MARTAC Launches the Devil Ray T24: The Next Phase in the Evolution of a Combat-Ready Unmanned Surface Vessel

06/01/2023
By Robbin Laird MARTAC has been working on autonomous maritime systems for more than a decade. They have worked from the beginning on USVs that worked together rather than simply being lone wolf systems; they operate as wolfpacks. In the past decade, they developed two workhorse USVs and have taken…

Eric Trappier Provides on Update on the Rafale and European Airpower: May 2023

05/27/2023
By Pierre Tran Paris - The closed communications system of the F-35 posed problems for flying cooperative combat missions with the planned European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), Eric Trappier, executive chairman of Dassault Aviation, told French senators May 24. “Collaborative combat” consisted of close links between fighter jets, effectively…

Shaping Fleet Sustainability and the Challenges Facing U.S. Shipyards: The Case of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard

05/26/2023
By Robbin Laird As the U.S. Navy works its ability for distributed operations with integrated effects, how will the fleet be supported and sustained? One answer to that question is the major challenge of rebuilding the fleet’s maintenance infrastructure. Years of just-in-time maintenance, supporting wars of choice not wars of…

The Role of the Australian Army in the Way Ahead for Australian Deterrence Strategy

05/23/2023
By Robbin Laird The Sir Richard Williams Foundation Seminar on 30 March 2023 focused on the way ahead with regard to deterrence of adversaries in the region, notably with both the behavior and the capabilities of the PRC in mind. The question of refocusing the role of the ADF in…

Maritime Autonomous Systems Providing Mission Threads for Australian Defence and Security: The Case of the Bluebottle USV

05/21/2023
By Robbin Laird In my discussion with Commodore Darron Kavanagh, Director General Warfare Innovation, Royal Australian Navy Headquarters, he emphasized that one way to look at the contribution of maritime autonomous systems was in terms of the mission threads to which they contribute. As CDRE Kavanagh underscored: “One of the…

Shaping a Way Ahead in Integrated ISR Enablement for the ADF: The Coming of Triton

05/19/2023
By Robbin Laird During my recent visit to Australia in March-April 2023, the main focus of attention was on the re-set of Australian defence to deal with the evolving strategic challenges in the Pacific. An important area for expanding the reach and viability of the ADF in its regional focus…

An Update on the Ghost Shark: The Perspective of David Goodrich, Anduril Australia

05/17/2023
In a 20 April 2023, an article by Gregor Ferguson in The Australian provided an overview of the Ghost Shark program. In that article, the author highlighted the anticipated role of the XL-AUV or extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. “Make no mistake, (XL-AUVs) will be a game-changer,” said former Royal…

The Key Elements of Deterrence in Dealing with the Chinese Challenge: A Discussion with Ross Babbage

05/15/2023
By Robbin Laird I met with Ross Babbage on 5 April 2023 in Canberra to discuss his new book and his assessment of the way ahead in building credible deterrence of the China of President Xi. Ross Babbage in his new book, The Next Major War: Can the U.S. and…