F-35 Program Manager: Full-Rate Decision Now Expected in Early 2024, But May Be Moot

Sept. 15, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Milestone C for the F-35 fighter—the point at which operational testing is complete and the Pentagon’s acquisition chief can greenlight “full rate” production—is likely to come in early 2024, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt, F-35 program executive officer, told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a recent interview.

But in many ways, “full rate” is moot, as the program is already producing at near its maximum capacity.

“I’m cautiously optimistic we’re going to get through it … early next year,” Schmidt said. “I had said I wanted it done by December. I think the [Initial Operational Test and Evaluation] will be done by then.”

But “there’s a lot of cost estimating” that also has to happen, he added.

A major hangup in finishing IOT&E—and the System Design and Development phase, which has been underway for more than 20 years—is integrating the F-35 with the Joint Simulation Environment. That effort is progressing apace, Schmidt said, and he offered praise to Naval Air Systems Command, which is in charge of it.

The JSE is a kind of wargaming model that calculates how a particular platform—in this case, the F-35—will fare in an all-up war against a peer adversary, and how tweaking the numbers of platforms will affect the outcome of a campaign, in search of a “sweet spot” mix of platforms, munitions, and other capabilities. The JSE was identified as the last big hurdle to achieve Milestone C—and was a late add to the program—several years ago.

The JSE integration “is going really well, so far,” he said.

Additionally, there needs to be new cost estimates, Schmidt said. Generating a new program cost estimate is a challenge because the JPO has to predict “development, production, sustainment across the board through 2088,” he said; the F-35 is the only program out of “hundreds” he’s ever worked on that has to predict upgrades, inflation, and operating costs through the last item’s retirement date.

Included are “estimates for development in the 2050s and … all this sustainment” and “things you haven’t thought of yet—future programs that have not yet been appropriated or started,” he said.

That cost estimate will be available when the Pentagon releases its program Selected Acquisition Reports this fall.

“When people talk about the very big numbers in this program, those are the big numbers that they’re talking about,” Schmidt said, and why the F-35 is derided as being so costly. No other program has had to project lifecycle costs that far into the future, which is inherently uncertain.

Schmidt observed that in attempting to finish the System Design and Development phase, the F-35 program office has been “spending human resources—tons of human resources—looking backwards, focusing on that process to close out SDD, versus looking forward to all of the things that we need to do in this program.”

That, he said, imposes a demand on limited numbers of personnel, who have to look “in the wrong direction. It’s not that it’s not important that we close it out; we do have to close it out. But it … doesn’t add a lot for this program,” said Schmidt

Once SDD is wrapped up, it will free up people and resources, Schmidt noted. The JSE is “operating at an old version of our operational flight program software, because it has to meet the criteria for IOT&E,” Schmidt said. “As soon as we get done with the IOT&E testing in support of Milestone C, we are going to focus Lockheed and the JSE team on getting that software up to the latest software that the jet has. So that is one huge advantage of getting through Milestone C and, and the full rate production decision.”

The software being evaluated for Milestone C “doesn’t take into account the current version of software that is flying in the jets around the world today. But the sooner we get to that, the better,” Schmidt said.

Asked if declaring the F-35 ready for full-rate production is effectively moot, since the fighter is already being produced at near its maximum rate, Schmidt acknowledged that “we’re already at a rate of 156-ish a year. We haven’t built that many yet [in a year], but that’s the rate that we’re at contractually.

“So I agree.”

tyndall f-35 — An Airman guides in an F-35 flown by 325th Fighter Wing commander Col. George Watkins shortly after landing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Aug. 1, 2023. Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza

The goal for the coming years is to keep annual quantities “similar to where we’re at. The maximum production rate is about 156 a year. That’s actual deliveries in a calendar year,” but will fluctuate lot by lot, he said.

Negotiations are underway for Lots 18 and 19. There’s no time limit looming to conclude those negotiations, Schmidt said, and he declined to predict when the JPO and Lockheed will reach a “handshake” deal.

“We’re in the middle of negotiations with Lockheed right now, working through an enormous number of things in in those conversations,” he said.

For the Air Force, F-35s have come in at about $80 million per tail in recent years. Asked if the days of low-cost F-35s are over—given the effects of inflation and the fact that the Block 4 adds some 80 new capabilities, Schmidt declined to offer a prediction.

“As you can imagine, we have a budget and you know, we can only afford what we can negotiate. So, those things all play into the conversation,” he said. “Certainly … the world in which we’re living is definitely charged with inflation from previous years.”

After full-rate production is declared, Lot 20 may be the first official multi-year contract for the F-35.

“We are having those discussions and whether it’s a multi-year or a multi-lot buy, I am looking forward to talking with the Department about that,” Schmidt said.

“We have a good model to show this—it is very important for the U.S. and our partners to invest in what we call Economic Order Quantity funding,” said Schmidt. “So, funding upfront to allow our industry team to make smart decisions in buying forward or locking-in” prices on materials or labor.

“So to me, whether it’s a multi-year contract or a multi-lot contract, the huge benefit of that is in our ability to garner support for EOQ funding upfront, which would allow the most significant savings associated with that,” Schmidt said. “Without the EOQ funding, it is not quite as advantageous to have a multi-year” contract.

Greg Ulmer, head of Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics programs, told reporters during the Paris Air Show that it is reasonable to assume the F-35 will not simply go through a Block 4 upgrade, but many more after that, saying there could be a Block 8. Schmidt agreed, but said that those upgrades won’t depend on having a new engine for the F-35, in the form of an Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) powerplant from GE Aerospace or Pratt & Whitney.

“Oh, absolutely, there are more blocks ahead,” Schmidt said.

“But the selection of the engine isn’t the driver. The driver to supporting Blocks 5 and beyond is the electrical and cooling capacity, which is driven by the power and thermal management system (PTMS). Of which, both the [Pratt-offered Engine Core Upgrade] and the AETP could handle,” he said.

Of the competition between GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney over whether the F-35 needs an AETP engine or a less advanced Engine Core Upgrade, Schmidt noted that certain models of the F-35 would not have been able to take the AETP engine, potentially “bifurcating” the fleet.

Instead, he focused on the importance of a new PTMS to controlling the F-35’s growing power needs.

“What we end up with” in that system “will drive … where we can go relative to electrical power going forward.”

Space Force Sets New Speed Record Going from Orders to Launch in 27 Hours

Sept. 15, 2023 | By David Roza

The Space Force set a scorching new record Sept. 14 when it launched a satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., just 27 hours after receiving launch orders. The successful mission, named Victus Nox, is a milestone as the branch works to deploy new systems faster in response to changing operational requirements.

“The success of Victus Nox marks a culture shift in our nation’s ability to deter adversary aggression and, when required, respond with the operational speed necessary to deliver decisive capabilities to our warfighters,” Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, Space Systems Command boss (SSC), said in a press release Sept. 15.

“This exercise … proves the United States Space Force can rapidly integrate capabilities and will respond to aggression when called to do so on tactically relevant timelines,” he added.

The 27-hour launch record is just the latest in a series of rapid-fire preparations that began less than a year ago, when SSC, the field command responsible for acquiring and launching space systems, awarded contracts to Millennium Space Systems and Firefly Aerospace. Millennium built the satellite, which will help the service’s Space Domain Awareness mission, the manufacturer wrote in a press release, while Firefly built the launch vehicle.

In August, the two companies entered a ‘hot standby phase’ where they awaited an alert notification from Space Force that would give them 60 hours to transport the payload from the Millennium facility in El Segundo to Vandenberg 165 miles away, then test, fuel, and mate it to Firefly’s Alpha launch vehicle.

That series of tasks usually takes weeks or months to complete, but the Victus Nox team completed it in just 58 hours before standing on alert as they awaited the call to launch. The previous record of 21 days was set in June 2021, when SSC launched a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carried by a modified airliner. That mission was called Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2)—the general ability to rapidly launch satellites to respond to urgent operational needs is called Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS).

The Firefly Alpha launch vehicle deploys its Millennium Space Systems payload in low-Earth orbit, Sept. 14, 2023. (Photo courtesy Firefly Aerospace)

Now that it is deployed in low Earth orbit, the Victus Nox satellite has a deadline to begin operations within 48 hours. The mission is a major accomplishment for SSC’s Space Safari Program Office, which is charged with responding to urgent on-orbit needs, a capability space experts say needs to move faster.

“We need to develop combat-ready forces that are resilient and are ready for the fight,” Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt, deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear, said in March. “A key part of that is ensuring our architectures are threat-informed and capabilities are delivered at an operationally relevant pace and speed.”

In a Firefly press release, the company said it was ramping up production of Alpha launch vehicles, which could indicate future speed runs.

The Space Force has already started planning another Tactically-Responsive Space mission, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit. Dubbed Victus Haze, the mission’s goal is to combine ground stations, launch capabilities, and a satellite and be ready to launch on 24 hours’ notice, and mission-ready within 48 hours of reaching orbit.

Ukraine Makes Do With ‘Useful’ Western Weapons While Waiting for F-16s

Sept. 15, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

While the West’s decision to train and equip Ukraine’s Air Force with American-made F-16s has garnered enormous attention, the war there is likely to remain a slugfest on the ground for months to come, U.S. military officials say.

“Just giving them an F-16 is not going to immediately turn the tide and give them air superiority,” Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, told Air & Space Forces Magazine at a media roundtable at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. “But it’s a start.”

In the meantime, Ukraine’s forces will continue to rely heavily on its artillery and mobile HIMARS launchers, which fire precision GMLRS rockets that have a range of nearly 50 miles.

President Joe Biden’s administration is also considering providing Ukraine this fall with a limited number of ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of 100 miles to 190 miles, depending on the model. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a CNN interview broadcast Sept. 10 that he plans to appeal directly to President Biden for the ATACMS. The Ukrainian leader is planning to visit Washington next week to meet with Biden following his speech to the United Nations General Assembly,

Ukraine’s GMLRS rockets and JDAM Extended-Range guided bombs have already forced Russia to move high-value targets such as command and control facilities and ammunition depots farther away from the front line, and the provision of ATACMS would add to Kyiv’s striking power.

“They have enabled Ukraine to reach further back behind enemy lines and take out command and control centers,” Hecker said on Sept. 13 when asked about Ukraine’s current kit.

“The munitions, if you blow them all up, then they don’t have any. And then, if they have a small amount, then they can’t get them there,” said Hecker. “And then, if they don’t have anyone to command and control, all that kind of slows them down. That’s what has been useful.”

The U.S. has provided the GMLRS rockets with the condition they cannot be used to strike Russian territory itself, and if ATACMS are provided, they will almost certainly come with a similar stipulation in line with U.S. policy on materiel for Ukraine.

Ukraine has turned to indigenous drones for some attacks inside Russia, including air bases—though Ukraine usually does not take credit for those attacks as a matter of policy.

The F-16s Ukraine will eventually acquire will boost the country’s military, but employing the aircraft will be challenging.

Hecker, also the commander of NATO Allied Air Command, has focused on improving the alliance’s ability to counter air defenses. Hecker said defeating Russian air defenses inside occupied Ukrainian territory would be a difficult task even with Western weapons.

“It’s very difficult for 31 nations to take out their integrated air and missile defense systems, much less one country that doesn’t have the advanced systems that the other 31 in NATO have,” Hecker said.

Adding to the challenge, Russia has deployed air defenses in Belarus and on Russian territory. But Washington will almost certainly insist that they remain off limits for Ukrainian air strikes to avoid widening the conflict.

Because of Russia’s robust air defense, Hecker said the skies over Ukraine will likely remain contested for the foreseeable future and Ukraine will continue to have to employ tactics such as flying low to the ground to use terrain in an attempt to avoid radar, before popping up to launch weapons.

“I think they’re going to have to do that for a while,” Hecker said.

One area where F-16 will help is interoperability. So far, Ukraine has been employing some of its Western-provided weapons on Soviet-era aircraft, such as American HARM anti-radiation missiles and JDAM-Extended Range guided bombs as well as Anglo-French Storm Shadow/SCALP long-range cruise missiles. Those weapons have proved useful for Ukraine, but the jerry-rigged solutions can only go so far.

“We didn’t just give it to them and say, ‘Good luck,” Hecker said. “They can’t use the same tactics as us because the weapon is not as interoperable on a MiG-29 as it would be on the F-16 … they’ve done it—had some successes, had some failures.”

🇺🇸TOGETHER TO VICTORY🇺🇦

4th July US Independence Day!

"On behalf of the 🇺🇦 Air Force staff I have the honor to congratulate the 🇺🇸 people on this most important date in the history of the 🇺🇸!
✌️Freedom and democracy must be well armed!"

Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk pic.twitter.com/eLCiLWFynb
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) July 4, 2023

The inability of Ukraine and Russia to establish air superiority, Hecker said, underscores the need for the U.S. to continue the deployment of cutting-edge air and space systems.

“They haven’t been able to get air superiority on either side,” Hecker said. “Without that, what they started out doing was throwing 155 [artillery] rounds back and forth at one another. And what goes with that is mass casualties. Cities just turned into a rubble. You have collateral damage, such as schools, hospitals, and those kinds of things—some on purpose, some not. And that’s a war that I don’t think any one of us want to fight.”

25 Great Unit Patches from AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference

Sept. 15, 2023 | By David Roza

More than 18,000 Airmen, Guardians, joint service members, coalition partners, and civilian stakeholders gathered in National Harbor, Md. Sept. 11-13 for AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference to share ideas about the latest in air and space power.

The attendees came from all over the world, and many wore shoulder patches celebrating their home unit’s mission and heritage. Air & Space Forces Magazine gathered photos of 25 stand-out patches in both a gallery and list for readers on different devices, but it is by no means a complete account of all the colorful and motivating emblems seen at this year’s conference.

The ‘Hawks’ of the 6th Attack Squadron train pilots and sensor operators how to fly the MQ-9 Reaper drone at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. There are six stars and six lines indicating the speed of the goshawk mascot as it drops a Hellfire air-to-ground missile. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The 19th Space Defense Squadron, based at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Va., honors its Navy ties with the ‘Space Kraken’ embracing the Space Force Delta. The three stars represent the unit’s connections to the Air Force, Space Force, and Navy, a unit member told Air & Space Forces Magazine. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s 149 Squadron flies the F-15SG, a variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle. The unit has a history of winning the RSAF’s ‘Best Fighter Squadron’ Award, according to The Straits Times. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The “Space Hunters” of the Space Force’s 73rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Squadron observe targets and other points of interest with the vigilance of a hunter. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Space Delta 7 oversees the Space Force’s ISR efforts. The black and blue colors represent the unit’s orbital, airborne, and terrestrial aspects, the 7 stars form the constellation Ursa Major ‘Great Bear,’ the bear itself symbolizes “unyielding tenacity,” and the key it holds is a common emblem of the intelligence community, which seeks to “unlock” the adversary’s secrets, according to the Space Force. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The Travis Air Force Base, Calif.-based Phoenix Spark innovation cell empowers Airmen to use computer-aided design, 3D-printing, software coding, small drones, and other technologies to solve problems and accomplish their mission. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The 60th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron has a long history of moving sick or wounded patients to higher care. Pegasus, the mythological flying horse, helped carry the Greek god Zeus’ thunderbolts, symbolizing the 60th AES’ duty to transport injured service members. The rainbow represents the unit’s mission, which often occurs after the storm of battle has passed. Semper Primus means ‘always first’ in Latin. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The Air Force F-35 Integration Office oversees the jet’s operational integration across the service and represents the Air Force when working with the F-35 Joint Program Office. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

‘Panther’ has emerged as the unofficial nickname for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, as demonstrated by this patch worn by visiting ‘Emerald Knights’ of the 308th Fighter Squadron, an F-35 training unit at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Only pilots who have flown the U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance jet solo can wear this patch. The ‘1500’ represents this pilot’s flight hours in the U-2, while the phrase ‘solum volamus’ means ‘We fly alone.’ (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Not to be confused with the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet, the ‘A10’ Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Office is a Headquarters Air Force position that oversees the Air Force’s nuclear weapons systems and works with the rest of the military and the government on a range of nuclear-related missions. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The 509th Bomb Wing flies the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The unit dates back to World War II, where it dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The mushroom cloud represents that mission, the upside-down ‘E’ is a symbol from European heraldry which means eldest son, symbolizing that the 509th is the oldest atomic-trained military unit in the world. ‘Defensor Vindex’ means ‘Defender avenger,’ as nuclear weapons can be used to “protect and retaliate” according to the wing website. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The patch of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the U.S. Air Force, often referred to as the A3, reflects how the position oversees the branch’s operations across air, space, and cyber domains. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The history of the 41st Intelligence Squadron dates back to the 1950s. The key is a common symbol of intelligence units, but the reasons behind the Viking helmet and ax were not immediately clear. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Only about 100 Airmen have graduated from the 315th Weapons Squadron, the Air Force’s ICBM weapons school, but this patch-wearer is the 95th graduate. Though the symbolism of the skeleton was not immediately clear, it sure looks great. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Another former World War II bomber squadron, the 452nd Flight Test Squadron most recently flew the RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance drone. The squadron is assigned to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Originally a World War II bomber squadron, the 586th Flight Test Squadron now tests advanced weapons, sensors, and other technology while flying modified T-38C jet trainers and C-12 turboprop aircraft out of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.(Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The F-15E Strike Eagle can attack air and ground targets in all weather in the day or night, and that ‘anytime, any place attitude’ is captured in this ‘day/night’ F-15E patch. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Like the rest of the ‘Jolly Rogers’ of the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., the 320th Missile Squadron started as a World War II B-24 bomber squadron. According to a unit history, one B-24 nicknamed ‘Moby Dick’ downed four Japanese planes, sunk three ships, and at one point returned from a mission with 200 large bullet holes. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The Greek Titan Atlas had a heavy responsibility holding up the heavens for eternity, and so do members of Striker Titan, a professional development program that provides graduate-level education on the Air Force global strike enterprise for noncommissioned officers. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

A tentacled version of the ‘mighty watchful eye’ celebrated in the Space Force official song appears in this patch for the intelligence collection management component of the Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Each flight of the 37th Intelligence Squadron has a different shark mascot, like hammerheads, bull sharks, or, in this case, dog sharks. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

A bit like the great white sharks that sometimes swim off the coast of its home at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, the 37th Intelligence Squadron is ‘never seen, always there.’ (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Activated in 2020, the ‘Krakens’ of the 39th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., work a range of spectrum warfare missions, like testing new software and closing caps between the intelligence community and the combat Air Force. ‘Vigilamus ab umbris’ means ‘We watch from the shadows.’ (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

The ‘Lancers’ of the 333rd Fighter Squadron flew combat missions over Vietnam before training pilots of close air support aircraft like the A-7 Corsair II and A-10 Thunderbolt II. Today, the 333rd is a formal training unit assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., where it qualifies F-15E Strike Eagle pilots and weapon systems officers. (Air & Space Forces Magazine photo by David Roza)

Cyber Bosses Seek to Exploit Full Capacity of Joint Force

Sept. 15, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Growing threats in the cyber realm have senior military and defense officials increasingly pressing to integrate the joint force across domains and combatant commands. Speaking at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, leaders emphasized the need to be ready before future crises strike.

The unclassified summary of the Pentagon’s 2023 Cyber Strategy, released Sept. 12, highlights the deterrent value of cyber capabilities when they’re understood by potential adversaries. “Cyber capabilities held in reserve or employed in isolation render little deterrent effect on their own,” the report states.

“Military [cyber] capabilities are most effective when used in concert with other instruments of national power, creating a deterrent greater than the sum of its parts,” the strategy states. DOD, it adds later, must “campaign in and through cyberspace to advance joint force objectives.”

Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Kennedy, head of Air Forces Cyber, told an audience of Airmen and Guardians that “cyber is different, but not special.” Operators must “think about the effects that we can create in the cyber domain and [align] those into crisis and conflict planning in the normal processes that exist within the combatant commands for aligning those capabilities.”

But cyber does present specific challenges, he said. U.S. Cyber Command is so new—it only became a unified combatant command in 2018—and figuring out how to coordinate and ensure maximum effect is still an ongoing effort. Some argue that a future military Cyber force, modeled on the U.S. Space Force, may be a necessity in the future.

Kennedy is not quite sold, at least not yet. “For me, when you start any kind of military capability and you think across domains, you generally start with some level of just deconfliction,” he said. “Then you move into some level of maybe coordination, synchronization, and then you want full-on synergy of the forces to get some effects upscaling. Where I’d say we are right now … [is] we’re definitely in the coordination and synchronization line.”

Sorting out who is responsible for executing particular missions is the major hurdle today.

“All are involved, all in the planning, it needs to integrate with both commands’ joint fires’ processes,” Kennedy said. “But the question of timing and tempo goes to who has the [unified command plan] mission. And then who is the person that has to execute that mission and align it with the effects in the other domains? So I’d say we’re moving along. We’re not at full synergy yet.”

U.S. Airmen with 175th Cyber Operations, Maryland Air National Guard, train at Exercise Southern Strike at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, April 21, 2023. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Renee Seruntine

Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, vice commander of CYBERCOM, said that as more Airmen, Guardians, and other service members gain cyber operations experience in cyber units, planning and coordination will become easier. The services themselves will gain confidence in the domain.

“It starts with that talent,” he said. Then it requires ability, “the maturation of each of the service cyber component headquarters, the maturation of our integrated planning elements that are with each of the combatant commands,” Haugh said. Today, they are increasingly “working to campaign, to develop operations and investments, and to be able to have outcomes.”

Wanda T. Jones-Heath, principal cyber advisor to the Department of the Air Force, said cyber operations have to be folded into existing training exercises, so operators get use to responding to cyber effects and employing cyber effects in operations.

“We’re starting to do a lot of that. You see it in the INDOPACOM region, joint exercises, we don’t find ourselves, let’s include our sister services,” Jones-Heath said. “So we have to keep that in mind as we think about, are we able to project enough power, both in the Air and Space Force?”

The Space Force is particularly vulnerable to cyber attack—space is about moving sensor data and communications around the globe rapidly, and the links between assets on orbit and ground stations are subject to attack.

But Col. Zachary “Shay” Warakomski, the USSF’s senior cyber officer, said the reverse is also true. “You can flip that paradigm just a little bit, from the standpoint of offering a wider array of exquisite capabilities for the combatant commanders, our nation’s leadership, through space-enabled cyber operations as well,” Warakomski said. “And when you take into consideration the entire portfolio of information warfare and electronic warfare … that’s a whole lot of arrows in the quiver for our nation’s leadership.”

Given those close ties, Warakomski said the Space Force is looking to stand up a service component to CYBERCOM, an issue Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman also raised during the conference. Already, the service has established an integrated mission analysis team for space in CYBERCOM, and Warakomski said they will continue to build “direct connective tissue.”

The Cyber Strategy document also noted the importance of aligning cyber effects with other government agencies, industry partners, and allies and partners—particularly key because the focus of many cyber threats is to critical U.S. infrastructure. Haugh, nominated to be the next head of CYBERCOM and the National Security Agency, said coordination on that front has also significantly expanded in the past few years.

“That has really started with election defense, and the work that began in 2018, to be a partner in support of [Department of Homeland Security] and FBI, to defend our elections and our electoral process,” Haugh said. “That foundation was really built on how we collaborated with both DHS and FBI, but also how we share information. And as U.S. Cyber Command, we’ve received significant new authorities on how we can partner with industry and to share information directly. We’ll do that in concert with DHS and [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] and with FBI.”

Russian Air Force Trades Efficacy for Survival Over Ukraine, USAFE Boss Says

Sept. 14, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The Russian Air Force has substantially revised its tactics in Ukraine and is holding down its losses by carrying out less effective bombing runs, Gen. James B. Hecker, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa said Sept. 13.

At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian warplanes flew into the thick of the Ukrainian air defenses and took serious losses, according to Western officials and military analysts. More than 75 Russian planes were shot down, Hecker said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference.

“When it first started out, they were flying right into the surface-to-air missile engagement zones of the Ukrainians,” Hecker said in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine. “So they now don’t fly in those rings, or if they do, it is for low altitude for very quick moments and then they go back out.”

The switch in tactics, however, has required a tradeoff.

“That’s adapting for saving aircraft, but obviously it doesn’t bode well for dropping bombs and trying to gain air superiority,” Hecker said.

Restocking and improving Ukraine’s air defense has been a top focus of Western aid to Kyiv, a decision Hecker supports and one that aligns with his separate mission as NATO Allied Air Commander to bolster the alliance’s air defenses.

Russian have forces suffered major losses following their February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. According to a Western defense official, Russian forces have suffered over 270,000 troops killed and wounded and lost more than 2,000 tanks and 4,000 armored fighting vehicles.

Though Russian air operations have also come at a cost, the Russian Air Force is largely intact, Hecker added.

In terms of precision munitions, Hecker noted, Russia has sought to preserve its inventory. Yet Moscow still appears to have adequate supplies of AS-23 and AS-4 cruise missiles as well as one-way attack drones supplied by Iran.

“We’re still seeing those on a regular basis, and those are fairly precise,” Hecker said. “When it comes to doing [things] like close air support for some of their army folks that are on the ground, there it is primarily non-precision weapons.”

While Ukrainian drone attacks against air bases inside Russia had prompted the Russians to disperse some of their aircraft, they have done little to reduce Moscow’s long-range strike capability, Hecker said.

The Russians have also put tires on the wings of some of their bombers to protect the planes against drone strikes and perhaps reduce their thermal signature.

Commercial satellite images provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine by Maxar Technologies indicate that the Russians have placed rows of tires on the wings of Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers at their Engels air base. Social media images also show tires on a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber.

“There’s been some successful attacks inside of Russia from Ukraine that have taken out some of their long-range aviation assets,” Hecker told a media roundtable at the conference. “But in the big scheme of things, their air force is still fairly intact. Not the case as much with their army.”

Four More Guard Wings Tapped for Upgrade to C-130J

Sept. 14, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force has selected four more Air National Guard wings to transition to the new C-130J Super Hercules, a key inflection point as the Guard modernizes.

The C-130Js feature a roomier, “stretched” fuselage, more powerful engines with composite six-blade propellers, and digital avionics and mission computers. That means J’s can fly faster, higher, and farther than the C-130H.

The four wings receiving new C-130Js in place of H-models:

103rd Airlift Wing, in Connecticut

120th Airlift Wing, in Montana

133rd Airlift Wing, in Minnesota

182nd Airlift Wing, in Illinois

Each wing is getting eight C-130Js, with the timeline to be determined, according to a release. Final approval of the plan is pending as the Air Guard awaits completion of an environmental impact study no later than fiscal 2025.

Six other Guard wings are already flying or scheduled to receive the C-130J:

123rd Airlift Wing, in Kentucky

130th Airlift Wing, in West Virginia

136th Airlift Wing, in Texas

143rd Airlift Wing, in Rhode Island

146th Airlift Wing, in California

165th Airlift Wing, in Georgia

Additionally, the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing has been selected to host the Guard’s C-130J Formal Training Unit, gaining four C-130Js in addition to its existing C-130H schoolhouse.

The 165th Wing in Georgia is the latest unit to make the transition to the J model. Its last C-130H departed Savannah Air National Guard Base, Ga., on Aug. 18, and the newer aircraft are slated to start arriving in December.

Once the latest four wings receive their new airframes, the Guard will have more J-models than H’s, with just five units still flying the older model:

139th Airlift Wing, in Missouri

152nd Airlift Wing, in Nevada

153rd Airlift Wing, in Wyoming

166th Airlift Wing, in Delaware

179th Airlift Wing, in Ohio

The Guard is catching up to the Active-Duty force, which has already completed its transition from the C-130H.

First EC-37 Delivered for Testing; CCAs Will Complement It

Sept. 14, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

The first of 10 EC-37B electronic warfare aircraft has been delivered for Air Force testing, BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies announced Sept. 12. Gen. Mark D. Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, said the aircraft is arriving not a moment too soon and will not be made obsolete when Collaborative Combat Aircraft with electronic warfare/electronic attack capabilities come along in a few years.

The Air Force needs the EC-37B to succeed the aging EC-130 Compass Call “yesterday,” Kelly told reporters at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Both aircraft carry that mission name.

The first EC-37 aircraft will undergo a combined developmental and operational test program—similar to what the Air Force is doing with the Boeing F-15EX fighter—made possible by the fact that the aircraft largely uses electronic equipment ported from retiring EC-130s, whose operations are well understood.

The EC-37B mission hardware is built by BAE at its Hudson, N.H., facilities; the Gulfstream G550 business jet platform is made in Savannah, Ga.; and the aircraft is modified at L3Harris’ Waco, Texas, plant. Testing is likely to be conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and the EC-37B fleet will be based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

“It’s all about the mission systems,” Kelly said of the testing.

“When we dial up the jamming power or ask for a specific waveform, that waveform needs to come out exactly [with] the amount of … power and [at the] frequency we asked for,” he said. Testing will ensure that the integrated core processors on the aircraft can “talk to” the mission systems, and that “when you ask for a certain amount of jamming, that’s all you get. And when you turn it off, it turns off.”

Like the EC-130, the EC-37B will be able to conduct jamming of radars, electronic systems and communications. The aircraft will also play a role in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission by disrupting an enemy’s ability to coordinate sensors and command-and-control weapon batteries that target friendly aircraft.

The first EC-37 Compass call delivered to the Air Force for testing next to an EC-130 Compass Call. Image courtesy of L3Harris

The G550 can operate at higher altitudes than the C-130, and its higher speed means the EC-37B can move around more quickly, Kelly said. The EC-37B’s ability to fly at 40,000 feet and 600 knots—versus the EC-130’s ceiling of 25,000 feet and 300 knots.

Combined with the new aircraft’s reduced need for maintenance and greater reliability, the Air Force will get a leg up in electronic warfare, Kelly said.

“Most of what it does is highly classified and so I’m limited in what I’m going to say about it,” Kelly noted. “But, bottom line is, we needed to enable our ships and aircraft to get closer [to an adversary] by electromagnetic protection and…electronic attack, to make it more difficult for adversary ships and aircraft to operate across” the electromagnetic spectrum, or EMS.

Kelly said the operating concept between the EC-130 and EC-37B is “not overly different,” and in fact, the EC-130s not yet being retired have been updated with new gear so that their “techniques [can] catch up with what will be on the EC-37.”

Kell said the EC-37 will not be rendered obsolete by CCAs, the autonomous drones the Air Force plans to pair with manned aircraft—electronic warfare has been identified as one of first missions for CCAs.

“I see it as complementary,” he said, noting the EC-37’s abilities will also complement Block 4 of the F-35, which will also has an extensive electronic warfare suite. It will also work with the F-15’s EPAWSS, or Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, but Kelly cautioned that all of these need to be harmonized so “they don’t have electronic fratricide on each other.”

Col. Joshua Koslov, commander of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, told reporters in a separate press conference that he does not see CCAs displacing existing electronic warfare aircraft.

“I think they’re not going to be a replacement for any of the big electronic platforms,” Koslov said.

“They’re not going to replace the [Navy EA-18G] Growler or any of those systems. I think they’re going to complement our strike packages, and provide that ‘fullback blocking package for the running back,’ basically, and they’re going to work in concert with our weapons and our fighters,” he added.

Koslov also said the electronic warfare CCA mission “will come to us when that program is ready to go, and we’ll be the guys to fill in those capabilities.”

Space Force Looks to ‘Build Upon Momentum’ to Solidify Its Unique Culture

Sept. 14, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Looking to fight “inertia,” Space Force leaders said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference they want to build on the young service’s momentum and keep building a culture unique among the military services.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman has made “Amplifying the Guardian Spirit” one of his key lines of effort for the service, and in a Sept. 12 panel discussion, deputy chief of space operations for human capital Katharine Kelley said the use of words like “amplification” and “spirit” speaks to the need to keep moving forward and not get bogged down by standard Pentagon bureaucracy and conventions.

“There’s much inertia institutionally against startups. We need to continue and build upon momentum as a new service,” said Kelley.

Earlier this month, the Space Force announced its new mission statement, formulated with direct input from Guardians: “Secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space.” The process and end result were both emblematic of USSF’s distinctive culture and identity, but the youngest branch of the military still has some challenges and opportunities for securing its own path forward.

One of the most distinctive and high-profile examples of the way the Space Force has sought to build its own culture is its “patching ceremony”—Guardians at Basic Military Training are gifted patches and personal notes from a Guardian who wore that patch, building morale, tradition, and lineage.

86 Guardians assigned to the 1st Delta Operations Squadron Detachment 1 recived their Space Force Patch during a private ceremony on June 20, 2023. Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, Commander, Space Operations Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, reviewed the ceremony. U.S. Air Force photo by Daniel Cruz

Even the way that tradition came about is indicative of the Space Force’s unique spirit, said Chief Master Sgt. James Seballes, senior enlisted leader of Space Training and Readiness Command, because it doesn’t stem from the leadership but rather emerged as a grassroots initiative from Guardians themselves.

“That was the team that was planning and building the curriculum that came together. That was not just enlisted Guardians, that was also civilian and officer Guardians that helped come up with the idea,” Seballes said.

Seballes’ reference to civilian Guardians spotlighted another unique aspect of Space Force culture—its inclusion of civilians and contractors who work for the branch. Leaders said they recognize every decision made impacts the entire force, especially due to the relatively small size of the branch.

This can be beneficial, according to Maj. Gen. Steven Whitney, director of staff. Whitney pointed out the personalized mentorship and one-on-one conversations that characterize the service’s approach to leadership development. This personalized feedback, which goes both ways, ensures that leaders are not only imparting knowledge but also learning from their subordinates.

Leaders hope such development will help the service in retaining talent over time. In addition, Seballes said Guardians may be more likely to stay based on the Space Force’s focus on giving members a voice and streamlining processes for quicker problem-solving. In this regard, its small size can be another significant advantage.

“For instance, I’ve seen things that take lengthy amount of time to be processed in other branches but in our department is a lot shorter process. That saves a lot of time and energy and resources for problem solving,” he said.

Kelley also noted the service hopes to boost retention by investing in Guardians. This includes designing ecosystems to assess individual skills and determine suitable career paths, whether within the branch or as civilians. Kelley pointed out that continuous learning and skill development are vital components, and she stressed the importance of amplifying the expertise and unique experiences of each role within the USSF to create a stronger and more cohesive team.