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Paris -The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said on Sept. 13, 2020 that a planned acquisition of 18 Rafale fighter jets from France would comprise six new and 12 second-hand units, with the first delivery due next year.
“It consists of six new aircraft and 12 which have been used slightly,” Mitsotakis told a news conference, AFP reported.
The first unit is expected in 2021, with the last to be shipped the following year, he added. No financial details were given.
The Greek announcement of a planned order for 18 Rafale underscored the importance of the prospective first sale of the French fighter jet to a European nation.
A drive to re-arm the Greek forces follows heightened tension with Turkey.
That tension is based on competing territorial claims over maritime access around Greek islands in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Greece has announced its wish to acquire 18 Rafales,” armed forces minister Florence Parly said on social media.
“Excellent news for French aeronautic industry and a first: a European nation wants to acquire Rafale fighter jets.”
The next few months should lead to a contract for the Rafale, the armed forces ministry said in a Sept. 12 statement.
That fighter deal was part of a wider Greek drive to strengthen the services and arms industry. The 2008 financial crisis hit Greece hard, forcing a freeze in arms acquisition.
Besides the Rafale, the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced Sept. 12 plans to acquire four frigates, four MH-60R naval helicopters, heavy torpedoes, missiles for the air force, and anti-tank missiles for the army, said Greek media reports.
Four Meko-200HN frigates will be upgraded, and 15,000 personnel will be recruited over five years.
The planned fighter jet order will allow the Greek air force to retire the oldest Mirage 2000, to fly a Rafale squadron.
That fleet of French-built fighters would be formed from a mix of new aircraft and those previously flown by the French air force, said Greek media reports.
That Greek announcement caught the French arms industry by surprise, with one executive saying, “It is hard to know whether it is good or bad news.”
For the French aeronautics sector, the Greeks appeared to be bearing gifts.
A Greek order would boost the business outlook for the prime contractor, Dassault Aviation, which saw a production gap in 2024-27 for the fighter jet.
The COVID 19 health crisis forced the company to cut sales forecast of its Falcon, while development of a new 6X version of the business jet and further work on that family of civil aircraft weigh on company finances.
Export contracts are critical to Dassault and French subcontractors, as deliveries of the 28 Rafale for the French air force only resume in 2022 under the multiyear military budget law.
Dassault is negotiating for a fifth tranche of Rafale and has called on France to bring forward order and delivery of that batch. If France ordered that fifth batch in 2023, deliveries could be made in 2025 instead of 2027, keeping the production line busy.
Egypt, India and Qatar are the three foreign nations which fly the Rafale, which equips the French air force.
“This announcement illustrates the strength of the partnership that has linked the Greek air force and Dassault Aviation for more than 45 years, and demonstrates the enduring strategic relationship between Greece and France,” Dassault said in a Sept 12 statement.
Greece ordered 40 Mirage F1 from Dassault in 1974, 40 Mirage 2000 in 1985, and 15 Mirage 2000-5 in 2000.
In the latter deal, 10 of the Mirage 2000 were upgraded to 2000-5, with work subcontracted to local industry.
Tensions between Greece and Turkey heightened when Ankara last month sent the Oruc Reis research ship, escorted by warships, to search for oil and gas in Eastern Mediterranean waters claimed by Greece.
Each side has since held military exercises, and France sent two Rafales and two warships to back up Greece over the territorial dispute.
Dassault has delivered five Rafale to India out of the 36 ordered, and is delivering the fighter to Qatar. Egypt has received all 24 units.
The photo from the meeting with the French President and Greek Prime Minister is taken from the following article:
U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, performed at the 2020 Tri-City Water Follies air show Sept. 5, 2020, Kennewick, Wash.
The F-35 Demo Team headlined the event alongside the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and the A-10 Warthog Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
According to a story published by the Tri-City Herald Staff on September 4, 2020:
Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe spends 110 days traveling each year with the Air Force’s F-35A demonstration team that landed in Tri-Cities on Thursday.
She’s the first woman to command the team, and over the next two demonstration seasons will oversee 40 shows including this weekend’s HAPO Over the River airshow.
The Tri-Cities show will feature not only the F-35 team but a F-16 flyover, an A-10C Thunderbolt II, civilian piloted biplanes and more…..
The show was rescheduled from the last weekend in July, when it usually runs as part of Tri-Cities Water Follies which was canceled because of the COVID pandemic.
And earlier this year, the USAf published an article on Captain Wolfe as well.
Behind the Helmet of the F-35A Demonstration Team’s Newest Pilot
By Capt. Kip Sumner, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team Public Affairs / Published March 04, 2020
For most pilots, their first time stepping into an F-35 is their first time stepping into a fifth-generation aircraft, but for Wolfe, this will be her second experience with the service’s most advanced aircraft.
“I loved flying the F-22, but the F-35 is also a blast to fly, and it is the best multi-role fighter,” Wolfe said.
While Wolfe has over 900 total fighter hours in both of the service’s advanced fighter aircraft, she’s spent a lifetime around the Air Force.
Her father, retired Col. Jon Wolfe, served 28 years in the service as an F-4G electronic warfare officer before piloting the F-15C Eagle. By the time she attended college, she had lived in three countries and five states.
“I’ve come to appreciate a lot of different people, backgrounds and upbringings because of all the time I spent in those different places,” she said. “It was tough sometimes, trying to make new friends and fit into a new environment, but looking back, I really appreciated the growth it gave me.”
Despite her Air Force upbringing, Wolfe didn’t consider the military for herself until college. During her sophomore year, she realized she didn’t want a desk job; none of the corporate-recruitment pitches clicked, and she found herself watching military career videos, she said.
“Even though she spent her life in an Air Force family, we never expected her to join the military,” Maria Wolfe, her mother, said. “With her exceptional math skills and academic success, I thought she might pursue a career in the medical field.”
Her parents never expected her to join the military, so it was a shock when she asked her dad about serving with the Marines while visiting over the holidays.
“I didn’t get it at first, since there’s a lot of Marines at Okinawa, I thought she was just asking my opinion,” said Wolfe’s father. “But then it clicked, and I remember asking ‘You didn’t sign anything did you?’”
“But after a semester, I was sold. I knew it was what I wanted to do,” she said.
However, she still didn’t know exactly what she wanted to do in the military.
“I didn’t really know any pilots in the military except for my dad, so I started to research career options that offered a challenging career progression, travel opportunities and a variable day-to-day schedule. I quickly realized being a pilot was the perfect fit for me,” she said.
About a year into ROTC, Wolfe’s father remembers getting a cryptic email that just said, “Columbus, Vance, Laughlin?”
“Oh, Kristin must have gotten a pilot slot … Right after she commissioned and before she went active duty, I remember taking her to Norfolk (Virginia) and getting her two practice flights in the airplane she’d get her initial screening in,” Wolfe’s father said. “I talked to the instructor afterwards and he said that he had never seen anybody do so well that hadn’t been in an airplane before.”
After commissioning, Wolfe attended undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, where she learned the meaning of being an Air Force aviator.
“It hit me when I did my first solo flight,” she said. “I remember being terrified that anyone would let me fly an airplane alone after only 11 or 12 rides. It seemed like an insane concept to me. But I realized that’s how the aviation world and the Air Force trains you; to ingrain those habit patterns so that those skills take over. I remember landing and thinking, ‘That was really cool.’”
After graduating UPT, Wolfe was selected to fly fighters, eventually graduating to the F-22 as her first operational aircraft.
“My decisions were never about specific interests or aircraft,” she said. “I would always ask myself ‘what’s the coolest thing I can do?’ or ‘what’s the most challenging thing I can do?’ The fighter community appealed to me the most. Looking at it now, I don’t think I’ll ever find another community that I’ll like as much as working in a fighter squadron.”
After flying the F-22 for three years at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Wolfe transitioned to the F-35A Lightning II and then the 388th Fighter Wing, the Air Force’s first combat F-35 unit, in 2017.
For some pilots, passion for flight is born in an early childhood memory, and for some, that passion is gained through their experiences. Growing up, Wolfe never would have imagined that she would become a fighter pilot, much less a demonstration pilot, but it’s an opportunity that she will remember for the rest of her life.
“Whether it’s flying low-levels in the snowy mountains of Idaho, flying in ‘Star Wars’ canyon in Alaska next to glaciers, being inverted at 300 feet or doing a pedal turn during the routine, those are the moments I love,” Wolfe said.
As the pilot and demonstration team commander, Wolfe will fly the demonstration routine for two years, serving as a role model and inspiration to those that are interested in pursuing military service or a career in aviation. Part of her and her team’s mission will be helping young men and women realize the possibilities available to them.
“If I could give advice to my younger self, or to anyone looking at what they should do, step outside of the box for a second. Don’t just think about what your next move should be. Go do something that you never thought about doing,” she said.
The 13-member team of F-35A maintenance, operational support and public affairs Airmen is expected to perform at over 40 different appearances throughout her two-year command. Each show with their own set of public appearances, media interactions and recruiting events; all in addition to practicing, planning and flying the demonstration routine. It’s a lot, but her and her team aren’t the only ones confident they’ll meet the challenge.
“Ever since she got into ROTC, she lit up the afterburners and never looked back,” her father said. “She’s still doing the same thing today and it’s been fun to watch. We’re looking forward to coming out and seeing how the team does.”
“I am over the moon excited about her new role as the F-35 demo pilot,” her mother said. “It gives me great joy to see her doing what she is passionate about, while getting to represent the Air Force in such a positive way.”
When asked about the challenges of being a female fighter pilot, she considers the question for several moments before answering.
“The jet doesn’t discriminate. The jet doesn’t know who is flying it, and it will always behave the exact same way,” Wolfe emphasized. “The fighter community is an extremely performance-focused field that’s based purely on merits and tactics. I don’t consider myself a female pilot, but a pilot that happens to be a female. I’m here to do a job, and that is to make this team the best out there, inspire people to be better, and to fly the F-35 as hard as I can.”
With the official Air Force certification behind her, and the first show of the season drawing close, Wolfe is also making sure that her Airmen make the most of this opportunity.
“I do hope that everyone on the team will take a couple glimpses to see how lucky we are to be able to do this, and that we don’t get caught up on how busy it can be,” she said. “There will be opportunities at every single air show for us to walk away and say, ‘That was so cool’. You add up two years of that and I think you can’t help but be thankful for the opportunity we have.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35 Demonstration Team commander and pilot soars through the sky Sept. 5, 2020, Kennewick, Wash. The F-35 Demo Team headlined the Tri-City Water Follies drive-in air show and performed alongside the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and the A-10 Warthog Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Garret "Toro" Schmitz, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot, pulls to the vertical Sept. 6, 2020, Kennewick, Wash. The F-16 performed at the Tri-City Water Follies drive-in air show alongside the F-35 Demonstration Team and the A-10 Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35 Demonstration Team commander and pilot repositions after performing a Heritage Flight Sep 4, 2020, Kennewick, Wash. The F-35 Demo Team headlined the Tri-City Water Follies drive-in air show and performed alongside the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and the A-10 Warthog Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, A-10 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, flies alongside Capt. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot, and Maj. Garret “Toro” Schmitz, Viper Demonstration Team pilot, and a P-51 Mustang as part of a heritage flight formation for the Tri-City Water Follies Drive-In Airshow at Kennewick, Wash., Sept. 4, 2020. The heritage flight was flown as a showcase of past, present, and future Air Force aviation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35 Demonstration Team commander and pilot flies over the Columbia River Basin Sept. 5, 2020, Kennewick, Wash. The F-35 Demo Team headlined the Tri-City Water Follies drive-in air show and performed alongside the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and the A-10 Warthog Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, A-10 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, flies alongside Capt. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot, and Maj. Garret “Toro” Schmitz, Viper Demonstration Team pilot, and a P-51 Mustang as part of a heritage flight formation for the Tri-City Water Follies Drive-In Airshow at Kennewick, Wash., Sept. 5, 2020. The heritage flight was flown as a showcase of past, present, and future Air Force aviation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Garret "Toro" Schmitz, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot, flies over the Columbia River Basin Sept. 6, 2020, Kennewick, Wash. The F-16 performed at the Tri-City "Over-the-Water" drive-in air show alongside the F-35 Demonstration Team and the A-10 Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, A-10 Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies an A-10 Thunderbolt II during a demonstration over the Columbia River during the Tri-City Water Follies Drive-In Airshow at Kennewick, Washington, Sept. 4, 2020. The airshow was held Sept. 4-6, 2020 during Labor Day weekend and also includes the F-35A Lightning II and Viper Demonstration Teams. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, A-10 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, flies alongside Capt. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot, and Maj. Garret “Toro” Schmitz, Viper Demonstration Team pilot, and a P-51 Mustang as part of a heritage flight formation for the Tri-City Water Follies Drive-In Airshow at Kennewick, Wash., Sept. 5, 2020. The heritage flight was flown as a showcase of past, present, and future Air Force aviation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, A-10 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, flies alongside Capt. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot, and Maj. Garret “Toro” Schmitz, Viper Demonstration Team pilot, and a P-51 Mustang as part of a heritage flight formation for the Tri-City Water Follies Drive-In Airshow at Kennewick, Wash., Sept. 4, 2020. The heritage flight was flown as a showcase of past, present, and future Air Force aviation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Paxton McCamish, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team avionics specialist, refuels an F-35 after arriving in the Tri-City area for the 2020 Tri-City Water Follies Air Show Sept. 3, 2020, Pasco, Wash. The F-35 Demo Team headlined the Tri-City Water Follies drive-in air show and performed alongside the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and the A-10 Warthog Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35 Demonstration Team commander and pilot speaks with Tri-City media upon arrival for the 2020 TriCity Water Follies air show Sept. 3, 2020, Pasco, Wash. The F-35 Demo Team headlined the drive-in air show and performed alongside the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and the A-10 Warthog Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
Members of a Tri-City delayed entry program prepare for a swearing-in ceremony in front of A-10 Demonstration Team aircraft Sept. 3, 2020, Pasco, Wash. The recruits were sworn in by U.S. Air Force Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, A-10 Demonstration Team commander and pilot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
Capt. Kristin "BEO" Wolfe, the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot, prepares for launch during a practice flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Feb. 29, 2020. The demonstration team is now part of ACC and is assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner).
Capt. Kristin "Beo" Wolfe stands with her father, retired Col. Jon Wolfe. Wolfe grew up in a military family and had lived in three countries and five states prior to attending college. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
Captain Trent Kalp, commanding officer, Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, delivers a message, recognizing the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
09.02.2020
Video by Daniel Mayberry
Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor
New Delhi. The Indian Air Force ceremonially inducted its first five Rafale Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) September 10 with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handing over the commissioning plaque to the Commanding Officer of the Number 17 Golden Arrows, Gp Capt Harkirat Singh.
It was a proud moment for India, said Rajnath Singh, and his French counterpart, Florence Parly who had flown in as the Chief Guest for the occasion, shared the sentiment as an example of Indo-French strategic cooperation, pointing out that France will always be on India’s side. Top representatives of Dassault Aviation, which makes the Rafale, and its partner companies Safran (Engines), Thales (EW Systems) and MBDA (Missiles), were in her delegation.
“It’s a game-changer and a lesson to our neighbours for the situation they have created on the borders,” Rajnath Singh, speaking in Hindi, declared while terming the induction of the first five of the 36 Rafale fighters that India has purchased from France as a “historic occasion and a matter of pride” for the country.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, the host for the event, said the aircraft have been operational ever since their landing at the frontline Ambala Air Force Station on July 29, and that the induction of Rafales could not have come at a more appropriate time, given the scenario on the borders with tension along both the LAC (Line of Actual Control) with China in Ladakh and on the Line of Control (LOC) with Pakistan in the West.
“Rafale is good to go, and deliver,” he observed.
IAF has been giving full training to the Rafale pilots in France itself, and they have been conducting sorties all along the northern and western borders after arriving at Ambala, pairing up with other aircraft like the Su 30 MKIs, Jaguars and others. Rafale is the most modern combat jet in the IAF inventory, with weapons of matching lethality, and Air Chief Bhadauria disclosed that all the pilots and aircraft had been engaged in live, “intensive and integrated training” that includes “firing of advanced weapons”.
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, former Chief of Air Staff B.S. Dhanoa, and top IAF officials graced the occasion.
India is buying 36 Rafales from France in a Government-to-Government deal, and all the aircraft are due for delivery by end-2021.
The two ministers held delegation level talks to review the progress of the Rafale deal, as also the possibility of more aircraft from Dassault, more submarines and vessels from Naval Group, and some advanced weapons from MBDA, and Electronic Warfare systems from Thales. Safran already has a presence at HAL, helping its aircraft and helicopter designs and capabilities.
Ms Parly, obviously looking happy, flew from New Delhi to Ambala in the Indian Defence Minister’s Embraer executive jet, and spoke very warmly in English, and praised the professionalism of IAF officers. Normally, the French speak in their language at formal events.
She was the accorded the welcome Guard of Honour at IAF’s Palam airbase in New Delhi on arrival. In a Tweet, she said: “Together, we are writing a new chapter of Indo-French defence ties. Behind the Rafale, there is above all a friendship. A commonality of interests, of vision, of values in the region.”
The acquisition of the fully combat-proven jets would not only give India an edge in the region but will also be able to strengthen its industrial base and upgrade its technological skills, said Parley, who is on her third official visit to India since 2017.
French Ambassador in New Delhi Emmanuel Lenain, who accompanied her, said the two countries had “in-depth talks” covering Transfer of Technology (ToT) for various Make in India projects on industrial scale, operational defence cooperation, Indo-Pacific Maritime Security, Joint Drill Modalities in a pandemic, anti-terror action, and major regional and international strategic issues.
The induction ceremony, on a sunny morning, was marked by a scintillating aerial display, a water-cannon salute, a multi-religious prayer and forceful reaffirmations of the depth of India-France strategic cooperation.
Ambala, not far from China or Pakistan, is IAF’s oldest airbase, commissioned in 1919 by the Royal Air Force. It has the privilege now of hosting IAF’s newest combat aircraft, the high-technology Rafale.
The airbase is considered a first responder to any threat on the country’s Western and Northern borders, being around 300 km or 10 minutes in either direction.
A second Rafale Squadron will be located at Hashimara airbase, in Eastern India.
Aircraft from France have been operating from the Ambala airbase since 1955, and virtually every senior officer and Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force has served there, flying one or the other aircraft from IAF’s inventory. The French Mystere, the Anglo-French Jaguar, the Soviet Union’s MiG-21 and MiG-29 have all operated from this vital airbase.
Rafale is described by Dassault as an omni-role aircraft, capable of swing roles from Air-to-Air or Air-to-Ground strikes in a single mission. The Rafale is also capable of nuclear strikes and shipboard missions from aircraft carriers.
The ceremony began with the unveiling of the Rafale amidst flashing strobe lights followed by multi-faith prayers and a flypast by three Rafales, a Sukhoi Su-30 and a Jaguar in the “Golden Arrow” formation of the 17 Squadron of the IAF.
The 17 Squadron had participated in the 1999 Kargil conflict under the command of the then Wing Commander B.S. Dhanoa, later the Air Chief. One of the Rafale is designated after him as BS 001.
A highlight of the induction ceremony was the breathtaking display by three Rafales performing heart-stopping manoeuvres like the high-speed Mach Rate Turn, a Minimum Radius Turn in an area smaller than a hockey field, an Inverted Flight and a Vertical Charlie that demonstrated the extreme versatility of the aircraft and its ability to switch to multifarious tasks in a matter of moments.
The indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), built on French designs but with a US GE 404 engine, then demonstrated that it could also rise to the occasion although it is a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), smaller than its bigger brother, the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) Rafale.
The IAF’s modernisation plans have been delayed ever since Prime Minister V.P. Singh flattened the acquisition process in the late 1980s to zero, alleging corruption in every deal.
The IAF had initiated an exercise for acquiring 126 MMRCAs in 2007, selected the Rafale from among six contenders, but no deal could be made as somehow, a clause came up that while HAL would be responsible for integrating and manufacturing 70 per cent of the aircraft at its facilities in India, the responsibility for the quality of production at HAL would be that of the French supplier.
Dassault refused, saying: You make it, you are responsible.
Later, in 2015, Prime Minister Modi’s government rightly cancelled that stalled process, and as IAF was rapidly falling short of aircraft, decided to acquire 36 Rafales, or Two Squadrons of 18 each, under a G-to-G deal. It is this deal which is fructifying now.
IAF has meanwhile a second tender now in place, for 114 MMRCAs, single or twin engine, as in the first tender in 2007. Actually, IAF needs a combination of 400 aircraft, in a rough ratio of 70:30 for single and twin engines.
Except for the Su 30 MKI, which came in the 1990s, all IAF aircraft are of 1980s vintage, although upgraded. Rafale is the most modern, and contemporary aircraft now in IAF’s inventory.
Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy along with other senior officers of Ministry of Defence witnessed the milestone event.
Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the French Air Force, Mr Eric Trappier Dassault Aviation Chairman and Chief Executive Eric Trappier, MBDA CEO Eric Beranger were part of the large French delegation.
India is the fourth country after France, Egypt and Qatar to have inducted the Rafale, a 4.5 generation combat aircraft.
President Trump highlighted the importance of September 11th for the United States in a White House proclamation.
On September 10, 2020, the White House issued this proclamation on patriot day, 2020:
In 2001, our Nation, united under God, made an unbreakable promise never to forget the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who were senselessly killed on September 11. On this sacred day — Patriot Day — we solemnly honor that commitment. As the bells toll, we call by name those who perished in the terrorist attacks in New York, New York; Arlington, Virginia; and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In cities and towns across our great country, we stand in solidarity to remember the victims and mourn their stolen hopes and dreams.
On a day that began as ordinary as any other, terrorists carrying out a sadistic plan murdered thousands of our fellow compatriots. With shock and disbelief, we watched our first responders, encumbered by heavy equipment and hindered by debris and smoke, rush with conviction and courage into the void to rescue those in despair. With pride and sorrow, we felt the tremendous bravery of those aboard Flight 93, who summoned the courage to charge the terrorists in a counterattack that saved countless American lives. As the day closed, America steadied its resolve to hold accountable those who had attacked us and to ensure it would never happen again.
The courage, heroism, and resilience Americans displayed on 9/11, and in its aftermath, are perpetual testaments to the spirit of our country. While our Nation was anguished by this attack, the grit displayed that day — the very essence of America — was a reminder that our citizens have never failed to rise to the occasion. Heroes sprang into action in the face of great peril to help save their fellow Americans. Many laid down their lives. As we reflect on the events of that September morning, let us recommit to embrace the stalwart bravery displayed and reaffirm our dedication to defending liberty from all who wish to deny it.
To fulfill our collective promise never to forget, we impart the memory of that fateful day to our children and grandchildren. The smoke that rose from the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the Pennsylvania field carried away the souls of innocent Americans. As we recall the images of our American Flag raised from the ashes of Ground Zero and the Pentagon, we are reminded that good triumphs over evil. We recommit ourselves to fortifying our cherished American values so that future generations will know in their souls that the United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave.
This Patriot Day, we commemorate the lives of those who perished on September 11, 2001, we pray for the families who carry on their legacies, and we honor the unmatched bravery of our Nation’s first responders. We also commend those who, in the days and years following the attack, answered the call to serve our country and continue to risk their lives in defense of the matchless blessings of freedom.
By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2020, as Patriot Day. I call upon all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day in honor of the innocent people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. I invite the Governors of the United States and its Territories and interested organizations and individuals to join in this observance. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in community service in honor of the innocent people we lost that day and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor those victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
You might have missed this in today’s press coverage, but those of us who lived through the events thank the President for the Patriot Day proclomation.
And in an article which I originally published on Breaking Defense on September 11, 2011, I recalled those events from the perspective of being in the Pentagon that day.
That article follows:
Early on the morning of September 11th, I had an appointment in the Pentagon with a senior Pentagon official.
I got there a bit early, and parked just outside the Defense Secretary’s office.
As I was sitting in the office, the TV was showing the story of an airliner plowing into the World Trade Center.
I asked one of the folks in the office, whether they were concerned about a similar event on the Pentagon or the White House.
The person said that “we do not know if this is simply an accident.”
As an ex-New Yorker, I was sure this was not.
I went into my meeting.
Suddenly, I felt the building rock.
It felt like an accident in the ground floor area of the Pentagon.
When buses used to come into the Pentagon directly underneath, such a crash might be possible.
But, of course, I remembered that buses were no longer coming inside.
We went outside to see what was happening.
People were running around the Pentagon, and I exited the main door to the parking lot. General Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld passed me going back into the building.
I got into my car to drive home to our house which is close to the Pentagon.
We were stopped on Interstate 395 by the police as fire trucks and related equipment rushed to the Pentagon.
As I sat in my car, I looked over to see the plane fitted inside the Pentagon.
Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me, for much more of the plane survived the initial impact than was later reported.
FBI Photo Reproduced by Daily Mail September 10 2017.
When I got home, I found my wife and children more than upset by developments.
It turns out that the plane had flown low over our house on the way to strike the Pentagon.
And my little girl, who was 3 at the time, kept talking about the plane which “almost hit me.”
Of course, for this generation of Arlington children, this would be a traumatic event they would never forget.
My mind went back to a similar event in France in the mid-1990s when my French wife and I were there for the holidays.
In a dry run, terrorists had seized a plane to try to fly into the Eiffel Tower.
Fortunately, the French special forces had successfully killed the terrorists when they had to land and be refueled in the south of France.
Shortly after the attacks, I took a train to New York to appear on 60 Minutes to discuss the French approach to counter-terrorism.
I went to school in New York at Columbia University so knew Manhattan well.
When I went to school there was no World Trade Center.
As the train pulled into New York, the World Trade Center was again not there.
It was as if a generation of redefining New York through this new building had magically disappeared.
Extinguishing the flames: The effort by firefighters to bring the fire under control captures on the morning of the attack. FBI photo released and published by Daily Mail on September 10, 2017.
For several days after the attack on the Pentagon, we could smell the smoke and remains of the attack in our area of Arlington.
That pungent smell will linger in my mind and heart forever.
The experience is more powerful than any response to terrorism could be.
Still, when I stand to applaud American servicemen and women at games at National Park there is some sense of cloture.
But not enough.
Video: President Trump and The First Lady Participate in a Flight 93 National Memorial Nineteenth Anniversary Observance
INDIAN OCEAN (July 21, 2020) Sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) conduct flight operations and steams alongside their Indian Navy counterparts in the Indian Ocean.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, consisting of flagship USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Princeton and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), along with the Indian Navy ships Rana, Sahyadri, Shivalik and Kamorta, are currently participating in a cooperative deployment Indian Ocean.
It has clearly been a driver of change for the USMC and the joint force.
And one key area of change became evident early on: it can land on a wide variety of ships in the U.S. or allied fleets, and thereby expand the utility of sea bases for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations (HADR) or combat operations.
With the allies and partners of Indonesia building out their fleets, there will be obvious opportunities to land on and leverage those allies and partners sea bases, whether it would be with Australia (recapitalizing its Navy),with the United States (sorting out the best ways to address sea control and sea denial in the Pacific alone with SLOC defense and offense), with South Korea (building out its amphibious fleet) or with Japan (building out its amphibious fleet as well), just to mention the major players in the Pacific region.
Or put more broadly, the allies and partners are building out their fleets, and with ships on which clearly Indonesian Ospreys can land and operate.
And a key advantage of working with ships is, of course, is both operational flexibility and political agility in a crisis.
But one does not need a specialized ship for the Osprey to land on and to provide connectors for the force.
We followed closely the Bold Alligator exercises held in the last decade, and in one of those, the Osprey landed on a T-AKE supply ship.
In another exercise held off of the Carolina coast, an Osprey landing was done on a Dutch warship and then later in the year, during a NATO exercise, a second landing was conducted.
We interviewed the T-AKE captain involved in the Osprey landing as well as the Dutch Captain of the HNLS Karl Doorman, and both interviews highlighted how the Osprey expanded their ability to work with the joint or allied force.
This is a key capability which clearly rotorcraft (with more limited range and speed) or fixed wing airlifters (which require landing bases) cannot bring to the Indonesian force.
The Osprey creates a new combat or HADR capability by its range and speed and ability to land vertically on a wide range of shipping, including supply and combat ships.
Linking Coalition Warships
We published an article on Jun 22, 2015 which highlighted the evolving role of the new aircraft in working with the fleet.
This was a summary of efforts to that date, so Indonesia would not need to worry about buying an untested capability for fleet connectivity; it was already there mid-decade.
I argued the following in that article:
The speed and range of the Osprey is a key combat enabler.
It also provides significant reach and range to connect US and allied warships into a 21st century sea base.
The capability to provide for resupply has been demonstrated many times, but the capability delivered in Operation Odyssey Dawn whereby Ospreys flew roundtrip from the USS Kearsarge to Sigonella to resupply Harriers was a clear statement of new opportunities.
As the Osprey has become a fixture of USMC and USAF global operations, the Marines have been working operations off of foreign warships as part of the process of building out an Osprey-enabled sea base, writ large.
Among others are the UK, French, Japanese, South Korean, and now Dutch warships.
During Bold Alligator 2012, the Osprey landed on a T-AKE supply ship which expanded the lily pads from which an assault force can be launched.
The Navy is looking to expand the size of the hanger aboard the T-AKE so that an Osprey can be kept in the hanger and one on deck for a total of two as needed.
Now the two dynamics – landing on a supply ship and on a foreign warship – have been combined during training off of the East Coast of the United States with a Dutch supply ship on June 12. 2015.
In the remainder of this article, we are taking our readers back to those two experiences, the Osprey working with the T-AKE supply ship, and the USMC working with the Dutch Navy.
The Osprey and the T-AKE Ship: 2012
Second Line of Defense visited the USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5) while it was in port in Norfolk.
The ship caught our eye while we were covering Bold Alligator 2012 because of the first operational engagement of an Osprey aboard a T-AKE ship.
Captain Little is a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy and has operated off of virtually every asset Military Sealift Command operates, since he joined in 1989.
He was the first chief mate for the T-AKE 5 when it was delivered to the Navy in 2008.
He and his crew had just returned from a 9 ½ month tour, which included action off of Libya as well as participation in the Bold Alligator 2012 exercise.
Notably, the helos, which operate off of his ship during deployments, are either USN helos, or Eurocopter Pumas.
And the ship is extremely flexible in providing supplies of various kinds, including ammunition and fuel. During the Libyan operation, the USNS Robert E. Peary worked with several allies as well.
The men and women of the Military Sealift Command are true mariners.
They operate at sea off and on during the year with only three months off.
They are civil servants but are closely intertwined in support of the warfighter.
As Susan Melow, Public Affairs Officer, for MSC’s Military Sealift Fleet Support Command clarified for us:
A civil service mariner, or CIVMAR, is a federal government employee who pursues a civil service career while assigned aboard U.S. government-owned, Military Sealift Command-operated ships responsible for global fleet support.
CIVMARs are credentialed, in their areas of expertise, by the U.S. Coast Guard and are rotationally assigned to MSC ships for stints of, at a minimum, four months.
With no shore duty breaks during their civil service careers and with, generally, thirty days separating each ship assignment, CIVMARs are consummate mariners, journeymen in their fields.
Osprey aboard the T-AKE supply ship. Credit: US Navy
SLD: Captain, could you talk a little bit about the Osprey landing on the T-AKE ship?
Captain Little: “The Osprey landing was a long range supply demonstration.
“It took off from New River, landed on our ship, got refueled and then participated in a raid on Fort Pickett more than 180 miles inland.
“The Osprey was on deck for about 30 minutes, loaded four pallets, was able to refuel, and took off with her cargo to support the Marines ashore in Fort Pickett….”
Dutch Warships and the Osprey: 2015
According to a story published by the USMC on June 16, 2015 by Lance Cpl. Fateh Saad, the first landing of an Osprey aboard a Dutch warship occurred on June 12, 2015.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. –
Spirits ran high aboard the Karel Doorman, a warship with the Royal Netherlands Navy, as U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 made the first MV-22 Osprey landing aboard a Dutch ship during an interoperability test conducted near Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, June 12.
“What we normally do is support the forces ashore,” said Capt. Peter van den Berg, the commanding officer of the warship.
To better support ground forces, the amphibious unit recognizes it needs aircraft support, said van den Berg.
“That’s why the Netherlands Navy is very interested in cooperating and integrating with the U.S. Marine Corps and operating the Osprey from our decks,” said van den Berg.
“The Osprey is capable of doing large airlifts at a time, instead of a smaller helicopter – an Osprey can take much more personnel back to shore.”
The landing was the first of its kind and tested the interoperability of the two military entities, as well as the Dutch’s ability to host the American aircraft aboard their ships through carrier landings.
“The majority of people live within 300 nautical miles of the ocean,” said Capt. Matthew Thompson, a Marine with VMM-261 and the pilot and operations officer for the exercise.
“With that in mind, the true Marine aspect of ‘from the sea, to the shore,” is increasingly important. Being able to land on a ship, or sea base from a ship, and move people, things, to the shore is increasingly important.”
The test included five landings aboard the warship along with a refuel check to test the Osprey’s ability to receive fuel from the Dutch warship.
“[This test] supports the mission of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing because when units from 2nd MAW move forward, they sometimes work in concert with coalition partners and that may include the Dutch one day,” said Thompson.
Thompson said building a stronger relationship and testing the units’ ability to integrate was the central focus of the carrier landings.
“The MV-22 Osprey provides commanders with unprecedented agility and operational reach,” said Thompson.
The U.S military has a long-standing history working with their Dutch counterparts, a partnership both units expressed an interest in deepening.
“Having the knowledge that we learned today can help us when we move forward, if we ever work with the Dutch, which I think is a very real possibility … especially when we saw the amount of compatibility that we have from a simple exercise like today,” said Thompson.
And that article was based on a phone interview prior to the landing event with the Captain of the HNLS Karl Doorman, Peter Van Den Berg.
We discussed the the interoperability exercise and its origins was discussed.
Where is your ship now?
Van Den Berg: “We are in Norfolk undergoing demagnetization.
“We will perform an interoperability test later in the week with regard to landing an Osprey onboard our ship.
Your ship is a new logistical support ship.
What are its primary missions?
Van Den Berg: “It’s designed as a logistical support ship, with its primary tasking is refueling at sea.
“And having that capability and also this space, we also have a secondary tasking, which is strategic transport for heavy equipment.
“And there’s a third task for providing the logistics from the sea base.
“We can do that with the use of small landing craft or by using our very long, and large helicopter deck”.
How did the test come about?
Van Den Berg: “We were undergoing sea trials when we were tasked last year to support the Ebola emergency relief effort.
“We had only four sea weeks on the clock when we were tasked to go to West Africa.
“And while on station we witnessed the performance of the Osprey and decided that we would like to work on working with the Osprey onboard.
“We requested such a test, and combined that with our visit to Norfolk for our demagnetization requirement.
“Dutch naval engineers determined that we could support the weight of the Osprey and any heat generated by the engines, so we worked with the USMC to set up this test.
“I should note that we only requested this test, six or seven weeks ago, and it was pushed forward by our commander general in the Netherlands with the leadership of the USMC.”
An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 prepares to land onto the Karel Doorman, a Dutch warship, during an interoperability test near Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., June 12, 2015. II Marine Expeditionary Force
You are a supply ship with some clear capabilities to operate more traditional rotorcraft, but how do you see the potential role of the Osprey for your ship as part of a coalition seabase?
Van Den Berg:” I think the Osprey in amphibious warfare is a real game changer.
“The Osprey will allow us the ability to sustain our support missions because of its ability to link us for a distance and with real speed.
“There is a shortage of decks; we need a connector like the Osprey able to link up those ships into an operational seabase for a coalition effort.
“And from an amphibious point of view, you can operate an Osprey deep and with speed inland.
“It changes the nature of the meaning of amphibious operations.
“It not only expands the operational reach, but can allow ships to be further from shore and be more secure.”
For the fascinating history of the HNLMS Karel Doorman, see the following video:
And later that year, the Osprey landed on the HNLMS Johan de Witt during the NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2015.
YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz.– The CH-53 has been a potent member of the Marine Corps aviation community’s fleet for over 40 years, but the newest version takes the platform to a whole new level.
Equipped with three 7,500 horsepower engines and built to carry a nearly 30,000 pound external load for over 100 miles, the CH 53K King Stallion boasts a 20% increase in heavy lift capability over its predecessors.
The most impressive new feature, though, is fly-by-wire technology that computerizes flight controls and represents a major advancement over hydraulic ones. In addition to making the craft lighter, the new controls assist pilots, particularly in degraded visual environments.
The CH-53K has undergone extensive developmental testing that utilized the degraded visual environment (DVE) test course at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) for more than two years, most recently to verify software updates in the flight control software that have been made as a result of this testing.
“This iteration of testing is somewhat of a culmination exercise for the team,” said Joshua Magana, test officer. “After this, the program will go into an initial operation test and evaluation training period that will train the pilots, air crew, and maintainers who support will support the initial operational testing next spring.”
YPG’s DVE course is highly coveted by helicopter testers seeking to protect flight crews from the potentially catastrophic consequences of brownouts. Caused by rapidly blowing sand and dirt thrown into a vortex by the rotor blades of a helicopter, a brownout’s swirling dust gives pilots the illusion they are moving even if they are hovering stationary. Hazardous in any situation, it is particularly risky when landing in a combat zone with multiple other aircraft, or in a situation where support personnel are on the ground below. The risk is compounded when the aircraft is hauling an extremely heavy cargo load beneath it.
The extremely fine ‘moon dust’ on YPG’s DVE course, tilled for maximum diffusion when a helicopter hovers overhead, was more than adequately harsh for the testers’ purposes—YPG personnel prepared the site in such a way to ensure a variety of DVE conditions, disking the dusty ground at depths of two and eight inches while leaving other areas of the site completely untilled.
“If they flew at one end of the course, it was as bad a DVE as it can possibly get,” said Magana. “If they flew on the other end, it was significantly less severe.”
The King Stallion’s primary mission is Assault Support, and testers put it through its paces at the DVE in extremely realistic scenarios that included support from Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 based at Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma. The Marines attached and unhooked massive blocks of standardized weights ranging between six and 13.5 tons as the CH-53K traversed the DVE course, day and night.
“It’s meant to simulate everything from a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to a Light Armored Vehicle,” said Magana. “The aircraft is made to carry externally anything up to 36,000 pounds, unhook it, and get out of there.”
Aircraft refueling at YPG typically is only done ‘cold,’ or with the aircraft’s engines off and powered down, as a safety measure. To maintain maximum realism for test purposes and increase the efficiency of the test, however, a waiver was granted to allow for ‘hot’ refueling of the aircraft as it was put through its paces. MWSS 371 established a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) on an improved airstrip close to the DVE site.
“The customer wanted on-site hot refueling because using an operationally representative FARP was a test point,” said Magana.
MWSS 371 successfully treated the ground beneath the FARP with dust abatement material: As the CH-53K is a developmental aircraft, they wanted to minimize the risk of foreign objects and debris being vertically propelled into the aircraft and damaging it. The weight blocks used in the testing were also staged here.
“The testers received test efficiency, and MWSS 371 received training on refueling this new aircraft in an operationally realistic environment,” said Magana. “It was a win-win that integrated training with our developmental test.”
Remarkably, the large scale test that began its planning phase in early 2020 proceeded without delay despite the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic a mere weeks after formal coordination began.
“The program’s schedule didn’t slip at all,” said Magana. “The customer had implemented strict COVID-19 procedures for their personnel prior to coming here and after arriving, and followed all of YPG’s procedures once they were here.”
