By Robbin Laird The US has introduced a new generation of combat aircraft. These aircraft are different from legacy aircraft notably, in that they are designed, crafted and built differently – they are software upgradeable, data rich military aircraft for 21st century forces. The challenge is to build out the…
Prior to its deployment to Nellis, the RAAF issued this article on its participation on RF 2018-1.From 29 January–16 February 2018 around 340 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel will deploy to Nevada to train in the world’s most complex air combat environment during Exercise Red Flag 18-1. The RAAF…
Project LAND 400 Phase 2 will acquire 225 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) to replace the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV). The Phase 2 fleet will include seven variants. On 28 July 2016, Defence announced that BAE Systems Australia and Rheinmetall had been shortlisted to participate in the Risk Mitigation Activity,…
By Robbin Laird (Updated) With the all the focus on the Russian intervention in the last US presidential elections, it is useful to take a broader view of the challenge focused by the new technologies and approaches. During my recent visit to Helsinki, a visit the European Centre of Excellence…
The Second Line of Defense team has been in Australia for the past two weeks conducting interviews and will provide highlights from the Airpower Conference being held this week in Canberra as well as updates and a final report for the Williams Foundation Conference on the shift from the land…
We have written for years about the impact of the decline of the icebreaker force in the USCG on US Arctic policy. We referred to the US as the "reluctant Arctic power." In our interview with the USCG Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft we focused on the need to shift policy…
EAST CHINA SEA 03.05.2018 Video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Levingston M Lewis Commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet An F-35B lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) as part of a routine patrol in the Indo-Pacific region. Pilots with the "Green Knights" of Marine…
Northrop Grumman is in the final stages of acquiring ATK, the space company. But not widely noticed is the key role which ATK plays in composites manufacturing, which is a key part of building 21st century aircraft. ATK plays a key role in the F-35 program from this point of…
