McDonnell Douglas Model 226-458 Quiet Attack Aircraft...

Go to RetroMechanix to read the article on this amazing airplane!

Time to shine.

Thanks B Bolsoy for the link...via Air Force Magazine.

Lockheed Martin's Time to Shine: Lockheed Martin is 20 percent ahead of it's flight plan for all three variants of the F-35 strike fighter and 33 percent ahead of planned test points, Bob Stevens, company chairman and CEO, told reporters Tuesday. "There will not be another rebaseline of this program. There will not be. We understand that," said Stevens during a briefing at the company's offices in Arlington, Va. He said the company is committed to working with the Defense Department to get the F-35 program back on track. "There are early signs that the program is stabilizing," he noted. Last week, Senate Armed Services Committee leadership expressed concern over the F-35 program's estimated $1 trillion price tag (in inflation-adjusted dollars). That estimate is based on 2,443 airplanes flown over the course of 52 years with more than 50 basing locations, said Steve O'Bryan, Lockheed vice president for F-35 business development. O'Bryan said the company does not believe that the cost figure is realistic and is dedicated to proving the aircraft's reliability—better reliability would mean less lifecycle costs. "Let's see how we perform. I will feel more confident [citing a figure] once we have more than 10 percent of all testing behind us," said O'Bryan.

—Amy McCullough

A view of the Senate hearings that I had not heard before.  The explanation of the life-cycle costs indicates that Senator McCain's staffers fed him bad information.  It seems that he should either replace them or put them on some type of remedial training program!

F-35 to be deployed for combat before IOC...all three models.

Via DefenseNews.com

The U.S. military may deploy the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) before the tri-service fighter is formally declared Initial Operational Capable (IOC), top uniformed officials told Congress on May 24.
While the U.S. Marine Corps has always maintained that it would declare IOC with interim Block 2B software, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy require that the aircraft be fielded with Block 3 software before the jet is formally declared operational. However, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, leaders from both services said they would consider deploying the fifth-generation stealth fighter into combat zones with interim Block 2B software provided that there were no safety concerns.

"If the combatant commander said, 'bring me this capability,' then we clearly would provide it," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, the service's deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.
The Navy's director of warfare integration, Rear Adm. David Philman, who was also testifying, concurred.
"I don't see any reason we wouldn't be able to be told to go into theater, assuming all the safety considerations have been taken care of," he said.

Hmm, I can't wait to see the response to this news.

A video series you must see: The Battle For Marjah.

Its a series of 9 vids.  Well worth the time.

Pic of the day. May 24, 2011.

The third F-35 Lightning II carrier variant flight test aircraft, designated CF-3, launches from Naval Air Station (NAS) Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on May 21 on the way to completing its first test flight.

Not sure but that should be the last test aircraft.  Every plane built from here forward should be going to the training center in Florida.

NASA announces Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV)

I'm of mixed feelings on the course that NASA is currently taking.  Privatizing space exploration feels like a big time mistake but it gives the US Air Force a tremendous opportunity.  I'm also a bit jaded on the MPCV.

We've given up on the Shuttle concept and are reverting back to a Big Apollo type capsule.

The current NASA Chief is a former Marine.  And I can't say that I'm impressed by his leadership.  First the outreach to Muslims via our space program and now the muddle that is our manned flight program?

Yeah, I'm not impressed.  More like disappointed.

Read about the MPCV here.

US Northern Command. Still sleep.

Another swarm of tornadoes hit the heartland of the country.  Its obvious that local authorities are overwhelmed.

But where is Northern Command?

This from their website.

USNORTHCOM’s civil support mission includes domestic disaster relief operations that occur during fires, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Support also includes counter-drug operations and managing the consequences of a terrorist event employing a weapon of mass destruction. The command provides assistance to a Primary Agency when tasked by DOD. Per the Posse Comitatus Act, military forces can provide civil support, but cannot become directly involved in law enforcement.

In providing civil support, USNORTHCOM generally operates through established Joint Task Forces subordinate to the command. An emergency must exceed the capabilities of local, state and federal agencies before USNORTHCOM becomes involved. In most cases, support will be limited, localized and specific. When the scope of the disaster is reduced to the point that the Primary Agency can again assume full control and management without military assistance, USNORTHCOM will exit, leaving the on-scene experts to finish the job.

I would say that the disaster in Joplin is beyond the scope of local authorities.

Northern Command should be there.

At the very least they should at least be up to speed with current events instead of putting up puff pieces like "Astronauts worst day may be our best".

F-35C ferries to Pax River

Devastation in the Heartland. A missed mission for our Active Duty Forces.

All photos from Buzzfeed.com

The recent devastation in Missouri has me wondering about something.

Where are our Active Duty Forces to help with situations such as this?

And before you hit me with Posse Comitatus Act nonsense, let me hit you back with this.

The US Military can certainly replicate the assistance given to Haiti and Japan within our own borders can't they?  Just like in Japan we wouldn't be going in with weapons...but with self sufficient forces that are able to provide shelter, food and possibly most importantly medical assistance to fellow Americans that have suffered tragedy.

States are already stretched thin.  Police and Fire services are being cut back in order to maintain legislatively required balanced budgets.

But possibly more importantly than all that is this....

If the Department of Defense has no role to play in this type of scenario then exactly what is Northern Command all about?


Note:  If you're curious about what the current commander of NorthCom is focusing on you can read his blog here.  I can give you a quick primer now though.  The Admiral is extremely proud of a national level disaster response exercise.  My critique stands.  What better time to swing from an exercise into a real world situation?  Until or unless NorthCom starts helping the American people, its just another command for General level Officers to fill billets.

Bayonet question answered...

On an earlier post I asked why Sgt Shue had, what I thought was a US Army bayonet and P-Mags with his weapon.

Luckily, USMC Combat Cameraman LCpl Mark Stroud was kind enough to send me an e-mail that filled in the blanks.

A couple of points that LCpl Stroud and other Marines were kind enough to hit me with include...

1.  The Marines were ordered by their command to run the course in the uniform shown.
2.  The Marines were not ordered to bring their own bayonets and borrowed the ones shown in the photo from the Australian Army.
3.  The P-Mag issue still eludes my understanding.  I've gotten two different stories on them and I'm just going to write the subject matter experts (the boys of the Weapons Training Battalion at Quantico...hopefully they'll write me back!) and see if P-Mags are unit purchase, optional gear or now Marine Corps issue.

One last point though.  I fuck with the Wing.  I tease the Wing.  But the Marines in the Wing are Marines.  I haven't forgotten that. 

Operation Urban Thunder at 29 Palms.

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -Members of Animal Company 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment ready the Amphibious Assault Vehicles for their march to their objective in their culminating exercise for Operation Urban Thunder in the Blacktop training area May 17, 2011. , Lance Cpl. D. J. Wu, 5/17/2011 2:13 AM

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -Lieutenant Col. Timothy Barrick, the commanding officer of 1st Tank Battalion stands by and awaits orders to advance about his M1 Abrams, the “ Game Changer”, in Operation Urban Thunder in a Combat Center training area May 17, 2011. , Lance Cpl. D. J. Wu, 5/17/2011 2:36 AM

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -An M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle sets off its mine clearing line charge as part of Operation Urban Thunder May 17, 2011., Lance Cpl. D. J. Wu, 5/17/2011 7:58 AM

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -Members of Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, fire their M777 howitzer down range in a call for fire exercise in Regimental Combat Team-7’s Operation Urban Thunder throughout Combat Center’s training areas May 17, 2011., Lance Cpl. D. J. Wu, 5/17/2011 3:33 AM

Monday's 2'fer! Danish dropping more bombs than the RAF and another F-35 makes its first flight.

First up is the RAF letting down the UK.  This report from the Guardian says it best.  Read the whole thing there but again, here's a tidbit.

At the other end of the scale, the Nordic nations can reasonably claim to be punching well above their weight.

Norway and Denmark have both dropped far more bombs – nearly 700 between them – than the UK. Both have recently targeted "bunker-busting" bombs on Gaddafi's compounds in Tripoli. Nato commanders are believed to have assigned Danish F16 jets to target the building in which Gaddafi's youngest son, Saif al-Arab, was killed on 30 April.
Data shows the US initially dominated the military campaign before taking a back seat and handing over control to Nato on 31 March. France also took a leading role, deploying its aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the head of the British navy, told MPs: "If we had a carrier, it would be there."

The problem is (at least for the British) that they don't have carrier based aviation since they killed the Harrier and although (evidently) skilled at interservice politics, the RAF isn't able to live up to its claim of being an effective substitute for the expeditionary capability that carrier aviation brings.

Next up is the first flight of ANOTHER F-35.

Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Canin was at the controls for the first flight of F-35C CF-3 on 21 May 2011. The photo shows the aircraft on approach for a landing.

No matter how loud the critics might be, they can't deny that this program is picking up speed...on both the manufacturing and test sides of the house.

Bjørnar Bolsøy, thanks again for the articles guy!