UAE, Saudis Team On Armored Vehicles For Kingdom; Precedent Setting Deal

UAE, Saudis Team On Armored Vehicles For Kingdom; Precedent Setting Deal
UAE, Saudis Team On Armored Vehicles For Kingdom; Precedent Setting Deal

“This is a very important step that demonstrates a precedent,” Khaled Al Zaabi, chief commercial officer at Nimr, told me. “We’ve never had such industrial military collaboration (in the region) so this definitely cements us as a major global player.”

The EMP-Proof Truck: AM General Doubles Down On Humvee

The EMP-Proof Truck: AM General Doubles Down On Humvee
The EMP-Proof Truck: AM General Doubles Down On Humvee

SOUTH BEND, IND.: The US military replaced its Humvees in Afghanistan and Iraq, with heavier, better armored vehicles because of the threat from roadside bombs. But that approach may not work In a high-tech conflict, argues manufacturer AM General. You might want to go back to the Humvee. Why? Because it’s simpler. There are no…

America’s Air Superiority Crisis

America’s Air Superiority Crisis
America’s Air Superiority Crisis

  The Air Force already has a big hole in its capabilities for the future: it needs what it is calling Penetrating Counter Air, a very fast, long-range, sensor-loaded and furiously lethal aircraft. But that effort is designed to fill a need in 2030. Dave Deptula, head of the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute and…

JLTV RFP Out; Race To Final Pick

JLTV RFP Out; Race To Final Pick
JLTV RFP Out; Race To Final Pick

The race to replace the iconic Humvee has entered its final stretch. Today, the Army gave competing contractors AM General, Oshkosh, and Lockheed Martin the final Request For Proposal for production of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The competitors have until February 5 to ask the government questions and must submit their proposals by Feb.…

Army Materiel Command Gears Up For Drawdown; Base Contracts In Play

WASHINGTON: As the wars draw down and budgets shrink, the massive Army Materiel Command — 70,000 military and civilian personnel at arsenals, depots, and other facilities in all 50 states — is shifting gears and taking on new missions. Some longstanding efforts are winding down, explained Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, AMC’s new deputy commander, at…

Army Starts Final Tests On Latest Network Tech For Afghanistan

The Army’s new, streamlined approach to improving its battlefield networks took a big step forward this week when five MRAP armored trucks with the latest digital communications gear shipped out to be tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Testing at Aberdeen is the last major hurdle before fielding what’s called “Capability Set 13” to…

Oshkosh, Lockheed, AMGen Win $190M Deal For Army JLTV

[updated 4:00 pm with AM General comment] The Army and Marines took a big step towards replacing their vulnerable Humvees and lumbering MRAPs yesterday evening when they awarded contracts to defense giant Lockheed Martin, truck maker Oshkosh, and Humvee manufacturer AM General to develop alternatives for a new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The military…

Chiarelli Argues JLTV Key To Army, Marines ‘Offensive Spirit’

After years of ups and downs and threats of cancellation, the Army and Marines are about to award contracts to develop a new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to replace the venerable and vulnerable Humvee. In an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense, retired Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli — the man who did…

Army Strips Down Expectations — And Battle Network — For Faster Fielding

PENTAGON: The Army showed off an impressive array of battlefield wi-fi gadgetry today in the Pentagon courtyard, exhibiting new-found realism about what gadgets it might not need. Consider the hardware to connect the individual foot soldier to the brigade-wide command network, which has been stripped down from a 14-pound prototype to a militarized smartphone plugged…

Army Mulls $1.7 Billion Effort To Replace 3,000 M113s

WASHINGTON: On the margins of the $550-plus billion defense budget, the Army and the defense industry are quietly working on a program that could potentially replace 3,000 geriatric armored vehicles. So far, in this year’s budget, Congress is going along, but the real money — and the real battle — loom in the years to…

Oshkosh Gets Heavy On New Combat Tow Truck

Washington: The fleet of up-armored, bomb-resistant vehicles DoD flooded onto the battlefield in recent years has saved the lives of untold numbers of American soldiers. Trucks like the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle and the up-armored Humvee have given U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan a significant edge. But getting these massive trucks off the…

Army Could Kill GCV If Costs Double

Washington: The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle is not out of the woods yet, and could still be scrapped for a more affordable option if costs get out of control, the service’s top program official said today. If program costs exceed the $10.5 million price tag per vehicle the Army is expecting for the GCV, then…

DoD Wrestles With Drawdown Changes In Iraq

Washington: Iraqi hand wringing on whether to keep American troops in country could force U.S. military commanders to take on the difficult task of readjusting the massive wave of men and materiel currently flowing out of Iraq. American forces have already “stepped over” nearly 60 percent of DOD weapons and equipment to Iraqi security forces,…

Carter Approves Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle

The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle program may be running aground before it can even sign a development contract. And that’s a tragedy. A decade of casualties from improvised roadside bombs – simple weapons easily replicated by any future enemy – has shown that what the U.S. military needs most is the very thing the Ground…