Commissioning of the USS Zumwalt

10/14/2016
2016-10-14 After months of anticipation, the US's largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyer, the USS Zumwalt, is finally set to be officially commissioned into the US Navy. As the stealthy Zumwalt was headed to its commissioning ceremony in Baltimore with a crew of 147 officers and sailors, who were praised…

The Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems Look at the Way Ahead: Rear Admiral Manazir on Shaping Kill Webs

10/13/2016
2016-10-05 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake We have interviewed Rear Admiral Manazir before when he was Director, Air Warfare, but this is our first interview with him after he has become Director, Warfare Systems (N9). Manazir currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems (OPNAV N9)…

The French Air Force and the SCALP Cruise Missile: Strikes Daesh Again

09/30/2016
2016-09-30 In late 2015, the French Rafales used the Storm Shadow/SCALP for the first time against the Daesh. According to a statement from the French Ministry of Defense, the air strike involved ten aircraft from their deployment airfields in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The raid targeted Daesh headquarters, training…

Shaping an Integrated Force in the Extended Battlespace: A Special Report on New Approaches to Air-Sea Integration

09/30/2016
2016-09-20 In this report, the major presentations and discussions at the Williams Foundation seminar on new approaches to air-sea integration held on August 10, 2016 in Canberra, Australia are highlighted along with interviews conducted before, during and after the seminar as well. Interviews with the Army, Navy, and Air Force…

France, NATO and Protection of NATO Airspace

09/30/2016
2016-09-30 In 2015, France joined the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System or NATINAMDS. This meant that NATO had enhanced potential for seamless coverage from Southern to Northern NATO and to the East. According to a NATO press release on 6/19/15: After thorough preparation and planning, jointly and effectively…

Aussie and American Instructor F-35 Pilots Operate at Mountain Home AFB

09/29/2016
2016-09-29  Recently, the new Chief of Staff of the USAF, General David Goldfein, referred to the "moral imperative of high end training." "I came to believe that high end training against the most difficult threat in the most difficult environment is nothing short of a moral obligation, and we had…

Unmanned Aerial Systems in Civil Airspace: Shaping a Way Ahead

09/23/2016
2016-09-23 In a recent press release from Airbus Defence and Space, dated September 22, 2016, it was announced that Airbus Defence and Space had reached an agreement with the European Aviation Safety Agency for the design and development of unmanned aerial systems intended for certification in civilian operations. “After more…