Royal Marines doing Jungle Training in Belize.

USMC has no plans to contain CH-53K cost growth. What happens if we can't afford it?

via The Hill

The head of the Marine Corps said Wednesday the service is working with Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky to reduce the price of the CH-53K helicopter.

The heavy-lift helicopter is on track to surpass the F-35 as the Pentagon’s costliest aircraft.

“Obviously we’re concerned about the cost point,” Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller told reporters following remarks he made at a conference sponsored by Credit Suisse and McAleese and Associates.

“We’re focused right now on the performance. But the price is an issue. We’ll continue to work with the vendor to work that down obviously.”
The CH-53K — which is still in development — will replace the Marine Corps’s aging CH-53E helicopters. The CH-53K was initially expected to cost $95 million per unit.

But the program came under scrutiny earlier this month from Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee's subpanel on air and land forces, who pointed out that the cost is expected to grow 22 percent, to $122 million per helicopter.

“The Marine Corps intends to buy 200 of this aircraft, so that cost growth, multiplied times 200, is a heck of a lot of money,” Tsongas said at a March 10 hearing. “Even if there is no additional cost growth, it seems worth pointing out that $122 million per aircraft in 2006 dollars exceeds the current cost of an F-35A aircraft for the Air Force by a significant margin.”

Neller said the Marines are early in the CH-53K program and potential foreign buyers could help bring the cost down.

Why is the answer to explosive cost always to HOPE that foreign buyers could help bring the price down?

Moving on.

How many times have I said that aviation is out of control?  How many times have I shouted to the rooftops that the Marine Corps is attempting to become the seagoing 101st?

Forgetting all that.  The USMC is trying to buy 3 fabulously expensive airplanes...the F-35, the CH-53K and more MV-22.  They're also considering buying a tilt rotor UAV for armed escort and to provide fleet defense.  Last but not least they're also buying AH-1Z and UH-1Y whose mission set does not seem to mesh with the distributed operations concept/deep strike/long distance raids that they've talked so glowingly about.

Marine Corps procurement IS a trainwreck.  Not by budget but by choices of leadership.

Want to know why the Marine Corps is having vendors build 16 ACVs and then testing them for a year?  So that they can have an excuse for fucking the Ground Combat Element one more time.

The sad thing?

You won't hear anyone from the Ground Combat community bitching about it.  You won't hear one Marine Corps focused publication take up the issue.  Uncommon valor was once a common virtue.  Today?  Quivering in the corner while you see people wrecking the Corps with half baked ideas/procurement policy is the norm. 

Let me leave you with this.  What if the SecDef imposes fiscal responsibility at the behest of a grumbling Trump?  What if the Pentagon leadership decides we just can't afford it?  Do we buy CH-47's?  S-92's?  What happens to heavy lift in the Marine Corps in support of the GCE?

Open Comment Post. March 23, 2017.

They're waking up!  Saw one yesterday!  Did you know I hate snakes?

F-35 Program Office still not happy about price...signals the Navy WILL get Super Hornets...

via Breaking Defense.

Two top Pentagon officials laid out a multi-pronged push to lower the price of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter below $80 million apiece. The chief of the F-35 Joint Program Office, Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, and the director of defense pricing, Shay Assad, are underwhelmed by contractor Lockheed Martin‘s  cost reduction efforts so far. Instead, they said, contractors need to invest more of their own money in reducing cost — with suitable incentives from the government — and streamline the byzantine supply chain.

This is what caught my eye though, from the same article...

 “The F-35C model vs the F-18 (review), that’s drawing nearer to end but it’s not over yet,” Bogdan said. He’s submitted data on the F-35’s current and projected performance, cost to procure, and cost to operate, he said, which is now being reviewed against Super Hornet data provided by the Navy.

“I don’t think the answer is an either/or,” Bogdan said. “You can’t substitute a Super Hornet for an F-35C in the high-end fight (i.e. against Russian or Chinese radars and anti-aircraft missiles). You might be able to afford more Super Hornets, but they’re going to die in the high-end fight, and I don’t know how economical that is.” But, Bogdan continued, “we’re not only go to fight a high-end fight.” There are plenty of operations in lower-threat environments where the Super Hornet is perfectly suitable, he said, and with its current fighter shortfall, the Navy needs as many planes as it can get.

A couple of things...

1.  People discounted Trump's push for lower prices on the F-35.  Lockheed Martin's chair woman gave him full credit for pushing the price down.  What's surprising is that suddenly the Program Office wants the price below the magic 80 million tag.

2.  Is the push for an even lower price the result of the strong dollar?  Unless they get the price dramatically lower then we will see allied air forces crippled by lack of airplanes.

3.  Bogdan all but stated that the Navy will get it's Super Hornets.  Seems like he knows the numbers and knows that the F-35 will perform poorly in the review.  I think he's trying to shape the news in the best light possible.  Expect news stories on how the Navy needs planes now and can't wait a couple more years for the F-35.

4.  What happens to the USMC?  Will they be the sole operator of F-35's aboard big deck carriers?  Will they be forced to buy Super Hornets?

This is a pretty good article but as usual questions that should have been asked were left on the table.

Navy unmanned refueling/surveillance/strike airplane?

via Defense Tech.

“It’s now very tanker focused. We’re looking at what those requirements are — there will probably be a fallout capability, some [intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance] … potentially some strike,” Weiss said.
The changed focus will likely require a new design to previous prototypes in the project, he said.
The Navy has awarded four contracts — to Lockheed, Boeing Co., General Atomics and Northrop Grumman Corp. — for developmental designs on the MQ-25, known as the Stingray. The service plans to request official proposals from companies this summer. The drone could enter service as early as the mid-2020s.

When the Navy thought that they would have F-35's rammed down their necks they pushed for an aerial refueller in their unmanned platform.  Now that they know they're gonna get a better mix then we're gonna see POTENTIALLY a strike option returning.

However this is happening its good news for the Carrier Strike Wing.  First they're gonna free up Super Hornets for other missions and put the pods on UAVs, and second the Navy will have a long range, persistent deep strike platform.  If they're smart and go with the X-47 then it will be a stealth platform to boot.

CH-53K pics...

Textron just bought an ATV company!

via Press Release.

BAD BOY® OFF ROAD IS NOW TEXTRON OFF ROAD.

Textron has built some of the most iconic, high-performance machines in the world. From Bell Helicopter to Cessna Aircraft to an arsenal of hard-working industrial, construction and transport vehicles, the Textron name stands for power, performance and military-grade engineering. And that's exactly what you can expect from Textron Off Road.
We're here to take you where adventure lives and where there's work to be done. It's in our blood.

You can stick a fork in the specialized internally carried vehicle for the MV-22. The Marine Corps with a lack of imagination ended up with another short served bastardized jeep that cost way too much and delivered way too little.

What I can't figure is how a warfighting organization that once bragged about all the innovations it brought to warfare could suddenly want gucci solutions instead of knuckling down and doing work.

Singapore Next Generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle (vid)...Just Plain Sexy!!!!

Many thanks to Benjamin (you've given me great stuff bro..keep it up) for the link!



This vehicle just looks right!  It's just plain sexy!

Trump was right about being under surveillance...expect the news to be buried. UPDATED!

Many thanks to Moebius 2249 for the link!!!

via Fox News.

Members of the intelligence community collected "incidental" communications of the Trump transition team during legal surveillance operations of foreign targets, a top Republican lawmaker said Wednesday afternoon.
House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said this produced "dozens" of reports which eventually unmasked several individuals’ identities and were "widely disseminated."
He said none of the reports he had read mentioned Russia or Russians and he was unsure whether the surveillance occurred at Trump Tower -- as President Trump has suggested. Nunes also was unsure if then President-elect Trump was captured by the surveillance, which occurred in November, December and January.
“I recently confirmed on numerous occasions the intelligence community incidentally collected intelligence,” Nunes said.
The revelations could at least partially back up some allegations made by Trump earlier this month, in which he tweeted that former President Barack Obama had "wiretapped" him, though top lawmakers have sharply disputed those claims. 
Nunes said he told House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier Wednesday and was set to tell Trump and the White House later in the afternoon.
"There’s a lot of questions that need to get asked," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said.

The slow rollback begins, but they'll never admit that Trump was right.

The left is gonna be deflated when the truth comes out.  Maxine Waters is talking about Trump being impeached over espionage but the reality is stark. The news media led the public by the nose and the liberals/sheeple bit like sharks at a feeding frenzy.

UPDATE!  This is huge!  The House Majority Leader and the House Intel Chairman are going to brief the President.  New reports are that this was done legally but where does this lead?  Why would the House Majority Leader and House Intel Chairman go to the White House personally?  Why aren't we hearing ANY pushback from the Dems on the Committee?  Last but not least, why would the FBI Director and NSA Chief lie during testimony????

We're looking at a conspiracy folks.  Call me tinfoil hattish if you like but these moves indicate a bit of drama ahead.

UPDATE 2!  READ THE FUCKING ARTICLE!  I'm really getting tired of all you liberals, democrats and idiots debating things that aren't even on the table!
A.  The House Intel Chairman said that the capture of conversations HAD NOTHING to do with the Russians.
B.  Despite it having NOTHING to do with the Russians, the names of people involved were unmasked.
C.  The Chairman also said that these documents were floating around Washington.
D.  This is obviously a concerted campaign by the INTEL COMMUNITY (read that to mean the deep state) to discredit the Trump admin.
E.  Why is this so freaking hard to understand!  READ THE ARTICLE!
F.  Don't think for a minute you can tell me what rates or doesn't rate ALL CAPS!

US Marines conduct an air assault into Syria?

C-Low and another reader (forgive me for dumping the mail before I got your name) are noting that several Middle Eastern websites state that US Marines have conducted an air assault into Syria.

More to come, but I really need to verify this.  MARSOC?  Marines from the Battalion Landing Team hovering offshore?  The SPMAGTF-CR that is in the area?  A misidentification (US Marines are rock stars in the Middle East...we're credited with actions done by SOCOM)?

We'll find out soon enough I guess.

Open Comment Post. March 22, 2017.

The situation in Venezuela is still bad...SouthCom better be watching!

How is water delivered to the citizens of Venezuela?  By water truck to a central location and then it flows thru the water system.  

Another "oh shit that's really a thing" moment came when Enrique stated that every house has a water tank.  Not to HEAT water but to store water for potable use.  I can't speak for you but I find this rather stunning.  When was the last time each house had to have its own stored water because it did not flow thru our pipes from a treatment center?  I dare say that except for a few locations today this is a pre-WW2 type thing.

How bad is the infrastructure in Venezuela?  With the new deliveries of water there is a downside.  The pipes are leaky and that causes the streets to flood.  He talks about the water covering potholes and wrecked cars!

Enrique 262 Tumblr Page originates in Venezuela.  Besides posting pics of tanks, planes and ships that he finds interesting (to include I believe his games on War Thunder), he also blogs about the situation in his homeland.

To say that its bad is an understatement.  Go here to read it for yourself.

My point?  SouthCom better keep an eye on the situation in Venezuela.  The Border Patrol better gear up for the possibility of a mass migration of people to our borders and the public should prepare to hear horror stories with the meme being pushed that these are "economic" refugees.

The situation in Venezuela is bad and I don't see anyone leaning into the problem to prevent their troubles from washing up on our borders.

Side note.  I've talked about prepping and the main driver for me was the chaos of Katrina.  Seeking refuge in the Superdome or begging for help on the rooftop of  house instead of being able to fend for myself is too much to bear. People talk about losing faith in govt?  I didn't lose faith, but I realized that depending on govt to safeguard me and mine was a non-starter.  I won't even touch on the stories that I heard of the idiocy that went on in that place (I've talked to Katrina survivors and it was bad...real bad).  An economic collapse in the US? A great depression part 2?  How do you really prep for that?  I need to chew on that a bit.