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Navy Blue Angels jet crashes in Tennessee
Staff report5:09 p.m. EDT June 2, 2016

A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet with the service's elite demonstration squadron crashed during a practice Thursday, as its wreckage beyond a local runway erupted in flames, according to officials and local media reports.

Navy spokesman Cmdr. Mike Kafka confirmed the Navy is investigating a report of a Blue Angels F-18 crash near Nashville, Tennessee. The team was in the area practicing for a show this weekend, Kafka said.

The pilot's identity and status is unknown. However, the local fire chief said his dispatcher was told that one person had been killed,

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reports.

The jet crashed at 3:01 p.m. in Smyrna, Georgia, according to Naval Air Forces spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew and the pilot and their families," Groneveld said.

The rare Blues crash comes within hours of the crash of an Air Force F-16 Thunderbird after an Air Force Academy graduation flyby. The pilot ejected safely and is to be visited by President Obama.

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A BLUE ANGEL JUST CRASHED BEHIND MY WORK OMG

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— haybales_ (@HalieShults)

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A thick black plume of smoke could be seen just beyond the runway at Smyrna Airport, according to The Tennessean.

All other Blue Angels aircraft have landed and are on the ground. The six jets roared over downtown Nashville earlier Thursday.

Just saw a blue angel explode.... Absolutely horrifying

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— Brianna LeMay (@lemay_brianna)

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Staff reporters David Larter and Meghann Myers contributed to this report.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

first the Airforce now the Navy.

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US Army moves ahead with handgun replacement programme
Andrew White, Tampa, Florida - IHS Jane's International Defence Review
31 May 2016

US Army soldiers training with the legacy Beretta M9 handgun. The service is seeking a replacement weapon under its MHS programme. Source: US Air Force
The US Department of Defense (DoD) will downselect a total of three preferred bidders in the third quarter of 2016 as its Modular Handgun System (MHS) programme continues on course despite recent calls to replace the effort with a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution.

In April, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley suggested procuring 9x19 mm Glock 19 handguns to replace legacy Beretta M9 handguns instead of a more complicated modified solution in line with the MHS original solicitation. The total programme could comprise a requirement for up to 500,000 weapon systems destined to equip army, navy, and air force personnel as well as the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

Speaking to IHS Jane's at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Florida, industry sources explained how the DoD had received a total of 12 bids in February in response to the XM17 MHS Request for Proposals (RfP) published in September 2015.

Entrants are understood to include Beretta's APX, Ceská zbrojovka's CZ P-09, FN Herstal's Five-Seven Mk 2, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS) and Smith & Wesson's M&P polymer handgun; the Glock 17 and 22; and Sig Sauer's P320. However, sources informed IHS Jane's that the DoD had yet to make a final decision regarding calibre of the MHS, although 9x19 mm and .40 calibre appear to be favourites at the moment.

One defence source suggested that .45-calibre weapons appear to have been discounted because of size, weight, and accuracy issues. Most manufacturers are therefore supplying weapon systems in a range of calibres as part of their bids.

The DoD has now begun an evaluation programme of the 12 weapon systems. A downselection to three is expected to be made in August, leading the way into a nine-month production verification test (PVT) programme. Following the successful conclusion of the PVT, a preferred bidder will be selected ahead of low-rate initial production and first deliveries to US armed forces.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

for the US Army major systems
Abrams upgrade is in development.
Stryker is being converted into a IFV
M109A7 is slated for full rate in february with the M777 in service
M270 MLRS is pretty much the world standard.
...

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

You may not be a infantry guy Jura but that was what was happening.

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Jura said:

I know I should take it easy just wonder when the US Army gets new

• main battle tank
• infantry fighting vehicle
• field howitzer
• multiple launch rocket system

and so on and so forth, as I think this is what matters, not the pocket drone, bro

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

for the US Army major systems
Abrams upgrade is in development.
Stryker is being converted into a IFV
M109A7 is slated for full rate in february with the M777 in service
M270 MLRS is pretty much the world standard.
.Chances of a new vehicle right now are very low as more upgrades for those more than replacements. and given the state of the art That's more or less where the world is.
The biggest changes on the way for the Army right now is drones, sensors, protection, power management and communications.
lookig back at the list 1-7 are small arms updates. 8 and 9 are personal protection, 10-15 are sensors and drones, 16-18 are power management. out of that there is the Future of Rotary wing but that is mid 2020's earliest so... You may not be a infantry guy Jura but that was what was happening.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

first the Airforce now the Navy.

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. VMFA-314 will then become the Marines’ first F-35C carrier variant squadron. Though the squadrons have been slow to stand up so far, they will begin transitioning faster.

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Lockheed Martin flies the T-50A

Lockheed Martin this week successfully completed the initial flight test of its T-50A configured aircraft. The T-50A is the company’s aircraft offering in the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training competition, and is based on the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI T-50 Golden Eagle. The first flight took place from Sacheon airfield in South Korea.

“The aircraft in its new configuration with the 5th Gen cockpit and other upgrades performed flawlessly,” said Mark Ward, Lockheed Martin T-50A lead test pilot, after the flight in Sacheon, South Korea. “I have no doubt this aircraft will close the gap which currently exists between the trainer fleet and 5th Generation fighters.”

According to Lockheed Martin, the T-50A meets all APT requirements and can deliver those capabilities on schedule at low risk. The company is currently standing up its T-50A Final Assembly and Checkout site in Greenville, South Carolina.

Also in the race to supply a new jet trainer to the US, are Saab and Boeing, who aim to jointly design a new aircraft. Leonardo Finmeccanica has teamed up with Raytheon and offers the T-100, an upgraded version of the M-346 Master.

Lockheed Martin at first also announced it would design a new aircraft, but then changed its mind. The T-50A was developed jointly by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries. The latter so far delivered over 100 T-50 aircraft. The fleet has accumulated 100,000 flight hours and has trained more than 1,000 pilots.

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