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The outside shots at the beginning of the video shows the center as it is today; in an earlier visit we talked with Col. Tomassetti about standing up the center in 2010.
The approach was highlighted in that 2010 interview:
SLD: The core advantage of integration is crucial to the program and to the savings inherent in co-located training facilities.
Colonel Tomassetti: Right and there is so much potential that comes from integration that’s more than just saving money.
It’s the potential interaction of students at this early level in their career with this new weapon system and all of the ideas that can come from that.
For organizations that are going to go fight jointly wherever we go, why on earth would we not choose to start the training process off with a joint and coalition setup.
We will look for new opportunities to get cross-service interaction.
We will look for new opportunities to get some cross-service buy-in and we start small; and we can find one thing that commonality allows us to do with this airplane that legacy airplanes, as an example, wouldn’t allow us to do.
Airmen from Eglin’s 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron; and three F-35 units, the Air Force’s 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron; the Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 101, and the Marine Corps, Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, take an Autonomic Logistics Information System Supply Course at the F-35 Academic Training Center. The four-day familiarization class was the first-ever ALIS supply course completed since the ATC began commencement of formal training Mar 19. The students were introduced to the main tools they will learn more about in ALIS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Karen Roganov)
Then we can argue “Hey, would you all be in agreement if we did this very small thing the same way?” and you start with something small and people agree, yes, and then you can build on that foundation.
As we have communicated to anyone who will listen, we believe that interoperability could start here at Eglin.
Take advantage of the weapon system commonality and adopt best practices available to us.
The interoperability that we want on the battlefield of tomorrow or in the disaster relief response of tomorrow, that interoperability could begin here with integrated F-35 training.
The interoperability that we want on the battlefield of tomorrow or in the disaster relief response of tomorrow, that interoperability could begin here with integrated F-35 training.
Weapons training is facilitated by the F-35 functioning “mock-ups: this also allows for hands on maintenance training as well, including stealth repair training.
We were able to get an update on low observable maintenance of the F-35, which is the first industrial based LO aircraft built to date.
The LO maintainers emphasized that the heritage experience of the USAF from legacy platforms was being leveraged and improvements were then being proliferated to the services new to LO maintenance, the USMC and the USN.
They also emphasized the considerably greater robustness of the LO system on the F-35 compared to the F-22, and prior systems.
We have a weapons system available to us that has enough commonality to enable joint operations.
We have a Training center in development at Eglin AFB that can capitalize on that commonality and build strong foundations for Joint operations.
Taking advantage of what is available to us with the F-35 weapon system can and will move us closer towards true interoperability for Joint and Coalition operations.
And for a look at the day in the life of the ATC as seen in 2012 see the following:
07/17/2015: U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, demonstrate the long-range artillery capabilities of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during Talisman Sabre 2015, Bradshaw Field Training Area, Australia, July 12, 2015.
TS-15 is a biennial exercise that provides an invaluable opportunity for nearly 30,000 U.S. and Australian defense forces to conduct operations in a combined, joint and interagency environment that will increase both countries’ ability to plan and execute a full range of operations from combat missions to humanitarian assistance efforts.
2015-06-29 According to a story on the UK Ministry of Defence website published June 25, 2015, the next steps in bringing the HMS Queen Elizabeth to life have been taken.
The 65,000 tonne future flagship of the Royal Navy has undergone months of preparation work by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) to start the first of her four diesel engines, which are directly coupled to the generators.
Together, each power unit weighs approximately 200 tonnes – the weight of two medium size passenger jets.
Seen here Philip Dunne MIN DP starts the generator. The first of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s mighty diesel generators was powered-up today marking a major milestone on the way to her becoming an operational warship ready to go to sea. Credit: UK MoD
Minister of State for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne, officially started the first of the ship’s four diesel generators at the home of the UK’s aircraft carrier programme in Rosyth, Scotland today bringing the ship to life for the first time…..
The diesel generator sets will provide sufficient electrical power to drive the ship at cruise speeds, but when higher speed is required, two Gas Turbine Alternators will also be used.
Together they will produce 109MW of power, enough to power a medium-sized town…..
Following sea trials (from 2017) and First of Class Flying Trials for helicopters and the F-35B Lightning II (starting in 2018), HMS Queen Elizabeth will undertake a coherent build up towards achieving an Initial Carrier Strike Capability in 2020.
Second of class HMS Prince Of Wales is now almost half complete at 30,000 tonnes, the forward island was installed in May 2015 forming the iconic carrier shape of the vessel. Initial Operating Capability of HMS Prince Of Wales is expected in 2023.
The aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince Of Wales are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a unique partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Thales UK, Babcock and the Ministry of Defence.
The Brits invented carrier warfare; and in many ways with their new 65,000 ton carrier they are reinventing the large deck carrier and providing something of a hybrid between the USS America and CVN-78. The flight deck is impressive and is about 90% of the size of the Nimitz class and has a very wide deck upon which operations can be generated.
When I stood at the end of the ski jump and looked down at the flight deck, its width was significant. And I learned that the flight deck was built by Laird Shipbuilding (unfortunately no relation!).
This ship is designed to operate F-35Bs, which means that the RAF and the RN will drive every bit of innovation out of the aircraft to provide C2, ISR and strike capabilities. And given the F-35B enabled USS America, it is no surprise to learn that their working relationship with the USN-USMC team is close. And the Brits will train with the Marines along with other international partners that will fly the F-35B at Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina.
Walking the ship takes time, but several innovations one sees aboard the Ford can be found aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth: significant energy generation, significant C2 capabilities, very large rooms for reconfigurable C2 suites for operations across the ROMO, as well as well designed work areas for the F-35B crews which will handle the operations and data generated by the F-35 to the fleet.
It is a ship designed to transform both the RAF and the RN for it will integrate significantly with the surface and subsurface fleet and the land-based air for the RAF.
To take an example, with RAF jets operating from Cyprus or in the Middle East, the HMS Queen Elizabeth can mesh its air assets with the land based assets and the command center directing the air operations could be on the ship, on land at an operating base, or in the air, even in the new tankers.
It is a ship designed to be part of the transformation not just of the Royal Navy but for the Royal Air Force as well as the Typhoons take over Tornado missions and the F-35 comes into the force concurrently. And it is a transformation where joint integration of land and sea based forces will be featured.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth in common with CVN-78 has a new way to load weapons and to configure the weapons loads to enhance the safety and speed of the weaponization process.
In July 2014 the warship was floated out of Rosyth Dock for the first time after it was filled with water. An estimated 10,000 people will have worked on her construction by the time it is complete. Credit: Daily Mail
The weapons are brought to either end of the deck to be loaded onto the combat aircraft; and the mechanism for loading and moving the weapons can provide for a mix and match capacity to push the proper loads to the particular aircraft for the missions of the day. In fact, the system aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth can prepare those loads the night before the early morning missions.
Another aspect in common between these two carriers is innovations in the islands controlling the ship compared to the Nimitz class. For the Ford class, this means moving the island back on the flight deck and opening up more flight space and providing for a cleaner flight deck, a change which when working with the new launch system will provide the flight operations to work more effectively aboard the flight deck.
For HMS Queen Elizabeth, there are two islands onboard the ship.
This is due to the fact that it is not a nuclear carrier and the exhausts for the engines exit on two parts of the flight deck; and there is an island incorporating those exit points. One island is used to operate the ship; and the second runs flight deck operations.
And in a crisis, either island can perform both tasks, but visiting the two islands it is clear that the designers have focused on ways to enhance the work flow for the two different tasks, namely running the ship and operating the aircraft aboard the flight deck.
For earlier stories, including a visit to the ship see the following:
2015-06-24 The ski jump is a feature on UK warships which have operated the Harrier and will operate the F-35B.
The joint UK-US test team at Pax River has recently completed the first test of the ski jump for the F-35B.
In the photos below, there are three shots of the ski jump as used by the British.
The first shows it in use during USMC harrier certifications in 2007 aboard the HMS Illustrious, which also saw the first landing on a foreign warship of the Osprey.
The second shows the ski jump aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The third shows the first launch of the F-35B off of a ski jump at the Pax River test facility.
The fourth photo shows the F-35B taking off from the USS Wasp without a ski jump.
The ski jump provides an advantage for launching with more weight and with less-end speed.
The fifth photo shows an RAF F-35B at MCAS Beaufort with Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols.
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The F-35 is generated by and will be supported by a global enterprise.
For the British, the immediate advantage of this is to be able to leverage US-located facilities as their own are built over the next three years in the United Kingdom.
This means that the UK F-35Bs can be deployed about the HMS Queen Elizabeth fully capable in 2018 rather than having to start at that point, which is when infrastructure has been put in place in the UK for operations.
The Public Affairs Officer for the Joint Program Office provided his assessment of the test in the following story.
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – An F-35B Lightning II completed the first ramp-assisted short take off to test the aircraft’s compatibility with British and Italian aircraft carriers.
“This test was a success for the joint ski jump team,” said Peter Wilson, BAE Systems F-35 test pilot and U.K. citizen, who flew the June 19 mission at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
“The aircraft performed well and I can’t wait until we’re conducting F-35 ski jumps from the deck of the Queen Elizabeth carrier.”
Two F-35 partner nations use ramp-assisted short take offs for their carrier operations as an alternative to the catapults and arresting gear used aboard longer U.S. aircraft carriers.
The shorter U.K. and Italian carriers feature an upward-sloped ramp at the bow of the ship.
Curved at its leading edge, a ski-jump ramp simultaneously launches aircraft upward and forward, allowing aircraft to take off with more weight and less end-speed than required for an unassisted horizontal launch aboard U.S. aircraft carriers.
The F-35B’s design allows it to automatically position the control surfaces and nozzles for takeoff – a unique capability compared with previous short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft.
Such automation frees up pilot capacity and provides an added safety enhancement.
“The control laws on the F-35B are designed to make the task of taking off and landing at the ship much easier than for previous STOVL aircraft,” said Gordon Stewart, flying qualities engineer representing the UK Ministry of Defence.
“For ski jump launches, the aircraft recognizes when it is on the ramp and responds by positioning the control surfaces and nozzles automatically for takeoff and climb.
This was our first chance to demonstrate these new control laws using a land-based ski jump.
We’ll be using these results — along with those from future testing — to help us prepare for the first shipboard ski jump launch from HMS Queen Elizabeth.”
The work on the F-35B at Pax River is being performed by a joint US-UK test team.
The joint U.S.-U.K. test team will conduct phase I testing this summer.
06/21/2015: Australia’s Air Task Group (ATG) as part of Operation OKRA comprises six RAAF F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft. Nearly 400 personnel have deployed to the Middle East as part of, or in direct support of the ATG.
Operation OKRA is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the international effort to combat the Daesh terrorist threat in Iraq. Australia’s contribution is being closely coordinated with the Iraqi government, Gulf nations and a broad coalition of international partners.
Nearly 400 personnel have deployed to the Middle East as part of, or in direct support of the ATG.
Operation OKRA is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the international effort to combat the Daesh terrorist threat in Iraq. Australia’s contribution is being closely coordinated with the Iraqi government, Gulf nations and a broad coalition of international partners.
The slideshow highlights the work of avionics personnel from No. 75 Squadron RAAF working late into the night at their base in the Middle East to get an F/A-18A Hornet ready for its next mission over Iraq.
The F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 conducted the first weapons separation test of the UK’s Paveway IV precision-guided bomb from an F-35B Lightning II short take-off/vertical-landing (STOVL) variant June 12.
During flight 461 over the NAVAIR Atlantic Test Ranges, RAF Squadron Leader Andy Edgell dropped two inert Paveway IV bombs from aircraft BF-03.
This test is the first of a series of UK weapons separation events scheduled for 2015.
Lockheed Martin video by Michael D. Jackson.
The Paveway IV is a bi- product of the complex weapons approach shaped by UK MoD.
At heart, the notion is that the weapons dynamic is a significant one for 21st century military operations, and MoD shaped a way to ensure that weapons could be more effective enablers of those operations.
Raytheon UK is not part of the Complex Weapons team but is clearly affected by the approach.
UK MoD wants weapons which enable integration of their 21st century combat enterprise, and to do so with regard to global export opportunities.
This will clearly be helped by the F-35 approach to software integration of weapons for the global enterprise, not simply nationally equipped combat aircraft.
Team Complex Weapons” has been described as follows on the MBDA website:
Team CW defines an approach to delivering the UK’s Complex Weapons requirements in an affordable manner that also ensures a viable industrial capacity with MOD being the architects of the sector strategy.
The first implementation of this approach is through the MOD–MBDA Portfolio Management Agreement, which has been independently evaluated as offering £1.2Bn of benefit to MOD over the course of the next 10 years.
This Agreement aims to transform the way in which CW business is conducted by MOD with its main supplier.
At the heart of this is a joint approach to the delivery of the required capability based on an open exchange of information and flexibility in the means of delivery.It is therefore anticipated that the Agreement will be consistent with the future direction of acquisition reform within MOD and is well positioned to respond positively to the conclusions of the SDSR.
At the Farnbourgh Air Show in 2010, Second Line of Defense attended a media briefing held by MBDA which provided a good overview on the Team CW approach.
The business model is of interest, not only for shaping a key ally’s approach to shaping future capability but in terms of being a potential harbinger for how MOD will handle efforts to maintain capabilities in the face of fiscal stringencies.
Lord Drayson in his formulation of the defense industrial strategy forged a number of initiatives, one of which was Team CW.
The idea was to bring MOD into closer partnership with its weapons providers and supply chain to shape evolving capabilities in the industry with an eye to enhanced efficiencies but at the same time ensuring UK operational sovereignty in this key area of future military capability.
The baseline agreement was signed in June 2006 between MBDA, QinetiQ, Roxel and Thales UK as well as other members of the weapons supply chain to work with MOD in shaping development of future weapons.
The idea has been to share risk, guide investment and clarify early for MOD what procurement choices are optimal for its point of view.
At the heart of the concept is to try to bridge the gap between industry and MOD in reducing risk and enhancing effective procurement.
Obviously there are a number of challenges ranging for Intellectual Property ownership, investment sharing between government and diversity of private sector competitors to the question of the relationship between Team CW, MOD and the companies, such as Raytheon who are outside of the arrangement.
Paveway IV is a dual mode GPS/INS and laser-guided bomb manufactured by Raytheon UK (formerly Raytheon Systems Limited).[1] It is the latest iteration of the Paveway series.
The weapon is a guidance kit based on the existing Enhanced Paveway II Enhanced Computer Control Group (ECCG) added to a modified Mk 82 general-purpose bomb with increased penetration performance. The new ECCG contains a Height of Burst (HOB) sensor enabling air burst fusing options, and a SAASM (Selective Availability Anti Spoofing Module) compliant GPS receiver. It can be launched either IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) only, given sufficiently good Transfer Alignment, or using GPS guidance. Terminal laser guidance is available in either navigation mode.
The F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 conducted the first weapons separation test of the UK’s Paveway IV precision-guided bomb from an F-35B Lightning II short take-off/vertical-landing (STOVL) variant June 12. During flight 461 over the NAVAIR Atlantic Test Ranges, RAF Squadron Leader Andy Edgell dropped two inert Paveway IV bombs from aircraft BF-03. This test is the first of a series of UK weapons separation events scheduled for 2015.
The Paveway IV entered service with the Royal Air Force in 2008.[2] It has yet to be accepted into service with the United States, which has pursued the development of the Laser-JDAM and dual mode Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB).
The Paveway IV’s first export sale was to the Royal Saudi Air Force in a deal worth approximately £150 million (US $247 million).[3] The deal had been delayed for several years by the U.S. State Department which had to authorise the bomb’s sale due to its use of American components. A contract was signed in December 2013 with Congressional approval given two months later, with deliveries to begin within 18 months.[4]
The Paveway IV was first used operationally by the Royal Air Force during Operation Herrick in Afghanistan. It was later used operationally during Operation Ellamy in Libya.[1] In September 2014, a Tornado GR4 of the Royal Air Force dropped a Paveway IV bomb on a heavy weapon position operated by Islamic State militants in northwest Iraq, marking the first engagement of the British military against IS targets.[5] Eurofighter Typhoons of the Royal Saudi Air Force have also dropped Paveway IV’s on ISIL targets in Syria.[6]
Raytheon UK is conducting preparatory work to equip the Paveway IV with a bunker-busting warhead as part of the Selective Precision Effects At Range (Spear) Capability 1 program. The compact penetrator has the same outer mold line and mass of the regular Paveway IV and uses a discarding shroud design. A penetrating 500 lb Paveway IV would replace the RAF’s previous 2,000 lb Paveway III bunker buster.[7]
The Paris Air Show is dominated by the commercial sector which in terms of market and money is clearly the more important.
However, if national survival is at stake, it is not the most important market or consideration.
As the world meets in Paris in 2015, national survival is becoming a more pressing concern.
The commercial market is also not the most innovative part of the aviation business, with military evolutions still playing a central role in innovation overall.
This can be seen in many areas, such as materials, propulsion, avionics, electronics, and security.
Innovations in the military sector clearly influence commercial dynamics as well.
For example, in a recent visit to the Boeing Osprey plant near Philadelphia Murielle Delaporte and I visited the composite center of excellence.
The work there is truly amazing and the Osprey is largely a composite airplane.
And it was clear from talking with Tom Jablonski, head of the Composites Center of Excellence (CCOE), at the plant who has worked extensively in commercial applications as well – that the work on both sides of the equation – military and civilian – is crucial for Boeing.
Tom Jablonski, head of the Composites Center of Excellence. and Rick Lemaster, Director of V-22 Tiltrotor Business Development, with Murielle Delaporte and Robbin Laird.
Military aviation is in the throes of fundamental transformation, a transformation which is a combination of the lessons learned from the past decade and the introduction of new platforms, systems and technologies in this decade and the preparation for the decade after.
The “land wars” of the past decade have seen several fundamental changes which are part of the military aviation transformation going forward.
Airlifters have become core elements in the battlespace with precision air dropping and other capabilities becoming a key part of “ground operations.”
The introduction of the Harvest Hawk variant of the C-130 J has introduced the notion that an airlifter can become a mother ship and a weapons carrier for a “ground” force.
Tanking has become a key infrastructure for operations, at sea, on the ground or in the air.
The Osprey has entered into the operational envelope over the past eight years and has transformed forever the speed and range for “ground” forces to operate.
Remotely piloted vehicles have become a key part of the battlespace and the effort to work fusion of information cross-platform clearly now includes both manned and remotely piloted assets.
The ability through Rover to call in fires from sea or air to support “ground” forces has changed forever the notion of integrated fires in support of operations.
This decade will see fundamental transformations as the F-35 becomes a key element for the renorming of US and allied airpower.
The F-35 is at the heart of change for a very simple reason – it is a revolutionary platform, and when considered in terms of its fleet impact even more so.
The F-35, Lightning II, has a revolutionary sensor fusion cockpit that makes it effective in AA, AG and EW.
Allied and U.S. combat pilots will evolve and share new tactics and training, and over time this will drive changes that leaders must make for effective command and control to fight future battles.
An F-35B Lightning II awaits refueling before a night operations exercise during F-35B Operational Testing (OT-1) aboard USS Wasp (LHD-1) May 20, 2015. (Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Anne K. Henry/RELEASED)
An issue has been that the F-35 has been labeled a “fifth generation” aircraft, a sensible demarcation when the F-22 was being introduced.
But the evolution of the combat systems on the aircraft, the role of the fusion engine, and the impact of a fleet of integrated F-35s operating as a foundational element will make the current term “5th Gen” obsolete.
The global fleet of F-35s will be the first generation for building a foundation for a fundamental change in the way air power operates in overall combat concepts of operations. It is not in and of itself a single aircraft platform; it is about what an integrated fleet of F-35s can deliver to TRANSFORM everything. The decade ahead will be very innovative if what the fleet brings to the fight is learned and applied. Combat warriors, at all ranks, can leverage what they learn and then apply those lessons to reshaping the force over and over.
The F-35 is part of an overall transformation process.
He made this comment to the surface navy and had in mind the intersection between airpower – notably the F-35 – and the surface navy in providing both force protection and a broader capability to tap into the surface navy’s missile launching capability.
For the Brits, the F-35 is part of the coming of the new UK large deck carrier, which is part of the transformation of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
I visited the HMS Queen Elizabeth in Scotland at the end of March and then interviewed Royal Navy and RAF personnel in Whitehall shortly thereafter.
The UK evolution is clearly part of the intersection of innovations in military aviation with overall defense innovation, that is to say, airpower is not simply an in-itself capability but is a leaven for change across the force structure.
But the F-35 is not alone as part of the transformation of airpower in this decade.
New weapons – hypersonic included – will enter the battlespace.
New ways of targeting from the air to guide naval, ground and air strikes will evolve.
New tankers and airlifters will become key staples for US and allied air forces.
A400M being refueled by A330MRTT tanker, July 2014. Wing of F-18 chase plane in foreground.Credit Airbus Military
In the coalition operation against ISIL, four allied air forces are flying the new Airbus tanker in support of US and coalition air assets.
The A400M – in spite of the tragic crash – is redefining how European Air Forces are addressing the role of lift within their overall approach to operations.
During a visit to Bricy, the first operational A400M squadron, the commander of the squadron, Lt. Col. Paillard, noted that the squadron was already doing operations with their six A400Ms with a seventh on the way. And the impact was significant for the French forces:
“One of the key advantages of the A400M will be that we can fly helicopters directly from France to the troops which we can not do right now.
We cannot ship the helos directly back to France, currently with our own assets.With the A400M we will be able to do so.”.
In other words, the impact of having the A400M will be strategic for France, whereby interventions can occur directly from France without having to preposition forces in the area of interest.
With regard to the fighter market, there is substantial business to be generated modernizing legacy fighters to work with the F-35.
As Secretary Wynne put it: “In fact, the coming of the global F-35 fleet will enhance overall coalition capabilities and provide the U.S. with an opportunity to provide some key enablers for enhanced coalition effectiveness as well.
Each member of the coalition will now bring a specific set of expertise.
And in that bringing of expertise, we’re finding ways to integrate older technology into the newer systems.”
A good example is the Eurofighter.
Eurofighter Typhoon in flight. Credit: Eurofighter
To cite the RAF case, the RAF is undergoing two fighter aircraft transitions at the same time in which the Eurofighter is a key element.
On the one hand, the Tornado is being retired and the Typhoon is subsuming its missions. On the other hand, the F-35B is coming to the fleet and will be working with Typhoon for the period ahead.
These are three very different aircraft built in different periods of aviation history.
The venerable Tornado has seen a significant evolution over its time; from its initial use as an ultra low-level nuclear and unguided weapons bomber to an ISR-enabled precision strike and close support aircraft.
The Typhoon entered the RAF more than a decade ago as a classic air superiority fighter, but is now being asked to expand its effects and to subsume the Tornado missions. The F-35B is entering the fleet as the Typhoon is making this transition.
This will mean that the RAF will be managing a double transition – Typhoon becoming multi-role and the F-35B operating off of land or ships to provide the fifth generation capability to the evolving RAF strike force
The Remotely Piloted Aircraft or RPA market is facing a significant transition as well. RPAs or the misnamed unamanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are facing fundamental disruptions, rather than straight line progress.
Part of the problem is simply shaping a new approach post Afghanistan.
Part of the problem is their vulnerability to jamming. Part of the problem is the coming of directed energy weapons and the very high lethality which these weapons can deliver to slow moving robotic “airplanes.”
There is a great opportunity for innovation however in this domain.
One way to look at that innovation was suggested during an interview I did last year at the 2nd Marine Air Wing with the commander of the VMU-2 squadron.
Here the CO – Lt. Col. Faught – emphasized the need to get a better air vehicle but to do so with regard to shaping modular payloads.
Clearly the trend line, which the Marines would like to see, is an ability to shape modular payloads to provide for the support missions envisaged for UAVs.
Recently, the defense ministers of Italy, Germany and France signed an agreement (May 18, 2015) to conduct a two-year definition study for a European Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance UAV which would involve Airbus Defence and Space, Finmeccanica and Dassault Aviation.
Hopefully, the focus is not simply building the son of Predator, but coming up with a new innovative approach that take into account the limitations of current RPAs and able to thrive in the payload revolution on the way.
There is a substantial global fighter market beyond the current mainstream offerings as well.
SAAB is a very innovative company but faces clear problems of market access and size.
A four-ship formation of Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets follow a refueling aircraft as they arrive from Maine to participate in RED FLAG 13-2 Jan. 17, 2013, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Daniel Hughes)
The sale to Brazil of Gripens in 2013 to Brazil could open up opportunities, but Brazil has fallen into political and economic crisis which could reduce the positive impact of the Brazilian decision.
The “Gripen Model” so to speak is of note. First, the aircraft has been designed from the ground up to be supportable. Second, the Gripen has been shaped in an environment in the post-Cold War period where interoperability with NATO and an ability to work in multinational coalitions and conditions has been highlighted.
Sweden has emphasized Gripen as a fully interoperable aircraft.
Third, the Gripen has been designed from the beginning to be a very flexible aircraft. Fourth, the aircraft is designed to work as well in a variety of packages. Thailand purchased the Gripen and then AEW SAAB aircraft and the ground control suite. Finally., SAAB is owned by a large Swedish industrial group and this group is very good at making offset investments. Clearly, offsets are important part of this deal as well.
The Gripen case highlights that manned aircraft have a much broader market than Eurofighters or F-35s and nature abhors a vacuum.
And competition will heat up to fill this market space.
And then there is the question of the longer range strike market.
For the US, the B-3 will be inserted into the next decade of innovation.
European aerospace clearly could shape a longer range strike/ISR/C2 asset which could provide the range and persistence to compliment a shorter range force.
With the weapons revolution underway, the innovations in C2, the need to replace AWACs, and the entry of the A330MRTT and the A400M into the market, it is clear that these platforms or new ones could become the homes for standoff weapons or become the foundation for building an aircraft of interest to Europe, India, Australia and Japan.
Whether it is called a medium range ISR/Strike asset is beside the point and clearly US will not be building an airplane in this category, other the Russians and Chinese will and the Europeans could forge a global coalition, which would take imagination and networking as much as money.
Photo taken on Aug. 26 shows China’s drone shooting off a missile during the drill. China’s military drones participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) anti-terror drills in Inner Mongolia for the first time on Aug. 26, 2014. (Photo source: news.cn)
The Chinese and the Russians are ramping up their global assertiveness and activity as well.
And are looking to expand their client relationships to sustain and support their global agendas and their aerospace industries as well.
It is quite likely that the Chinese and Russians will build and display aircraft which will be impressive at air shows.
As the electronics and fusion of date becomes a key discriminator in operations and will not be visible at airshows, propulsion plants and turning ratios will be and here the Russians and Chinese will seek to demonstrate their competitiveness.
Clearly, both China and Russia will seek third world sales to augment their aerospace industry.
For Russia, India remains a key ally. Yet the recent Rafale deal with India may pose a significant threat to that relationship.
In April of this year, India decided to do a government-to-government deal and to buy 36 Rafales directly from the Dassault factory.
By buying 36 aircraft directly through a government-to-government agreement, the IAF will get combat ready aircraft much more rapidly than via any other means and at a lower cost. Simply put, one can project the cost of an aircraft coming off of a mature production line; projecting the cost of aircraft not yet coming off of a new production line is alchemy.
And both the line and the plane have matured so that the IAF will get a good product to meet its pressing combat needs.
UK tanker refuels Rafale during operation against ISIL. October 31, 2014. Credit: Air Tanker
Fifteen years have passed since the first Rafale entered in service in the French Navy.
“We started very small with a fleet of only ten aircraft up until 2004”, recalls Marie-Astrid Vernier, currently director of military support at Dassault Aviation and who has worked on the Rafale since 1994. The current French Rafale fleet has been built with the delivery of four different “tranches” of aircraft which have been upgraded over the years into various standards, the latest one being the Standard F3R to be delivered in 2018.
Today’s Rafale F3 has little to do with the very first F1: “Retrofitting the very first planes from a F1 standard to a F3 standard takes far more time than upgrading later-built planes”, explains Capitaine de Vaisseau Sébastien Fabre, formerly in charge of the support of the Rafale fleet within the French MoD. As the thousandth modification was achieved a few months ago, the latter stressed in an interview that “60% of these changes relate to standard and technical tracking, while the rest has to do with improving equipment and support tools”.
Today’s 2015 Rafale is a rather different bird from the 2000’s Rafale, as new technologies allowed for new operational missions, which in turn drove new technical requirements.
As India flies Rafale and Indian industry works with the French to sustain the aircraft, a new era in Indian military aerospace could open up., one where the Indians will look at the Russian contribution and perhaps pause.
Such a pause could have significant impact on the global fighter market.
In short, we are facing a decade of significant innovation.
The reality of military aviation is that there is always a reactive enemy and the dynamics of change are fluid.
And military aviation is so inextricably intertwined with overall defense capabilities, that the success or failures of those forces are the ultimate market indicator.
