USAF Wraps Up Flight Testing on Electric Aircraft, Complete with Casualty Evac

USAF Wraps Up Flight Testing on Electric Aircraft, Complete with Casualty Evac

Jan. 29, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force and BETA Technologies finished a three-month stint of flight testing with its “Alia” electric aircraft at Duke Field, Fla., the contractor announced Jan. 29—which included several milestones for electric aviation within the Department of Defense. 

Most prominently, the Air Force’s 96th Test Wing said that on Jan. 11, the sleek, quiet, fixed-wing aircraft flew a simulated casualty evacuation mission and communicated directly with Air Force aircraft for the first time. 

The 413th Flight Test Squadron, the Air Force’s rotary wing test squadron, wrote the test and safety plan for Alia, which landed at Duke Field in late October. BETA continued to own and operate the aircraft. 

In a release announcing the end of the “deployment,” BETA said Alia’s time at Duke was “the next phase of a larger developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) effort being conducted by the U.S. Air Force to assess electric aviation’s applicability for DOD missions.” 

One such mission is getting wounded troops to medical care as quickly as possible. 

On Jan. 11, an HH-60W helicopter from the 41st Rescue Squadron transported a simulated casualty from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., according to the 96th Test Wing release. There, the Air Force aircrew transferred the casualty on a stretcher to the BETA aircrew, who loaded the stretcher into Alia and then flew 68 nautical miles to Duke Field, where it was met by a medical crew. 

The transfer took less than 10 minutes, but it could mark the beginning of a shift in how the Air Force approaches the difficult mission of casualty evacuation, when time is of the essence and aircraft are in high demand. 

“During these exercises, the goal is to augment the existing fleet with additional low-cost assets to assist in mission execution so battlefield aircraft can stay in the fight,” Maj. Riley Livermore, 413 FLTS Futures Flight commander, said in a statement. 

Back in April 2020, the Air Force launched its “Agility Prime” program to spur development in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft industry. Service leaders said the aircraft could, among other missions, help with search and rescue and medical evacuation—missions that are being rethought amid the Air Force’s push to prepare for competition and possible conflict in the vast Indo-Pacific region. 

While the Alia now being tested is a fixed-wing, conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, BETA is also building a vertical takeoff and landing variant and has participated in Agility Prime. 

The casualty evacuation mission marked the first ever by an electric aircraft and “demonstrates key impacts electric aviation can have on military services, including increase in response time at the [forward operating base],” BETA’s release stated. “The HH-60 was able to initiate the movement of the Quick Response Force sooner than if it had to move the patient to definitive medical care.” 

Additionally, the release pointed out that if the Air Force needed to rely on a C-130 to transport the patient, it would require more crew and more fuel.

On top of the casualty evacuation simulation, the Alia aircraft also completed a simulated Maintenance Recovery Team (MRT) mission, flying to Eglin to pick up a needed part for an F-35 that had landed at Duke. 

On the commercial side, electric aircraft are often thought of as future “air taxis,” to quickly and quietly move people in dense urban environments. For the Air Force, they could be useful for logistical problems by moving people and cargo faster than cars or trucks, but more efficiently than large airlifters. 

The MRT mission, for example, took about one hour of flight time and cost $25 in electricity. A truck driving the same distance would take four hours and consume $45 in gas, the BETA release said. 

The Air Force is pressing ahead with other electric aircraft investments. In September 2023, the service accepted an eVTOL aircraft from Joby Aviation at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and it is expected to get another in the near future. USAF has also awarded a contract to Archer Aviation worth up to $142 million for up to six of the company’s aircraft. 

Foreign Military Sales Sets New Record, Up 55.9 Percent in 2023

Foreign Military Sales Sets New Record, Up 55.9 Percent in 2023

Jan. 29, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The U.S. transferred a record $80.9 billion worth of military equipment and services to other countries in fiscal 2023, a 55.9 percent increase over the fiscal 2022 level of $50.9 billion, according to the U.S. State Department.

“This is the highest annual total of sales and assistance provided to our allies and partners,” a State Department release said.

The total marks progress in State’s goal of accelerating FMS cases after an internal review last year of how the process could be sped up.

Of the overall figure, $62.25 billion was funded by “U.S. ally and partner nations,” while the rest was financed by the U.S. The roughly $18 billion remainder includes about $4 billion through the foreign military financing program and $14.68 billion for State Department programs such as anti-narcotics trafficking enforcement and de-mining operations, as well as the Pentagon Defense Building Capacity programs such as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

From 2021-23, FMS sales averaged $55.9 billion per year, a 21.9 percent increase over the 2020-22 average of $45.8 billion per year.

The State Department provides this three-year rolling average because of the “multiyear implementation timeframe for many arms transfers and defense trade cases,” it noted in its release.

Poland was the single largest FMS customer in fiscal 2023, with over $30 billion in transfers.

Prominent examples of FMS sales in 2023 included:

  • Poland: AH-64E Apache attack helicopter, $12 billion
  • Poland: High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), $10 billion
  • Germany: CH-47F Chinook Helicopters, $8.5 billion
  • Australia: C-130J-30 air transports, $6.35 billion
  • Canada: P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, $5.9 billion
  • Czech Republic: F-35 fighters and munitions, $5.62 billion
  • Republic of Korea: F-35 fighters, $5.06 billion
  • Poland: Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, $4.0 billion
  • Poland: M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, $3.75 billion
  • Kuwait: National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) Medium-Range Air Defense System (MRADS), $3.0 billion
  • Germany: AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), $2.90 billion

The State Department also provided figures for Direct Commercial Sales, which are not managed by the FMS program but which require congressional approval. The total of licensed Direct Commercial Sales from U.S. companies to foreign customers was $157.5 billion in fiscal 2023, a 2.5 percent increase from the $153.6 billion recorded in fiscal 2022.

The three-year rolling average for DCS was $124.9 billion, a 16.5 percent change from the previous three-year period.

DCS “includes the value of hardware, services, and technical data authorized from exports, temporary imports, re-export, re-transfers and brokering,” according to a State press release.  

State also noted that the number of DCS cases adjudicated rose six percent in fiscal 2023 versus 2022, from 22,138 to 23,474. The “Total Licensed Entities” involved also rose 2.9 percent, reflecting a wider defense industrial base doing defense business.

Prominent examples of DCS sales in 2023 included:

  • Italy: F-35 wing assemblies and sub-assemblies, $2.8 billion
  • India: GE F414-INS6 engine hardware, $1.8 billion
  • Singapore: F100 engines and spare parts, $1.2 billion
  • South Korea: F100 engines and spare parts, $1.2 billion
  • Norway/Ukraine: NASAMS, Norway and Ukraine Ministries of Defence, $1.2 billion
  • Saudi Arabia: Patriot Guided Missiles, $1 billion

State noted that it follows “a holistic approach when reviewing arms transfer decisions,” as they will have “potential long-run implications for regional and global security.”

The “holistic approach includes consideration” of U.S. conventional arms transfer policies and takes into account “political, social, human rights, civilian protection, economic, military, nonproliferation, technology security, and end use factors to determine the appropriate provision of military equipment and the licensing of direct commercial sales of defense articles to U.S. allies and partners.”

USAF Pushes for Better Health Care Access for Far-Flung Recruiters

USAF Pushes for Better Health Care Access for Far-Flung Recruiters

Jan. 29, 2024 | By David Roza

As the Air Force Recruiting Service works to increase its presence in new parts of the country to help solve its recruiting challenge, its leader wants to make sure recruiters working far from military medical facilities have access to health care and are reimbursed for long travel times to and from doctors’ visits.

“We charge our recruiters with the critical job of finding youth willing and able to serve and protect our nation,” AFRS commander Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein said in a recent press release. “In turn, it’s our responsibility to support these Airmen and their families to the absolute best of our ability.”

On Jan. 11, Amrhein met with Defense Health Agency and TRICARE officials to develop strategies for some of the issues recruiters encounter when located far from a base, including:

  • Staffing shortages both in local communities and across the Military Health System
  • Outdated “find a doc” directories, where providers who no longer take TRICARE are often listed
  • Lack of clarity on TRICARE benefits for service members far from military health facilities
  • Costs and delays in home-delivery prescriptions

The release noted that broader challenges, such as the health care worker shortage, will take time to resolve, but DHA and AFRS want to start with low-hanging fruit, such as improving awareness and ease of use for TRICARE Prime Remote, a no-fee plan for active duty and some activated reserve component members and families who are more than 50 miles or one hour’s drive from a military hospital or clinic. 

“The drive time standard is crucial for recruiters stationed in traffic-heavy cities like Chicago, where an hour drive can quickly extend to two or three,” the release said.

Amrhein wants to make sure recruiters understand the resources available to them through Prime Remote, including Prime Travel Benefit, which reimburses participants for health care-related travel expenses. Starting in February, AFRS will hold monthly TRICARE briefings for Air Force recruiters in training and their families, though the exact date and time for the first brief has not yet been scheduled, a spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. About 1,500 of AFRS’ total 2,700 recruiters are stationed away from a military installation, she added.

“Our aim is to provide our recruiters with health care information prior to their first assignment,” Amrhein said in the release. “We want them to feel supported from the start.”

In the meantime, AFRS also wants to identify the places “with the greatest access or provider directory challenges,” so that DHA can focus its improvements on those areas.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Harrell, director, Defense Health Network Central, responds to a question about healthcare access for recruiters during a meeting at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 11, 2024. (Defense Health Agency photo by Brian J. Valencia)

T-5 Refresh

Though the Jan. 11 meeting was focused on Air Force recruiters and their families, the takeaways could help DHA understand the challenges all remote military families face, a spokesperson for Defense Health Network Central, DHA’s largest health care network, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“The lessons learned and solutions implemented by DHA and the Air Force Recruiting Service will improve access to care not only for Air Force recruiters, but for all service members and their families in remote locations around the world,” the spokesperson said.

One change coming soon is a new TRICARE contract known as T-5 which is scheduled to begin in 2025. The new contract is meant to enhance provider network flexibility, boost telehealth resources, streamline referral transfers, and other improvements, according to a TRICARE release. 

Many of these changes could be moot without up-to-date provider directories, which DHA hopes to achieve through “frequent and large-scale audits,” the DHA release said.

It will be a long road, as there are over 800,000 participating providers in just the TRICARE East region. To speed things along, T-5 will include a link for beneficiaries to report provider discrepancies on the TRICARE West website. As of now, only TRICARE East has that feature. 

The upcoming changes will arrive amid a wider reckoning in the Military Health System, many of whose 9.6 million beneficiaries reported long wait times and staffing shortages at military treatment facilities. 

“The need to stabilize the MHS is clear,” an MHS official wrote in a statement. “The realignment of medical personnel and the volatile health care economy of the past three years created challenges in the care of beneficiaries.”

The statement promised a review of all medical manpower and staffing by June 30, as well as a “limited redistribution” of providers to a few key locations no later than July 1. 

“We are going to rebuild that capacity first to earn trust from our beneficiaries.” Dr. David Smith, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for health readiness policy and oversight, said in a statement.

3 Dead, Dozens Wounded By Drone Attack on US Base in Jordan

3 Dead, Dozens Wounded By Drone Attack on US Base in Jordan

Jan. 28, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

Three U.S. service members were killed and at least 34 troops were injured in an overnight attack at a base in Jordan on Jan. 28, the U.S. said. It marked the first U.S. troops killed in the region by enemy action since the Israel-Hamas war began in October and Iran-backed groups began launching attacks against the U.S.

“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” President Joe Biden said in a Jan. 28 statement.

The troops were killed at Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, a small outpost close to the border with Syria that houses Air Force and Army personnel. U.S. Central Command said in a statement the attack was carried out by a one-way attack drone that “impacted on a base.”

Such groups have attacked U.S. troops at least 158 times since Oct. 17, using drones, rockets, and ballistic missiles, according to U.S. officials. While most have been unsuccessful, a U.S. contractor died of a heart attack while sheltering in place in one instance, and a U.S. service member was critically wounded in another.

Tower 22 is located near Al Tanf Garrison in southeastern Syria, where the U.S. works with local partners to combat the Islamic State group. Al Tanf has drawn frequent attacks in recent months, but the Jan. 28 attack on Tower 22 was the first known attack on U.S. forces in Jordan. Tower 22 provides logistics and support for Al Tanf. CENTCOM initially said 25 troops were injured, but within hours, that number had risen to more than 34 wounded. Eight troops were transported out of Jordan for a higher level of medical attention and CENTCOM indicated the number of injured troops may increase.

“There are approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base, conducting a number of key support functions, including support to the coalition for the lasting defeat of ISIS,” CENTCOM said in a statement issued later in the day.

The U.S. is seeking to avoid widening the conflict in the region, while at the same time preventing attacks against U.S. troops there. Iranian-backed groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen have all launched attacks of one sort or another. The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have also attacked international shipping, leading to a steady stream of U.S. and allied strikes against Houthi military targets.

“The goal is to deter them and we don’t want to go down a path of greater escalation that drives to a much broader conflict within the region,” Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said on ABC’s This Week in previously recorded interview that aired Jan. 28.

The U.S. has conducted retaliatory and self-defense airstrikes against the Iranian-backed militias that have attacked American and coalition personnel in the region as recently as last week when it struck Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi group responsible for many of the attacks on American troops, according to the U.S. military. The attack came as talks are set to begin over a final withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq.

“These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty. Unbending in their commitment to our country—risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism,” Biden said. “It is a fight we will not cease.”

CENTCOM said the identities of the service members would be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.

“The President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests,” Austin said.

The president was briefed on the attack the morning of Jan. 28 by Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, White House officials said. Biden convened another meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director Bill Burns, Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Austin, Brown, Finer, and Sullivan in the afternoon.

“The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense,” Biden said. “We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt—we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing. “

“We shall respond,” Biden added at an event in South Carolina.

New SpOC Commander Highlights ‘Destabilizing’ Acts by Russia and China in Space

New SpOC Commander Highlights ‘Destabilizing’ Acts by Russia and China in Space

Jan. 27, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

Space weapons being developed by China and Russia this week pose a threat to the U.S, according the new head of Space Operations Command and a new report co-produced by the National Space Intelligence Center.

Speaking with the Space Force Association just a few days after he officially took command of SpOC, Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. said that in his previous job as director of operations for U.S. Space Command, two events stood out in his memory as indicative of how space has become more challenging. 

The first came in the summer of 2021, when China launched a fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) with a hypersonic glide vehicle—incorporating concepts from an old Soviet Union system. 

“I think that is a particularly destabilizing capability. That is the potential for an adversary to launch potentially a nuclear payload into orbit, leave it there for some period of time, and then deorbit it whenever they feel like,” Miller explained. “In this case, it was back into the [People’s Republic of China]. That’s a pretty destabilizing capability. And I think that is something that while … we’ve begun to restore military-to-military communications, those are not activities that promote stability and security globally.” 

A few months later, Russia tested a direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile against one of its own spacecraft, creating thousands of pieces of debris in orbit.

Both incidents were also highlighted in a new report produced by the National Space Intelligence Center (Delta 18) and the National Air & Space Intelligence Center, titled “Competing in Space.” 

A previous edition of the report was published in December 2018, but in the six years since, the number of threats—and targets—in space have multiplied. 

“The U.S.’s key competitors, China and Russia, both operate hundreds of space systems to strengthen warfighting capabilities, boost spheres of influence, and position themselves as leaders in the international space community,” the report states. “At the same time, both of these competitors are developing counterspace capabilities capable of degrading or destroying space systems critical to civilian infrastructure and military operations.” 

China’s FOBS test traveled some 40,000 kilometers (the length of the Earth’s circumference) and stayed aloft more than 100 minutes, both records for a Chinese land attack weapon, the report noted. Meanwhile, Russia’s ASAT test created “tens of thousands of lethal but nontrackable objects.” 

“There are just things that I do not think promote stability and security, and when we say we have global competitors, it’s actions like that that bring it to the forefront. But it’s fundamentally a challenge to the rules-based order,” Miller said of those actions. 

While both events occurred more than two years ago, Miller said they “continue to this day to be concerning for me from a perspective of this is just potentially destabilizing behavior—and it’s the reason, in my view, that America has a Space Force.”

“Competing in Space” noted several other counterspace capabilities being pursued by China and Russia, including previously-reported events like the launch of a Chinese satellite with a “grappling arm” that can grab and tow satellites into different orbits and “nesting doll” Russian satellites that have tested kinetic kill capabilities. 

The report also detailed other capabilities both China and Russia are pursuing, including jammers and ground-based lasers that could blind or damage satellite sensors. 

“By the mid-to-late 2020s, Beijing may have higher-power systems capable of damaging satellites,” the report warned. 

While many of these capabilities are obvious threats, even seemingly benign developments could be dangerous, the report added. 

“The dual-use nature of some spacecraft technologies makes counterspace tests or hostile activity difficult to detect, attribute, or mitigate,” the report stated. “For example, sensors to inspect other satellites and robotic arms for servicing other satellites support peaceful missions, but can also be used to target or attack spacecraft.” 

In the face of all this, Miller said one of the main goals for his tenure atop SpOC is “improving the combat capability we have today,” from the modernization of the Space Force’s existing systems to building up the infrastructure around those systems and investing in leadership development “to make sure that America’s Guardians and Airmen in Space Operations Command are ready for the range of threats.” 

Some B-1s and Crews Move From Ellsworth to Dyess to Train While Wreck is Cleared

Some B-1s and Crews Move From Ellsworth to Dyess to Train While Wreck is Cleared

Jan. 26, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

A number of B-1 bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and some 250 personnel have moved to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, the other Lancer base, to continue training and operations while the wreck of a B-1 that crashed Jan. 4 is investigated, Air Force officials said.

The number of aircraft moved is being withheld as an operational security matter, although an Ellsworth press release referred to “several” jets taking off from the base.

While at Dyess, where they are expected to remain for at least several weeks, Ellsworth aircrews will fly the bombers and Ellsworth ground crews will sustain them.

Dyess was not immediately able to say whether the visiting personnel are being put up in base housing or whether they are simulating a deployment to an austere location and setting up a tent city.

The Ellsworth runway has been closed since the accident, when a B-1 landed short of the overrun, continued onto the runway centerline, then veered off into the grass on the airfield. The four crewmembers ejected safely from the jet and were released from medical care after receiving treatment for minor injuries.

The Air Force has not yet said whether the jet will be written off or is repairable. Images of the wreck suggest the bomber was severely damaged. An accident investigation team has been assembled, but such probes can take months or even years to be completed.  

An Ellsworth spokesperson said dispatching the bombers to Dyess indicates that the 28th Bomb Wing is ready for action despite the accident and subsequent closure of the runway. However, the runway was re-closed “until further notice,” after the bombers departed, he said.

The wreck remains just off the runway, he said, as the investigation continues. The base could not provide a timetable about when the bomber will be moved or dismantled.

“Base officials worked closely with the aircraft accident investigating team to inspect the airfield, ensured it was safe and then generated bombers for training missions that concluded with the aircraft landing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas,” the spokesperson said. In the aftermath of such an accident, the airfield must be closely searched to ensure that no pieces of the wreck, which may have flown off during the crash, could be ingested into aircraft intakes. Parts as small as bolts, screws or scraps of sheet metal could ravage an aircraft engine and cause another accident.   

Col. Seth Spanier, commander of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess, and former deputy commander at Ellsworth, said the deployment will allow B-1 crews to operate together and share knowledge, which will enhance readiness.

After Congress permitted the Air Force to divest 17 of its 62 B-1Bs two years ago, Global Strike Command has operated 45 B-1s at the two bases. Assuming the crashed aircraft is not returned to service, the Air Force will be down to 44 B-1s out of an original fleet of 100.

Since its introduction in the 1980s, the B-1 inventory has been reduced due to the expense of maintaining the swing-wing bombers. In the waning years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the B-1 was heavily tasked in combat, due to its high speed—to respond to troops in contact—as well as its large payload and the varied mix of weapons it could carry. Flying loitering patterns above the battlefield, though, the jets’ swing-wing pivot points were over-stressed, leading the Air Force to request reducing the fleet size. The service said at the time that it would cost upwards of $30 million per jet to restore the bombers to a condition that would allow them to achieve a normal mission capable rate.

With 17 recently-operational B-1s stored at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. “Boneyard,” it may be possible to return a retired B-1 to operational duty, but the Air Force has not said whether it is considering such a move.

The Air Force continues to conduct structural fatigue tests on a B-1 carcass and wing, bending and stressing them with bars and pulleys to simulate years of flying, in order to anticipate the kinds of material failures the fleet is likely to encounter in the future. The goal is to simulate two full lifetimes of B-1 operations. The tests are occasionally suspended to install strengtheners and other modifications being applied to the active fleet, in order to keep the test articles comparable to those in the field.

The B-1 is slated to be replaced by the B-21 Raider sometime this decade, and Ellsworth already has numerous military construction projects underway to be ready to receive the new stealth jets. Ellsworth will be the first operational B-21 base.

AFSOC Flies 3 Reapers With One Crew In Shift Towards Near-Peer Conflict

AFSOC Flies 3 Reapers With One Crew In Shift Towards Near-Peer Conflict

Jan. 26, 2024 | By David Roza

A single crew controlled three MQ-9 drones in a major step forward for Air Force Special Operations Command’s preparations to fly Reapers in a possible near-peer conflict. On Dec. 6, a standard crew of a pilot and sensor operator with the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., flew three Reapers for about 30 minutes. 

Six days later, the 27th SOW demonstrated another new capability by air-launching two smaller drones from an MQ-9 and controlling them with an additional crew member, a key benchmark for AFSOC’s goal to eventually use the Reaper as a “capital ship” from which smaller drones can establish a sensor grid or a communications pathway for other troops.

“Demonstrations at this level are not easy,” Maj. Lindsay Scott, chief of Autonomous Capabilities Development at AFSOC, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “This was the first time putting this system in the hands of the operators and we were able to accomplish many of our objectives.”

afsoc reapers
Technicians perform pre-flight checks on a dual launch pod for launching small UASs attached to an MQ-9 Reaper before an Airborne Adaptive Enterprise (A2E) demonstration at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Nov. 28, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Swift)

The flights last month were part of a larger AFSOC plan to ready its fleet of MQ-9s, which for the past several decades were used primarily for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike operations in theaters with relatively few threats to aircraft or communications. That could change as the Air Force prepares for possible conflicts against more technologically advanced adversaries such as China. 

AFSOC’s plan is called Adaptive Airborne Enterprise (A2E), where MQ-9s would become mobile control centers for a network of small drones or other systems which could form an “expansive sensing grid” to find targets or create a communications pathway “for our special operations forces that will be in the deep battlespace,” AFSOC boss Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind told reporters in September.

AFSOC wants its crews to be able to fly multiple MQ-9s and other uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) with less equipment and more flexibility, which would allow them to perform more missions in more contested environments than ever before. Future AFSOC MQ-9 crews may be able to launch multiple small UASs that can serve as standoff sensor systems, loitering munitions, or data transport nodes for mesh communication networks, a 27th SOW press release explained.

afsoc reapers
AFSOC Airmen use a common control interface to operate MQ-9 Reaper drones. (Screenshot via U.S. Air Force video)

“Adaptive Airborne Enterprise is vital to thickening the Joint Force kill web throughout the spectrum of conflict and continues to be a top AFSOC acquisition priority,” a Cannon Air Force Base spokesperson said.

There are five phases to A2E:

  • Phase One: AFSOC transitions from the older ground control stations for piloting MQ-9s to a lighter, more modern system that allows crews to operate different kinds of aircraft “from the back of an AC-130, home station, or even urban environments,” the press release explained. 
  • Phase Two: Single crews fly multiple MQ-9s rather than the historical standard of one aircraft per crew. “We’re moving towards a crew or a single operator controlling multiple aircraft,” said Maj. Joshua Radford, director of the RPA Operations Center at the 56th Special Ops Intel Squadron. “And it doesn’t necessarily need to be the same platform.”
  • Phase Three: Single crews control several types of UASs, from small systems such as the RQ-11B Raven to the larger strategic assets such as the Reaper.
  • Phase Four: Single crews control formations of UASs out of mobile or austere locations, which would pave the way for the final phase.
  • Phase Five: Create “new effects-based ISR units,” the press release explained. “These units could be comprised of UASs, forward deployed ground forces, cyber operators, and space operators that can collaboratively employ UAS capabilities in permissive, contested, or denied environments.”
MQ-9 Reaper in flight
An MQ-9 Reaper flies a training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, July 15, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado)

The first three phases are already underway. During the tests in December, the MQ-9 crew used a new common control interface called the AFSOC RPA Control Suite (ARCS), which allowed a single crew to control multiple platforms. They also showed they could attach, air-launch, and control several small UASs from an MQ-9. In this case, the smaller drones were two Altius-600s, a modular aircraft that can serve as an ISR platform, a communications relay, or a loitering munition, in addition to a long list of other roles.

During the demonstration of three MQ-9s, the aircraft were launched and landed using the typical MQ-9 ground control stations, Scott explained. In between, the aircrew handed off control to an ARCS system, which was used to fly the three Reapers for about 30 minutes. 

“The objectives for the demonstration were to perform a handover from a GCS to ARCS and to conduct basic aircraft and payload control to mimic a typical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission,” she said. “After gaining each aircraft, the aircrew performed basic maneuvering by moving the aircraft loiters and performed a climb and descent.”

AFSOC is not the only organization experimenting with new ways to fly the Reaper. In July, student operators at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. launched, flew, and landed two MQ-9s at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.M. solely via satellite connections. Usually Reapers are flown by operators in faraway ground control stations but launched and recovered by Airmen closer to the runway, but an autopilot function known as the Automatic Takeoff and Landing capability allows one crew to perform the entire operation, which cuts down on the footprint required for MQ-9 operations.

“There’s this monumental change in mindset, that I don’t need to pack all this stuff up and go,” Lt. Col. Michael Chmielewski, then-commander of the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron, said in 2022. “I can go places just with a very small piece of maintenance equipment and less amount of people.”

AFSOC also wants to make operating unmanned systems less manpower-intensive.

“Our ISR infrastructure, specifically our MQ-9 architecture, has really been the same architecture that we have seen since the 1990s,” Bauernfeind told reporters in September. “It takes over 150 personnel or Airmen to maintain a single MQ-9 orbit. That doesn’t seem too unmanned to me.”

Airmen assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing remotely piloted aircraft community prepare a Small Unmanned Aerial System for takeoff during an Adaptive Airborne Enterprise Exercise Talon Spear at Melrose Air Force Range, N.M. June 21, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo Senior Airman Alexcia Givens)

Still, it could be a long road getting to more efficient, more capable operations. 

“A2E is a complex system and requires extensive planning, organization, resources, engineering, and networking to test out new capabilities and integrate different components to work together,” Scott said. “The key takeaway was the importance of the integrated team of military, civilians, contractors, and industry partners to identify challenges, work solutions and better inform requirements for the future of the system.”

Upcoming demonstrations this summer will “improve control of multiple aircraft and payloads from one station,” she added. “The goal is to provide multiple platform and payload control through ARCS, incorporate autonomous behaviors and transfer control to a ground party.”

Farther out, artificial intelligence could help AFSOC crews fly a wide range of drones over a large area in unfriendly skies. 

“Can we establish a network that goes 5 miles, 50 miles, 500 miles?” Bauernfeind said. “I don’t know, we have to work the physics and the tactics, techniques, and procedures to find out how far we can push these networks out that will then give us that grid that we need to support the joint force.”

Northrop Grumman Eats $1.56 Billion Loss On First B-21 Bomber Lots

Northrop Grumman Eats $1.56 Billion Loss On First B-21 Bomber Lots

Jan. 25, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Northrop Grumman announced a $1.56 billion pre-tax charge against its B-21 program, spread across the first five production lots of the new stealth bomber, the company announced during an earnings call Jan. 25. Company officials blamed inflation and supply chain problems for the loss, but said it might mitigate it over time with production line efficiencies.

After a review in the fourth quarter, “we now believe it is probable each of the first five LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) lots will be performed at a loss,” Kathy Warden, Northrop’s president, chairman, and CEO said in a results call with reporters.

Though “disappointed” by the charge, Warden said she’s confident the B-21 will deliver what the Air Force requires of it.

“The charge is largely driven by a change in our assumptions” regarding inflation “and higher projected manufacturing costs,” based on information from suppliers and experience in competing the first aircraft, which rolled out in December 2022 and flew in November 2023.

Dave Keffer, corporate vice president and chief financial officer, said that with completion and first flight of the first B-21, “we have a lot more information than we did this time last year” about actual costs.  

The “after-tax cash impact” of the loss will be spread over several years, Warden said. That amount is about $1.19 billion.

Warden also acknowledged that Northrop received the LRIP contract after the first flight; an action the Pentagon acknowledged last week. It also said the B-21 has flown more than once at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., but is withholding developmental progress details due to operational security.

While the Pentagon provided $60 million of assistance in 2023 to help with higher-than-expected inflation, Warden noted, the company is not counting on any further such assistance, although discussions continue. The charge was therefore larger than Warden had been hinting at in previous earnings calls throughout 2023.

Keffer said the effect will be “an average of a couple of hundred million dollars a year of after-tax impact” on the B-21 program over about five years, after a higher amount in the earlier part of that period. The 2023 effect was a $143 million loss on B-21.

Offsets will be sought, he said.

It is a “core focus of our team to continue to drive efficiencies in the learning curves, [and in] successful outcomes of our negotiations with suppliers,” he said. “We continue to engage and partner with our customer to understand the macro-economic impacts on the program and address opportunities for funding relief, so we’ll continue to address all of those opportunities.”

The Air Force has not disclosed how many B-21s are included in the five LRIP lots, although the Congressional Research Service used 21 aircraft across those five lots as the notional figure for their assessment of the program in 2021.

The Air Force uses 2010 as the base year for calculating B-21 costs. The unit cost of one of the bombers was contractually set at $550 million in the original 2015 contract, which means that in current dollars, each B-21 must come in under $778 million. Northrop’s announcement indicates that if the five fixed-price lots comprise 21 aircraft, each one will cost $75 million more than predicted; a cost that Northrop must bear.

Warden also reiterated comments she made in previous quarterly calls that the company is being more careful in bidding fixed-price contracts, and may not bid on future programs if the “risk-reward calculation” isn’t compelling. The same sentiment was voiced on quarterly calls this week with Lockheed Martin and RTX, although Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet said government is also clearly pushing fewer fixed-price programs.

The B-21 will eventually make money, Warden said.

“This is a game-changing capability that will be of great value to our nation. And we are focused on executing the program in a way that also delivers value to our shareholders over the coming decades,” she said.

The Air Force continues to say the B-21 program is aimed at producing “at least 100” aircraft, with the first usable asset available in “the mid-2020s.” But various think tanks, including the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies—and former heads of Global Strike Command—have called for as many as 150-225 B-21s to maintain the pace of operations necessary to successfully conduct a war with a near-peer adversary like China.

Northrop is also the prime for the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM program, which was reported by the Pentagon to Congress last week as having incurred a 37 percent cost increase and a two-year schedule delay. Warden echoed Air Force comments that the missile itself is developing well, but that the cost increases are largely due to higher costs for the military construction and communications infrastructure elements of the program, on which the Air Force takes more of the lead. Warden said Northrop will work with the Air Force to reduce Sentinel costs.   

USAF General Facing Court-Martial Asks to Retire Instead. So Now What?

USAF General Facing Court-Martial Asks to Retire Instead. So Now What?

Jan. 25, 2024 | By David Roza

Facing court-martial on charges including sexual assault, conduct unbecoming an officer, and controlling an aircraft within 12 hours of consuming alcohol, Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart has filed a request to retire instead, giving both sides a chance to rethink the prosecution.

Stewart was relieved as the head of Air Force pilot training by Robinson on May 9, and his court-martial is scheduled for June 17 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randoph, Texas. If convicted on all charges, Stewart could face 60 years in prison, Addicott said.

But first Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), must decide whether or not to endorse the request and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, who has the power to approve or deny the request, must make his decision.

“We’re waiting on the Secretary of the Air Force to give us a thumbs-up or thumbs-down,” Jeffrey Addicott, a member of Stewart’s defense team, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. 

Retired Col. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor of the Air Force and not involved in the case, observed that the sooner a decision is made, the better.

“You would hope that if they are going to approve it, that they would do it expeditiously so a lot of resources are not allocated to get this trial going,” he said.

Trying a general officer at court-martial is an expensive affair, requiring jurors and extensive preparation. If the request dangles until the day before the trial starts, Christensen said, “they would have probably flown in a lot of general officers to be potential court members, and flown in witnesses, counsel, judges.”

He added: “Justice should be served timely. It doesn’t get better with age.”

Still, such a decision must go through several layers of review, at AETC, the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and ultimately Kendall’s office. The input of the alleged victim should also be considered.

“They should be looking at the best interests of justice: the strengths and weaknesses of the case, whether it is consistent with other cases,” Christensen said. “I’m certain there will be some political influence. … How is this going to play with the media? How is this going to play with Congress?”

Stewart’s request to retire comes about three months after his Article 32 preliminary hearing, held Oct. 24 at Randolph. Such hearings are similar to a civilian grand jury evidentiary proceeding, and held to determine if there is enough cause to continue to court-martial.

Col. Brian Thompson presided over the Article 32 hearing, recommending that the Air Force drop the sexual assault charges and then resolve the remaining charges administratively, Addicott said. But Robinson overruled him, referring all charges to a court-martial in December.

Addicott accused the Air Force of unfairly targeting his client. “They’re railroading him to a court-martial,” he said. “Therefore, what type of due process can you expect at a trial? It’s looking more and more like a kangaroo court.”

Such stances are normal in the pretrial gamesmanship that often surrounds such cases. Christensen said Stewart’s request to retire could suggest the defense does not believe it can beat the other charges, and that even if they do beat the sexual assault, a federal conviction and punishment could still mar his record.

Addicott was confident in the defense, and he countered that the other charges are not worthy of a court-martial proceeding.

“The other charges, if they’re true, which we denied, would be handled with a letter of reprimand, an administrative admonishment, maybe relieved from command,” he said. “This is not stuff that should go to a court-martial.” He said Stewart will plead not guilty if the case proceeds.

Stewart would then have to decide whether to ask for a trial by judge alone or by a panel (the military equivalent of a jury) of his peers. For a two-star general like Stewart, panel members would have to be at least two-star generals or senior.

But if Stewart’s request to retire is granted, Kendall would have to convene a board to determine at what grade Stewart should retire. For Stewart, who has 33 years of service, the difference between retiring as a two-star or dropping a grade and retiring as a one-star would amount to a loss of more than $25,000 a year in retired pay for the rest of his life. Dropping two grades would be a lost of $41,000 annually. Over a 20-year lifespan, and adjusting for inflation, that would approach $1 million.

Years ago, retirement-eligible general officers would often seek to retire instead of face the shame of a court-martial. In the past two decades, two general officers, Maj. Gen. Thomas Fiscus and Brig Gen. Richard Hassan, were demoted to colonel in 2005 and 2006, respectively, as punishment for engaging in unprofessional relationships with subordinates. Neither faced court-martial. Indeed, not until April 2022 did any Air Force general officer endure a court-martial. Maj. Gen. William Cooley, former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory, was tried and convicted of abusive sexual contact for forcibly kissing his sister-in-law in 2018.

If Stewart’s case goes to trial, he would be the second Air Force general officer court-martialed in just two years.

Times have changed. In the past, Christensen said, “You would often see, particularly general officers, get slapped on the wrist and then retire quietly. This one can’t be retired quietly because there is a lot of media interest in it.” 

Stewart’s charges include six specifications:

  • Two specifications of violating Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, failing to obey a lawful order or regulation, first for allegedly failing “to refrain from pursuing an unprofessional relationship” and second for allegedly controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol. The first specification allegedly dates to March 6 and May 9, while the second allegedly dates to on or about April 14 at or near Altus Air Force Base, Okla.
  • Two specifications of violating Article 120 of the UCMJ, which covers rape and sexual assault, for alleged nonconsensual sexual contact, dated on or about April 13 and 14 at Altus.
  • One specification of violating Article 133 of the UCMJ, conduct unbecoming an officer, at or near Denver, Colo., on or about March 6 and March 8, where it alleges that Stewart, “while on official travel, wrongfully invite [redacted] to spend the night alone with him in his private hotel room[.]”
  • And one specification of violating UCMJ Article 134, which refers to “all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces,” for allegedly engaging “in extramarital conduct” on or about April 13 and 14 at or near Altus.