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thunderchief said:

There are unconfirmed rumors that retired US general Paul Vallely trains Syrian rebels . So far there is only this video below , so take everything with grain of salt :

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Jeff Head said:

In 2010 an O6 grade (Colonel) with 30 years of service would have been paid about $10,200 per month, or, $122,400 per year.

If he retired at the end of 30 years, his retirement income would be aprroximately 75% of his high three monthly pay...in this case, around $7,500 per month, or $90,000 per year.

If he did even 2% of his pay into the TSP plan, he should have had a boatload of money in that account too, which he could be receiving monthly payments for. A lot of O6 level officers receive another $3-5,000 per month.

That's all a very good retirement. It makes you wonder why he is living out of a car.

Vetreans do need to be taken care of, but you cannot protect everyone, even veterans, from bad choices they may make.

..........

So, I do hate to see it, but not knowing the details, other than knowing that after 30 years, if he made O6, that his retirement benefits are very substantial, I cannot say that the country has somehow failed this man.

We would need to know a lot more details before we could make that judgment.

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Jeff Head said:

There are Syrian Rebels who are not Al Queda and who were people the US was willing to support.

Problem was, the Al Queda and other radicals came in from all over the mid East and ended up outnumbering these much more moderate rebels who did not want an Islamic state. In some cases they had pitched battles. A few years ago the US was in fact covertly arming and training those particular rebels in the hopes they would be able to bring down the pro-Iranian Syrian government.

Apparently some of that is still going on. I expect that is what this retired General is involved in.

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Dizasta1 said:

So when it is said that Al Qaeda or some other mad-dog group, wants to establish an Islamic State. What they really mean is that they want to control a land area where like-minded loonies and themselves can carry out their psychotic beliefs which involves killing innocent people, suicide bombing and attempt to legitimize it, by calling it the "Islamic Way".

A true Muslim would tell you the reality of today and that is, there is no actual Islamic State in existence anywhere in the world, now. Rather, lunatics everywhere in the Islamic World, which are both giving Islam a bad name and making life for Muslims across the globe, a living hell.

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US Army to acquire 20 more Lakotas
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC22:13 17 Jan 2014 Flight Global
A US spending bill expected to become law will provide the US Army with funds to acquire 20 Airbus Helicopters UH-72A Lakotas, according to an Airbus media release.

The aircraft will be used by both the US Army and the Army National Guard and will be delivered between September 2014 and July 2015, Airbus tells Flightglobal.

The spending bill, which was passed by both chambers of the US Congress this week and is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama, provides $171 million for UH-72A procurement during the fiscal year.

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Airbus Helicopters UH-72A Lakota
UH-72A’s are made at a factory in Columbus, Mississippi, and have a base price is about $5.5 million, although aircraft with additional capability can cost several million dollars more, Airbus says.

For instance, the security and support battalion version of the UH-72A can have electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) sensors, a secure data channel for live video downloading, a hoist and a crew information station.

The National Guard uses aircraft with those systems to conduct security and support along the US-Mexico border, Airbus says.

In addition to purchasing 20 aircraft, the $171 million also covers spares, training, the Army’s programme management costs and other expenses, Airbus says.

The Army initially planned to purchase 31 Lakotas in fiscal year 2014 and 10 in fiscal year 2015, which would have allowed Airbus to continue production until early 2016.

The president’s fiscal year 2014 budget proposal cut that number to ten and said production would stop after those deliveries.

The budget bill passed this week doubled the president’s request and does not specify when the programme will terminate.

Airbus also expects to deliver six UH-72As in 2014 that were ordered by Thailand.

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Funding Tight For Black Hawk, Apache Engine Program
By Amy Butler [email protected]
Source: AWIN First

January 16, 2014
Credit: U.S. Army
Without money to carry two vendors through separate programs to develop more powerful Boeing Apache and Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter engines, U.S. Army officials are simply hoping now to be able to carry both through the technology development phase of the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP).

“We would love to have enough money to take two vendors to milestone C,” when a program enters production, said Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby, program executive officer for Army Aviation. But several funding drills indicate the service would more likely have to shed one before then. “The target now with the plan we put in place is two vendors through milestone B,” when development begins.

The Army is having to cut back on major programs—including a likely divestiture of the Bell OH-58A/C/D Kiowa and TH-67 fleets—to meet mandated spending restrictions. Doing so, however, could allow for continued funding for such efforts as ITEP. It is focused on delivering more powerful engines for the AH-64E Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk, two fleets the Army is fighting to keep in service despite the grim fiscal outlook.

The service hopes to re-engine those fleets in the 2020s. A Honeywell/Pratt & Whitney team and General Electric are separately developing designs for 3,000-shp. turboshaft engines.

Army Aviation Program Executive Officer Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby says that ITEP and another program to upgrade the UH-60L with all-digital cockpits are two of his top priorities, aside from keeping the Apache, Chinook, Lakota and Black Hawk platform efforts intact.

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Despite reports, Sikorsky CRH contract is not done deal
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC20:07 17 Jan 2014 flight global
The future of US Air Force’s next-generation combat rescue helicopter (CRH) programme remains uncertain despite an expected injection of more than $300 million in fiscal year 2014.

That’s because, contrary to some reports, sources say current-year funding isn’t enough to guarantee a contract for Sikorsky, the only company to bid to build CRH.

Both Sikorsky and the USAF have said a contract depends on funding projections for future years, information that likely won’t be available until President Barack Obama releases the fiscal year 2015 budget request.

“We are encouraged that Congress continues to support the combat rescue mission with the available funds,” Sikorsky says in a 17 January statement. “We await confirmation that continued funding exists for [fiscal year 2015] and beyond to enable a contract award this year.”

The statement comes after the US House and Senate passed a fiscal year 2014 budget bill that includes $334 million in funding for CRH.

Sikorsky and partner Lockheed Martin are poised to win a contract to build up to 112 CRH-60 aircraft, a modified version of Sikorsky’s UH-60M Black Hawk.

The project is worth nearly $7 billion over 14 years. The aircraft are intended to replace the USAF's aging HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, which are also a Sikorsky product.

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Sikorsky rendering of its proposed CRH-60 combat rescue helicopter
While Sikorsky would build the aircraft, Lockheed would produce mission equipment and the survivability suite of electronics at its factory in Owego, New York.

After Congress passed the spending bill, Senator Charles Schumer of New York issued a statement saying the budget ensures that a contract for the combat search and rescue [CSAR] helicopter “will move forward.”

“The appropriations funding means that the CSAR mission will continue as planned and Lockheed Martin Owego will receive the work,” the statement said.

Senator Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

But the USAF, like Sikorsky, has said a CRH contract will depend on spending projections.

In November 2013, the service said it was “laying the groundwork to award the CRH contract in the second quarter of fiscal year 2014.”

But it added, “The award is contingent on the outcome of the President's budget review process where CRH would need to be funded across the future year's defence programme.”

The USAF declines to comment for this story, but says it intends to release a statement if President Obama signs the spending bill.

The spending bill itself hints at the issue of future years’ funding.

“These helicopters need to be replaced. However, in a period of fiscal austerity, the program must be affordable to ensure that it is not canceled due to insufficient funding in future years,” the bill says.

“The Air Force must continue to assess its acquisition strategy to find ways to control costs and ensure that the program remains on track to deliver these helicopters to the fleet.”

The bill also prohibits the USAF from cancelling the project without first presenting the results of a programme analysis to Congress.

Statements made by USAF officials in recent months have stoked speculation that the CRH programme might be delayed or cancelled.

When asked about CRH in December, Acting Secretary of the USAF Eric Fanning said the service will need to prioritise “precious” investment dollars.

He added that the USAF has options other than “awarding the [CRH] contract… or killing it.”

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Improved Apaches could fulfill Kiowa Warrior's role: top procurement official
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC00:09 15 Jan 2014 Flight Global
The US Army hasn’t yet said it will retire its aging fleet of Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopters.

But if the Army makes that decision — reports suggested it will — the fleet should be grounded promptly to save scare financial resources in the current budget-constrained environment, says a top army procurement official.

“I think you save money the faster you retire the system,” outgoing program executive officer for army aviation Gen. William Crosby says on 14 January.

“You have to maintain a huge infrastructure to support [any programme],” adds Crosby, noting also that helicopter reconnaissance will remain critical to the army. “Faster is better, if and when a decision is made.”

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Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior
Crosby, who is set to retire from the army on 24 January, spoke to reporters during the Association of the United States Army’s Army Aviation Symposium near Washington, DC.
His comments come amid reports that army officials are considering grounding Kiowas and using Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to fulfill the reconnaissance mission.

Reports also suggest the armed aerial scout (AAS) programme, which was to development Kiowa’s replacement, is on the chopping block.

When asked about the future of AAS, Crosby says, “I don’t know that we will revisit armed aerial scout.”

He says unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could eventually replaced manned scouts, but insists the transition remains many years away.

UAVs, says Crosby, still lack the “situational curiosity” and critical decision-making ability of human pilots.

In the meantime, Crosby suggests that pressing Apaches into the scout role could be effective.

He calls attention to an Army analysis that found the Apache was well-suited for the job, and adds that recent and future Apache improvement might address concerns about the aircraft’s dispatch reliability and higher operating costs.

For instance, Crosby calls the Block III Apache AH-64E, which achieved initial operational capability with the army late last year, “a huge improvement” over previous models.

That aircraft has composite rotor blades with an improved airfoil and an upgraded engine and transmission.

Those changes are intended to restore speed and lift performance, which degraded in the last two decades as the Army added weight to the original airframe.

The army is also working to develop a more-efficient engines for its Apache’s and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks through its Improved Turbine Engine Programme, Crosby notes.

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JANUARY 11, 2014
BY TAMIR ESHEL

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Transformer Vehicle Sets for Flight Testing in California Next Month
A small California based aerospace company named Advanced Tactics Inc. (AT) released first details about the AT Transformer vehicle technology this week. AT is set to test its AT Black Knight Transformer technology demonstrator within the next month, following the completion of driving tests last month. The tests are performed n Southern California. Following the first flight which will be unmanned (remotely piloted) and tethered, the Black Knight Transformer will enter more expansive, iterative flight testing program leading to a full-capability demonstration in late 2014.

AT’s ‘Black Knight’ Transformer is based on an innovative technology pioneered by AT, that combines the capabilities of a rotorcraft, and an off-road vehicle. “This design is simple and robust, by eliminating the mechanical complexity and cost of the articulated rotor system that stabilizes and controls a conventional helicopter and replacing it with a high-speed computerized feedback control system.” Rustom Jehangir AT’s Chief Engineer told Defense-Update, “Additionally, the configuration negates the need for a tail-rotor or engine transmission.” while the multirotor concept has been familiar for almost 90 years (the first helicopters, designed in the 1920 were in fact quadrotors), their application was extremely complex and unreliable using mechanical synchronization and control. “Today we can run the rotors through direct drives, while leaving the stabilization, elevation and attitude control to the computerized system that controls the engines.” Jehangir said, adding that AT developed an application that controls the rotation speed of gas or diesel engines in the resolution that enables dynamic stabilization of the octocopter.

The full-scale transformer was tested on land in December, clearing the vehicle for flight tests in January-February 2014. Photo: Advanced Tactics
The full-scale transformer technology demonstrator was tested on land in December, clearing the design for the flight tests in January-February 2014. Photo: Advanced Tactics
AT engineer, Rustom Jehangir, is standing next to the transformer vehicle for scale. He is six feet tall. Photo: Advanced Tactics
AT engineer, Rustom Jehangir, is standing next to the transformer vehicle for scale. He is six feet tall. Photo: Advanced Tactics
The Black Knight Transformer is designed for autonomous casualty evacuation and manned or unmanned cargo resupply missions. The interior volume is comparable to a Blackhawk helicopter, thus making it suitable for cargo resupply and support missions. An unmanned transformer could be used for combat casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) while a similar optionally manned configuration could be optimized for Special Operations missions. On an typical CASEVAC mission evacuating a wounded soldier under fire from a hot battle zone, a Black Knight Transformer would dispatch to the site landing zone designated by the wounded soldier’s squad. The flexibility of the vehicle’s transportation capability means they can drive the vehicle to areas which otherwise cannot support safe rotorcraft operation.



Development began in 2010, under congressionally funded ‘Special Interest Program’ to develop an unmanned platform for combat casualty evacuation. For the first two years the program was supported by the US Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) but in 2012 the Marine Corps and Air Force Research laboratory (AFRL) have joined and expanded its scope. Despite the early start AT was not selected for the DARPA Transformer program, where transformer type vehicles are developed for similar applications. Now, with the relative maturity of the program, AT is scouting the industry to collaborate and seize joint development opportunities taking its innovative technologies into full production.

Each of the propulsion units comprises a gas-powered internal combustion engine, two-blade rotor, and mounting rigs carrying the gas feed and engine controls. For the operational concept design, the arms are extended with actuators. The actuators would allow the vehicle to be reconfigured in less than one minute. Photo: Advanced Tactics
Each of the propulsion units comprises a gas-powered internal combustion engine, two-blade rotor, and fixed mounting arms carrying the gas feed and engine controls. For the operational concept design, the arms are extended with actuators. The actuators would allow the vehicle to be reconfigured in less than one minute. Photo: Advanced Tactics
In fact, the operational configuration of the Black Knight Transformer would meet (and possibly exceed) the DARPA Transformer requirements. It will be configured with 19 foot long cargo hold (19x4x4), carrying five passengers or payload capacity of over 1,000 lbs (454 kg). Loading will be supported by a loading ramp for quick roll-on roll-off loading and offloading. The Black Knight Transformer will be able to deploy in flight over a 250 nm range (463 km) and dash for 30 km over road or rough terrain at a speed of 70 mph (112 km/h). In the aircraft mode it will cruise at a speed of 130 kts (240 km/h). Designed from the start for special ops, the entire vehicle will be transportable inside the CV-22 cargo hold. An inherent difference from the DARPA Transformers will be the use of turbo diesel engines and open rotors, instead of electrical motors and ducted fan or counter-rotating rotors developed under the DARPA program.

AT began work on the Black Knight Transformer in 2010 and, beginning with electrically powered models. Two years later, AT tested the first sub-scale gas-powered ‘Panther Transformer’ and by the end of 2013 the full-scale vehicle completed the first test runs on land.

Advanced Tactics are proposing a tilt-multi-rotor propulsion system to vertically lift and operate a Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone from ships.
Advanced Tactics are proposing a tilt-multi-rotor propulsion system to vertically lift and operate a Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone from ships. Drawing: Advanced Tactics
The Black Knight and Panther Transformers both utilize the AT Transformer technology, which leverages the simplicity and robustness of a “multirotor” helicopter at a full-scale size. Like the small electric multicopters that are prevalent today, the AT Transformer uses engines with a direct drive connection to prop-rotors. The vehicle is stabilized in flight by balancing the thrust generated by opposing rotors – four pairs are employed for the Black Knight application. The vehicle is designed with commercial off the shelf elements, including the motors and rotor systems.

By using direct drive, the drive chain is simplified and more reliable. Overall, the structure and automotive systems are configured into modular, field replaceable components. To support off-road mobility the vehicle has automotive suspensions and drive-trains similar to those used in off-road trucks. Large truck tires and shocks provide excellent terrain handling and soften the vehicles’ landings. The wheels are driven by an independent engine and transaxle for speeds up to 70 mph (112 km/h).

For instance, each of the eight propulsion subsystems can be replaced in the field by two people and the payload bay can be changed from casualty evacuation life support equipment to cargo for multi-mission capabilities. Additionally, the modular automobile portion of the vehicle can be replaced with a boat hull or an amphibious hull for water operations. The AT Transformer has the ability to perform controlled engine-out flight in case of a critical component failure.

at_transformer

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Boeing assembles final KC-46A test aircraft
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC21:03 16 Jan 2014 Flight Global
Boeing is now assembling the last of four KC-46A test aircraft that the company is producing for the US Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling tanker programme, the Chicago-based company announces.

Boeing says the completion of the fourth test aircraft puts the company on tack to deliver an initial 18 tankers to the USAF by 2017.

“All four test aircraft are moving through production to support our transition to ground and flight testing later this year,” says the company in a media release.

The first flight of a 767-2C test aircraft – the commercial variant of the KC-46 – will take place by the middle of this year and will be followed by the first flight of a KC-46A equipped with refueling systems by early 2015, Boeing says.

The company adds that it expects to deliver the first production aircraft to the USAF in 2016.

The USAF has orders and options to acquire a total of 179 KC-46As through 2027.

The aircraft is derived from Boeing’s 767 passenger jetliner and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 turbofans.

In addition to serving as an aerial refueling tanker, KC-46As can be configured to accommodate cargo or up to 114 passengers, or to serve as an aero-medical evacuation aircraft, says Boeing.

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US spending bill would trim US military procurement in fiscal year 2014
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC00:20 16 Jan 2014
The $1.1 trillion proposed spending bill being considered by the US Congress would provide the US Department of Defense with $487 billion in spending in fiscal year 2014, roughly the same amount as was allocated in FY2013.

Though less than the $526 billion the DoD requested, both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have hailed the bill as a bi-partisan budget that avoids billions in additional across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester.

On 15 January the 1,582-page bill passed a House vote and moved to the Senate.

While it would maintain overall defence spending at nearly 2013 levels, the budget would cut funding for military procurement and equipment upgrades to $93 billion; $7.5 billion less than last fiscal year.

Of that total, the proposed budget would provide roughly $31 billion for new aircraft and $9 billion for missiles and other weapons.

The US Navy would receive the largest share for new aircraft, at $16.4 billion, slightly less than the $17.9 billion requested. The Navy will also get $3 billion to buy and modernise torpedoes, missiles and other weapons.

The bill provides nearly $2.3 billion in USN funding for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme, less than the $2.5 billion requested.

It cuts F-35 procurement by one aircraft, a $79 million savings.

The proposed budget would allot $10.3 billion to the US Air Force for new aircraft and related equipment, $110 less than requested. It also would give the USAF $4.4 billion to purchase new missiles.

The bill funds the USAF’s F-35 programme at $3.4 billion, nearly $200 million less than requested. The savings are partly achieved by cutting advanced procurement funding for two aircraft.

The US Army, which requested $5 billion for new aircraft, would receive $4.8 billion under the budget.

The bill trims funding for the army's aerial common sensor programme to $84.7 million, $57.3 million less than requested. It funds the Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior programme at $108.3 million, nearly $76 million less than requested, and the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-1 Gray Eagle programme at $437.1 million, some $81 million less than requested.

In addition, the bill provides additional funds that the DoD can use for so-called “overseas contingency operations”, which are military operations that support the US “war on terrorism”, including operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Those funds include an additional $211 million for new USN aircraft and $86.5 for new navy weapons. The USAF would also receive an additional $188.9 million for aircraft and $24.2 million for missiles, while the army would receive $669 million more for aircraft and $128.6 for missiles.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

US Amry to acquir 20 more Lahkotas

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TerraN_Empir said:

Finally a flying car.

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Jeff Head said:

Just to keep everyone up to date, The 100th production F-35 made its first flight on December 15, 2013:

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Jeff Head said:

I like this bird. It looks like a bigger, more modern Kiowa. Seems like they could do a lot of things with these helos.

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Dang, I hope they plan to test fly that thing remotely for the first few flights.

I would not want to be the test pilot that first flew that contraption. Looks like a widow maker.

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