Alaskan Command Girds for Threats

Aug. 9, 2022 | By Amy Hudson

Lt. Gen. David A. Krumm wears multiple hats as the commander of Alaskan Command, United States Northern Command, of 11th Air Force, and of North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Krumm, who is set to retire in August, has served as the senior military leader in Alaska since April 2020. In a July interview with Air Force Magazine News Editor Amy Hudson, Krumm discussed Arctic training and operations, infrastructure, and the region’s growing importance to the U.S. military, as well as potential adversaries.

Q: With its new F-35s, Alaska now has more fifth-generation combat power than anywhere else in the world. What does this mean for the region, and what changes are you planning for the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) to better train with these more advanced aircraft?

A: The addition of the F-35s … is a mind-meld step in our … nation’s ability to project power all over the Northern Hemisphere. When we look at Alaska from a globe, … what you see is [that from] … anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you can get from Alaska really, really quickly. … The location here just creates an ability for our nation to be able to respond almost anywhere in the world, and these aircraft are the most advanced in the world.

The airplanes are very complex. They have incredible sensors. They can shoot weapons that go further faster, and we need an airspace training area that allows our operators to exercise those aircraft to their fullest capabilities. So, we need to continue to build up the JPARC, … [including] increasing the size of the airspace to reflect those better sensors and longer-range weapons as well as improving the threats.

Q: Can you elaborate on the threat updates that you’re looking at with regards to the range?

A: What we’re looking at primarily are the ground threats that our operators can train against. … What are the systems that we can buy that can replicate what our operators will face in conflict? … Technology is moving at an incredibly rapid rate. Our adversaries, potential adversaries at least, are looking at some incredible technological advancements across the electromagnetic spectrum. We just need to not be locked into the past.

… The threat doesn’t have ones or twos of these systems. They have dozens, if not hundreds. So, we need to be able to replicate that. We need an environment that is densely packed with electromagnetic signals and systems that can provide feedback to our operators about when they’re targeted, when they’re vulnerable, and … if the tactics they were doing were correct. I’m pleased with the progress. You always want to go faster, but we are moving at it.

Q: Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was busy forming new military units focused on the Arctic, refurbishing old infrastructure, and building new bases. Where does that stand now?

A: Certainly, the focus of their military operations has been on the invasion of Ukraine. I don’t think there’s any doubt of that, but we haven’t seen them, … take assets or people out of those … areas … [they were] building up, and I think that that’s expected because the Arctic is very, very important to Russia. Depending upon what number you look at, it generates a significant portion of their GDP from materials like petrochemicals and hydrocarbons. … They are committed to securing their interests in the Arctic.

Q: Are you still intercepting the same number of Russian aircraft entering the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)? A few years ago that was a record high.

A: We don’t talk specific numbers because of operational security, but certainly we also do message when we are tracking and or intercepting aircraft that come into our ADIZ, and those have been few and far between of late.

… What I would say is we don’t see any change in their commitment to the Arctic. But it is reasonable to assume that some of the operations that they’ve done in the past have not been conducted of late. And I think it’s important to note, … operations in the Arctic are pretty circular, right? So, … we’ll see increases [in exercises or training] and then we’ll see some lulls. I think it’s too early to tell if this is just one of those standard lulls or if it’s something new.

Q: China obviously is not geographically close to the Arctic but considers itself an Arctic nation. Have you seen any changes there?

A: China, … has proclaimed themselves a near-Arctic nation. … If you’re familiar with Google Maps, you might find some disparities with that statement. Here’s what we know: China continues to have an interest in the Arctic. They use research vessels, which … most likely have a dual civilian and military purpose in the Arctic. They are keenly involved in the Arctic Council, even though they’re only an observer, because they are not an Arctic nation despite what they might want to proclaim. They obviously understand that the Arctic is going to be important to them and to the world in the upcoming future and they want, I believe, to try to influence the governance of the Arctic and how it’s managed.

Q: Last year, Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command, told Congress that Arctic funding was “inching” along. Has there has been progress in this area in FY23?

A: The FY 23 budget isn’t finalized yet, so … it’s too early to declare victory, stalemate, or defeat when it comes to Arctic funding. But I would say that people are recognizing the importance of the Arctic. There are just some incredible competing demands right now, and … funding is not unlimited. It’s going to have to be apportioned to the priorities of our nation. … In order to make different strategies work, you’re going to have to resource them, and if you want to resource those strategies, you’re going to have to take from other areas, and I think that’s the discussion we continue to have.

… What I always like to emphasize is what happens in our Arctic, … we want to be by choice, not by consequence. So, we need to make the right choices about funding the right things in our Arctic strategy, so that we’re not trying to play catch up later on.

Q: This spring you had multiple simultaneous Arctic exercises going on where agile combat employment played a big role. What unique challenges, if any, does ACE present in the Arctic? What have you learned so far?

A: The concept of agile combat employment isn’t only for the Pacific region. The threat is real, and essential bases that are consolidated, are vulnerable now to different types of attack. … Dispersal is going to be a key part for us in future conflict, … and being able to move assets, … to keep your assets protected by surprise, by concealment—you know complicating the enemies’, targeting—that’s going to be a fundamental concept of conflict in the future. …

We’ve learned that organizing, training, and equipping on a regular and consistent basis is going to be key, because you just don’t show up in January in the Arctic and thrive. You’re pretty much just trying to survive, much less thrive. … We know that we need a regular drumbeat of exercising, training, and equipping our forces to work up here. The environment itself is challenging. The cold, the snow, the wind, the weather, are just things that our service members need to experience. … It’s also the equipment because we bring equipment that’s never seen below freezing to Alaska, different things happen, so understanding hydraulics, understanding seals, understanding all the things that the cold weather affects is important for not just the human body but also for the equipment that we use.

Q: Clear Space Force Station, Alaska, received its first Long Range Discrimination Radar in December. Can you talk about the capabilities that brings to the region and where that stands in terms of operational capability?

A: Clear is an important improvement in both domain awareness as well as missile defenses, and I’m excited about what that capability brings for us. The Space Force is running that location, we’re obviously providing support where we can. … Much like real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Where Alaska sits provides an incredible place for you to be able to detect, track, and engage threats to our homeland. And a Clear provides us those capabilities.

Q: How is climate change impacting all these things that we’ve talked about?

A: The warming rate is two to four time faster [in the Arctic] than the rest of the globe, and what that’s doing is creating a different environment. … It’s really affecting the permafrost, so the ground in which we built and utilize all of our systems … is changing. So it’s going to change the way that we build in the future, and it’s going to probably require us to make modifications to the things that were built in the past. The warmer temperatures are creating less sea ice and that gives us a couple of challenges. … Do you know how when a hurricane comes up from the Caribbean and … goes on the East Coast, and … it’s got like 75 mile an hour winds and everyone’s freaking out in New Jersey and New York? We call that a Thursday up here in the Arctic. When you have less sea ice, now you have the wind and the storms, causing some incredible erosion patterns that we just never really anticipated. Because the open water is there longer, … we’re seeing some erosion rates on the coast of Alaska that are decades further than we thought. … At one of our sites the erosion is already up to what we predicted it would be in 2040. …

A lack of sea ice also is creating opportunities. … If you think about a route from East Asia to Europe, you can save somewhere in the order of seven to 12 days in travel time with a ship sailing from East Asia to Europe. That’s an incredible cost savings for transportation companies, and just one of the reasons that we believe that a few countries like China are looking very closely at the Arctic. The … lack of sea ice … doesn’t make the environment less formidable, but it allows you to have access to some of the resources, … in the form of hydrocarbons, … rare earth metals, minerals, and … fish, … which again, is why I think you see Russia very steadfastly building up this Arctic presence to safeguard what it believes are its national interests.

Q: If erosion is happening so much faster than you anticipated, what does that mean for the radars located along the coast?

A: We’ve already built a number of sea walls and fortified the structures around those radars. … The radars themselves are vitally important to us, but in the future, we’re looking at different technologies, like over-the-horizon radars—those wouldn’t necessarily be built on the coast—to provide us that domain awareness. … We’re not planning on moving any of our radar sites at this time. I think we understand how to protect them with those sea walls … and fortifying them.

Biden Signs Ratification for Finland and Sweden to Join NATO

Aug. 9, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

The mood was festive in the packed East Room of the White House on Aug. 9 as President Joe Biden signed the instruments of ratification for the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO.

The two High North nations had up until months ago remained unaligned and fiercely independent, Biden said, until Russia’s aggression against Ukraine spurred public support for NATO entry.

“I think it’s a pretty big day,” Biden said with a wide smile as he welcomed the ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to the United States to his side to witness the signing.

The President’s signing came after the Senate voted 95-1 on Aug. 3 to approve a resolution ratifying the two countries’ entry into NATO.

Biden invited Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö to visit the White House on May 19 to set the stage for an invitation by all 30 NATO countries at the Madrid NATO summit in June.

“Putin thought he could break us apart when this all started,” Biden said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to divide the alliance with hybrid warfare tactics including misinformation and cutting off vital gas access to parts of Europe.

Putin also warned that, should NATO assets be positioned in Finland and Sweden, he would respond in kind.

“He believed he could break us apart, in my view, weaken our resolve,” Biden said. “Instead, he’s getting exactly what he did not want. He wanted the Finland-ization of NATO. But he’s getting the NATO-ization of Finland, along with Sweden.”

The United States becomes the 23rd country to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s entries into NATO. Remaining NATO partners required to finalize the process include the Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Russia-ally Hungary, and disruptor Turkey, which made demands to both ascending countries before allowing the process to continue.

Turkey sells arms to Ukraine, including the unmanned aerial system Bayraktar, which has proven vital to Ukraine’s efforts to destroy Russian tank columns and armored vehicles. Turkey purchased the S-400 missile system from Russia, resulting in its banishment from the F-35 program.

Before Turkey allowed Finland’s and Sweden’s invitations to proceed, Turkish President Recep Erdogan demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite alleged Kurdish terrorists to Turkey, and an agreement was signed between the three parties in Madrid on June 28 to explore the accusations.

None of the remaining hurdles or past contention were mentioned at the White House signing ceremony, only how the two new members would strengthen U.S. security.

“We’re going to be better able to meet the new challenges of a changed European security environment with two strong, reliable, highly capable new allies in the High North,” Biden said, noting how the U.S. and Allies have enhanced deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank.

Both Finland and Sweden participate in multilateral NATO exercises with longtime NATO member Norway, while all three Nordic countries have chosen to fly the F-35.

In a Senior Enlisted Leader International Summit outside Washington, D.C., this month, Sweden briefed 65 participating countries and NATO on how it conducts agile combat employment, or the use of remote bases, in the Arctic. A Finnish defense official similarly told Air Force Magazine that Finland works closely with the U.S. Air Force on developing the ACE concept for the Arctic.

Finland has a 900-mile border with Russia and brings much experience in the realm of defending against hybrid warfare and operating within Russia’s anti-access and area denial bubble.

“Seeking to join NATO, Finland and Sweden are making a sacred commitment that an attack against one is an attack against all,” Biden said, referring to Article 5 of the NATO treaty. “We see all too clearly how NATO remains an indispensable alliance for the world of today and the world of tomorrow.”

Langley Takes Over US Africa Command With Few Resources and Growing Threats

Aug. 9, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III swore in Marine Corps Gen. Michael E. Langley to lead U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, in a change of command ceremony Aug. 9. Langley’s swearing-in comes as governments such as China’s and Russia’s increase their influence in Africa and terrorist groups expand in Somalia and from the Sahel to the littoral states.

Langley, the first African-American four-star Marine Corps general, will oversee America’s defense response to the growing challenges in Africa in a resource-constrained environment, defense leaders warned.

“The continent is on the front lines of many of this century’s most pressing threats,” Austin said at the handover ceremony, naming challenges such as terrorism, great power competition, autocracy, mass migration, and food insecurity.

“Violent extremism and instability are also on the rise in the Sahel,” Austin added, citing the expansion of al-Qaida and ISIS.

“Terrorist groups are exploiting weak governance and political turmoil,” Austin said. “These groups have taken thousands of lives, and the havoc that they cause threatens to spill across borders to undermine security in southern Europe and beyond.”

In Somalia, Austin said Langley will face a “more lethal” al-Shabaab terrorist group with its sights set on the U.S. homeland. There, the new AFRICOM commander will oversee the reestablishment of a small U.S. military presence in Somalia to operate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms and help train Somalia’s elite Danab counter-terrorism force.

In his July 21 confirmation hearing, Langley said AFRICOM does not have enough ISR to fight the growing terrorist threat on the continent.

“ISR is an active deterrent. ISR is the commander’s sense to make sense, and it underpins all activities,” Langley told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Al-Shabaab has increased capacity, and that really is the first ranking as far as affecting U.S. interests and U.S. people. So, they have aspirations for external operations, transnational operations.”

Austin said terrorist groups were expanding across the sub-Saharan region of Africa known as the Sahel, where a decade ago looted arms from the fall of Libya poured across the region, emboldening opposition and terrorist groups.

The United States has coordinated closely with 5,000 ground troops from France’s Operation Barkhane in the Sahel, which was kicked out of Mali in May after a Russian-backed military coup. The Russian mercenary Wagner Group has since expanded its influence and presence with some 1,000 operators.

On an Africa regional trip, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke about the recently released White House sub-Saharan strategy, noting that most countries of Africa are democratically aligned with the United States and that they oppose military dictatorships but require stronger defense forces, a principal mission of AFRICOM.

“The United States recognizes that African countries face real security concerns and that countless communities are afflicted by the twin scourges of terrorism and violence. But the answer to those problems is not Wagner—it’s not any other mercenary group,” Blinken said in Pretoria, South Africa, on Aug. 8. “The answer is working to build more effective, accountable African security forces.”

Nonetheless, State Department restrictions on working with military governments prevent the United States from operating with or helping to train soldiers in three of the five Sahel countries that have been integral to containing terrorists in the region.

Great Power Competition in Africa

The Secretary of Defense said America’s adversaries are contributing to the political instability and breakdown of the rules-based order on the continent.

“The People’s Republic of China is expanding its military and economic footprint—and seeking to build bases in Africa and to undermine U.S. relations with African peoples, governments, and militaries,” he said.

China maintains a naval base in the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti, site of the only U.S. base on the continent. China has also aggressively pursued basing agreements that would give it a major military port on the Atlantic coast.

“Meanwhile, Russia is peddling cheap weapons and backing mercenary forces,” Austin said, referring to the presence of Russian proxy soldiers of the Wagner Group in Mali, Libya, and elsewhere.

“That’s yet another reminder of Moscow’s willingness to sow chaos and threaten the rules-based order,” he added. “It goes far beyond Putin’s reckless invasion of Ukraine.”

Departing commander Gen. Stephen S. Townsend warned that Langley will have to face the challenges with a constrained budget.

“At AFRICOM, there’s a new challenge every day, and we don’t have resources to throw at those challenges,” he said. “So, we have to think.”

In recent weeks, Townsend warned that among Russia’s moves have been providing air defenses to the new military government of Mali.

“America cannot afford to ignore Africa,” he concluded. “A few bucks and a few troops can go a long way in Africa, and I think America can afford that.”

Austin, the first Black Secretary of Defense, also took time to reflect on the historic moment of Langley’s dual achievement as the first Black four-star Marine Corps general and the first Black commander of U.S. Africa Command.

“This is history,” Austin said, after previously joking that Langley grew up in an Air Force family and had wanted to become a fighter pilot prior to joining the Army.

“Gen. Langley, as you stand here today, young Marines around the world are watching, and your extraordinary achievement reminds them that they belong,” he said, as Langley appeared to tear up. “It reminds them that the United States military is deeply committed to making progress and to breaking down barriers and to opening its arms wide to all qualified Americans who hear the call to serve their country.”

In his own brief remarks, Langley thanked his father, retired Air Force Master Sgt. Willie C. Langley, who left Active duty after the passing of Langley’s mother to help raise him and three young siblings.

“When I look at my career, I’m an extension of Master Sgt. Willie C. Langley, of his career,” Langley said. “This one’s for you, Dad.”

Multiple Air Force Units Buy SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite Internet Service

Aug. 9, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

A pair of Air Force units across two major commands have announced plans to purchase services from SpaceX’s Starlink constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. The contracts come not long after service leaders praised the effectiveness of the satellite internet service in aiding Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa contracted SpaceX to use Starlink’s services from August 2022 to July 2023, principally for the 86th Airlift Wing, which is the host unit at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and its tenant units.

The agreement states that SpaceX will “provide either First-Generation or High-Performance satellite terminals and internet service either static/fixed site or portable/mobile to the terminals enabling users to connect devices to the internet,” according to contract documents published Aug. 4. That internet service will provide low-latency connectivity and download speeds of up to 500 megabits per second.

The sole-source contract is worth a little more than $1.9 million and was not contested because “Starlink is the only LEO constellation communications company that currently provides this commercial satellite solution with services to Europe and Africa,” the documents state.

That same rationale was cited by the 1st Special Operations Contracting Squadron of Air Force Special Operations Command in its contract with SpaceX published Aug. 5.

That contract will also cover a 12-month period, with SpaceX providing five Starlink terminals as well as access to Starlink’s internet services, for “operational evaluation.”

The exact unit that will receive the terminals was redacted from the contract documents, but the 1st SOCONS provides contract support for the 1st Special Operations Wing, one of five wings under AFSOC. The 1st SOW operates everything from CV-22 Ospreys to AC-130J gunships to U-28A Dracos.

The estimated cost of the contract was also redacted.

USAFE-AFAFRICA’s and AFSOC’s moves to purchase commercial satellite internet access come as lawmakers and analysts alike have called for the Department of Defense to rely more on commercial space capabilities for things such as communications and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has helped to highlight some of the areas where commercial capabilities could be useful. Satellite imagery before and during the conflict have shown Russian troop movements and buildups, and SpaceX has made Starlink available for Ukrainians, allowing the country’s government and civilians to more easily communicate despite the chaotic situation on the ground. Founder Elon Musk has even said the constellation has proven resilient against Russian cyberattacks.

“I would … say that commercial space has been very important in providing capabilities that have been helpful to Ukraine,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond said at the Aspen Security Forum in July.

The impact of Ukraine was even mentioned in USAFE’s Starlink contract documents.

“With Ukraine’s operations emergent communication requirement, the communication requirements within and around eastern European areas in support of Ukraine operations expands daily,” the document states. “… Starlink LEO fulfills the requirement of reducing processing times and increases theater based operations on changing requirements and locations.”

At the same time, DOD, led by the Space Force, is still pursuing sizable low Earth orbit constellations of its own. In particular, the Space Development Agency is planning to launch hundreds of satellites as part of Tranches 0 and 1 of its Transport Layer, though those satellites won’t launch until 2023, rolling out over time into 2024.

KC-46 Boom Operators Learn to Live With RVS Pending 2.0 Upgrade

Aug. 9, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J.—The KC-46 boom operators stopped talking and leaned in as New Jersey Air National Guard F-16s approached a refueling mission over upstate New York in July. The fighters were visible on a 1,080-pixel, black-and-white screen as they lined up behind the boom. The cockpit went quiet, too, and the pilot flipped to a visual of the aerial refueling as he listened for possible instructions from the boom operator, who chatted with the receiving aircraft.

Blackouts and washouts on KC-46s’ video displays during refueling, caused by shadows or direct sunlight, will remain a problem until the fleet’s Remote Vision System (RVS) 2.0 is ready. But after hundreds of hours of missions from the Pacific to NATO’s eastern flank, the boom operators have nevertheless learned to refuel most types of aircraft the Air Force flies.

Workarounds include software upgrades and a procedure by which receiving aircraft have to back away and approach again as the boom operators toggle between different visual displays. The results have amounted to better refueling accuracy but more delays.

“It can take anywhere from five minutes to 30 minutes,” explained Staff Sgt. Daquane Spikes of the 2nd Air Refueling Squadron, 305th Air Mobility Wing, of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., describing the delays as he looked over the shoulder of a fellow boom operator instructor during the F-16 refueling.

“As far as the washout and the shadows, I normally notice it as the receiver is coming into contact,” he said.

Depending on how dark the shadow is, the boom can be completely blacked out on the display screen as it nears the receiver.

“You would probably not be able to see the receptacle in the boom, which would make you expect to lose your depth perception,” he said. “Then, you send them back and alternate your 3D camera scenes.”

The scene selection refers to the image on the black-and-white screen in front of the boom operator, who sits at the front of the aircraft, just behind the cockpit. A knob to the left of the screen allows the boom operator to flip between camera views.

Senior Airman Jon Vermont, sitting at the left boom operator console, explained how changing the scene gets around the defect.

“As the sun is changing [in] distance over the horizon, and [depending on] what degree it’s at, we need to change our scenes to match with it, to keep a good visual on the receiver itself,” Vermont said. “We’ll switch views, but the only time that we’re switching views is when the receiver is at 50 feet or farther aft.”

The limit on when a boom operator can switch scenes is due to another deficiency in the system: The screen blacks out for an instant with each turn of the knob. The Air Force requires that every time conditions such as clouds or lighting degrade the visual display, a boom operator must send the receiving aircraft back to 50 feet astern, then change the scene, before the aircraft begins a new approach.

“If we’re in a position where the sun is just beaming down on us and we can’t find a correct scene, we have to bring the receiver in and back them out multiple times,” Spikes said. “In a wartime situation, the less time that the receiver is around the boom, the more time they have to do whatever mission set they have that day.”

As of May 31, the KC-46 had received interim capability releases that permit it to refuel 97 percent of U.S. Transportation Command taskings. That includes most bombers, tankers, and fighters as well as airlift and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft. The only aircraft still not approved for refueling from a KC-46 include the A-10, B-2, CV/MV-22, and E-4B.

Still, however, the KC-46 is not approved for combat operations.

RVS 2.0 is expected to alleviate problems in depth perception with new cameras and a full-color, high-definition screen. Also, between scene changes, the screen will no longer blink black, meaning the boom operator will not have to send the receiver aircraft back aft.

‘A Sense of Deliberate Haste’

Commander of Air Mobility Command Gen. Mike Minihan told Air Force Magazine that the series of interim capability releases he issued over the past year have been meant to make the KC-46 operational and its crews trained and ready for the upgrade.

“Certainly, there are challenges that we have to plan a way through,” Minihan said in a July 28 phone interview.

“Some of the sunlight, some of the angles, some of the weather can make the crew have to do some planning that overcomes the limitations of the first [RVS] series,” he said, referring to coordination between receiving pilots and boom operators.

In some cases, boom operators may wait to begin aerial refueling until the receiving aircraft is positioned differently relative to the sun. Boom operators communicating directly with the receiving pilots may ask them to reposition the aircraft.

“I’m making sure that we all understand that there is a sense of deliberate haste when it comes to getting the 46 on step with RVS 2.0 and also them coming off the line with all those fixes already incorporated,” Minihan said of his discussions with Boeing.

Many KC-46s have upgraded to an “RVS 1.5” system, but the KC-46 on the July refueling flight was still operating on a lesser software upgrade, Vermont said.

Boeing has promised to deliver the RVS 2.0 system by fiscal 2023, but Minihan could not provide any further specifics on that timeline or how upgrades to current aircraft would be coordinated without losing AMC refueling capacity.

One thing is certain, boom operators with hundreds of hours of experience on older refuelers still prefer the KC-46, even with its current drawbacks.

Unlike KC-135 boom operators, for example, the KC-46’s boom operators don’t need to continue controlling the boom once it locks in to a receiver.

“Once we make contact with the receiver, it goes into a fly-by-wire system,” Vermont said of the automated system the takes over control of the boom once contact is made. “It follows the receiver around after we make contact. It can sense where the boom is, where the nozzle load is.”

The fly-by-wire system is the Aircraft Load Alleviation System (ALAS) whose purpose is to maintain contact by allowing the boom to follow the receiving aircraft’s movements. In older aircraft such as the KC-135, the boom operator has to follow the receiver manually. In the KC-10 and the KC-46, fly-by-wire systems reduce operator fatigue by following the receiver automatically.

A number of other advantages benefit receiving aircraft, Vermont said. The retiring KC-10’s third engine on the tail creates a draft as receivers approach the boom, while older KC-135s are “a little shaky,” making it harder for receivers to close in on the boom.

“The autopilot on this jet is fantastic,” said Vermont, who has 700 hours of flight time on the KC-46 and 800 hours on the KC-135.

Vermont explained that with an older airplane such as the KC-135, the autopilot “just couldn’t keep up” with certain aircraft bow waves—changes in air pressure caused by large receiving aircraft going at high speeds. The KC-46’s more advanced autopilot can keep up with the changes in pressure caused by the receivers.

“I’ve never had an auto-disconnect on me while doing AR,” Vermont added. “In previous tankers like the 135, if I had a C-5 behind me and he did a rapid movement, it could kick off our autopilot and cause a dangerous situation. I’ve never had anything like that happen.”

The KC-46’s autopilot also makes the possibility of a midair collision less likely. That’s because the newer system is able to adjust to the bow waves created by any sudden changes made by a larger cargo plane receiver, instead of shutting off and handing controls over to the pilot.

One way Minihan has sped up operational use and experience with the new plane has been to send it on employment concept exercises. In April, four KC-46s deployed to Moron Air Base, Spain, to help refuel NATO air policing missions over NATO’s eastern flank, and in June, KC-46s were used in an Indo-Pacific exercise out of Yokota Air Base, Japan.

The result has been more flying hours for crews on the new platform in priority theaters.

“The people that fly, fix, and support it love it. If you talk to the receivers that are refueling off it, they love it, too,” said Minihan, who has regular in-person meetings with Boeing executives to ensure that the coming RVS 2.0 upgrade remains on schedule and is quickly adopted across the AMC KC-46 fleet once ready.

“My favorite soundbite from one of the most experienced KC-46 boomers is, ‘I’ve never missed a plug,’” said Minihan, while emphasizing that AMC is preparing “an exquisite ballet” to ensure that no operational units are affected by the RVS 2.0 upgrade. “The timelines are still being worked, but it’s sooner rather than later.”

Editor’s Note: This story was corrected at 4 p.m. Eastern time June 11 to note that the refueled F-16s were from the New Jersey Air National Guard, not the Maryland Air National Guard.

GE’s XA100 Engine Would Create New Mission Possibilities for the F-35

Aug. 9, 2022 | By Nick Adde

“You must solve a lot of problems if you’re going to provide an Air Force that can fly effectively and complete its missions in that environment,” Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Paul Hester said of the Pacific theater. Put more simply, “There’s a lot of room out there,” he said.

Hester has firsthand knowledge of this. He’s a former commander of USAF Pacific Air Forces. Operating effectively in that expansive theater, which will be a major focus of the USAF for the foreseeable future, is why he says re-engining the stealthy, multi-mission F-35A with a next-generation, adaptive powerplant must be part of the USAF’s plans.

GE’s AETP offering, called the XA100, has delivered on the Air Force’s original ask: 25% better fuel efficiency, twice the thermal management capacity, and at least 10% more thrust. Hester, who now consults for GE, notes the XA100’s three test campaigns—including one currently taking place at the Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC)—have demonstrated that generational jump in capability.

From a mission planning perspective, Hester says the effect such an engine would have in combat would be enormous. “More ‘miles per gallon’ means I can fly that much farther,” he said. “From a mission planner’s point of view, more range means you can complicate your adversary’s problems. Plus, I’m able to react better, with more options, to things that an adversary throws at me.”

“I’m able to expand my mission and pick different airfields I can operate from. I can take tankers away from contested airspace, and free up their availability for other aircraft that are part of my mission. I’ve opened up my envelope, my operational environment.”

The Air Force’s AETP (Adaptive Engine Transition Program) started in 2016 with this exact scenario in mind. General Electric (GE) and Pratt & Whitney are testing engines under this program with adaptive cycle engines that generate more power when you need it and then adapt for greater efficiency while cruising to extend the jet’s range. The AETP engines, designed as drop-in replacement engines for the F-35A, also provide a significant jump in cooling capability. That cooling is critical to support the F-35’s impending Block IV needs and capacity for growth in upcoming upgrades.

Hester notes that’s just the mission flexibility afforded by 25% better fuel efficiency. “That doesn’t account for the other improvements AETP provides,” he says.

Improvements in thrust and enhanced thermal management bring along similarly important mission benefits. Thrust, Hester notes as a former fighter pilot, “is something you can never get enough of. It increases your potential payload and your ability to get out of challenging situations.”

Thermal management is an area Hester notes is essential for both the short term and long term needs of the F-35 platform.

“The F-35’s thermal needs are growing,” he said. “And they’ll continue to grow as the jet modernizes throughout its service life. AETP brings double today’s thermal management capacity, which means plenty of cooling availability to absorb heat off various internal systems. The three-stream architecture AETP introduces, as opposed to the current two-stream architecture, is the key to solving the overheating problems we see today.”

Improvements in model-based systems engineering in recent years have also helped model the design and predict performance of GE’s XA100. Today’s tests of a physical engine are proving the accuracy of pre-test modeling and predictions.

“[The XA100] has tested at Air Force facilities in Tullahoma, Tennessee,” Hester said. “Through those tests, you’re able to look against the predicted ability of the engine to operate across the flight envelope and see where the actual data points are.”

The tests at AEDC are part of a long-term risk mitigation strategy Hester says the Air Force was wise to employ. “There is always a learning curve with jet engine development and design, whether it’s a new engine or an upgrade. But the way the Air Force structured its adaptive engine programs, methodically working through multiple programs and providing consistent funding for those programs, has allowed a significant amount of risk to be removed. That allows the Air Force to know what they’re getting before an Engineering and Manufacturing Development program.”

Digital engineering also has given GE the confidence that its engine fits not just the AETP target design vehicle in the F-35A, but also the carrier-based F-35C. GE has a part-number common engine for both aircraft, representing nearly 90% of the planned F-35 fleet.

“The most advanced aircraft in the world should have an engine to match,” Hester said. “The benefits are clear, and we need to move forward now to outpace an increasingly competitive environment.”

DOD Revises COVID-19 Guidelines for Travel, Masks, and More

Aug. 8, 2022 | By Amanda Miller

The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness revised the Defense Department’s COVID-19 guidelines in a memo dated Aug. 8.

The new rules represent the second revision to the guidelines. They clarify what’s meant by being “up to date” on COVID-19 vaccines and when personnel must wear masks in vehicles, among other changes. The revised guidelines specify that:

Installation commanders must change their base’s Health Protection Condition Level (HPCON) based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Community Level in the local county. Commanders must raise a base’s HPCON level no later than two weeks after the CDC raises its “Community Level” for the county the base is located in; and may lower the HPCON no sooner than two weeks after the CDC lowers the Community Level. Commanders no longer must coordinate with other nearby base commanders for “consistency in response and unity of messaging.”
Contact tracing activities will prioritize investigation of “cases, clusters, and outbreaks involving high-risk congregate settings, unusual clusters of cases, and … novel or emerging variants that post a significant risk for severe disease, hospitalization, or death.”
Personnel must self-screen for symptoms before entering a DOD facility “or interacting with members of the public in person as part of your official duties.” Those with symptoms or who feel sick must stay home. Symptoms for self-screening are outlined by the CDC.
Maintaining six feet of physical separation between individuals no longer applies to students in DOD schools.
Personnel must wear masks in indoor spaces on DOD transportation including aircraft and boats regardless of vaccination status or DOD Community Level. Whereas masks had been required in low-occupancy vehicles such as cars or vans when the Community Level was “High,” the new guidelines merely recommend masks in low-occupancy vehicles—but do so regardless of Community Level.
Someone is up to date on vaccinations when they’ve received “all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster doses recommended when eligible.”
Close contacts of infected individuals no longer must quarantine if the contact’s vaccination status is up to date. Close contacts whose vaccination status is not up to date must quarantine for five days.
Meeting organizers must require attendees to “follow the applicable requirements” for physical distancing in Section 5.2 of the guidelines.
The commander of U.S. Transportation Command has the authority to waive travel-related requirements “in order to continue execution of the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise as required to protect and sustain the joint force globally.”
Evacuations and permanent changes of station are now considered “mission-critical” as they pertain to travel guidance.
DOD contracting officers may, but no longer must, require contractor personnel complete a risk assessment, including a self-health assessment, prior to traveling outside the U.S.
The cost of travel-related testing may be claimed as an expense.

Time Is Already Running Short for Congress to Pass 2023 NDAA, Spending Bills

Aug. 8, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

More than seven weeks still remain until the 2023 fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, but observers of Congress are already warning that time is running out for lawmakers to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act and appropriations bill that will fund the Pentagon before that deadline.

Should Congress fail to pass those bills on time, they’ll have to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open, a move that keeps spending levels frozen at the previous year’s levels.

Defense Department leaders have frequently bemoaned the use of CRs, saying they stall new programs, delay production increases, and keep funds stuck in the wrong accounts. Department of the Air Force leaders, in particular, have already said that any delay in the 2023 budgeting process would have “a particularly negative effect.”

Yet such a delay is looking more and more likely.

For the NDAA, the House passed its version of the bill in mid-July, increasing the top line of the Pentagon’s budget request by $37 billion. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version in June, with committee leadership filing it to the Senate floor in mid-July. The full chamber has yet to vote on the bill.

On the appropriations side of things, both the House and Senate have yet to approve a defense spending bill. The House Appropriations Committee did pass its markup of a spending plan for the Pentagon in June, but the full chamber has yet to debate it. The Senate Appropriations Committee, meanwhile, did not unveil its spending bills until late July.

“The good thing is that the House went ahead and passed six of the 12 appropriations bills,” retired Col. Anthony Lazarski, a former professional staff member for the Senate Armed Services Committee and aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and a principal with consulting firm Cornerstone Government Affairs, said on the latest episode of the Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Advantage podcast. “So they got them all out of committee, and then they brought six to the floor. … What didn’t come to the floor is the defense bill, as well as Homeland Security and a few others, because there just wasn’t an agreement, and they weren’t sure they were going to be able to get the votes on the floor.”

Now, Congress is at the start of its August recess period, with both chambers slated to return in early September after Labor Day. But with Election Day looming Nov. 8, lawmakers won’t stay in Washington, D.C., for long before heading back out on the campaign trail. The House is scheduled to have its last day in session before the election Sept. 30, while the Senate is tentatively set to be in session for two weeks in October, though that could change.

In order to get the NDAA signed into law by Oct. 1, the Senate would have to pass its version soon after returning in September, allowing for the conference process to start whereby lawmakers and staff members from both chambers draft a compromise bill. That process can take several weeks, before both chambers would then have to vote on the new bill, presumably before the House leaves town.

And it’s far from certain that the Senate will vote on its version of the NDAA quickly in September. Col. Todd Harmer, also a former congressional aide and now an executive with consulting firm American Defense International, pointed out that doing so will require cooperation between SASC leaders and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)

“The big question … is going to be when that bill does go to the floor. There are a lot of competing priorities,” Harmer said on the podcast. “I know [Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.)] and Sen. Inhofe do not have an agreement from Leader Schumer yet to bring it to the floor. But hopefully [they will] by mid-September, and then the committees can conference the bill.

Even then, Harmer predicted that Congress won’t meet its deadline.

“We will not get it done before the end of this fiscal year,” Harmer said. “So I think some time after the election, in November before Christmas, we’ll finally see the FY23 Defense Authorization Act.”

Lazarski also sounded skeptical.

“For both of these bills, nothing will happen for conference,” Lazarski said. “They’re going to wait until after the election, see what happens, who’s going to have a majority in the next Congress. And then it’s really going to be a tough negotiation as we go forward.

“Obviously they’re going to want to get these bills done as they do every year, but it’s probably going to take until Christmas, potentially until the end of the calendar year, and if they’re having problems, which obviously we’re hoping they don’t, there is a possibility of kicking it into the next Congress. And that could push this back all the way to March because the bills will have to get refiled. But right now, we’re hearing that they’re going to try to get this done.”

Harmer and Lazarski are not alone in expressing concern that key spending bills may not get done before the start of the new fiscal year. Indeed, it has become a recurring issue in Congress. The Pentagon has started the new fiscal year under a continuing resolution in 12 of the last 13 years, including each of the last three years.

For the NDAA, leaders have found a way to speed up the process by drafting a compromise bill outside of the conference process and then introducing it in both chambers. However, critics say such a move reduces free and open debate.

Ukraine Could Get Western Fighters, Pentagon Official Says—‘Down the Road’

Aug. 8, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The Pentagon announced its latest drawdown package for Ukraine on Aug. 8, valued at $1 billion and mainly comprising munitions for key systems. But any decision on whether to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with Western combat jets is still to be made, a key Defense Department official told reporters—and it could potentially take “a year to three years” before such jets could be delivered.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl’s comments came several weeks after top U.S. Air Force officials indicated an openness to giving Ukraine some kind of fighter aircraft in its fight against Russia’s invasion, seemingly reversing previous opposition to such a move.

But Kahl didn’t say which aircraft the U.S. might give to the Ukrainians and noted that actually getting them to Ukraine wouldn’t happen quickly and therefore was not an immediate priority.

“Our overwhelming priority right now is getting the Ukrainians things that are relevant for the current fight. So right now, the fight is in the east and increasingly in the south. We need to get them capabilities that deliver on a timeframe that’s relevant to that,” Kahl said. “So we’re focused on these types of capabilities, not something that might deliver in a year to three years, etc.

“That said, there is work being done here at the Pentagon and elsewhere out in Europe at EUCOM … to help work with Ukrainians to identify their medium- to long-term requirements. So think of things that aren’t measured in days and weeks but measured in the months and a handful of years.”

Specifically, “there are real questions about what would be most useful in terms of assisting the Ukrainian Air Force in improving its capabilities,” Kahl said. “It’s not inconceivable that down the road, Western aircraft could be part of the mix on that. But the final analysis has not been done.”

While the Pentagon considers the delivery of Western jets to be a longer-term priority, Ukrainian officials have been pushing for them for several months, and pilots have told Air Force Magazine that sorites in their outperformed MiG-29s now are essentially “suicide missions.”

In particular, Ukraine has said it needs “fast and versatile” aircraft such as the F-16, not slower-moving ground defense platforms such as the A-10. The Ukrainians have also pushed for their pilots to start receiving training on Western aircraft as soon as possible, even before a final decision is made on which aircraft to give them.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have lent their support on that last point, including a provision in their version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act that would provide $100 million for Ukrainian pilots to train on American fixed-wing aircraft. That legislation, however, has yet to pass the Senate.

Munitions and Missiles

In the meantime, the Pentagon continues to announce new Presidential drawdowns of security aid for Ukraine—Aug. 8’s package is the 18th in the past year. And this latest one is primarily composed of missiles and ammunition for artillery, mortar systems, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS).

What the package did not include was any new HIMARS or NASAMS. Ukrainian officials have said they need rapidly expanded numbers of HIMARS from their current inventory of 16, as well as quick delivery of NASAMS to defend against the Russian cruise missile threat.

But while the Pentagon is providing an unspecified number of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) to be fired from the HIMARS, “our assessment actually is that the Ukrainians are doing pretty well in terms of the numbers of systems and really the priority right now is making sure that they have a steady stream of these GMLRS,” Kahl said.

The GMLRS are having “real operational effects,” Kahl added.

“These GMLRS … are having a very profound effect. I mean, this is a 200-pound warhead. It’s kind of the equivalent of an airstrike, frankly, a precision-guided airstrike,” Kahl said. “These are GPS-guided munitions. They’ve been very effective in hitting things that previously the Ukrainians had difficulty hitting reliably.”

In terms of air defenses, the new drawdown includes an unspecified number of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) that will go with the NASAMS, Kahl clarified.

“There are no NASAMS in this package. There are AMRAAM missiles for the NASAMS. So the NASAMS that are in the pipeline, we think, will probably arrive in the next few months,” Kahl said. “And the AMRAAM missiles that are in this system, which can be used for the NASAMS, they will take some period of [time]. … They’ll have to be looked at, the inventory has to be looked at, to make sure that all the missiles are in good shape, and then they’ll get there in time for the NASAMS’ arrival.”