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GAO recommends US Navy delay Flight III destroyer procurement
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comes from GAO recommends US Navy delay Flight III destroyer procurement
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I'll wait and see
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
GAO-recommends-US-Navy-delay-Flight-III-destroyer-procurement-1024x538.jpg

comes from GAO recommends US Navy delay Flight III destroyer procurement
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I'll wait and see
I saw this...but from this GAO, it does not surprise me.

Right now, the US has launched all three of the Burke IIA restart...all three launched BTW, in a single year, 2015.

Four of the eight technology insert Burke IIAs which include some Flight III innovations, are already building, with the second group of four awarded, funded, and waiting for yard space.

That gets us through DDG-123, USS Lenah Higbee.

That's when the Flight III vessels start building, and the first three of those are already funded and awarded.

I personally believe that Ingalls and Bath could proceed with little risk on the existing schedule. I am hoping that any action on this GAO proposal to delay the flight II will wait until after the election and a review from the new administration.

we shall see.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
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Harpers-01.jpg

Pacific Senntinel said:
JAVA SEA (NNS) -- Five inflatable boats carried 20 members of the Indonesian Marine Corps from the mountainous backdrop of southwest Indonesia to amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) to conduct a subject matter expert exchange with U.S. Sailors and Marines, Aug. 1.

"Operations like these continue to build strong bonds between nations and their militaries through cohesive learning and by breaking down barriers of diversity that normally separate us," said Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Nentl, an assault amphibious vehicle crew chief for the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

During the exchange, held in Harpers Ferry's well deck, Marines discussed amphibious operations, techniques and equipment for safely and efficiently landing marine forces on a coastline.

After the Indonesian service members arrived, 1st Lt. Eric Berman, Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) platoon commander, started the exchange by explaining U.S. methods for the command and control of AAVs while conducting ship-to-shore movements.

"They are a highly motivated group of individuals who were very interested in learning about our AAVs, our tactics, techniques, and procedures, and they were very excited to work with us," said Berman. "[This event] shows the Indonesians that the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy are committed to our partnership."

Next, the group received an orientation for the AAV itself. The Indonesian Marine Corps uses a lighter version of the AAV called the Landing Vehicle, Tracked Personnel 7 (LVTP-7), so they were very interested in seeing the different version aboard Harpers Ferry.

"The Indonesian Marines set a great example of professionalism and attentiveness," said Nentl. "They all seemed eager to learn about what it is we do and how we conduct amphibious operations."

The event concluded with both Marine Corps singing their service hymns in a moment that reverberated throughout the entire well deck.

"This exchange of information was very important because of both the knowledge gained and the relationship between countries and militaries," said 1st Infantry Battalion Operations Officer Maj. Harmoko who oversaw the Indonesian Marines. "I hope to be able to do this again in the future."

A little off topic, but, Orange Hobby just recently came out with a 1/350 scale Harpers Ferry, LSD-49. I am pretty excited about it because it will allow me to completely build my actual ARG for the US Navy.

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I already have the USS Iwo Jima, LHD-7, the USS New York, LPD-21, and the DDGs, CG, and FFGs to go with them....but I could not find a 1/350 scale LSD.


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Now, since they came out with this model...I will be able to have the entire ARG, just like I have an entire CSG built around the USS Enterprise, CVN-65 in 1/350 scale.

I am pretty excited about it.

But it is not an injected molded plastic model. Instead it is a Resin kit with photp etch and other pewter and metal parts...which means it is more expensive. But heck, I can save for it...and will in order to get the full ARG built.


Harpers-03.jpg

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FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
Libya Strikes Show Value of Navy’s Harrier Carriers

The recent air strikes launched from the Mediterranean Sea against targets inside Libya are yet another demonstration of forward-deployed naval power, and the force multiplier of tactical aircraft deployed on amphibious assault ships in particular.

Beginning Aug. 1, AV-8B Harrier II attack jets have been launched from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp to strike forces of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that were operating in the vicinity of Sirte, Libya.

The air strikes of Operation Odyssey Lightning were authorized by President Barack Obama at the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Peter Cook, spokesman for the Defense Department, said in an Aug. 1 press briefing.

During nine air strikes conducted during Aug. 1-3, nine targets were destroyed, including one T-72 tank, one T-55 tank, two vehicles armed with recoil-less rifles, two other military vehicles, three pieces of heavy engineering equipment, a rocket launcher and a fighting position, according to an Aug. 4 post on the U.S. Africa Command website.

The strikes ”are consistent with our approach to combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local forces,” Cook said. “GNA-aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL thus far around Sirte, and additional U.S. strikes will continue.”

The Wasp amphibious ready group (ARG), deployed on July 26, includes the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio and the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island. All three ships are the lead ships of their classes. The ARG was supported off Libya by a guided-missile destroyer forward-deployed to Rota, Spain.

The ARG has the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked. The air combat element of the MEU is centered on Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264, equipped with MV-22B Osprey aircraft plus detachments of AV-8Bs, AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunships, UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters and CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopters. The MEU includes a detachment operating RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aerial vehicles on their first sea deployment.

The deployment marks the first for Wasp in more than 11 years. It has served as a test platform for the F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter, which reached initial operational capability one year ago and is scheduled to deploy in January.

The United States has air bases in Sigonella, Sicily, and Vicenza, Italy, the latter of which hosts an entire Air Force fighter wing of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets. But the presence of Wasp and its Harrier jets off the Libyan coast made the use of air power possible without involvement of a foreign government that, even while an ally, may have its reasons to deny use of its bases for U.S. combat strikes.

Harriers were used in Libya before, during Operation Odyssey Dawn in March 2011, when Harriers and other aircraft from the USS Kearsarge ARG/26th MEU supported strikes against pro-Gadhafi forces.

The use of AV-8Bs from LHA/LHD amphibious assault ships in Libya and in Iraq, particular in the occasional temporary absence of aircraft carriers, continues to make the case the Marine Corps likes to make that the LHAs/LHDs are de facto aircraft carriers and that their strike capability is able to project power in low-intensity conflicts where naval power can make a difference.

The Marine Corps plans to deploy the F-35B in place of Harriers onboard amphibious assault ships beginning in summer 2018. If the F-35B performs as advertised, it will greatly increase the strike and reconnaissance capability of an ARG/MEU. The planned addition of a capability to refuel aircraft in flight from an Osprey also promises to increase the strike radius of the F-35Bs deployed with an ARG/MEU.

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Equation

Lieutenant General
Here was a unique concept of using a civilian plan such as a Boeing 747 as another platform for launching ICBMs.

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[QUOTE
That Time a Defense Contractor Wanted to Load Up 747s With ICBMs
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An interesting concept for America's nuclear deterrent recently emerged on the Internet. A former employee for a US defense contractor describes an idea to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles from midair…using a civilian jetliner. The idea was ultimately shelved, but is reminiscent of a current DoD program for conventional weapons.

According to the post on
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the author, was an employee for
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, a San Jose-based defense contractor specializing in rockets and missiles. The author came across some Powerpoint presentations of a concept developed with another defense contractor, BAE, for turning a 747 into a nuclear missile carrier.

The concept isn't exactly new-back in the 1970s and 1980s, there were also proposals to equip 747s with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. The jetliners would have been a cheaper alternative to the B-1B Lancer strategic bomber, then under development. Ultimately the B-1B won out, and the 747 stayed in firmly in the civilian camp.

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Orbital ATK's concept, however, was slightly bolder. The concept was to put actual ICBMs in vertical launch tubes along the spine of a 747. The missiles would be launched "hot"-that is, they would ignite inside of the aircraft. That's a dicey proposition, but ATK reckoned
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.

Is it an absolutely insane idea? Maybe not. Currently the U.S. has 450
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sprinkled across the Great Plains and Midwest, tucked away in hardened missile silos nestled among cornfields and farm land. In order to strike those missiles, an enemy would need to directly attack the US homeland, killing millions of civilians and irradiating millions of acres of fertile land.

The U.S. is currently looking to replace the Minuteman III with the
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program. With the new missiles comes an opportunity to base them somewhere else-preferably away from America's breadbasket. Placing them in a 747 would do that but-assuming each Minuteman III is replaced on a 1 to 1 basis-you'd need at least 150 747s to carry enough missiles.

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The concept is also similar to the Department of Defense's "
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". The concept is to use a large aircraft-such as B-52 or 747-and pack it to the gills with conventional weapons such as cruise missiles and other standoff weapon systems. Stealthy aircraft such as the F-35 or F-22 could then provide targeting data to the Arsenal Plane, which would use long-range weapons to stay away from air defenses let loose on the target.

][/QUOTE]
 

FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
I saw this...but from this GAO, it does not surprise me.

Right now, the US has launched all three of the Burke IIA restart...all three launched BTW, in a single year, 2015.

Four of the eight technology insert Burke IIAs which include some Flight III innovations, are already building, with the second group of four awarded, funded, and waiting for yard space.

That gets us through DDG-123, USS Lenah Higbee.

That's when the Flight III vessels start building, and the first three of those are already funded and awarded.

I personally believe that Ingalls and Bath could proceed with little risk on the existing schedule. I am hoping that any action on this GAO proposal to delay the flight II will wait until after the election and a review from the new administration.

we shall see.
What you mean Jeff pls, you seems a bit skeptical with GAO, too financials reports, money only... not good about real military things, technical points maybe ?
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
What you mean Jeff pls, you seems a bit skeptical with GAO, too financials reports, money only... not good about real military things, technical points maybe ?
Over the last several years...at least IMHO, this GAO has been more politicized than most. They are comprised of people. There are appointed individuals who hire career individuals. Some degree of their own inclinations creep in during the process...but this one seems to have been more influenced than others I have witnessed over the last 30 years.
 
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FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
The Oregon Air National Guard Celebrates Its 75th Birthday
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The mor interesting is it is the 5th F-15 Sqn equiped with AESA radars, the 3 active ( 2 to Kadena, 1 to Lakenheath ) and in more this one 123th to Portland, with a 2nd ANG Sqn to Jacksonville.

Seems only F-15C get AESA anyway D are few numerous in Front line Sqns about 10%, Sqns of 18 - 27 F-15, OCU ofc get much more D.

Acccording AF Mag F-15C/D number last year have increase from 242 to 268 about 128 for Active, 140 ANG in general active logicaly get all fighters in reserve, for attrition, turn over...

So USAF get 1932 fighters-bombers with A-10 whose 1225 for active in more 159 Bombers and 310 armed UAV.
 
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