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

[BravoZulu]

Approximately 200 Airmen and four B-1B Lancer aircraft with the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) from Dyess Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, arrived at Andersen AFB, Guam, to conduct Bomber Task Force missions in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces, Oct. 20, 2020.

BTF missions enable Airmen to continuously conduct operations throughout the world at a moment’s notice to help maintain global stability and security while enabling units to become familiar with operations in different regions.

“Every bomber task force is important because they accomplish both tactical and strategic objectives,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Stallsworth, 9th EBS commander. “As we conduct training operations, we are able to increase our bomber force lethality, readiness and experience across the force. It also demonstrates the department of defense’s ability to operate in an agile fashion to the world.”

Before arriving, the bombers integrated with 16 F-15s and 2 F-2s from the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JASDF) in the vicinity of the Sea of Japan.

“The training proved to be a very good opportunity to improve tactical skills as well as to show our commitment to the robust Japan-U.S. alliance and the region,” said JASDF Lt Col. Kobayashi Yoshiyuki, Commander, 305th Fighter Squadron. “Through continued bilateral trainings between the Koku-Jieitai and the U.S. Air Force, we are tough and strong, and always ready. We will continue working together with ally and partners to achieve a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”

The bombers also integrated with the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) in the western Pacific Ocean.

“Our ultimate strength in the Indo-Pacific is joint force lethality—our ability to train and operate as one layered, capable, and credible combat team,” said Capt. Luke Frost, USS America’s commanding officer. “The Air Force plays hard. Integrated air defense and sea control operations leveraging top-shelf capabilities of both the Navy and Air Force, like this, allow us to continually field a joint force ready to fight and win.”

The US. Air Force has modified its force employment model to enable strategic bombers to operate forward in the Indo-Pacific region from a broader array of worldwide locations with greater operational resilience to align with the National Defense Strategy’s objectives of strategic predictability and operational unpredictability.

https://www.15wing.af.mil/News/Arti...-for-bomber-task-force-integrate-with-koku-j/

 

[BravoZulu]

The Pentagon delayed plans to move the F-35 program to full-rate production because simulation testing that's needed before that can even begin has been delayed until next year.

The testing phase was originally scheduled for 2017 but had been delayed to December of this year. Now it's being moved back again because technical preparations aren't complete, and both testing and the production decision have been pushed to 2021, according to Jessica Maxwell, spokeswoman for Defense Department acquisition chief Ellen Lord.

While it’s not clear, why the test schedule has been delayed again, but in April Lockheed said it expected lower sales and slower deliveries for several of its programs this year due to disruptions caused by the current global pandemic, with the F-35 program being particularly hard hit.

 

[BCNTM]

U.S. Air Force launches $7million Minuteman III ICBM

The U.S. Airforce has launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the latest in a series of planned tests of it's ICBM capabilities

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[BCNTM]

Was The Secret RQ-180 Stealth Drone Really Photographed Over The Mojave Desert?

A very interesting image may provide our first glimpse of the shadowy RQ-180 or of a ghost from the past.

www.thedrive.com

rq180 or test b21

 

[BravoZulu]

The US Navy awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $9.5 billion contract modification for the construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia Class.

The contract modifies a $5 billion deal awarded in 2017. It exercises an option to test the ships and to provide design and engineering support. „This modification to the integrated product and process development (IPPD) contract supports the fiscal 2021 construction start of the lead ship (SSBN 826) and advance procurement, advance construction, coordinated material buys and full construction of the follow hull (SSBN 827) in fiscal 2024“, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The original contract was for design completion for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, which are meant to replace the Navy's current force of 14 ageing Ohio Class boats.

The Columbia Class is an upcoming class of nuclear submarines. General Dynamic subsidiary Electric Boat in collaboration with Newport News Shipbuilding are construction the Columbia Class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) for the US Navy.

Work under the contract modification will take place in Connecticut, Virginia and Rhode Island. Estimated completion will be by April 2030.

 

[BravoZulu]

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Agile Combat Support Directorate started the process of replacing its existing inventory of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), also known as Humvees, with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).

The service has a need for 3,230 vehicles and they will be bought via an Army contract with Oshkosh Corporation. However, not all HMMWVs will be replaced, the current process is to swap out the up-armored variant.

Air Force units are expected to start receiving the new JLTVs starting from September 2021, after having mission specific equipment installed at Naval Information Warfare Center.

Developed by the Army based on the U.S. experience fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the JLTV is considered a major upgrade from Humvees currently in the field. It’s designed to achieve operational objectives in Performance, Payload and Protection against adversaries and provide better protection against improvised explosive devices.

 

[morris]

Canada's New Frigate Will Be Brimming With Missiles

Canada may add Tomahawk cruise missiles to the ships, which already sport an impressive arsenal, including two types of point air defense missiles.

www.thedrive.com

The Royal Canadian Navy's future Canadian Surface Combatants, frigates derived from BAE System's Type 26 design for the U.K. Royal Navy, are set to have an impressive and particularly diverse missile armament for warships of their size. This includes Sea Ceptor, RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, and Standard Missile 2 surface-to-air missiles for close-in, point, and area air and cruise missile defense respectively, as well as Naval Strike Missiles for engaging surface targets. Most notably, an official Canadian infographic says the ships will carry variants of the Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon that the United States has only ever exported to the United Kingdom.

 

[BravoZulu]

Marine Armor is Outclassed by China

By First Lieutenant Karl Flynn, U.S. Marine Corps
November 2020

Proceedings Vol. 146/11/1,413

The Marine Corps has retired its entire tank force and will rely on the Army for heavy armored support. The People’s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC) has taken the opposite approach. Aside from fielding its own main battle tanks, the PLANMC also uses amphibious tanks alongside a litany of other armored fighting vehicles. If the U.S. Marine Corps had to fight China tomorrow, its ground forces would be woefully outmatched in firepower and armored protection.

The most capable Marine ground vehicles remaining are the Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) family used to equip light armored reconnaissance (LAR) battalions. In Marine Corps doctrine, these units are not for offensive use: LAR battalions are tasked with reconnaissance and security operations, with only limited offensive and defensive capabilities. These vehicles are almost 40 years old, and a replacement is overdue as the LAVs are plagued with maintenance problems. Some stem simply from old age, while others from the countless upgrades added but never included in the original design.

The LAVs’ service history shows its ineffectiveness against a mechanized force. During the First Persian Gulf War, Delta Company, 3d Light Armored Infantry (LAI) Battalion was tasked with screening north along the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. The border was fortified with a dirt berm impassable to armored vehicles. On 29 January 1991, an Iraqi brigade equipped with Soviet T-62 main battle tanks and BMP infantry fighting vehicles ran headlong into the Marines. During the ensuing battle, two T-62s made it through a gap in the berm. The crews of the LAV-25s engaging them watched as their tungsten armor-piercing munitions ricocheted skyward off the tanks’ armor. The only vehicle capable of destroying heavy armor was the LAV-AT, an antitank version equipped with TOW ATGMs (antitank guided missiles). While the Marines were able to inflict some losses, ultimately it was close-air support that forced an Iraqi retreat.

Since that battle nearly 30 years ago, the LAV family of vehicles has not had any significant increase in their weapon systems’ capabilities. While the LAV-25 has been upgraded with thermal sights, it still has no way of defeating tanks. The LAV-AT has been equipped with a new turret, but the TOW missile system has significant drawbacks inherent to its design. LAV-ATs cannot fire while moving. In addition, the TOW missile’s semiautomatic control line-of-sight guidance requires the firing vehicle to remain exposed to the enemy to guide the missile all the way to its target. At maximum range, this can take up to 20 seconds. The TOW missile is slower not only than direct-fire cannon projectiles, but also Russian and Chinese ATGMs. This leaves the missile vulnerable to interception by the modern hard-kill active-protection systems modern tanks field.

The Marine Corps’ other ground combat vehicle is the Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV). The AAV is even older than the LAV and experiences similar problems; history has shown it is no longer suitable for frontline combat. In April 2003, at the Battle of Nasiriyah, eight AAVs were destroyed when they joined the heavy fighting in the city. Aside from being enormous targets—each nearly 27 feet long and 11 feet tall—they have limited capabilities to engage armor. AAVs are equipped with a one-man turret armed with an M2 heavy machine gun and a Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher. Because the turret is unstabilized, it cannot fire with any degree of accuracy while moving. Furthermore, the AAVs’ weapons are ineffective against anything besides soft skins. The AAVs’ armor is incapable of protecting the vehicle against anything more potent than medium machine guns, leaving them vulnerable to handheld infantry antiarmor weapons, ATGMs, and tank cannons.

The Marine Corps fields combined antiarmor team (CAAT) platoons in infantry battalions, mounted on Humvees or newer Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs). At present, CAAT platoons use the same TOW missile LAR units use but could replace their TOWs with the more modern Javelin ATGMs. Javelins are fire-and-forget weapons that can use top-down or direct-attack profiles, allowing antiarmor teams to engage armored vehicles and move out before the missile even hits its target. However, Javelin missiles have shortcomings as well. They have a maximum effective range of 2,500 meters, substantially shorter than the older TOWs. With a 3,750-meter range, TOWs are also shorter-legged than Russian and Chinese missiles.

In addition to the inadequacies of their ATGMs, supporting CAAT vehicles use the same M2s and Mk 19s as AAVs. Neither of these would put even a dent in a main battle tank’s armor, and their maximum effective ranges are far shorter than those of even the oldest Chinese tank currently in service. The M2 heavy machine gun’s range is 1,830 meters, nearly 700 less than the Javelin it is supposed to support. Like AAVs, CAAT vehicles lack stabilized turrets, preventing them from firing while moving.

China’s military, on the other hand, has invested heavily in tanks—in fact, it has the largest tank force in the world. While the plurality of its armored force consists of older vehicles, the PLA nevertheless fields a large number of cutting-edge tanks equivalent or potentially superior to their Western counterparts. The Type 99 has a large-caliber gun capable of firing ATGMs, an autoloader enabling the tank to reload while moving over rough terrain, and an independent sight for the tank commander. Even its oldest tank—the Type 59, based on the Soviet T-54—is still potent. Its 100-millimeter main gun can destroy any vehicle the U.S. Marine Corps has. Newer Type 59 variants have received many upgrades, including reactive armor, a larger main gun, and improved sights and fire-control systems.

The PLANMC also fields light amphibious tanks. These typically have a reduced logistical footprint, because they use less fuel and are less prone to mechanical breakdowns than main battle tanks. One such vehicle is the ZLT-05 amphibious assault gun. Its 105-millimeter main gun can also fire ATGMs. For an infantry fighting vehicle, the PLANMC operates the amphibious ZBD-05. It is armed with a 30-millimeter main gun and ATGMs, and it carries eight infantrymen. Based on the same hull as the ZLT-05, both are capable of swimming from ship to shore under their own power. The PLANMC also uses the Type 08 family of wheeled armored vehicles for a variety of tasks.

While the Marine Corps’ move to retire its tanks left a wide gap between the capabilities of its ground combat element and that of the PLANMC, they were not retired without good reason. The M1A1 imposed an enormous logistical burden on supporting units—simply getting an Abrams from ship to shore was a challenge. The Navy’s ship-to-shore connectors can carry only limited numbers of Abrams—two on a landing craft utility and only one on a landing craft, air cushion (LCAC)—and they cannot be pre-boated. During the 2013 U.S.-Korean Ssang Yong exercise, Marines even had to build a pier and use cranes to get their tanks ashore.

The Marine Corps’ new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV)—the AAV’s scheduled replacement—is being tested with a 30-millimeter autocannon, based on the Army’s new Dragoon variant of the Stryker fighting vehicle. While this new weapon system would give the ACV much-needed improvement in firepower compared with the AAV, it lacks any antitank capability. Some Strykers have been upgraded to incorporate the Javelin antitank missile, which might also work with the ACV. Despite the Javelin’s shortcomings, equipping Marine vehicles with it would give them the capability of engaging armored threats until a more capable system can be fielded.

Even with 30-millimeter-armed ACVs, the Marines will still lack a vehicle armed with a large-caliber direct-fire gun. However, there are many platforms similar to the ACV in active service that are armed with just such weapons. The Army’s Stryker Mobile Gun System, Japanese Type 16 Maneuver Combat Vehicle, and Italian Centauro are all armed with a 105-millimeter main gun. They are all also lighter than the ACV. Fielding such a vehicle would significantly reduce the logistical requirements on Marine units when compared to the Abrams while retaining the capability of an armored direct fire asset. This can be used not only to engage enemy vehicles, but also provide fire support to the infantry.

From main battle tanks to air-defense vehicles, the PLANMC’s vehicles outmatch those of the U.S. Marine Corps in firepower and armor protection. To win a fight with China, the Marine Corps will need to adopt new vehicles or substantially upgrade its existing ones.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proc...sed-china?mc_cid=450d877256&mc_eid=d7d7885bbb

 

[morris]

US Formally Leaves Open Skies Treaty

The United States will officially end its obligations under the Open Skies Treaty (OST) on November 22.RIA Novosti reports. It is noted that it is on November 22 that six months will expire from the moment the American authorities notified other participants about their intention to withdraw...

www.tellerreport.com

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian side would require its partners under the Open Skies Treaty not to transmit data on flights over Russian territory to the United States.

 

[morris]

Why Our Military Is Only Marginally Able to Defend Our National Interests

Heritage’s index says the U.S. military is only marginally capable of meeting the demands of defending America's vital national interests.

www.dailysignal.com

 

[muck]

At approx 3.4 billion for a new America class, that probably leaves them a fair bit of room to move, might be able to bring her up to the same std as USS Mankin Island for less than that if the main structure is sound.
Lots of if's but's and maybe's until the fire is out and they can do a full damage inspection.

The U.S. Navy bids the Bonhomme Richard farewell; the vessel will be scrapped. Both a restoration and the option of rebuilding her as a hospital ship or submarine tender have been rejected citing excessive costs and a timetable of up to 7 years. (Source, English)

Wouldn't want to be the poor bloke responsible for this mess.

 

[NZM305]

The U.S. Navy bids the Bonhomme Richard farewell; the vessel will be scrapped. Both a restoration and the option of rebuilding her as a hospital ship or submarine tender have been rejected citing excessive costs and a timetable of up to 7 years. (Source, English)

Wouldn't want to be the poor bloke responsible for this mess.

I wonder if there is any value in using her in a Sinkex or if the damage caused by the fire would render any info gleaned as usless?

But yes Im sure a few heads will be on the chopping block over her loss.

 

[morris]

U.S. Air Force to retire 17 of the oldest B-1 bombers in 2021

American plane-maker Boeing has confirmed in a recent company news release that the U.S. Air Force plans to retire 17 of the oldest B-1 B-1B Lancer bombers in 2021. As noted by the company, continuous Lancer’s bomber support operations over the last 20 years have taken a toll on the airframe’s...

defence-blog.com

As noted by the company, continuous Lancer’s bomber support operations over the last 20 years have taken a toll on the airframe’s structure due to overuse in a manner not commensurate with its planned design.

Currently, a portion of the B-1B strike aircraft are in a state that will require tens of millions of dollars per aircraft to get back to a status quo fleet in the short term until the B-21 Raider comes online. As such, Air Force officials proposed the retirement of 17 structurally deficient B-1Bs in 2021 so that maintenance dollars and manpower can be focused on the healthiest aircraft in the fleet.

 

[muck]

Speaking of bombers, check out this story of a B-52H returning to active service – after she's sat ten years withering on a plane graveyard.

 

[morris]

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The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is our next-generation, long-range precision-strike missile designed for the U.S. Army’s PrSM program. This new surface-to-surface weapon system will deliver enhanced capabilities to attack, neutralize, suppress and destroy targets using missile-delivered indirect fires out to 499+ kilometers.

Lockheed Martin PrSM Specifics:

• Two PrSM rounds per launch pod
• Ranges from 60 to 499 kilometers
• Based upon Lockheed Martin’s decades of unparalleled experience in Precision Fires rockets and missiles
• Open systems architecture
• Modular and easily expandable
• IM energetic payload
• Compatible with both MLRS M270 and HIMARS family of launchers

 

[morris]

Army long-range cannon gets direct hit on target 43 miles away

The Extended-Range Cannon Artillery system has taken out a target in a direct hit with a 70 kilometer stand-off using an Excalibur munition.

www.defensenews.com

 

[morris]

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The U.S. Navy’s new shipbuilding plan shows that over the next five years it plans to decommission 11 cruisers with more than 1,340 vertical launch tubes, but Congress doesn’t think the Navy has a serious plan to replace them with a new generation of large surface combatants, according to the text of a recent funding bill.

Citing a lack of clear direction for its large surface combatant building program and a recent reduction in plans for the next iteration of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Congress is set to strip the project of more than 70 percent of the requested $45.5 million in funding for planning and early development costs.

 

[BravoZulu]

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The U.S. Navy’s new shipbuilding plan shows that over the next five years it plans to decommission 11 cruisers with more than 1,340 vertical launch tubes, but Congress doesn’t think the Navy has a serious plan to replace them with a new generation of large surface combatants, according to the text of a recent funding bill.

Citing a lack of clear direction for its large surface combatant building program and a recent reduction in plans for the next iteration of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Congress is set to strip the project of more than 70 percent of the requested $45.5 million in funding for planning and early development costs.

It's a criminal travesty that the USN has no real plan to replace the Tico's. It's been known for over 15 years that they were being hard used and needed a firm design replacement but nothing in the pipeline.

The Burke's are a very capable and powerful destroyer but the Tico's are an irreplaceable cruiser design. Simply criminal to not have a design already building and replacing them 1 for 1 years ago. With the rapid buildup of PLA(N) even more criminally negligent IMO

 

[morris]

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Monstrously Powerful US Army C-RAM and CIWS System in Action
The C-RAM (Counter-Rocket Artillery Mortar) system and CIWS (Close In Weapon System) use a 20mm gatling cannon to destroy incoming targets. With the wide array of sensors and computers, these turrets can pinpoint the location of where incoming enemy fire is coming from.
Credit: US Marine, US Navy

 

[morris]

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?