Quiet Professional Brig. Gen. Michael J. Kingsley

Transcription

World’s Largest Distributed Special Ops Magazine
Quiet
Professional
Brig. Gen.
Michael J.
Kingsley
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Commander
23rd Air Force
Director of Operations
Air Force Special
Operations Command
September 2010
Volume 8, Issue 7
Maintaining the C-130 Fleet ✯ Caseless Munitions ✯ PSYOP Technologies
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SPECIAL OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY
SEPTEMBER 2010
VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 7
FEATURES
COVER / Q&A
Lighter Ammunition: Less is More
Ammunition is one of the most important and heaviest
things to carry on the battlefield. Several firms are trying
to lighten your load.
By Nikki Maxwell
6
In the Mind Fight
Beating the mind of your enemy on the battlefield
negates the need to beat the body. Special operators are
taking our message to the battlefield as much as bombs
and bullets.
By Steve Goodman
11
18
Brigadier General
Michael J. Kingsley
Commander 23rd Air Force
Air Force Special Operations Command
Industry, Blue Shirters Meet C-130 Maintenance
Challenges
Keeping the C-130 functioning in a variety of environments
is no easy challenge. Between industry and skilled air crew
members, they are getting the job done.
By Leslie Shaver
DEPARTMENTS
2 Editor’s Perspective
3 Whispers
22
5 People
Handheld Communication Devices
Knowing where you are is important. Being able to
tell friendly forces where you are is just as if not more
important than that. Read how these devices can help
you do both.
By Dennis McCafferty
25
16 Black Watch
27 Calendar, Directory
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
28
Bob Jacobson
President
L-3 GCS Division
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SPECIAL OPERATIONS
TECHNOLOGY
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7
SEPTEMBER 2010
World’s Largest Distributed
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The Hydra is a many-headed monster in Greek mythology
that terrorized visitors near the lake of Lerna in Greece. Killing
the Hydra proved to be quite a challenge, as two heads would grow
back whenever one was cut off. Hercules seized upon the idea of
cauterizing the neck before the new heads had a chance to grow.
The Hydra is such an enduring mythological figure that the term
“hydra” is sometimes used to describe a challenge which seems
to keep getting bigger and harder to handle, no matter how hard
someone tries to metaphorically behead it.
The situation of having enemies in dozens of countries has
led to debate within the Department of Defense of how to address
these problems. Will the scalpel method of leadership attrition
that seems to be happening in Yemen become our main weapon against extremism? Vice President
Joe Biden and others support this practice as a practical and less expensive course in terms of
real dollars and lives lost. Where will this leave programs such as the Marine Corps Expeditionary
Fighting Vehicle?
Program acquisition unit costs per vehicle are now expected to total $22.3 million each, up from
$12.3 million estimated last August. Many stakeholders have put forth the notion that we may never
see battle again like Iwo Jima, but hot spots around the world do not allow for the abandonment of
conventional warfare. Throw in the 10 percent across-the-board quest for savings from the desk of
Robert Gates and programs large and small are suddenly in jeopardy.
This brings us back to the Hydra. The heads are many different
adversaries facing us in the defense industry today. The economy, budget
and home state lawmakers who will defend their programs and jobs.
Al-Qaida is still one of the heads; certainly China, North Korea and Iran
Phil Kiver
would qualify. Throw in the CV-22 budget from USSOCOM and our own
Editor
looming elections, and you have a nine-headed monster indeed.
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Secretary Robert Gates Announces Efficiencies Initiatives
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
announced a series of initiatives designed
to reduce overhead, duplication, and
excess in the Department of Defense, and,
over time, instill a culture of savings and
restraint in America’s defense institutions.
These initiatives represent the latest of
the secretary’s efforts to re-balance the
priorities of the department and reform
the way the Pentagon does business. As
part of the fiscal 2010 budget, the department curtailed or cancelled nearly 20
troubled or excess programs— programs
that if pursued to completion would have
cost more than $300 billion. Additional
program savings have been recommended
in the defense budget request submitted
this year.
Earlier this summer, the department began a comprehensive effort along
several tracks to gain efficiencies, reduce
costs and improve the effectiveness of the
DoD enterprise, the results of which will
be rolled out as part of the fiscal 2012
budget request. The secretary believes
the department can take the following
actions immediately rather than waiting
for the normal budgeting and programming cycle.
The secretary directed a reduction
of funding for support contractors by 10
percent a year for each of the next three
years. The goal is to reduce the number of
contractors that are performing functions
that are inherently governmental.
To address the personnel growth in the
Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD),
the defense agencies and Combatant
Command (COCOM) staffs, the secretary
of defense has directed a freeze in the
number of OSD, defense agencies and
COMCOM billets at the fiscal 2010 levels
for next three years.
With regard to in-sourcing, no more
full-time OSD positions will be created
after fiscal 2010 to replace contractors
except for critical needs.
These measures are part of a comprehensive re-base lining of OSD, defense
agency and COCOM staffing and organization. Starting essentially from scratch,
they will conduct a clean sheet review to
determine what their people should be
doing, where and at what level of rank
in light of this department’s most urgent
priorities by November 1.
As a result of the re-base lining, there
will be a minimum reduction of 50 percent
of total growth in billets since 2000. This
reduction in civilian senior executive and
general and flag officer billets shall be
achieved over two years.
The secretary directed a freeze at fiscal
2010 levels on the number of civilian
senior executives, general and flag officer,
and PAS positions. By November 1, offices
will also assess the number and locations
of senior positions, as well as the overhead
and accoutrements that go with them.
To achieve greater benefits in cost and
efficiency through “economies of scale,”
the secretary of defense directed the
consolidation of information technology
infrastructure facilities. This action will
allow the increased use by the department
of common functions and improve our
ability to defend defense networks against
growing cyber threats.
To combat the enormous amounts
of taskings for reports and studies both
from Congress and from OSD, the secretary of defense directed starting now:
freeze in the number of all DoD-required
oversight reports; immediate cut in the
dollars allocated to advisory studies by
25 percent; track and publish the actual
cost of preparation of each reports and
studies prepared by DoD in the front of
each document; and a comprehensive
review of all oversight reports, and use
the results to reduce the volume generated
internally while engaging the Congress on
ways to meet their needs, while working
together to reduce the number of reports
by October 1.
Also recommended was the closure of
Joint Forces Command ( JFCOM), which
was established to infuse jointness into
everything the military does, especially
the training and providing of forces for
operations. Over time, it has created an
unneeded extra layer and step in the
force management process. JFCOM’s force
management and sourcing functions will
be assigned to the Joint Staff, while the
remaining responsibilities will be evaluated and those determined to be essential
will be re-assigned to other entities.
To see these initiatives through from
announcement to action to measurable
results over the next 90 to 120 days,
the secretary has appointed a task force
chaired by his chief of staff. This task
force will develop action plans and oversee
their implementation and eventual transition to the appropriate department
leadership.
3rd Ranger Battalion Gets a New Commander
More than 300 family, friends and Ranger veterans joined 3rd Ranger
Battalion as they said good-bye to one commander and hello to a new one.
Colonel Daniel R. Walrath relinquished command to Lieutenant Colonel
Fredrick “Mark” O’Donnell July 20 at a ceremony held on the National
Infantry Museum Soldier’s Parade Field at Fort Benning. In the almost nine
years of combat, Rangers have established themselves as the nation’s premier
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
direct action raid force. During Walrath’s command, 3rd Ranger Battalion
achieved remarkable success on the battlefield, including killing eight
key leaders and high value targets within Iraq and Afghanistan, applying
extraordinary pressure and disruption on the enemy. “Dan has brilliantly led
this magnificent 3rd Ranger Battalion over the last two years,” said Kurilla.
“Their success in both Iraq and Afghanistan is unprecedented.”
SOTECH 8.7 | 3
New Robotics Zone for
Unmanned Vehicles
Defence & Security Equipment
International (DSEi), the world’s largest
independent land, sea and air biennial
defence and security exhibition, announced
that the Association for Unmanned Vehicle
Systems International (AUVSI) will support
a new robotics zone at the show, scheduled
to be held at ExCeL in London on September
13-16, 2011.
AUVSI will have a significant role in
branding the 800 square meter robotics zone
that will showcase unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles and
unmanned aerial vehicles. Live demos of
these platforms will be conducted in the exhibition hall and demonstrations will include
an obstacle course. These unmanned systems
and robotics platforms will operate by autonomous, remote or tele-operated control.
“The agreement with AUVSI will
strengthen DSEi as well as other defense and
security exhibitions in Clarion’s portfolio,”
said Tim Porter, managing director, Clarion
Defence & Security, which organizes DSEi.
“As the unmanned vehicle segment of the
industry grows, companies will view DSEi as
Marine Corps Orders
Vehicle Upgrades
BAE Systems has received
delivery orders from the U.S.
Marine Corps Systems Command
worth $170 million to produce 32
U.S. Special Operations Command
armored utility vehicles (AUV)
and provide major upgrades to
existing vehicles. The AUV is one
of several mine resistant ambush
protected (MRAP) variants based
on the RG33 family of vehicles.
Upgrades will be performed on
nearly 250 USSOCOM vehicles
to incorporate new independent
suspension systems and other
design improvements to ensure
superior mobility and performance over rocky and steep
terrain. This work demonstrates
how BAE Systems’ support and
service capabilities are meeting
the current and future requirements to protect troops during
combat missions.
“Upgrading the vehicles
will provide our forces with the
4 | SOTECH 8.7
latest vehicle enhancements,”
said Ann Hoholick, vice president and general manager of
New Vehicles and Amphibious
Systems for BAE Systems. “We
will produce 32 new vehicles
with the improvements already
built-in, so the entire fleet of
vehicles will be fully modernized and upgraded.” The MRAP
vehicles are comprised of several
unique features designed to meet
the robust requirements of the
Special Operations Command,
including a remote weapon
station, swing arm mount and a
rear door assist.
Production preparations for
the new vehicles is beginning at
BAE Systems facilities in York,
Pa., Fairfield, Ohio and Aiken,
S.C., and at Spartan Motors
Chassis’ facility in Charlotte,
Mich. Deliveries are scheduled
to begin in March 2011 and run
through July 2011.
a vital venue to demonstrate or showcase the
latest land, sea and air technology for potential military and civilian customers.”
“The support AUVSI will provide for the
DSEi 2011 robotics zone will reinforce our
position as a world leader in unmanned
systems,” said Gretchen West, executive vice
president, AUVSI. “In addition, the robotics
zone will help advance the unmanned
systems industry by showcasing the latest
technological advancements.”
Doug Schlam
[email protected]
Advanced Search and
Rescue Helicopters
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of United
Technologies Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. will compete
jointly for the contract to replace the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of
combat search and rescue helicopters.
The two companies signed a teaming agreement formalizing their intent to offer an advanced version of Sikorsky’s
UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter for the Air Force’s HH-60
Personnel Recovery Recapitalization program (HH-60 Recap).
The agreement positions Sikorsky as prime contractor, with
Lockheed Martin as the major subsystems supplier.
The HH-60 Recap program seeks to replace the 112
existing HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter fleet with an equal
number of new aircraft requiring minimum airframe modification or mission systems development. The initial operational capability of eight aircraft—four trainers and four
mission-ready aircraft, plus test aircraft—is expected in
fiscal year 2015.
“Our team has the resources and experience to rapidly
deliver the proven UH-60M airframe design with mature
situational awareness sensors and mission systems,” said
Scott Starrett, president of Sikorsky Military Systems.
“We believe a UH-60M aircraft missionized for the complexities of the combat search and rescue mission will fit
seamlessly into established Air Force training and logistics
operations.”
Operational with the U.S. Army (including as a medevac
helicopter in the HH-60M configuration), the UH-60M features
a strengthened airframe, wider rotor blades and more powerful
engines than earlier-design Black Hawk helicopters. Sikorsky
has delivered 200 M model helicopters to the U.S. Army
since 2005.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
L-3 GCS Awarded $170M
Contract from U.S. Special
Operations Command
L-3 Global Communications Solutions Inc. (L-3 GCS), a wholly owned
subsidiary of L-3 Communications, has been awarded a contract by U.S.
Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for the manufacture and supply
of man-portable (manpack) Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite
communications systems and associated equipment. The program, Special
Operations Forces Deployable Node-Lite (SDN-Lite) will provide worldwide
satellite communications connectivity to special operations forces field
personnel. Total contract value is up to $170 million over the next five years.
L-3 GCS President Bob Jacobson has stated that, “L-3 GCS is particularly
honored to have been selected by USSOCOM after a highly competitive bid
process. For the past two years, our vision and goal has been to bring the
size of a VSAT terminal down to a ruck-sack package. We have achieved that
goal and USSOCOM has validated our vision with this award. A single soldier,
sailor, airman or Marine can now have a megabit per second beyond line of
site radio in his or her ruck.”
Eileen M. Yatteau
[email protected]
Iraqi Army Receives Heavy Equipment
Oshkosh Defense, a division of
Oshkosh Corporation, announced today
its first ever order for vehicles to the Iraqi
Armed Forces. The inaugural order is for
60 Heavy Equipment Transporter Systems
(HETS), which includes the Oshkosh HET
vehicle and a trailer. Oshkosh also will
provide operator training, spare parts
and manuals.
“Oshkosh Defense is committed to
helping international militaries become
more independent by supplying vehicles
that increase their mission and logistics support capabilities,” said Ron
Ziebell, Oshkosh Defense vice president
and general manager, International
Programs. “We look forward to working
with the Iraqi Armed Forces as they strive
to improve security within the region.”
The contract, valued at more than
$40 million, was received through the
U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management
Command. Work under the contract is
expected to be completed in May 2011.
Laura Pawlowski-SOTECH
Account Executive
Laura Pawlowski joins KMI Media Group as
account executive for Special Operations Technology.
Previously she was the mid-Atlantic director of
marketing for Trammell Crow Co. With this experience
she brings 20 years of knowledge and work in strategic
marketing and sales.
Her email address is [email protected]
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pe o ple
Brig. Gen.
Patrick M. Higgins
Brigadier General
Patrick M. Higgins,
director, Joint Forces
Special Operations
Command - Iraq, U.S.
Forces-Iraq, Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, has
been assigned to deputy
director, requirements,
J-8, the Joint Staff,
Washington, D.C.
Lt. Gen.
David P. Fridovich
Lieutenant General
David P. Fridovich,
director of Center for
Special Operations,
United States Special
Operations Command,
has been assigned
to deputy commander,
USSOCOM.
Army Reserve
Brigadier General
Douglas P. Anson has
been nominated for
promotion to the rank
of major general and
assignment as deputy
director for J-3, Special
Operations Command,
MacDill Air Force Base,
Fla. Anson is currently
serving as director,
legislative affairs, (individual mobilization
augmentee), U.S. Special
Operations Command,
Tampa, Fla.
The Department
of Defense announced
today that retired Air
Force Major General
John D. Lavelle has
been nominated posthumously by the president
for advancement on the
retired rolls to the rank
of general. In April 1972,
Lavelle was removed
from command as a
result of allegations that
he ordered unauthorized bombing missions
into North Vietnam, and
that he authorized the
falsification of reports
to conceal the missions.
Lavelle was retired in the
grade of major general,
two grades lower than
the last grade he served
on active duty. Lavelle
died in 1979. In 2007,
newly released and
declassified information
resulted in evidence that
Lavelle was authorized by
President Richard Nixon
to conduct the bombing
missions.
SOTECH 8.7 | 5
Ammunition:
Less is More
Lighter
HAVING MORE ROUNDS, TAKING MORE SHOTS
BY NIKKI MAXWELL
SOTECH CORRESPONDENT
[email protected]
Imagine a weapon being a fraction of
the standard weight, and a soldier being
able to carry twice as much ammunition
in the battlefield. That dream is closer to
becoming reality thanks to Lightweight
Small Arms Technologies (LSAT).
LSAT research is funded by the
Joint Service Small Arms Program
(JSSAP) based at the Picatinny Arsenal in N.J. The goal is to significantly
reduce the weight of small arms and
their ammunition, allowing for increased
mobility and maneuverability. That is
being achieved through the development
of plastic casings and caseless bullets.
Paul Shipley, program manager in
the Advanced Systems Department at
AAI Corporation, is part of the team
6 | SOTECH 8.7
developing that technology. Shipley
began working in the ammunition field
32 years ago, and has worked on the
LSAT program since 2004.
“It’s one of those items that has
slowly evolved. People have been trying
to create plastic cartridge cases since
plastic was invented,” Shipley said. “I
know that we did some work on different
calibers back in the 1970s; however, plastic had not advanced to the point where
it is today, so its one of those things
where periodically the government and
the industry revisit items and say, ‘Well,
can we do it now?’”
Shipley said the same is true for the
development of caseless ammunition, and
that caseless technology can be applied
to all small arms. “That was the objective
from the beginning. It’s taking technology that was probably last worked on in
the 1980s and now revisiting that and
advancing that,” Shipley said. “The most
recent for both [plastic and caseless]
was about 30 years ago.” Caseless telescoped ammo features a solid propellant
body that burns off when the round is
fired. Essentially, the case itself is the
fuel.
LESS IS MORE
Shipley said the need to reduce the
weight of gear soldiers carry has been
an ongoing discussion in the world of
weapons and ammunitions development.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
“Infantry warfighters are overburdened
with what they have to carry,” Shipley said.
“Between communications, supply, weapons and ammunition, that all adds up to
100 pounds or more, and that really affects
their stamina, mobility and ability to rapidly
respond to the situation. That is what this
program is about.”
While the LSAT team develops the technology, JSSAP coordinates weapon standardization between U.S. armed forces branches.
The LSAT program is the U.S. military’s
latest project to replace existing small arms
weapons, but the application of the technology does not end there. “Our customer
[JSSAP] looked at a machine gunner and the
heaviest items that were being carried, and
two are the machine gun and 600 rounds of
ammunition,” Shipley said. Combined, that
totals about 40 pounds in weight.
“So they set up this program with the
objective of reducing that weight by about
40 percent, cutting about 16 pounds,” he
said. “The machine gun weighs about 17
pounds and the ammunition a bit more than
that.”
Shipley explained that the project began
with the machine gun because it represented
a big weight issue, “with the intention to
apply the development to the rifle and any
small arms,” Shipley said. “We’re actually
working on the rifle now.” The Armament
Research, Development and Engineering
Center (ARDEC) in Picatinny, N.J., is also
working to reduce the weight of weapons and
ammunition.
“We like to say that weight is the currency by which you buy capability,” said Kori
Phillips, a systems management engineer in
ARDEC’s Joint Service Small Arms Program.
She said the Army has been concerned about
reducing soldier load for years. “This isn’t a
new problem. We’ve really put an emphasis
on it with this project; there was a great
motivation for reducing weight.”
Phillips is the ARDEC project officer
for the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program. She said the plastic casing
and cased ammunition project has posed
many challenges and concerns, from environmental risks and temperature controls to
manufacturing issues and cost efficiencies.
“There is so much more to consider when
developing this ammunition,” Phillips said.
“We are redesigning it for cost purposes, but
obviously our primary concerns are the ballistics, the reliability and the repeatability.”
The team has built one caseless telescoped weapon and shot about 500 caseless
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
rounds with it, but they have since
had to go back and make some minor
changes to the design.
Shipley said. “So probably six years
from now to the point when it will be
issued [to soldiers].”
TIME LINE
CARTRIDGE CASE DECISION
The current LSAT program, which
began six years ago, is still in the
technology phase of development.
According to Shipley, there are signs of
progress, and he expects the program
to transition into the next phase soon.
“The paperwork for that is in place
now, so once that happens, then it’s
probably about five years after that,”
AAI is focusing on two basic
approaches, polymer cartridge cases
and caseless. “Next year we will make
the decision about which one to move
forward with,” Shipley said. The polymer case design is little less weight
reduction than caseless, and still very
significant with 40 percent less weight.
But that program is the most mature.
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SOTECH 8.7 | 7
“We have fired more than 13,000 cartridges of that design, so we’re pretty confident about how that will work in size and so
forth,” Shipley said. The caseless design
is a 50 percent weight reduction, but
according to Shipley, has more technology challenges to overcome.
“We’ve fired no more than 2,000 of
those cartridges and we’re still doing
more ammunition development on that,”
Shipley said. “So the two designs are
being carried together, and at this point
the polymer casings are further along
in the technology. The decision will be
made early next year on which one to go
forward with,” he said.
JOINT MISSION
The Joint-Synchronization Team at
JSSAP is comprised of members from
each branch of service, harmonizing the
requirements and coordinating the project’s development. The Army is taking the
lead, and the USMC is also providing some
funds and technical direction for that.
“Those are the two primary services
involved, but we also have input from the
U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard
and special operations,” Shipley said. The
LSAT program is managed by ARDEC’s
Joint Service Small Arms office. “We’re an
Office of the Secretary of Defense-chartered organization, so all services have
a hand in the research and development
process,” Phillips said.
That joint development attitude was
demonstrated in July 2005, when the U.S.
Army temporarily suspended a request
for proposal for the acquisition of a new
family of small weapons—Objective Individual Combat Weapon Increment 1—in
order to incorporate usage requirements
of other branches of service.
The technology may even go beyond
military usage. There is possible application for law enforcement usage after the
military adopts it. Carrying weight is
typically not an issue for law enforcement,
“but usually once the military adopts a
weapon or ammunition, then law enforcement evaluates it and makes the decision
at that point,” Shipley said.
PRECISION
The weight of plastic cased and caseless ammunition may be a lot different
than traditional brass, but when it comes
8 | SOTECH 8.7
to precision there should be no difference
at all.
“One of the ground rules the customer
[JSSAP] set at the beginning is they
wanted to do a direct comparison between
this system and existing systems,” Shipley
said. “They wanted to be able to go out to
the firing range, set the [weapons] up side
by side, and do the exact same thing.” So
they took the 5.56 mm caliber cartridge,
which is what is currently being fielded
with the M249 machine gun, the M16 and
the M4.
“They said, ‘Take the bullet that’s in
those cartridges and fire it with the same
velocity,’” Shipley said. “They said it has to
have the same accuracy.” Six years later,
the results are in. According to Shipley
there is no difference in the accuracy and
precision of the casings. “The only difference between the two is the weight; they
are identical in performance,” he said.
The cased telescoped light machine gun, currently being
developed by the Armament Research, Development and
Engineering Center, features a rotating chamber design that
alleviates the common problem of failure to feed and failure to
eject. [Photo courtesy of Armament Research, Development and
Engineering Center]
At the same time, over the last five
years or more, there has been some controversy over whether the 5.56 mm is the
correct caliber to test the system, or
whether the bullet is lethal enough.
“Reports come back that people have been
shot with them but it didn’t slow them
down,” Shipley said. “So the guidance to
us was ‘Use the 5.56 mm because that is
what we have, and we’ll do that for comparison, but allow in your design the possibility that the down the road the caliber
may change, the bullet may change, and
at least we’ll have the design to accommodate that.’”
5.56 MM VS. 7.62 MM
The other option being considered
is the 7.62 mm. It’s mainly used in the
medium machine gun—the M-240 —
a heavy system that weighs about 30
pounds just for the machine gun, plus
ammunition.
“That’s what we call a crew-served
machine gun because the gun would be
carried by one individual and the ammunition carried by another,” Shipley said.
“Plus, it takes two people to operate it
when its shooting. One person brings
the ammunition up and another fires it.”
Mounted on several kinds of tactical vehicles, the M-240 is a long range system,
making it very applicable in Afghanistan
because it has a longer range than the
5.56. It is considered one of the calibers
that it would need to be scaled up to.
There’s also the possibility that it
could be somewhere between those. The
bullet that’s presently used with the 7.62,
is older and less advanced in this design
than the 5.56.
“So there’s the possibility that if you
went with a more modern bullet, you
wouldn’t even need the 7.62 caliber to get
the same performance out of it,” Shipley
said. “For our program we’re basically
watching, and anticipating, but we’re
implementing the 5.56 mm.”
The team recently fielded a new bullet
for the 5.56, the M855A1, also known as
“green ammo.” It earned the name because
it significantly reduces the amount of lead
in production.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Woods, the program’s project manager at Picatinny Arsenal, the Enhanced
Performance Round (EPR) contains an
environmentally friendly projectile that
eliminates up to 2,000 tons of lead from
the manufacturing process each year.
“The effort is a clear example of how
greening a previously hazardous material can also provide extremely beneficial
performance improvements,” Woods said.
“This supports the Army’s commitment to
environmental stewardship.”
“We anticipate that our customer will
ask us to put that in our LSAT cartridge,”
Shipley continued. “We’ve had those discussions, and they will probably provide
us with some bullets, then we will modify
the cartridge if needed to fit that. Then
ours would be upgraded to the best bullets. So that’s what we see in the near
term.
“The question now whether it’s 7.62
or anything in between would be a more
long term question,” he said.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Picatinny Arsenal’s Project Manager
for Maneuver Ammunition Systems, Chris
Grassano, manages the M855A1 program.
“This [fielding] is a culmination of
an Army enterprise effort by a number of
organizations,” Grassano said. “The Army
utilized advanced science, modeling and
analysis to produce the best 5.56. round
possible for the warfighter.”
Grassano said soldiers in Afghanistan
began using the new round this summer.
SUPPLY AVAILABILITY
Some of the elements are made at AAI,
and the propellent is made at General
Dynamics St. Marks Powder.
“We are in the process now of transitioning the work over to Alliant Tech
Systems at the Lake City facility,” said
Shipley. “So Alliant and General Dynamics are both on our team. Alliant, or ATK,
is the operator of the Lake City Army
Ammunitions plant where all of the small
arms ammunition is being made right
now.”
Shipley said they are on the team
because the transition will take place
as development is completed. “Then we
will go from smaller quantities to larger
quantities,” he said. “So we have made
sure from the very beginning that with
the involvement of those two companies,
we’re planning and designing for ease of
production in the future.”
He said that in particular, the
polymer case design actually makes the
producibility better for the ammunition
because that requires a commercial type of
plastic and molding method, not a special
material, whereas the brass cased ammunition requires special custom machinery
installed at the ammunition factory.
“They start with a little slug of brass
and go through 10 or 15 steps in the
process to form that into the shape of
that cartridge, and that is a specialized
machine,” Shipley said. “With the plastic,
any company that does plastic molding
would be capable of doing this, so it actually makes the producibility better.”
Production time would be just about
the same. At the Lake City facility,
there are multiple lines. But according
to Shipley, just one line manufactures
1200 casings a minute. “So we would
foresee that they would be able to achieve
the same production rate, if not better,”
Shipley said.
TROOP FEEDBACK
The LSAT program has received a lot
of exposure throughout the Army and
Marine Corps, most recently a lot of discussion at the National Defense Industrial
Association Small Arms Conference in
Dallas in May 2010.
Shipley said much of the attention
and discussion is among generals and
other high ranking officials. “The weight
reduction, that’s what they really like,”
Shipley said. “I think the main concern
people have is the transition from existing
weapons and ammo to new weapons and
ammo to go with it, and the whole mobilization of the industrial base and cost associated with that to bring it up to speed.”
He said it’s not reality yet, but its
closer than ever before. “During my whole
time here we have worked on advanced
development in small arms ammunition
and weapons, but I don’t think anyone
foresaw how big a role small arms would
play in the modern era here,” he said.
“When I started back in the days of the
Cold War, everything was geared towards
standard Army battles that would meet
out in Europe and slug it out, so they
needed the most advanced missiles and
tanks and all of that,” Shipley said. “And
really the foot soldier didn’t have that
much of a role. Now the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan rely nearly exclusively on the
foot soldier, and therefore their weapons
and ammunition now are more important
than having a tank.
“That and a missile aren’t going to
do as much good. So the biggest thing
I hadn’t thought about is how warfare
would change, and how important a role
small arms would play in that after so
many decades of being less important,”
he explained.
A TEAM EFFORT
While Textron is the prime contractor,
several other corporations are involved in
the development of LSAT, including General Dynamics and ATK.
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SOTECH 8.7 | 9
“We [Textron] are the system integrator, but we have a big team,” Shipley
said. “We also have a company called
Ares located in Fort Clinton, Ohio, a
small weapon and ammunition development company. The Cubic Omega Training Group is providing assistance with
identifying future training aspects and
making sure we get all the human interfaces right,” Shipley said.
There is also a small company in
New York called Veritay Technology Inc.
which is looking at some of the federal
aspects of the project, and MSC software for the modeling and simulation of
the weapon itself. Battelle, in Columbus,
Ohio, is assisting with material selection
and analysis.
FIELD TESTING COMPLETION
When the project will be ready and
approved for mass distribution
is the big question. “That’s the
crystal ball of the situation,”
Shipley said. “Probably 2016,
because it has to come from out
of the technology base and then
transition over to the program
of record.”
Then it will go through the
full qualification portion of
testing, “which typically takes
about three years, and our present contract goes through next
year. And that will allow more
time, so 2016, assuming everything falls into place,” Shipley
said.
to what they’re looking for. The next stage
would be any adjustments that they feel
they would want and working together to
jointly develop that.
FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY AND
OTHER INNOVATIONS
AAI is also involved with an organization called the National Small Arms
Center—also run from the Joint Service
Small Arms Program Office. “That is
focused one step earlier in the technology
development, so what they are looking at
is beyond the present systems and even
the LSAT, like ‘what would be next,’” Shipley said. “And what are some of the things
we should be doing basic research on now
in order to be ready for something new in
the future?”
Shipley described three programs AAI
is currently involved with.
lethal projectile without having to switch
to bullets.” The same cartridge could be
set for lethal and non lethal
Third is an enhanced warhead for the
grenade. The original grenades that are
being shot from the 40 mm system were
developed during the Vietnam War era.
“They’ve been upgraded a bit, but we
are looking at the very latest technology
for that and how to enhance the lethality of the warheads,” Shipley said. “We
have those three that are under way right
now, and they are all exploratory technology type programs that address critical
aspects. And if they turn out to be successful, then we would move forward with
integrating them into a whole new system
and further development.”
LSAT FUTURE
“We hope this makes it all the way
into the field and that
it is carried forward,”
Shipley said. “I hope it
doesn’t wind up being
some technology that
gets set aside and put on
a shelf.” Shipley explained
that his work on the project
has been very regarding in a
personal way.
“We set up booths at
various trade shows and
soldiers stop and say things
like, ‘I was a machine gunner and I carried the M-249,
is this the correct weight
that you got here?’ And
New ammunitions being developed by the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center include
when they pick it up they
caseless telescoped ammunition (front row) and cased telescope ammunition (back row). Both rounds are
nearly 50 percent lighter than their standard 5.56 mm brass-shell counterparts. [Photo courtesy of Armament
OTHER COUNTRIES
get a big smile on their
Research, Development and Engineering Center]
INVOLVED
face, and say they wish they
had that because it is so
The two countries most active and
One of them relates to the manmuch lighter,” Shipley said. “It is very
involved in the LSAT project are Canada
agement of information and power on
satisfying to talk to them and know that
and the United Kingdom. Cooperative
weapons, such as lasers, flashlights and
what we are doing with this technology
agreements are in place with both of
other utilities on weapons, using their
will make a difference.”
them. There is a lot of interest in it facown power sources and their own weight,
He said the difference will go far
toring into their government’s plans for
interconnecting them to a single power
beyond the convenience and efficiency of
soldier’s armament improvements.
source.
carrying more ammunition. “If you’re not
“They are each a little different because
Another is a combined lethal and nonas tired from carrying the weight, you can
they have to look at their requirements,
lethal (also referred to as less lethal) type
move quicker, making a definite impact
which may be slightly different from
of projectile, such as bean bags, rubber
on your ability to fulfill the mission,” he
ours,” Shipley said. “The way the discusballs, or pellets. “It may sting, or have a
said. “This technology will save lives.” ✯
sions have gone is we have provided genblunt force used for riot or crowd control,
eral information on what the U.S. is doing
but it will clear away people not involved,
and what the technology is about.” Meanleaving behind the bad guys,” Shipley
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Phil Kiver at
[email protected] or search our online archives for
while, the other countries involved are
said. “And they want to be able to switch
related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.
looking at exactly how that would apply
over rapidly and then engage them with a
10 | SOTECH 8.7
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
In The Mind Fight
BEATING THE BODY AND THE BRAIN
BY STEVE GOODMAN, SOTECH CORRESPONDENT
[email protected]
Getting “psyched up” before battle and
trying to “psych-out” your enemies has always
been a part of warfare—but today, the “mind
fight” is almost as important as the physical
one, and so-called “PSYOPS” are an integral
part of special operations.
At the most basic level, psychological operations or psychological warfare
are planned operations designed to influence the emotions, objectives, motivations
and thought processes of the enemy. In
other words, targeting the mind instead of,
or in addition to, the body. In this sense
PSYOPS have existed as long as warfare
itself. Genghis Khan’s methods of making his army look larger than it was, and
intentionally spreading graphic details
of the brutality of his forces via advanced
agents was a kind of PSYOPS meant to
demoralize the enemy. Indeed, in the 6th
century B.C. Sun Tzu, author of the Art
of War, one of the greatest military strategists
of all time, wrote, “All warfare is based on
deception.”
In the field, PSYOPS is a force multiplier, minimizes causalities and can be
used in all aspects of warfare. It is a tactical weapon that is limited only by the
resourcefulness of the commander using
it and the technology available to him
or her.
Traditional PSYOPS operations involved
the use of loudspeakers and dropped leaflets, and these methods of dissemination of
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
information designed to influence enemy
combatants and civilian populations are still
used. However, PSYOPS needs to take a
more dominant role in leveraging 21st century communications technology. In a 2003
Pentagon brief, then Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld wrote, “Special Operations
Command’s (USSOCOM) ongoing modernization efforts should permit the timely, longrange dissemination of products with various
PSYOP delivery systems. This includes satellite, radio and television, cellular phones
and other wireless devices, the Internet and
upgrades to traditional delivery systems such
as leaflets and loudspeakers that are highly
responsive to maneuver commanders.”
Colonel Frank Goldstein, USAF (Ret.),
former director of Research at the Air War
College, Maxwell Air Force Base, and recognized expert in modern day PSYOPS has
said, “The battlefield is changing dramatically, and is doing so in ways we could hardly
have anticipated even 10 or 15 years ago.
That’s what underscores the irony, if you will,
of PSYOP. Here is a weapon that has been
around for centuries, but it’s critically important that it be fielded early and wisely in this
age of information warfare.”
THE PSY WARRIORS
As part of its SOF Information Environment (SIE), in March of 2009, SOCOM
chartered PM PSYOP. PM PSYOP is tasked
“acquiring fielding,
fielding and sustaining the
with “acquiring,
PSYOP segment of the SIE. The PSYOP
segment of the SIE develops, produces, distributes and fields PSYOP products that are
tailored for successfully competing against
or influencing international audiences and
counter-media products and messages in any
worldwide location.”
PM-PSYOP’s current programs include:
Psychological Operations Broadcast; Next
Generation Loudspeaker System (NGLS);
Psychological Operations Print System; and
Psychological Operations Media-Display.
The heart of the operation is the media
production center (MPC). The MPC’s primary mission is to develop, create, distribute
and disseminate PSYOP content to foreign
targets. The MPC is a central hub that
allows operators to acquire raw audio and
video material, search through, obtain and
use archived broadcast material, and/or to
develop mission critical PSYOP content
across media platforms.
USSOCOM also deploys military information support teams to disseminate and
propagate PSYOPS globally. The successful deployment of these teams has led to
a change in the official name of PSYOPS
functions conducted by the Department of
the Army to Military Information Support
Operation, or MISO.
The decision regarding the name change
was made by Admiral Eric Olson, commander, Special Operations Command and
SOTECH 8.7 | 11
Army Chief of Staff General George Casey,
and was officially announced to active forces
via an internal memo issued on June 23rd
2010, signed by Major General Thomas R.
Csrnko. The PSYOPS community at large
has had mixed reactions to the new name.
The active component of the Army’s
psychological operation forces is the 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) out
of Fort Bragg, N.C. The 4th operates as part
of U.S. Army Special Operations Command
and is attached to U.S. Army Civil Affairs and
Psychological Operations. Its mission is to
“equip and collectively train assigned and
attached forces to rapidly deploy anywhere in
the world and conduct psychological operations and other specified communication
tasks in any environment in support of
combatant commanders, joint and coalition
task forces and other government agencies
as directed by the president and the secretary
of defense.”
worked with DC Comics to produce proprietary issues of Superman and Wonder Woman
comics in the native tongues of Central
America, the Balkans, Africa and Southeast
Asia, to teach children in those countries
about the dangers of land mines.
THE TECHNOLOGY
PSYOPS employs everything from strategically placed radio and TV broadcasts to
dropped leaflets. One of the most common
technologies used in the field for the mind
fight remains the loudspeaker.
One battalion of the 4th has loudspeakers mounted on helicopters, with a range
of a few miles, as well as deploys versions
mounted on HMMWVs and other ground
combat vehicles with ranges of up to 1,800
meters, and even speakers that are carried
in backpacks, which can reach to around
1,000 meters.
The loudspeakers are instrumental in broadcasting messages to
targeted combatants and civilians
in areas where radio and TV signals
cannot reach. The purpose of the
loudspeakers is to clear the way
ahead of enemy soldiers as well as
non-combatants from target areas.
When surrender is the order of
the day, the messages transmitted
via the speaker systems can be subtle
and persuasive—or sometimes not
so much. Aggravating noise can at
times be enough to do the trick,
as in the famous case of Operation
Just Cause in Panama in the late
’80s, when it was units from the 4th
that successfully orchestrated the
surrender of former dictator Manuel
Noriega by broadcasting several days
of loud rock music incessantly at the
convent where he was holed up.
A psychological operations specialist assigned to Company B, 9th PSYOP
Ground-based loudspeakers play
Battalion, operates a portable loudspeaker during a training exercise.
[Photo courtesy of DoD.]
a vital role in PSYOP/MISO operations; however, the 193rd Special
All members of the 4th are Airborne
Operations Wing operates the jewel of the
qualified, and as such wear the maroon
crown of PSYOPS technology. The 193rd
berets of an airborne division. The 4th proflies three specially modified C-130J aircraft,
duces radio and television content and print
designed and built by Lockheed Martin, desmaterial from an $8 million state-of-the art
ignated Commando Solo. These specialized
digital production/media center located at
“Hercs” have received a military makeover
Fort Bragg that would make any advertising
that leaves them barely recognizable as cargo
or marketing company envious. They are
haulers. Basically complete television and
capable of producing any kind of media that
radio production and broadcast stations in
DoD needs for physiological operations—
the sky, these PSYOPS aircraft broadcast
even comic books. However, they do “subpredetermined targeted signals over AM/
contract” work like that—as when the unit
FM radio, and standard def television bands.
12 | SOTECH 8.7
It is believed they also have the ability to jam
or override enemy broadcast stations on the
ground, which unconfirmed reports claim
they have done during operations flown over
Bosnia and Iraq.
In addition to being fitted with the media
production and dissemination gear critical
to its mission, Commando Solo aircraft have
also received several other modifications,
including enhanced NAV systems and avionics, sophisticated self-preservation equipment and air refueling capabilities.
Commando Solo was deployed to the
Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi
Freedom in 2003, and again in 2005, 2007
and 2009, although details of its missions
remain classified.
Not all of Commando Solo’s missions
are combat related. During the recent Haiti
earthquake relief mission, Commando Solo
aircraft were used to send live broadcasts
of Voice of America programming in Creole, and critical public service announcements about the locations of food, water and
shelter.
CALL FOR UPGRADES
While Commando Solo is the flagship of
PSYOPS operations, its broadcasts are, for
now, still in the AM/FM analog frequency
spectrum, and standard UHF/VHF. It has
failed to take advantage of the growing
digital infrastructure, or leverage emerging
media technologies such as smartphones
and other wireless devices. USSOCOM realizes that there is now laid out before them
a broader tableau over which they can reach
and influence PSYOPS/MISO targets—they
just need to tap into the technology.
One upgrade program already in the
works by PM-PSYOPS is NGLS. The objective of the NGLS program is to replace the
legacy family of loudspeakers with state-ofthe-art audio components updated to manpack, ground water craft, unmanned ground
and aerial vehicles, and to be used in nonlethal sonic projection weapons.
On April 1, 2010, USSOCOM issued a
request for information (RFI) for upgrades
to PSYOPS technology, solicitation number H92222-10-T-0006. The RFI is seeking
information from companies involved in
developing and supplying the latest systems
in information management technologies,
broadcast technologies, print technologies
and scatterable media technologies.
Specific to broadcast systems, the RFI
states: “USSOCOM is interested in receiving
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
information regarding industries capabilities
in affordable digital/analog TV and AM, FM,
SW capabilities which allow remote broadcast and reduce forward signature of friendly
forces (remote long distance broadcast). In
addition, Bluetooth/wireless like technologies which allow remote broadcast from a
family of loudspeakers to deliver clear messages across a large area.”
Among the interested vendors who
responded to the RFI were Raytheon Corporation, Strategic Influence Alternatives Inc.,
RLM Communications Inc., Video Masters
Inc., Technical Applications Group LLC, and
Advanced Military Technology Inc.
The RFI closes on September 30, 2010. A
request for proposal is expected to be issued
sometime in fiscal year 2011.
Commando Solo aircraft are expected
to remain a critical part of psychological
operations. However, chances are that any
upgrades to MISO technologies and operations will also see the increased use of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones
in the future. Just as carpet bombing has
been replaced by the precision strikes of
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
smart weapons and tactical UAVs such as
General Atomics’s Predator and Northrop
Grumman’s Hunter, UAVs can also be used
to deliver PSYOPS broadcasts with a more
narrow focus.
In a paper published in the Air Space
Journal, “Uninhabited Air Vehicles for Psychological Operations—Leveraging Technology for PSYOP Beyond 2010,” Major
Douglas W. Jaquish, USAF, said, “PSYOP
has traditionally been a ‘wide area weapon,’
attempting to reach audiences through mass
broadcast transmissions or leaflet drops.
The employment has been indiscriminant
and the effects have been mixed or immeasurable. [Advancing UAV technology] will
enable future PSYOP to be precisely delivered
by connected constellations of UAVs and
satellites, to achieve and maintain information superiority.”
psychological operations are conducted on
some level across the entire operational
continuum. In fact, it can be said that psychological operations are conducted continuously in some way or another to influence
foreign attitudes in ways that are favorable to
U.S. national security objectives.
It may be difficult to assess the exact
effectiveness of any given PSYOP operation.
After all, there is no blast crater to measure
for a dropped leaflet. Still, it can be said that
mind fight operations multiply the desired
effects of guns and bullets. Effective use of
PSYOPS technology can result in quicker
victories with fewer casualties and a lower
materiel cost. Approximately 2,500 years ago
Sun Tzu wrote, “The ultimate Art of War is to
subdue your enemy without fighting.” Those
words ring just as true today. ✯
HEARTS AND MINDS
By its very nature, tactical PSYOPS
are the bailiwick of special operations
forces; however, DoD policy dictates that
SOTECH 8.7 | 13
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crews a heads up when they’re being attacked, as
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Afghanistan in October to see how it stands up under
combat conditions.
The helicopter alert and threat termination
system, being developed by the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, promises to warn aircrews
of incoming small-arms or machine-gun fire with
enough time to take evasive action and launch
a counterattack, said Karen Wood, the program
manager. It works by using advanced sensors able
to detect the supersonic shock wave or “crack”
produced by a bullet in flight and pinpointing its
source, she explained. The program, known as
HALTT, taps into technology that Wood’s DARPA
team already developed for ground vehicles. The
initial result, a prototype HALTT system, showed
great promise when it was put through testing at
Fort Rucker, Ala., and Aberdeen Proving Ground,
Md., Wood reported. The initial tests were conducted
aboard an Army UH-60L Black Hawk, but the testing
then extended to a USSOCOM MH-47 Chinook to
gauge how HALTT technology translates to different
air platforms. During four flight tests at Fort Rucker,
“the systems just kept getting better and better,”
Wood said. HALTT performed so well, in fact, that
the military pressed to get Phase 1 prototypes into
the combat theater even as DARPA further refines
the program.
Beginning in October, helicopter crews in
Afghanistan will get the capability HALTT provides,
as well as a chance to weigh in on its development.
16 | SOTECH 8.7
AppDari give military personnel the specific
language and cultural edge to succeed on tour
in Afghanistan.
The apps feature mission-specific terminology and phrases and extensive vocabulary
that is easy to use with the automatic play
through system.
William Spencer
[email protected]
Light Armored Vehicle Enters
the Marketplace
Granite Tactical Vehicles announced its intentions to market its light armored vehicle,
known as the Rock, in the United States. After more than six years and millions of logged
miles of service in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the Rock is ready to meet the apparent and
increasing needs that threaten the U.S. borders. These current threats to Homeland Security
have created high interest in the Rock’s abilities and performance.
Its design and capabilities meet current and future law enforcement needs with its
ability to adapt to new threats. With the current drawdown of U.S. military forces in Iraq and
the administration’s plan to double the number of private contractors, interest in the Rock
armored vehicle has grown exponentially. Chris Berman, president and founder of Granite
Tactical Vehicles, has been approached and is currently entertaining the idea of partnering
with larger defense contractors with greater proven production history, though to date, the
right partnership has not presented itself. Granite Tactical Vehicles produced the Rock in both
the United States and Kuwait through late 2008, when all operations were relocated to their
current facility in Mt. Airy, N.C. However, the current climate and conditions in the Middle East
are causing the company to revaluate opening another facility in that region.
Chris Berman
[email protected]
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
New Battery Switch
Ucom Inc., established in 1994, is a designer and manufacturer of electromechanical components and assemblies for
military and commercial vehicles.
Ucom is currently tooling for its most recently designed
single pull, double pole, battery disconnect switch. The purpose
of this switch is to cut off all battery power from the vehicle. The
single pole version of this switch is currently used on many military vehicles and is a component of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Having the amperage capacity of 300 amps continuous with
a 450 amp overload at 24 VDC, the switch eliminates the need
for additional electrical
components and helps
lower overall cost of the
vehicle.
This newly engineered switch promises to be innovative in
various applications such
as heavy duty trucks,
construction equipment,
off road, agricultural,
marine and green energy
power applications.
Linda Modert
[email protected]
Combat Survival Tin
This essential
kit for combat
survival originally designed
for the British
SAS (Special Air
Service) is tightly
packed in a
useful metal tin.
Contents include
compass, whistle,
candle, fishing kit, waterproof survival instructions, wind
and waterproof matches, pencil, sewing kit, multiuse flexible wire saw with split rings that can be used as a bow
saw or snare wire, water tablets, safety pins, fire lighting
flint and striker, and multifunctional knife with foldout
scissors.
Chad Freeman
[email protected]
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Fire Suppression Enters Military
Vehicle System Market
Ansul, a brand of Tyco fire
suppression & building products and a
leader in commercial fire suppression,
is now launching an automatic fire
extinguishing system (AFES) developed
specifically for military vehicles. The
Ansul AFES is a lightweight, compact
system engineered for weight, size and
ease of integration. Within milliseconds of a slow-growth or rapid-spread
explosive/ballistic event, fire is detected
and contained with a field-proven
agent, activated either automatically
or manually, depending on the severity.
“With the introduction of the Ansul
AFES, Tyco fire suppression & building
products is providing armed forces
with a choice in fire extinguishment
solutions,” said Dave Seikel, manager,
government sales. “The Ansul AFES
offers a step forward in military fire
extinguishment engineering, by lightening system weight and increasing
response time to exceed military specs.
We’re proud to say the Ansul AFES will
advance the market, with the greater
goal of protecting U.S. soldiers and the
military assets they command.”
The Ansul AFES has a flexible,
modular design that will integrate with
multiple vehicle platforms including
HMMWVs, FMTVs, MPVs, MRAPs, GCVs
and more. The system’s CANbus capability allows for easy AFES interface
with vehicle systems.
Fire detection is conducted with
quad infrared optical sensors, unique
to military applications. The system
instantly differentiates between open
flames and hydrocarbon signatures
from non-threatening sources—such
as cigarettes and engine heat—eliminating false positives and preserving
protection for when it’s actually needed.
When fire does break out in a crew area,
the quad infrared optical sensors notify
an electronic control module (ECM).
The ECM in turn activates both visual
and audible alarms, and is capable of
automatically or manually initiating
discharge of the extinguishing agent
from one of eight separate zones. In
engine and cargo bays, wheel wells
and other non-occupied areas, linear
detection wire and spot thermal detection sends information to the ECM,
again allowing for manual or automatic extinguishment. The Ansul AFES
is military-specification compliant at
MIL-STD-810, MIL-DTL-7905H, and
DOT 3AA Non-Shat Cylinder. Electronic
control features include battery backup
and M12-style plug and play connections. The AFES uses a field proven
extinguishing agent but can be readily
adapted to clean agent or dry chemical
extinguishment options. Production is
slated to begin in 2011.
Brian Cornell
[email protected]
SOTECH 8.7 | 17
Quiet Professional
Q& A
Providing Specialized Airpower Support to the Warfighter
Brigadier General
Michael J. Kingsley
Commander
23rd Air Force
Air Force Special
Operations Command
Brigadier General Michael J. Kingsley is the commander of
23rd Air Force, and the director of operations for Air Force Special
Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. As the 23rd Air Force
commander, he is responsible for supporting both the U.S. Special
Operations Command and Air Force Special Operations Command
commanders’ strategic, operational and tactical objectives across
the full range of military operations. Twenty-third Air Force works
in concert with USSOCOM to direct all Air Force special operations
taskings during contingencies, wartime and for operational test
and evaluation. As director of operations, Kingsley implements and
directs operational command policy for AFSOC’s worldwide special
operations units, including 16,000 personnel, 137 aircraft and $4
billion of assets.
Kingsley received his commission through the Officer Training
School in 1984.
Kingsley graduated from California State University in 1983
earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also earned a master’s degree in international relations from Troy State Univeristy.
He also attended the Army Command and General Staff College,
Fort Leavenworth, Kan., as well as the National Security Management Course George Washington University.
Kingsley’s assignments include student, undergraduate pilot
training, Fort Rucker, Ala. Then pilot, 38th Rescue and Recovery
Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea. Moving on to instructor
and evaluator pilot, 20th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt
Field, Fla. He was then a student, at Army Command and General
Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. After graduation he became
program element monitor for Special Operation Forces Rotary
Wing Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. His next assignment was chief
of aircrew standards and evaluations, 352nd Special Operations
Group, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. Then moved on to
become operations officer, then commander, 20th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. He was then on an Air Force
Fellowship, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. After that
school, he became director of strategic plans and programs, Joint
Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. From there he
moved on to commander, Aviation Tactics: Evaluation Group, Fort
Bragg, N.C. He then became the assistant deputy director for special operations, Operations Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon,
Washington, D.C. He then took command at Air Force Inspection
Agency, Kirtland AFB, N.M.; military deputy director, Air Force
18 | SOTECH 8.7
Studies and Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned (A9),
Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He then assumed
his current position as commander, 23rd Air Force, and director of
operations, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command,
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
His joint assignments include director of strategic plans and
programs, Joint Special Operations Command Fort Bragg, N.C.
from 2003-2004, as well as assistant deputy director for special
operations, Operations Directorate Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit; the Distinguished Flying Cross; the
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Defense Meritorious
Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf
clusters; the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Aerial Achievement
Medal with oak leaf cluster; and Air Force Commendation Medal
with three oak leaf clusters.
Brigadier General Kingsley was interviewed by SOTECH Editor
Phil Kiver.
Q: How has Secretary Gates’ request for budget savings affected
your mission or capabilities?
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
A: As a whole, Air Force Special Operations Command [AFSOC]
is always analyzing ways in which to field capabilities to the
warfighter in a timely and cost-effective manner, while operating
within the resources budgeted to us either through our funding line
from the Air Force or from Special Operations Command.
Q: Explain your command’s usage of recapitalization versus
modernization.
A: Both recapitalization and modernization are critical for this command. Each avenue addresses specific capability gaps to provide a total
solution. With regards to AFSOC’s aging C-130 fleets, we are pursuing
two programs to replace our 40-plus year old aircraft with new, more
capable C-130J-based designs. The MC-130E and MC-130P entered
the Air Force inventory in the mid 1960s and have gone through multiple upgrades, service life extension programs and structural repairs.
We find, even with those programs, they continue to decline in
availability. AFSOC’s aircraft availability averages 17 percent below
standard across the C-130 fleet due to aging aircraft. The MC-130J,
with its newer avionics and airframe, offers significantly increased
reliability, availability, performance and should over its service life
reduce operating costs. For example, it will have a five-member
crew compared to the nine- and seven-member aircrews of the
MC-130E and P.
Our second program replaces, on a two-for-one basis, the venerable AC-130H with a variant of the MC-130J modified to carry
a precision strike package. The intent is to field a weapon system
adaptable for today’s requirements, as well as providing room to
grow for challenges we will face in the future.
Our other weapon systems will continue to be modernized to
meet evolving mission needs and adapt to new technologies. For
example, the CV-22 is already planning a Block 20 upgrade program
to provide improved brakes, fuel dump capability, new environmental control systems and supplemental oxygen for the passengers, as
well as new helmet-mounted displays for the pilots, and the EC-130J
from our Pennsylvania Air National Guard Wing are being upgraded
with new transmitters to ensure they maintain their broadcast capabilities into the future.
Q: Talk about your deployed airmen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A: Our deployed air commandos are executing a diverse set of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our AC-130H/U Spectre and Spooky
gunships are flying every single night—in fact, at four times the
planned rate for the aircraft. Our MC-130H/P Talons and Shadows
are providing mobility and specialized refueling. The CV-22 is now
on its second combat deployment. In addition to our platforms, our
air commandos are busy executing a wide variety of combat support
functions. Our maintainers work tirelessly between missions to
keep our aircraft ready to execute combat missions every night. Our
special tactics airmen, embedded with the ground teams, provide
attack control and guidance, meteorological observations and forecasts, and medical and rescue expertise.
Among the many specialties we provide, we have airmen providing command and control, communications, logistics, legal, public
affairs and security forces. Further integrated within these functions
are the invaluable contributions of our Guard and Reserve associate
units. In total, our air commandos are providing critical support to
SOF and the theater commanders in achieving their objectives.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Q: What other missions are airmen from your command engaged
in around the world?
A: Outside of our ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we
have teams in austere locations around the world doing airfield and
drop zone assessments, medical personnel providing assistance and
services to our international allies, and aircraft and support personnel participating in numerous joint and coalition exercises. We also
have aviation advisers representing a host of Air Force specialties
working within partner nations to develop the capacity and capability of their indigenous air forces.
Q: How has the introduction of the CV-22 to your fleet enhanced
mission capabilities?
A: The CV-22 fulfills a critical SOF need, which was born from the
tragedy of Desert One: the requirement for a long-range vertical
take-off and landing platform. Commanders now have a single platform, which spans both fixed and rotary wing traditional mission
sets. This flexibility allows the aircraft to not only fulfill traditional
mobility roles, but accomplish these actions in environments that
traditional aircraft could not accomplish in the same amount of
time or without a significant increase in supporting assets. The
range and speed of the CV-22 allows commanders to employ their
forces deeper into the battlespace, yet accomplish the mission in
the same amount of time—or less—than a mission of half the
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SOTECH 8.7 | 19
distance. Having an aircraft that can fly fixed wing speeds and ranges,
yet land in an environment suitable for rotary wing assets, brings
a whole new mentality of force employment. With the night, high
altititude, aerial refueling capability, all-weather mission enhancements and self-defense suite of the aircraft, it has proven to be a
force multiplier in two theaters of operations for multiple roles.
Q: How is your partnership to train neighboring countries been
progressing under your watch?
A: Partnership training is a long, deliberate process that can take
years to develop before any quantifiable effects are seen. In the last
two years we have changed the ways in which we interact with our
partner nations to overcome this extended timeline. We have shifted
from periodic engagements—45 to 60 days—with many different
nations, to focused and continuous engagement with key partner
nations. While it still can take time, this approach has yielded
improved relationships with those key partners faster than in the
past.
We are also in the final stages of doubling our advisers in the 6th
Special Operations Squadron, AFSOC’s only unit dedicated solely
to the foreign internal defense mission. The latest QDR directed
AFSOC to stand up a new fixed wing advisor squadron, along with
the purchase of two additional nonstandard rotary wing aircraft for
the 6 SOS. We are also adding new capabilities to our training, such
as ISR and small unmanned aerial systems. All of this will allow us
to expand SOCOM’s continuous engagement strategy to more partner nations in the future.
Q: How important are combat controllers to the success of the
mission on the ground?
A: In multiple theaters, our combat controllers are the single source
of expertise in terminal control operations, including joint terminal
attack control, air traffic control on fixed and rotary wing landing
zones, and drop zone support for the resupply of forward operating
bases. They provide the critical tactical air to ground link between
the SOF elements and close air support, ISR, unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare and attack and lift aircraft.
Their rapid response and critical importance was exemplified
during Haiti relief operations. No ports or airfields were open in
Haiti immediately after the earthquake. Within 20 minutes of their
arrival, combat controllers established air traffic control and began
controlling air traffic into Toussaint L’Ouverture International
Airport in Port-au-Prince. Their efforts were critical to supporting
the flow of up to 170 aircraft per day providing relief supplies to the
people of Haiti. They also provided surveys of outlying areas and
then controlled numerous drop zones to allow for the direct supply
of aid to the Haitians that were unable to reach the airport or relief
vehicles.
Q: The AFSOC fleet is an aging fleet. How are you addressing the
readiness requirements and ensuring aircraft are available when
needed?
A: HQ AFSOC works with our various program offices to identify
critical sustainment issues and program solutions to keep our aircraft ready to meet mission need. For example, we are in the middle
of replacing the center wing box on all our AC-130U Spooky and
MC-130H Combat Talon IIs. It takes a collaborative effort with Air
Mobility Command, Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force
and USSOCOM’s Special Operations Research, Development and
Acquisition Command to align funding and depot facilities to make
sure we can get aircraft into the modification facility before we have
to ground them. It also means we manage mission utilization of
the aircraft to make sure we don’t overfly the available flight hours
before their scheduled installation. With the AC-130H fleet, we are
replacing outer wing boxes to help bridge the gap to recapitalization. When our aircraft are down for depot maintenance, WR-ALC
is incorporating high velocity maintenance inspections in place
of programmed depot maintenance inspections to streamline
processes and reduce down time spent in depot. AFSOC has also
established a refurbishment program for aircraft returning from the
harsh desert environment.
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Q: As a follow-on, although not necessarily a strict AFSOC
program, what role does AFSOC have in the looking at future
platforms that can meet the mission profiles of the MC-130s?
A: AFSOC’s role as a major command is to identify the required
capabilities to meet current and expected mission requirements, within the context of the combat environment we believe
will dominate the battle space. We identify areas where we
have capability gaps and then document them in our initial
capability documents. These are provided to other commands
and services through the Joint Capabilities Integration and
Development System. We then work with those commands and
services to find areas where we have mutual or common
needs. Where there is synergy, we work together to provide the
research labs and the acquisition community a common set of
requirements.
A prime example of this would be the merging of the CSAR and
SOF requirements into what became the HC/MC-130J program. Of
course we stay linked with the service research labs to understand
the state of the art, but our principal focus is on defining our
operational requirements in as clear and concise manner as possible so the acquisition community knows exactly what we need
to accomplish our mission. Where appropriate, we include our
requirements into other major command or service requirements
documents so that if a new system is acquired, and it fulfills an
identified need, we could adapt it for SOF use.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Q: Will you be adding more C-130Js to the fleet?
A: Yes. Our current programs of record address the recapitalization
of our oldest MC-130E/P and AC-130H aircraft.
The other three C-130 aircraft, the AC-130U and MC-130H and
W will need to be either recapitalized or modernized to meet the
mandatory FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization global
access requirements over the next seven years. The decision on what
path to take is still being determined by the Air Force and Office of
the Secretary of Defense, as part of Department of Defense budget
discussions.
Q: Have you been monitoring the Marine’s Harvest Hawk
program and are you working on similar projects to create more
gunship capabilities than the current configurations allow?
A: We have been monitoring the Marine Corps efforts and have
exchanged data to assist with the development of their Harvest
Hawk aircraft. Currently, AFSOC is modifying MC-130W aircraft
with a precision strike package [PSP]. The PSP will include a 30 mm
cannon and an array of stand-off precision guided munitions. The
added capability of these aircraft will augment the capabilities of our
AC-130 gunship fleet as we execute the programmed recapitalization of AC-130Hs and planned recapitalization of the AC-130U. At
the completion of the recapitalization, AFSOC will possess a fleet of
33 gunships, an increase over our current fleet of 25. ✯
SOTECH 8.7 | 21
Industry, Blue Shirters Meet
C-130 Maintenance Challenges
KEEPING THE OLD WORK HORSE FLYING
BY LESLIE SHAVER
[email protected]
Colonel Wesley Norris, the 27th Special
than 20 different C-130 variants in the
Operations Wing Maintenance Group comAir Force alone. “Support is extremely
mander at Cannon Air Force
challenging, but is exasperBase in New Mexico, has
ated due to the variety of
worked on a number of airdifferent roles and missions
craft throughout his career.
that the C-130 performs,”
He has experience with
said Terrence K. May, chief
the F-16s, B-1s and A-10s.
of Tactical Airlift Division
However, when it comes to
for the Aerospace Sustainmaintenance requirements,
ment Directorate at Warner
nothing compares to his curRobins, Ga.
rent and challenging task of
So just how does the
maintaining the C-130.
military keep this venerable
Col.
Wesley Norris
“The C-130 is definitely
old warhorse in the air? Well,
different,” Norris said. “It’s
for starters, it provides the
the mission that makes it different from the
facilities, equipment and new technology
other aircraft. I think the main challenge on
to maintain the C-130 (which becomes the
the 130 is the type of mission that it has. I
AC-130 with a gunship). But it doesn’t do
think it definitely has unique stresses that
the job alone. The Air Force Special Operaother weapons systems don’t have.”
tions Command and United States Special
The C-130 isn’t just any aircraft though.
Operations Command broker contracts to
It’s has been in the air for more than half
enhance aircraft availability. Taken together,
the history of manned flight. There are
those sources provided skilled maintainers
approximately 1,200 C-130s are in service
that can keep the C-130 functioning in a
around the world, and there are more
variety of environments.
22 | SOTECH 8.7
A NUMBER OF STRESSES
The C-130 was created for troop, medical evacuation and as a cargo transport aircraft. Flash forward and it’s clear the aircraft
does so much more. “It goes into airfields,
short airfields, drops cargo, and then it has a
gunship,” Norris said. “There are stresses on
the aircraft because of the type of mission
it flies and shooting the 105 [gunship]. It’s
a low density, very high demand type asset.
The demand is our greatest challenge.”
This most often manifests itself in corrosion and fatigue cracking, which May says
are the biggest drivers for depot maintenance. “Engineering analysis and aircraft
modeling is performed to predict cracking
patterns, based on aircraft mission usage
data,” May said. “Aircraft inspections are
planned and implemented to catch cracking
well before safety issues are encountered.”
Fighting corrosion is just as important.
“Corrosion is becoming a more significant
issue than ever before, requiring replacement of structural parts more frequently
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
than earlier in the life of an aircraft,” May
said. “Parts replacement of items that have
rarely been replaced before has emerged as a
major challenge to supportability.”
The AC-130s provide extra challenges
because they have several different systems that aren’t common on the regular or
“green” C-130 fleet. “The AC-130 is a very
unique aircraft requiring many man-hours
of training to become proficient at maintaining them,” said Senior Master Sergeant
Michael Phillippe, 4th AMU lead production
superintendent for the 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group in the 1st Special Operations Wing AFSOC in Hurlburt
Field, Fla.
Those different systems include a unique
AC-130 gunship and radar, communications,
guidance, sensors and weapons systems.
“This is why it takes a lot of additional training to bring our gunships maintainers up to
speed on our aircraft, and contractors play a
significant role in training and supporting
our gunships,” Phillippe said.
The gunship provides specific challenges. “When maintaining the 105 gun
on the gunship, you have a specific support
type of equipment, maintenance stands, certain types of tools to disassemble, assemble
and maintain the gun,” Norris said. “That
is where the Air Force worked the contractors to get that type of equipment into the
inventory. The 105 is blue suit maintained
capability.”
A few years ago the services discovered
that they had center wing box problems on
the AC-130. Right now, Air Force Base Warner Robins in Georgia is replacing center
wing boxes on AC-130s.
“Along with obsolescence and typical
wear and tear on items such as brakes
and tires, C-130 maintenance issues often
involve the propulsion system, fuel tanks
and fuel quantity issues and the electrical system,” said Phillippe. “These are
handled by our maintainers on the flightline between sorties and during scheduled
downtime.”
The missions in the sandy, dry climates
have also placed stresses on the aircraft.
To deal with those, Phillippe said the aircraft scheduled inspection and maintenance
instructions in the 1C-130A-6 technical
order (TO) drive increased inspection intervals for airframe, engines and other systems.
“Basically, anything affected by sand, dust
or heat such as engine fluids, pressurization systems, flight controls are inspected,
serviced, cleaned and operationally checked
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
at increased intervals IAW TO guidance,”
he said.
THE MAINTENANCE CHAIN
The maintenance chain starts with
industry. When the Air Force brings new
capabilities onboard those capabilities are
developed by the civilian companies.
“Contractors provide field service representatives at home and deployed under
contract and assist with anything we need,”
Phillippe said. “The main focus of support is
Our communication navigation personnel
work a modified F-15 fire control radar
and a one-of-a-kind sensor suite. The challenge is being able to keep the maintainers
here once they are trained and not lose their
specialized skills.”
If there are issues that can’t be handled at
Cannon or Hurlburt, officials will submit an
engineering request IAW 00-25-107 through
AFSOC to Warner-Robins Air Force Base
Systems Program Office. At Warner Robins,
May said, good maintainers are still the key
to keeping the C-130 in the air. “As aircraft
Senior Airman Joshua Arrington aligns a brake assembly on a C-130 Hercules after a brake change at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Airman
Arrington is a crew chief with the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Maintenance Unit, and deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
[Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force]
on new systems on which technical data has
not yet been fielded. They provide maintenance support until technical orders become
available and maintainers are trained.”
Some companies providing support
include Sparks, Nev.-based Sierra Nevada
Corp., Jacksonville, Fla.-based Merlin
Ramco, and Warner Robins, Ga.-based Cygnus Technologies.
“Our contractor partners have heavily
recruited personnel with experience maintaining these specialized aircraft,” Phillippe
said. “This expertise adds years of experience
to the inspection process and the depot level
repair capability here on station.”
Once the maintainers are up to speed, they
become valuable assets to the Air Force. “The
most challenging aspect in my opinion is the
different training unique to each aircraft,”
Phillippe said. “We have weapons maintainers working on 25 mm/40 mm/105 mm gun
systems, which are unique in the Air Force.
age, more significant fatigue and corrosion
issues are encountered, while systems are
asked to perform well beyond their original
design life,” May said. “Expert engineers
can determine proper repair techniques
and provide guidance to mechanics at the
field and depot on new problems, changes
in technology and improved procedures.
Expert engineering can also ensure obsolete technology is identified and appropriate management actions taken to either
substitute modern equipment or adequately
provision for lifetime support of the weapon
system.”
The partnership with the Air Force is
also in important with getting parts to the
aircraft, which can be the biggest obstacle in
timely maintenance. “When it comes to the
more specific type of items, that’s where the
Air Force works with contractor to get those
types of support or tool equipment into the
inventory,” Norris said.
SOTECH 8.7 | 23
Steve Welchel works on one of the engines of a C-130. [Photo courtesy of U. S. Air Force]
HELP FROM TECHNOLOGY
Technology also helps in the maintenance of the C-130. In the past, the Air
Force had a library of books packed with
technical data to maintain the aircraft. But
instead of orange binders of books that
maintainers were forced to leaf through,
they can now get much needed technical
data electronically. At the end of August,
the Air Force added an integrated electronic
technical manual.
“It basically puts a computer network
on the flat line,” said Lieutenant Colonel John Devane, 27th Special Operations
Wing Maintenance Group deputy commander at Cannon Air Force Base. “Instead
of having to carry those books, they can take
hardened laptops, and be able to access those
on those laptops.”
It also helps maintainers stay on top of
technological changes. “When we change
technical orders, those change outs will
be much more efficient and much faster,”
Devane said. “The technicians out on the
line only have to have the hardened laptop
with them to access all of the illustrated part
break downs they need to troubleshoot and
repair versus having to shift between multiple books. That’s going to help our technicians that are out there on the line.”
There’s also technology out there that
helps maintainers figure out what’s wrong
with the C-130. The Air Force has adopted a
video camera that’s able to detect tiny variations in the temperature regardless of the
24 | SOTECH 8.7
generating source, whether it’s chemical,
mechanical or electrical. This is a technology that the electronic industry had already
been using.
“What we can do is apply the sensor to see
if there’s a component that may be failing in
the electrical system,” Devane said. “We can
actually look through this camera to see if
one component is hotter than another one.
We can then change the component before
it fails and do a little predictive maintenance
versus waiting for it to fail. It’s up to creativity of that technician to take it and apply it
the systems on the airplane, whether it will
be a bleed air leak which be hot or whether
it will be something mechanical.”
At Hurlburt, Phillippe’s group acquired
an Advanced Boresight Equipment (ABE). It
has eliminated the need to tow the aircraft
for optical sighting, which was an issue
in inclement weather. “The ABE is a laser
alignment system that has eliminated the
tow and optical alignment and cut the time
required by approximately four hours, which
has improved the overall boresighting of the
weapons system,” he said. “We have also
installed AAQ-38 [Infrared Detecting Sets]
and AAQ-39 [Gunship Multispectral Sensor] systems that improve capability and
avert obsolescence problems of maintaining
older systems.”
maintaining the C-130. But without proper
facilities, none of this matters. Cannon Air
Force Base used to house the F-16. But in
late 2007, the Air Force Special Operations
Wing moved in.
“It was an issue because we did not have
the hangar space to put a C-130 in to do
specific types of maintenance like jacking
and retracting indoors,” Norris said. “We
are working through that here at Cannon by
basically building new facilities to be able to
accommodate the C-130s that we have.”
While Cannon is able to keep its C-130
fleet humming, there’s still work to do.
“That is a work in progress that will take
many years to finish before we have everything we need from a facilities standpoint,”
Norris said.
The terrain in Cannon also presents
challenges. The base is 4,500 feet above
sea level and the weather is hot and dry.
“The challenge we have here from weather
or environmental standpoint is that the fuel
loads and the way we tweak things is different from Hurlburt Field,” Norris said. “The
air here is drier, so the settings for taking off
are different from the settings at Hurlburt
Field.”
At Hurlburt, the base is at sea level and
it’s very humid. That changes how the maintainers view corrosion control. “At Hurlburt,
our aircraft corrosion control wash cycle
is once every 30 days due to proximity of
the salt water environment,” Phillippe said.
“In New Mexico’s dry, less humid climate,
this is less of a factor and the wash cycle is
180 days. Our increased wash cycles are in
place to mitigate the effects of the salt water
environment, thus increasing the number of
aircraft available to fly.”
By handling things as diverse as the
maintenance of the gunship to the wash
cycle, the blue shirters are able to keep
the C-130 in the air. And, given that the
platform has been active since 1956—when
Eisenhower was president—that’s no
small task.
“It is the longest continually produced military aircraft in history and new
variants are still in development or on
the planning boards,” May said. “Ensuring proper maintenance across all of this
variability is very challenging compared
to other aircraft.” ✯
PROPER FACILITIES
The personnel, contractor help, technology and equipment are all key pieces in
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Handheld
Communication
Devices
KNOW WHERE YOU ARE WHILE COMMUNICATING.
BY DENNIS MCCAFFERTY
[email protected]
Talk about taking a
lickin’ while keeping on
tickin’: An unidentified active
Air Force member recently posted
an online comment about an experience with the AN/PRC-148 JEM
handheld radio, which is an enhanced version of the popular MBITR.
It turns out that the Air Force member was in a jeep that got shelled.
“I had to blow up my vehicle and get out of there,” the Air Force
member wrote. “Later, we went back in to retrieve what we could.
I picked up the [radio], put in new batteries and it worked. That was
good enough for me. If it can survive a 500-pound bomb, then I like
the radio.”
As much as guns, bullets and bombs, those serving in the battlefield depend upon handheld and manpack navigation/communications devices. They’re needed to provide communications access and
3-D maps that can withstand sun glare. These are products that can
provide bigger bandwidth than ever—all in packages that are getting
smaller and smaller.
The AN/PRC-148 JEM from Clarksburg, Md.-based Thales Communications Inc. is representational of what the military customer
needs today. It has been built to serve as the smallest, lightest and
most power-efficient, tactical handheld radio in use today, the company reports, covering the 30 to 512 MHz frequency range. The
JEM’s software communications architecture-compliant platform
hosts all modern key waveforms and enables the integration of program enhancements, future waveforms (such as SATCOM IW and
SINCGARS FH2) and additional modes of operation via simple
software upgrades. JEM’s programmable cryptography supports the
requirements of the National Security Agency’s crypto-modernization
program and is certified to protect the confidentiality of voice and data
up through the top secret level. Developed under a U.S. government
program of record, the AN/PRC-148 replaced 60 pounds of communications equipment with a single handheld software-defined radio
weighing less than two pounds. Almost 200,000 have been deployed
globally.
“Delivering for the military customer these days is all about
maximum bandwidth and flexible-network connectivity within
the smallest, most power-efficient package,” said Felix Boccadoro,
director for business development and legislative affairs for Thales
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Communications Inc. “Technology has continued to evolve in
terms of an ability to make things smaller while still increasing
processing power,” he said. “Much of that is driven by the commercial
market. The military customer is looking to be connected in as many
aspects as possible. The early stage of software-defined radios was
10 years ago. Now, it’s not uncommon for portables to be replacing
manpack radios.”
Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Rockwell Collins is another major player
in the market. Its latest offering is the MicroDAGR, a pocket-sized,
6.5-ounce product that can be mounted on the wrist while delivering
military-quality GPS performance. It features an icon-based, 16-bit
color display that won’t suffer under the glare of the sun and simple,
six-push button operability. It provides moving maps, a graphical
3-D compass and its waypoints can be sorted by name, number and
friend/foe/neutral status. Again, the focus is on smaller, lighter—but
better.
“Like all consumer technology, the change has been very dramatic,” said Preston Johnson, manager of government systems marketing for Rockwell Collins. “Today’s systems must keep in mind that
the typical military user of these devices is very accustomed to the
latest consumer technology—such as smartphones, handheld GPS
systems and PC tablets. The new technology for the military needs to
reflect these latest trends.”
Which means the current and future challenge will be to continue
to develop commercial off-the-shelf technologies for the ruggedized,
secure environment. “Commercial GPS, apps for smart phones, 3G/4G
networks—all of these COTS technologies have some serious issues
when you start trying to use them for military applications,” Johnson
said. “Conquering those challenges will require increasing cooperation
between the military and industry in the years ahead.”
Melbourne, Fla.-based Harris Corp. is finding itself in great demand
these days with respect to both handheld and manpack communications products. There are now more than 120,000 of its Falcon III AN/
PRC-152(C) handheld radios distributed worldwide, and the Falcon
III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio is also in demand among
all branches of the U.S. Department of Defense, including the special
operations community. The latter product is also seeing demand with
military customers in Canada, Australia and other allied nations. For
Harris, the prime selling point is bandwidth, as the AN/PRC-152 commands 30 to 512 MHz and the AN/PRC-117G comes with 30 MHz to 2
GHz of communications power.
SOTECH 8.7 | 25
“There is tremendous pent-up demand for greater bandwidth
on the battlefield at the lowest echelons,” said Mike Barthlow,
director of USSOCOM sales for Harris. “Much like the commercial world, this bandwidth will enable important new applications
geared for combat, such as biometrics, intelligence/surveillance/
reconnaissance, collaborative chat, video and logistics. In addition, wideband tactical radio systems provide unique networking
capabilities, allowing geographically dispersed personnel to communicate by voice and data over a wider area, in an ad-hoc fashion.
It seems clear that wideband networking is a game-changing
capability that will change the face of the battlefield.”
The AN/PRC-152 also comes with Sierra II programmable
encryption, as well as robust satellite tactical communications
capability with advanced SATCOM waveforms. There’s also an
embedded GPS receiver for situational awareness on the battlefield. The AN/PRC-117G is JTEL certified as compliant with JTRS
Software Communications Architecture, and provides Harris adaptive
networking wideband waveform for high-bandwidth data operations.
It can operate off a single, standard battery while maintaining peak
transmit power of 10 watts VHF and 20 watts UHF, all while being
lighter and using less power than prior generations of manpack
radios. In other words, these products have come a long way from a
decade ago.
“Back then, battlefield communications largely consisted of
single-band, single-function technology with limited interoperability
between different platforms of the military,” Barthlow says. “The dominant equipment—known as the single-channel, ground-to-air radio
system—provided push-to-talk voice and low-bandwidth data connectivity. The technology has evolved steadily, first transitioning to multiband, multimode, man-portable and handheld radios. We
are now seeing the accelerating deployment of wideband
systems with integrated GPS that enable networked voice
and data over long distances. Current radio systems are
highly capable devices that support both voice and highbandwidth data communication. It’s an exciting time
for this field because the systems we are developing are
changing the nature of strategic planning and tactical
execution.”
As for the future, Harris envisions that the military
customer will look for better ways to harness ISR data.
The largest source of this data is real-time video gathered from unmanned aerial systems. As more unmanned
vehicles patrol the battlefield, military personnel
are seeking tools that will help them better process, exploit and disseminate the video to the
right place at the right time. This is why the
PRC-117G can deliver high-bandwidth data,
such as video, to military users at the tactical
edge. Users are now able to utilize wideband
ad-hoc networks to enable applications such as
streaming video, collaborative chat and biometrics down to individual soldiers and Marines on
the ground that need them. “This helps them
deliver a common operational picture in near
real-time,” Barthlow said.
RO Tactical Radio with push-to-talk technology and
a 100 mile range. [Photo courtesy of ITT]
26 | SOTECH 8.7
AN/PRC-117G is the first JTRS-approved
wideband tactical radio. [Photo courtesy of
Harris Corporation]
In addition, there
is a continued trend
toward smaller, more flexible
and more capable devices that
offer more functions—for instance, radios that combine both tactical ground communications and ISR. Harris is currently providing
this flexibility through mission modules for the PRC-117G. “These
attach through a standardized and interchangeable architecture to
provide a second channel for functions such as ISR, high-frequency
or wideband communications,” Barthlow said. “Mission module flexibility allows users to take only the capabilities they need into the
field, while optimizing the size, weight and power capabilities to fit
varying requirements.”
Another potential big trend for communications devices? Expect
individuals in the battlefield to have more influence on which devices
will be used, according to Earl Johnson, vice president of business
development for White Plains, N.Y.-based ITT Communications
Systems. Years ago, all the focus was on single-channel, line-ofsight communications with lower echelons on the battlefield. Now,
while the Army’s tactical radio fielding plan calls for the use of
single-channel radios through 2030, there are a significant number
of multichannel radios coupled with less-expensive communications
devices similar to common mobile devices. Clearly, the products are
matching what soldiers are observing with respect to what’s needed
to get the job done.
ITT’s current offerings include the RO tactical radio, with
push-to-talk capability providing pole-to-pole coverage and position
location within a 100-mile range; the Spearhead VHF radio, which
provides the dismounted soldier with secure voice/data communications and integrated GPS in a small, lightweight, handheld radio; and
the SpearNet Team Member radio, which is billed as the smallest,
combat-proven, wideband data radio for advanced wireless, ad-hoc
networking. And the technological advancements are bound to only
continue to rapidly evolve. “We expect the mix of communications
products will continue to field both programs of record and legacy
systems,” Johnson said. “We’re now developing and fielding solutions
ranging from secure handheld satellite communications to secure
smartphones with military applications for the battlefield.” ✯
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Phil Kiver at [email protected]
or search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.
ADVERTISERS INDEX
AV Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2
www.avinc.com/pumaae
International Training Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
www.itiwsi.com
Kestrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
www.kestrelweather.com
L-3 East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4
www.l-3com.com/smeped
L-3 GCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15
www.l-3com.com/gcs
Laser Devices Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
www.laserdevices.com
Protonex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
With a unique concentration on senior military officers and DoD
leadership, KMI Media Group focuses on distinct and essential
communities within the defense market. This provides the most
powerful and precise way to reach the exact audience that procures
and deploys your systems, services and equipment.
KMI Media Group offers by far the largest and most targeted
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www.protonex.com/spm
Soldier Equipment and Technology . . . . . 19
www.soldierequipmentexpo.com
Vectronix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
www.vectronix.com
CALENDAR
September 13-15, 2010
Air & Space Conference
National Harbor, Md.
www.afa.org
October 12-15, 2010
TARDEC Robotic Rodeo
Fort Benning, Ga.
www.tardec.info/roboticsrodeo/
Infantry Warfighting
Conference
Columbus, Ga.
www.fbcinc.com
October 6-7, 2010
Counter IED and Force
Protection
London, UK
www.smi-online.co.uk
Joint Munitions Effects
Prague, Czech Republic
www.land-munitions.com
October 25-27, 2010
AUSA
Washington, D.C.
www.ausa.org
Modern Day Marine
Quantico, Va.
www.marinemilitaryexpos.com
November 2-3, 2010
SOFEX 10
Fort Bragg, N.C.
www.suggsgroup.com
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
SOTECH 8.7 | 27
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
SPECIAL OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY
Bob Jacobson
President
L-3, GCS Division
Bob Jacobson is a graduate of Clarkson University with a B.S. in mechanical
and industrial engineering, and attended the
University of Florida’s Graduate Business
Program in 1984. Bob worked at Harris Corporation/RF Communications Division for 16
years, where he eventually became director of
U.S. sales and Washington operations for the
Rochester-based division. He later served as
vice president of sales at both Sierra Nevada
Corporation and Relm Wireless before joining
GCS in 2005.
Q: Could you start with a company profile?
A: L-3 GCS is the world’s highest volume producer of auto acquire flyaway VSAT terminals.
We have designed, manufactured and delivered
over 5,000 terminals to the U.S. and foreign
militaries. Our products range from manpack
systems to 2.4m terminals, that operate at Ku-,
Ka-, C- and X-band. We integrate a variety of
modems and solid state power amplifiers, as
well as traveling wave tube amplifiers, and
deliver in MIL STD 810F tested packages ready
to withstand the harshest of environments.
Additionally, we are a reseller of INMARSAT
products and the largest reseller of INMARSAT
airtime to DoD. We integrate these products
into travel packages for the U.S. government.
These packages provide secure HAIPE encryption and allow SIPR/NIPR access over commercial satellites.
Q: Can you describe L-3 GCS’s history and
evolution?
A: Global Communications Solutions [GCS]
was formed in 1995. It grew steadily as a
satellite integrator through the 90s and early
into the 2000s. In 2004, with the award of
the Army’s CSS Satcom program to GCS, the
company was positioned to become the dominant player in the market. With the launch of
our Hawkeye and Cheetah product line, and
the win on SDN Medium and JEOD, as well
as the CSS follow on, GCS quickly became the
world leader in this space. In 2007, GCS was
acquired by L-3 Communications. We chose
L-3 because of the common culture of putting
customers first, quality products, ethics and
integrity.
Q: What about some of the new technologies
L-3 GCS is developing?
28 | SOTECH 8.7
and logistics is focused on improving the capability of the special operations operators.
Q: What are some of your products?
A: Over the past two years we have been able
to tap into resources around L-3 to integrate
very small high performance components into
our terminals. We have unique SSPAs in the
Panther manpack that are only available from
L-3 GCS. We offer unique flat panel antenna
technology on our Panther; and the lightest
weight 1.2m VSAT available on the market—
the Hawkeye III Lite. The Hawkeye III Lite
allows a user to change bands by simply swapping a quick-release feed boom. This unique
design is offered only by L-3 GCS and is currently in use by USSOCOM as part of the SDN
Medium program.
Q: How are you positioned for the future
within the military?
A: We continue to invest heavily in IR&D to
ensure we are offering the DoD the smallest, lightest, fastest terminals in the market.
We listen to our customers every day and integrate their thoughts, ideas and desires into our
product roadmap.
Q: Can you provide some background on the
company and its product line focusing on the
needs of special warfighter?
A: Every product L-3 GCS brings to market
is designed for the special operations servicemember. We have a high percentage of former
military employed at L-3 GCS. We continually
listen to our customers’ and employees’ input,
allowing us to make our products quick to set
up and simple and quick to operate, considering the environments and time constraints
the special warfighter is likely to encounter.
We use color coding of connectors and unique
connectors on each line to avoid misconnecting, as well as custom MIL connectors to
minimize the amount of interconnect. Most
importantly, our ViewSat control software is
user-friendly control software packages. We
have over 5,000 copies of ViewSat currently in
use within DoD. Every aspect of our operation
A: The Cheetah is a sub one meter terminal
available in 40 and 25 watt Ku-band. The Panther is a lightweight manpack available in Ku-,
Ka- and X-band with a flat panel or a 24 inch
parabolic antenna. The Hawkeye III is a 1.6m,
2.0m and 2.4m system using a common positioner and operates at Ku-, Ka-, X- and C-band
[C and Ka are not available at 1.6 and 2.4m
respectively]. The Hawkeye III Lite is a 1.2m
Ku-, Ka- or X-band terminal that packages
into two cases at about 75 pounds each. The
Shark is a line of secure mobile office systems
which incorporate a modular design to allow
easy tailoring to exact customer requirements.
The Shark is an INMARSAT BGAN-based package that integrates into our VSAT family of
products.
Q: What is an example of your success in the
military, and what are some of your goals over
the next year?
A: Our CSS SATCOM program has been
one of our best success stories. Originally
GCS won a contract for approximately 235
Hawkeye II 1.2m Ku-band VSAT terminals.
This program continues to provide terminals to fielded logisticians, allowing them to
order supplies electronically. We developed
a user-friendly terminal and interface GUI
[ViewSat] for the non-communicator. This
system can be operated with little training and
is reliable, and affordable. Clearly we satisfied
the need, because the original 235 terminal
order has now grown to over 3,800 terminals
ordered. Over the next year, we are planning
expansion in markets with our additional frequency bands and new products.
Q: Any last thoughts?
A: For a user looking for the most reliable
and field-proven VSAT terminal from the highest volume provider, L-3 GCS is the place to
shop. We have a complete line of products with
low logistics costs and the highest value into
the future. Our customer service organization,
primarily all former DoD members, never stop
working until our customers are satisfied. We
believe this is a strong part of our success. ✯
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Next Issue
World’s Largest Distributed Special Ops Magazine
October 2010
Volume 8, Issue 8
Cover and In-Depth
Interview with:
Lt. Gen.
John F.
Mulholland Jr.
Commander
U.S. Army Special
Operations Command
Special Section
Warrior Gear: Cold Weather
The clothing and trends designed to
keep the warfighter warm and moving.
Features
•
Ballistic Eyewear
•
Expeditionary Nutrition
•
Personnel Airborne Delivery
•
Night Vision Trends
Protecting your vision from objects and light
Getting the calories and nutrients you need on the go
The latest technology from Natick
Bonus Distribution
•
•
AUSA
SOFEX Fort
Bragg
Night Vision technologies and SOTECH’s annual
Night Vision Buyers Guide
Insertion Order Deadline: September 25, 2010
Ad Materials: October 1, 2010
d
ie
tif
er
-C
SA
N
HANDHELD TACTICAL SECURE COMMUNICATIONS WHEREVER YOU GO
Introducing the L-3 Guardian® — the only secure handheld device you need for
voice, e-mail and Web communications on the battlefield or in the war room.
Leading the next generation of converged SME PED devices, the L-3 Guardian
combines NSA-Certified high-speed secure access and global connectivity
with an amazing array of communications into one lightweight handheld. The
device allows users to easily configure operating domains to either classified
(SIPRNET) or unclassified (NIPRNET) networks — and navigate seamlessly
between them. To learn more about the L-3 Guardian and secure the future of
your tactical communications, visit L-3com.com/SMEPED or call 856-338-2351.
Co mmu n icat io n S yste ms- E a st
L-3com.com

Quiet Professional Brig. Gen. Michael J. Kingsley

Transcription

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