Australian F-35 Training: Upgrading the Simulators with Australian Domain Knowledge

07/17/2020
By Alisha Welch The software in the FMSims was upgraded to align with the latest Operational Flight Program. The four F-35A Full Mission Simulators (FMSims) currently operational at RAAF Base Williamtown have been successfully upgraded by local experts to support the continued build-up of pilot training at No. 3 Squadron…

The Seahawk in the Extended Battlespace

07/12/2020
By Robbin Laird During my visit to the maritime patrol reconnaissance community during the week of June 14, 2020, I had a chance to meet with the leadership of the HSM Weapons School, Atlantic based at Mayport. According to the US Navy’s description of the HSM Weapons School, Atlantic: To…

The Standing Up of TOCRON-11: The Next Step in Building Out Kill Web Infrastructure

07/07/2020
By Robbin Laird For some, the shift from using kill web instead of the kill chain is a variant of wordsmithing. But it is not. I have worked on fifth generation aircraft since the mid-2000s and certainly understood what an impact a data rich aircraft flying as a fleet would…

VUP-19 and the Coming of Triton to the Fleet

07/05/2020
As I have argued earlier, the Triton is bringing a whole new layer to the kill web for fleet operations. Operating at high altitude, the Triton is delivering area wide ISR data for dynamic targeting. Indeed, one way to look at the way ahead for the integrated distributed force is…

O.K I am a P-8 Operator: But How do I Train to Work in a Kill Web?

06/29/2020
By Robbin Laird Kill webs rely on networks, wave forms, connectivity, distributed C2 and platforms which can leverage all of the former. Platforms are the time-space entities which enable the force; integrability allows a distributed force to deliver the desired combat effect. At Jax Navy, the P-8 operators are trained…

Standing C2 on Its Head: It is a Force Generator, Not Simply a Force Enabler

06/17/2020
By Robbin Laird As we work through force structure change to deal with the new strategic environment, terms like C2, ISR and training are being changed significantly. New concepts of operations are being shaped, with modifications of existing platforms to play new roles and responsibilities, and new platforms being designed…

Digital Interoperability and Kill Web Perspective for Platform Modernization: The Case of the Viper Attack Helicopter

06/16/2020
By Robbin Laird With integratability comes an opportunity to shape a kill web approach to platform modernization. It is a question of how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and what each platform not only can contribute to the whole, but what it needs to be…

Expeditionary Basing and C2: A Key Challenge Facing the USMC in Shaping a Way Ahead

06/14/2020
By Robbin Laird I have been focusing in a series of articles on the mobile basing role of the USMC within the evolving maritime kill web approach. Earlier articles highlighted key requirements to perform expeditionary basing, as well as challenges facing sustainment and support for such a force. A key…