Precision guided projectile hits the mark in recent testing: Raytheon successfully test fired four Precision Extended Range Munition (PERM) guided projectiles. Three of the GPS-guided rounds flew to the required range and hit within the required distance of their targets. One round was fired to the minimum range requirement and impacted just a few meters from an off-axis target.
The tests validated the functionality and performance of the Raytheon design. Fired from the U.S. Marine Corps M327 120 mm Rifled Towed Mortar, the four rounds met all test objectives.
"These firings, combined with earlier environmental lab and integration tests, demonstrate PERM's maturity," said Dr. Tom Bussing, vice president of Raytheon's Advanced Missile Systems. "The testing also shows the high level of integration between the munition's guidance, navigation and control functions."
PERM is designed to provide U.S. Marines with a lethal, extended range, high probability one-shot capability. The munition is a key capability of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fire Support System. EFSS is a close support, all weather, quick response indirect fire system.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Marines Shift F-35 Deployment Plans | Ares
Marines Shift F-35 Deployment Plans | Ares: The US Marine Corps is changing the way it plans to use its Lockheed Martin F-35B short take-off, vertical landing fighters, we report here (subscription required). Briefly, the new concept of operations envisages the use of mobile forward arming and refueling points (M-Farps) to support groups of F-35Bs, which would return to U.S. Navy amphbious warfare ships, allied carriers (special mention to the British Queen Elizabeth class) or even regional land bases for routine maintenance.
The new Conops addresses problems with earlier plans, which envisaged conducting sustained combat operations from both LHA/LHD-class ships and forward operating bases (FOBs) on land. Any naval force operating within 150 nm of a hostile coast would be within range of an increasing number of lethal and elusive ground-mobile guided missile systems, and would be hard put to avoid tracking by small unmanned air vehicles. That would make it very vulnerable, absent support from a carrier with its long-range airborne early warning coverage - and one of the major arguments for the F-35B is that it provides air power independent of the big carrier. The new Conops allows the ships to stand off outside coastal missile range because they support operations rather than launching airstrikes.
Meanwhile, large FOBs on land were considered by some (including deputy defense secretary Bob Work, in his days as deputy Navy secretary) as being vulnerable to guided missiles and rockets. The idea of the new Conops is to blunt this threat by making M-Farps much smaller and more nimble than FOBs (because most aircraft maintenance happens elsewhere). They will relocate every 24-48 hours, which is estimated to be inside an enemy's targeting cycle.
The new Conops addresses problems with earlier plans, which envisaged conducting sustained combat operations from both LHA/LHD-class ships and forward operating bases (FOBs) on land. Any naval force operating within 150 nm of a hostile coast would be within range of an increasing number of lethal and elusive ground-mobile guided missile systems, and would be hard put to avoid tracking by small unmanned air vehicles. That would make it very vulnerable, absent support from a carrier with its long-range airborne early warning coverage - and one of the major arguments for the F-35B is that it provides air power independent of the big carrier. The new Conops allows the ships to stand off outside coastal missile range because they support operations rather than launching airstrikes.
Meanwhile, large FOBs on land were considered by some (including deputy defense secretary Bob Work, in his days as deputy Navy secretary) as being vulnerable to guided missiles and rockets. The idea of the new Conops is to blunt this threat by making M-Farps much smaller and more nimble than FOBs (because most aircraft maintenance happens elsewhere). They will relocate every 24-48 hours, which is estimated to be inside an enemy's targeting cycle.
U.S. lawmakers want aircraft in Europe until Russia backs down
U.S. lawmakers want aircraft in Europe until Russia backs down: Lawmakers want the Defense Department to not only halt retiring F-15 aircraft in Europe, but also halt removing all dual-capable aircraft from the European area of operation until the Defense Secretary confirms "armed forces of the Russian Federation are no longer occupying Ukrainian territory."
The provision is included in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to pass the House this week.
Russia must also comply with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty — which the White House and NATO in July claimed Russia has violated since 2008 — and the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.
But the aircraft could be removed from European Command if replaced by F-35 aircraft. However, the newest stealth fighters will not be operational until August 2016 at the earliest.
The language is intended to reassure NATO and partner nations the U.S. is steadfast to deter Russian aggression in the region. After Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine in late February, the U.S. began a series of exercises — under Operation Atlantic Resolve — with Eastern European NATO members to reassure them that the alliance would defend them. The commander of U.S. Army Europe, Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges, recently said that the U.S. may add at least 100 more armored vehicles, including tanks, to Europe by the end of 2015.
The provision is included in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to pass the House this week.
Russia must also comply with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty — which the White House and NATO in July claimed Russia has violated since 2008 — and the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.
But the aircraft could be removed from European Command if replaced by F-35 aircraft. However, the newest stealth fighters will not be operational until August 2016 at the earliest.
The language is intended to reassure NATO and partner nations the U.S. is steadfast to deter Russian aggression in the region. After Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine in late February, the U.S. began a series of exercises — under Operation Atlantic Resolve — with Eastern European NATO members to reassure them that the alliance would defend them. The commander of U.S. Army Europe, Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges, recently said that the U.S. may add at least 100 more armored vehicles, including tanks, to Europe by the end of 2015.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets - The Daily Beast
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets - The Daily Beast
High flying and fast, the F-22 Raptor stealth jet is by far the most lethal fighter America has ever built. But the Raptor—and indeed all U.S. fighters—have a potential Achilles’ heel, according to a half-dozen current and former Air Force officials. The F-22’s long-range air-to-air missiles might not be able to hit an enemy aircraft, thanks to new enemy radar-jamming techniques.
The issue has come to the fore as tensions continue to rise with Russia and a potential conflict between the great powers is once again a possibility—even if a remote one.
“We—the U.S. [Department of Defense]—haven’t been pursuing appropriate methods to counter EA [electronic attack] for years,” a senior Air Force official with extensive experience on the F-22 told The Daily Beast. “So, while we are stealthy, we will have a hard time working our way through the EA to target [an enemy aircraft such as a Russian-built Sukhoi] Su-35s and our missiles will have a hard time killing them.”
The problem is that many potential adversaries, such as the Chinese and the Russians, have developed advanced digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammers. These jammers, which effectively memorize an incoming radar signal and repeat it back to the sender, seriously hamper the performance of friendly radars.
Worse, these new jammers essentially blind the small radars found onboard air-to-air missiles like the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM, which is the primary long-range weapon for all U.S. and most allied fighter planes.
That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor. “While exact Pk [probability of kill] numbers are classified, let’s just say that I won’t be killing these guys one for one,” the senior Air Force official said. It’s the “same issue” for earlier American fighters like the F-15, F-16, or F/A-18.
High flying and fast, the F-22 Raptor stealth jet is by far the most lethal fighter America has ever built. But the Raptor—and indeed all U.S. fighters—have a potential Achilles’ heel, according to a half-dozen current and former Air Force officials. The F-22’s long-range air-to-air missiles might not be able to hit an enemy aircraft, thanks to new enemy radar-jamming techniques.
The issue has come to the fore as tensions continue to rise with Russia and a potential conflict between the great powers is once again a possibility—even if a remote one.
“We—the U.S. [Department of Defense]—haven’t been pursuing appropriate methods to counter EA [electronic attack] for years,” a senior Air Force official with extensive experience on the F-22 told The Daily Beast. “So, while we are stealthy, we will have a hard time working our way through the EA to target [an enemy aircraft such as a Russian-built Sukhoi] Su-35s and our missiles will have a hard time killing them.”
The problem is that many potential adversaries, such as the Chinese and the Russians, have developed advanced digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammers. These jammers, which effectively memorize an incoming radar signal and repeat it back to the sender, seriously hamper the performance of friendly radars.
Worse, these new jammers essentially blind the small radars found onboard air-to-air missiles like the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM, which is the primary long-range weapon for all U.S. and most allied fighter planes.
That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor. “While exact Pk [probability of kill] numbers are classified, let’s just say that I won’t be killing these guys one for one,” the senior Air Force official said. It’s the “same issue” for earlier American fighters like the F-15, F-16, or F/A-18.
Navy receives first MQ-8C Fire Scout | C4ISR & Networks | c4isrnet.com
Navy receives first MQ-8C Fire Scout | C4ISR & Networks | c4isrnet.com: The Navy has received its first operational MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter.
The MQ-8C is an upgraded MQ-8B Fire Scout with a larger airframe. "It can fly nearly twice as long and carry three times more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads," said a Northrop Grumman announcement.
The Navy will use the UAV just delivered to conduct the first ship-board flight tests aboard the destroyer USS Jason Dunham will be conducted this winter, followed by an assessment of how to use the MQ-8C for operational purposes.
"The test program will run through the summer as we expect these aircraft to be ready for operations by year's end," said George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman's vice president for medium-range tactical systems.
The MQ-8C is an upgraded MQ-8B Fire Scout with a larger airframe. "It can fly nearly twice as long and carry three times more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads," said a Northrop Grumman announcement.
The Navy will use the UAV just delivered to conduct the first ship-board flight tests aboard the destroyer USS Jason Dunham will be conducted this winter, followed by an assessment of how to use the MQ-8C for operational purposes.
"The test program will run through the summer as we expect these aircraft to be ready for operations by year's end," said George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman's vice president for medium-range tactical systems.
Talk Stealthy to Me
Talk Stealthy to Me
As the Air Force Times recently reported, the F-22 and F-35A conducted their first integrated training mission earlier this month. Several observers declared this mission, which included offensive counter air, defensive counter air and interdiction operations, to be a success. But if the planes are to actually operate as a cohesive strike package in the complex A2/AD environments of the future, the services will first need to address a glaring gap in interoperability: data links.
Currently, the F-22 and F-35 are equipped with two different low probability-of-intercept/low probability-of-detection (LPI/LPD) systems for exchanging data while in stealth mode: the F-22 uses the older and more limited Intra Flight Data Link (IFDL); the F-35 operates with the newer Multifunction Advanced Data Link. Quite astoundingly, these two LPI/LPD systems cannot communicate with each other, meaning that if the F-35 and F-22 need to share information with each other, they must do so using the non-stealthy Link 16 system used by 4th-generation legacy aircraft. (And even then, the F-22 is limited to receiving data; it cannot transmit it.)
This is particularly problematic because, given the expense of operating both the F-22 and the F-35 in comparison to legacy aircraft, they are — at least in the near-term — likely to be deployed together only when stealth is required. Furthermore, the lack of compatible data links means that the information gathered by the planes’ highly capable sensors and avionics — often described as one of their greatest comparative advantages — cannot be fully leveraged within a 5th-gen strike package, in turn diminishing the potential of integrated targeting capabilities.
As the Air Force Times recently reported, the F-22 and F-35A conducted their first integrated training mission earlier this month. Several observers declared this mission, which included offensive counter air, defensive counter air and interdiction operations, to be a success. But if the planes are to actually operate as a cohesive strike package in the complex A2/AD environments of the future, the services will first need to address a glaring gap in interoperability: data links.
Currently, the F-22 and F-35 are equipped with two different low probability-of-intercept/low probability-of-detection (LPI/LPD) systems for exchanging data while in stealth mode: the F-22 uses the older and more limited Intra Flight Data Link (IFDL); the F-35 operates with the newer Multifunction Advanced Data Link. Quite astoundingly, these two LPI/LPD systems cannot communicate with each other, meaning that if the F-35 and F-22 need to share information with each other, they must do so using the non-stealthy Link 16 system used by 4th-generation legacy aircraft. (And even then, the F-22 is limited to receiving data; it cannot transmit it.)
This is particularly problematic because, given the expense of operating both the F-22 and the F-35 in comparison to legacy aircraft, they are — at least in the near-term — likely to be deployed together only when stealth is required. Furthermore, the lack of compatible data links means that the information gathered by the planes’ highly capable sensors and avionics — often described as one of their greatest comparative advantages — cannot be fully leveraged within a 5th-gen strike package, in turn diminishing the potential of integrated targeting capabilities.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The new cold war: Putin's forces target U.S. Navy and allies
The new cold war: Putin's forces target U.S. Navy and allies: Russia's military has taken on an aggressive swagger. Highly provocative run-ins are now common with neighbors and NATO nations alike. In the Black Sea, NATO ships like the U.S. destroyer Donald Cook have been buzzed by Russian fighters. Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers have reportedly been tracked near Canada conducting missile strike drills within range of targets in the United States, and Russian airplanes have been tracked as close as 50 miles from the California coast – the closest they've come since the end of the Cold War.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)