The Sea Wolves. Time again.

The US Navy has designated helicopter squadrons to support Special Operations Command.

Awesome.  Good for them.

But its time the Navy took care of its core missions first.

Like adequate defense and attack in the littoral regions and further inland.

Fast attack aircraft are awesome weapons of war but after deploying the Riverine Units its time to give those units the support they need. 

The Navy needs to bring back the Sea Wolves. 

How this fabulous capability was allowed to die is beyond me but if the Navy were to procure a sufficient number of AH-1Z's...put them in Navy markings with Navy pilots and attach them to Riverine Units during wartime...and carriers during the time in between then you'd have a tremendous capability.  My concept of employment might be off but the war record is undeniable...check out the website here.

Combat Logistics Regiment 25 gets gruntified!

All photos by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado

Lance Cpl. Joseph Snyder, a motor transport mechanic with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, patrols through a forest during a field exercise at Gun Position One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. April 3, 2012. The purpose of the field exercise was to get the regiment's Marines and sailors out of their comfort zone and in the field to refresh and enhance basic battle skills they don't get a chance to practice on a day-to-day basis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

Lance Cpl. Joseph Snyder, a motor transport mechanic with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, watches a road as fellow squad members cross it during a field exercise at Gun Position One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. April 3, 2012. The purpose of the field exercise was to get the regiment's Marines and sailors out of their comfort zone and in the field to refresh and enhance basic battle skills they don't get a chance to practice on a day-to-day basis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

A Marine with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, patrols through a forest during a field exercise at Gun Position One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. April 3, 2012. The purpose of the field exercise was to get the regiment's Marines and sailors out of their comfort zone and in the field to refresh and enhance basic battle skills they don't get a chance to practice on a day-to-day basis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

Lance Cpl. Joseph Snyder, a motor transport mechanic with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, posts security during a field exercise at Gun Position One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. April 3, 2012. The purpose of the field exercise was to get the regiment's Marines and sailors out of their comfort zone and in the field to refresh and enhance basic battle skills they don't get a chance to practice on a day-to-day basis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, watch a road as fellow squad members cross it during a field exercise at Gun Position One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. April 3, 2012. The purpose of the field exercise was to get the regiment's Marines and sailors out of their comfort zone and in the field to refresh and enhance basic battle skills they don't get a chance to practice on a day-to-day basis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, wait in a tree line during a field exercise at Gun Position One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. April 3, 2012. The Marines patiently waited for an unknown vehicle to pass their position. The purpose of the field exercise was to get the regiment's Marines and sailors out of their comfort zone and in the field to refresh and enhance basic battle skills they don't get a chance to practice on a day-to-day basis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

Visby Class Stealth Corvette.

One sixth the weight, but with three times the firepower and less than one half the price.  If I was in the surface Navy I'd be sick to my stomach.  The LCS is going to be outclassed by all opponents and allies.

The LCS.  The Navy's version of the Stryker...better in theory than reality.

Hasty Rappel at the Jungle School...

All photos by Lance Cpl. Erik S. Brooks Jr.

Marines with Combat Logistic Regiment 37 performs a hasty rappel down a hill at JWTC on Camp Gonsalves April 2. Rappelling skills prepare Marines to overcome potential obstacles during deployments. The CLR-37 Marines are assigned to 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Cpl. Blake M. Cameron, top, a JWTC instructor, teaches Marines with CLR-37 proper navigation of a hill using the hasty rappel technique at JWTC April 2. Along with rappeling, the Marines also learned proper knot-tying techniques. JWTC instructors are part of 3rd Marine Division, III MEF.

Marines with CLR-37 rappel down a 70-foot cliff at JWTC April 2. The Marines performed three controlled safety stops as part of their training.

Whats up with this Chick????

This was suppose to be a story about the MD 540 helicopter.

To be honest, I consider it unremarkable and not really a contender in the US Army's Scout Helicopter program.  It might get the attention of SOCOM...but it won't, in my opinion again, gain much widespread usage.

But what had me scratching my head, banging my fists against walls was the CEO of MD Helicopters.

WTF! on steroids.

This chick is out there.  But I guess she has her fans....

Check out these articles to get the full flavor of this lady.  Here.  Here.

15th MEU TRAP Training.

All photos by Cpl. John Robbart, III

Staff Sgt. Brian Sears, Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit relays a status update to his platoon commander during a simulated tactical recovery of personnel scenario. This particular scenario was created by the Command Element to develop the skills of the TRAP unit. The task at hand was to recover two United States Agency for International Development workers after a medical aid mission went wrong.

A LAV-25 prepares to transport Marines, sailors with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the role players they recovered as a part of a tactical recovery of personnel as a part of MEU Exercise, April 4. Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise is the first training that integrates all elements of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. Tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel missions are rehearsed using several training scenarios. This particular scenario was created by the Command Element to develop the skills of each of the role players. The task at hand was to recover two United States Agency for International Development workers after a medical aid mission went wrong.

A UH-1Y with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 flies over the area in search of two role players acting as United States Agency for International Development workers as a part of a tactical recovery of personnel during MEU Exercise, April 4. Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise is the first training that integrates all elements of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. Tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel missions are rehearsed using several training scenarios. This particular scenario was created by the Command Element to develop the skills of each of the role players. The task at hand was to recover two United States Agency for International Development workers after a medical aid mission went wrong.

Marines with the security element for the Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct a tactical recovery of personnel as a part of MEU Exercise, April 4. Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise is the first training that integrates all elements of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. Tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel missions are rehearsed using several training scenarios. This particular scenario was created by the Command Element to develop the skills of the TRAP team. The task at hand was to recover two United States Agency for International Development workers after a medical aid mission went wrong.

Marines with Combined Anti-Armor Team, Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, exit the area after rescuing role players during a tactical recovery of personnel as a part of MEU Exercise, April 4. Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise is the first training that integrates all elements of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. Tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel missions are rehearsed using several training scenarios. This particular scenario was created by the Command Element to develop the skills of the TRAP unit. The task at hand was to recover two United States Agency for International Development workers after a medical aid mission went wrong.

First RNLAF F-35 Rolls Out

The first F-35 for the Netherlands rolled out of the F-35 production facility on 1 April 2012. The aircraft will be assigned to Eglin AFB, Florida, later this summer. The Netherlands will use the conventional takeoff and landing jet, known as AN-1, for training and operational tests for pilots and maintainers. AN-1 will undergo function fuel system checks before being transported to the flight line for ground and flight tests in the coming weeks.

The 5 Most Badass Tales of Wartime Survival

I am loving Cracked.com.  You have got to go to the site to read the rest of these but this first one had my head spinning!....

#5. Colter's Run

 In 1808, a trapper named John Colter and another trapper named John Potts (the two would go on to inspire the name of the '80s hospital drama Trapper John, M.D., according to a lie we just told) set out in canoes on a trapping expedition near what is now Three Forks, Montana. Suddenly, they were surrounded by 800 Blackfeet Indian warriors on the shore. Colter decided that 2 vs. 800 were hopeless odds and surrendered, but Potts disagreed and started shooting at the Blackfeet. It was an inspiring moment for underdogs everywhere; Potts was basically Rudy.

Except the Blackfeet quickly killed him, ripped out his guts and threw them in Colter's face. In that way he was less like Rudy, and more like nightmares.

Rather than killing Colter outright, the Blackfeet decided to make the kind of miscalculation that you would think only happens in movies. They asked Colter how fast he could run, to which he replied "Oh, like, totally slower than Native Americans" (we're paraphrasing a bit). With that knowledge, they stripped him naked, spotted him a 100-yard head start and told him to run. They were literally turning his impending death into a race, with the prize being Colter's scalp.
One problem, though ... Colter lied. He was actually a very fast runner. After two and half miles, he had left all the Blackfeet behind except for one. He then stopped and waited for that man to catch up. When the Native American lunged at him with his spear, he grabbed the spear point with his bare hands, broke it off and impaled the man with it. But the Hollywood movie style exploits were just getting started.

After hiding out in a beaver lodge for a few hours, Colter swam five miles downriver, only to find that his would-be killers were still looking for him, likely shocked that someone would be so crass as to lie about how fast he could run when faced with an unspeakably painful death. The only way out of the valley he was in was through a narrow pass that was probably being guarded. So he decided to do the last thing they would expect and climbed over a mountain (still naked, we have to assume). After scaling sheer cliffs by hand, he spent the night on top of the mountain in the snow before coming down the other side the next day.
After that, there was nothing left to do but walk. And walk and walk and walk and walk. After 11 days, he finally reached Fort Raymond. He was half-starved, his feet were torn and bloody and his limbs were swollen. All told, he had run, walked, climbed and swam 250 miles. After watching his good friend get murdered.

Make sure you read the other tales of Bad Ass Survival...