US Army News and updates general discussion

[Armchair]

The US Army has already twice canceled potential replacement efforts for the armed scout. In 2004, it terminated the Comanche program after spending $9 billion to produce two prototypes.
Four years later, it canceled the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter. And now the Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft helicopter.

Times and the way of warfare change, but every time totally cancel programs is such a waste of time, money and resources. Its better to put it on hold and adapt the design, to continue later.

I guess they reasoned that building aircraft and equipping and training troops with a system that could not safely deliver a required capability was an even bigger waste.
My guess in this case they are probably right to cancel (and pursue uncrewed alternatives) - their mistake was leaving it too late but I have no way of knowing when the uncrewed alternatives became viable.
I agree entirely with your broader point in relation to some of their other cancelled (armoured vehicle) programs.

 

[Volkodav]

I guess they reasoned that building aircraft and equipping and training troops with a system that could not safely deliver a required capability was an even bigger waste.
My guess in this case they are probably right to cancel (and pursue uncrewed alternatives) - their mistake was leaving it too late but I have no way of knowing when the uncrewed alternatives became viable.
I agree entirely with your broader point in relation to some of their other cancelled (armoured vehicle) programs.

Very true.

I think where rotary wing is concerned the attack/scout capability is definately being overtaken by events, as armoured, big gun ships were in navies post WWII, and horse cavalry were post WWI.

I don't think we are at the point of cancelling F-35, Redback, Boxer, Hunter and Ghostbat to buy hundreds of thousands of cheap drones, but there is definately a shift in survivability, capability and value for money.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

A Mississippi National Guard AH-64 Apache crashed in a wooded area during a training mission in Mississippi on Friday 23 February.
Both aircrew members did not survive.

Dua pilot Garda Nasional AS tewas setelah helikopter AH-64E yang diawakinya jatuh di Mississippi

NASIB nahas menimpa dua pilot Garda Nasional Mississippi (Mississippi National Guard) setelah helikopter AH-64E Apache Guardian yang

www.airspace-review.com

2 soldiers killed after Mississippi National Guard helicopter crashes in woods during training mission: officials

It’s unclear at this time how many were onboard the chopper, and “casualties are unconfirmed at this time,” the National Guard said.

nypost.com

 

[PetranPireotis]

US Navy & Army roro ship spotted at Piraeus last week

 

[FormerDirtDart]

US Navy & Army roro ship Military Sealift Command leased Special Warfare Support Vessel spotted at Piraeus last week

Fixed That For You (FTFY)

Oh, and also ...wrong thread

 

[Ranger25]

Gen Kurilla (CDR CENTCOM) has set counter drone warfare as a priority in congressional testamony this week and the funds were allocated in the new bill.

CENTCOM Boss Presses Lawmakers for Counter-Drone Funds That ‘Will Save Lives’

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) head Gen. Michael E. Kurilla urged lawmakers to approve counter-drone funding for the Middle East.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[Terran]

US Army scraps Extended Range Cannon Artillery prototype effort

The Army is changing directions in its effort to field a long-range cannon, scrapping its 58-caliber prototype in favor of considering available systems.

www.defensenews.com

So in summary, the Army found that the 58 cal gun wore out too fast.
BAE Demonstrated a refit of the M109A7 with an L52 a few years back which seems like a good Intermum solution however ERCA wasn’t just demonstrating a long gun but also an automatic loader and a few other goodies not found on the M109A7 but common on foreign equivalents.

*note I messed up the designation and corrected it.

 

[John Fedup]

Unfortunate outcome, I have to admit the tube length was a problem. I wonder how bad the barrel wear was relative to the existing length on the M107A7?

 

[Terran]

Unfortunate outcome, I have to admit the tube length was a problem. I wonder how bad the barrel wear was relative to the existing length on the M107A7?

Well remember the M109A7 is only a 39 cal 155mm. That’s a short barrel vs the modern standard 155mm 52 cal. Which is a good 8 foot shorter than the 58 of ERCA. Barrel life of a modern 155mm is stated around 1500 rounds of practice ammunition. So if the Army found the barrel wear excessive than it’s got to be below 1k rounds.

 

[Ranger25]

US Army selects Elbit Iron Fist system as the new APS for the M2 family. Initi fielding will be quick ( 1 year) and number only in the dozens of M2s to start but anticipation is to grow the fleets
Given the lessens learned fro UKraine this makes alot of sense

Army inks Iron Fist buy for Bradley fleet, after years of budget delays - Breaking Defense

“We were able to find some efficiencies [in the supplemental] that allowed us to buy small quantities of Iron Fist,” Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, the service’s Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems told Breaking Defense.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Big_Zucchini]

US Army selects Elbit Iron Fist system as the new APS for the M2 family. Initi fielding will be quick ( 1 year) and number only in the dozens of M2s to start but anticipation is to grow the fleets
Given the lessens learned fro UKraine this makes alot of sense

Army inks Iron Fist buy for Bradley fleet, after years of budget delays - Breaking Defense

“We were able to find some efficiencies [in the supplemental] that allowed us to buy small quantities of Iron Fist,” Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, the service’s Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems told Breaking Defense.

breakingdefense.com

If they go the turreted AMPV route some day, Elbit might get a turret contract as well:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772958059821683097

 

[Terran]

@Big_Zucchini BAE’s XM30 pitch may have resembled the AMPV but it wasn’t. They never even started building an hull. Farther it’s DOA it failed along with Oshkosh and Point blank to get the downselect which went to Team Lynx and GDLS.
GDLS in its pitch does use Iron fist APS.

 

[Big_Zucchini]

@Big_Zucchini BAE’s XM30 pitch may have resembled the AMPV but it wasn’t. They never even started building an hull. Farther it’s DOA it failed along with Oshkosh and Point blank to get the downselect which went to Team Lynx and GDLS.
GDLS in its pitch does use Iron fist APS.

BAE refer to this as a common integration platform / prototype, and cite variants based on this effort that are now in service, such as a mortar variant AMPV. So I infer this as an effort to substitute conventional Bradleys now, rather than the long term OMFV project.

 

[Terran]

Will have to wait and see what BAE is up to in AUSA, but Its not indicated by the U.S. Army on that. The the External Mission Equipment Package which is what they are showing off has been demonstrated for the NEMO 120mm mortar and the Moog C-UAS system with a XM914 30mm gun. This one might be an attempt at pushing a replacement for the AIFV, a derivative of the M113 with a 25mm gun in an IFV configuration that proved a much more successful export vehicle than the Bradley.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

The United States Army suffered the loss of two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters in three days, luckily without the loss of life.
Besides the two crashes described here, five other major mishaps were already reported in 2024.
So 2024 will be an expensive year for the US Army.

Two Apaches losses in three days

Two Apaches losses in three days The United States Army suffered the loss of two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters in three days, luckily without the loss of life! On Monday evening ...

www.scramble.nl