F-35C Catapult Launch Testing

11th MEU Propaganda.

Damn!


11th MEU must have the best PAO shop in the Marine Corps.  Good stuff.

Pic of the day. August 24, 2011.

A CH-47 Chinook helicopter drops off Army soldiers to practice squad-level tactics during Operation Checkerboard on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Aug. 10, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to Headquarters Company, 99th Regional Support Command. The tactics include moving as a squad, reacting to contact, establishing a perimeter and conducting a tactical road march U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris

What if???? F-15N Sea Eagle.

F-35 in STOVL mode

F-35B test aircraft BF-1 on flight 147, Aug. 22, 2011. Lt. Col. Fred Schenk pilots the aircraft in short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) mode.

The above photos look like no big deal right?  I mean sure we've seen the F-35 in STOVL mode before....but one thing should be apparent.  Its over water and you can bet that these flights are in preparation for the shipboard tests due to start this fall.

My gut reaction?  Expect the Marine Corps to move up its IOC even further.  I wouldn't be surprised to see these planes being sent to Marine bases in late 2012

SOTG teaches Marine Coxwain Course.

Apache Helicopter Takes off from HMS Ocean During Operation Ellamy

An Army Air Corps Apache helicopter takes off from HMS Ocean during Operation Ellamy, the UK's contribution to UNSCR1973 in the Mediterranean Sea.
Photographer: LA(Phot) Guy Pool

An Army Air Corps Apache helicopter takes off from HMS Ocean during Operation Ellamy, the UK's contribution to UNSCR1973 in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya.
Photographer: LA(Phot) Guy Pool

Beesley answered Bill long before he retired.

Bill posted an article talking about the SU-35 in the recent Russian airshow.  In it he talks about the Sukhoi's moves and how wonderfully it performs.

Remember we're talking an airshow.

I would love to know if a Navy or Air Force test pilot could duplicate those moves in a stripped down F-18 or F-16.

But that really gets us away from the point of all this.  Beesley already answered the Sukhoi question long ago.  Lets take a trip back and time and see what he has to say about the issue....



So the answer to all the smoke and thunder on ARES is quite simply this.

It looks great for the airshow fans but in combat its a nonfactor.

Ranger Up!'s Leadership Rules. A must read.

Ranger Up! has a list of leadership rules...To be honest I was expecting a modernized "Rogers Rangers" type rules thing but its so much better than that.  As a matter of fact its so good that I won't spoil it by putting even a sample of it here.  Go to the site to check it out.  IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING AT THE SERVICE ACADEMIES, ROTC AND OCS!  Its just that good.

F-35C completes jet blast deflector testing

LAKEHURST, N.J. – F-35C test aircraft CF-1 with an F/A-18E prepares for two-aircraft jet blast deflector (JBD) testing Aug. 13. The Integrated Test Force collected temperature, pressure, sound level, and velocity environmental data to validate various aircraft models to optimize JBD cooling panel and flight deck configuration. F-35C carrier suitability testing is ongoing with catapult and arrestment test events through the rest of the year, leading up to initial ship trials in 2013.