The UK debate: Which one, Harrier or Tornado?

The debate between the Harrier and Tornado....and which one would have proved more useful to the UK nation still rages.

You might ask why....it would be a good question and the answer is credibility.  Senior Military Leadership along with a willing aviation media went along with the lie that the Tornado was more effective.  We all know that to NOT be the case.

Your next question is why continue the debate since the UK sold its Harriers to the US.  The answer again is that since Senior Military Leadership and the aviation media both participated in the lie that the Tornado was more effective, its important to take a good look at the issue with an eye toward future procurement.

Unfortunately service politics, media muscle flexing and a few deranged individuals all have conspired to weaken UK's defense posture.

Arrogance run amok is a site to behold.

Fortunately, Grand Logistics cuts thru the noise and gives nothing but the "facts" in his latest blog piece.  Check him out here.

Awesome. Finally some balanced reporting on the F-35.

via The Dew Line.

Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $258.8 million not-to-exceed undefinitized modification to the previously awarded low rate production contract for the F-35.

The contract modification to the fifth production lot adds one additional F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft for the US Air Force, and one additional F-35C carrier variant aircraft for the US Navy.  According to a US Department of Defense release the modification includes undefinitized line items, which will be definitized as fixed-price-incentive-firm.

The low rate initial production (LRIP) V contract has fluctuated before. Back in October 2011, the Department of Defense reduced the LRIP V procurement amount by five aircraft. That cut some combination of F-35As and F-35Cs but preserved three orders for the F-35B.

That meant the LRIP V order droped from 35 to 30 aircraft.

Lockheed offers an explanation.

"The president's budget calls funding for up to 32 jets in LRIP 5. The UCA signed in December was for only 30 jets," says company  spokeswoman Laurie Quincy. "This action today funds two additional jets equaling the President's budget proposal. We look forward to continuing to work with our government customer to finalize details for a LRIP contract."

Wow.

Finally a main stream media news source reports on the F-35 without the negative spin that oozes out of every report from the usual suspects like Aviation Week.

I don't know this Dave guy that's writing over at the Dew Line now but he is a breath of fresh air.  

NOW.  If he reports a setback in the program I'll take it seriously...meaning.  I won't automatically dismiss it as being part of an agenda to either...

1.  Save European manufacturing.
2.  Save the RAF from the Royal Navy (as if they need saving...really the same applies to number one).
3.  Save Air Forces from Naval Aviation (an extension of number two but it covers air forces around the world in relation to their naval forces)
4.  Part of a loose net cabal/conspiracy of writers to just bash the F-35 every chance they get.
or...
5.  All of the above.

Its refreshing.

Oh and check out your usual news sources to see if they pick up this story.  I can tell you that they haven't...Bob Cox at Ft. Worth Star hasn't....Aviation Week or Ares Blog hasn't....the follower up in Canada hasn't....the prick in up state New York hasn't....

Nope, the merry band of F-35 bashers with an Australian bent (no I haven't forgotten about you assholes at APA) choose to ignore this story.

But we have at least one main stream writer bucking the trend.  That's at least a little good news.

RSAF gets its AEW airplane.

via AsiaOne.

Singapore gets new early-warning aircraft as four Gulfstream jets went operational on Friday in a ceremony at Tengah Air Base, officiated by Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen.
With a detection range of more than 200 nautical miles, the Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW) aircraft allows the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to see farther, and respond more effectively to aerial threats in various operational situations.
The four Gulfstream 550s are the same business jets used by the rich. They were converted for military use and replace the RSAF's E-2C AEW Hawkeye that had served the Air Force for more than 20 years.
The G550-AEW is one of the most sophisticated airborne early-warning (AEW) platforms in the world today. AEW eliminates risks of surprise from the air as they provide persistent and all-weather ability to detect, identify and track aerial threats.
The jet is equipped with a sophisticated mission suite that includes an active electronically scanned array radar to detect, identify and track aerial targets.
It has a modern 'glass' cockpit that comprises four 14-inch multifunction LCD screens and a state-of-the-art avionics suite which includes a weather radar to warn the pilots of any adverse weather that potentially affects the aircraft's flight path.
For self protection, the G550-AEW is equipped with a radar warning receiver, a missile warning system, and a chaff and flare dispensing system.
Since the arrival of the first G550-AEW aircraft in Feb 2009, pilots, air warfare officers and maintenance crew of 111 Squadron have undergone intensive training to operate and maintain the aircraft, as well as to integrate the aircraft to support the Singapore Armed Forces' round-the-clock operations.
During this period, the squadron also participated in major exercises such as Exercise Cope Tiger and Exercise Bersama Lima.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Ng described the AEW platforms as "critical for a small country like Singapore".
"They eliminate risks of surprise from the air as they provide us a critical edge with persistent and all-weather ability to detect, identify and track aerial threats the whole year round."

Interesting on a couple of levels.

I guess the first is that Sinapore maintains its lead in the Pacific as far as fielding one of the most technologically advanced forces in the region.

Second is the comparison of this airplane, not to the E-3 but rather to the E-2.  It flies higher and stays in the air longer.

And the last is the competition between the G550 and the 737 is becoming a bit more interesting.  I can't compare the electronics but its 737 two three (Korea and Australia+ Turkey....thanks Aussie Digger!) and the G550 two (Isreal and Singapore)...this race should be good.

Is the Battalion Landing Team dead?

via UPI.

The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton will be training along the central California coast April 15-21 in preparation for deployment to the Western Pacific and Middle East later this year.
The 15th MEU will send its Maritime Raid Force and some of its aviation units to a Navy base in Ventura County where they will practice assaults on offshore platforms near Carpenteria. The exercises will also include "urban flying and navigation" by helicopter crews that could produce some noticeable aircraft noise.
The Marines said in a written statement they were taking steps to minimize any inconvenience to the folks in Ventura County but noted the exercises were critical to their upcoming deployment.
"This realistic training allows the MEU to operate as a complete Marine Air Ground Task Force in an urban environment," said Col. Scott Campbell, the unit's commanding officer. "The importance of an exercise such as this cannot be understated; our future success depends greatly upon the amount of practice repetitions we have during training exercises like this one."

This is a disturbing question for me, but one which must be asked.

SOCOM is taking on more and more missions...even missions that were traditionally done by conventional forces.

But now.

The premier unit in the Marines.  The most visible and forward deployed.  The MEU is sweeping aside its BLT and focusing on its Raid Force.

This doesn't sit well with me but its obvious...just read the article.

My real question then becomes....

Why send a BLT out on these pumps if they're just tasked to play backup for the raid force.  We can chop the BLT down to company size and let them play nurse maid to the raid force.  If all they need are perimeter guards then recruits from Boot Camp can fill that role.

The Marine Corps has been bitten with the Special Ops bug and its destroying its own infantry in order to support SOCOM.

This is a sad day.

A MEU should consist of the Raid Force, a company of Infantry and Aviation.  The rest of the MEU can go home.  Chesty must be punching walls.

Now the SEALs Haze?

OK.

I hope Brandon Webb is doing some damage control.

I hope there are some serious misquotes.  Outright lies.  Spinning of facts going on.

Otherwise the Navy SEALs are going to be up to their eyeballs in Congressional Investigations and possibly face Criminal Charges.

This from the Mirror.

Mr Webb also revealed the extreme hazing ritual forced on him after his colleagues discovered that he had lied to them about secretly marrying.
His hands were duct taped into a ‘lobster claw’ and his eyes were taped shut while he was force fed tequila.

He then had alligator clips attached to his nipples and was shocked using a handheld generator.

Mr Webb wrote: “You can squeeze it in rapid succession and then it lets loose a charge, only in this case the wires were hooked up with alligator clips to my nipples.

“I don’t know how many volts go through that thing but when the charge hits you, you lose all control, and that was exactly what I did.”

Mr Webb was then subjected to a final insulting ordeal which involved Tabasco being poured over his private parts and his pubic hair shaved off and glued to his face.

Just for comparison.

Marines were almost Court Martialed for "Blood Wings"...have faced NCIS investigations for making Privates do pushups for falling asleep while on guard duty in a combat zone and had the Commandant restate an already solid hazing policy.

If what Webb is saying is true then even I (as jaded and twisted in the head as I am) believe that someone should go to jail.

IF THIS ISN'T TRUE.  

Then Webb needs to clarify this stuff poste haste.  Like this weekend, on his blog in BOLD letters.

Not only the conventionals are watching.

So is SOCOM.

So are the SEALs.

So is America.

This is hitting hard in the UK.  Its only a matter of time before these blurbs in the Mirror and the Mail make it back here.

SIDENOTE: Mr. Webb was then subjected to a final insulting ordeal which involved Tabasco being poured over his private parts and his pubic hair shaved off and glued to his face??????  GEEEEEZZZZZ.  This is sounding more and more like embellishment and fiction.  I can't see that happening in any military unit.  SEALs are too laid back for that type of nonsense.  This has to be bullshit.

100 years of Marine Corps Aviation...the E-book....

The powers that be came up with a great E-book ready for download.  Go here to get your copy....

Be warned.

Its over 100 megabytes and if you have a slow connection, it'll bog down your computer but its really worth a look.

BSN's military discount....

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If you're in the military you get 45% off and free shipping.  That beats the price you're getting in the PX and you only have to plan ahead a little bit to take advantage of the savings.  This is really geared toward you guys down range but hey...it even works stateside.

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You don't want to be a fat ass on the beach do ya?

Check out the offer on the BSN website here.

NOTE:

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