By Deb Henley An airborne E-3G Sentry, operated by the Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, Combined Test Force updated its electronic support measures, or ESM, database in flight over central Texas with a file transmitted from its reprogramming center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, using an existing beyond line-of-site…
By Maj. Jorge Hernandez Marines from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1) and sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 (HSC-23) teamed up to conduct tactics development in integrating manned and unmanned rotary-wing aircraft at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California on March 10, 2022. During the exercise,…
By Robbin Laird The CH-53K comes into the USMC and into the Israeli Defence Force as both are in the process of transformation. The two forces are on different transformation paths with different adversaries as focal points, but this platform is coming to both forces as they are working new…
WE ARE REPOSTING THIS PIECE WHICH WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE FALL OF 2019 By Robbin Laird There were a wide range of presentations in Berlin at this year’s International Fighter Conference. Among those presenting were Air Force officers or industry representatives from countries facing a direct “existential threat” from…
By Robbin Laird During a visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing last summer, I met with Marine Air Group 26. During that visit we discussed the transition from the land wars, which included the need for more focus on the Northern Flank of NATO. Certainly, the current European crisis has…
Even though the focus is upon Ukraine, the Northern and Southern flanks of NATO are deeply affected by the crisis. The Belarus takeover by Moscow and the virtual permanent deployment of Russian force there with the Kaliningrad enclave not far way poses a direct threat to the Nordics, the Balts…
By Robbin Laird I have followed the progress of the Wedgetail since my first visits to Australia starting in 2014. This was a unique Australian capability which took time to shape and to integrate into their evolving fifth generation concepts of operations. But they have done so and are further…
The evolution of the Viper Attack Helicopter is part of the USMC's ongoing transformation. The coming of Link 16 and Full Motion Video is a key part of that change. As we noted with regard to this development: As the US Navy reworks how it is operating as a distributed…
