By Robbin Laird Col Kate Fleeger is the head of NAVAIR’s PMA-261 which manages the cradle to grave procurement, development, support, fielding, and disposal of the entire family of H-53 heavy lift helicopters. Col Fleeger has an impressive background in working acquisition issues, and she and her team are providing…
By Robbin Laird Improving sustainment has been an ongoing major effort throughout the evolution of the tiltrotor enterprise. The Nacelle Improvement program (NI) is a major milestone in this effort. When discussing sustainment, an important metric is the mission-capable rate (MC). That rate - expressed as a percentage of total…
By Robbin Laird Each of the services is seeking ways to distribute their force for survivability and presence, but at the same time working through a joint lens to enhance lethality. But the elephant in the room is sustainability, maintainability, and broader considerations of logistics support. When visiting PACFLEET and…
By Pierre Tran October 31, 2023 Paris - France signed Oct. 6 a contract with Airbus Defence and Space to add a secure, high-speed satellite communications link to the A330 multirole tanker transport, a deal the company sees as plugging MRTT jets into a network of a planned European future…
By Robbin Laird I have focused in a series of interviews with Pierre Garant on how to leverage a new digital aircraft, the CH-53K, to shape an innovative new approach to sustainment. Clearly, technology is not enough. Organizational change enabled by technology is required and to do so in terms…
Currently, MAWTS-1 is conducting its latest WTI course. These photos show flight line maintenance during the course. The current course includes the new King Stallion it is training regime. The King Stallion is the third major new air systesm introduced into the USMC since 2007, the first being the Osprey…
By Robbin Laird The USMC has introduced three major air platforms in the past twenty years. The Osprey was introduced during the land wars, but introduced during the Obama Administration’s “pivot to the Pacific.” But with the Trump Administration’s emphasis on the “great power competition” in 2018 it began its…
By Robbin Laird The U.S. Navy and USMC are working closely together in shaping their approach to distributed operations. The Navy refers to distributed maritime operations; the Marines to expeditionary basing operations. Working closely together they are focused on weaving these approaches together to shape a more lethal and survivable…
