Akaiwa -Bad Ass of the Week (a couple of weeks ago)

I've been watching whats going on in Japan but not posting much on it because I couldn't find what I was looking for.  In incredible horror like that.....with all the pain and suffering...somewhere there had to be a hero.  Here he is courtesy of the website Bad Ass of the Week.  Make sure you read the whole thing.  Its worth it!

USMC/Special Operations unhappy with current design of JLTV.

Jonathan actually sent me two articles on the JLTV (thanks again guy!)...both articles are from National Defense Magazine.org and both give the same story...

1.  The US Army and Marine Corps are having issues arriving at a common vehicle to satisfy there requirements...and...

2.  Special Operations Command is voicing similar concerns to the Marine Corps.  The vehicle as currently configured is just too darn heavy.

With news that the Army and Marines are both sending Request For Information to industry on the viability of upgrading existing HUMVEES and with the looming budget cuts just around the corner, this is a program that is probably on life support.

Prediction.  This program will be killed before August.

UPDATE:

It occurred to me that the 'future of combat' as the DoD sees it will be told if this program survives or not.  If the USMC and SOCOM are successful then we will see this program shelved, the Marines going with upgraded HUMVEES and SOCOM going with unique solutions or piggybacking on the Marine program.

What goes unsaid is that the US Army has several light fighting organizations which will also balk at the heavy weight of the JLTV...the 82nd certainly wouldn't have a use for it and neither would the 101st.

10th Mountain is still to remain light fighters (not sure but I believe so) and so are elements of the 25th.  So you will have 4 Army divisions that will welcome a lighter vehicle.  With the other forces being Stryker Brigades, I don't see why they can't simply exist with the legacy but upgraded HUMVEE.  The focus is definitely on the wrong thing here.  Power generation and fuel economy should be the focus---right along with superior off road handling.  Its beyond time to get back to being maneuver forces and not fighting along MSR's.

Harriers from VMM-263 in action.

B-roll of AV-8B Harriers with Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, take off and land from USS Bataan during a strike exercise off the coast of North Carolina, April 10, 201. The Marines and Sailors of the 22nd MEU are currently deployed with Amphibious Squadron 6 aboard the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and will continue to train and improve the MEU's ability to operate as a cohesive and effective Marine Air Ground Task Force. (U.S. Marine Corps motion imagery by Lance Cpl. Ricky J. Holt.)

HX-21. Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE

via Wikipedia...

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE (HX-21) "Blackjack" is a U.S. Navy aircraft squadron located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. As part of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD), Naval Test Wing Atlantic (NTWL), HX-21 is responsible for the Developmental Test and Evaluation of Navy and Marine Corps rotary-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft, airborne systems, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in support of acquisition decisions that improve the Navy and Marine Corps' war fighting capability. Additionally, HX-21 tests and evaluates new mission systems to integrate legacy aircraft into the constantly evolving fighting force.

Ok, I'm at ease now.  In that formation, I saw a CH-53E in what appeared to be perfect condition along with two AH-1Z's and a UH-1Y.

First thought was...why aren't they operating with the fleet.

Now it makes sense.

HX-21 Formation.

Hard to believe that the biggest helicopter in that formation is also the fastest.  Now to Google HX-21...never heard of them!

FireStorm and the Marine Corps.

Produced by Metal Storm Limited, an Australian defense company, the FireStorm is an electronically fired, multi-barrel 40mm platform. Features include interlocking mechanical and electrical systems for safe operation and light weight.

The weapon and mount together weigh 120 pounds, with the entire unit 21.9 inches tall and 28.6 inches long. The FireStorm can be mounted on anything from humvees to remote controlled robots. It possesses the capability to render less than lethal weaponry, or fire a volley of high explosive rounds at a rate of 6,000 rounds per minute firing from all barrels.

Ammunition is loaded in the tubes, capacity ranging from four to six rounds per tube, depending on the ammunition used.

First the Navy and now the Marine Corps seems to keep toying with the FireStorm concept.  Why no one has pulled the "trigger" yet is beyond me...

British Ministry of Defence Insanity.

I got this article from Jonathan..thanks guy!

~Provides Increased Visibility to 2011 Full Year Vehicle Revenue Outlook~

LADSON, S.C., April 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Force Protection Industries, Inc., a FORCE PROTECTION INC. (NASDAQ: FRPT) group company, today announced it has received a $27.4 million sub-contract from Integrated Survivability Technologies Limited ("IST") for the delivery of 47 Cougar Mastiff vehicles to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence ("U.K. MoD").  IST is a joint venture between Force Protection Europe Limited, a subsidiary of Force Protection Industries, Inc., and NP Aerospace Limited, a subsidiary of The Morgan Crucible Company plc.  Work under this sub-contract will be performed in Ladson, South Carolina, and is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2011. 

This falls under the category of WTF!

British involvement is suppose to be winding down in Afghanistan.  They already have a vehicle issue (as in too many different types) and its a little late in the game to be adding additional heavy MRAPs that will have limited utility in other war zones.

If this is an example of the course of defense spending in the UK, then I must amend my complaint about the retirement of the Harriers.  It wasn't foolish.  It was criminal.