Airbus to Provide Tactical Satellite Communications for Belgian Ministry of Defence - Avionics International

Airbus to Provide Tactical Satellite Communications for Belgian Ministry of Defence - Avionics International: Airbus signed a contract with Belgian Ministry of Defence to provide tactical satellite communications services for the Armed Forces over a 15-year period.

Royal Marines Drill US Marine Security Forces in Europe

US Marines assigned to a Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) of Marine Corps Security Forces (MCSFR) recently trained in European theatre wintry conditions with UK Royal Marines during Exercise Tartan Eagle,a biannual exercise conducted with 43 Commando Royal Marines (43 Cdo RM),a US Marine Corps press release revealed.No location was disclosed,but this blog assesses it was possibly His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde,Faslane,Scotland,homeport of the UK nuclear deterrent.It was a chance for the Americans to expand their horizons in a critical NATO Ally setting.FAST Marine teams are qualified infantry Marines who guard high-value defence installations,vessels and nuclear weapons.For its part,43 Cdo RM protects the UK nuclear deterrent force, which consists of ballistic missile submarines carrying Trident II D5 ICBMs.Such a role requires skill sets of fieldcraft;close quarters-combat;vehicle manoeuvres and so on.These were instilled in the the FAST Marines by RM professional military educators.* The first week of Tartan Eagle was a firing package ranging from simple static shooting to battle sight zeroing and natural points of aim.The FAST Marine Alpha Platoon trained on the Royal Marines' C8 assault rifle,which is similar to Marine Corps weapons such as the M4 and legacy M16 design and build.The FAST Marines also had to pass the RM Annual Combat Marksmanship Test (ACMT) in order to train on RM firing ranges.To pass the ACMT,you must fire quickly and accurately from postures including prone,standing and from a defensive position.The second week of Tartan Eagle was a field exercise exposing participants to cold,wet wintry conditions of typical British weather where they learn maintaining themselves,their kit (gear) and equipment in challenging circumstances.Phase 3 of Tartan Eagle was a Forward Operating Base exercise where they conducted security against a simulated enemy and were appropriately pushed and tested. The FAST Marines learned to camouflage paint themselves within the burnt red and yellow fern colours of European countryside.They awoke to morning dew and chilling temperatures with a cool breeze.Indeed,shivering and wet,they exercised stillness for concealment.How to walk,stay alert,await orders,provide security and issue orders outside of garrison were considerations.The Tactics,Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) exchanged with the Royal Marines helped the FAST Marines pass the culminating Marine Readiness Exercise.The Marines of Alpha Platoon,FAST Company,MCSFR surpassed both mental and physical barriers while executing Exercise Tartan Eagle 2022,furthering our partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence forces and honing their overall lethality.At all times,they were under the professional supervision of 43 Cdo RM instructors.

US Space Force Seeks to Bolster Domestic Electronics Capacity for Future Systems

US Space Force Seeks to Bolster Domestic Electronics Capacity for Future Systems: The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) space vehicles directorate is seeking innovative industry solutions to bolster domestic capacity to build Northrop Grumman (NOC)

USAF Selects Electra for up to $85M in Funding for eSTOL Development - Avionics International

USAF Selects Electra for up to $85M in Funding for eSTOL Development - Avionics International: The USAF’s AFWERX program chose Electra for a Strategic Funding Increase award. This award secures up to $85 million for Electra's eSTOL development.

NATO Land Forces:eFP Battle Group Poland

On 14 December 2022,NATO gave a media tour of enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland on the Alliance's Eastern Flank.The Battle Group,a combined arms unit that is based with the Polish Armed Forces' 15th Mechanised Brigade,consists of the US Army's 3rd Battalion,8th Cavalry Regiment,3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team,1st Cavalry Division (3-1 ABCT);Romanian Sky Guardians (air defence);the Croatian Archer Battery (artillery);and the British Army's The Royal Lancers,Prince of Wales Troop (reconnaissance).Battle Group Poland provides combat-credible forces to V Corps,America's forward deployed corps in Europe.* Said Major Ed Yost,US Army,executive officer of eFP Battle Group Poland: We have in our arsenal the Romanian air defence capabilities with the air defence batteries;the UK as our reconnaissance element,out in front controlling our indirect fires or artillery that we have from both the US artillery company and the Croatian artillery company,which give us a lot of credibility,a lot of lethality.* According to British Army Major Freddie Taylor-Dickinson,commander of Royal Lancers,Prince of Wales Troop: The Jackals provide a reconnaissance capability,and they work well with the U.S. Combined Arms Battalion,and we are trained to work favourably with all of our NATO Partners.As reconnaissance Soldiers,we're trained to operate by day,night,in all weather,so it is a challenging environment,but it's one that we are prepared and trained for.* The eFP Battle Group Poland is the proverbial tip of the spear,ready at a moment's notice to engage an adversary and defend an Allied nation's sovereignty.It is a synchronised fighting force that creates a defensive wall to protect the European theatre,deterring any aggression against the Eastern Flank of NATO.* Lt.Col.Sean M. Castilla,US Army,is commander,eFP Battle Group Poland.The Battle Group recently completed live-fire Exercise Bull Run.

BAE Systems to Receive USAF Contract to Support Mission Data Loads for F-35 - Avionics International

BAE Systems to Receive USAF Contract to Support Mission Data Loads for F-35 - Avionics International: U.S. Air Force Test Center plans to award BAE Systems’ electronic systems sector a 5-year contract before Oct. 1 to support testing of mission data loads. BAE Systems PLC (OTCM:BAESY)

Unmanned systems trial leveraging AI tech completed by U.S. Navy - Military Embedded Systems

Unmanned systems trial leveraging AI tech completed by U.S. Navy - Military Embedded Systems: ARLINGTON, Va. The U.S. Navy 5th Fleet reported a successful conclusion to its Digital Horizon exercise, a three-week event held during December 2022 that tested unmanned and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for possible use in maritime operations.

Pacific Perspective:Marines Update Their Pacific Deployments

The US Marine Corps is developing a new approach to its Pacific deployments called the Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR).It has already founded the first MLR in Hawaii.Next,the concept will be realised on the Japanese island of Okinawa.The Corps will transform its Okinawa presence without increasing its numbers there.MLRs contain about 2,000 Marines and US Navy Sailors,including a Combat Team.It is a self-deployable,multi-domain force that persistently operates across the competitive continuum in support of the Joint Force,assuring Allies and Partners;deterring adversaries;conducting and enabling Joint Force contact,blunt and surge activities.The MLR is a naval formation with capabilities to manoeuvre and operate in the maritme domain.It is mobile,low-signature and persistent in the contact to blunt layers and relatively easy to maintain and sustain as part of a naval expeditionary force.* The MLR leverages the full capabiltity of amphibious platforms,connectors and boats.Together,the Navy and Marine Corps will field a Light Amphibious Warship to enhance its mobility and sustainment.The MLR contains a Littoral Combat Team;Littoral Anti-Air Battalion;and Combat Logistics Battalion.So the MLR contains an infantry battalion and an anti-ship missile battery.It facilitates the deployment of multiple platoon-reinforced size expeditionary advanced base sites for long-range anti-ship fires;forward arming and refueling of aircraft;Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance of key maritime terrain;plus air defence and early warning.After Okinawa,a third MLR is being contemplated for the US militarised coral reef of Guam.An MLR is commanded by a colonel.* The new concept was agreed with Japan at the recent Security Consultative Talks (SCT) in Washington on 12 January 2023.The talks,hosted by the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken for Japan's Foreign Minister,Hagashi Yosimasu,and Defence Minister,Hamada Yasukazu.The SCT deepened an already close relationship in the context of a more assertive China;Russia's second invasion of Ukraine;and North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems.Said SecDef Austin: It is a shared committment to uphold the rules-based international order and to strengthen resilient partnerships around the globe.* Thus the US will forward-station the more versatile,mobile and resilient MLR.It bolsters deterrence and allows us to defend Japan and its people more effectively,according to Austin.The Marine 12th Artillery Regiment will remain in Japan and be re-organised into the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment by 2025.The transformed Regiment will be relevant to both current and future threat environments.At the same time,Japan has committed to acquire a counter-strike capability.* Furthermore,the SCT agreed that an attack to,from or within outer space would enable the invocation of Article V of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.Article V states: Each Party recognizes an armed attack against either Party in the territories under the administration of Japan would be dangerous to its own security and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional procedures and processes.* The SCT agreed Japan will establish a permanent joint headquarters and will work with the U.S. on command-and-control arrangements with an emphasis on interoperability with U.S. Forces.Joint/shared use of facilities in Japan will be initiated,as will increased exercises,including exercises in Japan's Southwest Islands.Activities with regional Allies and Partners such as Australia,South Korea and India are to be strengthened,while also welcoming greater International Partner engagement by Euro-Atlantic Partners.*

Defence Updates: Counter-UAS, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and the F-35 Program - Avionics International

Defense Updates: Counter-UAS, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and the F-35 Program - Avionics International: A developmental test team flew the Technology Refresh-3 configuration of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter for the first time on Jan. 6. Lockheed Martin (LMT),Northrop Grumman (NOC),Raytheon Technologies (RTX)

Orion Program Update:Gateway Milestones

On 5 January 2023,NASA announced that technicians at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility,New Orleans,had finished welding the pressure vessel,or backbone,of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV),or capsule, for the Artemis IV mission,the first crewed mission to the Gateway lunar space station.Gateway's two initial components,the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) are being designed and constructed by Northrop Grumman and Maxar Technologies,respectively.Earlier,on 3 January,a new Gateway mockup was delivered to NASA Kennedy Space Center,to facilitate astronaut training on HALO systems.Gateway will be the most distant space station ever built,flying in a near-rectilinear lunar orbit,so crews will need extensive training on its operations.* The Co-manifested Launch Vehicle (CLV),referring to the HALO and the PPE,will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at KSC Launch Complex 39A no earlier than November 2024.Future Gateway modules will include the European Space Agency (ESA)/Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) International Habitation module (I-HAB),which will increase the station's habitability capacity from its initial 30 days up to 60 days;the ESA ESPRIT-Refueler;and further logistics modules.The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will provide the Gateway External Robotics System (GERS) called Canadarm3.Indeed,one of the four Artemis IV astronauts will be a Canadian.The Blue Origin Human Landing System (HLS) that will potentially transport astronauts on Gateway to the lunar surface is being co-developed by Blue Origin,Northrop Grumman,Lockheed Martin and The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory;while the SpaceX Starship has been selected to transport astronauts to the lunar surface for NASA'S initial lunar landing of the Artemis III return to the moon mission.NASA will award future lunar landing contracts on a competitive basis after Artemis III.* Gateway will provide unique science capabilities,allowing extended views of Earth,Sun,Moon and space not possible from Earth's surface or Low Earth Orbit (LEO).Two of the first three experiments for Gateway will be attached to the station's exterior.They will monitor the Sun's radiation environment and space weather,respectively;while a third experiment will fly inside HALO to study radiation shielding effects and improve radiation physics models for cancer,cardiovascular and central nervous system effects,helping assess crew risk on deep space exploration missions.At the same time,International Space Station missions will continue to be flown.* In HALO,there are accomodations for storing food,water,tools and experiments,plus space for exercise and sleep.It also provides a safe and healthy atmosphere,regulating proper rates of oxygen and nitrogen,while filtering the air for contaminent removal.ESA is providing the HALO Lunar Communication System (HLCS).* The Gateway will be a staging point for sustained lunar exploration and extensibility towards long-term lunar and solar system exploration.HALO itself is 3 meters/9.84 feet in diameter and has three docking ports.It features Time-Triggered Ethernet (TTE) for seamless integration of modules,payloads and subsystem components.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Maxar Technologies Inc (MAXR), Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Pacific Perspective:Chinese Fighter Jet Harasses Air Force Recon Plane

On 21 December 2022,a US Air Force Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) J-11BH fighter jet over the South China Sea,U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said in a statement on 29 December.The intercept occurred in international airspace,where the RC-135 was free to operate,but the J-11BH performed an unsafe manoeuvre,flying in front of and within 20 feet of the RC-135's nose.Thus the Rivet Joint had to undertake evasive action to avoid colliding with the PLANAF aircraft.USINDOPACOM stated that: We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific Region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law.* China has an expansive view of its control over the South China Sea (SCS).According to the U.S. Department of State,the People's Republic of China (PRC) asserts unlawful maritime claims in most of the SCS: In recent years,the PRC has stepped up its coercive activities in the South China Sea by increasing its deployment of maritime militias that operate alongside PRC law enforcement and military to harass and intimidate other claimant states...the U.S. stands with Southeast Asian claimant states seeking to defend their sovereign rights and interests consistent with international law reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.* PRC's claims include the Paracel Islands;Spratly Islands;Scarborough Shoal;plus reefs PRC is building up into artificial militarised islands.Other countries making SCS claims are Brunei;Malaysia;the Phillippines;Taiwan;and Vietnam.* The RC-135 V/W Rivet Joint supports theatre and national level command authorities with near real time,on-scene intelligence collection,analysis and dissimenation.Its onboard sensor suite permits the aircrew to detect,identify and geolocate signals (SIGINT) thorughout the electromagnetic spectrum.It can then forward the information via the Rivet Joint's extensive communications suite.A crew of more than 30 includes cockpit crew;Electronic Warfare officers;intel operators;and in-flight maintenance technicians.It has a digital glass cockpit configuration.All Rivet Joint airframe and mission systems modifications are carried out by L3Harris Technologies Inc. overseen by Air Force Materiel Command.* The PLANAF Shenyang Aircraft Corporation J-11BH is an evolved Russian Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft,NATO codeword "Flanker-L."Comparable to the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet,it is mounted with PL-8 and PL-12 air-to-air missiles for intercept missions.The PLANAF had 40 J-11BH and 32 J-11BSH (NATO codeword Flanker-L+) as of 2018.* Boeing (BA),L-3Harris Technologies Inc (LHX)