HMAS Canberra Returns from Regional Presence Deployment 2020

08/28/2020
According to the Australian Department of Defence in a press release dated August 13, 2020: "HMAS Canberra and embarked forces returned to Australia after successfully completing Regional Presence Deployment 2020. "The Australian Defence Force has embarked on a regional deployment to conduct exercises within Southeast Asia and Hawaii over the…

A Naval Air Station Pax River Update on the CH-53K: August 2020

08/28/2020
According to an August 21, 2020 release by Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the CH-53K sea trials went extremely well. A team of pilots and engineers from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River recently completed a crucial series of sea trials of…

German Platform Decisions: How to Compare Pegasus With Global 6000

08/26/2020
By Robbin Laird With the US Navy’s FMS Offer to Germany for Triton having expired without being extended, Germany is now pursuing a manned aircraft alternative for the SIGINT mission. The approach would be to buy three Bombardier G6000 aircraft and equip them as special mission aircraft. Germany already has…

USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet: Re-Imaging the Role of L-Class Ships

08/25/2020
We tracked in some detail of the coming of the new class of LHAs to the fleet. The flagship is LHA-6, the USS America. These ships represent a significant break from the past in that it can operate as a flagship of an amphibious task force with unprecedented airpower onboard.…

NATO Mine Disposal Operations in Norwegian Waters

08/25/2020
According to a recent news story on the NATO website, "Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1) has concluded a historical ordnance disposal operation, enhancing knowledge about the seabed by working in Norwegian waters and contributing to the Norwegian compiled historic ordnance database. "Conducted between 4-12 August, 2020 in…

Exercise TRIDENT TRAP: July 2020

08/25/2020
The first Exercise TRIDENT TRAP was conducted in July 2020. EX TT20 is a joint Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare exercise. P-8A Poseidon aircrew and maintenance personnel from RAAF Number 11 Squadron together with support staff from Number 92 Wing based at RAAF Base…

A Next Generation Helicopter and Sustainability: The Case of the CH-53K

08/24/2020
By Robbin Laird Next generation air platforms encompass several changes as compared to the predecessors which are at least thirty years old or older, notably in terms of design. Next generation air platforms are designed from the ground up with the digital age as a key reality. This means that…

Shaping a Mission Solutions Approach To Build Out the Integrated Distributed Force

08/21/2020
By Robbin Laird Clearly, the shift to joint warfare encompassing all domains, the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and work approaches and styles, and the growing impact of commercial investments in 5G communications or artificial intelligence in managing data are all having a significant impact on the way ahead…