US Marine Corps (USMC)

Citation :

Sunday, 10 April 2016

US Marine Corps fly RQ-21A UAV in controlled airspace for the first time

The US Marines have flown an RQ-1A Blackjack UAV in controlled airspace for the first time. The flight took place at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, home base of Marine Unmanned Air Vehicle Squadron 2 (VMU-2), on 21 March. The air station is considered Class D airspace.







http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :

Monday, 11 April 2016
US Marines at Balikatan military exercise in Philippines fire with HIMARS rocket launcher systems.

The US Marines from 2nd Platoon, Fox Battery, 14th Marine Regiment, fired six Reduced-Range Practice Rockets (RRPR) utilizing two M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), in Philippines April 4, 2016, as part of Balikatan 2016, US Marine Corps Forces in Pacific.





http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :

Pratt & Whitney gets a $1bn contract from US military for additional F135 engines

The US military ordered more than $1 billion worth of new jet engines for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. "Pratt & Whitney Military Engines is being awarded a $1,038,074,689 modification to the previously awarded advance acquisition contract for the Lot IX low-rate initial production F-35 Lightning II Propulsion contract for the Air Force, Navy/Marine Corps, international partners and foreign military sales (FMS) customers," the US DoD said on April 11.





http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :

New Remote Fuse Disassembly System for EOD teams of U.S. Marine Corps.

The new Remote Fuse Disassembly System was introduced for the first time to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marines with 9th Engineer Support Battalion during a five-day course at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan April 4-8, 2016. The purpose behind the new system is to help make ordnance disposal safer by allowing EOD technicians to disassemble ordnance at distances five times farther than before.






http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :

French Navy, US Marines in Amphibious Exercise in Djibouti with Mistral class and LCAT

In late March 2016, the French Navy (Marine Nationale), the French forces based in Djibouti (FFDJ) and U.S. Marines units conducted a combined amphibious exercise named WAKRI 16. The exercise simulated the evacuation of nationals of a fictitious country following infiltration by separatist militias. The exercise involved several assets including Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre of the French Navy as well as the LCAT landing catamaran (designated EDAR in the French Navy).




http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :

Humvee Replacement Delayed for Army and Marine Corps
Jen Judson, Defense News 10:23 p.m. EDT April 13, 2016


WASHINGTON — The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle won’t reach initial operational capability on time, officials from both the US Army and Marine Corps are saying.

The delays are due mainly to the disruption in executing the program when Lockheed Martin filed a protest of the Army’s decision to award Oshkosh Defense a contract to build the Humvee replacement. Oshkosh beat out Humvee-maker AM General and Lockheed for the $6.7 billion low-rate initial production contract award to build 16,901 vehicles.

The JLTV program was finally able to move ahead in December after work stopped on the program for 98 days during the protest period. Lockheed then filed a lawsuit in the US Court of Federal Claims because it claimed newly supplied Army information that emerged toward the end of the GAO’s protest process was enough to move the protest to court. Oshkosh did not have to stop work while the lawsuit played out in court. Lockheed dropped its lawsuit in February.

he Army is anticipating a six-month delay in reaching initial operational capability. The service originally expected to reach IOC in mid 2019 but expects to now reach that milestone in late 2019, Army spokesman Michael Clow told Defense News.

The Marine Corps IOC will be delayed by a year, Thomas Dee, the deputy assistant secretary of Naval Expeditionary Programs and Logistics Management, said Wednesday at a Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee hearing. The original Marine Corps IOC was expected in the fourth quarter for fiscal 2018 and is now expected in the first quarter of fiscal 2020.

Both delays are significantly longer than the length of a protest period, but the Marine Corps and the Army explained that due to those delays testing schedules also had to be shifted.

“A 90-day delay grew into about six- or an eight-month delay just because of the difficulty of rescheduling a test phase that we were going to do, which then impacts the decision date for the full-rate production decision; which, in turn, puts our funding out of phase for the JLTV program ... which then allowed us to take a look at the time difference between the completion of testing and that whole rate production decision, and it ended up stretching out IOC about a year,” Dee explained.

"The program's schedule is carefully sequenced to accomplish necessary testing and logistics development activities prior to conducting Multi-Service Operational Testing and Evaluation (MOT&E)," Clow said. The MOT&E itself was originally scheduled in July and was moved to February 2017 because Marines and ranges would not be available in the November timeframe due to holidays and leave periods.

The new schedule allows time for the Marine Corps to conduct its fielding decision review; allows for the retrofit of low-rate initial production vehicles to reflect changes resulting from operational test events; and allows for fielding activities that include “swap and installation” of government furnished equipment from fielded units, Manny Pacheco, service spokesman for the program executive office land systems, said.

Despite the delay in IOC, the Army "remains on a remarkable path to deliver all of its anticipated vehicles to Soldiers and Marines roughly five years earlier than previously anticipated and at a significantly reduced cost than previously planned," Clow noted.

Scott Davis, the program executive officer for CS&CSS, broke it down for reporters at the Association of the US Army’s Global Force Symposium last month.

Anticipated savings within the JLTV program could allow the Army to field it earlier and quicker, he explained. Those savings are a result of a savvy acquisition strategy.



“We believe we are going to save between 10 and 15 percent from our budgeted amount on the acquisition of JLTV,” Davis said.

The Army then decided to take “any resources that were available from that and reapply it to the program to help move it forward,” he added. “So we expect if that happens that instead of finishing fielding in the early 2040 timeframe, will be in the mid-2030s because we will be able to apply those savings to the vehicle and build them that much faster and it ends up saving about a net of five years,” Davis explained.


The acquisition cost estimate of the JLTVprogram has dropped by nearly $6 billion, according to a Pentagon Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) released last month.

The program cost is down by over 19 percent from $30.6 billion to $24.7 billion due to “revised estimates” of the unit cost of vehicles and kits, the SAR reads. Breaking that down, the lower cost estimate is based on $3.7 billion in realized savings, $1.3 billion in adjustments due to a stretched out procurement and $550 million due to a changed methodology in estimating technical data package costs, among a few other factors.

Jeff Schogol, Marine Corps Times staff writer, contributed to this report.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/land/army/2016/04/13/jltv-initial-capability-milestone-delayed/83010182/

Citation :

Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft have deployed to Turkey
Apr 15, 2016



EA-6B Prowler aircraft from Marine Corps Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 have deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to support electronic attack requirements inOperation Inherent Resolve, the effort to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The deployment is planned to last through September, U.S. European Command officials said.

The Prowler provides an umbrella of protection to coalition aircraft and ground troops in the fight against ISIL by intercepting communications as well as denying the enemy’s ability to communicate, officials said.

“The EA-6B Prowler is a force multiplier continuing to do what it has for the past 45 years: support warfighters flying in the air and fighting on the ground by giving them the electronic communications dominance to ensure a decisive win,” a Eucom statement said.

www.defense.gov



http://defence-blog.com/news/marine-corps-ea-6b-prowler-aircraft-have-deployed-to-turkey.html

Citation :

USMC plans to test Trophy active protection system on its M1A1 tanks
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) plans to buy or lease existing active protection systems (APS) for its M1 Abrams tanks that are vulnerable to proliferating anti-tank guided missiles, the US-based companay DRS Technologies unveiled on its website on April 14.




http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/2016/04/usmc-plans-to-test-trophy-active.html?m=1

Citation :

Dispatches from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
Aaron Mehta, Defense News 11:49 a.m. EDT April 15, 2016


Defense News reporter Aaron Mehta traveled to Beaufort, South Carolina, joining Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work and UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence Philip Dunne at the Marine Corps Air Station there. Here are some observations from the field via





http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2016/04/15/dispatches-beaufort/83075348/

Citation :

U.S. Marine Corps plans to buy Trophy active protection systems for its M1 Abrams tanks
Apr 19, 2016


The Marine Corps plans to buy or lease existing active protection systems (APS) for its M1 Abrams tanks that are vulnerable to proliferating anti-tank guided missiles.

Specifically, the Marine Corps will test the Trophy APS system developed by Israeli defense firm RAFAEL and sold in the United States by DRS Technologies, Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, told members of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on seapower April 13.

Trophy (also known as ASPRO-A) is a military active protection system (APS) for vehicles. It intercepts and destroys incoming missiles and rocketswith a shotgun-like blast. Trophy is the product of a ten-year collaborative development project between the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries’ Elta Group. Its principal purpose is to supplement the armour of light and heavy armored fighting vehicles.

http://defence-blog.com/army/u-s-marine-corps-plans-to-buy-trophy-active-protection-systems-for-its-m1-abrams-tanks.html

Citation :

U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa a ajouté 3 photos.

French Firepower & Deadly Marine Accuracy
------------------------
1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment Marines attached to SPMAGTF-CR-AF recently conducted a combat marksmanship
training event with the FAMAS assault rifle at the National Commando Training Center in France.
 

Citation :

APKWS set for penetrator warhead integration

Richard Scott, London - IHS Jane's Missiles & Rockets
20 April 2016


ey Points
NAVAIR is planning to award BAE Systems a sole-source contract for integration of the M282 penetrator warhead on the APKWS II guided rocket
The M282 is a heavier penetrating and incendiary warhead
The US Navy (USN) is moving forward with plans to develop and integrate a penetrator variant of the WGU-59/B Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) on the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters.

In a pre-solicitation notice posted on 8 April, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) disclosed its intention to enter into sole-source negotiations with BAE Systems Information and Electronics to procure M282 multipurpose penetrator warheads for integration with the APKWS II.

Citation :

Sikorsky CH-53K concludes first external load flight test

USMC’s newest heavy transport helicopter, the Sikorsky CH-53K, has successfully completed the first external load flight test. The Sea Stallion lifted and then released a load of 12,000 lbs. The company has scheduled further tests to increase the platform’s flight envelope.







In the near future, Sikorsky will carry out flight tests with external payloads of 12,000 lbs, with the helicopter in hover and will gradually increase speed up to 120 knots and weights by 20,000 and 27,000 lbs.

The CH-53K Super Stallion has been designed with single, dual and triple external cargo hook capability, allowing the transfer of three separate external loads to three separate landing zones in one single sortie. The central hook can lift weights up to 36,000 lbs, while the other two can lift weights up to 25,200 lbs. Each hook can be electrically released from the cockpit and cabin. An auto-jettison system is incorporated to protect the aircraft in the even of a load attachment point failure.

USMC Col. Hank Vanderborght, H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters (PMA-261) programme manager at the Naval Air Systems Command said: "It is exciting to have achieved our first external lift, another important step towards fielding the most powerful U.S. military helicopter. Our program continues on pace to deploy this incredible heavy lift capability to the Marine Corps.”


http://www.airrecognition.com/index.php/archive-world-worldwide-news-air-force-aviation-aerospace-air-military-defence-industry/global-defense-security-news/global-news-2016/april/2612-sikorsky-ch-53k-concludes-first-external-load-flight-test.html

Citation :

MCAS Beaufort readies for expansion of F-35B training operations

Kelvin Wong, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 April 2016



The transformation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort to support future US Marine Corps (USMC) and international F-35B Joint Strike Fighter training operations is well under way with the second dedicated aircraft hangar and a host of other upgrades in various stages of progress, IHS Jane's has learned during a media brief at the air station.


MCAS Beaufort is home to combat aircraft units under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 31, which include Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons (VMFA)-115, -122, -251, and -312 operating the F/A-18A and F/A-18C single-seat Hornet; Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadrons VMFA(AW)-224 and -533 operating the F/A-18D twin-seat Hornet; and Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT)-501, which is presently the only unit operating the F-35B at the facility. VMFAT-501 is hosting a detachment from the UK's first operational F-35B unit - 617 'Dambusters' Squadron - with the country's third pre-operational aircraft (BK-3).

The air station also houses two support units: Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MAS)-31 and Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS)-273. These squadrons provide a range of sustainment and ancillary services to the combat and training units during expeditionary operations as well as in garrison.

According to the USMC, the second F-35B hangar - which was contracted for in August 2014 - will be completed by October 2016. The new hangar will be used by VMFA-115 when the unit transitions to the F-35B platform in 2017 and will also feature a new aircraft taxiway as well as an enhanced electrical power network to support the type's maintenance requirements.

IHS Jane's understands that MCAS Beaufort is expected to accommodate a total of four F-35B hangars by 2018, which will be evenly split between the east and west ramps.

Other recent infrastructure enhancements include an improved ground support equipment shop with additional storage space for MALS-31, with plans to replace part of the facility's fuelling station as well as sections of the concrete on one of the runways.




http://www.janes.com/article/59703/mcas-beaufort-readies-for-expansion-of-f-35b-training-operations

Citation :

More and More US Marine Corps Aircrafts Grounded for Repair




The US Marine Corps is becoming increasingly worried by the growing number of its aircraft that are unable to fly on any given day, hampering its ability to fight terrorists and respond to global crisis, the Marine Corps Times reported on its website.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — While officials stress that the number of flyable aircraft fluctuates daily, the downward trends have alarmed Marine leaders as well as members of Congress, according to the report.


"Mission-capable rates for all but one of the Marine Corps' 12 fixed-wing, rotary and tiltrotor airframes have fallen since the end of fiscal 2009," the report stated on Tuesday, using data obtained by the US Freedom of Information Act.
Especially hard hit are squadrons of CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, with less than 29 percent of the Marine’s 147 aircraft airworthy, the publication said.
For a typical squadron of nine helicopters, only three were available on any given day.


Marine Aircraft Group 29 Commander Col. Sean Salene was quoted as saying in the report that repairs have been hampered by a shortage of spare parts or a need for fixes that the squadron does not have the ability to provide.
On April 20, the publication reported, less than one-third of the Corps 276 F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets were able to fly. That compares with a 73 percent readiness rate in 2009.


Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20160427/1038670916/marine-corps-aircrafts-repair.html#ixzz471ERDogO

Citation :

MCAS Beaufort readies for expansion of F-35B training operations

Kelvin Wong, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
28 April 2016

The transformation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort to support future US Marine Corps (USMC) and international F-35B Joint Strike Fighter training operations is well underway, with the second dedicated aircraft hangar and a host of other upgrades expected to be completed by 2020, IHS Jane's has learned during a media brief at the air station.


MCAS Beaufort is home to combat aircraft units under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 31, which include Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons (VMFA)-115, -122, -251, and -312 operating the F/A-18A and F/A-18C single-seat Hornet; Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadrons VMFA(AW)-224 and -533 operating the F/A-18D twin-seat Hornet; and Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT)-501, which is presently the only unit operating the F-35B at the facility. VMFAT-501 is hosting a detachment from the UK's first operational F-35B unit - 617 'Dambusters' Squadron - with the country's third pre-operational aircraft (BK-3).

The air station also houses two support units, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MAS)-31and Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS)-273. These squadrons provide a range of sustainment and ancillary services to the combat and training units during expeditionary operations as well as in garrison.

According to the USMC, the second F-35B hangar was contracted for in August 2014 and is expected to be completed by October 2016. The new hangar will support the growing F-35B training presence and will be part of the overall effort to base four F-35 squadrons at the air station. Additional projects also include a new aircraft taxiway as well as an enhanced electrical power network to support the type's maintenance requirements.

Other recent infrastructure enhancements at MCAS Beaufort include an improved ground support equipment shop with additional storage space for MALS-31, with plans to replace part of the facility's fuelling station as well as sections of the concrete on one of the runways.

Citation :

Marines' deadly fighter jet to make its first ship-based deployment next year
David Larter, Navy Times 5:41 p.m. EDT April 28, 2016


The Marine Corps' version of the joint strike fighter's maiden deployment is set for late 2017 and its bound for the Western Pacific, the Navy's top officer in the Pacific said Tuesday.

The F-35B jump-jet stealth fighter will deploy aboard an amphibious flattop, enhancing its combat might, and the service is planning a more powerful escort force to support it, according to Adm. Scott Swift, head of Pacific Fleet.

The F-35B was declared operational in July 2015 and testing continues ahead of next year's debut. PACFLT spokesman Lt. Clint Ramsden confirmed it would be the aircraft's first time to be based aboard a ship for a deployment, which typically lasts from a few months up to an eight-month cruise.

A surface action group, like the three-destroyer group dispatched mid-April to the Western Pacific, will defend the amphibious assault ship.






http://www.defensenews.com/story/military/2016/04/28/f-35b-deploy-2017-marines-scott-swift/83659104/

augusta a écrit:

Citation :

Marines' deadly fighter jet to make its first ship-based deployment next year
David Larter, Navy Times 5:41 p.m. EDT April 28, 2016


The Marine Corps' version of the joint strike fighter's maiden deployment is set for late 2017 and its bound for the Western Pacific, the Navy's top officer in the Pacific said Tuesday.

The F-35B jump-jet stealth fighter will deploy aboard an amphibious flattop, enhancing its combat might, and the service is planning a more powerful escort force to support it, according to Adm. Scott Swift, head of Pacific Fleet.

The F-35B was declared operational in July 2015 and testing continues ahead of next year's debut. PACFLT spokesman Lt. Clint Ramsden confirmed it would be the aircraft's first time to be based aboard a ship for a deployment, which typically lasts from a few months up to an eight-month cruise.

A surface action group, like the three-destroyer group dispatched mid-April to the Western Pacific, will defend the amphibious assault ship.






http://www.defensenews.com/story/military/2016/04/28/f-35b-deploy-2017-marines-scott-swift/83659104/

En Français

Citation :

F-35B : Premier déploiement en vue pour 2017
Dans Actualité Défense, Actualité Avions de combat
Publié le 29/04/2016 à 08h37, par Emmanuel Huberdeau



Déclaré opérationnel à l'été 2015, le F-35B des Marines pourrait être déployé pour la première fois en 2017. L'US Navy a annoncé que la version à décollage court et appontage vertical du Joint Strike Fighter doit être embarquée à bord d'un bâtiment amphibie de la flotte du pacifique l'année prochaine.

Les Marines ont déclaré la capacité initiale opérationnelle du F-35B à l'été 2015. Lors du salon du Bourget en Juin 2015, Lorraine Martine, vice présidente de Lockheed Martin en charge du programme F-35 avait annoncé que le « Le F-35 est prêt à partir au combat ».

Avant de déclarer l'avion apte aux opérations, les Marines avaient déployé six appareils à bord du bâtiment amphibie « USS Wasp » pour une série d'essais dits « opérationnels », qui selon Lockheed Martin, ont été concluants.

Ces tests ont compris des séances de décollages et d'appontages mais ont aussi permis aux Marines de tester l’organisation du maintien en condition opérationnelle du F-35 à bord d'un bâtiment de l'US Navy. Les essais ont permis par exemple de valider la procédure d'acheminement d'un moteur de F-35 sur le « Wasp » à bord d'un V-22 Osprey.


http://www.air-cosmos.com/f-35b-premier-deploiement-en-vue-pour-2017-71397

Citation :

30.04.2016

Un "marine" à la tête de l'AFRICOM


Carter, le Secrétaire à la Défense, a annoncé jeudi la nomination du lieutenant général Thomas Waldhauser à la tête de l'AFRICOM (lire ici). Si cette nomination est confirmé par le sénat, cet officier supérieur du corps des Marines recevra une 4e étoile.

Waldhauser remplacera David Rodriguez qui commande l'AFRICOM depuis avril 2013.



Le futur commandant est le premier officier issu de l'USMC à prendre la direction de l'AFRICOM.

Il a commandé la 1e Marine Division de septembre 2007 à juillet 2009, date à laquelle il a été promu lieutenant général. D'octobre 2010 à septembre 2012, il a commandé la 1e Marine Expeditionary Force. Il sert actuellement au Pentagone.

Waldhauser est le premier patron de l'AFRICOM qui vient de l'USMC, corps qui déploie à partir de Rota (Espagne) une Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa.

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2016/04/29/un-marine-a-la-tete-de-l-africom-16103.html

Citation :

Sunday, 1 May 2016
U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey flies in to fuel up F-35B Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey descended on Edwards to link up with a Marine F-35B Joint Strike Fighter April 28. Both aircraft are assigned to Marine Operational Test & Evaluation Squadron 22 (VMX-22) out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona. VMX-22 has a detachment here where Marines are testing and evaluating their version of the JSF, which is the short take-off and vertical landing variant.








http://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/

Citation :

Xponential 2016: TerraMax UGV rolls ahead

Daniel Wasserbly, New Orleans - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
03 May 2016





Oshkosh Defense is pushing forward with its TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology as the US military eyes potential applications for such systems.

Oshkosh's TerraMax has participated in a variety of US government efforts, starting with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) more than a decade ago, and since then in programmes with the US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), US Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the US Marine Corps (USMC).


The company is now doing some work with its own internal research and development funding, and is talking with government partners to try to advance the technology, said John Beck, Oshkosh's chief principal unmanned systems engineer, during 2 May remarks at AUVSI's annual Xponential conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Each programme has had slightly different requirements, and Beck noted that Oshkosh has experience tailoring the system for specific requirements.

Wider leader-follower technology has been explored through a number of army and USMC efforts, and for the army, it now falls under its Automated Convoy Operations (ACO) programme. The concept for ACO is to use optionally manned platforms - appliqué kits could be fitted on any vehicle in the inventory - for travel missions.

Requirements are not yet finalised or validated for leader/follower capabilities, but the army has said it would seek some specific funding in fiscal year 2018 (FY 2018), and then hopes to release a request for proposals in FY 2019 and award a contract in late FY 2019 or early FY 2020.


http://www.janes.com/article/59917/xponential-2016-terramax-ugv-rolls-ahead

Citation :

U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa a ajouté 6 photos.

Crisis Response Marines and Spanish Naval and Marine forces recently teamed up to strengthen their partnership and amphibious readiness
during training. U.S. Marines embarked on the Spanish vessel, Juan Carlos I, creating an integrated amphibious force.

PHOTOS: