2016-09-03 By Robbin Laird I first visited the 33rd Squadron at Amberley Airbase in the first quarter of 2014 and had a chance to talk to the squadron about their new tanker. At the time, the KC-30A was “project of concern,” but now is a proven combat asset. What a…
2016-09-07 By Robbin Laird At the recent Williams Foundation Air-Sea integration seminar, the sole Royal Australian Air Force presentation was given by the Chief of Staff of the Surveillance and Response Group, Captain David Hombsch. The Commander of the SRG, Air Commodore Craig Heap was scheduled to speak so Group…
2016-09-07 By Dr. Norman Friedman and Dr. Scott C. Truver A new epoch––autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)––promises a radical change in undersea warfare at just the time when conventional technology is becoming less and less affordable throughout the naval world. The greatest threat to warships and commercial shipping is not anti-ship missiles…
09/06/2016: 4th and 5th generation aircraft soared through the skies at Volk Field on Thursday morning as pilots had combat rehearsal training. Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center hosted their annual Northern Lightning combat exercise which provides real-world conflict scenarios for active service personnel from the National Guard, Air Force, and the…
2016-09-01 By Robbin Laird A key speaker at the Williams Foundation seminar on air-land integration was the Chief of the Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett. Barrett’s speech focused on the opportunities and challenges of the largest recapitalisation of the Australian Navy since World War II. New submarines, destroyers and…
09/06/2016: DAHLGREN, Va. – "Video footage featuring the Navy's evaluation of a strike group’s gun weapon systems, combat systems, and unmanned vehicles’ interoperability with surface and air assets while firing on targets at the 2016 USS Dahlgren demonstration, Aug. 30. It was the first time an entire Navy strike group was…
2016-09-02 By Robbin Laird © 2016 FrontLine Defence (Vol 13, No 4) After an extensive competition, the Australian government downselected the French firm DCNS to build a new class of advanced-capability conventional (diesel/electric-powered) submarines. The decision was announced on 26 April 2016, in a press release that stated: “The decision…
2016-09-05 By Richard Weitz With the death of Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, the country’s political leaders are in the process of deciding who will be Kasimov’s successor. Predicting the country’s future leadership is difficult given that Karimov has been the country’s only president since Uzbekistan gained independence on August 31,…
