Airborne Combat Engineer

Gibbs amphibious vehicles

As mentioned in a recent A-C-E post (linking to a 26MAR07 Defense Review post), Gibbs Technologies (Warwickshire, UK) and Lockheed Martin have agreed to develop a family of high-speed amphibious vehicles designed specifically for military operations, based on technology Gibbs uses in vehicles for civilian use.

Here's a better image:

And here's a video.

Remember the James Bond car which converted to a submarine by retracting its wheels very similarly? (Scroll down at this link to see it with the wheels retracted.)

Gibbs and Lockheed Martin will advance the development by integrating expeditionary command and control capability, armor, and weapons systems.

Return the Pueblo!

Last Monday (23JAN07) was the 39th anniversary of North Korea's seizure of the spy ship USS Pueblo and it 83-man crew, triggering an international confrontation between the United States and North Korea in the tumultuous year of 1968.

Until his death in January 2004, Bucher said the crew had been abandoned by the U.S. government when it came under attack.

The Pueblo remains a commissioned Navy ship and the North Koreans keep it on display near Pyongyang. The surviving crew and their supporters, including lawmakers in Congress, have demanded the return of the small warship for years. Last fall, Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., introduced the latest resolution calling on the State Department to make the return of the warship a priority in negotiations with North Korea.

[PR, The Pueblo Cheiftain, 23JAN07]

USS Ford and Ford Class

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld definitely jumped the gun this afternoon when he announced during his eulogy for Gerald Ford that the Navy would name a new aircraft carrier [CVN-78] and the next generation of carriers after the former president. The announcement not only caught the family by surprise, but the Navy and Pentagon as well. Navy officials were scrambling this afternoon to react to a decision that hasn't been officially announced.

Murdoc had already anticipated this, but is not entirely happy with it.

Instapinch highlights the major improvements featured in the Ford class of carriers.

An MO commenter anticipates nicknaming attached destroyers "Ford Escorts."

The USS America Carrier Veterans Association, an association of sailors who served aboard the recently scuttled USS America (CV-66), has advocated that CVN-78 also be named America.

ACE's name preference: "Butt Kicker"
Suggested motto: "Mess with US and we'll put a boot up your a$$!"

Maybe the US should buy this

DID notes the problems the US has had with its SEAL delivery system.

Perhaps it should consider buying this one developed by Defense Consulting Europe.

AUV demo in JUN 2007 in Panama City

Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWC PC) is busy preparing to host the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Performance Demonstration, called AUV Fest, on June 4-16, 2007. These events started in 1997, and are hosted at 18 month intervals or so. NSWC PC's AUV Fest 2007 Coordinator Phil Bernstein said that this AUV Fest is expected to draw more than 100 teams from government, industry, academia, and foreign military, bringing in excess of 80 unmanned vehicles equipped with a variety of sensor packages. He believes this will be the world's largest-ever in-water unmanned systems demonstration.

[DID, 15 DEC 2006]

Rare Russian carrier footage

This YouTube Video (see embedded in the continuation) shows an SU-33 Flanker taking off using the 12 degree bow ski-jump of the Russian carrier Kuznetzov without a catapult. Here's another one.

A Wikipedia entry explains the pros and cons of a ski jump:

Unlike comparable American carrier-borne fighters like the F-14 Tomcat, the Su-33 it is designed to use a ski-jump instead of catapult for carrier takeoff. The ski jump provides many advantages over a catapult launch. The most evident is that a ski jump does not put stress on the airframe and pilot, allowing lower weight because less structural reinforcement is required and prevents G-LOC (G-force induced impairment.) Also, with a ski jump launch, the aircraft can engage full afterburner earlier than a catapult launch, because the aircraft is restrained by pop-up detents rather than a catapult shoe. Once in the air the aircraft has a positive AOA as well as pitch angular speed which increases during acceleration, and assists the climb. This method does require an aircraft that is more stable and maneuverable at low speeds. On the down side, an aircraft launched off a ski jump cannot launch at maximum takeoff weight (unless MTOW is very light to begin with, as in the BAe Harrier and its family), so either combat load or range will suffer vis a vis a catapulted aircraft. Large aircraft cannot launch off a ski jump at all, restricting a ski jump-equipped carrier to tactical aviation only.

Stiletto sighting in San Diego

[LINK] News 8 San Diego (via Alphecca and TFS Magnum)

Several videos of the Stiletto.

TFS Magnum and Defense Tech have more.

I'd like something about 1/6 that size for Lake Hartwell.

Guided missile destroyer arrives in Japan

[LINK] VOA News

The United States has sent a guided-missile destroyer to Japan, just days after North Korea tested seven missiles over the Sea of Japan earlier this week.

Reports say the USS Mustin has the latest missile-tracking system available. It arrived at Japan's Yokosuka military base Saturday. Military officials say the missile-tracking system is the same system that was used to assess North Korea's missile launches Wednesday and Thursday.

We cringe when we hear what these ships and weapons systems cost, but we're very glad to have them when the need arises.

It will be a GREAT day when we can down a missile headed toward US territory (or that of our allies).

Nice boat!

[LINK] Murdoc Online

NSCT 1 Sailors Participate in Exercise Howler Aboard Stiletto

Murdoc beat me to the punch on this one, so you might as well just go there.

Oriskany sitting upright

[LINK] Dive the Mighty O

Navy divers will check if it's safe first.

Haven't found an underwater photo yet. I'm betting Murdoc will have one up first.