May 29, 2013 ASDNews Source : US Army

The Army's fiscal year 2014 Equipment Modernization Plan, now working its way through Congress, prioritizes equipping warfighters in Afghanistan while simultaneously preparing for an uncertain future.

Programs in the modernization strategy are grouped within ten "portfolios," but some of those programs the Army has called out as being priorities for the service.

Several programs that make up the Army network have been included as priorities in the plan. Among those are the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, at $1.3 billion; the Family of Networked Tactical Radios, at $402.1 million; the Joint Battle Command-Platform, at $110.6 million; the Distributed Common Ground System-Army, at $295 million; and the Nett Warrior system, at $122.6 million.

Among combat vehicles, the Army has prioritized the Ground Combat Vehicle program, at $592 million; the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, at $116 million; and the Paladin Integrated Management system, at $340.8 million.

Additionally, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a priority for the service, at $84.2 million; as is the Kiowa Warrior, at $257.8 million.

A complete breakdown of the Army's equipment modernization plan for fiscal year 2014, including cost and what is being purchased, can be found at www.g8.army.mil.

THREE FOCAL POINTS

In advance of plan development, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno laid out three priorities to use as guidelines, said Brig. Gen. John G. Ferrari, director, joint and futures, Army G-8. He is one of the architects responsible for assembling the plan.

First among those priorities was a focus on the Soldier and squad, Ferrari said. Developers of the Army's modernization strategy were told to ensure that as budgets come down, Soldiers will continue to be provided with advances in lethality and protection, then build outward from there.

The second priority, he said, is to enable mission command. He said that means providing viable and robust communications network capacity so Soldiers at the small-unit level can operate with "intent, guidance and mission," he said. With such a network, Soldiers will be able to pull the information they need to innovate and solve the problems and tasks they're given.

The third priority, he said, was to "always remember, we're the U.S. Army and we have to remain prepared for decisive action, to fight and win in a large conflict, because that's what the Army's all about."

THE MODERNIZATION PLAN

Ferrari said having a modernization plan doesn't necessarily mean funding is guaranteed, or that Congress won't make changes.

There's a lot of uncertainty, he said, not only about funding for future equipment, but even with paying for programs the Army is trying to execute today.

Because of the budget control act and sequestration, the Army still doesn't know how much money it has to purchase equipment in fiscal year 2013, much less fiscal year 2014. This creates a ripple effect in purchasing, he said, causing a backlog of things that need to be purchased.

However, he pointed out that Congress is performing its constitutional duty to fund the Army and that process must be respected. He said Army leaders remain in close consultation with lawmakers regarding the process. So how does the Army make its purchasing recommendations?

The Army takes a three-pronged approach to its equipment acquisition strategy, Ferrari said, including consideration of the strategic environment, a staggered procurement approach and smarter investing.

STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT

First, the strategy takes into account the current and future strategic environment, Ferrari said. That includes equipment needed as troops leave Afghanistan and what becomes of that equipment once they're out.

The strategy also includes the shift to the Pacific and regional alignments. The president's National Security Strategy, the Defense Department, the secretary of the Army and the Army chief of staff, along with the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, provide the blueprint and inform direction.

For the strategy to work, Ferrari said, the Army needs a balanced force composed of armor brigade combat teams, or BCTs, lighter infantry BCTs and medium Stryker BCTs. Included with that, he said, is the equipment that goes with each type of unit.

Other "enablers," he said, include intelligence, military police, engineers, and medical support.

STAGGERED PROCUREMENT

As the Army's manpower and budget shrink, it has to be more selective on what to purchase. That might include buying some things in smaller quantities and staggering those purchases out over the years as old equipment is retired, Ferrari said.

The fiscal year 20114 Equipment Modernization Plan does in fact provide a 15-year timeline for equipment purchases so lawmakers can see the rationale behind the Army's decision on how much to spend and what quantities of each item should be purchased for a given year.

Replacing all old, unserviceable or less capable equipment all at once wouldn't make sense and the dollars are not there to do it anyway, he said.

Ferrari provided an example of staggered procurement, using the early Vietnam-era M113 armored personnel carrier to illustrate.

The chassis of an M113 "is basically an aluminum box," he said. "During Vietnam, Soldiers put sandbags on the floor and sides because even then they didn't provide much protection. Yet we still have them 50 years later."

Besides lacking robust armor, the M113 is also not configured for adding network gear, he said. Also, advanced medical equipment can't be loaded on it because the engine doesn't have enough power to move it around.

In other words, he said, "you really don't want your son or daughter to go to war in that thing."

But the Army still has thousands of them and not enough money to replace them all.

A study was conducted, as is done on every piece of gear, to see what is feasible, Ferrari said. The study indicated that those M113s serving on the front lines should be removed as soon as possible and replaced by the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, a much more lethal, versatile and protected vehicle.

However, the remaining M113s could still be used in the rear and mostly out of harm's way, to move Soldiers around, he said.

Another example is the Abrams tank, said Ferrari, who's a tanker by trade. A tank, or for that matter, any vehicle or helicopter, can be divided into three big blocks.

First there's the "platform." Ferrari said that is the steel chassis that might be 30 or 40 years old on an Abrams. The chassis might be "perfectly good" and probably doesn't need to be replaced.

Then there's systems and components like engines, transmissions, guns and sights. Those need to be changed out about once a decade or they become obsolete, he said.

Finally there are the applications that go into them, like the communications and network systems. Those need to be spun out about every five years, he said.

The challenge, he said, is how to synchronize the platform, the components and applications. If too much communications equipment is loaded onto a vehicle, such as a tank, the power draw and weight might stress the engine.

Each of the enhancements must go into an equipment funding request for the appropriate year.

Ferrari said the Abrams tank is still the "best tank in the world" and has a good 10 or 15 years before replacement is necessary. But it still needs funding for such things as new electronics, improved sights and fuel efficiency.

"If you do nothing, over time you won't even be able to buy the circuit cards needed to make it work," he said.

SMARTER INVESTING

Ferrari said the Army needs to slow down spending on development of technologies that are similar to what is already available in the private sector.

The civilian sector already is investing massive amounts of research and development dollars into its hardware, software and other electronic devices, so investing Army dollars in those same endeavors might be foolhardy, he said.

"As technology moves forward we can get the latest technology off the shelf and run with it," he said.

On the other hand, there are certain technologies the Army would be wise to invest in, he said.

Missiles, armor and rotorcraft are a few examples that the Army needs to continue focusing on, he said.

When the Army first went about looking for a replacement for the Vietnam-era OH-58 Kiowa, he said he was "surprised" that there had not been an improved platform developed since Vietnam.

"There's not a huge market for rotorcraft in the civilian world so the military needed to invest its R&D dollars on engines and blades to push technology forward," he said.

All the integrators, systems engineers and mechanical engineers who build those rotorcraft and all of the other new equipment are themselves an investment the Army needs to continue making to retain their skills, he added. No one else understands how all this stuff goes together and works.

Another example of how old and new technology might meet and save money is the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, in service for more than three decades now.

The Bradley is slated for replacement by the Ground Combat Vehicle. In the interim, however, the Bradley has a perfectly usable platform that might escape the scrap heap.

"We're going to industry and saying we want to replace the M113s and, by the way, we have around 2,000 Bradleys," he said. "We can provide you the (Bradley) hulls and you can use them to make a vehicle with more power to keep up with Abrams tanks and enough space to put a mortar or ambulance and comms, at an affordable cost and something that would offer better protection than the M113s," he said, describing ongoing discussions.

"We don't want to be so prescriptive with industry," he said. "Rather, we want to partner with them to come up with cost effective solutions."

SOLDIER-DRIVEN FOCUS

An important step in the equipment funding request is saving money through user testing, Ferrari said.

Over the last several years the Army has conducted a number of Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, exercises on training ranges in Texas and New Mexico. These exercises are known for testing network gear, as the name implies, but they're also being used to test other equipment.

Ferrari said last year, Soldiers got to put infantry fighting vehicles from around the world through their paces.

"What better place to test it than with Soldiers in a brigade?" he said, adding, "Any time you get equipment in Soldiers' hands and let them train with it, you'll wind up with a better piece of gear."

The NIE success story has its roots in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where equipment was fielded on the battlefield within weeks.

"That's been the real success story of the war," he said. "We got Soldiers equipment that would have taken years under the normal process. We put it in their hands. Did every piece of equipment work? No. But a lot of it did."

Ferrari said there will be failures along the way, but from the kind of testing that goes on at NIE, the Army can better learn and observe how equipment will be used in the war fight.

It's a "win-win" for Soldiers and the private sector, he explained, since the Soldiers themselves are doing the market research.

"They'll tell you right away, 'there's a button is in the wrong place,' 'I don't understand the dials,' 'it takes me 14 clicks to get in there to do it, so give me something simpler,' 'I can't read this when it's dark out there,' 'this flashlight has a red filter and you wrote on it in red and I can't see it,'" Ferrari said.

"So when you get that early in the developmental process, it's much easier to fix and change than buy it and then change it," he said. "It also familiarizes us with what's in industry as well, so we know when you go to war what's out there."

May 29, 2013 ASDNews Source : US Air Force

An MQ-1 Predator assigned here recently became the first Predator to pass 20,000 flying hours over Afghanistan, a feat equivalent to flying 15 hours every other day, for 2,667 days.

While the Predator remotely piloted aircraft program surpassed one million hours of total development, test, training and combat in August 2011, this is the first airframe to accumulate 20,000 flying hours individually.

"Reaching this milestone is significant, but what's more special are the missions we enable every day," said Lt. Col. Russ Garner, 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron commander. "

Maintainers are the key to enabling a single airframe to reach so many hours, Garner said. Maintenance keeps the aircraft flying, especially through the extreme weather in Afghanistan, he added.

"Without maintainers we couldn't reach this milestone, let alone get in the air," the squadron commander said. "This achievement is really a tribute to our maintainers."

A team of military and civilian personnel maintain and repair the aircraft.

The mission of the 62nd ERS is to provide launch and recovery for RPA assigned to the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing here.

"With only two percent of the RPA aircrew [in the career field deployed here], we're enabling 98 percent of the mission," Garner said. "During their deployment there are no days off for the crew, while they set an unbelievable operations tempo."

The MQ-1 and MQ-9 Reaper are assigned to the squadron and conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and close-air support missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The aircraft are operated by Airmen with the 62nd ERS, U.S. crews located stateside and Royal Air Force crews in the United Kingdom

28 mai 2013 Romandie.com (AFP)

WASHINGTON - Les Etats-Unis, qui refusent de livrer des armes aux rebelles syriens, ont approuvé mardi la décision de l'Union européenne de lever son embargo sur les armes à destination de l'opposition au régime de Damas.

Même si la décision en revient en dernier ressort à l'UE, nous soutenons l'assouplissement de l'embargo de l'UE sur les armes, comme une partie des efforts de la communauté internationale pour faire la démonstration de son appui total à l'opposition syrienne, a déclaré le porte-parole adjoint du département d'Etat, Patrick Ventrell.

Cela donne aux Etats membres de l'UE la flexibilité pour aider l'opposition comme ils l'entendent, a ajouté le diplomate américain, répétant que son pays privilégiait pour le moment une assistance non létale à la rébellion contre les forces du régime du président Bachar al-Assad.

Les ministres européens des Affaires étrangères ont décidé lundi soir à Bruxelles de lever l'embargo sur les armes pour les rebelles syriens. Les 27 sont cependant convenus de ne pas livrer d'armes aux rebelles pour l'instant, afin de ne pas nuire aux efforts de règlement politique.

La Russie a critiqué cette décision européenne et a confirmé les livraisons prévues de systèmes sol-air perfectionnés S-300 russes au régime syrien.

Nous avons exprimé depuis longtemps notre désaccord et nous condamnons la poursuite de la fourniture d'armes russes au régime (syrien), et cela inclut tous les types d'armememnts, a commenté M. Ventrell.

Nous avons été clairs et très directs avec le gouvernement russe à ce sujet, a ajouté le porte-parole du département d'Etat, au lendemain d'un nouvel entretien à Paris entre le secrétaire d'Etat John Kerry et son homologue russe Sergueï Lavrov.

May 28, 2013 ASDNews Source : US Navy

Members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 11 participated in a mine pouncing training exercise in the Indian Ocean May 26.

"Back in the day, they would jump out of a helo near a mine and attach an explosive to it," said Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician 2nd Class Ruben Villegas. "They would then get picked up and go on to the next one, then the next one. That's where the term mine pouncing came from."

Currently assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and equipped with the knowledge to detonate mines safely, EODMU 11 has been training to clear the way for Nimitz and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 during deployment.

"It's not as common anymore," said Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class David Medwedeff, another member of EODMU 11. "We're doing this in case it happens again."

"It has happened where we're going," said Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 1st Class Ruben Villegas, one of EODMU 11's team members. "They're not all conventional mines."

These EOD technicians held a demolition buildup earlier in the week for Rear Adm. Michael White, Commander, CSG 11, and members of his staff in preparation for the mine pounce exercise.

"The admiral and some of his staff came to increase their awareness of this capability so we can keep practicing," said Lt. j.g. Thomas Rollow, the EOD Platoon 11-0-1 officer in charge. "We've practiced on land, but this is the first time we've done this on a floating platform."

During the demolition buildup, members from mobile unit 11 constructed charges used to demolish mines.

"If this were real and there was a contact mine, they would need us to get rid of it," said Villegas.

Starting with time trains, a type of fuse, EOD technicians calculated the lengths needed to create a charge that would be used to safely detonate a training mine.

"It's extremely crucial," said Rollow. "All it takes is one mistake."

With the word of a (training) mine spotted ahead, two MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 took off from Nimitz' flight deck carrying members of EODMU 11.

Upon arriving on the mine and given the okay by the demolition operation supervisor, two EOD divers jumped out of the first helicopter into the ocean; one with the charge, one with the time fuse.

The divers attached the charge to the mine together. For safety reasons, once it was set, one diver swam for the helicopter where he was picked up at a safe distance. The remaining diver then set the charge and followed the first.

"We want it to be 15 minutes," said Villegas.

The operation is marked as a success with a thunderous explosion on the horizon. All personnel are safe, and the way is clear for the strike group to move forward, thanks to the members of EODMU 11.

"The admiral was thoroughly impressed and happy at his new found capability in the strike group brought by our team," said Rollow. "It gave us the opportunity to practice a real scenario and get the kinks out so everyone knows their responsibilities to contribute to the overall success of the mission."

Nimitz Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.

28/05/2013 - Michael Ilegems - datanews.levif.be

Le ministère américain de la Défense affirme dans un rapport avoir été piraté au départ de la Chine. Les pirates auraient dérobé des renseignements secrets à propos de systèmes d’armement américains.

Des pirates chinois ont volé des informations confidentielles du ministère américain de la Défense, affirme un conseil consultatif scientifique de la Défense dans un rapport. Il s’agit de renseignements sur les fusées américaines Patriot et les avions de chasse F35, destinés à mieux ajuster les systèmes d’armement propres.

Le rapport ne révèle pas où précisément les intrusions ont eu lieu, ni si le gouvernement chinois se trouve à l’origine de la cyber-attaque.

Les Etats-Unis et la Chine s’accusent mutuellement assez souvent de cyber-attaques et de cyber-espionnage. Dans un rapport publié plus tôt cette année par le spécialiste américain de la sécurité Mandiant, l’on affirmait qu’une unité de l’armée chinoise a espionné des années durant plus de 100 entreprises américaines. L’agence de presse des autorités chinoises a prétendu de son côté que la Chine a été elle-même la cible d’attaques - il était question de plus d’un million de systèmes piratés -, souvent en provenance d’adresses IP américaines.

28 May 2013 by Abdul Wali Arian - tolonews.com

The United Sates has committed that it will buy 20 fighter jets for the Afghan Air Force, the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) Spokesman, Brigadier General Gunter Katz told TOLOnews on Tuesday.

The Isaf spokesman said that all Isaf member countries including the US are trying hard to equip and empower the Afghan Air Force.

The Afghan Government is also putting extra effort to own an equipped and powerful air and land forces in order to provide security for the country. The Afghan forces are currently facing lot of challenges and shortfalls.

"We know that the Afghan people are concerned about the equipment for the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). And yes indeed, we already provided lot of equipments for the ANSF. But we have to acknowledge that there are still some shortfalls and we always said that individual nations sit together, discuss with representatives from the Government and the army how to overcome those shortfalls. And one example of those negotiations is the recent announcement of the US Air Force that declared that they are willing to buy 20 fighter air planes for the Afghan Air force," Isaf Spokesman, Brigadier General Gunter Katz told TOLOnews.

It is said that the Afghan security forces are facing lot of challenges even in the transportation section and it will take some more time, when the Afghan Air Force will independently lead air operations.

But, the Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD) believes that some of the challenges will be dealt with when the Afghan forces receive these fighter planes.

"The US has committed that 20 fighter planes will be given in the current year (2013). The fighter planes will be used for two operations: bombardment missions and discovery missions," MoD Spokesman, General Zahir Azimi told TOLOnews.

The shortfalls and inabilities of the Afghan security forces have cost them heavily. Because of the shortfalls it hasn't been able to carry out air operations independently. The MoD also accepted the shortfalls.

"Isaf in coordination with us is carrying out several operations within Afghanistan and we hope to become competent soon," General Zahir Azimi told TOLOnews.

MoD expects that Afghan military forces will be equipped with fighter planes, transport planes and drones within few years.

May. 28, 2013 By Bartosz Glowacki – FG

Warsaw - Lockheed Martin UK has unveiled some details of an offer submitted for the Polish air force's advanced jet trainer (AJT) system competition tender for the Polish air force.

The company on 23 May said its offer of the Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed T-50 "would provide significant operational synergies with the current Polish air force [Lockheed] F-16 fleet". According to John Neilson, Lockheed Martin UK's director of communications for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, "the aircraft which will be included in the proposal for Poland would be built outside Poland. This is to be expected for the number now required to meet Poland's need".

"When selecting the best training platform to accompany our bid, fleet commonality and the ability to meet Poland's evolving pilot training requirements for the next 20 to 30 years were key considerations," says Tim James, who is part of the Lockheed Martin UK team in Poland.

If the bid is successful, it is believed maintenance of Polish air force T-50s would be performed at the WZL-2 Military Aviation Works in Bydgoszcz. Lockheed already has a strong relationship with the organisation through the F-16 programme, and recently opened a new paint stripping facility at the site. However, Neilson notes: "We may also be in discussion with other partners too."

Another element of the Lockheed proposal would be to establish a state-of-the-art training centre at the Polish air force academy in Deblin. This would be based on the Ascent Flight Training facility at RAF Valley in the UK, which is operated by a Lockheed Martin UK and Babcock International joint venture.

Warsaw should select a winner for its eight-aircraft requirement before the end of 2013. Other candidates are the Aero Vodochody L-159T1, Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and BAE Systems Hawk AJT.

28 May 2013 naval-technology.com

The US Navy will name its next Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers (DDGs) USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) and USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), navy secretary Ray Mabus has announced.

"For decades to come, the future USS Paul Ignatius and USS Daniel Inouye will represent the United States and enable the building of partnerships and projection of power around the world," Mabus said.

USS Paul Ignatius will be named to honour Paul Ignatius, who served as secretary of the navy from 1967 to 1969 and as assistant secretary of defence under US President Lyndon Johnson, while USS Daniel Inouye will be named to honour former senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii.

As part of the US Navy's DDG 51-class programme continuation ships, the 509ft-long DDG 117 and DDG 118 ships will support a variety of missions ranging from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection.

Capable of conducting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously, the vessels will be armed with weapon control systems, including Mk99 mod 3 missile fire control systems, GWS34 mod 0 gun fire control system and Mk116 mod 7 fire control system for anti-submarine systems.

The ships, powered by four GE LM 2500 gas turbines, will have a beam of 59ft and feature Aegis combat system, which combines the ship's sensors and weapons systems to engage anti-ship missile threats, as well as a SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar.

The ships will also be armed with Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles, evolved Sea Sparrow missile (ESSM), Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles, and Lockheed Martin ASROC vertical launch anti-submarine systems.

5/27/2013 Strategy Page

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 21, 2013) The amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) fires a surface to air intercept missile from it's Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher while off the coast of California during a live-fire exercise. New Orleans is underway conducting a certification in preparation to deploy to the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

May 28, 2013: Strategy Page

In April 2013 DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) awarded a million dollar prize to a three man design team (Team Ground Systems) for proposing the most promising concept for the new Marine Corps Amphibious Combat vehicle (ACV).  The winner beat out a thousand other proposals. DARPA is offering another million dollar prize for the best drive train (propulsion system) design and then a two million dollar prize for a complete vehicle design. This approach may sound either very innovative or very desperate and in reality it is both. In part because the marines recently blew three billion dollars in an unsuccessful attempt to design and develop a high-speed ACV and partly because that failure made it clear that some original thinking was required.  

For over a decade now DARPA has used this competitive (or “crowdsourcing”) approach, especially in several competitions to develop UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles.) DARPA has been using this crowdsourcing approach successfully so the marines saw it as a possible solution to their ACV problem. The basic problem is that the marines insist that the new ACV be able move towards shore at twice the speed of the older AAV7. The inability of the previous EFV design to accomplish that cost the marines three billion dollars and over a decade of development effort.

Two years ago the marines cancelled their EFV (Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle) and have been hustling to come up with a replacement ACV design. Meanwhile they must extend the life of their current 1,057 AAV7 amphibious armored vehicles. These entered service three decades ago and are falling apart. Moreover, some two thirds of the AAV7s saw service in Iraq, where they got as much use in two months as they normally did in two years of peacetime operations. Most AAV7s are already scheduled for refurbishing, so they can still be used until the end of the decade, or whenever a permanent replacement can be found.

The marines how have two replacement vehicle projects going. The MPC (Marine Personnel Carrier) is a $4.5 million wheeled, amphibious armored vehicle. This would be similar to the Stryker, but a bit larger and modified for amphibious operations. This project is proceeding because it is low-risk (in the technology department) and the marines need some kind of armored vehicle to replace AAV7s that are dying of old age. The $12 million ACV is the EFV without most of the expensive stuff that didn't work. In effect, the ACV will be a 21st century version of the AAV7, optimized to pass all its development tests and get into service as quickly as possible. The marines do not want to be reminded of the EFV.

The cancelled EFV ended up costing over ten times as much as the $2.5 million AAV7 (taking inflation into account). The marines apparently felt they could get by with half as many amphibious armored vehicles because future wars are likely to be more dependent on delivering troops by air, or moving them around in armored hummers. While there was some thought of dispensing entirely with vehicles like this, which were first used in 1943, more traditionalist minds prevailed. That may change, especially since the cheaper MPC is more likely to survive the budget battles than the ACV.

The EFV had been threatened with cancellation for several years, mainly because the vehicle was too expensive and didn't work. Well, parts of it worked. Three years ago, tests revealed that the EFV had similar survivability characteristics to MRAPs, when hit with roadside bombs or anti-vehicle mines. The EFV needed all the good news it could get, but marines were already using MRAPs in Afghanistan, and are quite happy with them.

The EFV was previously called the AAAV (Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle). Weighing nearly 36 tons, the EFV was 3.4 meters (10.5 feet) tall, 3.9 meters (12 feet) wide and just under 10 meters (30 feet) long. It was armed with a 30mm automatic cannon (MK34 Bushmaster) and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. The EFV also had better armor protection and electronics than the AAV7. The EFV was about 25 percent heavier than the AAV7, and somewhat larger.

The EFV had been in development for over a decade and delays were mostly because of a complex water-jet propulsion system which, when it worked, allowed it to travel at 60 kilometers an hour while in the water. This capability was specified to reduce the danger (from enemy fire) when the EFVs were moving from their transports to shore, a distance of 30-50 kilometers. The additional gear required for the water jet system made the vehicle less robust and reliable, and fixing those problems took too much time. Otherwise, the EFV was basically a truly amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), similar to the army's smaller M-2 Bradley. The EFV had a crew of three, and carried 18 passengers.

In retrospect, the marines could have just built the ACV, using mature technologies and staying away from the high speed (and high tech) water jet system that provided a capability that was not really critical. But that's hindsight. Lesson, hopefully, learned. But with much tighter budgets looming, the marines may run out of money, not patience, this time around. The proposed ACV is also very expensive, and the MPC is not as capable (for amphibious operations) as the current AAV7. All they may end up with is some refurbished AAV7s, and maybe not many of those either. The budget situation is grim, leaving the usually unstoppable Marine Corps running into an immovable object.

28.05.2013 Romandie.com (ats)

Les plans de plus d'une vingtaine de systèmes d'armement américains ont été espionnés par des pirates informatiques chinois, rapporte le "Washington Post". Les programmes visés portent sur des avions et navires de combat, ainsi que sur des systèmes de missiles essentiels à la sécurité de pays européens.

Citant un rapport rédigé par le conseil scientifique de Défense pour le Pentagone, le journal mentionne notamment le missile Patriot, le système de défense antimissile Aegis de l'US Navy, l'avion de chasse F/A-18, l'hélicoptère Black Hawk (Faucon noir) et l'avion F-35.

L'article ne précise ni l'ampleur ni le calendrier de ces piratages informatiques.

Perturber leur fonctionnement

Le "Washington Post" juge que cet espionnage pourrait permettre à la Chine de perturber le fonctionnement de ces systèmes dans le cadre d'un éventuel conflit, mais aussi d'accélérer le développement technologique de sa propre armée.

Dans un rapport remis ce mois-ci au Congrès, le Pentagone affirmait que la Chine recourait à l'espionnage pour moderniser son armée et que les Etats-Unis avaient été la cible d'actes de piratage informatique "directement imputable à l'armée et au gouvernement chinois". Pékin a dénoncé un rapport dénué de tout fondement.