By Lieutenant Rilana Ostheim The Royal Australian Navy is now one of the world’s premier amphibious forces after the fleet’s two Canberra-class landing helicopter docks (LHDs) and landing craft achieved final operational capability. The entire amphibious capability acquired under Joint Project 2048 – including HMA Ships Adelaide and Canberra, their 12 landing craft…
By Andrew McLaughlin The deployment of an RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime ISR aircraft to the Middle East has concluded. The aircraft was deployed under the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in September in response to the June shoot-down of a US Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk UAS by Iran, and subsequent…
Last year’s International Fighter Conference provided a chance for the participants and the attendees to focus on the role of fighters in what we have been calling the strategic shift, namely, the shift from the land wars to operating in higher intensity operations against peer competitors. It is clear that combat…
By Robbin Laird The F-35 is termed a fifth-generation platform, but is better understood as a first generation flying combat system. Or a next generation capability or foundation for building a C2/ISR infrastructure for the integrated distributed force. Because the F-35 is being stood up worldwide with both the U.S.…
PHILIPPINE SEA (Oct. 27, 2019) A video production of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 115 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). VFA 115 is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. 10.27.2019 Video by Petty…
By Robbin Laird We had three different sets of presentations throughout the International Fighter Conference 2019 which discussed how the capabilities of the French, German and Eurofighter operating forces in. the years to come will evolve. Namely, the new Future Combat Air System, Rafale and Eurofighter modernization. But the core…
By Max Blenkin The big grey warships, the frigates and guided missile destroyers, may well be the star athletes of the modern Royal Australian Navy, but it’s always been the little ships which did most of the work. The numbers tell the story. Budget documents for 2019-20 show the Navy’s minor combatants, the patrol boat fleet and minehunters, achieved 4,098…
The 920th Rescue Wing's HC-130N Combat King refuels the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-60 and MH-47 on Oct. 10, 2019. The mission of the HC-130P/N Combat King is to rapidly deploy to austere airfields and denied territory in order to execute all weather personnel recovery operations anytime...anywhere. King crews…
