USAF Honors RAAF Air Refuellers

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11/29/2018

Two Royal Australian Air Force aircraft refuellers have been lauded by their United States counterparts for their contribution to coalition operations in the Middle East.

In six months of deployment, Sergeant Kane O’Connor and Leading Aircraftman Shane Brown supplied more than 530 aircraft with almost 27 million litres of fuel, which is equivalent to filling about 410,000 cars. 

Technical Sergeant Tyronne Bohannon of the United States Air Force said that was more than the American refuellers. 

Sergeant O’Connor and Leading Aircraftman Brown’s work had allowed coalition aircraft to maintain the fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria during a critical period, he said.   

“When we have been short of people on a shift, these guys stepped up and helped out to achieve the mission. They really did their part and then some. They even beat us at our own competition,” Technical Sergeant Bohannon said.

USAF refuellers presented Sergeant O’Connor and Leading Aircraftman Brown with a ‘title belt’ for their achievement. 

But despite the accolades, the dynamic duo is not resting on its laurels.

Sergeant O’Connor and Leading Aircraftman Brown won ‘Runner of the Month’ recently for most trips to refuel aircraft, beating 50 of their USAF colleagues.

Sergeant O’Connor was awarded ‘Pumper of the Month’, two months in a row. 

He said it was an honour to be recognised by the USAF: 

“At the moment we are the only Royal Australian Air Force ground crew members responsible for providing fuel to aircraft in a deployed environment. We are doing what we always do, but this time it is in support of not just Australian assets but the whole coalition team,” Sergeant O’Connor said.

Leading Aircraftman Brown said refuelling the USAF F-22 stealth fighter and US Secretary of Defense General James Mattis’ aircraft during a recent visit to the Middle East were highlights of his deployment.

Sergeant O’Connor and Leading Aircraftman Brown are deployed on Operation Accordion at Australia’s main air operations base in the Middle East.

They work for the Expeditionary Airbase Operations Unit, which supports operations Accordion, Okra, Highroad and Manitou. 

There are almost 1000 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed on operations in the Middle East region.

This article was published on November 12, 2018 by the Australian Department of Defence.

New Special Reports on Airpower Modernization: From Berlin and Copenhagen

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We have recently published two new Special Reports on airpower modernization.

The first has focused on the Danes and their approach to airpower modernization, first with regard to their F-16s and then with regard to preparing for the F-35 transition.

The second highlights several presentations and the discussion at the International Fighter Conference 2018 recently held in Berlin.

Danish Airpower Modernization

In effect, the Danes like the other Nordics, are having to focus on direct defense as their core national mission, within an alliance context.

This will mean as well a shift common to other alliance members from a focus on out of area operations, such as in Afghanistan, back to the core challenge, namely, the defense of the homeland.

The Danes are raising their investment in defense and there is growing public support in Denmark for such a course of action.

Russian actions starting in Georgia in 2008 and then in the Crimea in 2014 have created a significant environment of uncertainty for European nations, one in which the refocus on direct defense is required.

Denmark is not only earmarking new funds for defense, but buying new capabilities as well, such as the F-35.

And they are reworking their national command systems as well as working with Nordic allies and other NATO partners on more effective ways to operate to augment defensive force capabilities in a crisis.

It was very clear from the day’s discussions that the return of direct defense is not really about a return to the Cold War and the Soviet-Western conflict.

Direct defense has changed as the tools available to the Russians have changed, notably with an ability to leverage cyber tools to leverage Western digital society to be able to achieve military and political objectives with means other than direct use of lethal force.

This is why the West needs to shape new approaches and evolve thinking about crisis management in the digital age.`

This report looks at recent interviews with the Royal Danish Air Force as well as the discussions at a recent Copenhagen conference on Northern European Defense.

The Return of Direct Defense and Danish Airpower Modernization

The International Fighter Conference 2018

This year’s International Fighter Conference held in Berlin provided a chance for the participants and the attendees to focus on the role of fighters in what we have been calling the strategic shift, namely, the shift from the land wars to operating in higher intensity operations against peer competitors.

It is clear that combat capabilities and operations are being re-crafted across the board with fighters at the center of that shift, and their evolution, of course, being affected as well as roles and operational contexts change.

The baseline assumption for the conference can be simply put: air superiority can no longer be assumed in operations but needs to be created in contested environments.

It is clear that competitors like China and Russia have put and are putting significant effort into shaping concepts of operations and force structure modernization which will allow them to contest the ability of the liberal democracies to establish air superiority and to dominate future crises.

There was a clear consensus on this point, but, of course, working the specifics of how one would defeat such an adversary in an air campaign gets at broader and more specific force design and concepts of operations.

The conference worked from the common assumption rather than focusing on specific options.

But the way ahead was as contested in the presentations and discussions as any considerations for operations in contested airspace.

For a look at some of the arguments and presentations, see the report below.

The report also includes Pierre Tran’s overview on how FCAS is being approached from Paris.

The slideshow highlights Allied airpower operating at the Trident Juncture 2018 exercise in Norway earlier this year.

Report from the International Fighter Conference 2018: Perspectives on the Way Ahead with Airpower Modernization

No New Fighter Jet: Canadian Air Force Pilots Exit the Force

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11/28/2018

The Canadian government has played a delaying game on defense modernization for a significant period of time.

No service has suffered more from the inability to make a decision and properly fund air force modernization.

While Ministers debate, the folks who make the force work are heading for the exit.

In an article by Bruce Campion Smith published on November 24, 2018, this dynamic was highlighted.

The oft-delayed purchase of new fighter jets is contributing to a flight of pilots out of the Air Force to the civilian sector, causing a critical shortage of skilled aviators to fly Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18s, insiders say.

Flying a 30-year-old jet holds less appeal for pilots who are no longer prepared to sacrifice quality of life and are instead quitting for airline careers, where demand for experienced personnel is sky-high.

The rush out the door has left the Royal Canadian Air Force coping with less experienced pilots flying increasingly outdated jets, former fighter pilots tell the Star.

“It’s not a winning proposition,” one veteran former pilot told the Star.

The featured photo:

Frustration over the oft-delayed purchase of new fighter jets is contributing to a flight of pilots out of the Air Force to the civilian sector, causing a critical shortage of skilled aviators to fly Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18s, insiders say.

(ANDREW VAUGHAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO)

Also, see the following article:

Royal Canadian Air Force Faces Challenge of Fighter Pilot Shortage

An Update on the RAAF F-35: November 2018

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We have written a good deal about the coming of the F-35 to the Royal Australian Air Force.

Most recently, we visited Williamtown earlier this year and discussed the preparation for the arrival of the F-35 at that key airbase with the Air Combat Commander.

Air Commodore Kitcher highlighted the way ahead during our interview and our visit.

The RAAF  has an aggressive schedule with regard to F-35A transition.

They are transitioning from four Hornet to four F-35A squadrons in just four years.

“That is a more rapid change, and a more aggressive schedule than any other F-35 user is on track to do.”

And in that transition, a key objective is establishing a “healthy training system in Australia.”

And this training system will be supporting F-35As at Tindal Airbase in the Northern Territory as well.

That base is undergoing a significant infrastructure rebuild as it will receive F-35As early next decade as well.

Incorporating the F-35A, the Super Hornets, the Wedgetails and the Growlers into an integrated air combat force is the broader transition facing the RAAF. 

The challenge, which is a good one to have from the standpoint of Air Commodore Kitcher, is to learn how to fight effectively with a fifth generation enabled force.

“Learning to fly the F-35A is not the hard part.

“Working the mission command piece is a key driver of change for sure.

Recent articles on Defence Connect, the well-respected Australian website on defense and industry, has highlighted some key elements of the standup process for the RAAF’s F-35.

These articles are marking the arrival of the F-35 on December 10, 2018 to Australia with a countdown series which is well worth following.

Deployable Cabins

One countdown article highlights the standup of deployable cabins to support F-35 operations.

The Commonwealth’s formal acceptance of the first of 15 deployable cabins, delivered by defence prime Lockheed Martin Australia and fabrication experts Varley Group, marked a major milestone for the full operation of the Air Force’s F-35A aircraft.

“The deployable cabins are a critical part of operating and maintaining the Air As part of their role, the specialised ICT facilities will also serve as a housing for a portable Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), enabling a connection to the ALIS network anywhere in the world. homes at RAAF Bases Williamtown and Tindal,” Minister Pyne explained.

All 15 of the deployable cabins will provide transportable, secure work spaces for Australian Defence Force personnel to support the operations and maintenance activities for the F-35 as part of the future, networked ADF.

The Role of Australian Industry

A second countdown article highlighted the role of Australian industry in the coming of the F-35 to Australia.

Joining the F-35 program in 2010, Heat Treatment Australia (HTA) has provided support and services to both the global project as a whole and other Australian companies supporting the F-35’s immense supply chain.

For Australian partner companies like RUAG, AW Bell, Lovitt Technologies, Marand Precision Engineering, Ferra Engineering and Levett Engineering, HTA has supported Australian industry participation through supporting the production of high quality products, significantly contributing to Australia’s industrial success in the F-35 program.

HTA’s involvement in the F-35 program provided certainty, enabling the company to undertake sustained research and development of innovative technologies and processes for the Australian market, enhancing the capability and competitiveness of Australia’s defence industrial base.

Dr Karen Stanton, director – corporate and strategy, HTA Group, said, “Over the past 10 years HTA has undertaken seen significant investment in infrastructure, equipment, people and processes. Expansion of facilities and processes at HTA are a direct result of involvement in the aerospace and defence programs, especially the F-35 program.”

HTA’s expansion and growth at facilities in both Brisbane and Melbourne came on the back of additional investment in aerospace and defence projects, which has translated into the introduction of new equipment, expanded facilities, improved quality control systems, increased employment opportunities and improving the skills base of the company’s workforce.

The sustained success of the company’s engagement with the F-35 program served as the basis for growing success in additional aerospace and defence platforms and projects, separate to the F-35, and an international expansion, with the company establishing a specialised heat-treatment facility based in California, conducting aluminium vacuum brazing (AVB) projects, which included new projects in non-defence and new advanced technology sectors.

“One of the biggest achievements for HTA was the establishment of a new manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, California. Our expansion journey began at the start of the F-35 program and we will be forever grateful to be given such an opportunity,” Dr Stanton said.

Training

A third countdown article focused on the training aspect.

Virtual reality (VR) is now reshaping the training environment for Australia’s F-35, enabling improved aircraft familiarisation and task training for Air Force ground crews prior to the wide-spread roll out of the fifth-generation platform.

KBRwyle has developed training programs for pilots and maintainers for the F-35 Program as part of the Northrop Grumman-managed global training and courseware development capability since 2005.

Since its inception, the courseware and training program included six organisations, of which KBRwyle was the only one outside the US. As the F-35 program has matured and the number of organisations providing these services has reduced, KBRwyle has continued to provide training and courseware services for the program.

“Leveraging over a decade’s experience developing F-35 courseware, for the international JSF community, KBRwyle has created virtual reality demonstrators for the platform. These include a ‘familiarisation’ component, that could be used for those working ‘around’ the F-35. It helps to understand scale, size and the features of the aircraft,” Michael Hardy, general manager – modelling, simulation and training at KBRwyle, explained.

Advanced Manufacturing

A fourth countdown article highlighted the impact of the F-35 on Australia’s development of advanced manufacturing, a key objective for develop of core capabilities within Australia.

As production for the F-35 continues to ramp up, the advanced materials that give the fifth-generation fighter its stealth capabilities are serving as a major industrial driver for Australian industry leaders, like Sydney-based Quickstep Holdings.

First established in 2001 as a research and development company, Quickstep Holdings was entering a highly competitive and secretive world of advanced manufacturing. But just 17 years later, the company has established itself as one of the world’s leading advanced materials and manufacturing companies, buoyed by the growing success of the global F-35 program.

However, it wasn’t until 2011 that the company became involved with global giant Northrop Grumman and its long-term agreement to support the F-35 project that it would begin to transform itself from a small research and development focused technology company into a world-leader.

Sustainment

A fifth countdown article highlighted the role of BAE Systems Australia within the sustainment approach to the F-35 in Australia.

As part of the global supply chain, BAE Systems Australia is playing a key role in keeping Australia’s F-35s operational and in the air. This industrial capability developing at Williamtown is helping to develop unique sovereign industrial sustainment and maintenance capabilities.

Australia’s selection as a maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade hub for F-35 avionics and aircraft components is seeing the rapid transformation of the aerospace precinct at Williamtown as both the national and regional hub supporting all of the fifth-generation aircraft operating throughout the region.

BAE Systems Australia director aerospace and integrated systems Steve Drury said, “We are excited to support the Australian and regional JSF program with the most advanced sustainment services available, ensuring the F-35 is prepared and ready to be deployed anytime, anywhere.”

Regional Maintenance Hub

A sixth countdown article highlighted the key role of building a regional maintenance hub for the F-35.

Australia’s participation with the global F-35 program has seen Queensland-based TAE Aerospace establish itself as the regional hub for complex engine maintenance on Australian and allied F-35s supporting the development of sovereign industry capability.

As part of the broader national preparation for the Australian operation of the fifth-generation F-35, TAE Aerospace has established itself as a leader in the engine and turbine maintenance ecosystem.

The company’s new Turbine Engine Maintenance Facility (TEMF) in Bundamba, south-east Queensland will enable deeper-level maintenance, where the F135 engine modules for the F-35 are disassembled, repaired and reassembled for testing.

“This is an exciting opportunity for TAE to design and build a speciality maintenance and manufacturing facility, with two areas of focus, one dedicated to F135 engine maintenance in partnership with CASG and Pratt & Whitney, and the second focusing on maintenance of existing engines from the Hornet, Super Hornet, Growler and Abrams platforms,” Andrew Sanderson, chief executive and managing director of TAE Aerospace said.

A seventh article focused on the weaponization aspect of the F-35, which is driven by the common software for the F-35 as a global fleet.

BAE Systems Australia and partners Kongsberg Defence have developed key technology to support the integration and export possibilities of the Joint Strike Missile as part of the global F-35 project.

Since the retirement of the F-111 in 2010, Australia has been without a credible long-range aerial strike platform. In response, Australia, in collaboration with Norway, signed on to help finance and develop an air launched variant of the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM).

Like F-35, the JSM is a fifth-generation platform providing the F-35 with a long-range anti-ship and land attack capability. The JSM is designed with a stand-off range to protect the launch platform from being detected and engaged by enemy air defence systems…..

According to Kongsberg, a number of F-35 partner nations are showing strong interest in the JSM and mechanical fit checks has been performed on several types of fourth-generation aircraft like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-16, Eurofighter in addition to all three versions of the F-35.

There has also been strong interest in introducing the JSM into maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) like Boeing P-8A Poseidon for internal weapons bay carriage as well as on the wing stations. An acquisition of the F-35 along with the JSM, will strengthen any nation’s threshold, and serve wider coalition interests.

We encourage our readers to keep track of the Defence Connect countdown series and to read this website on a regular basis as well.

The featured photo shows Wing Commander Darren Clare, Commanding Officer of Royal Australian Air Force No. 3 Squadron, in front of an Australian F-35A aircraft on the flight line at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, USA.

Royal Australian Air Force pilots and maintenance personnel are embedded within United States Air Force units and partnering with Lockheed Martin to prepare for the introduction of Australia’s first fifth-generation air combat capability.

They will bring home Australia’s first two F-35As in December 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

Report from the International Fighter Conference 2018: Perspectives on the Way Ahead with Airpower Modernization

Posted on | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment on Report from the International Fighter Conference 2018: Perspectives on the Way Ahead with Airpower Modernization

This year’s International Fighter Conference held in Berlin provided a chance for the participants and the attendees to focus on the role of fighters in what we have been calling the strategic shift, namely, the shift from the land wars to operating in higher intensity operations against peer competitors.

It is clear that combat capabilities and operations are being re-crafted across the board with fighters at the center of that shift, and their evolution, of course, being affected as well as roles and operational contexts change.

The baseline assumption for the conference can be simply put: air superiority can no longer be assumed in operations but needs to be created in contested environments.

It is clear that competitors like China and Russia have put and are putting significant effort into shaping concepts of operations and force structure modernization which will allow them to contest the ability of the liberal democracies to establish air superiority and to dominate future crises.

There was a clear consensus on this point, but, of course, working the specifics of how one would defeat such an adversary in an air campaign gets at broader and more specific force design and concepts of operations.

The conference worked from the common assumption rather than focusing on specific options.

But the way ahead was as contested in the presentations and discussions as any considerations for operations in contested airspace.

For a look at some of the arguments and presentations, see the report below.

The report also includes Pierre Tran’s overview on how FCAS is being approached from Paris.

Extending Combat Air Capabilities With Unmanned Systems: An Airbus Defence and Space Perspective from the International Fighter Conference 2018

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11/27/2018

By Robbin Laird

At the 2018 International Fighter Conference held in Berlin from November 13-15 2018, one of the topics for presentation and discussion is the European concept and approach to what is being called the Future Combat Air System.

Here the target is to shape a new combat system by 2040, which will drive change in both European industry and force structure.

The presentation by Bruno Fichefeux, Head of the FCAS Programme in Airbus Defence and Space, focused on a key building block in the FCAS trajectory, namely working manned-unmanned teaming.

As Airbus Defence and Space already builds and supports two key non-fighter elements for a 21stcentury combat force, namely the A330MRTT and the A400M and is working through 2 “big wing” potential contributors to the integrated battlespace, namely: The EuroMALE Unmanned Air Systems and the A320neo multi-mission aircraft, it is clear that a core opportunity for Airbus Defence and Space rests on shaping FCAS as a business approach for legacy as well as newly introduced combat systems.

The manned-unmanned teaming research and approach clearly can do both, namely, build towards a new combat fighter capability in the 2040s and support the evolution of air combat fleets, whether operating legacy or fifth generation assets.

In his presentation, Fichefeux argued that manned-unmanned teaming would be increasingly part of the combat air space and function as remote carriers. The manned and unmanned assets would collaborate in the battlespace and be connected through a combat cloud ecosystem.

At the heart of the ability to shape such a future, software needs to be developed which allows for manned-unmanned teaming and as that software evolves, the capability to manage swarming and its effects would become part of the combat force.

The graphic below captures how he has conceptualized the approach and the effort.

He underscored that although the vision is futuristic, the needs are not.

And he mentioned in his brief that Airbus Defence and Space had recently demonstrated the manned-unmanned teaming approach in a dynamic display to a wider audience in order to visualize the obvious benefits it has for air warfare already today.

After his presentation, I had a chance to sit down with Bruno Fichefeux to discuss the experiment and how that experiment laid down a building block for the future. He explained that Airbus Defence and Space put a core software development team together to work the integration necessary for a manned aircraft to work a team of remotes to execute a variety of missions.

The focus was upon the pilot in the cockpit setting the tasks and passing that task off to the swarm of remote carriers, which then would distribute among themselves and execute the task or mission autonomously.

The team worked for a year preparing for the experiment, which was conducted in the North of Germany over the Baltic Sea and the experiment was conducted a month ago.  The team used off the shelf drones and equipment; the focus was on the software development.

Five drones were flown in formation flight with a C2 manned aircraft, which provided real time mission tasking.

“The pilot is not piloting the drones; he is just giving the swarm a High level command which then sort out their mission allocation among themselves. You give the machines the task; and then it executes the task.”

As the tasking requires only a minimum of attention from the pilot the teaming has far more benefits than costs.

Customers were invited to the experiment and invited to set unplanned tasks during the course of the experiment underscoring the flexibility of the software rather than having a scripted pre-programmed event.

The capability demonstrated by Airbus Defence and Space is a core one for them going forward.

Rather than being considered primarily a platform company, with the FCAS transformation process, software development, integration and evolution of a team of combat assets becomes a core focus of attention.

While the tangible part of Remote Carriers is expected to be relatively simple in architecture and as such affordable and potentially attritable, the Remote Carrier’s brain and behavior will be the valuable game changer on the battlefield.

And given the company’s significant capabilities in a variety of lift, tanking, ISR and C2 platforms already, clearly these platforms and their evolution and the formulation of a new platform approach will be informed by this core software development and integration capability.

Teaming capability in the connected battlespace is a core competence being worked by Airbus Defence and Space, and they will work as well to inform Eurofighter evolution as well with these new and evolving capabilities.

In the past, Airbus Defence and Space had worked the Barracuda program, performing the first “European made” Unmanned Air System mission on air which was designed to provide Eurofighter with an unmanned partner.

This experiment built on that effort to extend it to the swarming environment.

Fichefeux underscored the importance of working non-stove piped software approaches so that cross-domain interoperability would be enhanced.

“By developing common cross-domain mission systems software for manned and remote air platforms, we can get the kind of interoperability we need and is a core goal of the FCAS program.

“The platform is much less relevant than the teaming capability and intelligence you put into it; and the way you allocate the performance among the manned-remote capabilities as a system.”

He added a key point:

“Following this rationale, many existing airframes can be transformed into Remote Carriers and taken into real missions where they reduce the risk for the legacy manned assets already tomorrow.”

The International Fighter Conference is held by IQPC and next year’s conference will be also held in Berlin from November 12-14 2019 and if this year’s conference is anything to go by, it is highly recommended that persons interested in the evolution of the air combat force attend.

Although the focus is upon fighters, given the evolution combat, the scope is rapidly expanding to a discussion of operations in the integrated battlespace.

 

The RAAF, Drones and C-17s: A New Maintenance Tool

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The RAAF’s 36 Squadron is using the popular DJI Phantom 4 drone to conduct visual inspections of its C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.

Using the consumer-level drone, which retails for around $1,100, means 36SQN maintenance personnel can inspect hard-to-access areas of the aircraft, including its 16.8-metre high vertical stabiliser, for paint and surface damage, without using elevated platforms or having to climb through the aircraft.

The RAAF’s 36SQN operates eight Boeing C-17s from RAAF Base Amberley.

Every 180 days each C-17 undergoes a ‘home station check’, which includes an inspection of aircraft paint and surface damage. Using the drone for those inspections takes as little as 30-minutes.

“This helps the aircraft surface finishers to identify and track paint degradation on the upper surface of the C-17A, triage paint defects and plan remediation work,” 36SQN senior engineering officer Squadron Leader Evan Smith said.

Using the Phantom drone to capture high-resolution images and video also allows a history of the aircraft’s paint and surface damage to be recorded.

“We’re bedding down the procedures for these inspections, and will investigate expanding our use of the drone to include other upper surface inspections,” SQNLDR Smith said.

“That includes flight servicings or other general unserviceabilities.”

The rest of the story can be read on Australian Aviation which published the story on November 27, 2018.

When we visited earlier this year with the Air Mobility Group, its Commander highlighted how the RAAF approached innovation within the force.

Air Commodore “K-9” Kourelakos underscored that the RAAF relies on a risk-management approach as the warfighters work through the use and evolution of new equipment, in order to get it into the force as rapidly as feasible.

“We do a good job of teaching our airmen and airwomen to think about risk management. 

“As they’re going through hiccups and dealing with problems, they are asking a key question: “Can we actually do this? And to do so, what kind of risk are we taking?”

“If they think it is something really serious, they’ll put the flag up and highlight their judgment that we should not go ahead with a specific action.

“Put in clear terms, there’s a process view of life, and there’s an impact or effects view of life, and we are focused on giving the war-fighter an effects view of life.”

In another story about the use of the drone in the maintenance appraoch to the RAAF’s C-17, the author highlighted as well how the RAAF approached innovation.

RAAF Commander Air Mobility Group air commodore William Kourelakos said:

“This is an excellent example of bottom-led innovation from No 36 Squadron in response to the Air Force Safety Always Program (ASAP).

“Introducing this drone and these procedures goes further to reducing Workplace Health and Safety risks to so far as reasonably practicable.

“Air Mobility Group is investigating its applicability across the Air Mobility fleet.”

The USAF has been testing a similar approach at Edwards AFB.

A story published by the USAF on March 10, 2017 highlighted the test and the approach by the USAF.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — The 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force used a quadcopter to conduct a maintenance inspection of the exterior of a C-17 Globemaster III here March 6, 2017.

The C-17 was on loan from Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. It was the first time the CTF flew a small unmanned aerial system on the flightline and the second time the CTF has used a sUAS in a new application that shows promise.

The winds remained manageable and allowed the test team to conduct three sorties with the quadcopter, which was fitted with a video camera. Live video was assessed by the team that included maintainers, to determine if the quality was adequate for routine inspections. The video recorded from the quadcopter’s camera will be analyzed to see if it is clear enough to see smaller details of the cargo plane’s exterior such as structural abnormalities, rivets and cracks.

Maj. Dan Riley, the CTF director said, the test was so successful that the maintainers used the data to sign off their preflight external inspection, a first for the Air Force.
“This could save (maintainers) a lot of time,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Jaburek, of the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at JB Lewis-McChord. “When we go on top of the airplane, we can only walk on certain parts and then we have to hook and unhook our (safety harness) very few feet.”

Inspections that would normally take 45 minutes to an hour could be done just in a few minutes with a quadcopter if it’s successful. Maintainers also would not need a lift to inspect a C-17’s tail, Jaburek said.

Capt. Justin Merrick, a CTF lead engineer said, the CTF got the idea from seeing a video online showing a commercial airline company using a sUAS to inspect a plane.

“(Leadership) encourages us to go out and conduct tests, so after we saw some videos online we contacted some maintainers here and they were very enthusiastic to help out,” Merrick said.

Riley added that this first test on the flightline could pave the way for future sUAS tests and test procedures.

“Another reason we’ve conducted this test is to open the aperture on flying a sUAS near the airfield, which has been frowned upon in the past,” Riley said. “As we execute these missions it establishes a baseline for how operations can be conducted safely, not only here at Edwards, but at other bases as well. We couldn’t have accomplished what we have so far without the support of the 412th Operations Group and test wing commander in breaking down some of the barriers to these types of operations.”

Riley said the CTF is looking at a variety of other missions in the near future such as roof inspections, airfield inspections and environmental-concern area inspections.

In February, the newly formed CTF began testing a quadcopter to determine if it was possible to use the sUAS to calibrate the 412th Range Squadron’s telemetry antennas on base. Those tests also yielded positive results.

The CTF was officially activated last July and its mission is to provide agile, innovative flight test capabilities for emerging technologies and to explore the Air Force warfighting capabilities of tomorrow. Current focuses are on the use of sUAS for testing and operational use, and on autonomous systems’ development and use.

The featured photo shows Australian Army soldier, Sergeant Andrew Whitelaw, from 16 Air Land Regiment and Corporal Kelvin Green, Aircraft Surface Finisher at Royal Australian Air Force No.36 Squadron, launching a drone to inspect the condition of paint on the upper surfaces of a C-17A Globemaster on the flightline at RAAF Base Amberley.

 

The Coming of the CH-53K: Preparing for Its Long-Term Supportability

Posted on | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment on The Coming of the CH-53K: Preparing for Its Long-Term Supportability

By Robbin Laird

As I have noted earlier, the CH-53K is the next major USMC air platform, which reflects a 21st century development, build and support process.

The aircraft is a digital aircraft and has been designed with supportability built into the aircraft.

The software upgradeability of the aircraft allows for an open-ended modernization process and one which allows the aircraft to cross learn with other combat platforms, such as the F-35.

Indeed, the screens in the aircraft are configured to swap out functions and to provide data to the specific mission set which is being prioritized in a particular combat situation.

A digital aircraft is not a mechanical aircraft; and preparing for how best to sustain the aircraft is a key part of getting the full combat advantage out of the aircraft.

Notably, the strategic goal is enhanced aircraft availability to support combat operations.

The NAVAIR and the USMC have been preparing for the coming of the CH-53K in part by modifying how the services support the CH-53E.

A recrafting of the support regime for the E has been put in place anticipating the arrival of the K.

Earlier this year, I visited the Sikorsky facilities in Connecticut to focus on the maintenance and sustainability aspects of the H-53 aircraft.

During that visit, I met Pierre Garant again, whom I first met several years ago when I first worked on USMC logistics and support.

Garant was a key member of the Deputy Commandant of Aviation’s team working logistics and sustainability for the air arm of the USMC.

Currently, he is the Senior Program Manager, Marine Corps In-Service Helicopter Programs – which includes the current fleet of Presidential/Executive Transport (“Marine One” aircraft fleet, VH-3D and VH-60N) and the USMC/USN Heavy Lift Aircraft fleet (H-53E).

Pierre has 36 years of leadership experience in the field of aviation.  He held a number of leadership positions in the U.S. Marine Corps, highlighted by his tenure as the Director of the Aviation Logistics at Headquarters (Pentagon) Marine Corps Aviation as a Marine Colonel.

Following his 26-year career in the Marine Corps, he was the Director of Support at Bell-Boeing for the V-22 (Osprey) Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Program before joining Sikorsky in 2013.  He holds a BA from Cornell University, an MS from University of Southern California and an MS from the National Defense University.  Along with his academic degrees, Pierre holds many military decorations and professional certifications.

According to Garant, Sikorsky working with NAVAIR at Pax River have developed a Fleet Common Operating Environment – or FCOE – database and analytics toolset to support CH-53E operations.

“It is our government version of the Sikorsky proven Customer Care Center we employ to support our commercial helicopter fleet.

“The goal is the same, namely to understand the performance of the aircraft in the real world to create readiness and cost reduction type opportunities for the fleet.”

The establishment and operation of the FCOE capability has paved the way for the creation of an expanded performance-based logistics (PBL) business model and contract between Sikorsky and the government to support the H-53E.

“Traditional PBLs focus on parts availability: the contractor delivers the part within a certain timeframe and is measured by success in terms of a Supply Response Time metric.

“The traditional PBL is focused on the supply chain performance.

“The new approach expands performance to aircraft availability.

“With the new PBL the contractor is also incentivized to contribute to an ‘aircraft availability’ metric.”

“With the opportunity to use an agreed-upon database and toolset, the FCOE, we have the ability to measure the discreet level of how we can create aircraft availability.

“For example, when we change the logistics posture and supply response time for a gear box, we will also be able to demonstrate to the government that we generated a measurable amount of aircraft availability because we improved one part.

“Once we do that, we earn increased incentive on the contract in addition to meeting supply response times.”

A key point is that this shift on supporting the E is coming on line as the K is about to enter the force.

This means that a changed organizational behavior is being crafted prior to the K entering the fleet, and would form the base-line going forward, rather than having the traditional legacy parts support approach.

According to Garant, the approach being taken with E support can also serve as the foundation for the K support enterprise and could also be a model for change in the entire approach to supporting naval aviation.

“The approach is changing organizational behavior and empowering the contractor to seek more influence and take more responsibility as an integrator for aircraft readiness or aircraft availability.”

Garant concluded: “By creating the expanded business approach enabled by a common data system and toolset, we have the possibility to transform the enterprise and to get the focus on what is crucial, namely enhanced aircraft availability.”

Editor’s Note: A November 5, 2018 press release from Sikorsky highlighted the new contract.

Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin company has been awarded a performance based logistics (PBL) contract with a value of $717 million over a 4-year Period of Performance by Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), Philadelphia.

The contract will provide supply and logistics support to the entire fleet of in-service CH-53E Super Stallions (USMC) and MH-53E Sea Dragon (USN) Helicopters. The H-53E is a battle proven heavy-lift helicopter continuing to support the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy in missions at home and around the world.

The scope of the performance based logistics contract includes repairs, overhauls, spares, obsolescence mitigation and asset management services over four years. Contract performance is based on material availability metrics with additional incentives added for demand reductions, maintainability enhancements and aircraft readiness contributions.

The expanded, comprehensivePBL arrangement will cover additional readiness-critical components, including main and tail rotor blades, main gearbox, main rotor head, flight control components as well as accessories such as refueling probe and cargo system components.

“We expect the expanded performance-based logistics to measurably improve material availability and reduce support cost while increasing overall aircraft readiness,” said Pierre Garant, Sikorsky, Senior Program Manager, Marine Corps In-Service Programs. “Our support infrastructure and past PBL successes will result in Sikorsky continuing to reliably provide mission support critical to the warfighter.”

As the Marine Corps’ heavy lift-helicopter designed for the transportation of heavy material and supplies, the CH-53E Super Stallion is compatible with most amphibious class ships.  With four and one half hours’ endurance, the helicopter can move heavy equipment over rugged terrain in bad weather and at night. The MH-53E Sea Dragon fills the US Navy‘s need for long-range minesweepingmissions, in addition to heavy-lift duties. The H-53E has consistently proven its worth to the Fleet commanders with its versatility and range.

The PBL contract will provide the vital and affordable support to the entire fleet – expanding a reliable base of long-term sustainment as the aircraft continue to fully operate until the introduction of the replacement aircraft, the CH-53K King Stallion.

“In addition to positively sustaining an aging fleet with enhanced support, we are also very excited about laying the foundation toward a similar support model for the CH-53K early on in that program,” said Garant.  “The aim is to leverage our current successes and the world-class tools we employ today toward creating an affordable and smart construct for the CH-53K as early as possible in its life-cycle.”

The featured photo shows a CH53-E Super Stallion conducts air operations during Career Orientated Training for Midshipmen (CORTRAMID) Marine Week, Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 25, 2017.

The purpose of CORTRAMID is to expose students to opportunities in the Fleet Marine Forces and generate an interest in a Marine Corps commission. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ashley D. Gomez)

The second slideshow shows U.S. Marines with the Maritime Raid Force (MRF), 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), fast roping from a CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced), aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), May 9, 2018.

The MRF conducted the training to maintain readiness and proficiency during a deployment at sea. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jered T. Stone/Released)