Catapult launches F-35C for the first time

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Navy test pilot Lt. Christopher Tabert takes to the sky July 27 in an F-35C test aircraft launched by a steam catapult for the first time. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability testing aircraft, and is in Lakehurst for catapult and jet blast deflector testing. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants. It has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for slower catapult launch and landing approach speeds and deck impacts associated with the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet.

501st Parachute Infantry Regiment does water ops...

All photos by Justin Connaher

*Note*  I'm just being curious here and if any Airborne guys know then shoot me an e-mail.  What is the deployment sequence of the flotation gear when fully equipped? 

Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment conduct a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22, 2011. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment conduct a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Soldiers recover a paratrooper of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment after he conducted a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Paratrooper Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Clarno of Hillboro, Ore., of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment, swims toward a rubber boat after conducting a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment conduct a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment conduct a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22, 2011. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment conduct a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22, 2011. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

Paratrooper Pfc. Robert Lenigan of Star, Idaho, pulls Specialist Christopher Tenore, left, of Jacksonville, Fla., of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment from the water after he conducted a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22, 2011. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

A Paratrooper of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment conducts a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

A boat races to recover a paratrooper of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 501st Infantry Regiment after he conducted a parachute training and water landing exercise at Big Lake, Alaska, July 22. Several hundred troopers from the battalion trained extensively in preparation for the maneuver, jumped from UH-60 helicopters, staged at a nearby airfield, into Big Lake and were brought safely to shore by rubber boats.

F-35 Fast Facts

F-35 Fast Facts July 13 2011

EOD gets busy down under!

All photos by Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Villalovos 
 

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Peglow, diver, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5, rappels off a tower while training with members of the Australian Northern Territory Tactical Response Group during exercise Talisman Sabre 2011. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations.

Lt. Ryan Ramsden, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5, rappels off a tower while training with members of the Australian Northern Territory Tactical Response Group during exercise Talisman Sabre 2011. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations.

Lt. Ryan Ramsden, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5, rappels off a tower while training with members of the Australian Northern Territory Tactical Response Group during exercise Talisman Sabre 2011. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations. (Doing an Australian Rappel in Australia...Priceless!)

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Peglow, diver, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5, participates in small arms weapons training with members of the Australian Northern Territory Tactical Response Group during exercise Talisman Sabre 2011. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations.

Petty Officer 1st Class Karen McMillan, explosive ordnance disposal, from Los Angeles, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5, participates in small arms weapons training with members of the Australian Northern Territory Tactical Response Group during exercise Talisman Sabre 2011. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations. (Damn!  This chick has guns!  And I mean besides the one she's firing!  Damn!)

Sikorsky S-92 Helicopter ...NH-90 Killer?

Sikorsky will move away from the S-70 Black Hawk series Helicopter sooner or later and waiting in the wind is the S-92.  The NH-90's issues are well documented, the EH-101 is larger, the V-22 is expensive which leaves the S-92 as my dark horse to capture the future military helo market.

British Apache night time carrier ops.

An Apache helicopter waits to take off from HMS Illustrious.

A seaborne exercise saw two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps, carry out deck landing practice onboard HMS ILLUSTRIOUS recently.
They embarked for a two week training package to enable pilots and ground crews to acclimatise to working in a maritime environment.
Photographer: POA(Phot) Ray Jones

An Apache helicopter takes off from HMS Illustrious.

A seaborne exercise saw two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps, carry out deck landing practice onboard HMS ILLUSTRIOUS recently.
They embarked for a two week training package to enable pilots and ground crews to acclimatise to working in a maritime environment.
Photographer: POA(Phot) Ray Jones

An Apache helicopter waits to take off from HMS Illustrious.

A seaborne exercise saw two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps, carry out deck landing practice onboard HMS ILLUSTRIOUS recently.
They embarked for a two week training package to enable pilots and ground crews to acclimatise to working in a maritime environment.
Photographer: POA(Phot) Ray Jones

Neptunus Lex makes a trench run on F-35 critics...

Neptunus Lex nails it.

He makes a trench run on F-35 critics with his latest post but instead of me telling you about it, just go over to his house to read it yourself.  But to wet your whistle, here's a bit...

In the opening hours of Operation Odyssey Dawn, B-2 bombers flew from their base in the United States to Libya and back to provide the “unique capabilities” necessary to kick down the door for the NATO campaign.  What if instead of a twenty hour mission requiring a billion-dollar asset and millions of pounds of jet fuel – you had an aircraft that could do the same mission in twenty minutes from the deck of a ship just off the coast?  Whether operating in the denied airspace of an integrated air-defense system or striking fleeting targets in a failed state, the future of tactical aviation is about being readily available and flexible.

ANGLICO conducts close air support

All Photos by Cpl. Gene A. Ainsworth III 

Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company watch an explosion here July 21. A detachment of Marines and sailors from the company performed close-air support training in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company watch an explosion here July 21. A detachment of Marines and sailors from the company performed close-air support training in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Navy Lt. James E. Lamb, a joint terminal attack controller serving with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, or Anglico, climbs to position before the day's training here July 20. A detachment of Marines and sailors from the company performed close-air support training in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Navy Lt. James E. Lamb, right, relays target areas to Sgt. Ryan J. Eskandary during close-air support training here July 20. Lamb, a joint terminal attack controller, and Eskandary, a forward observer, serve with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, or Anglico, with a detachment deploying with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit later this year. Lamb is from Minneapolis and Eskandary is from St. Paul, Minn.

Sgt. Ryan J. Eskandary, a forward observer serving with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, or Anglico, watches the explosion from a bomb dropped by an F/A-18 Hornet here July 20. A detachment of Marines and sailors from the company performed close-air support training in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Eskandary is from St. Paul, Minn.

A CH-46 Sea Knight, flown by pilots from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, unloads gear during a close-air support training event with 1st and 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison companies here July 21.

Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company wait for bombs to be dropped here July 21. A detachment of Marines and sailors from the company performed close-air support training in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 11th Marine

ISAF Helicopter Crashes in Eastern Afghanistan...ISAF mum.

First we had this release on the 25th from ISAF.  I didn't post it because frankly I'm tired of their bullshit when it comes to information about incidents.  I don't even know why they even have a Public Affairs Office.  You can get more info by following the individual services websites...and when you contact a unit PAO, they're more than happy to help...regardless of the blog size.  Prizes in this category go to the 101st, Rangers, 11th MEU, 13th MEU and 1st MEF.

ISAF isn't even in the top fifty.  But I digress.  This is the paltry information they put out....

ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2011-07-S-071
For Immediate Release

KABUL, Afghanistan (July 25, 2011) – An International Security Assistance Force helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan today.

As coalition rescue forces approached the crash site, they came under enemy fire. Coalition forces returned fire, with small arms, while working to secure the site of the crash. All passengers and crew members have been secured and safely transported to a nearby base.

ISAF is currently assessing the incident to determine further facts.

Quite honestly, when I read that rescue forces came under fire, an eyebrow was raised but I knew better than to even ask...the bastards....but today we have this from Stars and Stripes....

U.S. helo downed by RPG in Pech; none killed

Stars and Stripes

Published: July 25, 2011

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JOYCE, Afghanistan — Minor casualties were reported after a rocket-propelled grenade downed a Chinook helicopter carrying U.S. and Afghanistan soldiers as it attempted to land at a coalition forces base in eastern Afghanistan early Monday.
The crash happened shortly after midnight when the rocket hit the rear of the helicopter on its descent into Nangalam Base in the Pech River Valley of Kunar province.
At least two soldiers suffered non-life-threatening shrapnel wounds. Some 20 people were on board, including soldiers and crew.
A rescue team that responded to the crash came under small-arms fire, drawing return fire from U.S. and Afghan soldiers. No further coalition casualties were reported.
There was no immediate word on who was responsible for the attack.
The Pech River Valley and several adjoining valleys, including the Korengal and Shuryak, are considered Taliban strongholds, and attacks on coalition forces remain a regular occurrence as the Afghanistan war approaches the 10-year mark.
A battalion of the Afghanistan National Army is stationed at Nangalam Base, formerly known as Forward Operating Base Blessing. The U.S. military handed over control of the base to Afghan forces earlier this year.
From staff reports

Thank God, no one was killed, but it brings me back to the ISAF PAO .... why no updated info? 

 

F-35C test aircraft validates catapult launch connections

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – Navy test pilot Cmdr. Eric “Magic” Buus brings F-35C test aircraft CF-3 into launch position on a test catapult July 19. The test demonstrated proper catapult hook up in preparation for the first launches at Lakehurst, N.J., scheduled for later this month. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability test aircraft. The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for greater control in the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

BAE enters the LHD fray.

Think Defense gives us basically a two-fer in a post on BAE's attempt to grab some of the LHD market. 

*Sidenote*  I don't know whats up with your feed Think Defense but I can't for the life of me make it over to your regular website...just the Tumblr nonsense!  Fix it bud.

The two-fer involves ...
1.  The author is obviously concerned about the fact that once the Ocean goes away, so does the LHD concept in the Royal Navy.  It remains to be seen whether a full deck aircraft carrier can fulfill the role---in my mind it cannot, but we will see.
2.  The second point is that the author appears to be concerned about the lack of expeditionary potential that remains with the Royal Navy and gives a couple of options to recapture that lost capability.  I like it but I doubt that it will fly with a nation that is looking to gut its military in order to pay for social programs.

Its definitely worth a read...if you can get into his website.

Bae PDF Lhd Datasheet

British Army fades away...

The Brits have finally decided.

Social programs win out over the defense of their nation.  Pity.  The Brits have always held themselves apart from mainland Europe.  I would call it being European without being European.  Those days are apparently over. 

via Defense Management....

In a memo, the head of the army revealed that an extra 5,000 redundancies are to come by 2015 on top of the 7,000 redundancies announced in last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review.

The cuts are said to form part of plans to reduce the size of the regular armed forces and increase the number of reserves.

Chief of the General Staff General Sir Peter Wall revealed the cuts in a memo to officers, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

"Regular Army manpower will be cut more steeply, with an additional reduction of 5,000 over and above the 7,000 already in progress as a result of the SDSR," wrote General Wall.

"This takes the Army to around 90,000 by 2015. The additional manpower cuts are now being scoped but will inevitably require a further redundancy programme.