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The Seahawk in the Extended Battlespace

07/12/2020By Robbin Laird During my visit to the maritime patrol reconnaissance community during the week of June 14, 2020, I had a chance to meet with the leadership of the HSM Weapons School, Atlantic based at Mayport. According to the US Navy’s description of the HSM Weapons School, Atlantic: To counter small boat threats that began emerging in the early… Read more »

An Update on Japanese Air Power, July 2020

07/12/2020According to an article on the Japanese Ministry of Defence website: The JASDF detects and identifies aircraft approaching the Japanese airspace with assets such as warning and control radars, and airborne early warning and control aircraft. By such means, the JASDF ensures the security of Japan’s airspace. When there is the possibility that aircraft violates the territorial airspace of Japan,… Read more »

Inside the Capabilities of Textron’s ISR/Light-Attack AT-6E Wolverine

07/09/2020By Todd Miller As has been widely reported, the conclusion of the Light Attack Experiment (LAE) resulted in orders for only a couple each of Sierra Nevada/Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucanos and Textron Aviation Defense’s Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverines. However, the USAF decision to be the launch customer of the AT-6E — AT-6“E” is the formal USAF designation — is a significant… Read more »

Visiting the Seahawk Weapons School: Insights in the Way Ahead for the Fleet

07/08/2020By Robbin Laird Living Inside the Beltway, one would clearly miss how to understand how the Romeo helicopter, a variant of the Seahawk helicopter, in expanding the envelope of fleet defense, was itself part of how one might reconsider the way ahead for the fleet. The Romeo is the successor of the Bravo variant of the Seahawk. An Australian article… Read more »

The Standing Up of TOCRON-11: The Next Step in Building Out Kill Web Infrastructure

07/07/2020By Robbin Laird For some, the shift from using kill web instead of the kill chain is a variant of wordsmithing. But it is not. I have worked on fifth generation aircraft since the mid-2000s and certainly understood what an impact a data rich aircraft flying as a fleet would make with the coming of the F-35. I also understood… Read more »

The French Air Force Prepares for Bastille Day, 2020

07/07/2020By Babak Taghvaee Correspondent to the Greek publications PTISI & DIASTIMA Preparations for the Flypasts of Bastille Day Parade The French Ministry of Defense has planned to hold the flypasts of the Bastille Day Military Parade with 52 airplanes and 22 helicopters of French Air Force, Army Aviation and Navy Aviation, as well as the Gendarmerie Aviation and Civil Security… Read more »

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A Small Ship with a Big Impact: The Aussies Work the Integrated Distributed Force

04/23/2020The Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel is the first of the new build platforms. It provides the template with regard to the entire reset of how the Australians are seeking to build out their integrated distributed force. The contours of the new template are in place and can be identified and this report provides an… Download PDF Now »

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New NATO Facility to Support Baltic Defense

07/12/2020A new NATO infrastructure facility has just opened its doors at the Tapa Base in Estonia. The hub is able to receive and facilitate the onward movement of NATO forces,… Read more »

VUP-19 and the Coming of Triton to the Fleet

07/05/2020As I have argued earlier, the Triton is bringing a whole new layer to the kill web for fleet operations. Operating at high altitude, the Triton is delivering area wide… Read more »

July 4, 2020: Independence Day 2020

07/04/2020By Robbin Laird On July 2, 1776, the signers of the Declaration of Independence finished their work. The document was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776 and hence that… Read more »

Upgrading the Direct Defense of Europe: Rotating Older Navy Ships Out of Rota for Modern Aegis Destroyers

07/04/2020In our forthcoming book on The Return of Direct to Defense to Europe: Meeting the Challenge 21st Century Authoritarian Challenge, Murielle Delaporte highlighted that with regard to defense policy under… Read more »

France Withdraws from NATO Naval Mission: Turkish Alleged Actions as Cause

07/03/2020By Pierre Tran Paris – France has pulled out of a NATO naval mission in the Mediterranean in protest against a Turkish frigate allegedly switching on targeting radar on a… Read more »

The Challenge of Manning, Training, and Equipping Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces for the New Strategic Environment

07/02/2020By Robbin Laird Earlier this year on March 12, 2020, Capt. Matthew Pottenburgh became the 58th Commodore in charge of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Eleven. In an article by Lt.… Read more »

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MAG 24 Training

https://vimeo.com/422143901 07/10/2020Marine Aircraft Group 24 conducts a maximum readiness and integrated training mission, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, May 19, 2020. Utilizing three separate flying platforms,… Read more »

24th MEU Sustainment Training

https://vimeo.com/422144291 07/08/2020Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Sailors assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BATARG) execute various training evolutions May 13, 2020. The Bataan Amphibious Ready… Read more »