Training for Electronic Warfare in the High-End Fight

10/06/2020
By Robbin Laird During my visit to NAWDC in July 2020, I had the chance to continue my discussion on the evolution of electronic warfare with Captain Brett Stevenson, the CO of HAVOIC. During the earlier teleconference, we discussed a number of issues, most notably that being able to operate…

MARFOREUR/AF Commander Visits HMS Queen Elizabeth

10/04/2020
Prior to the engagement with the USMC at sea, Maj. General Stephen M. Neary visited HMS Queen Elizabeth at its homeport of Portsmouth. His visit presaged the historic USMC engagement onboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth. According to a story by Staff Sgt. Brytani Musick  published on August 27, 2020: The…

RAAF Up to 30 F-35s

10/03/2020
By Alisha Welch Australia’s fifth-generation fighter jet capability continues to grow with the recent acceptance of the 30th F-35A Lightning II from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Significant work is undertaken before Australia can formally accept each jet, with pre-acceptance testing involving multiple checks on the production line at Lockheed Martin’s…

Exercise Lightning Storm: The RAAF Works Fifth Gen Deployability

10/03/2020
The RAAF from the initial moment of considering F-35 acquisition has focused on shaping a fifth generation Australian Defence Force. And for such a force to be able to operate, it needs to be integratabtle and expeditionary. That is what was being tested out in the month long "Lightning Storm"…

Australian Sub-Orbital Space Launch: The Latest Plan Jericho Event

10/02/2020
By Samara Kitchener The Royal Australian Air Force launched its first ever sub-orbital rocket from Australia to the edge of space on the weekend. As part of its High Altitude Program, Air Force is exploring the delivery and employment of game-changing capabilities in the upper atmosphere. The launch was the…

Perspectives on the Coming of the CMV-22B to the Large Deck Carrier

10/01/2020
By Robbin Laird I first viewed an CMV-22B in person when attending the Reveal ceremony in Amarillo, Texas held on February 6, 2020. But I am not stranger to the Osprey having seen my first Ospreys at Second Marine Air Wing in 2007. At that time there were four Ospreys…

The F-35 in the Way Ahead for USMC-US Navy Integration

09/29/2020
By Robbin Laird During my visit to MAWTS-1 and to NAWDC, one clear instrument of their enhanced integration in the contested battlespace was rather obvious: The F-35 and its evolution as a global enterprise. With the F-35 coming to the large deck carrier, the strike syllabus has changed. With the…