Robbin Laird, Author at Second Line of Defense

The European Intervention Initiative Conference: An Update on European Defense Cooperation

Posted on June 22, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

06/22/2021

By Pierre Tran

Paris – The French air and space force should not have to wait for a future combat air system to gain access to a highly capable command and control network, a senior French air force officer said June 22.

“We cannot wait for SCAF/NGWS.

“We need to start earlier with the current platforms that we have,” Lt. Gen. Frédéric Parisot of the French air and space force told the first air and space power conference held by the European Intervention Initiative.

Murielle Delaporte, editor of specialist magazine Opérationnels, was moderator for the panel.

Système de Combat Aérien Futur is the French term for Future Combat Air System, in which there is Next Generation Weapon System, comprising a next-generation fighter and remote carrier drones.

“We are close to conclusion” on NGWS, he said. “We hope all the governments will go for it.”

There have been close negotiations between government and industry on the budget for phase 1B for development on the NGWS, with demonstrators of a fighter jet and remote carriers to fly in 2017.

Parisot pointed up the need for strong European cooperation in operations and industry.

There should be a European capability for collaborative air combat, linking up sensors and manned and unmanned aircraft on the same network, he said.

The European air forces and industry needed to work on common standards and open architecture for connectivity in a multi-domain network.

“It is essential for us. It is a sovereignty issue for Europe,” he said.

The next L16 should not be considered standard issue for the European forces.

European cooperation was needed as the development cost of NGWS was so high, a nation could not afford the program on its own, he said.

There was need for “combat mass,” with a sufficient number of aircraft and remote carriers.

There was backing from the European Defense Fund on a collaborative air combat program that would allow the “FCAS world” to fly one day with the “Tempest world,” he said.

France, Germany and Spain are partners on FCAS, while the UK, Italy and Sweden are cooperating on the Tempest fighter project, led by London.

The Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter jet will be operational to “2065-ish,” Parisot said.

“Rafale will continue to evolve,” he said.

An F4 version is in the pipeline, and there is thought on an F5, which will carry the ASN4G weapon, a planned hypersonic fourth-generation nuclear missile.

There will be F6 and F7 versions of the Rafale, which will be a “workhorse,” he said.

There were French plans for a major program for a future medium tactical cargo plane to replace the C-130, which would draw on development of the A400M, he said, inviting conference attendees to see him if they were interested.

Parisot concluded by calling for the 13 air forces in the European Intervention Initiative to consider which projects might be of interest and sign up as partner.

Dirk Hoke, chief executive of Airbus Defense and Space, said he hoped the German parliament would approve the budget for FCAS tomorrow.

A green light from the Bundestag finance committee would allow industry to start development work on the FCAS technology demonstrator.

European sovereignty underpinned government backing for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which set the pathway to the more ambitious and more complicated FCAS project, he said.

There were major changes in design and development on FCAS, with the industrial partners using software tools to allow technology change to be integrated, he said, the first time that approach would be used in a military program.

FCAS would draw on tools such as Edge computing and artificial intelligence, allowing a military program to close the gap with civil aviation, he said.

Threats were evolving in complexity, calling for “technology hungry” solutions, which were more complex, said Eric Beranger, chief executive of missile maker MBDA.

That meant greater need for cooperation, as a single nation found it hard to meet the requirements.

Cooperative programs called for partner nations to discuss and arrive at joint specifications, while industry needed “visibility over the long run,” as companies needed to invest in new domains. Governance of programs was vital, setting rules for who was responsible for what, with clear decision-making.

“Intense dialog” was needed to deliver a convergence of positions, he said.

In the pro-European tenor of the conference, there was also a proud bearer of the French flag.

“We are French,” said Eric Trappier, executive chairman of Dassault Aviation.

“We feel French and we are following the interest of France. We are proud to be French.”

That patriotic sentiment had not prevented Dassault from cooperating with the German Dornier company to build the Alpha jet training aircraft and Dassault leading partners from six nations – including France- on the Neuron demonstrator for a stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle, he said.

Foreign orders account for some 90 percent of Dassault sales, with 10 percent from the French defense ministry.

On cooperative programs, Trappier called for a clear operational requirement, which should not change after five months or five years, as that would mean complexity. Upgrades could be made step by step.

States, not the European Union, should cooperate, he said.

There should be a single program director answering to three partner nations, rather than three program directors, and there should be a “best athlete” approach on FCAS, with a prime contractor leading a specific activity or “pillar.”

On that basis, there will be a prime contractor for the new engine, and Dassault will be overall architect and take lead on the new fighter jet.

Simulation was important for future technology, to see what the threats and response could be, he said, but there was need for demonstrators, flight tests and test centers.

China and Russia were building fighters without cooperation, and while the U.S. was an ally and not a threat, it was developing weapons for its own use, he said.

“Cooperation is a contract,” he said. Europe needed to organize cooperation to be efficient and deliver the right performance.

The European Defense Fund was a “huge opportunity” to foster competitiveness in the defense industrial base, boosting “strategic autonomy and our freedom,” said Thierry Carlier, international director at the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office.

There would be support for small and medium companies, mid caps, and the supply chain.

The EDF could also support new forms of cooperation and increase interoperability, he said. Industrial partners stood to be benefit not just governments.

On arms exports, there was a sovereignty issue as each European nation had its own rules, he said, and there was need to find an agreement in cooperative programs.

France has an overarching agreement with Germany and was willing to extend that to other partners, he said. France also has an export deal with the UK through its agreement on MBDA.

The European Intervention Initiative (EI2) conference was being held June 22 and 23 at Le Bourget national air and space museum, just outside the capital.

The conference was backed by the armed forces ministry, its general directorate for international relations and strategy, Gifas aerospace industry association, Airbus, Dassault, MBDA, Safran, Thales, and Ariane group.

Editor’s Note:The video below highlights panel 2 from the European Intervention Initiative – Conference held on June 22 and 23 2021.

According to the conference website:

“The French Air & Space force together with the other 12 European Intervention Initiative (EI2) partner Air forces hold the first edition of the EI2 Air & Space Power Conference on 22 and 23 June 2021, from 09:00 to 17:00, at the National Air and Space Museum of France in Paris – Le Bourget.

“Addressing « European air power – control of strategic and operational tempos », this first edition is oganized around 8 round tables.

“They put into perspective several challenges air powers have to face due to the multiplicity of tempos.

“Opened by general Philippe Lavigne, French Air & Space force chief of staff, and closed by Madam Florence Parly, French minister for the armed forces, the conference bring together chiefs of staff and high authorities of defense ministries, grand industry leaders, distinguished academics with the objective of promoting European strategic culture with respect to air & space power.

“It is a broadcast live conference on the French Air & Space force YouTube channel on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 June 2021 starting at 09:00.”

This panel was moderated by Murielle Delaporte, editor of OPERATIONNELS. It was distinguished panel which included Lt. General Parisot, Dirk Hoke, Eric Beranger, Eric Trappier, and Thierry Carlier.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL FREDERIC PARISOT

Currently Vice Chief of the French Air and Space Force since last March Before then (like most high level military officers), he had multiple careers (/lives) as:

As a pilot: commanded the 1/5 Vendée Fighter Squadron at Orange AFB in 2001
As a Graduate: from the Joint War College (CID), Higher Military Studies Center (CHEM) and Institute for Higher National Studies (IHEDN)
As a fighter: 3,000 flight hours and 81 war missions
As a Coalition player: First exchange and liaison officer within the Pentagon [working in the USAF Chief of staff’s Strategic Studies Group (2008)]
As a military planner:
2018: Deputy Chief of the Chief of staff of the FASF and in charge of preparing the future

DIRK HOKE

Currently Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence and Space since 2016

Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Brunswick in Germany
Started his professional career as R&D Engineer for process and software analysis in the automotive industry at Renault in Paris
1996: joins Siemens
2011: became the Division CEO of Industrial Solutions, including the digital platform business
Indeed his career spans more than 25 years and 5 continents in different industries, but with a recurring focus i.e. digitalization.

ERIC BERANGER

Currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MBDA since 2019

A graduate engineer from the École Polytechnique and Telecom Paris
Since starting his career in 1988, he has held management positions in engineering, operations and finance at France Telecom, Société Générale, and Matra Marconi Space
2003: created Astrium Services
2012: became CEO of Astrium Satellites
Prior to joining MBDA, Éric Beranger was the Chief Executive Officer of OneWeb.

ERIC TRAPPIER

Currently Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation since 2013

Served in the Navy during his conscription and graduated from the National Institute of Telecommunications (Telecom Sud Paris).
1984: started his career at Dassault.
2001: Director of military exports
2006: International general director

THIERRY CARLIER

Currently Director of the International Directorate of the DGA, French procurement Agency since 2018

Graduated as an aeronautic and space engineer from “Centrale” in 1990
Served in the Navy during his conscription ; then joined DGA
2000: head of procurement policy office of DGA
2013: Deputy Director for bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and for European development
2014: Deputy Director for international, strategic and technological affairs at PM’s General Secretary for Defense and Security

Tracking Chinese Engagement with Western Universities

Posted on June 22, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

By Audrey Fritz

When the University College Cork in Ireland withdrew from a partnership with Minzu University of China (MUC) in 2021, speculation cited concerns linking MUC with human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. This included the arrest of a Uyghur professor at MUC who was accused of separatism and escalating ethnic tensions.

The speculation, however, failed to unveil MUC’s direct involvement in developing technologies used to oppress ethnic minorities in China.

MUC and Xinjiang University are two universities under the ‘double first-class university plan’ which is intended to provide 42 elite Chinese universities with resources to become ‘world-class’ universities. Both are working on speech– and facial-recognitiontechnologies used to target ethnic minorities.

These two universities host joint research institutes with iFlytek, a Chinese company sanctioned in October 2019 after being implicated in human rights violations against Uyghurs, and faculty members have worked on projects commissioned by the company.

Xinjiang University and iFlytek jointly run a speech and language research laboratory, through which iFlytek leverages the university’s Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Arabic language expertise contributing to China’s ‘speech and language information industry’.

The lab’s research could enhance iFlytek’s speech-recognition technology, such as its ‘voiceprint’ system that can compare a recording from a phone or app against a database of tens of millions of voices.

The face- and speech-recognition technologies developed by these universities are powered by artificial intelligence, a high priority technology under China’s military–civil fusion (MCF) strategy. Through MCF, China seeks to leverage the research and development capabilities of universities to advance both the country’s domestic economy and national defence apparatus.

The double first-class universities plan works to integrate universities into this MCF research and development pipeline where they’re expected to serve as an integral source of science and technology innovation, bolstering research outcomes in the military and civilian sectors.

The plan evolved from previous initiatives, including the 211 project and the more selective 985 project, established in 1995 and 1998. All 39 of the universities in the 985 project were selected as double first-class universities, indicating that they’ve been cultivated for this type of work for more than two decades.

A new update to ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre’s China Defence Universities Tracke r, built by then ASPI analyst Alex Joske in 2019, has added 15 new universities. They include 11 of the remaining 42 double first-class universities not originally covered in the tracker, in addition to Guangdong University of Technology, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian Maritime University and Southern University of Science and Technology. As well as the addition of new universities, we have also updated existing university entries on the tracker.

China’s top universities, especially those under the double first-class plan, are intended to excel in scientific research to enable the two-way transformation of military and civilian science and technology. Several have established transfer centres that facilitate the development of technology for MCF.

Guangdong University of Technology, for example, jointly founded the Guangdong National Defence Science and Technology Application Promotion Centre, which produces equipment including military robots, automatic anti-aircraft missiles and other missile defence systems. Because universities are positioned to collaborate on research, these technology transfer centres can apply research outcomes from international cooperation to their own R&D.

Southern University of Science and Technology leverages its overseas cooperation to improve research outcomes for its technology transfer centre. The centre explicitly seeks to collaborate with overseas research institutes including California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich and the National University of Singapore, among others.

Zhengzhou University, one of the 11 double first-class universities identified above, has integrated very effectively into the MCF system. It has close ties with the Information Engineering University, which is affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army and known to carry out offensive cyber operations.

The two universities signed an MCF cooperation agreement in the field of cybersecurity and informatisation in 2018 with plans to establish a joint cybersecurity centre.

Zhengzhou University also hosts the National Supercomputer (Zhengzhou) Centre which, in April, was added to the list of entities considered to be conducting activities ‘contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States’ because of its work on ‘supercomputers used by China’s military actors, its destabilizing military modernization efforts, and/or weapons of mass destruction programs’.

The updated tracker now includes entries on nearly 100 civilian universities, 50 PLA institutions, China’s nuclear weapons program, three Ministry of State Security institutions, four Ministry of Public Security universities and 12 state-owned defence industry conglomerates.

As these universities continue to accelerate their integration into China’s MCF system, it will be important to continue to monitor their activities and contributions. It’s equally important for governments, universities and private companies around the world to equip themselves with the knowledge and tools to inform their collaboration with, and funding of, Chinese research institutions.

The tracker (and accompanying report)—which has become ASPI’s second-most-visited research product of all time—has attracted a global audience with enormous traffic from the US and China, followed by Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, France, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Russia and India. With this audience, the tracker aims to build understanding of the implications of the expansion of China’s military–civil fusion.

The tracker continues to be a free, public tool to help universities, governments and the business community conduct better due diligence as they navigate their engagement and collaboration with entities from China.

Audrey Fritz is a researcher at ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre. .

This article was published by ASPI on May 19, 2021.

Featured Image: AFP/Getty Images

French, German and Spanish Air Chiefs Received FCAS Industry Briefings

Posted on June 21, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

06/21/2021

By Pierre Tran

Paris – The French, German and Spanish air chiefs were briefed June 17 and 18 by three companies leading the industrial effort on a European Future Combat Air System, the three nations said in a joint statement.

The official visits were made just days before German parliamentarians were due June 23 to decide on authorization of a €3.5 billion budget for phase 1B development work on the three nation FCAS project.

French general Philippe Lavigne, German lieutenant-general Ingo Gerhartz, and German general Javier Salto Martinez-Avial received updates on concept studies while visiting Indra in Madrid, Spain, Airbus in Manching, Germany, and Dassault Aviation in Saint Cloud, France, the June 18 statement said. A combined project team at Arceuil, just outside the French capital, also briefed the officers.

The meetings reviewed operational aspects of a next generation fighter and remote carrier drones, dubbed Next Generation Weapon System, the statement said.

NGWS will be the core element in the future combat air system, which seeks to deliver a “combat cloud” network to hook up aircraft including Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, a European unmanned aerial vehicle, MRTT inflight refueling tanker, C295 and A330M transport aircraft.

That FCAS will also seek to be interoperable with the F-35 and F-22 fighters, and AWACS aircraft.

“The three air chiefs continue to meet on a regular basis in order to keep track of progress within the project NGWS and provide their command level operational perspectives,” the statement said.

The officers received “detailed project information” from military experts and company executives.

The NGWS concept draws on a “joint all-domain” warfare capability, the statement said, leading to a complexity that “exceeds everything that has ever been imagined and produced in a European cooperation project so far.”

Development of the technology demonstrator is seen as a milestone in maturing technology and cutting risk on NGWS, the statement said, which will be operationally superior and a system of systems offering interoperability.

“The air chiefs are already looking forward to see the project entering the next phase and subsequently to receive the results of the first real life demonstrations,” the statement said.

The demonstrators of the new fighter and remote carriers are due to fly in 2027.

That demonstrator is expected to be based on a Rafale rather than a Eurofighter Typhoon, reflecting the program management role of Dassault.

That air chiefs pointed up the value and importance of trilateral work in operational and technical areas, allowing national views and priorities to be factored into the project, the statement said.

A European capability was seen as important for autonomous sovereignty.

Development of European technology is “crucial to achieve independence and resilience to maintain security in Europe,” the statement said.

That three-nation project effectively competes with the Tempest program led by the UK, teamed up with Italy and Sweden, to deliver their new fighter and unmanned aircraft in 2035.

That is five years earlier than the entry into service of the Franco-German-Spanish fighter and remote carriers in 2040.

The French, German and Spanish companies had been reported to be in negotiation with the governments, which had been seeking a cost cut of five percent.

The talks also were reported to include industry calls for respect of intellectual property rights.

The need for German parliamentary approval had effectively set a hard deadline for reaching agreement on the budget and IPR.

While the French procurement office was confident of a green light by the German parliamentary finance committee, there was less optimism for approval of spending for a Main Ground Combat System – a Franco-German project for a new tank, upgrade on the Tiger Mk3 attack helicopter, and a Maritime Airborne Warfare System (MAWS), business website La Tribune reported.

The latter will to replace the Atlantique 2 and P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft flown respectively by French and German navies.

Funding for those three projects will likely have to wait until after German general election results are counted in September, returning a new government and a new parliament.

The Predator’s Potential Contribution to the Quad

Posted on June 21, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

By Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd)

New Delhi. The US-India ties peaked during the Trump Administration in security and capability building. Many of the pending LOAs (Letters of Acceptance) were hurriedly approved by the US, the driving factor apparently being a very aggressive China which literally wants to push the US out of the South China Sea and dominate the region.

China is bullying nearly all its neighbours in the region, has created artificial islands for offensive operations, and is moving rapidly to change the existing Westphalia-principled world order of Precedence of Peace. This is unacceptable not only to the sole superpower, but also nearly everyone else, with the specific exceptions of North Korea and Pakistan, which has also bartered away its strategic port of Gwadar in the Arabian Sea to China, perhaps for ever in exchange for money.

The US has realized that time has come to collaborate with like-minded democracies in its existing area of influence, the Indo-Pacific, for challenging China alone could stretch it beyond acceptable levels.

India, Japan and Australia, geographically fit the bill. It is necessary for the US to quickly build the capability of their three Navies. While Japan is perhaps nearly there, India and Australia are moving towards filling the gaps.

India had learnt the hard way post 26/11 Mumbai terror attack the importance of maritime surveillance and overall security. We have come a long way in the last 13 years since then. But there is now a bigger challenge in the Indo-Pacific and specifically the Indian Ocean Region. It is a vast expanse of the sea and calls for near unbroken 24×7 surveillance. It is this reality that has led to the US to ease export of high technology systems and platforms.

The Predator MQ 9B long endurance armed UAS is one such addition now for the Indian and Australian Navies, besides of course that of the US Navy which already operates it all over.

US has leased two Predators to the Indian Navy meanwhile for Indian Ocean surveillance. The two have performed outstandingly in the tropical weather conditions, and stunning pictures of Chinese deployment have been observed in unthinkably deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

Being interoperable with some advanced systems of Indian Navy like the Boeing P 8I Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft and the Indian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) network, the arrival of even these two MQ 9B aircraft has been a welcome development. Built by General Atomics, the high technology crown jewel privately-owned company of the US, the two high endurance Predators have expanded the Indian Navy’s horizon and prowess. This UAS has formidable high definition sensors and cameras.

Notably, although initially IAF and Indian Navy wanted this system, the Indian Army now wants an equal share, and the Government is expected shortly to clear 10 MQ 9Bs each for the three Services. President Trump had cleared the armed variant of MQ 9B in 2017 at India’s request during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington in 2017, and procedural processes have been completed by the three Services for their submissions to the Ministry of Defence.

The Predator drones have become legendary for their ability to fly more than 40 hours nonstop for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions as well as for attacking select targets with precision with Air to Surface missiles. A UAS, flown by a pilot with joysticks in California for instance, can loiter for hours, say over multiple targets in Afghanistan, and neutralise them one by one. Operational footage has been shown to the Indian forces by US Department of Defense and GA representatives.

Pending clearance – or Acceptance of Necessity (AON) – by the Ministry of Defence, the three Services have worked out various locations where these machines would be deployed for operations and maintenance.

GA has been developing the technology and capability of its UAS over the years. The MQ 9B has a big firepower boost with Hellfire missiles and an external one tonne load of bombs .

The control is through a secure data link with ground control, and the Indian Navy is using the opportunity of its two leased Predators to train its personnel also.

Given the variance in tasks of the three Services, Predators being purchased by India could be slightly different for required surveillance and attack modes. MoD is expected to issue the AON, the procedural first step to go-ahead, any time.

Given the geopolitical situation in the IOR and the speed at which QUAD/ Malabar exercises are institutionalising, the procurement of naval Sea Guardian deserves priority. The MQ-9B version of the Navy has max T/O weight of 5.6 tonnes and should perform maritime surveillance, strike and anti-submarine tasks. The UAS will have a powerful radar and will carry sonobuoys for detection of submarines.

It is not just the Indian Navy that is concerned over the turbulence created by the Chinese forces in the South China Sea and the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the other three QUAD members are equally disturbed and all are coordinating to share data and required operational roles. France, which holds sizable territories in the Indian Ocean, and Germany and Britain, and other countries in the South China Sea, are coming forward to support strengthening of QUAD.

Assets like the MQ 9B will play a crucial and formidable role in helping build and maintain security and stability in the two Oceans and lands being eyed by China.

Meanwhile, the armed forces of India, Australia, and maybe sometime Japan, are waiting for their Date With The Predators to ensure Precedence to Peace and well being of the people of the Indo-Pacific regions. The US Navy and Air Force could initially lease some of their machines to them to begin meaningful cooperation and coordination.

(The author is a former Commander in Chief of the Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy).

This article was published by India Strategic in May 2021.

Exercise Black Dagger

Posted on June 21, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

Exercise Black Dagger is conducted twice a year to train Air Force and Army personnel to coordinate close air support for soldiers on the ground.

Exercise 21-1 was a No. 4 Squadron led field training exercise, held at the Delamere Air Weapons Range, Northern Territory from May 3-14, 2021.

The Exercise is the crucial final component of the Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) course which prepares graduates to execute the planning, briefing, controlling and reporting required to conduct close air support on the battlefield.

Supporting the exercise are F/A-18A/B jet aircraft from No. 75 Squadron, PC-21 Forward Air Control aircraft from No. 4 Squadron, Tiger ARH from 1st Aviation Regiment and 81mm Mortars from the 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.

Australian Department of Defence

May 24, 2021

The Coming of the USS Gerald R. Ford: A June 2021 Update

Posted on June 20, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

06/20/2021

According to a U.S. Navy press release issued on June 18, 2021, the USS Gerald R. Ford has completed its next test succssfully.

On Friday, June 18, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully completed the first scheduled explosive event as part of Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST).

The first-in-class aircraft carrier was designed using advanced computer modeling methods, testing, and analysis to ensure the ship is hardened to withstand battle conditions, and these shock trials provide data used in validating the shock hardness of the ship.

The U.S. Navy has conducted FSSTs over several decades, most recently for the Littoral Combat Ships USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) in 2016; as well as for the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) in 2008, the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) in 1990, and the guided missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) in 1987. The last aircraft carrier to execute FSST was USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in 1987.

The Navy is conducting the shock trial testing in accordance with Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instruction 9072.2, and as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016.

Ford’s shock trials are being conducted off the East Coast of the United States, within a narrow schedule that complies with environmental mitigation requirements, respecting known migration patterns of marine life in the test area. The Navy also has employed extensive protocols throughout FSST to ensure the safety of military and civilian personnel participating in the testing evolution.

Ford is the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. The ship closed out a successful 18-month Post Delivery Test & Trials period in April, during which the crew completed all required testing, accomplished planned improvements and maintenance ahead of schedule, and learned valuable lessons to increase the reliability of Ford-Class systems. At the same time, the ship also served as the sole East Coast platform for conducting carrier qualifications.

Upon completion of FSST later this summer, Ford will enter a Planned Incremental Availability for six months of modernization, maintenance, and repairs prior to its operational employment.

For our report on the USS Gerald R. Ford, see the following:

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completes the first scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, June 18, 2021. The U.S. Navy conducts shock trials of new ship designs using live explosives to confirm that our warships can continue to meet demanding mission requirements under harsh conditions they might encounter in battle. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley B. McDowell)

Rogue Ambush Exercise in Australia’s Top End

Posted on June 20, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

According to an Australian Department of Defence story published on June 15, 2021, the Rogue Ambush exercise began in the Northern Territories.

The Royal Australian Air Force will deploy over 300 personnel and approximately 30 aircraft to RAAF bases Darwin and Tindal to conduct Exercise Rogue Ambush 21-1 from 15 June to 2 July 2021.

Exercise Commander, Group Captain Matthew McCormack, said Rogue Ambush 21-1 was the final phase of the first F-35A operational conversion course to be run in Australia since the introduction of the Lightning II aircraft.

“F-35A fighter pilots from No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit and E-7A Wedgetail co-pilots and aircrew from No. 2 Squadron who have deployed from RAAF Base Williamtown will face challenging training during the final phase of their six-month operational conversion courses,” Group Captain McCormack said.

“The biannual Rogue Ambush exercises are designed to produce personnel ready to deliver air power for the joint force in peace and war.

“Personnel will participate in high-complexity air combat training and interoperability activities with other Force Element Groups that enable us to test and practice deployment capabilities.

“The exercise provides our new pilots and aircrew an offensive counter-air training environment to fly complex aircraft and achieve an extremely high performance of precision strike missions, airborne command and control and air to air refuelling.”

Aircraft will operate during routine flying hours on weekdays only and will conduct a wide range of tactical flying activities across Northern Territory, utilising the Tindal restricted airspace and Delamere Air Weapons Range.

Aircraft deployed to the exercise include the F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18A/B Hornet, E-7A Wedgetail, Hawk 127 lead-in fighter and KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport.

Aircraft noise is a vital consideration in the planning and conduct of Air Force exercises.

Air Force extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to the people of Darwin, Katherine and the wider Northern Territory community for their goodwill and continued support.

And in a June 7, 2021 article published by Isabella Richards in Australian Aviation:

“Two RAAF F-35s have taken to the skies with a full complement of weapons for the first time. The landmark moment came as the pair were taking part in Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21 last month from RAAF Base Darwin…. In addition to their internal payload, the F-35s departed with laser-guided GBU-12 bombs attached to their under-wing pylons. During the course of the exercise, 10 F-35As normally based at RAAF Base Williamtown will drop more than 50 inert GBU-12s.”

And in an earlier Australian Aviation article by Adam Thorn, the exercise was underscored as focusing on “force generation training,” with a particular focus on high-end collective training which involved multiple Force Element Groups. This was the firs time the Aussie F-35s operated out of RAAF Base Darwin.

The following aircraft were identified in that article as participating in the exercise:

F-35A Lightning II;
F/A-18F Super Hornet;
EA-18G Growler;
F/A-18A/B Hornet;
Hawk 127;
C-130J Hercules;
C-17A Globemaster;
C-27J Spartan;
KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport; and
E-7A Wedgetail.

The featured photo: A pilot is marshalled in after completing his first flight in an F-35A Lightning II during the Operational Conversion course at RAAF Base Williamtown. Photo: Sergeant Guy Young

An Update on KNDS: June 2021

Posted on June 19, 2021 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

06/19/2021

By Pierre Tran

Paris – The land weapons industry faced a double challenge with the pandemic crisis hitting defense spending and army projects competing with air force systems, which were due to receive higher funding, Franco-German joint venture KNDS said June 14.

“The budgets of our most important customers are being significantly impacted by the consequences of the corona pandemic, partly at the expense of the defence budgets,” KMW and Nexter Defense Systems said in a statement on 2020 orders and sales.

“And within defence budgets, significant increases in spending on air systems are emerging, which in turn are putting pressure on much-needed army projects,” the 50/50 joint venture said.

Orders last year fell €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) from the previous year, reflecting the budgetary impact on arms spending from the Covid crisis.

KNDS has formed an industrial partnership with German manufacturer Rheinmetall in a Franco-German project to develop and build a heavy tank and networked vehicles, including land combat robots, in a project dubbed Main Ground Combat System.

MGCS is due to replace German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc tanks in 2035.

The army must compete with the air force, which expects to win hefty funding for development of a European future combat air system, which includes a new fighter jet, as well as a European medium-altitude, long-endurance drone.

“Vigilance is needed because of the financial boost for aviation,” an industry source said, referring to spending earmarked under the French multiyear military budget law.

The next big step for MGCS was for the partners to reach agreement on how to share out work on the main technology demonstrator, the source said.

The partners needed to “converge” on which company will work on which key blocks of technology, which will underpin the program.

There was no timetable for an agreement, but the talks were sensitive as the deal was intended to be a 50/50 split on a Franco-German basis.

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall must agree how to organize the German 50 percent share of the work, while Nexter will want to assure its 50 percent share was upheld.

Generally, German political concern over losing industrial ground to French partners led the Bundestag parliamentarians calling for spending on MGCS to be tied to funds for the FCAS project, media reports said.

French and German industrial partners Dassault Aviation and Airbus are deep in talks with Paris and Berlin to agree a budget for development work on FCAS.

That €3.5 billion budget for phase 1B of FCAS may have an impact on funding for the new tank and connected vehicles.

KNDS reported 2020 sales of €2.4 billion, down from €2.5 billion in the previous year, with orders falling to €3.3 billion from €4.4 billion.

The order book rose to €10.3 billion from €9.6 billion. The company gave no details of profit.

“In 2020, we met or exceeded all our commercial targets,” Frank Haun, chief executive of KNDS, said in a statement with the results.

There was a new export client for the Caesar artillery, the company said.

That new client was Morocco, which ordered 30 155 mm/52 caliber Caesar cannons, mounted on a six-wheel drive Arquus chassis, Army Recognition website reported Nov. 21 2020.

Nexter was in talks with the Czech Republic for the sale of 52 Caesars, mounted on an eight-wheel drive Tatra chassis, Defense World website reported June 4 2020, in a deal then worth $249 million. The value of that deal was likely to have moved since then.

Other orders last year included 42 Jaguar combat and reconnaissance vehicles, 271 Griffon multipurpose troop carriers, and 364 Serval light armored reconnaissance vehicles in the French army’s Scorpion program, KNDS said. There was also an upgrade for 322 Fennek armored vehicles for the Dutch army and 24 Leguan bridge layers for the German army.

KNDS appointed as chief executive of Nexter Nicolas Chamussy, who took up the post April 1 and sits on the KNDS executive committee.

Chamussy was previously chief of staff to the chief executive of Airbus, and was director of space systems in Airbus Defence and Space division.

KNDS and Rheinmetall signed the first MGCS contract May 2020, the system architecture design study phase 1, launching the development work.