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08 June 21. InVeris Training Solutions to celebrate 95-year live-fire training legacy and exhibit unrivalled portfolio at NSSF Range-Retailer Business Expo. InVeris Training Solutions, the leading provider of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems and services for domestic and international military and law enforcement, will display its live-fire portfolio at the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Range-Retailer Business Expo. The event, designed to connect range owners, operators and related retailers with industry providers of products, services and training, will be held on July 12-14 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“InVeris is ideally positioned to help shooting range operators and associated retailers increase business and enhance safety,” said Jon Read, InVeris’ live-fire systems director. “Our 95-year track record of innovation outfitting more than 15,500 ranges demonstrates our enduring commitment to operators here in the United States and around the world.”
Since 1926, InVeris has provided numerous shooting range innovations through its legacy live-fire brand Caswell. They include the world’s first moving target carrier, the industry’s first environmentally friendly bullet trap to reduce lead dust, the industry’s first wireless range control system and the world’s first fully mobile shooting range.
Visitors to the InVeris booth will see a variety of products represented, from shooting stalls to bullet traps. The XWT GEN4 wireless target carrier builds on the industry’s first wireless, 360º turning system. The XWT GEN4 uses a lithium ion battery with a positive locking connection and ergonomic placement. This technology provides a 50% increase in battery watt hours. The new docking system improves contact design for faster, more reliable charging; that means more time using the XWT GEN4 and less time charging it. Programmable distraction lighting integrates red, blue and white LEDs with four times the brightness of previous models. The quiet, smooth, low-maintenance wireless carrier is easily operated and programmable, essential for successful training and usability.
InVeris will also showcase models of two key products: The GranTrap™ granulated rubber bullet trap utilizes soft media to stop incoming rounds and capture them predominantly intact. This minimizes airborne lead dust, averts back-splatter and ricochet, and minimizes impact noise. The result is a cleaner and safer environment for shooting ranges, maximizing bullet recovery and recycling processes. The Road Range™ is a self-contained firearms training facility that integrates live-fire and simulated training capabilities in a mobile environment. The ballistically secure trailer is fully equipped to produce a three-position, state-of-the-art, live-fire range, or can be equipped with a FATS® virtual training system for less lethal and non-lethal options such as verbal commands, baton, chemical spray and TASER®.
09 June 21. Submarine training facility takes shape at HMNB Clyde. Work is well underway on a new training facility which will secure HMNB Clyde as the central base for submariners in the UK. Last year the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) awarded a contract worth £100m to Kier Graham to deliver the works, which are expected to complete in early 2022.
The Submarine Training Facility (SMTF) building will provide training for submariners on the new Dreadnought Class submarines, which will maintain the UK’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent. Designed and built in the UK, these submarines will employ world-leading and cutting-edge technology
Training currently based at the Royal Naval Submarine School (RNSMS) at HMS Raleigh and the Defence School of Marine Engineering (DSMarE), the Nuclear Systems Group and Nuclear Department (ND) at HMS Sultan will also transfer to the new facility.
This week the new building started to take shape as steel frames were put into place, marking a significant construction milestone in the project.
The new SMTF facility will be located adjacent to, but separate from, the recently completed submarine escape, rescue, abandonment and survival (SMERAS) facility on the base.
The works are part of a wider Defence plan to create a Submarine Centre of Specialisation located at HMNB Clyde, which is already home to the core of the Submarine Service, including the nuclear deterrent and new generation of hunter-killer submarine. DIO is investing a total £1.6bn in facilities at HMNB Clyde.
Steven O’Connor, DIO Project Manager, said, “DIO is proud to be leading on the development of this essential facility at HMNB Clyde and to support the development of the centre of specialisation.”
This will ensure that Royal Navy personnel can train in a state-of-the-art environment for many years to come.
The Submarine Training Facility building will provide training for submariners on the new Dreadnought Class submarines. MOD Crown Copyright.
Captain Iain Breckenridge, Captain of submarine training with the Royal Navy’s Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) organisation at HM Naval Base Clyde, said, “These are exciting times for all Submariners. With training delivery being reshaped to provide modern and highly realistic training in classrooms, simulators, by virtual and synthetic means, as well as online, it means Submariners no longer have to travel to different locations to train. Everything will be delivered at HM Naval Base Clyde helping to improve their career and domestic balance.
The Submarine Training Facility project is the final piece in the creation of a Submarine Centre of Specialisation at HM Naval Base Clyde. All future training, from the Submarine Qualifying Course to the world-renowned ‘Perisher’ Command Course, will now be based on the Clyde along with the Royal Navy’s entire fleet of submarines. The creation of the Submarine Escape, Recovery and Survivability (SMERAS) has already placed the Submarine Service at the leading-edge of escape training and the creation of the Submarine Training Facility will place us at the forefront of all submarine training.”
As part of the UK, Scotland benefits from billions of pounds of Defence contracts placed directly and indirectly with hundreds of companies, which sustain thousands of jobs.
The UK government is firmly committed to Scotland’s continued vital role in Defence, and the major investment in the future of HMNB Clyde is a testament to this. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
10 Jun 21. BMT conducts its first-ever remote, simulator-based ship navigation training programme – the latest REMBRANDT digital configuration is a full mission DNV approved ship simulator solution that’s targeted at multiple training stakeholders, including those onboard and ashore, and benefits from de-risked and highly immersive learning environments. BMT’s REMBRANDT, an award-winning immersive maritime simulator, has successfully trialled its first virtually operated maritime simulation. This ‘digital advance’ will enable maritime operators and trainers to safely plan, train and prepare for marine navigation in a simulated environment operated from a remote computer. This cutting-edge trial was delivered in partnership with SeaChange Resources and their BridgeQuest training course.
BridgeQuest leverages REMBRANDT’s advanced simulation technology and reconstruction play back functionality to deliver high quality leadership training using a single platform. The course coaches virtual participants through the ‘high-stress’ situation of a simulated maritime collision to support the development of communication, collaboration and situational awareness skills.
The complex computational models and hydrodynamic engines that underpin REMBRANDT’s leading maritime navigation simulator have previously required installation of the software on a ‘local’ computer to run effectively. Following significant investment from BMT, this mature and growing innovation capability that’s been developed over a 20 year period has now been optimised to virtual operation of the software, enabling multiple users to remotely view, operate and analyse a maritime simulation using the latest technological advancements.
Dr Phil Thompson, Director of Simulation and Training Products at BMT said, “This digital advancement is a new watermark that best serves increasing global demands in ship navigation simulation. Until now, simulations could only be experienced by those in the immediate vicinity of the computer hardware. This now enables greater levels of collaboration online and the creation of more sophisticated models unrestrained by existing ‘local’ hardware. Ultimately, this will provide a more realistic, safer and cost-efficient enhancement of live practical training for operators and trainers within de-risked and immersive learning environments”.
Adding to Phil’s comments, Kim Parrott CEO of SeaChange Resources said, “This is a real game-changer for remote leadership training and team development. Historically, this sort of training and leadership coaching required face-to-face workshops. However, by creating an immersive environment which participants can participate in remotely, we’re able to effectively develop leadership and collaboration skills online.”
BridgeQuest’s remote leadership training applies bridge resource management principles from the maritime industry. It encompasses five sessions where the virtual team members collaborate to conduct an accident and root cause analysis investigation through BMT’s REMBRANDT technology. Also, they then coordinate as a unified Bridge Team of Captain, Navigator and Helm in “What-If” scenarios to resolve the accident. Throughout their 15-hour virtual experience, they are supported by expert coaching to develop key skills and safety responses.
07 June 21. Saab and Varjo Bring Virtual Reality to Flight Simulators. Saab and Varjo Technologies work together to revolutionise flight simulators. The Finnish company Varjo has developed a human eye resolution mixed reality (XR) technology that will be integrated into all Saab Gripen E/F simulators. In addition to the highest resolution and widest field of view in the industry, the collaboration will also offer numerous new training opportunities at a fraction of the cost.
Saab and Varjo Technologies, which develops virtual and mixed reality technologies for professional use and was founded in 2016, have advanced in their collaboration of many years to the point in which Varjo’s technology will be integrated in Saab’s new Gripen E/F simulators. The collaboration has its roots in Varjo’s innovation, which was critical to the successful development of state-of-the-art simulations.
“When we did our first experiments with commercial devices, we received feedback from the pilots that they were unable to read text in virtual reality because the resolution was not sufficiently high. This was not a problem with Varjo’s technology,” says Stefan Furenbäck, Saab’s Head of Tactical Environment Simulation and Visualisation.
“Our collaboration has been smooth and straightforward. We understand each other’s needs and how we can solve our shared technological problems. Two companies with similar cultures, with innovation high on their agenda and ready to discuss everything,” Seppo Aaltonen, Varjo’s Chief Commercial Officer describes the collaboration.
Pilot training requires trainees to be able to read text and see even the smallest details. Pilots need to feel like they are flying in the real world while using the simulator. Up until now it has been necessary to use cave or dome-shaped simulators to create a virtual reality experience that is as immersive as possible for the pilot. They are very large and expensive, and building their display systems requires a lot of work. They are also difficult to move.
Conventional dome simulators have a flat screen and the 3D view can only be achieved using special glasses. Varjo’s virtual headsets have separate screens for each eye, so they come with a built-in 3D feature.
Varjo’s Bionic Display is based on the idea of how human eye works; you see everything in the middle of your field of vision in ultra-high resolution and anything in the peripheral vision in lower resolution, enabling a fully natural and smoothly performing virtual experience.
This is done by projecting patterns on the surface of the eye with infrared LEDs that are monitored by small cameras and the resolution adapts to the movements of the eye. Human-eye-level resolution can be achieved without supercomputers if it is known what point the human eye is looking at at any given moment. The maximum computing power is always focused on the current point.
Varjo’s technology uses video cameras to constantly capture the environment for the purposes of mixed reality. This means that the images from the real world work on the same principle – the high-resolution image comes from the focal point. This allows powerful gaming computers to be used to operate the technology instead of supercomputers.
The collaboration between Saab and Varjo has worked very well for several years now, and it has expanded to Varjo technologies being integrated in the Gripen E/F fighter simulator.
“We’re finalising the basic functionalities in our own simulator so that we can use Varjo’s XR-3 headsets in all our flight simulators. We’ve previously carried out smaller, independent prototype-like projects but now we’re integrating them into our actual flight simulators,” says Stefan Furenbäck. (Source: ASD Network)
08 June 21. Foreign forces arrive in Darwin for Exercise Southern Jackaroo. Japanese troops have touched down in the Top End to participate in Exercise Southern Jackaroo 2021.
Personnel from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) have joined US Marines and ADF troops in Darwin ahead of Exercise Southern Jackaroo 2021 — a trilateral field training exercise aimed at building interoperability between the nations.
According to Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO, the annual exercise would reinforce co-operation across a range of disciplines, including infantry, aviation, artillery and combat engineer training.
“The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin will bring more equipment this year, allowing for a more complex exercise to advance our ability to work together,” LTGEN Burr said.
“During the exercise, the three forces will conduct complex activities co-ordinating artillery, unmanned aircraft systems and rotary wing assets.
“There is a lot to learn from our partners and this trilateral format allows us to better understand our respective capabilities.”
Foreign troops are subject to quarantine requirements prior to departure and on arrival into Australia.
Exercise Southern Jackaroo 2021 will kick off on 15 June following an opening ceremony and will conclude on 25 June.
Foreign military personnel from the US, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the UK are also arriving in Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre.
France, India and Indonesia are also expected to participate as observer nations.
The exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability through combined and Joint Task Force operations.
This year’s exercise, which will mark the ninth iteration, is expected to involve a field training exercise incorporating force preparation (logistic) activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvre, urban operations, air combat and maritime operations.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is scheduled to commence on 14 July 2021 with an opening ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley, and will wrap-up on 31 July 2021.
(Source: Defence Connect)
07 June 21. US 6th Fleet-led Exercise At Sea Demo/Formidable Shield concludes. Formidable Shield was conducted by Naval Striking and Support Forces Nato (STRIKFORNATO).
The US Sixth Fleet-led live-fire integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) exercise, At Sea Demo/Formidable Shield 2021 (ASD/FS21), has successfully concluded.
Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK, and the US participated in the exercise.
Conducted by Naval Striking and Support Forces Nato (STRIKFORNATO), the exercise was held at the Hebrides range off Scotland and the Andoya training site off Norway.
STRIKFORNATO deputy commander and Royal Navy rear admiral James Morley said: “It has been a privilege to lead the team here in Portugal responsible for the planning and conduct of At-Sea Demonstration / Formidable Shield 21, one of the most complex and intensive integrated Air and Missile Defense events ever undertaken in the European theatre.
“This exercise has taken place across the maritime, air, and space domains, involving 150 warfare training serials and live events, demonstrating the resolve and capability of the Nato alliance to provide collective defence.”
A total of 16 ships, dozens of aircraft, and around 3,300 personnel took part in the exercise that began on 15 May.
The Spanish Navy’s ESPS Cristobal Colon ship served as the exercise’s flagship.
During the exercise, several participating platforms demonstrated highly technical and complex capabilities in tracking and engaging subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic missile targets.
In addition, the US Navy noted that the Maritime Theater Missile Defense Forum (MTMD-F) successfully completed its operations phase for the ASD/FS exercise.
ASD/FS MDA mission director Dave Morton said: “The MDA is dedicated to furthering the warfighter’s understanding of the ballistic missile threat, and how to negate it.
“No training can replace actually detecting, tracking, and negating a ballistic missile. The more exercises of this type MDA can support, the more confident and proficient the warfighter will become in using our defensive weapon systems.”
In May 2019, the US and eight partner nations took part in Formidable Shield. (Source: naval-technology.com)
07 June 21. F-35A Makes History on Exercise Arnhem Thunder. For the first time, Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft have taken to the skies with a full complement of weapons. The two fully laden F-35As last month took off from RAAF Base Darwin as part of Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21.
Commanding Officer No. 35 Squadron Wing Commander Matthew Harper said the F-35A was the only Western fighter jet that could carry both internal and external ordnance.
“This design feature allows Australian F-35As to be adapted to suit the threat environment and operational requirements,” Wing Commander Harper said.
“This mode would most likely be used in less contested environments where rapid employment of ordnance is prioritised over maximising the F-35A’s stealth capabilities.”
In addition to their internal payload, the pair departed with inert GBU-12 bombs attached to their under-wing pylons.
“The GBU-12 is a laser-guided munition that can be employed against a variety of different target types in combat,” Wing Commander Harper said.
As part of the training scenario, the aircraft dropped their bombs on ground-based targets at the Delamere Air Weapons Range, located about 120km south of Katherine. The F-35As are expected to drop more than 50 inert GBU-12 bombs during the exercise. Ten F-35As from RAAF Base Williamtown have deployed to RAAF Base Darwin to take part in the exercise. (Source: ASD Network)
04 June 21. International forces to arrive for Exercise Talisman Sabre. Six of Australia’s international partners are deploying forces to the participate in training activities as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Foreign military personnel from the US, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are en route to Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre.
France, India and Indonesia are also expected to participate as observer nations.
The exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability through combined and Joint Task Force operations.
This year’s exercise, which will mark the ninth iteration, is expected to involve a field training exercise incorporating force preparation (logistic) activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvre, urban operations, air combat, and maritime operations.
“Around 1,800 foreign military personnel will arrive in Australia for this year’s exercise. We will also have part of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin participating, as well as naval and air assets exercising exclusively off-shore,” Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, said.
“The ADF, together with our United States and visiting partner nations, are committed to delivering a safe exercise, not just for the personnel involved, but the community as well.
“The exercise is fundamental to our alliance with the United States and critical to maintaining ADF combat readiness.”
The exercise is set to take place at a range of Defence bases and non-Defence training areas across central and north-east Queensland and off the east coast of Australia.
“Talisman Sabre would not be possible without the cooperation and ongoing support of the local community, councils, state authorities – including chief health officers – and traditional owners,” LTGEN Bilton added.
“Defence will keep the public well-informed of planned activities and movements, implement COVIDSafe plans agreed to with the states and territories to mitigate the risks of COVID-19.”
Most of the international forces, arriving over the coming weeks, are expected to quarantine in either Bladin Village in the Northern Territory or ADF managed hotels in Queensland, while others will be quarantined in ADF-managed hotels in NSW.
International forces will arrive in tranches of up to several hundred, from early June to mid-July.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is scheduled to commence on 14 July 2021 with an opening ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley, and will wrap-up on 31 July 2021.
(Source: Defence Connect)
04 June 21. US approves location for Singaporean F-16, F-35 training. The U.S. and Singaporean governments have chosen Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to host the Southeast Asian nation’s Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighter Falcon and future F-35B fighter jet training detachments.
The Arkansas National Guard’s Public Affairs Office said Singapore’s fleet of 12 F-16s is expected to begin arriving in 2023, and its first of up to 12 F-35Bs are to follow in 2026.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is currently flying the F-16s out of Luke Air Force Base, located near Phoenix, Arizona. Its personnel have trained there on various F-16 models almost continuously since the late 1980s with the 425th Fighter Squadron, a joint force made up of personnel from both countries.
Known as the Peace Carvin II detachment, the squadron is relocating to make room for Luke AFB’s expanding F-35 training program. A Taiwanese F-16 training squadron currently on base will also move for the same reason, with the nearby Arizona Air National Guard base selected to host that detachment.
Singapore was approved to acquire four short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35 variants with an option for eight more of the “B” models. Deliveries are due to begin in 2026. Singapore has decided to consolidate its U.S.-based F-35 training together with its F-16 detachment at one location.
Officials from the Singaporean and U.S. air forces visited three locations in March before making the final decision. The other locations visited were Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas and Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan, with the latter selected as an alternate location to Ebbing ANGB.
In addition to its Arizona-based F-16 training detachment, the land-scarce island nation also has an F-15 training squadron in Mountain Home, Idaho, and a Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopter detachment in Marana, Arizona. Singapore also signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019 with the United States to set up a permanent fighter training detachment in the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam that will begin in 2029. (Source: Defense News)
07 June 21. Turkey wraps up ‘largest-ever’ version of Denizkurdu naval drill. The Turkish Navy has completed the “largest-ever” iteration of exercise Denizkurdu, involving 132 surface vessels, 10 submarines, 43 winged aircraft, 28 helicopters and 14 drones.
Denizkurdu is a large-scale exercise carried out by the country’s naval forces every two years. It was most recently held May 25-June 6 in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. All Navy units participate in the training, which aims to demonstrate the service’s operational readiness, evaluate decision-making processes in a multithreat environment, test interoperability methods and mutual support capabilities, and allow for personnel to training with naval assets.
Denizkurdu-2021 was carried out in three phases. In the first phase, participating units conducted operational readiness drills. The second involved force-on-force training based on a four-day crisis scenario. In the third phase, participating ships made port visits at the Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey.
On completion of the port visits, the fleet hosted a “Distinguished Visitors Day” that saw a gathering of officials from Turkey’s Defense Ministry and military command echelon as well as military attaches from 25 countries. The turnout of the attaches was a “first” for the Denizkurdu series, according to officials.
The Navy’s TB2 Bayraktar drone hit a target at sea with the MAM-L guided munition for the first time, striking a decommissioned auxiliary ship floating at sea on the Distinguished Visitors Day.
The Defense Ministry was unable to provide an interview to Defense News by press time. However, the Turkish military tends to maintain lessons learned from drills as confidential.
A statement on the ministry’s official Twitter account said this year’s iteration stood out from previous versions because nongovernmental organizations such as Kızılay (or Red Crescent) participated. As new this year was Naval Warfare Center Command managing the exercise. It was responsible for acting as the exercise control center, established in accordance with NATO exercise planning processes adopted by the Turkish Navy.
Turkey’s first indigenous unmanned combat surface vessel, dubbed ULAQ, conducted its first live-fire trial during the exercise, though the event was not part of the training itself. Developed by Turkish defense companies Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defence, ULAQ was launched in January and completed sea trials in April. During the live-fire trials, conducted as the last phase of acceptance tests for the Navy, it launched a laser-guided Cirit missile twice — the first one involved telemetry, and the second used a real warhead — hitting its target in the Eastern Mediterranean. The ULAQ was controlled from a mobile coastal control station and illuminated the target with a laser designator before firing.
Turkey’s top defense procurement official, Ismail Demir, said in a speech after the firing: “We have reached an indigenousness rate of up to 70 percent in our projects, and we will increase this even more. The days have come where we began to see similar products to the gamechanging UAVs: now inland vehicles, surface vessels and submarine forms. We are aware that combat environments with integrated unmanned systems await us, and therefore we continue our work accordingly.” (Source: Defense News)
31 May 21. Over the last ten days US Army personnel have been reinforcing NATO Allies Bulgaria and Hungary as part of DEF21-linked SABER GUARDIAN 21. SABER GUARDIAN 21 is a linked exercise of DEFENDER-Europe 21. Abbreviated to DEF21, this programme is a large-scale US Army-led exercise series designed to build readiness and interoperability between the US, NATO Allies and Partner militaries. This year, more than 28,000 multinational forces from 26 nations are scheduled to conduct nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in more than a dozen countries from the Baltic States to the strategically important Balkans and Black Sea Region.
Just as in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has quite seriously impacted the original DEFENDER-Europe plans but, as we personally witnessed out in the Baltic theatre throughout May, successful mitigation measures including inoculating, quarantining and regular testing of participating troops allowed far more of this year’s programme than last to proceed pretty much as planned. Regrettably most civilian flights across Europe will not resume until after DEF21 concludes in June (and one of the few scheduled civvy flights which did take place between the Balkans and the Baltic in May – Ryanair 4987 on Sunday 23rd – was forced out of the sky by the Belarusian Air Force) but fortunately US Army photographers on the exercise have recorded many of those events we would have liked to have been able to cover but simply couldn’t. (Source: joint-forces.com)
07 Jun 21. Vietnam to procure T-6 to boost pilot training. The US Air Force (USAF) has agreed to supply Vietnam the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II turboprop trainer/light-attack aircraft, US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Commander General Ken Wilsbach said on 4 June.
The programme will be Vietnam’s most high-profile defence procurement from the US since Washington fully lifted its military embargo on the Southeast Asian country in 2016.
Speaking about the USAF collaboration with the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF), Gen Wilsbach said, “Probably the biggest thing is the T-6 aircraft, the trainer aircraft that Vietnam is buying. And the reason they’re buying that is because they want to improve their pilot training programme.”
“That’s probably one of the most important and probably the most visible improvements that you will see, and we’re committed to helping that aircraft be delivered and then operationalising it and improving the Vietnamese air force’s pilot training,” said Gen Wilsbach. He did not provide additional details.
However, the USAF issued a request for information (RFI) in February in which it said that it was seeking to establish a new contract to provide the VPAF with three trainer aircraft as well as a “total package approach” to establish, operate, and sustain a “modern undergraduate pilot training” (UPT) programme based on the USAF pilot training model.
The RFI said that the delivery of the three aircraft is scheduled to be no later than mid-2023 and that additional aircraft may be purchased at a later date pending funding. It added, “The strategic relationship of this programme between the USAF and Vietnam are critical to security assistance and co-operation in the region.” (Source: Jane’s)
07 Jun 21. US base in Arkansas to host RSAF’s F-16 training detachment and future F-35B training unit. Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been selected as one of the preferred locations to host the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF’s) F-16 training detachment and its future F-35B training unit, the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced on 4 June.
The base was shortlisted by the US Department of Defense (DoD) in consultation with MINDEF following feasibility studies that included a number of factors such as suitability of the location and training area, infrastructure, and logistics support.
As a result, the RSAF’s 12 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D multirole fighters will be relocated from Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona, noted MINDEF. Besides RSAF F-16 aircraft, Luke AFB also hosts F-16s from the Republic of China Air Force that could be transferred to another base in due course, Janes understands.
In a separate statement issued on 3 June, the US Air Force (USAF) announced that Ebbing ANGB, which is home to the US Air National Guards’ 188th Wing, would also become the training centre in the continental United States for Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft procured by Foreign Military Sale (FMS) customers, adding that the base will be able to host up to 36 fighter aircraft. The USAF added that the new base will overcome ramp and airspace capacity constraints that limit expansion work at Luke AFB. (Source: Jane’s)
07 Jun 21. Israeli F-35s undertake first overseas joint exercises. Israeli Lockheed Martin F-35I Adirs have flown their first overseas training exercises, operating alongside Italian, UK, and US aircraft during ‘Falcon Strike 2021′.
Six Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35Is (the Israeli-specific variant of the conventional take-off and landing [CTOL] F-35A) have joined an undisclosed number of Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI) F-35As, Royal Air Force (RAF) short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs, and US Air Force (USAF) F-35As at Amendola Air Base in southern Italy.
“Our ‘Adir’ Division has recently touched down in Italy as part of its first-ever overseas deployment and will begin training alongside our friends from the AMI, RAF, and the USAF,” the IAF said on its official Facebook page. “Throughout the exercise, the IAF will drill a wide variety of operational scenarios to enhance the operational capabilities of the F-35 while strengthening international co-operation”.
Aimed at increasing allied interoperability between fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-35 and other fourth-generation aircraft, ‘Falcon Strike 2021′ is running from 7 to 15 June. The international F-35s will act as the ‘blue force’, operating against a ‘red force’ of other AMI aircraft types. According to Israeli national media reports, the IAF is also contributing a Gulfstream G550-based ‘Eitam’ airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and a pair of Boeing KC-135 ‘Reem’ tankers. The AMI is said to be contributing a Boeing KC-767 tanker and a G550 AEW&C aircraft, while the RAF is operating an Airbus A330 Voyager tanker.
(Source: Jane’s)
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About InVeris Training Solutions
InVeris Training Solutions combines an agile approach with an unmatched expertise in training technology to design and deliver customized, cutting-edge, first-rate training solutions that keep military, law enforcement, private and commercial range clients safe, prepared and ready to serve – Because Seconds Matter™. With a portfolio of technology-enabled training solutions, and a team of 400 employees driven to innovate, InVeris Training Solutions is the global leader in integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training solutions. With its legacy companies, FATS® and Caswell, InVeris Training Solutions has fielded over 15,000 live-fire ranges and 7,500 virtual systems globally during its 90-year history. The Company is headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia and partners with clients in the US and around the world from facilities on five continents.
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