The Forested Vales of Afghanistan

Just to clear up some confusion with some readers of yesterday's camo post ("forested vales of eastern Afghanistan.-- lost ma (sic) right here.."). OK, so, maybe the word "vales" wasn't technically right since Afghanistan might not have limestone cliffs. But according to the definition online: "a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river"...and forested? Well, I've seen several in my travels there. I don't do this that often, but I just thought I had to use my bully pulpit this time to answer my detractors. Let the picture do the talking... (Photo cutline: Soldiers navigate across a creek during a dismounted patrol in the Nerkh Valley, Afghanistan, June 4, 2009.) -- Christian...

USAF Buys More JASSM-ERs for Flight-tests

This article first appeared in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $23 million contract for 12 extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM-ERs) despite ongoing questions about the reliability of the baseline model. The contract includes the purchase of 12 JASSM-ERs, stealthy cruise missiles which are designed to travel up to 500 nautical miles to strike a ground target. Six will be used in developmental flight-tests and the remaining six are slated for operational testing, says Alan Jackson, JASSM program director for developer Lockheed Martin. Meanwhile, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin are preparing for Lot 6 acceptance flight-tests; this will demonstrate the capability of the baseline JASSM, which is designed for a 200 nautical mile range. The tests are likely to take place in August. "If the next round of missiles do not perform well, then it will not be positive for the program," David Van Buren, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force, told reporters during a roundtable May 15. Problems with missile reliability in previous lot acceptance tests have cast a pall over the program. Four of 10 missiles tested from Lot 5 in February failed to hit their targets. However,...

Congress Orders Army to Field MultiCam (maybe)

We're running a story this afternoon on Military.com that talks about language inserted into the late 2009 war supplemental bill by Jack Murtha calling on the Army to study whether the current "ArPat" digital all-in-one camo pattern is the best option for troops in Afghanistan. According our reporter Bryan Mitchell, Murtha was jaw boning with some Ranger types who complained about how the ArpPat camo stood out like a sore thumb in the craggy hills and forested vales of eastern Afghanistan. The move in Congress was prompted by Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), Chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, who said he was first made aware of the issue during a visit with a group of noncommissioned officer Rangers serving at Fort Benning, Ga. Murtha queried Army leaders and learned the concern was not reserved to a handful of Georgia troops. Similar sentiments had been voiced throughout units with experience serving in Afghanistan. "The reason is that the current uniform has been primarily designed for a desert combat, like in Iraq, and obviously the terrain is much different in Afghanistan," Murtha said in an e-mail to Military.com. "I spoke to both General Casey and General Petraeus about the issue. They...

Japan Considering THAAD Missile Defense

This article first appeared in AviationWeek.com. Japan is considering adding the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system as a third layer to its ballistic-missile defenses, according to an official leak evidently prompted by North Korea's July 4 tests of R-17 and Rodong rockets. Three or four installations of the Lockheed Martin THAAD system could cover all of Japan, says the Mainichi newspaper in an unattributed report presumed to be based on government-leaked information. THAAD's range is secret, but the Mainichi's sources say it can reach "more than 100 kilometers (60 miles)," compared with about 20 km for the Lockheed Martin PAC-3 system that Japan currently uses as the second of its two defense layers. The first is based on Raytheon SM-3 missiles loaded on four Kongou-class destroyers fitted with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system promulgated in the U.S. Navy. North Korea tried a longer-ranged version of the old Soviet-era R-17 (Scud) missile on July 4, according to a South Korean report. The so-called Scud ER has a range of 1,000 km, enough to reach much of Japan, says the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, also close to government officials. That range is notably longer than the 750-800 km previously...

OPTEMPO

An apology and explanation to Defense Tech readers... For the last 48 hours, we have been experiencing a network breakdown due to a major electrical fire in downtown San Francisco where our servers are based. The fiber optic line was severed and therefore we were unable to post and edit content for Defense Tech or Military.com. This shutdown unfortunately coincided with the July 4th holiday so the gruel has been relatively thin around these parts. And for that, I sincerely apologize. We're back up to 100 percent and we'll be posting compelling content at our normal -- if not enhanced -- rate. I hope you understand that sometimes these contingencies pop up and you'll bear with us as we spool back up. Thanks, -- Christian...

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