10/17/2021 Alia Shoaib In August, China tested a hypersonic missile that orbited the Earth before speeding towards its target. The test demonstrated China's advanced space capability, and took US intelligence officials by surprise. The US, Russia and China have been competing to develop hypersonic weapons. China demonstrated advanced space capability by testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, the Financial Times reported, citing five sources familiar with the test. The hypersonic glide vehicle launched by the Chinese military circled the globe in low-orbit space before speeding towards its target, sources told the paper. Although the missile missed its target by about two-dozen miles, the test demonstrated China's advanced space capability and took US intelligence by surprise, sources told the Financial Times. The test showed that China had made "astounding progress" on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realized, two sources said, according to the paper. "We have no idea how they did this," another source told the paper. Several countries, including the US, Russia, and China, are competing to develop hypersonic weapons. The missiles fly at low-altitude trajectories at more than five times the speed of sound. Glide vehicles are a type of hypersonic weapon launched into space on a rocket but orbit the earth under their momentum. Unlike ballistic missiles, they are maneuverable and do not follow a fixed trajectory, making them harder to track and defend against. In August, General Glen VanHerck, head of North American Aerospace Defense Command, said that China's advanced hypersonic capability would "provide significant challenges to my NORAD capability to provide threat warning and attack assessment," the Financial Times said. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a bi national organization of the US and Canada that provides aerospace warning and protection for Northern America. Sources also told the paper that the Chinese weapon could theoretically fly over the South Pole, another cause for concern for the US military, whose missile systems focus on the northern polar route. China has been aggressively developing this technology, which they see as crucial to defending against US advances in hypersonic and other technologies, Al Jazeera reported, citing a recent report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS). News of the test comes amid increasing tensions between China and the US, as China increases its military activity near Taiwan. Pentagon Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin previously said that developing hypersonic capabilities was "the highest technical priority," according to Defense News. This week the Pentagon said that developing hypersonic weapons was currently too expensive and that defense contractors should try and "drive towards more affordable hypersonics." The Pentagon's budget request for hypersonic research in the 2022 financial year was $3.8 billion, up from $3.2 billion the year before, Reuters reported. https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-hypersonic-missile-surprised-us-spies-with-its-space-capability-2021-10

By Kris Osborn - President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven 10.13.2021 An artist impression of Northrop Grumman "MQ-Next" The Air Force is exploring so many interesting options when it comes to finding and deploying a replacement for its MQ-9 Reaper drone that it is planning to take its time. The service is running an interesting program called “MQ-Next” which is now immersed in a world of technological exploration and the “realm of the possible” to determine what future drones used to perform Reaper-like missions will look like. They may quite likely be smaller, stealthier, more lethal and even operate in swarms to blanked areas with surveillance with a smaller footprint to improve survivability. 2031 Deadline As it pursues this developmental trajectory, the service is taking great comfort in the fact that its ongoing innovations are gaining extra support, traction and funding by virtue of having time to work with. The MQ-Next does not need to be operational until 2031, meaning the service can take the time it needs to identify and develop the best possible next-generation drones for the 2030s and beyond. “We have 300 platforms (Reapers) to go into the middle 2030s, so we have time to proceed smartly and look at different systems,” Lt. Gen. David Nahom MQ next UAV, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for Plans & Programs, told the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in an interview. MQ-9 Reaper Manned-Unmanned Teaming One fundamental area of developmental emphasis, Nahom said, was the ongoing focus on networking, meaning manned-unmanned teaming, multi-platform drone connectivity and even unmanned-unmanned or “drone-to-drone” kinds of synergies. Certainly networking advances enabling low-latency kinds of data exchange between aircraft and drones allow for a circumstance wherein the Air Force could possible field a number of smaller and therefore more survivable drones able to exchange surveillance images and targeting data with one another in real time. This would reduce the need to increase risk by sending larger, potentially more vulnerable less-stealthy platforms into warfare. Drone swarms could blanket an area with ISR; test enemy air defenses and even attack the perimeter of enemy forces without placing pilots and manned aircraft at risk of incoming attack. “There are a lot of ways we can use unmanned systems in much different ways than in the past. We can have unmanned adversary air and platforms tasked with protecting high-value systems,” Nahom explained. In a flight that originated from its Flight Test and Training Center (FTTC) near Grand Forks, N.D., General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) flew a company-owned MQ-9A “Big Wing” configured Unmanned Aircraft System north through Canadian airspace past the 78th parallel. General Atomics Much of this kind of RDT&E, innovation and technological exploration is made possible by the continued success and functionality of the Reaper drone itself, a war-hardened platform which has been massively upgraded by the Air Force. Unlike its earliest days, the Reaper of today operates with additional mission extending fuel tanks, a universal weapons interface enabling a wider arsenal of attack weapons, AI-enabled data processing, software upgrades and sensor enhancements. The Air Force has also been adjusting Reaper tactics such as varying flight path to be less predictable to enemies and flying at higher altitudes made possible by substantial improvements in the range and fidelity of its sensors. When it comes to the Air Force goal of providing survivable, persistent ISR, the Reaper has been answering the call. “We have time to look at all of these possibilities before the MQ-9s fall off,” Nahom told Mitchell. Kris Osbornis the President of Warrior Maven and the Defense Editor of The National Interest - https://warriormaven.com/air/drones-manned-unmanned-teaming-air-force-attack-drones

Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven 10.20.2021 The Army is fast-progressing with Increment 2 of its M-SHORAD program, an ongoing initiative to arm Strykers with 50kw laser weapons The Army is pursuing a three-tiered approach to arming its Stryker vehicles with cutting edge air defense capabilities enabling the platforms to track and destroy enemy drones, helicopters and even fixed wing airplanes. (M-SHORAD) Maneuver Short Range Air Defense It is called Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD), an incremental effort to introduce powerful air defense weaponry into the Stryker vehicle to support infantry and armored units on the move against enemy air threats. The plan is multi-faceted and the first portion is already operational and now deployed in Europe. Increment 1. Army weapons developers say, involved arming the Stryker with HELLFIRE and Stinger missiles able to track and destroy enemy air threats. The Army recently achieved a milestone with Increment 1 of M-SHORAD with its “first mission equipped” placing the first “tactical fire inside an operational unit,” Maj. Gen. Brian Gibson, Directory Air and Missile Defense Cross Functional Team, told The National Interest in an interview. Stryker armed with 2 “Hellfire” ATGM and 4 “Stinger” land to air missiles. “The deployment includes the employment of multiple effectors such as Stingers,” Gibson said. Building upon Increment 1, which arms the Strykers with a range of anti-air explosive weapons, the Army is fast-progressing with Increment 2of its M-SHORAD program, an ongoing initiative to arm Strykers with 50kw laser weapons. Stryker with 50 KW Laser Weapon This not only introduces new prospects for precision attack upon enemy drones, but also introduces an ability to attack and defend at the speed of light. Lasers, if properly and fully integrated with the requisite mobile electrical power, are inherently scalable, meaning they can be adjusted to fully incinerate and destroy enemy targets or merely disable functionality. The Army has been working with several vendors to refine and strengthen its Striker-fired laser and expects to have it operational within just the next few years. The Army’s Inc. 3 for M-SHORAD involves exploring the art of the possible regarding potential future interceptors. A modernization effort to look at a new generation of anti-air weapons could include advanced upgrades of current systems or a completely new redesign, something which could change the paradigm for ground-mobile counter air attack. “How far can we open up to get past current efforts and make trade-offs. What do you have today? And if you go away from that constraint, what can you achieve? These are things to consider,” Gibson explained. In totally, the combination of all three increments about is to a decided and substantial Army effort to better prepare its advancing armored ground forces for heavy, mechanized, force-on-force combat against a sophisticated enemy. “This is the largest modernization for Air and Missile Defense since the Cold War,” Gibson explained. Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven and The Defense Editor of The National Interest -- https://warriormaven.com/land/army-stryker-hellfire-missiles-lasers

October 1, 2021Dmitry Shulgin Leave a comment DARPA, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, completed a free flight test of its Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) last week. The missile, built by Raytheon Technologies, was released from an aircraft seconds before its Northrop Grumman scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) engine kicked on. The engine compressed incoming air mixed with its hydrocarbon fuel and began igniting that fast-moving airflow mixture, propelling the cruiser at a speed greater than Mach 5/3,836 mph/6174 km/h (five times the speed of sound). Artist’s concept of Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Concept (HAWC) missile (Courtesy: Raytheon Missiles & Defense) The HAWC vehicle operates best in oxygen-rich atmosphere, where speed and maneuverability make it difficult to detect in a timely way. It could strike targets much more quickly than subsonic missiles and has significant kinetic energy even without high explosives. «The HAWC free flight test was a successful demonstration of the capabilities that will make hypersonic cruise missiles a highly effective tool for our war fighters», said Andrew «Tippy» Knoedler, HAWC program manager in DARPA Tactical Technology Office. «This brings us one step closer to transitioning HAWC to a program of record that offers next generation capability to the U.S military». Goals of the mission were: vehicle integration and release sequence, safe separation from the launch aircraft, booster ignition and boost, booster separation and engine ignition, and cruise. All primary test objectives were met. The achievement builds on pioneering scramjet projects, including work on the X-30 National Aero-Space Plane as well as unmanned flights of NASA’s X-43 vehicles and the U.S. Air Force’s X-51 Waverider. «HAWC successful free flight test is the culmination of years of successful government and industry partnership, where a single, purpose-driven team accomplished an extremely challenging goal through intense collaboration», Knoedler added. «This historic flight would not have been possible without the dedication of industry, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy flight test personnel who persevered through the pandemic to make the magic happen». The HAWC flight test data will help validate affordable system designs and manufacturing approaches that will field air-breathing hypersonic missiles to our war fighters in the near future. http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2021/10/01/scramjet-powered-missile/

Scheduled maintenance for the F-35's engine in the mid-2020s will drive up the price of engine sustainment, just as the Pentagon expects cost reduction goals come to fruition. By Valerie Insinna on October 07, 2021 at 9:39 AM Many F135 engines built by Pratt & Whitney will be heading to the depot for maintenance in 2023. (File) MIDDLETOWN, CT: Pratt & Whitney, the company that manufactures the engine for the F-35 stealth fighter, has a big, costly problem — and no easy solution in sight. In the mid-2020s — just as the Pentagon expects to see a sharp decrease to F-35 sustainment costs — the first F135 engines used by the jet will hit 2,000 hours and will be sent to the depot for a scheduled overhaul. While the company is taking steps to minimize the cost of that maintenance work as much as possible, it’s unavoidable that engine sustainment costs will bump up during the mid-2020s, said Amanda Glode, Pratt & Whitney’s director of sustainment for the F135. That, in turn, will make it more difficult for the F-35 program to meet a longtime goal: reducing the cost per flight hour to $25,000 by 2025. “If we think about the lifecycle cost of a program, sustainment is the largest portion of that lifecycle cost, and scheduled maintenance is the largest portion of that sustainment cost,” Glode told reporters Tuesday. “We’re just in a different part of the lifecycle of the program than the rest [of the program] is,” she said. “Unfortunately our costs are going to be increasing” in the mid 2020s, “as we increase our scheduled maintenance at the exact point that the US services and the entire program want the costs to be decreasing.” Explaining that reality to F-35 program stakeholders — which include the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, a host of international customers, and skeptical lawmakers on Capitol Hill — has been a challenge for the company, said Glode. Pratt & Whitney invited reporters to its F135 production plant in Middletown, CT., on Tuesday, hoping to shift the narrative around the F135’s cost and performance. Throughout the tour of the facility, officials from Pratt consistently stressed that the upcoming cost increase wasn’t the company’s fault. Instead, they pointed fingers at unexpected wear and tear due to operational usage, inconsistent funding of spare parts, repeated delays in standing up maintenance depots, and the normal churn of engine overhauls, which typically ebb and flow as engines meet usage milestones. And while those are all justifications based in reality, that messaging likely will face skepticism from both members of Congress and Pentagon officials who want to get costs down on the famously over budget program, regardless of where it comes from. Earlier this year, the Pentagon disclosed the F-35 enterprise was facing an engine shortage, leading some lawmakers to suggest that the Defense Department should open a competition for more advanced engines to replace the F135. But while Congress may want a magic bullet solution, the engine shortage issues are multifaceted and not easily resolved. First, the F135 Heavy Maintenance Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., has not been able to repair power modules as quickly as projected, creating a backlog of work. Secondly, some aircraft that frequently operated in hot, sandy environments were grounded after the coating on engine rotor blades cracked and degraded. Pratt & Whitney has developed a new coating that has been incorporated on about 25 percent of the F-35 fleet — mostly jets that have recently rolled off the production line. But it could take as long as 2030 for all fielded jets to be retrofitted, said Katherine Knapp Carney, the company’s chief engineer for the F135 program. Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, who leads the F-35 program on behalf of the government, told lawmakers in July that 41 F-35As flown by the US Air Force were down and awaiting engine repairs, with an additional five other F-35s also inoperable due to engine-related problems. Three months later, there has been little improvement: As of Friday, the number of Air Force F-35As grounded due to propulsion issues stood at 42 jets, according to an Air Force source with knowledge of the program. Glode acknowledged that the current F135 sustainment strategy clearly isn’t meeting customer needs, and that Pratt & Whitney needs to make improvements in the area of affordability. However, the company is meeting program requirements when it comes to the number of F-35s down for engine issues, she said. Under its current contract, Pratt & Whitney is obligated to ensure that no more than 10% of F-35s are down due to engine issues, with 6% being the objective number. Historically, the company has “beat” the objective number, with only 4% of the fleet typically non-mission capable because of engine problems. With about 9% of jets currently down due to engines, Pratt & Whitney is still technically within threshold levels of its agreement with the Pentagon, even if it’s not meeting the objective, Glode said. “That’s a lot of the challenge that we get into today, is people not appreciating the fact that this was the way the program was designed,” she said. “We’re very comfortable working in any construct that the customer requires, and certainly we’ve been encouraging the [Pentagon’s F-35 joint program office] to work with the partners and services to try and understand what ‘good’ looks like and how they want to change the program,” she said. “We hear and we understand the feedback that what is executed today is not satisfying, but we can’t go and change the program ourselves.” Even if money flows to expedite work at the F135 depot at Tinker, to stand up additional maintenance hubs elsewhere, to buy additional engines and to change the F135 sustainment architecture, it will take time for those changes to take effect and for the engine backlog to subside, Glode said. “The depot network is about five years behind in terms of where it should have been based on the program design and architecture, in large part because funds were diverted earlier in the program because there were other needs,” she said. “Sustainment just didn’t get the budget that it required in a timely manner.” Future Hopes There are some signs of improvement at the depot, said Jen Latka, Pratt & Whitney’s vice president for the F135 program. Tinker’s depot only produced 14 power modules last year, but is on track to “significantly” exceed its target of 40 modules in 2021, she said. And while it took more than 200 days on average to repair a power module in 2020, workers on the depot have begun to hit the “aggressive and realistic” 120 day target that will remain the goal for the future. The pressure on the depot will be even higher once engines begin coming in for scheduled overhauls in 2023, so Pratt & Whitney is trying to take steps now so that future work can occur as quickly and affordably as possible, officials said. For the F135 — which has rotors made of titanium and artisan-made components measured to the thousandth of an inch — the biggest drivers of cost during maintenance events are parts and materials, Latka said. Therefore, Pratt & Whitney’s focus has been on conducting engineering work and developing repairs that enable maintainers to replace fewer parts during overhauls. “It’s not about labor,” she said. “That is not going to move the needle in terms of cost reduction on the engine.” Another long-term effort is making continual improvements to parts and managing the fleet so that engines can stay on wing for longer periods of time without having to be sent to the depot for scheduled or unscheduled repair work, said Glode. However, she noted that there will be added costs in the mid-2020s even if the company finds ways to reduce maintenance expenses. “We’re trying to bend the curve and make the slope less. It’s never going to go away,” she said. “It’s never going to be flat. It’s just the nature of propulsion, it comes in sine waves as scheduled maintenance comes and goes.” https://breakingdefense.com/2021/10/f-35-engine-maker-braces-for-sustainment-cost-spike/

September 23, 2021 Leave a comment ברק MX הוא הכוכב של מערכת היירוט נגד מטרות אוויריות וכנגד טילים תוקפים מבית היוצר של התעשיה האווירית והוא מהווה חלק ממערכת הלחימה של חיל הים שמותקנת על ספינות הסער 6 של חיל הים הישראלי. המערכת מוסיפה נדבך נוסף ליכולות ההגנה והתקיפה של הספינה כנגד איומים מהאויר ומהים. התעשייה האווירית (תע"א) משלבת מערכות התקפיות והגנתיות, כדי לשפר את יכולות הקורבטה 'סער 6' ולהכניס את חיל הים הישראלי לעידן טכנולוגי חדש, בהנחיית משרד הביטחון הישראלי וצה"ל. מיירטי ברק MX יחד עם חבילת הלחימה הימית השלמה של התעשייה האווירית, יספקו מערכות הגנה מתקדמות לקורבטות סער 6 של חיל הים הישראלי. המערכות ישמשו להגנה על האזור הכלכלי הבלעדי של ישראל ועל מתקנים אסטרטגיים המתמודדים עם איומים מגוונים בגיזרה הימית. המערכת ברק MX נבחרה לאחר שהוכחה יכולתה לעמוד בדרישות המבצעיות ובאתגרים העתידיים העומדים בפני חיל הים הישראלי. הפתרונות הימיים של התעשייה האווירית הם מערכות וטכנולוגיה ימית שהוכחו בקרב, התעשייה האווירית קובעת סטנדרטים חדשים למודעות התחום הימי, מערכות לחימה ימיות, תפעול מרכזי ברשת, הגנת איזורים כלכליים ואבטחת חופים. מחיישנים ומערכות נשק ועד למערכות משולבות, התעשייה האווירית מציעה סל רחב של פתרונות לדרישות והאתגרים של כוחות ימיים בימינו. מערכות לחימה אלו נועדו למקסם ולייעל את הביצועים והיכולות של המערכות הבודדות באופן שיאפשר להן לפעול בצורה סינרגטית וביעילות רבה. מערכת ההגנה האווירית ברק MX שפותחה על ידי התעשייה האווירית היא אחת ממערכות ההגנה האווירית המבצעיות המתקדמות בעולם, המשמשת את כוחות הצי של צה"ל, ואת חיל הים, היבשה והאוויר של הצבא ההודי. מערכת ההגנה האווירית והטילים של ברק MX מספקת יכולות הגנה בשטח רחב וגם יכולות הגנה ממוקדות למערך של איומים ביבשה, באוויר ובים. המערכת מאגדת מספר מערכות מפתח חדשניות: מכ"ם דיגיטלי, מערכת בקרת נשק, משגרים ומגוון מיירטים לטווחים שונים עם מערכות ביות מתקדמת, תקשורת נתונים ומערכות סרט רחב. המערכת שפותחה על ידי התעשייה האווירית, כוללת מיירטים לטווחים שונים: 35 ק"מ/21.75 מייל, 70 ק"מ/43.5 מייל ו-150 ק"מ/93.2 מייל, ומשלבת יכולת ליירט איומי הגנה אווירית שונים מפלטפורמות ימיות ויבשתיות. בועז לוי, נשיא ומנכ"ל התעשייה האווירית, אמר: "מערכות הלחימה וההגנה האווירית המותקנות על קורבטות הסער-6 מייצגות את הנדבך המשמעותי המשולב כעת בשאר מערכות ההגנה האווירית של ישראל. המערכת מספקת מענה מלא למגוון רחב של איומים והיא מותאמת לעבודה עם מערכות אחרות. מערכת ההגנה האווירית של תע"א מתהדרות בניסיון מבצעי מוכח ואנו גאים להיות הבית של מערכות חיל הים הישראלי. http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/page/3/

Oct 13, 2021 By Kris Osborn - President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven Raytheon Technologies' StormBreaker® smart weapon is a guided, gliding precision munition with a tri-mode seeker that allows it to track moving targets in low-visibility conditions such as darkness, poor weather and battlefield smoke and dust. The Air Force is making a special effort to ensure its weapons are modernized, upgraded and developed as quickly as other elements of 5th and 6th generation aircraft to ensure that air lethality keeps pace with stealth technology, AI-enabled computing and long-range sensors. “We want to be careful as we purchase 5th-gen aircraft, we can’t put 3rd gen weapons on them,” Lt. Gen. David Nahom, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, told the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Weapons Research Development Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) The service has made considerable effort to modernize its arsenal of weapons through efforts such as software enhancements to the AIM-120D and AIM-9X air-to-air weapons, yet some Air Force weapons developers are concerned that there might not be enough innovative next-generation weapons programs and technological breakthroughs. This is why Nahom explained the importance of sustaining and improving Research Development Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) efforts to identify paradigm-changing new weapons technologies. “We have to have enough RDTE in advanced munitions, for the high end fight. We are balancing the money and going to put a little more into advanced RDTE efforts,” Nahom said. AIM-9X The AIM-9X has, for example, been adapted to fire “off-boresight” meaning it can change course in flight and redirect to attack an enemy aircraft flying on the side or even behind of the attacking jet. A fighter jet such as the F-35 does therefore not have to have a strictly linear, straight ahead firing trajectory but can attack at virtually all angles. F-16 Fighting Falcon "Viper" with full load of bombs, AIM-9X and AIM-120D AIM-120D There has also been hardening upgrades to a wide range of weapons systems such as the AIM-120D which could be referred to as efforts to counter countermeasures. For instance, should an adversary seek to locate and jam a targeting frequency essential to the weapon’s guidance, newer software upgrades can enable weapons like the AIM-120D to engage in “frequency hopping” and switch frequencies to stay on course to its target. StormBreaker The upcoming fourth software drop for the F-35 will be a big part of this, as each successive software “drop” or series of enhancements will in many cases expand the weapons envelope for the aircraft by adding interfaces, fire-control adjustments and the required levels of targeting and computing technologies. The fourth software drop for the F-35, for example, will enable the promising cutting edge StormBreaker weapon to launch from the aircraft. In development now for many years, the StormBreaker introduces an unprecedented technological ability to track and destroy targets through a data link with pilots at distances up to 40 nautical miles in all weather conditions. The weapon has become famous for its “tri-mode” seeker which combines Infrared, Millimeter wave and laser-guidance technology operate with great precision in all weather conditions and in different respects depending upon the method best suited for a particular target. Added to this equation is the reality that there may simply need to be a much larger amount of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles in order for the Air Force to be fully prepared for a massive, major power war with an exponentially greater number of “aim points.” Retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Nahom that a limiting factor in Air Force war games is the “limited numbers of munitions, such as JASSMs, LRASMs and AMRAAMs. Are we procuring enough?” Deptula point of emphasis was clear in several respects as he stressed the important of operating an Air Force that stays steady and ready to engage in a major warfare conflict require 100 aim points in a single day. Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven and the Defense Editor of The National Interest -- Kris Osborn is the defense editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox https://warriormaven.com/air/air-force-aim-9x-aim-120d-stormbreaker-f-35

By Kris Osborn - President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven Oct.13.2021 The Air Force is exploring so many interesting options when it comes to finding and deploying a replacement for its MQ-9 Reaper drone that it is planning to take its time. The service is running an interesting program called “MQ-Next” which is now immersed in a world of technological exploration and the “realm of the possible” to determine what future drones used to perform Reaper-like missions will look like. They may quite likely be smaller, stealthier, more lethal and even operate in swarms to blanked areas with surveillance with a smaller footprint to improve survivability. 2031 Deadline As it pursues this developmental trajectory, the service is taking great comfort in the fact that its ongoing innovations are gaining extra support, traction and funding by virtue of having time to work with. The MQ-Next does not need to be operational until 2031, meaning the service can take the time it needs to identify and develop the best possible next-generation drones for the 2030s and beyond. “We have 300 platforms (Reapers) to go into the middle 2030s, so we have time to proceed smartly and look at different systems,” Lt. Gen. David Nahom MQ next UAV, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for Plans & Programs, told the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in an interview. MQ-9 Reaper Manned-Unmanned Teaming One fundamental area of developmental emphasis, Nahom said, was the ongoing focus on networking, meaning manned-unmanned teaming, multi-platform drone connectivity and even unmanned-unmanned or “drone-to-drone” kinds of synergies. Certainly networking advances enabling low-latency kinds of data exchange between aircraft and drones allow for a circumstance wherein the Air Force could possible field a number of smaller and therefore more survivable drones able to exchange surveillance images and targeting data with one another in real time. This would reduce the need to increase risk by sending larger, potentially more vulnerable less-stealthy platforms into warfare. Drone swarms could blanket an area with ISR; test enemy air defenses and even attack the perimeter of enemy forces without placing pilots and manned aircraft at risk of incoming attack. “There are a lot of ways we can use unmanned systems in much different ways than in the past. We can have unmanned adversary air and platforms tasked with protecting high-value systems,” Nahom explained In a flight that originated from its Flight Test and Training Center (FTTC) near Grand Forks, N.D., General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) flew a company-owned MQ-9A “Big Wing” configured Unmanned Aircraft System north through Canadian airspace past the 78th parallel. General Atomic Much of this kind of RDT&E, innovation and technological exploration is made possible by the continued success and functionality of the Reaper drone itself, a war-hardened platform which has been massively upgraded by the Air Force. Unlike its earliest days, the Reaper of today operates with additional mission extending fuel tanks, a universal weapons interface enabling a wider arsenal of attack weapons, AI-enabled data processing, software upgrades and sensor enhancements. The Air Force has also been adjusting Reaper tactics such as varying flight path to be less predictable to enemies and flying at higher altitudes made possible by substantial improvements in the range and fidelity of its sensors. When it comes to the Air Force goal of providing survivable, persistent ISR, the Reaper has been answering the call. “We have time to look at all of these possibilities before the MQ-9s fall off,” Nahom told Mitchell. Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven and The Defense Editor of The National Interest https://warriormaven.com/air/drones-manned-unmanned-teaming-air-force-attack-drones

Defense News October 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Monday, 18 October 2021 15:35 UVision continues to strengthen its operations in the US with the signing of a cooperation agreement with MAG Aerospace at the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) Annual Meeting. Launching of a Hero Loitering Munition (Picture source: UVision) Through this cooperation, UVision USA and MAG Aerospace will offer operational and training solutions for the Hero family of loitering munitions. MAG Aerospace will provide in-country resources; perform demonstrations, operational training, and support for UVision's customers OCONUS (outside Continental US) and CONUS (Continental US). "This agreement has come about in response to the growing need in the United States for HERO systems,” says Jim Truxel, CEO of UVision USA. “As part of the cooperation with MAG Aerospace, we will be able to provide local support for the company's customers locally and around the globe. UVision USA operations will continue to expand." "MAG Aerospace brings a terrific reputation and demonstrated experience in providing similar services all over the world,” says Chief Growth Officer, Matt Bartlett, of MAG Aerospace. “Together with UVision’s advanced technological knowledge and its operationally-proven systems, we will be able to provide an operational advantage to American forces operating on and off the continent." https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_october_2021_global_security_army_industry/index.php

Arthur Culvahouse Jr., who served as US Ambassador to Australia from 2019 to 2021, makes the case for why AUKUS needs to be the start, not the end, of strengthening industrial ties with the US. By Arthur Culvahouse Jr. on October 18, 2021 at 7:35 AM Astute class nuclear powered attack submarine Credit: Royal Navy Allies of the United States and much of the defense industry have complained for at least 20 years about the complexity, slow speed and generally deleterious effects of the America arms export system. We are your friends, allies and partners say. You trust us enough to fight alongside us but you make it very hard to share technology. The last American ambassador to Australia argues below that AUKUS provides a rare chance — and an important one — to demonstrate just how much the US really values its Aussie allies. The AUKUS project, which includes the purchase by Australia of nuclear powered submarines and much of their technology, is a clear opportunity and test case to foster urgently needed reform of the US arms export system. During my almost two years as US Ambassador to Australia, a recurring complaint from members of parliament, Australian defense officials, and defense executives from both countries was that US technology transfer and export controls still are the major impediment to improved defense cooperation and interoperability, to deepening and broadening our economic ties, and to leveraging and growing the industrial and innovation bases of both countries. It must be recognized that AUKUS, this seminal step in allied cooperation, will be slowed and frustrated without a corresponding top-all-the way-down rethinking and reform of the US technology export controls regime as it relates to close allies such as Australia and the UK. Allied frustration extends beyond modern cutting-edge components and systems to include commercial replacement parts and decades old know-how. A 2019 report by the US Studies Center in Sydney lamented that the continued failure of US export controls to treat trusted allies differently are barriers to bilateral cooperation with real and growing opportunity costs. This occurs even though Congress approved Australia’s inclusion, with the UK, in the US National Technology Industrial Base (NTIB) in 2017. These barriers have been recognized at senior policy levels for at least two decades, including in the Joint Statements following the two most recent Australia-United States ministerial meetings that called for progress on NTIB “test cases.” Australia is a trusted treaty ally, has been our partner in every conflict for the past century, and is a Five Eyes intelligence partner with a proven history and track record of protecting highly sensitive technology. Australia’s Collins class submarine fleet is near the end of its useful life and having those ships replaced in a streamlined process with modern, fit for purpose nuclear powered vessels contributes to deterrence and stability in the Indo Pacific. This could be a business school worthy case study of how government defense procurement can resist inertia and change course in the customer’s national interest. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison courageously directed his team to revisit, five years after the contract was awarded, and the original premise that conventionally powered submarines could meet the future needs and requirements of the Royal Australian Navy as it faces the naval forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Once Australia saw nuclear powered submarines as a viable option, the government had every right in its national security interest to choose the best available technology. The PRC’s naval buildup, including massive quantities of anti-ship missiles and hundreds of surface ships, places a premium on the United States and its allies maintaining our advantage in submarines that can run more silent, deeper, and faster than our potential adversaries. Having the Aussies deploy modern, nuclear-powered, conventionally armed attack submarines increases that margin for all AUKUS partners and their allies. Australia deserves our support and admiration as it has taken on a growing leadership role in the Indo-Pacific. Australia called for an international investigation into the origin of the COVID-19 virus. It has urged the Chinese Communists to honor the rights and freedoms guaranteed the citizens of Hong Kong in the 1997 handover agreement. It has urged an end to the oppression of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang, and it is a strong proponent of freedom of navigation and over flight in the South China Sea, contrary to unlawful territorial claims by the PRC Government. In response, the Chinese government has launched unabashed economic coercion, banning or severely restricting imports of Australian barley, wine, thermal coal and beef. China’s self styled “Wolf Warrior” diplomats in Australia released to the press an incendiary list of 14 “grievances,” criticizing common sense exercises by Australia of its sovereign right to protect the integrity of its communications, political processes and government deliberations. The Global Times, an official English language mouthpiece of the PRC, has described Australia as “gum on China’s shoe.” Beijing’s Wolf Warriors taunt Australia on Twitter, inviting them to be “cannon fodder.” As US Ambassador to Australia, two years ago, it was my privilege to invite Prime Minister Morrison to fly out to the USS Ronald Reagan to observe carrier exercises. The Reagan’s motto, taking after its namesake, is “Peace through Strength.” One of America’s strengths, compared to our strategic adversaries, is that we have friends and allies. I believe that we can all agree that our mates Down Under don’t stand alone when confronted with strategic aggression. Arthur Culvahouse Jr. served as US Ambassador to Australia from 2019 to 2021. https://breakingdefense.com/2021/10/aukus-must-be-a-test-case-for-better-us-arms-exports-to-australia/

General Dynamics Land Systems' TRX is a modular unmanned ground vehicle design, and versions of it will be headed to an Army experiment next year. By Joseph Trevithick October 14, 2021 The War Zone General Dynamics Land Systems' showcased a mockup of its TRX tracked unmanned ground vehicle configured as a unique mobile launch platform for 50 AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions, commonly referred to as "suicide drones," earlier this week. This followed news that the Army now plans to test versions of the TRX, which stands for Tracked Robot 10-Ton, alongside Howe & Howe Technologies' Ripsaw M5 unmanned mini-tank and Pratt Miller and QinetiQ's Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle during an experimental exercise next year. The loitering munition-armed TRX concept was on display at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) main annual conference in Washington, D.C., which opened on Oct. 11 and wrapped up yesterday. General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) had first unveiled TRX at the AUSA gathering last year. This builds off the company's formal partnership with AeroVironment, which it first announced in 2018. A TRX tracked unmanned ground vehicle configured to launch dozens of AeroVironment Switchblade 300 and 600 loitering munitions. This version of the design also has a tethered quadcopter-type drone The TRX on display at AUSA this year has two banks of 13 launch tubes for Switchblade 600 drones, as well as two other arrays, each with 12 tubes capable of launching smaller Switchblade 300s. It also has a tethered quadcopter-type unmanned aerial vehicle that is stowed internally when not in use. Loitering Missiles Systems at #AUSA2021. Stop by their booth (6027) and learn how this integration extends the RSTA and precision strike lethality range of tactical ground units. pic.twitter.com/lKo2bhNtid This configuration presents a significant combination of reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as organic strike capabilities, in a relatively small and mobile package that can be used in very high-risk environments. What makes loitering munitions such as the Switchblades different from more traditional drones and missiles is that they can scout ahead and otherwise search for potential targets of interest and then initiate strikes on them directly, if desired. AeroVironment's Switchblade family, like many loitering munitions, have an operator-in-the-loop control arrangement, where the user "sees" what the drone does via the feeds from the electro-optical and infrared cameras in its nose through the course of its flight. While the drones can be directed to fly to specific locations and automatically track designated targets, or even hit selected coordinates, the operator can also make fine adjustments to their course manually. This increases the accuracy of the system and also offers an added margin of safety, offering the user the option of aborting a strike should circumstances change, such as innocent bystanders suddenly appearing in the target area. AeroVironment has talked about improving the autonomous capabilities in the future, including potentially enabling groups of them to work cooperatively together as a networked swarm. You can read more about the Switchblade family, as well as the company's other projects, in this past War Zone feature. 1. We Talk Suicide Drones And The Future Of Unmanned Warfare With AeroVironment's Steve Gitlin By Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone 2. Ripsaw Unmanned Mini-Tank Sent To The Army's Shooting Range For The First Time By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone 3. The Movie Star Ripsaw Mini-Tank Has Reemerged Unmanned And Packing A Big 30mm Cannon By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42755/new-tracked-unmanned-vehicle-bristles-with-a-whopping-50-switchblade-suicide-drones

Partner 2021 News Online Show Daily defense exhibition Serbia Posted On Tuesday, 12 October 2021 17:27 Today, October 12, 2021, the Serbian company Yugoimport has unveiled its new 8x8 armored vehicle called LAZANSKI during the Partner 2021 defense exhibition that takes place in Belgrade, Serbia. The vehicle is designed using the latest innovations and technologies in terms of firepower, protection, and mobility. New Yugoimport LAZANSKI 8x8 armored vehicle fitted with an AU-220M Remote Weapon Station armed with one 57mm automatic cannon and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. (Picture source Army Recognition) The new LAZANSKI 8x8 armored vehicle is fully designed and developed by the Serbian company Yugoimport. The vehicle integrates world-class heavy-duty components, special materials and technology lead to the development of combat vehicles capable of competing with other modern armored vehicles in the current military market. The LAZANSKI is a completely new armored vehicle and is not based on the Lazar family of 8x8 armored vehicles. The hull of the LAZANSKI is of all-welded steel construction and is combined with Ceramic armor to reach standard ballistic protection of STANAG 4569 Level 5, against the firing of 25mm caliber weapons. The vehicle can be fitted upgraded to Level 6, offering ballistic protection against 30 mm APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) or AP (Armor Piercing) ammunition at 500 m. The vehicle incorporates a V-shaped monocoque hull providing mine protection Level 4 STANAG 4569 to withstand an explosion of 10 kg of TNT under the wheels and the center bottom part. The layout of the new LAZANSKI consists has the power pack front right, driver front left and the whole of the remainder of the hull rear being left free for the troop compartment. The vehicle has a crew of three including a driver, commander and gunner while the rear part of the vehicle is able to accommodate up to 10 infantrymen that are seated on anti-mine blast seats. A hydraulic ramp is located at the rear of the hull allowing the infantrymen to quickly enter or leave the vehicle. The LAZANSKI is fitted with a Russian AU-220m remotely operated weapon station armed with one 57mm automatic cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. The turret is able to destroy to engage targets on the move or in static conditions. The fire control system is used to detect, identify targets as well as the gun laying and conduct all the firing operations. The 57mm cannon has a maximum firing range of 14.5 km. The LAZANSKI is powered by a Turbocharged Caterpillar C13 engine developing 711 hp coupled to a 6-speed automatic Allison 4000SP transmission. The drive train consists of SISU axles with electro-pneumatic locks on all sub-elements. The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight from 26 to 36 tons depending on the armor configuration. Standard equipment of the LAZANSKI includes 6 integrated day/night IR (Infrared) cameras providing 360° awareness all around the vehicle, 10" and 12" screens for crew and infantry compartment integrated in the programmable video system, Inertial Navigation System, Battle Management System, CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) protection system, air conditioning and intercom. https://www.armyrecognition.com/partner_2021_news_online_show_daily_defense_exhibition_serbia/yugoimport_unveils_new_lazanski_8x8_armored_vehicle_armed_with_57mm_cannon.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJUGINcS1Vw&t=73s