US Marine Corps (USMC)

Citation :

Testing for the future: Marine Corps warfighting laboratory
Jul 10, 2016





Marines with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment tested new equipment such as the Multi Utility Tactical Transport in a simulated combat environment at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 8, 2016.

The MUTT is designed as a force multiplier to enhance expeditionary power enabling Marines to cover larger areas and provide superior firepower with the lightest tactical footprint possible. The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is conducting a Marine Air-Ground Task Force Integrated Experiment in conjunction with Rim of the Pacific exercise to explore new gear and assess its capabilities for potential future use.

The Warfighting Lab identifies possible challenges of the future, develops new warfighting concepts, and tests new ideas to help develop equipment that meets the challenges of the future operating environment.


Pfc. Edgar Langle, an infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, operates a newly developed Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System in a field environment at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 8, 2016. The system was built by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory to assist Marines in carrying gear and clearing buildings.

The lab is conducting a Marine Air-Ground Task Force Integrated Experiment in conjunction with Rim of the Pacific exercise to explore new gear and assess its capabilities for potential future use. The Warfighting Lab identifies possible challenges of the future, develops new warfighting concepts, and tests new ideas to help develop equipment that meets the challenges of the future operating environment.





http://defence-blog.com/army/testing-for-the-future-marine-corps-warfighting-laboratory.html

Citation :

Marine Corps Aviation Chief Ranks SDB II as F-35 Upgrade Priority
Valerie Insinna, Defense News 9:28 a.m. EDT July 14, 2016


FARNBOROUGH, England — The US Defense Department is hammering out the final details of its Block 4 upgrade plan for the F-35 joint strike fighter, but the Marine Corps has made clear that Raytheon’s Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) is at the top of its wish list.

Asked by journalists at the Royal International Air Tattoo what he’d most like to see in the modernization program, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy commandant for aviation, characterized the SDB II as the most critical system.

“That's a fantastic weapon,” he said July 8. “I want to get it on there and really increase the capability of the airplane."



http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/show-daily/farnborough/2016/07/14/marine-corps-aviation-chief-ranks-small-diameter-bomb-ii-no-1-f-35-upgrade-priority/87070442/

Citation :

Marine Corps Is Busy Inventing Its Own Third Offset Strategy
(Source: Lexington Institute; issued July 18, 2016)
The senior leadership of the Pentagon is scurrying hither and yon in pursuit of the new vaunted Third Offset Strategy. Their efforts include going to Silicon Valley, Austin and Boston in order to establish relationships with sources of innovation in the private sector, spreading small amounts of research money around to stimulate new ideas and standing up new offices designed to more rapidly insert new capabilities into the current force structure.

The problem with the way the defense department is pursuing its offset strategy is that it is almost entirely technology-centric and largely divorced from all the other requirements for an effective new military capability: organization, training, sustainment and ISR.

Historically, revolutions in military affairs follow a pattern: new capabilities are introduced into existing organizations, which then experiment with them to see their impact on tactics and operations. Experiments and exercises uncover flaws with the new capabilities as well as new features that would improve their performance. In addition, new capabilities inevitably lead to the creation of new tactics and operational concepts. Finally, revised systems and concepts demand new organizations that will support even more advanced ways of employing the new capabilities.

So while DoD’s senior leadership searches for the Alchemist’s Stone to create innovation, back in the real world the U.S. military is busily working on many of the elements of a real Third Offset Strategy. The Marine Corps has been particularly engaged and rather successful in this regard. It has taken new capabilities, put them in the field with operating units, found their flaws, developed new tactics and concepts of operations and proposed improvements back to the developers.

One example of this is the MV-22 Osprey. It was always the case that the Osprey was not going to just be a helicopter that had the additional feature of being able to fly like an airplane. Once in the field, the Marine Corps discovered that the MV-22 when supported by KC-130 tankers became a strategic asset. The MV-22/KC-130 team enabled Marine units to conduct missions at ranges of a thousand miles and more from their bases or amphibs. Because of their range and potential to be asked to fly into hot landing zones, there is a current effort underway to look at options for arming MV-22s. The MV-22/KC-130 team is the heart also of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force that the Marine Corps now routinely deploys in order to supplement their limited number of Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU)/Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG).

Similarly, the Marine Corps is now considering how to employ the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, the short takeoff vertical landing variant designed to replace the aging Harriers. The Marines will have the first fifth-generation fighters in the Sea Services. How might they be employed to support the Navy? The sensor capabilities resident in the F-35 make it a premier stealth ISR platform. The Navy and Marine Corps are now looking at ways of reconfiguring ship-based command and control functions to take advantage of these new capabilities.

Where possible, the Marine Corps is also leveraging developments in the other Services. The Corps will buy a number of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, essentially an armored truck, the primary customer for which is the U.S. Army. Similarly, the Marines are trying to get permission to reprogram FY2016 funds to buy a number of ultralight vehicles, the same types already procured by Special Operations Command that can be carried by MV-22. If the results of the Army’s planned evaluation of existing active protection systems are successful, the Marines may buy some number for their combat vehicles.

With money provided by the Pentagon for experimentation, the Marine Corps is looking at new concepts for conducting littoral operations in a contested environment. This involves, among other things, considering ways of reconfiguring the ARGs. Too often of late, the three ship formations have been split apart, with ships often operating in different seas and under different Combatant Commands. It may be possible to reconfigure cargoes and alter command and control capabilities in order to make the ARG more flexible.

A more challenging aspect of littoral warfare is ship-to-shore maneuver. While the desire for a long time has been to develop a new amphibious warfare vehicle that could move at high speed from offshore amphibs directly to the shore and into combat, this has proven a very challenging goal. Now the Marine Corps is wisely addressing the problem in increments, developing its amphibious combat vehicle in successive steps, buying only the number necessary in order to support current operations and experimentation while investing in supporting technologies.

In part because it is the smallest of the Services, in part because it has the fewest resources and, in part because it has to continually figure out how to respond to changes in threats and missions both on land and at sea, the Marine Corps has made an art of applying other people’s systems as solutions to its problems. Whether it is operating the F-35, deploying from distributed assets of amphibious warfare vessels, developing manned-unmanned teaming or assaulting a foreign shore, the Marine Corps is busily creating that much desired Third Offset right now.

Citation :

First-Ever: Marine F-35B Takes Part In Red Flag 16-3
(Source: US Air Force; issued July 19, 2016)



NELLIS AFB, Nev. --- For the first time, the United States Marine Corps will be participating with their F-35B during the three-week Red Flag 16-3 exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

With the Marine Corps bringing this multi-role, next generation fighter, this year’s 16-3 iteration of Red Flag marks a historic moment in the Air Force’s premier air combat training exercise.

Working with multiple branches, the F-35B, assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, which is part of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and based out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, will be an intricate part of the demanding exercise that provides aircrews with multiple and intense air combat sorties in a controlled training environment.

“Red Flag is a military integration, getting to work hand-in-hand with the Air Force, Navy, and Army that are all out here,” said Sgt. Jason Gilbert, VMFA-121 mechanic. “Just bringing all of the U.S.’s combat air forces together to show we are one team, one fight. We can get this done.”

Since the F-35 program is operational and rapidly accelerating the opportunity to work in a joint environment is a valuable aspect of this Red Flag for the Marines, as well as their only opportunity before being based at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan.

“For us this is our one opportunity to integrate in multi-service before being based in January of 2017,” said Maj. Brendan Walsh, VMFA-121 operations officer. “Red Flag also provides us the opportunity to integrate and train in a multi-service, contested environment.”

The training provided during Red Flag has been a smooth endeavor with the Marine pilots and maintainers eager to take full advantage of the opportunity.

“I think it’s a very fortunate opportunity for the Marine Corps to be a big player in this Red Flag with the F-35s,” said Gilbert. “It gives our pilots the opportunity to show the F-35 is the best jet out here. The Air Force works a lot the like the Marine Corps, so participating in Red Flag has been pretty smooth.”

With this participation in Red Flag it is an opportunity for the Marines to showcase the differences of the F-35B from legacy Air Force tactical fighter fleets with its air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities.

“The difference between the Marine F-35 and the Air Force F-35 is that the Air Force version does conventional takeoffs and landings whereas the Marine Corp F-35 has the ability to do a short take off and a vertical landing,” said Gilbert.

This capability of being able to land vertically grants the Marine fighters unique abilities that the other models of the F-35 cannot do.

“The vertical landing and takeoff not only give the opportunity to base ourselves on amphibious ships, but also expediting sites that we can construct and conventional aircraft cannot use,” said Walsh.

With the F-35 becoming a linchpin for future coalition operations, the chance to bring the air frame to Red Flag and participate in a multiservice exercise has proven to be a valuable one for the Marine fighter unit.

“This Red Flag has been a huge success for our Marines,” said Walsh. “We look forward to the upcoming weeks and showcasing the capabilities of our airframe.





http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/175645/marine-f_35bs-participate-in-red-flag-for-first-time.html

Citation :

Marines, NSA to Bring Combat-Adapted Smartphone Tech to the Battlefield

he program will mirror a similar approach adopted by the US Army that will provide soldiers with the ability to transmit strike coordinates, access visual maps, and potentially engage weapon systems using a heavily-modified consumer-level smartphone.

The Marine Corps and the National Security Agency (NSA) have joined forces to develop battlefield-ready smartphones by 2019, providing American soldiers with cutting-edge civilian technology without sacrificing security, said Maj. Kevin Shepherd of Marine Corps Systems Command.



The program, in conjunction with the NSA’s new Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC), mirrors an Army Nett Warrior effort, in which soldiers use smartphones for navigation and to confirm strike coordinates. The Marines have not yet settled on a vendor with ongoing experiments signalling a preference by forces for Android while their counterparts in the Army Special Operations Command favor the Apple iOS system.

The Marines issued a Request for Information (RFI) in January, asking for industry input on which operating system would provide soldiers with the best battle-capable technology, with the highest level of security.

Major Shepherd, a helicopter pilot who now heads the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Common Handheld team, said in an interview with Breaking Defense, that the RFI, "will clarify the stuff that we’ve learned since January and we learn very quickly in this field because it changes very rapidly."

The Marines and the NSA believe that they will have compiled enough useful information to begin a formal Request for Proposal competition process this fall, perhaps before the October 1 beginning of the 2017 fiscal year, with a view toward getting combat smartphones in the hands of soldiers by 2019.




http://sputniknews.com/military/20160721/1043427459/marines-nsa-droid-iphone-battlefield.html

Citation :

25 juil. 2016 | Par Emmanuel Huberdeau
Début du Red Flag 16-3 avec pour la première fois des F-35B


La dernière édition du fameux exercice aérien Red Flag a débuté le 11 juillet 2016 sur la base de Nellis aux Etats-Unis.

115 appareils participent à ce Red Flag 16-3 qui, comme toujours, bénéficie des infrastructures de l'immense base de Nellis qui permettent de mettre en place des exercices de grande ampleur très réalistes. L'exercice concerne de façon assez classique les domaines du combat air-air, de l'attaque au sol et de la guerre électronique. Mais désormais, l'accent est aussi mis sur le domaine "cyber".

Cette édition est marquée par la participation, pour la première fois, des F-35B des Marines. Les appareils du "Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121" sont engagés près d'un an après la déclaration par les Marines de l'IOC (Capacité opérationnelle initiale) du F-35B. L'exercice permettra de tester les capacités d'intégration du F-35B au sein dans un environnement interarmés.

Cette participation du F-35B à Red Flag apparait comme une répétition générale avant le déploiement à partir de janvier 2017 de l'appareil au Japon sur la base de Iwakuni.


http://www.air-cosmos.com/debut-du-red-flag-16-3-avec-pour-la-premiere-fois-des-f-35b-80001

Citation :

Presidential helicopter passes CDR milestone

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
26 July 2016



The VH-92A Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program recently passed its Critical Design Review (CDR), Lockheed Martin announced on 25 July.

The milestone means that the programme to replace the presidential fleet of ageing Sikorsky VH-3D (Sea King) and VH-60N (Black hawk) helicopters with the Sikorsky S-92 can now proceed to assembly, test and evaluation.

As noted by Lockheed Martin, the CDR saw industry and the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) conduct an in-depth design review for the programme some two years after the USD1.24 billion Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract was awarded to Sikorsky on 7 May 2014.

This EMD contract with production options was for the building of two test and 21 operational aircraft to replace the current 11 VH-3D and 8 VH-60N platforms. The two test helicopters are currently undergoing modification work at Sikorsky's Stratford plant in Connecticut. The first flight of a fully configured VH-92A is planned for 2017, with initial fielding in 2020. All 21 helicopters will be delivered by the end of 2023.

Once operational, the VH-92A will be supported in its presidential duties by the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, which entered service with the United States Presidential Flight Squadron (HMX-1) in May 2013. The 12 V-22s of HMX-1 will provide passenger and logistical support to the president's helicopter (Marine One).

Citation :

Pentagon Contract Announcement
(Source: U.S. Department of Defence; issued July 25, 2016)
-- CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Florida (N61340-16-D-2001);
-- CSC Government Solutions LLC, Falls Church, Virginia (N61340-16-D-2002);
-- Cubic Global Defense Inc., San Diego, California (N61340-16-D-2003) ;
-- Engineering Support Personnel Inc.,* Orlando, Florida (N61340-16-D-2004);
-- Fidelity Technologies Corp., Reading, Pennsylvania (N61340-16-D-2005);
-- Flight Safety Services Corp., Centennial, Colorado (N61340-16-D-2006);
-- L-3 Communications Corp. (Link Simulation & Training), Arlington, Texas (N61340-16-D-2007);
-- LB&B Assoc. Inc., Columbia, Maryland (N61340-16-D-2008); and
-- Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Orlando, Florida (N61340-16-D-2009),

are each being awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for Lot I fielded training systems support services for the Navy and Marine Corps, as well as Foreign Military Sales customers.

Services to be provided include training device contractor operation and maintenance services, contract instruction services, training device modifications involving little or no design efforts, training device relocations, training systems management, in-service engineering office support, spares/product support, and other related trainer support services.

The estimated aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $1,750,000,000 with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders.

Work will be performed at Navy and Marine Corps installations located inside and outside the U.S. Work is expected to be completed in July 2021.

Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $119,504 are being obligated at time of award; all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; 12 offers were received.

The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Citation :

Sea Breeze 2016: Ukrainian and US marines to conduct joint operation from USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41)



A media group visited the amphibious dock landing ship USS LSD Whidbey Island (LSD 41). CDR Ethan M. Rule told guests about the ship, showed armament, equipment, etc.

The US military sailors shared their personal impressions from the first visit to Odesa, spoke about the exercise stressing the importance of joint actions to practice basic combat skills.

Capt. 1st rank Oleksiy Doskato, Co-director, Ukrainian party, said that during an active phase of the exercise a group of the Ukrainian marines along with US peers would conduct amphibious manoeuvres from USS LSD Whidbey Island.








http://defence-blog.com/news/sea-breeze-2016-ukrainian-and-us-marines-to-conduct-joint-operation-from-uss-whidbey-island-lsd-41.html

Citation :

29/07/2016

Le Sikorsky VH-92 présidentiel en bonne voie !




Sikorsky (Lockheed-Martin) a terminé la phase d’examen critique de conception (CDR) du programme de remplacement de l'hélicoptère présidentiel VH-92A « Marine One ». Avec l'étape de conception terminée, le programme se prépare maintenant à l'assemblage du premier prototype qui volera l’année prochaine.

Rappel :

La marine américaine a accordé Sikorsky un contrat de 1,24 milliard de dollars en mai 2014 pour commencer l'ingénierie et la fabrication du développement (EMD) du nouvel hélicoptère présidentiel, soit une version modifiée du Sikorsky S-92 bimoteur. Au total le projet porte sur une enveloppe de 9 milliards de dollars pour la fourniture de six hélicoptères VH-92A. L’entrée en service est prévue pour 2020.

Sikorsky VH-92A (S-92) :

Le Sikorsky VH-92 est un dérivé du S-92. Le premier appareil a été livré en septembre 2004. Principalement utiliser pour le ravitaillement des plates-formes pétrolières et en mode de recherche et sauvetage, il a été commandé par les Forces armées canadiennes au nombre de 28 exemplaires sous la désignation CH-148 Cyclone. Le Cyclone peut voler de jour comme de nuit, dans presque toutes les conditions météorologiques et par des températures variant entre - 51 °C et + 49 °C. Grâce à sa vitesse maximale de croisière de 250 km/h, le CH-148 est environ 10 % plus rapide que le « Sea King ». Le Cyclone peut aussi parcourir 450 km sans ravitaillement. Le Sikorsky S-92 est un hélicoptère de transport biturbine, muni d’un rotor principal et d’un rotor de queue quadripales, d’un train d’atterrissage tricycle rétractable et pouvant transporter jusqu’à 22 passagers. Cinq prototypes sont construits, un pour des tests au sol et les quatre autres pour les essais en vol, munis de turbines General Electric CT7-6D. Les pilotes sont assis sur des sièges Martin-Baker anti-crash et utilisent deux manettes qui permettent, grâce aux divers capteurs et de l’ordinateur de gestion du vol, de contrôler l’appareil en tangage, roulis et lacet. Le poste de pilotage est chauffé, ventilé et climatisé indépendamment de la cabine. Un équipement quasi complet permet une sécurité en vol maximale : deux systèmes automatiques de contrôle de vol (AFCS), des systèmes anticollision (TCAS) et d’avertissement de proximité du sol (EGPWS) et un radar météorologique placé dans le nez de l’appareil. Les systèmes vitaux de l’appareil sont redondants, la cellule offre une bonne résistance en cas de crash et la boite à vitesse peut fonctionner durant ½ heure sans huile. En cas d’amerrissage forcé, un système de flottaison se gonfle automatiquement, comprenant également deux radeaux d’une capacité de quinze personnes chacun à l’avant des flotteurs.

Dans le cadre du programme VXX, Sikorsky propose le S-92 dans le standard VH-92 aux moteurs plus puissants et entièrement construit par des entreprises américaines. Les systèmes électriques et hydrauliques sont installés en triple exemplaires et le système d’alimentation en carburant se fait par aspiration, ce qui évite d’éventuelles fuites dues à la pression. Les systèmes de pilotages sont également redondants. Les réservoirs de carburant auto-obturant, placés à l’extérieur de la cabine, sont capables de supporter des impacts d’obus de 23mm. L’appareil possède un système de dégivrage et est également protégé contre la foudre et les champs de rayonnement d’intensité élevée. L’appareil sera également doté d’un système de guerre-électronique complet.



Photos : Projet Sikorsky VH-02A @ Sikorsky

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2016/07/29/le-sikorsky-vh-92-presidentiel-en-bonne-voie-861853.html

Citation :

Les Marines testent des robots de combat


Posté dans Forces, Technologie par Laurent Lagneau Le 02-08-2016



L’an passé, l’US Marine Corps a mis en veilleuse le programme de « mule » robotisée, conduit par l’entreprise Boston Dynamics. Il s’est avéré que cette machine, appelée LS3 (Legged Squad Support Systems) et destinée à transporter des charges lourdes, manquait de discrétion lors des patrouilles, à cause du bruit de tondeuse à gazon qu’elle générait.

Pour autant, cet échec relatif – il est possible qu’une version moins bruyante soit mis au point un jour – n’a évidemment pas sonné le glas pour les robots militaires, toujours utiles pour neutraliser à distance un engin explosif improvisé ou effectuer des reconnaissances en terrain hostile.

Et même si des scientifiques et des entrepreneurs de renom mettent en garde contre la « robotisation du champ de bataille », des sociétés continuent de développer des robots armés, et donc susceptibles de tuer. Récemment, l’assassin de 5 policiers à Dallas a même été tué par une de ses machines, en l’occurrence un Northrop Grumman Andros de la police et doté d’une bombe. Une première.

Il y a quelques semaines, il a été fait grand cas du robot tactique Dogo, de l’entreprise israélienne General Robotics Ltd. Selon cette dernière, cette machine, destinée aux opérations spéciales, serait la première du genre à être armée d’un pistolet Glock de 9 mm. Et, lors du salon EuroSatory, il a été question du RoBattle d’Israel Aerospace Industries, un système autonome de combat tout-terrain.

En réalité, la filiale nord-américaine de Qinetiq avait imaginé un concept quasiment identique il y a déjà quelques années : le MAARS (Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System), dont un premier exemplaire fut livré à l’US Army en 2008 à des fins expérimentales.

Mais ce robot monté sur des chenilles, armé d’une mitrailleuse M240 (ou d’un lance-grenades) et conçu pour des missions de reconnaissance, de surveillance et d’acquisition d’objectifs, intéresse beaucoup l’US Marine Corps, au point qu’il fait actuellement l’objet d’une évalution par le 3rd Battalion 5th Marines.

Ce robot est mis en oeuvre par un opérateur, qui dispose d’une unité de contrôle munie d’un écran grâce auquel il lui est possible de voir ce qu’il se passe sur le terrain et, le cas échéant, d’ouvrir le feu si il le décide.

Le MAARS peut rouler à une vitesse de 11 km/h (7 miles/heure) et dispose d’une autonomie comprise entre 8 et 12 heures. Outre la mitrailleuse M240, il est équipé de caméras de vision nocturne, de détecteurs de mouvements, d’un système de détection de tir, d’une sirène… Bref, il pourrait très bien remplacer une sentinelle… Car l’une de ses limites est son rayon d’action de seulement 800 mètres, ce qui n’est pas l’idéal pour partir en patrouille.

Ce robot n’est pas le seul robot à être évalué par l’USMC. Les Marines testent également le Robotic Vehicle Modular/Combat Area Robotic Targeting (RVM/CART), aux dimensions nettement plus imposantes. Cet engin, chenillé, a un rayon d’action de 4 km pour une endurance de 20 heures et une vitesse d’environ 20 km/h. Sa puissance de feu est aussi supérieure puisqu’il peut être armé d’une mitrailleuse Minigun M134.



http://www.opex360.com/2016/08/02/les-marines-testent-des-robots-de-combat/

Citation :

Après les frappes américaines, les jihadistes reculent à Syrte


Posté dans Afrique, Opérations par Laurent Lagneau Le 02-08-2016



Les détails des frappes effectuées le 1er août par les forces américaines contre la branche libyenne de l’État islamique, à Syrte, ne sont pas encore totalement connus. Certaines sources évoquent l’engagement d’hélicoptère d’attaque AH-1 Cobra tandis que d’autres parlent de deux avions AV-8 Harrier.

Une chose est certaine : ce sont des appareils de l’USS Wasp, à bord duquel se trouvent des éléments du 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, qui ont été sollicités pour l’opération « Odyssey Lightning », lancée à la demande du gouvernement libyen d’union nationale (GNA).

En outre, il est aussi question de l’implication de drones MALE (Moyenne Altitude Longue Endurance) MQ-9 Reaper, mis en oeuvre depuis une base située en Afrique (au Niger?). En effet, ceux basés à Sigonella, en Sicile, n’aurait pas pu décoller sans l’accord du gouvernement italien… à qui il n’a rien été demandé. Toutefois, ce dernier a fait savoir, ce 2 août, qu’il examinera toute requête américaine pour autoriser l’utilisation de la plateforme sicilienne dans le cadre d’une campagne aérienne contre l’EI en Libye.

Quant aux objectifs détruits par les raids américains, il est question d’un char T-72 et de deux véhicules utilisés par les jihadistes. Le Pentagone a expliqué que le gouvernement libyen avait exprimé le besoin de frappes « précises » pour éviter tout dommage collatéral.

Quoi qu’il en soit, ces raids américains ont probablement contribué à débloquer la situation à Syrte, ville encerclée depuis la mi-juin par les forces pro-gouvernementales libyennes. En effet, ces dernièes ont repris un quartier important aux jihadistes.

« Nos forces ont pris le contrôle total du quartier al-Dollar après l’assaut lancé dimanche par les forces loyales », a ainsi affirmé le bureau « médias » des troupes pro-GNA. « La nouvelle ligne de front s’établit désormais dans le secteur situé entre le quartier al-Dollar et le centre de conférence de Ouagadougou », où les jihadistes ont installé leur quartier général, a-t-il ajouté.

http://www.opex360.com/2016/08/02/apres-les-frappes-americaines-les-jihadistes-reculent-syrte/

Citation :

USMC expects optionally manned helicopter from FVL

Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
02 August 2016



The US Marine Corps (USMC) expects an optionally manned helicopter to emerge from the joint-service Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme being led by the US Army, the corps' deputy commandant for aviation said on 29 July.

Although the USMC has been using the remotely piloted Lockheed Martin K-MAX unmanned helicopter for cargo operations for several years, Lieutenant General Jon Davis said medium-lift helicopters should still provide the military with the option to put a pilot in the cockpit. "Especially for a high reliability airplane, we view that airplane as a manned platform," he said following a speech at the American Enterprise Institute.

Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky have received army contracts to support the cost of building demonstrator aircraft for the FVL precursor, the Joint Multirole-Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) programme, which is set to debut flying prototypes from both contractors next year. Bell is offering its V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft and Sikorsky has teamed with Boeing to develop the SB-1 Defiant. The army and the US Navy are expected to acquire replacement helicopters via FVL for at least three classes of helicopters throughout both fleets.

Citation :

USMC to continue deploying, disaggregating Amphibious Ready Groups

Daniel Wasserbly, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
10 August 2016




The US Marine Corps (USMC) will continue to deploy multi-ship Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) despite regularly needing to disaggregate the groups to meet global commitments, General Robert Neller, the USMC commandant, said on 9 August.

An ARG generally consists of three US Navy amphibious ships - a landing helicopter dock (LHD), a landing ship dock (LSD), and a landing platform dock (LPD) - as well as some additional naval assets and a USMC Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

The corps has more missions and tasks than capability, Gen Neller told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, so to be in multiple places it needs to disaggregate ARG/MEUs and send the smaller forces out for various operations or exercises.

However, he said the USMC does not plan to deploy the groups as only one or two ships because it wants to maintain the ability to seamlessly aggregate and function together in case the ARG/MEU is called upon for a more serious high-end contingency, such as landing ashore in a hostile environment.

Disaggregation allows the ARG's assets to be used more widely, but creates shortfalls within the group and extra personnel alone cannot fill those gaps. For example, San Antonio-class LPDs do not have an embarked intermediate level maintenance facility for aircraft as do the LHDs, so when parts are taken off platforms they must go into the maintenance supply system instead of being fixed on board.

Citation :

Raytheon Gets $30.1Mln Contract to Supply Turrets for US Marines Vehicles
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07:35 18.08.2016
Raytheon has won a $30 million contract to manufacture 20 turrets for the US Marine Corps’ LAV-25 light armored vehicle, the Department of Defense announced.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, with an estimated completion date of February, 28, 2019, the Defense Department noted.
"Raytheon Company [of] McKinney, Texas, was awarded a $30.1 million… contract for a quantity of 20 turrets for the Marine Corps armored vehicle anti-tank variant," the announcement stated on Wednesday.
The LAV-25 vehicles are equipped with a M242 Bushmaster 25 mm cannon, two M240 7.62 mm machine guns, and two 4-barrel smoke grenade launchers located on the forward left and right sides of the turret, according to published reports.


Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20160818/1044382135/raytheon-us-marines.html#ixzz4Hfevk8fj

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U.S. Marines demonstrate capabilities to the International Committee of the Red Cross
Aug 22, 2016216





Senior armed forces delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited the Marines and sailors of I Marine Expeditionary Force, Aug. 16, as they conducted I MEF Large Scale Exercise 2016, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.

Martin Lacourt, from the Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada in Washington, D.C, discussed interagency coordination with senior members of the I MEF staff. The force conducted a massive, simulated, and live-action exercise involving more than 50, 000 military members at multiple Marine Corps installations throughout Southern California.
The exercise was designed to enhance command and control and interoperability between I MEF command element staff and its higher, adjacent and subordinate command headquarters.
According to the ICRC’s mission statement the non-governmental organization was established in 1863. It is headquartered in Geneva and operates as an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.

“They reached out to us and wanted to participate in our exercise to deepen the relationship between the ICRC and high-levels of U.S. military commands and to educate the military staff on the roles of the ICRC in armed conflicts,” said Col. Amber Lehning, who oversees civil-military operations for I MEF.

Lacourt said the purpose of his visit was twofold: “With the U.S. military, we have two main topics of discussion. The easiest one is the topic of coordination … to tell you where we work (and) to avoid any situation where we are in the middle of the battle that you are planning.”

He added that when the organization is in a combat zone where the U.S. military is operating, they coordinate all land, air and sea movements to not be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“The other topic of discussion is detention and conduct of facilities,” he continued. “So we are also there to remind the U.S. military of their obligation. If you go back to why I’m here today, it’s in fact to inject on the exercise those discussions we have in real life, just to prepare a good relationship.”

Lehning said the discussions were “fruitful and beneficial to both parties,” referring to ICRC and I MEF Civil Affairs Detachment, which acts as a liaison between military and civilian authorities and international organizations like the ICRC.

“It’s always good for the staff outside (civil-military operations) to interact with real-world members of the international community,” she said.

The scenario that LSE-16 simulates is the planning, deployment and combat operations of a MEF-level force within a partner country while operating alongside coalition forces. The ICRC would be heavily involved with relief efforts during such combat operations.

According to Lacourt, the organization has a long history of lending a helping hand to military casualties and other victims of armed conflict, and can trace its creation back to a Swiss businessman who was strongly impacted by the Franco-Austrian War.

“So that also explains why the ICRC has in its DNA this will to outreach to combatants, to soldiers, to military … but also the non-state actors that exist now today on the battlefield,” Lacourt said.

www.marines.mil

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US to Deploy 16 F-35 Stealth Fighters At Japan Base Next Year
(Source: Kyodo News; published August 22, 2016)
The Japanese government informed the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Monday that the United States plans to deploy 16 F-35 fighters at the US military base there from January to August next year.

It marks the first time for that stealth aircraft to be stationed overseas.

High-ranking officials from Japan’s defence and foreign ministries visited Iwakuni in western Japan and informed Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda as well as Yamaguchi Governor Tsugumasa Muraoka of the planned deployment. The plan is to first deploy 10 F-35 jets in January and six more in August.

Fukuda told Shunsuke Takei, parliamentary vice foreign minister, and Hiroyuki Miyazawa, parliamentary vice defence minister, that his city was frustrated at the lack of information provided to them by the central government and called for details to be given to them in a “swift” manner.

“The (F-35) deployment is simply upgrading the type of aircraft and is not linked to the US military realignment,” Takei said during their meeting, which was open to the media.

The Iwakuni base is also expected to accommodate 59 carrier-borne fighter jets from the US Navy’s Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, around next year, in line with the realignment of US forces in Japan agreed by Tokyo and Washington in 2006. The move is viewed as further strengthening the base’s functions.

The United States plans to replace the F/A-18 fighters and the AV-8 Harrier jets at the Marine Corps’ Air Station Iwakuni with the F-35B, a variant of the F-35 fighters capable of short takeoff and vertical landing.

The envisioned deployment of the F-35, which is being developed by an international consortium led by US aircraft giant Lockheed Martin Corp., is part of the US strategic rebalance to Asia amid China’s military buildup.

“As this would be the first deployment in Japan, we would like to make inquiries about the aircraft’s safety and operation,” Fukuda told reporters after their meeting.

Muraoka separately said to reporters he wants to “respect the wishes of residents”.

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U.S. Marines demonstrate NATO logistics integration in Bulgaria
Aug 25, 201616




Marines alongside Bulgarian counterparts loaded heavy equipment onto the Bulgarian rail system, here, for transport to Tbilisi, Georgia, for an upcoming regional exercise.

That was reported by marines.mil.

“We chose to move the equipment by rail for the combined arms company because we have to get it to the port city which is quite a distance from our current location,” said Master Sgt. Jason Pittsely, the Combined Arms Company Operations Chief. “It is the quickest and the easiest method to move all of our equipment in one movement.”
The Marines and Bulgarian rail workers successfully loaded tanks, Humvees, seven-ton vehicles, amphibious assault vehicles and artillery cannons onto the train for Exercise Agile Spirit 2016. The process demonstrated the logistics integration among allies capable of transporting equipment in support of operations throughout the Black Sea region.

“It’s actually been moving pretty efficiently with the help of the Bulgarians,” said Lance Cpl. Nancy Johnson, the unit’s embarkation chief. “Working with them makes it a lot easier because they know what they are doing. We have gotten everything on in a timely manner.”

The rail system will take the equipment, along with a small group of Marine passengers, to the port city where the equipment will be moved across the Black Sea via ferry boat.

“So this type of movement saves the Marine Corps time and money,” said Pittsely. “One, we move our equipment all in one movement and two, we don’t have to send security with each one of our vehicles or pieces of equipment as it moves across a couple of different countries to get to its end state and we also don’t have to have Marines riding with each one of those pieces of equipment so it keeps our unit together.”

Agile Spirit is a multi-national operation focused on enhancing the participating nations’ abilities to conduct joint conventional operations and combined arms integration at the battalion level. The exercise will improve collective military capabilities and enhance professional relationships with allies and partner militaries during a crisis.

Black Sea Rotational Force is an annual multilateral security cooperation activity between the U.S. Marine Corps and partner nations in the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions designed to enhance participants’ collective professional military capacity, promote regional stability and build enduring relationships with partner nations.



http://defence-blog.com/army/u-s-marines-demonstrate-nato-logistics-integration-in-bulgaria.html

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29/08/2016

50ème KC-130J « Super Hercules » pour l’USMC !




Marietta, Le Corps des Marines des États-Unis a réceptionné son 50ème Lockheed-Matin KC-130J « Super Hercules ». Ce KC-130J « Super Hercules » est affecté au Marine Corps Air station de Miramar en Californie.

Le Corps des Marines a la particularité de fonctionner avec la plus grande flotte de KC-130J dans le monde. Le KC-130J de ravitaillement aérien est le dernier d'une longue lignée d’avion de combat KC-130 « Hercules ». Le nouveau KC-130J tire pleinement parti des améliorations technologiques et de performances énormes inhérentes au C-130J de base.

Le KC-130J « Super Hercules » Tanker :

Le KC-130J «Super Hercules» en version Tanker est directement dérivé du nouveau C-130J « Super Hercules ». Il incorpore une technologie de pointe pour réduire les besoins en personnel, de fonctionnement de soutien avec des coûts de cycle de vie plus actuel que pour les anciens C-130. Le modèle dispose également d'une maniabilité accrue et une manutention plus courtes. Il est doté de nouveaux moteurs Rolls-Royce Allison AE 2100D3 dotés d’hélices à six pales. La version KC-130J est dotée des systèmes de perches de ravitaillement, des réservoirs supplémentaires et un poste pour l’opérateur ravitailleur. Le système de ravitaillement existe déjà sur les modèles plus anciens du C-130.

La flotte mondiale de « Super Hercules » a plus de 1,3 million d'heures de vol à son actif et est pilotée par 19 opérateurs différents.


Photo : le 50ème KC-130J @ Lockheed-Martin

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2016/08/29/50eme-kc-130j-super-hercules-pour-l-usmc-862005.html

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18 nations participate in ASEAN Exercise 16-3
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Areas of the world riddled with natural disasters and cursed by the secondary effects of mother nature’s wrath demand a responsive force that thinks, trains and plans ahead.

An exercise bringing together those very forces from 18 nations’ military and government organizations kicked off Sept. 5, 2016 at 14th Military Circle, Chonburi Province, Thailand. ASEAN Exercise 16-3 commenced with a fitting demonstration of an earthquake-induced collapsed building Search and Rescue operation.

Helicopters from Japan, Russia, Singapore and Thailand roared toward the airfield, dispatching fast-rope rescue teams and airlifting casualties. Meanwhile, teams on the ground moved casualties from the “hot zone,” a simulated collapsing building, to the “warm zone,” the immediate safety of an open field, and triaged according to casualty condition.

Teams from the Indian Army, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and Royal Thai Army moved casualties secured on backboards swiftly to the pickup zone or field hospital. It was a grand display of pre-planned, coordinated and rehearsed disaster response, reinforcing the pay-off of the very familiarity and training this exercise will focus on.

“This exercise is intended to foster cooperation and to share experience, information and skills among military medics of the ASEAN member states and plus countries, while fostering capabilities of military units in the region through joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations,” said General Prawit Wongsuwon, Kingdom of Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, during the opening ceremony.

AEx 16-3 is an opportunity for different nations to apply and hone common standard operating procedures and diversify each other’s capabilities for the inevitable calamities of the volatile Indo-Asia-Pacific.

A U.S. contingent of approximately 25 personnel from U.S. Pacific Command; U.S. Army Pacific; U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and Pacific Air Forces will work alongside the other nations in both the command post and field training exercises conducting medical planning, air medical evacuation, military medicine and chemical/ biological/ radiological/ nuclear defense.

Approximately 2,000 personnel are participating in the exercise from the 10 ASEAN member states Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and “plus” countries Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia.

“This is considered an important milestone of defense cooperation,” Wongsuwon lauded the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus program, which, “which helps maintain peace, stability and security in the region.”

Humbling reminders of the significance of combined joint disaster response training come in the form of approximately 100 natural disasters on average each year in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Sharing and honing real-world, on the ground, tactical and operational response capabilities facilitates effective, efficient response in a merciless environment.

http://defence-blog.com/news/18-nations-participate-in-asean-exercise-16-3.html

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U.S. Marine Corps is celebrating a decade of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected program
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The Marine Corps is celebrating a decade of keeping Marines safer on the battlefield with the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected family of vehicles.

In 2006, combatant commanders identified the urgent operational need for an increased number of MRAP vehicles in theater to provide better protection against underbody mines, improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. MRAP vehicles were already in use by the Army and Marine Corps, but in limited numbers and for specialized missions, such as explosive ordnance disposal and other route clearance work. In response, Marine Corps Systems Command established the MRAP Joint Program Office in 2006, to combine the efforts of Marine Corps, Army, Navy and special operations acquisition expertise. The JPO’s mission was to get the maximum number of vehicles to the operating forces in the shortest period of time.

“The object of the program office was to field vehicles to all the services, U.S. Special Operations Command and coalition partners to ensure the same level of troop protection was provided to the entire joint and combined forces,” said retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, Joint Program Executive Officer for the MRAP vehicle program from 2007 to 2011 and a former commander of Marine Corps Systems Command. “The presence of the MRAP also challenged the enemy, since the insurgents had to increase the size of their explosive devices to have any effect on these more survivable vehicles. The larger devices, and longer time it took to implant them, increased the likelihood that our troops would detect an IED before it detonated.”

The MRAP family of vehicles consists of four vehicle categories that incorporate a “V-shaped” hull, armor plating and a raised chassis designed to provide protection against the three primary kill mechanisms of mines and IEDs: fragmentation, blast overpressure and acceleration.




http://defence-blog.com/army/u-s-marine-corps-is-celebrating-a-decade-of-mine-resistant-ambush-protected-program.html