Nouvelles

Canada's National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP) is getting a boost through a new addition to its aircraft fleet. On Jan. 30, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau announced that Transport Canada has acquired a lower-time de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100. This aircraft will undergo modifications over the next two years to equip it for maritime patrol operations. Currently, NASP aircraft carry cameras that can covertly monitor vessels from five miles away and at 20,000 feet altitude. They are also equipped with technology that can live stream video from the aircraft to personnel on the ground, in offices and to people's phones. Through the Government of Canada's Oceans Protection Plan and the Whales Initiative, NASP aircraft detect oil spills and other marine pollution, monitor ships and track endangered whale movements. Aerial surveillance is a vital tool to monitor the designated shipping zones for endangered North Atlantic right whales, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and in Arctic operations such as verifying vessel pollution detected by satellites. “Transport Canada's National Aerial Surveillance Program is an essential piece of our government's efforts to keep Canada's coasts and inland waters safe and clean. I am pleased to support this work through the procurement of a new Dash 8 aircraft to enhance surveillance capacity under the program, leading to a cleaner environment and a safer shipping industry,” said Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Transport Canada is also building a new NASP complex in Iqaluit, Nunavut, to support northern operations. In 2018-2019, the National Aerial Surveillance Program set a record for the number of hours flown, with a total of 4,152 hours of surveillance over 27,520 vessels for an average of 6.63 vessel over- flights per hour. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/transport-canada-adds-dash-8-to-surveillance-program-fleet

A training variant of the CC-295 that will be used to instruct Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) maintenance technicians is now flying across the country towards CFB Comox, B.C., the home of search and rescue training in Canada. Flown by an Airbus Defence and Space flight crew, the fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) aircraft maintenance trainer (AMT) landed in St. John's, N.L., before arriving at CFB Greenwood, N.S., on Jan. 30. It left Greenwood on Jan. 31 and is making its way across the country, stopping at the RCAF bases where it will eventually be in service (Greenwood, Trenton, Ont., and Winnipeg, Man.) before arriving at its new home at Comox. According to 14 Wing Greenwood public affairs officer Capt. Matt Zalot, the AMT attracted much attention from RCAF members on base, who currently fly the aging CC-130H Hercules in a search and rescue role. The arrival of the AMT represents a key milestone in Canada's FWSAR aircraft replacement program, said the RCAF. “As with any program, the FWSAR project is one of milestones, and the arrival of the AMT is an important one on the overall journey towards operational implementation of the CC-295 fleet,” said Isabelle Latulippe, FWSAR project manager. The AMT is for training purposes only and is not equipped to perform search and rescue missions. It is not part of Canada's order, signed in December 2016, for 16 CC-295 aircraft. Upon arrival in Comox, the RCAF said the aircraft will be disassembled and then reassembled inside the new training centre as a maintenance training aid. On Dec. 20, Airbus announced via Twitter that Canada had accepted the first of its 16 CC-295s at the manufacturer's facility in Seville, Spain, and that it would be ferried to its home base at Comox sometime in mid-2020. Members of RCAF 434 Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron have been at Airbus's International Training Centre since last fall to evaluate and train on the aircraft. In November, Skies reported that complications with the CC-295's technical manuals could delay the first delivery. Airbus unveiled the aircraft in RCAF livery in mid-October. Last July, the RCAF asked the public to help choose the name of the new search and rescue aircraft, offering five choices: Canso II, Guardian, Iris, Kingfisher and Turnstone. About 33,000 people voted for their favourites and RCAF Commander LGen Al Meinzinger was set to make the final decision. However, no announcement has been made to date. The RCAF is reportedly in the midst of legal procedures associated with using its selected name and no further details have been released. Canada is receiving the latest C-295 variant, featuring winglets for fuel savings and increased performance. The aircraft has an advanced avionics suite, fuselage reinforcements and a hatch for rapid evacuation in case of a forced water landing. Airbus tailored the cabin interior to meet RCAF operational requirements, with a new wireless intercom system for crew communications, increased equipment storage space, brighter lighting for medevac treatment, and lighting compatible with the use of night vision systems. The CC-295s will eventually replace the de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo and Lockheed Martin CC-130H Hercules fleets that currently perform the search and rescue role. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/cc-295-maintenance-trainer-arrives-in-canada

Steve Trimble A small start-up company in California has unveiled a new proposal for a stealthy unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to offer the U.S. Air Force as a “fifth-generation” target drone or a low-cost attritable aircraft. Tehachapi, California-based Sierra Technical Services, a company founded by previously retired Lockheed Martin Skunk Works engineers, unveiled the first photos of the completed Fifth Generation Aerial Target (5GAT) prototype after completing engine tests on the ground. A first flight of the 5GAT is scheduled in early 2020. The name of the aircraft is derived from its origins as a prototype funded by the Defense Department's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), says Roger Hayes, president and CEO of Sierra Technical Services. Several years ago, DOT&E recognized an emerging gap for a new target drone that could fly as a surrogate for fifth-generation fighters emerging in Russia and China such as the Sukhoi Su-57 and AVIC Chengdu J-20. In 2017, DOT&E awarded Sierra Technical Services a $15.9 million contract to develop the 5GAT prototype, Hayes said. The pace of assembly has been dictated by the availability of parts cannibalized from other military aircraft, such as the engines and metallic components from the Northrop T-38 trainer and F-5 fighter, as well as aileron actuators from the Boeing F/A-18, Hayes said. Sierra Technical Services supplemented its revenue as assembly continued by working on other programs, including supplying components for the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie. As development continued, the Air Force started to develop interest in a fifth-generation target. The service has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to develop the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, which is being designed to counter the PL-15 missile fielded on China's J-20 fighter. The Air Force needs to test the AIM-260 and other missiles against a representative threat. Last May, the Air Force released a request for information for the Next Generation Aerial Target, which included a version that can replicate fifth-generation fighter attributes, such as a stealthy airframe with canted tails and serpentine inlet ducts. The Air Force also is developing a concept to pair manned fighters such as the F-22 and F-35 with an unmanned partner, known sometimes as a Loyal Wingman. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) funded Kratos' XQ-58A, which completed a first flight in March. AFRL also plans to demonstrate a UAS controlled by a “software brain” using artificial intelligence. This Skyborg program is sometimes considered a follow-on for the XQ-58A program, but Hayes said Sierra Technical Services could offer the 5GAT for the Skyborg contract. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/stealthy-uas-unveiled-usaf-target-loyal-wingman-needs

By: Tom Kington ROME — As consensus grows in Italy that military planners need better access to civilian technology, a new law is being proposed to give the country its own version of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The new bill, which its authors claim has backing from the military and Italy's political parties, envisages the setup of a new agency able to stimulate and coordinate the development of civil technologies for military application. “We want to make the newest technology more accessible,” said Alessandra Maiorino, the Italian senator who is steering the bill through parliament. Established in 1958 in response to the Soviet Union launching its Sputnik satellite the year before, DARPA has since teamed with universities, corporations and government partners to fund research programs to improve America's defense capabilities. Technologies it has worked on have also fed back into civilian applications, notably the internet, voice recognition and small GPS receivers. “Thanks to the DARPA system, avangard civilian technologies are considered to have strategic value. This in turn has a cascade effect on the economy and on innovation in the U.S.,” according to the Italian bill. The bill calls for the new Italian agency to be based near Pisa at an existing military research facility. An eight-person management board would include a military director, three civilian researchers and representatives from the four government ministries involved — the Department of Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Ministry for Education, University and Research. The Joint Centre for Innovation and Strategic Technologies, known by its Italian acronym CINTES, will now be discussed in the Senate's Defence Committee, where representatives from the military, academia and industry will be invited to give their opinions, said Maiorino. The bill does not cite the required funding for the agency — a figure which has yet to be decided. However, it claims that Italy must quickly set up its own version of DARPA to keep up with France and Germany, who are already ahead in launching such an agency. The bill claims France's Innovation Défense Lab is now “allowing France's DGA procurement agency to map out and evaluate civilian technologies and acquire those which are of interest to the defense sector.” Germany's planned ADIC agency is cited in the bill as an example of the government investigating “disruptive” technologies in cybernetics and other key technologies. Maiorino, the senator backing the bill in Italy, is a member of the Five Star party, which has previously taken a unfavourable approach to defense investment. Before entering government in 2018, the party called for the cancellation of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. As such, the party's support for the new bill reflects a progressively more positive view of the defense sector since it entered government. https://www.defensenews.com/smr/cultural-clash/2020/01/29/new-bill-could-get-italy-its-own-darpa/

By: Tom Kington ROME – Italy's Leonardo has dropped plans to develop a new, single-engine helicopter and opted instead to buy a small Swiss firm that has already built one. The Italian defense giant announced on Tuesday it was purchasing Kopter Group AG, which has developed the SH09, a five- to eight-seater helicopter built with carbon composite materials which first flew in 2014. A clean-sheet design developed by a small group of engineers, the SH09 maximizes pilot view as well as interior space with a maximum takeoff weight of 2,850 kg, while its Honeywell HTS 900 engine provides an 800km range and 140 knots top speed. With the purchase, which is worth $185 million plus future pay-outs linked to the success of the program, Leonardo said it was saving itself the resources it had planned to use designing its own new helicopter in the category. “This acquisition will replace the planned investment aimed at the development of a new single engine helicopter,” the firm said. “Kopter's SH09, a new single engine helicopter, is a perfect fit for Leonardo's state of the art product range offering opportunities for future technological developments,” it added. The Swiss company's skills would also be used to develop new technologies like hybrid and electrical propulsion, Leonardo said. A company spokesman said the SH09 was viewed as a civil program in the short term. "The priority is the civil market but in the future, we will see – a military application is not excluded. However for now our AW119 is our military product in the light, three-ton, single-engine class," he said. The purchase is an unusual step for the Italian firm, which has hitherto designed its own helicopters such as the AW139 and AW101, formerly under the AgustaWestland brand, which was retired before the company changed its name from Finmeccanica to Leonardo in 2016. “Within the Helicopter Division of Leonardo, Kopter will act as an autonomous legal entity and competence centre working in coordination with us,” Leonardo said. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/01/29/leonardo-buys-swiss-helicopter-firm/

By: Chiara Vercellone For the United States to meet the goals laid out in the National Defense Strategy, especially in Asia, and to realize President Donald Trump's vision of an open Indo-Pacific, the Department of Defense's battlefield technology must undergo significant changes, according to a Center for a New American Security report released Jan. 28. The report, an independent assessment mandated by Congress in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, proposed the revamping of C4ISR systems as they remain “brittle in the face of Chinese cyberattacks, electronic warfare and long-range strikes.” The Pentagon's C4ISR capabilities have fallen behind technologically, as they were developed “in an era when competitors or adversaries could not attack U.S. assets in space or at long ranges,” the report found. At the same time, a 2019 Department of Defense's report on China's military and security developments found that country has prioritized military capabilities with disruptive potential, including hypersonic weapons, counterspace capabilities, artificial intelligence and C4ISR advanced robotics. Thus far, the Department of Defense has been able to develop countermeasures against China's abilities, said Chris Dougherty, a senior fellow at CNAS and one of the authors of the report. “As the threat continues to get more sophisticated, these [countermeasures] will likely lose their effectiveness,” Dougherty said. “This necessitates building a new architecture that is designed around resiliency, kill webs, and graceful degradation.” While under attack, U.S. systems sometimes fail to have any connectivity and have sporadic dial-up speeds. Instead, they should still have some level of communication even while the attack is going on, even if this means at lower bandwidths. To strengthen its systems, the report recommended, the U.S. military should develop space capabilities resistant to kinetic attacks, synthetic training environments for U.S. forces to practice C4ISR operations, systems that can transmit data via multiple pathways and surveillance systems that can avoid being detected. A recent project by RAND found that, while the Department of Defense maintains an advantage in airspace penetration capabilities, it remains vulnerable to air base attacks and Chinese anti-surface warfare. An initial system with these developments could be in place in the next decade if the Department of Defense and armed services create a basic system and improve it over time, Dougherty said. “If, as we have done in the past, we wait around for a ‘perfect' set of requirements to develop an ‘objective' future system, we could see this take 15-20 years, at which point China will likely have far surpassed us in this competition,” he said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/newsletters/daily-brief/2020/01/29/chinese-threats-means-the-pentagon-needs-new-c4isr-systems/

NAVY Geocent LLC, Metairie, Louisiana (N66001-20-D-3417); M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3418); McKean Defense Group LLC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (N66001-20-D-3419); Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California (N66001-20-D-3420); Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3421); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3422); Systems Technology Forum Ltd., Fredericksburg, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3423); Valkyrie Enterprises Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3424); and VT Milcom Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3425), are each awarded a $56,339,692 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price and cost (no fee) pricing. Support includes project management, administration, drafting, technical integration, testing, maintenance, engineering, logistics, facilities and security for software and hardware of new and existing command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and networks. All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes two three-year option periods, which, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $249,033,405. Work will be performed primarily in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region and Navy Region Southwest including Hawaii, Guam, Japan, California, Nevada, Washington state, Oklahoma, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines and Australia; and outside this region in Bahrain, Djibouti and Italy. Work will be performed outside the continental U.S. (50%); and inside the continental U.S. (50%) on a full-time basis. The period of performance of the base award is from Jan. 29, 2020, through Jan. 28, 2022. If all options were exercised, the period of performance would extend through Jan. 28, 2028. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); and other funding, which may include working capital funds (DoD); Department of Homeland Security funds; and research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via a request for proposal (N66001-19-R-0001) which was published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Information Warfare Command e-Commerce Central website. Eighteen offers were received and nine were selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, is awarded a $15,752,580 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to exercise options to previously-awarded contract N00024-15-C-5319 for level of effort engineering services and associated travel to provide continuous support of two AN/SLQ-32(V)Y Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 System low rate initial production units. This option exercise is for the continued level of effort engineering services in support of SEWIP Block 3 low-rate initial-production units. SEWIP is an evolutionary acquisition and incremental development program to upgrade the existing AN/SLQ-32(V) electronic warfare system. SEWIP Block 3 will provide select Navy surface ships a scalable electronic warfare enterprise suite with improved electronic attack capabilities. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $60,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded an $11,301,660 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract procures Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems Airborne Radio Communication ARC-210 Generation 5 radio units for the Navy. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in March 2021. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds for $403,110; and other procurement (Navy) funds for $3,627,990 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0006). BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $10,536,004 modification (P00002) to a previously-awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-20-C-0003). This modification exercises an option to provide engineering and technical services for integrated communications and information systems radio communications for Navy ships, in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center, Webster Outlying Field, to support the integrated communications and information systems radio communications. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (60%); California, Maryland (30%); Bath, Maine (5%); and Pascagoula, Mississippi (5%), and is expected to be completed in July 2025. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds for $4,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ARMY Continental Heavy Civil Corp., Miami, Florida, was awarded a $23,778,240 firm-fixed-price contract for the NASA Wallops Beach Renourishment Project in Accomack County, Virginia. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Wallops Island, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 12, 2021. Fiscal 2019 civil construction, Corps of Engineers funds in the amount of $23,778,240 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91236-20-C-0002). AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $17,000,000 modification (000260) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0028 for Army Prepositioned Stock (APS-2) logistics support services in support of maintenance, supply and transportation at Mannheim and Dulmen, Germany. Work will be performed in Mannheim and Dulmen, Germany, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 20, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $17,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Vision Point Systems Inc.,* Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $13,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide corrosion engineering and logistics technical, analytical, programmatic, research and development, technical assistance, testing, training, and technical writing support for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVCS) and Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Life Cycle Management Center (LCMC). Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 28, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0012). Dawn/Higley JV LLC,* Warren, Ohio, was awarded an $11,458,223 firm-fixed-price contract to repair and renovate interior and exterior of an aircraft maintenance hangar. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Mansfield, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Air Guard sustainment, repair, maintenance in the amount of $11,458,223 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office for Ohio 179th Mission Support Contracting, Mansfield, Ohio, is the contracting activity (W50S8R-20-C-0002). AIR FORCE Technica Corp., Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $13,591,345 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to exercise the first option period, Feb. 15, 2020, through Feb. 14, 2021. The contract provides weapon system engineering and maintenance services to include incremental software version development and installation, security patch installations, preventative maintenance, trouble shooting and responsive Tier 1, 2 and 3 support for the Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter (CVA/H) weapon system. Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 14, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition. Offerors were solicited under the Network-Centric Solutions (NETCENTS) Network Operations and Infrastructure Small Business contract holders and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation; operations and maintenance; and procurement funds in the amount of $13,591,345 are being obligated at the time of modification to exercise the first option period. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division, Joint-Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8732-14-D-0015, task order FA8307-19-F-0098). Starwin Industries LLC, Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a $9,554,000 firm-fixed price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F-16 Bugeye radomes. This contract provides for the supply of both left and right Bugeye radomes for the F-16 aircraft. Work will be performed in Dayton, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 28, 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition, two solicitations mailed and two offers received. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds (not multiyear) in the amount of $35,872 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, F-16 Division, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8232-20-D-0006). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Lions Services Inc.,** Charlotte, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $10,468,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for advanced combat helmet chinstraps. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year options periods. Location of performance is North Carolina, with a Jan. 28, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-B082). * Small business ** Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2069174/source/GovDelivery/

Safran Helicopter Engines a signé un contrat de 10 ans avec la Force aérienne portugaise (Força Aérea Portuguesa) pour réaliser la maintenance des moteurs RTM322 de ses hélicoptères EH101 Merlin. Un total de 38 moteurs va bénéficier du contrat de soutien Global Support Package (GSP) de Safran. Cet accord répond aux souhaits de la Force aérienne portugaise garantissant ainsi une disponibilité optimale de ses moteurs, durant ses opérations sur le territoire national et à l'étranger. « Nous misons beaucoup sur ce contrat qui va garantir la disponibilité de nos moteurs durant nos opérations » a déclaré le général de corps d'armée Cartaxo Alves, de la Force aérienne portugaise. Avec le contrat GSP, les opérateurs sont assurés de disposer de moteurs opérationnels quand ils en ont besoin, tout en ayant des garanties en matière de budget prévisionnel, de coûts fixes à l'heure de vol et de partenariat technique avec le constructeur. GSP fait partie de la gamme EngineLife Services, les offres de services de Safran pour les moteurs d'hélicoptères. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/safran-signe-un-contrat-de-maintenance-pour-les-moteurs-des-hlicoptres-eh101-merlin-portugais-22485

By Lt. Col. Johnny Duray When an MQ-1 Predator fired an AGM-114 Hellfire missile in the opening stage of Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan, the world discovered a new form of power projection: kinetic force delivered from unmanned, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). That proof of concept drove exponential growth in RPA usage, with combat air patrols (CAPs) swelling from just four in 2004 to 65 simultaneous, worldwide CAPs every day in 2014. Yet there is still more work to be done to fully realize the power of RPA technology. As the new US national defense strategy focuses on an era of great power competition, RPAs will provide valuable capabilities and capacity to address the persistent threat posed by violent extremist organizations. In doing so, RPAs will also allow other portions of America's air arsenal to focus on near-peer competitor challenges. Achieving this goal requires a new vector for the use of RPAs, as illustrated in the vignettes that follow. Though details have been obscured for operational sensitivity, the narratives and lessons remain largely intact. The Camp Strike. Graphic: Mike Tsukamoto and Dash Parham/staff View or download this infographic The Camp Strike In one recent RPA mission, intelligence sources helped the US military discover a remote jihadi training facility. Plans called for eliminating the radicals with airpower. Leaders initially sought bomber aircraft for the strike, which required scheduling and positioning refueling aircraft, obtaining overflight clearances, and coordinating for personnel recovery—all time- and resource-intensive factors that didn't apply to the RPAs already providing persistent ISR overhead, as explained in RAND publication Armed and Dangerous? UAVs and US Security. When bombers proved unavailable, a four-ship formation of fighter aircraft was requested. This option necessitated an even more robust support structure, as the fighters needed to forward deploy closer in theater. This also required a massive undertaking involving the movement of support personnel and equipment, despite the fact that multiple armed MQ-9 aircraft were already conducting daily surveillance and intelligence missions in the vicinity of the camp. Two environmental factors introduced further complexity into this mission. First, the camp was embedded deep inside a canyon with a valley floor only 15 feet wide. Any air-launched weapons would need to be precisely aimed to strike the narrow space between the canyon walls. Second, the jihadis were broken up into two distinct groups, two to three miles apart. A first-run attack would require delivery of simultaneous effects. Re-attacks on survivors would need to be conducted expeditiously. Once the bomber and fighter options proved unavailable, leaders finally selected four MQ-9 Reapers to execute the mission. Reaper One, Reaper Two, and Reaper Three were flown by squadrons in the same location, while Reaper Four was flown by a squadron at a separate location. The first three Reaper crews planned, briefed, and executed as a formation, or flight, bringing the geographically separated Reaper Four into the planning as much as possible before execution. The four Reapers were equipped with two 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and 16 air-to-ground Hellfire missiles. Reaper One teamed with Reaper Four to make a run on the first target group, dropping the 500-pound bombs. Once established inbound, Reaper One passed an estimated “bombs-on-target” time to Reaper Two and Reaper Three, which targeted the second group of terrorists-in-training with four Hellfire missiles in order to achieve simultaneous effects. The synchronicity was near perfect. Weapons impacts from the bombs on the first group and the Hellfires on the second group were within a second of each other. The four MQ-9s hit two separate target sets with six munitions on four different aimpoints with a time on target calculation formulated as the mission progressed, based on outside clearance authority. Reaper Two and Reaper Three teamed up to immediately re-attack the survivors. Prior planning, internal communication, and near-real-time data sharing enabled an unprecedented display of efficiency. RPA pilots physically located together can speak into each other's headsets without delay on an intercom channel, for example. Reaper Three rifled off all four of its Hellfires on three separate re-attacks in under seven minutes. In one instance, Reaper Three fired a Hellfire on a group of terrorists without ever having even seen it, since Reaper Two had tracked the group and provided final weapons guidance for Reaper Three's missile. Reaper One and Reaper Four were left to conduct re-attacks as solo aircraft, since they lacked the prerequisites for the seamless integration enjoyed by Reapers Two and Three. As such, they were only able to employ three of their available eight Hellfires in the first 16 minutes following the initial strike. The final attack was conducted two hours later when Reaper Three found a group of eight enemy combatants hiding in a small ravine. Out of munitions, Reaper Three talked the crew of Reaper Four on to the group. The terrain only allowed a window of approximately 20 seconds for an MQ-9 to provide final guidance onto the target before becoming masked by rocks. Reaper Four shot a Hellfire into the ravine, target unseen, while Reaper Three came in from the opposite direction, crested the terrain, and timed the aircraft's positioning so that final guidance was placed on the enemy group in the last 10 seconds of the missile's flight. By the conclusion of the mission, some 85 percent of the combatants were killed with the other 15 percent wounded. Camp Strike Lessons Learned Some of the lessons from this operation: The MQ-9 Reaper delivers unique capabilities in combat. The Reaper's slow airspeed permits more time to strike targets in steep or inaccessible terrain, while supersonic fighters and bombers permit only brief execution windows before sensors and targeting capabilities are masked. Nevertheless, the training required to take advantage of this capability is akin to the demands for manned aircraft crews. The range and effectiveness of present-day RPA strikes is possible because of the robust training, US Air Force Weapons School caliber planning, and RPA technological advances made since 2001. Remotely piloted aircraft provide synergistic effects when employed together as a flight. The idea of operating RPAs in a flight is still new. Operational planners typically task the closest RPA available just prior to the execution of a complex strike, requiring extensive coordination among the participants. But an RPA flight generates synergistic effects, just like manned aircraft, through a mutual understanding of responsibilities and a shared awareness of the battlespace. This is best cultivated through extensive prestrike planning and briefing, along with real-time information sharing during execution. Bringing together single aircraft from separate squadrons just before a mission ignores the lessons of airpower history in the name of convenience. Decentralized execution is fundamental to successful RPA application. RPAs present an unprecedented opportunity for “reach-in.” With unparalleled observation and communication capabilities, commanders at all levels have violated the long-held tenet of decentralized airpower execution and exerted direct control. Focus on platforms rather than effects stifles RPA operations. The fluid, dynamic nature of kinetic engagements demands mission-command orders that rely on tactical expertise and the situational awareness of those employing the aircraft. Yet effects are what matter in operations, not platforms. As long as commanders tie specific aircraft to specific missions, rather than desired effects, RPAs will continue to be underutilized. RPA aircrews routinely participate in operational planning sessions where the ability to position fighters overhead to provide close air support (CAS) is deemed a “go/no-go” factor by ground and air planners alike. When queried to elaborate on desired effects, ground force representatives routinely reply that they want airpower to assist in “breaking contact with the enemy” to facilitate a return to safety. Although a flight of MQ-9s armed with a dozen Hellfire missiles and a few 500-pound bombs could achieve this effect, planners continue to revert to their default understanding that only aircraft with an A-, F-, or B-designation can provide effective CAS. The 15-Second Window. Graphic: Mike Tsukamoto and Dash Parham/staff Vignette: The 15-Second Window As part of global counterterrorism operations, US and coalition forces tracked a senior terrorist leader several years ago. After extensive study, a concept of operations (CONOPS) developed to facilitate a strike on this individual within an incredibly tight window—the time it took for him to ride his motorcycle to his home, after departing from a main road but before entering a courtyard near his residence. This strike window lasted only about 15 seconds. This broke down into two problems: First, successfully positioning a shooting aircraft within a 15-second engagement window within seven seconds of the target departing the main road, and second, planning around a fork in the main road that afforded the target two options. Route A was simple—there were no further intersections before the target left the main road and entered the engagement window. Route B was more nuanced, with one additional intersection before the target left the main road. The shooting aircraft would need to maneuver to get into position before the target hit the additional intersection. If the target was held up for even a few seconds, it could throw off timing and negate all previous planning. Three MQ-9s were allocated for the strike. Reaper One took the lead and began timing calculations to maneuver into position. Reaper Two followed the target motorcycle as it traveled toward the engagement site. Data sharing allowed Reaper One to position itself within the 15 second window at precisely the time the motorcycle turned off the main road and came into the field of view (FOV). Reaper Three stared at the additional intersection along Route B. Reaper One was able to view Reaper Three's feed to determine the possibility of the target getting held up at that intersection should he travel along Route B. As events unfolded, the target chose to continue down Route B. Updates on the target's distance and speed from Reaper Two and the intersection traffic from Reaper Three enabled Reaper One to successfully maneuver the aircraft into the 15-second window, fire, and eliminate the target with no collateral damage. 15-Second Lessons Learned The success of this strike was made possible by a flight-focused operations approach, paired with an intensive training program, and truly decentralized execution. It also introduced three new areas to reflect on. Data-sharing brings asymmetrical advantages to bear in modern warfare. The strike on the senior terrorist was heavily reliant on real-time data sharing between aircrews, which allowed the flight to get inside the adversary's decision loop and reorient quicker than the adversary. Risk acceptance enables rapid advancement. The rapid acceleration of software (and some hardware) enhancements have enabled RPA airmen to execute kinetic engagements that would not have been proposed just five or six years ago. These capabilities were largely possible because the RPA community's close working relationship with industry allowed it to accept imperfect solutions in the name of accelerated capability. Tactical oversight offers enhanced RPA capabilities. The ability of an MQ-9 squadron to place additional personnel in a ground control station (GCS) to support a traditional two-person crew transforms what that aircraft can bring to bear in combat. This tactical oversight boosts the capability of the crew, elevating success rates for complex engagements. This is especially important, since in modern operations, the MQ-9 pilot has neither a flight lead nor an experienced aircraft commander to rely on for decision- making, in most cases as a result of years of surging RPA demand. The Attempted Rescue. Graphic: Mike Tsukamoto and Dash Parham/staff Vignette: The Attempted Rescue On one calm, moonless night a few years ago, a small group of US special operations forces parachuted from a transport aircraft on a hostage rescue mission. Overhead, three MQ-9s and a U-28 manned ISR aircraft provided support to the SOF team from insertion, through the rescue operation, and the exfiltration. The three MQ-9s were co-located and operated out of the same RPA operations center, where a small staff stood up to support the three flying crews. As the SOF team worked its way toward the hostage's reported location, it became apparent to the RPA operations center director that key real-time intelligence was taking too long to get to the ground forces via the joint operations center (JOC)—the main mission hub. The MQ-9 elements overhead had direct radio contact with ground forces and, more importantly, instant access to the intelligence as well. After a quick discussion about transferring responsibility from JOC leadership to the MQ-9 pilots, the time frame for essential intelligence processing to ground forces went from a minute to under five seconds. A U-28 aircrew member was prepositioned inside the ROC to provide subject-matter expertise on the ISR aircraft, as well as techniques, tactics, and procedures to the MQ-9 crews and ROC staff. Unfortunately, as the team arrived at the location, it discovered that the hostage had been moved from the village just prior to the raid. However, the event offered a real-world opportunity to explore several underutilized capabilities that RPAs and the operations center could apply to future missions. Attempted Rescue Lessons Learned RPAs' ability to port talent into any cockpit at any time is unprecedented in the history of airpower. Because of the physical setup of the ground stations that operate RPAs, any individual can “enter” the airplane while airborne. In this example, a U-28 expert was brought in to assist with airborne integration. Airborne integration could also be extended to fighters, bombers, and any number of other assets. Ground forces could send delegates to a ROC to educate and enable integration between RPAs and supported surface elements. RPA operations centers are uniquely positioned to fuse and disseminate information. These centers allow operational directors to seamlessly communicate face-to-face with the aircrews that provide a majority of the center's data. It is the equivalent of a combined forces air component commander (CFACC)—while in charge of an AOC—being able to jump into the cockpit of any manned aircraft under his authority. Additionally, the land-based setup of the GCS enables an RPA cockpit to connect to modern combat untethered by bandwidth and connectivity limitations that plague most airborne manned aircraft. The Way Forward for Air Force RPAs These three vignettes provide substantial food for thought about how RPAs expand the flexibility and capability of air component commanders. This leads to four critical implications that policy makers, DOD leaders, and Air Force officials should consider: Reconsider airpower force posture in the fight against violent extremist organizations. In light of changing national priorities and finite resources, it is imperative to find ways to sustain the counter-extremist mission in a more cost-effective manner. The cost of employing fighter or bomber aircraft is so much greater than MQ-9s that it should be self-evident. MQ-9 RPAs provide cost-effective capability that can assume many of the mission sets now prosecuted by high-end aircraft in today's counter-terror missions. Redeploying the majority of American high-end fighter and bomber aircraft back to their home bases prolongs their service life and generates valuable aircrew training hours to recapture depleted high-end skills. Investment in information-sharing will bring transformational advantages. As a whole, the US military must tear down parochial walls and allow information between disparate elements of hard power—tanks, ships, aircraft, infantry, and other forces—to flow more freely. The successful execution of the time-sensitive targeted strike on a terrorist leader described above was made possible by the rapid exchange of information between platforms. Unfortunately, this type of interconnectivity is sporadic between air assets even within the same US military service, and even worse among multi-domain assets from other services. Investment in RPA infrastructure is necessary to better share data and information with other systems, services, and the rest of DOD's network. Airmen must understand and articulate appropriate command and control (C2) relationships for RPAs. To fully realize the potential of present and future RPAs in combat, airmen must oppose any effort to centralize execution and challenge command structures that fail to place airmen in positions where their “air-mindedness” could maximize the Air Force's contribution to joint operations. In other words, airmen should influence airpower decisions at all levels of warfare. RPAs offer unprecedented opportunities for outside “reach-in” during tactical execution—and while senior commanders have indeed attempted to control all sorts of tactical elements, from aircraft positioning, to weapons placement, to camera field-of-view, this type of centralized execution stifles RPA aircrews from successfully exploiting fluid operational situations. Expand RPAs mission sets to include close air support. MQ-9 capabilities and tactics have reached a stage where planners need to rethink allocation for key missions, especially close air support. RPAs have transformed both the amount of firepower they bring to bear on the battlefield and the speed at which this ordnance can be delivered. Despite this, the MQ-9 is still predominantly regarded across the Air Force as an ISR asset, and rarely incorporated into CAS scenarios. According to one Air and Space Power Journal article, a mission ISR plan “is completed on a different timeline by different people in a different division in the [Air and Space Operations Center] and published in a different document. If CAS and ISR integrate, they do so by luck.” While not all CAS scenarios are appropriate for MQ-9s, military planners should embrace an effects-based perspective and try to minimize platform-centric bias. Remotely piloted aircraft and their associated operations centers present an ideal platform for entry-level multi-domain exploitation and rapid acquisition trials. Compared with traditional aircraft, RPA cockpits offer a prodigious amount of space and connectivity. Limited only by bandwidth and imagination, RPA offer unique opportunities to take advantage of multi-domain exploitation and use rapid acquisition capabilities to further the state-of-the-art. In current combat operations, the Air Force's MQ-9 is as different from its Operation Enduring Freedom-era 2001 MQ-1 forbearer as an F-16 is from a P-51. However, this transformation has collided with cultural differences rooted in traditional notions of force employment—both in the air and on the ground. This has led to sub-optimal utilization and investment considerations. Today, fighters and bombers are no longer the only option for mass strike, and RPAs are no longer just airborne sniper rifles. RPAs can effectively conduct CAS, particularly with small ground team elements like SOF units. These two considerations alone should cause US military leaders to rethink American force posture for the fight against violent extremist organizations. Remotely piloted aircraft operations are ripe for exploitation with centralized execution, yet “mission-type tactics”—where operational outcomes are emphasized more than any specific means of achieving them—are a central tenet to maximizing RPA potential. Continued investment in the RPA community is crucial to building on the momentum these assets are gathering in operations around the world. This will require harnessing information-sharing through open system architectures. The United States' continued prosecution of low-intensity conflicts around the world, and the need to prepare for potential near-peer military confrontations, both benefit from an agile, decentralized, and well-connected RPA force whose lethality is intelligently incorporated into joint force operational planning. Military leaders with a commanding grasp on RPA capabilities and a willingness to think beyond traditional aircraft mission sets, will be best positioned to take full advantage of every capability RPA can bring to bear in future combat. Air Force Lt. Col. John D. Duray is a senior pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours in the MQ-9 and U-28 and extensive experience in combat and combat support missions. He has supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom's Sentinel, and deployed to four different areas of responsibility. The opinions and assessments expressed in this article are the author's alone and do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or the US Air Force. This article is adapted from a forum paper published by the Mitchell Instititue for Aerospace Studies. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/remotely-piloted-aircraft-implications-for-future-warfare/