US Army

JOSEPH TREVITHICK - The War Zone a écrit:

The Army Is Training Specialized Companies Of Green Berets To Crack "Hard Targets"

The shift in mission for certain Special Forces units is part of a broader push to prepare for higher-end fights with Russia and China.

As the U.S. special operations community, as a whole, works to better prepare itself for higher-end conflicts against potential near-peer adversaries, the Army says it will train and equip company-sized units of Special Forces personnel, better known as Green Berets, focused on taking down "hard targets." This plan notably comes months after the Pentagon included a request for funds in its most recent budget request to build the secretive Joint Special Operations Command a specialized training facility where its operators could practice attacking "complex, hardened facility targets."

The Army's 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), or 1st SFC (A), which is part of Army Special Operations Command, announced its intention to create these "Hard Target Defeat Companies," using existing Special Forces companies, in an unclassified white paper titled "A Vision For 2021 and Beyond," which it released earlier this year. 1st SFC (A) was established in 2014 to oversee all of the Army's Special Forces Groups, as well as various psychological operations and other supporting units.

"1st SFC (A) develops and provides Hard Target Defeat Companies that are ... uniquely organized to counter near-peer adversary campaigns," the white paper explains. "They operate with regional partners to defeat hard targets in sensitive and constricted environments."

These Hard Target Defeat (HTD) Companies are set to supplant existing Army Special Forces units organized as standing Crisis Response Forces (CRF), according to journalist and author Wesley Morgan. Also known as a Commander’s In-extremis Force (CIF), these Green Beret elements were designed to "provide options to rescue people under threat, to recover sensitive materials such as weapons of mass destruction components, to provide humanitarian relief, or to address other short notice requirements," according to an Army Special Operations Command white paper from 2017.



In February, then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had raised the possibility of disestablishing various crisis response units, which he said were underutilized and a drain on important resources, in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee. SOFREP then reported in March that there was a plan in the works to shut down the CRFs, but that the Army Special Forces community would still retain some type of similar capability. This now appears to be the planned HTD Companies.

The exact expected mission set of these refocused Special Forces units is not entirely clear. The 1st SFC (A) white paper does not provide a basic definition of what "hard target" means in the context of these companies or a list of basic examples of what might be included in this target set. "I’m told it’s still being decided what these will look like & may vary based on what a 'hard target' is in EUCOM [U.S. European Command] vs PACOM [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command] etc—but will still be direct-action companies," Morgan wrote on Twitter on Dec. 1.

Update: Special Forces CRF companies are out, “Hard-Target Defeat” companies are in.

I’m told it’s still being decided what these will look like & may vary based on what a “hard target” is in EUCOM vs PACOM etc—but will still be direct-action companies. https://t.co/2dE9abnWPp https://t.co/DtLh94ibNd pic.twitter.com/jMsst6x8Zg

— Wesley Morgan (@wesleysmorgan) December 1, 2020

1st SFC (A)'s white paper does include a fictional vignette that offers one example of how an HTD company might contribute to future higher-end operations. Set in the fictional West African country of Naruvu, the scenario begins with civil affairs soldiers noticing a Chinese infrastructure project while on their way to meet with a local official.

This, in turn, triggers further efforts to ascertain the true nature of Chinese interests in a deep-water port in the country. Army special operations forces are then tapped to support an inter-agency effort to convince the Naruvian government to block the Chinese plans. Though this story is entire made up, it does reflect very real concerns that the U.S. government, as well as others, have about the potential dual-purpose nature of Chinese government and commercial investment, especially when it comes to infrastructure development, in countries around the world.

An HTD company makes an appearance in the conclusion of the vignette, which is as follows:

One week later, Naruvian security forces discovered an illegal weapons cache which it traced back to a subsidiary of the [Chinese] construction company. To further investigate the matter, they partnered with 3rd SFG (A)’s [3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)] Hard Target Defeat Company (HTD) to surveil the construction company’s headquarters. Enabled by the HTD, Naruvian security forces accessed the building and, while searching it, recovered blueprints for the proposed port facility.

Naruvu sent the recovered blueprints to DIA analysts who identified plans for concrete footings specifically designed for CSA-9 [HQ-9] surface-to-air and DF-25 shore-to-ship missiles. These missiles, if emplaced in Naruvu, would challenge America’s air and sea lanes across the Atlantic. Armed with this information, the US Ambassador explained if China emplaced those weapons at the port, Naruvu would become a strategic target and potential war zone between great powers. China’s true intent illuminated, the Naruvian government seized the Chinese-purchased land.

The HTD's activities in this fictional scenario fall under the general definition of "special reconnaissance," a special operations forces mission set generally defined as operations to covertly gather intelligence in denied or otherwise sensitive areas. In this case, the target can be considered "hard" given its sensitive nature as an ostensibly civilian facility operated by one country in a third country, neither of which the United States is at war with.

"Hard targets" could also certainly include hardened targets, such as critical command and control nodes, facilities housing weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and other high-value sites that may well be housed inside well-protected bunker complexes, primarily below ground. A number of major potential U.S. adversaries, including North Korea and Iran, as well as near-peer competitors, such as Russia and China, are increasingly turning to deeply-buried infrastructure to help protect critical assets from stand-off attacks, something is of particular interest here at The War Zone.

This reality, as well as the potential use of special operations forces on the ground to infiltrate these kinds of sites during a future conflict, was underscored in U.S. Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) portion of the Pentagon's 2021 Fiscal Year budget request covering military construction. SOCOM is seeking around $14.4 million to build a dedicated hardened "training target structure" for use by the secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). You can read more about this proposed project and its implications in this past War Zone story.



It's also worth remembering that, in 2016, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) notably became the primary entity within the U.S. military for counter-WMD activities, subsequently establishing the Counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction-Fusion Center (CWMD-FC), which The War Zone was first to report on. Prior to this, U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) had been responsible for the CWMD mission.

With all this in mind, in an actual higher-end conflict, Green Beret HTD companies could definitely be tasked to infiltrate "hard" sites of various kinds to gather important information, as in the Naruvian vignette. They could also conduct direct-action raids to disrupt or destroy key capabilities in support of broader operations. In today's age of increasingly computerized and networked warfare, direct-action could involve kinetic actions, such as physically blowing up a target, or non-kinetic activities, such as inserting malicious code into an enemy's computer network. It's also important to note that hard targets may also be mobile, such as vehicle convoys, or even trains, carrying key individuals, or high-value weapons, such as road-mobile ballistic missile transporter-erector-launchers.

Green Berets tasked with these kinds of missions would definitely benefit from more regular training in the tactics, techniques, and procedures necessary to carry them out. In addition, given the expanding anti-access and area-denial capabilities that more capable potential adversaries, such as Russia or China, have at their disposal, it would be important for the Army Special Forces elements to coordinate with units, including special operations units from other branches, to be best postured to actually make it to the target area successfully in the first place.

These kinds of missions would fit well with more general distributed warfare concepts the U.S. military, as a whole, is exploring now that are geared toward keeping an opponent unbalanced and unable to effectively respond to a diverse array of threats across a large area. As the Naruvian scenario outlines, these kinds of special operations missions could also be employed, especially together with Allies and partners, outside of traditional conflicts to support specific geopolitical objectives.

It will be interesting to see how the Army implements the HTD company concept, but from how it has already been described, it appears to be a very realistic plan to help tailor Special Forces units to be able to best apply their special skill sets to current and future higher-end fights.

Citation :

U.S. Army to receive more M109A7 Paladin howitzers

By Colton Jones Dec 7, 2020


Photo by Sgt. Calab Franklin


The U.S. Army has released a request for a proposal to add additional option years (FY21-FY23) to contract for the M109A7 Paladin artillery systems and M992A3 ammunition carriers.

The Army Contracting Command at Detroit Arsenal posted a notice on the U.S. government’s main contracting website, asking for information from contractors about their ability to produce material and components required in support of Paladin production.

According to a recently published request, Contracting Command to add three additional option:

•40 vehicle sets, 3 Total Package Fielding (TPF) kits, 1 Lot support, anticipated option execution June 2021;
•44 vehicle sets, 3 TPF kits, 1 Lot support, anticipated option execution March 2022;
•43 vehicle sets, 3 TPF kits, 1 Lot support, anticipated option execution February 2023.

Also noted that in order to ensure there is no break in production, the Army plans to issue an Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) modification in order to ensure that early order materials can be ordered in a timely fashion for the FY21 option.

In addition to the requested information, BAE Systems shall provide an estimated cost for the early order material required in support of this action for the FY21 option.

Notice also gives further details that the delivery schedule will continue at the existing rate of 8 vehicles monthly (4 vehicle sets), beginning the month after the last FY20 vehicle deliveries are concluded.

The M109A7 represents a significant upgrade to the current M109A6 Paladin, the premier artillery weapon system of the Army.

The advanced version of Paladin is more lethal now than ever. Many enhancements have been made to better enable the Troopers who operate them on the battlefield.

The M109A7 will solve long-term readiness and modernization needs of the M109 family of vehicles through a critical redesign and production plan that leverages the most advanced technology available today. This state-of-the-art “digital backbone” and power generation capability provides a more robust, survivable and responsive indirect fire support capability for U.S. Army Armored Brigade Combat Team Soldiers.

https://defence-blog.com/news/army/u-s-army-to-receive-more-m109a7-paladin-howitzers.html

DefenseNews a écrit:

Light tank prototypes arrive at Fort Bragg for soldier evaluation

General Dynamics’ offering for the Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower combines a version of its latest Abrams turret with a chassis that leverages experience from the United Kingdom’s AJAX program.

Prototype candidates competing to be the new light tank for the U.S. infantry are being delivered to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where soldiers will help decide which vehicle will prevail, the Army announced in a Dec. 11 statement.

“Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne will soon get the chance to do something no U.S. infantry soldier has done in 26 years — employ a dedicated mobile, direct fire vehicle platform against hardened positions, dismounted personnel and light armored vehicles,” the statement reads.

The soldier vehicle assessment of two different Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) prototypes for infantry brigade combat teams will start on Jan. 4, 2021, and run through June 2021.

BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems were chosen in December 2018 to each build 12 prototypes of the Army’s future MPF vehicle identified in the service’s ground combat vehicle strategy published in 2015. Infantry Brigade Combat Teams don’t have a combat vehicle that provides “mobile, protected, direct, offensive fire capability,” organic to those units and that is capable against near-peer and peer threats, according to the statement.

GDLS is building a vehicle that takes the United Kingdom’s AJAX chassis and combines it with an M1 Abrams tank turret.

BAE Systems’ design is an updated M8 Buford armored gun system with new capabilities and components.


BAE System will build an M8 Buford Armored Gun System with new capabilities for its prototype for the Army's Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle

“We are incredibly excited to see the MPF platform entering into this phase,” Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, the new program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems, said in the statement. “MPF represents an innovative and aggressive approach to system acquisition. The beginning of our SVA in January illustrates how hard the teams are working to keep the major events of this program on schedule.”

The MPF will be “an integration of existing mature technologies and components that avoids development which would lengthen the program schedule,” the statement notes. “The priority has always been to field this new critical capability soonest, but the MPF will also be capable of accommodating additional weight and spare electrical power to support future growth.”

The soldiers will put the MPF prototypes through a variety of operational paces and is not considered a formal test. The evaluation will “directly” inform tactics, techniques and procedures for MPF, according to the Army statement.

“Once they are able to begin interacting with these prototypes, I know that our soldiers are going to come up with the best ways to utilize MPF in our light formations,” Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, who is in charge of Next-Generation Combat Vehicle modernization capability, said in the statement.

The Army is expected to choose a winner and transition to production “near the end of” fiscal 2022, the statement adds.

The first units will get MPF in fiscal 2025. The Army plans to initially build 26 vehicles, with an option to build 28 more and retrofit eight prototypes.

The two solutions are very different from one another. BAE’s offering is smaller — fitting in between the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and a Stryker in terms of size — while GDLS’ vehicle is bigger, as it’s based on the M1 Abrams chassis.

BAE’s MPF prototype can be transported via a C-130 aircraft. Three can fit on a C-17 aircraft. The Army is requiring the vehicle be C-17 transportable.

The Eurasian Times a écrit:

US Army’s Predator Drones “Gray Eagle” Set To Prey On Russia & China With Next-Generation Upgrades

The US Army is set to boost the capabilities of its predator drones, Gray Eagle, by adding high-tech equipment such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR), moving target indicator (MTI), electronic intelligence (ELINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), air-Launched effects (ALE) and radar warning receiver.

The MQ-1C Gray Eagle is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system. The 28-ft long drone is an upgraded version of the MQ-1 Predator developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for the US Army. It has an endurance of 25 hours, speeds up to167 KTAS, can operate up to 29,000 feet, and carries 1,075 lb (488 kg) of internal and external payload.

A Request For Information (RFI) issued on a government contracting website underlined the deficiencies of the non-stealthy drones and the danger of being hit by adversary “anti-access, area-denial (A2/AD) strategies, posing a significant challenge to the current Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (AISR) fleet.”

The Gray Eagle mainly performs the functions of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. It also carries small missiles and bombs enabling tactical strike capabilities.


MQ-1C Gray Eagle

Eye On Russia And China
With increasing hostility between the US and its adversaries, including China and Russia, the US Army is now looking to add new capabilities especially for Joint All Domain Operations (JADO). The RFI said that it wants to “identify potential existing sources capable of providing aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) payloads for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platform that meet the JADO environment.”

According to David Axe of Forbes, the idea is to fit the Gray Eagle with more powerful sensors and munitions, allowing the drone to “initiate disintegration” of enemy radars, surface-to-air missile batteries, and mobile flak guns.

He added that the Gray Eagle is slow and currently “lacks stealth qualities and, while capable of carrying small missiles and bombs for striking ground targets, can’t do much to defend itself against enemy air-defenses.”

In 2019, Iran managed to shoot down an American spy drone, which had entered the Iranian airspace. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down US Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk that it claimed gave “numerous” warnings before shooting down the aircraft. US President Donald Trump initially issued a series of cataclysmic threats, insisting that the RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying over international waters when it was taken down by an Iranian missile.

However, the GPS coordinates released by Iran put the drone eight miles off the country’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore, which is Iran’s territorial waters. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi earlier told the Swiss envoy that “there is irrefutable evidence about the presence of this drone in Iran’s airspace and even some parts of its wreckage have been retrieved from Iranian territorial waters.

The document explained the idea behind the acquisition that is expected to be made to upgrade the Gray Eagle. “The MQ-1C Gray Eagle flies racetrack patterns tangential to the integrated air defense system (IADS) threat, at 80 kilometers (50 miles) distance.”

Gray Eagle To Deploy Swarm Drones
Axe claimed that 80 kilometers will be too far for the Gray Eagle’s current radar and camera range. Hence, the army is looking to adopt air-launched effects (ALE), meaning the swarming of small drones to directly attack enemy systems or to transmit accurate information to Gray Eagle.

“ALEs deployed from the MQ-1C Gray Eagle (may serve) as the forward most element of the advanced team in areas of expected enemy contact in order to detect, identity, location and report (DILR) and (help) attack/disrupt/decoy threat assets to initiate dis-integration of the IADS,” RFI stated. After that, the Gray Eagle will acquire “Spot Scan imagery using the threat coordinates” and the scan will be used by Army artillery to then open fire on the adversary.

The level of details in the RFI by the Army has surprised many experts. “Even I’m questioning why the Army would publish this information,” Stephen Trimble, the Aviation Week editor said in a tweet. Answering a user about the accuracy of the information, Trimble said that “maybe its intentional disinformation/deception.”

JOSEPH TREVITHICK - The Drive a écrit:

Israeli, Serbian, And Swedish Self-Propelled Howitzers Are Headed To A U.S. Army Shoot-Off

The Army wants a new mobile 155mm howitzer to arm its brigades equipped with Stryker wheeled armored vehicles.

Self-propelled howitzer designs from Israel, Serbia, and Sweden, as well as American models, will take part in a U.S. Army shoot-off at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona early next year. The service is looking for new mobile artillery piece for its brigades equipped with Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, which are presently equipped with towed 155mm M777 howitzers.

Israel's Elbit Systems, Serbia's Yugoimport, and U.K.-headquartered defense giant BAE System's Bofors division in Sweden have all confirmed that they will be taking part in the event. American automotive company AM General, in cooperation with Mandus Group, will also be participating.


The ATMOS Iron Sabre self-propelled howitzer from Israel's Elbit Systems, one of the designs that will take part in the shoot-off next year.

The Army had first announced in July that it was looking for new self-propelled howitzers for its Stryker brigades, expressing interest only in designs that were at least mature enough to go into serial production, if they weren't already. The service is also looking for increased range, rate of fire, and mobility over the existing M777s.



Elbit has submitted the latest iteration of its Autonomous Truck Mounted howitzer System (ATMOS), also known as Iron Sabre, which is a truck-mounted 155mm howitzer with a 52 caliber barrel. In artillery parlance, caliber is a measurement of length in relation to the diameter of the barrel. As such, a 52 caliber 155mm barrel is just under 26 and a half feet long. The M777, by comparison, has a 39 caliber 155mm barrel, which is just around 16.7 feet long. In general, longer barrels on howitzers translate to greater range.

Soltam Systems, now a division of Elbit, first began developing ATMOS in the late 1990s. The "autonomous" in its name is more a reflection of its heavily automated nature, rather than its ability to operate completely independently of human control. It is worth noting that Soltam and Elbit have also talked about adding some kind of actual autonomous or at least semi-autonomous capability to the system in the past.



he current Iron Sabre version does have an integrated computerized fire control system for automatically aiming the gun at a desired set of coordinates and firing it, though manual backups are provided, as well. It can be fitted with what Elbit describes as an automatic loader, which allows the crew to simply place shells and propellant charges on a tray, which are then rammed into the barrel without the need for a human loader.

Using this combination of features, Elbit has demonstrated, as seen in the video below, the ability of a four-man crew to set up an ATMOS Iron Sabre howitzer and fire the first round at the designated target within 30 seconds. An additional five rounds can be fired at that same target and then the crew can pack the vehicle back up to move out to another position all in around 110 seconds in total. This kind of shoot-and-scoot capability makes the system more flexible and also reduces its vulnerability to enemy counter-attacks.



A simplified loading system wherein an individual positions shells and propellant charges in line with the barrel, but a mechanical system actually loads them in, is also available for ATMOS. Elbit has also been testing a more fully automated system for its related Autonomous Towed Howitzer System (ATHOS), which loads shells automatically from a tray holding three rounds, though a human operator still has to place propellant charges on the loading tray.



It's not clear what kind of truck Elbit will mount the ATMOS on for the Army. The company has said that the howitzer system is adaptable to various in-production 8x8 and 6x6 chassis, including that of the American-made 8x8 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) series.


8x8 and 6x6 versions of the ATMOS self-propelled howitzer.

BAE Systems Bofor's is offering the Archer, another truck-mounted 52 caliber 155mm howitzer. This weapon, which was also developed in the late 1990s, most notably features a true auto-loader that feeds shells into the gun from a 21-round magazine. It also has a separate magazine loaded with modular propellant charges.



A computerized fire control system allows the crew, which can be as small as two people, to set the desired amount of propellant and then fire the gun at the desired target. The crew can emplace the howitzer in just 14 seconds, without having to exit the protection of its armored cab, which also features a remote weapon station for localized self-defense, and fire the first round in 23 seconds. The system can lob four shells at the same target and be on the move again in 74 seconds. This is so fast that, depending on how far the rounds fly, some of them may not have even struck before the vehicle drives away from its firing position.



To date, Archer is only in Swedish Army service mounted on a heavily modified 6x6 Volvo A30D articulated dump truck chassis. It's not clear if the howitzer that BAE Systems Bofors will send to next year's shoot-off will use this chassis, though it seems unlikely that the Army would be interested in adopting it, regardless. The official BAE Systems website does have an artist's conception of the Archer system mounted on an 8x8 MAN truck chassis, indicating that it can be adapted to other types to meet customer requirements.

Serbia's Yugoimport, via its American partner Global Military Products (GMP), is sending a variant of its Nora B-52 wheeled self-propelled 52 caliber 155mm howitzer. The former Yugoslav republic's government-owned Military Technical Institute Belgrade began development of this system in the early 2000s.



As is clearly becoming a trend among such weapons, the latest versions of the complete Nora B-52 system include computerized fire control capabilities. It also has an auto-loader with a 12-round magazine, as well as space to store another 24 shells on the truck.

The most recent variant, also known as Aleksander, which was unveiled in 2017, has a completely redesigned turret holding the 155mm howitzer. All of the existing Nora B-52 versions use a modified 8x8 truck chassis from Serbia's FAP.



AM General and Mandus Group are putting forward Brutus, a low-recoil 155mm howitzer design mounted on an Army standard 6x6 Family of Medium Tactical Trucks (FMTV) chassis. The service has already been experimenting with this weapon, which you can read about in more detail in this past War Zone piece, since at least 2018.

The configuration of Brutus that has been seen so far does not include any kind of automated loading system and does not have a 52 caliber-long barrel. The Army has also explored a low-recoil 105mm howitzer from Mandus Group mounted on a Humvee, known as Hawkeye, in the past.



Despite Brutus' entry into the shoot-off, foreign designs look set to dominate the event. Though not yet confirmed to be a participant, France's Nexter has said it is interested in taking part in the shoot-off with the latest iteration of its Caesar design. There are a number of other wheeled self-propelled howitzers on the market made by other U.S. allies and partners, as well.



The lack of American competitors largely stems from the fact that wheeled self-propelled howitzers are something the Army, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps, has historically had little interest in. Heavier tracked self-propelled designs, as well as towed guns, have been standard fare for Army artillery units for decades.

It is worth noting that the Army did test a mobile 105mm howitzer based on the LAV III wheeled armored vehicle chassis, from which the Stryker is also derived. This vehicle was armed with a 105mm Light Experimental Ordnance (LEO) gun from South Africa's Denel and was not subsequently adopted. Stryker-equipped brigades do have versions of this vehicle armed with 120mm mortars for indirect fire support and there is a separate program underway to replace those variants with a new version fitted with a turreted mortar system, but these weapons do not have the same range or destructive power as a 155mm howitzer.


A wheeled self-propelled 105mm howitzer based on the LAV III armored vehicle chassis.

It's also not clear how the Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) program may factor into this effort for the Stryker brigades. ERCA has been focused on developing longer 155mm barrels for existing M777 towed howitzers and derivatives of its M109 tracked self-propelled howitzers, as well as a host of other associated improvements for those weapon systems, and new kinds of ammunition, including ramjet-powered rounds.

Other units may be interested in fielding whatever mobile howitzer design the Army might settle on for its Stryker brigades. In 2018, the service had expressed interest in acquiring a new light-weight, mobile 155mm howitzer that could replace the M777s, as well as 105mm M119s, in Stryker and light infantry brigades.

This kind of wheeled self-propelled howitzer could also appeal to the U.S. Marine Corps. That service is in the process of shuttering a number of M777-equipped artillery units as part of a radical force structure redesign focused on highly mobile distributed operations.

If nothing else, the upcoming shoot-off could finally set the Army down a path to acquiring a self-propelled howitzer better suited to Stryker brigades than existing towed weapons.

https://defence-blog.com/news/army/israel-delivers-new-batch-of-iron-dome-defense-system-to-u-s-army.html a écrit:

On Sunday, Israel’s Ministry of Defense has announced that Israel Missile Defense Organization delivered the second of two Iron Dome Defense System batteries to the U.S. Army.

The details were given in a 3 January media release, to announce that U.S. Army will receive new batteries, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, as part of an agreement signed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Israeli Defense Minister Gantz: “The delivery of the Iron Dome to the U.S. Army demonstrates the close relations between the Israel MOD and the U.S. Department of Defense, the effectiveness of the system against various threats, and the excellent capabilities of Israeli industries.

Inside Defense was first to report on the acquisition plan on Jan. 9, 2019, after obtaining a memorandum that the Army’s top procurement official Bruce Jette had sent to members of Congress outlining the details.

Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Rafael’s website said their air defense system is the world’s most deployed missile defense system, with more than 2,000 interceptions and a success rate greater than 90%.

The system can protect deployed and maneuvering forces, as well as the Forward Operating Base (FOB) and urban areas, against a wide range of indirect and aerial threats.

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2021/01/07/joint-strategy-calls-for-common-architecture-to-counter-increasingly-complex-drone-threats/ a écrit:

New strategy wants to counter increasingly complex drone threats

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon released a new strategy Jan. 7 to counter increasingly complex small drone threats, one that focuses on establishing a common threat picture, architecture and protocol across the services.

The new strategy also sets up stronger coordination between other federal agencies in the homeland as well as with allies and partners abroad.

Drones are getting cheaper and easier to use and acquire. Small drones run the gamut from being nuisances in the wrong air space at the wrong time to being deadly, aiding adversaries in serious operations such as lasing targets for fires or collecting intel or becoming a weapon itself. Technology development in autonomy and artificial intelligence is making swarming drones even easier to coordinate and integrate into operations.

Military leaders approved a set of requirements to help counter small unmanned aircraft systems in late September 2020. That move created a path for the development of materiel and non-materiel solutions to work within a common command-and-control system.

The requirements were developed by the newly established Joint Counter-sUAS office — or the JCO — led by the Army that has been tasked to round up the plethora of C-sUAS systems — over 40 items — used to answer urgent needs in the Middle East and to consolidate the technology into a group of interim systems.

Additionally, the JCO was directed to develop a joint strategy that focuses on an evolving and growing threat and to manufacture long-term solutions that are designed to address the threat .

For now the office has picked three systems-of-systems approaches — one from each service — for fixed and semi-fixed sites, settling on the Light-Mobile Air Defense Integrated System from the Marine Corps as a mounted or mobile system; Bal Chatri, Dronebuster and Smart Shooter for dismounted, hand-held systems; and one command-and-control system.

The strategy focuses on appropriate solutions for the homeland, in host nations and during contingency operations and acknowledges that these may differ in a variety of ways based on a variety of factors.

The central challenge in carrying out a new C-sUAS strategy is moving quickly while making well-informed decisions. The strategy states, the DoD should “continuously evaluate the efficiency of our processes to provide effective materiel and non-materiel solutions to the Joint Force. Transformational processes, such as the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, can streamline efforts to meet the unique requirements of the C-sUAS problem set.”

But the strategy also notes that some acquisition processes designed to support conventional operations may take too long when it comes to capability development. It says, “if our processes do not adequately respond to the needs of a rapidly changing security environment, we must take a new approach.”

The strategy consists of three lines of effort to help diffuse the world-wide drone threat: “Ready the force, defend the force and build the team.”

To prepare the force, the Pentagon plans to coordinate the development of threat assessments that inform both current and future requirements at the joint-level. This includes establishing enduring intelligence requirements and priorities that feed into “analysis-informed” capabilities, according to the strategy.

The Pentagon also needs to synchronize science and technology investments and accelerate development of key technologies. These technologies have to work in the homeland and in host nations where forces operate.

The capability also must have a common information sharing architecture that “draw[s] from standardized interfaces that enable joint and multilateral information sharing that is interoperable and capable of plug-and-play,” the strategy states. A centralized sUAS threat data architecture must also be developed in order to validate requirements.

Joint C-sUAS test and evaluation protocols, standards and methodologies must also be established.

To defend the force, the strategy emphasizes the need to deliver joint capabilities that are synchronized when it comes to doctrine, materiel, training, policy and organization and will require investment across the services. This translates to a family of capabilities based on joint requirements documents.

It requires new joint concepts and doctrine which will be as critical as the materiel solutions that will go along with it. The doctrine applied to C-sUAS should address peacetime operations all the way to large scale combat.

To build a team that will work together to counter small drone threats, the strategy highlights the importance of partnering with technology innovators and other agencies in the homeland as well as allies and partners abroad.

“The Joint Force must attract new partners and engage with rising technology leaders to defend against evolving threats from non-state actors to near-peer competitors,” the strategy states.

“These partnerships will enable us to accelerate the development of solutions and provide the Joint Force and DoD Components with effective countermeasures for sUAS hazards and threats,” according to the strategy. “We will also seek to establish new agreements with civilian organizations and expand multilateral collaboration.”

The Pentagon’s strategy plans to share with law enforcement agencies as permitted and also work with host country authorities within the boundaries of U.S. and international law.

More “mutually beneficial local policies” will be developed for the joint force to work with allies and partner nations, according to the document.

“Cooperative efforts with allies and partners will include opportunities for technology exchanges, shared investments, and common system standards,” the strategy notes. “We will proactively support the Joint Force to enhance C-sUAS information sharing and synchronization efforts with host nations to influence unimpeded approval and authorities for access to the electromagnetic spectrum,” the document specifies.

The Pentagon will also find ways to expedite acquisition and distribution to partners and allies abroad using adaptive agreements and approval processes that already exist. And the U.S. will work with other nations to conduct combined research, development, testing and evaluation of technology and capability advancements.

“We will integrate export requirements early into the development of C-sUAS systems in order to compress the timeline to share technology,” the strategy notes.

And foreign military sales and direct commercial sales of C-sUAS equipment will be fostered “to bolster a competitive U.S. commercial market and strengthen our collective defense,” the document states.

On the homeland front, the joint force will work to improve information sharing and synchronize actions with federal and domestic law enforcement agencies and other entities.

“We will work with our federal partners to establish adaptive agreements that improve airspace management and enhance their ability to execute C-sUAS authorities and missions independently and jointly,” according to the strategy.

The strategy comes shortly following a call from Congress to rapidly advance the joint program to develop and field a capability for countering drones, requiring the Pentagon to field a system as early as next fall and adding more than $47 million to fuel the effort, according to the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2021/01/05/new-in-2021-armys-robotic-combat-vehicle-goes-rolling-along/ a écrit:

New in 2021: Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle goes rolling along

Ongoing tests of the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle this year will expand the vision of what the service wants to do with its vehicle and even dismounted formations.

This past fall, the Army announced that it will pursue light, medium and heavy versions of the RCV. The light version’s fielding could be as early as 2023 with the medium and heavy versions to follow one year after the other.

Early experiments in 2018 and 2019 focused on soldiers controlling the vehicle from a near but remote location for maneuvers and even complex operations such as breaching. Those evolved from single-vehicle “robot wingman” style tests to platoon-sized efforts and are expected to see company-sized attempts soon.

Ongoing tests of the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle this year will expand the vision of what the service wants to do with its vehicle and even dismounted formations.

This past fall, the Army announced that it will pursue light, medium and heavy versions of the RCV. The light version’s fielding could be as early as 2023 with the medium and heavy versions to follow one year after the other.

Early experiments in 2018 and 2019 focused on soldiers controlling the vehicle from a near but remote location for maneuvers and even complex operations such as breaching. Those evolved from single-vehicle “robot wingman” style tests to platoon-sized efforts and are expected to see company-sized attempts soon.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-receives-final-trophy-aps a écrit:

US Army receives final Trophy APS

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has delivered the final Trophy active protection system (APS) to the US Army for integration on its line of M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

The company began delivering the systems to the service in September 2019 and its US partner, Leonardo DRS, announced final delivery on 6 January.

“This delivery culminates a multi-year effort by the army to study and rapidly field active protection due to the urgency of the threat and the growing need for improved ground vehicle survivability,” Leonardo DRS wrote.

Trophy, and other kinetic APSs, are designed to shoot down incoming threats such as low-cost, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and rocket-propelled grenades. Army leaders have been following Trophy development for years but only relatively recently ramped up efforts to find suitable APSs for the M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, and Stryker lines. After formally evaluating Trophy on the Abrams vehicle the army then opted to buy systems for four brigade combat teams.



Janes spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Ken Bernier, the product manager for the Abrams line, about Trophy integration in October 2020. At the time, the army was in the process of upgrading Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package Version 2 (SEPv2) vehicles to accept the capability.

https://www.janes.com/images/default-source/news-images/fg_3851375-jir-9776.jpg?sfvrsn=27ba1e98_2 a écrit:

US Army aims to have Iron Dome deployment ready by September

The US Army is training soldiers on how to operate Rafael’s Iron Dome, with the goal of having the first battery ready to deploy by September and the second by about December, the service told Janes .

Israel delivered the first air-defence battery to the army in September 2020 and the weapon is now at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Donald Herrick, a spokesman for the Air and Missile Defense Cross Functional Team, wrote in a 6 January email. The army then received the second battery in early January and Herrick said this one should arrive at the missile range by early March.

As for the manning part of the equation, the service activated two air defence artillery batteries at Fort Bliss, Texas, in November 2020.

“These units will test and evaluate the Iron Dome system and explore its potential for interoperability into the army's existing air and missile defence architecture,” Herrick added.

More specifically, from January through July the soldiers will participate in a new equipment fielding and training programme, which will include a live-fire engagement in June where the service will test out Iron Dome’s ability to down a surrogate cruise missile.

If all goes as planned, the army could have the first battery ready to deploy in September and the second in December, Herrick said. It is anticipated that each battery will require between 50 and 75 personnel to operate.

Citation :

Pentagon’s first demo of small counter-drone tech set for spring

Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — The first opportunity for industry to demonstrate technology for the Pentagon’s enduring counter-drone capability will take place in April, according to the two-star general in charge of the joint effort.

The Defense Department is developing a counter-small unmanned aircraft system capability for use domestically, in host nations and in conflict. The Pentagon established the Army-led Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, or JCO, and approved a set of requirements to help counter small drones in September 2020, which laid a path for how industry can develop technology to plug into a single command-and-control system.

The department released its first joint C-sUAS strategy Jan. 7 and will come out with an implementation plan that maps out a course of action by the end of the month. The strategy was just recently released, but the JCO has worked since its inception to produce an enduring set of systems.

Over the first week of April, the first common test range event with industry will be held by the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office as well as the Air Force, Army Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, the JCO director, said during a Jan. 8 Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual event.

The Pentagon plans to host these demonstrations twice a year at common test ranges to evaluate current and future technologies, which might help the JCO decide the best-of-breed options to develop a permanent solution.

Industry will have the opportunity to bring all of its “low-collateral effectors” to the range, Gainey said, and the team will choose the best systems from the demonstration to “move forward with a joint solution,” Gainey said.

Gainey did not state where the demonstration would occur but did say event information would be posted for industry on Jan. 15. The JCO identified three sites for common test ranges to conduct evaluation and for the testing of promising counter-drone technology, but it has yet to reveal those locations.

While the office is now on a rapid road ahead to execute a strategy to defend against small drones and is headed toward the development of permanent solution set, it has already taken 40-plus systems that were rapidly procured for wars in the Middle East, and it whittled the selection down to three interim systems-of-systems approaches that address fixed and semi-fixed sites.

And for the time being, it picked the Light Mobile Air Defense Integrated System from the Marine Corps as a mounted or mobile system. On the dismounted, hand-held side, the systems that will temporarily fill the gap are the Bal Chatri, the Dronebuster and the Smart Shooter.

The command-and-control system that will be used until something more capable comes along will be the Forward Area Air Defense C2 system, which is sponsored by the Army. It includes interoperable systems from the Air Force and the Marine Corps.

The JCO should expect a deep bench at the demonstration as industry continues to advance technology when it comes to the challenge of countering small drones. An industry open house held last fall had roughly 500 industry representatives tune in.

Citation :

L’US Marine Corps généralise l’emploi de silencieux pour les armes légères de ses unités d’infanterie

PAR LAURENT LAGNEAU · 10 JANVIER 2021



Certes, un combat impliquant une unité d’infanterie du corps américain des Marines [US Marine Corps – USMC] ne ressemblera pas à la scène mythique du film « Les Tontons flingueurs » où Fernand Naudin, Me Folace et Jean le majordome échangent des coups de feu avec des gangsters avec des pistolets munis de silencieux. Mais il s’en rapprochera un peu.

En effet, l’USMC a récemment annoncé sa décision de doter l’ensemble des fusils d’assaut de ses unités d’infanterie d’un modérateur de son [encore appelé suppresseur ou silencieux], à l’issue d’une étude lancée il y a cinq ans.

En 2017, La compagnie Bravo du 1er Bataillon du 2e régiment de Marines avait ainsi été désigné pour mener une expérimentation, en utilisant de tels dispositifs pour ses carabine M4 et ses mitrailleuses Browning M2. Et le concept a été récemment éprouvé lors de l’exercice Sea Dragon, durant lequel chaque Marine était doté du nouveau fusil M27 [désignation américaine du HK-416] muni d’un silencieux et d’une optique avancée.

« Le retour positif de ces expériences a été la principale force motrice de l’achat de suppresseurs », explique l’USMC. « Les suppresseurs pour armes légères sont conçus pour réduire le bruit, le flash et le recul. […] Leur mise en service massive, avec leurs leurs innombrables avantages, est un grand moment », a-t-il ajouté.

Plusieurs raisons plaident en faveur de cette décision. En premier lieu, réduire le bruit d’une arme de 30 à 40 décibels ne peut qu’améliorer la « furtivité ». En clair, il est plus difficile à un adversaire de repérer d’où viennent des tirs. Mais là n’est pas le principal avantage : selon l’USMC, cela facilite la communication entre les combattants d’une escouade ou d’un peloton.

« Auparavant, une équipe était dispersée sur peut-être 100 mètres, de sorte que son chef ne pouvait pas vraiment communiquer avec ses membres à cause du bruit des armes. Désormais, il peut communiquer, donner ses ordres et diriger plus efficacement les tirs », a expliqué le général John Love, au site spécialisé Task & Purpose.

En outre, le silencieux ralentit l’émission de gaz tout en réduisant le recul et le mouvement du canon. Ce qui fait que le tireur est d’autant plus précis que, avec le réduction du bruit, il garde sa concentration.

Enfin, un autre avantage qui n’est pas négligeable concerne la santé des soldats.

« L’utilisation généralisée de suppresseurs aura également l’avantage supplémentaire de réduire les réclamations relatives à la perte auditive des vétérans », souligne l’USMC. « Nous aimerions que les Marines puissent continuer à entendre pendant de nombreuses années même après avoir quitté le service. Ces suppresseurs le permettront », conclut-il.

Photo : USMC

 http://www.opex360.com/2021/01/10/lus-marine-corps-generalise-lemploi-de-silencieux-pour-les-armes-legeres-de-ses-unites-dinfanterie/  

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28734/U_S__Army_Evaluates_Upgraded_Paladin_Howitzers#.X_xIZy27ho4 a écrit:

Citation :

Raytheon

13/01/2021 15:02 | Antony Angrand

Une seconde batterie Iron Dome pour les Etats-Unis

La deuxième batterie du système de défense antimissile Iron Dome va bientôt rejoindre Fort Bliss, aux Etats-Unis. Rafael et son partenaire américain, Raytheon, veulent convaincre l’armée américaine qu'Iron Dome est capable de neutraliser des missiles de croisière. Avec une campagne de tir de démonstration à la clé au cours du premier semestre de cette année à White Sands, au Nouveau Mexique.

Deux batteries Iron Dome aux Etats-Unis
La deuxième batterie du système de défense antimissile Iron Dome va bientôt rejoindre Fort Bliss, aux Etats-Unis. Rafael et son partenaire américain, Raytheon, veulent convaincre l’armée américaine que le système israélien peut abattre des missiles de croisière. Et pas seulement des roquettes non guidées, comme c'est le cas en Israël ou le système est employé.

Une interopérabilité à démontrer
Rafael a déjà intégré les deux batteries américaines – lanceurs, radars et postes de commandement mobiles – sur des camions militaires produits en Amérique. Mais le problème le plus important est qu'Iron Dome est un système entièrement intégré – radars, lanceurs, missiles, postes de commandement, etc. – qui n’est pas conçu pour fonctionner avec les réseaux de commandement et de contrôle de l’armée américaine. Plus précisément avec l'IBCS ou Système intégré de commandement tactique de défense aérienne et antimissile, développé par Northrop Grumman pour l’armée américaine, qui intègre des systèmes de défense aérienne et antimissile, soit le système de défense aérienne et antimissile Patriot et le capteur Sentinel.

Tirs de démonstration de White Sands
Le but est néanmoins de réaliser une démonstration d'Iron Dome depuis le polygone de tir de White Sands, au Nouveau-Mexique, afin de démontrer la possibilité d'emploi au sein de l'US Army, laquelle voit le système comme étant intérimaire, en attendant l'arrivée de l'IFPC (Indirect Fire Protection Capability), un système d’armes mobile au sol conçu pour vaincre les systèmes d’aéronefs sans pilote et les missiles de croisière. La démonstration devrait avoir lieu au début de cette année, avec une modification afin de rendre Iron Dome compatible avec les systèmes radars ICBS et postes de commandement.

Les missiles de croisière, une menace émergente
Iron Dome, complété éventuellement d'autres systèmes, permettrait d'autres capacités que la "simple" neutralisation des roquettes non guidées. Mais pour l'heure, l'US Army veut surtout savoir comment réagit le système ayant réussi plus de 2 500 interceptions de menaces sol-air depuis sa mise en service et s'il est surtout capable de détruire ce que l'US Army considère comme une menace émergente, celle des missiles de croisière... Entre autres.

https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/une-seconde-batterie-iron-dome-pour-les-etats-unis-24069

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-awaits-imminent-ibcs-production-decision a écrit:

US Army awaits imminent IBCS production decision

by Ashley Roque

The Pentagon will announce within days whether it is green-lighting production of the US Army’s new Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) network, Janes has learned.

The army had anticipated that Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, would hold the IBCS milestone C review in mid-November 2020 but as of early January the service had not yet been notified of a decision, according to an army spokesperson. However, Lord’s office told Janes on 11 January that the announcement will be coming within days.

If the army receives the go ahead, Northrop Grumman’s IBCS will move into the production and operational testing phase, and the system could be ready for initial operational test and evaluation around the mid-2021 timeframe.

An affirmative decision would also mark a turnaround for the programme. Since its inception in 2009, the army has spent about USD2.5 billion on the effort and encountered multiple setbacks along the way including a failed 2016 limited user test (LUT).

After four years of work, however, the army largely praised the 2020 LUT that occurred at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

“What happened today was multiple sensors, multiple shooters, and a command-and-control system that identified, classified, and passed a track to the right shooter,” Army Futures Command (AFC) head General Mike Murray told reporters in August 2020 after a LUT event.

IBCS is designed to use multiple sensors and effectors to extend the ‘battlespace’, provide soldiers with 360° protection, increase survivability by enabling early detection and continuous tracking, and defeat a complex threat set. More specifically, the network is designed to connect army radars and combine their targeting data and pass that data to whichever launcher is best suited to take a shot against a target.

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28767/U_S__Army___s_Abrams_Tanks_to_be_fitted_with_Israeli_WindGuard_Radar_Systems#.YAGmqC27hsM a écrit:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a35217288/army-hypersonic-missile-darpa-operational-fires/ a écrit:

The Army's New Mach 5 Missile Hits Targets at 1,000 Miles in 20 Minutes

We're developing a next-gen seeker for the @USArmy's PAC-3 Missile system – and expanding production on existing seekers. The seeker provides guidance data to the system to protect warfighters around the world from air and missile threats.

Learn more: https://t.co/O9VcnuRrzQ pic.twitter.com/fQNi1eYKoJ

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) January 14, 2021

Citation :

     Saturday, January 23, 2021

US Army Armor @ Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany...







https://www.snafu-solomon.com/2021/01/us-army-armor-grafenwoehr-training-area.html  

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28853/U_S__Military_Smuggled_Russian_made_Pantsir_System_from_Libya_in_2020__Report#.YBKmvy27hsM a écrit:

Citation :

31/01/2021

Airbus va débuter les livraisons des UH-72B « Lakota » !



Airbus Helicopters a livré le dernier hélicoptère UH-72A « Lakota » à l'armée américaine l’année dernière. Maintenant, l’hélicoptériste prépare les livraisons du nouveaux standard UH-72B.

L'armée américaine commencera bientôt à recevoir les UH-72B amélioré, qui viendront grossir les rangs des 463 hélicoptères UH-72A livrés. Pour l’instant un total de 17 UH-72B sont prévus pour la production dans l’usine de Colombus au Mississipi d’Airbus.

Rappel :

L'armée américaine a initialement acheté l’UH-72 « Lakota » pour libérer des appareils de prmeières ligne comme le Sikorsky UH-60 « Black Hawk » et permettre l'élimination progressive des appareils plus anciens comme le Bell UH-1 « Huey » et l'OH-58A « Kiowa ». Le « Lakota » est disponible en sept configurations pour des missions comprenant la formation, la sécurité aux frontières, la recherche et le sauvetage, l'évacuation médicale, la réponse en cas de catastrophe, le transport VIP et le soutien au champ de tir.

L’UH-72B « Lakota » :

L'UH-72B « Lakota » est essentiellement une version de l'armée américaine du dernier modèle d'hélicoptère civil H145. L'armée américaine tire parti des avantages d'un programme commercial prêt à l'emploi en recevant des améliorations et des améliorations de produits grâce à l'évolution de l'hélicoptère, sans investir de l'argent du gouvernement dans le développement de ces capacités.

L'UH-72B est basé sur le très populaire H145, qui incorpore diverses améliorations de produit qui ont été développées au cours du cycle de vie de la version commerciale. L’appareil incorpore dorénavant le rotor de queue de type « Fenestron », des moteurs plus puissants, des commandes améliorées et une suite avionique Airbus Helionix. Le système Helionix, a brisé le moule pour une avionique intuitive et conviviale pour les pilotes. Distingué par une disposition innovante du cockpit qui comprend deux à quatre écrans multifonctions, seuls les détails les plus pertinents d'une phase de vol sont affichés à un moment donné. La clé d'Helionix est qu'il filtre et présente les informations les plus pertinentes lorsque le pilote en a besoin. Lorsqu'un pilote se prépare à décoller, par exemple, Helionix n'affiche que les données (santé du moteur, direction du vent, avertissements de trafic, etc.) spécifiques à la tâche, supprimant tout ce qui est inutile et distrayant.



Photos : 1 UH-72 A aux USA 2 Le nouveau UH-72B avec fenestron @ Airbus Helicopters.

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2021/01/31/airbus-va-debuter-les-livraisons-des-uh-72b-%C2%A0lakota%C2%A0-%C2%A0-870491.html

We support our partners! @SandiaLabs’ knowhow and its Kauai Test Facility helped the @USNavy and @USArmy with a #hypersonic test in March #2020. #YearinReview #YIRhttps://t.co/H80w9LkgPq pic.twitter.com/O4oAheAfbC

— NNSA (@NNSANews) February 4, 2021

We got the steel horses!

Let's ride!

What #Armor vehicles can you name? #ArmyTech | #TankTwitter pic.twitter.com/OCSBFRSD7F

— U.S. Army (@USArmy) March 7, 2021

Citation :

Test unit helps Army with Spike demo
The U.S. Army’s new Spike missile completed a demonstration last month here thanks to the 780th Test Squadron.

The 96th Test Wing squadron was responsible for planning and executing the maritime (over water) demonstration of the non-line-of-sight, multi-purpose weapon using the Army’s AH-64E Apache helicopter.

“We were excited to test a new weapon system here at Eglin,” said Amanda Hargett, 780th TS test engineer.  “Our team worked closely with the Army to make sure everything went smoothly and the demonstration was successful.”

The U.S. Army Futures Command Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team and the Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center brought the AH-64 here for the evaluation.  The demonstration was broken down into four days.

Day 1 – Modifications were made to the aircraft and the weapon was set up.  Testers checked all flight and ground systems to make sure they were working correctly and with the weapon and any test telemetry added to the aircraft.

Day 2,3 – The test teams went through rehearsals and performed practice shots.  This benefited the pilots and test support teams to make sure everyone knew where to be and what would most likely happen during the actual test.  It also ensured all systems were working in flight and allowed the team to plan for any unforeseen emergency procedures.

Day 4 – This was the actual test day.  The Apache launched the Spike from 32 kilometers away and scored a direct hit on a stationary vessel.
Another planned flight that included a strike on a moving target, was cancelled due to weather.

Based on the success of testing, the Spike NLOS will serve as an interim solution to the gap in precision targeting at extended ranges.  The weapon can strike targets four times further than the Apache’s current carried munitions.  It also serves a dual purpose in informing the requirements for Army Aviation’s enduring standoff weapon, the Long-Range Precision Munition.

“We appreciate the tremendous support of the 780th for this program,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Scott Durrer, Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team Lethality Technical Advisor.  “The unit provided everything we needed to help us accomplish this critical maritime assessment.”