US Marine Corps (USMC)

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Navy to install FACE-based avionics computer upgrade in Marine Corps AV-8B attack jet fleet

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 11 March 2013. U.S. Navy officials are carrying out a plan to upgrade the mission systems computer (MSC) for the U.S. Marine Corps Boeing AV-8B Harrier II attack jet with industry-standard interfaces that meet guidelines of the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE).
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced their intention last week to award a sole-source contract to MSC designer General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems in Minneapolis to provide the MSC with a FACE interface structure running on top of the system's existing Wind River Systems VxWorks 5.5-based core systems software.
Navy avionics experts are ordering the FACE software upgrades to the Harrier's mission computer to enable the AV-8B's avionics to implement the required area navigation (RNP) and required navigation performance (RNAV) application.

The delivery order will call for General Dynamics to deliver a second Open System Processor 3 (OSP3) into the AV-8B mission computer, and provide it with FACE-based software for the RNP/RNAV application. The value of the order has yet to be negotiated.
The AV-8B Harrier II is a second-generation vertical- and short-takeoff and landing (V/STOL) ground-attack aircraft used primarily for light attack or multi-role missions. It can operate from aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and simple forward-operating bases.
In addition to the Marine Corps, the AV-8B files with the Italian and Spanish navies. The Marines operate the AV-8B with seven attack squadrons, which use the jump jet for close air support, air interdiction, surveillance, and helicopter escort.
Eventually the Marines will replace their AV-8B aircraft with vertical- and short-takeoff and landing versions of the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter.
The AV-8B's advanced mission computer is a VME-based processing system based on the Freescale Power-PC open-systems processor architecture. The mission computer can control mission computers and displays, digital maps, network processors, and servers.
The FACE technical standard, administered by the FACE industry consortium, providing guidelines for creating a common operating environment to support applications across U.S. military avionics systems. The standard helps enable developers to create and deploy applications across many military aviation systems through a common operating environment.
Developed in collaboration with 39 consortium member organizations, including Lockheed Martin, Naval Air Systems Command, Rockwell Collins, and U.S. Army PEO Aviation, the FACE Technical Standard promotes industry-government collaboration in a trusted environment, using proven processes and governance by The Open Group.
The standard introduces interoperability into an environment that traditionally has relied on the use of tightly coupled individual systems each with unique interfaces. General Dynamics is part of the FACE Consortium.
The Navy is awarding General Dynamics a sole-source contract because the company is the developer and manufacturer of the AV-8B's advanced mission computer and mission systems computer, and is the only company with the knowledge necessary to fill the contract in a timely manner, Navy officials say.
For more information contact General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems online at www.gd-ais.com, Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil, or the FACE Consortium at www.opengroup.org/getinvolved/consortia/face.

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/

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U.S. Marine Corps scout snipers with with Echo company, 2nd Battalion 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7 (RCT) 7, pose for a group photo prior to conducting a combat operation on Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 4, 2013. The Marines and Sailors of Echo company deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Ezekiel R. Kitandwe/Released)

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Explosion dans un dépôt militaire au Nevada, plusieurs tués

Reuters | 19/03/2013 | 14h18

Plusieurs personnes auraient été tuées par une explosion survenue lundi soir dans un dépôt militaire de minutions dans l'ouest du Nevada lors de manoeuvres de Marines, a déclaré un porte-parole du corps d'élite, mardi.

Le porte-parole a simplement indiqué que "plusieurs" personnes avaient trouvé la mort dans cette explosion, refusant de fournir de plus amples précisions.

Le dépôt militaire d'Hawthorne est un site de 59 hectares qui sert au stockage de munitions et d'équipements de l'armée américaine.

vipsdesvips a écrit:

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Explosion dans un dépôt militaire au Nevada, plusieurs tués

Reuters | 19/03/2013 | 14h18

Plusieurs personnes auraient été tuées par une explosion survenue lundi soir dans un dépôt militaire de minutions dans l'ouest du Nevada lors de manoeuvres de Marines, a déclaré un porte-parole du corps d'élite, mardi.

Le porte-parole a simplement indiqué que "plusieurs" personnes avaient trouvé la mort dans cette explosion, refusant de fournir de plus amples précisions.

Le dépôt militaire d'Hawthorne est un site de 59 hectares qui sert au stockage de munitions et d'équipements de l'armée américaine.

Selon CNN , 7 marines tués

augusta a écrit:

vipsdesvips a écrit:

Citation :

Explosion dans un dépôt militaire au Nevada, plusieurs tués

Reuters | 19/03/2013 | 14h18

Plusieurs personnes auraient été tuées par une explosion survenue lundi soir dans un dépôt militaire de minutions dans l'ouest du Nevada lors de manoeuvres de Marines, a déclaré un porte-parole du corps d'élite, mardi.

Le porte-parole a simplement indiqué que "plusieurs" personnes avaient trouvé la mort dans cette explosion, refusant de fournir de plus amples précisions.

Le dépôt militaire d'Hawthorne est un site de 59 hectares qui sert au stockage de munitions et d'équipements de l'armée américaine.

Selon CNN , 7 marines tués

60 MM. Mortar Shell exploded

augusta a écrit:

augusta a écrit:

vipsdesvips a écrit:

Selon CNN , 7 marines tués

60 MM. Mortar Shell exploded

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Le Pentagone interdit à ses troupes d’utiliser les obus de mortier de 60 mm après un accident mortel
20 mars 2013 – 14:29
Dans la nuit du 18 au 19 mars, 7 militaires du corps des Marines ont perdu la vie et 7 autres ont été blessés lors d’une explosion accidentelle sur la base d’Hawthorne, à 150 km de Reno, dans le Nevada.

Ce grave accident s’est produit lors d’un exercice mené avec des munitions réelles. Selon les premiers éléments, un obus de mortier de 60 mm aurait explosé dans son tube alors que les Marines s’apprêtaient à le tirer.

En attendant les conclusions de l’enquête ouverte pour déterminer les causes de cette explosion, le Pentagone a décidé de suspendre l’utilisation des obus de 60 mm. Cela vaut pour toutes les forces terrestres américaines, y compris celles engagées sur un théâtre d’opérations extérieur.

Le site d’Hawthorne, qui s’étend sur 600 km2, est à la fois un dépôt de munitions et un centre d’entraînement qui, en raison de ses caractéristiques, est utilisé pour préparer les troupes américaines à un déploiement en Afghanistan.

http://www.opex360.fr/

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F-35B makes first vertical landing at Yuma





The first operational squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets passed a milestone Thursday in Yuma when the Marine Corps version of the aircraft made its first vertical landing outside of testing.

The first F-35 squadron meant to eventually fly the jet in combat was established in November at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121. Until now the squadron was not allowed to perform the F-35B’s signature feature, its ability to land like a helicopter.

Maj. Richard Rusnok, an F-35B test pilot flying BF-19, conducted the first hover and vertical landing for the squadron, the Marine Corps announced. The commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Scott, accompanied him in a second F-35B as a chase aircraft.

Meanwhile, the military has been prepping pilots on the new aircraft at the F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin and testing it at Edwards Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and at sea.

Although the Yuma squadron is considered the first operational unit of F-35, the jet is far from ready for combat. The squadron cannot deploy with its F-35Bs until they are upgraded with software revisions not expected until mid-2015.

The Yuma squadron is building up to about 300 Marines and 16 aircraft expected by late 2013. The first F-35 squadron is not expected in San Diego at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar until fiscal 2021.

The $396 billion F-35 program, the Pentagon’s most expensive and by some measures most ambitious ever, has been under development by Lockheed Martin since 2001.

Because of its cost, technical glitches and slipped development timeline, the F-35 program has been continually sniped at for potential curtailment or cancellation. Most recently, a controversial report released this month by the Center for a New American Security, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, suggested scrapping the whole program, as well as phasing out aircraft carriers.

The move to “cancel the always-troubled JSF now while simultaneously extending production of the lower-cost Hornets,” would free $70 million per aircraft for investment in unmanned aerial combat vehicles, or drones, flying off smaller ships, wrote Capt. Henry Hendrix, a career naval flight officer.

The aircraft, also called the Lightning II, was conceived as a relatively affordable “fifth generation” stealth jet to be used across the services, saving money through a common production line, design and parts. Three versions were developed: one for the Marine Corps that would protect the service’s ability to operate from short runways in austere locations and small amphibious ships, an Air Force model using conventional runways, and a Navy version for aircraft carriers.

The F-35B is slated to replace three types of aircraft in the Marine fleet: F/A-18 Hornets, AV-8B Harriers and EA/6B Prowlers.

As the Air Force tests and trains on its version and the Navy awaits delivery of its first production tailhook model, the Marine variant has faced the most performance pressure and danger of cancellation. Critics point to ongoing engineering challenges in the most complicated F-35 variant and say the Corps can do without a vertically landing jet.

The first production model of the Navy’s F-35C carrier variant flew its inaugural sortie in February. It is expected to be delivered to Eglin Air Force Base later this year for Strike Fighter Squadron 101, a training unit.

http://www.utsandiego.com

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Marine helo fleet overhauled after crash killed 7


This undated image shows a AH-1W "Cobra" helicopter. Seven Marines were killed in a collision of two helicopters, one of them similar to this one, near Yuma, Ariz., during night training exercises Feb. 22, 2012. One of those killed was based in Yuma, the rest at Camp Pendleton. The crash involved a Cobra and a UH-1 "Huey". (US Marines) — AP


After a mid-air helicopter collision at night killed seven Marines flying with a Camp Pendleton squadron a year ago, the Marine Corps secured funding to overhaul its new fleet of upgraded Cobra and Huey helicopters to replace malfunctioning and missing lighting, U-T San Diego has learned.
Today the Marine Corps still allows pilots to fly the attack helicopters without working rotor blade tip lights, but a more reliable system and the addition of infrared position lights for new models of the UH-1 and AH-1 have been funded, said Capt. Richard Ulsh, a Marine Corps spokesman.
The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Command is making prototypes. Installation should begin March 2014, Ulsh said.
The investigation into the Feb. 22, 2012, crash during combat training near Yuma revealed no firm conclusions about the cause. But the report released to U-T San Diego this week through a Freedom of Information Act request highlighted the lack of working rotor blade tip lights on virtually all of the Marine Corps’s fleet of H-1 helicopters, which are made by Bell Textron.
It also noted a lack of infrared position lights on the upgraded four-blade versions being phased in. Finally, a procedural anomaly allows aviators to keep flying Hueys and Cobras at night with non-functioning rotor blade lights, although a Marine Corps CH-46 helicopter or MV-22 tilt-rotor with the same problem is grounded, according to the June 13, 2012, “JAGMAN,” or manual of the judge advocate general investigation report.
The rotor lights trace a visible arc in the sky, marking the path of the turning blade tips to help pilots orient themselves. Infrared lighting invisible to the naked eye helps pilots in combat track each other at night when they don’t want to broadcast their location to the enemy.
Bell submitted information for the investigation but did not see the final report, said Gregory Hubbard, a Bell spokesman, referring questions about its conclusions to the Marine Corps.
“Bell Helicopter takes our responsibility to the safety of the service men and women who fly on our aircraft very seriously. We devote considerable time and effort to ensure we are providing the safest, most reliable aircraft available and work with our Marine customer to incorporate the latest safety equipment and standards to continually improve the operations of all our products,” he said in a statement.
The helicopters with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 collided about two hours after sunset, at 7:48 p.m in the southeastern corner of Imperial County near Glamis.
The AH-1W Cobra flew into the back of the UH-1Y at a position corresponding to 7:30 on a clock, plowing into its transmission at a speed of about 50 knots. The night sky was illuminated by a bright flash that erupted into a fireball. Then burning pieces of the helicopters plunged to the desert floor, instantly killing all seven Marines aboard.
The aircraft were participating in the semi-annual Scorpion Fire training exercise. The Huey and its co-pilot also had a second mission, a Night Flying Instructor sortie checked by a Yuma instructor pilot.

http://www.utsandiego.com

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The Buffalo MRAP of U.S. Marine Corps will be upgraded with a new powered rear door

The U.S. Navy reports that Buffalo Mine Resistant Ambush Protection vehicles operated by the Marine Corps are being upgraded with a rear-door assist device. The rear door of the armored vehicle weighs 500 pounds and is opened manually. It was designed for flat ground, which makes opening it difficult on uneven terrain or in a rollover situation.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 11:58 AM



http://www.armyrecognition.com/april_2013_news_defence_army_military_industry_uk/index.php

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F-35B Jump Jet Makes Its First Vertical Landing At Night

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has had more than its share of ups and downs, but this week the jump-jet variant of the JSF had an up and down of historic significance: On April 2nd, a Marine Corps F-35B conducted the first ever short take-off and vertical landing that aircraft has ever done at night. In a flight at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the famous test site nicknamed Pax River, Marine pilot Maj. C.R. Clift put the long-awaited aircraft through its paces after dark.

The Marines have fought long and hard for a replacement for their venerable AV-8B Harrier jump-jet. Their sheer determination and outsize political clout have kept the F-35B going despite the fact that the vertical-landing variant is by far the most technically difficult to develop of the three F-35 models. (The Air Force's F-35A and the Navy's F-35C take off and land like any other aircraft).

With a jump jet, the Navy's dozen "big deck" amphibious warfare ships become pocket aircraft carriers, able to conduct airstrikes on their own without waiting for the nuclear-powered supercarriers to show up. It was an amphib, the USS Kearsage (LHD-3), that launched the first strikes on Libya in 2011. But if the Harriers have to retire before the F-35B can replace them -- or if the F-35B is cancelled -- that pocket carrier capability goes away, and the amphibs are limited to launching helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotors.

Without jump-jets flying off amphibs, in turn, Marine Corps fighter squadrons aren't doing anything their Navy counterparts don't do, which raises the question of redundancy. As the Marine Corps' critics put it, why does the Navy's army need its own air force? The F-35B is the Marines' answer to this question. That's why this week's test flight matters so much, not only for future battles overseas, but for the budget battles underway right now in Washington.

http://defense.aol.com

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U.S. Marine armoured vehicles roll past a hill during a mechanized manoeuvre training as part of a Philippines-U.S. military exercise dubbed as "Balikatan" (shoulder to shoulder) at a military reservation camp Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac in northern Philippines April 9, 2013. Picture taken April 9, 2013.

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U.S. Marine soldiers attempt to load a M1A1 battle tank into an amphibious landing craft known as the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) during the Combined Joint Logistics Over The Shore (CJLOTS) exercise, as a part of the annual joint exercise "Foal Eagle" by the U.S. And South Korea, at a seashore in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul, April 22, 2013

les USA renforcent plus leur présence en Spain

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MV-22B Ospreys make historic flight, ready to support crisis response force

MORON DE LA FRONTERA, Spain --
Six MV-22B Ospreys and two KC-130J’s flew from Marine Corps Air Station, New River, N.C., to Moron De La Frontera, Spain, April 27, completing the longest and largest transatlantic flight of any Osprey squadron to date. Their mission; crisis response.



Major Anthony Krockel, the executive officer assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, said it took a lot of planning and preparation and approximately 15 hours to cross the Atlantic. “It was pretty historic. We are here now to support the task force.”



The MV-22B Ospreys, along with two KC-130J aircraft from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 and other command-and-control assets and support staff make up the aviation command element (ACE) for Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Crisis Response (SP-MAGTF CR).



SP-MAGTF CR is a new, rotational contingent of approximately 500 Marines, sailors and support elements sourced from a variety of Marine Corps units to include II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The SP-MAGTF CR provides U. S. Africa Command the capability to respond to crises in U.S. Africa Command’s area of responsibility. The unit is capable of responding across a broad range of military operations and will provide limited defense crisis response in support of U.S. Embassies in the region, to support non-combatant evacuation operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations, search and rescue, and other missions as directed.



The MV-22B Ospreys are a key component to this mission, capable of completing a 325-nautical mile flight with 20-24 combat equipped personnel without an aerial refuel or auxiliary fuel tanks. This equates to about four times the range with the same personnel load of a Marine Corps, legacy medium lift helicopter. It can also carry twice as much; moving three times faster, than the legacy aircraft it replaced. The effectiveness and survivability of the Ospreys provide commanders with agility and operational reach, unlike other aviation platforms.

www.marforaf.marines.mil

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Marines serving with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, team up with Assault Craft Unit 5, a Navy unit based out of Camp Pendleton, CA, to make an amphibious landing. The Marines learned how to tie down their light armored vehicles onto ACU-5's landing craft air cushion, a hovercraft class vehicle, in process known as "griping." Marines loaded their company of LAVs onto the LACs in the predawn hours and landed on Camp Pendleton's Red Beach at sunrise

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Photos By: Sgt. Rebekka S. Heite May 04,2013

Marine Corps Air Facilities, VA - Marine Helicopter Squadron One Marines, past and present, family members and friends mingle on the flight line with the newest addition to the squadron, a MV-22 B ‘Osprey,’ after a MV-22B Introduction Ceremony in the HMX-1 hangar on May 4, 2013. HMX-1 is scheduled to receive 11 more MV-22B by next summer.

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F-35B performs first vertical take-off

Sources say that test pilots at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, performed the first Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter vertical take-off on 10 May.

The US Marine Corps' short take-off and vertical landing variant had a requirement to perform vertical take-offs right from the outset of the JSF programme. However, the capability is not emphasised because the F-35B would not be able to carry a tactically significant payload in that configuration.

Operationally, the USMC envisions its F-35Bs performing short rolling take-offs carrying a full load of ordnance and fuel, and then performing a vertical landing once the aircraft returns to the amphibious assault ship or expeditionary airfield.

The concept of operations is similar to that currently flown by the USMC's Boeing AV-8B Harrier II squadrons. Although the Harrier is often touted as a vertical take-off and landing machine, it flies a similar short take-off and vertical landing profile for the overwhelming majority of its missions.

The original X-35B prototype demonstrated the ability to take off vertically in 2001.

www.flightglobal.com

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US Marine Corps studying Harrier enhancements

The US Marine Corps is studying potential enhancements for the Boeing AV-8B Harrier II jump-jet to keep the aircraft relevant to its planned 2030 retirement date.

Julie Praiss, Boeing's Aircraft and Weapons Support vice-president, says the USMC and the company are contemplating adding upgrades such as a Link 16 enhancement and variable message format datalinks to the aircraft.

Later additions might include expanded weapons capability, such as adding the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile to the jet's arsenal and a helmet-mounted cueing system. Other possible upgrades include updated sensors, with particular emphasis on the aircraft's Raytheon APG-65 radar, Praiss says.

The USMC originally planned to keep the Harrier in service only until 2015, but in the past few years decided to keep the aircraft in use for far longer. The majority of the Harrier fleet will now remain in operation until 2027.

The decision was partly driven by delays in the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter programme, but also the realisation that the venerable aircraft has far more life left on the 134-airframe fleet than the service's increasingly fatigued legacy Boeing F/A-18A/B/C/D inventory.

www.flightglobal.com

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The U.S. Marine Corps has selected Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), to deliver its new fleet of P-19 Replacement Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles. The Oshkosh P-19R will be the Marines’ first-response vehicle in aircraft fire emergencies at military bases and expeditionary airfields.
Saturday, June 1, 2013 10:27 AM


http://www.armyrecognition.com/june_2013_news_defence_security_industry_military/index.php

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USA: la condamnation d'un militaire pour le meurtre d'un civil irakien annulée



WASHINGTON, 27 juin 2013 (AFP) -

La plus haute cour militaire américaine a annulé la condamnation d'un sergent du corps des Marines, condamné en 2007 à 15 ans de réclusion pour le meurtre d'un civil irakien, car ses droits ont été violés au cours de l'enquête.

Dans une décision rendue mercredi à San Diego (Californie), la Cour d'appel des Forces armées annule la condamnation du sergent Lawrence Hutchins, 29 ans, au motif que les enquêteurs ont violé son droit à ne pas témoigner contre lui-même.

Les faits, qui s'inscrivent dans une série de crimes de guerre reprochés à des militaires américains pendant le conflit irakien, remontent au 25 avril 2006. Ce jour-là, le sergent Hutchins commandait un détachement de sept hommes qui a choisi de s'en prendre à un civil irakien de 52 ans, Hashem Ibrahim Awad, dans le village d'Hamdania au nord de Bagdad.

Après l'avoir capturé, le sergent Hutchins l'avait abattu, avant de maquiller la scène en disposant une pelle et un fusil d'assaut AK-47, pour faire croire que le civil était en fait un rebelle éliminé alors qu'il s'apprêtait à placer une bombe artisanale.

Interpellé, le sergent Hutchins avait été détenu à l'isolement pendant sept jours sans parler à un avocat. Le 19 mai 2006, il avait finalement rédigé une confession écrite. Cette confession, qui n'a pas été recueillie dans les règles, a été par la suite utilisée par l'accusation pour établir sa culpabilité.

La Cour estime donc que "le juge militaire a commis une erreur en admettant (comme élément à charge, ndlr) la confession faite par Hutchins le 19 mai 2006" et conclut "qu'en dépit des autres preuves de la culpabilité d'Hutchins, il est vraisemblable que cette confession a contribué au verdict" qui doit donc être annulé.

La Marine américaine, dont dépend le corps des Marines, peut décider d'en appeler à la Cour suprême ou de renvoyer l'affaire pour qu'elle soit à nouveau jugée.

Dans cette affaire, quatre autres Marines et un infirmier de l'US Navy avaient plaidé coupable et purgé entre un et huit ans de prison. Un caporal avait pour sa part été condamné à 448 jours de prison et un autre été acquitté.

http://www.marine-oceans.com/actualites-afp/5448-usa-la-condamnation-dun-militaire-pour-le-meurtre-dun-civil-irakien-annulee

Cela fait plaisir en ces temps de disette pour l'armée Française......... ...
http://www.opex360.com/2013/07/10/le-coup-de-chapeau-dun-militaire-americain-a-ses-homologues-francais/

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Recon Marines seize enemy objective during raid exercise