Modernization and Innovation at the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing: A Conversation with Major General Swan

05/07/2025 By Robbin Laird During my latest visit to 2nd Marine Wing, I had a chance to talk with Major General Swan, Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW), on 29 April 2025. He offered insights into how the wing is navigating modernization while maintaining readiness for global operations. With a focus on integrating new aircraft systems, enhancing… Read more »

Shaping a Way Ahead for the MV-22: A Modernization Path

05/06/2025 By Robbin Laird V-22 modernization efforts are essential to enable the Osprey to remain in service for the next thirty years. One important ongoing effort is the Nacelle Improvement Program. In an earlier interview with David Albin, the Nacelle Readiness Program Manager at Bell, we discussed the key aspects of the program. The focus of the engineering redesign effort is… Read more »

The Paradigm Shift in Maritime Operations: Expanding the Impact of Capabilities for Distributed Maritime Effects

05/04/2025 By Robbin Laird At the recent Navy League meetings held during the first week of April, I had a chance to talk with several companies and analysts about the evolution of maritime capabilities and what the U.S. and allies could do to ramp up the capabilities of the “fight tonight force.” While the Trump Administration has rightfully turned its attention… Read more »

Celebrating 15 Years of Publication: Highlighting the Release of The Emergence of the Multi-Polar Authoritarian World

05/03/2025 By Robbin Laird We have been publishing for several years. This is our 16th year of publication. We started as a single Franco-American website, and now we have three, two in the United States and one in France. A magazine which has been published for many years and is a leading specialized journal edited by our co-founder Murielle Delaporte. We… Read more »

The Paradigm Shift in Maritime Operations: What Potential Role for Future Tiltrotor Systems?

04/24/2025 By Robbin Laird In my forthcoming book on the paradigm shift in maritime operations, I focus on the importance of pairing distributed capital ship operations with the capabilities that air vehicles and autonomous systems can provide to deliver maritime effects in a contested environment. To achieve competitive overmatch in the air, performance characteristics like range, speed, and payload capacity is… Read more »

The Textron Aviation Defense Offering for the U.S. Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System

04/22/2025 By Robbin Laird At the recent Sea-Air-Space Conference held in National Harbor, Maryland, Textron Aviation Defense was featuring its offering for the Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System. The Navy seeks to replace the aging T-45 Goshawk — with the candidates being the multi-engine Textron Aviation Defense-Leonardo-M-346N, the single-engine Boeing-Saab T-7 and the single-engine Lockheed Martin-KAI T-50. I am familiar with… Read more »