The US Navy Adds to its Kill Web Capability: The Triton Comes to Italy

03/11/2024
By Robbin Laird The Triton is a key member of the Navy, joint and allied forces shaping a kill web maritime force. It is so important in my view for the maritime forces that I put a graphic highlighting the Triton coming to the Royal Australian Air Force. Yes RAAF!…

EABOs, the U.S. Navy and Reshaping Combat Clusters for Insertion of Effective Force

03/04/2024
The Marines are building new capabilities for force insertion which complement more traditional ways of operating. How do you insert force in various locations to hit the enemy where he isn’t? The basic concept of "hit where the enemy isn't" was well articulated in an interview, I did with the…

The Launch Point: Why a Combined Arms Operation with Maritime Autonomous Systems?

02/29/2024
By Robbin Laird In my last article, I highlighted a third way one can discuss autonomous systems working with manned air systems. This third way would focus upon crafting combat clusters which work in a combined arms operation involving a manned air system with autonomous maritime systems especially working as…

From the CH-46 to the MV-22B: A Generational Leap and the Learning Curve

02/10/2024
By Robbin Laird In my recent interview with LtGen Heckl, Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration, we went back to his time as the second squadron commander to have taken the Osprey into combat. He was an experienced CH-46 pilot…

Lift Mobility and the Distributed Force: Distributed Laydown with Fewer Flights

01/17/2024
By Robbin Laird I ended the last article in this series with this question: What then might be the interaction between the CH-53K and lift mobility in the evolution of the distributed force? I am going to breakdown my answer to that question in several parts. In this article, I…

Shaping a Way Ahead in Australian Defence: The Crucial Significance of Leveraging the Fifth Generation Air Force

01/09/2024
By Robbin Laird As the Australian government sorts through its way ahead for the defence of Australia, the creation of a fifth-generation air force is a key element providing a foundation for innovations in the decade ahead. But it can be forgotten too quickly the central role of airpower for…

The Fifth-Generation Air Combat Paradigm: From Re-Norming to Re-crafting Air Warfare Capabilities

01/05/2024
By Robbin Laird When I first dealt with fifth generation aircraft, I focused on how the F-22 and a relatively expansive global enterprise of F-35s would re-norm airpower, or re-set the baseline for what would be expected from the fighter element of the air combat enterprise. This was above all…