Air Marshal Leo Davies Addresses the 2018 RAAF Airpower Conference

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03/28/2018

The RAAF Airpower Conference 2018 provided a good look at the perceived dynamics of change in the broader global environment and within the ongoing technological revolution reshaping the demand side of both the use and development of modern airpower and the ADF more generally.

The conference was opened by Air Marshal Leo Davies, Chief of the RAAF.

He highlighted the growth in the breadth and depth of the challenges facing airpower as well as the growth in demands to operate in the gray zone.

Among the key dynamics he highlighted were the following: the dispersal of global influence and the diversity of power centers; the shift in the center of global power from the North Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific region, the elevated strategic impact of China and North Korea; the shifts in US national strategy from focusing primarily on counter-terrorism to great power challenges.

These dynamics were leading to the need to invest in higher end military capabilities and to seek innovative solutions to ensure that the liberal democracies had credible deterrent capabilities.

He underscored the core significance for the RAAF of evolving the skill sets to deal with these challenges which he characterized as shaping skill sets which could move beyond a narrow definition of mission performance to deal with the distributed battlespace and its more strategic demand set

He concluded with the following:

The disruptive world is presenting new challenges to the role of airpower in supporting national security objectives.

I don’t know what the next conflict will be, but I do know:

Many of the tools of trade are now more freely available to potential adversaries than ever before;

In future conflicts we can expect bases and support infrastructures, including civilian infrastructure, to be targeted through the use of physical and non-physical effects;

These are no longer sanctuaries immune from attack;

Emerging technologies will revolutionise the application of air power but also give rise to new challenges.

Success in the future battlespace requires the coordination of joint effects across all domains – a system of systems.

Airpower must be comprehensively integrated across the joint force to contribute meaningfully to the future fight.

These obstacles and challenges are real, but so are the visions and the ideas we will bring to meet them.

I have confidence in our Airmen to deliver on our vision.

I am reminded of the words of Henry Parkes, our father of federation, as he looked to the challenges at the creation of our nation, ‘In one hand I have a dream, in the other I have an obstacle. Tell me, which one grabs your attention?’

My proposition is that we ‘grab’ both, and collectively chart a new path for airpower in this disruptive world.

01_Opening-Address-Davies

Davies-Opening-Address

ICEX 2018

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Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) and Seawolf-class fast attack submarine, USS Connecticut (SSN 22) Surface Together in the Arctic Circle. ICEX 2018.

03.28.2018
Video by Robert Gensic
All Hands Magazine

ICEX 2018 from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.

In an article by Commander Submarine Forces, Public Affairs published on March 7, 2018, the opening of the ICEX 2018 exercise was described.

ARCTIC CIRCLE (NNS) — Commander, Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR) officially kicked-off Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018 in the Arctic Ocean with the construction of temporary Ice Camp Skate and the arrival of two U.S. Navy fast-attack submarines and one U.K. Royal Navy submarine March 7.

ICEX 2018 is a five-week biennial exercise that allows the Navy to assess its operational readiness in the Arctic, increase experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic environment and continue to develop relationships with other services, allies and partner organizations.

The Seawolf-class fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) from Bangor, Washington, the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) from Groton, Connecticut, and the Royal Navy Trafalgar-class submarine HMS Trenchant (S91) will conduct multiple arctic transits, a North Pole surfacing, scientific data collection and other training evolutions during their time in the region.

“With every ICEX we are able to build upon our existing experience and continue to learn the best way to operate in this unique and harsh environment,” said Rear Adm. James Pitts, commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC). “We are constantly testing new tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) under the ice, and this exercise allows us to do so on a larger scale and alongside our U.K., joint and academic partners.”

The Navy’s Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL), based in San Diego, serves as the lead organization for coordinating, planning and executing the exercise involving three nations services, three submarines and over 100 participants over the five weeks of operations.

Ice Camp Skate is a temporary ice camp that was established on a sheet of ice in the Arctic Ocean, known as an ice floe. Skate will serve as a temporary command center for conducting submarine operations, including under-ice navigation and torpedo exercises. The camp consists of shelters, a command center and infrastructure to safely house and support more than 50 personnel at any one time.

“Our Arctic Submarine Laboratory team has been working for over a year to ensure our Submarine Force is able to conduct dynamic torpedo and under-ice operations in this unique environment,” says Larry Estrada, director of ASL. “This year’s camp is prepared to support the force with communication and weapons recovery.”

The camp gets its namesake from USS Skate (SSN 578), the first submarine to surface through open-water surrounded by ice in 1958 and the first submarine to surface through the arctic ice at the North Pole in March 1959. Since the success of Skate’s surfacing, arctic operations have been a crucial part of the missions conducted by nuclear submarines.

For more than 70 years, submarines have conducted under-ice operations in the Arctic regions in support of inter-fleet transit, training, cooperative allied engagements and routine operations.

The U.S. Submarine Force has completed more than 27 Arctic exercises; the last being conducted in 2016.

Dr. Robbin Laird Appointed as Williams Foundation Research Fellow

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03/27/2018

At the dinner preceding the Sir Richard Williams Foundation seminar on the transition from fighting the land wars to engaging in high tempo and high intensity operations, Dr. Robbin Laird, the editor of Second Line of Defense was appointed by the board of the Williams Foundation as a Research Fellow.

The appointment reads as follows:

“On behalf of the Board, it is with great pleasure we welcome you as a Research Fellow of the Sir Richard Williams Foundation.

“The Board thanks you for your continued contribution to the core goal of the Williams Foundation; to promote the development and effective implementation of national security and defense policies as they impact on Australia’s ability to generate air power appropriate to its unique geopolitical environment and values.

“The Board and members of the Foundation greatly value the support you have provided in the past and look forward to continuing your involvement in future Williams Foundation programs.”

The letter was signed by AIRMSHL Geoffrey Brown AO (Retired) in his role as Chairman of the Williams Foundation.

Laird recognizes the key role of the Second Line of Defense team over the years in generating the high quality analyses and thinking which was recognized by the Williams Foundation with his appointment as a research fellow.

Our motto at Second Line of Defense from the beginning has been driven by the admonition of General Patton: “If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn’t thinking.”

That certainly has been something which the Williams Foundation has demonstrated in playing a leadership role in generating new thinking about military transformation in Australia and among the allies, as recognized by the significant and frequent commitment of the allies of Australia in participating and contributing to the seminars.

 

 

Marines Work the Sea Base and Expanded Capabilities

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Pilots aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1) perform deck landing qualifications in an MV-22B Osprey, MH-60S Sea Hawk, and F-35B Lightning II on March 19, 2018.

As the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward deployed Marine Expeditionary Unit, the 31st MEU provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations

03.19.2018

Video by Lance Cpl. Kristiana Gehly 

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit

The transformation of Marine Corps aviation and with innovations in terms of the ability of the Marines to operate at greater distance, speed and more effectively in distributed operations began with the Osprey.

The F-35B is now being added to the force and it provides, sensing, C2 and strike capability for a distributed force.

Coming next is the CH-53K, which is no more of a replacement for the CH-53E than the Osprey replaced the CH-46 or the F-35B is replacing Harriers and Hornets.

And next up will be a new vertical life class four UAV, which will further enhance the ability to support the Marines at sea and at shore in the distributed battlespace.

And the K is arriving as the Marines are transitioning the MAGTF with a wide-ranging emphasis on digital interoperability.

The most recent Weapons Training and Tactics course at the Marine’s cutting edge Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One was the first WTI where digital interoperability was tested in every aspect of the training.

 

 

An Update on the CH-53K: March 2018

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Recently, Deputy Commandant of Aviation, Lt. General “Stick” Rudder testified before the Congress on the coming of the CH-53K and its importance to the USMC and its approach to combat operations.

“This aircraft is mechanically and technologically amazing. It fits directly into the National Defense Strategy as far as heavy lift for distributed operations in whatever theater you’re talking about.

“We’ve got about 800 hours on the airplane right now in the test sequence and we are working through all the reliability issues early on.

“We have frontloaded reliability and spares of this airplane. It is meeting quite — when I say it gets the Marine and naval force off our amphibious ships or wherever you are in a manner which cannot be accomplished by any other aircraft in DOD.

“We have KPP for 110 nautical miles lifting up 27,000 pounds. We’ve met that. As a matter of fact, we just lifted 36,000 pounds with this airplane the other day. That’s the highest.

“Now, I won’t want to argue with our Russian counterparts because they’ve got a helicopter that might have lifted more than that, but in the free world that’s the largest lift of any helicopter that we’ve done.

“So it is performing to that level that allows us as we look at the things that we are buying like the JLTV, and we just lifted one the other day that was 19,000 pounds. We’re able to lift that with ease.

“We’re able to dual lift Humvees, full up armored Humvees. So that capability allows maneuver on the battlefield.

“I think another thing I’ll say just for the logistics experts in here is we built that thing to be able to slide in 463L pallets. Those are the standard DOD pallets, so you can park a C-17, C-130, no tail-to-tail with this thing.

“You just roll pallets off right into the back of this helicopter and you can’t do that with any other system….

“It’s composite. It is fly by wire. It is one of those helicopters you can fly hands off and it’s really going to help us in another area that we have challenges with over the years.

“That’s a degraded visual environment zero visual conditions in the desert. So that stability, that helicopter will help us greatly in that environment.”

A recent press release from Lockheed Martin highlighted the CH-53K and its capabilities as well.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 7, 2018

 The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion completed an external lift of a 36,000-pound payload at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center, achieving a maximum weight on the single center point cargo hook.

This milestone marks completion of critical flight envelope expansion activities for the CH-53K as Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company prepares to deliver the first aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps this year.

The CH-53K lifted the external load of 36,000 lbs. into a hover followed by flight demonstrating satisfactory handling qualities and structural margins.  The gross weight of the aircraft topped out at just over 91,000 lbs., making this the heaviest helicopter ever flown by Sikorsky.

“The successful completion of these last critical envelope expansion tests further demonstrates the maturity of the CH-53K aircraft,” said Dr. Michael Torok, Sikorsky Vice President, Marine Corps Systems. “We look forward to bringing this unique and exceptional heavy lift capability to the United States Marine Corps and our international customers.”

 Prior to the 36,000-lb. lift, the CH-53K lifted various external payloads up to 27,000 lbs. including a Joint Light Tacticle Vehicle (JLTV).

The CH-53K can carry a 27,000 lb. external load over 110 nautical miles in high/hot conditions, which is more than triple the external load carrying capacity of the legacy CH-53E aircraft.

CH-53K Heavy Lift Capability from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.

Other flight envelope accomplishments include tethered hover demonstrating flight speeds to 200 knots, angle of bank to 60 degrees, takeoffs and landings from sloped surfaces up to 12 degrees, external load auto-jettison, and gunfire testing.

 “The payload capability of this helicopter is unmatched, triple that of its predecessor and better than any other heavy lift helicopter in production,” said Col. Hank Vanderborght, U.S. Marine Corps Program Manager for the Naval Air Systems Command’s Heavy Lift Helicopters Program.

“The CH-53K program continues on pace to deploy this incredible heavy lift capability to our warfighters.”

 The CH-53K is also garnering international interest. Rheinmetall and Sikorsky recently signed a strategic teaming agreement to offer the CH-53K for Germany’s new heavy lift helicopter competition.

Additional teammates will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the aircraft’s debut at the ILA Berlin Air Show in April.  

In the Fall of 2017, we interviewed the government’s chief test pilot and got his perspective on what the coming of the CH-53K means for the USMC:

The CH-53K is in the final phase of getting ready to enter into service.

The final phase of preparation includes the wrap up of testing at West Palm Beach, the conclusion of testing at Pax River, and the validation of maintenance procedures at the base, which will first receive the new aircraft, New River…..

In a discussion with LtCol Jonathan Morel, USMC, the CH-53K Government Chief Test Pilot and the first Marine to fly the CH-53K, during a visit to West Palm Beach on October 26, 2017, we discussed how the test process was readying the aircraft for its operational role.

In particular, we discussed the involvement of VMX-1, formerly VMX-22, in the process.

VMX-22 was set up to prepare the Osprey for its first combat engagements and has been a key player in the evolution of that aircraft. VMX-22 was based at New River, where I visited it several times, including flying on the Osprey with them as well.

The unit has been relocated to Yuma Marine Corps Air Station where they work closely with other key elements, such as MAWTS (Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One) to work not only the evolution of the new air assets but their integration into the evolution of the MAGTF.

LtCol Morel highlighted that the Integrated Test Team has included Sikorsky, the US Government, notably NAVAIR, and VMX-22 and then VMX-1.

This meant that the approach to preparation of the aircraft for service has built into it greater confidence in the aircraft not just meeting the test requirements set by the buyer, but the operational requirements of the user.

This means as well that the aircraft getting ready to join the operational force is not a prototype but a combat ready asset.

“We have already done the first operational assessment last year and this assessment fed into the milestone C decision. This operational assessment was done by VMX-1.

“We have been focused not simply on meeting the government set requirements but assessing whether we are on track to meet all our Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) as well.

“We flew the aircraft with an all government crew which included an operational test pilot from VMX-1 and myself to treat it more or less like an operational aircraft within any known constraints as part of the input to the Milestone C decision.

“We’re already doing the operational testers job to a large degree. And so, we actually end up with a lot of overlap on that regard with the operational testers and delivering a more combat ready aircraft.”

Milestone A is the process of initiating technology maturation and risk reduction.

Milestone B initiates engineering and manufacturing development.

Milestone C initiates production and deployment of a program.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL34026.pdf

http://news.lockheedmartin.com/2017-04-04-CH-53K-King-Stallion-Program-Achieves-Milestone-C#assets_117:19309

LtCol Morel added that “everything that we’ve done for years, everything that we evaluate on the aircraft and looked at the aircraft, has been through the lens of, how is the aircraft going to work for us?

“If I were to leave this job and go back to the operational squadron with this aircraft, how is it going to help do the things that we need to do and how is it going to help us do them better?”

I then asked him to answer his own question.

And his answer underscored how the core function of heavy lift, which is to deliver Marines to the fight and to sustain them in the fight and to move them out of the fight, was going to improve with this aircraft.

The mission of a heavy lift helicopter for a ground force is pretty straightforward – it is to move people, equipment and supplies to where they need to be.

“I have to be able to get people and materiel to the area of interest in a timely manner and then I have to get them in safely and extract them when the time comes safely and securely as well.”

Reliability and availability of aircraft is a key consideration, and one which is a serious problem for the legacy fleet.

The K will be a much more reliable aircraft with the new maintainability built in as well as being built with modern systems and materials.

The engines and digital management systems onboard the aircraft will allow the Marines to operate the aircraft in extreme heat and altitude environments and carry up to three times as much usable payload with the aircraft.

“We’ll be able to go faster, we’ll be able to get there more reliably because of the avionic systems that are helping us get from point A to point B.

“But at the end of the day, we’re carrying more stuff.

“That means we’re using fewer aircraft to get there, I have a smaller footprint, I can act more distributed, I don’t need six aircraft in order to move this amount of stuff. I can do it with a section of two aircraft.

“Or I have to make fewer round trips back to the ship. I can minimize exposure, and build up combat power faster. To me, that’s what payload and speed give us.”

The safety aspect was underscored throughout the discussion.

LtCol Morel emphasized that with the E to perform safely required hundreds of hours of training and deploying the right people to get the job done.

“But that is not a recipe for predictable success.

“The fly by wire system delivers levels of automation and control, which provide for much great built in safety performance capabilities.

“The aircraft enables us to do the mission properly as opposed to waving off, taking several chances to get in, not being able to land where I wanted to because there is too much of a dust cloud and I have to land over there and the troops are scattered throughout the area of interest.

“With this aircraft, I can deliver the load the exact spot required, safely, and every single time.

“And that’s because of the fly by wire system of the aircraft.

“We can be in quickly and out.

“Quite honestly, other than getting aircraft out of the hanger and onto the flight line ready to launch, the hardest thing we do is land our cargo and troops in the desired location under any conditions.”

He was asked: What was your single most pleasant surprise operating the aircraft?

“How well the aircraft flies itself.

“We say that in the simulator, but what you get in the sim is what we are seeing as we test and operate the aircraft.

“The position-hold capability of the aircraft is amazing.

“It’s unbelievable to me how perfectly still the aircraft sits on a normal ambient, normal weather day outside in the hover mode.

“There’s not a pilot out there who can actually hover better than what the aircraft’s doing by itself right now.

“The aircraft can hover over a spot, just perfectly still.

“The guys are hooking up the load, giving you the thumbs up. It’s really unbelievable.

“This means that the tasks which we need to do that requires a steady platform, whether it’s taking off or landing on the ship, coming in to pick up external cargo and dropping off cargo in tight spaces or simply stabilizing the aircraft and getting on the ground quickly to drop the ramp instead of wasting time trying to stabilize, all of these tasks will be enhanced by the capabilities of the K.”

Indian Navy Frigate Trains with Roosevelt Strike Group

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According to an article released by the US Navy and written by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Morgan K. Nall, the USS Preble and INS Tarkash operated together and exchanged crew this month during an exercise.

Units of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group sailed in formation with the Indian Navy Talwar-class frigate INS Tarkash (F50), March 25.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88), along with the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and guided-missile destroyers USS Halsey (DDG 97) and USS Sampson (DDG 102) sailed in formation with the Indian Navy Talwar-class frigate INS Tarkash (F50), March 25.

The event was a naval greeting and training exercise between partner nations as Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) transitions from fighting ISIS while in the Arabian Gulf to operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations such as counter-piracy, freedom of navigation operations and training.

Warfare commanders from the U.S. Navy ships and the Indian Navy ship practiced working together and strengthened their crews’ ship handling. Exercises included drills in communications and navigating in several close formations.

“This exercise offered a unique opportunity to further our capabilities to operate with and learn from one another,” said Cmdr. Allen Maxwell Jr., commanding officer of Preble. “It’s an excellent test for our watchstanders to exercise their flexibility as warfighters and to interact with foreign vessels in a tactical environment. Preble is dedicated to ensuring its ability to work together with our allies and partners and deal with common concerns such as disaster relief and safety of sea lanes.”

Additionally, 10 Indian Sailors toured spaces aboard Preble such as combat information center, central control station, and the bridge while 10 Preble Sailors visited Tarkash.

“Having the opportunity to go over to the Indian ship was an awesome cultural experience,” said Ensign Grace E. Pruden, a Sailor assigned to Preble. “I was surprised by how much was the same, but also intrigued to learn how our ship and the crew run differently. They were a very hospitable ship, eager to share with us and learn from us.”

Pruden said that the crew size, weapons systems, air capabilities, gas turbine engines, and officer and enlisted ranking were comparable to that of Preble. However, she noted differences in officer training programs.

“Whatever field their officers are in when they join is what they will stay in for their entire career, which for most is a minimum of 20 years,” said Pruden. “The idea of changing departments after a tour, or even during a tour, along with standing watches outside of the department we are in, as we do, really surprised them.”

While touring each other’s ships for the afternoon, Sailors had the chance to learn how they operate on a day-to-day basis and experience life at sea from a different perspective.

“The officers and crew of Tarkash were fantastic hosts and extremely welcoming to our group,” said Ensign Adam B. Campbell, a Sailor assigned to Preble. “It was very impressive that a cook staff of only five sailors could produce such a wide variety of delicious, fresh foods for a crew of 300 people three times a day.”

After a formal gift exchange between leadership and friendly conversation, Sailors returned to their ships on a rigid-hull inflatable boat to conclude the exercise.

Preble is currently deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations with the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and guided-missile destroyers USS Halsey (DDG 97), USS Higgins (DDG 76) and USS Sampson (DDG 102)…..

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=104858

The photo shows INS Tarkash sailing past the O2 Arena in London on 10th May 2017. Credit: Wikimedia

 

Successful Test Firing of Indian High-Speed Cruise Missile

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According to an article published this month by our partner India Strategic, the Indians have successful tested their high speed cruise missile.

BrahMos, the formidable supersonic cruise missile with indigenous seeker was successfully flight tested at 0842 hrs March 22, 2018 at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.

The supersonic cruise missile and the seeker have been developed jointly by DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace.

Brahamos Missile Launch, March 22, 2018. Credit: India Strategic

The precision strike weapon with indigenous seeker flew in its designated trajectory and hit the pre-set target. The flight test was conducted by the scientists of DRDO and BrahMos along with the Indian Army.

A high level team led by Chairman DRDO & Secretary DDR&D Dr S Christopher was present during the flight trial, which included DG (Missiles & Strategic Systems) & SA to RM Dr G Satheesh Reddy and Director General BrahMos Dr Sudhir Mishra.

Programme Director Dr Dashrath Ram and Project Director Mrs V Prameelawho had led the effort for development of the indigenous seeker were also part of the team. Senior IAF officials also witnessed the successful launch of the tactical weapon.

Republished with permission of India Strategic.

http://www.indiastrategic.in/2018/03/23/successful-test-firing-of-brahmos-with-indigenous-seeker/

 

 

Europe Prepares for Fifth Generation Transformation: The European Air Group Works the Challenge

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By Robbin Laird

The European Air Group has been an incubator for change within the European air forces. The EAG flies below the radar but is a key asset for the Air Chiefs of 7 major European Air Forces in shaping ways to work more effectively together and to get the best value they have from legacy and new assets at the disposal of those forces.

They clearly have grasped the point of the Ben Franklin moment: We all hang together or we hang separately!

“We need to learn to work more effectively together to ensure that our individual national air capabilities are maximized in their effectiveness,” as one EAG official told me a few years ago.

Evolution of Airpower. Credit: European Air Group

The head of the EAG is rotational among the Air Chiefs, with the current COS of the Italian Air Force now the head of EAG.  The Chiefs meet once a year to shape an agenda and to determine the way ahead based on the work performed by the EAG or being shaped for the EAG. There is a small permanent staff, headed by a Deputy Director and a Chief of Staff for the EAG, with its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, UK.

The seven European Air Forces involved in the EAG are the following:  the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Germany.

Two notable achievements of the EAG are working through the terms of reference and the approach to establishing the European Air Transport Command and the European Personnel Recovery Centre.

In 2014, I first visited the EAG and presented a briefing on how to think about the integration of 4th and 5th generation aircraft as European airpower is transformed under the impact of fifth generation operations.

http://www.euroairgroup.org/project/4th5th-gen-aircraft-integration-initiative/

In 2016, the EAG held a working group session and conference on the opportunities and challenges with leveraging fifth generation transformation.

The 2016 two-day 4th 5th Generation Integration Information Forum was held at the home of the EAG, RAF High Wycombe, at the end of April 2016. 

With national 5th Generation aircraft programs maturing and the need to integrate 4th and 5th generation aircraft into future coalitions acknowledged the forum is providing a vital conduit to keep information flowing between both EAG nations and external partners and increase the awareness of nations about the challenges to come.

The first day saw experts from academia and industry set the scene with their interpretation of the technological and political developments that are going to shape the future of air power and more specifically the challenges of integrating 4th and 5th generation multi-national air forces into that vision.

The second day opened the floor to a discussion between the individual EAG nations present, Tactical Leadership Program (TLP), Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC); European Union Military Staff (EUMS) and the USAF that was being represented for the first time at an EAG 4th 5th Generation Forum.

The debate focused on the specific challenges being experienced at a national program level whilst also providing an overview of the future Air Force compositions.

Fifth-generation aircraft roll out over the next decade. Credit: European Air Group

The identification of the common challenges being experienced with this cutting edge evolution of the approach to, and employment of, air power is key to the development of future collaborative solutions. 

National representatives were able to take away key areas for further consideration and investigation that when resolved will be fundamental to enhancing interoperability between the nations.

The 4th 5th Generation Integration Information Forum will continue to provide a crucial communication channel between the EAG nations as the next generation of combat aircraft are brought into service in Europe.

http://www.euroairgroup.org/project/4th-5th-generation-integration-information-forum-april-2016/

Since then, the work on 4th 5th Gen integration has progressed considerably and the Integration Forum has been absorbed within a dedicated program that has been launched by the EAG in 2017.

During my most recent visit to the EAG in February 2018, I had a chance to talk with the Deputy Director of the EAG, Air Commodore Robert Adang of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and to get an update on the effort to leverage fifth generation capabilities.

http://www.euroairgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/20161114-Bio-Cdre-Adang-DDEAG.pdf

As he noted in our discussion, as a young student he saw the first F-16 ever to visit the Netherlands fly over his school and head for a Dutch Air Base.  Now, he is on the ground floor as the F-35 enters European Air Forces, and is a force for change in reshaping the overall concepts of operations and combat capabilities of European Air Forces.

The EAG is addressing the question of how to shape an interoperable 4th-5th generation air force. They are addressing the question of “interoperability gaps” and how to attenuate them.

The EAG has developed a program, which they call the Combined Air Interoperability Program (CAIP) guiding the overall effort.  The EAG Steering Group mandated in 2016 that there was a need “to develop a plan to solve the inte

The EAG Network: Credit: European Air Group

roperability challenges that result from integrating 5th Gen with 4th Gen systems.”

The EAG is clearly not working this alone but is also providing operational intellectual capital to core organizations working the challenge in Europe, including USAFE, the Joint Air Power Competence Centre and NATO HQ Air Command.

As Air Commodore Adang put it: “the objective is plain and simple.  It’s to create the optimum conditions for future combined training, exercise and operations by resolving interoperability issues that result from 4th and 5th gen integration.”

The baseline point is that F-35s will be a part of the force but not the dominant part numerically.

As Adang underscored: If I look at European air forces, current plans, when you total the projected number of F-35s in about ten years’ time, say 2028, and you compare it to the number of 4th gen fighters that will be used at that time still, then you’re looking at about 20% fifth gen systems and 80% 4th gen systems, not including any F-35 or F-22 US forces.

“And the total number that makes up that 20% of F-35s is too small to create the total effects that you need in a major combined air operation.

“You need the missile carrying capabilities and other attributes of the 4th gen fighters to ultimately be successful. So it’s only through a combination of 4th and 5th gen that we can be successful in future air operations.

“And this is the trick.”

Several dynamics of change are being addressed to generate a transformation process.

The first is shaping new training capabilities. 

“How do we integrate the F-35 in the European theatre? We’re working on that between the nations and associated organizations.

“How can we establish red forces capability that’s relevant for a 5th gen force?”

The second is to build out airspace training ranges within Europe as well.

“There is a clear need for training airspace and ranges that are suitable for accommodating training with 5th gen weapon systems.”

The capabilities of the fifth-generation sensors and how the sensor-shooter relationship will operate over larger areas of airspace clearly requires reworking airspace training options. And to do so will require working with the civilian authorities responsible for handling the common airspace.

“When you’ve identified this common idea of where these chunks of training airspace are going to be, then you have to start looking at how that aligns with Single European skies.  It’s the aim of Single European Skies to optimize civilian air transport. Integrating military training airspace is not a primary objective, and needs to be addressed effectively.

Third, is working the synthetic training environment and cross linking the various European efforts, including reaching out to the US forces in Europe as well.

“When I look at synthetic training, what I see is these national networks being developed bit by bit. I see some initiatives to connecting F-35 simulators multinationally. We clearly need to have some multinational training network that enables interoperability training in a synthetic environment – or rather a live, virtual and blended environment – in addition to live training.

“And I think that from a technological point of view it will be relatively easy to connect F-35 simulators from different nations in a multinational network, but then connecting that network to 4th gen capabilities for 4th gen nations is going to be where the challenge is, not only because of technological differences but also from a security perspective. But in the end, that’s where we have to go.

“If in ten or fifteen years’ time, we don’t do a substantial part of our multinational training in a synthetic environment, we’ve done something wrong.”

More broadly speaking with regard to transformation, the European air combat fleet under the impact of fifth generation is forcing changes, which are congruent with where technology, C2 and concepts of operations are headed.

Air Commodore Adang treats the F-35 as a first-generation information dominance aircraft. The fifth-generation approach lays the foundation for preparing for the future while current capabilities are transformed as well.

“By now most people agree there’s a future of military operations come to be about information, not about systems. And the only way to be successful in these information-centric operations is when all the capabilities that you have are networked together seamlessly, or as seamless as possible. And those networks will see an increasing number of distributed centers and effectors operating in unison through the network. These sensors will give us an improved situational awareness if we prove to be capable of exploiting all the information that they’re gathering, that’s one of the biggest challenges that we will be facing in the future.”

Put simply: a different approach to airpower and the fifth generation transformation is clearly driving change in this direction and the EAG wants to both help shape a way ahead for integration of the legacy with the new fleet, but lay down the foundation for the kind of combat learning which such a 21st century air combat foundation can enable.

“How can we educate people in 5th gen awareness, make them aware what 5th gen warfare means?”

The EAG is working within a network of organizations to foster innovation and to provide cross organizational learning which can facilitate transformation as well. “We want to take the best ideas and approaches within the European airpower network and apply those throughout the European airpower system.”

In short, the EAG is proving pragmatic intellectual leadership in the European airpower environment to shape a way ahead for a more capable 21st century combat force.