October 23, 2020 | International, Aerospace
COLOGNE, Germany — European NATO nations without the fifth-generation F-35 combat jet should mold their fleets to complement the U.S.-developed aircraft in future operations, according to a new report commissioned by U.S. European Command.
The analysis, done by the think tank Rand and published Oct. 22, ascribes such a vital advantage to the F-35′s stealth and sensor-fusion features that the jet would be the only aircraft suitable for an initial contact with Russian forces in the event of a conflict.
Following that logic, European nations that have already signed up for the Lockheed Martin-made jet should hone their tactics toward that initial engagement, and countries with less advanced aircraft should strive to maximize their ability to complement such an operation, the authors argued.
The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and Italy are European NATO members in various stages of getting F-35 aircraft. One tier below that, in the eyes of Rand analysts, are countries like Germany or France whose Eurofighter and Rafale fleets, respectively, have sensors advanced enough to be considered “fourth-generation-plus” aircraft.
The report's recommendations are based on the hypothetical premise of a Russian land grab on the alliance's eastern flank.
“One common scenario considers a calculation by the Russian government that Russia could leverage a regional imbalance in ground forces to occupy some slice of NATO territory, employ air defenses to stave off allied air forces, present a fait accompli similar to that seen in Crimea, and politically divide NATO by calling for negotiations,” the document stated.
“The ability of European fifth-generation fighters to penetrate Russian air defenses and make significant combat contributions from the opening hours of a response — at the vanguard — would most likely challenge the logic behind this scenario, improving deterrence by increasing the Russian risks associated with this approach.”
The observation follows the belief, which the authors propose is shared by Russia, that NATO forces have the upper hand in air-combat capability, whereas Moscow has the lead in ground forces.
To be sure, the Rand analysis covers only one dimension in a potential confrontation with Russia. Air and naval assets as well as cyber weapons for information warfare would also shape the battlefield in potentially unpredictable ways, not to mention any surprise capabilities that either side could throw into the mix to nullify the opponent's technological advantage.
The problem for European nations' fourth-generation and “fourth-generation-plus” aircraft, which lack stealth capabilities, is the inability to get close enough to targets without getting shot down by sophisticated air defense weapons, according to Rand.
The key to making the best of the continent's aircraft mix is developing the fleets with greater interoperability in mind, the analysts argued. In that sense, non-stealthy combat planes, which typically can carry more weapons than the F-35, still have an important role to play after more advanced fighters clear any ground-based threats.
European nations are studying two versions of a sixth-generation weapon for air combat, namely the Tempest project (led by the U.K.) and the Future Combat Air System (led by France and Germany). Those aircraft ideas are slated to come online around 2040, which puts them outside of the scope of the Rand analysis.
May 12, 2024 | International, Land
The award follows an initial agreement issued in 2019, and subsequent contracts calling for recapitalization to support mission readiness through 2050.
March 31, 2021 | International, Naval
ROCHESTER, U.K. — BAE Systems is taking decades of flight controls expertise underwater on-board the United Kingdom’s next-generation submarine, Dreadnought. This innovative approach involves adapting controls that are usually used in fly-by-wire aircraft and applying them in a marine environment,...
November 17, 2020 | International, C4ISR
Seth J. Frantzman JERUSALEM — Israeli firm Elbit Systems will provide E-LynX software-defined radios to the Spanish Army after the service awarded a contract to Elbit's partner Telefonica, according to a report in Spain confirmed by Elbit. Elbit said it could not refer directly to the contract's details, but a company spokesperson did say in a statement: “We do acknowledge the media report that the Spanish Ministry of Defense selected the E-Lynx Software Defined Radio in handheld and vehicular configurations as the solution for the Spanish Army.” According to the Nov. 10 report by Infodefensa, the contract was awarded in October by the General Directorate for Armament and Material for €6.5 million (U.S. $7.7 million). “Telefonica explained in a presentation that a part of the components of the E-Lynx radio will be produced and integrated in Spain by the company with the support of other companies such as Aicox, while other equipment will come from Elbit's facilities in Israel,” the report read. Aicox is a telecommunications and technology company in Spain. The contract award comes after other recent orders of Elbit radios in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In July 2020, the Swedish Army chose Elbit to supply 1,000 additional systems after an initial contract in 2018. In October 2019, Switzerland's Federal Office for Defence Procurement ordered the same radio for the country's military. In June 2019, the German Defence Ministry chose Elbit's subsidiary in the country to provide the radios in hand-held and vehicular configurations for platoons and company levels of the Army. Local manufacturing of the radios would facilitate “further extensions and capabilities,” the company said at the time. The popularity in software-defined radios has attracted the attention of other Israeli companies, such as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which has been competing in Europe and sees opportunities across the continent. In Spain, Rafael teamed with Technobit for the Spanish Army contract. The Spanish program required industry competitors partner with a local company. Spain's procurement will take place in phases, with the initial contract for a battalion. Estimates by the Israeli companies put the overall program at hundreds of millions of dollars. This multistep process is common in other European countries, such as Sweden's program. The trend in procurement for software-defined radios will increase the ability of countries and units to effectively speak to each other, a challenge that Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of the U.S Army in Europe, referenced in 2019 when he noted that NATO allies “cannot even talk to each other securely.” Getting tactical radio communications to the next level is an issue militaries have been trying to solve, the U.S. Army said last year. On Nov. 12, Elbit announced the launch of its E-LynxX-Sat, a satellite communications add-on system that uses a terminal to interface with the E-LynX software-defined radio. The E-LynX radio facilitates “advanced networking solutions in both open field and in urban areas,” the company said. “The E-LynX family of radio systems is designed with an open architecture approach, features unique waveforms and enables the adoption with a range of additional European and NATO waveforms.” The SATCOM add-on will enable infantry and maneuvering forces to maintain secure voice and data communications over ranges of “hundreds of kilometers,” the company said. The system was demonstrated during a British Army Warfighting Experiment. https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2020/11/16/spanish-army-selected-elbit-systems-to-supply-software-defined-radios/