USMC Reserves Sundown Super Cobra

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10/24/2020

The AH-1W Super Cobra participates in its Sundown flight at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans on Oct. 14, 2020.

After an incredible 933,614 flight hours over a 34 year career, the AH-1W “Whiskey” Super Cobra flew its last flight over the City of New Orleans passing its legacy and mission to the “Zulu” variant, the AH-1Z Viper.

The “Zulu” will carry the torch of its predecessor, continuing to enable Marine Forces Reserve to go, fight, and win our nation’s battles through air superiority.

BELLE CHASSE, LA, UNITED STATES

10.14.2020

Video by Lance Cpl. Christopher England

Marine Forces Reserve

Remembering German Unity Day: 2020

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By Robbin Laird

October 3, 2020 is German Unity Day.

This is a very significant date in history, which changed the face and fate of modern Europe.

The face is clear; the long term impact on the fate of modern Europe is not.

I have spent much of my life involved in various aspects of working the ground for German unification, with substantial time spent in Europe in the 1980s dealing with the Soviet challenge to Europe.

And during my visit to Berlin in 2018, I looked back at the events of 1989.

This was the piece published on November 11, 2018.

I am in Berlin today for the International Fighter Conference 2019 which starts tomorrow.

I took the opportunity to revisit Checkpoint Charlie.

It is now a museum, but also a testament to the will of the West to defend liberal democracy against the Soviet Union.

I often visited West Germany in the 1980s when the political warfare over Euromissiles was a dominant reality.

The U.S. President was hardly popular and when you visit the Checkpoint Charlie museum it is easier to find remembrance of JFK’s visit than the historical moment when President Reagan challenged the Soviet leaders to “teardown that wall.”

I set up a working group in the mid-1980s at the Institute for Defense Analysis to discuss the prospects and how to shape a possible German reunification.

It was not a widely attended effort, but did prepare the way for the historical events.

The key agreement of the group was that if the new Germany was not part of the Western institutions, the European Union and NATO, then any agreement with the Soviets would not be worth the effort.

The concept in those days was that only an agreement that yielded a real outcome which could fit into the values of the liberal democracies really mattered.

Simply having an agreement to look like progress was being made was the wrong way to go because it would only help the authoriarians working to undercut consensus in our societies.

Seems a long time ago.

There was no desire to have a Soviet veto power over the future of Germany.

The Russians frequently insist that they had promises with regard to the fate of sovereign states in Europe; that somehow they had a veto power over which states could work with the West and which could not.

That simply is not true.

And that brings us to Berlin, East and West.

West Berlin was a fragment of liberal democracy in a sea of Soviet and East German authoritarianism.

The Stasi was a prevalent force and provided the atmosphere for any Western visitors to the “workers paradise” which could could be seen in East Berlin.

My first job in the Pentagon was to work for a man who had just served as the Brigade Commander in Berlin.


BG William C. Moore
25 Aug 1978 – 01 Aug 1980

According to Wikipedia:

“The Berlin Brigade of the United States Army was a separate brigade based in Berlin. Its shoulder sleeve insignia was the U.S. Army Europe patch with a Berlin tab, later incorporated.”

I functioned as his tutor on things Soviet and we had many discussions about his time in Berlin.

What impressed the most was the dedication of the Brigade.

As the General put it: “We are a speed bump which would be crushed as the Soviets prepared to move against the inner German border. But we need to do so in a way that would remind them that the United States was not going to yield an inch of German territory without a fight.”

Put in simple terms: “We are going all to die in a conflict; we need to do so with and for a purpose.”

That kind of courage and dedication can be forgotten when visiting Berlin today.

Turning Checkpoint Charlie into a museum is clearly a reminder of what U.S. servicemen and women contributed to the future of Germany.

But turning it into a museum and remembering the 30 year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall also recalls the lessons learned from the Armistice Day being remembered in Europe.

The “war to end all wars” didn’t.

And the Fall of the Berlin Wall did not end to the East-West conflict.

And the 2008 and 2014 territorial seizures by Russia are clearly a reminder, that there are no wars that end all wars.

Checkpoint Charlie may be a museum; but it is a reminder that the East-West conflict is hardly over.

2014 is as significant as 1914 but simply has not been recognized as such.

In the video below, by Senior Airman Kelsey Cook, Regional Media Center AFN Europe released on October 2, 2020, the importance of this day and the events that led to the reunification of Germany.

USS Ronald Reagan

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USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) conducts underway flight operations during its 2020 deployment. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, as well as the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

INDIAN OCEAN

10.10.2020

Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Erica Bechard

USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76)

Historic GCC Commercial Flight: Israel and UAE Link Up Via Etihad Airways

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By India Strategic

Tel Aviv/ Abu Dhabi. Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has become the first GCC carrier to operate a commercial passenger flight to and from Israel.

The historic flight, operated by an Etihad Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, was flown in partnership with the Maman Group, and landed at around 7 a.m. It took off a few hours later for the three-and-a-half-hour journey from Israel to the UAE.

“Today, we make history. Etihad has become the first Gulf airline to operate a passenger flight to Israel. And this is only the beginning… Salam and Shalom!” Etihad Airways tweeted.

“Shalom Tel Aviv! Thank you for the very warm welcome to #Israel,” it said in another tweet.

On board the return flight was a group of tourism industry leaders, key corporate decision makers, travel agents, and cargo agents, along with the media to experience Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE, at the invitation of Etihad Airways and representatives of Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry.

This is the latest development in a growing cooperation between the two nations following the establishment of diplomatic ties, and the signing of the Abraham Accords between the UAE and Israel in Washington D.C. on September 15. It also follows Israeli national airline El Al’s first symbolic commercial flight between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi on August 31.

His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Today’s flight is a historic opportunity for the development of strong partnerships here in the UAE, and in Israel, and Etihad as the national airline, is delighted to be leading the way. We are just starting to explore the long-term potential of these newly forged relationships, which will be sure to greatly benefit the economies of both nations, particularly in the areas of trade and tourism, and ultimately the people who call this diverse and wonderful region home.”

As an important facilitator of trade, the flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi will also carry commercial cargo sourced from, and destined for, points across Etihad’s global network, in addition to commercial guests.

Etihad has also become the first non-Israeli airline in the Middle East to launch a dedicated website for the Israeli market in Hebrew. Also available in English, the Israeli version of the airline’s official website contains digital content including extensive information on Etihad’s operations, product, services, and network.

The site also includes an Abu Dhabi destination guide.

The site can be viewed in Hebrew at www.etihad.com/he-il and in English at www.etihad.com/en-il.

As the UAE’s national carrier, Etihad Airways is one of the world’s leading airlines, acclaimed for its unparalleled service, industry leading cabins, and genuine Arabian hospitality.

Published by India Strategic on October 19, 2020.

This flight was the next step after the first commercial flight occurred on October 18, 2020 with Flight#LY973 from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Manama, Bahrain.

The El Al flight LY973 took off from Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport in the capital Tel Aviv at 11:19am local time and landed in the Bahraini capital Manama at 1:33pm local time, according to flight tracker FlightRadar24.

The airliner carried a delegation of US and Israeli officials that were traveling to Bahrain to sign a normalization declaration formally launching full diplomatic relations between the two countries. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, are leading the delegation, according to the US Treasury Department.

And after landing in Manama, Barhrain.

 

 

 

 

Building Blocks on the USS Ford: Reshaping the Flight Deck and Ops Tempo

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By Robbin Laird

In the last article on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), I looked at one key building block which enhances both the ops tempo of the strike package on the USS Gerald R. Ford as well the flexibility of the weapons packages which can be moved to the flight deck and loaded on the strike aircraft.

This is a key input into a significantly redesigned flight deck workflow which allows for a much more rapid turnaround of the launch and recovery of aircraft as well as more flexibility operating and arming the strike packages.

My flight deck visit was facilitated by Ford’s Top Catapult Officer (TOPCAT), Lt. Cmdr. Andy Kirchert and by Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) 2nd Class Thomas Drew Watson (from Winona, MS).

Insights throughout with regard to the impacts of the workflow on operational tempo and combat impacts were provided by Lt. Christopher Warzinski, CSG-12’s Joint Interface Control Officer, Rear Adm, Craig Clapperton, Commander Carrier Strike Group 12, and by the USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) Commanding Officer, Capt. J.J. Cummings.

A major difference can be seen right away when one steps onto the flight deck. Next to the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during my visit was the USS John C. Stennis whose flight island can be seen in the rear of this photo.

The island on the USS Gerald R. Ford has been moved 140 feet aft and is 30% smaller. What this allows is  significant additional space  for aircraft refueling and weapons loading operations, with the area forward of the island able to accommodate  more combat aircraft.

During flight operations, Ford’s design increases the amount of usable space forward of the island and reduces the amount unusable space aft.

As the ship’s captain, Capt. J.J. Cummings, put it: “If you think of the ship as a gun, and the strike force as bullets, then we have increased the size of the clip because we can load it with more bullets because of the island being further aft  on Ford versus Nimitz.”

The clam shell form factor for the weapons elevator flight deck hatches also open with minimal  flight deck interference.

There is more operational space on the USS Gerald R. Ford’s flight deck and the new launch and landing systems as well as a significant redesign of how refueling is done on the flight deck provide key tools for a significant reshaping of the operational tempo for the large deck carrier.

The new launch system allows for a wider range of aircraft to operate from the carrier; the new arresting gear system can recover them. The ability to mix and match the current air fleet and the future one is significantly enhanced with EMALS. The launch system has a larger aircraft weight envelope that exceeds what is available with steam, so EMALS can launch very light aircraft or heavy aircraft which means this system can accommodate future manned or unmanned aircraft.

The same flexibility exists in the Advanced Arresting Gear with larger current operating wind and weight envelopes and the capability to recover future aircraft designs with minimal modifications required.

The refueling system is designed to keep a clear path to the catapult by reducing flight deck obstructions caused by refueling hoses, weapons skids and weapons elevator access points. This highly efficient flight deck flow allows for the FORD to sustain higher launch and recovery rates.

Let me turn to each of these capabilities which add up to a new workflow on the deck which provides for a more rapid pace of ops tempo and more flexibility to mix and match mission packages as well.

Much of the press about USS Gerald R. Ford has been about its launch system, the electromagnetic aircraft launch system or EMALS.

I discussed this system at some length with Lt. Cmdr. Andy Kirchert.  There are several advantages of the system over the legacy steam catapult system which he highlighted.

First is the flexibility and adaptability of the system. The EMALS system has more room for growth for future aircraft systems. Steam will not be able to shoot super light aircraft and it can shoot heavy aircraft but that is serious wear and tear on the CAT when it shoots heavy shots. Heavy/light shots not an issue at all with EMALS.

Second, the new system has reduced manning requirements for the launch function. There is reduced manning by 50%.

Third, longer fly days are enabled due to reduction in the pre-flight and post flight procedures. For example, steam catapults require a heat up to be ready for launch

Fourth, the system is easier on aircraft which should led to reduction of stress on the aircraft due to launch. The system delivers very precise endspeeds for the launch process.

Fifth, the system delivers enhanced safety margins. The system will not allow launch of an aircraft if it sees something wrong in the process.

Obviously, there have been challenges with the system, but the Ford team is overcoming those challenges, but according  Lt. Cmdr. Kirchert, “We are in the fine-tuning phase.”

One might note that both the French and Indian navies are lining up to procure EMALS which suggests confidence in the system.

The counterpart to the EMALS is the Advanced Arresting Gear system which provides capabilities to recover the current fleet of aircraft in environmental conditions that exceed what is possible with the Nimitz class system

And similar to EMALS, AAG is designed to have the ability to operate with aircraft of varying weights, including future aircraft systems. When one visits the Advanced Arresting Gear system below deck, it is amazing to see how automated it is and how little manpower is required to operate it as well.

The refueling system is a major aspect of the redesign of workflow on the flight deck. My guide to this aspect of the ship was provided by Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) 2nd Class Thomas Drew Watson. Post flight, aircraft are parked along two isles for refueling – one on the deck edge and the other just outside of the landing area. This parking arrangement allows unobstructed access to the catapults.

The in deck refueling stations which are unique to the Ford keep refueling hoses out of the taxi paths to the catapult. (refueling stations which can refuel two aircraft at the at those stations.

This has a major impact because on the Nimitz the refueling crew has to carry several, lengthy connected fuel hoses which are heavy from the starboard side of the Nimitz class to do mid-deck refueling. On the Ford, the hoses are right there beside the in-deck refueling stations and rather than having to have a crew of 5 people to bring the hoses 150 feet to mid-deck and do refueling, you only need two crew to man the in-deck refueling stations.

Lt. Cmdr. Kirchert emphasized that the sensors that make up the system and the software which manages them have posed development challenges in the past, but that NAVAIR and General Atomics have worked effectively to provide for the software changes necessary to allow the system to function effectively. And many of the software changes are quickly phased into the system between underways.

Also in common with almost all new systems, parts failures have emerged which were not anticipated but those parts are being rebuilt to provide for better performance as well.

My topside visit ended with a discussion with by Rear Adm. Clapperton.

He underscored that the USS Gerald R. Ford was going to be a key enabler for the maritime distributed force which the Navy was envisaging as its way ahead for the fleet.

With an ability to provide flexible strike options to the fleet, and a capability to support new weapons, and new aircraft, the new generation carrier was a key infrastructure to support the way ahead facing the U.S. Navy, the joint and coalition force.

Featured Photo: A T-45C Goshawk, attached to Training Air Wing 2, prepares to launch from USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) flight deck Sept. 11, 2020. Ford is seen underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Sarah Mead)

USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) practices evasive maneuvering Sept. 23, 2020. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting an independent steaming event. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Melvin)
USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) practices evasive maneuvering Sept. 23, 2020. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting an independent steaming event. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Melvin)
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts special performance trials Sept. 22, 2020. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting special performance trials to set the baseline for how the Ford-class will conduct maneuvers to improve the ship’s war fighting capabilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kallysta Castillo)
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts special performance trials Sept. 22, 2020. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting special performance trials to set the baseline for how the Ford-class will conduct maneuvers to improve the ship’s war fighting capabilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kallysta Castillo)

US F-35s and Israeli F-35s in Exercised Enduring Lightning III

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A U.S. Air Force KC-135R aircrew from the 340th Expeditoinary Air Refueling Squadron flies over Israel in support of Exercise Enduring Lightning III, Oct 12, 2020.

The United States and Israeli air forces train to maintain a ready posture to deter against regional aggression while forging strategic partnerships across the U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command areas of responsibility.

(U.S. Air Force video by SrA Roslyn War

10.12.2020

Video by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward

United States Air Forces Central

Unmanned Air Systems and the USMC: A MAWTS-1 Perspective

Posted on | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment on Unmanned Air Systems and the USMC: A MAWTS-1 Perspective
10/22/2020

By Robbin Laird

Two years ago, I published a chapter on the USMC’s recent experience with unmanned air systems in the book edited by John Jackson, entitled, One Nation Under Drones. I focused on the substantial experience they have accumulated with Scan Eagle and then with the Blackjack system.

The primary use has been in terms of ISR in the land wars, but with the return to the sea and now the focus on how the Marines can best help the US Navy in the maritime fight, the focus has shifted to how to best use UASs in the maritime domain.

With the recent decision to cancel its MUX ship-based UAS to pursue a family of systems, the focus will be upon both land-based and sea-based UASs but not to combine these capabilities into a single air vehicle.

As the then Deputy Commandant of Aviation, Lt. General Rudder put it:

“In the next 10 years, the quickest way – the commandant wants to go quick on this – this quickest way will be some sort of land-based high-endurance that can be based and still be able to provide the surface force, the amphibious force the capabilities that we would call ‘quarterback,’ or some sort of node that can provide 24 hours on station time, it will have all the networking and early warning and electronic warfare capabilities that they require for that type of thing,”

But the path to do this is not an easy one. And it is a path which is not just about the technology, but it is about having the skill sets to use whatever system is developed, the connectivity so that the combat effect can be connected to the maneuver force, and to have communication links which have low latency, notably in the maritime fight.

During my visit to MAWTS-1 in early September 2020, I had a chance to talk with Captain Dean, an experienced UAS officer who is a UAS instructor pilot at MAWTS-1. We discussed a wide range of issues with regard to UAS within the USMC, but one comment he made really gets at the heart of the transition challenge: “What capabilities do we need to continue to bring to the future fight that we currently bring to the fight?”

What this question highlights it there is no combat pause for the Marines – they need to be successful in the current range of combat situations, and to re-shape those capabilities for the combat architecture re-design underway?

But what if this is not as significant and overlapping as one might wish?

This is notably true with regard to UAS systems. In general terms, the UAS systems which have been dominant in the Middle East land wars have required significant manning, lift capability to move them around in the battlespace and are not low-latency communications systems. Although referred to as unmanned, they certainly are not so in terms of support, movement of exploitation systems, or how that data gets exploited.

There clearly is a UAS potential for the blue water and littoral engagement force but crafting very low demand support assets, with low latency communications are not here as of yet.

And in the current fights ashore, UASs, like Blackjack provide important ISR enablement to the Ground Combat Element.  And as the Marines have done so, they have gained very useful combat experience and shaping of relevant skill sets to the way ahead for the UAS within the future force.

The goal is to have more flexible payloads for the UAS force going forward, but that means bringing into the UAS world, experienced operators in fields broader than ISR, such as electronic warfare.

But there is clearly a tension between funding and fielding of larger UAS’s for the amphibious task force, and between shaping new systems useable by combat teams. And the challenge here clearly is to manage information and to distribute by communications system. Although the phrase about distributing information at the right time and at the right place sounds good, this is very difficult to do, if the data links simply do not expose the combat force to adversary target identification.

This is yet another key area where contested combat space has not much to do with what can do with UASs in uncontested air space.

Captain Dean underscored that since 2015, “we have been able to normalize unmanned aviation with the USMC. We have been able to bring in a lot of experience into the VMUs and with the sundowning of the Prowlers, have brought in Marines experienced with electronic warfare as well. We continue to prioritize our training on the Blackjacks going to the MEUs.”

He highlighted that this posed a challenge for transition. To get full value out of the Blackjacks operating off the amphibious force, changes need to be made on those ships to get full value from operating these UASs. But if the Blackjack is a short term or mid-term solution, the kind of investment which needs to be made is not likely to happen.

What he highlighted was the crucial importance of the infrastructure afloat to make best use of the UASs which the USMC and US Navy will operate. And given the challenge of managing space onboard the ship, sorting out the nature of the infrastructure and how to manage it is a key aspect of the way ahead for UASs.

Another challenge is who wants what within the combat force. If we are looking at the fleet as a whole, the desire is to have fleet wide ISR, or capabilities to deliver combat effect. If one is focused on the battalion, they are focused on having capabilities organic to the battalion itself.

Again this is a development and investment challenges which as well raises questions of what kind of infrastructure can be developed to deal with each of these different operational level requirements. “What does the MAGTF want? What does the battalion want? These are not the same things.”

In short, a key question facing the Marines with regard to UASs: “What capabilities do we need to continue to bring to the future fight that we currently bring to the fight?”

Featured Photo: A U.S. Marines Corps RQ-21 Blackjack UAS is retrieved during Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course (WTI) 1-18 at Yuma, Ariz., on Oct. 13, 2017. WTI is a seven week training event hosted by Marine Aviation and Weapons Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) cadre which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps Aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force. MAWTS-1 provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine Aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Rhita Daniel)