Outgoing AMC Boss Minihan Wishes He Could Give Airmen ‘Predictability’

Sept. 9, 2024 | By David Roza

Sept. 9 marked the end of an era as Gen. Mike Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command, retired after a 34-year career and passed the baton to Gen. John D. Lamontagne at a ceremony at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

During his tenure, Minihan oversaw some of the most demanding periods in AMC history. The command’s 107,000 troops and 1,100 aircraft responded to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s invasion of Gaza; moved U.S. troops out of Niger; delivered aid to a series of humanitarian crises, and put on Mobility Guardian 2023, a massive exercise where 70 aircraft, 3,000 personnel, and several international partners practiced moving troops and supplies across the Pacific for two weeks.

Mobility Guardian was just one part of a wider effort across the Air Force to prepare for possible future conflict against a near-peer rival such as Russia or China. Elsewhere, mobility troops are flying longer sorties than ever to prepare for the vast reaches of the Pacific and working in smaller teams than ever so they can quickly avoid incoming missile strikes.

It’s a lot to juggle, which is why Minihan wishes he could give mobility Airmen an easier way to handle it all.

“The reality is, we have to find ways that can handle both the tyranny of the urgent and also plan for the future,” he said. “So if I had one gift that I could give to the Airmen of Air Mobility Command, it would be predictability. We have to, with all of that, still provide, to the best we can, predictability so their professional and personal lives are not continually in a state of chaos.”

Airmen load cargo onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Oct. 27, 2023. (Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander Cook)

Every three minutes around the clock, a mobility aircraft takes off or lands after refueling fighters, hauling supplies for a humanitarian relief effort, or a wide range of other missions. That tempo picks up in response to crises, and with only so many aircraft and crews available, AMC is sometimes referred to as “Another Missed Christmas.”

“When we surge, we have to provide an opposite recovery time so that what was lost can be gained back, but also we don’t lose what should have been done,” he said. “So we have to really proactively drive the recovery for the Guard, Active-Duty, Reserve when it comes to the surges that they do routinely.”

Other generals have raised similar concerns. Earlier this year, Maj. Gen. Corey J. Martin, then-head of the 18th Air Force, the only Numbered Air Force under AMC, said mobility Airmen may need their own version of the Air Force Force Generation deployment schedule (AFFORGEN), a two-year cycle made up of four phases: prepare, certify, deploy, and reset, each of which lasts six months.

“Our Airmen don’t necessarily have the luxury of having a six-month reset in the traditional sense that it was designed,” Martin told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Warrior Heart

In the meantime, Minihan strived to make it easier for Airmen to handle life stress through “Warrior Heart,” an effort to give equal attention and priority to mind, body, and craft by eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health treatment, lowering barriers to treatment, and increasing access and options.

The general pointed out Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which in July 2023 launched a program called Sean’s Room, where service members can walk into a room at the 305th Air Mobility Wing’s Passenger Terminal and get confidential, informal peer support from trained volunteer Airmen.

The idea lines up with what then-Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass said in February: only two out of every 10 Airmen who seek mental health need clinical support, according to mental health providers. “The other eight just need to know someone cares,” she said.

“There is a shortage of mental health providers, but there is not a shortage of leaders and wingmen,” Bass added.

Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, officiates the ribbon cutting ceremony for Sean’s Room at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. on 10 October, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matt Porter)

By October, Sean’s Room had already helped more than 500 guests and saved nine lives, according to Senior Airman Connor Runkle, a C-17 crew chief who played a key role standing up the program along with 305th AMW commander Col. Elizabeth Hanson.

“These individuals received the help and support they needed because we were there to answer their calls,” Runkle said in a press release last year.

Minihan wants mobility wings to have the resources they need to pursue those kinds of ideas.

“We need to be the headquarters that supplies those tools,” he said. “I think we’ve made enormous progress. At the same time, I know we’ve got a lot more to do.”

Starting From Further Behind

Resource issues extend beyond mental health. After Mobility Guardian, Minihan set a goal to outfit 25 percent of the mobility enterprise with connectivity upgrades by 2025. Airmen say secure, beyond-line-of-sight communication—a capability enjoyed by fighter and bomber pilots for decades—is crucial for them to fly the rest of the joint force across the Pacific in a near-peer conflict. But progress has been slow, and reaching the goal by 2025 is very much in doubt.

“There is absolutely a way that we can still get there,” he said. “However, it’s in jeopardy unless we get some infusion of resourcing earlier.”

The technology to provide that connectivity exists. When asked what might be getting in the way, Minihan pointed to the Air Force-wide resourcing problem, the fact that AMC is starting from further behind than other major commands, and the unnecessary bureaucracy that former Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. criticized in his “Accelerate Change or Lose” strategy.

“I think my frustrations are similar to what Gen. Brown laid out,” Minihan said. “The bureaucracy is always a challenge, especially when it comes to developing new technology or instituting technology that already exists.”

In speeches and memos, Minihan made strong statements about the urgency of preparing for near-peer conflict, which experts say will be far more bloody than any Americans have seen for generations. The statements were too strong, some argued—in 2023, the Pentagon distanced itself from a memo in which Minihan predicted a war with China in 2025 and encouraged his Airmen to get to the shooting range and “aim for the head.”

What was his strategy? The general said it was to be clear and concise on the things that he as AMC boss felt needed urgent action.

“I’ve been consistent throughout my whole career in my approach towards commanding and putting a team on the field that’s ready to dominate and win,” he said.

That, and his experience as deputy commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, was why he was promoted to be AMC boss in October 2021, he said.

“I was also told by Gen. Brown, the morning he promoted me and we did the change of command, to go faster,” he said. “I felt a sense of urgency and action from the get-go. I use tools to help define what that urgency and action would look like, and that urgency and action that was delivered by those tools has been extremely successful.

“I am not the least bit concerned about the legacy of Mike Minihan,” he added. “I am consumed with the legacy for Air Mobility Command and its total force Airmen, civilians, families, retirees, everybody that wore the AMC patch past, present, and future.”

The general’s own future lies in Florida, where he will move to help take care of his parents, explore doing nonprofit work, and be available for service members who want advice.

“I have not been able to control my personal tempo for decades,” he said. “I’m looking forward to learning the civilian side of Mike Minihan, and I’m looking forward to spending incredible amounts of time with my family.”

Now it’s up to Gen. Lamontagne to keep building the momentum for what Minihan calls “the most relied-upon force in the history of warfare.”

“Mobility Airmen understand that their efforts … deliver the peace, prosperity, and prestige every day that not just this nation deserves, but the free world deserves,” he said. “We’ve got to do everything in our power to make sure that they have the tools necessary to be successful.”

Pentagon Report: Air Force to Bed Down Only 25 F-35s in Fiscal 2026

Sept. 7, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force would only bed down 25 F-35s in fiscal 2026 under a plan included in a recent Pentagon report on the fighter. The plan calls for the service to field some 700 of the jets by the end of the decade and never buy more than 48 in any given year.

The Selected Acquisition Report, which was completed Dec. 31, 2023, but only cleared for public release on Aug. 7, 2024, includes an “Operational Fielding Plan” for all three variants of the F-35. The Air Force’s fielding plan and inventory shows that 419 Lightning IIs were in the service’s inventory at the end of 2023, but more will be added annually in an irregular pattern. The service also expects losses of between two and four F-35s per year.

F-35A Fielding Plan and Inventory

Year	Fielded	Losses	Decommissioned	Inventory
2023	0	0	–	419
2024	51	3	–	467
2025	57	2	–	522
2026	25	3	–	544
2027	39	3	–	580
2028	44	3	–	621
2029	47	4	–	664

(source: DOD Modernized Selected Acquisition Report, F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter [JSF] Program, citing 2023 “Weapon System Planning Document [WSPD] Approved Beddowns”)

An Air Force official said the figures should not be construed as mirroring planned Air Force budget requests but reflect “a number of factors” affecting how fast jets can be purchased, delivered, and absorbed into existing F-35 units and fielded in new locations.

Those factors likely include:

The Air Force’s request for just 42 F-35s in the fiscal 2025 budget

The fact that jets with the Tech Refresh 3 upgrade were being produced but not delivered during much of 2024 pending completion of TR-3 testing

Assumed reductions to the buy from Congress pending corrections to various programmatic deficiencies

The service’s desire to defer larger purchases until the preferred Block 4 version of the jet is tested and available

Lockheed Martin’s difficulties in achieving intended annual production rates.

The official also noted that the plan dates to late 2023 and that there have been adjustments to the program since then which were not captured in the report.

The expected annual attrition losses are about double those predicated by the Marine Corps and Navy for their F-35 fleets, which range from zero to two per year.

The report separately plots a notional buying plan for the F-35A. The Air Force’s plan calls for buying 42 per year in fiscal 2025 and 2026, 47 in both 2027 and 2028, and then a steady 48 per year until 2048, with the last 34 aircraft planned for 2049, for a total of 1,763.

Under early plans for the program, the Air Force envisioned buying between 81 and 110 F-35s per year, with the intent of concluding production in the 2030s.

The Air Force only requested 42 F-35As in its fiscal 2025 budget request, down from previous requests of 48 per year. Senior service officials have said those numbers reflected other priorities, such as the need to develop the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter and the associated Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and to procure F-15EXs to backfill F-15Cs rapidly aging out of the inventory.

The Marine Corps buying plan calls for a low of 13 F-35s per year in 2025 and 2026, and a high of 25 in 2032, which is the end year for its planned F-35B procurement, totaling 353 aircraft.

The Navy will similarly vary its buy of carrier-capable F-35Cs from just 13 in fiscal 2025, ramping up to 24 in 2029, and then declining to 15 toward the latter years, ending with 340 F-35Cs by 2035, the planned last year of production for the Navy.

By the end of fiscal 2029, the Marine Corps expects to have 245 F-35Bs in service, while the Navy expects to have 219 F-35Cs; together totaling 464 aircraft, or about two-thirds of planned Navy/Marine Corps procurement of 693 F-35s.

Together with the Air Force, the U.S. services expect to field 1,128 F-35s by the end of fiscal 2029. The numbers do not include production or fielding for international partners or Foreign Military Sales customers.

The Air Force set its objective of 1,763 F-35s circa 2005 and has not adjusted that figure since, despite growing inventories of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters in China, the proliferation of more lethal air-to-air and surface-to-air missile threats worldwide, and the pursuit of more advanced fighters like the NGAD.

Service officials say they are cognizant that reducing the planned buy would instantly increase the unit cost of the F-35 on paper, as developmental and beddown costs would be amortized over a smaller number of aircraft produced. This increase in turn would potentially lead to a Nunn-McCurdy breach, and potentially persuade Capitol Hill not to continue the program.

US Space Command Leaders Endorse Other Services Having Role in Space

Sept. 6, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

U.S. Space Command leaders expressed support in recent weeks for contributions to the combatant command from all the military branches as they build space expertise and integrate it into their operations, amid a debate over how to balance the roles of the Space Force and other services’ space capabilities.

“When the command stood up, we did not have components from all of the services,” Navy Rear Adm. Will Pennington, SPACECOM chief of staff, said at a recent Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. “And now, we have service components from the Army, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Navy. … Beyond that, what the services have invested in, is the development of their force to have a greater understanding of space, therefore be able to serve a greater role in liaison and equity and to enable true multi-domain, joint force, and coalition force warfare.”

Each branch can bring its own specialized skills to tackle the challenges of space-based missions, Pennington suggested.

U.S. Space Command leaders – Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, Navy Rear Adm. Will Pennington, and Air Commodore Darren Whiteley speak at Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event held in Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., on Aug 28.

As an example, Pennington pointed to the Army’s Space Operations Officers, or FA 40, who remain pivotal even with the standup of the Space Force in late 2019. These specialists leverage space-based assets—like satellite communications, GPS, and missile warning systems—to support military missions and ensure space capabilities are integrated into Army operations, as the Army remains the largest user of satellite resources in the Department of Defense.

“That expertise has continued and remains incredibly important to us,” added Pennington.

Pennington’s remark comes on the heels of a recent Army proposal to create a space military occupational specialty (MOS) to build long-term expertise in the field. The commander of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, has argued a dedicated MOS would allow Soldiers to specialize early, deepening expertise and cementing the Army’s stake in space.

“The Army has a place in space, and we need to continue leading the charge by giving our Soldiers every opportunity possible to become the experts we’ll turn to during the next conflict,” Gainey said at the Space and Missile Defense Conference last month.

The initiative is part of the Army’s broader ambition to carve out its own role in space. A key milestone came in January when senior leaders endorsed the Army Space Vision for multi-domain operations, declaring Army space professionals “critical” to the service’s readiness.

Some experts have raised doubts, however, arguing that the Army’s proposal duplicates efforts, wastes resources, undermines cooperation, and favors its own missions over joint operations.

“The Army should be stopped, and all resources involved should be revectored to the Space Force,” Charles Galbreath and Jennifer Reeves from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies argued in an op-ed, calling on the Secretary of Defense and Congress to step in. With the Space Force’s $30 billion budget this year dwarfed by the Army’s $185.5 billion, they called the Army’s move to fund its own space assets “ludicrous,” especially given the lack of growth in the Space Force budget.

In response, U.S. Space Command boss Gen. Stephen Whiting, also a member of the Space Force, noted space expertise doesn’t need to be exclusive to Guardians, backing the Army’s initiative. Two Army Space officers also offered their own op-ed in rebuttal, arguing the service has a vital role to play in space.

Other branches are also crafting new occupations dedicated to space as well. The Navy is training its own Maritime Space Officers to handle space operations full-time. Their mission is to integrate space capabilities into naval operations, support Navy and Marine Corps efforts, and sharpen space situational awareness for naval warfare. The Marines have developed space-focused military occupational specialties (MOS) as well, with the Maritime Space Officer leading the charge in the revamped 17XX Information Maneuver field.

According to Pennington, these personnel come from diverse warfare backgrounds—surface ships, submarines, aircraft, and information warfare roles like cryptology—before transitioning into space operations through specialized training. This eventually broadens the command’s expertise and ensures they have top talent ready for the final frontier.

“What that allows, just like we saw in an air operations center during our time in the Middle East, (is that) when you have a population of folks that are deeply steeped in joint warfare and processes, but have a baseline knowledge of space warfare, it really enables the synergy of the joint force,” said Pennington.

Beyond just skilled personnel, Pennington stressed a demand for capabilities required to secure space superiority. While the Space Force remains the “principal partner,” Pennington noted the critical role of other branches, especially in electronic warfare and cyber defense. He argued that a unified Joint Force effort is essential for protecting and exploiting space and cyber vulnerabilities for future operations.

“Having forces that can understand the space architecture well enough to be able to produce tools to help us both defend what we need to and possibly exploit enemy vulnerabilities is going to be incredibly important,” said Pennington. “So, it will remain very important that we have an all Joint Force effort moving forward, both in terms of personnel expertise, and in terms of capability.”

30 Million Hours and Counting: Pratt & Whitney’s Stalwart F100 Engine

Sept. 6, 2024

Pratt & Whitney’s F100 engine debuted in 1972 and continues to power F-15 and F-16 jets for the U.S. Air Force and allied militaries around the globe. Josh Goodman, who leads the F100 program at Pratt & Whitney, and Nick “JDAM” Graham, a former U.S. Air Force F-15 Weapon Systems Officer and now senior manager in the company’s F100 program office, share what the engine has achieved so far—and what comes next.

The latest generation F100 engine, which is fully capable of powering the advanced F-16 Block 72 and Advanced F-15 / F-15EX.

What is it about the F100 engine that makes it unique?

Josh Goodman: The F100 is the engine that powers the F-15, the F-16, and more recently, provides the gas turbine core capability in the Quarterhorse and Darkhorse uncrewed platforms under development by Hermeus. The F100 flew on the first flight of the F-15 in 1972, and earlier this year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the F-16 in 1974. Since its debut, F100 engines have surpassed 30 million flight hours—nearly three times as many hours as other fourth-generation fighter engines.

The F100 has an unmatched record of safety and reliability: According to the Air Force Safety Center, it is the safest fourth-generation engine in a single-engine fighter application. For the U.S. Air Force, the engine currently meets its aggressive mean time between removal requirement, which increased in 2020 because of its consistent performance. We have a superior thrust-to-weight ratio. Feedback from pilots indicates that the pilot-throttle response is unmatched, which gives the Thunderbird pilots the ability to put their wingtips mere inches from each other.

The F100 has a modular design, and our sustainment approach at Pratt & Whitney is part of the engine’s value proposition in the marketplace.

Pratt & Whitney F100-powered F-15s and F-16s have an undefeated combat record, 165 to 0 — a little bit of an aged statistic, just prior to some of the more recent conflicts that the F100 is fighting in the world. We’re the only fourth-generation engine that provides operationally proven fifth-generation technologies, such as thermal coatings, improved turbine cooling capabilities, and prognostics.

Moving forward, we have the ability to grow thrust. We have additional bleed and horsepower extraction capabilities to give back to the aircraft. In short, the F100s coming off our active production line have been modernized and they are a technically superior product that enables expanded airframe capability. The Pratt & Whitney F100 truly remains the very best choice for the F-15 and F-16 (including the latest variants like the F-15EX and F-16 block 72).

Nick Graham: During my time in the Air Force flying the F-15E, I flew over 1,000 hours of combat sorties in Iraq and Afghanistan—220 combat missions in all—and every single one of those was flying the F100 engine. There are so many things we need to consider and concern ourselves with in combat: whether troops are taking fire on the ground; [if] it’s night; if you have to dive down under the weather in Afghanistan in between the mountains to try to pick out targets — lots of details competing for attention. The one thing I never had to worry about were the two engines powering my aircraft.

You mentioned the potential for more thrust. What difference might that make for pilots?

JG: Integrating additional electronics requires additional cooling potential for the aircraft. That requires additional bleed from the engine, or alternative means, but given the engine’s capability, we have the ability to provide that cooling potential to enable the aircraft to add mission capability. By decreasing the weight, it gives you the ability to load out additional capabilities on the aircraft.

NG: The aircraft that the F100 powers currently all have a prominent air-to-ground role. When it comes to the value of these aircraft in combat scenarios, being able to fly further with more ordnance is an incredibly high value. You always have to concern yourself with your weight: How much can you hook on the aircraft? How far can you go with it efficiently? From my experience flying the F-15E model, we put a lot of weapons on that aircraft. The ground commanders, the combatant commanders, love to call on that aircraft because they know they’re getting a lot of bang when we show up. Any way we can reduce weight in the aircraft to allow us to either put more ordnance on there or, at a lower weight, we fly a little bit further and hang around a little bit longer … is beneficial to everybody.

What other platforms do you envision for the F100?

JG: There’s been some press recently on taking the F-15 to an electronic warfare version. That will require exactly what we’re talking about: additional electronics for that mission, and we’ve got to figure out how to power and cool them and how to afford the added weight. Stepping a little bit outside of the traditional F-15 and F-16 applications … the Hermeus aircraft gives you another example of the F100’s capability. The Hermeus organization is seeking a low-risk solution to get into the Mach 2, Mach 3 range until they cocoon the engine and engage the ramjet portion of the combined cycle propulsion system to get to approximately Mach 5. The history, the safety and the people that stand behind this engine all play into its reliability, that low risk, and the reason that it is a chosen solution for future nontraditional applications beyond F-15s and F-16s.

What unique considerations do you have to work through when adding the F100 to a new platform?

JG: There is a very rigorous qualification program to ensure that the aircraft-engine interface — all the wires and/or cables that exist — are connected properly and responding properly to ensure that we’re keeping our brave men and women safe. We like when the number of landings equals the number of takeoffs, and we want to keep it that way.

What’s unique about including the F100 in a hypersonic propulsion system for Hermeus?

JG: The engine that will go into the combined-cycle propulsion system for Hermeus is not the same engine that powers F-15s and F-16s. It is very, very similar. But there are differences in hardware—and particularly in software—in integrating the majority of the F100 into the combined-cycle propulsion system. However, because we’re keeping most of the engine common, we get to take advantage of the stellar record of reliability and safety in that application.

What improvements do pilots and maintainers tell you they’d like to see in the F100?

NG: From the fliers’ perspective, range is always first. As adversaries get better systems, we all end up pushing further and further away from each other by design. Engines that can deliver the range to give us the advantage are always in need. The thrust-to-weight ratio of our engines certainly helps with that. … And there’s some opportunity for growth in that area. When it comes to modern air combat, the electromagnetic spectrum and directed energy weapons that may come down the line in the future all require power. We have a tremendous growth capacity that already exists in our F100-PW-229 engines to provide excess power to customers who want to install additional systems on those aircraft. So as we step forward into more transmitters — more power being transmitted from the aircraft — our engines have the capability to do a lot more than they are doing today.

JG: At the component level, we are continually learning from our designs on our fifth- and sixth-gen engines and seeking the opportunity to integrate those technologies back into our fourth-generation engines. We look at this modernization not only from a system perspective, but at a component-level perspective as well, to ensure that we are continually improving the value of this engine to the warfighter.

At the end of the day, Pratt & Whitney likes to do hard things. That’s why we’re in this business.

How would you describe the state of the F100 sustainment enterprise right now?

JG: We have 23 air forces, including the U.S. Air Force that we support worldwide. It creates a rather dynamic environment.

The great thing about the F100 organization within Pratt & Whitney is that we meet a customer’s sustainment demands in whatever way they want. Where we have a more integrated, strategic [performance-based logistics]-type relationship, we absolutely see the best affordability and availability, because all our incentives are aligned. But we also have the ability to support from a transactional perspective. We have invested in digital tools to help us better understand exactly what’s going on in the world and how we can optimize. Sustainment is about affordability and availability, and we have plans in the future to engage additional machine learning, AI capabilities in order to further improve that support. Most of our AI exploration so far has been on the supply side of the analysis. We are currently in the process of expanding that to the demand side of the analysis. This is all about optimizing support worldwide for our customers.

Nick ‘JDAM’ Graham, on the left, and his wingman, depart after mid-air refueling over Afghanistan in 2011.

You’re now delivering F100s to Poland. What have you done to ramp up that production line, and do you expect it to keep growing?

JG: The F100 production line has been and is active. We’re delivering actively for both aircraft and spares to worldwide customers. Because we believe the F100 remains the best choice, we absolutely are continuing to pursue not only traditional F-15 and F-16 offerings (including the latest variants like F-15EX and F-16 block 72) but also the non-traditional ones like Hermeus.

What upgrades are on the horizon that you’re under contract for or that you’re going for right now? What could we expect to see in the next five years?

JG: We’ve put together modernization packages at the system level that showcase capability expansion. It’s less about thrust, and more about horsepower extraction and bleeds. We’re actively in conversation with our customers in order to engage those capabilities for the warfighter.

What role do you see for the F100 in engine modernization efforts going forward?

JG: We’re going to continue to modernize the engine both at the component and system levels. At the component level, making it safer and more reliable; at the system level, providing additional capability to the aircraft and the warfighter. We’re going to continue to actively promote the Hermeus relationship for its one-of-a-kind solution, and we’re going to continue to seek these non-traditional applications where a low-risk engine like the F100 presents an advantage—even in a futuristic-type application like Hermeus. For drones that are in the thrust class, we expect to see the opportunity for F100 to fill that need, as well.

Is there anything else that we should know?

Josh Goodman, center, is presented a plaque signed by the U.S. Thunderbirds.

JG: Outstanding past, exceptional future. We’re really excited about supporting this engine for another 50 years and to continue adding new engines into the field and ensuring that the company, processes, and global infrastructure exist to support this engine across the world.

NG: We have 50 years of history on this engine and it’s going to be powering aircraft for a long time. We’re ready to support that as far as we can into the future. In all the combat time I’ve had, I’ve had to adjust and cancel combat sorties for pretty much every system on the aircraft—weapons, sensors, hydraulics, you name it. But in my 220 combat sorties, I never once had to cancel or alter a combat sortie due to engines. When we talk about reliability, these engines got me where my pilot and I needed to go to provide support to our forces on the ground. And they did it 100 percent of the time.

JG: The Pratt & Whitney F100 has had an incredible and iconic history, but at P&W, we are most excited about its future: the F100s coming off our active production line have been modernized and they are a technically superior product that enables expanded airframe capability. The Pratt & Whitney F100 truly remains the very best choice for the F-15 and F-16 (including the latest variants like the F-15EX and F-16 block 72).

‘I Urge You to Do More’ for Ukraine Air Defense, Zelenskyy Tells US, Allies

Sept. 6, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—The U.S. and its allies must step up their contributions to Ukraine’s air defense from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sept. 6, addressing a meeting of the regular Ukraine Defense Contact Group held here for the first time.

“The world has enough air defense systems to ensure that Russian terror does not have results, and I urge you to be more active in this war with us for the air defense,” Zelenskyy said in pointed remarks to some 50 nations’ representatives who packed a ballroom at the base officers’ club. “We have already started operating F-16s. Thank you for this support, Secretary! And to you, partners! They strike down missiles and drones, they are very efficient. But they are few. You know that. We need a much stronger fleet of F-16s, and I have proposals that I will say when the press leaves.”

The U.S. and its allies have vowed to bolster Ukraine’s air force and air defense capabilities, as Ukraine and Russia wage a war of attrition with missiles, drones, and air defense interceptors, said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, who was seated next to Zelenskyy and spoke immediately following the Ukrainian president’s remarks.

“Over and over, Ukraine has stood up to Putin’s aggression and atrocities and this coalition has Ukraine’s back,” Austin said before the hourslong meetings among the countries’ officials.

Russia has lost 97 combat aircraft since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he said. But it has adapted, foregoing early war tactics such as flying into the teeth of Ukrainian air defense and instead launching standoff missiles, glide bombs, and using one-way attack drones to strike Ukrainian infrastructure and forces. It has also employed attack helicopters.

Zelenskyy wants the U.S. and its allies to remove restrictions barring it from using Western-provided long-range weapons to strike targets in Russia. The U.S. has not allowed Ukraine to use American-provided ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles to attack targets in Russia for fear of escalating tensions.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept 6, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Eve Daugherty

Ukraine has attacked targets in Russia with indigenous drones, though those weapons hardly pack the punch or capability of long-range missiles.

“Putin has already shed so much blood that against the backdrop of this blood, Russia’s attempts to draw ‘red lines’ simply do not work,” Zelenskyy said. “Instead we need to keep our morale high for our joint values to rule the world and not the ‘red lines’ soaked in blood.”

In a speech mixed with consternation and praise, Zelenskyy said the West needed to not just provide Ukraine with more advanced capabilities, but deliver on what it has already promised, including more ground-based air defense systems.

“I will not speak openly now about the number of systems we have received, thank you so much again, but the number of air defense systems that have not yet been delivered is significant,” Zelenskyy said. “This is what was agreed upon, and this is what has not been fully implemented.”

After the meeting concluded, the Pentagon announced a $250 million aid package for Ukraine which included air defense missiles.

Austin indicated the U.S. understood Ukraine’s frustration, but it is unclear what additional steps the U.S. and its allies will take.

“On behalf of everyone here, we hear your urgency,” Austin said.

But for now the U.S. is not changing its policy on long range strikes inside Russia with American weapons, Austin told reporters after the meeting concluded.

“Ukraine has a pretty significant capability of its own to address targets that are well beyond the range of ATACMS,” and air launched cruise missiles, said Austin, citing Ukrainian drones as one example. “I don’t believe one specific capability will be decisive.”

Northrop: Adding a Pilot to New Model 437 Will Speed Testing

Sept. 6, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The addition of a pilot on Northrop Grumman’s Model 437 “Vanguard” Autonomous Collaborative Aircraft is to speed demonstrations and test flying, because it can overfly populated areas without special permits from the Federal Aviation Administration and is not restricted to test ranges cleared for uncrewed aircraft, the company said.

The Model 437 flew for the first time Aug. 29, flown by company test pilot Brian Maisler out of the Mojave Air & Space Port, Calif. The aircraft is derived from Northrop’s Model 401, which is an uninhabited craft the company said it is using to explore autonomous collaborative projects.

On Sept. 5, Northrop released a video of the Model 437’s first flight, in which it emphasized the digital techniques used to rapidly fabricate and fly the jet. The video also emphasizes that the Model 437’s wings are removable, which is consonant with senior Air Force leader statements that much of its planned Collaborative Combat Aircraft inventory could remain boxed up, and possibly pre-positioned, until needed.

Colin Miller, Northrop’s senior vice president for engineering, said in an email that having a pilot onboard “provides many advantages to demonstrating capabilities without the need to gain special permitting to fly an autonomous aircraft in national airspace.”

The Air Force has been critical in recent years of the FAA’s slowness in opening up more airspace to large uninhabited aircraft, as this has constrained the pace at which new classes of drones can be tested. A pilot onboard can monitor the aircraft when it is in autonomous mode and take the controls if it behaves in an unexpected or dangerous way.

A “future iteration” could be all-autonomous, “while demonstrating other tactical applications our customers desire for autonomous collaborative programs,” Miller said.

Miller declined to say if the Model 437 is aimed specifically at a particular program like the Air Force’s CCA program, in which Northrop is competing for a slot on Increment 2.

“It is a technology demonstrator operated by [Northrop subsidiary] Scaled Composites for a number of applications, including autonomous collaborative aircraft,” he said. “It is not intended for a specific effort, as we have a broad range” of potential applications for the aircraft “for a variety of customers.”

There is no set flight test plan for the Model 437, company officials said. On their websites, Northrop and Scaled said the Vanguard could carry two AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, but Greg Morris, president of Scaled Composites, declined to comment on whether weapons release tests are expected.

“As a technology demonstrator for autonomous and tactical aircraft of this size, Scaled Composites could conduct a number of tests based on customer requirements,” Morris said, but he added that the company “does not provide this information publicly.”

The Model 437 design was unveiled three years ago, and at the time Northrop touted it as a potential competitor for what was then called the Air Force’s “loyal wingman” project. The fact that the company mentioned that it can carry two AMRAAMs dovetails with Air Force senior leader assertions in the last few months that early increments of the CCA will be focused on air-to-air applications. Northrop said the Model 437 can carry up to a 2,000-pound payload.

The ”other customers” Northrop may be referring to for the Model 437 include the U.K., which has a requirement for a CCA-like capability to escort its F-35s, and the Navy, which is pursuing a CCA effort of its own. Northrop designed and tested the X-47 aircraft to demonstrate that a large-size drone could safely and consistently take off from and land on aircraft carriers without human intervention.

Narration in the video says the Model 437 is ‘part of the broader ‘loyal wingman’ concept, which is aimed at creating affordable, multimission and reusable drones that can take on high risk missions to reduce danger to human pilots.”

How AI Will Accelerate Decision-Making in a Peer Contest

Sept. 5, 2024 | By Adam Stone

Combat operations have never been a simple affair—and in a peer- or near-peer conflict, speed and complexity will ratchet up the pressure on commanders trying to decipher and control the battlespace.

Jon “BigDogg” Rhone knows first-hand how that will stress the system. As director of operations at the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, he directed combat operations in four theaters of operation from late 2015 through the spring of 2017, coordinating dynamic decision-making among 18 partner countries—depending on make-shift solutions to manage technical barriers to data sharing.

“A lot of it was sneaker-net,” Rhone said. “If I had some intelligence information that was pertinent, either I or somebody on the team would have to literally walk 200 to 300 yards through four or five different doors to the special technical operations cell—and only then would we nave the ability to make decisions.”

Now Rhone is the C5ISR Integration Lead at SAIC, where he’s helping to engineer the future of fast-paced information sharing and decision making for the Air Force.

“When we fight against a peer adversary … we’re going to have to get quick, reliable access to that data,” he said. “When you look at something as a coalition member, and I look at something as an American, the data has got to be the same.”

Enhanced intelligence and surveillance technologies mean ever more data flooding into decision makers. The JSTARS airborne battle management command and control ISR platform will ultimately be replaced with space-based and airborne sensors providing Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) capability. “Not only are you looking for specific military vehicles,” Rhone said, “but now you’re trying to sift through all the other moving targets that are out there.”

To ensure commanders aren’t overwhelmed by such an influx of data, next-generation battle management systems can leverage Artificial Intelligence to screen that data, identifying the most pressing threats and opportunities.

“The system has to automatically distill what you or I can see,” he said. Operating at machine speeds, AI will be able to flag indicators and offer potential decision options or courses of action at a speed greater than would be possible without it.

“If we make decisions too slow, we’re going to lose the fight,” Rhone said. “I don’t believe you can win this war without automation.”

Higher-level commanders remain skeptical about ceding any decision authority to machines, but “the men and women that are the captains, the sergeants—that are making decisions—they’re ready for automation,” Rhone said. “They’re ready for AI to help make decisions, if not make some of the decisions for them.”

As is the case today, the intensity of action is likely to determine who has decision-making authority. “I don’t think that that mindset or that culture is going to be any different with Artificial Intelligence,” he said.

To prepare for this future, Rhone said Air Force leaders must start thinking now about how this is going to work: “How are we going to test this? How do we train to that? How do we have crews, the people, and the system show that they’re ready for combat?”

As a systems integrator and strategist, Rhone said the key is “not necessarily talking about what we’re going to do in combat, but what we do leading up to that.”

“The operators and the warfighters have needs,” he explained. “We do our very best to run that through the system, and help the acquisition community turn that into requirements.” Then, as an integrator, SAIC takes an agnostic approach, neither defining its own bespoke standards nor marrying itself to one unique solution or another. “Our job is to go find best of breed,” Rhone said. “While we do have some products, we’re not necessarily wedded to those products. We are very happy to go find the best of breed and to integrate that in a manner that is digestible by decision-makers to help them speed decisions.”

AI will not be the answer for every one of those processes. “There are volumes of information out there and volumes of needs and requirements,” Rhone said. The focus now needs to be identifying which among those can be aided with AI—and which get top priority?

“What are the top two?” Rhone asks. “Let’s focus on that.”

Austin Arrives in Germany for Pivotal Ukraine Weapons Aid Meeting

Sept. 5, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—Ukraine is expected to make its case for the U.S. and its allies to remove restrictions barring it from using donated long-range weapons to strike targets in Russia during a key meeting here on Sept. 6. Officials will also urge allies to rush more air defense to the country.

Underscoring the gravity of moment, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will appear in person to up the pressure.

“We need our partners’ determination and the means to stop Russia’s aerial terror,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media. “It is crucial that all the weapons from the already announced support packages finally reach the combat brigades. We also need strong long-range decisions from our partners to bring closer the just peace we are striving for:.

Top Ukrainian officials, including Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov and others, also will gather with roughly 50 allies at Ramstein for the 24th iteration of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a monthly meeting convened by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, which is also attended by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.

The Sept. 6 meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will “ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend its people from Russian aggression,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said in a statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Key focus areas will include bolstering Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, updates on UDCG capability coalitions—to include the Air Force Coalition, and the energizing of the defense industrial bases of Coalition nations to enable support to Ukraine for the long haul.”

Kyiv has issued increasingly forceful and public calls to provide more help to protect its skies from Russian aircraft and drones after the two largest Russian aerial missile and drone attacks of the year this week, which have left dozens dead.

One month ago, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into the Kursk region of Russia, hoping to turn the tide of the war back in its favor. Ukraine holds roughly 1,000 square kilometers of Russia.

But the offensive has not relieved pressure on the eastern front by pulling Russian forces away from the front line. Instead, Russia continues to make gains near Pokrovsk, a key hub in the Ukrainian military’s lines of communication.

Ukraine has faced nightly barrages of Russian missile and drone attacks for over a week, which may be in relation for Ukraine’s operation into Kursk. Earlier this week, more than 50 people were killed when Russia hit a military academy in Poltava, Ukraine, in a ballistic missile attack. Ukrainian leaders said they need permission to use Western long-range weapons deep inside Russia to stop such attacks in the first place.

The Biden administration says it is fully committed to Ukraine’s victory—despite the disagreements between Washington and Kyiv over weapons deliveries.

“[F]or two and a half years, the people of Ukraine have stood unbowed. And the United States will continue to stand with them—including providing the air defense systems and capabilities they need to protect their country,” President Joe Biden said in a Sept. 3 statement on the Poltava attack. “Make no mistake: Russia will not prevail in this war. The people of Ukraine will prevail. And on this tragic day, and every day, the United States stands with them.”

Ukraine wants to use ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles and aerial munitions inside of Russia, primarily to target Russian aircraft before they are able to take off and launch their missiles at Ukraine. The U.S. and most other allies set conditions on how and where their advanced weapons can be used and do not allow long-range strikes inside Russia.

“Russian strikes will be impossible if it is possible for us to destroy the occupier’s launchers where they are, along with Russian military airfields and logistics,” Zelenskyy said Sept. 3. “Providing Ukraine with such permissions and such weapons is definitely the biggest step towards a real, just end to this war.”

But so far, U.S. policy remains unchanged.

In one of those attacks by the Russians on Aug. 26, a newly donated F-16 fighter—one of the Vipers Ukraine has been lobbying to get from the West for months—crashed in its first acknowledged combat engagement. The circumstances of the crash remain unclear. The pilot, Oleksiy “Moonfish” Mes, was killed. Ukraine has just a handful of F-16 aircraft and pilots qualified to the fly them.

The head of the Ukraine Air Force was fired soon after the incident, though Ukraine’s defense minister says the move was not related to the F-16 crash.

Zelenskyy also has ordered a major reshuffling of the country’s leadership this week, mostly notably with the departure of the foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, which amounts to the largest shakeup of Ukraine’s government since the war began in 2022.

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will make better use of its existing air defense systems.

It is unclear how that may affect how Ukraine uses its F-16s, which have been seen outfitted with AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles that can fend off cruise missiles and drones. Ukraine says the F-16s are successful at the air defense mission despite losing a pilot and aircraft. Ukraine has also been frustrated with the slow delivery of already-promised ground-based air defense systems from allies.

With U.S. elections looming, Ukraine is reckoning with a key moment on whether Western commitment to its security will endure long-term.

“As Secretary Austin has said, Ukraine matters to U.S. and international security, and the efforts of the UDCG continue to play a vital role in Ukraine’s fight for freedom and sovereignty,” Ryder said.

SDA Tests Laser Comms Between Satellites—But Faces Hurdles Before Next Launch

Sept. 5, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Development Agency demonstrated laser communications between two of its satellites for the first time recent, laying the groundwork for the “mesh network” that will link hundreds of its satellites in low-Earth orbit.

“We had the two of our tracking satellites, the SpaceX birds, using the SDA-compliant terminals built by Tesat, they were able to demonstrate that they could, in fact, do the laser communication,” SDA director Derek Tournear said at the Defense News Conference on Sept 4. “They maintained link.”

Laser communication offers significant advantages over traditional radio frequency by transferring more data faster, using less power, and needing smaller equipment. Its shorter wavelengths enhance speed and signal security, making it ideal for the high-stakes environment of space. It’s also critical for the SDA and Pentagon to realize their vision of Joint All-Domain Command and Control, by transferring data between sensors and shooters around the globe.

SDA’s standards called for the satellites to connect within 100 seconds using laser comms, with an ideal goal of under 10 seconds. In the test conducted Sept. 3, Tournear said the satellites met the requirement by linking “well under the 100 seconds,” though they didn’t hit the 10-second mark. The link did, however, remain stable for several hours. This test builds on an earlier experiment conducted by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 2021, but using official military-grade terminals for the first time.

The laser comms test follows on previous tests by SDA to demonstrate it can use the Link 16 tactical network from space and it can detect missile launches from low-Earth orbit.

“So from my perspective, we have demonstrated all of the big rocks and burned down all of the risk for Tranche 1 and Tranche 0,” Tournear said.

The satellites involved in these demonstrations are part of SDA’s Tranche 0, which started launching last year and saw all 27 satellites reach orbit by February this year. As part of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) program, the SDA plans to deploy hundreds of small satellites to create a resilient, interconnected network that will offer real-time data and enhanced situational awareness.

Tournear also confirmed that the initial launch of Tranche 1 satellites will start by year’s end, not this month, as previously expected.

“Sometime around the end of this calendar year, we’ll start to launch our Tranche 1 satellites,” said Tournear. “The satellites are in build, all of our transport vendors are heavily in build. Our tracking vendors are close behind them.”

However, the schedule might shift into early next year due to some remaining risks. Key issues include delays with vendors for critical components like optical communications and propulsion systems. Encryption devices, vital for satellite operations, are also on the “critical path” for delivery. Despite the National Security Agency’s best efforts to fast-track certification, any additional delays in the process or hardware production could still push back the launch, Tournear explained.

The SDA plans 10 launches for Tranche 1, aiming for a “one-month cadence” afterward, depending on payload processing facility availability. Tranche 1 will include a total of 173 satellites. The goal is to have Tranche 1 satellites operational by the end of 2025.

The agency is also working to finalize some other testing for the Tranche 0 satellites, but it may face some logistical hurdles. The testing team from the 96th Test Squadron of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., cannot transmit Link 16 in U.S. airspace without FAA certification and also needs to pass Electromagnetic Compatibility Features validation to avoid interfering with GPS signals. As a result, the team has to conduct tests from Australia and international waters, adding both time and cost.

If all goes as planned, Tranche 0’s EMCF validation should be wrapped up by the end of the year, clearing the way for operational tests. Tranche 1 satellites, with slightly different radios, will go through similar tests, with validation expected to be completed by spring 2025.