Archive: September 17, 2024

Emphasis on electronic warfare a must, Air Force secretary says

While details on the findings of the Air Force’s yearlong deep dive into electronic warfare capabilities are largely classified, Secretary Frank Kendall said Monday the findings will shape near-term budget and architecture decisions.

“There are a number of things that I think offer a lot of potential for us that we’re trying to explore,” Kendall told reporters on the sidelines of the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber conference. “So, I think, writ large, you can expect more emphasis on electronic warfare. … But I can’t give you any specifics at this time.”

The study is part of a broader Air Force effort to understand key technologies that affect operations across multiple mission areas — and it follows a push from the service in recent years to better leverage the electromagnetic spectrum for communication, sensing, intelligence and non-kinetic warfare.

While there is a widespread understanding of the potential impact of these capabilities, Kendall said electronic warfare systems have not traditionally fared well in funding fights, with larger platforms and weapons programs almost always taking priority.

“My own experience suggests that this is a historically neglected area that can have an oversized impact but doesn’t compete well in our internal budget battles relative to other priorities,” he said in a keynote speech Monday.

Asked by reporters whether the fiscal 2026 budget would elevate these systems, Kendall declined to comment. However, he said the study the Air Force has been conducting was meant to inform its spending plan for FY26 and beyond, adding that it yielded “very promising” findings.

He didn’t discuss those findings in detail, but noted that the service is particularly interested in the role of electronic warfare systems in combating both space and counter-air threats.

“We believe we can counter advanced adversary kill webs by integrating a combination of electronic warfare tools, operationalized cyber capability and other elements,” Kendall said in his speech. “I’m excited to see us making fast progress on this mission area for the Department of the Air Force.”

The service is already in the process of developing an open architecture for electronic attack capabilities and has been working to increase the speed at which it can update these systems with real-time operational data.

Speaking in April at the virtual C4ISRNET Conference, Commander of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing Col. Josh Koslov said the Air Force is making progress toward completing those updates in a matter of hours — a process that previously would have taken days.

“We have to be able to continue to add pressure to the adversary in a war in order to seize the advantage and achieve our objectives,” Koslov said. “Data is the weapon that will allow this to happen, and data processing is the way to do that.”

New missile allows Marine pilots to strike far, avoid air defenses

Marine fighter pilots now have a missile that can strike targets up to 230 miles away, keeping aviators out of the range of many enemy air defense systems.

In late August, personnel with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 out of Miramar, California, became the first to run ordnance operations with the missile — the AGM-158A — using F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, Marine officials said.

The Air Force first used the air-to-ground missile in combat in 2018, firing it from B-1B Lancer bombers to strike a Syrian chemical weapons manufacturer, according to the statement.

“The (missile) not only surpasses the capabilities of any other weapon currently in the Hornet’s extensive weapons portfolio, but also the Marine Corps at large,” said Maj. Bradley Kirby, an aviation ordnance officer with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

The missile, which is also slated for use on F-35B and F-35C aircraft, comes in two variants: the AGM-158B extended range version and the AGM-158C long-range, anti-ship version.

The Lockheed Martin-manufactured extended range variant can strike targets out to 620 miles, Air Force Times previously reported.

Marines validated and verified the missile for use on the Hornet through a series of tests that included loading, software compatibility, transportation, safe handling, weapon arming and de-arming.

The validation process is often completed using a training round, but Marines used live munitions due to the unavailability of training versions.

The work done by the munitions and safety specialists involved will be used to develop a set of checklists for future use of the weapon, said Warrant Officer Josiah Hood, a squadron ordnance officer.

Meanwhile, the missile is one of multiple new tools to debut this year for Marine Corps aviation.

In July, a Marine helicopter crew sank a moving training vessel near Okinawa, Japan, with a newly acquired “fire and forget” missile, the AGM-179.

That was the first time the Corps used that munition in a strike mission, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

An AH-1Z Viper crew belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) and attached to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted the training mission.

How US Air Force special ops is allowing airmen the ‘freedom to fail’

The Air Force’s Special Operations Command began a new inspection process last month that assesses a wing’s combat readiness for operations while providing airmen “the freedom to fail.”

The 27th Special Operations Wing was the first to conduct a Combat Readiness Inspection, a new assessment that gives airmen the opportunity to fail in a “controlled exercise environment,” according to the Air Force.

Any mistakes or shortcomings that pop up during such inspections will be treated as learning opportunities, and not lead to punishments, the service said.

“The goal for this event was never perfection,” Lt. Gen. Mike Conley, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, said in a release. “We wanted the Wing to be all in, face tough challenges, discover areas for improvement, and work together to problem solve for the future…and they did just that.”

The 27th Special Operations Wing underwent the new inspection as part of the Emerald Warrior exercise.

Air Force Inspector General Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis watched the 27th at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, and made sure that the tests were realistic, the Air Force said.

Inspectors for the test judged the readiness of a 27th Special Operations Wing Special Operations Task Group that included aviation, special tactics and logistics units.

During the inspection, elements of the wing established multiple bases across Idaho and Nevada, and used 200 personnel to conduct a variety of operations.

France plans low-orbit demonstrator that can target other satellites

PARIS — France plans to launch a maneuverable satellite into low Earth orbit in the next two years that can target other satellites, something French Space Command said is necessary to show the country can take action to protect its space assets.

French nanosatellite builder U-Space will supply the demonstrator in partnership with missile maker MBDA, French Space Command boss Maj. Gen. Philippe Adam and company executives said at an industry conference in Paris on Tuesday. They didn’t detail the satellite’s offensive capabilities, though a presentation video showed the satellite targeting another orbiter with a green laser beam.

France wants to avoid putting kinetic weapons in space that would risk creating debris in orbit, and the demonstrator won’t be weaponized, though it may include a “dazzling” capacity, Adam said on the sidelines of conference. Low Earth orbit, or LEO, is the busiest orbital range, with more than 5,000 satellites launched and thousands more planned, according to U.S. Space Operations Command.

“We need to better understand what’s happening in space, and make sure that we can oppose any misconduct in space actively, if necessary,” Adam said at the Space Defense & Security Summit in the French capital. “We need also to take into account what’s happening in lower altitudes. It’s probably about time, if we consider all that’s happening in this lower orbit.”

France expects to launch the demonstrator satellite, called Splinter, in the next 12 to 24 months, Adam said. The overall project, dubbed Toutatis, will also include a low Earth orbit observation satellite called Lisa-1, and the goal is to test operational scenarios.

Several speakers at the conference highlighted the growing threat in space from adversaries including Russia. The general public should realize that access to space is not a given, and an arms race in space would be destabilizing and should be seen as a threat, according to Marjolijn van Deelen, the special envoy for space at the European External Action Service.

“We’re dealing with adversaries whose level of restraint is going down and down,” said Lt. Gen. Bertrand Le Meur, France’s director for defense strategy, foresight and counter-proliferation. The French plan “for us a big step, showing that we are anticipating some potential threats in low Earth orbit,” he said.

Destructive space arms are not a French priority, and neutralizing an opponent in space could mean moving a satellite between an adversary and a friendly asset to prevent hostile action, according to Adam. Dissuasion also requires being able to see what adversaries are doing and make them aware they are being seen, in addition to having the means to intimidate and discourage, the general said.

Nevertheless, “for deterrence to be effective, we also need real means of action, and those means of action have to be known and recognized as effective,” Adam said. He said adversaries already have the means to destroy French satellites.

France still hasn’t launched its experimental patroller nanosatellite Yoda, which is ready and waiting to be lifted into geostationary orbit, according to Adam, who declined to say when that might happen. Originally planned for 2023, Yoda has been delayed due to a lack of available launch slots.

The country is the world’s fourth-biggest spender on space defense and security, behind the U.S., China and Russia, according to space-industry consultant Novaspace, which organized the summit. French military space spending was around $1.3 billion in 2023, dwarfed by the U.S. with $38.9 billion and China with $8.8 billion, and about half the Russian budget, according to Novaspace.

Pan-European missile maker MBDA has been experimenting with laser weapons, and has participated in France’s AsterX military space exercise in the past two years. The Toutatis project will move space defense beyond simulation, said Nicolas Lefort, MBDA’s head of new markets and business development.

“Space defense starts on the ground, and the good news is that we at MBDA already cover that mission very well,” Lefort said. “Our ambition is to bring defense to low Earth orbit, where the threats have now become real. We really look forward to demonstrating that the Space Command can deal with suspicious activities in LEO in the most reactive way.”

India orders hundreds of new engines for Su-30MKI fighters

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The backbone of India’s fighter jet fleet is the Russian-designed Sukhoi Su-30MKI, and the country recently ordered 240 engines to keep the fleet airborne for years to come.

Following approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security earlier this month, officials signed a deal with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to supply the so-called AL-31FP engines.

The contract, worth more than 260 billion rupees or US$3.1 billion, will see the first engine handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) after a year. All will be delivered within eight years, according to a Ministry of Defence statement, with production of 30 annually.

Made by HAL under Russian license, the engines currently feature local content of 54%. However, the company plans to boost the ratio to 63% by tapping India’s defense manufacturing ecosystem. “This would also increase the indigenous content of repair and overhaul tasks of the aero engines,” said the ministry.

It further stated, “These aero engines will be manufactured by the Koraput Division of HAL, and are expected to fulfill the needs of the Indian Air Force to sustain the operational capability of the Su-30 fleet for the defense preparedness of the country.”

Notably, India chose to stick with AL-31FP engines, even as Russia is upgrading its Su-30SM fighters with the newer and more powerful AL-41FS.

Incidentally, the IAF is buying twelve new Su-30MKIs from HAL for $1.3 billion to make up for losses. This purchase was approved in September 2023.

The air service has approximately 260 Su-30MKIs, six of which traveled to Exercise Pitch Black 2024 in Australia in July. The Indian detachment commander, Group Captain Ajay Rathi, praised the platform: “With its advanced avionics, thrust vectoring and superior payload capacity, the aircraft is capable of undertaking offensive and defensive missions, to execute strategic and tactical operations.”

He described its key capabilities as its long range, maneuverability, firepower and effectiveness in contested environments.

Last November, India’s Defence Acquisition Council signed off on a major upgrade program for 84 Su-30MKIs. HAL Chairman and Managing Director C.B. Ananthakrishnan subsequently told The Economic Times: “The upgrade will see significant private-sector participation, with HAL as the lead integrator.”

Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, the Air Force’s top officer, said the project would upgrade 51 aircraft systems, with 78% of the content being indigenous. HAL is responsible for 30 elements, while the private sector will upgrade eight systems.

Once implemented, the upgrade will include installation of the Virupaksha active electronically scanned array radar, a new electronic-warfare system, and a domestic infrared search and track system.

AC-130J lands at Kirtland as US Air Force streamlines gunship training

A storied gunship touched down at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, several weeks ago, as part of the U.S. Air Force’s effort to consolidate gunship training and reduce training time, the service confirmed.

The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 5 to commemorate the arrival of the first AC-130J Ghostrider, which was delivered at the end of August.

Training for the gunship is currently split between Kirtland and Hurlburt Field, Florida. However, with the aircraft’s arrival at Kirtland, all future training will take place there under Air Education and Training Command, or AETC.

“Creating a consolidated training location will reduce travel costs and allow for training timelines to be accelerated,” a spokesperson for the 58th Special Operations Wing said.

The AC-130J, armed with a howitzer cannon and advanced navigation features, provides defense support to ground troops, among other capabilities.

Currently, AC-130J training falls under the jurisdiction of AETC and Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, at Hurlburt Field.

Students complete their first round of training under AETC at Kirtland before traveling to Hurlburt Field for mission qualification training under AFSOC, where they learn to operate the AC-130J.

“The training focuses on getting aircrew trained on the AC-130J specifically and preparing them to operate in a combat environment and defend our national interests,” a spokesperson for the 58th Special Operations Wing said.

Consolidating training into one location will reduce gunship training by 30 days, the Air Force said.

The Air Force praised New Mexico’s terrain as a perfect match for training that will include academic and simulator instruction.

Five more Ghostriders are on their way to Kirtland, with their arrival expected to bring 299 active duty airmen and their families to the New Mexico base.

Pentagon to oversee $3 billion effort to strengthen microchip supply

The Pentagon announced today it will help lead a $3 billion U.S. Commerce Department initiative designed to make sure the U.S. military has access to a reliable domestic microelectronics supply chain.

The first task order under what’s known as the Secure Enclave program was awarded to leading microchip developer Intel Corp. The funding will focus on improving commercial fabrication facilities and builds on work Intel has done through other DOD programs.

The effort is funded through the Biden Administration’s CHIPS and Science Act. Passed in 2022, the measure injects $52 billion into the semiconductor workforce and supports technology and manufacturing advancements needed to establish a more robust domestic microelectronics supply base.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is laser focused on implementing the CHIPS for America programs to bolster national and economic security, including through targeted investments focused on reshoring critical leading edge semiconductor manufacturing production, emerging technology research and development, and current and mature microelectronics,” the White House said in a fact sheet released Monday.

The United States produces just 12% of the global microchip supply – down from around 37% in the 1990s. Today, most of the world’s supply of advanced semiconductors come from Taiwan, and China exports a large portion of its microchips to the United States. These chips power everything from cellphones to cars to the F-35 fighter jet.

The Defense Department received $2 billion in CHIPS Act funding, which it’s using to establish the Microelectronics Commons — a national network of academic institutions, small business firms and research entities working together to push microelectronics technology projects from the laboratory into prototyping and scaled production.

The Secure Enclave project is separate from the Microelectronics Commons and is focused instead on creating an end-to-end production capability that specifically addresses military requirements for advanced semiconductors. DOD will manage the program in partnership with the Commerce Department.

Intel – which has sites in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon — has been involved in several Pentagon efforts to address microelectronics supply. In 2020 it was selected to participate in DOD’s State-of-the Art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging Program, which leveraged the company’s production capabilities.

The department selected Intel to provide commercial foundry services through its Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes-Commercial program. The goal of the effort is to demonstrate the ability to securely leverage state-of-the-art microelectronics technologies without depending on a closed security fabrication facility.

Leonardo plans upgrades for its UK operations, as leaders meet

ROME — Italian defense group Leonardo will invest £435 million ($575 million) in the UK this year, including upgrades to its helicopter production line and funding for laser and quantum technology work, the UK government said on Monday.

The announcement was made as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during a visit to Rome to discuss the Ukraine war and cooperation on tackling illegal migration.

The two leaders also agreed that the Italian Army and Navy will take part in UK Carrier Strike Group Operations in the Indo-Pacific next year.

Some £35 million of Leonardo’s total £435m UK investment in 2024 is being spent at the firm’s helicopter plant at Yeovil in the UK, where it will launch its “Single Site Logistics Hub” plan on Wednesday which aims to increase efficiencies at the sprawling site.

New investment is also going into apprenticeships, design capabilities, robots and 3D printing at Yeovil, a spokesperson said.

Other funding will support work undertaken by Leonardo in the UK on sensors for the sixth-generation Global Combat Air Program fighter.

Worth up to 30% of the value of the fighter, the radar and other sensors are a key element of the fighter being built by the UK, Italy and Japan.

Leonardo said it was also investing in the greater digitalization of its UK business, making it able to “offer a range of digital and data products and services to customers.”

Investment in research work covered “laser, radio frequency and quantum technologies,” it added.

Starmer’s trip to Rome to meet with Meloni was his first since being elected in July as the head of a Labour government which is expected to be keener on cooperating in Europe than its Conservative predecessor.

Stefano Pontecorvo, the chairman of Leonardo in Italy who took part in a meeting of business leaders with prime minister Starmer in Rome on Monday, appeared to think so.

“It is clear that the prime minister represents a pronounced change in approach for the UK and its relationship with the European Union,” he said. “Leonardo’s presence in the UK is underpinned by transnational collaboration at a governmental level, which also supports cooperation at an industrial level. I look forward to working closely with the prime minister as we continue to invest in the UK and support the defense of Europe,” he added.

Houthi rebels claim they shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Monday that they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile strike and flaming wreckage strewn across the ground.

The U.S. military said it was aware of the Houthis’ claimed downing of a drone over the country’s southwestern Dhamar province, without elaborating.

All the Houthi-US Navy incidents in the Middle East (that we know of)

The Houthis have exaggerated claims in the past in their ongoing campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the online video bolstered the claim, particularly after two recent claims by the Houthis included no evidence.

Other videos showed armed rebels gathered around the flaming wreckage, a propeller similar to those used by the armed drone visible in the flames. One attempted to pick up a piece of the metal before dropping it due to the heat.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the drone as an MQ-9, without elaborating on how he came to the determination. He said it was the third downed by the group in a week, though the other two claims did not include similar video or other evidence. The U.S. military similarly has not acknowledged losing any aircraft.

Saree said the Houthis used a locally produced missile. However, Iran has armed the rebels with a surface-to-air missile known as the 358 for years. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in seaborne shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

Those attacks include a barrage that struck the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea. Salvagers have begun towing away the burning oil tanker, hoping to avoid a catastrophic leak of its 1 million barrels of oil on board.

New Zealand Air Force receives first Super Hercules cargo plane

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The first of five C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft touched down in New Zealand earlier this month, part of a plan by the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) to retire its 1960s-era C-130H Hercules fleet.

The initial plane, made by Lockheed Martin, was welcomed to RNZAF Base Auckland in a ceremony on Sept. 10. Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies stated: “We’ve taken a huge step forward in our tactical air transport capability. The additional capabilities the new C-130J fleet brings will open up expanded roles for the aircraft to meet the needs of New Zealand and our partners.”

Wing Commander Bradley Scott, who spearheads the air service’s No. 40 Squadron that will operate the new fleet, told Defense News that all five C-130Js would arrive by the end of October.

The Hercules is a workhorse in an air force fleet that possesses no combat aircraft. Indeed, the first C-130J’s workload commenced the following day, as it moved cargo and provided familiarization for air movements staff at several airbases around New Zealand.

Kiwi aircraft have an L3Harris Wescam MX-20HD electro-optic camera mounted under the nose to assist search-and-rescue or disaster-relief missions, something they regularly perform around New Zealand and the South Pacific. The C-130Js also have a SATCOM-based wide-bandwidth broadband system.

Scott noted: “It’s not necessarily a step change in capability with the C-130J, but it’s certainly a modernization and capability enhancement that we’ll receive.” He said the new aircraft “can carry more things a farther distance and burn less fuel doing so.”

Flights to Antarctica are part of the C-130J’s remit, and these will occur within a few months. Final operational release for the aircraft in all roles is scheduled for late 2025.

Dispensing with a competitive tender, Wellington budgeted NZ$1.521 billion (US$990 million) for the aircraft and related infrastructure in 2020. Interoperability with partners like Australia and the U.S. was an important consideration, and the package includes a full-motion flight simulator stationed at Whenuapai.

Crew and maintainer training started in the United States last year; four aircrews have already been trained by the U.S. Air Force, with two more to go. The simulator has not arrived yet, but the first New Zealand-based training program will start in early 2026. “Under the J-model contract, we’d be aiming to achieve as much training as possible in the simulator,” Scott explained.

The air service here already retired two C-130Hs this year. All will be gone by Jan. 31, 2025, after the fleet will have collectively flown nearly 155,000 hours over 97,000+ sorties.