4 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial

New in 2019: Air Force looks for new bomb designs to fight Russia and China

A growing cohort of Air Force researchers are arguing that the service needs to undergo a munitions revolution if it is to take on a peer-level adversary in open conflict.

“We're developing a range of technologies to enable next-generation and improve precision effects on the battlefield,” Col. Garry Haase, who helms the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate, told an audience at the Air Force Association Annual Conference this fall.

In some instances, that will mean more powerful munitions to breach and destroy Russian and Chinese structures in the event of war.

“There is now a shift in emphasis away from minimizing to maximizing effects in a high-end fight,” said John Wilcox, vice president of advanced programs and technology at Northrop Grumman, at the conference.

“Requirements from our missions directorate say we continue to have to deal with the whole spectrum of threats as we shift to more of a near-peer threat focus,” Wilcox added. “We are looking at larger munitions with bigger effects.”

And while neither members of the AFA panel named Russia or China specifically, a recent study by the Mitchell Institute, which is aligned with the Air Force Association, certainly did.

In the document, titled “The Munition Effects Revolution," several retired senior Air Force officers argue that the U.S. munitions arsenal is overdue for a shakeup.

“The bomb body, a steel shell filled with explosive material, is relatively unchanged across the past 100 years," the study reads. "But some elements of modern munitions have significantly evolved—particularly guidance elements. Munition effects—the destructive envelope of heat, blast, and fragmentation—remain essentially unchanged.”

High demand for combat aircraft is a key driver behind the need for enhanced munitions options, according to the Mitchell Institute.

“The Air Force is currently operating the smallest and oldest aircraft force in its history,” the study reads. “Additionally, current mission capable rates are low and pilots are in increasingly short supply. To best meet combatant command requirements amidst these constraints, it is crucial to ensure each sortie flown and every bomb dropped yields maximum potential.”

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/01/03/new-in-2019-air-force-looks-for-new-bomb-designs-to-fight-russia-and-china

Sur le même sujet

20 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial

US Army network team sets timeline for satellite constellations
Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army's tactical network program office expects to reap the full benefits of low-and medium-Earth orbit satellite constellations in the 2025-2027 time frame, the head of the office said Aug. 18. Speaking on a webinar hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Brig. Gen. Rob Collins, program executive officer at Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, said the two constellations types offer “game-changing technologies” that will likely be fully mature and ready for soldier use in Capability Set ‘25 or ‘27, the two-year cycle of new network tools the service is fielding. One of the connectivity benefits of the LEO and MEO constellations in the field, Collins said, is that they can allow for complex network functions and mission-support capabilities to remain in a safer place. “We may be able to put those in an area in a more safe sanctuary and allow our war-fighting formations, our brigades and divisions to better focus on what their tactical mission is without having to concern themselves with the force protection of those areas,” the one-star general said at DARPA's virtual Electronic Resurgence Initiative Summit. The Army is interested in LEO and MEO satellite constellations because they can provide significantly more bandwidth and reduced latency. “It's really all about having a resilient network architecture that takes advantage of all the layers that can be expeditionary,” Collins said. LEO and MEO can also allow for smaller ground terminals, which will increase mobility for the soldier, he added. PEO C3T is currently working on prototypes of new satellite capabilities in partnership with the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command. PEO C3T's Project Manager Tactical Network division will run lab-based experimentation with new satellite terminals this summer to “exploit some of the commercial capabilities,” Collins said. The program office is also working with the CCDC's Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate on creating multi-band satellite terminals. 5G technology will add an additional layer of network speed. Collins said the Army anticipates 5G technology has the “potential” to be incorporated into Capability Set '25. But he warned that the Army operates in unique environments with rough terrain and foliage that can affect communications, and can not always rely on towers and relay stations. “I think one of the things we're going to have to do is how can we take and best employ some of this technology, how do we link it into our current environment and ensure that it's mobile,” Collins said. “And then probably, importantly, to make sure how do we secure some of the endpoints associated with the technology. I think that's really an area that we'll be reaching out to industry, academia and others to see how we best incorporate that.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/08/19/us-army-network-team-sets-timeline-for-satellite-constellations/
16 août 2023 | International, C4ISR, Sécurité

International interest growing for Army’s battle command system
As the Army prepares to field full-rate versions of its new battle command system to the first unit, international interest is heating up.
3 décembre 2021 | International, Aérospatial

Airbus: Eurodrone project ready for takeoff ' as soon as the contract is signed
'We have the green light from Germany, from Italy and from France, and we are in the waiting phase, basically every day now, on Spain,' one company executive said.

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New in 2019: Air Force looks for new bomb designs to fight Russia and China

Sur le même sujet

International interest growing for Army’s battle command system As the Army prepares to field full-rate versions of its new battle command system to the first unit, international interest is heating up.

Airbus: Eurodrone project ready for takeoff ' as soon as the contract is signed 'We have the green light from Germany, from Italy and from France, and we are in the waiting phase, basically every day now, on Spain,' one company executive said.

International interest growing for Army’s battle command system
As the Army prepares to field full-rate versions of its new battle command system to the first unit, international interest is heating up.

Airbus: Eurodrone project ready for takeoff ' as soon as the contract is signed
'We have the green light from Germany, from Italy and from France, and we are in the waiting phase, basically every day now, on Spain,' one company executive said.