Australian Government-Led Satcom Development

05/17/2020
By Robert Nutbrown Defence scientists are working with colleagues from industry and academia on a satellite communications (SATCOM) research venture that has the potential to significantly enhance military capability. The project will explore ways of integrating both laser-based optical and radio frequency (RF) communications technologies in a single SATCOM user…

Maintenance Milestone for Australian C-130Js

05/15/2020
By Captain Jarrad Baldwin Over the past 17 years of C-130 Hercules operations in the Middle East, maintainers from No. 37 Squadron have worked hard to keep the workhorse in the air. The maintainers of the Air Mobility Task Element (AMTE) C-130 Detachment have achieved their 50th rotation to the…

Extending the Reach of the Kill Web: The US Navy Works with Allies on the Maritime Patrol Enterprise

05/13/2020
By Robbin Laird In our last interview with Rear Admiral Garvin, we focused on how the P-8 / Triton dyad was reshaping the approach of the airborne element of the anti-submarine network. We spoke at length about how the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force (MPRF) could be recast into interactive…

What Happened to the Charles DeGaulle Aircraft Carrier in COVID-19?

05/13/2020
By Pierre Tran Paris - A lack of ministerial coordination and sharing of information lay behind a two-day delay in recalling the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier while the crew were stricken by Covid 19, the minister of the armed forces told parliamentarians. Florence Parly appeared respectively May 11 and…

Shaping a Way Ahead with Regard to Electronic Warfare: The Perspective from HAVOC

05/12/2020
By Robbin Laird With the strategic shift from the land wars to engaging in higher end conflict situations with peer competitors, electronic warfare and its role is changing as well. When Ed Timperlake and I visited Fallon in 2017, we met with members of HAVOC, the US Navy’s Airborne Electronic…

US and Spanish Cooperation: Eurofighters Working with Ospreys on Low Altitude Ops

05/12/2020
The picture above highlights the kind of collaboration which the United States is conducting with its Spanish allies from the Morón Air Base in Spain. In the photo, a USMC osprey is seen operating with Spanish Air Force Eurofighters in conducting low altitude detection and intercept missions against slow targets. The…

Staff Innovations at Sea: Shaping Fleet Wide Changes

05/11/2020
By Lieutenant Simon Brown Engineering innovation by technical sailors on board the Leeuwin-class hydrographic survey ship HMAS Melville has resulted in an increase in the maximum propulsion power available to support the ship’s involvement in task group operations, while improving the normal operating conditions for essential machinery. The propulsion motor room (PMR)…