US military news, discussions and history

[Armstrong]

. Not familiar with the "killer egg" - MH-6 little bird?

I do see a resemblance:

You might have meant EC135 Hermes, yes?

Eurocopter is a consortum whose products include Tiger, EC135 Hermes, EC225 Super Puma and AS365 Dauphin.

I had meant this one :
Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I didn't know that there was more than one Eurocopter !

 

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US Navy MUOS-4 communications satellite awaiting launch

 

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MARSOC Raiders

 

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Boeing's New Compact Laser Cannon Is Designed to Shoot Down Drones

Boeing announced this week that it has successfully developed a new compact laser weapon system. And watch your back drones–because this one has been made with you in mind.

This summer has seen an explosion in the number of incidents where drones have interfered with emergency crews doing their jobs. Most notably, drone hobbyists have been hindering firefighting efforts in California by jerks flying their quadcopters too close to the flames.

Laser weapons have been used by US forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq, primarily for detonating IEDs from a safe distance. But those laser weapons are mounted on large trucks, while this new system is compact enough to be transported more easily.

Wired described Boeing’s demonstration of the new system in New Mexico this week:

In the demo, Boeing used the laser to burn holes in a stationary, composite UAV shell, to show how quickly it can compromise an aircraft. Two seconds at full power and the target was aflame. Other than numerous safety warnings to ensure no one was blinded by the two-kilowatt infrared laser, there was no fanfare. No explosions, no visible beam. It’s more like burning ants with a really, really expensive magnifying glass than obliterating Alderaan.

One of the appeals of laser weapons systems is their relative low cost. Once the system is built, all you’re paying for is the electricity to run it. And with a world of ubiquitous drones (military or otherwise) just around the corner, being able to deploy drone-killing tech on the cheap is vital.

“This represents a low-cost way to deal with the threat,” David DeYoung, the director of Boeing Laser & Electro-Optical Systems told Wired. There are currently no plans to utilize the weapon on US soil, and it’s still a couple of years from seeing the battlefield. But if there’s anything we can count on seeing more of in the next decade it’s drones and lasers. And they’ll likely not be the best of friends.

 

[AMDR]

SSL awarded DARPA contract to study on-orbit satellite assembly
SSL awarded DARPA contract to study on-orbit satellite assembly -- PALO ALTO, CA, Aug. 26, 2015

PALO ALTO, CA, Aug. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Space Systems/Loral, LLC (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced it was awarded a contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to study on-orbit robotic assembly of geostationary communications satellites. Called Dragonfly, the program is designed to enable larger and more powerful satellites that cannot be launched fully assembled, to be packaged in pieces within a standard launch vehicle fairing.

"The Dragonfly program gives SSL the opportunity to demonstrate our advanced robotics capabilities with a mission that has the potential to transform the way satellites are built," said John Celli, president of SSL. "SSL has a track record of partnering with DARPA on cost-effective developments that leverage commercial practices and apply to both military and commercial use."

As one of the world's most prolific manufacturers of geostationary communications satellites, SSL brings a wealth of expertise to the Dragonfly study including heritage robotics. The Dragonfly concept, which is designed to have both military and commercial applications, is for satellites to self-assemble from an efficiently stowed state while in orbit with a focus on the installation and reconfiguration of large radio frequency (RF) antenna reflectors.

The study is scheduled for a five-month first phase during which SSL will seek to demonstrate how assembling satellites on orbit could lower satellite cost and mass, while at the same time enabling higher satellite performance. SSL is planning to further develop on-orbit satellite assembly capability and as part of this effort, has submitted a proposal to NASA for collaboration on taking the concept to a ground demonstration followed by a flight application.

 

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10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan

 

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AC-130

 

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This Shot Of A P-8 Poseidon Dropping Three Harpoon Missiles Is Triumphant

Boeing’s P-8 Poseidon program has a lot to feel good about. Not only has the aircraft been the star of the Navy in Pacific Theater as of late, but Australia has just ordered four of the maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, officially making them the third operator of the type. The U.S. Navy also put in an order for nine more of the jets.

Yesterday’s order will bring the Navy’s total Poseidon order book to 62, with 28 of the jets already delivered. The Navy plans on buying 114 P-8s at an estimated cost of $32.8 billion according to DoDBuzz.com. This works out to almost $288 million per aircraft. That’s one expensive maritime patrol jet. The aircraft will replace its aging P-3C Orion counterpart.

The P-8 is proving itself capable of a whole array of missions, including some surveillance roles that were once the mission of dedicated aircraft alone. Additionally, its ability to mount various large sensor arrays underneath its belly, such as one of the world’s most advanced aerial radars and a shadowy communications pod, has shown surprising versatility for such a new weapons system.

Australia looks to order at least eight P-8s, with an option for another four, along with Broad Area Maritime Surveillance drones, most likely the MQ-4C Trident, which will collectively replace Australia’s own AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft inventory.

Boeing and the Navy think the number of countries operating the P-8 will grow, possibly including countries like the UK and Norway

in the not so distant future.

Those involved directly with the P-8 have compared the jet to the F-35 when it comes to commonality and exportability. Hopes are high that the relatively young platform will proliferate among allies in the coming years, although its price tag is a potential hurdle for less affluent countries. With this in mind, Boeing has developed the Challenger business jet-based Maritime Patrol Aircraft, which has subsystems commonality with the P-8 and is built to interoperate with it, but supposedly has a much lower price tag.

 

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Flexible Electronics Are the Goal of Pentagon’s First Silicon Valley Partnership
Flexible Electronics Are the Goal of Pentagon's First Silicon Valley Partnership - Defense One

NEWPORTBEACH, Calif. — A partnership to develop electronic components that bend — think touchscreens that wrap around your arm, or aircraft wings made of sensors — is the next step in Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s fast-moving campaign to harness Silicon Valley’s innovation and invite its companies to help create a next-gen military.

On Friday, Carter will announce funding for a new research institute to be run by the FlexTech Alliance, a San Jose-based public-private consortium founded to invent and improve “flexible hybrid electronics.” Over the next five years, the Defense Department will contribute $75 million via the Air Force Research Laboratory, while 96 companies including Apple and Lockheed Martin, 11 labs and universities, and other state and local government partners will pitch in $90 million. The total funding will be $171 million.

“Given what we’ve already done, there’s truly no limit to what we can achieve together,” Carter will say, according to excerpts of his Friday speech provided in advance to reporters traveling with the secretary. “That’s why I’ve been pushing the Pentagon to think outside our five-sided box, and invest in innovation here in Silicon Valley and in tech communities across the country. And now we’re taking another step forward.”

What are flexible electronics? They are ultra-thin silicon bits printed or pasted onto stretchable substrates, freeing computers, their parts, and other electronics from stiff circuit boards and chipsets.

For the consumer market, breakthroughs in flexible electronics could foster an explosion in wearable computers. For the Defense Department, the potential applications start with slashing the size and power consumption of the devices that troops carry. The average Marine today carries an “assault load” of between 95 to 130 pounds, far beyond the recommended 50. The emerging field also holds tremendous promise for the personal and wearable sensors of the sort that the Defense Department is increasingly placing on the backs and fronts of people in uniform. One major application could be new types of computer displays that could fold like a fabric sleeve around a soldier’s arm, replacing heavy and bulky computer equipment.


The Army’s much-hyped Iron Man exoskeleton, the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit program, or TALOS, which has consumed far more than the $80 million originally allotted to it, could get a big boost from breakthroughs in the area.

Flexible electronics could allow engineers to build new types of robots that are lighter, more resilient, and more useful than today’s highly limited and breakable bots — something like this soft, self-camouflaging specimen developed by Harvard and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Perhaps the most important military beneficiary would be aircraft-makers, who could use flexible electronics to fit a lot more stealth, electronic warfare, and communications capabilities onto jets, spy planes and drones.

“For those interested in foreign policy and national security, there are lots of interesting challenges and problems to work on. And that’s also true for those interested in technology. But the intersection of the two is an opportunity-rich environment‎,” Carter will say in his speech.

Among the national security uses that White House sees: “Dramatically reducing the electronic systems package size and weight through electronics that conform to complex shapes such as aircraft wings or unattended vehicle platforms, and integrating electronics in clothing and fabrics.”

The new organization, called the Manufacturing Innovation Institute, will work to develop “an end-to-end stretchable electronics ‘ecosystem’ in the U.S.” according to the White House.

Carter made the announcement during a visit to the Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental, the Pentagon’s new California office created at lightning speed to convince Silicon Valley inventors and engineers to spend some time and energy ensuring that America’s military retains its technological superiority.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook explained it this way: “Secretary Carter is demonstrating tangible progress in building relationships with Silicon Valley, which he believes is necessary to help the U.S. military remain on the cutting edge well into the future. The public private partnership he is announcing at Moffett Field will benefit both the future warfighter and customers of a range of U.S. companies, helping the U.S. maintain leadership in manufacturing and innovation for years to come.”

 

[AMDR]

U.S. Army engineers prep Multi-Mission Launcher prototype, designed to defeat UAS, missiles, rockets
U.S. Army engineers prep Multi-Mission Launcher prototype, designed to defeat UAS, missiles, rockets - Intelligent Aerospace

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., 1 Sept. 2015. Personnel at the Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) will transfer the first prototype of the Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) to Program Executive Office, Missiles and Space (PEO MS). Both AMRDEC and PEO MS call Redstone Arsenal in Alabama home.

More than 150 subject matter experts, assembled by AMRDEC, with representatives from six directorates and more than 20 functional areas designed, manufactured, procured, assembled, and tested the MML, the U.S. Army’s newest Air Defense launcher. The MML Product Team also leveraged more than 85 industry partners to assist with design and manufacturing.

Army officials are calling the MML prototype “the first development of a major acquisition program by the government in more than 30 years.”

The MML is part of the U.S. Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept (IFPC Inc 2-I) program. IFPC Inc 2-I is a mobile ground-based weapon system designed to defeat unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), cruise missiles, and rockets, artillery, and mortars. The IFPC Inc 2-I system will combine: the MML, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System as the command and control unit, Sentinel radar system, and existing interceptors to provide 360-degree protection with the ability to engage simultaneous threats arriving from different azimuths.

The MML is mounted on a medium tactical truck. The launcher can rotate 360 degrees and elevate from 0-90 degrees. It consists of 15 tubes, each of which can hold either a single large interceptor or multiple smaller interceptors. Developed using an open systems architecture, the launcher will interface to the IBCS Engagement Operations Center via radio. The truck will also pull a trailer that has a missile data link to communicate to interceptors in-flight, and an Army standard 60-kilowatt (kW) generator to power the system while emplaced.

In 2012, the IFPC Inc 2-I Product Office came to the AMRDEC to conduct an engineering feasibility study to support an Analysis of Alternatives excursion for a Multi-Role, Common Launcher. A white paper published in April 2012 concluded that such a launcher was feasible from an engineering standpoint. The launcher groundwork continued with a deeper dive into key performance goals and performance trade studies leading to a Conceptual Design in October 2012. The Conceptual Design leveraged the M1157 Dump Truck, an existing member of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), and a M1095 five-ton trailer. The FMTV frame reinforcements, cradle, and azimuth geared bearing were leveraged from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System along with significant hardware and software architecture experience from AMRDEC engineers.

In March 2014, IFPC Inc 2-I received an Acquisition Decision Memorandum approval to proceed with the AMRDEC development and demonstration of two prototype launchers for the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction acquisition phase. On 3 Sept. 2015, AMRDEC will deliver the first of two prototype MMLs in 18 months, on schedule and on budget. The second MML will be delivered on schedule on 22 Oct. 2015.

The launchers will demonstrate a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 at the Engineering Demonstration to be held at White Sands Missile Range in March 2016. AMRDEC will provide eight additional MMLs through the Engineering and Manufacturing Development acquisition phase, six of which will be assembled by Letterkenny Army Depot.

AMRDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM), which develops technology and engineering solutions for America's soldiers. AMRDEC employs nearly 11,000 civilian scientists, researchers, and engineers.

RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), the Army's provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations.

PEO MS provides centralized management for all Army air and missile defense and tactical missile programs as well as selected Army Space programs. The PEO is responsible for the full life-cycle management of assigned programs.

 

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ULA Atlas-V Propells MUOS-4 Satellite Into Space as Air Force and Congress Shudder Over Threats To Russian RD-180

ULA Atlas-V Propells MUOS-4 Satellite Into Space as Air Force and Congress Shudder Over Threats To Russian RD-180 « AmericaSpace

A ULA Atlas-V 551 rocket launches the Navy’s MUOS-4 satellite to orbit from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Sep. 2, 2015. Photo Credit: John Studwell / AmericaSpace

A Russian RD-180 powered United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas-V 551 rocket successfully launched the 7.5 ton Lockheed Martin/Navy Mobile User Objective System (MUOS 4) satcom into geosynchronous transfer orbit early today. The launch success comes as the Pentagon and Congress grow increasingly alarmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin could halt deliveries of RD-180 engines before the U.S. can field a replacement around 2021.

“The threats are real,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, told the Senate Armed Services strategic subcommittee. The RD-180 situation is “disgraceful” said full committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).

In spite of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ULA is being allowed to procure an additional 18 RD-180s to carry Atlas-V operations to about 2021 by when SpaceX, and ULA”s new Vulcan rocket and perhaps other competitors can assure competition and heavy satellite access to space after the RD-180s run out.

If Vladimir Putin halts deliveries in the deteriorating diplomatic climate, the Pentagon and Congress are concerned about being forced to use the $400 million Delta-IV Heavy rocket for medium sized military payloads that would normally use the $150 million Atlas-V.

The MUOS-4 flight, on the most powerful version of the 206 ft. tall Atlas-V with five solid rocket motors, lifted off from Launch Complex-41 on 2.5 million lbs. of first stage thrust. The launch, delayed 3 days by tropical weather, came at 6:18 a.m EDT after a 19 minute delay early in the countdown caused by concerns about nitrogen purge gas flow. The second stage single engine Centaur then completed 3 firings until the 15,000 lb. spacecraft was released over Java, north of Australia, at 2 hours and 53 minutes after liftoff.

“The most dangerous part of a satellite’s life is launch and getting into orbit. I really want to thank our entire team whose hard work prepared MUOS-4 for this mission-critical event and the Atlas team who ultimately carried us safely to our transfer orbit,” said Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Narrowband Communications at Lockheed Martin. “We look forward to completing our on-orbit health checks and delivering this important asset to the U.S. Navy and these new capabilities to our mobile forces.”

The Atlas-V put on a spectacular show as it was fired eastward into early dawn lighting that illuminated a miles wide RD-180 octopus-shaped plume as the vehicle left the atmosphere after solid rocket motor separation. Unusual atmospheric conditions created a dramatic sight in the sky as MUOS-4 climbed into sunrise, with spectators up and down Florida’s “Space Coast” sharing their images all over social media and making #AtlasV the fourth most trending topic in the world this morning.

The first centaur upper-stage burn cut off above the mid Atlantic, followed by the second firing just off the West African bulge. The vehicle then coasted for 2.5 hours until the third burn north of Australia.

The satellite’s 19,322 x 2,067 nautical mile transfer orbit will later be raised to geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean using about eight firings of the satellite’s hydrazine engines. MUOS-4 will complete near global narrowband coverage with three similar spacecraft already over the Atlantic, Pacific and CONUS. A fifth MUOS satellite spare will be launched no earlier than mid 2016.

Russia’s threat to America’s assured access to space is drawing very sharp criticism from U.S. Air Force leadership and the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The situation has gone from important, to imperative,” said Gen. John E, Hyten, who heads Air Force Space Command. Strategic subcommittee chairman Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) noted, “We are all in agreement that the use of the RD-180 is not in the national interest.”

The ULA Atlas-V climbing into sunrise with MUOS-4 for the NAVY Sep. 2, 2015. Photo Credit: John Studwell / AmericaSpace

ULA public affairs, and especially local Cape Canaveral media, treat the always spectacular Atlas-V launches as a celebration of rocketry, dutifully reciting over and over again the same Atlas-V specifications and performance figures over the last 13 years. Today’s launch marks the 56th successful Atlas-V flight, but there is a lot more now at stake with Atlas-V launch operations.

“The Atlas-V is the most beautiful rocket I have ever seen,” said Hyten. “But every time it clears the freaking launch pad, and I see the Russian engine on the bottom, it has torqued me off since the first day it flew in 2002,” he told the subcommittee. ”We we have needed to get off that engine for a decade, but we have not committed the resources until last year when the Congress committed the resources that allowed us to do that.”

According to Washington D.C. based analyst Marcia Smith who writes “Space Policy Online,” Secretary James and Gen. Hyten plan to use NASA’s “public private partnership” (PPP) model and adopt a four-step path that will “result in a commercially competitive domestic launch capability to replace the RD-180.” Smith said those steps are:

• Step 1: Technology risk reduction, for which money being obligated now will be used.
• Step 2: Investment in rocket propulsion systems with multiple providers “to partner in their ongoing investment in domestic propulsion systems.”
• Step 3: Use the PPP approach and enter into agreements with launch system providers to provide domestically-powered launch capability.
• Step 4: Compete and award contracts “with certified launch providers for launch services during the period 2018-2022.”

The years 2018-2022 would be a period of transition from the RD-180-powered Atlas-V to the new systems.

Hyten and James also continued to press their case that they do not want to replace one monopoly with another, with SpaceX replacing ULA in that role.

 

[AMDR]

Lockheed Martin contracted to deliver Block 3F software for F-35
Lockheed Martin contracted to deliver Block 3F software for F-35 - IHS Jane's 360

Lockheed Martin has been contracted to deliver Block 3F software for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter for the US and UK militaries.

The USD311.4 million contract announced by the Department of Defense (DoD) on 1 September covers delivery of the aircraft's full combat software to the US Air Force (USAF) (46%), US Marine Corps (USMC) (27%), US Navy (20%), and the United Kingdom (7%). According to the notification, work is expected to be competed in September 2021.

The F-35's software and capability blocks are broken down into Block 1A - initial training, Block 1B - advanced training 1, Block 2A - advanced training 2, Block 2B (initial combat capability), Block 3i (initial full capability), and Block 3F (full combat capability).

The USMC recently declared initial operating capability (IOC) for its F-35B jets with the Block 2B software, enabling the fleet to conduct close air support, offensive and defensive counter air, air interdiction, assault support escort, and armed reconnaissance missions. Block 3i provides the same tactical capabilities as Block 2B, with the principal difference being the implementation of the updated Integrated Core Processor. The USAF will declare IOC for its F-35As, with one squadron of aircraft at the Block 3i standard in the third quarter of 2016.

Block 3F provides 100% of the software required for full warfighting capability, including but not limited to datalink imagery, full weapons, and embedded training. Mission Systems Block 3F software development is 98% complete and due to be rolled out in the third quarter of 2017. After Block 3F, further block upgrades will be developed and introduced. The DoD is currently balancing its future priorities with expected budgets as it looks to define its Block 4 requirements.

The USAF has a requirement for 1,763 conventional take-off and landing F-35As, the first of which was received at the Integrated Training Center at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in 2011. The USAF will declare IOC in 2016. The USMC has a requirement for 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs, with the first having arrived at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Maryland in 2010. The service declared IOC of the F-35B in July. The US Navy has a requirement for 260 F-35Cs. It currently flies the variant at NAS Patuxent River and Eglin AFB. NAS Lemoore in California will be home to the service's first operational squadron, with IOC set for 2018-19.

The United Kingdom has a requirement for 138 F-35Bs for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy, with final numbers set to be announced at the Strategic Defence and Security Review planned for later this year. Parliament has authorised the procurement of the first 14 F-35Bs as part of the overall programme of record, the first eight of which have been contracted (including four training and test platforms). In February 2015 the RAF's 17 Reserve Squadron was designated the United Kingdom's operational test and evaluation squadron at Edwards AFB. In 2016 the first operational unit - 617 'Dambusters' Squadron - is to stand up at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort before transferring to the type's homebase of RAF Marham in 2018. This unit will be joined at the same location shortly after by 809 'Immortals' Naval Air Squadron.

 

[Fenrir]

Joint US-RoK training:

South Korea's Massive Live Fire Exercise Is Overwhelmingly Intense On Purpose

South Korean and American forces are said to be at a readiness unlike any in the world, wound up to spring into all-out war if need be at the sound of a klaxon. This readiness in showcased during combined live fire drills, where the total force is brought together as much for show and intimidation as for training.

The latest event took place at Seungjin range in Phocheon-gun, some 50 miles north of Seoul, on August 24 right as the two countries seemed to be ready for war.

The setting for this live fire event, a mountainous valley among the lush terrain of the central Korean Peninsula, gives it an almost toy soldier-like appeal. But don’t let that fool you, the ordinances being launched and the weapons involved are very real, and the array of weaponry demonstrated is dizzying.

This video showcases nearly the full spectrum of land-combat capabilities: the E-7 Widget Airborne Early Warning And Control aircraft, KUH-1 helicopters inserting special forces, a whole assortment of armor, and much more.

This is not to say that the North does not possess potent if rudimentary combat capabilities in high numbers that could destroy large swathes of South Korea, but if the choice for war is left up to those in command in the North, the idea is this would be a taste of what they would be facing.

Sometimes it is hard to put a finger on the idea of deterrence. But if you were Kim Jong Un or one of his generals, it may make you think twice about whether you’d be ordering your own destruction.