The Marine Corps intends to add improved sensors and precision-strike capability to its entire KC-130J Super Hercules tanker/transport plane and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor fleets, applying the “Harvest Hawk” concept to make both aircraft more multi-mission, the deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for aviation told USNI News this week.
Lt. Gen. Jon Davis said the Marines’ next aviation plan would include upgrading all 79 C-130Js into Harvest Hawk-capable platforms. The Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit (HAWK) includes both modifications to the plane – the installation of a new MX-20 sensor ball with a laser designator on the nose of the plane, and the Intrepid Tiger electronic warfare pod – as well as a supply of Hellfire, Griffin and Viper Strike missiles for precision strike. The Intrepid Tiger pod is already installed on the AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets, and the Marine Corps intends to put the pod on the C-130Js, V-22s and H-1 attack helicopters. Davis said the pod is a “great capability, gives us a jamming capability, an electronic warfare capability for not only [self]-protection but more importantly that people on the ground can manipulate and operate. It’s open architecture so they can control the weapon system from the ground.”
Davis said 10 C-130Js had already been modified with the initial Harvest Hawk kit and would receive the upgraded sensor ball, and the rest of the fleet would go through the full Harvest Hawk modifications under the Marines’ next aviation plan, which is being developed now. more
Friday, May 13, 2016
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
US, German Forces evaluate operational readiness
Months of training by the German Armed Forces in combined arms warfare, middle intensity conflict techniques and standard tasks focused on crowd riot control techniques culminated at Camp Prizren, Kosovo, May 6-7, during Operation Sharp Griffin.
The multinational exercise was conducted over a 36-hour timeframe and centered on multiple complex situations, such as; air infiltration and evacuation operations, platoon level movements, live fire maneuvers, crowd riot control techniques, as well as synchronized coordination of operational forces between the German and U.S. forces. The German soldiers partnered with members of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division and 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, throughout the operation.
The two day operation started at Orahovac Range, in Kosovo, where German Soldiers penetrated the site thanks to the help of UH-60 Black Hawks. From there the teams received a short mission brief before engaging a group of targets. After each simulated enemy was eliminated, the Soldiers were air evacuated, once again, by UH-60 Black Hawks.
For the mechanized infantry battalion soldiers, refining their tactical abilities was less about their mission in Kosovo and more about honing their abilities as German soldiers.
"As third responders it's unlikely we will be forced to use the skills we achieved today, but, I think it's one of the skills every soldiers needs to have," said Maj. Oliver John Steenson-Schulz, day one event coordinator. "On one hand we use this as training for the Soldiers, and of course we hope it never comes to it but if we needed we can use the skills here in Kosovo if asked to."
Day two of the exercise reflected more of the peace support operations the German soldiers are used to conducting here in Kosovo, as the contingent responded to protestors who gathered at the three of the camp's gates.
As their aggression heightened, the escalation of force, used to handle the disgruntled crowd, did as well. Additional German troops were called in for reinforcement, while Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment arrived on scene to serve as a reserve force.
It did not take long for the angry mob of protestors to disband, once the support elements arrived. With a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement restored, the multinational team returned to their camp knowing they had successfully completed the mission.
"This exercise was more to force our staff members to make decisions, to go through their military decision making process and make the best decision," said German Lt. Matti Hybenkvist, German liaison officer for the German mechanized infantry battalion. "What we needed to do to succeed at the company level was to show we could use the different tactical techniques we have been learning. From what I have seen it worked really well and was a job well done."
Although the overall mission was a success, the MNBG-E Soldiers don't plan on slowing down on training and instead have set their sights on an even bigger training exercise later this year.
The multinational exercise was conducted over a 36-hour timeframe and centered on multiple complex situations, such as; air infiltration and evacuation operations, platoon level movements, live fire maneuvers, crowd riot control techniques, as well as synchronized coordination of operational forces between the German and U.S. forces. The German soldiers partnered with members of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division and 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, throughout the operation.
The two day operation started at Orahovac Range, in Kosovo, where German Soldiers penetrated the site thanks to the help of UH-60 Black Hawks. From there the teams received a short mission brief before engaging a group of targets. After each simulated enemy was eliminated, the Soldiers were air evacuated, once again, by UH-60 Black Hawks.
For the mechanized infantry battalion soldiers, refining their tactical abilities was less about their mission in Kosovo and more about honing their abilities as German soldiers.
"As third responders it's unlikely we will be forced to use the skills we achieved today, but, I think it's one of the skills every soldiers needs to have," said Maj. Oliver John Steenson-Schulz, day one event coordinator. "On one hand we use this as training for the Soldiers, and of course we hope it never comes to it but if we needed we can use the skills here in Kosovo if asked to."
Day two of the exercise reflected more of the peace support operations the German soldiers are used to conducting here in Kosovo, as the contingent responded to protestors who gathered at the three of the camp's gates.
As their aggression heightened, the escalation of force, used to handle the disgruntled crowd, did as well. Additional German troops were called in for reinforcement, while Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment arrived on scene to serve as a reserve force.
It did not take long for the angry mob of protestors to disband, once the support elements arrived. With a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement restored, the multinational team returned to their camp knowing they had successfully completed the mission.
"This exercise was more to force our staff members to make decisions, to go through their military decision making process and make the best decision," said German Lt. Matti Hybenkvist, German liaison officer for the German mechanized infantry battalion. "What we needed to do to succeed at the company level was to show we could use the different tactical techniques we have been learning. From what I have seen it worked really well and was a job well done."
Although the overall mission was a success, the MNBG-E Soldiers don't plan on slowing down on training and instead have set their sights on an even bigger training exercise later this year.
Directed Energy Projects Losing in Fight for Research Funding
On Capitol Hill and in the Pentagon’s courtyard earlier this month, the focus was on developing new air and ground-based weapons that would direct high-energy beams against a range of threats — from frying enemy roadside bombs to zapping ballistic missiles in the boost phase.
Despite the promise held out by industry proponents of lasers and high-power microwave bursts, military officials and senators from both sides of the aisle said that lack of funding was putting a crimp on the necessary research and testing for the new weapons under the constraints of the 2011 Budget Control Act.
“We’re on an unaffordable path” for research, said Adm. William E. Gortney, who was expected to retire this summer as head of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said at an April 13 Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing on Ballistic Missiles Defense Policies and Programs.
During that same week in the Pentagon’s courtyard, industry and military laboratories had on display mockups and illustrations of their systems, from Boeing’s Strategic Laser Systems for missile defense to Leidos’ High Power Microwave (HPM) for ground-based Explosive Hazard Neutralization (EHN) meant to destroy roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices (IEDS).
The Leidos system, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate, was essentially a megawatt generator turbine mounted on a heavy truck and billed by Leidos as a “first of its kind solution to the standoff, pre-detonatiuon of explosive hazards.”
The system is designed for route clearance and convoy security more
Despite the promise held out by industry proponents of lasers and high-power microwave bursts, military officials and senators from both sides of the aisle said that lack of funding was putting a crimp on the necessary research and testing for the new weapons under the constraints of the 2011 Budget Control Act.
“We’re on an unaffordable path” for research, said Adm. William E. Gortney, who was expected to retire this summer as head of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said at an April 13 Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing on Ballistic Missiles Defense Policies and Programs.
During that same week in the Pentagon’s courtyard, industry and military laboratories had on display mockups and illustrations of their systems, from Boeing’s Strategic Laser Systems for missile defense to Leidos’ High Power Microwave (HPM) for ground-based Explosive Hazard Neutralization (EHN) meant to destroy roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices (IEDS).
The Leidos system, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate, was essentially a megawatt generator turbine mounted on a heavy truck and billed by Leidos as a “first of its kind solution to the standoff, pre-detonatiuon of explosive hazards.”
The system is designed for route clearance and convoy security more
Kissinger Talks Presidential Politics While Discussing His Own Legacy
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dipped into presidential politics Monday while defending his legacy as a statesman and strategic thinker.
At the Pentagon, where he received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the 92-year-old warned against the tendency of the presidential contenders -- he didn't name them -- to put all blame for the state of the world on current and past administrations.
Kissinger said, "We are entering a presidential campaign and it seems to be the habit of particular figures now to contrast themselves with the evils of their predecessors" going back to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, whom he served as national security adviser and secretary of state, respectively.
Those nameless "particular figures" are also trying to "contrast themselves with the evils of the incumbent," he said, while sidestepping what those evils might be. As for his own case, he said, "the fact is we were engaged in good causes" through his turbulent tenure in shaping foreign policy.
more
At the Pentagon, where he received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the 92-year-old warned against the tendency of the presidential contenders -- he didn't name them -- to put all blame for the state of the world on current and past administrations.
Kissinger said, "We are entering a presidential campaign and it seems to be the habit of particular figures now to contrast themselves with the evils of their predecessors" going back to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, whom he served as national security adviser and secretary of state, respectively.
Those nameless "particular figures" are also trying to "contrast themselves with the evils of the incumbent," he said, while sidestepping what those evils might be. As for his own case, he said, "the fact is we were engaged in good causes" through his turbulent tenure in shaping foreign policy.
more
Sunday, May 8, 2016
New U.S. Navy testing of Norwegian missile
The U.S. Navy plans to issue a contract to Norway's Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace for equipment and missile flight test support services.
The equipment and services are for an additional Foreign Comparative Testing Phase II demonstration of Kongsburg's Naval Strike Missile conducted from a U.S. Littoral Combat Ship.Kongsberg will supply missiles and ship equipment -- including deck-mounted launchers and command systems -- and installation and integration services for the testing, which is expected to end by the final quarter of FY 2018."We are very pleased that the U.S. Navy continues and expands the test and evaluation of the NSM missile," said Harald Annestad, president of Kongsberg Defense Systems. "The NSM is operational in the Norwegian and Polish Navies from both ships and land-based coastal defense."It is an off-the-shelf and non-developmental 5th-generation strike missile system that can be rapidly deployed for operational use." more
The equipment and services are for an additional Foreign Comparative Testing Phase II demonstration of Kongsburg's Naval Strike Missile conducted from a U.S. Littoral Combat Ship.Kongsberg will supply missiles and ship equipment -- including deck-mounted launchers and command systems -- and installation and integration services for the testing, which is expected to end by the final quarter of FY 2018."We are very pleased that the U.S. Navy continues and expands the test and evaluation of the NSM missile," said Harald Annestad, president of Kongsberg Defense Systems. "The NSM is operational in the Norwegian and Polish Navies from both ships and land-based coastal defense."It is an off-the-shelf and non-developmental 5th-generation strike missile system that can be rapidly deployed for operational use." more
US positions troops in Yemen, steps up anti-Qaeda strikes
US troops are helping United Arab Emirates forces push Al-Qaeda-affiliated forces from a Yemeni port, and the Pentagon has stepped up air strikes against the jihadists in the war-torn country.
Defense Department spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis's confirmation of the deployment marked the first time the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged that US troops are operating inside Yemen.Davis said a "very small number" of military personnel has been working with Yemeni and Arab Coalition forces -- especially the Emiratis -- in recent weeks as they pushed Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters from the port city of Mukalla, more
Defense Department spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis's confirmation of the deployment marked the first time the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged that US troops are operating inside Yemen.Davis said a "very small number" of military personnel has been working with Yemeni and Arab Coalition forces -- especially the Emiratis -- in recent weeks as they pushed Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters from the port city of Mukalla, more
Friday, May 6, 2016
U.S. Navy Completes ICEX 2016 Expedition, Mapping of Arctic Ice
A team of U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists from the Marine Geoscience Division concluded a monthlong sea-ice research expedition as part of the Navy's 2016 Ice Exercise (ICEX) May 5.
The project was designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the physical structure and evolution of Arctic sea-ice, and collected data useful in assessing the operability and safety of Navy and commercial assets along future Arctic routes.
The team, comprised of geologists, geophysicists, and data analysts, was sent to the Alaska North Slope to investigate the degree of ice coverage and ice parameters such as strength and thickness. The data provides the theoretical underpinnings of the modeling of such parameters from remotely sensed data collected from aircraft and satellite platforms, cross-evaluated with ground truth data.
"Until now, characterization of sea-ice has been primarily at very small, local scales from in-situ core measurements and some ground-based scatterometry," said Joan Gardner, NRL geologist. "Our proposal executes a combined program of airborne measurements and coincident on-ice measurements used to characterize surface and volumetric scattering from the bottom of the sea-ice to the top of the snow surface."
The fundamental goal of this research is to better understand the physics and evolution of sea-ice with age from its initial salty, relatively uniform state through the gradual thickening and freshening process via the formation and expelling of brine pockets. This research utilizes airborne data collected with an ultra-wideband, low-frequency, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar, a wideband snow radar, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).
This data is used to create models of surface and volumetric scattering across a range of frequencies and polarizations of differing sea-ice and snow surfaces and types, such as fresh snow, slightly saline ice, brine pockets of various geometries, and solid salt inclusions.
Utilizing these tools, the NRL team was also instrumental in acquiring and analyzing the parametric data necessary for establishing the ICEX camp. Funded by the Office of Naval Research, the team collected data from six candidate ice floes identified from National Ice Center satellite imagery as potential sites.
This information was provided to the members of the Arctic Submarine Laboratory to utilize in their decision making process for locating a viable ice floe for ICEX. ASL establishes a temporary ice camp every 2-3 years in the Beaufort Sea during the month of March. The camp is used for submarine force asset tactical training, sensor testing, and research and development.
The ASL mission requires an ice floe that can support the infrastructure for the exercise -- robust enough to support a runway, submarine surfacing area, and the small village of buildings necessary to house personnel for the monthlong exercise. This has historically been done using visual photos taken from Coast Guard aircraft and various satellite images.
ASL is responsible for developing and maintaining expertise in Arctic-specific skills, knowledge, equipment, and procedures to enable the submarine force to safely and effectively operate in the unique Arctic Ocean environment.
The project was designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the physical structure and evolution of Arctic sea-ice, and collected data useful in assessing the operability and safety of Navy and commercial assets along future Arctic routes.
The team, comprised of geologists, geophysicists, and data analysts, was sent to the Alaska North Slope to investigate the degree of ice coverage and ice parameters such as strength and thickness. The data provides the theoretical underpinnings of the modeling of such parameters from remotely sensed data collected from aircraft and satellite platforms, cross-evaluated with ground truth data.
"Until now, characterization of sea-ice has been primarily at very small, local scales from in-situ core measurements and some ground-based scatterometry," said Joan Gardner, NRL geologist. "Our proposal executes a combined program of airborne measurements and coincident on-ice measurements used to characterize surface and volumetric scattering from the bottom of the sea-ice to the top of the snow surface."
The fundamental goal of this research is to better understand the physics and evolution of sea-ice with age from its initial salty, relatively uniform state through the gradual thickening and freshening process via the formation and expelling of brine pockets. This research utilizes airborne data collected with an ultra-wideband, low-frequency, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar, a wideband snow radar, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).
This data is used to create models of surface and volumetric scattering across a range of frequencies and polarizations of differing sea-ice and snow surfaces and types, such as fresh snow, slightly saline ice, brine pockets of various geometries, and solid salt inclusions.
Utilizing these tools, the NRL team was also instrumental in acquiring and analyzing the parametric data necessary for establishing the ICEX camp. Funded by the Office of Naval Research, the team collected data from six candidate ice floes identified from National Ice Center satellite imagery as potential sites.
This information was provided to the members of the Arctic Submarine Laboratory to utilize in their decision making process for locating a viable ice floe for ICEX. ASL establishes a temporary ice camp every 2-3 years in the Beaufort Sea during the month of March. The camp is used for submarine force asset tactical training, sensor testing, and research and development.
The ASL mission requires an ice floe that can support the infrastructure for the exercise -- robust enough to support a runway, submarine surfacing area, and the small village of buildings necessary to house personnel for the monthlong exercise. This has historically been done using visual photos taken from Coast Guard aircraft and various satellite images.
ASL is responsible for developing and maintaining expertise in Arctic-specific skills, knowledge, equipment, and procedures to enable the submarine force to safely and effectively operate in the unique Arctic Ocean environment.
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