Whispers

Army to Pick its Humvee Successor this Summer

Its called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and its designed to replace the venerable Humvee as the US Army’s vehicle of choice to move men and equipment over cross-country terrain in the early 21st Century. However, unlike the Humvee, the JLTV is well-protected against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) which plagued the military during its recent campaigns in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Three designs are being submitted to the Pentagon: one each for AM General, Lockheed Martin, or Oshkosh (shown left to right in the accompanying images). According to Breaking Defense, “When you look at the three competitors’ vehicles, they all look pretty much like trucks. In fact, they look like smaller variations on the blocky theme of roadside-bomb-resistant wheeled vehicles — uparmored Humvees, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, M-ATVs — that became as iconic of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq as the Jeep was of World War II.

Appearances, however, can deceive.

The first crucial difference is what the JLTV is meant to do: combine the protection of the bulky MRAPs with the off-road agility of the original unarmored Humvee, before layers of added armor weighed it down. Mobility matters both on the attack and on defense, because the best protection against a roadside bomb is to get off the road. Mining a key chokepoint along a predictable route is easy. Mining all possible cross-country approaches is not.

The second crucial difference is JLTV’s design. Squaring the circle of protection and mobility is impossible with traditional techniques. Even the lightest MRAP variant, the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) specifically designed for the rough ground of Afghanistan, weighs almost twice the 14,000 pounds (sans cargo) that the military wants for JLTV. That weight, in turn, brings down its cross-country speed.”

According to current projections, the contract at stake in this year’s competition is for the first 17,000 vehicles, but the Army plans to buy 49,000 and the Marines another 5,500, thereby bringing the total to at least 55,000 vehicles including variants and task-oriented, purpose-built platforms. The Navy and National Guard will also likely take part in acquiring the new vehicles, driving per unit production costs down and total requirements up.

Update: The Pentagon has chosen the Oshkosh version as their future Humvee replacement. The program, estimated at $30 billion, will commence with a $6.7 billion low rate initial contract, a base contract with options to procure the first 16,901 vehicles for the Army and Marine Corps. All told, the Army-led program will provide 49,100 vehicles for the Army and 5,500 for the Marine Corps.

Share This:

Father’s Day Wishes and Caviar Dreams

Some dad’s hope for an iPad, haberdashery, or a quiet day alone napping in a shade-covered hammock. For me, I have my own set of simple dreams for Father’s Day – perhaps a copy of Tom Clancy’s latest tome, but more importantly, loads of new diecast replicas that are oddly missing from the market.

To begin, there are a number of new navy ships from around the world that are now setting sail or coming to the fore, including the HMS Queen Elizabeth, USS Gerald R. Ford, the USS Independence (LCS-2), which is a bold trimaran littoral combat ship, USS Zumwalt – a stealthy guided missile destroyer, an all-new nuclear-powered People’s Liberation Army Navy cruiser, and a littany of other warships.

In the air, there seems to be a dearth of 1:72 scale twin engine aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Me 410, the Pe-2 bomber, and all sorts of Japanese and Italian aircraft from WWII. As far as modern aircraft goes, there’s the new Lockheed SR-72 reconnaissance plane that comes to mind, as well as the USAF new long-range strategic bomber.

And then there are the ground systems, or lack thereof, now that several players have exited the market. Minichamps left the 1:35 scale military market several years ago, yet we still receive oodles of requests for new vehicles. Likewise, Forces of Valor’s departure in the 1:32 scale regime doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a market for these vehicles – rather a marketing strategy that some where along the way went afoul. The Russians debuted their Armata tank, the Poles have an interesting new vehicle aimed at the export market and there are other vehicles soon-to-be deployed that would make for excellent replica subjects. C’mon guys, now’s a great time to test the waters and try something new before some one else beats you to the punch. Producing the same old same old, might work in the short run, but it gives your competition ample wiggle room to enter the fray with something new and fresh.

Happy Father’s Day!

Share This:

Move Over BMW, Mercedes and Lexus and Say Hello to the Ripsaw

Originally developed for the military, the “Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2” (EV2), is described as a “handcrafted, limited run, high end luxury super tank” by its maker, Howe & Howe Technologies. Now, collectors, off-roaders and military buffs can own their very own tank sans gun, provided they have the cash to burn on such a high-end extravagance.

According to the maker, the “Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2 was “Originally designed and built for the military as a high speed super tank, its base platform the ‘Ripsaw’ proved to be the fastest dual tracked vehicle ever developed.” The civilian model is geared towards “extreme off-road recreation” enthusiasts.

“The EV2 model appears to be based on the demilitarized MS2 design, capable of accelerating to 60 mph in less than four seconds, with a maximum speed of 80 mph,” according to Russia Today.

“These vehicles take up to 6 months to fabricate and can cost well into the 100s of thousands depending on desired luxury and performance packages,” the company said.

A fully loaded MS2 can accelerate from 0-50 mph in 5.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour. Able to traverse 50-degree gradients and 45-degree slopes, the military model of the MS2 had an estimated cost of $250,000 apiece. No word as to how much the Ripsaw will run you.

Share This:

The Motor Pool’s “4th of July” 15% Off Sale!

For those of you who would rather pre-order some of the upcoming products at the best possible prices, we are announcing the start of our annual 4th of July 15% Off Sale. Unlike the Grand Re-Opening Sale, you can now apply a 15% off discount to any back order, pre-order or special order item shown in our product portfolio, as well as anything listed as being in stock. Please enter discount code ” TMP140” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Sunday, July 5th, 2015. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

Share This:

The US Navy: Carriers Still Forge the Way

With the US Navy due to accept its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), in March 2016, reports have surfaced that the service has also ordered the second carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), as well as placing a down payment for the third carrier in the Ford-class, the USS Enterprise (CVN-80).

Gerald R. Ford is intended to be the first of a class of aircraft carriers that offer significant performance improvements over the previous Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Gerald R. Ford is equipped with an AN/SPY-3 active electronically scanned array multi-function radar, and an island that is shorter in length and 20 feet (6.1 m) taller than that of the Nimitz-class; it is set 140 feet (43 m) further aft and 3 feet (0.91 m) closer to the edge of the ship. Replacing traditional steam catapults, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) will launch all carrier aircraft. This innovation eliminates the traditional requirement to generate and store steam, freeing up considerable below-deck square footage. With this EMALS innovation, Gerald R. Ford can accomplish 25% more aircraft launches per day than the Nimitz-class and requires 25% fewer crew members. The Navy estimates it will save $4 billion in operating costs over a 50-year lifespan.

Accord to Bloomberg Business, “The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer has approved awarding Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. a contract valued at as much as $4 billion to start building the second in the new Ford class of aircraft carriers.

Frank Kendall issued a decision memo for the Navy to proceed with detailed design and construction of the USS John F. Kennedy and make a down payment on the third carrier in the $42.8 billion program. The memo, signed on Wednesday evening, was obtained by Bloomberg News.”

Unfortunately, some shortcomings have come to light regarding the capabilities of the new carrier. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the launching and landing systems on the Ford would place extra stress on aircraft, precluding the external fuel tanks needed for combat missions.

Share This:

Are We in a State of War with the Russians and Chinese?

Earlier today, it was announced that the Chinese government was responsible for a massive breach of the Office of Personnel Management, hacking the files of four million current and former federal employees.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLA_Unit_61398

Earlier this year, sources claim that the Russians were purportedly behind a hack of the Internal Revenue Service, also affecting several thousand US individuals. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/04/politics/federal-agency-hacked-personnel-management/index.html

If memory serves us correctly, these types of overt acts are nothing short of sabotage and, in the past, led to the start of shooting wars. Witness the attack on the battleship Maine on February 15th, 1898, which led to the start of the Spanish-American War. Whether or not we are launching cyber-counterattacks to combat these regularly occurring incidents is anyone’s guess but it is becoming clear that there are governments that are willing to do anything to subvert our system.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Shady_RAT

Share This:

Does South Korea Have the Bomb?

Although South Korea’s nuclear weapons research program effectively ended on April 23, 1975, with its ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, reports indicate that they indeed may have the bomb. According to several news sources, South Korea on Wednesday successfully test-fired a domestically built ballistic missile that can hit all of North Korea, amid continuing animosity between the rivals over the North’s push to bolster its nuclear and missile capabilities. The missile purportedly has a range of 500-miles, meaning it could strike any target within North Korea. Earlier this year, North Korea test fired its own ICBM from a submerged submarine, indicating that the missile could reach as far as the west coast of the United States, although its not clear if the missile’s guidance system is as sophisticated as they claim.

Its hard to imagine a scenario where the country would develop, test and field a missile with this type of range and targeting capability if it wasn’t tipped with an atomic device and instead carry conventional weaponry. Where this weapons race will lead is anyone’s guess, with a potential nuclear exchange between the two countries coming about in a matter of a few minutes.

Share This:

From GCV to FFV: Still Alive and Kicking

When the Pentagon cancelled the proposed Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) it wasn’t at all clear what they had up their sleeve or intended to replace the aging Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. According to Defense News, “the Army has awarded two contracts of more than $28 million each to BAE Systems Land and Armaments and General Dynamics Land Systems to develop design concepts for the FFV. The work is due Nov. 28, 2016.”

“As the original equipment manufacturer for the Bradley fighting vehicle, we have a unique understanding of the requirements and user needs,” Mitchell said. “Among our top considerations will be platform weight and program affordability as we balance overall performance,” said BAE spokeswoman Megan Mitchell.

Whatever design is chosen, it will likely one day have to go toe-to-toe with two of Russia’s latest pair of infantry fighting vehicles: the BMD-4 (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta-4 literally “Combat Vehicle of the Airborne”) and BTR-MD Rakushka (“Shell”), both currently being distributed to Russia’s growing airborne arm.

Share This:

Meet the B-3: The USAF’s New Long-Range Strike Bomber

From a purely alpha-numeric stand point, the USAF is already well along in the design and development of its next long-range strike bomber (LRS-B), the B-3. In fact, right about now they are comparing the blueprints for both the Northrop-Grumman design as well as the one submitted by the competing Lockheed Martin-Boeing team, mulling over the proposed costs, military-industrial implications, capabilities of its adversaries and other factors to come up with the replacement for both the aging B-52 and B-1 bombers.

Slated to be about half the size of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and likely propelled by two F135 jet engines that power the F-35 joint strike fighter, the USAF’s LRS-B is scheduled to enter service in the mid-2020s, and therefore must meet the Air Force’s requirements for at least the next twenty years. Range, low observability, payload carrying capability, targeting and avoidance systems are fundamental to the new design, which some believe will resemble a smaller version of the B-2 and not entirely unlike a drone on steroids.

The LRS-B would likely be fitted with the soon-to-be deployed HELLADS (High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System). HELLADS can take down missiles, rockets and artillery shells without having to pause between shots to cool down – a problem associated with laser beam weaponry in the past. The HELLADS has a built in cooling system that allows it to fire rapidly in high intensity situations. It is still in testing, but estimates suggest that this game changing piece of defense weaponry will be in use within the next five years. A laser weapons system isn’t entirely out of the question either.

Share This:

The US and Vietnam: Unlikely Allies in the 21st Century

As the Peoples Republic of China continues to unnerve its neighbors in the South China Sea, the US has quietly been bolstering its southeast Asia allies, and, rather curiously, courted new ones some would never expect to see within the US sphere of influence. In his recent trip to Vietnam, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter agreed that “the US will provide $18 million to Vietnam to help procure coast guard patrol vessels, a first step in what Secretary of Defense Ash Carter hopes is a growing military relationship between those two countries”, according to Defense News.

This isn’t the first time that the US has peered over the spectacles of Communism and looked beyond its decades-long differences with a nation in order to shore up its other interests abroad. Currently, the US has begun the arduous task of normalizing relations with Cuba, has strengthened its ties to former Soviet controlled Baltic republics, stood with Ukraine and Georgia in their territorial disputes with Russia, and looked to bring other nations into the fold of NATO in the resource-rich Arctic region. As China continues to assert its influence over the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands, they have created a difficult diplomatic situation with Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, while simultaneously transitioning the Peoples Liberation Army Navy from one of home waters defense to a blue water navy. Recently they concluded a joint exercise with Russian warships in the Mediterranean, underlying their growing allegiance with Russia and expanding role of its maritime forces.

Share This: