India approved for further P-8 MMAs

On the same subject

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  September 21, 2023 | International, Aerospace

  Biden taps Melissa Dalton for Air Force’s No. 2 civilian post

  She would replace Gina Ortiz Jones, who left the leadership post in March.

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  October 5, 2020 | International, Land, C4ISR, Security

  US Army discontinues Rapid Equipping Force

  Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has discontinued its Rapid Equipping Force stood up during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to get urgently needed capabilities into the field in 180 days or less. As the Army shifts from a focus on counterinsurgency operations to going up against near-peer adversaries like Russia and China across air, land, sea, cyberspace and space domains in large-scale operations, the REF's utility and mission has been in question. The service is also disbanding its Asymmetric Warfare Group. “As our focus changes to great power competition and large-scale combat operations, Army analysis indicated that the personnel and resources could best be utilized in building the operational fighting force,” an Oct. 2 Army statement read. “To ensure the value of organization's work over the past 14 years is not lost, all lessons learned will be maintained by the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, via the Center for Army Lessons Learned, Centers of Excellence and other [Training and Doctrine Command] enterprise stakeholders.” The discontinuation won't happen overnight. Both organizations will be fully deactivated by the end of fiscal 2021 “and will transition the mission of providing immediate support to other organizations,” the statement noted. Over the past several years, the REF hung on to certain missions and continued to advocate for its relevancy. A year ago, Defense News sat down with the REF's director in a new, smaller office space at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in a conference room surrounded by small counter-unmanned aircraft systems that it was rapidly fielded to units and considered one of its success stories. In 2017, the REF was focused on counter-drone technologies; dismounted electronic warfare equipment; tethered intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities; and urban operations equipment including up-armored commercial vehicles. But many of those technologies have found other homes within the Army. As the service stood up its new security force assistance brigades, the REF expected a surge in work to support the needs of those units in the field as they deployed. The REF played a small role at the time, providing the first SFAB with a few items it needed ahead of deployment such as communications gear and an item that assisted the unit with indirect fires. Last year, the REF was highlighting its nearly 10-year-old Expeditionary Lab, a 3D-printing trailer that can be deployed downrange to solve problems for units operating in austere environments. Col. Joe Bookard, who is still the REF's director, told Defense News at the time that the REF would continue to fill the niche of urgently supplying soldiers with capabilities to meet immediate needs while they are deployed. He said that, in a way, the REF has been doing what Army Futures Command is doing now, but on a smaller scale: providing capabilities that are rapidly procured to a small number of soldiers for evaluation, and then refining those capabilities as needed. In 2019, the REF addressed 400 requirements sent from combatant commanders to address operational capability gaps, Bookard said. Among some of the recent success stories is the tiny Black Hornet, an unmanned aircraft system that is now a program of record and was fielded as the Soldier Borne Sensor. The REF was also working to transition two hand-held counter-UAS capabilities — the DroneBuster and the Drone Defender — to the larger force as official programs. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/10/02/army-discontinues-rapid-equipping-force/

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  December 24, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

  Airports to go on counter-attack with 'killer' devices and bazookas

  The Telegraph, Charles Hymas All Britain airports are increasing or reviewing their defences because of fears of copycat attacks ... following the chaos at Gatwick that ruined the travel plans of 140,000 people Britain's major airports are to step up security with military-grade detection systems that would help them counter Gatwick-style drone incidents by launching their own “killer drones” or shooting them down with firearms. The move emerged as Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, and Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, prepared to meet today (Monday) to review progress on the police investigation and measures to protect the public from future attacks. All airports in Britain are increasing or reviewing their defences because of fears of copycat attacks, according to Whitehall sources, following the chaos at Gatwick that ruined the travel plans of 140,000 people. Gatwick is expected to be the first to operate detection technology designed to be as sophisticated as that being used by the crack RAF and Army signals teams deployed to the airport last week. It allows personnel to detect, track and photograph drones at a distance of more than 1km and up to 5km. Whitehall sources said options for countering the threat included airports deploying their own drones, firing bazookas with projectiles that trapped them in nets, or deploying police with shotguns to shoot them down. The military team was due to remain at Gatwick until the airport's own defence system was operational, possibly for the two weeks over Christmas. Stewart Wingate, the chief executive of Gatwick, said: “We are equipping ourselves with capabilities to detect and defeat drones.” A Whitehall source said: “The first thing is to detect when a drone is coming in and having enough distance in which to do that. Second is being able to track the signal.” The Metis Skyperion technology, thought to be used by the military, deploys cameras, laser rangefinders, radar and radio frequency scanners to pinpoint the drone. To install a similar system at a major airport could cost up to pounds 5m, according to one expert. To track the drone to its operator would require additional sensors that even the military has not deployed at Gatwick. Finding the culprit becomes easier if they remain in sight of their device. Gatwick declined to reveal the measures it was considering to “defeat” or “disrupt” any further attacks. Police at Heathrow are testing a SkyWall 100 bazooka, a shoulder-launched weapon that fires a projectile containing a net. “Some of the airports are putting up enhanced firearms capabilities, most are doing increased police patrols inside and outside,” said a Whitehall source. “Airports are also assessing and monitoring potential launch sites.” Legislation will be rushed through in the new year to enable electronic jamming by airports, bigger drone exclusion zones and new police powers. https://nationalpost.com/news/world/airports-to-go-on-counter-attack-with-killer-devices-and-bazookas