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Subject: LAND 17 gets weird
Aussie Diggermark 2    7/21/2008 9:29:32 AM
WASHINGTON --- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia of M777A2 155mm Light-Weight Howitzers as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $248 million. The Government of Australia has requested a possible sale of 57 M777A2 155mm Light-Weight Howitzers, 57 AN/VRC-91F Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS), integration, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, maintenance, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $248 million. Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region. Australia’s efforts in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Iraq and in Afghanistan have had a significant impact on regional political and economic stability and have served U.S. national security interests. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives and facilitates burden-sharing with our allies. This proposed sale would greatly contribute to Australia’s military capability by making it a more sustainable coalition force to support the Global War on Terror. Australia will use these new M777A2 155mm Howitzers to protect its deployed troops, and give them the ability to operate in hazardous conditions. Australia currently operates the 100mm [actually 105mm—Ed.] Hamel Howitzer and the 155mm M198 Howitzer and will have no difficulty absorbing these howitzers into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not affect the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractors will be: BAE Land Systems in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and ITT in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. The proposed sale requires engineering technical support for approximately two U.S. government representatives and five contractor representatives for one year. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law; it does not mean that the sale has been concluded. -ends- Courtesy: ww*.dsca.mil 57x? That number was never mentioned in ANY of the LAND 17 RFT documents... I'm wondering whether the SPG is now a goner if so many M777A2's are getting ordered, or if Government is actually getting serious about replacing Army's artillery capability with a reasonable number of pieces? I'm betting on the former, but one never knows...
 
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Enterpriser    Oh Dear.....   7/21/2008 11:08:07 AM

A cold shiver just went down my spine. . . .

 
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Kevin Pork       7/21/2008 7:49:18 PM
Its better than I expected from this Govt, I was expecting 20 or so megaphones and the order to shout "bang" loudly.
 
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hairy man       7/21/2008 8:20:37 PM
57.    How would they come to that figure?    Obviously some will be in reserve, but how many groups of how many guns will we have in use?
 
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hairy man       7/21/2008 8:26:17 PM
Batteries, not groups.
 
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Volkodav       7/22/2008 6:12:27 AM
Are we currently running 6 or 8 guns per battery?
 
Doing the maths and working on the assumption that we need to provide 1 battery for each of our soon to be 7 regular battalions with 6 guns per battery we need 42 guns plus and over head for training, trials and reserve.
 
On the other hand if we have 8 guns per battery we would need 56 for our planned infantry force which would leave nothing for the required training, trials and reserve overhead. 
 
This may suggest that the plan is for 5 batteries with 8 guns, 40 guns, to support our light infantry and motor infantry battalions as well as the over head with the SPG buy going ahead or possibly being delayed to coincide with Land 400, providing the opportunity to buy Donar instead of PzH2000 or K9.
 
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Aussiegunneragain       7/22/2008 8:31:00 AM
If the source can't get the calibre of our current guns right then I'm going to take it at a grain of salt on the 57 gun figure.
 
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Volkodav       7/22/2008 9:00:08 AM

If the source can't get the calibre of our current guns right then I'm going to take it at a grain of salt on the 57 gun figure.


The request was made to congress and was reported in Janes Defence Weekly and Defence Iindustry DAily aswell as AD's source.  The request included options so 57 is the total we may buy not a firm figure of what we will order.
 
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Aussiegunneragain       7/22/2008 9:23:51 AM



If the source can't get the calibre of our current guns right then I'm going to take it at a grain of salt on the 57 gun figure.



The request was made to congress and was reported in Janes Defence Weekly and Defence Iindustry DAily aswell as AD's source.  The request included options so 57 is the total we may buy not a firm figure of what we will order.
Fair enough.

 
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Enterpriser       7/22/2008 9:50:21 AM







If the source can't get the calibre of our current guns right then I'm going to take it at a grain of salt on the 57 gun figure.








The request was made to congress and was reported in Janes Defence Weekly and Defence Iindustry DAily aswell as AD's source.  The request included options so 57 is the total we may buy not a firm figure of what we will order.


Fair enough.





I know what you mean though..... 100mm?
 
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Aussiegunneragain    DA   7/22/2008 10:30:58 AM





If the source can't get the calibre of our current guns right then I'm going to take it at a grain of salt on the 57 gun figure.









The request was made to congress and was reported in Janes Defence Weekly and Defence Iindustry DAily aswell as AD's source.  The request included options so 57 is the total we may buy not a firm figure of what we will order.




Fair enough.


I know what you mean though..... 100mm?

Yeah, I reckon they must think we are operating French navel guns.
 
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