August 23, 2018 | International, C4ISR
By: Kelsey Atherton
At the moment it's most needed, every aspect of close air support comes down to communication.
Close air support is essentially air strikes against targets when friendly forces are nearby. But to get there requires a long tail of set-up: the training for the pilot and the special operator calling in the strike, the decades of aircraft development that created the summoned plane or helicopter, the entire political and military rationale that went into the forward-basing of aircraft close enough to a potential crisis point that enables this all to happen. None of that matters, though, if the moment is lost, if the signal doesn't get through, if the support is too far away to make a difference.
Viasat's new BATS-D AN/PRC-161 device is designed to close that gap, to make communication happen when it needs to happen, and today, the company is announcing that the device has been approved by the National Security Agency for use with all Five Eyes nations.
Let's break this down into pieces. BATS-D stands for “Battlefield Awareness and Targeting System – Dismounted,” an acronym that invokes the Batman of comic and cinematic fame, and clarifies that this is a portable machine, one that can be used by people on foot and without vehicles (though maybe access to horses). The BATS-D is designed for use by U.S. Special Operations Forces and JTACs, or Joint Terminal Attack Controller (the people who call in close air support. Think the old-school radio operator in a pack of plastic army men, but modern). Now, calling in an airstrike involves more touching a location on a miniature tablet and then transferring that image to the pilot who will make the strike. Gone, in theory, are the days of shouting coordinates into an oversized radio and hoping the pilot can match the same spot on a paper map.
Five Eyes, also abbreviated FVEY, is the intelligence sharing alliance of five major English-speaking nations: The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. By having an approved communication device with these five specific nations, it means that forces from these nations fighting alongside one another can, in theory, communicate with the closest available aircraft, even if it's not flying the same flag.
Full article: https://www.c4isrnet.com/c2-comms/2018/08/22/nsa-approves-tablet-and-communicator-for-five-eyes-special-forces
August 20, 2023 | International, Land, Security
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible sale to Australia of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for $975 million, the Pentagon said on Friday.
November 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace
CLEMENT CHARPENTREAU The Bundeswehr, the German military, announced it would not accept deliveries of two A400M Atlas transport aircraft due to recurring technical problems. While defining the aircraft as the “backbone” of its air transport capabilities, the Bundeswehr is concerned about recurring technical problems affecting its fleet. “During routine inspections of the mounting nuts on the propellers of the A400M already in flight, it was found that not all 24 nuts per propeller have the intended tightening torque,” revealed the Luftwaffe, the German air force, in a statement. Increased inspections of the engine mounts, combustion chambers, and engine flap, as well as crack testing on several points, are also required and reduce the readiness of the A400M fleet. In addition to technical deficiencies, the two latest aircraft that were about to be delivered did not meet the “contractually guaranteed properties”, leading to the refusal. So far, the Bundeswehr has received 31 of the 53 A400M it ordered. In total, 174 A400M airlifters were ordered, with 84 already in service. Outside of the partner countries of the program, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and Turkey that total 170 orders, the remaining four were acquired by Malaysia. AeroTime has reached out to Airbus for comment but did not receive an answer at the time this article was published. The A400M is a military transport aircraft designed by Airbus Defence and Space. It entered service in 2013, and is offered as a successor for older transporters such as the C-130 Hercules or the C-160 Transall. It recently achieved the certification flight test for the highly awaited simultaneous dispatch of paratroopers from both side doors. The feature had been delayed by the design shortcomings of static lines. https://www.aerotime.aero/clement.charpentreau/24189-german-military-refuses-new-a400m-deliveries-over-safety-concerns
May 2, 2022 | International, Aerospace
DoD and State Department officials said this week the timing of the ban intentionally coincides with several ongoing discussions around establishing norms of responsible behavior in space.