Me? I just want to use them for what they are good at: being aggressive in boat units. Tough and good. Knock off the extra stuff. Use them for what they are really good at... killing everything they see.
I would not worry about the EFV. Glad it is gone. The M-1 Tank? Well, the first thing I would do with the M-1 is what the Army should do. Give it a no-frills HE round. Stop thinking about the next gold-plated AT round.
I am partial to the AH-1Z/UH-1Y. However I do understand the need to be joint.
I think it is fair to say we have much different views on Marine fast-air.
I would kill the F-35B and press forward with Block 2, Super Hornets. We as a nation are over $16T in the red...
15 comments:
If Solomon Shorter wants the MV-22 killed off and the F-35B STOVL JSF delayed, indefinitely, then that is fine by me.
In another post, Solomon reckons he is smelling bullsh*t.
http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/two-different-blogs-two-different.html
This should come as no surprise given the proximity of Solomon's nose to his mouth.
Sweden joined a 120mm HE mortar bomb with a propellant charge to make a HE round for their Leo2.
Was it a perfect round? No. Did it get the job done? Yes? Was it cheap? Yes. (the last question gives you the answer why the Abrams don't have it!)
Solomon Shorter is not the sharpest tool in the shed. His blog is sponsored by Lockmart where he routinely spews hatred and vitriol at anyone that questions the F-35.
Quite frankly I don't give a damn about his opinions on anything....
. . .nor the brightest lamp in the cul de sac.
Having communicated with Solomon Shorter in good faith - he emailed me - and provided information with which he agreed, was then confronted with a most unusual reversal in thinking, the likes of which, to be correct, would require repealing Laws of Physics, Engineering, Finance/Commerce, and Common Sense.
Then threats of violence on my person.
A most unusual individual.
It may interest you to know that there are already 120mm HE rounds that are in widespread use. One of these is Germany's Rheinmettal DM 11 round, which is used by several NATO armies, and a number of export customers (including Japan, if I'm not mistaken);
http://www.defmunintl.com/Brochures/120mm%20HE%20DM11_DMI.pdf
There's also the "Slsgr 95" round, which was jointly developed between Israel and Sweden. Ironically, it now seems to be a GDLS product;
http://i071.radikal.ru/1001/8f/132ba44b0bf7.jpg
IMI in Israel also manufactures a 120mm Smoothbore HE round;
http://www.imi-israel.com/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=68059
Even Bofors in Sweden manufactures an HE round. Here's a video that showcases it's capabilities;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI6HeMMkZEk
There are also Chinese and Russian HE-FRAG rounds for NATO 120mm Smoothbore guns as well, and IMI in Israel also manufactures such a round (though I don't recall what it's called).
Finally, there's also a 120mm Smootbore "APAM" (Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel) round made by IMI that looks quite promising;
http://www.imi-israel.com/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=67056
Here's a video showcasing the APAM;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCOm4frPxVw
These rounds have all been available for import or licensed production for between 5 and 30 years (depending on the round in question) --- yet, the US military shuns the very IDEA of a tank firing an HE round, despite all the structures and personnel its tanks have already faced without one!
It's even MORE absurd when one notices that the need for such a round has been firmly and indisputably established since at least 2004 --- by the US Army's Armor School, at that;
http://ciar.org/ttk/mbt/armor/armor-magazine/armor-mag.2004.ma/2orr04.pdf
Another item the US Marines seriously needs is an Amphibious Light Tank.
They've already proven indispensable in the Opposed Amphibious Assaults in the South Pacific during World War 2, and if the Marines are still serious about this mission (it IS their raison d'etre, after all), they'd better damned well have them. Here's the one they used in World War 2;
http://www.wwiivehicles.com/usa/amphibious/lvt-a1.asp
The Chinese Marines have had such a vehicle in service since 1997, making us look like IDIOTS for such a vehicle all along;
http://www.sinodefence.com/army/tank/type63.asp
Take note that this vehicle's gun is fully-stabilized in all 3 planes, is aimed via passive thermal sights, and it can fire on-the-move with near-perfect accuracy --- even from the water. That 105mm main gun is a Low-Recoil Force Gun, meaning it has very little kick, but fires FULL-POWER 105mm NATO-equivalent ammunition. It can also swim through rough seas and surf. China has over 300 of these in service, and it only took them 3 years to build them all.
What do WE use instead, you ask? A giant $1 Billion air cushion vehicle with no armor, carrying a $10 Million M1A1 Abrams, whose 15.5psi of ground pressure and 70 short tons of weight will "self-entrench" it into the beach in an actual combat situation --- *IF* all of the Billion-Dollar LCACs carrying them aren't destroyed first.
The USMC is like a fractal copy of the US armed forces as a whole. Surprised they don't have their own nuclear triad.
"What do WE use instead, you ask? A giant $1 Billion air cushion vehicle with no armor, carrying a $10 Million M1A1 Abrams, whose 15.5psi of ground pressure and 70 short tons of weight will "self-entrench" it into the beach in an actual combat situation"
Excellent point. I think we all know the Abrams can't drive on sand.
Brilliant post
"a $10 Million M1A1 Abrams, whose 15.5psi of ground pressure and 70 short tons of weight will "self-entrench" it into the beach in an actual combat situation --- *IF* all of the Billion-Dollar LCACs carrying them aren't destroyed first."
Hi there! Welcome to the internet! There is a website called Google.com. If you go there and type "Abrams tank on a beach" in the search bar, you will see pictures of Abrams driving on the beach very easily. And they don't have to be deployed from LCACs. How you ask? Their ground pressure is less than that of an average 4X4 truck. for perspective a dirt bike has 40psi.
Regarding any hypothetical block II F-18E/F acquisition, technically it will actually be the block II+ baseline soon, equipped w/ the next-gen Type IV computer.
If USMC is truly requiring 'urgent' replacement of legacy hornets though, then new-build stop-gap Super Hornet II+ should be the platform acquired starting in FY14. USMC could further co-fund development of the CFT plumbing upgrade for follow-on procurement years. Actual CFT could be procured separately later on, once the actual kit was mature.
The CFT would seem to be a highly valuable upgrade as it could allow the draggy wing tanks to be removed, saving annual fuel burn, but also increasing life span of the wing itself and freeing up potential hardpoints for more armaments allowing more flexible and sustained engagement capability. It would also allow for the next-gen Litening SE pod to be mounted on the center line station enabling improved aerodynamics and greater scope of operation.
If there is no such 'urgency' however in replacing legacy hornets, and said hornets will be fine and be sufficient in fulfilling requirements for the next 8+ years eg, then ok, continue the F-35B gamble and kick the can down the road a couple more years.
Anonymous,
The M1 can drive on sand, but not all sand is created equal.
Recall the terrain they fought on in Desert Storm? It was sandy, but the ground was predominately firm and flat. The sand was hard-packed, at that;
http://www.armedforces-int.com/upload/image_files/corporate_policy/images/projects/8/m1abramsimage1b.jpg
From 2003 onwards, they had to operate in terrain *north* of the borderlands, where the ground was much softer. A series of photos found here illustrates what happens when a 70-ton tank leaves prepared road surfaces in such a region;
http://data.primeportal.net/iraq/oops.htm
In other words, they can't. That's a problem, because IEDs occur only where vehicles are canalized, and in Iraq, that means roads and trails... but I digress.
Don't expect M1A1s to go barreling up beach dunes.
Great photos Blacktail. Thanks!
Feel sorry for some of those crews. That is a lot of work!!!
Raising my hat for Blacktail and his detailed info!
Sorry to say, but all of this - incl offsite OP - is about the niveau of a 13 year old.
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