In an effort to be in compliance with GDPR we are providing you with the latest documentation about how we collect, use, share and secure your information, we want to make you aware of our updated privacy policy here
Enter your name and email address below to receive our newsletter.
2017-03-29 During a recent visit to RAF Lossiemouth, we had a chance to talk with a number of Typhoon pilots and will focus on the evolving expeditionary experience of the Typhoon squadrons.
We also were provided a number of photos of the activity of these squadrons.
These photos were shot when the 6th Squadron moved to Lossie from RAF Leuchars in 2014.
6 Squadron arrived in style to their new home, RAF Lossiemouth, in a formation of the number ‘6’.
95673random1.05.0
As the RAF text associated with the photos noted in June 2014:
Station personnel gathered near the runway to welcome the Squadron to their new home and view the spectacle.
Number 6 Squadron started arriving at the beginning of June from RAF Leuchars and completed their transition today, 20th June.
However, this isn’t the first visit to Lossiemouth that the Typhoons have made. The Squadron completed several Exercises called ‘Moray venture’ where the purpose of Exercise was to test the new operating facilities ahead of their arrival.
A secondary purpose was for the Typhoons to utilise their new facilities on Station and for Lossie personnel to gain experience and exposure of Typhoon specific operations.
Number 6 Squadron became the first Typhoon fighter squadron to be based in Scotland when it officially stood up at Royal Air Force Leuchars in September 2010.
6 Squadron took over responsibility for providing the northern element of the Quick Reaction Alert force in March 2011, providing aircraft and crews on high alert to scramble and intercept unidentified aircraft approaching UK airspace.
The Squadron will continue their support to Quick Reaction Alert over the summer, when Quick Reaction Alert (Interceptor) North stands up at RAF Lossiemouth prior to 1 (Fighter) Squadron’s arrival in September.
Wing Commander Mike Baulkwill, Officer Commanding 6 Squadron, said: “Number 6 Squadron is very excited about moving up to RAF Lossiemouth, this move will offer us new and exciting opportunities both at work and from a recreational perspective.
The Squadron has had a transient history, in recent years the Squadron has moved from RAF Coltishall to RAF Coningsby then up to RAF Leuchars and now RAF Lossiemouth.
As an expeditionary Air Force, deploying and moving at short notice is what we all are trained to do and this move though permanent is very similar. Our move to RAF Lossiemouth is a great opportunity for all, and it something that Number 6 Squadron will grasp with both hands.”
03/18/2017: In this Pacific Update, leaders gathered at Joint Base Pearl harbor-Hickam for the F-35B Lightning II Symposium with an interview of Brig. Gen. Craig Wills, Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
2017-03-15 According to an MBDA press release dated March 15, 2017, the F-35 successfully conducted its first firings of MBDA’s ASRAAM.
The F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet has successfully conducted its first firing trials of the MBDA Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM).
The trials are the first time a British-designed missile has been fired from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and the first time any non-US missile has been fired from the aircraft.
Conducted from both Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Edwards Air Force Base in the USA, the effort has seen both flight trials and air-launched firings of the ASRAAM successfully take place.
MBDA is currently under contract, awarded in 2016, to produce the highly capable infra-red (IR) guided air-to-air missile for the UK’s F-35s. ASRAAM’s large rocket motor and clean aerodynamic design gives it a high kinematic capability that delivers superior end-game performance compared with other countries’ in-service IR missiles.
The trials were conducted by the integrated test teams at Patuxent and Edwards, which include Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, MBDA and Northrop Grumman.
The development trials work is being conducted under the integration programme for ASRAAM onto the UK’s F-35 aircraft. This effort is currently progressing to plan and these integration activities will allow the Initial Operating Capability of the aircraft by the UK.
MBDA is also under contract for the ASRAAM Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) to build replenishment missiles for the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The CSP effort makes use of ASRAAM’s commonality with the CAMM missile family, also being bought by the Royal Navy and British Army, to deliver extensive cost savings across the UK Armed Forces.
ASRAAM is the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) in service with the RAF on the Tornado and Typhoon, the Royal Australian Air Force on the F/A-18 Hornet and on order for the Indian Air Force’s Jaguars.
The missile flies at over Mach 3 and its sleek, agile airframe and powerful motor ensure that the missile can fly faster and further than competing short range air-to-air missiles. The ASRAAM’s sophisticated seeker and software is designed to defeat current and future countermeasures.
In total some 500 UK companies are involved in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter programme.
2017-03-06 In an article published on the Italian Ministry of Defence website on February 22, 2017, the first official visit of an Italian Minister of Defence to Australia was discussed.
With the coming of the F-35 to the Avalon Air Show in early March, the two countries are key partners in the F-35 program. And both countries are standing up their F-35 force at about the same time.
There is a difference however.
The Australian government has made the F-35 the centerpiece of their defense transformation strategy and is very visible in its discussion about the F-35 global enterprise’s contribution to defense, security and economic development.
The Italian government is much quieter in its standup process. Even though the Italian program has registered many firsts in the F-35 program, you would look long and hard for a video such as the one issued by the Australian Ministry of Defence at the Avalon Airshow this week.
In the video below the Australian government welcomes the first F-35s to Australia.
According to the Ministry of Defence story:
The first official visit by Minister Pinotti to Australia -which followed the invitation extended by her counterpart, Minister for Defence Marise Payne- aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, which share common views on a number of global security and defence issues.
The visit also offered an opportunity to strengthen Italy-Australia relationships on defence themes, also on the basis of a number of common projects and of possible future partnerships able to produce significant returns in terms of employment, technology, shipbuilding activities and military projects.
94861random1.05.0
Minister Pinotti underscored the above-mentioned themes during a number of institutional meetings held in Sydney, during which the willingness emerged to reinforce cooperation in the defence sector with a 360° approach in both the operational and industrial sector, by defining broad-spectrum projects.
Italy and Australia are faraway from a geographical point of view, but they have “shared views on how to defeat the global terrorist threat”, Minister Pinotti said.
Regional security in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, the counter-Daesh campaign and the Australian naval shipyard plan were the focus of bilateral talks between Roberta Pinotti and her Australian counterpart Marise Payne. The meeting was also an opportunity to reiterate Italy and Australia’s shared views in a number of sectors connected with global security, and how every form of mutual cooperation and shared experience is useful to improve bilateral relationships.
Cooperation between Italy and Australia on themes that are important for both countries allows tackling changes on the regional and global scenarios in an increasingly effective way. Hence the importance of international relations aimed at improving all forms of cooperation and sharing of experience to solve common problems.
During her meeting with Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne, the willingness emerged to reinforce the partnership in the defence industry.
Cooperation, going beyond the military sector, was also the theme of talks between Roberta Pinotti and Minister for Finance Matthias Corman and Attorney General George Brandis.
In Sidney Minister Pinotti also met the representatives of the Italian community, that she thanked for the important role they play in promoting Italian culture.
The “Italian approach” has now become a feature of our Armed Forces deployed in international theatres recognised at global level. “Whether they train the Libyan Coast Guard within the framework of Operation Sophia or the Iraqi troops tasked with defeating terrorism – the Minister said- they are able to establish a relationship and convey the message that our security objective is a shared objective”.
On her arrival in Sydney the Minister went on board Italian Navy Ship Carabiniere, “one of the symbols of Italy’s institutions and industry working as a single system on the move”. The Italian Navy Multi-Mission European Frigate (FREMM) had docked in Sydney for a few days during the third leg of her Australian campaign.
Roberta Pinotti was welcomed by Navy Chief, Admiral Valter Girardelli, who underscored the importance of Itaiy-Australia cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Federation of Italian Aerospace, Defence and Security Industries (AIAD), and Australian AIDN and AIG was also signed on board the Italian frigate by AIAD President Guido Crosetto, and his Australian counterparts Alan Rankins and Peter Burn.
The last leg of her official visit to Australia took Roberta Pinotti to Sydney War Memorial, where she laid a wreath to honour the fallen. She was welcomed to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park by a delegation of the Embassy and Veterans Associations.
Prior to attending the Norwegian Airpower Conference in Trondheim, I was able to meet with Mr. Øystein BØ, the State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense to discuss his perspective on the way ahead for Norway and NATO in the Northern region.
A key point that he underscored was the importance for NATO states to invest in defense and to innovate in delivering new capabilities.
“Article III is the obligation to have a strong national defense and to be able to be a net contributor to security.
There is no free ride in NATO, we’ve all got to do our part to be able to defend each other.”
Put bluntly, the situation facing Norway is challenging as the Russians are modernizing and exhibiting a more assertive and less predictable behavior.
In a conference held in Oslo last year, Norwegian speakers underscored their concern with the need to take Arctic security and defense seriously.
“A strong NATO presence in the North is in the US’ and Norway’s interest”, said Øystein Bø, State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense at the event.
Bø specifically pointed to the new security environment in Europe after Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and the increasing human activity in the Arctic. Norway has for a long time pushed to strengthen NATO’s maritime capabilities, especially in the North Atlantic.
Øystein BØ, the State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense
Ahead of the Warsaw Summit this year, Norwegian Minister of Defense Ine Eriksen Søreide wrote in a statement “NATO needs a coherent and robust long-term strategy to deal with the new security environment. A key element of that strategy must be maritime power and presence in the North”.
State Secretary Bø underlined the need for increase in training, exercises and presence, as well as improving NATO command and control structure..
In our discussion, he both underscored the importance of working with the Russians and deterring them. He argued for the need for predictability but also strengthening one’s deterrent capabilities as well.
It was crucial for both Norwegian defense modernization as well as working effectively with allies in defense of the Norwegian region.
Exercises are an important tool in this effort, within NATO and with other Nordic exercises.
He noted that the Norwegian, Swedes and Finns do joint air exercises and operate from their home bases but work together in shaping collaborative air operations.
“This ensures efficiency in that the logistics are provided at the home bases; but also shaping collaborative capabilities by working together in common areas of interest in the region as well during the exercise.”
He started the conversation by focusing on the F-35 and its potential contributions to Norwegian defense modernization.
“We do not see this just as a replacement aircraft; we see it as contributing to our ground-air-naval force modernization efforts and overall capabilities. It will interact with the Army, with the Navy and will be a platform in many ways that we believe is a game changer for us.
In other words, he sees the F-35 as a strategic asset from the standpoint of extended Norwegian defense capabilities.
An aspect of the F-35 program, which is not generally realized, is the importance of allied investments in capabilities, which can be used across the F-35 global enterprise.
In the Norwegian case, the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), which is considered a crucial asset in providing for maritime defense of Norway, is available to other NATO-allies flying the F-35 as well.
“This is a 21st century aspect of burden sharing as our investments in ‘our’ missile benefits all F-35 users of this missile across the globe, whether in Japan, Australia or in Europe.”
“It is not money that just goes directly into our armed forces, but it’s a lot of money that goes into developing capabilities that the alliance needs. It is about contributing to our joint security as well.”
He focused notably upon the changing nature of Russian capabilities in the North Atlantic and the stronger focus on NATO’s northern maritime flank, including the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap.
“History has returned but with new technologies necessary to deal with the challenge. Joint operation of the P-8 is certainly part of our joint response working with the US and the UK as we establish a joint operating capability.”
Clearly, the goal is to maintain stability, but doing so is not simply sitting on one’s hands hoping for a favorable outcome.
“We are working hard on defense modernization with our allies and at the same time clearly working for dynamic stability in the region.
But this is an evolving process.”
Norway is in a crucial position. “If you look at the map, we are in a crucial position in the north.
But we are a small country, with a large geography and only five million people.
So we need to truly focus on a smart defense strategy.”
And as the State Secretary made clear throughout, the Norwegian government sees defense modernization, indeed interactive transformation with core NATO allies as well as partners in the region to provide for an effective role as stewards of the North.
Biography of Øystein BØ, the State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense
Born: 1959
Mr. Øystein Bø from The Conservative Party (Høyre) was appointed October 16th 2013 to state secretary in The Ministry of Defence.
On 11 September 2014, Mr. Bø was awarded the United States Departement of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.
Sep. 2010 – Oct. 2013 Head of International Department and Permanent Secretary of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Stortinget (the Norwegian Parliament)
August 2006 – August 2010 Minister, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Delegation of Norway to NATO
July 2002 – July 2006 Chef de Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dec. 2001 – July 2002 Deputy Director General, Head of OSCE/CFSP Section, European Department
Sep. 2000 – Dec 2001 Assistant Director General, European Policy Department
June 2000 – Sep. 2000 Assistant Director General, Department of Policy Planning and Evaluation, Head of Stability Pact / OSCE Coordination Unit
June 2000 – July 2002 National Coordinator, Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe
June 1998- – May 2000: Adviser, OSCE Coordination Unit. (Responsible for Kosovo/FRY throughout the Norwegian OSCE Chairmanship 1999)
January 1998 – May 1998: First secretary, Norwegian permanent delegation to NATO
January 1997 – Dec. 1997: Legal adviser, Office of the High Representative, Sarajevo (Seconded by the Norwegian MFA)
August 1995 – January 1997: First secretary, Norwegian Embassy, Tallinn, Estonia (DCM – Chargé d’Affaires a.i. for about 9 months of the period)
August 1992 – July 1995: Second secretary, Norwegian Delegation to the CSCE/OSCE, Vienna
August 1991 – July 1992: Diplomatic trainee, Norwegian MFA
January 1990 – July 1991: Executive Officer, Legal Department, Norwegian MFA
August 1989 – Dec. 1989 Attorney, Business Law firm, Tromsø, Norway
January 1981 – June 1983: 2nd lieutenant, Norwegian Army, Infantry (1st lieutenant reserve)
Education:
1989: Cand. Jur., Oslo University (Ph.d. Law equivalent)
1980: Infantry officers’ training school, Norwegian Army
02/17/2016:Luke’s first B-course students conducted their first training sortie in the F-35 getting ready for their combat deployment assignment..
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. —
The Air Force’s first F-35 Lightning II basic flight course class took to the skies for the first time as they entered the live flying portion of their training Feb. 8, 2017.
The B-course students, training under the tutelage of the experienced instructor pilots of the 61st Fighter Squadron, will become the first purely operational combat F-35 pilots in the Air Force.
“It was just an incredible feeling accelerating away from the runway for the first time,” said a student.
“I hope to always be able to look back at this day and recognize just how incredible it was.”
After approximately two months of classroom academic instruction, the student pilots are now in the flightline phase of their training syllabus, where over the course of the next 6 months they will learn the skills necessary to perform basic air-to-air, air-to-ground, and low-visibility combat flying.
“Right now they’re learning how to take off, how to land, and how to fly by instruments so that they’re able to get back to ground safely in inclement weather,” said Maj. Joshua Larsen, 56th Fighter Wing executive officer and instructor pilot.
94262random1.05.0
“After that, they progress into mission sets, in which they will learn both basic fighter maneuvers and advanced combat maneuvers, and build off of those things to learn how to perform complex missions.”
Upon completion of their training, the pilots will be stationed with operational F-35 squadrons around the world, where further advanced training will continue to provide them the capabilities and knowledge to deploy and fight at a moment’s notice.
“When they arrive at their follow-on base, they’ll get mission-qualification training, after which they will become a mission-ready wing,” Larsen said.
“It’s a big deal to be able to train pipeline students on the F-35 and know that they’ll soon be mission-ready when they walk out of here.
It’s a unique opportunity and it’s an exciting time to be in the jet.
The 62nd FS is also scheduled to receive and begin their first B-course class later this year.
Luke, as the largest F-35 base in the world, will eventually host a planned six F-35 squadrons with 144 total aircraft.
02/07/2017: United States Marine Corps Air Traffic Control Facilities Officer Captain Joseph Ellis discusses the F-35B Lightning II refueling exercise taking place on Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 31, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps Video by Lance Cpl Desiree D King)
As Ed Timperlake put it in an article published in 2012 entitled “strategic deterrence with tactical flexibility:”
Every fighter pilot has had or will have a moment in the air when the biggest indicator in the cockpit is showing how much fuel is left: the fuel indicator immediately can dominate the pilots attention and really focus thinking on where to immediately land.
Fuel is measured in pounds usually with an engineering caveat stating a degree of uncertainty over how low the number may go before all the noise will stop. Pounds of fuel remaining eventually become everything.
It is actually a very simple and terrifying equation, no fuel means simply no noise because the jet engine has stopped working.
Contemplating this very time sensitive dilemma, when the “noise gage” goes to zero, all pilots know that their once trusted and beautiful sleek multi-million fighters that they are strapped into will rapidly take on the flying characteristic of a brick.
Running low on fuel, calling “bingo,” on the radio which is announcing min fuel left for a successful recovery and then realizing you are actually going below “bingo” could occur for a variety of reasons.
In peacetime it is mostly a delay in landing because of weather related issues.
In combat, in addition to horrific weather at times, throw in battle damage to the fuel tanks and it becomes a real life or death problem.
In peacetime you can eject, probably lose your wings and that will be that.
However, in combat, in addition to shooting at you the enemy always gets a vote on other methods to kill you and destroy your aircraft. They will use any means possible.
Consequently if aircraft in their combat strike package get lucky and a few survive to bomb “homeplate” taxiways and all divert fields it can become a significant problem.
Even more realistically in this 21st Century world, missile proliferation, both in terms of quality and quantity, is a key challenge. All nations can be peer competitors because of weapons proliferation.
An enemy may have successfully improved the quantity and quality of their missile such that an Air Battle commander’s entire airborne air force can be eliminated by the enemy destroying all runways, taxiways and divert bases.
In a war at sea, hitting the carrier’s flight deck can cripple the Carrier Battle Group (CBG) and thus get a mission kill on the both the Carrier and perhaps even the entire airborne air wing if they can not successfully divert to a land base.
With no place to land, on the sea or land and with tanker fuel running low, assuming tankers can get airborne, the practical result will be the loss of extremely valuable air assets.
In such circumstances, The TacAir aircraft mortality rate would be the same as if it was during a combat engagement with either air-to-air or a ground –to-air weapons taking out the aircraft.
The only variable left, between simply flaming out in peacetime, vice the enemy getting a kinetic hit would be potential pilot survivability to fly and fight another day.
However, with declining inventories and limited industrial base left in U.S. to surge aircraft production a runway kill could mean the loss of air superiority and thus be a battle-tipping event, on land or sea.
Now something entirely new and revolutionary can be added to an Air Force, the VSTOL F-35B.
Traditionally the VSTOL concept, as personified by the remarkable AV-8, Harrier was only for ground attack. To be fair the RAF needed to use the AV-8 in their successful Falklands campaign as an air defense fighter because it was all they had.
The Harrier is not up to a fight against any advanced 4th gen. aircraft—let alone F-22 5th Gen. Fighters that have been designed for winning the air combat maneuvering fight (ACM) with advanced radar’s and missiles.
Now though, for the first time in history the same aircraft the F-35 can be successful in a multi-role.
The F-35, A, B &C type, model, series, all have the same revolutionary cockpit-the C4ISD-D “Fusion combat system” which also includes fleet wide “tron” warfare capabilities.
There has been a lot written about the F-35B not being as capable as the other non-VSTOL versions such as the land based F-35A and the Large carrier Battle Group (CBG) F-35, the USN F-35C.
The principle criticism is about the more limited range of the F-35B. In fact, the combat history of the VSTOL AV-8 shows that if properly deployed on land or sea the VSTOL capability is actually a significant range bonus. The Falklands war, and recent USN/USMC rescue of a Air Force pilot in the Libyan campaign proved that.
The other key point is limited payload in the vertical mode. Here again is where the F-35 T/M/S series have parity if the F-35B can make a long field take off or a rolling take off from a smaller aircraft carrier-with no traps nor cats needed it can carry it’s full weapons load-out.
The Royal Navy just validated this point by reversing back to the F-35B.
Give all aircraft commanders the same set of strategic warning indicators of an attack because it would be a very weak air staff that would let their aircraft be killed on the ground or flight deck by a strategic surprise.
Consequently, the longer take off of the F-35 A, B or C with a full weapons complement makes no difference. Although history does show that tragically being surprised on the ground has happened.
Pearl Harbor being the very nasty example. Of course, USN Carrier pilots during the “miracle at Midway” caught the Japanese Naval aircraft being serviced on their flight deck and returned the favor to turn the tide of the war in the pacific.
In addition to relying intelligence, and other early warning systems to alert an air force that an attack is coming so “do not get caught on the ground!” dispersal, revetments and bunkers can be designed to mitigate against a surprise attack.
Aircraft survivability on the ground is critical and a lot of effort has also gone into rapid runway repair skills and equipment to recover a strike package. All F-35 TMS have the same advantages with these types of precautions.
The strategic deterrence, with tactical flexibility, of the F-35B is in the recovery part of an air campaign when they return from a combat mission, especially if the enemy successfully attacks airfields.
Or is successful in hitting the carrier deck-they do not have to sink the Carrier to remove it from the fight just disable the deck. War is always a confused messy action reaction cycle, but the side with more options and the ability to remain combat enabled and dynamically flexible will have a significant advantage.
With ordinance expended, or not, the F-35B does not need a long runway to recover and this makes it a much more survivable platform — especially at sea where their might be no other place to go.
A call by the air battle commander-all runways are destroyed so find a long straight road and “good luck!” is a radio call no one should ever have to make.
But something revolutionary now exists.
In landing in the vertical mode the Marine test pilot in an F-35B, coming aboard the USS Wasp during sea trials put the nose gear in a one square box. So the unique vertical landing/recovery feature of landing anywhere will save the aircraft to fight another day.
It is much easier to get a fuel truck to an F-35B than build another A or C model, or land one of the numerous “decks” on other ships, even a T-AKE ship then ditch an F-35C at sea.
This unique capability can be a war winning issue for countries like Israel, Taiwan and the U.S. Navy at sea.
