German Platform Decisions: How to Compare Pegasus With Global 6000

08/26/2020
By Robbin Laird With the US Navy’s FMS Offer to Germany for Triton having expired without being extended, Germany is now pursuing a manned aircraft alternative for the SIGINT mission. The approach would be to buy three Bombardier G6000 aircraft and equip them as special mission aircraft. Germany already has…

USS Tripoli Joins the Fleet: Re-Imaging the Role of L-Class Ships

08/25/2020
We tracked in some detail of the coming of the new class of LHAs to the fleet. The flagship is LHA-6, the USS America. These ships represent a significant break from the past in that it can operate as a flagship of an amphibious task force with unprecedented airpower onboard.…

Exercise TRIDENT TRAP: July 2020

08/25/2020
The first Exercise TRIDENT TRAP was conducted in July 2020. EX TT20 is a joint Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare exercise. P-8A Poseidon aircrew and maintenance personnel from RAAF Number 11 Squadron together with support staff from Number 92 Wing based at RAAF Base…

Shaping a Mission Solutions Approach To Build Out the Integrated Distributed Force

08/21/2020
By Robbin Laird Clearly, the shift to joint warfare encompassing all domains, the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and work approaches and styles, and the growing impact of commercial investments in 5G communications or artificial intelligence in managing data are all having a significant impact on the way ahead…

RAAF Participates in the Regional Presence Deployment at Anderson AFB, Guam

08/21/2020
More than 150 Royal Australian Air Force personnel have travelled to the United States’ Anderson Air Force Base in Guam to participate in the Regional Presence Deployment from July 21 – August 2. Along with strike and surveillance aircraft, the air task unit is part of a series of routine…

Seahawk, Fire Scout and Shaping a Way Ahead for the Kill Web Force

08/13/2020
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Jax Navy and Mayport, I had a chance to meet with the leaders of the Seahawk squadron at Mayport and will highlight those discussions in future articles. But also had the opportunity to talk via teleconference with CDR Gregory Knutson, the CO of the…

The Osprey and Lessons Learned by the USMC: Implications for Indonesia

08/12/2020
By Robbin Laird I have followed the coming of the Osprey to the USMC since 2007 and our team has visited several global geographical locations where Marines operate the Osprey. Observations of how the Osprey has impacted Marine Corps operations can be identified which clearly are relevant to the Indonesian…

Maritime Integration Exercise in Pacific: USAF and US Navy Working Joint Con-Ops

08/12/2020
By Staff Sgt. Hailey Haux, Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs  JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) A B-52 Stratofortress bomber from the 96th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, took off from its home station and participated in a maritime integration exercise with the USS Nimitz and the USS…