High over the Libyan desert on March 21, 2011, a critical malfunction sent a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle plummeting towards the sand. The two crew members ejected into hostile territory, landing miles apart. While the Weapons Systems Officer was quickly recovered by friendly rebel sympathizers, the pilot, Major…
CAMP PENDLETON, California By Robbin Laird On Friday December 5, 2205, I was at Camp Pendleton and watched the air insertion element of the Embassy Reinforcement Exerice which is part of Steel Knight 2025. In the sprawling urban training complex at Camp Pendleton, I witnessed the aviation insertion component of…
By Robbin Laird The V-22 Osprey continues to generate controversy in defense media, but a recent opinion piece in Stars and Stripes argues that the aircraft has become a victim of lazy journalism rather than a genuine safety crisis. Retired Marine Colonel Anthony Krockel, who commanded a V-22 squadron during…
By Robbin Laird This week I am visiting Third Marine Air Wing and observing their Steel Knight exercise. And what I will learn will complement what I have observed over the years when visiting the Second Marine Air Wing (2nd MAW) since 2009 The USMC aviation force at a critical…
Military aviation stands at a decisive inflection point. For the past two decades, air power development was largely defined by the demands of counterinsurgency and crisis management in the "land wars" of Iraq and Afghanistan. This era has decisively ended, supplanted by a new strategic reality of peer competitors, proliferating…
When defense analysts discuss "hybrid fleets" combining crewed and uncrewed systems, they inadvertently obscure what may be the most significant transformation in naval warfare since the aircraft carrier displaced the battleship. The term "hybrid" suggests simple addition where manned platforms plus unmanned platforms equals enhanced capability. This mathematical metaphor fundamentally…
In 2007, an MV-22 Osprey touched down on the deck of HMS Illustrious, marking the first time this distinctive tiltrotor aircraft had landed on a non-American vessel. The moment was more than a technical milestone. It was a preview of a transformation that would reshape Marine Corps aviation over the…
The maritime industry stands at the threshold of a technological revolution that promises to fundamentally change how ships navigate the world's waterways. Remote piloting technology, which allows marine pilots to guide vessels from shore-based control centers rather than boarding ships in dangerous conditions, represents a pivotal shift toward safer, more…
