The Idea of China

10/31/2024 By Pierre Tran Paris - The title of a new book - The Idea of China: Chinese Thinkers on Power, Progress, and People (European Council on Foreign Relations) - carries a sense of what drives Beijing when its leaders look at the world and consider how it works. It may be a bit of a stretch but there is something of opening… Read more »

The Way Ahead with FLRAA: Insights from AUSA 2024

10/23/2024 By Robbin Laird The panel on the future of vertical lift and interviews conducted by the press during the recent AUSA conference provided further insights regarding the FLRAA program and the way ahead. The conference was held from the 14-16 October in Washington D.C. Let us address first the schedule indicated by these sources plus information associated with achieving Milestone… Read more »

The U.S. Army Approach to its New Tiltrotor Aircraft

10/20/2024 By Robbin Laird FLRAA is coming at the dawn of the age of autonomous systems. It is being crafted as a manned program to operate in the con-ops of formations that will operate in the world of combined arms operations of manned systems working with autonomous ones. The Army approach encompasses the following considerations: Focus on the Platform; focus on… Read more »

Launching a New Manned Air System at the Dawn of an Age of Autonomous Systems: The U.S. Army Approach to its New Tiltrotor Aircraft

10/18/2024 By Robbin Laird The Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) or the Army’s new tiltrotor aircraft is being designed to operate in a new world of combat, namely one in which autonomous systems will become significant players. I would argue indeed that when introducing new manned systems now and in the future, it is increasingly important to do so with consideration… Read more »

Transforming the Ready Force is the Future Force

10/16/2024 By Robbin Laird I have returned from Australia and the latest Sir Richard Willians seminar. In that seminar, we dealt with the challenge of how to enhance the ready force while investing in the future force. The modernization of the ADF is a case study in the clash between force design for an envisaged future force and the need to… Read more »

A Typhoon Reminder: Send in the Ospreys

10/15/2024 By Robbin Laird The Marines assisted in relief efforts in the Philippines after a Typhoon hit that country. And as has been done in the past, the dynamic duo of the KC-130J and the Osprey provided the means to do so. As Capt Mark McDonough noted in a 14 October 2024 story: MANILA, Philippines -- U.S. Marines across multiple forward-deployed… Read more »