Pentagon’s top software official stresses data-centric military

On the same subject

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  July 11, 2023 | International, Aerospace

  Elbit announces $114 million sale of patrol aircraft in Asia

  The unnamed customer could be Philippines, which has long searched for such planes on the global market.

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  August 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  US Air Force tests electronic warfare capabilities with fighter, recon and bomber aircraft

  Mark Pomerleau WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has concluded a two-day, $1.4 million exercise that evaluated the F-35 fighter jet's ability to provide its electronic warfare capabilities to other stealthy reconnaissance and bombing platforms. The event, which took place Aug. 4-6 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, tested the ability for the F-35 to provide Suppression of Enemy Air Defense, or SEAD, support for other stealthy platforms such as the B-2 and the RQ-170 reconnaissance drone, according to an Aug. 6 news release from the Air Force. Maj. Theodore Ellis, chief of 53rd Wing Weapons, said the exercise focused on demonstrating stealth platform effectiveness against advanced threats using emerging technology and capitalizing on joint capabilities. Other platforms that participated included the F-22, the F-15 and the Navy's E/A-18G aircraft. Some aspects of the scenario tested these fourth- and fifth-generation platforms' joint and coalition SEAD integration. Other scenarios focused on how the latest fourth-gen electronic capabilities could increase fifth-gen freedom of maneuver, and vice versa, in contested environments, the Air Force said. U.S. adversaries over the past several years have developed advanced radars to detect incoming aircraft, pairing them with long-range missiles that in many cases outgun U.S. military weapons. The event allowed the Air Force to explore the integration of tactics, techniques and procedures that have never been tested together. “Through events like these, we continue to improve our joint 4th and 5th generation tactics, which enhances our abilities in an advanced threat environment,” Ellis said. Events like this are the prime movers to test and evaluate emerging capabilities and technologies — as opposed to training and readiness — with an operationally realistic scenario. “The investment and trust in our team allowed the 53 Wing to evaluate the interoperability of leading-edge capabilities and develop [tactics, techniques and procedures] that will ultimately strengthen our nation's air dominance,” said Col. Bill Creeden, commander of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group. “We fight as an integrated force which means we need to test and evaluate our latest capabilities as an integrated force. Put simply, our job is to inform, develop, and deliver, from idea to premeditated violence, an integrated tactical advantage to the Combat Air Force for both tonight, and tomorrow's potential fight. [Large Force Test Events] are a primary enabling effort to make this happen.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2020/08/07/us-air-force-tests-electronic-warfare-capabilities-with-fighter-recon-and-bomber-aircraft/

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  July 26, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  New Details About the F-15X That Boeing is Pitching the US Air Force

  BY MARCUS WEISGERBER The single-seat jet is being built to shoot down enemy aircraft, pound targets on the air, and even hit ships at sea. The new F-15 combat aircraft that Boeing is pitching to the U.S.Air Force would have a single-seat cockpit and a host of new weapons, including anti-ship missiles, Defense One has learned. If the Air Force bites, the so-called F-15X would be the Pentagon's first new Eagles since a 2002 purchase of the air-to-ground variant known as the F-15E Strike Eagle. But various allies have purchased newer variants of the Cold War air-superiority fighter, as recently as last year. The X version would largely resemble the ones Qatar ordered in 2017, tuned up with the latest technology for the new era of great-power competition envisioned in the Pentagon's National Defense Strategy, according to people with knowledge of the plane's development. Boeing officials declined to comment. The Air Force and Boeing have been talking about how new F-15Xs would be cheaper to operate than the current fleet of F-15s, which date as far back as the early 1980s. The talks have been going on for over a year, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions. The X variant would benefit from upgrades funded by allies who have bought F-15s: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore and South Korea, which have collectively spent about $5 billion to develop new technology for their jets, the sources said. Compared to the Air Force's existing F-15s, the new ones would have better flight controls, displays, and radars, and more powerful engines that allow the planes to carry a larger payload. Like the air-to-air F-15C, and unlike the Strike Eagles, the new F-15X would have just one seat. Large digital display screens would replace the analog dials inside older F-15s. The planes could carry all of the existing equipment, like targeting pods, used across the existing Eagle fleet. The F-15X will also be able to carry anti-ship weapons that allies have paid to test and install. In all, the plane could carry 29,000 pounds of weapons. The F-15's range, speed and payload separates it from other fighter jets in the U.S. military. “There's really nothing like it,” said Richard Aboulafia, vice president for analysis at the Teal Group, a Virginia-based consulting firm. The additional weapons would allow the plans to fly new missions. It is expected to cost about $27,000 per hour to fly the F-15X. That's about $5,000 less than an F-15E. Currently, F-15Cs used by the Air National Guard to defend the continental United States. Other C squadrons based in England and Japan. F-15Es are primarily based in North Carolina, Idaho and England. The Air Force is amid a sweeping review that is examining the mix of planes in its fleet, which senior officials are quick to point out is the smallest and oldest in the service's history. The F-15X is being pitched to complement existing F-22 Raptors and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, to handle various missions where there is little risk of being shot down by surface-to-air missiles. The view of only flying stealthy, fifth-generation fighters solo into battle without a complement of other other jets “appears to be going away,”Aboulafia said. Still, he said, “unlikely but not inconceivable.” Congress has been supportive of the F-15 program. The just-out-of-conference 2019 National Defense Authorization Act includes about $1 billion for a host of upgrades to existing F-15s, including electronic warfare. People with knowledge of the program say the new equipment being purchased for the oldest F-15Cs could be installed on the new X variant. Looking to the future, the sources said, the F-15X is ideally suited to carry hypersonic weapons. https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/07/heres-look-new-f-15x-boeing-pitching-us-air-force/150039/