Mil News USA, Canada & Caribbean Nations Military News & Discussion Thread

[BravoZulu]

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay distributed relief items, including vital shelter kits to The Bahamas which was hit by the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian.
A rigid-hulled inflatable boat was deployed from RFA Mounts Bay on September 4 with a dedicated humanitarian and disaster relief team to join up with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and unload vital aid to some of those who have been worst hit by the storm.
The ship has been in the Caribbean since June in preparation for the hurricane season and was re-tasked last week to sail to The Bahamas in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian, the strongest ever recorded in The Bahamas.
“An RFA Mounts Bay Wildcat helicopter has begun conducting reconnaissance flights of The Bahamas to help assess the damage and the crew have begun distributing UK aid,” defense secretary Ben Wallace said.
“My thoughts remain with those affected and our world-class military will continue to assist the Bahamas government to offer relief and aid to those who need it most.”
RFA Mounts Bay has embarked a dedicated HADR team, and is carrying vital aid and specialist equipment, such as all-terrain quads, dump trucks, diggers and stores. It also stores DFID water carriers, hygiene kits including basic items such as soap, and shelter kits. Since Hurricane Dorian hit, a liaison officer from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and a DFID humanitarian expert have been onboard to help coordinate the relief efforts.
It also has a Wildcat helicopter that has been conducting reconnaissance flights over the islands to assess the damage and provide important intelligence to the Bahamian government and the team of DFID experts who have deployed to the region.

https://navaltoday.com/2019/09/05/r...-first-aid-to-bahamas-after-hurricane-dorian/

 

[BravoZulu]

USAF:
A-10 to receive "aggressive" modernisation
Just five years ago, the US Air Force A-10 fleet looked to be dead and buried as the type was offered up for divestment as a cost cutting measure. Yet lawmakers in Washington blocked the USAF from divesting itself of the A-10 and now the ‘Warthog’ looks safe well into the 2030s.
The A-10 Common Fleet Initiative will keep the aircraft alive and credible into the future. The USAF currently has 281 A-10s, so needs to have these available if the call comes for hig-end conflict. From a survivability perspective, the A-10 can move outside some of the threats if its pilots use standoff weapons from longer ranges. The A-10 can then act as a truck that sends weapons in, softening the target area before swinging into its more traditional mission.
A-10 pilots have recently started wearing an improved helmet mounted sight, known as HObIT (Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker), which more accurately tracks pilot head movements. This is an upgrade for the Thales Visionix Scorpion helmet that A-10 pilots have been wearing for the past five years.
Adding the Boeing GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) started this summer, and this gives the A-10 that new standoff capability. With a new multi-target engagement capability, the ‘Warthog’ will theoretically be able to target 18 weapons individually, making it a unique aircraft that fits well into the fourth/fifth-generation mix. ‘We’ll be able to carry four SDBs on a single hardpoint,’ said a 422nd TES pilot, adding that traditionally the ‘Warthog’ has only been able to carry a single weapon on each station until now.
Another plan is to pull out the central ‘six-pack’ of analogue flight instruments in the cockpit and replace this with a single large electronic primary flight display, which will work in conjunction with the two older multi-function color displays. This will likely be combined with a significant core processor upgrade, which will give the A-10 a huge jump in data speed and storage capacity.
There’s a host of other items on the A-10 shopping list including Link 16 data link connectivity to run alongside the existing but rather basic Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL). The type is also receiving a Synthetic Aperture Radar pod to supplement the existing targeting pod capabilities. Ongoing industry solutions are being presented along with currently fielded air force options, and these are expected to be reviewed this winter with flight-testing in 2020.
The air force says the A-10 is safe in the forthcoming Fiscal Year 2021 defense budget, and that while the overall numbers in service may reduce at some point, the ‘Warthog’ is set to not only remain in the inventory, but it will also be transformed into a potent supporter of the fifth-generation front line.

https://combataircraft.keypublishin...et-to-be-transformed-with-a-raft-of-upgrades/

 

[Fluff]

A-10 - Probably a cheap option with lots of strategic/political value.

'Naughty' country moves 2 tank divisions to border of 'Nice' country, US deploys a couple of A10 squadrons. Alternative 'we are sending 2 F16 Sqn'- it may in airpower be the same, but its not the same to the bad guys in the T55's....

 

[pigmode]

US Navy deploys new ship-killer missile to China’s backyard

It's the latest sign that the U.S. Navy is gradually upping its game in the Pacific.

www.defensenews.com

A Navy official speaking on condition of anonymity said the ship was deploying to the Indo-Pacific theater. The official did not elaborate on the ship’s schedule. Giffords’ sister ship, the Montgomery, is currently operating in the Gulf of Thailand, according to a Navy website.
When equipped with the Raytheon/Kongsberg-made Naval Strike Missile, or NSM, and Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout for surveillance over the horizon, an LCS sitting off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia, could destroy a ship sitting off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. That’s more than 30 miles further than the published range of the current anti-ship missile, the Harpoon, which is in excess of 67 miles.
The Navy has signaled it will also install NSM on its next small surface combatant, FFG(X)...


The surface Navy has signaled its intention to maintain a steady forward presence of littoral combat ships in the region for the foreseeable future. Giffords is the second LCS to deploy under the newly reorganized LCS program.
In an August 2018 interview, Navy Surface Warfare boss Adm. Richard Brown told Defense News that once the deployments started, they weren't going to stop.
“We are on track with the 2016 [chief of naval operations] review of the LCS … and I think we will see the first deployments next year and then happening continuously after that,” said Brown, who heads Naval Surface Force Pacific.
The trimarans Montgomery and Giffords would deploy first from the Pacific, then the mono-hulled Detroit and Little Rock on the East Coast, Brown said.
Getting a more deadly LCS up and running is critical for the surface Navy, which has been rocked by a string of engineering mishaps with the new littoral combat ships — some caused by crew errors — and by the 2017 accidents that claimed the lives of 17 sailors in the Pacific in two separate collisions. The Navy is on track to take delivery of 35 littoral combat ships total, a major chunk of the surface fleet.

The Navy has sought to keep up a consistent presence in the South China Sea, something that will be made easier once more littoral combat ships are regularly deploying. In its 2016 reorganization, the Navy switched from an arcane three-crew-for-two-hulls system to a more traditional blue-and-gold crewing model, where two crews man one hull and switch off at various periods in the ship’s deployment cycle.

 

[pigmode]

Upgrades Needed For Sustained F-22 Operations During A Crisis In Europe Axed For Border Wall

The Pentagon says it will defer building various facilities to support rotating deployments of F-22 Raptors to Germany as part of a larger reallocation of military funds to support wall construction along the United States' southwestern border with Mexico. Delaying the planned work could have...

www.thedrive.com

The Pentagon says it will defer building various facilities to support rotating deployments of F-22 Raptors to Germany as part of a larger reallocation of military funds to support wall construction along the United States' southwestern border with Mexico. Delaying the planned work, which included setting up a dedicated repair center that would be able to maintain the composite structures, exotic coatings, and other elements of the stealth fighter's sensitive radar-absorbing skin, could have significant impacts on the Air Force's ability to operate these jets for sustained periods in the region during a crisis.

 

[Fluff]

Upgrades Needed For Sustained F-22 Operations During A Crisis In Europe Axed For Border Wall

The Pentagon says it will defer building various facilities to support rotating deployments of F-22 Raptors to Germany as part of a larger reallocation of military funds to support wall construction along the United States' southwestern border with Mexico. Delaying the planned work could have...

www.thedrive.com

The Pentagon says it will defer building various facilities to support rotating deployments of F-22 Raptors to Germany as part of a larger reallocation of military funds to support wall construction along the United States' southwestern border with Mexico. Delaying the planned work, which included setting up a dedicated repair center that would be able to maintain the composite structures, exotic coatings, and other elements of the stealth fighter's sensitive radar-absorbing skin, could have significant impacts on the Air Force's ability to operate these jets for sustained periods in the region during a crisis.

Because a repair centre in Germany will give jobs to german builders, a wall to keep Mexicans out will give jobs to Mexican builders......Trump likes Mexicans better than Germans.....

 

[BravoZulu]

USMC:
The U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) recently harnessed the power of unmanned technology and successfully tested the Remote Control Assault Amphibious Vehicle (RC AAV).
“Assault Amphibious Vehicles were structured to carry troops in water operations from ship-to-shore, through rough water and the surf zone,” said Dustin Bride, RC AAV system engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD). “This modernized upgrade will allow the Marine Corps to remotely traverse from ship-to-shore with an organic vehicle capability to breach and proof lanes and landing zones for landing forces.”
NSWC PCD’s RC AAV team spent two weeks testing in the Open Ocean and surf zone at the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch (AVTB) at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Bride said NSWC PCD’s USMC Maneuver Systems Branch is concurrently developing three remote breaching/proofing mission sets for the RC AAV’s control system. To accomplish this, NSWC PCD is leveraging optimal technical expertise by networking with experts across the Department of Defense’s (DoD) littoral battlespace communities.

The Remote Control Assault Amphibious Vehicle (RC AAV) is pictured after completing one of its successfully-completed 22 surf zone crossings while undergoing testing at Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch. The testing of the newly modernized RC AAV is the result of a collaborative effort between the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division and the United States MCSC.

 

[pigmode]

Marine Boss's Audacious Plan To Transform The Corps By Giving Up Big Amphibious Ships

The bold vision of a USMC that is far less dependent on the lumbering "Gator Navy" comes with a sacrificial offering of the force's most sacred cow.

www.thedrive.com

Every service has its sacred cows. The ability to conduct an amphibious assault from sea to land is the fundamental capability that has defined the Marine Corps since before World War II. General Berger is willing to give up a significant part of that ability in order to transform the Marine Corps to perform the missions he sees as more likely and relevant in the future. In short, General Berger sees the Marine Corps as being currently manned, trained, and equipped to execute an amphibious assault mission that he believes will either be irrelevant or impossible to execute in the near future.

To be clear, the Marine Corps is not giving up operating from the sea towards land. What General Berger is directing, however, is that the Marine Corps conduct these operations in a much different manner.

While the Marine Corps is not giving up entirely on the amphibious assault mission, General Berger is clearly saying that the current fleet of amphibious assault ships is simultaneously too expensive to risk in many opposed landing scenarios and is also increasingly incapable of defending against modern ASCM and ASBM missiles...



...Accordingly, the Marine Corps will start looking to operate off of more numerous, less expensive, less detectable ships. This focus seems to move the Marine Corps away from its current overlap with the Army in terms of conducting long-term land-based operations. If that’s the case, this seems to be a move that will actually decrease tension between the Army and Marine Corps in terms of roles and missions.

 

[BravoZulu]

USAF:
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Donovan announces the T- 7A “Red Hawk” during the Air, Space and Cyber conference at the National Harbor.
The name, Red Hawk, honours the legacy of Tuskegee Airmen, and pays homage to their signature red-tailed aircraft from World War II. The name is also a tribute to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, an American fighter aircraft that first flew in 1938 and was flown by the 99th Fighter Squadron, the U.S. Army Air Forces’ first African American fighter squadron. The P-51 and P-40 are some of the most iconic fighters of their time.
Likewise, the T-7A will be the staple of a new generation of aircraft. The Red Hawk offers advanced capabilities for training tomorrow’s pilots on data links, simulated radar, smart weapons, defensive management systems, as well as synthetic training capabilities.
The first T-7A aircraft and simulators are scheduled to arrive at Joint Randolph AFB, Texas, in 2023 as a replacement for the venerable T- 38C. And, the moniker “Red Hawk” is certainly fitting, as that species of raptor is often seen soaring over our pilot training bases.

 

[BravoZulu]

USAF:
Raytheon's new "Peregrine" medium-range air-to-air missile

The weapon is expected to measure just under 6 feet long and 150 pounds, less than half the weight and length of Raytheon's AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and AIM-9X Sidewinder that fly on fighters across the Defense Department.

“We’re able to take the best of both of those missiles and, based on what we see as the customer’s requirements and gaps, we are combining them into this new missile,” Noyes said.

Peregrine “combines the range and the autonomy of the AMRAAM with the maneuverability characteristics of the AIM-9X” with extreme maneuverability as it approaches its target. The weapon will cost “significantly less" to buy and maintain than the AIM-120 or AIM-9X, and is faster to develop, thanks to ready-made components and additive manufacturing.

The Peregrine will have a multi-mode, autonomous seeker that includes infrared imaging. It uses a “new, high-performance propulsion system" to boost speed, Noyes said. He would only characterize the missile's range as “from visual range to within medium range” but said Peregrine is a supersonic munition.

The all-weather, day or night weapon has a blast fragmentation warhead and a “new lightweight airframe and high-performance modular control system” that allows for highly accurate targeting, Noyes said.

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features.../Raytheon-Unveils-New-Air-to-Air-Missile.aspx

 

[BravoZulu]

US Army:
The US Army has awarded BAE Systems a $318 million contract to upgrade M88 recovery vehicles to the M88A3 configuration designed for single-vehicle recovery of the latest version of the Abrams tank.
The new M88A3 configuration eliminates the necessity of using two vehicles to raise and move the tanks, which have increased in weight in recent years.
“As the U.S. Army’s primary recovery vehicle, the M88 plays a critical role in the Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team,” said Dennis Hancock, recovery programs director for BAE Systems’ Combat Vehicles business.
“We have partnered closely with the Army and industry partners to develop a solution that addresses the single-vehicle recovery gap. We are proud to continue to support the Army’s recovery needs by providing a next-generation solution to effectively rescue disabled tanks from the battlefield.”
The M88A3 configuration features an upgraded powertrain, suspension and tracks, increasing the vehicle’s speed, survivability and reliability.
The M88A3 also features a seventh road wheel to reduce ground pressure and new hydropneumatic suspension units (HSUs) that enable the track to be locked out for greater control when recovering vehicles, say BAE in a release.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/us-army-awards-bae-318-million-for-m88a3-recovery-vehicle/

 

[bdpopeye]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The US Navy’s new autonomous refueling drone takes historic first flight

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray refueling drone, destined to be the first carrier-launched autonomous unmanned aircraft integrated into the service’s strike arm, took its first test flight from MidAmerica Airport in Illinois, Boeing announced Thursday.

The two-hour flight, remotely controlled by Boeing pilots, tested the basic flight functions of the aircraft, a Boeing statement said.

“The aircraft completed an autonomous taxi and takeoff and then flew a predetermined route to validate the aircraft’s basic flight functions and operations with the ground control station,” the release said.

Boeing’s project head said it was an important step toward getting the drone on the flight deck.

“Seeing MQ-25 in the sky is a testament to our Boeing and Navy team working the technology, systems and processes that are helping get MQ-25 to the carrier,” MQ-25 Program Director Dave Bujold said in the release. “This aircraft and its flight test program ensures we’re delivering the MQ-25 to the carrier fleet with the safety, reliability and capability the U.S. Navy needs to conduct its vital mission.”

An $805 million contract awarded to Boeing last August covers the design, development, fabrication, test and delivery of four Stingray aircraft, a program the service expects will cost about $13 billion overall for 72 aircraft, said Navy acquisition boss James Geurts.

 

[muck]

US Army AH-64 makes emergency landing in Germany after tearing down transmission tower, pilots escape unscathed ()

Image 1
Image 2

 

[Fluff]

US Army AH-64 makes emergency landing in Germany after tearing down transmission tower, pilots escape unscathed ()

Image 1
Image 2

Very lucky crew, but their no claims is gone.

 

[muck]

And a whole county couldn't watch the nightly news today…

 

[BravoZulu]

USA:
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems won a $500.6 million contract modification in order to perform research and development support for the Army Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance Control Model-2 and Sea-Based X-Band radar.
Raytheon’s nine-story-high X-band Radar is the world’s largest X-band radar. The sea-based X-band platform that it sits on stands more than 250 feet high and displaces more than 50,000 tons.
It consists of a semi-submersible oil production platform topped with the XBR. The AN/TPY-2 is a missile defence radar that can detect, classify and track ballistic missiles. It operates in the X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which enables it to see targets more clearly, and it has two modes – one to detect ballistic missiles as they rise, and another that can guide interceptors toward a descending warhead.
The modification also includes continued product improvement, warfighter support, engineering services, Ballistic Missile Defense System test subject matter experts support, modeling and simulation SME support, and cybersecurity.
Work will take place in Woburn, Massachusetts. Period of performance is from November 1, 2017 through October 31, 2022.

 

[BravoZulu]

US:
The U.S. Army activated new Field Artillery Battalion, that received a batch of new M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), to assist European missions.
1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment located at the garrison in Sembach, Germany, was activated Sept. 19 at the 7th Army Training Command’s Tower Barracks parade field, Grafenwoehr, Germany, according to an Army news release.
U.S. Army Col. Seth A, Knazovich, Commander of the 41st Field Artillery Brigade, and Lt. Col. Angel M. Llompart, and the Commander of the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment participated in the battalion’s activation ceremony.

 

[BravoZulu]

USA:
BAE Systems won a $2.7 billion firm-fixed-price contract to procure the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II full rate production Lots 8-12.
The deal procures WGU-59/B units to upgrade the current 2.75-inch rocket system to a semi-active laser guided precision weapon to support the US Navy, Army, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales requirements to include the governments of Iraq, Lebanon, Netherlands, Jordan, Afghanistan, United Kingdom, Tunisia, Philippines and Australia.
The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System is a combat-proven, laser-guided 70mm rocket system designed and manufactured by BAE Systems in collaboration with the US Government. The lethal weapon system can be launched from rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned platforms to strike ground-, air- and sea-based targets, and also supports close air support operations.
APKWS uses semi-active laser guidance technology to strike soft and lightly armoured targets in confined areas, it has provided the US Marine Corps with a 93 percent hit rate.
BAE Systems will perform work in Hudson, New Hampshire and Austin, Texas. Estimated completion will be in December 2025

 

[Mokordo]

General Dynamics unveils Griffin II light tank for Mobile Protected Fi

google_ad_client = "pub-4068738923530102"; /* 468x15 data sheet menu top dark green */ google_ad_slot = "3500417247"; google_ad_width = 468; go

www.armyrecognition.com

 

[pigmode]

USAF aims to double long-term JASSM production up to 10,000 units

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is increasing potential long-term production quantities of Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) from a possible maximum of 4,900 to a possible maximum of 10,000.

www.flightglobal.com

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is increasing potential long-term production quantities of Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) from a possible maximum of 4,900 to a possible maximum of 10,000.

The US Air Force (USAF) Material Command signaled its intention to increase missile production in a 27 September notice that seeks production sources. Acquisition regulations require the service to seek alternative sources even though Lockheed Martin is the only producer.

The USAF also seeks to increase quantities of Lockheed Martin-made Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) from a possible maximum of 110 to a possible maximum of 400, says the notice. LRASM is based on the extended range version of JASSM (JASSM-ER), which has a range of more than 500nm (926km). LRASM is a joint development effort of the USAF and the US Navy.

The JASSM and LRASM weapons are low-observable cruise missiles that fly at subsonic speeds and, because of their long ranges, can be launched from outside an enemy’s air defences.

The USAF notice signals a continued ramp up of annual production as well as long-term DoD interest in buying the cruise missiles.

In May 2019, in anticipation of growing demand, Lockheed Martin broke ground on a new 20,900sq m (225,000sq ft) cruise missile production facility in Troy, Alabama. The building construction is scheduled for completion in 2021, with JASSM-ER production ramping up in the second half of 2022, the company says.

The USAF’s previous JASSM production notice for lot 17 asked for 360 missiles in 2018. That makes this most-recent source-sought announcement the largest intended acquisition of JASSM.

The USAF says it wants up to 390 JASSM-ERs in lot 18; then 360 JASSM-ERs and 40 JASSM missiles in lot 19. Production would reach a maximum rate of 550 units per lot continuing through lot 30, the service says.

LRASM production also continues to ramp up from lot 1 production in 2017, which called for 23 missiles. The USAF says it wants 50 LRASM missiles in lot four, reaching a maximum rate of 96 per lot, continuing through lot eight.