Hill F-35 Pilots Ready For the Return of Historic ‘William Tell’ Fighter Meet

Sept. 6, 2023 | By David Roza

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series previewing the return of the William Tell Air-to-Air Weapons Meet next week. The second part will run Sept. 7.

After nearly two decades away, William Tell is nearly back.

The Air Force’s premier fighter competition, the William Tell Air-to-Air Weapons Meet is slated to run Sept. 11-15 at the Air Dominance Center in, Savannah, Ga. Last held in 2004, the meet will feature some of the best air crews from across the service testing their offensive and defensive skills against simulated enemy aircraft, while ground crews will compete in loading weapons, aircraft maintenance, and intelligence operations.

While the return to competition is historic, the preparation for it is essentially business as usual at the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, which is sending one of the first F-35A Lightning II teams to participate in the meet. The 388th is an Active-Duty operational fighter wing, so the pace is always high, said one of the team members, Capt. Spencer ‘MOTOR’ Thompson.

“Just by the nature of going through our training cycles and our day-to-day flying, we’re already prepared for all these events,” he told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The events include one-on-one basic fighter maneuvers; two-on-two air combat maneuvering; and ‘fighter integration’ where the various jets flown by different teams (F-35s, F-22 Raptors, F-15C/D Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, and command and control aircraft) will “work together to kill a lot of bad guys at once,” explained Lt. Col. Jeffrey ‘BANGER’ Harding, a reservist with the 419th Fighter Wing who will also compete on the Hill team.

The simulated bad guys, also known as Red Air, will consist of six jets each from the 64th Aggressor Squadron from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and the 7th Fighter Training Squadron from Langley Air Force Base, Va., Air Combat Command told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Visiting Blue Air aircraft may also fill in as Red Air as needs arise.

Each 4-pilot team consists of an instructor pilot, a flight lead, a wingman, and another pilot of any qualification level, which ensures a good mix of experience levels. Individual skill level will be even more pronounced during the BFM events, where pilots will face off against the same aircraft from another unit.

“That really gets down to the purest sense of who’s the best,” Harding explained, “because it’s not about the airplane.”

The lieutenant colonel expects the F-35’s unparalleled ability to fuse sensor data will shine during the fighter integration event.

“Everyone brings different capabilities, so that we can ultimately win and effectively, from my perspective, kill the adversary with an extremely high kill ratio,” he said. “I would like to lose zero Blue fighters and I would like to kill all the bad guys, and I think the F-35 will demonstrate that with the [situational awareness] that we bring to the fight.”

f-35 europe — The 388th Fighter Wing’s F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter cruises in Eastern European airspace, Feb. 28, 2022, in support of NATO’s collective defense. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo.

There will be multiple rounds of the fighter integration contest, and the teams that perform best will receive the Maj. Richard I. Bong Fighter Integration Award, named after the top American flying ace in World War II. There will also be awards for the top wings in each fighter category, as well as functional awards for command and control, maintenance, weapons loading, intelligence tradecraft, and “superior individual performers.”

Perhaps William Tell’s biggest win be its impact on Air Force fighter culture. From 1954 to 1996, William Tell was a biennial competition, but budget cuts in the wake of the Cold War ended the practice in the 1990s. With the exception of a 2004 revival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first contest, William Tell was finished—until now. USAF’s renewed focus on China as a peer adversary fighting in highly contested airspace is the inspiration for bringing the competition back to life.

Due to its 19-year hiatus, William Tell probably did not have the same cultural currency it once had for many present-day pilots when its return was first announced in April, Thompson said. But “as the months have gone on and we’ve gone through the planning process and found out all the history, how this spanned for 30-plus years … I think the hype has gotten to the point where it was in the past.”

That hype will no doubt continue at the competition itself, where Harding looks forward to meeting past William Tell participants.

“I’m excited to see that history and that culture of where the American fighter pilot came from, because culture is a big thing for us,” he said. “It’s been slowly degraded and reduced over the years and I think this is a step in the right direction to bring it back.”

It won’t just be bringing it back, though—it will be updating it for a new era.

“As all these details have emerged, all the pilots are pretty excited for it, at least within our own wing, to bring that camaraderie and bring our fifth-gen capability and kind of showcase that to the rest of the Air Force,” Thompson said.

About 800 Airmen are expected to participate, Air Combat Command told Air & Space Forces Magazine, representing nine squadrons from the Active, Guard, and Reserve components. Among them will be:

Air Combat Command

F-15E Strike Eagles from the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho

F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

F-35 Lightning IIs from the 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah

Command and Control from the 552 Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

Pacific Air Forces

F-22 Raptors from the 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and the 154th Fighter Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii

Command and Control from the 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan

Air National Guard

F-15 C/D Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.

F-35 Lightning IIs from the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vt.

FSI Defense Prepares Charlotte C-17 Learning Center

Sept. 6, 2023

The United States Air Force (USAF) relies on the C-17 Globemaster III and it’s extraordinary transport capabilities to quickly and safely conduct missions worldwide – and has for decades.

In August 2021, the C-17 and its aircrew expanded those powers, performing unprecedented actions during the evacuation of Kabul, Afghanistan. In one record flight, a C-17 aircrew evacuated more than 800 civilians to safety, including adults and children, with many sitting on their parents’ laps.

Multiple C-17s delivered troops and equipment, along with more flights airlifting Americans and Afghan allies out of Kabul during Operation Allied Refuge (OAR).

While he wasn’t flying active missions during those weeks in 2021, Jeremy Reich, then-Senior Wing Weapons Officer and former Director of Operations at the 145th Airlift Wing, Charlotte, North Carolina Air National Guard Base, knows the crews had a massive advantage on their side: simulator training.

“From scenario training to terrain modeling, OAR aircrew were prepared to execute the mission,” Reich said. “They kept all those airplanes, all those movements safe. They safely put the aircraft where needed and escorted the passengers to safety. Everyone executed their job – that is the greatest accomplishment.”

While the circumstances of OAR may never happen again, future aircrew face new missions ranging from the routine to the extraordinary. To meet those challenges, airmen will soon have a new facility to prepare for C-17 operations.

FlightSafety Defense Corporation (FSI Defense) is a wholly owned subsidiary of FlightSafety International Inc. and provides mission-critical training programs, simulation manufacturing and related services to military and government flight crews worldwide. In the near future, the company will open a C-17 Learning Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, taking its place as the newest learning center and simulator facility in its global network of training locations. Reich, a FSI Defense Instructor at Joint Base Charleston and retired USAF pilot, will become the Charlotte Learning Center site lead and tasked with preparing USAF aircrew for expected – and unexpected missions.

*These Air Force planes are part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and are being used to transport military personnel from air bases in Europe to the Middle East.*

Simulation Training for the Mission

Traditionally, Charlotte-based Air National Guard (ANG) aircrews traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, for simulator training. Once the FSI Defense Charlotte Learning Center opens, ANG personnel will spend less time traveling and more time training at nearby facilities allowing for uncompressed schedules.

Simulator training offers many benefits for new C-17 aircrew, as well as those who are retraining from other aircraft. Instead of special duty trips, aircrew will have direct access to the advanced-technology C-17 flight simulator, allowing aircrew to integrate scenario-based instruction into daily and weekly routines. As demonstrated during OAR, the repetition and volume of simulator training is critical to mission success.

Simulator training is cost-effective and more efficient than airborne training. Simulator instructors introduce weather, terrain and emergency conditions that allow the participating aircrew to practice teamwork while applying corrective actions. Furthermore, the simulator instructor can offer personal experience and lessons learned while resetting the scenario for the aircrew to try again. Resets are virtually instant and offer a safe and effective way to save time and fuel as well as eliminate wear and tear on the physical aircraft.

“You’re not burning actual fuel and there’s a significant decrease in aircraft maintenance,” Reich said. “There’s also no risk of a bird strike or other mishap that often result in a multi-million-dollar maintenance issue.”

“We make the training environment specific to customer requirements. We can change the visibility or make the winds as strong as necessary. We prepare aircrews for the worst possible scenario and train to levels not replicable consistently and safely on an aircraft.”

This scenario-based training also applies to KC-46 air refueling tankers, boom operators, and loadmasters.

Visual Systems and Global Training

Aircrew benefit from computer-generated visual system technology utilizing advanced modeling that allows personnel to train using a large database of real-world locations that show highly detailed terrain and airfield layouts. That knowledge, developed in a simulated environment, enabled C-17 aircrew to execute their mission in Kabul.

Another benefit is connecting Charlotte-based C-17 aircrew with participating aircrew at various locations.

“We can conduct airdrop training and place aircraft formations together – irrespective of their location,” Reich said. “For instance, a C-17 in Hawaii, one in North Carolina, another in Oklahoma, and other geographically separated aircrew can join together for an integrated event using distributed mission operations – it’s fantastic training.”

Continuity of Training

The Charlotte Learning Center extends FSI Defense’s decade-long support of on-site USAF C-17 training and providing NATO aircrew training and partner nation contract logistics support.

Like most FSI Defense instructors, Reich comes to the training mission as a former servicemember.

“I work in an environment where everybody raised their hand to serve our nation; we understand the mission,” he said. “It’s an enriching work environment and critical to our instruction. Aircrew learn from those with former experience. They’re learning from instructors who have been pilots for decades and honed their skills on the C-17 Globemaster. Our instructors have the training and expertise from hours of flight time and are passionate about sharing that knowledge to the next generation of aircrew.”

DAF Personnel Chief on Why Diversity Should ‘Scare the Hell Out of Our Adversaries’

Sept. 5, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

From making it easier for pregnant women to continue flying to updating its pilot candidate scoring mechanism, the Department of the Air Force has made changes big and small in the last few years with an eye toward diversity and inclusion, part of a broader push by the Pentagon to make the U.S. military more diverse.

The DAF’s top civilian on those matters, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs Alex Wagner, is a political appointee of President Joe Biden but has spent most of his career at the Pentagon like his boss, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.

“I look at this institution that in some cases is more diverse than the American population,” Wagner told Air & Space Forces Magazine in an interview. “We’ve got an increasingly diverse country; we’ve got the demographic trends creating even more diversity. We have to be, in order to succeed, a mirror of the country that we claim to and do defend.”

Such change takes time, and Wagner praised the work of his predecessors on the effort.

“A lot of good work started on these topics when I was last in the Pentagon during the Obama administration, and a steady drumbeat continued during the previous administration,” said Wagner, who served as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army from 2015-2017. “The table was really very well set for when I came back to the building, not only building on a number of the efforts that began in the Obama administration, but were resourced—fully resourced—and allowed to grow and thrive during the Trump administration.”

But there have also been reminders of how far the service still has to go. Before Wagner came into his role, Air Force Inspector General reviews in 2020 and 2021 found racial and gender disparities throughout the force, leading top officials like Kendall to call for more reflection and work on the effort

“There are a lot of disparities within the Air Force,” Kendall acknowledged in September 2021.

Some two years later, the service has made much progress, service officials say. And Wagner presented a business case for why that progress was important. Before rejoining the Pentagon in June 2022 in his current role, Wagner helped lead up talent and workforce efforts at the Aerospace Industries Association.

“CEOs whose principal job is return of shareholder value have made very conscious decisions that diverse teams can get them more money,” Wagner said. “My focus is building and manning a force that scares the hell out of our adversaries, that deters our near-peer competitors. And how do I do that? Well, diversity is an important part of that. And it’s one of our actual advantages, and I want to leverage that advantage to the maximum extent possible.”

Increasingly, efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the military have become hot-button cultural issues, with critics arguing the Pentagon is attempting to be “politically correct” at the expense of readiness. Perhaps the most high-profile current example is that of Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who has placed a legislative hold on all flag and general officer nominations in protest of the Pentagon’s policy to provide paid leave and travel funds for troops requiring reproductive services, including abortions, who are based in states where those services are not available.

But Wagner said there were misperceptions on both sides of the aisle that were unhelpful—a point Kendall has argued as well—about military service.

“If you look at surveys of the most trusted institutions in public life, the military is either at the top or a close second,” Wagner said.

In 2023, around two-thirds of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of trust in the military, according to Gallup polling, while just one-tenth have “very little.” Trust in the military has decreased in recent years, though that trend matches a pattern across public institutions in general.

Americans’ support for the military means perceptions of politicization carry great risk, Wagner said.

“I think the military has always been something that’s been a juicy target for politicization,” he said. “I hope that it’s not a self-fulfilling prophecy, because right now, I do not think the military is political.”

Access to reproductive healthcare in the military and support for LGBTQ+ service members and their families have become national issues—whether the Pentagon likes it or not—especially over the last year. But Wagner argues quality of life concerns are readiness issues.

“Every day I come to work, we are not talking or thinking about things that people say are political,” Wagner said. “I am laser-focused, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Chief of Space Operations, the Secretary of the Air Force, is laser-focused on taking care of our people. I don’t consider health care political. I don’t consider child care political. I don’t consider spouse employment political. I don’t consider housing political. I want people to feel safe. I want people to feel included and people focused on their mission because the challenges out there are rising. And we’ve got to be ready to meet them.”

Kendall Pledges ‘Major’ Review of DAF’s Readiness to Meet China Challenge

Sept. 5, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

A week after saying the Department of the Air Force was not as prepared as it could be for war against an adversary like China, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall pledged a sweeping review of Air Force and Space Force organization, training, supply, and readiness in an open letter to Airmen and Guardians released Sept. 5.

“We will conduct a major initiative over the next several months to identify and implement the changes needed to meet our pacing challenge,” which the National Defense Strategy has identified as China, Kendall said, with the ultimate goal of deterring Beijing from starting a war with the U.S.

“This initiative will involve a comprehensive look at all aspects of how we organize, train, and equip the Air Force and Space Force,” Kendall wrote. “A centralized planning effort will be led from the combined Department of the Air Force Headquarters with support and extensive input from our Major Commands and Field Commands,” he said, adding that the review will be completed in January 2024.

Under that timetable, the review would conclude after the Department of the Air Force finishes building its fiscal year 2025 budget request, but before it is sent to Capitol Hill.

An Air Force spokesperson could not immediately say if it is Kendall’s intention that the review informs or provides the basis for the fiscal 2025 budget, and whether the major changes it identifies will have to wait until the 2026 submission.

Kendall’s letter likely foreshadows his remarks at next week’s Air, Space and Cyber conference hosted by AFA in National Harbor, Md. Senior USAF officials have also suggested he will make a major announcement about the Air Force’s plan for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and how they will tie in with the Pentagon’s larger “Replicator” effort to produce unmanned, “attritable” fighting vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft.

“It has been clear to me for over a decade that China is intent on fielding a force that can conduct aggression in the Western Pacific and prevail, even if the United States intervenes,” Kendall wrote. “While China has focused on creating the regional conventional forces it believes it needs, China is also dramatically expanding its nuclear force and military space capabilities. We cannot sustain deterrence by standing still,” he said.

Kendall said this self-assessment will “not be easy,” as the “habits and structures” of the Air Force and Space Force are well established.

Upon completion, the review will be followed by “an implementation phase,” the length of which Kendall did not specify.

Kendall noted that he, acting Undersecretary Kristyn Jones, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Joanne Bass, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger Towberman, have all voiced variations on the same theme with their various mottos and mantras: “We must be ready for a fight unlike anything all of us serving today have ever seen, and that requires both unity of effort and change.”

In an Aug. 30 “Coffee Talk” with Bass streamed on Facebook, Kendall said his concern is that the China threat “is here already” and the Department of the Air Force is not fully ready and organized to deal with it.

“Are we organized to deal with that threat? Are we training to deal with that threat? Are we prepared in terms of how we structure a lot of different functions within the Department of the Air Force, for both the Air Force and Space Force, so that we could deal with that threat? If we were asked tomorrow to go to war against a great power, either Russia or China, would we be really ready to do that?” Kendall asked. “And I think the answer is not as much as we could be, by a significant margin. And we’ve got to start spending a lot of time thinking about that and figuring out what we’re going to do about it.”

In his Sept. 5 letter, Kendall said the DAF has focused for the last two years “on establishing the modernization programs we need to maintain our conventional superiority,” under the organizing structure of his seven Operational Imperatives. That work has “produced the new investments and programs included in the FY’24 Defense Budget,” he said, calling this work unfinished but “well begun.”

“The movement to reoptimize for Great Power Competition has already started; I see evidence of that everywhere I go,” Kendall wrote. “But we must move faster and more comprehensively. “We must identify all the changes we need to make and accelerate them.”

At the same time, Kendall offered no criticism of Airmen, Guardians, or their leadership, saying he is in awe of them, DAF civilians “and the families that love and nourish them.”

“We are second to none,” Kendall wrote, “but we cannot afford complacency.”

Kendall directed every member of the DAF to immediately size up their organizations and answer the question: “if asked to go to war today against a peer competitor, are we as ready as we could be? What can we change in each of our units and organizations to be more ready?”

These questions, he said, aren’t academic or theoretical but are vital to deterrence.

“This is why we all serve,” he wrote, “To be ready at any time to undertake the most stressing mission we may be given.”

While the goal is deterrence, “deterrence rests firmly on our readiness and ability to win. No one wants a Great Power conflict, and no one can predict when one might occur, but come it may, and we must be as ready as we can be—now, tomorrow, and every day.”

Outstanding Airmen of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Theodore Sebsibe

Sept. 5, 2023 | By Patrick Reardon

The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference from Sept. 11-13 in National Harbor, Md. Air & Space Forces Magazine is highlighting one each weekday from now until the conference begins. Today, we honor Tech. Sgt. Theodore Sebsibe, the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Electrical Systems with the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md.

Sebsibe leads a team of 35 military and civilian engineers and is charged with maintaining and installing all electrical distribution systems in the squadron and “America’s Airfield” at Andrews. His team supports 512 facilities ($5.6 billion in assets) and 26,000 personnel. His leadership for such a broad area of responsibilities was recognized when he was invited to the Pentagon for an NCO development workshop. There, Sebsibe was coined by representatives of Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramón Colón-López.

“It was a very cool experience,” Sebsibe said. “I definitely was awake on that day for sure.”

Sebsibe also served as his unit’s administrator of the Commander’s Inspection Program, and is responsible for managing 12 Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs), 456 engineers, and 955 items. The program was woefully outdated when he took over as admin, but by standardizing his squadron’s management internal control toolkit (MICT) checklists and by opening new lines of communication between the 316th and the office of the wing’s inspector general, Sebsibe paved the way for his unit to score a 97 percent compliance rate in their inspection.

“Since I’ve relinquished my title with [the inspection program], [the new checklists] ensured that the [next] member have SOP standard procedures of how to execute it,” he said.

The 316th’s near-perfect compliance rate won Sebsibe another coin, this one from his Wing Commander. He was also recognized as a Superior Performer by the Inspector General during the 2022 Unit Effectiveness Inspection. For both achievements, Sebsibe gave a shoutout to his squadron.

Tech. Sgt. Theodore Sebsibe, *the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Electrical Systems with the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md*. **USAF photo.**

“This was not a solo effort,” he said. “This was a team effort, 100 percent.”

Throughout all his merits from the year that led to his recognition as an Outstanding Airmen of the Year, Sebsibe said the highlight of the year—in fact, his entire Air Force career—was the 60 days he spent filling in as the Civil Engineer Squadron First Sergeant. He supported a 504-person squadron by executing 5 PME seminars, advising the squadron commander through 24 administrative actions, and resolving 26 family advocacy cases.

“It taught me a lot,” Sebsibe said. “I was able to not only sympathize, but empathize with each individual that came into that first sergeant office. Because at that point [in my career as] an NCOIC of managing the Airmen, the engineers—this was more [of] actually being there for them.”

He said that handling family advocacy cases while in the seat of first sergeant were especially eye-opening, that they gave him a deeper understanding of the importance of taking care of the whole military family—not just those in uniform.

“Even if you’re not in our squadron, we’re all family,” Sebsibe said. “I always [assure] them that we’re going to get through it together, no matter what the outcome may be, and they’re not going to be alone.”

Indeed, Sebsibe said it’s his own family who has helped him get through the hard times and go on to achieve great things with his squadron. When he accepts his ribbon as Outstanding Airman of the Year on the stage at the 2023 Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Sept. 11, his wife, Jasmery, will be right there beside him—he said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I have to give it up for my wife,” Sebsibe said. “I could not think of any other person [who] allowed me to be here today, and it was because of her support and her love and just the sacrifices she made. And without her none of this would have been possible.”

He also thanked his parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ethopia and taught him the value of working hard, overcoming obstacles, and constantly moving forward.

“They came to this country a long time ago with nothing on their backs,” he said. “I’m indebted to them my entire life, and that’s why I want to make sure I take care of them and I don’t let them down, [so] they know that [their] sacrifices didn’t go in vain. I want to make sure that everything I do is dedicated to them and my wife.”

Meet the other Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 below:

Tech. Sgt. Jennel L. Edwards

Tech. Sgt. Michelle Fernandez

Tech. Sgt. Micaela R. Mahan

Tech. Sgt. Kimberly R. Mastrocola

Staff Sgt. Dhruva S. Poluru

SrA. Ryan G. Hospelhorn

SrA. Kostiantyn Khymchenko

SrA. Jacob J. Tawasha

After Successful Launch, Lockheed Looks to Go Even Faster on Future SDA Satellites

Sept. 5, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Development Agency successfully launched 13 small satellites into orbit Sept. 2, more than doubling the size of “Tranche 0” of its planned constellation in low-Earth orbit.

The new satellites went from contract award to launch in just three years—breakneck speed by Pentagon standards, but SDA and Lockheed Martin are pressing to go still faster on Tranches 1 and 2 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, said an official at Lockheed, which built 10 of the satellites on this latest launch.

“The 10 Tranche 0 satellites were an incredible pathfinder to get through integration and production,” Chris Winslett, Lockheed Martin’s director for the SDA Transport Layer programs, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Working with a new set of suppliers that aren’t traditional space suppliers gave us an enormous amount of experience there and we’re really leveraging all of that experience and lessons learned on the Tranche 1 and then again, looking forward on Tranche 2 Beta as well.”

Both SDA and Lockheed “learned a lot” through the process of building and delivering the Tranche 0 satellites, Winslett added.

“Really Tranche 1 is our first opportunity to introduce all those lessons learned from Tranche 0 …. so we can be a lot more efficient and maybe even go faster on Tranche 1,” he said.

Lockheed is under contract to build 42 satellites for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer and 36 more in the “Beta” phasse of Tranche 2. Launches are planned from fall 2024 through 2026.

Lockheed has moved quickly for space launches before, but not in the volume required for the new Space Force architecture. “Several demonstration programs we’ve had, like Pony Express, where they were very intense schedules [and] similar smaller satellites, just trying to get capabilities up there,” Winslett said. The company also has internal research and development projects underway. “We at Lockheed have had experience” in rapid space development, “but probably not to the scale that we’re trying to do with SDA.”

A SpaceX rocket lifts off with 13 Space Development Agency satellites on Sept. 2, 2023, at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. Image courtesy of Lockheed Martin

Because SDA prioritizes speed over capability, the focus is not on introducing huge leaps in technology, but rather cost and schedule efficiency. For Tranche 1 in particular, Lockheed has already gone through the Critical Design Review process, so changes based on lessons from Tranche 0 will be relatively minimal.

“It’s really incremental improvements,” Winslett said. “The coverage area of the Link 16 is growing slightly. The data rates are coming at higher data rates. It’s things like that, that aren’t introducing new technologies, but [rather] continuing to improve the technologies that are out there in order to bring more capacity or more capability to the warfighter.”

Tranche 2 will represent a slightly bigger shift. SDA director Derek S. Tournear has said some of those satellites will carry ultra-high-frequency or advanced-waveform payloads to provide “some ability to connect more platforms back into the network,” Winslett said.

Lockheed isn’t finished with the Tranche 0 satellites yet, though; initial testing and experimentation with the newly-launched satellites is still underway.

“From the on-orbit experience, what they call the return-on experience of being able to fly and maneuver the satellites, operating inter-satellite links, and Link 16, we will definitely be able to leverage that into the Tranche 1 on-orbit operations and flying missions, as well as Tranche 2 and future tranches,” Winslett said.

Winslett declined to discuss whether Lockheed has placed bids for the other segments of the Tranche 2 Transport Layer, saying only that the company remains “absolutely” interested in future bids. company recently opened a new factory in Waterton, Colo., that could potentially churn out small satellites.

“At max capacity, it can build up to 180 Tranche 1-sized satellites per year,” Winslett said.

Cotton Talks Extended Deterrence in First Visits to Japan, S. Korea as STRATCOM Boss

Sept. 5, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, head of U.S. Strategic Command, made his first visit to the western Pacific region since assuming office on Dec. 9 last year, holding talks on strategic deterrence with senior leaders from both Japan and South Korea.

“I think, foundationally, as commander of Strategic Command, I want to be able to display the extended deterrence that we offer to our allies, in particular Korea and Japan,” Cotton said in a statement. “I think there is no better way of doing that than personally coming in and speaking to senior leaders in both the Republic of Korea and Japan.”

From Sept. 1-4, Cotton met with Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, the Chief of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Force, as well as Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada. In South Korea from Aug. 29-31, he met with U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Goldberg, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, and Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gen. Cotton, STRATCOM commander meets Gen. Yoshida of Japan — U.S. Air Force Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, commander, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of staff of the Joint Staff, pose for a photo at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 4, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe

In both cases, Cotton discussed STRATCOM’s mission of extended deterrence, providing Japan, South Korea, and other allies with the protection of the U.S.’s nuclear umbrella. He also discussed escalating security challenges in the region, including North Korea’s increased nuclear and missile activities and broader concerns related to China and Russia.

According to an official readout, Hayashi expressed appreciation for STRATCOM’s continuous extended deterrence efforts led by Gen. Cotton, highlighting its significance for Japan’s security. Both leaders outlined the need to strengthen bilateral discussions on extended deterrence at various levels.

During his stay in South Korea, Cotton reiterated his commitment to enhancing the visibility of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula. According to a government readout, Lee expressed gratitude for STRATCOM’s efforts to solidify the deterrence posture of the two allies, particularly through the Nuclear Consultative Group, established during a bilateral summit between President Joe Biden and his ROK counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, in April.

Cotton also discussed South Korea’s plan to establish a strategic command to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, as confirmed by the ROK’s Defense Ministry.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, commander, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), speaks with Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup during an August visit to South Korea. Image courtesy of U.S. Strategic Command/X

In addition to his meetings, Cotton was briefed on the then-ongoing joint drill between Washington and Seoul called “Ulchi Freedom Shield,” which ended on Aug. 31.

A missileer by training, Cotton cited the rise of “new perils” when he took command of STRATCOM in December 2022, chief among them China’s dramatic nuclear expansion in recent years. North Korea, meanwhile, has ramped up its own missile testing program—the Associated Press reports more than 100 weapons tests since the start of 2022.

On Aug. 30, while Cotton was in South Korea, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea in response to a joint U.S.-ROK drill involving a B-1B bomber.

The Air Force’s B-1 fleet cannot carry nuclear weapons but can deploy a large range of conventional missiles and is part of Air Force Global Strike Command, a component of STRATCOM, which spearheads many critical aspects of national security and military strategy such as strategic deterrence, nuclear operations and command, global strike and analysis as well as missile defense and threat assessment.

Cotton’s engagements in Korea and Japan come on the heels of President Biden, along with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, reiterating their commitment to regional stability and extended deterrence during a trilateral summit held at Camp David on August 18.

Cotton’s predecessor at STRATCOM, Adm. Charles Richard, last visited Japan and Korea in July 2021.

How the Ionosphere Can Help NORAD Detect Cruise Missiles Faster

Sept. 5, 2023 | By David Roza

The Air Force is bringing back an old radar technology to detect cruise missiles, but experts warn it must be deployed sooner alongside a comprehensive network of missile detecting and defeating systems to be effective.

Over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) was first developed during the Cold War to detect Soviet bomber attacks from thousands of miles away, according to the Federation of American Scientists. Most radars are limited by the curvature of the Earth, allowing potential threats to fly ‘under the radar’ without being detected. But OTHR bounces high-frequency radio signals off the ionosphere, which starts about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. The descending signals rebound off objects below, then back off the ionosphere before returning to the receiver. OTHR provides early warning of incoming threats more than 1,000 miles away, much farther than conventional radar systems.

An RTX graphic illustrates a next-generation over-the-horizon radar signal bouncing off the ionosphere, giving it awareness beyond the horizon. Courtesy of RTX

A plan to build OTHR in Alaska was abandoned after the Cold War ended, but the emerging threat of cruise missiles from possible adversaries such as China and Russia has brought the system back into focus.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which follow predictable flight paths, cruise missiles can maneuver unpredictably at low altitudes, be launched from a range of platforms, and may reach hypersonic speeds as technology develops.

The Air Force plans to build four OTHRs for North American Aerospace Defense Command/U.S. Northern Command (NORAD/NORTHCOM), but the process is in the early stages; on Aug. 21, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a sources sought notice for building “two remote sites in the North-West United States.”

When they do go up, the new systems could be more advanced than their Cold War predecessors. RTX, the company recently known as Raytheon Technologies, is developing a “next-generation” OTHR that includes advanced transmitters, digital receivers, and a more compact receiver array. A press release about the system notes “adaptive signal processing and advanced digital beamforming,” which should mitigate signal clutter, reduce processing requirements, and improve target detection.

“The next generation that we need for this particular mission set increases the sensitivity of the radar significantly,” Paul Ferraro, president of air power at Raytheon, the defense business unit for RTX, told reporters at an Aug. 31 event.

RTX is no stranger to OTHR systems, having developed three in the 1990s that the Navy uses as surveillance assets for drug trafficking interdiction, Ferraro said. Even so, OTHR is not effective without a larger system to act on the information it provides. Though OTHR can see a great distance, it does not have the same fidelity as other radars that can produce “engagement quality tracks,” Ferraro said.

That means once OTHR detects a threat, it must be able to share information quickly across vast distances so other radars can hone in on the object, then send that information to planners at NORAD/NORTHCOM.

“It is critically important that all of this data is presented to an operator in total, because that gives them the most comprehensive picture of the threat space that they’re trying to defend against,” said Ferraro, echoing what Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the head of NORAD/NORTHCOM, told lawmakers in May.

“There has to be domain awareness between the over-the-horizon radars that link the data from there to an end-game effector,” the general said. “We need to look more broadly at the rest of the infrastructures, the radar as well, and ensure the data from those systems is incorporated in an integrated air and missile defense system that can lead to effectors.”

The northern lights glow behind a Patriot M903 launcher station assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, during Exercise Arctic Edge 2022 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Mar. 5, 2022. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille.

Experts and officials warn that there are many holes in today’s air and missile defense system. The North Warning System, a network of 47 radar stations monitoring the air space over the Canadian Arctic and Alaska, is based on outdated technology first developed in the 1970s, wrote Dr. Caitlin Lee, senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute, in a June paper. The technology may become less effective as China and Russia develop stealthier cruise missiles that could be launched from an array of platforms. VanHerck himself described the system as “a solid fence shrinking to a picket fence.”

Other gaps in the fence are formed by a scarcity of Arctic air- and space-based surveillance assets; a lack of Arctic infrastructure like runways and fuel storage; difficulty identifying airborne objects; and inefficient information-sharing systems, Lee wrote. Fixing it will require a modernized, holistic “missile defeat” system that involves robust detection and tracking mechanisms and a range of interception tools including passive, kinetic, and non-kinetic capabilities, such as cyber warfare, directed energy, and electronic attacks, Lee said.

There are signs of progress. In March, President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laid out a NORAD modernization plan pledging two next-generation OTHR systems “covering the Arctic and Polar approaches, the first by 2028.” The plan also commits to building northern forward operating locations for fifth-generation aircraft and mobility/refueling aircraft. It also seeks to improve “the cybersecurity and resiliency of our critical infrastructure.”

Canada plans to build two OTHR systems, while the Air Force is responsible for funding another four, but the whole set will not be operational until 2031. That is not fast enough, wrote Lee, who called for investing $55 million on NORAD’s unfunded priority list into accelerating OTHR to 2027. She also urged investing about $211 million to amplify the North Warning System with nine advanced mobile Three Dimensional Expeditionary Long Range Radars.

“Arctic domain awareness and information dominance should be a top DOD priority now, not in a decade or more, to shore up cruise missile defense of the homeland,” she wrote.

As Ukraine Prepares to Get F-16s, US Provides AMRAAM Missiles

Sept. 2, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Ukraine will receive AIM-120 AMRAAM advanced air-to-air missiles from the U.S. that could be used on its aircraft, Ukrainian officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“The United States will supply Ukraine with AMRAAM aircraft missiles with a range of 160-180 km,” said Yuriy Inhat, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force.

“AMRAAM are universal aviation missiles and can used for both fighters and air defense systems,” Inhat added.

Until recently, the U.S. has held back from approving the provision of F-16s and the munitions they can employ. But last month, the Biden administration endorsed a European plan to send the American-made F-16s to Ukraine and announced it will assist in training Ukrainian pilots.

“We need weapons that can withstand Russian fighters,” Inhat said.

The provision of AMRAAMs would go one step further, potentially arming those aircraft with radar-guided air-to-air missiles. AMRAAMs are used by the U.S. and many allies. They “are more than enough to get Russian aircraft without entering the enemy air defense zone of destruction,” Inhat said.

The Pentagon decision came to light following a contract announcement Aug. 31, which disclosed a contract worth up to $192 million with Raytheon Missiles and Defense for an indefinite quantity of AMRAAMs. The Pentagon said the contract “provides for Raytheon purchasing fielded AMRAAM weapons from various sources.”

The AIM-120 AMRAAM comes in several versions. The U.S. Air Force uses three: AIM-120B, a reprogrammable variant of the earlier AIM-120A; the AIM-120C, which is optimized for the F-22 and F-35; and the AIM-120D, which includes GPS guidance, anti-jam features, and greater range and lethality. It is not clear which version Ukraine will have. The range the Ukrainian spokesman cited is for the D. It is possible multiple versions will be provided, with older models coming sooner.

The Pentagon contract announcement did not specify which versions would be purchased or for what purpose, nor did the Ukrainians.

“Specific modifications that can be supplied to Ukraine are not made public,” Inhat said.

The initial purchase under the agreement is for $7,688,220, using funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), the Pentagon said, with work “expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2024.”

The USAI is one of the primary mechanisms for arming Ukraine, funding purchases of weapons directly from industry. The U.S. has also provided weapons directly from existing U.S. stocks.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder declined to comment on how the Ukrainians might employ the AMRAAMs.

In an interview published Aug. 30 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Portuguese outlet RTP that he expected F-16s to arrive towards the beginning of next year.

“We need fighter jets merely to defend ourselves,” Zelenskyy told RTP. “To defend our land, our sea, our sky.”

That may be optimistic; U.S. officials have suggested it will take until the middle of 2024 or later for Ukrainian F-16 pilots to be combat-ready. Several Ukrainian pilots are scheduled to begin English-language training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, later this month, then transition to pilot training in the F-16 at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Ariz. The Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing there operates the primary schoolhouse for foreign pilots, covering some 25 countries, according to the wing.

Ukraine is getting F-16s from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, under a deal agreed to by President Biden. The U.S. had to agree because the F-16 is American-made.

AMRAAMs are not limited to air-to-air service. The same missile can also be fired by NASAMS, the U.S.-Norwegian ground-based air-defense system. Ukraine has NASAMS launchers, and already employs AMRAAMs as surface-to-air interceptors.

Ukraine also has sought more advanced surface-to-surface missiles, such as ATACMS, with a range of 200 miles. The Biden administration has so far declined requests for ATACMS. Instead, it has provided HIMARS launchers with GMLRS surface-to-air rockets, shorter range weapons with a range of around 40 miles, and Ukraine is not allowed to use those missiles to attack targets inside Russian territory. Similarly, Ukraine has received JDAM extended-range guided bombs and HARM anti-radiation missiles, but not longer-range airborne weapons.

Recently, however, allies have begun to provide longer-range arms. Britain and France gave Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine, weapons that can strike from up to 300 miles away.

That kind of long-range threat answers a need Zelenskyy has repeated sought. Ukraine, he told RTP, needs a “powerful air force that does not give Russia the possibility to dominate the airspace.”