UK interested in increasing its fleet of Boxer armored vehicles

 

via IsraelDefense.co.il

The UK intends to procure additional Boxer armored vehicles following its order of 523 of them. The Janes website reported that in a written statement last week, UK Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is "looking to enhance and uplift the size of the total UK Boxer order and this may include new variants."

Janes said that the numbers are expected to be firmed up by the British Army's management board, which is scheduled to meet during the last week of this month.

Sources at the Ministry of Defence said that the Army is still discussing the variants and requirements.

Ya know if the Brits are gonna go this route then maybe they can leverage some of the work the Aussies are doing with their variants.  

I know home production is important but I'm sure they can work with "whoever" to come up with domestic production requirements while at the same time getting additional clearances for joint equipment setups.

Coming together on a standard caliber, anti-tank missile, electronics etc...and then building them in their own countries could benefit both countries later when it comes to maintenance and upgrades. 

Additionally since AJAX is an abject failure then maybe they should take a close look at the contest between the RedBack and Lynx.

Sidenote.  Could the Brits be crazy enough to actually field a Mobile Gun on the Boxer?  That would be wild!

Open Comment Post. 21 June 2021

Pyotr Morgunov (Ivan Gren Class Landing Ship) on exercise in the Barents Sea...takes on armor & Special Ops personnel...

via The Barents Observer.com

The Pyotr Morgunov this week cruised into the far northern bay on the Barents Sea coast few kilometers from Norway. The ship drifted onto the shore, whereupon armored personnel carriers, trucks and a big number of special operations soldiers got onboard.

The landing vessel is the Russian Navy’s newest ship of the kind, incorporated in the Northern Fleet early this year.

According to the Northern Fleet press service, the loading of the Pyotr Morgunov was part of a rehearsal aimed at testing vessel capacity.

Several dozens of vehicles were taken onboard the ship, including more than 30 BTR-80 personnel carriers and trucks, as well as a battalion of special forces from the nearby base of Sputnik.

Here 

I wonder if those wartime simulations have the Russians storming across the frontier while also dropping paratroops along their MSR with amphibious forces conducting a mechanized assault deep in their rear areas...all with Special Ops are sowing confusion and going after ever command location they can find to take scalps?

If not then they might want to revise their thinking.

The Marine Corps might have abandonded combined arms but the Russians haven't.  

Quite the contrary.

They will holistically combine amphibious assault, airborne assault, special ops along with the shock of a heavy armored strike across frontline positions...all while bombarding every known enemy location with savage volleys of missile and artillery strikes.

The Chinese too.

I don't think we're ready. The Pentagon is talking a good game and exercising the hell outta of our forces but I don't think they're ready for the body bags and flagging national will that will result from sudden shock action.

I would highly recommend that a concerted education campaign be carried out poste haste.  First to the elected officials in each nation of the Western world and then the populations need to be steeled to the realities of peer vs peer war.

Defense Depts/Ministries sell the idea of bloodless war.  The next one will be everything BUT!

High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System simulated fire missions within the first island chain in response to destabilizing actions which threaten the rules-based international order.

U.S. Marines with 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division execute High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System simulated fire missions within the first island chain in response to destabilizing actions which threaten the rules-based international order. The Marines are prepared to communicate and operate across all domains when called upon to project credible combat power in the Indo-Pacific. III MEF executed this as part of a no-notice, integrated, rapid response event across the expanse of the first island chain to demonstrate U.S. resolve to maintain regional stability and security. 

Notice that infantry isn't required. Quite honestly for the most part outside of delivery, the wing isn't required. All you need are a few HIMARS and Rogue Fires and you're good to go. 175K by 2030? If you believe that you're fooling yourself. I stated that the number would be 150K. I'm revising that. If the Marine Corps still exists (have my doubts...watch what the Army is doing....this is NOT a unique mission set) then I'm betting it'll be down to 100K, the seat on the Joint Chiefs will be gone, one of the recruit depots closed and you'll probably see a move toward changing the law about the size of the Corps.

For all you Berger fans be advised.

You boy is wrecking the Corps.  Not only will his plan not work (and probably get people killed) but he's also doing his best to kill the Marine Corps.

Open Comment Post. 20 June 2021

 

The drone problem just indicates that ground forces were foolish to depend on air forces to protect them...embedded anti-air is essential!

🤯🤯The aerial anti-tank hovering missiles tech suggests that the #Tanks will be obsolete in the future!

Check it out! pic.twitter.com/8dC49U7dnw

— Dr. Ali BAKIR (علي باكير) (@AliBakeer) June 20, 2021

Air Forces have sold ground forces a lie. Unfortunately ground forces ate up that lie like a kid chomping on candy on Halloween.

Why?  I don't know.

But the reality is that the drone threat is simply anti-tank missiles taken vertically.  Its a furtherance of the anti-tank helicopter.  Same issue just smaller and a bit more difficult to detect.

Additionally anti-air has been allowed to stagnate since a bit after WW2 and ground forces are playing catch up.

The supremacy of these cheap drones will have a shelf life of less than 10 years.  I hope leadership is planning accordingly...both to solve the issue of them and to move on to the next "hot" thing once this issue is cracked.

2/2 @ Fuji Viper 21.4...claims to be able to execute missions world wide.

U.S. Marines with 2d Battalion, 2d Marines, conduct a live-fire range during Fuji Viper 21.4 at Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, June 14, 2021. During this exercise Marines sharpened critical combined arms skills, ensuring they are ready and capable to execute a wide range of missions anywhere in the world. 2/2 is forward-deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division. 

Able to conduct worldwide missions?  Not for much longer.  Not for much longer.

I've followed this exercise.  What combined arms missions did they train for?  The MAGTF is dead.  The Missile Marines replaced that.  Marine Infantry is just perimeter security for HIMARS/Rogue Fires.

US Navy Sailors conduct a simulated mass casualty drill in response to a helicopter raid training exercise...at least they're training to get hit hard...

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class West Mitchell, a corpsman with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit converses with a fellow sailor prior to conducting a mass casualty drill to assess skills and coordination between integrated units aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) in the Philippine Sea, June 18, 2021. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), carried out a helicopter raid training exercise, where they sustained notional causalities who were then transported to USS America for treatment. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the America Ready Group in the 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

I'm glad they're practicing this.

What I can't figure is how they expect to get these Missile Marines out if they get hit hard.

Remember the pacing threat is the Chinese.

So if they conduct a helo-raid against a Chinese held possession and get hit so hard that it turns into a mass casualty event then you can bet that means aircraft are down, anti-air defenses are up and judging by the looks the Chinese are doing things you're gonna have a highly mobile mech force roaming around picking off anyone that didn't get nailed in the first assault.

I'm also assuming that prep work was done before hand (or maybe not...this concept has so many holes that it looks like they're making it up as they go) so confidence was there that they could pull it off...meaning that additional assets weren't called in to assist.

So aircraft are down.

A mass casualty event is in effect.

We can assume Marines are dead and we can assume that survivors are penned down.

Ya know what this looks like to my minds eye?  A modern day Mayaguez Incident on steroids...

Polish Forces @ Slovak Shield 21

Same Snakes, Different Day (but make no mistake its a new Missile Marine Corps!)

A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducts routine flight operations over the coast of San Diego, California, June 16, 2021. In order to remain America's Force in Readiness (SNAFU! Note. Force in Readiness to COMPETE, not FIGHT & WIN!), the Marine Corps must continue to adapt and reinforce flight tactics as the Marine Corps shifts its focus on transitioning to a smaller, more lethal force (SNAFU! Note. What a pathetic attempt at branding FD2030!) during Force Design 2030.