The Next Phase for the CH-53K: Ramping Up Production

01/02/2023

By Robbin Laird

In my assessment of USMC transformation over the past twenty years, I highlighted the coming of the CH-53K as part of the next phase. “As the Marines work enhanced naval integration and expanded force mobility in dealing with the evolving strategic environment, the capabilities which the CH-53K brings to the force are not nice to have but a critical capability. And the new digital aircraft provides a solid foundation for evolution not only of the platform but for changes in concepts of operations as well.”[1]

Now the aircraft has entered its next phase, full rate production. This means that the CH-53K enterprise will be expanded to ramp up the supply chain and lead to production challenges by the prime contractor to meet the demands of full-rate production.

NAVAIR announced the new phase as follows in a press release dated December 23, 2022:

“The CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter has entered Full Rate Production (FRP) and its deployment phase, following a decision review by Frederick J. Stefany, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.

“FRP occurs at the end of Low Rate Initial Production following a review assessing the results of Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), Live Fire Test and Evaluation, production readiness reviews, risk, and affordability analyses.  On Dec. 21, the Acquisition Decision Memorandum was signed, authorizing entry of the CH-53K into FRP.

“FRP is an important milestone to the H-53 Heavy Lift Program Office (PMA-261), as it allows the program to proceed beyond LRIP and begin increasing procurement quantities, thereby gaining production efficiencies and reducing unit costs.

“We have successfully demonstrated the performance and reliability of this aircraft,” said Col. Kate Fleeger, PMA-261 program manager.  “With FRP we will continue to build on the strong manufacturing, sustainment and support that has been established for the CH-53K.”

“The Marine Corps continues to execute its transition from the CH-53E to the CH-53K and is on schedule to declare Full Operational Capability in FY2029. PMA-261 manages the cradle to grave procurement, development, support, fielding and disposal of the entire family of H-53 heavy lift helicopters.”

As an article published by the New Haven Register on December 27, 2022 noted:

“Sikorsky is currently producing the helicopters at a rate of four per year and has delivered two within the past month alone, according to a company spokeswoman. But with the Navy’s full rate production approval, the volume of helicopters produced will build over time to eventually reach 20 per year.

“The contract with the Navy calls for Sikorsky to build a total of 200 helicopters. Bill Falk, director of the Sikorsky’s CH-53K program said the Navy’s production authorization “stabilizes Sikorsky’s domestic supply chain and is a testament to our enduring partnership with the Marine Corps.”

“Sikorsky has more than 200 CH-53K suppliers across 35 states, including 44 in Connecticut. With the Navy’s approval of ramped up production, suppliers will be able to make purchases in bulk, which will create efficiencies that will drive down the overall cost of the aircraft for the U.S. military and international allies, according to company officials.”

Featured Photo: U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461 prepare for takeoff in CH-53K King Stallions at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Aug. 16, 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Henke

[1] Robbin Laird, The U.S. Marine Corps Transformation Path: Preparing for the High-End Fight (p. 237), Kindle Edition.

 

Remembering Back to January 2022: The F-35 Comes Closer to Russia

01/01/2023

Thursday 6 January 2022 was a historic day for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. On this day, Norway’s new F-35s officially took over the QRA mission, ending the F-16 fleet’s 42 year-long mission serving Norway and NATO.

The formal transfer of authority from F-16 to F-35 took place at Evenes Air Base in northern Norway at 11:45 on Thursday 6 January 2022.

Due to heavy snowfall and low visibilty, the original programme was shortened. However, the event was still a historical milestone for the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

“F-35 has now received the baton from F-16, continuing to keep a constant guard. I sense a great pride today. The introduction of the new fighter jets has been a great success, thanks to our passionate and talented personnel and partners”, says Major General Rolf Folland, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

The QRA mission

For the past decades, Norway’s fleet of F-16s has carried out the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) on behalf of NATO from Bodø Air Base in northern Norway. Now, the F-35s handle this mission from Evenes Air Base a little further north. Evenes is currently under development and construction to house both F-35s and the coming fleet of P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrolling Aircraft.

Norway conducts the QRA mission on behalf of NATO. This means that Norway continuously has two fighter jets on standby at all times. If unknown aircraft come close to Norwegian – and NATO – airspace, the F-35s are scrambled and airborne within 15 minutes. Then they find, observe and document the unknown aircraft.

The History of Norway’s F-35s

I 1980, Norway started operating its fleet of F-16s, and this fleet has now retired. In the 2010s, Norway decided to replace the F-16 fleet with a fleet of 52 new F-35A fighter jets.

In 2015, Norwegian personnel consisting of pilots and technicians arrived at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, USA. From there, they started educating both pilots and technical personnel to operate the new fighter jets.

The first Norwegian F-35 touched Norwegian ground in November 2017 at Ørland Air Base, central Norway. The F-35 organisation immediately started a series of operational testing and evaluations.

The F-35 fleet has its home base at Ørland, but some of the F-35s will be based at Evenes to conduct the QRA mission. The F-35 system and organisation have also served in two international missions – Iceland Air Policing in 2020 and 2021.

Evenes Air Base

Evenes Air Base is located along the border of Nordland County and Troms and Finnmark County in northern Norway. Evenes is will be the Air Force’s most significant base in the north, serving as a complex base for the F-35, in addition to being the main base for the coming fleet of P-8 Poseidons.

The F-35 and P-8 are among the most important capacities in the defence of Norway. Evenes Air Base also has an air defence battalion and a force protection squadron – seving together with the base’s own base defece. Multiple support functions have additionally been established. By 2025, about 500 employees and 300 conscripts will be working at the airport.

The Norwegian fleet of 52 F-35s will be complete and fully operational by 2025.

This article was published by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence on January 6, 2022.

Re-Imaging Nordic Defense: The Norwegian Case

Norwegian Updates on The Standup of Their F-35s

Norwegian Quick Reaction Aircraft, Bodø Airbase and Future Basing Challenges

Abraham Lincoln Flight Ops, September 2022

12/27/2022

A T-45C Goshawk training jet, assigned to the “Eagles” of Advanced Jet Training Squadron (VT) 7 is seen training on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Other pictures show Super Hornet operations.

Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 3rd Fleet.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Javier Reyes)

The War in Ukraine and its Impact on the Future of Naval Warfare: The USV Dimension

12/22/2022

By George Galdorisi

If one story has dominated the international news for the past ten months, it is Russia’s egregious invasion of Ukraine, a war that shows no sign of abating, and which is the largest conflict in Europe in over three-quarters of a century.

The breathless daily reporting has kept the planet’s inhabitants well-informed about the day-to-day details of this conflict, but it will likely take many years to fully understand and unpack the lessons learned regarding what is occurring and Ukraine.

While there are many stories that have been generated regarding this conflict, as well as some nascent lessons learned, one of the most prominent is how Ukraine has been able to use unmanned surface vehicles to attack Russian ships.

The attack on the Russian Navy in the port of Sevastopol in October of this year brought new attention to the capabilities of these unmanned maritime systems, and will likely spur the development of USVs by many nations and navies.

All that said, it is important to realize that this is not a completely new means of warfare, but one that is centuries-old. A bit of perspective is important.

Fire ships were used in ancient China during the battle of Red Cliffs on the Yangtze River, as well as in the Eastern Roman empire in many battles during the time of Byzantine Empire.

Fire ships were also used during the Crusades, and later in the allied victory over the Turks in the battle of Navarino. These fire ships continued to be used during the age of sail through the Napoleonic Wars. Later, they were used during the Greek War for Independence in the 1820s and 1830s.

In the American experience, fire ships were used during the Civil War when the Confederate Navy used them to attack Union ships on the Mississippi River.

As steel hulls replaced wooden ships, and explosive devices became prominent, fire ships were no longer effective weapons. They were replaced by unmanned surface vehicles carrying explosives.

During World War I and World War II, Germany used explosive remote controlled speedboats to protect their coast. One of the most prominent of these was the FL7 electronically controlled motorboat. This unmanned boat carried 300 pounds of explosives, and was designed to be rammed into any British ship that came near the German coast.

Originally they were controlled by a driver who sat atop of 50 foot tower on shore, steering them through a 50 mile long cable that spooled out of the back of the boat. Subsequently, the Germans shifted the operator from a tower onto a seaplane that would fly overhead dragging the wire. Both methods proved unwieldy, but with the invention of wireless radio control, the Germans found that these boats became more effective

What does this have to do with warfare today?

Actually a great deal.

The aforementioned attack on the Russian Navy in Sevastopol ushered in a new era of drone warfare. Unmanned maritime vehicles have been evolving rapidly over the past decade, and now they have gone to war.

In an era where naval vessels are increasingly expensive, attacking these ships with cheap, expendable, explosive-laden USVs is the ultimate form of asymmetric warfare.  For example, a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke destroyer costs over $2 billion, and the U.S. Navy‘s new DDG(X) ship is projected to cost over $3 billion. The efficacy of using unmanned surface vehicles to attack naval vessels is clear.

However, what is lost in this aspirational use of unmanned surface vehicles to attack naval vessels is precisely how the USV will actually hit a highly maneuverable naval vessel.

Operating these USVs completely autonomously is likely not a viable tactic, since where a naval vessel is located at one moment will bear little resemblance to where it will be hours or even minutes later.

One tactic that is gaining purchase stems from a concept first articulated in the Department of Defense’s Third Offset Strategy.

The technical aspect of this concept of operations (CONOPS) is centered around a concept called man-machine teaming, and is one that most defense analysts suggest represents the most effective means of prevailing in the future battlespace.

Briefly, here is how this CONOPS would work.

This tactic would combine modern U.S. Navy helicopters, such as the Seahawk and Nighthawk, with small and medium agile unmanned surface vessels such as the MARTAC Devil Ray T24 (24ft) and T38 (38ft) unmanned surface vessels.

While there are many unmanned surface vessels that the U.S. Navy is either considering or developing, what these USVs bring to the table is a high cruise speed, an extremely high burst speed of 60-80 knots, and the ability to operate beyond human capability, making high speed, high-G turns that enable them to outmaneuver, or intercept, even the most modern and agile naval vessels.

This CONOPS leverages the best aspects of what humans and machines can do together. Imagine a U.S. surface combatant that discovers an adversary surface ship in a hot-war situation. Clearly, the goal is to “out stick” the enemy and disable or destroy that ship before the U.S. Navy ship takes a hit. High performance in both speed and maneuverability will be the key component.

This CONOPS builds on what has been the essence of naval warfare for centuries. It means giving one ship the ability stand-off from an adversary vessel and out of range from its weapons, while delivering ordnance that can achieve a mission kill, or even sink the adversary ship. How might the U.S. Navy ship most effectively engage the enemy?

One standoff tactic would be to send a helo armed with hellfire missile to strike the enemy ship. However, with a range of, at best, seven nautical miles for the hellfire missile, that puts a $37M SH-60R/S Seahawk/Knighthawk helicopter and its crew well within the range of adversary anti-air systems. Clearly, this is not a viable tactic.

What if, instead, the U.S. Navy surface combatant carried a number of Devil Ray USVs armed with on-contact explosives and launched them toward to adversary ship. That would be a good start, but if the adversary ship was over the horizon, these USVs would not get to their intended target.

This is where the Seahawk/Knighthawk comes in and accomplishes the essence of manned-machine teaming envisioned in the Third Offset Strategy. The aircraft could launch, and while staying well-outside enemy anti-air platforms, use a simple tablet to steer one, or ideally more, Devil Ray USVs toward the adversary ship until impact. This “swarm” tactic has been modeled by various organizations such as the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College and has proven to have deadly effectiveness.

This is where many defense experts see manned-machine teaming going in the future.

Now it is time to go beyond modeling and simulation and try out this CONOPS with helicopters and USVs.

The U.S. Navy is planning an ambitious series of exercises, experiments and demonstrations in 2023 and beyond, and this way of tipping the balance in the favor of U.S. Navy forces is one that ought to be explored as a priority.

Featured Photo:  Devil Ray operating at high speed and preparing for high G turn. Credit: MARTAC

Digital Horizon Wraps Up: Task Force 59 Perspective

According to a story written by NAVCENT Public Affairs and published on December 15, 2022:

U.S. 5th Fleet concluded Digital Horizon, Dec. 15, a three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence event in Bahrain that involved 17 industry partners.

The event included 15 advanced systems, 10 of which operated in the Middle East for the first time. Task Force 59 led industry partners during phased evolutions ashore and at sea to advance fleet efforts that will enhance regional maritime awareness.

“The pace of innovation throughout Digital Horizon was unbelievable,” said Capt. Michael Brasseur, commander of Task Force 59. “We pushed beyond technological boundaries and discovered new capabilities for maritime domain awareness to enhance our ability to see above, on and below the water.”

During Digital Horizon, Task Force 59 leveraged artificial intelligence to create an interface on one screen, also called a “single pane of glass.” The screen displayed relevant data from multiple unmanned systems for watchstanders in Task Force 59’s Robotics Operations Center.

The task force also launched an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145), marking the first time Task Force 59 operated a UAV from a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. The launch also enhanced Task Force 59’s ability to create a mesh network for unmanned systems to relay imagery to command centers ashore and at sea in a communications denied environment.

“It has been an incredible opportunity to work with new systems and new partners to drive the innovation process forward for the U.S. Navy,” said Lt. Jay Faylo, the task force’s director of artificial intelligence.

Over the past year, Task Force 59 has operated unmanned surface vessels in regional waters for more than 25,000 hours, which equates to 12 years of nine-to-five testing five days a week.

NAVCENT is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain and includes maritime forces operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb.

The featured photo shows the Devil Ray USV in the exercise: Credit: MARTAC

European Fighter Decisions: FCAS Next Steps, December 2022

12/20/2022

By Pierre Tran

Paris – The French arms procurement office has signed a contract worth €3.2 billion ($3.4 billion) for work on the technology demonstrator phase 1B of the European future combat air system with Airbus, Dassault Aviation, the Eumet engine joint venture, and Indra, the companies said Dec. 16 in a joint statement.

France, Germany and Spain back the FCAS, with its new generation fighter (NGF) at the heart of the high-tech project, seen as a symbol of European autonomy and sovereignty at a time of rising conflict around the world.

“On behalf of the governments of France, Germany and Spain, the French General Directorate for Armament (DGA) has awarded to Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Indra, Eumet and their industrial partners the contract for the Demonstrator Phase 1B of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS),” the companies said.

“This landmark contract, amounting to €3.2 billion, will cover work on the FCAS demonstrator and its components for about three and a half years,” the joint statement said.

Eumet is a Franco-German joint venture formed by Safran Aircraft Engines and MTU Aero Engines.

The first tranche of the contract was worth “more than €3 billion,” with the total amount of the contract rising to almost €8 billion with the Phase 2 option, the French armed forces ministry said in a Dec. 15 statement.

The new fighter would replace the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon for the partner nations in 2040.

Phase 2 is due to last a further three years, bringing the FCAS to first flight tests in 2029, Indra, the Spanish industrial partner, said in a statement.

That pushes back the maiden flight of a demonstrator fighter jet by around two years, due to tough industrial negotiations which delayed the contract.

The three partner nations planned to celebrate the launch of the project with a ceremony in Madrid, the French defense ministry said, without giving further details.

Indra will receive more than €600 million in funding from Phase 1B, the company said, helping its technological development of the combat cloud, a large command and communications network underpinning the FCAS.

The combat cloud will link up the new fighter jet with the remote carrier drones, as well as other assets in the air, at sea, on land, and in space, allowing the services to benefit from “collaborative combat,” the French ministry said.

The key partners Airbus Defence and Space and Dassault reached an industrial agreement on the latter’s leading role as prime contractor, allowing the contract finally to be signed.

The industrial agreement had been reached, Dassault executive chairman Eric Trappier said Dec. 1 in Le Figaro, a French daily owned by the Dassault family.

“We have won all the guarantees to open a new phase, which I would like to point out, is an upstream study and not yet a program,” he said.

“We are confirmed in our role as prime contractor and architect for the aircraft and we have obtained protection of our industrial know-how and our technology,” he said.

That meant intellectual property rights would be shared on work conducted in common by the industrial partners, but technology owned by Dassault would remain outside that pool of information.

Airbus DS had long sought to gain access to that privileged technical information, as that gave the insights of “know-why” to the know-how.

News of the European FCAS contract follows the Dec. 9 announcement of Japan joining the U.K. and Italy to build a new fighter jet under the global combat air programme (GCAP), bringing together technology from the U.K.-led Tempest and Japanese F-X projects.

BAE Systems will work with the Japanese prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Italian partner Leonardo, opening up an unprecedented European-Japanese cooperation in building an advanced fighter jet.

It remains to be seen whether Sweden and Saab will join the project pursued by London, Rome and Tokyo. Sweden appears to have cooled off from a previous willingness to team up with the Tempest project.

Also on the fighter news front, Germany won Dec. 14 approval from the powerful parliamentary budget committee to spend €10 billion as part of an announced plan to buy 35 F-35 fighters, to replace the German Tornado fleet, which carries U.S.-built B61 nuclear bombs for Nato.

There is a line of German high-level political thought which calls for a strong link with France by cooperating through the FCAS project, to avoid a dependence on U.S.  support. Berlin’s pursuit of European autonomy stems from perceived political instability of the Trump administration, and uncertainty stemming from the U.S. presidential election in a couple of years.

But there appears to be a distinct chill in relations between French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and it remains to be seen how hard the two heads of state will pursue European sovereignty in the military field.

On the domestic front, Macron is under pressure on his planned reform of French pensions, while Scholz has pledged to boost military spending after years of austerity, but a deep bureaucracy appears to have slowed the execution of orders for modern kit.

For Paris, the demonstrator contract was seen as making clear the project would be led by a French company, namely Dassault, which stoutly refused to share a leadership sought with determination by Airbus DS, based in Germany.

“This agreement, which equally confirms the central role of Dassault Aviation in this project, will allow the preparation of the FCAS demonstrator as part of phase 1B, which precedes the development and production phases,” the French defense ministry said in a statement.

On the industrial front, it remains to be seen how Airbus and Dassault will work together, as the company cultures are highly different. The demonstrator is just the beginning, as Trappier pointed out.

FCAS is estimated to be worth €80 billion-€100 billion, if the program gets off the ground.

Photo Credits: Featured Photo in sequence: FCAS: https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=2048

Tempest: https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/will-japan-and-the-uk-collaborate-on-sixth-generation-tempest-future-fighter-aircraft/

Luftwaffe F-35: https://www.flyingmag.com/germany-set-to-buy-35-f-35-fighters/

 

 

 

Visit to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) by Japanese Prime Minister

12/14/2022

Pacific Ocean – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), while Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 units concluded their participation in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force International Fleet Review (IFR) in Yokosuka and Sagami Wan, Nov. 6, 2022.

11.06.2022

Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Keyly Santizo

USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76)