JLTV? The Marine Corps is getting screwed!

The US Army is applying the big green d*ck to the Marine Corps.  How?  Well check out these two articles...the first from Marine Corps Times...

“If it comes in at the weight where it is right now, the Marine Corps simply cannot get involved [and] will not buy a joint light tactical vehicle that’s 20,000 pounds,” Conway said. “It doesn’t fit our expeditionary kind of capacity. We can’t carry it on our helicopters or even sling it.
“So, depending on what the evolution of the development looks like, we may have to depart ourselves from that buy and again [rehabilitate] what we’ve got to take us into the next decade.”

And then this from AOL Defense...

Senior service leaders, including Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, have repeatedly stated JLTV is the future of the Army's tactical vehicle fleet. The Army already decided to ramp down the MECV program -- from 50,000 to 100,000 vehicles down to roughly 6,000 for air assault ops -- to make way for the JLTV's entrance into the fleet. In 2010, service officials attempted to cancel the MECV program, until Capitol Hill forced the Army to pull it off the budget chopping block.

The closest Army units that match the Marine Corps when it comes to being expeditionary in nature are the 82nd Airborne and 101st Air Assault.

To think that the Army is going to forgo JLTV for those formations (Airborne/Air Assault) and attempt to push the JLTV on the Marine Corps is telling.

Bold Alligator prep

He likes it!

Just watching and reading the latest on the Navy SEAL rescue of the hostages in Africa...

I watched the coverage of the President by Chris Mathews on MSNBC and now I'm getting a bit concerned.

The press is fawning over the President's decision...Mathews is going bonkers over a clip in which the President is congratulating the SecDef telling him "good job."

And we have a Commander in Chief that has no experience with the military -- and he has just been successful on two high risk military operations. 

DON'T GET ME WRONG...I'M EXTREMELY PLEASED THAT THESE OPERATIONS WERE SUCCESSFUL!

What concerns me is that this type of success can lead to the type of over confidence that will lead to tragedy.  Somewhere, someone is thinking about laying a trap for our guys.  Somewhere, someone is going to try for another BlackHawk down incident.

If a blogger in the backwoods can consider that possibility then I hope someone at SOCOM is considering it too.

And I hope SOCOM has someone with the balls to say no, when they're asked to cross a bridge too far.

F-35 in 2011...the video

F-35 night flight vid.

VMM-365

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -Marines from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 fly 8 MV-22B Ospreys in an echelon right formation on their way back to Marine Corps Air Station New River, Dec. 29. These eight Ospreys were some of the last aircraft to be tested out before the squadron goes on their deployment to Afghanistan.
, Lance Cpl. Martin R. Egnash, 12/29/2011 5:48

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -Marines from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 fly an MV-22B Osprey from Marine Corps Air Station New River toward Wilmington, N.C. This was part of the squadron’s last flight before their deployment in early January and their last flight of 2011, Dec. 29.
, Lance Cpl. Martin R. Egnash, 12/29/2011 5:46

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -Marines from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 fly an MV-22B Osprey from Marine Corps Air Station New River toward Wilmington N.C. This was part of the squadron’s last flight before their deployment in early January and their last flight of 2011, Dec. 29.
, Lance Cpl. Martin R. Egnash, 12/29/2011 5:40

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -Marines from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 land MV-22B Ospreys at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Dec. 29. This concludes the last flight of the year for the Marines flying eight Ospreys.
, Lance Cpl. Martin R. Egnash, 12/29/2011 5:55

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -Marines From Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 refuel before their last flight before their deployment early January, and their last flight of the year, Dec. 29. The flight consisted of 28 Marines flying eight MV-22B Ospreys in designated formations to a landing zone and back. , Lance Cpl. Martin R. Egnash, 12/29/2011 5:02

Monday Mud Balling.

I'm sure you remember the raid on Bin Laden.  I had the sudden revalation that the "Secret Stealth Blackhawk" resembled the Comanche in many ways.  That also led to the idea that on the raid into Pakistan everything was there except for gunships.  No Little Birds.  No Apaches.  No Super Cobras.  As a matter of fact the only aircraft that accompanied the raid according to sources was were a pair of CH-47's that stayed on the other side of the border.  I mean seriously if there was ever a need for the Direct Action Penetrator version of the Blackhawk then this would have been that mission.

Unless.

Unless there was another airplane along that provided that type of support.  Just mud balling but would the 160th have a transport helicopter without some type of armed gunship?  Keep in mind that gunship would have to share the same stealth characteristics as the stealth transport or it wouldn't make sense.

A quick Google search didn't reveal much but there is no answer on what happened to the RAH-66 prototypes.  Wikipedia is unclear as to whether or not 5 or 16 examples were built before the program was cancelled but is it possible that the RAH-66 or a modified Apache is the missing aircraft in this scenario?

We got news that Panetta fully supports 11 aircraft carriers.  Good news for the Navy but which part?  More speculation on my part but watching videos this weekend, I was amazed at one that showed an F/A-18 being waved off because crewmen were on the landing area of the airplane as it was on approach.

I don't know if they're building that kind of flexibility into UAVs operating off aircraft carriers but if they aren't then you're looking at one of the most dangerous work places in the world becoming even more dangerous.  Add to it the fact that I have yet to read how they plan on integrating UAVs onto the decks of aircraft carriers (plenty of info on how they'll be utilized...plenty on how they could even be controlled by strike fighters and such but nothing on how they'll fit in the mix on the deck of a carrier0, and it has me once again wondering if the possibility of an all UAV carrier might be in the cards.  It would make ultimate sense in my mind because you would be able to establish unique handling drills for those airplanes.  Unique operating procedures for mishaps etc.

Naval air might be in for a shock.  In the end a carrier or two might end up under the control of the Surface Navy.  Consider it a re-imagined arsenal ship.

Helocasting...Recon Style....

By Sgt. Elyssa Quesada
Reconnaissance Marines jump from a CH-53E Super Stallion here Jan. 19. The Marines serve with Battalion Landing Team 3/1, the ground combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The helicopter is flown by pilots of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the unit. The expeditionary unit is currently deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (MKIARG), which is a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is also providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

 

By Sgt. Elyssa Quesada
Reconnaissance Marines jump from a CH-53E Super Stallion here Jan. 19. The Marines serve with Battalion Landing Team 3/1, the ground combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The helicopter is flown by pilots of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the unit. The expeditionary unit is currently deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (MKIARG), which is a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is also providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

 

By Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn
Reconnaissance Marines jump from a CH-53E Super Stallion here Jan. 19. The Marines serve with Battalion Landing Team 3/1, the ground combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The helicopter is flown by pilots of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the unit. The expeditionary unit is currently deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, which is a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is also providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

By Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn
Reconnaissance Marines jump from a CH-53E Super Stallion here Jan. 19. The Marines serve with Battalion Landing Team 3/1, the ground combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The helicopter is flown by pilots of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the unit. The expeditionary unit is currently deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, which is a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is also providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.