Thursday, June 22, 2017
Australia is back bombing ISIS but the rationale for stopping is "iffy" at best.
Thanks to Mercator for the link!
via Guardian.
Australia will resume air combat missions over Syria after the Australian Defence Force lifted a temporary suspension initially sparked by Russian threats to shoot down coalition planes.Story here.
The defence department declared the suspension on Tuesday after Russia threatened to shoot down any plane from the US-led coalition they spotted flying west of the Euphrates river.
The threat was seen as retaliation for the US downing of a Syrian air force jet on Sunday, as tensions in the region rose.
On Thursday the ADF announced it would resume airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq.
“This was a precautionary measure to allow the coalition to assess the operational risk,” a department statement said on Thursday. “The suspension has since been lifted.”
The department has not specified how long the suspension lasted. It did not say if Australian airstrikes had resumed or when or if they would.
Australian Defence Force Chief Mark Binskin said on Wednesday the operations were halted while the Australians examined what was happening in what he had described as a “complex piece of airspace” over Syria.
The defence minister, Marise Payne, said on Wednesday that Australian “force protection is uppermost in our minds” in deciding when to resume missions over Syria.
Hmm. Is this the best that she (the Defense Minister) can come up with as an excuse for the decision to suspend flights?
How did this guy not get charged with 2nd degree manslaughter?
This is another one where me and the readers will go separate ways. How did the jury find this guy not guilty of 2nd degree manslaughter? He went full retard. Breathing hard, screaming into the radio. But the kicker is his partner/cover. They did nothing but hop backwards.
That's significant.
That's his cover and he saw nothing alarming. He was in a relaxed state and wasn't at the ready.
This guy was murdered and justice was not done.
Amphibious Testing of AMV 28A Completed.
Thanks to Jonathan for the link!
via Defense Aerospace.
Patria AMV28A armoured wheeled vehicle completed successfully the swimming tests organised in the end of May in Finland. With a total weight of 28 tonnes the vehicle swam without difficulties, as expected. Patria AMV28A, where 28A stands for 28 tonnes GVW amphibious (sea-stage 3) vehicle, is the latest member of Patria AMV product family, introduced at IDEX 2017 event earlier this year.Story here.
In the swimming tests, two different Patria AMV28A vehicles were tested - one in test configuration with full amphibious weight of 28 tonnes and the other one equipped with Kongsberg Protector MCT-30 turret with some payload capacity available. Both vehicles had no difficulties completing the various amphibious tests at the Hanko area in southern Finland during rather strong wind conditions, constant wind speed being 10-13 m/s, in gusts more than 17 m/s.
Interesting solution. Bolt on flotation armor and you can credibly slap the amphibious label on a combat car. I wonder if this will catch on. Could you slap some flotation armor (develop a kit) for the Bradley for use in the Pacific? The Stryker? Suddenly you would see ordinary IFVs that get scared looking at rivers ready to swim from ship to shore.
CH-53K Propaganda (vid) from Lockheed/Sikorsky
They've also come up with a new website (at least new to me) that you can check out here.
What I marvel at is Pentagon economics. Supposedly by speeding up testing they can push down the price from a current 138 odd million dollar a piece air frame to a quoted in an earlier Flightglobal article (on this blog) of around 85 million dollars.
How the hell does that happen?
The reality is more stark for people concerned with America's defense though (I should say our overseas commitments). When you think defense spending then you should point toward healthcare.
If the Democrats and an astonishingly large number of the American people don't get full on, govt paid health care (I find it amazing because you will be inviting big brother into your health records...and trust me...big brother will use that as a means to compile information) then you can stick a fork in increased defense spending. I've said that we're looking at a hollow force RIGHT NOW, and I don't see any slowdown in deployments meaning we're trashing equipment on questionable deployment/exercises.
Either we wreck the economy beyond repair by trying to fund both or something has to give. The give will be defense spending.
You heard it here first.
No matter who wins Australia will have the most lethal 8x8 in the world????
via AFR.com
The Defence Department's program to replace its combat reconnaissance vehicles has come down to a contest between two prime contractors, but regardless of which vehicle is selected, the Australian army will end up with the most lethal and modern eight-wheeler in the world, says an executive at Rheinmettal Defence Australia.Story here.
"Both our Boxer and the AMV35 are very impressive vehicles," says Rheinmettal Defence Australia chief operating officer Gary Stewart. "It doesn't matter which vehicle the Defence Department goes with, it will be a significant enhancement of what the ASLAV does already."
The Australian Commonwealth is conducting a $20 billion vehicle replacement program called LAND 400 which sees the current eight-wheeler ASLAV (Australian Light Armoured Vehicle) replaced by the Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV), and a new infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) replacing the current tracked M113 armoured personnel carrier. LAND 400 also has a systems integration component, ensuring the Army's vehicles can operate in the ADF's broader electronic warfare (EW) systems.
The LAND 400 Phase 2 program currently sees two eight-wheeler vehicles – the 'Boxer' from Rheinmettal and the AMV35 from BAE Systems-Patria – competing in a Risk Mitigation Activity conducted by the ADF.
In the first week of June, the two vehicles were tested in live firing exercises and in July they will be tested for their blast survivability, each vehicle undergoing two blasts.
"We were happy with the live firing exercise," says Stewart. "Both vehicles will deliver much greater lethality than the ASLAV."
Stewart says the concerns with sourcing eight-wheeler combat reconnaissance vehicles from Europe showed itself to be ill-founded when the Australian Army conducted mobility exercises around Darwin earlier this year.
Stewart says the ASLAV was unable to complete some terrain exercises that the Boxer and AMV35 were competent over.
Uh...ok...but does it really matter when a multi-million dollar vehicle can be shredded by a couple hundred thousand dollar rocket fired by a guy in sandals?
Maybe a bit of chest thumping is to be expected, but tactical proficiency might be a better thing to focus on, not the vehicle itself. Equip the man, not man the equipment.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
New improved J-31 undergoing testing...
via Popular Science (May 2017)
This uncertainty held until the second, improved prototype first flew on December 26, 2016. The new J-31 prototype is three tons heavier and about 20 inches longer than the original technology demonstrator; it also had key improvements like an IRST sensor, stealthier wings, cleaner burning engines, and an improved radar. In addition to avionics and datalinks that enable sensor fusion, SAC officials state that the production J-31s (which could appear soon as 2019) could have supercruise capability, giving them a leg up over current F-35 fighters. Its WS-13 engines would be replaced by domestic WS-13E or WS-19 turbofan engines to give it that advantage in speed. The combination of the J-31's high speed performance, and suggested payload of 6 PL-12 or 4 PL-21 long range air to air missiles suggests that the J-31 has been optimized as an air superiority fighter, though it can be fitted with a wide array of Chinese precision guided munitions like the LS smart bombs.Story here.
Read the full story but they're saying that the new improved J-31 will be about 3 tons heavier, uses improved engines and avionics and is optimized for air to air combat.
Interesting isn't it. If this speculation on the J-31 is the case then sensors, missiles and networking will carry the day.
Regardless we all need to wrap our heads around a terrible fact. The "stay the course" crowd with the F-35 might have already sealed our fate with regard to air superiority into the future. Has the US military faced an enemy with qualitative equality and a numerical advantage?
USMC/NAVAIR looking to "skip test points" with the CH-53K
via Flightglobal.
US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is mulling a shorter test schedule for its Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter programme in an effort to save money, Sikorsky’s president said this week.Story here.
With the CH-53K now in production, Sikorsky believes it could save time going forward by skipping some test points, Dan Schulz tells reporters this week at the Paris air show. Sikorsky will not know how much time skipping test points will save until after testing finishes.
The USMC is set to replace its ageing fleet of CH-53E heavy lift helicopters with 200 King Stallions, with four early production aircraft scheduled for delivery this year and initial operational capability slated for 2019. The US Navy estimates the cost at about $87 million per example.
The navy laid out the scope of flight tests at the very beginning of the programme and built in areas where testing could be eliminated, says US Marine Corps Lt Col Jonathan Morel, the government's chief test pilot for the CH-53K. The USMC looks for clues in performance, structures, propulsion and avionics to assess whether the service could skip some test points.
The navy is working closely with the Pentagon’s top weapons tester will work closely on analysing the shorter schedule.
“If certain testing was performing as expected over a certain period of time then there would be a chunk of test points that would be considered contingent testing,” he says. “If test points one through seven trend as expected, then we can skip eight, nine and 10."
However, Sikorsky is aware that Lockheed’s decisions to accelerate testing timelines have not always yielded positive results. The F-35’s former programme executive officer Lt Gen Chris Bogdan once called Lockheed’s decision to conduct concurrent production and development “acquisition malpractice".
No rant. But I would like an explanation. How can the Marine Corps push for such a leisurely test schedule when it come to the ACV but repeat the mistakes made with the F-35B when it comes to the CH-53K?
A simple, no bullshit explanation would be real nice.
Possible terror attack in Michigan Airport.
MSNBC is reporting that an officer was attacked in the airport with a knife (in the neck ...multiple stab wounds) with the attacker yelling "Allah Akbar".
FBI is on the scene and all that is known is that the attacker is a resident Canadian citizen. More to come.
FBI is on the scene and all that is known is that the attacker is a resident Canadian citizen. More to come.
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