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

[Hiryu2.0]

All Freedom Littoral Combat Ships in Commission Tapped for Early Disposal - USNI News

THE PENTAGON – The nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships currently in Navy service – the youngest of which commissioned in 2020 – have been marked for disposal as part of the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal, USNI News has learned. The ships – USS Fort Worth (LCS-3)...

news.usni.org

 

[Rohme]

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[Hiryu2.0]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...-ships-that-are-like-nothing-else?utm_source= spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirkuláció

 

[BCNTM]

Here’s the new name of the US Air Force’s next-gen nuke

The Air Force considered historical relevance, the link to the mission, aggressiveness, popularity, simplicity and recognition as it chose the final name for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent.

www.defensenews.com

 

[BCNTM]

Criminal probe launched as Army helicopter crash that killed 1 'NOT an accident'

AN INVESTIGATION is being launched following a helicopter crash at Fort Stewart that left one pilot dead, as a new report claims it was “not an accident.” Army Capt. James Bellew, 26, a…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[BravoZulu]

The Department of the Air Force’s new weapon system, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, has officially been designated the LGM-35A Sentinel.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall approved the designation for the system that modernizes the ICBM leg of the Nation’s nuclear triad.
“Our Nation’s nuclear deterrent force, two legs of which is operated by Airmen, has quietly provided a strategic security shield for decades,” Kendall said. “All that time, the Department of the Air Force has kept the watch; always vigilant and ready. The name Sentinel recognizes the mindset that thousands of Airmen, past and present, have brought to the deterrence mission, and will serve as a reminder for those who operate, secure, and maintain this system in the future about the discipline and responsibility their duty entails.”
The Air Force determined the LGM-35A Sentinel would provide continuity in strategic deterrence and cost less than extending the life of the current ICBM fleet, comprised of the aging Minuteman III. Replacing the 1970s-era missile modernizes the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad and brings the Minuteman’s more than 50 years of service to a close.

 

[BravoZulu]

Navy’s New Budget Ignores Reality, Fails to Deliver Warfighting Capacity, and Is Probably Illegal – Bipartisan concern over China’s increasingly belligerent posture led Congress to require the Navy to achieve a fleet of 355 warships as soon as practicable. Past shipbuilding plans would hit that mark by 2034. But President Biden’s budget request trashes those plans. It not only ignores the urgent need to increase U.S. warfighting capacity, but it also appears to dismiss the legal requirement to make progress toward the 355-ship goal.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/04/is-joe-bidens-new-us-navy-budget-illegal/

 

[BCNTM]

As classified B-21 bomber nears flight, secret facility sees more curious 'probing' - Breaking Defense

Home to top secret projects, Air Force's Plant 42 is nirvana for aviation enthusiasts, who apparently sometimes take their interest too far.

breakingdefense.com

 

[BCNTM]

US Navy Conducts 'Historic Test' Of High Energy Laser Weapons; Officials Hail It As A Game Changing Tech For Combat Ops

The US Navy announced on April 13 that during an Office of Naval Research (ONR) test in February, an all-electric, high-energy laser weapon was employed for the first time to neutralize a target simulating a subsonic cruise missile in flight. The weapon utilized in the test was Lockheed...

eurasiantimes.com

 

[BCNTM]

The FIM-92 Stinger Surface-To-Air Missile May Finally Get A Replacement

The Army says the iconic Stinger design is increasingly obsolete and its existing stockpiles are dwindling.

www.thedrive.com

Possibly another reason why the US are giving so many to Ukraine

 

[Mike1976]

Seems like the US is finally going through with a replacement for the M4 and M249.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | SIG Sauer Secures NGSW Contract

The U.S. Army has selected SIG Sauer's offerings in its Next Generation Squad Weapon program, and has awarded a 10 year contract to the firm to produce the new XM5 Rifle and XM250 Automatic Rifle to phase out the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun families.

www.americanrifleman.org

Army expects Next Generation Squad Weapon to get to its first unit by next year

An unloaded XM5 rifle is two pounds heavier than an unloaded M4. But the XM250 is four pounds lighter than the M249 SAW.

www.armytimes.com

 

[colin traveller]

Goodbye to your Cruisers ....

After a Decade of Debate, Cruisers Set to Exit Fleet in 5 Years - USNI News

NORFOLK, Va. – USS Vicksburg (CG-69) is in the middle of a $200 million repair period meant to keep the guided-missile cruiser in the fleet well into the 2030s. Shrouded in scaffolding and white plastic at BAE Systems Ship Repair, shipyard workers have been upgrading Vicksburg since 2020. The...

news.usni.org

 

[pigmode]

The FIM-92 Stinger Surface-To-Air Missile May Finally Get A Replacement

The Army says the iconic Stinger design is increasingly obsolete and its existing stockpiles are dwindling.

www.thedrive.com

Possibly another reason why the US are giving so many to Ukraine

Here's hoping something like Starstreak is advanced enough to avoid the *time* and *money* tied up in R&D, with the lengthy shark-like feeding frenzy usually played out by the lobby-rich US defense industry conglomerates. Approve, build factory, 24/7 shifts as needed. Move along, dammit.

 

[BravoZulu]

The USAF Materiel Command issued a press release in which, based on a market study, it reports that the Department of the Air Force has decided to replace a portion of the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control aircraft fleet with the E-7 Wedgetail, produced by The Boeing Company.

Also, the paper states that Boeing’s E-7 is the only platform capable of meeting the Department of Defense’s tactical battlefield management, command and control and moving target indication requirements in the time frame needed to replace the aging E-3.

E3

E7

 

[Hiryu2.0]

Lockheed CEO boosting munitions production 'ahead of need' | InsideDefense.com

Lockheed Martin chief executive James Taiclet said today the company is planning to help increase production of the Javelin anti-tank missile, which it makes in partnership with Raytheon Technologies, as well as ramp up other weapon systems because the war in Ukraine has sent a clear "demand...

insidedefense.com

 

[BravoZulu]

UVision's Hero-120 OPF-M (Organic Precision Fire-Mounted) aerial loitering munition systems are integrated on U.S. Marine Corps armored marine vehicles - both Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV) and Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicles (ARV) - and other marine platform. This, according to a press release from the Israeli company ahead of the Modern Day Marine exhibition, currently held in Washington.
As reported in June 2021 on the IsraelDefense website (https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/50425), UVision was awarded a multi-year contract, to supply the Hero-120 OPF-M systems to the United States Marine Corps (USMC), together with its multi-canister launcher, tailored to the specific requirements of the USMC and integrated onto armored vehicles and maritime platforms.

 

[pigmode]

NGSW signifies an evolution in Soldier lethality

WASHINGTON –- The future Soldier will soon be significantly more lethal. The Army recently announced that the Next Generation Squad Weapon, the XM5 rif...

www.army.mil

The XM5, which weighs about two pounds heavier than the M4, and the XM250, which is about four pounds lighter, are still in their prototype phase and may change slightly by the time it is out for mass production. The XM5 weighs 8.38 pounds and 9.84 with the suppressor. The XM250 weighs 13 pounds with a bipod and 14.5 with the suppressor.

Currently the XM5 basic combat load is seven, 20-round magazines, which weighs 9.8 pounds. For the XM250 the basic combat load is four 100-round pouches, at 27.1 pounds. For comparison: the M4 carbine combat load, which is seven 30-round magazines, weighs 7.4 pounds, and the M249 light machine gun combat load, which is three 200-round pouches, weighs 20.8 pounds.

Some (prototype) weight and basic load comparisons.

Ammo weight based on above info:
600 rd weight for M249 - 20.8 lb
400 rd weight for XM250- 27.1 lb (XM250 is close to 4 lb lighter than M249)

 

[Hiryu2.0]

Elbit Systems of America Awarded $49 Million Contract to Supply Night Vision Systems for the U.S. Marine Corps - EDR Magazine

Haifa, Israel, May 16, 2022 – Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT and TASE: ESLT)(“Elbit Systems”) announced today that its U.S. subsidiary,

www.edrmagazine.eu

 

[BravoZulu]

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has held a ceremony launching a permanently stationed air cavalry squadron consisting of new Apache attack helicopters in a key U.S. base south of Seoul, its officials said Wednesday.

The 5th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade was activated in the event at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday. It takes over from previous rotational aviation units.

The new unit is known to have dozens of the latest AH-64E Version 6 helicopters. In January, the U.S. Army said 24 of the latest Apache helicopters would be deployed here by February in the first overseas delivery of the new version of the aircraft.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220518002300325?section=national/defense

 

[BCNTM]

The Air Force's secret next-gen fighter has reached development phase - Breaking Defense

Moving to the development stage more than likely means that the Air Force has coalesced around a single fighter design made by a single prime contractor, said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory.

breakingdefense.com