KA-52 to be upgraded following experience in Syria...

via TASS

Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ attack helicopters will be upgraded proceeding from the experience of their combat use in Syria, CEO of Russian Helicopters rotorcraft manufacturer Andrei Boginsky said on Monday.

"They [the upgrade requirements] have been formulated on the basis of the results in Syria. We are already working on the replacement of generators so that they can yield more power. The comprehensive works on Ka-52s and Mi-28s include modernizing optoelectronic systems, which is related to identifying and detecting targets," the chief executive said.

Story here.

First 4 CH-47F (I) Chinooks for the Indian Air Force at the Mundra Port in Gujarat, India....

Looks good.  Wonder why the US Army doesn't adopt this camo color instead of the olive drab?

Open Comment Post. 11 Feb 2019

The UK wants two 'Littoral Strike Ships'

via UK Defense Journal.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed that the UK will purchase the vessels. Referring to the new new Littoral Strike Ships, Williamson said:

“These globally deployable, multi-role vessels will be able to conduct a wide range of operations, from crisis support to war-fighting.
They would support out future Commando force. They will be forward deployed at exceptionally high readiness and able to respond at a moments notice, bringing the fight from sea to land.
Our vision is for these ships to form part of two littoral strike groups, complete with escorts, support vessels and helicopters.
One would be based East of Suez in the Indo-Pacific, one based West in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Baltic. And, if we ever need them to, our two aircraft carriers, our amphibious assault ships Albion and Bulwark, and our three Bay Class landing ships can come together in one amphibious force.”

Wow.  I don't understand the Brits.  What they need is a proper LHA/LHD.  They're trying to go the cheap route...I guess.  I still can't wrap my head around why they would purchase a littoral strike ship instead of fully fleshing out their amphibious fleet first.  Seems half baked.

Open Comment Post. 10 Feb 2019

How about trying a Caesar type USMC solution? A 155mm cannon on the back of an MTVR? They're considering it!

via Shepard Media

AM General highlighted its new mobile fire support designs at the 2019 Marine West Expo, being held aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

The new designs reflect an expansion of the technologies incorporated into the company’s 105mm Mobile Weapon System Hawkeye concept, which the company describes as ‘the most highly maneuverable self-propelled howitzer in the world today’.

The Hawkeye design integrates an M20 105mm cannon on the company’s M1152A1w/B2 HMMWV, and includes a digital fire control system and onboard communications that eliminate the need for surveying firing points prior to conducting fire missions.

According to Robert Quinn, senior manager for marketing and communications at AM General, the Hawkeye demonstrator was presented at Marine West because of its potential role in providing mobile fire support for the USMC.

Some observers believe that the marine corps’ 2018 removal of the 120mm Expeditionary Fire Support System lightweight towed mortar from its combat units has created a gap in the ability to delivery close range, rapidly responsive fire support. Quinn noted that Hawkeye could certainly provide that type of fire support capability.

He said that one of the keys to the Hawkeye design was the recoil system, which allowed the 105mm cannon to be mounted on a lightweight HMMWV. He noted that the same recoil concept was also used in the development of a more recent fire support demonstrator.

Dubbed Brutus by AM General, the new demonstrator integrates the same 155mm 39 calibre length cannon used on the M777 series towed howitzers on the rear of a 5t FMTV truck. The system was fired during demonstrations at Fort Sill, Oklahoma late in 2018.

‘We have been able to emplace and fire in less than two minutes and have been able to displace in less than 60 seconds’, Quinn said. ‘So the total time to emplace, shoot and displace is less than four minutes’.

In addition to the Hawkeye and Brutus demonstrators, he pointed to USMC interest in a highly mobile 155mm design, with ongoing discussions about the possible integration of the same 155mm cannon tube on the rear of a USMC MTVR truck.

Along with its cannon fire support designs, AM General highlighted its Enhanced Tactical Fires – Support (ETF-S) vehicle kits, which convert an M1097 or M1152A1B2 two-man HMMWV into an artillery support vehicle featuring enhanced safety capabilities for soldiers.

Good news!  If they buy it I'd be thrilled.  How long has it been since the USMC had self propelled artillery?

Sweden say that stealth is irrelevant

Thanks to Rogerio for the link!

via Business Insider

The commander of Sweden’s air force, Mats Helgesson, recently made the bold statement that his country’s Saab Gripen E fighter could beat Russia’s formidable fleet of Sukhoi jets with none of the expensive stealth technology the US relies on.

“Gripen, especially the E-model, is designed to kill Sukhois. There we have a black belt,” Helgesson told Yle at a presentation in Finland, where Sweden is trying to export the jets.

Russia’s Sukhoi fighters have achieved a kind of legendary status for their ability to out-manoeuvre US fighter jets in dogfights and pull off dangerous and aggressive stunts in the air, but Gripen may have cracked the code.

---------------

 Justin Bronk, an aerial-combat expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that like the A-10 Warthog was built around a massive cannon, the Gripen was built around electronic warfare.

Virtually all modern jets conduct some degree of electronic warfare, but the Gripen E stands above the rest, according to Bronk.

Story here.

Damn!  Told ya so!  Electronic warfare is the future, not stealth!

Open Comment Post. 09 Feb 2019

30mm cannon for the ACV. Can we recycle the EFV turret or has time passed it by?

This is gonna be quick and dirty.

How many of you remember the EFV?  How many of you remember the debate that was had during its development about whether it should be a manned or unmanned turret? How many of you remember the USMC settling on a manned solution and how everyone was jazzed about the increase in firepower?

I do and you can find some pretty interesting articles on the whole thing in Proceedings.  My pile of the mags is a mess. Totally unorganized and just collecting dust so I can't point you in the right direction but a google search should be easy enough.

But on task.

Did you know that the EFV turret is used as the small boat defense weapon on many of our amphibious ships?

Above you see it on the USS Green Bay (LPD 20) as it arrives in Thailand for Cobra Gold 2019.  The question is simple.  Should we recycle it for the ACV?  I ask because it seems apparent that the Marine Corps might be going unmanned but does it make sense to stay manned for increased situational awareness?

We already made the investment so why not take advantage of that cost saving and integrate it into our new ride?

Just a thought.

One other point.  I'm not sure of the application for these upgunned ACVs.  We're only getting 150 of them so I'm almost positive they won't be used in the troop transport role. I'm thinking of the tankette role.  Enough firepower to keep heads down, bust up light vehicles beyond the capabilities of a 50 cal but a waste for the M1 Abrams.

The F-15X is about one thing. A missile truck to make up for the F-35's poor loadout...

via Heritage.org

As envisioned, the F-15X will include all those improvements, while carrying a veritable arsenal of air-to-ground and air-to-air munitions including up to 22 air-to-air missiles. With both conformal and external drop tanks, the jet has a range of 600 miles, equaling that of an F-35A.

Many, including Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, talk of the F-15X as a replacement for the Air Force’s F-15C. Unfortunately, the added weight and drag of the modifications that give the F-15X its superb range and suite of capabilities have also caused it to lose the agile handling characteristics and favorable thrust-to-weight ratio associated with its older, air superiority sibling.

The F-15X is an updated version of the F-15E, and six active duty pilots I have interviewed who have flown both that jet and the F-35 state the former could never survive in a modern day, high-threat environment, and that it would be soundly defeated by an F-35 in almost any type of air-to-air engagement. That strongly suggests buying the F-15X in lieu of the F-35 would be a very poor choice.

It is hard to imagine any high-end scenario where fighters will be able to operate outside of the threat rings of surface-to-air missiles. Even with the threat in places like Syria, stealth is becoming a prerequisite for survival.

By some estimates, the next generation of Russian and Chinese air-to-air missiles will out-range ours by some measure. While an F-15X’s arsenal of 22 air-to-air missiles is formidable, it might not live long enough to target a fourth-generation Russian or Chinese fighter, much less even see their fifth-generation fighters that will guard every conceivable avenue of approach 12 years from now.

Story here. 

Everyone is missing the REAL point of the F-15X.  It's not about replacing the F-35.  While I contend that the F-35 will underperform for the entirety of its short OPERATIONAL career, it has one crown in its hat.

It's low observable...stealthy.

That's about it too.  So the USAF is digging up a concept that it tossed around in late 2017 and early 2018 and actually going forward with a missile truck.

Many fans of the Discovery Channel Show "Dogfights Of The Future" pointed to the original idea of using a B-1 to perform the role, its obvious that the USAF thought differently.

It's gonna flex this mission into the F-15X and make it it's missileer.

The F-35 will serve as a scout aircraft and the F-15X will make the kills.  Even better?  If networking is done properly then it won't just be F-35's playing "quarterback" as the fanboys like to push as a meme.  UAVs, E-3s, E-2s, other aircraft in general, ships and even troops on the ground should be able to give targeting information if the futurists are even somewhere in the ballpark of being right.

One heavily loaded plane with targeting data from other platforms can help claw back our lost air superiority cause certain military leaders put all our eggs in a flawed basket.

What has me spinning is how can such a simple concept have escaped the notice of supposedly smart people....unless they're on the payroll of LM too...