VanHerck: China’s Efforts of Hypersonics ‘Tenfold’ What US Has Done

VanHerck: China’s Efforts of Hypersonics ‘Tenfold’ What US Has Done

March 1, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

China’s efforts to develop and field hypersonic weapons has been “tenfold” that of the U.S.’s own push, but the Pentagon will likely increase funding for testing, development, and threat warning in that area in the forthcoming 2023 budget, the commander of U.S. Northern Command told Congress on March 1.

That assessment from Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, who also serves as commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, comes after months of increased reports about Chinese progress in hypersonics and American efforts to develop its own capabilities.

“They’re aggressively pursuing hypersonic capability tenfold to what we have done, as far as testing within the last year or so, significantly outpacing us with their capabilities,” VanHerck told members of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee.

“[But] we’re picking up in the department. I’m confident we’ll see when the budget comes out, we’ll see additional resources applied into the hypersonic area, as well as in threat warning and attack assessment for those capabilities.”

The Air Force, Army, and Navy are all pursuing projects in hypersonics, with the Army appearing most likely to field such a weapon first. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, meanwhile, has warned of putting too much emphasis on hypersonics just because China is advancing in that area.

According to reports, however, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III told the military services their proposed 2023 budgets weren’t aggressive enough in pursuing hypersonics. Austin has also reportedly pressed industry CEOs to move faster in the area.

In its 2022 budget request, the Pentagon devoted $3.8 billion to hypersonics programs, though the funds in that budget have still not been approved by Congress.

The exact totals in the 2023 budget have yet to be revealed, but one senior lawmaker indicated the legislature would be supportive of increased funding, especially for testing infrastructure.

“You’re going to have substantial support from the Hill to upgrade infrastructure given the fact that we are behind right now on developing hypersonic weapons,” Rep. James R. Langevin (D-R.I.) said.

On that front, the DOD has already made some progress, said Sasha Baker, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.

“I can assure you and assure the committee that we have made substantial investments in the test infrastructure, both air and ground, in order to accommodate hypersonic testing and other advanced technology testing that we anticipate will be coming down the road,” Baker said.

China’s ‘Strategic Breakout’

China’s aggressive development, however, hasn’t just affected the U.S. in hypersonics, U.S. Strategic Command boss Adm. Charles A. “Chas” Richard told the Congressional panel.

Richard, who has previously called China’s growth in the area “breathtaking,” declared China has grown into a near-peer nuclear adversary with its “strategic breakout” of nuclear capabilities. As a result, he added, the modernization of the U.S. nuclear enterprise is now an “imperative.”

“The strategic security environment is now a three-party nuclear near peer reality. Our existing nuclear forces are the minimum required to achieve our national strategy. We must modernize and recapitalize the nation’s nuclear triad, nuclear command and control, nuclear complex, and supporting infrastructure to meet presidential objectives.”

Richard said he is confident the 2023 budget will continue to support those modernization efforts, but as China’s own modernization efforts progress, the U.S. will have to stay focused.

“We don’t know the end point of where China is going in terms of the capabilities it’s developing and the capacities that it’s developing,” Richard said. “And while I’m very confident we’re going to wind up with a very good strategy, I think it will need to be a question that we continue to ask ourselves as we see where China goes, as we see where others go, what are the overall capability and capacity that the United States requires in order to execute that strategy against a changing threat? And we’re going to have to ask that question much more frequently than we have in the past.”

What’s Next for Space Force Uniforms: Tweaked Collars, Less Baggy Pants, Supply Chain Problems

What’s Next for Space Force Uniforms: Tweaked Collars, Less Baggy Pants, Supply Chain Problems

March 1, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

It’s been more than five months since Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond unveiled the Space Force’s first prototype service dress uniforms to the world at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

Since then, members of the Air Force Uniform Office have been busy entering what director Tracy Roan called a “true development cycle,” making subtle tweaks, correcting fits, and incorporating Guardians’ feedback.

Still, it will likely be quite some time before the uniform is officially rolled out, Roan told Air Force Magazine in an interview.

Supply chain issues have hit multiple branches of the military hard, leading to uniform shortages for the Air Force and Coast Guard. And they have “definitely hindered” Roan’s office as it tries to move forward with the Space Force uniform, she said, noting her team isn’t even slated to receive fabric for test assets until “late summer.”

As a result, the process of actually getting the uniform to Guardians is taking “much longer than we would like,” Roan said, declining to estimate a timeline for when that might happen.

Design Tweaks

After the initial prototype was unveiled, reactions poured in—plenty of civilians compared the design to those from science fiction, while those in the military were quick to note that the pants on the female Guardian in particular seemed baggy and ill-fitting.

The Space Force acknowledged that criticism, tweeting in October, “We heard your feedback. New pants, new fit coming soon.”

Roan heard the feedback too, and she credited the poor fit to several factors, including fabric that has more stretch and drapes differently compared to other military pants. The Uniform Office is now looking to “make sure that the pattern coincides with the fabric needs,” she said.

“Truly the basis of this is everything was accelerated: the fit, the samples were made, I believe the model lost some weight right prior to the introduction,” Roan added. “There really just wasn’t a lot of time to make sure that all those details were addressed or even known prior to her really being in front of the public, and I would say as much as anything, in the position that you stand at attention is probably not super flattering for most people, really. So it just kind of was a perfect storm.”

In addition to the pants, Roan said her office is also making adjustments to another element: the collar.

“The original collar on the prototypes unveiled had a very wide opening that revealed a lot of the dress shirt underneath,” Roan said. “We’ve closed that up some. It still is open, you still see the shirt, it’s just not as wide. I think actually, it looks more flattering because the … wider opening actually widens someone’s neck. So I think this new shape is a little more flattering. And it’s just a really, truly simple fix.”

Since the Space Force unveiled the prototypes, the service has conducted six “roadshow”-style events, where Guardians have been able to examine the uniform up-close and in-person. The response from these events has been mostly positive, Roan said, with many Guardians expressing appreciation for the fabric used. “They’re unique from our current Air Force fabric or some of the other services’ fabric in that they actually have stretch built in, so hopefully the comfort will be enhanced because of that,” Roan said.

Still to Come

In addition to the feedback on the prototypes, the Space Force has also been seeking input from Guardians on the covers that should accompany the uniform—the models at ASC weren’t wearing any.

“Right now we are utilizing a variation of the Air Force garrison cap. But I would say it’s kind of in a TBD stage as we work through the comments and feedback,” said Roan, adding that her office is also considering a billed cap similar to the Air Force’s service cap, sometimes referred to as the bus driver cap.

There are other uniform items also still in the works.

We’re “determining what other items are needed—sweaters, there’s a lightweight jacket, some other things like that,” Roan said.

space force insignia
The Space Force released its insignia for enlisted Guardians on Sept. 20, 2021. Space Force Twitter.

In the Meantime

In a recent video update sent to Guardians, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman announced that the service would be making subtle tweaks to the Air Force dress uniform while it waited for its own version, aiming to “space it up a little bit,” he said.

Roan confirmed those changes as relatively minor in nature, focused on the new insignia being rolled out, buttons, and nameplates.

Despite these changes, though, the plan for a completely distinct dress uniform is not being abandoned, and Roan indicated the prototypes won’t be overhauled or scrapped.

“It’s mostly what was seen, just with some finessing of fit, that sort of thing,” she said.

One uniform element that isn’t set to change is the use of the operational camouflage pattern uniform as the service’s duty uniform, Roan confirmed.

PT Gear

Overshadowed somewhat by the debut of the service dress prototypes, the Space Force also announced in September that it was wear-testing its new PT gear—black shorts with a version of the service’s delta logo in white and a gray T-shirt bearing the stylized words “Space Force” in white on the back.

That uniform set continues to progress through the Pentagon’s approval process, Roan said. It is currently in front of the Defense Logistics Agency “for the initial contracting, moving to the production phase.” 

Roan declined to provide an estimate for when the PT uniform would be officially rolled out. The Air Force is also working to roll out its own new PT uniform, and Roan indicated that process is reaching its latter stages, with a procurement contract set to be awarded in May.

David T. ‘Buck’ Buckwalter, Former AFA Exec VP, Dead at 72

David T. ‘Buck’ Buckwalter, Former AFA Exec VP, Dead at 72

Feb. 28, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak

Retired Col. David T. “Buck” Buckwalter, a former Air Force Association executive vice president who inaugurated its CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers programs, died Feb. 27 at the age of 72. Buckwalter spent 27 years in the Air Force as a weapon systems officer, logistician, and an instructor.

Buckwalter was commissioned out of Air Force Officer Training School in 1972, after earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in New York. He attended navigator training and was a weapon system officer and flight commander on the RF-4C Phantom reconnaissance jet in Vietnam, where he earned the Air Medal. He accumulated more than 2,200 flight hours during his time in the service.

He was a maintenance squadron and logistics group commander, and the senior Air Force advisor to the president of the Naval War College, as well as executive officer to the director of operations for U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Buckwalter retired as a colonel in 1999, having earned a Master’s degree in management from Troy University and another Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He also received a certificate in general studies from Salve Regina University.

“Buck was a wonderful friend and leader over the years,” said AFA President, retired Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright. “Remembering our time flying F-4 Phantoms as we defended our nation, Buck was always an exemplary air warrior and it was an honor to serve together in the higher calling of our Air Force mission.”

Buckwalter was a Life member of AFA, which he joined upon his entry into the Air Force in 1972, and served as a Chapter, State, and Region president. He was a trustee of the former Aerospace Education Foundation (AEF) and headed the Strategic Planning Committee and the AFA21 Task Force Tax Status team, which earned AFA its 501(c)(3) tax status. He also chaired the Constitution Committee and managed the merger of AFA and the AEF. He was an AFA national director from 2004-2007 and vice chairman of the Aerospace Education Council in 2007.

Among his AFA awards were the Medal of Merit, Exceptional Service Award, and Presidential Citation.

Buckwalter joined the AFA staff as executive vice president in 2008 and held the role until 2012, where he managed the association’s professional staff and day-to-day operations. In 2009, while EVP, Buckwalter executed the first full season of CyberPatriot, a cyber defense competition designed to interest students in science, technology, engineering, and math. Today, CyberPatriot is a global success, with nearly 5,000 teams competing from schools in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, and the Republic of Korea.

Later, as a volunteer, Buckwalter sought to build on that success, helping to found StellarXplorers. StellarXplorers is a space system design competition that teaches participants about satellite design, orbits, and operations.

Gerald R. Murray, former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and Chairman of the Board of AFA, noted that 2022 marks Buckwalter’s 50th year as an AFA member.

“For decades, he has put his time, treasure, and heart into serving AFA,” Murray said. “Buck always looked out for our chapters … He made work fun for AFA staff and treated everyone with respect.”

Buckwalter was the “guiding hand in the fundamental reorganization of AFA, enabling us to transform into the vibrant aerospace education organization we are today,” Murray said. Of all the AFA programs he got involved with, CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers were “perhaps the nearest to his heart,” Murray continued. “Buck’s legacy will live on in the smiles of students competing in these programs for many years to come.”

Pentagon: Russia Aims to Cut Off Eastern Ukraine, EU Offers Fighter Jets

Pentagon: Russia Aims to Cut Off Eastern Ukraine, EU Offers Fighter Jets

Feb. 28, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

The Defense Department outlined Feb. 28 a perceived Russian strategy in Ukraine to encircle Kyiv and cut off the eastern half of the country, but execution or planning failures have slowed progress as the U.S. and partners coordinate to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in new defense assistance to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air space remains contested, with the government of Ukraine retaining aircraft and missile defenses, a senior defense official told journalists, noting heavy fighting in the second city of Kharkiv, and a continued Russian advance from the south. The southern advance opens a possible third vector to Kyiv that could soon encircle the city. Meanwhile, U.S. ground and airborne defense assistance has arrived to Ukrainian fighters “in just the last day or so,” and European allies have promised to give Ukraine combat jets, according to the official.

“The Russians have not achieved air superiority over the whole country,” the official added. “Ukrainian air defenses remain intact and viable, both in terms of aircraft and missile defense systems.”

Ukraine’s aircraft and air defense systems are about to improve thanks to a $561 million commitment by European Union countries.

 “We are going to provide even fighter jets,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Feb. 27.

Although the fighters will be Soviet-made, like those already in the Ukrainian inventory, it’s not clear how they will get there since many of the airfields are badly damaged, or whether the jets will come with munitions.

While not involved in the EU offer, Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said the Defense Department is coordinating defense assistance with partners.

“We continue to coordinate closely with allies and partners about the security assistance that the Ukrainians continue to get, not just from us, but from them as well,” Kirby said in response to a question from Air Force Magazine.

Still, Russian forces are fighting intensely for the eastern city of Kharkiv and are moving closer to Mariupol in the south, marking a potential front to divide the country in two.

“If they can get Kharkiv and then get Mariupol, if you draw a line between those two cities, you can see that that would allow them to section off the eastern part of Ukraine and fix whatever Ukrainian armed forces are in the east and keep them there,” the defense official said.

Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation is positioned on the southeastern front where Russian-backed separatists have declared independent republics in Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia invaded in 2014. On Feb. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the republics and sent tanks and troops into the area in the beginning salvo of the current conflict.

Separately, Russian forces are believed to have advanced to within about 15 miles of Kyiv from northern approaches that launched from Belarus, and satellite imagery shows a 17-mile long Russian convoy approaching the capital.

“We expect that they’re going to want to continue to move forward and try to encircle the city in coming days,” the official said.

https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497554238695743493

Russia has launched 380 missiles into Ukraine and has committed 75 percent of its amassed forces inside Ukraine, DOD assesses. However, progress has been slowed by Russian logistics challenges and heavy resistance.

“Mr. Putin still has at his disposal significant combat power,” Kirby said. “He hasn’t moved all of it into Ukraine.”

With battlefield delays and global opposition mounting, Putin Feb. 27 announced his strategic forces would be on high combat alert, a declaration still not well understood by the Pentagon. Nonetheless, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is confident in the U.S. strategic stance.

“We’re reviewing and analyzing that announcement,” Kirby said. “Secretary Austin is comfortable with the strategic deterrent posture of the United States and our ability to defend the homeland, our allies, and our partners.”

In recent weeks and days, President Joe Biden imposed heavy sanctions on Russia and ordered 14,000 troops to NATO’s eastern flank, including new deployments to Europe and the repositioning of forces already in theater. In addition, at least 30 F-16s, F-18s, and F-35s re-positioned in the east to conduct air policing missions from the Baltics down to the Black Sea.

“This is airspace that now butts up against what is now contested airspace,” Kirby said. “In many ways, these air policing missions are more important than ever before.”

Reports have not emerged yet from peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian diplomats held Feb. 28 at the Ukraine-Belarus border, but the Pentagon said Putin has shown no signs of slowing his assault on the fifth day of the war.

“The one place this still could go is a peaceful diplomatic outcome,” Kirby said. “There’s nothing other than perhaps his own obstinance preventing Mr. Putin from doing the right thing here and to try and to find a way to stop this war.”

Spark Tank Finalists: Paving the Way for a Pentagon App Store

Spark Tank Finalists: Paving the Way for a Pentagon App Store

Feb. 28, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The Department of the Air Force’s annual Spark Tank competition takes place March 4, when six teams will take to the stage at the AFA Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. Each team will pitch the most senior leaders in the Air and Space Forces on how their innovations can save money, improve the lives of Airmen and Guardians, and transform the department.

Air Force Magazine is highlighting one team each day from now through March 3. Today, we look at “Project FoX (Fighter Optimization Experiment),” led by Maj. Allen Black of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Every day, millions of people across the globe go to Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store and download apps for their smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Could the Pentagon one day have its own version?

That’s the idea behind Project FoX—fighter pilots across different planes, able to access and use the same software, software that is developed and fielded in a fraction of the time it takes today.

“We must act now to accelerate our software development into capability at the speed of relevance,” Black said in his Spark Tank submission. “Project FoX, or the Fighter Optimization Experiment, provides a transformative way to accelerate the delivery of new software capabilities to our aircraft, while dramatically decreasing the cost.”

For now, the idea is focused on the F-22, which was recently upgraded with an Open Systems Architecture Rack, reducing the need for custom-made software to integrate with the fifth-generation fighter’s hardware. 

Instead, the fighter can now take better advantage of commercial technologies, something Project FoX intends to take even further.

“These improvements are accomplished by connecting a commercial off-the-shelf tablet that is data-secured to aircraft data systems with a universal government interface that puts the aircraft data into a common format,” Black said. “This allows America’s best developers to create applications that are portable across platforms and have real test, training, and technical benefits.”

Using a tablet to run commercial software systems instead of installing it directly on the plane itself has the benefit of “segmenting the developmental code from an aircraft’s operational code,” Black said. 

“As a result, changes can be made rapidly without impacting the airworthiness of the aircraft, taking the time required for testing cycles in software updates from months to days,” he added.

On top of that, Black argued, using tablets would allow software to be tested and deployed simultaneously across different platforms, instead of going “sequentially after lengthy platform-specific test programs.”

Black’s team is planning their first demonstration of this new approach in the coming months, using an app developed and tested on the F-35 that assists with the evasion of enemy surface-to-air missiles on an F-22, with no redevelopment.

“But this is only the start,” Black added. “We’re working to make this a reality on any platform that can connect to their data. To advance this crucial change to our software acquisitions, we need $1.2 million to demonstrate portable apps across fifth-gen fighters, third party applications on the Raptor, as well as to establish the pathway needed to begin developing our future capabilities.”

With funding from Spark Tank, Black said he believes his team could be “paving the way for a DOD App Store filled with cutting edge technologies.”

Should such a vision come to pass, there’s at least one area where it could prove particularly vital—manned-unmanned teaming. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has already demonstrated a similar concept of its own, using a tablet-like device strapped to a pilot’s thigh to control a semi-autonomous “loyal wingman.”

Beyond that, however, Black said the software could assist with artificial intelligence, cyber defense, and other ways. The larger goal is creating a way to accelerate software acquisition, a frequent source of frustration for many in the Air Force IT community.

“This investment will establish the self-sustaining software path we need for the future, enabling future modernization appropriations to flow through this cheaper and faster pipeline,” Black said.

Read about the other Spark Tank finalists:

Protecting the Protectors Aloft

Protecting the Protectors Aloft

Feb. 28, 2022 | By Joanne Hignett and J. Careless

The importance of cybersecurity aboard military/government aircraft grows with every passing day. The combination of complex onboard computer systems, two-way connectivity to ground controllers via radio/SATCOM, and integration with defense IT networks makes them prime targets for hackers.

Cybersecurity stakes are high when it comes to onboard networks. If an onboard network is compromised it could ground an entire fleet for weeks while cybersecurity professionals investigate the exact cause and weakness.

Eliminating or reducing the threat of a cyberattack on an aircraft, both military and civilian, requires developing a cybersecurity workforce and product that can continuously monitor data for anomalies and nefarious activity. There are solutions that defend and protect onboard networks and are available today.

“We make cybersecurity software and hardware platforms that defend an aircraft’s onboard network against cyber-attacks through continuous data monitoring and logging,” said Chris Bartlett, President of CCX Technologies. “We are the people who protect the protectors guarding the U.S. and other NATO member countries in the air.”

The Protective Power of SystemX

SystemX is CCX Technologies’ cyber defense and security software platform. It is designed to protect onboard aircraft avionics, networks, and systems from hackers at all times, thus improving an aircraft’s overall cybersecurity posture.

SystemX Aviation is a flexible cybersecurity system that can be integrated directly on CCX Technologies hardware, in the cloud, or on dedicated, secure third-party servers. It can be purchased as a standalone solution or integrated into CCX Technologies’ SystemX Military & Government cyber defense/cybersecurity software platform.

“A typical SystemX Aviation package includes our AP-250 Inline Cybersecurity Appliance Onboard Cybersecurity System, our SystemX Secure Server, and a set of DataPHYs to collect data from the network,” said Bartlett.

(The AP-250 is a small, standalone device that provides an easy way to add cyber defense, cybersecurity, and other secure networking services to deployed IT assets.) “SystemX Aviation is purpose-built to run autonomously or over bandwidth- and latency-restrictive communications links such as satellite and terrestrial radio. In addition, SystemX Aviation provides data monitoring and collection, configuration via remote access, and advanced firewall capabilities — all well-suited for protecting computer assets in the air.”

Combining Security and Ease of Use

SystemX marries the power of advanced cyber defense/cybersecurity with a platform that is easy to use. This is why CCX Technologies has designed SystemX to be controlled using a familiar browser-based GUI. When operators feel comfortable with a system’s GUI, they are more likely to use it to its full potential.

Compatible with most networked avionics equipment and systems, SystemX provides:

  • A secure tunnel between networked appliances and servers
  • Ethernet- and WiFi-based network monitoring
  • An encryption key manager and secure API
  • An advanced firewall
  • Advanced IDS and IPS (Network Intrusion and Prevention Detection Systems)
  • A complete Avionics Intrusion Detection System for avionics data, including ARINC 429/717, CAN Bus, MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 664 AFDX (requires additional DataPHY hardware)
  • Push Alerts and Rule-sets
  • Quality of Service (QoS) tag support
  • Secure upgrade, configuration, and logging facilities

Worth noting: The SystemX Avionics Intrusion Detection System monitors avionics databus traffic for unexpected anomalies, whether due to adversarial cyber activity or operational issues.

When such anomalies are detected, they are logged into a secure database to support fast analysis and counter-measures by the aircrew and/or operators on the ground.

Secure Cabin Comms

Achieving true aviation cybersecurity requires attention to all aspects of aircraft usage. This is why SystemX’s protection extends throughout the entire airframe using a secure stand-alone Cabin Router. Inside the aircraft, SystemX provides secure, monitored, and configurable interfaces between Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) and the internet through external SATCOM terminals and integrated terrestrial radios (LTE and WiFi).

Onboard PED internet connectivity is managed by SystemX’s built-in Device Manager. It can be provisioned either by WPA Personal-based Access Points or by fully-managed WPA Enterprise-based Access Points with an integrated RADIUS server or proxy.  The Device Manager can accept certificates issued by globally-accepted Certificate Authorities so that users aren’t required to install certificates on their PEDs. It can also enforce per user data caps in flight, and restrict access to the system to specific pre-registered devices, just to be safe.

If a client chooses to use SystemX’s’ Integrated VPN (Virtual Private Network) feature, all internet-bound traffic from an aircraft can be routed through a ground-based SystemX server that provides encryption over all unencrypted (and easily intercepted) SATCOM interfaces. The VPN supports seamless WAN switching using a crypto-routing protocol. It uses a ground server’s static IP address to prevent signal interruptions when the aircraft’s router switches from one WAN interface to another.

Constant Vigilance

CCX Technologies is constantly and consistently focussed on improving SystemX’s cyber defense/cybersecurity capabilities for its clients. This is why the company has built an Avionics Cybersecurity Lab,which is located at its Ottawa headquarters.

“Our Cyber Lab perpetually monitors avionics systems for cyber vulnerabilities,” said Bartlett. “As such, it conducts Penetration Testing and Cybersecurity Audits on these systems and their networks to proactively find weak spots and remedy them.”

CCX Technologies designs and builds custom avionics test racks for its clients’ own avionics test labs using the firm’s ARINC-600 19″ Rack Mount Adapter. Meanwhile, to provide further enhanced security to its military and government subscribers, this company offers unique services such as secure crew/passenger data for multi-mission vehicles, secure airtime, and  remote technical support/real-time configurable alerts for rapid response.

The bottom line: “CCX Technologies’ goal is to provide our military/government clients with the best airborne cybersecurity possible,” concluded Chris Bartlett. “Their aircrews and passengers need to know that their aviation IT systems are safe and protected — whether they are flying Air Force One in a crisis or just moving freight from Point A to Point B.”

To learn more about CCX Technologies and SystemX, go to ccxtechnologies.com.

Partnering for Innovation: How the U.S. Space Force and Millennium Space Systems are Enhancing Missile Defense

Partnering for Innovation: How the U.S. Space Force and Millennium Space Systems are Enhancing Missile Defense

Feb. 28, 2022

As adversaries continue to field advanced weaponry, missile threats against the nation are growing rapidly. They’re more complex, survivable, reliable and accurate than ever before.

“The traditional missile warning architecture is not designed for the new, advanced hyper glide vehicle threat, putting our nation at risk,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Millennium Space Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company. “Adding additional layers to the OPIR (Overhead Persistent Infrared) architecture will allow us to not only warn against oncoming threats, but also track these advanced threats in order to intercept them.”

The hypersonic glide vehicle China demonstrated last summer sounded the alarm, altering the threat landscape which had long been defined by intercontinental ballistic missiles with predictable and easily recognizable trajectories.  

“Hypersonic glide vehicles make it so you could easily lose those threats over the horizon, which means you can’t intercept them,” said Kim, a former Airman and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate before launching his civilian career. “But if you’re tracking them from their deployment all the way to the endgame, that allows you to have full trajectory-tracking of those threats so that you can intercept them.”

In this new “missile tracking” era, the U.S. Space Force needs the ability to identify and track missile threats from launch, into space, through maneuvers, and into its terminal phase in order to shoot them down before they do serious damage. Millennium Space Systems is working closely with the Space Force to meet this emerging challenge.

“Guardians will be operating our future systems in LEO, MEO, and GEO in a layered architecture,” Kim said, referring to low-Earth, medium-Earth, and geosynchronous orbits. “Our systems will be a hybrid of ground and onboard data processing in the future. So what you’re going to see is fewer humans in the loop and a faster transition from sensing to shooting to address these threats.”

Conventional space-based missile tracking satellites have been placed in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), about 36,000 kilometers above the Earth, where they get the broadest possible view of a fixed portion of the Earth. But to ensure the ability to track hypersonic missiles traversing unpredictable paths, Millennium is developing a constellation of flexible satellites that can operate in multiple orbits.

For space operators, the lower the orbit, the more satellites they need. While just a few satellites could cover the Earth in GEO, the Space Force will need a few dozen small satellites at MEO and hundreds at LEO.

“Our expertise at Millennium Space Systems is in small satellite prototype and constellations,” Kim said. “Right now, we’re moving toward a high-volume production capability that’s going to allow us to deliver constellations faster. We have the right expertise in digital engineering, model-based systems engineering and high-volume production, which all comes back to delivering these systems faster for the warfighters.”

Acquired by Boeing in 2018, Millennium Space Systems is now leveraging volume production and design for manufacturability and test engineering strategies from its parent company.

“We’ve learned a lot from The Boeing Company, like digital engineering and model-based systems engineering – tools that have allowed us to produce satellite systems more efficiently and at high volume,” Kim said. “Staying ahead of the curve is important, particularly where threats are advancing quickly. We need to produce these systems at-volume and at-rate. Being part of Boeing makes that possible.”

Kevin Paxton, senior technical fellow at Boeing, said the company is learning from Millennium, as well.

“Boeing has a lot of space and launch capabilities, but we’re not known for rapid development and deployment. Millennium Space Systems brings that agility into the fold and that’s worked out very well. At the same time, they can reach back into Boeing for additional technical or manufacturing support. Together we can deploy capabilities to the warfighter much more quickly as a result and at much lower cost than we’ve done traditionally.”

Being able to be both fast and efficient is critical as satellite constellations grow from a few to dozens or more.

“One of the main advantages of small satellite constellations is when you build those small satellites in volume, the unit price goes down significantly,” Kim said. “That means you have more affordable systems performing the missions that are traditionally done by larger, more expensive systems. And because you have multiple small satellites in the constellation, you also get built-in resiliency.”

The threat posed by anti-satellite weapons is lessened when the number of satellites in the constellation increases.

“Another advantage of small satellites is that because these advanced threats are constantly evolving, you’re having to refresh the technology of your constellation constantly,” Kim said. “With smaller, less expensive satellites, you’re able to field technology refreshments faster and more often.”

Smaller, less costly satellites can be designed for shorter lifespans, therefore enabling more rapid technology refresh and vastly shortened deployment schedules.   

“Typical development times from design to launch for small satellites can span between 12 to 36 months,” Kim said. “Then you could commission these small satellites within weeks to months, once they launch and go on-orbit.”

In one case, the Tetra-1 program, Millennium Space Systems delivered the promised satellite in under 15 months.

“We expect that spacecraft to launch in 2022 and it’s going to geosynchronous orbit to form new techniques, tactics, procedures, and concepts of operation for Space Force Guardians,” Kim said referring to Tetra-1 program. “With the Tetra-1 program, we worked very collaboratively with the Space Force.  We got to know their expectations, requirements, and design elements intimately. That allows us to address requirements very rapidly, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Space Force to ensure performance, cost, schedule, and delivery meets every expectation.”

SDA Awards $1.8 Billion in Contracts for 126 Satellites

SDA Awards $1.8 Billion in Contracts for 126 Satellites

Feb. 28, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Development Agency has awarded contracts for the 126 satellites that will make up its Tranche 1 Transport Layer, splitting the deal between Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and York Space Systems, it announced Feb. 28.

All told, the three contracts for 42 satellites each have a combined value of approximately $1.8 billion—$700 million to Lockheed Martin, $692 million to Northrop Grumman Strategic Space Systems, and $382 million to York. The satellites are currently slated for launch in September 2024.

The contract awards come almost exactly six months after the SDA first issued its request for proposals for the tranche of satellites, intended to be the first warfighting capability tranche of the National Defense Space Architecture. NDSA is planned as a massive DOD constellation for missile warning, communications, data coverage and sharing, and other capabilities

“These awards will drive delivery of the NDSA’s data and communications Transport Layer through a proliferated constellation of relatively small, mass-producible space vehicles in low Earth orbit,” Derek Tournear, SDA director, said in a press release.

“This innovative mesh network of small satellites will link terrestrial warfighting domains to space sensors, allowing warfighters much faster access to data so they can stay ahead of emerging threats,” Erik Daehler, protected communications mission area leader at Lockheed Martin Space, said in a company release.

“Our T1TL solution combines decades of proven end-to-end satellite system integration and heritage communication mission expertise accumulated across multiple orbital regimes to rapidly field these critical capabilities to warfighters in the field,” Robert Fleming, vice president and general manager of strategic space systems at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.

”We are honored to again have SDA’s confidence in executing the agency’s vision,” Dirk Wallinger, CEO of York, said in a statement. “Their competitive, fixed-price procurements leverage York’s private capital investments to deliver low-risk, industry-leading constellations today and well into the future.”

Maxar Technologies, which filed a protest against the request in October 2021, causing it to be rescinded and then relaunched, was not selected for a contract. Maxar did not immediately respond to an Air Force Magazine inquiry as to whether it will protest the contracts awarded.

The Tranche 1 Transport Layer is intended to give the Pentagon a range of options for sharing information if signals are jammed or systems destroyed and serve as the “backbone” for Joint all-domain command and control, connecting sensors and shooters across the globe with a mesh network of small satellites.

Tranche 0 of the NDSA, consisting of 28 satellites, is slated for launch no later than 2023. SDA awarded 10 satellites each to Lockheed and York in that tranche, with L3Harris and SpaceX receiving awards for four each.

Putin Puts Nuclear Forces on High Alert, Escalating Tensions

Putin Puts Nuclear Forces on High Alert, Escalating Tensions

Feb. 27, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

The Defense Department on Feb. 27 called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put his strategic forces on high combat alert “escalatory” but said the U.S. will defend its interests and allies against any threat.

“We remain confident in our ability to defend ourselves, and our allies, and our partners, and that includes in the strategic deterrent realm,” a senior defense official said at a morning telephone briefing with journalists.

In a televised statement early Feb. 27, Putin said that in response to “aggressive statements” by NATO, he was putting his nuclear forces on high combat alert.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III became aware of Putin’s announcement shortly before an 8:30 a.m. secure video teleconference with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and combatant commanders, including commander of U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Tod D. Wolters.

“We believe that this is not only an unnecessary step for him to take but an escalatory one,” the defense official said of Putin’s announcement. “Unnecessary because Russia has never been under threat by the West or by NATO, and certainly wasn’t under any threat by Ukraine.”

The official declined as a matter of policy to discuss the specifics of the U.S. strategic deterrence posture or if it would change in response to the Russian announcement.

“We are in the very early phases here reviewing and trying to analyze what Mr. Putin’s directive on nuclear forces, what that means,” the official said.

The move will not deter the United States from continuing to provide defense assistance to Ukraine, however.

“We continue to provide assistance to Ukrainian armed forces,” the official said. “That support is going to go forward.”

On Feb. 24, a B-52 Stratofortress interacted with Polish MiG-29 aircraft in the Baltic region during a “long-planned Bomber Task Force Europe mission,” a U.S. Air Forces in Europe spokesperson told Air Force Magazine. The four B-52s from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., arrived at RAF Fairford, U.K., on Feb. 10 for a notional three-week Bomber Task Force Europe mission. A U.S. Strategic Command spokesperson told Air Force Magazine at the time that the bomber’s deployment timeline “could move to the right or left” depending on the security situation.