Latest news with #MADIS
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marines sticking with JLTV after Army cancels future vehicle buys
The Marines are sticking with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, even as costs may rise following the Army's decision to halt the program. The joint program office for the Army and Marine Corps first picked Oshkosh Defense to build the JLTV in August 2015, and in 2023 awarded a follow-on contract to AM General, according to a Congressional Research Services report released Monday. 'The Marine Corps is fully committed to the JLTV program. It is our workhorse on the ground tactical vehicle fleet,' Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said in a House Appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing May 14. 'It's a little bit too early to assess the impact of the Army stopping their version of the program, but per-unit costs are clearly going to go up … when the orders go down.' The JLTV was originally intended to replace the Marine Corps' and Army's light tactical vehicle fleets, which consist mostly of Humvees. The initial low-rate production contract awarded to Oshkosh Defense was valued at $6.7 billion for the first 16,901 vehicles, according to the CRS report. A follow-on contract valued at another $8 billion awarded to AM General would have built another 30,000 JLTVs and 10,000 trailers for the vehicles. Smith anticipates the unit cost to rise because of the Army decision, and the Corps is 'still assessing the full impact of the Army's abrupt exit from the joint program.' 'That's going to negatively impact the Marine Corps' ability to fulfill its ground tactical vehicle mobility strategy, which has me concerned,' Smith said. The Marine Corps relies on the JLTV for its ROGUE-Fires and Marine Air Defense Integration System, or MADIS. The ROGUE-Fires system uses a remotely operated JLTV without a cab to fire the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System. The MADIS is a counter-drone weapon also mounted on the JLTV. 'At this time, AM General has [a] backlog for deliveries of vehicles through 2027 and AM General remains committed to meeting our contractual delivery requirements,' AM General said in a statement May 2 in response to the Army's decision to divest. 'As we work to understand the significance of the DoD's recent communications, we will continue to operate our HUMVEE and JLTV A2 assembly lines and our Aftermarket Fulfillment facility as normal to meet our contractual requirements and serve the Warfighter.' The vehicle, available in two- and four-seat versions, can be transported by various aircraft, including rotary wing, according to the CRS report. Instead of acquiring more JLTVs, the Army plans to fulfill some of its mobility requirements with the Infantry Squad Vehicle, a much smaller, scaled-down all-terrain vehicle. An Army Transformation Initiative memo published May 1 noted the service would divest the vehicle over time. So far, the service has acquired 20,000 vehicles. The Army began fielding the JLTV in 2019, the same year the Marine Corps began receiving its first vehicles. House Appropriations subcommittee member Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said she was 'dismayed' to learn the Army did not communicate its intentions to the Marine Corps before making the divestiture decision. 'That is beyond disappointing. Joint means joint. That's what the 'J' stands for. Joint decisions should be informed together as part of joint programs if they need to change,' McCollum said. Speaking to reporters in Tennessee on May 14, Army Vice Chief Gen. James Mingus said the Army purchased its last tranche of JLTVs in January, according to Breaking Defense. 'We will do no future procurement buys for the JLTV, for the Army, but the Marine Corps, [Foreign Military Sales] partners [can],' Mingus said. 'We think that we have enough, they [USMC and foreign customers] can continue to do that. But for us, inside of our armor and heavy and Stryker formations, we have enough JLTVs. We've bought enough already.'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
It's National Weather Observers Day!
(WHTM) — Weather forecasters have amazing tools at their disposal. Satellites observe changing weather patterns from orbit; powerful computers process raw information into usable data. But one of their most powerful tools is simple and relatively low-tech; networks of ordinary people across the United States and the world who take readings every day in their backyards, and pass them on to local, state, national, and even international weather services. Alan Brue, a student at the State University of New York, started Weather Observers Day on May 4, 1989, for weather enthusiasts, both amateur and professional, to share their passion for weather observation and prediction. July 27, 1866-The Transatlantic cable that worked People have been observing and recording their observations about the weather for centuries. But until the 1800s there was no fast and efficient way to share their observations with others. That all changed with the invention of the telegraph, and later the telephone. Suddenly it was possible to share weather information in (almost) real-time. By the time the National Weather Service was established as part of the Army Signal Corps in 1870, hundreds of people were already telegraphing weather information from stations across the country. January 25, 1915: First phone call across the continent When the National Weather Bureau became a civilian agency in 1890, the legislation also established the Cooperative Observer Program or COOP. COOP is the great-grandaddy of volunteer weather observation networks; The Weather Service calls it 'truly the Nation's weather and climate observing network of, by and for the people.' More than 8,700 volunteers take daily observations of temperature and precipitation and send their reports to NWS. (Just as the telephone replaced the telegraph farms, the internet is supplanting the telephone.)The readings come from everywhere – rural, urban, and suburban areas, the tops of mountains, and the shores of lakes and oceans. How does the National Weather Service categorize severe weather? COOP is by no means the only weather-observing network. There are local, state, national, and international organizations collecting, consolidating, and sharing data. There are too many to include in this article; here is a couple that bounced to the top in our internet searches: The Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) began with ham radio operators. Over 6500 private citizens broadcast their temperature, wind, relative humidity, and pressure observations, which feed into the NOAA MADIS system. and current data is available for free over the internet. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHs) were founded in 1998 as a result of a flood in Fort Collins, Colorado the year before. It went national in 2010 and is now international in scope. They concentrate on collecting information about precipitation. For more about COOPS, click here. For More about CWOP, click here. For more about CoCoRaHs, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Marines have air defense, but need a way to defeat drone swarms
Marines are fielding a host of options for knocking down airborne threats, from small drones to cruise missiles. Still, what they need is a way to handle potential drone swarms, service officials said. 'The big thing that really keeps me up at night is swarms,' Col. Andrew Konicki, head of ground-based air defense for Marine Corps Systems Command, said at the Modern Day Marine military exposition in Washington on Wednesday. Konicki set the scene with two anecdotes, one from the Ohio State University football game against the University of Maryland in 2023, which was delayed due to a drone over the field. The other was the 2020 Beijing Olympics drone demonstration in which a coordinated drone swarm presented a light show to millions of spectators. This Marine unit now has its own tool to blast drones out of the sky Both presented frightening prospects. The football game could have been a single drone dropping baby powder, which some might worry could be a biological threat, and the Olympics scenario raised questions about how a small Marine unit, or even a lone Marine, would counter hundreds or potentially thousands of drones targeting their position. On the small-drone level, the Marines have deployed 13 of 21 Light Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems, or L-MADIS, over the past three years. That tailored system was fielded to the 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion with the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in 2024. It handles group I and II drone threats. Recent fielding of the L-MADIS system with the Marine Expeditionary Units proved effective in maritime environment despite the system being built mainly as a ground-based air defense system, Konicki said. For larger threats, the MADIS, a more powerful version of its light brother, will see seven more systems deployed by September in addition to the 13 already in the inventory, Konicki said. 'The rapid rise of [unmanned aerial systems], used for surveillance, targeting and attacks, has made advanced air defense systems like MADIS critical to protecting our Marines and preserving our combat effectiveness,' Lt. Col. Craig Warner, future weapons systems product manager, said in December 2024. 'MADIS not only detects, tracks and defeats aerial threats but also serves as a powerful deterrent, signaling to adversaries that their aerial assets will not succeed against U.S. forces.' On the even larger end of the spectrum, the Corps expects to field its first platoon with the Medium Range Intercept Capability, or MRIC, an anti-cruise missile system that's proven 'highly effective' in operational testing, the colonel said. Over recent experimentation and operational testing, the Marines have identified key areas to improve. A top priority is defeating swarms, Konicki said. Quickly following are munition-agnostic launch systems, enhanced passive sensing, a dismounted sensing and defeat capability and training support both in virtual and live spaces, he said. The colonel would especially like to see passive sensing capability for the MRIC, he said.
Business Recorder
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Philippines, US test air defences as China seizes reef
PHILIPPINES: Missiles fired off the coast of the northern Philippines Sunday as US and Filipino forces conducted their first integrated defence drills, hours after China said it had seized control of a reef claimed by Manila. The Philippines and China have been engaged in months of confrontations over the South China Sea, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. As many as 17,000 personnel are participating in the annual 'Balikatan' exercises, which this year will simulate a 'full-scale battle scenario' as the treaty allies seek to deter China's ambitions in the disputed waterway. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday reported that the country's coast guard had 'implemented maritime control' over Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, this month. The tiny sandbank, part of the Spratly Islands, lies near Thitu Island, also called Pag-asa and site of a Philippine military facility. The Philippine government has yet to formally respond to the claim. In coastal Zambales province, hours north of the capital Manila, AFP journalists watched Sunday as the US Marine Corp's new MADIS short-range air defence system knocked a pair of drones from the sky. The coastal defence exercise saw MADIS work in concert with the Philippines' SPYDER missile system, defending it from drone attack as it targeted simulated incoming cruise missiles. 'MADIS is short-range. SPYDER is more of a medium-range capability (and they) both engaged different threats,' said Matthew Sladek, commander of the US 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion. 'The more we work together, that only ... enhances our collective lethality.' Chinese warships have been spotted in waters near the Philippines since the Balikatan exercises kicked off last week.
Asahi Shimbun
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
U.S. forces deploy anti-ship missiles in Philippines and stage live-fire drills near China hotspots
A U.S. Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, fires at a drone during a live-fire joint Philippines-U.S. military exercise at the Philippine Navy training camp in San Antonio, Zambales province, northern Philippines, on April 27. (AP Photo) BATAN ISLAND, Philippines--The U.S. military has deployed an anti-ship missile launcher for the first time on Batan Island in the Philippines, as Marines unloaded the high-precision weapon on the northern tip of the archipelago, just a sea border away from Taiwan. U.S. and Philippine forces separately unleashed a barrage of missile and artillery fire that shot down several drones acting as hostile aircraft in live-fire drills on Sunday in Zambales province facing the disputed South China Sea. The mock battle scenarios over the weekend in the annual Balikatan exercises between the U.S. and its oldest treaty ally in Asia, the Philippines, not only simulated real-life war. They were also staged near major geopolitical hotspots, which have become delicate frontlines in the regional rivalry between China and the U.S. under former President Joe Biden and now Donald Trump. About 9,000 American and 5,000 Filipino military personnel took part in the combat maneuvers. At least 260 Australian personnel also joined, with smaller observer delegations from Japan and other countries. China has fiercely opposed the combat drills as provocative. Its aircraft carrier group sailed by a few days earlier near Batanes, where the U.S. military had deployed the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Saturday on Batan near the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan, a critical trade and military route that the U.S. and Chinese militaries have tried to gain strategic control of. "The introduction of NMESIS into the first island chain for sea denial, sea control is another step in our force design journey,' U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm told a small group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, who were invited to witness the transport of the missile system aboard a C-130 Air Force aircraft to Batanes. 'We're not here practicing a war plan,' said Cederholm. 'We're practicing for the defense of the Philippines.' The U.S. and the Philippines have denied the annual combat maneuvers — which both said would focus on a 'full-scale battle scenario' this year — were aimed at China or any adversary. The lines between what's mock and real, however, have been at times murky. Asked if U.S. forces would pull out the anti-ship missile system from Batanes after the combat drills, Cederholm did not reply clearly. 'We don't broadcast when we're going in, when we're coming out and how long things are going to stay,' Cederholm said. 'All I'll say is we're here at the invitation and with the support of the Philippine government.' "But I'm glad it's here,' he said. Additionally, China had repeatedly expressed its strong opposition to the U.S. Army deployment last year of a mid-range missile system in the Philippines for joint exercises. The U.S. Army launcher with at least 16 Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles was repositioned in January from an international airport in northern Laoag city to a northwestern coastal area facing the Scarborough Shoal, where China's forces have used water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Philippine coast guard and fishery ships and fired flares near Manila's patrol planes, a Philippine official then told The AP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authority to discuss the delicate issue publicly. Tomahawk missiles can travel over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which places China within their target range. During the combat exercises from April 21 to May 9, American and Filipino forces will also practice jointly defending Philippine islands by repelling hostile forces attempting to assault from the sea in the western Philippine province of Palawan, which faces the South China Sea, and in northern Cagayan province near Batanes. Philippine Brig. Gen. Michael Logico said the combat exercises were crucial to strengthening deterrence against aggression in the Bashi Channel. "A peaceful region can only be maintained through a proper balance of strength between opposing forces until such time that … both countries decide that it's not going to be worth it to fight over this area,' Logico said. Early this month, the Chinese military staged largescale drills in the waters around Taiwan and renewed a warning to the self-ruled democracy not to seek independence. Chinese navy, air, ground and rocket forces staged the drills. The Philippines used to host two of the largest U.S. Navy and Air Force bases outside the American mainland. The bases were shut down in the early 1990s after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension, but American forces returned for large-scale combat exercises with Filipino troops under a 1999 agreement. Cederholm cited the tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel, along with Filipino scouts, buried in the vast American cemetery in Manila as proof of Washington's commitment to help defend the Philippines beyond the U.S. bases era in the Philippines. "We take our treaty obligations very seriously,' Cederholm said.
