US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
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TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Story is locked behind a paywall but the Gist is all we need This means neither Lockheed Martin and Boeing have decided not to take part.Lockheed Passes On USAF’s Light Attack Demo
Apr 8, 2017 | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
Lockheed Martin has decided not to offer an aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s light attack demonstration this summer, making it the second major defense contractor in two weeks to opt out of the OA-X experiment. Lockheed joins Boeing in passing on the OA-X demonstration this summer at Holloman AFB, New Mexico,
that leaves only Northrop Grumman as a option for the major American Aviation makers. They have an option atleast in theory. Scaled Composites built a demonstrator for the Army called the Ares back in 1990 The Agile Responsive Effective Support Scaled Composite 151 powered by a single jet, armed with a 25mm Gau 12/U cannon and 4 hard points.
From time to time it has returned and run demos or been used for other functions. A upgraded version could give scorpion a run for it's money.
And of course brings up Textron Airland.
It's larger with more payload, hard points and sensors but no gun system.
Short of restarting production of the A10 these two are the best options available.
The US Navy should have made the Freedom and INdependence "frigtaes" from the get go.
The OHP Frigaes has, for their time, decent ASuW, deent AAW area coverage, and very good ASW capabilities. All thee with no "modules".
A US Navy FFG should be able to do all three today too...and each of those classes could be retrofitted to do so (The freedom and Independence) and they should be, post ahste.
For the last 8-10 years we have himm-hawwed around with this design...but given who was President for most of that time, and the convoluted thinking that admin had on most military matters...it is nmot surprising.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Lockheed Passes On USAF’s Light Attack Demo
Apr 8, 2017 | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
has decided not to offer an aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s light attack demonstration this summer, making it the second major defense contractor in two weeks to opt out of the OA-X experiment.
Lockheed joins in passing on the OA-X demonstration this summer at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, company spokesman John Losinger confirmed to Aviation Week. Proposals for the experiment – which could lead to a buy of 300 off-the-shelf, light-attack aircraft for counterterrorism missions – were due to the Air Force April 7.
Of the big three U.S. aerospace giants, this leaves just a possible contender. A spokesman declined to comment on whether the company would participate.
Rob Weiss, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works executive vice president and general manager, hinted at Lockheed’s decision not to participate in OA-X last month during the company’s media day. He suggested that the T-50A Lockheed is developing jointly with Korea Aerospace Industries – the most logical choice for OA-X – might not fit the bill.
“The way it currently is described, it looks like there are lower cost and much lower capability airplanes than the trainers,” he said March 21.
Losinger did not disclose the reasoning behind the decision not to participate in OA-X, but Weiss hinted that the T-50A may not meet the OA-X runway and fuel burn requirements. The Air Force has said OA-X must be able to operate from a 6,000-ft. runway and have an average fuel flow of 1,500 lb./hr. or less.
The decision to opt out of this phase of the light attack effort does not preclude Lockheed or Boeing from eventually participating in an OA-X competition. The Air Force has stressed that right now the effort is in the experimentation phase, and no program of record has been initiated. The assessment at Holloman could lead to another experiment or a combat demonstration, or even an immediate acquisition program, said Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the Air Force’s military acquisition deputy.
is the only major defense contractor to publicly say it will participate in the OA-X demonstration. It will likely offer the Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine or Scorpion jet.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Autonomous Strike – a New Milestone in Manned-Unmanned Teaming
By -
Apr 10, 2017
883
The US Air Force and ’s advanced projects unit – the ‘Skunk Works’, have completed a series of flight tests demonstrating the teaming of a manned and unmanned fighter jets, participating in mock combat operations. During the flight demonstration, an experimental F-16 aircraft acted as a surrogate Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle () autonomously reacting to a dynamic threat environment during an air-to-ground strike mission. The demonstration success included three key objectives:
For the recent phase designated “ II” Skunk Works teamed with the US Air Force’s Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Pilot School and Calspan Corporation.
- The ability to autonomously plan and execute air-to-ground strike missions based on mission priorities and available assets
- The ability to dynamically react to a changing threat environment during an air-to-ground strike mission while automatically managing contingencies for capability failures, route deviations, and loss of communication
- A fully compliant USAF Open Mission Systems (OMS) software integration environment allowing rapid integration of software components developed by multiple providers
“This demonstration is an important milestone in AFRL’s maturation of technologies needed to integrate manned and unmanned aircraft in a strike package,” said Capt. Andrew Petry, AFRL autonomous flight operations engineer. “We’ve not only shown how an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle can perform its mission when things go as planned, but also how it will react and adapt to unforeseen obstacles along the way.”
ACTING AS A SURROGATE , AN EXPERIMENTAL F-16 AUTONOMOUSLY REACTED TO A DYNAMIC THREAT ENVIRONMENT, DURING A SIMULATED STRIKE MISSION
The two-week demonstration at the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, is the second in a series of manned/unmanned teaming exercises to prove enabling technologies.
“The II demonstration team pushed the boundaries of autonomous technology and put a fully combat-capable F-16 in increasingly complex situations to test the system’s ability to adapt to a rapidly changing operational environment,” said Shawn Whitcomb, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works program manager. “This is a critical step to enabling future technology development and operational transition programs.”
The USAF is using unmanned QF-16s for target practice and training with live weapons. The QF-16 replaces the obsolete QF-4 Phantom . In the future, such platforms could also assume combat roles as ‘avatars’ or companions to manned aircraft. Photo:
The Air Forces’ Loyal Wingman program foresee the techniques, tactics, and procedures of controlling semi-autonomous missions of UCAVs by pilots of manned fifth Generation fighters (/). Such platforms should be able to ‘play’ in both air/air and air/ground scenarios, carrying weapons and flying the more risky parts of the mission, thus increasing the survivability and effectiveness of the manned platforms. QF-16s (unmanned targets) are considered the most cost-effective platforms for this mission, although being a Fourth Generation fighter with no stealth capability would compromise a mixed manned-unmanned strike package. Apart from the tried and tested F-16 the Air Force is also testing other target aircraft, some designed specifically for attack missions – such as the UTAP-22 built by Kratos.
The first demonstration, ‘Have Raider I’, focused on advanced vehicle control. The experimental F-16 autonomously flew in formation with a lead aircraft and conducted a ground-attack mission, then automatically rejoined the lead aircraft after the mission was completed. These capabilities were linked with Lockheed Martin automatic collision avoidance systems to ensure safe, coordinated teaming between the F-16 and surrogate UCAV.
“The OMS architecture used in Have Raider II made it possible to rapidly insert new software components into the system,” said Michael Coy, AFRL computer engineer. “OMS will allow the Air Force maximum flexibility in the development and fielding of cutting edge autonomous capabilities.”
An artist rendering showing a group of Kratos UTAP-22 launch an airstrike under the leadership of an . Illustration: Kratos
Effective manned/unmanned teaming reduces the high cognitive workload, allowing the warfighter to focus on creative and complex planning and management. Autonomous systems also have the ability to access hazardous mission environments, react more quickly, and provide persistent capabilities without fatigue. Each drone will have onboard autonomy sufficient to complete all basic flight operations untethered from a ground station and without full-time direction from the manned lead.
For future applications of the Loyal Wingman concept, the Air Force is considering employing several with each manned fighter jet. The flight will use dedicated processors that will be able to assess the operational scenario based on each platforms’ sensors and decide the course of action for the group of drones. A prototype of such system is under development at the University of Cincinnati. It employs artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic techniques known as ‘’ has demonstrated in simulations capabilities superior to well-trained fighter pilots.
The Air Force plans to begin flying aircraft equipped to control a full ‘Loyal Wingman’ drone formation in 2018. Testing is scheduled to continue for four years, through 2022. Eventually, the US Air Force plans to assign drone formations to all front line aircraft – the Lightning II, Raptor and possibly its newest bomber – Raider.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
The Reaper Kits-up for Operation in Contested Airspace
By -
Apr 11, 2017
For more than two decade unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operated by the U.S. armed forces are used mainly in asymmetric warfare, against irregular forces that do not pose serious threats to U.S. airpower. But in recent years the situation has changed. Irregular forces in many theaters are equipped with air defense assets. In many theaters missions are already flown in airspaces dominated by potentially hostile radars and air defenses. In the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, such environments would limit the usability of conventional drones, unless suitable mission systems and countermeasures are deployed.
Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has recently demonstrated such a system by equipping their B/ Block 5 equipped with a Radar Warning Receiver (). The test was part of an airborne demonstration of the drone’s capability to operate on the edge of ‘contested airspace’ – areas defended by surface to air missile systems (SAM). For the recent test, the company owned drone carried a standard pod equipped with A . This sensor provides enhanced situational awareness to aircrew and air element command and control units by identifying potential radar threats in or near contested airspace environments.
The A is often used as a sensor for self-protection systems, that consist of chaff and flare dispensers, jammers and decoys, but the recent tests on the Reaper employed the as a sensor that detects and alerts operators on hostile radar activity in its operating airspace. Once the RWR spots a hostile radar it cues other onboard sensors (such as an SAR radar or EO/IR payload) to identify and designate it for the attack. The system can also operate in self-protection but this mode has not been tested.
During the recent tests, the system was operated in various flight profiles. According to , the pod was able to validate RWR performance which met or exceeded current thresholds for both air and ground radar threats. Additionally, the RWR information to the flight crew was deemed useful for triggering flight crew action, such as manually cross-cueing to other onboard sensors to validate threat information. plans further RWR demonstrations later in the year to include integrating with Link 16 communications datalink.
For the RWR demonstration, this B/ Reaper Block 5 carried the ALR-69A Radar Warning Receiver in a standard payload pod. Once the RWR spots a hostile radar it cues other onboard sensors (such as an SAR radar or EO/IR payload) to identify and designate it for the attack. The system can also operate in self-protection but this mode has not been tested. The RWR Photo: GA-ASI
The current development of this new capability is conducted by the company as a private investment, with the goal of partnering with potential customers in the near future. “The successful demonstration of a mature radar warning receiver on our company-owned Predator B clearly shows the utility of the aircraft in conducting missions in the proximity of threat radars and enemy air defenses,” said Claudio Pereida, executive vice president, Mission Systems, GA-ASI. “We are pleased to be the first company to demonstrate this capability on a remotely piloted aircraft and hope to make it available to interested customers on a quick-reaction basis.”
“The ALR-69A provides improved detection range and accurate, unambiguous identification in dense signal environments,” Paul Overstreet, ALR-69A program manager, added. “Its open architecture is what allows it to operate on manned or unmanned aircraft.”