US Armed Forces

[Blacklight]

Pentagon formally releases Navy videos of unidentified object encounters
April 27, 2020
By Ed Adamczyk

A sailor watches an F/A-18F Super Hornet, from the Flying Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron 122, as it prepares to land on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in 2017. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Ian Kinkead/U.S.Navy

April 27 (UPI) -- The Pentagon formally released three videos on Monday taken by Navy pilots which indicate the presence of "unidentified aerial phenomena.

The videos, one from 2004 and two from 2017, have been circulating since their unauthorized leaks, and the Navy has attested to their authenticity.

They were officially released on Monday "in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The videos show what appear to be unidentified flying objects, recorded by infrared cameras, rapidly moving past airborne planes. Audio in two videos include comments from surprised service members, with one voice suggesting the flying object could be a drone.

The events prompted the Navy to introduce guidelines for pilots' reports of suspicious or unidentified phenomena. The photographic evidence was first released in 2017 and 2018 by To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences, a company studying unidentified aerial phenomena and co-founded by Tom DeLonge, former member of the band Blink-182.

"As I got close to it ... it rapidly accelerated to the south, and disappeared in less than two seconds," retired Navy pilot David Fravor said in 2017.

Fravor witnessed the movement, captured on video in 2004, of an unidentified object, about 40 feet long and hovering about 50 feet over the Pacific Ocean. "This was extremely abrupt, like a ping pong ball, bouncing off a wall. It would hit and go the other way," he said.

The Pentagon studied recordings of aerial observations of unknown objects in a classified program from 2007 to 2012, which closed after it was assessed that higher priorities required funding.

 

[Blacklight]

PETA: U.S. Marines drinking cobra blood, eating live wildlife risk disease
April 27, 2020
By Jean Lotus

U.S. Marines who drink cobra blood during jungle survival training at the yearly Cobra Gold exercises in Thailand are at risk for zoonotic disease, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Monday. File Photo by Markus Castaneda/U.S. Navy

April 27 (UPI) -- A Thailand-based military exercise in which animals, including cobras, are killed and eaten raw puts service men and woman at risk of contracting zoonotic diseases, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Monday.

Cobras are beheaded and Marine initiates drink their blood during survival training at the annual Cobra Gold jungle survival military exercise.

The training also includes "killing chickens with their bare hands, skinning and eating live geckos and consuming live scorpions and tarantulas," the animal rights group said in a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Participants in the training are at risk of contracting animal-transferred diseases from wildlife, such as COVID-19, SARS, Ebola, monkeypox and Lassa fever, PETA said.

The group said killing live animals is unnecessary and was removed from survival training in 2011 at the Bridgeport, Calif.-based Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center.

"Clearly there are precedents for troops to learn food procurement survival skills without having to use live animals in abhorrent training drills that risk the spread of pathogens and disease," Shalin Gala, PETA's vice president for international laboratory methods said in a statement.

About 4,500 military troops participate in the Cobra Gold military exercises yearly including military personnel from from the United States, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

Drinking cobra blood during joint jungle survival training is seen as building camaraderie.

"Whether it's over drinking cobra blood together, coordinating fire support, or just sharing a meal in the field, every year Marines make friendships at every level, and strengthen the bond that the U.S. has with Thailand," U.S. Naval Capt. Ryan Poitras said in a press release.

PETA cited the emergence of COVID-19 in Chinese wet markets and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research showing that 75 percent of new infectious diseases in people originate in animals.

"For the sake of our troops, public health, and animals, we urge you to immediately ban the use of live animals in Cobra Gold and instead use more effective and ethical non-animal training method," Gala wrote.

 

[Blacklight]

Global military spending nearly $2T in 2019, U.S. accounts for one-third
By Ed Adamczyk
April 27, 2020

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said on Monday that global military spending reached $1.9 trillion in 2019. Photo by Jesper Sundstrom/Swedish Armed Forces

April 27 (UPI) -- Global military spending grew 3.6 percent in 2019 to $1.9 trillion, with the United States accounting for $732 billion, or 38 percent of the global total.

U.S. military spending grew by 5.3 percent, equivalent to Germany's entire military budget for the year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said Monday in its annual report.

The five largest buyers were the United States, China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia, whose purchases accounted for 62 percent of the total figure. The global expenditure was the largest annual percentage increase in a decade, representing 2.2 percent of global gross domestic product, or about $249 per person.

By the benchmarks of SIPRI, military spending includes all government spending on current military forces and activities, including salaries and benefits, operational expenses, arms and equipment purchases, military construction, research and development, and central administration, command and support. The dollar figures include the cost of more than weapons and armaments.

"Global military expenditure was 7.2 per cent higher in 2019 than it was in 2010, showing a trend that military spending growth has accelerated in recent years," SIPRI researcher Nan Tian said in a press release. "This is the highest level of spending since the 2008 global financial crisis and probably represents a peak in expenditure."

The study noted that China's military expenditures rose 5.1 percent to about $261 billion in 2019, or only about one-third of the U.S. figure. India's grew 6.8 percent to $71.1 billion. Russia saw a 4.5 percent increase to $65.1 billion, or nearly four percent of its GDP.

Beyond the top five, however, military spending increased all over the world. Bulgaria's military budget increased by 127 percent, largely because of payments for new fighter planes to replace its Soviet-era fleet. The 29 nations of NATO combined to spend more than $1.035 trillion in 2019, the report said.

Spending by South American countries was little changed, but armed conflict in central Africa increased Burkina Faso's military budget by 22 percent and Uganda's by 52 percent.

 

[Blacklight]

Lockheed Martin wins $5.8M contract to integrate communications satellites
April 27, 2020
By Ed Adamczyk

Lockheed Martin Corp. announced a $5.8 million contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Monday, in which the company will integrate 20 military communications satellites in low Earth orbit. Photo courtesy of DARPA

April 27 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin Corp. will integrate satellites for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in a $5.8 million contract, the company announced.

The contract covers the first phase of integration of Project Blackjack, which will deploy a constellation of 20 small satellites to demonstrate that a low Earth orbit system can provide global high-speed communications. DARPA's Blackjack program will develop a global network in low Earth orbit providing the Department of Defense with highly connected and autonomous coverage, employing multiple payload types and missions.

The satellites are expected to be launched by 2022, the first group of hundreds of planned communications satellites.

"Lockheed Martin will define and manage interfaces between Blackjack's bus, payload and Pit Boss, its autonomous, space-based command and data processor," the company said in a statement Monday. The contract was awarded Friday. Pit Boss, developed in 2019, will process data collected in space and properly disseminate it without human involvement.

DARPA's work on the project serves the Space Development Agency, which has said it intends to construct its own constellation of satellites to perform tasks with include hypersonic weapons tracking and beyond-line-of-sight tracking.

"Lockheed Martin has built and integrated a variety of payload types and sizes for every type of mission and we bring all of that experience to the Blackjack program," said Sarah Reeves of Lockheed Martin's Missile Defense Programs. "This is an exciting new approach to plug-n-play design for LEO and we are up for the challenge."

 

[Blacklight]

U.S. says 2 civilians were killed in 2019 Somalia airstrike
April 27, 2020

A cruise missile illuminates the American flag on the U.S. Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Porter in the Mediterranean Sea on April 7, 2017. AFRICOM on Monday said two civilians were killed a year ago in Somalia by a U.S. airstrike. File Photo by MCS 3rd Class Ford Williams/U.S. Navy/UPI | License Photo

April 27 (UPI) -- More than three weeks after a global human rights group reported the U.S. military has killed nearly two dozen civilians in Somalia over the past year, U.S. officials acknowledged that an attack last year killed two.

The Pentagon's Africa Command, or AFRICOM, said the two civilians were "regrettably and unintentionally killed" and three were injured by a Feb. 23, 2019, airstrike that targeted al-Shabaab terrorists near Kunyo Barrow, Somalia.

The civilian deaths had not previously been acknowledged by AFRICOM.

Gen. Stephen Townsend said the disclosure is part of an effort to be more transparent in the military's reporting of civilian casualties in the air campaign against Somalian targets.

"Since taking command I have placed additional focus on increasing the transparency of our process and status of closed and ongoing allegations," Townsend said. "It is important that our partners and the public understand our commitment to minimizing collateral damage while conducting military operations. Where we come up short, we will admit it openly."

Amnesty International said in a report on April 1 the U.S. military had killed at least 21 civilians in several Somalia airstrikes since March 2019 but hadn't reported them. Just one civilian death from 2018 had been officially reported, it noted.

The Amnesty report said the deaths were part of an escalating "secret war" against al-Shabaab terrorists that included nearly three dozen airstrikes over the first three months of 2020. AFRICOM carried out 63 strikes there in 2019.

 

[Blacklight]

Boeing nabs $75.1M for Super Hornet service life modification
April 24, 2020

An F/A-18E Super Hornet prepares for landing at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Camp Douglas, Wisc., in this August 2018 photo. Boeing has just been awarded a $75.1 million contract to extend the service lives of the aircraft, which have been in use since 2001. Photo by Mary E. Greenwood/U.S. Air National Guard

April 24 (UPI) -- Boeing received a $75.1 million contract Friday to support the F/A-18E-F Super Hornet service life modification program, according to the Pentagon.

Under the contract Boeing will provide engineering services to extend the aircraft's service life beyond the original design of 6,000 flight hours.

In February Boeing delivered the first Super Hornet modified under the Service Life Modification program.

The SLM upgrades are expected to extend each aircraft's service life from 6,000 to 7,500 flight hours, with future modification plans that may extend it to 10,000 flight hours.

According to Boeing, there are now 15 Super Hornets in the SLM program on production lines in St. Louis and San Antonio.

Earlier this month General Electric was awarded $51.5 million to provide engines for the Super Hornet, a twin-engine multirole fighter used by the United States and Australia and which first became operational in June 2001.

According to the Department of Defense, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued.

Work on this contract will be divided evenly between St. Louis, Mo., and El Segundo, Calif., and is expected to be complete by April 2025.

 

[Blacklight]

Importance of air launched effects and long-range missiles are critical to US Army
27 April 2020

The US Army has demonstrated a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk launching an Area-I ALTIUS unmanned air vehicle (UAV) from the low altitude of 100ft above the ground.

The ALTIUS, which stands for Air-Launched, Tube-Integrated Unmanned System, was launched while the helicopter was in forward flight during a 4 March test at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.

Source: US Army - Area-I ALTIUS launching from Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

Launching a UAV from a forward-moving, low-flying helicopter can be tricky, as it can be swatted away by the host platform’s main rotor downwash. The small vehicle also has little time to deploy its wing and start flying under its own power.

By showing that a UAV can be launched from a helicopter flying at low level, the US Army says it is one step closer to developing the aircraft and weapons needed to penetrate and destroy the advanced air defences of potential adversaries such as China and Russia.

The service wants ALTIUS to serve as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) UAV to help spot enemy air defences, especially those that are optimised for shooting down lower-altitude aircraft. It needs this capability to be able to fly at low altitudes so that its scouting helicopters can also remain close to the ground, hidden behind hills or buildings, out of the way of enemy detection and fire.

Targets spotted by the ALTIUS are to be destroyed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Spike non line-of-sight (NLOS) missile. The Israeli company’s weapon has a 17.3nm (32km) range: far longer than that of the US service’s current Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire, which is limited to 4.3nm. That extended range is to help keep US Army helicopters beyond the reach of enemy anti-aircraft weapons.
ALTIUS and Spike NLOS are stopgap solutions that the service plans to buy and field soon so it can be ready for battles with near peer adversaries.

Small numbers of the Spike NLOS are to be fielded by late 2022 or early 2023, and both systems are to be in hand by 2025.

The service declines to say how many Spike NLOS missiles are to be ordered.
“It’s a quantity enough to get after our global ‘we fight tonight’ challenges,” says Colonel Matthew Isaacson, Future Vertical Lift cross functional team chief of operations.

By 2028, when the army’s next-generation scouting helicopter, the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), is to be deployed, the service wants tailor-made systems.

It wants a successor - a so-called Air Launched Effect (ALE) - to the ALTIUS and Spike, with what it calls the Long-Range Precision Munition (LRPM). The army expec ts to finish drafting requirements for both next-generation systems by the end of this year, says Isaacson.

HIDE AND SEEK
While the US Army has been busy fighting wars in the Middle East, as well as the global war on terrorism, over the past 19 years, China and Russia have invested heavily in sophisticated networks of surface-to-air missiles intended to shoot down US combat aircraft.

To counter these missile systems, the army is contracting US industry to develop helicopters, weapons, UAVs and battlefield networks that would allow it to attack and defeat an adversary’s air defences before the opposing force is able to mount a strong defence. In particular, the service aims to go after lower-altitude surface-to-air missile batteries and anti-aircraft guns, leaving higher-altitude threats to the US Air Force.

“The air force brings the capability to open up higher airspace, but not near-terrain-flying altitude airspace,” says Isaacson. He says not all threats can be identified and attacked from high altitudes, meaning helicopters are needed.

The service’s in-development FARA rotorcraft, with its cruise speed of at least 180kt (333km/h), is to serve as the first thrust of the spear in a penetration mission. ALE and LRPM are to sharpen the helicopter’s lethality by allowing it to spot threats from a safe distance and strike targets.

The concept is similar to how the army currently uses the Boeing AH-64E attack helicopter and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV to spot and attack targets. The detect, identify, locate and report mission of scouting is unchanged.

Source: US Army- Area-I ALTIUS

However, the army envisages multiple ALEs speeding up the process by working together in groups and automating target acquisition. “Artificial intelligence-enabled target recognition allows humans to reduce their workload ,” says Isaacson. “Having multiple ALEs in flight also allows us to extend the range [of UAVs] through line-of-sight communications, where one can transmit data to another. We’ve demonstrated that.”

The ALEs would not only represent an ISR capabilty, however. They are to be modular, allowing soldiers the ability to swap in and out payloads, as well as mission software.

A UAV with an electronic warfare payload could be used to disrupt enemy command, control and communications systems. “[It] provides some kind of chaos to the enemy or inhibits their ability to define where we’re at,” says Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Freude, FARA integration lead and G-3 plans and requirements officer.

The ALEs could also serve as decoys to tempt enemies into turning on their radar systems and to draw out fire. “They give their positions away when they engage those decoys,” says Freude.

Lastly, ALEs could serve as loitering munitions. “As targets are identified you can also prosecute the targets,” says Freude.

The army wants to overwhelm an adversary’s decision making ability, says Isaacson, noting: “We have to present multiple dilemmas to our near peer adversaries.”

LONG-RANGE MISSILE
Rafael’s Spike started as an anti-tank missile inspired by Israel’s experience in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when it was simultaneously invaded by Egypt and Syria in a surprise massed tank attack. In response, Israel developed the Spike in the 1980s as a weapon that could attack the armoured reserves of an invading army, thus slowing the adversary’s momentum.

The missile has evolved over the years to include anti-ship and anti-personnel warheads. The wider Spike family includes shoulder- and vehicle-launched variants, and the maximum range of the missile has increased from 6.4nm to 17.3nm.

For business with the US government, Lockheed serves as the missile’s prime contractor. Rafael says it is in discussions to set up US-based manufacturing of the weapon.

Source: Rafael- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Spike NLOS firing

In addition to its long range, the Spike has several further advantages over other air-launched missiles, its manufacturer says.

After receiving a target’s co-ordinates, the missile is steered to its destination using a combination of inertial navigation and an electro-optical/infrared camera.

“We don’t use GPS navigation. That’s a big advantage of the missile,” says Gal Papier, director of business development for the precise tactical weapon systems directorate at Rafael. “It’s actually immune to a GPS-denied environment.”

In recent years, China and Russia have focused on developing GPS jamming and spoofing capabilities to disrupt the USA’s ability to conduct GPS-guided precision strikes. The two countries have also invested in anti-satellite missiles.

For the last portion of the Spike’s trajectory to a target, a helicopter weapons officer steers the missile using its cameras. “The missile is transmitting the video of the missile seeker in real time using an encrypted data link to the operator,” says Papier. “The gunner feels like he’s riding on the missile.”

Though a loitering munition could do many of the same missions as the Spike NLOS, or the forthcoming LRPM, long-range missiles are favoured against high-value targets because of their speed, says the US Army.

In August 2019, the service test-fired five Spike missiles from an AH-64E at the Yuma Proving Grounds. The missiles hit five out of five targets. The army says the demonstration gives it the confidence to move ahead with acquisition of the weapon.

In addition to the Apache, the UH-60, Boeing CH-47 Chinook and army UAVs can carry and launch ALEs and LRPMs, says Isaacson.

Looking beyond Spike and ALTIUS, the army declines to disclose exactly what it wants for its next generation of systems. Nonetheless, the service says it expects to be working within a constrained budget. Goals are to be achievable and practical, it says.

“We’re not talking about anything that’s boutique or expensive, or unaffordable. We know that the army aviation portfolio is not one that grows over time,” says Isaacson. “We’re looking at ways to integrate available affordable technology.”

 

[Blacklight]

US Air Force issues draft request for proposal to replace B-52 engines
27 April 2020

The US Air Force (USAF) released a draft request for proposal to replace the engines of the ageing Boeing B-52H Stratofortress.
The notice brings the B-52H re-engine programme one step closer to kick off.

The service plans to buy 608 commercial engines – plus additional spare engines and support equipment – enabling it to operate the heavy bombers until at least 2050, a 23 April notice says. The USAF plans to award a contract in May 2021. The engines are to be delivered over 17 years.

The service’s fleet of B-52Hs have flown with Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 engines since the early 1960s. The TF33 is based on the commercial JT3D that powered the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Each bomber has eight engines.

The USAF wants a military derivative of a commercial engine to replace those turbines.

GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce have expressed interest in bidding on the programme.

GE Aviation plans to offer two bids: CF34-10s, which powers commercial aircraft like Bombardier and Embraer regional jets, and Passport turbofans, which power Bombardier’s Global 7500 business jet. Pratt & Whitney plans to offer the PW800 engine, which powers Gulfstream G500 and G600 business jets. R-R plans to offer the F130 engine, a military derivative of the company’s BR700, which powers Gulfstream business jets and other aircraft.

The USAF wants a replacement engine that has a similar size, thrust and weight compared to the legacy P&W powerplants. Each of those engines generate 17,000lb-thrust (75.7kN).

However, the service also wants a modern turbofan with a higher bypass ratio and digital engine controls. It wants that engine to have reduced fuel consumption, noise, emissions and operating costs.

The B-52H has an unrefuelled range of 7,650nm (14,200km). Depending on the engine selected, it is thought that the aircraft’s range could be increased by 20% to 40%.

 

[Blacklight]

General Atomics plans air launched effect test from MQ-1C Gray Eagle this summer
27 April 2020

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is planning an air launched effect (ALE) test from its MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) this summer.

The company aims to launch a drone called the Area-I Air-Launched Tube-Integrated Unmanned System (ALTIUS) from the Gray Eagle ER. Initial testing is to be focused on optimising the data rates of the UAV’s TrellisWare radio datalink, the manufacturer said on 7 March.

Source: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - MQ-1C Gray Eagle ER with air-launched effects rendering

“For our demonstration this summer, we will show that ALEs can operate 32.4-43.2nm [60-80km] from the Gray Eagle ER,” says Chris Pehrson, vice-president of strategic development for Department of Defense customers with General Atomics. “This range is limited due to airspace and data link constraints. However, as data links mature and are optimised, we expect ALEs will deploy and operate up to 162nm from the Gray Eagle ER.”

The flight demonstration is to be the third of a series in which General Atomics wants to show that the US Army’s MQ-1C can be modified and used in battles against so-called Great Power nations, sophisticated adversaries with advanced radar and surface-to-air missile air defences.

The US Department of Defense is increasingly worried that its aircraft are vulnerable to being shot down. Several of the US Air Force’s General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers – the MQ-1C’s larger cousin – have been lost to such action over the Middle East in recent years.

To keep the MQ-1C beyond the reach of an adversary’s missiles, the company is experimenting with using long-range sensors on the platform.
“Greater range of sensors enables all Gray Eagle configurations to operate outside of threat [air defence artillery] engagement ranges and survive through the end of the fight,” says Pehrson. “Recent army-sponsored independent [modelling and simulation] analysis against advanced integrated air defence system threats showed that ‘no Gray Eagles were lost’ when operated at altitude, on the friendly side of the forward line of troops.”

In the two earlier demonstrations, the company says it showed the MQ-1C was able to use L3Harris Technologies’ Rio Nino Communications Intelligence system to detect emitters, such as radar or radio communications. A General Atomics Lynx synthetic aperture radar sensor cross-cued the targets at a range of more than 32.4nm.

Those targets could then be fired upon by the US Army’s Long Range Precision Fires artillery, nearby troops, tanks or helicopters, as well as long-range weapons, such as missiles or loitering munitions, launched from the Gray Eagle ER.

In the third demonstration, the ALTIUS will be controlled with Area-I’s software. Uplink and downlink data for the UAV will be sent from the ground through the Gray Eagle ER data link and then out via the onboard TrellisWare radio to the ALTIUS.

Eventually, General Atomics plans to control the UAV, or any other ALE, from its Scalable Command & Control software program, which can fly the MQ-1C in place of a full ground control station. The software runs on a standard US Army ruggedised laptop and uses a commercial video game controller.

The ALTIUS is recoverable and reuseable. It is thought of as “attritable”, meaning it is cheap enough to be lost or destroyed without serious financial pain to the service.

General Atomics is looking at air recovery of ALEs from the MQ-9B and is considering it for the MQ-1C as well.
“It is feasible for Gray Eagle ER and something we will continue to consider,” says Pehrson. “Gray Eagle ER is a flexible platform and we will work closely with the army to support the recovery method that they require.”

The army has not said how many ALEs it would want the MQ-1C to carry, but General Atomics says it is capable of carrying 12 to 16 ALTIUS-sized drones.

 

[Khafee]

US Navy awards Boeing $84.7m for three more MQ-25A unmanned refuelling tankers

The US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing $84.7 million for three additional MQ-25A Stingray unmanned in-flight refuelling tankers.

The unmanned air vehicles (UAV) are expected to be complete by August 2024, says the Department of Defense in a notice online on 2 April.

Source: Boeing - Boeing MQ-25A

The three additional “demonstration test articles” bring the total number of aircraft Boeing is manufacturing in the MQ-25A programme to seven. The award was an option on the original four-aircraft contract, worth $805 million, which was awarded to Boeing in August 2018.

“This order establishes uninterrupted production of the first MQ-25 aircraft and lines up with the Navy’s MQ-25 test and training plans for fleet introduction,” says Dave Bujold, Boeing’s MQ-25 programme director.

Boeing owns the first example of the MQ-25A, called T1. The UAV first flew in September 2019 and has since accumulated 30h in flight time.

Flight testing is paused on the MQ-25A at the moment as Boeing installs an aerial refueling store under the left wing of the T1 UAV. The company is doing tests on its own aircraft in order to gather data faster and prepare the aircraft to move quickly towards production. It has said it plans to start delivering engineering, manufacturing and development examples of the aircraft to the USN in 2021.

 

[Khafee]

B-1B Lancer flies 29-hour mission for exercise with Japan Air Self Defense Force
April 28, 2020

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. and F-16 Fighting Falcons from Misawa Air Base, Japan, conducted bilateral joint training with Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s and F-15s off the coast of Northern Japan on April 22. Photo courtesy of Japan Air-Self Defense Force

April 28 (UPI) -- A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron integrated with the Japan Air Self Defense Force to conduct bilateral and theater familiarization training near Japan last week, the Air Force announced.

According to the Air Force, the aircraft launched from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to fly the nearly 29-hour, round-trip sortie to the Indo-Pacific and team up with six U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons and seven JASDF F-2s and eight JASDF F-15s over the Draughon Range as part of the joint mission between U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Strategic Command Bomber Task Force.

The mission was conducted on April 22, officials said.

"This was a higher-headquarters directed operational mission to assure our allies, and deter adversaries while demonstrating the dynamic force employment model," Lt. Col. Lincoln Coleman, 37th BS commander, said in a press release.

"This was a total team effort involving every group on base that provided us with the opportunity to integrate with multiple air operations centers in different areas of responsibility," Coleman said.

The last time the B-1 was in the Indo Pacific area of responsibility was in January 2018 when the airframe and crews completed a six-month Continuous Bomber Presence mission at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

"In order to execute Air Force Global Strike Command's mission, we must be familiar with how our allies and mission partners operate around the globe," Coleman said. "This requires us to continually execute joint and combined operations around the world. This mission provided a unique opportunity for our aircrew to interact with our allies in an operational environment, improve interoperability and reinforce our partnership."

 

[Khafee]

US Navy signs $6.1 billion, 10 year contract, for aircraft maintenance services and support.

Aviation service provider Erickson Incorporated has secured a contract with the United States Navy to provide aircraft maintenance services and support.

The USD 6.1 billion contract covers modification kit build and installations; recovery of downed aircraft; repair of aircraft and components; overhaul of engines; and contractor logistics support.

The work is expected to be complete by April 2030.

“We are thrilled to have won this chance to continue our support to the Navy and Marine Corps on KRACEn. The Navy and Marine Corps know Erickson for the exceptional depot level work we have done on their H-53 fleet. We hope to build on that reputation and expand our service offerings to other platforms,” Kevin Cochie, VP of Defense and National Security Erickson, said.

Founded in 1971, Erickson is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA, and maintains operations in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Australia.

It provides manufacturing as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul of aerospace parts and aircraft.

 

[Khafee]

HII delivers destroyer Delbert D. Black to US Navy

On April 24, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) to the US Navy.

Prior to delivery, the ship successfully conducted a series of at-sea and pier-side trials to demonstrate its material and operational readiness.

Delbert D. Black is scheduled to sail away from the shipyard in August 2020.

Documents signed on Friday mark the official transfer of custody of the ship from HII to the US Navy.

“The DDG 51 shipbuilding program and Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast are proud to accept delivery of Delbert D. Black on behalf of the navy, an look forward to her commissioning later this year,” Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships, said.

DDG 119 is the first ship named in honor of navy veteran Delbert D. Black, who served as a gunner’s mate and was aboard the battleship USS Maryland (BB 46) during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In addition to Delbert D. Black, HII’s Pascagoula shipyard is also currently in production on the future destroyers Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121), and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), as well as the Flight III ships, Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), and Ted Stevens (DDG 128).

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy. Guided-missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

 

[Khafee]

Office of Naval Research starts USD 750K challenge

The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global has launched Global-X, a nine-month international science challenge worth up to $750,000 USD to encourage groundbreaking research from all around the world.

ONR coordinates, executes and promotes the science and technology programs of the US Navy and Marine Corps.

As informed, ONR Global will competitively select and fund revolutionary international research projects in three challenge areas not addressed by the current basic research portfolio of ONR Global.

Global-X will, therefore, stimulate new, high-risk multidisciplinary research ideas that have both military and commercial value with the expectation of solving present and future US Navy and Marine Corps technology needs.

ONR is interested in receiving white papers and proposals on the following challenge topics — Tailored Material and Manufacturing; Multifunctional Maritime Films for Persistent and Survivable Platforms and Warfighters; Object Detection and Identification in any Medium (Air, Water, Sand/Earth).

Researchers from academia and industry of all disciplines and countries are invited to form multi-national teams to address any challenge area.

“The objective of Global-X is to accelerate revolutionary research, bridging the gap between the science community’s academic work and warfighter needs,” Capt. Matt Farr, Executive Officer for ONR Global, said.

“Implementing a multi-national team challenge will enable ONR Global to engage the world’s best researchers to create and demonstrate a new capability that has never been done before. This will undoubtedly benefit all team members.”

“I’m excited about our Global-X Challenge and its tremendous potential for sparking new ideas and collaborating in a way that has never been done before…We are confident that we will receive ambitious yet attainable cutting-edge ideas to potentially transfer to our fleet and the commercial market,” Rhett Jefferies, ONR Global Technical Director, commented.

Global-X was officially launched during a kick-off webinar on April 23.

 

[Khafee]

GE nabs $707.3M to produce F110 engines for allied governments
April 28, 2020
By Christen McCurdy

An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, takes off in support of BALTOPS and Saber Strike 18 in Poland in 2018. General Electric has been awarded $707.3 million to produce F110 engines, which power the F-16, to several allied militaries. Photo by Christopher S. Sparks/U.S. Air Force

April 28 (UPI) -- General Electric was awarded $707.3 million Tuesday to produce F110 engines for several allied militaries, according to the Pentagon.

The contract funds production of FF10-GE-129 engines for the governments of Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan and Qatar through the Department of Defense's foreign military sales program.

According to GE, the F110 powers more than 70 percent of the Air Force's F-16C/D aircraft, and the 129 variant offers significant mission advantages -- including significant additional thrust -- for F-15 and F-16 aircraft.

Work on the contract will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, with an expected completion date of Dec. 21, 2026.