Archive: September 23, 2024

Space Force developing plan for maneuverable GEO satellite services

The Space Force is planning to partner with commercial companies operating in geostationary orbit for a variety of satellite services, including communications and positioning, navigation and timing.

Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader in Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office, said he hopes to establish a pool of vendors for the effort, dubbed Maneuverable GEO, as soon as next year.

“This is going to allow us to onboard innovation, but also, even from a dual-use aspect, exploit capabilities that are already out there,” he told reporters at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber conference.

While the buys won’t be limited to satellite communications, the Commercial SATCOM Office will manage the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract — which allows the service to establish a group of eligible vendors to compete for various task orders. Any Defense Department agency will be able to use the procurement mechanism to buy satellite services, Kniseley added.

“As people come in with their requirements, we’re able to formulate the best path forward,” he said.

The effort is modeled off a similar program the Space Force started last year called Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services. The service initially selected around 15 providers to compete for the contract — worth up to $900 million over a five-year period. The pool has since grown, Kniseley said.

Demand for satellite services from low Earth orbit, which reside about 1,200 miles above Earth, has grown in recent years from both the defense and commercial sectors, but the need for such capabilities from higher altitudes like geostationary orbit is on the rise.

While many commercial companies have focused development efforts on satellites in low Earth orbit, Kniseley said he’s met with several firms who are building solutions for GEO.

The Space Force in particular is interested in satellites that can move in geostationary orbit, providing services from different positions or observing activities in orbit. The service in May awarded Starfish Space a $37.5 million contract to demonstrate the ability to maneuver and service spacecraft in orbit.

Kniseley said this week that the ability to maneuver satellites in space could give the U.S. a significant tactical advantage.

“That’s going to be a game changer for us in the military — where you’re not at a stagnant orbit and you’re able to drift from point to point,” he said, “especially supporting the U.S. in the event of a regional or national war so that we can maneuver more of our capabilities and be more agile to the warfighter.”

BAE Systems pitches ground robot to drone-hungry Australian Army

MELBOURNE — As the Australian Army reconfigures itself to incorporate unmanned ground vehicles, vendor BAE Systems senses an opening for its new ATLAS 8×8 vehicle.

The name is short for Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System, and company executives unveiled a “collaborative combat” version of the vehicle at the Land Forces 2024 exhibition here earlier this month.

The show ride was armed with a Bushmaster 25mm cannon, but other possibilities include larger-caliber weapons, mortars, antitank guided missiles, loitering munition launchers and surveillance sensors, according to the firm

To evaluate new technologies such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), drones, robotics and counter-drone systems, the Australian Army is converting the Adelaide-based 1st Armoured Regiment into a test and experimental unit.

Lt. Col. Jake Penley, its commanding officer, told Defense News that the unit will hand in its M1A1 Abrams tanks later this year, before achieving an initial operational capability in the experimentation mission on Feb. 1, 2025.

Penley said of his unit’s new role: “The ability to get high-end emerging technology in the hands of soldiers sooner in an experimentation role means we can verify and validate those platforms quickly and get them out to combat units.”

The unit is already evaluating optionally manned M113 tracked vehicles, after BAE Systems Australia converted 20 vehicles. “They’re really beneficial,” Penley said, and the regiment’s armor expertise means they know how to maintain them.

BAE Systems is currently talking to the Army about upgrading these optionally manned M113s with more advanced sensors and software from the ATLAS project.

The 10-ton-class combat ATLAS – slightly smaller than LAV-25 8×8 armored vehicles used by the Australian Army and U.S. Marine Corps – can perform advanced reconnaissance, armored overwatch, flank protection and convoy escort missions.

Paul Finch, Project Manager Land Autonomy at BAE Systems Australia, told Defense News that the ATLAS employs a Supacat HMT Extenda chassis and drive module, plus a Vantage unmanned turret from Slovenian company Valhalla Turrets.

With a residual 6-ton payload capacity, it can fit inside a 20-foot standard shipping container. This opens up numerous transportation options by road, train and ship, while six ATLAS vehicles fit inside a C-17 aircraft.

Finch said the prototype was completed in July following a contract award to Supacat in June 2023. He said the vehicle is around 90% complete, with work still to be done to qualify subsystems and to train its software.

The ATLAS is competing against mostly tracked platforms in this medium-sized UGV category, but its wheeled configuration brings advantages in terms of road mobility.

‘Dual-use’ case: Russian attack drone maker evades Western scrutiny

BERLIN — A Russian startup drone manufacturer has cashed in on the exploding demand for unmanned aerial vehicles spurred by the war in Ukraine, selling over 1,000 drones while working to avoid Western sanctions, according to documents reviewed by Defense News.

Integrated Robotics Technologies, located in southeastern Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic, is an example of how Russian companies have switched to a wartime economy orchestrated by Moscow to prosecute the invasion of Ukraine.

IRT is not named in sanctions by Western governments despite touting its lineup of surveillance and attack drones in its advertising materials, a marked switch from a marketing strategy previously aimed at the agricultural and energy markets. A presentation by the Bashkirian government, seen by Defense News, shows that in 2023 alone, IRT produced more than 1,000 UAVs.

The company’s portfolio includes several types of so-called kamikaze drones, cheap and disposable aircraft fitted with an explosive warhead that have become the hallmark of Ukraine war tactics. An operator can plunge them into vulnerable targets from afar with deadly precision. The vendor also markets a set of larger, more complex drones that it claims can stay in the air for 20 hours and cover up to 1,600 kilometers while producing high-quality aerial imagery – useful for energy pipeline inspections but also for surveilling the battlefield from afar.

It is likely that countless companies like IRT exist scattered across Russia. The case underscores the government’s concerted efforts to mitigate the effectiveness of Western sanctions imposed after attacking Ukraine. The campaign, still labeled a “special military operation” in Kremlin verbiage, has been burning through weapon stocks new and old at an unprecedented pace.

Ukraine’s fire-dropping drones can find, shock Russian troops: experts

With the war in Ukraine in its third year, Russian businesses like IRT have come into the spotlight of Western authorities as they try to restrict the flow of components that could aid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts. In turn, Russia has been finding new ways to sustain its access to vital products, turning to China and setting up front companies in third countries like the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and in Central Asia, UN trade records and government information show.

IRT’s website does not explicitly mention a military dimension to its business, billing its drones instead as civilian tools. However, the company has participated in defense-oriented trade fairs since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.

“As they like to say now, it is dual-use,” quipped a press release by a regional trade show (archived here) covering IRT’s appearance at the event, referring to the company’s ostensibly agricultural tack.

The company did not return an email seeking comment on its defense-related activities.

A technology is dual-use when it was originally developed for civilian purposes but has significant warfare-related applications, says Robert Shaw, the program director for export control and nonproliferation at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, a think tank that studies arms control and sanctions.

“IRT’s UAVs seem to fit this definition very well,” he said, “and especially kamikaze drones very clearly have military applications.”

Founded in September 2021, IRT describes itself in public appearances as an innovative company that hopes to advance Russian domestic drone-making abilities. It has hosted aerospace engineering events for local youth and counts around 20 employees, according to public records.

While a private company, Integrated Robotics Technologies has received money and contracts from Russian government entities. Public records show that the regional government of the Republic of Bashkortostan paid IRT eight times for consulting services in early 2022. Governmental support has since expanded through programs to boost domestic UAV production, including plans to build drone-related research centers, launch platforms and factories, all outlined in regional government meetings in 2023 and 2024

The plans are worth tens of billions of rubles (hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars), according to Republic of Bashkortostan government documents.

Eager to tout a  local drone champion, officials have kept tabs on the company’s fortunes: IRT had produced 1,049 drones of six different types in 2023 alone, according to a presentation from Jan. 15 of this year. Of these, 332 were of the Scout or Dark Wing varieties, marketed as suicide drones in the company’s product catalog. The company also built 14 long-range surveillance drones of the IRT-5 variety and hundreds of quad- and hexacopters.

It’s unclear to what extent an individual company like IRT would be affected by Western sanctions. On a national scale, though, there are indications that Moscow has struggled with supplanting some parts of its supply chains with local vendors, most notably in advanced semiconductors and similarly specialized components and tools.

Russian customs data seen by Defense News shows a handful of occasions in which Integrated Robotics Technologies has imported drone components and parts for a 3D printer from China.

Companies linked to IRT may also be involved in procuring components on its behalf, making it difficult to gauge the extent to which the company relies on foreign components. For example, the company appears to have close ties to a medium-sized chemical- and laboratory-equipment manufacturer.

“Russian defense-related procurement efforts are using a wide range of third countries to circumvent sanctions,” Shaw told Defense News. He said the procurement of 3D printing components is a notable detail. “Our research suggests that additive manufacturing is a particular area to watch, especially when it comes to UAV and missile production,” he said. Being linked to a chemical company might allow for producing specialized materials for drone-building or polymers for 3D printing, Shaw said.

Boeing ousts defense chief Ted Colbert as firm seeks to right itself

Boeing executive Ted Colbert is out as head of the troubled firm’s defense sector, effective immediately, the company announced Friday.

Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s chief executive, said in a memo to employees that Steve Parker will temporarily lead Boeing Defense, Space and Security until a permanent replacement for Colbert is named. Parker is the chief operating officer for Boeing’s $32.7 billion defense sector.

In the memo, Ortberg thanked Colbert for 15 years of service to Boeing. But he also spoke about the need for Boeing — which has had a series of prominent failures over the last year — to do better.

“At this critical juncture, our priority is to restore the trust of our customers and meet the high standards they expect of us to enable their critical missions around the world,” Ortberg said. “Working together we can and will improve our performance and ensure we deliver on our commitments.”

Colbert took over Boeing’s defense sector in March 2022 after running Boeing Global Services. Later that year, he reorganized it amid steep revenue losses and quality concerns.

Colbert also stuck firm to the company’s commitment to no longer agree to fixed-price contracts with the Pentagon. Such contracts have led to billions of dollars in losses for Boeing, leading the company to swear them off, even if it meant passing on some major programs like the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, or SAOC.

At the Farnborough Air Show in England in July, Colbert told reporters that the Air Force’s plan for SAOC would have required Boeing to agree to fixed-price elements and other components it felt were unacceptable. He said if the Air Force were to require fixed-price deals for its new collaborative combat aircraft autonomous drones, Boeing would similarly steer clear of that program.

“If it’s a fixed-price development program that requires a ton of maturity … that is a recipe for failure,” Colbert said.

But losses at Boeing Defense continued during Colbert’s tenure. The sector lost $1.8 billion in 2023 and is down $762 million so far in the first half of 2024.

Colbert’s removal marks Ortberg’s first major management change since taking the reins of Boeing last month.

And it comes nearly two weeks after Boeing’s Starliner space capsule returned to Earth from the International Space Station without its crew amid safety concerns.

During Starliner’s June 5 flight to the space station, engineers observed several helium leaks and problems with its thrusters, according to NASA. NASA and Boeing engineers spent nearly three months testing thrusters and reviewing data to try to figure out how to fix the problems. But on Aug. 24, NASA determined it was too risky to fly the two astronauts home on Starliner and opted to instead bring them home on a planned SpaceX mission next February.

Ortberg is trying to put Boeing back on course after years of quality and safety troubles with aircraft such as the Max airliners, the KC-46 Pegasus refueling tanker and the new Air Force One presidential transport planes, which upended the company’s once-strong reputation as an aerospace giant.

Boeing is also reeling from a massive strike declared Sept. 13 by tens of thousands of its machinists, which is also impacting the firm’s defense programs like the KC-46. Ortberg has been speaking directly with workers to try to find a way to resolve the disagreement over issues such as pay and end the strike, the company said. A lengthy strike would harm its production, deliveries and operations.

In July, Boeing pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States over charges stemming from the crashes of two 737 Max aircraft. Then, in January, the door plug of another 737 Max blew out midflight, with videos of the frightening scene aboard going viral. The incidents prompted congressional hearings into Boeing’s safety problems.

US close to sending $567 million in immediate security aid to Taiwan

The U.S. is in the final stages of sending almost $570 million in security assistance to Taiwan — the largest such package to date, and one sure to frustrate China — according to multiple congressional aides and a U.S. official.

The administration will use its fastest tool available to deliver the aid: directly shipping its own stocks, a process it’s heavily relied on to support Ukraine’s self-defense. This $567 million package has already received the Pentagon’s approval and is now awaiting the president’s signature.

As it stands, it would be almost double a package of $345 million sent last year. The president will likely approve the tranche before the fiscal year expires at the end of the month, said one aide and an official, who like others speaking for this story were not permitted to talk to the press and were granted anonymity.

The new package of aid has not been previously reported.

Taiwan is by far the most delicate issue in America’s relationship with China. Beijing maintains the democratically governed island is part of its rightful territory, and won’t rule out military force to one day unite with it. The U.S., meanwhile, is Taiwan’s oldest and largest supplier of military aid.

The impasse often leads to public displays of frustration. At this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s largest defense summit, China’s Minister of National Defense Adm. Dong Jun warned that supporters of Taiwanese “separatists” would be punished — shortly after China’s military held large drills around the island.

And in a briefing this week, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned U.S. military support, arguing it “sends a wrong message to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

Still, at a September defense conference hosted in Beijing, which a top Pentagon official for China attended, members of the People’s Liberation Army were gentler. The month before, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also traveled to China, where he met with senior members of the government and helped schedule a long-sought call between America’s top military leader in the region and his Chinese counterpart.

The security assistance will fund training, stockpiles, anti-armor weapons, air defense and multi-domain awareness, according to a U.S. official, who would not be more specific. It will also include drones, which are key to America and Taiwan’s “asymmetric” strategy to defend the island against China’s much larger military.

The ambiguity is typical for aid to Taiwan, which the U.S. rarely discusses in detail due to its sensitivity. Neither the Pentagon nor the National Security Council would comment for this story, except to say that America maintains the right to support Taiwan’s self-defense, per longstanding government policy.

“We have no comment on this matter. Taiwan will continue to enhance defense capabilities and closely work with the United States so as to actively uphold peace, stability and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region,” a spokesperson for Taiwan’s unofficial embassy in Washington said in a statement.

In an effort to hasten support for Taiwan, Congress gave the administration the authority to send Taiwan up to $1 billion in its own stocks each year — a more direct show of support than previous assistance from arms sales. That said, lawmakers didn’t give the Pentagon an actual budget, and the department has been loathe to send equipment it can’t replace.

After debating a further package of aid last year — one supported by members of the State Department and White House — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin paused any further aid to Taiwan without funding.

That money arrived in April, when Congress included $1.9 billion to replenish U.S. stocks sent to countries in the Indo-Pacific. Leaders across the Pentagon have since been planning how to use that funding, most of which will go to Taiwan.

The package now close to approval went through several rounds of revisions, according to multiple officials. The Pentagon initially planned a smaller amount, but in a meeting of different parts of the administration this summer, multiple senior officials said it needed to be far larger — leading to the expanded $567 million figure.

The Pentagon is also now working on a third package of drawdown aid to Taiwan, which the government plans to complete by the end of the administration in January, the U.S. official said.

The April bill featured a further $2 billion in longer-term security aid for the region, $1.4 billion of which went to Taiwan in a separate package approved — though never announced — this summer. The U.S. green-lit the sale of $228 million in repairs and spare parts for military kit this week, adding to the $19 billion in such foreign military sales Taiwan is waiting on for delivery.

A Pentagon watchdog recently published a scathing report on the first round of support last year. It found that shipping issues caused by the American military led to aid arriving in Taiwan later than expected, covered in mold and in some cases expired. Fixing the issues cost the two sides a further $730,000.

“More broadly, the delivery of non-mission-capable items inhibits the [Defense Department’s] ability to achieve established security cooperation goals and may lead to loss of partner confidence in the United States,” the report said.

Ukrainian officials eye export potential of pent-up weapons expertise

WARSAW, Poland — As Ukraine continues its fight against the Russian invasion, the country’s defense companies hope to convert their wartime experience into foreign exports once a mandate lifts to supply only local forces.

The sentiment comes amid a desire by Ukrainian and European manufacturers, in particular, to forge partnerships that are meant to blossom when the country enters something of a post-war period. Local arms makers have touted their products as war-proven, tested in an intense land conflict not seen in Europe since World War 2, since the Russian full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Vadym Ivchenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker for the Batkivshchyna party, told Defense News Ukraine’s defense industry has developed a wide range of capabilities since then. The country’s defense industry is obliged by law to supply its entire output to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, keeping the sector’s innovations local for now.

“We test all weapons and equipment in the battlefield, and all of them undergo upgrades based on the combat experience of our soldiers. We have very efficient drones that can successfully strike the enemy, and Ukrainian defense companies are very competitive with regards to drones, armored vehicles and many other types of gear,” Ivchenko said.

Ukraine is currently making efforts to ramp up its industry’s ammunition production capacities. In the long term, local plants could supply the surplus of their output to other militaries across Europe, as numerous allies are currently building up their stockpiles, according to Ukrainian officials.

“We also make mines and ammunition of different types: 122mm, 152mm and 155mm, among others. Right now, our industry produces only for our military. But once the war is over, it will be possible to export weapons that are needed by allied militaries abroad,” Ivchenko said.

Under Ukrainian law, local manufacturers are required to sell their output to the country’s armed forces to bolster its combat against Russia’s military. However, some officials have begun pointing out what they see as the limitations of such an approach, arguing the restriction deprives both the industry and the state budget of revenue.

At a Sept. 5 meeting of the Temporary Special Commission on Protection of Investors’ Rights in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, lawmaker Halyna Yanchenko said opening up weapon and equipment exports could generate a major income stream for the country.

“Weapons made in Ukraine and tested in real combat are of interest to many countries around the world,” she said, as quoted in a statement released by the parliament. “Our defense industry can annually produce goods worth $20 billion. At the same time, the state is able to purchase weapons for only $6 billion, this includes purchases from abroad. We are slowing down the development of a strategic industry through export restrictions.”

Similarly to other industry players, Ukrainian defense company Kvertus supplies its entire output of electronic-warfare and reconnaissance systems to the country’s military. However, after the exports ban is eventually lifted, the manufacturer hopes to launch foreign sales of its combat-proven systems with the help of foreign partners in Europe or the United States.

Serhii Skoryk, the commercial director of Kvertus, told Defense News the business is promoting its offers, including anti-drone jamming systems, abroad even as it cannot sell it to foreign users. The company took part in the MSPO defense industry show in Kielce, Poland, in early September.

“We are the biggest anti-drone jamming system producer in Ukraine. Our company makes around 5,000 products per month, and all of it goes to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Kvertus equipment is combat-proven and saves lives every day. The demand is high, because a $400 drone can destroy a tank worth $10 million,” he said.

“Today, it’s forbidden to export such products, but it might be possible tomorrow. The demand abroad is huge, and we are discussing with our foreign partners how we can use our extensive experience with fighting against Russia’s attack,” according to Skoryk.

Ukraine’s industry is dominated by state-owned players, including the country’s defense giant Ukroboronprom. At the same time, the ongoing war has spurred the growth of many private companies such as Kyiv-based Kvertus.

Recruits need real rifles at boot camp, top enlisted airman says

The U.S. Air Force eventually wants its aspiring recruits to carry real rifles during basic military training, the service’s top enlisted airman said Tuesday.

Enlisted trainees for the Air Force and Space Force are now issued nonfunctional replicas of M4 rifles during boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The program, which began in July, aims to better prepare aspiring airmen and guardians for real-world situations in which they carry weapons, reviving a practice phased out in 2012.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Dave Flosi said during a roundtable with reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber conference that recruits carrying live weapons is his “desired end state.”

Flosi praised Air Education and Training Command’s decision to start giving recruits inert rifles. He said the command “is working on taking the next steps down the road” towards giving them actual rifles, though he could not say when that might happen.

Increasing recruits’ familiarity with weapons is necessary to make them as effective as possible, he said, and be ready to operate outside of secure bases.

“The threats are real,” Flosi said. “The environment is dangerous. … Understanding lethal means and understanding the responsibility that comes along with it, that’s time well spent. It’s a little bit of individual responsibility and accountability, and it also is another reminder that you’re in the profession of arms.”

Enlisted trainees for the Air Force and Space Force now receive their nonfunctional replicas of M4 rifles after their initial weapons familiarization course, which takes place during their first week of training. Those replicas can be distinguished from actual weapons by their red flash suppressors.

They then carry the rifles at all times during basic training, except when they have medical or processing appointments, wearing any combination of the service uniform or are on a detail preventing them from carrying the weapon.

Recruits store their weapons in assigned wall lockers while at their dorms, the Air Force said.

US Air Force names second and third B-21 Raider bases

The U.S. Air Force’s newest bomber is officially getting two additional homes.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall approved basing locations for the B-21 Raider at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, the service announced Friday.

The Air Force previously selected Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, as the B-21 Raider’s first base.

B-21 Raider bomber conducts test flights at Edwards Air Force Base

The aircraft, which is the first bomber the Air Force has introduced since the Cold War, is intended to become the “backbone of the Air Force’s flexible global strike capability,” according to the Air Force. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the stealth bomber will come equipped with nuclear capabilities, as well as regular munitions, and be able to assist with manned and unmanned operations.

The B-21 Raider made its first test flight Nov. 10, 2023, out of Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.

“We continue to achieve B-21 production milestones; through digital engineering and open architecture design, we are getting an agile strategic deterrent that delivers a decisive response as required,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, Air Force Global Strike Command commander, in a release.

The Air Force released the first video of the B-21 in flight Wednesday.

Airmen and defense industry representatives discussed the B-21 program’s progress this week at the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

Thomas Jones, sector president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, said the program was conducting two flight test flights “in a given week” in preparation for the B-21 Raider’s life as a daily flyer.

The Air Force anticipates purchasing at least 100 B-21s, which will replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers.

Air Force’s information warfare hub seeks high-tech sensors, AI tools

The Air Force needs higher-tech tools and sensors that can monitor networks for signs of malware and sort through the millions of alerts it receives each day indicating potential compromises, according to the leader of the service’s cyber enterprise.

The Air Force’s information warfare organization, 16th Air Force, has been working over the last year to better partner with industry, academia and other government agencies to meet those high-tech requirements through an effort called the Phoenix Initiative.

The team — which is charged with integrating cyber, electronic warfare, information operations and ISR — convened a summit in August 2023 to talk through its highest priority gaps and technology needs. It then led a months-long deep dive to identify its most important mission sets and consider the most significant vulnerabilities and dependencies within those missions.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, who took the helm as commander of 16th Air Force in August, told Defense News the organization identified targeting, cybersecurity and its Distributed Common Ground System enterprise — which provides key ISR analysis and exploitation — as its highest priority missions.

Now, with those focus areas driving its efforts, the service is analyzing where within those missions it can take risks and where it needs new sensors, artificial intelligence tools and other capabilities to help it operate efficiently and respond quickly to threats.

“We’re not going to be able to hire more people to work sensors, to work systems,” he said in a Sept. 17 interview on the sidelines of the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber conference. “So, we’ve got to better understand our networks and identify those key nodes where we can put precision sensors so that we can do persistent monitoring to be able to protect that.”

Air Forces Cyber already operates precision sensors for defensive cyber operations, but as platforms and weapons become increasingly more dependent on a range of classified and unclassified networks, it needs more sensing solutions to detect potential threats.

“Everything is connected,” Hensley said. “And so, you have to have layers of different weapon systems to do the persistent monitoring to check for malware.”

Among the other technologies 16th Air Force is exploring is artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The organization receives around 2.5 million alerts of possible compromises each day, Hensley said. And while it has high-performance computers and databases to process those indications, much of that work still involves a human in the loop.

The command wants to instead use AI and ML to do content triage and data analysis, freeing up personnel to conduct more nuanced work.

“That’s where we’re engaging with industry, with other partners to see how we can create these AI/ML tools to help us move faster and more efficiently,” he said. “We’re not going to mass our way out of this.”

When it comes to getting resources to pursue these capabilities, Hensley said the organization can work through the Pentagon’s normal budget processes, but it wants to move faster.

That means it will likely include the tools in its unfunded requirements list, which the military services and other Defense Department organizations use to notify Congress of high-need capabilities that aren’t included in DOD’s annual budget request.

Hensley said the organization could have a request ready as soon as next year as part of the Fiscal 2026 budget cycle.

However, plans to elevate 16th Air Force as a service component command could complicate the process. The service hasn’t set a timeline for that transition and, when it happens, it will require personnel shifts that could slow the funding request.

Hensley added that elevating Air Forces Cyber as a direct report to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is a clear sign of support for the organization’s mission, which could lead to more funding and flexibility as it pursues new capabilities.

“That’s sending a clear signal that our secretary of the Air Force wants to be able to support it as much as possible,” he said. “The intent is that we want to be able to resource it … to defend our nation.”

Air Force to deploy Ospreys in weeks as post-crash groundings lift

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Air Force Special Operations Command has returned about 60% of its CV-22 Osprey fleet to fully operational flight status and expects to once again deploy the tilt-rotor aircraft to support combatant commands in a matter of weeks.

In a roundtable with reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber conference, AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Michael Conley said the command is clearing about three Ospreys for flight operations every 10 days as it gradually lifts the fleet’s grounding.

AFSOC has roughly 50 CV-22s, and expects to have all its Ospreys back to normal flying operations by late 2024 or early 2025. Conley would not say where Ospreys are likely to deploy.

The military in December 2023 grounded all its V-22s, which are flown by AFSOC, the Navy and the Marine Corps, following the fatal crash of an Air Force Osprey off the coast of Japan a week earlier. That crash killed all eight crew members aboard.

An Air Force investigation later found the crash was caused in part by cracks in a crucial gear driving the tilt-rotor aircraft’s proprotors, and also by the pilot’s decision not to land the aircraft after multiple alerts known as “chip burn warnings” sounded in the aircraft. Those alerts let Osprey air crews know when metal flakes are starting to come off of its gears, which can be a sign the aircraft is stressed.

After a three-month grounding, the Pentagon announced it would start to return its Osprey fleet to flight operations, after revising training for troops flying them and changing maintenance procedures. There were no equipment modifications instituted as a prerequisite for returning the aircraft to flight.

AFSOC put new operating guidance in place earlier this year to require Osprey pilots to land sooner when chip burn warnings go off, Conley said. Now, Osprey air crews are instructed to land as soon as practical after the first warning sounds, and after a second, land as soon as possible.

Pilots always have discretion to fly their aircraft the way they think it requires, Conley said, since each flight has its own unique circumstances. But the tighter guidance on landing is meant to “make it less ambiguous to the crews” to decide what they should do in dangerous situations.

AFSOC had to quickly requalify its Osprey instructors and evaluators before it could start retraining air crew members, Conley said.

And Conley said AFSOC has been “very deliberate and slow and methodical” as it goes through its Osprey fleet one by one, and paying particular attention to aircraft parts.

Naval Air Systems Command Boss Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, who oversees the military’s Osprey program, told lawmakers in June that the entire V-22 fleet would likely not be back to normal flight operations until at least mid-2025.