From KC-10 to the KC-30A: A Strategic and Photo Update

Posted on | by Robbin Laird
10/13/2017

2017-10-07 By Robbin Laird

With the significant operational tempo on the US tanker fleet and with the inability to replace the older KC-135s expeditiously, the KC-10s have become  a workhorse of the USAF tanker fleet.

Earlier some questioned the value of a larger tanker in doing the wide variety of missions which the KC-135 was built to do.

But the facts are the facts; and the KC-10 has demonstrated without doubt the flexibility of a larger tanker in supporting a wide variety of combat missions.

Past interviews with the USAF tanking community has highlighted the enhanced role of the KC-10s with the twin challenges of no new tanker and readiness issues with the aging KC-135 fleet.

Another large tanker has also demonstrated the flexibility provided by a larger tanker to a variety of combat missions, namely, the A330 MRTT or in Aussie parlance the KC-30A.

In the slideshow below, during an October 24, 2016 operation in the Middle East, the KC-10 and the KC-30A are seen flying in formation for the first time.

The combined refuelers were capable of delivering more than 576,000 pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft supporting the liberation of Mosul, Iraq.

The U.S. Air Force photos are credited to USAF Senior Airman Tyler Woodward

The RAAF cross trains with the USAF on the KC-10 as well.

According to an interview we did with RAAF KC-30A tanker crew last year during their time at Edwards AFB, this is what they said about this process:

Question: You are reshaping the tanker culture?

Where do your crews come from and how are they preparing for the boom part of your tanker’s future?

Answer: We have a mixture of people with fighter, tanker and airlift experience.

It is a mixed crew in terms of background.

And we have an exchange with the USAF with the KC-10 are building up our boom training and experience with them as well.

I have argued earlier in a Breaking Defense piece, that KC-10 replacement could take concurrently with the KC-135 replacement but simply buying the KC-30A. And this would provide an additional advantage, of the US buying into a large globally operational fleet in which combat lessons have already been learned and the users are driving Tanker 2.0 or put in other terms are adding new capabilities to a combat proven fleet.

Not only does the US Air Force have NO operational new tankers, but the allies have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Air Force made the right initial decision picking this aircraft over Boeing’s KC-46 offering.

Two Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft sit on the flightline at sunset in the Middle East Region during Operation OKRA. Aircraft tail swaps occur routinely across all platforms. They ensure aircraft deployed and at home location remain on scheduled maintenance cycles and comply with mandated airworthiness requirements. Credit: Australian Department of Defence

Our allies are operating multiple A330 MRTTs so commonality has already been established and significant investments by allies in a needed US capability already in place.

For example, the Aussies are about to add an operational autonomous boom to their KC-30As. According to the RAAF Commander in charge of lift and tanking: “If it can anticipate and react to movements of the receiver aircraft faster than the boom operator can, then you end up with faster contacts. You also potentially end up with more consistent contacts when the turbulence level increases, in cloud or when night falls.”

The Aussies are moving onto Tanker 2.0 while the US Air Force is still waiting for Tanker 1.0. This makes no sense.

With the need to ramp up capabilities for high tempo and high intensity operations slo mo procurement simply will undercut USAF capabilities to prevail in contested airspace.

The USAF needs to aim for dominance in the contested battlespace and to do so requires changing the business rules to shape a more realistic and rapid acquisition process, and with the key elements of combat dominance already flying, it is a question of acquiring and integrating these new assets.

The RAAF has been working innovations with the KC-30A to shape a more effective lift and tanking force for high tempo operations in contested airspace.

As such, the Aussies participated in the recent Air Mobility Guardian 2017 Exercise.

According to Air Commodore Richard Lennon,  the RAAF Air Mobility Commander:

“The exercise was the first of its type held in a very long time.

“The exercise focused on integrating the efforts of several partner air forces using their air mobility fleets in contested airspace to support force insertion.

“We were required to seize an airfield, establish a point of disembarkation, and through that process we were required to conduct aeromedical evacuations and airdrop missions to support ground forces.”

A key part of the exercise was working tactics and procedures with fighters to provide force protection for the air mobility fleet as it operated to support the force insertion effort.

US F-15s and A-10s accompanied the air mobility fleet in shaping the tactics and procedures for operating the fleet in a contested air environment.

The exercise has been two years in the making. Approximately 50 aircraft were involved with several thousand airmen participating in the exercise.

The Aussies brought their C-17 and KC-30A crews to the exercise as well as air dispatch, aeromedical evacuation, force protection and contingency response personnel.

A key challenge within the exercise was shaping interoperable procedures for operating in a contested air environment as each air force had evolved its own procedures over time.

Clearly with a higher tempo operation getting significant sortie generation rates and air dropped delivery is crucial to combat success.

“Our operations for over a decade in the Middle East have been largely in uncontested airspace where we’ve had control.

“In this exercise, we were really testing the readiness of our forces to rise to the next level and work in a challenging environment, and challenging environment it was.

“The exercise program was ambitious.

“It ran twenty-four hours a day for ten days.

“There was no let up, and everyone in the exercise was working hard.”

The slideshow below highlights a series of USAF photos of the KC-30A participating in Air Mobility Guardian 2017.

In short, the larger tankers have demonstrated without any doubt their capabilities to do a variety of tactical and strategic missions and have put in the rear view mirror the critics who at the time of the USAF selection of the A330 MRTT argued that small was somehow better.

The USAF chose the A330 MRTT as the better tanker; and the global tanking community taking a cue from USAF professionalism followed the USAF lead, despite the US political process.

Politics has its own dynamics; but so does the stark reality of combat.

Airpower IB 21: The Importance of Changing the Business Rules

 

Air Force IB 21: Aiming for Domination in High Intensity Conflict

Posted on | by Robbin Laird
10/07/2017

2017-10-05 By Robbin Laird

The USAF has seen more than a decade in which a primary function has been to support ground operations.

The USAF has served as Fed Ex, a flying gas station, a strike and ISR server in the sky for various types of ground operations.

The end result is that skill sets have been honed for slo mo operations in uncontested airspace.

These skill sets are not easily transferred to high tempo and high intensity conflict in contested operational space.

At the same time, technology has evolved where integrated air and maritime operations are not empowered to be able to serve a distributed C2 strike and sensor enterprise.

But again this has little in common with the training of the last decade of air power professionals.

The USAF has recognized this and their work at Nellis and at Air Combat Command is clearly evolving air combat power to work more effectively in the integrated battle space and to do with allies.

We have highlighted throughout various visits the important efforts of the USAF, the USN and USMC working through enhancing the skill sets for high tempo operations.

But what needs to happen is that this outstanding work needs to be leveraged into a broader transformation of the USAF itself.

Nothing less than a significant shift in USAF concepts of operations and resources is required to provide the nation and our allies with the kind of airpower for the Integrated Battlespace emerging in this decade of the 21st century.

We are referring to this as Integrated Batle (IB) 21.

The focus of the Air Force needs not simply to aim high but to aim for domination in high intensity conflict.

This shift from slow mo support to ground wars to IB 21 is a significant strategic shift; and one not going back to the Cold War or late years of the Cold War templates and paradigms.

It is about crafting a whole new paradigm and way of operating.

In this series we are going to address some of the key elements of shaping an IB21 airpower force.

This is about equipment, investments, training, moving from stovepiped C2 and ISR systems to multi-mission, multi-domain systems, and changing the business rules whereby equipment is purchased and systems are supported.

A key element of cross domain synergy is F-22s and then F-35s cuing up the strike fleet whereby Aegis becomes a wing man for the airborne sensor and strike fleet. The photo is of a Tomahawk launch in the Pacific from the USS Sterett in 2010. Credit Photo: USN

We will focus on key elements and case studies of the transition, which is being made or needs to be made.

It is about putting in place a combat learning process whereby airpower professionals are learning to lead in shaping an integrated high tempo force, not simply serve as the combat cloud for the ground forces.

The USAF needs to significantly move beyond functioning as an airborne file server to the ground forces and focus on the PRIMACY of itscutting edge role working with the Navy, Marines and certainly the Army’s ADA force to create a dominant IB 21 force.

And it will be crafted in common with core allies, a process in which the USAF will collaborative learn if it is to become a real leader in the transition.

For some of our visits which highlight the USAF working the skill sets and training for high intensity conflict, see the following:

https://sldinfo.com/the-usaf-warfare-center-and-shaping-the-future-of-the-combat-air-force-a-discussion-with-major-general-silveria/

https://sldinfo.com/airpower-in-contested-air-space-highlights-from-the-trilateral-combat-exercise/

https://sldinfo.com/training-for-air-combat-general-hostage-focuses-on-the-challenge-of-training-for-the-21st-century-fight/

https://sldinfo.com/general-hawk-carlisle-on-the-way-ahead-for-airpower/

https://sldinfo.com/shaping-the-way-ahead-for-airpower-general-hostage-focuses-on-the-future/

https://sldinfo.com/the-future-of-airpower-as-seen-from-the-422nd-test-and-evaluation-squadron/

Editor’s Note: If you wish to contribute to this discussion, please see the following:

An Air Combat Force for Integrated Battle 21: Aiming for Domination in High Intensity Conflict

Catalonia, Moscow and Tehran: The Shifting Tides of Global Politics

Posted on | by Robbin Laird

2017-10-07 By Robbin Laird

This week has been certainly an interesting one.

With Catalonia voting for independence, Spain and the broader European Union face a tough challenge.

Clearly, cities and urban regions have become more important as the broader European framework of trade and economic relations have evolved.

In many ways, city states fit the evolving framework better than nations.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has vowed to declare independence from Spain. Credit Photo: REUTERS

Yet nations are the basis for shaping defense and security for the territory on which citizens of those nations live and hope to remain free from the interference of various threats from illiberal states and from trans national crime and terrorism.

Brexit has been part of the shock waves affecting the European framework, but as Brexit is worked the solidarity of the United Kingdom is itself not guaranteed.

Fragmentation on regional grounds is certainly possible.

And overall the challenge is really to launch Europe once again, for the expanded and globalized framework dominated by a bureaucracy in Brussels simply accelerates the problems we are seeing and not resolving them.

But what Europe X.0 is clearly a work in progress.

The Saudi Visit to Russia

The Catalonian vote would have been significant all by itself but we have two other developments, which deserve comment as well.

The Russian engagement in Syria ultimately was about putting Russia back into the Middle Eastern geopolitical game and with that engagement orienting military capabilities towards supporting that engagement.

During the last part of the Obama Administration, the Israeli government brought a full delegation to Moscow to work directly with Russia. Now the Saudis have done something similar.

The Saudi king has now brought a 1500 man entourage to Moscow for the first ever visit of a Saudi King to Moscow.

Saudi officials booked two entire luxury hotels and brought their own carpets and hotel staff with King Salman bin Abdulaziz on his historic visit during the first week of October 2017.

Geopolitics was the center of attention along with concrete agreements on arms and oil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman pose for a photo during a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP

According to a story published by Aljazeera on October 4, 2017:

Saudis no longer demand Assad’s immediate removal from power and do not lambast Russia’s military operation that has entered its third year on Saturday.

Damascus now claims that 92 percent of Syria’s territory has been “liberated” from its foes – and Russian air strikes and unrelenting political backing played a major role. Observers in Moscow claim the king’s visit has to do with a region-wide reassessment of political sympathies.

“Three years ago, Washington’s actions mattered the most,” Anatoly Tsiganok, a Moscow-based defense analyst, told Al Jazeera. “Now, the situation has changed cardinally, that is why now Middle Eastern nations pay attention to Russia.”

On the arms side, an agreement to buy the S-400 system and to become involved in the production of the system was part of the visit.

Under the agreements, Saudi Arabia is set to buy S-400 air defence systems, Kornet anti-tank guided missile systems and multiple rocket launchers.

These agreements are “expected to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the military and military systems industry in Saudi Arabia,” Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the Kingdom’s military industries firm said.

“The memorandum of understanding includes the transfer of technology for the local production” of the Kornet anti-tank guided missile systems, advanced multiple rocket launchers and automatic grenade launchers.

“In addition, the parties will cooperate in setting a plan to localise the manufacturing and sustainment of parts of the S-400 air defence system,” SAMI said.

The two countries also agreed on the production in Saudi Arabia of the Kalashnikov automatic rifle and its ammunition as well as educational and training programmes for Saudi nationals.

“These agreements are expected to have tangible economic contributions and create hundreds of direct jobs,” the company said.

They “will also transfer cutting edge technologies that will act as a catalyst for localising 50 percent of the Kingdom’s military spending.”

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/10/5/saudi-arabia-signs-key-arms-deals-in-russia-visit

And an article published in Business Insider on October 5, 2107 highlighted the energy side of the visit:

Russia, which is not a member of OPEC, joined the cartel-led production cut agreement, which aims to combat the world’s oil glut that kept prices depressed for over two years, in November 2016. It was the first time Russia joined OPEC in a coordinated cut since 2001.

Then in May 2017, the two worked together to extend the cuts until the end of March 2018. Before the official OPEC meeting, Saudi Arabia and Russia together said they favored an extension.

Ahead of the king’s visit, Putin said on Wednesday at the Russian Energy Week conference in Moscow that Russia is open to the possibility of extending the production cut deal with OPEC through the end of 2018. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, meanwhile, said the kingdom was “flexible” regarding that suggestion, according to Reuters.

“[C]oordination on oil policy has been perhaps the biggest deliverable, with Russia abandoning its longstanding aversion to cooperating with OPEC and essentially assuming the role of de facto co-president this year,” Croft explained in the note. “Moreover, Putin signaled that he may not be looking to abandon this co-pilot role anytime soon, stating this week that Russia may be willing to extend the output agreement to the end of 2018.”

President Erdogen Visits Iran

And while the Saudi King made the first visit ever of a Saudi monarch to Moscow, on the other side of the Mediterranean, the President of Turkey was visiting Iran.

There is little question that each side had in mind engaging to get support for protecting their interests.

On Erdogen’s side it clearly was about Syria and the Kurds; on the Iranian side it was about protecting their gains in Syria and Iraq.

It is certainly not clear that the perspectives of the two countries fit together into some kind of geopolitical puzzle; but it is clear that they are asserting their right to put puzzle pieces into whatever the next outcome in the geopolitical settlement of what the Middle East might look like.

From a military and security perspective, Erdogan’s visit to Iran is “very important”, as Turkey considers more sanctions on the KRG and its regional capital Erbil, including the shutting of its borders, said Sinem Koseoglu, Al Jazeera’s Turkey-based correspondent and analyst.

She said Turkey could leverage its warming relations with Iran to put more pressure on the KRG to backtrack from its plan to declare an independent state.

On Monday, Erdogan dispatched Gen. Hulusi Akar, the military Chief of General Staff , to Tehran, the first ever visit for a top Turkish military official since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The leaders of Turkey and Iran meet to discuss how to advance their interests in the geopolitical reset in the region. Credit Photo: AFP

At their meeting, Akar and Iran’s military chief, Mohammed Hussein Bagheri, condemned the Kurdish referendum as unconstitutional. In August, Bagheri also became the first ever top military official to visit Ankara since 1979. 

Akar also held separate talks with President Rouhani, who at the meeting warned that the deterioration of geographical boundaries, in the event of a KRG split from Iraq, would harm regional security and stability. 

For his part, Akar said that Turkey and Iran, “will play an important role in the region’s stability and peace with improving cooperation”, following the Kurdish referendum.

On September 25, voters in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly to back a split from Baghdad, setting off a regional crisis.

Neighbouring Turkey and Iran, as well as Iraq’s central government in Baghdad have opposed the referendum, and have threatened to impose sanctions on the KRG should it decide to go ahead with its decision to declare an independent state.

 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/kurdish-secession-tops-erdogan-agenda-iran-visit-171003060210611.html

As Sherlock Holmes once put it: “The game is afoot.”

The Single Engine Fighter Competition in India: An RFI on the Short Term Horizon

Posted on | by Robbin Laird
10/06/2017

2017-10-06 By Gulshan Luthra and Air Marshal VK Jimmy Bhatia (Retd)

New Delhi. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is finally set to issue a Request for Information (RFI) to the US Lockheed Martin for F 16 and to Swedish Saab for Gripen for acquiring 114 single engine combat aircraft.

In an interview with India Strategic and at a press briefing, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said that the RFI should be out within October, and that he expected the capabilities of the aircraft being offered now to be better than those in the 2007 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest.

“The procurement is envisaged under the Fighter Aircraft Segment of the Strategic Partnership Model (Chapter VII) of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).

Under this, IAF will acquire 18 aircraft in flyaway condition and the remaining 96 will be progressively manufactured under the Prime Minister’s Make in India programme.

Notably, Lockheed Martin has tied up on its own with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and so has Saab with the Adani Group. After either or both are selected on technical parameters in flight trials, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will approve the winner on the basis of commercial terms and how much Transfer of Technology (ToT) in sophisticated equipment accrues to India.

Commanding Officer No. 96 Wing Group Captain Martin Smith welcomes Chief of the Air Staff Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, to RAAF Base Amberley. On the 21 September 2017 Chief of the Air Staff Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, visited RAAF Base Amberley as part of his inaugural visit to Australia. During the visit Air Chief Marshall Birender Singh Dhanoa had an opportunity to meet and discuss capability with Executive Officers’ from Headquarters Combat Support Group, Air Mobility Group and No. 86 Wing. The visit concluded with a guided tour of a No. 33 Squadron KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport. Credit: Australian Department of Defence.

According to IAF Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal R Nambiar, IAF expected the two companies to respond to the RFI in about three months, the flight trials should take about a year, the contract should be signed shortly thereafter, and the process should wrap up with deliveries of the first lot of flyaway aircraft in less than five years as of now.

As the two companies have already tied up with their Indian partners, the process to set up the factory for the selected aircraft should begin soon after the winner is announced, and just as the winner completes the delivery of the flyaway aircraft, its production in India should also begin simultaneously.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said that IAF was indeed short of combat aircraft, but that the number of squadrons should reach from the present 33 to the required 42 by 2032.

Notably, IAF is fast losing the single engine Soviet vintage aircraft, Mig 21 and Mig 27, and in the coming years, the number of IAF combat squadrons should go down to 28.

With the induction of LCAs (40 plus 83), Rafale (36), remaining Su 30 MKIs (32), and possibly 36 more Rafales, the number of combat squadrons would rise again.

And then of course, the induction of either F 16 or Gripen would give a tremendous boost to the process.

Air Marshal Nambiar told India Strategic that IAF had a plan ready for 36 more Rafales, in addition to the 36 already ordered, but it would be submitted to MoD only after a commitment for funds is available.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said that twin engine aircraft were important, and that IAF would maintain a ratio of 60:40 between them and the single engine aircraft.

At the moment, both Dassault (for Rafale) and Boeing (for Advanced Super Hornet) have offered their twin engine jets for manufacture in India if the order is sizeable to justify investment in their industrial infrastructure and related ecosystem.

IAF has to go in for single engine jets, as they are cheaper.

A single engine power pack is 10 percent of an aircraft’s cost, while the twin engine power pack is 30 percent of the cost.

An artists view of F-16 Block 70 with nose-mounted IRST on take off roll. Credit: India Strategic

He pointed out that bird hits were a serious hazard to flying, and to minimize peacetime losses, bird surveys and bird management was being conducted, and even Micro light aircraft had been deployed at some airbases in this regard.

The Air Chief said that he was proud of the fact that IAF was now 85.

“In the years gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and it achieved a number of operational milestones.

“The IAF’s participation in International Exercises demonstrated our growing strategic reach and power projection capabilities.

“IAF’s swift and prompt response during various contingencies in Aid of Civil Authorities both within India and abroad was indicative of the IAF’s Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities.”

The country’s strategic airlift capability has vastly increased due to the induction of C-17 Globemaster aircraft. The IAF operates the largest fleet of C-17 aircraft outside USA.

The production of these ac has stopped.

However at present the IAF has a very potent strategic airlift capability with its fleet of C-17 aircraft and IL-76 aircraft.

He also disclosed that the second lot of six Lockheed Martin C 130J Special Operations aircraft had been received and deployed at Air Force Station Arjan Singh, Panagarh in West Bengal.

Both the C 130J and Boeing C 17 Globmaster III strategic lift aircraft had given a tremendous boost to IAF’s transport fleet.

The older Soviet origin IL 76 aircraft, which have been upgraded, also “have sufficient life and are totally airworthy for flying. Then, the An 32 fleet “is undergoing a major avionics upgrade” replacing the original ones of the 1980s vintage.

They now have Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS) etc. “The upgrade has ensured continued operability of the aircraft in the dense modern aviation environment.”

About modern capabilities and IAF’s stamina to take on any challenges, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa observed that there are always options to do what is required with what is available.

And then of course, the emphasis now is on building and acquiring indigenous capabilities, from AESA radars to Anti Radiation Missiles to neutralise hostile radars.

“Indian Air Force today stands at the threshold of acquiring multi-spectrum strategic capabilities, synonymous with India’s growing regional stature and expanding national interests and is progressively nearing its goal of transforming into a true Network Centric Aerospace Force.

“The IAF is also focussing on indigenous acquisition of aircraft, radars, missiles and other aviation equipment in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.”

SAAB Gripen. Credit: India Strategic

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa laid emphasis on the welfare of the air warriors and their families. In a message for them, he said:

“The welfare and well-being of our personnel and their families is of utmost importance. I assure you of IAF’s commitment to improve the quality of life and enhance productivity in our work places.

“Creation and upgradation of infrastructure for sports and games, living accommodation, shopping complexes, schools and auditoriums to enhance the quality of life and standards of living of our personnel is being carried out at all air bases.

“In addition, we have initiated MoUs recognized the courses conducted by IAF to enhance the educational qualifications of our air warrior.”

Reprinted by arrangement with our partner India Strategic

http://www.indiastrategic.in/2017/10/05/iaf-to-issue-rfi-for-single-engine-combat-aircraft-within-october-2017/

Editor’s Note: With regard to the recent visit of the Indian Air Force Chief’s visit to Australia, see the following:

https://sldinfo.com/chief-of-indian-air-force-to-australia-the-visit-to-amberley-airbase/

Information War and Hybrid Threats: Finland Launches a New Center to Focus on the Challenge

Posted on | by Robbin Laird

2017-10-06 Information war and hybrid threats have been honed to a 21st century art form by the Russians under President Putin.

But these are really early days for shaping ways to deal with the IW/hybrid threat challenge and to deal more generally with the use of military power for limited political objectives, short of war.

Clearly, in Northern Europe, a broader zone of security is evolving from the Arctic through to the Baltics and includes the UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and various other NATO allies.

A key challenge will be to shape effective crisis management tools and approaches to deal with this targeted threat which is designed to obtain political and strategic objectives without the use of overwhelming military force.

The liberal democracies are shaping a new set of military capabilities and concepts of operations which can be used in such an effort; but the civil side of the effort needs to be developed and evolved in order to do so.

The broad fault line between the liberal democracies versus the illiberal powers is defining the nature of conflict in the decade ahead to go along with the continuing challenges associated with terrorist organizations like ISIS.

The Government of Finland has stood up a new Centre designed in part to shape better understanding which can in turn help the member states develop the tool sets for better crisis management.

This is how the Finnish government put it with regard to the new center in its press release dated October 1, 2017.

The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats has reached initial operational capability on 1 September 2017. The Act on the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats entered into force on 1 July 2017, following which Matti Saarelainen, Doctor of Social Science, was appointed Director of the Centre. The Centre has now acquired premises in Helsinki, established a secretariat consisting of seven experts and made the operational plans for this year.

“Hybrid threats have become a permanent part of the Finnish and European security environment, and the establishment of the Centre responds well to this current challenge. Since early July, rapid progress has been made to allow the Centre to begin its operations. The Steering Board will be briefed on the progress at its meeting next week,” says Jori Arvonen, Chair of the Steering Board of the Centre.

The Centre will launch its activities at a high-level seminar to be held in Helsinki on 6 September. The seminar will bring together representatives of the 12 participating countries, the EU and NATO. Approximately 100 participants will take part in the seminar. The Centre’s communication channel (www.hybridcoe.fi) will also be opened at the seminar. Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini and Minister of the Interior Paula Risikko will speak at the seminar as representatives of the host country. The official inauguration of the Centre will be held on 2 October.

The Centre is faced with many expectations or images. For example, the Centre is not an ´operational centre for anti-hybrid warfare´ or a ´cyber bomb disposal unit´. Instead, its aim is to contribute to a better understanding of hybrid influencing by state and non-state actors and how to counter hybrid threats. The Centre has three key roles, according to the Director of the Centre.

Remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the official inauguration of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Finland

“First of all, the Centre is a centre of excellence which promotes the countering of hybrid threats at strategic level through research and training, for example. Secondly, the Centre aims to create multinational networks of experts in comprehensive security. These networks can, for instance, relate to situation awareness activities. Thirdly, the Centre serves as a platform for cooperation between the EU and NATO in evaluating societies’ vulnerabilities and enhancing resilience,” says Director Matti Saarelainen.

The EU and NATO take an active part in the Centre’s Steering Board meetings and other activities. As a signal of the EU and NATO’s commitment to cooperation, Julian King, EU Commissioner for the Security Union, and Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security, will participate in the high-level seminar on 6 September.

Currently, the 12 participating countries to the Centre are Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. EU and NATO countries have the possibility of joining as participant countries.

http://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/article/-/asset_publisher/1410869/eurooppalaisen-hybridiosaamiskeskuksen-toiminta-kaynnistyy-helsingissa

The web site of the new center provides an overview on the organization and focus of attention.

Hybrid CoE is to serve as a hub of expertise supporting the Participants’ individual and collective efforts to enhance their civil-military capabilities, resilience, and preparedness to counter hybrid threats with a special focus on European security. It is intended that the Centre will offer this collective experience and expertise for the benefit of all Participants, as well as the EU and NATO. The Centre will follow a comprehensive, multinational, multidisciplinary and academic-based approach.

The aim of Hybrid CoE is to provide a single location dedicated to furthering a common understanding of hybrid threats at strategic level and promoting the development of comprehensive, whole-of-government response at national levels and of coordinated response at EU and NATO levels.

In addressing these questions, the functions of Hybrid CoE include the following:

  • to encourage strategic-level dialogue and consulting between and among Participants, the EU and NATO;
  • to conduct research and analysis into hybrid threats and methods to counter such threats;
  • to develop doctrine, conduct training and arrange exercises aimed at enhancing the Participants’ individual capabilities, as well as interoperability between and among Participants, the EU and NATO for countering hybrid threats;
  • to engage with and invite dialogue with governmental and non-governmental experts from a wide range of professional sectors and disciplines; and
  • to involve, or cooperate with, communities of interest (COI) focusing on specific activities that may constitute hybrid threats, on methodologies for understanding these activities, and on ways to adjust organisations to better address such threats effectively.

The Steering Board (SB), consisting of representatives of the Participants, is the principal decision-making body in the Centre. Staff representatives from the EU and NATO are invited to attend the Steering Board meetings. 

The SB is to set the policies and approve the work programme, to approve the budget and the accounts, to approve the annual participation fees, to approve the admission of new Participants, to adopt internal regulations and to approve such guidance as may be necessary for the functioning of the Centre and its organs. 

The host country of the Secretariat is Finland. The Centre has a domestic legal personality and capacity to perform its functions in the Republic of Finland in accordance with national legislation that entered into force on 1 July 2017.

The secretariat in Helsinki, headed by the Director, will manage the Centre’s administration and common functions. It will coordinate the relevant activities of the communities of interest on (1) hybrid influencing, (2) terrorism and radicalism, and (3) vulnerabilities and resilience. The secretariat is also to prepare and organise the meetings of the Steering Board and cooperate and liaise with Participants, the EU and the NATO.

The initiative to establish Hybrid CoE originates from the Joint Communication by the European Commission and the High Representative to the European Parliament and the Council “Joint framework on countering hybrid threats – a European Union response”, decided in Brussels on 6 April 2016. The initiative was supported in the Common set of proposals for the implementation of the Joint EU/NATO Declaration, endorsed by the Council of the European Union and the North Atlantic Council on 6 December 2016.

https://www.hybridcoe.fi/about-us/

The focus of the Centre is upon thinking through how best to counter hybrid threats.

We live in an era of hybrid influencing. There are state and non-state actors that are challenging countries and institutions they see as a threat, opponent or competitor to their interests and goals. The range of methods and activities is wide: influencing information; logistical weaknesses like energy supply pipelines; economic and trade-related blackmail; undermining international institutions by rendering rules ineffective; terrorism or increasing insecurity.

Hybrid threats are methods and activities that are targeted towards vulnerabilities of the opponent. Vulnerabilities can be created by historical memory, legislation, old practices, geostrategic factors, strong polarisation of society, technological disadvantages or ideological differences. If the interests and goals of the user of hybrid methods and activity are not achieved, the situation can escalate into hybrid warfare where the role of military and violence will increase significantly.

Hybrid tactics have been under discussion, in particular, since the conflict in Ukraine and the ISIL/Da’esh campaign in Iraq. Hybrid threats have a connection to both Eastern and Southern challenges. In order to meet the challenges, it is important to develop integrated national responses, including threat analysis, self-assessment of vulnerabilities and comprehensive security approach. An integrated international response – including EU and NATO efforts – is needed to support the assessment of threats and vulnerabilities as well as coordinated action.

https://www.hybridcoe.fi/hybrid-threats/

And on October 2, 2017, NATO released the following article which highlighted the participation of the Sec Gen of NATO in the launching of the Centre.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, together with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms Federica Mogherini, are in Helsinki, Finland today (2 October) to attend the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats. They are attending as guests of Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä.

“The centre will make an important contribution to our security” the Secretary General said. It will help nations and international organizations like NATO and the EU to better understand modern, complex threats and to strengthen our societies against them.”

It is also interesting to note how the Norwegian government described the Centre and its importance in Norwegian government press release regarding their joining the Centre.

Norway signed an agreement today (2017-07-14) on participation in the newly established, Finnish-led European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

Increasingly complex challenges and constellations of actors are affecting the security landscape. The use of hybrid strategies has become steadily more widespread. A number of countries are experiencing disinformation activities, propaganda campaigns linked to elections, and the hacking of critical infrastructure. The effects of these and other hybrid strategies are compounded by our societies’ increased dependence on cyberspace. 

In order to address these challenges, taking a coherent approach and cooperating closely at the national and international level are essential. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security have therefore together decided to intensify efforts in this area, and Norway’s participation in the new European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats is part of this. Norway will cooperate with allies and close partners at the Centre, with a view to gaining a better understanding of hybrid threats, and finding better ways of dealing with them. NATO and the EU have also established cooperation in this area.

The aims of the centre are to increase our understanding of hybrid threats, of vulnerabilities that can be exploited in hybrid operations, and of how the resilience of societies can be improved.

https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/norway-to-join-international-centre-for-countering-hybrid-threats/id2564689/

In short, the Finnish government is enhancing regional cooperation to deal with a core challenge from a real world power player willing to use military intervention as a normal tool of political power within the European continent.

Augmenting European Defense Capabilities: New Tanking Assets

Posted on | by Robbin Laird
10/05/2017

2017-09-26 Recently, the French, Norwegian and German Air Forces have added new tanking capabilities to their forces.

And in the Norwegian and German cases did so under a collective European defense acquisition approach.

In a press release dated September 7, 2017, Airbus Defence and Space noted the first flight of the new French tanker.

Airbus Defence and Space has today successfully completed the maiden flight of the first A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport for France.

The aircraft, which will be known in French service as Phénix, is the first of nine-ordered byte French Defence Procurement Agency DGA, plus another three expected to be confirmed.

It is the second new standard A330 MRTT to fly, featuring structural modifications, aerodynamic improvements giving a fuel-burn reduction of up to1%, upgraded avionics computers and enhanced military systems. 

The aircraft was converted in Getafe from a standard A330 assembled in Toulouse.

The crew reported that the aircraft performed in line with expectations during the 3h 25 minute flight.

The Phénix fleet will be equipped with combination of the Airbus Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS) and underwing hose-and-drogue refueling, and can carry 272 passengers or be configured for medical evacuation.

First delivery is due in 2018.

Fifty-One A330 MRTTs have been ordered by eight nations of which 28 have been delivered.

The Australians were the launch customer for the A330MRTT and as such the later buyers, like the French Air Force, have benefited directly from the operational experience of the RAAF. 

This is the benefit of having a global fleet of military aircraft.

And Norway and Germany have moved out on the earlier agreement to procure their initial tanker aircraft.

In a press release by Airbus Defence and Space dated September 25, 2017, the order for new aircraft by Norway and Germany was highlighted.

Airbus Defence and Space has received a firm order for five Airbus A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transports from Europe’s organisation for the management of cooperative armament programmes – OCCAR – on behalf of NATO Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA) and funded by Germany and Norway. 

The order follows the announcement on 29 June of a Memorandum of Understanding under which the two nations would join Netherlands and Luxembourg in the European/NATO Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) program.

A contract amendment signed at the OCCAR headquarters in Bonn, Germany today adds five aircraft to the two previously ordered by Netherlands and Luxembourg and includes four additional options to enable other nations to join the grouping. It includes two years of initial support.

The program is funded by the four nations who will have the exclusive right to operate these NATO–owned aircraft in a pooling arrangement. The aircraft will be configured for in-flight refueling, the transport of passengers and cargo, and medical evacuation flights. 

The first two aircraft have already been ordered to be delivered from Airbus Defence and Space’s tanker conversion line at Getafe near Madrid and all seven are expected to be handed over between 2020 and 2022.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) initiated the MMF program in 2012. OCCAR manages the MMF acquisition phase as Contract Executing Agent on behalf of NSPA. Following the acquisition phase, NSPA will be responsible for the complete life-cycle management of the fleet. 

Airbus Defence and Space Head of Military Aircraft Fernando Alonso said: “This new order further demonstrates the A330 MRTT’s position as the world’s premier tanker/transport aircraft.

“But it also firmly establishes the MMF as one of Europe’s most important collaborative programs and a model for the future European defence projects which are expected to be launched in the coming years.”

We focused on the importance of the Norwegian-German agreement in a piece published earlier this year.

2017-06-29 Norway has expanded its defense industrial relationships to provide for its 21st century defense capabilities.

This includes F-35, P-8, Joint Strike Missile exports, a new working relationship with Germany to acquire submarines.

Now the A330MRTT, the global tanker used by several air forces, is being acquired by Norway and Germany.

According to a press release dated June 29, 2017 by Airbus Defence and Space, “Germany and Norway formally join Netherlands and Luxembourg to operate pooled fleet of NATO-owned Airbus A330 MRTT tankers.”

Madrid, 29 June 2017 – Germany and Norway officially joined the European/NATO program to acquire Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft along with Netherlands and Luxembourg.

RAAF A330 MRTT (KC-30A) refueling an F-16 through ARBS. Credit Photo: Airbus Military

The two nations committed to participating in the project through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at NATO HQ in Brussels today.

Known as the Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) the programme was initiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2012. Europe’s organization for the management of cooperative armament programmes – OCCAR – manages the MMF acquisition phase as Contract Executing Agent on behalf of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Following the acquisition phase, NSPA will be responsible for the complete life-cycle management of the fleet.

The Programme is funded by the four nations who will have the exclusive right to use these NATO–owned aircraft which will operate in a pooling arrangement. The aircraft will be configured for in-flight refuelling, the transport of passengers and cargo, and medical evacuation flights. The first two aircraft have already been ordered to be delivered from Airbus Defence and Space’s tanker conversion line at Getafe near Madrid in 2020. Five additional aircraft will now be ordered, and that order will include options for up to four further aircraft.

NSPA GM, Peter Dohmen said “As NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, we are proud to be a key enabler of this critical project to help European nations meet their air transport and refuelling requirements. The successful cooperation in this project – bringing together all our capabilities – bodes extremely well for further future NATO / EU collaboration.”

OCCAR Director, Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño said: “The MMF programme has broken new ground in bringing together the combined capabilities of the EDA, NSPA and OCCAR as one team, with each organisation working within its particular sphere of expertise. I very much welcome that this important initiative has now attracted additional partners to join, and it still includes options for the participation of even more countries.”

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said: “The MMF is a prime example of European defence cooperation which shows that once a capability shortfall has been jointly identified, European nations can pull together, work on a common project aimed at filling the gap, and eventually deliver. It’s Pooling & Sharing at its best”.

Airbus Defence and Space Head of Military Aircraft Fernando Alonso said: “The A330 MRTT has established itself firmly as the world’s premier tanker/transport aircraft. It is extremely satisfying to now see it adopted as the core asset of one of Europe’s most important cooperative defence programmes. We hope that this collaborative approach will serve as a model for future joint procurements.”

This announcement comes on the heals of the Royal Australian Air Force, the launch Air Force for the KC-30A, announcing their 1000th mission in the Middle East with the Aircraft.

RAAF 1000 Sortie with KC-30A in the Middle East Operation from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.

According to the RAAF in piece published on June 15, 2017:

The Air Task Group (ATG) of Operation OKRA, is operating at the request of the Iraqi Government within a US-led international coalition assembled to disrupt and degrade Daesh operations in the Middle East Region (MER).

The ATG comprises six F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft, an E-7A Wedgetail airborne command and control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport air-to-air refuelling aircraft.

Additionally, the ATG has personnel working in the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre, and embedded with the ‘Kingpin’ US tactical Command and Control Unit.

The ATG is directly supported by elements of Operation ACCORDION including the Theatre Communications Group, Air Mobility Task Group, and the Expeditionary Airbase Operations Unit, whose mission is to provide airbase and aviation operational support to sustain air operations in the MER.

There are up to 300 personnel deployed at any one time to the Air Task Group, with an additional 100 personnel deployed in direct support of Operation OKRA.

Australian Department of Defence

June 15, 2017

 

 

Cross-Partner Cooperation Facilitated by the F-35 Global Enterprise

Posted on | by Robbin Laird

2017-10-05 Approximately 50% of the airplanes coming off of the final assembly line at Fort Worth are partner F-35s.

And because of how the supply chain is designed, companies in partner states not only play a key role of that partner’s plane but on the global enterprise as well.

This also means that cross partnering among the partners themselves is facilitated.

A recent example is an agreement between a Danish and Australian company both working on the F-35 program.

According to the Australian Defence Connect website in an article published on October 4, 2017:

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between a high-tech Danish business and an Australian manufacturer has been signed at Pacific 2017 in Sydney.

Victoria’s Marand and Denmark’s Terma have agreed to explore, identify and discuss specific areas of mutual interest as Terma looks to support the Australian industry capability (AIC) for its Australian defence activities.

Terma senior vice president Jorn Henrik Levy Rasmussen and Marand chief executive Rohan Stocker were at the ceremonial signing of the agreement, with Rasmussen saying it is a good indication of its plans to increase its Australian activities.

“The agreement we sign today is strong evidence of Terma’s present and future presence in the Australian market and interest in co-operating with the local industry,” he said.

“In recent years Terma [has] delivered a number of naval and surveillance systems in Australia and now we intensify our activities.”

Stocker said Marand’s work with Terma on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program 

“Terma have been a wonderful customer on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program,” explained Stocker. “We have proven capabilities and experience supporting global defence primes and we look forward to further co-operating with the Terma business here in Australia.”

Marand has previously worked with defence primes BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and commercial giants BHP and Rio Tinto.

Terma specialises in developing products and systems for defence security applications, including command and control systems, radar systems, aircraft self-protection systems, aerostructures and space technology.

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/key-enablers/1343-danish-company-eyes-off-australian-industry

NATO Allies and North Atlantic Maritime Threats

Posted on | by Robbin Laird
09/30/2017

2017-09-30 By Robbin Laird

© 2017 FrontLine Defence (Vol 14, No 4)

The rebuilding of Russia’s Northern fleet and its defense bastion built around the Kola Peninsula creates a direct challenge to the Norwegian area of interest. Clearly, the expanded reach of Russia into the Arctic also affects the nature of the air and sea domains of strategic interest to all of the Arctic Council States.

Norway

In its Long Term Plan (issued on 17 June 2016), the Norwegian Ministry of Defence notes that “the most significant change in the Norwegian security environment relates to Russia’s growing military capability and its use of force. The military reform in Russia has resulted in a modernization of Russia’s conventional forces as well as a strengthening of its nuclear capabilities.”

It goes on to mention Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the continued destabilization of Eastern Ukraine. Both “constitute violations of international law, which have had a dramatic effect on European security,” the document asserts. “Russia has repeatedly proven itself willing to use a wide range of measures, including military force, to sustain its political dominance and influence.”

Even though Russia is not considered a military threat to Norway, the combination of military modernization and the will to exert military power is a “central factor” in Norwegian defense planning.

The country recognizes that areas in Norway’s immediate vicinity are also “central to Russian nuclear deterrence,” and that “Russia’s military presence and activities in the North have increased in recent years.”

The High North, it asserts, continues to be characterized by stability and cooperation, and Russian strategies for the Arctic still officially emphasize international cooperation. However, as the report notes, “we cannot rule out the possibility that Russia, in a given situation, will consider the use of military force to be a relevant tool, also in the High North.”

Allied Interoperability

The United States, the UK and Norway are all bringing new capabilities to bear on maritime threats in the North Atlantic. The commitment to the new maritime surveillance and strike aircraft, the Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (P-8), and the introduction of the new Triton UAV are part of refocusing attention on the North Atlantic.

The Norwegians are procuring the P-8 in part to deal with this challenge and are looking to collaborate with both the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Navy in the region as British and American P-8s (and in the American case, the Tritons) come into the region for maritime defense.

Major General Skinnarland, Chief of Staff of the Norwegian Air Force, commented that “with the P-8s operating from the UK, Iceland, and Norway, [the Allies] can shape a maritime domain awareness data capability which can inform our forces effectively as well, but again, this requires work to share the data and to shape common concepts of operations.” She noted the importance of exercising “often and effectively together” to shape effective concepts of operations. This, she says “will require bringing the new equipment, and the people together to share experience and to shape a common way ahead.”

After the last RAF Hawker Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft was retired in 2011, the challenge became how to keep those key skill sets alive. NATO exercises provided interim opportunities, however in 2016, the MoD announced a decision to purchase nine Boeing P-8s. I visited RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland earlier this year, where the Brits are standing up their new P-8 base. The new base will also allow Norwegians to train, and the U.S. to operate as well.

Indeed, what was clear from discussions at “Lossie” is that the infrastructure is being built from the ground up with broader considerations in mind, notably creating a 21st century maritime domain awareness information and strike network. The RAF is building capacity in its P-8 hangers for visiting aircraft such as the RAAF, the USN, or the Norwegian Air Force to train and operate from. In many ways, the thinking is similar to how building the F-35 enterprise out from the UK to Northern Europe is being shaped.

Flying the same ISR/C2/strike aircraft will create synergies with regard to how best to share combat data in a fluid situation that demands timely and effective decision-making.

The UK is clearly a key player in shaping the way ahead on both the P-8 and F-35 enterprises, not just by investing in both platforms, but in building the infrastructure and training a new generation of operators and maintainers as well.

At the heart of this learning process are the solid working relationships among the professional military in working towards innovative concepts of operations. This is a work in progress that requires infrastructure, platforms, training and openness in shaping evolving working relationships.

Having visited Norway earlier this year and having discussed among other things, the coming of the P-8 and the F-35 in Norway, it is clear that what happens on the other side of the North Sea (the UK) is of keen interest to Norway. In talking with the RAF and Royal Navy, it is evident that changes in Norway are part of the broader UK consideration when it comes to the reshaping of NATO defense capabilities in a dynamic region.

To lay down a foundation for a 21st century approach, the U.S. Navy is pairing its P-8s with the Triton – a new high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft developed by Northrop Grumman– and is working an integrated approach between the two.

In a very narrow sense, the P-8 and Triton are “replacing” the P-3. However, the additional ISR and C2 enterprise being put in place to operate the combined P-8 / Triton capability is a much broader capability than the classic P-3. Much like how the Osprey transformed the U.S. Marine Corps prior to flying the F-35, the P-8/Triton team is doing the same for the US Navy as the F-35 comes to the carrier air wing.

The team at Naval Air Station Jacksonville is building a common Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Combat Culture and treats the platforms as partner applications of the evolving combat theory. The partnership is both technology and aircrew synergistic.

It should be noted that the P-8 and the Triton (which draws heavily on F-35 systems) as well as the F-35 are a new generation of software-upgradeable aircraft, whose software will be reworked in interaction with the sharing of data and the reworking of core platform capabilities.

It is about shaping a combat-learning cycle in which software can be upgraded as the user groups shape, in real time, the core needs they see, to rapidly deal with a reactive enemy.

As the COS of the Norwegian Air Force put the challenge: “We should plug and play in terms of our new capabilities; but that will not happen by simply adding new equipment – it will be hard work.”

Canadian Perspective on Maritime Threats

I recently had a chance to talk with the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lieutenant-General Mike Hood, about the Canadian approach and contribution to the evolving threats and challenges in the North Atlantic to maritime defense and security. Obviously, Canada is a key partner and occupies key geography as Russia returns to significant maritime operations from the Kola Peninsula into the High North as well.

As the Brits, Norwegians and Americans build new capabilities to operate in the North Atlantic, what is the Canadian approach and contribution? And what new investments and capabilities might be offered by Canada to the coalition effort?

Canada’s current anti-submarine warfare capabilities are built around an upgraded CP-140 Aurora, a new CH-148 Cyclone ASW helicopter developed by Sikorsky (although grounded earlier this year due to a “momentary change in descent rate”), and frigates recently modernized by Lockheed Martin Canada – all integrated into coalition ASW operations.

“Out of all the NATO ASW platforms in there,” says LGen Hood, “the most effective one has been our CP-140. I am exceptionally proud of our ASW capability, and when I couple it with the new advanced capability on our upgraded frigates, I see us a backbone of NATO’s ASW capability.”

Over the decade ahead, as the maritime domain awareness and strike enterprise is reworked with the coming of the P-8 and the Triton (among other assets) Canada will add an unmanned capability, continue upgrading the CP-140, and work closely with allies in reshaping the maritime domain awareness and strike networks. New satellite sensor and communications systems will also be added.

According to LGen Hood, this will allow the RCAF to leverage developments in the next decade to determine what needs to be put on their replacement manned air platform and to determine which air platform that would be. “The government’s new defence policy lays out a 20-year funding line that recapitalizes our air force.”

He acknowledges that the eventual replacement of the CP-140 is funded in that policy but explains that this is not a near term need. “We have better capability from an ASW perspective in the CP-140 than comes off the line presently in the P-8. We have just gone through a Block III upgrade that has completely modernized the ASW capability as well as adding an overland ISR piece. We have replaced the wings on many major empennage [tail assembly] points and the goal is to get our CP-140 out to about 2032 when we’re going to replace it with another platform.”

He notes that next year, the CP-140s will receive a Block IV upgrade which will include new infrared counter measures, a tactical data link 16 to complement link 11 and full motion video, imagery, email, chat, and VOIP.

Canadians have also contributed to keeping the RAF in the game prior to the P-8 acquisition. “We have been flying two members of the RAF crews on our ASW aircraft in the interim between the sunset of Nimrod and the sunrise of the P-8.” Canadians have helped manage the “GIUK gap” by operating from either Lossiemouth in Scotland or Keflavik in Iceland. The Greenland-Iceland-UK “gap” is an area in the northern Atlantic Ocean that forms a naval choke point between the three landmasses.

The General also notes that the new defence policy has authorized adding a unmanned aerial systems capability for the ASW effort as well. “In the next three years, we’ll be under contract for a medium altitude UAS that is going to have both domestic and coastal abilities as well as expeditionary strike capabilities.

LGen Hood confirms that Canada is among the allies funding the NATO AGS (Alliance Ground Surveillance) programme to acquire an airborne ground surveillance capability on five remotely-piloted Global Hawk aircraft. NATO will operate and maintain them on behalf of all NATO member countries.

There is a satellite component to ASW, and Canada’s new RADARSAT Constellation (planned to launch in 2018) will provide enhanced sensor coverage. There are also plans to launch a polar constellation satellite system to provide for High North communication needs. “That is actually going to finally allow us to operate UASs up above 70° North.”

The evolving maritime domain awareness network and the reshaping of its capabilities as new sensors, platforms and C2 systems come on line adds new opportunities. The integration of new UAS capabilities with manned capabilities will reshape expectations of the platforms, and it is from this context of evolution that the head of the RCAF sees the question of a replacement aircraft for the CP-140.

“Canadian industry has played a key role in shaping capabilities onboard the CP-140 and I would see that role continuing on our replacement manned aircraft. It’s less about the platform, [and more about] the brains of that platform.”

Editor’s Note: Republished with permission of Front Line Defence.

http://defence.frontline.online/article/2017/4/8102-Maritime-Threats-to-the-North-Atlantic