The French Operation in Mali: Intervene, Leverage and Withdraw

03/04/2013
2013-03-04 By Murielle Delaporte Editor, French magazine “Soutien Logistique Défense”( http://www.sldmag.com) and co-founder, Second Line of Defense. *** This article is based on an interview with the French forces in Mali and lessons learned from recent French operations and military training. The entire French approach is embedded in both history and…

Let’s Not Limit Our Asymmetric Advantage

02/27/2013
2013-02-27 By Dave Deptula Recently there have been multiple commentaries questioning the efficacy, legality, and appropriateness of using remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)—also referred to inaccurately as “drones.”  Many of those who embrace constraining America’s RPA operations have formed their positions as a result of two fundamental areas of misunderstanding. One…

A Good Week for the Airbus Military Tanker

02/27/2013
2013-02-27 It is a good week for the new A330MRTT tanker. At the Australian airshow this week, the Royal Australian Air Force will highlight the tanker at the Avalon air show. [caption id="attachment_51168" align="alignnone" width="300"] The RAAF has 5 new tankers. Credit Photo: Airbus Military[/caption] They have also declared the…

Weaponizing the Super Tucano: Evolving the Capabilities of the Light Attack Aircraft

02/23/2013
2013-02-23 By Ed Timperlake Last summer Embraer and Boeing announced a teaming agreement to integrate GPS guided munitions on Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano. The program would start with the JDAM and eventually include the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). The Super Tucano has already demonstrated it's ability to deliver laser-guided munitions in…