New joint ventures hint at ‘burgeoning relationship’ between Israel and India

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  December 14, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Land

  Norway’s defense minister: Ensuring collective defense and deterrence in the northernmost corner of Europe

  By: Frank Bakke-Jensen A serious security crisis in the northernmost corner of Europe would affect all of NATO. That is why the alliance just conducted the largest full-scale military exercise in decades— in Norway. In October and November, some 50,000 soldiers from 31 countries were engaged in a major exercise designed to test our ability to operate together in crisis or war. Around 65 ships, 250 aircraft and as many as 10,000 vehicles took part. Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 demonstrated NATO's revitalized focus on collective defense of its member states and the geopolitical importance of Europe's northern flank. Trident Juncture 2015 took place in the Mediterranean region. This year's Trident Juncture was a unique opportunity for NATO and our partners Sweden and Finland to test and further develop our ability to operate together in the north. Norway's rugged terrain, intricate coastline and demanding climate represent challenges in and of themselves to the war fighter, making this one of the reasons why it is so important to train here. Not just because it makes us better at defending ourselves, but also because it strengthens the bond between our countries and sends a strong signal to anyone who may want to use military power to force our will. The fact that 31 countries contributed to the exercise proves that we, as an alliance, stand together. Even more importantly, the exercise demonstrated our will and determination to come to each other's aid, should it ever be necessary. With Trident Juncture 2018, we have shown in a very visible way that we will come to the aid of any member nation, should any of us need it. We see no military threat against Norway today. However, we have seen a more assertive Russia with both the will and the ability to use military power to achieve political goals. Cyberattacks and disinformation are fueling political polarization in both Europe and the United States, which in turn is challenging democratic institutions and our ability to compromise. International terrorism is changing how we think about security; migration has emerged as perhaps the No. 1 dividing force; and climate change is affecting all of these issues in ways we cannot fully predict. As members of a successful alliance, we all share a common responsibility to maintain peace and stability in our neighborhoods — from the north to the south. Democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, as well as a rules-based world order, are at the heart of our nations. All 29 allies participated in exercise Trident Juncture. All 29 allies stand together in our 360-degree approach to security. And all 29 allies share the burdens of collective defense and deterrence. These are the fundamental values that make us capable of reacting to a rapidly changing security environment. We are firm believers in dialogue, transparency and a predictable world order based on international law and binding agreements. Unfortunately, we see that these values are increasingly challenged. That is why it is necessary to have a credible military capability. While Denmark, Norway and Iceland are members of NATO, Sweden and Finland are not. By including Sweden and Finland in a NATO exercise, we improve our ability to act together as neighbors. The Nordic contribution to Exercise Trident Juncture was substantial, with over 13,000 soldiers and a large number of civilian personnel. In a fine example of Nordic cooperation, army elements from Finland operated as part of a Swedish brigade, and Danish helicopters supported the Norwegian brigade. NATO and partner forces from Finland and Sweden used military bases and airfields in all the Nordic countries, with the strategically important Iceland serving as a central hub, gateway and staging area for deployment and sustainment of allied forces across the north Atlantic. From a Norwegian perspective, Trident Juncture 18 has been a success. For the first time in decades, the whole alliance came together in the High North to test reinforcement plans and to demonstrate that we are committed to collective defense. In addition, the sea lanes across the Atlantic are once again seen as vital. Being a host nation, with all it entails, is a daunting task for a small nation like Norway. With this exercise, we were able to test our abilities to receive and accommodate allied forces. All units were in position, with their equipment, on time. All supplies were delivered as planned. The infrastructure was satisfactory. In addition, we were able to put our total defense concept to the test. More than 50 other Norwegian actors — governmental as well as nongovernmental — were involved. Seen with Norwegian eyes, Exercise Trident Juncture 18 has contributed to continued stability in the High North. Frank Bakke-Jensen is Norway's defense minister. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2018/12/10/norways-defense-minister-ensuring-collective-defense-and-deterrence-in-the-northernmost-corner-of-europe/

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  July 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Boeing Defense And Space’s Leanne Caret: ‘We’re Owning Our Mistakes’

  Jen DiMascio Joe Anselmo Michael Bruno Steve Trimble July 01, 2020 Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, spoke via teleconference with Aviation Week editors in the run-up to what would have been the Farnborough Airshow. AW&ST: In addition to the turnover among Boeing executives, the company's stock and reputation have taken a beating in the past year. How is Boeing a different company today than it was 18 months ago? I am confident in the Boeing Co., and we have an enormously bright future. It's because of the incredible women and men who work for this company and bring their best every day. We have become a very introspective company, very pragmatic. We're owning our mistakes, and we're committing to address those. That is the centerpiece of what you have to do to have trust, especially in an industry as critically important as ours is, where people are flying and using our products every day, whether commercially or defending nations and allies. How has COVID-19 affected the goals that Boeing Defense set at the start of the year? The defense industry has been deemed mission-essential. We need to make certain we're continuing to deliver product to our customers, we keep our supply base healthy, and we all have an eye to the future. I really appreciate the partnership and conversations we've had with the Pentagon. You've heard [Boeing CEO/President] David Calhoun mention that, after what has happened in the commercial aerospace market, the defense business is important to the Boeing Co.—has been and always will be. After COVID-19, what does the future hold for defense spending? We have a very pragmatic view of the future. I don't anticipate significant budget increases. We have always planned that at some point we could see a regression in defense budgets. Wall Street is expecting about a 2% increase in revenue for Boeing over the next couple of years. That is on the lower end of where your peers are. They are in the mid-single digits. What rate of growth do you see? I think it's important to note where we are in the life cycle of many of the products in our portfolio. Where you will continue to see opportunity for us as we move into production on some of those key franchise programs that we won a few years ago is the [T-7 advanced trainer, MQ-25 unmanned carrier-based refueling aircraft and MH-139 helicopter]. We're all going to see the marketplace adjust as a result of COVID-19. Around the world, we've already seen some delays and some very large competitions that have been slighted because customers are having to assess where they are. I want our team to have as its centerpiece meeting our customers' needs and expectations, and I believe that the outcome of that will be growing the business and strong financial performance. Many big programs are coming down the line, such as the Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft, the Advanced Battle Management System, the Next--Generation Air Dominance or the Future Vertical Lift programs. The Pentagon is emphasizing procurement with more control over intellectual property, fewer hooks into the sustainment phase and more competition. How will Boeing adapt to that over time? Will it require fundamental changes? In the last decade, we were focused on redefining how we designed and built aircraft. We were anticipating that the customer was going to commoditize the type of product that we have traditionally built. We have a foundation in model-based systems engineering to bring the collective best from industry together, so that when a system is in the field, we have developed it with maintainers in mind. That's where our build process has really paid off. In 2016, we had not won the T-7 or MQ-25 contracts or certainly not had any thought of the F-15EX yet. All three of those used this concept, which is to use advanced engineering and design toolsets to address the customer's vision. We placed our bets on changing the way we did business, and we have positioned ourselves nicely. Please update us on the KC-46. Where do things stand with the foreign object debris (FOD) situation? I'm not going to be happy until we're perfect, and we're not perfect yet. My focus is to make sure we don't deliver any aircraft with FOD to the U.S. government. If that means I need to hold back a delivery because a member of our team identified an issue, we're going to do the right thing. The most important thing is to deliver a perfect product to the customer. I think it is a testament to the steps that we have taken that we will not pass a defect to our customer. It speaks to the culture change that we have instituted over the last 1.5 years. Quite frankly, we have used KC-46 as the bully pulpit to redefine what we want to do as a company, and I'm really proud of the team for leading the way. Is Boeing on track for fixing the KC-46's remote vision system (RVS) in fiscal 2023? We are looking to demonstrate RVS 1.5 later this summer. It is a building block to what we call RVS 2.0. We have put in place a standard and an agreement that we are all aligned around, that really transcends what the original contract anticipated in terms of RVS. What we are incorporating posi-tions this fleet for not only a leap forward in technology but for autonomous operations in the future. We are on track in this partnership with the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory. And yes, the timeline is in 2023. What is the outlook for selling F-18s internationally, given the potential for pandemic-related budget reductions in the future? We've secured a number of orders with F-18s that have kept our production line hot. Coupled with that, we're doing the service life modernization program with the U.S. Navy, where we're bringing every one of the aircraft back through and increasing capabilities that eventually will include Block 3 capabilities. We have seen signs that campaigns in Canada, Finland, Germany, India and Switzerland are sliding a bit to the right. None of them have been, to my knowledge, canceled or stopped. One of the things that we've seen them dealing with is the impact of COVID. Many times, they have the budget, but the budget may go out a longer period of time. Or right now they are impacted by staff shortages. These are some big opportunities, and I think the F-18 is positioned nicely, both from the aspects of an acquisition cost and the cost per flying hour. What is the outlook for the F-15? We just did our F-15 Qatar flight a few weeks back. We have continued to demonstrate the ability of the F-15 with our Saudi and Qatari customers and the U.S. Air Force. We're really excited about that opportunity, and it won't be your grandma's F-15. Boeing is a bit late on delivering the Space Launch System (SLS), and it was left out of NASA's competition to build a lunar lander. What are you doing to turn those programs around? On Space Launch Systems, I am really proud of the team for the amazing capabilities they developed with the world's largest rocket. She's sitting on the stand at Stennis Space Center. After watching how this team has battled through the COVID crisis, I'm looking forward to having a hot-fire [test] later this year. Early on, we struggled on SLS from an execution phase. There were also different challenges from a funding perspective and other things. Over the course of the last 1.5-2 years, the team has been hitting its milestones and commitments. On the civil space side, SpaceX beat Boeing to the punch on the first Commercial Crew mission. Are you looking to change your approach? On Starliner, we did not execute the full mission profile, and the right thing to do is to refly. I think that's the right decision, and the teams are focused on that. Our partnership with NASA dates back more than 60 years, and we're incredibly proud of this heritage. But our future isn't defined by our past. It's about making certain that we can continue to innovate and deliver today. This year marks 20 years for the International Space Station. I just couldn't be more thrilled for the team as Doug [Hurley] and Bob [Behnken] were able to join the other astronauts aboard this station. Human space exploration is not for the faint of heart. It changes mankind. We are going to continue to be a great partner, and we're going to continue to advocate for everyone's success when it comes to human space exploration—because it is that important for all of us. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/boeing-defense-spaces-leanne-caret-were-owning-our-mistakes

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  September 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Flooding the zone: Future aviation capability tightens kill chain at Project Convergence

  Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Partnering helicopters and unmanned aircraft just a few years ago meant that a pilot could control a drone to fly ahead to conduct reconnaissance. Maybe it meant a pilot could control payloads or even the weapon systems on that drone. But at Project Convergence at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, this month, manned-unmanned teaming took on a far more advanced meaning. The Army's Future Vertical Lift team rolled into the service's weeks-long “campaign of learning” with 19 semi truck trailers and almost 200 people, Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, who is in charge of the Army's FVL modernization efforts, told Defense News in a Sept. 22 interview. The effort brings together future weapons and capabilities envisioned for a 2030s battlefield against near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China. It includes using a machine learning and artificial intelligence-enabled battle management system that is in development. Rugen said he was “very, very proud” to see technology at the event mature to the point that allowed for data to be pushed across networks “faster than we've done in the past” through a tight-knit kill chain that included space, air and ground assets underpinned by Assured Position, Navigation and Timing (APNT) and an advanced network. The team had 127 technical objectives it wanted to meet through 11 use cases and the three mission threads. The breadth of the effort reflects that the Army is at a critical juncture when it comes to modernizing its fleet. The service is attempting to develop and field both a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) as well as a variety of Air-Launched Effects (ALE) capabilities along with a modular open system architecture that makes it easier to upgrade and modernize as time goes on. Leaders want all of this by 2030. The next level of algorithmic warfare A year ago, the Army's Architecture, Automation, Autonomy and Interfaces capability, or A3I, was put to the test at China Lake, California. In that effort, an operator with a tablet in the back of an MH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter took control of a Gray Eagle drone and tasked it to fire a small, precision-glide munition at an enemy target located on the ground. At the last second, a higher level threat was detected and the munition was rapidly redirected toward a different threat, taking it out within seconds. At Project Convergence, the final shot of the campaign came from a soldier on the ground taking control of a Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) munition surrogate (a Hellfire missile) on a Gray Eagle — representing a FARA — and firing on the target. This takes critical seconds out of the operation as the pilot of the aircraft wouldn't have to focus on trying to locate the target himself, aiming and firing the missile. At China Lake, the Army was able to use automation to reroute the Gray Eagle around poor weather. This year the aircraft were avoiding threat weapon systems, Rugen said. And while the Dynetics GBU-69 small glide munition used last year was inert, this time the Army used live rounds. The Army also used an open system architecture that was flexible enough for payloads and capabilities to be swapped in out of its A3I Gray Eagles without having to rely on the original equipment manufacturer to do it, Rugen highlighted. Multidomain aviation During the first mission thread, which focused on the penetration phase laid out in the Army's Multidomain Operations warfighting concept, aircraft partnered with space-based assets, APNT, and LRPF capabilities to locate, then degrade and destroy enemy assets modeled after the Russian Pantsir air defense systems and other weapons. The ALE pushed ingested data forward through the network to get it to the right shooters, whether that would be an Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system on the ground or a Gray Eagle or another ALE. During the exercise, the team launched six ALEs “flooding the zone with our drones for the first time and we did that multiple times over,” Rugen said. Flooding the zone brought a variety of capabilities to the overall force during the three phases of operations. First, the Army was able to extend the ALE capability out to almost 62 kilometers, which provides deep standoff for manned aircraft like FARA. “For a division commander,” Rugen said, “that's just transforming his or her battlefield geometry.” The ALEs performed both the reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting acquisition mission and worked as a mesh network to extend the battlefield. Two ALEs were truck launched and four were air launched. “We did prove we could launch up to 80 knots forward speed on our FARA surrogate aircraft,” Rugen said. The team was also able to recover all of its ALEs from the operation using the Flying Launch and Recovery System (FLAReS). Rather than letting the drones belly land in the sand or on a runway, which would result in damage, FLAReS has a hook on the edge of the wing that catches the ALE's wing in flight. “It's been wonderful to see that innovation,” Rugen said. In a classified operation related to the penetration phase of battle, an ALE dropped off a Gray Eagle at an operationally relevant altitude for the first time, Rugen noted. In the dis-integrate mission thread, which aims to destroy and disrupt subcomponents of enemy capability such as command and control systems and intelligence capabilitiesas well as other critical nodes, the ALEs helped refine targeting information in a GPS-denied environment and passed it back to the ERCA system for long-range shots. In that phase, a Gray Eagle, serving as a “munitions mule,” flew outside of the enemy weapon engagement zone, and another aircraft took control of a sensor-enabled munition deployed from the Gray Eagle. In the third mission phase, where the goal is to exploit freedom of maneuver gained in the penetrate and dis-integrate phases in order to defeat enemy objectives, the air assets and Next-Generation Combat Vehicles were able to pass information back and forth using an internally developed system called Firestorm that works as the machine-to-machine brain. During the phase, the team was able to demonstrate the ability to automatically route the engagement, Rugen said. This means the aircraft or vehicle was able to ingest data and then the machine automatically sets up its route to engage the target with no involvement from the pilot. “Keeping the aviator out of it was the ingenious thing we were able to do,” Rugen said. Project Convergence also wasn't just about the technology but the tactics, techniques and procedures through which the Army worked, according to Rugen. “We're not just hitting the technology button here,” he said. “Some of it is the advanced ingress techniques against our pacing threats.” Overall, the interoperability between various battlefield capabilities from the ground all the way to space was an achievement, according to Rugen. "I'm not saying it's flawless, but we are not in our stove pipes and it's made us, at times, uncomfortable. But being uncomfortable is not necessarily bad. “We definitely had to converge because we were forced to, and there was some forcing to it, but it's been great,” he added. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/09/23/flooding-the-zone-future-aviation-capability-tightens-kill-chain-at-project-convergence/