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German Platform Decisions: Selecting an Airborne SIGINT Platform

08/17/2020
By Robbin Laird After Germany retired its specially modified signals intelligence Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft, there was a clear gap in the capabilities of Germany to provide for either national or NATO capabilities in this area. This was done in the immediate post-Cold War environment where the United States and…

AFRL on GPS

08/17/2020
The U.S. Space Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation provides unprecedented position and timing accuracy to the warfighter. Since the inception of GPS, it has become a global utility with commercial use far outweighing military use. Air traffic control, banking, farming, and cellular networks all depend on uninterrupted GPS coverage.…

Ospreys to the US Navy: CMV-22B to the Amphibious Transport Dock Ship USS York

08/16/2020
An MV-22B Osprey, attached to the Blackjacks of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One (HX-21), is spend working with the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), July 20, 2020. New York is operating in Atlantic Ocean in support of Naval operations to maintain maritime stability and…

Australian Defence Industry and the F-35 Global Enterprise

08/16/2020
By Sophie Pearse A Melbourne-based Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) component supplier has used a government grant to boost its production. A.W. Bell is leading the way in global defence competitiveness by investing in a ground-breaking system at its Dandenong South casting facility. The company has transformed its casting operation through an “Industry 4.0 Smart Factory”,…

German Platform Decisions: CH-53K versus the Chinook

08/14/2020
By Robbin Laird As I suggested in the lead article in this series on how to evaluate platform choices in the context of evolving needs and concepts of operations, too often, a simple platform versus platform presentation is made which confuses rather than clarifies what the tactical and strategic implications…

49th Wing

08/14/2020
The 49th Wing, located at Holloman Air Force Base, supports national security objectives by deploying worldwide to support peacetime and wartime contingencies. The wing provides combat-ready Airmen, trains F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators. Additionally, the wing delivers Air Transportable Clinics and Basic Expeditionary Airfield…

Seahawk, Fire Scout and Shaping a Way Ahead for the Kill Web Force

08/13/2020
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Jax Navy and Mayport, I had a chance to meet with the leaders of the Seahawk squadron at Mayport and will highlight those discussions in future articles. But also had the opportunity to talk via teleconference with CDR Gregory Knutson, the CO of the…

The Osprey and Lessons Learned by the USMC: Implications for Indonesia

08/12/2020
By Robbin Laird I have followed the coming of the Osprey to the USMC since 2007 and our team has visited several global geographical locations where Marines operate the Osprey. Observations of how the Osprey has impacted Marine Corps operations can be identified which clearly are relevant to the Indonesian…