How does General Davis still have his job????? AV-8B crashes off Okinawa.

Thanks to Jonathan for the link!

via CNN

A US Marine Corps pilot ejected safely when his fighter jet crashed into the waters off the Japanese island of Okinawa, officials said.
The fighter jet, a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Jump Jet, departed the Kadena US Air Base and crashed 153 km (95 miles) off Hedo Cape, according to a local coast guard official.
The Japanese coast guard deployed rescue teams at 2 p.m. local time (1 a.m ET) and received a report two hours later that at least one person has been pulled from the crash site

Simple question.

How does Davis still have his freaking job?

Its beyond obvious that Marine Aviation is in shit shape and that his planning/budgeting/prioritizing has been equally shitty.  People lose their commands everyday for less, yet somehow this guy barnstorms the US promoting the F-35 to every Legion Hall, civic group etc...instead of fixing this mess?

Show some balls Neller.  Fire this fucker and get our house in order!  I mean seriously...how many Marines have to die before you acknowledge that there is a serious problem and it starts with leadership?

Chinese announce capability to detect stealth

Thanks to William for the link!

via CNBC.

A top Chinese military technology company shocked physicists around the world this week when it announced it had developed a new form of radar able to detect stealth planes 100km away.

The breakthrough relies on a ghostly phenomenon known as quantum entanglement, which Albert Einstein dubbed "spooky action at a distance".
China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), one of the "Top 10" military industry groups controlled directly by the central government, said on Sunday that the new radar system's entangled photons had detected targets 100km away in a recent field test.
That's five times the "potential range" of a laboratory prototype jointly developed by researchers from Canada, Germany, Britain and theUnited States last year.
America's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency has reportedly funded similar research and military suppliers such as Lockheed Martinare also developing quantum radar systems for combat purposes, according to media reports, but the progress of those military projects remains unknown.
In a statement posted on its website on Sunday, CETC said China's first "single-photon quantum radar system" had "important military application values" because it used entangled photons to identify objects "invisible" to conventional radar systems.
Nanjing University physicist Professor Ma Xiaosong, who has studied quantum radar, said he had "not seen anything like this in an open report".
"The effective range reported by the international research community falls far below 100km," he said.

A military radar researcher at a university in northwestern China said the actual range of the new radar could be even greater than that announced by CETC.

Story here. 

1.  I submit to you that the US military was aware of developments around the world to detect stealth aircraft.  That explains why we're seeing the F-35 touted as a sensor node and NOT as a penetrating aircraft.  Everyone knows that mission is dead.  So the default position is to push the F-35 as a system of systems and for the plane to "play quarterback".  Its utter bullshit but that's the only card left in the deck for the fanboys to play.

2.  The former CNO was right.  Payloads are more important than ever.  So is electronic attack/warfare.  Jammers are back in fashion.  The sooner the air branches of the US and our allies understand that, the sooner they can prepare for the coming big fight.

3.  If the Chinese are posting this in the open press then we can assume one of two things.  Either its all bullshit and propaganda or they're further along than they're telling us.

No matter how you slice it the dream that was the F-35 has turned into a nightmare.  It took too long to develop and while they were trying to get it to work the rest of the world did not stand still.  Is it any wonder that the USAF is already talking about an F-35 replacement?

Open Comment Post. Sept 22, 2016.

Whats on your mind?

What has my attention.  Something weird is going on in the Black community.  I told you several months ago that the Black community was "gettable" by Trump...I told you that Obama was not as loved "by the rank and file" as he is by the elite...and now we have the police shootings that are leading to eruptions of violence.

Have you connected the dots?  In Baltimore you had a Black mayor and black chief.  Same in Charlotte.

My guess is that you're seeing a revolt against the "Black leadership" that is being disguised as unrest due to police shootings.  Terrible fact?  More police shootings occurred during the 80's and 90's than today.  The difference?  The economy was MUCH better.  Fast forward to today and what happened.  A Black president ignored the TREMENDOUS loss in personal wealth that happened to all racial groups but hit Blacks much harder and he instead focused on his pet projects instead of fixing the economy.

Trump can win this election.  Things are lining up where if he doesn't win Black voters then they'll sit home instead of coming out for Hillary.  Besides.  If anyone remembers Hillary and Bill's games during that election fight then they'll know that they're some of the most outrageous race baiters this side of the KKK.

Trump as president.  It sounded outrageous in July, but today?  I think its within the realm of possibilities.  

Thursday Funny. Hockey must be cooler than I thought!

Philippine Army improved version of M113A2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle armed with Elbit UT30 Mk.2

Pics via AESAN Defense Blog, story here.

Mark VIII Tank 1918 US Army Tests & Demonstrations

Another video game steps in and helps preserve our armored history.  This time its Battlefield One and its helped spark my interest in WW1 tanks.  The history is rich and definitely worthy of study.

Charlotte burns. Pass the fucking popcorn.

via Fox News.

Charlotte police warned 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott again and again to drop his handgun before an officer shot and killed him, the police chief announced Wednesday morning, after riots damaged patrol cars and injured at least 16 officers, one of whom was hit in the face with a rock.
Police Chief Kerr Putney said during a news conference that officers were searching for a suspect Tuesday when they saw Scott exit a vehicle with a handgun at an apartment complex on the city's northeast side. "The officers gave loud, clear verbal commands which were also heard by many of the witnesses. They were instructing the subject, once he got out of the vehicle, to drop the weapon... Mr. Scott exited his vehicle armed with a handgun as the officers continued to yell at him to drop it."

This is comedy hour in Charlotte.  Guy was ordered to drop the weapon, didn't and got shot?  Darwin award winner.  Congrats dude.  Your family will get paid, you're dead and the city is in chaos.

This whole thing with police violence is beyond comedy.  Its gone stupid.

Anyone that knows even a little about self defense knows Gardner in New York was the victim of an improperly applied LVNR.  That incident gets swept under the rug and no one gives a shit.  This guy had a gun and refused to comply and everyone goes batshit crazy.

No one is looking at the facts of these incidents and instead are taking the easy, lazy and silly route of defaulting to racial lines.

Fucking awesome.

Pass the fucking popcorn.  Watching whole cities devolve into chaos is just another step on the path to anarchy.  Like McDonald's "I'm lovin it".

BAE's first production ACV completed.

via BAE FaceBook Page.

Story here.

I'm about done with BAE.  They've gone from good to just another defense company (probably always were).  Having said that, first out the block means nothing.

I wanna see how the Terrex offering stacks up!

Open Comment Post. Sept 21, 2016

BAE's SEP.  The best armored vehicle to never make a sale in the past two decades.  This was innovation at its best but no one would bite.

So what's on your mind folks?

How desperate is the F-35 program? They're begging allies to do a 450 plane block buy!

via Breaking Defense.

Perhaps the biggest Joint Strike Fighter news in the long term was Bogdan’s estimate today that a block buy by allies and JSF partners of 450 aircraft would “conservatively” save $2 billion, including money saved by buying advanced parts for US jets. For readers not familiar with this approach, a block buy is not a multiyear purchase, which requires congressional approval. The block buy would occur over three years. Any partner buying planes in the lots covered by that sale would benefit from the savings starting with LRIP lot 12 and including lots 13 and 14. Bogdan is still hammering out prices with Lockheed for lots 9 and 10. He predicted a deal before the end of the year.

Wow.  This is craziness!  Do you see the trick they're trying to pull?  They're gonna try and sneak in buying advanced parts for US jets to take away the pain from our allies if they buy early (if I'm reading that part right)!  That's gotta be criminal.  US law does not allow for this but the Program Office is trying to pull ANOTHER fast one.

The next piece that has me scratching my head is that they guy is STILL working on lots 9 and 10.  How much longer will those negotiations drag out? Military leaders have put themselves into a terrible position.  They're trying to negotiate and have taken away their trump card....they're not willing to walk away and Lockheed Martin knows it.

No matter how tough Bogdan tries to be, he's gonna end up getting rolled.  That's why the negotiations are dragging.  LM has him by the short hairs and they know it!

How can a vehicle climb a slope like this?

 

http://jojekin.tumblr.com/post/150679244624/calpan-sloppyclock-fullthrottleauto-now

 

How is this possible?

I wouldn't even think about trying it!  It seems the laws of physics have been defied!

Russia could invade Europe within 48 hours and win...

via Independent.uk

A former NATO chief has warned Europe could be at the mercy of an imminent attack from Russia with no defence plans to repel an invasion.

General Sir Richard Barrons claimed Russia could deploy warplanes, ships and troops on European soil within 48 hours if it desired, with NATO some months away from an effective counter-strike.
The former chief of Joint Forces Command warned that the failure of countries such as France, Germany and Italy to take the threat of Russian aggression seriously could lead to a loss of land, sea and airspace.

Countries bordering the country, led by president Vladimir Putin, are concerned about the threat from their neighbour, not a priority for southern and central states.

The majority of the EU bloc is focussed on the heightened terror threat and migration crisis gripping the continent.

I'm glad someone is finally shouting my hymn, even if its a retired NATO Chief with no skin in the game anymore.

The problem?  There are several.  First, the US is so focused on the "forward deployment" scheme that they don't realize how fraudulent it is.  When the US reforms the Rapid Deployment Force and when they stop doing all these show pony exercises and do a new "REFORGER" type skill test then you'll know the military leadership is serious about Russia.

Second, our European allies are only playing lip service to this so called threat.  When they start investing serious money in building up their forces then we'll know they're being serious.

But the reality is much different.

Russia could invade and pick off maybe one or two small countries but they'll never be a threat to old Europe.  All the former Soviet Block nations with the exception of Poland are doing their job.  They're being used as a buffer zone to protect old Europe.