US Armed Forces

[Khafee]

Russian court sentences ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan to 16 years for espionage
June 15, 2020

U.S. citizen Paul Whelan holds up a sign denouncing the legal proceedings against him as he stands inside the defendant's cage before hearing the verdict of his espionage trial at the Moscow City Court on Monday. Photo by Uri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE

June 15 (UPI) -- A Russian court on Monday convicted former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, a decision that is expected to inflame simmering tensions between the Kremlin and Washington.

Whelan, 50, was arrested in December 2018 while in Moscow for a wedding in possession of a flash drive that allegedly contained Russian state secrets.

The former U.S. Marine, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, has denied the allegations. After the verdict was announced, he called the trial "political theater."

Whelan's brother David Whelan said in a statement released immediately after the verdict was announced that they expect Paul's defense to file an appeal.

"It was the Russian legal system that was found guilty of injustice. The court's decision merely completes the final piece of this broken judicial process. We had hoped that the court might show some independence but, in the end, Russian judges are political, not legal, entities," he said.

Rebecca Ross, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said Paul Whelan was convicted and sentenced during a secret trial that began in March during which no evidence was produced. She called it "an egregious violation of human rights and international legal norms."

"The United States demands that U.S. citizen [Paul Whelan] be released immediately," Ross quoted U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan as having said. "His conviction is a mockery of justice. The world is watching."

In the days leading up to the verdict's announcement, Sullivan had leveled criticism at the court, with Ross quoting him on Twitter as having called the trial neither transparent nor fair.

Outside courthouse on Monday, Sullivan said he was "disappointed and outraged" by the decision but was not surprised.

"This is not going to have a good impact on our relationship," he said.

The relationship between the Kremlin and Washington has been tense for years but has deteriorated following U.S. allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Russia to release Paul Whelan, telling reporters in a press briefing that Sullivan and his team "will keep fighting" for his release.

Late last month, the United States' top diplomat said Paul Whelan was being denied necessary medical treatment.

"We demand Paul's release," he tweeted.

The ruling states Paul Whelan will serve his term at a high-security correctional facility, state-run TASS Russian News Agency reported.

 

[Khafee]

Boeing Delivers First F/A-18 Block III Super Hornets to U.S. Navy for Flight Test
The first operational Block III jet will be delivered to the Navy in early 2021

ST. LOUIS, Mo., June 17, 2020 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered the first two F/A-18 Block III Super Hornets to the U.S. Navy for flight testing. One jet is a single-seat E model and the other is a two-seat F model.

“The aircraft will be used for carrier suitability and integration testing of all Block III mission system components,” said Steve Wade, Boeing vice president, F/A-18 & EA-18G programs. “These test jets will ensure crews have plenty of time to become comfortable with the new, next-generation systems before receiving operational aircraft.”

The Navy will use the aircraft to familiarize pilots with the advanced cockpit system’s new 10-inch-by-19-inch touchscreen display and test the capabilities delivered with the enhanced network capability.

In addition to these enhancements, the Block III configuration adds capability upgrades that include longer range, reduced radar signature and an enhanced communication system. The fighter’s life also will be extended from 6,000 hours to 10,000 hours.

Last year, Boeing was awarded a contract from the Navy for 78 Block III Super Hornets. Boeing and Navy test teams have also flown conformal fuel tank prototypes

 

[Khafee]

See the experimental Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant helicopter hit a new speed milestone


The Boeing-Sikorsky SB-1 Defiant flies during a June 9 test in West Palm Beach, Fla., where it reached speeds of 205 knots. (Boeing-Sikorsky)

WASHINGTON — The Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant coaxial demonstrator hit a new speed record of 205 knots during a June 9 flight test, the companies announced Tuesday.

The test marks a major step forward as the Sikorsky-Boeing team continues to march toward a speed requirement of 230 knots, Jay Macklin, Sikorsky’s director of future vertical lift business development, said during a June 16 roundtable with reporters.

The flight, which was piloted by Sikorsky test pilot Bill Fell and Boeing test pilot Ed Henderscheid, occurred at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Test Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Exceeding 200 knots is significant also because it’s beyond any conventional helicopter speed, and we understand that speed and low-level manueverabily is critical to the holistic survivability in a future FVL environment,” Macklin said, using an acronym for future vertical lift, the U.S. Army’s effort to build next-generation rotorcraft.


The Defiant is one of two rotorcraft taking place in a competitive demonstration and risk-reduction effort ahead of the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program. The Army envisions FLRAA as a replacement for the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in the early 2030s.

The Defiant, a compound helicopter with coaxial rotors, will compete against Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor tilt rotor when the FLRAA program of record starts in 2022.

Fell said that during the latest Defiant flight demonstration, he was able to hit speeds of 205 knots using less than 50 percent of the aircraft’s installed propeller power. “Expect a lot more in the future because we have a lot more [propeller] power to apply to this machine,” he said.

Fell added that he believes the team will fly Defiant at maximum speeds — which could be in excess of 250 knots — in a matter of “a few months,” but that will depend on the pace of ground tests using the propulsion system test bed, or PSTB. The Sikorsky-Boeing team is carrying out extensive testing with the PSTB to wring out potential issues on the ground before moving to flight demos.

“It’s a little bit different when you’re putting power on that prop and you’re going through the air at 200 knots versus statically on the ground,” Fell said. “We have to do some MacGyver engineering on the [propeller] stand to keep the loads in check because they are significantly higher here on the test stand without the airflow through it that you have in flight.

“As we clear the [propeller] on the ground stand, that gives me the added confidence when we get up there in flight.”

The Defiant has clocked in 18 flight hours since its first flight in March 2018, and it has put 113 hours of testing on the PSTB. In January, the Defiant flew for more than 100 knots for the first time.

Macklin acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a small impact as Boeing and Sikorsky take steps to protect its employees. But for the most part the flight test program has remained on track, he said.

Added Fell: “If we fly once a week, we’re pretty happy with that, and if we fly every other week, we’re happy with that as well. But we have to continue to make progress and run the test stand.”

Jen Judson in Washington contributed to this report.

 

[Khafee]

U.S. intercepts more Russian military planes near Alaska
June 17, 2020

A NORAD F-22 fighter plane intercepted a Russian Tu-95 bomber near Alaska on Tuesday. The two incidents on Tuesday marked the seventh and eighth such intercepts in 2020. Photo courtesy of NORAD

June 17 (UPI) -- U.S. fighter planes intercepted eight Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska in two separate incidents, NORAD announced Wednesday.

The intercepts, late Tuesday, mark the third and fourth such incidents in the past week, and the seventh and eighth in 2020, indicating an increase in Russian air activity on the U.S. border.

"NORAD F-22 Raptors, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, successfully completed two intercepts of Russian bomber aircraft formations entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone last night," NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] said in a series of Twitter messages. "The Russian military aircraft came within 32 nautical miles of Alaskan shores; however, remained in international airspace and at no time did they enter United States sovereign airspace."

The first formation involved two Tu-95 bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear missiles; two Su-35 fighter planes; and an A-50 warning and control plane. The second included two Tu-95s and one A-50.

"For the eighth time this year, Russian military aircraft have penetrated our Canadian or Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zones and each and every time NORAD forces were ready to meet this challenge," Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, NORAD commander, later said. "Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, NORAD constantly monitors the northern approaches to our nations and our operations make it clear that we will conduct homeland defense efforts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year."

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its planes were on an 11-hour "planned flight over international waters of the Chukchi, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as the northern part of the Pacific Ocean." It also provided a brief video of one of the intercepts.

The 55-mile-wide Bering Strait separates Russia and Alaska.

"At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by F-22 fighters of the USAF," the ministry added, but noted that "all flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict compliance with the international laws on the use of airspace."

The United States regards its land, and 12 miles of any surrounding sea space, as sovereign territory.

 

[Khafee]

U.S. Navy graduates its first F-35C TOPGUN class
June 17, 2020

The Navy's TOPGUN training program has graduated the first two instructors who will train pilots to fly the F-35C, pictured. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin

June 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy announced the first use of the F-35C fighter plane in two pilots' successful completion of the TOPGUN training program.

Maj. Derek Heinz and Lt. William Goodwin completed the 13-week Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor course at the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center of Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., the Navy announced on Tuesday.

It is the first time TOPGUN has graduated students flying the F-35C Lightning II, a variant of the aircraft regarded as the world's most advanced fighter plane.

A syllabus, involving classroom lectures, simulated flying and actual live-fly events, was created for the use of the plane. The instructor course is used to develop skills of pilots, and help integrate the plane into strike groups of older planes.

"The Lightning II proved its value to the Navy during every phase of the TOPGUN course, and its integration with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler and E-2C/D Hawkeye demonstrated that the powerful combination of 4th and 5th generation fighters, with advanced electronic attack, and command and control, is a force-multiplier against advanced threats," Cmdr. Timothy Myers, NAWDC TOPGUN chief, said in a press release.

With certifications as instructors, Heinz and Goodwin will train other F-35C pilots at Lemoore Naval Air Station, Calif., where the Navy's F-35C fleet squadron is located.

"This tremendous accomplishment is yet another step for the F-35C community as we continue to focus on delivering this game-changing aircraft to the Fleet," said Capt. Adan Covarrubias, Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing.

"The graduates of the first F-35C TOPGUN class are back in Lemoore instructing VFA-147 [Strike Fighter Squadron 147] in the latest tactics that will, in turn, be brought to the fight during Carrier Air Wing Two's first deployment with the Navy's Joint Strike Fighter," Covarrubias said.

 

[Khafee]

Theodore Roosevelt Super Hornet Crashes in Philippine Sea; Pilot, Weapon Systems Officer Safe
By: Sam LaGrone
June 18, 2020

An F/A-18F Super Hornet

An F/A-18F Super Hornet operating off USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) crashed in the Philippine Sea on Thursday, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News.

The pilot and the weapons officer ejected safely and were recovered by an MH-60S helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, according to a statement from the carrier.

“The incident occurred as the F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 was conducting routine pilot proficiency training,” reads the statement.
“The incident is currently under investigation. Both aviators were assessed by the medical team on board Theodore Roosevelt and are in good condition.”

The squadron to which the fighter was assigned was not confirmed by the Navy at the time of this posting. According to public Navy information, though, the only squadron on the carrier that flies the two-seat F variant is the the “Black Knights” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154 from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.

Theodore Roosevelt returned to sea on June 4 after spending more than two months in Guam battling a COVID-19 outbreak that infected more than 1,200 crew members and resulted in one death. Carrier Air Wing 11 was re-certified to operate from Theodore Roosevelt before the deployment resumed.

The ship is back underway currently operating in the Philippine Sea, according to Navy officials.

The following is the complete June 18, 2020 statement from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

PHILIPPINE SEA (June 18, 2020) – Two aviators safely ejected and were quickly recovered by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) while conducting routine flight operations in the Philippine Sea.

The incident occurred as the F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 was conducting routine pilot proficiency training. The incident is currently under investigation. Both aviators were assessed by the medical team on board Theodore Roosevelt and are in good condition.

 

[TomCat]

Theodore Roosevelt Super Hornet Crashes in Philippine Sea; Pilot, Weapon Systems Officer Safe
By: Sam LaGrone
June 18, 2020

View attachment 13836
An F/A-18F Super Hornet

An F/A-18F Super Hornet operating off USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) crashed in the Philippine Sea on Thursday, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News.

The pilot and the weapons officer ejected safely and were recovered by an MH-60S helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, according to a statement from the carrier.

“The incident occurred as the F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 was conducting routine pilot proficiency training,” reads the statement.
“The incident is currently under investigation. Both aviators were assessed by the medical team on board Theodore Roosevelt and are in good condition.”

The squadron to which the fighter was assigned was not confirmed by the Navy at the time of this posting. According to public Navy information, though, the only squadron on the carrier that flies the two-seat F variant is the the “Black Knights” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154 from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.

Theodore Roosevelt returned to sea on June 4 after spending more than two months in Guam battling a COVID-19 outbreak that infected more than 1,200 crew members and resulted in one death. Carrier Air Wing 11 was re-certified to operate from Theodore Roosevelt before the deployment resumed.

The ship is back underway currently operating in the Philippine Sea, according to Navy officials.

The following is the complete June 18, 2020 statement from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

PHILIPPINE SEA (June 18, 2020) – Two aviators safely ejected and were quickly recovered by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) while conducting routine flight operations in the Philippine Sea.

The incident occurred as the F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 was conducting routine pilot proficiency training. The incident is currently under investigation. Both aviators were assessed by the medical team on board Theodore Roosevelt and are in good condition.

“j15 iS a sHiTtY fIGhTeR”

So much for the F-18.

BTW, What’s wrong with the US crashes recently ? Too many nowadays

 

[Khafee]

Marines Considering Adding Land-Based Hypersonic Weapons to Arsenal
By: Megan Eckstein
June 18, 2020

U.S. Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines, 4th Marine Regiment, fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 1-18 in Yuma, Ariz. on Oct. 17, 2017. US Marine Corps Photo

The Marine Corps is in talks with the Pentagon’s research and development community over how a land-based hypersonic weapon could be incorporated into the smallest service’s quick-maneuver concept.

Mike White, assistant director for hypersonics in the Office of the Under Secretary for Defense for Research and Engineering, said today that “I haven’t given up on the Marines yet” for incorporating hypersonic weapons into their future operational concepts.

“The Army and the Navy and the Air Force are moving out aggressively with hypersonic systems, but we are also talking to the Marines about possible applications of ground-launched hypersonic capabilities,” he said during the Defense One Tech Summit held online this week.

Hypersonic weapons travel at speeds of at least Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound – and challenge enemy defense systems not only in tracking their path but in being able to hit and defeat them.

Asked why the Marines would be a good candidate for using hypersonics, which can be shot from greater distances and still hit their targets quickly, White said, “the Marines bring agility to the land campaign. They are an agile force; they can be in certain places with a relatively small footprint relatively quickly. And so that agility and flexibility allows for a number of different advantages. So there’s some conversations happening between DARPA and the Marines in particular to talk about the potential transition of a land-based hypersonic capability to the Marines. And it’s just being discussed as part of the opportunity space for future application of hypersonic weapons.”

The Marine Corps spent much of the last two decades with personnel and equipment flowing in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan for lengthy deployments to the ground wars there. Though routine deployments of marine expeditionary units on amphibious ships never stopped, they were certainly not the focus of Marine Corps operations.

Today, though, the service is seeing a renaissance in its amphibious force, with new thought focused on how to better employ forces and significant attention focused on how to develop small ships, unmanned vessels, new connectors, simplified logistics, new weapons and much more to support these new operational concepts that tend to focus on small groups of Marines moving from the sea to a piece of land, conducting a mission quickly and then moving away to a different piece of land. This island-hopping strategy is primarily being crafted with a Pacific operating area in mind, but it could also be used in places like the Baltic Sea.

The Navy was dubbed the lead service for developing a hypersonic weapon to serve as a conventional prompt global strike weapon – not meant to replace nuclear weapons but rather to provide another option for launching a retaliatory strike anywhere around the world in less than an hour. The Navy’s approach has been to develop a glide body that all the services could use that could withstand the harshest possible conditions: in this case, being launched from a submarine undersea. The Navy has since talked about putting this hypersonic weapon onboard Block V and later Virginia-class submarines with the Virginia Payload Module, as well as potentially the Zumwalt-class destroyer, but the topic of arming Marines with ground-based hypersonic weapons had not been publicly discussed.

 

[TsAr]

Air Force anticipates virtual reality trainer for B-52 pilots
The Air Force hopes to adopt a virtual reality trainer to help B-52 Stratofortress student-pilots train for combat.

The Virtual Reality Procedures Trainer, developed by Maj. Mark Budgeon of Air Force Global Strike Command, Maj. Brandon Wolf, 307th Operations Support Squadron, and Maj. Justin Stephenson, 11th Bomb Squadron chief pilot and chief of innovations, along with King Crow Studios, was released earlier in July at StrikeWerx in Bossier City, La.

A prototype is expected later this year.

"Our adversaries are getting much better, much faster," Budgeon said. "This system has the potential to revolutionize the entire training process and make our student graduates better."

The VPRT is intended to reduce human bias in instruction, provide better access to training for student pilots and give students immediate feedback -- reducing their chances of developing poor habits early in training.

It would also be accessible to students all the time, Wolf said, allowing more time for instruction and practice before getting in the cockpit.

"Its operating system is intuitive, so all we have to do is hand it to them and say 'go'," Budgeon said.

"We can do anything in this environment," said Cody Louviere, King Crowe Studios' founder. "We are here at the right time because technology is advancing exponentially."

The military is increasingly embracing virtual reality as a training tool.

In June Marine Corps Times reported that the Marine Corps is looking to procure at least six virtual reality flight simulators to share with applicants at recruiting events to address a pilot shortage in the service.

And in January the Air Force announced that airmen at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas C-130J Super Hercules to learn and practice aircraft maintenance to circumvent the traditional process of requiring a C-130 for maintenance, which can take weeks.

"We request an aircraft to be down three days a week in order to train our students," said Master Sgt. Nicholas Massingill, 19th Maintenance Group development and instructor section chief.. "When we do that, we are taking aircraft away from the mission. While VR will never replace hands-on training, it will help bring familiarization to the task, so the instructors can speed up the process when conducting hands-on training."

 

[Khafee]

Navy Sailor Charged with Giving Classified Information to a Russian
17 Jul 2020

A Navy sailor stationed in Portsmouth is facing charges that he gave classified information to a Russian he knew.

Chief Petty Officer Charles T. Briggs is scheduled to be arraigned next week at a general court-martial. Military court documents don’t say what kind of information he’s accused of giving the Russian or how he knew the person.

Briggs, who works in information and technology at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, is charged with unauthorized distribution of classified information obtained from a government computer, obstructing justice, communicating defense information, possessing child pornography, attempting to view child pornography, two counts of violating a general regulation and three counts of making false official statements.

According to the charge sheet, Briggs used a government computer to get secret information on or around Jan. 9, 2019, and had reason to believe the information could be used to “injure the United States or benefit a foreign national.” He was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska at the time.

He had access to national defense information on multiple occasions from October 2018 to January 2019, according to the document.

The charge sheet says Briggs then gave the classified information to a person who the redacted document identifies as a “Russian national,” not authorized to have the information.

Briggs did not report connections to a Russian national and Italian national, according to the charge sheet. It also says he lied on a security clearance pre-screening questionnaire that asked whether he maintained a “close and continuing relationship” with anyone who was not a U.S. citizen.

The document alleges Briggs failed to report his travel to Serbia. It says he also filed paperwork that falsely said he was staying in Nebraska during leave in 2018.

Additionally, Briggs is facing two charges related to child pornography, according to the charge sheet.

He is being held in pretrial confinement, according to the documents. He’s slated for arraignment Wednesday, but a Navy spokesperson said dates are subject to change.

 

[Khafee]

US Air Force Awards Lockheed $15B C-130J Production IDIQ
July 20, 2020
View attachment 15032
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has received a potential 10-year, $15B contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop, produce, integrate and retrofit all variants of the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

Work under the sole-source, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, which includes foreign military sales, will occur in Marietta, Ga., through July 16, 2030, the Department of Defense said Friday.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center will obligate $3.3M in aircraft procurement funds for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 at the time of award.

C-130J is designed to transport warfighters and equipment into hostile areas and can carry more than 40K pounds of cargo and supplies in support of airlift, aeromedical, firefighting, weather reconnaissance and disaster relief missions. The aircraft has a two-pilot flight station, defensive systems, digital moving map display and low-power color radar

 

[Khafee]

Navy commissions new LCS USS St. Louis in socially distanced ceremony
Aug. 10, 2020

The newly-commissioned Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS St. Louis, LCS 19, flies ceremonious flags during its first moments of life at it’s homeport, Naval Station Mayport. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Alana Langdon/Naval Surface Force Atlantic/U.S. Navy

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest littoral combat ship over the weekend, the USS St. Louis, which is the seventh ship to bear the name, officials said.

The commissioning ceremony was the Navy's first virtual commissioning ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is a vivid demonstration of the resiliency embedded in our government and industry teams to fulfill the mission even when confronted with a global pandemic," Rear Admiral Casey Moton said Saturday at the ceremony streamed online from Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Commander Eric Turner, the future Freedom-variant LCS's executive officer, was the master of ceremony.

"We are here today to commission the seventh United States Navy ship to bear the name of America's gateway to the west, St. Louis, Missouri," Turner said earlier on in the event.

The first St. Louis was commissioned on Dec. 20, 1828, during the "sloop of war," according to Turner, serving in the Pacific, Caribbean and Mediterranean.

The new USS St. Louis is the 22nd LCS to be delivered to the Navy and the 10th of the Freedom-variant to join the fleet, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement.

Littoral combat ships are designed to move fast in near shore environments and are also capable of operations in the open-ocean.

Operations include combating submarines and mines. The ships can also be paired with maritime helicopter for anti-submarine warfare, gunfire support and search and rescue.

 

[Khafee]

The Air Force successfully tested a mobile laser weapon to protect convoys from enemy drones​

Jared Keller
9 hours ago

Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS) mounted on a Utility Task Vehicle at Nellis Air Force Base on Sept. 3, 2020
(Boeing)

The U.S. military's hypersonic bullets and robot dogs aren't the only innovative technologies to get a workout during a recent Air Force exercise.

Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS) system successfully defended a force protection convoy against unmanned aerial systems while mounted on a ground vehicle, the company announced on Thursday.

The system was mounted on a Marine Corps Utility Task Vehicle that, produced by Polaris, integrated the CLWS as the first ground-based laser approved by the Pentagon for use by U.S. service members back in 2019.

During the demonstration, the CLWS system didn't just counter drones with a relatively-low-powered laser beam, but also transmitted live video and readings on the threats, as well as various elements of the convoy, to operators at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, according to Boeing.

The demonstration took place as part of a test of the Air Force's next-generation Advanced Battle Management System, "a state-of-the-art system designed to provide combatant commanders the ability to control Department of Defense assets in real-time," according to the Air Force.

“In a future scenario, an integrated and networked direct energy capability – as demonstrated in this exercise by CLWS – would provide operators with vital information and a means to respond to threats at greater speeds,” said Boeing Laser & Electro-Optical Systems program manager Ron Dauk in a statement.

The Air Force has been eyeing the CLWS at least since taking the system for a spin at the Army's Maneuver and Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at Fort Sill in Oklahoma late last year.

The CLWS is already part of the Army’s Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser (MEHEL) program that, since first testing the system in 2016, has slapped laser weapons on Stryker infantry carrier vehicles deployed to Europe over the past several years.

As of January. the CLWS has successfully countered more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles in at least five separate tests of the system, according to Defence Blog.

“The ABMS exercise is further proof of Boeing’s combat-ready capabilities,” Boeing Integrated Air and Missile Defense chief Robert Green said in a statement. “Military operators continue to have great success with our systems with only minimal training.”

 

[Khafee]

The U.S. Army’s First Ever Manned ISR ARTEMIS Jet Has Carried Out Missions Over Georgia And Abkhazia​

David Cenciotti

The U.S. Army ARTEMIS jet. In the box, the route flown by the aircraft N488CR on Sept. 23, 2020. (Image credit: U.S. Army/Planeradar.ru editing by TheAviationist).

After Flying Multiple Missions From Kadena Air Base, Japan, the experimental ARTEMIS (Airborne Reconnaissance and Targeting Multi-Mission Intelligence System) Deployed to the Black Sea Region.​

The ARTEMIS, is the U.S. Army’s first ever Manned Aerial ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) jet. The aircraft was officially revealed on Aug. 6, 2020, by the Army’s Program Executive Office that posted some details about the platform on Facebook: “it provides high-altitude sensing capabilities against near peer adversaries and bridges gaps in the Multi Domain Operations mission. The joint investment between the Army and industry partners started in May 2019 and recently completed aircraft and sensor system engineering, airworthiness qualification, information assurance accreditation, integration and testing requirements and deployed to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.”

“ARTEMIS is COCO (contractor-owned, contractor operated) but U.S. Soldiers will have the opportunity to operate both the mission equipment in the back of the aircraft as well as the platform itself in order to provide feedback that will inform future development efforts for follow-on programs.”

Two modified Challenger 650s, N488CR c/n 6140 (LASAI AVIATION LLC, VA) and N9191 c/n 5312 (TENAX AEROSPACE LLC, MS), with different ISR lumps and bumps, deployed to Japan at the end of July to carry out surveillance missions from Kadena, Okinawa.

One of the most interesting things about ARTEMIS, is the fact that it is equipped with a High-Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, or HADES, a sensor suite part of the Army Multi-Domain Sensing System (MDSS), “intended to address the Army’s deep sensing requirement by providing platform agnostic sensors that support Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), including Large Scale Ground Combat Operations, and fill sensing gaps for Indicators and Warnings, Long-Range Precision Fire targeting and Situational Understanding.”

Based on the details included in an RFI issued earlier this year, HADES “is part of the overarching Army MDSS system of systems and will provide multiple sensing capabilities by developing and integrating sensor capabilities on different platforms that as a system will comprise a survivable sensing suite in MDO. These will allow stand-off operations to detect, locate, identify and track critical targets for the ground commander. Presently, sensor priorities for HADES are focused on Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communications Intelligence (COMINT), and Radio Assisted Detection and Ranging (RADAR). This RFI is specifically looking for information on ELINT, COMINT, and RADAR sensor technologies.”

In other words, HADES should combine, electronic and communication intelligence receivers as well as ground-scanning radar to detect and pinpoint enemy emissions and targets, from significant distance. Although we don’t know the scope of the missions the ARTEMIS aircraft are flying in this period, these should be part of a Proof Of Concept of the technology: the Army plans to field around 10 larger Artemis planes, possibly based on the B737/P-8 or G.550 airframes, starting in 2028. They are likely assessing some of the plaform performance, ahead of the planned Sensor Fly-off meant to evaluate sensor performance and limitations next year.

Black Sea operations​

Interestingly, after conducting missions in the Pacific region, at least one of the ARTEMIS aircraft, the one registered N488CR, deployed to Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport, in southeastern Romania, via Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on Sept. 16, 2020.


The aircraft has started flying missions from Romania to the Black Sea region on Sept. 18. Most of the missions flown by the aircraft using callsign “DAGGER 1” could be tracked online by means of its ADS-B transponder.

~0630z #Challenger #A60693 N488CR as #DAGGER1 out of #Constanta, #Romania apparently operating “due regard” at FL335. This #BlackSea mission is likely part of the evaluation program by the #USArmy. The aircraft left #SouthKorea 13/09, arr #LRCK 16th, via #Kadena and U-Tapao(?) pic.twitter.com/a938tXSctg
— Sam Bapati (@SBapati) September 18, 2020

After some operations off Romania over the Black Sea, the ARTEMIS aircraft has also started flying over Georgia:

Weird US Army (Lasai) CL-600 ARTEMIS (N488CR) DAGGER1 ISR mission over #Georgia pic.twitter.com/v8PzSvWzpt
— Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) September 21, 2020

US Army (Lasai) CL-600 ARTEMIS N488CR ISR mission over #Georgia pic.twitter.com/HqWDa11QjA
— Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) September 22, 2020

US Army (Lasai) CL-600 ARTEMIS (N488CR) currently tracking over Abkhazia autonomous republic #Georgia pic.twitter.com/936SUaCV4I
— Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) September 23, 2020

17:15 мск.
Сегодня работал там-же, но работу вёл не только в воздушном пространстве Грузии, но и Абхазии. pic.twitter.com/lUP2RCzlv2
— PlaneRadar (@ua4wiy_) September 23, 2020

Interestingly, the missions over Georgia were flown not too far from Vaziani, a military base located about twenty kilometers outside the capital town Tbilisi.

Vaziani is a former Soviet military airbase and today is one of the main military bases for Georgia often used for joint training with the United States and NATO. Vaziani Training Area has recently hosted allied and partner nations for the fifth iteration of the biannual Noble Partner exercise. Running from Sept. 7 to 18, Noble Partner 20 was a Georgian Defense Force and U.S. Army Europe cooperatively led exercise hosted at Vaziani and Camp Norio training areas. The drills were designed to enhance Georgian, regional partner, and U.S. force readiness and interoperability in a realistic, multinational training environment.


All the missions flown by N488CR since it deployed to Romania. (Image courtesy: reader who wishes to remain anonymous)

Active duty U.S. Army units training in the exercise included the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 12th and 101st Combat Aviation Brigades, and 18th Military Police Brigade. Components from the Georgia National Guard in the exercise included the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 78th Troop Command, 78th Aviation Troop Command, and 165th Airlift Wing.

Noble Partner exercise aside, the U.S. Army units are costantly deployed to Georgia as part of the Georgian Defense Readiness Program – Training, an enduring mission that began in 2018 with the primary objective of helping to mentor and advise the modernization of the Georgian Defense Force’s light infantry battalions thus improving their combat readiness while augmenting Georgia’s ongoing defense reform efforts.

While the presence of the U.S. Army’s ARTEMIS over Georgia is not surprising, it’s at least worth of remark the fact that the new modified Challenger also flew (at least based on ADS-B) over Abkhazia, a region that fought and won a war of secession with Georgia in 1992-93, and formally declared independence in 1999. After a five-day war over the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions in 2008, Moscow recognized the region as an independent state while Georgia responded by declaring Abkhazia “occupied” by Russia. Russian troops, which had been there as peacekeepers, remain there to this day, occupying roughly one-fifth of Georgian territory.

 

[Khafee]

USMC accident: F-35B crash, KC-130J emergency landing

The pilot of an F-35B has ejected and parachuted himself to safety after colliding with a KC-130J during a mid-air refuelling operation over southern California, around 16:00 hrs (local time) on 29 September 2020. The KC-130J was able to make an emergency landing, all eight crew members survived. The F-35B pilot is reported to have slight injuries and is being treated.

The Lightning II crashed just north of the Salton Sea, Imperial County, after hitting a KC-130J tanker, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing. The KC-130J, BuNo 166765/QB of VMGR-352, based at MCAS Miramar (CA), landed in a field in the vicinity of Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport.

The F-35B (BuNo unknown) disintegrated and is completely destroyed. It was operating out of Miramar too, but was based at Yuma AFB (AZ).
The cause of the collision is unknown. As can be seen on the photos of the KC-130J, both right wing engines are extensively damaged and the outer left wing engine is missing some blades. More info to follow when available.

F-35 - News and Discussions

Because of what? If you think there was F-35's waiting to strike, you are not very bright. Oh no....shooting down the airliner just show's their poor profiecency and bad use of the system

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