US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

FORBIN said:

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Air Force Brat said:

Yes, the B-1B is a very high performance aircraft, very aerodynamically clean, and capable of amazing performance.

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The Pentagon made a $3.7 billion advance payment to Lockheed Martin late Friday for the 11th batch of F-35 aircraft.

The Pentagon and Lockheed still have not reached a final agreement on the 11th lot of F-35 aircraft, which is slated to cover 141 aircraft for the U.S. services and military partners. Although the Defense Department is confident it can hammer out a deal by the end of the year, it regularly uses a mechanism called a “unilateral contract action,” or UCA, to dole out funding to Lockheed so that it can pay its suppliers and buy the materials it needs to meet the planned delivery schedule.

Friday’s award comes on the heels of a $5.6 billion UCA issued July 7, which obligated $4.5 billion for 91 F-35s produced for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

The July 28 award, which immediately obligated $2.2 billion, will allow Lockheed to continue work on 50 aircraft meant for international partners or Foreign Military Sales customers, including one F-35B aircraft for the United Kingdom; one F-35A aircraft for Italy; eight F-35As for Australia; eight F-35As for the Netherlands; four F-35As for Turkey; six F-35As for Norway; and 22 F-35As for unnamed FMS customers.

It also covers “scope for mission equipment and chase maintenance activity for the above mentioned participants, as well as the U.S. services,” the F-35 Joint Program Office said in a statement.

“Final aircraft prices for each customer’s variant will be determined upon final negotiations targeted for the end of this calendar year,” the JPO continued. “We are confident that the final negotiated Lot 11 aircraft unit prices will be less than Lot 10,” in which a conventional takeoff and landing F-35A model cost $94.6 million.

Deliveries on Lot 11 will start in 2019 and run until 2020.

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U.S. naval forces will embark on a pair of naval exercises with regional Pacific and North Atlantic partners this week, practicing anti-submarine and air combat operations.

The pair of exercises aims to share knowledge and improve interoperability between the U.S. and allies, at a time when China and Russia have each conducted aggressive air actions and

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.

Anti-submarine warfare exercise GUAMEX 2017 starts today off the coast of Guam, combining submarines and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from the U.S. Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Exercise organizers say GUAMEX, with about 40 operational scenarios, is designed to strengthen the regional partnership.

“GUAMEX provides an exceptional opportunity for our regional allies, friends, and partners to test our interoperability skills and hone our ASW techniques in a series of dynamic events. We don’t often get the chance to train with one another,” said a statement from Lt. Christi Morrissey, attached to Task Force 72 and the U.S. action officer for GUAMEX 2017. “We plan to put the crews through their paces, but also want to foster lasting relationships amongst the participants outside of the operational events.”

GUAMEX runs until August 12.

Meanwhile, starting tomorrow U.S. forces assigned to the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group will be joined in the North Atlantic by forces from the United Kingdom’s carrier strike group and other allies as part of the Saxon Warrior 2017.

Approximately 6,000 U.S. sailors will participate in Saxon Warrior, in which allied forces will participate in training scenarios involving strategic strike, air defense operations, combat air support, and enforcing no-fly zones. The exercise was last held in 2011. Along with the U.S. and U.K., other nations expected to participate include Germany, Norway, and Sweden.

“Saxon Warrior allows both U.S. and U.K. naval forces a chance to hone our interoperability skills. Particularly important is the alignment of U.S. carrier strike groups and the U.K. carrier strike group,” Navy Rear Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, Carrier Strike Group 2 commander, said in a Navy news release.
“This unique opportunity affords hands-on planning and execution across the spectrum of warfighting for both strike group staffs, strengthening our military understanding and capability.”

Earlier this month, while speaking at a Washington D.C. think tank,

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stepping up activities designed to monitor Russia’s increased submarine activity in the North Sea and the Atlantic and ward off Russian intrusions into the airspaces of the United Kingdom and other nations.

The George H.W. Bush CSG includes USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) and USS Hue City (CG-66), and guided-missile destroyers USS Laboon (DDG-58) and USS Truxtun (DDG-103).

Saxon Warrior runs until August 10.

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Jura said:

Jul 23, 2017

hit!
U.S. conducts "successful" test of THAAD anti-missile system

July 30, 2017, 8:39 AM

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FORBIN said:

USAF's F-15 & B-2

View attachment 41050

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Jura said:

Jul 15, 2017
and I repeat what I said Wednesday at 8:19 AM in another thread:

Jura said:

...
LOL I wonder how a Military operating both F-35s and Triumphs would fit into the world of various Analysts
I'd be at a total loss

oops now I imagined an exercise which would pitch these weapons against each other

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since I noticed
Turkey's Erdogan says signatures signed on Russian defense system
July 25, 2017 / 11:50 AM / 5 hours ago

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The Pentagon is concerned by Turkey’s decision to buy a Russian air defense system, Defense Department spokesman Jeff Davis said Monday.

Davis said that Defense officials “certainly are aware of the reports” that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is currently in talks with Russia to buy the S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

“Our only concern about it is one of interoperability,” Davis told reporters at the Pentagon. “Turkey is a NATO ally. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea for allies to buy interoperable equipment.”

Davis said the Pentagon would encourage that Turkey instead “buy things and invest in things that will further invest in our alliance,” as Russian technology may not work with other weapons and equipment used by NATO countries.

“What’s been reported here is something that’s not interoperable with anything that we have and that’s obviously cause for concern,” Davis said.

The S-400 system is designed to shoot down enemy aircraft and has a range of about 250 miles.

British media outlet Jane’s 360

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that Turkey’s deal with Russia is all but complete as the two countries are working through a few minor issues. Turkey has also rejected the argument that the S-400 might not work with other NATO systems.

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Jura said:

Yesterday at 8:35 AM

... looks like they're in the Desert Ship phase:
LRASM Demonstrates Surface Launch Capability
July 27, 2017

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Lockheed Martin has completed a first launch of its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) surface-launch variant from a topside canister installation.

Performed at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on 26 July, the flight test “proved the missile’s ability to conduct an angled launch from the newly designed topside canister, replicating a ship-launched environment,” said the company in a statement.

The air-launched AGM-158C LRASM missile is being developed by Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control to meet a US Navy (USN) requirement for a near-term Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) Increment 1 capability able to defeat major maritime targets. Derived from the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER), LRASM introduces additional sensors and systems specific to the offensive anti-surface warfare mission, and has been conceived to be able to penetrate sophisticated shipborne defences, with reduced dependence on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS navigation.

The LRASM is intended to deliver an Early Operating Capability (EOC) in September 2018 on the US Air Force’s B-1B Lancer, followed by the USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in September 2019. A Lot 1 production contract covering an initial 23 missiles was awarded to Lockheed Martin on 25 July.

Having previously demonstrated a LRASM surface launch capability using the Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS), Lockheed Martin has invested in the design of a topside (or deck-mounted) launcher configuration that is designed to allow for easy integration on multiple surface ships as part of the ‘Distributed Lethality’ construct. The all-up-round configuration for this topside launcher – which incorporates a Mk 114 boost motor, is identical to the LRASM surface-launch missile previously flight tested.

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Lockheed Martin has conducted the first-ever launch of the LRASM surface-launch variant from a topside canister at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. (Lockheed Martin)

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