David Cenciotti has a couple of great articles out.

David has a couple of great articles out.

The first is an outstanding photo essay on a new (at least to me) Nato Tactical Leadership Program, and the second is news from the other side of the Atlantic on the recent Italian decision on the numbers of F-35's to procure.

Therefore, along with the reduction by 43,000 people to abate the current 70 percent of the overall defense budget for spending on military personnel, the review has led to the revision of the some important programs. First of all, the much criticized F-35 program.
Accordingly, 41 aircraft will be scrapped leaving the Italian Air Force and Navy with only 90 F-35 in the A and B version. The latter, recently removed from probation, will replace the Navy’s AV-8B+ Harrier II on board the Cavour aircraft carrier as well as the Air Force’s AMX, both involved in the recent Air War in Libya.
“The F-35 program was reviewed. Nevertheless it remains a major commitment in terms of technology, technology transfer to the industry and employment” Di Paola said few days after placing the first order for three F-35s.

I love reading this guys blog especially when it comes to the F-35 because I can't quite pin him down on being a supporter or hater.

He is definitely playing it down the middle and is to be commended for it.  Go to his site to read it in full.  Now, if I could only get him to make that watermark just a tad smaller, all would be right with the world.

24th MEU's certification exercise continues.

Modest proposal. Scrap the Key West Agreement.

Most people view the AH-64 as an unstoppable weapon of war.

It has the reputation of being the most lethal, survivable helicopter flying today.  It boasts impressive electronics, weaponry and weapons.


But in 2003 in the attack on Karbala,  members of the 11th Aviation Regimen, 3rd Infantry Division in particular had a very bad day.

This from Wikipedia...

 Engagement

The 31 Apaches of the U.S. 11th Regiment took off from Rams Base. One crashed immediately after takeoff when its pilot became disoriented. As they turned north toward Karbala, signals intelligence picked up over 50 Iraqi cell phone calls alerting the enemy's forward units of the Apaches.
As the strike neared Karbala, the Iraqis signaled their troops to open fire by turning off and then, a few second later, on the area's lights. Ground troops, having recovered from the suppression air strike, opened up with small arms and other weapons. Lieutenant Jason King, pilot of Apache "Palerider 16", was hit by AK-47 fire^[8] in the neck and suffered a severe hemorrage, but he never lost consciousness.^[3] He was later evacuated to Germany for surgery, but returned to his unit a few weeks later.^[8]

The Apaches were reluctant to return fire; most enemy fire was coming from houses and the risk of collateral damage was high. The helicopters scattered in search of the Medina Division, but were hampered by poor intelligence. Apache "Vampire 12", flown by Warrant Officers David S. Williams and Ronald D. Young Jr., was forced down after gunfire severed the hydraulics. The air commander's radio was also hit, preventing communication with the other helicopters.

The Apaches turned for home after a half-hour of combat. Most were without functioning navigation equipment or sights. At least two narrowly avoided a mid-air collision.^[3]

Aftermath

Of the 29 returning Apaches, all but one suffered serious damage. On average each helicopter had 15-20 bullet holes. One helicopter took 29 hits. Sixteen main rotor blades, six tail blades, six engines and five drive shafts were damaged beyond repair. In one squadron only a single helicopter was deemed fit to fly. It took a month for the 11th Regiment was ready to fight again. The casualties sustained by the Apaches induced a change of tactics. Attack helicopters would now be used to reveal the location of enemy troops, allowing them to be destroyed by artillery and air strikes.^[3]
Thomas E. White, who was then United States Secretary of the Army, felt disappointed by the outcome of the battle, adding "we were very fortunate we didn't lose more aircraft."^[9]

There were some big changes for Army aviation after this battle.  Not only would it lead to a more 'vigorous' use of artillery but it would end the deep strike role for Army aviation.

Fred Kaplan wrote in Slate Magazine an article called "Chop the Chopper"...

The U.S. Army's only disastrous operation in Gulf War II (at least the only one we know about) took place on March 24, when 33 Apache helicopters were ordered to move out ahead of the 3^rd Infantry Division and to attack an Iraqi Republican Guard regiment in the suburbs of Karbala. Meeting heavy fire from small arms and shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled grenades, the Apaches flew back to base, 30 of them shot up, several disablingly so. One helicopter was shot down in the encounter, and its two crewmen were taken prisoner.

After that incident, Apaches were used more cautiously—on reconnaissance missions or for firing at small groups of armored vehicles. Rarely if ever did they penetrate far beyond the front line of battle, out in front of U.S. ground troops or without the escort of fixed-wing aircraft flying far overhead.

Shortly afterward, when a speech by Saddam Hussein was broadcast over Iraqi television, some armchair commentators observed that the speech was probably live, or at least very recent, because he referred to the downing of an Apache. In fact, that proved nothing. If one thing could have been predicted before the war started, it was that an Apache would be shot down.

Last year, during the Afghanistan war, seven Apaches were flown in to attack Taliban fighters as part of Operation Anaconda. They all got shot up, again by RPGs and machine-gun fire. None crashed, but five were so damaged they were declared "non-mission-capable"—in other words, unable to go back into combat without extensive repair—after the first day.

In the 1999 air war over Kosovo, 24 Apache helicopters were transported to the allied base in Albania. Their arrival was anticipated by many officers and analysts as a turning point in the war. Yet, within days, two choppers crashed during training exercises. Commanders decided not to send any of them into battle; the risk of losing them to Serbian surface-to-air missiles was considered too great.

Attack helicopters have always been troublesome. The U.S. Army lost over 5,000 helicopters in the Vietnam War. (Nor is this a uniquely American problem: The Soviets lost hundreds of Hind helicopters to mujahideen firing shoulder-launched Stinger missiles during their Afghan venture.)

This sorry chronicle raises the question: Why did the Army build helicopters in the first place?

It all goes back to the end of World War II, when the Air Force became an independent service of the armed forces. (Before and during the war, air forces were a branch of the Army.) In its first few years of independence, the Air Force became involved in tumultuous budget battles with the other services. Finally, in April 1948, Secretary of Defense James Forrestal called a meeting with the service chiefs in Key West, Fla., where they divvied up "roles and missions." The emerging document was called the Key West Agreement. An informal understanding that grew out of the accord was that the Air Force (and, to an extent, the Navy) would have a monopoly on fixed-wing combat planes.

Quite honestly I never liked Kaplan.  I always considered him a hack and believed that he was too influential when it came to military matters during the Bush Administration.  But on this issue he gets it half right. Attack helicopters fill a vital role and should continue but he's right on this point... The Key West Agreement should be scrapped and the US Army should be allowed to field Close Air Support aircraft.

The Battle of Karbala proves that if nothing else does.

Singapore's Armed Forces. Maybe the best in the Pacific.

The above video depicts the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle. 

What's noteworthy is the Battlefield Management System.  Quite honestly they appear to be ahead of us...or at the very least equal to the US in this field.

For heavy armor they're equipped with Leopard 2's.  Their air force is equipped with top of the line F-15E's...they have advanced submarines, and outstanding infantry.

They may have the best all around force in the Pacific. 

Blast from the Past. Buccaneer. The ultimate naval strike fighter...the video.

r.crichton7(thanks dude) sent me this video and I just had to share it. 

 

Training of Foreign Forces isn't only for Special Forces anymore.

A Georgian soldier with Scout Platoon, Delta Company, 23rd Georgian Infantry Battalion provides security during a close-air support exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany, Feb. 9, 2012. The JMRC, working with U.S. Marine Forces Europe as part of the Georgia Deployment Program-International Security Assistance Force, conducted mission rehearsal exercises for Georgian infantry battalions to assist them in preparing to deploy for operations in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kirk Evanoff/Released)

Training foreign forces ain't just a Special Forces mission anymore.  One of things that came out of the war on terror was the building of relationships.  I haven't covered it but the Black Sea Rotational Force has made some pretty good friends in the region.

BAE is doing armor now?

Body armor, gear, helmets, military and government vehicle armors and aircraft armor? 

Wow.

BAE is diversifying big time.

Pic of the day. Mickey Mouse games in a war zone.

Soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard complete a ruck march to earn the Expert Infantryman Badge at Forward Operating Base Gerber, in Kuwait, on Jan. 27, 2012. The Expert Infantryman Badge is awarded to soldiers who hold infantry or special forces military occupational specialties and complete a series of tests. DoD photo by Cpl. Trisha Betz, U.S. Army. (Released)

Wow.

I see the US Army plays games too.

This guy is wearing patches on both arms which means (and I'm assuming that he's a grunt) that he's earned a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB).  With that being the case then I'm sure he could care less about earning a Expert Infantryman Badge (EID), but training must be done.

Blast from the past. Ultimate naval strike fighter...the Bucaneer.

The ultimate naval strike fighter.

The Blackburn Buccaneer.

Back when the Brits were as hard as woodpecker lips they came up with a strike fighter that was a world beater.  A strike fighter that could outrun almost every contemporary fighter that dove down to engage it and at exercises at Red Flag proved that it could kill the attackers too.

Not only was it an extraordinary striker but it was also very innovative.

*internal weapons carriage
*area ruled fuselage (the classic coke bottle shape)
*boundary layer control
*multi-mission design, it performed strike, recon and an early version of fast FAC by designating targets for other aircraft

Read about it on the Buccaneer page here, and on its Wiki page here.

More pics from the tri-national amphibious assault at Cobra Gold.

All photos by Cpl Justin Wheeler.