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24 Mar 22. US Navy installs two E-2D Distributed Readiness Trainers. The D-DRT training devices help naval aviators improve combat readiness and effectiveness. The US Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges Program Office (PMA-205) has installed two E-2D Distributed Readiness Trainers (D-DRT). The D-DRT are touch screen training devices designed for naval aviators to improve and maintain combat readiness and effectiveness. When compared to legacy trainers, the low-cost maintenance training systems offer reduced lifecycle costs and improved reliability. The E2-D Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 (VAW-125) aircrew has already completed a two-week readiness training on the D-DRT devices. The D-DRT devices were installed and made available for training for the squadron upon their return from deployment. The PMA-205 team provided instructions and hands-on training to the aircrew for operating the devices. PMA-205 programme manager Lisa Sullivan said: “The event provided VAW-125 an increased level of combat readiness and the ability to maintain combat effectiveness without costly travel to traditional training locations.” The medium fidelity trainers feature a E-2D weapons system mock-up, which makes it operationally faster than the higher fidelity trainers. The trainers can accommodate five crewmember aircraft and an E-2D element of two for conducting a particular training scenario. Simultaneously, the devices can also execute several techniques, tactics, and procedures. PMA-205 training systems integrated product team lead David Adams said: “Our ability to cycle through reps and sets of advanced tactics, techniques and procedures in a short amount of time will make the war fighter more lethal at a much lower cost to the taxpayer.” Besides, the PMA-205 team also developed a Normobaric Hypoxia Trainer (NHT) system, to provide improved hypoxia training to the US Navy’s aircrew. (Source: naval-technology.com)
24 Mar 22. RAAF, RAN take part in Operation Solania. Naval and aerial assets of the ADF have engaged in maritime surveillance operations as part of a commitment to regional security. The Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force have been patrolling waters in Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) as part of Operation Solania — aimed at supporting regional maritime security, including Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) operations Specifically, Australian forces’ contribution to the FFA’s first operation of 2022, Operation Rai Balang — a maritime surveillance patrol in collaboration with partners across Micronesia and Melanesia. RAN vessel HMAS Melville conducted a contactless port visit in Pohnpei before patrolling the Exclusive Economic Zone of FSM. HMAS Melville patrolled approximately 195,000 square kilometres, reporting seven suspicious vessels to the FFA. A RAAF C27-J Spartan crew also flew nine missions for the FFA from Palau, detecting and reporting over 110 suspicious vessels and helping locate one vessel of interest.
“Illegal fishing activity and transnational crime are enormous threats to the region’s fishing industry, which is vital for the economies of our Pacific family,” Joint Task Force 637 Commander, Major General Scott Winter, said.
“By tackling these shared maritime security challenges together with the FFA, our Pacific partners, and members of the Pacific Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group (Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and France), we are working together to protect ecosystems and livelihoods across the Pacific.”
HMAS Melville’s Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Savage, noted the importance of supporting maritime security efforts in the region.
“Australia and the FSM have a longstanding partnership in maritime security, and Melville’s crew was proud to patrol parts of the nation’s three million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone,” CMDR Savage said.
HMAS Melville provided maritime surveillance support ahead of the arrival of the first of two Guardian Class patrol boats, to be delivered under the Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP) — Australia’s $2 billion, 30-year commitment to regional maritime security.
As part of the initiative, Australia is replacing Pacific Patrol Boats provided between 1987 and 1997. (Source: Defence Connect)
23 Mar 22. Pakistan validates post-upgrade capabilities of Khalid-class submarine in sinking exercise. A Pakistan Navy Khalid (Agosta 90B)-class submarine has carried out a demonstration of its post-upgrade capabilities in a sinking exercise.
PNS Hamza (S-139) demonstrated these capabilities at Exercise ‘Sea Spark’, a biennial series of maritime drills conducted by the Pakistan Naval Strategic Forces Command. The latest iteration of the drills was held from 17 February to 13 March in the Arabian Sea.
During this exercise, Hamza deployed a single DM-2A4 torpedo against a decommissioned Pakistan Navy Tariq-class frigate and sunk the vessel with the round, said Turkish defence engineering company STM in a statement on 21 March.
STM was awarded a contract to upgrade Pakistan’s fleet of three Khalid-class submarines, including Hamza, in 2016. As part of the upgrades, the boats are being fitted with a new underwater command-and-control suite, weapon control systems, sonars, attack and search periscopes, and electronic warfare effectors, among other equipment. (Source: Janes)
21 Mar 22. British Army tests new equipment during military exercise. The troops trialled DSA, SPEXER 360 radars, and Saab Barracuda camouflage nets. The British Army has tested new equipment on the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) during a training exercise. During Exercise Wessex Storm, the normally Catterick Garrison-based Light Dragoons trialled new systems to determine their ideal use. This includes testing the Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) device that is worn on body armour, and enables the soldier to pinpoint their individual location and track friendly forces movements. The Light Dragoons also trialled the SPEXER 360 radar, and Saab Barracuda camouflage nets. The X-band radar system is designed for tactical surveillance and is capable of providing detailed warnings of incoming threats while Barracuda camouflage nets can be erected quickly to protect the troops from detection. The military drills were conducted between 18 February and 11 March to assess soldiers’ capabilities within an assembled battlegroup, under challenging conditions. A battlegroup includes an infantry or cavalry unit as its base, with attachments offering specific capabilities. Such exercises involving battlegroups are conducted in Canada (Exercise Prairie Storm) and Kenya (Exercise Askari Storm). (Source: army-technology.com)
22 Mar 22. Multinational maritime forces conclude Exercise Obangame Express 2022. The exercise was conducted at sea and ashore throughout the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The 11th iteration of the multinational maritime exercise, Obangame Express 2022 (OE22), has successfully concluded in Senegal, Western Africa.
The completion was marked by a closing ceremony held in Dakar, Senegal.
Sponsored by US African Command (AFRICOM), the OE22 is a part of US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, US Sixth Fleet’s (NAVAF-SIXTHFLT) and AFRICOM’s comprehensive strategy to address maritime security concerns.
The week-long exercise is designed to enhance regional cooperation, information-sharing practices, maritime domain awareness (MDA) and tactical interdiction expertise.
In addition, the exercise improves the collaborative strength of the participating nations to address various sea-based illicit activities.
OE22 included in-port and at-sea training, which tested the abilities of participating maritime operation centres and ships in carrying out interdiction operations.
Besides, the exercise offered an opportunity for the forces to train and practise different military operations, such as search and rescue, boarding techniques, radio communication, and other missions.
US Africa Command deputy commander lieutenant general Kirk Smith said: “Exercise scenarios this year were designed to be as relevant as they were challenging, incorporating energy security, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and cross-boundary maritime domain awareness.
“These were meant to be responsive to the everyday, real-world issues our maritime teams face here in West Africa, and to be tailored to regional concerns and interests – striking the right balance between security and law enforcement.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
22 Mar 22. Ibsamar 2022 date set. The Brazilian and Indian navies will be invited to send frigates and other naval assets including a helicopter and a maritime patrol aircraft to South Africa for Exercise Ibsamar later this year. The decision to go ahead with the longstanding tri-nation maritime exercise was taken at an SA National Defence Force (SANDF) planning meeting in Simon’s Town earlier this month.
According to the Directorate: Corporate Communication (DCC) of the SANDF, responding to a defenceWeb enquiry, the Brazilian and Indian maritime forces will supply the bulk of platforms – four – for the exercise set to run from 13 to 18 October off Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.
The SA Navy (SAN) will activate one of its four Valour Class frigates for the exercise and two Maritime Reaction Squadron (MRS) boarding teams.
The South Americans will be asked to deploy much the same in the form of one of six frigates and a team of marines.
In addition to one of its 13 frigates, the Indian Navy will also be asked to deploy the only two airborne assets – a maritime patrol aircraft and an organic ship’s helicopter – earmarked for Exercise Ibsamar 2022. Other Indian Navy assets expected to be part of the exercise are in line with Brazilian and South African contributions in the form of a frigate and marine commando.
Exercise headquarters will, in all probability, be at Naval Station Port Elizabeth, part of the maritime infrastructure making up the Port of Port Elizabeth.
Drills listed for Ibsamar 2022 at present are navigation; Officer of the Watch (OOW) manoeuvres; fleet work; communication procedures; visit board, search and seizure (VBSS) and helicopter operations.
Ibsamar 2022 will be the seventh tri-nation exercise in South African waters. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
21 Mar 22. US Soldiers integrate air defense for the first time in major Alaska exercise. The recent biennial, large-scale arctic warfighting exercise in Alaska that puts soldiers, airmen and a mix of the other services to the test defending the far north saw its own first –— air defense integration. The U.S. Northern Command “Arctic Edge 2022″ exercise, the largest joint exercise held in Alaska, pushed about 1,000 U.S. troops from a combination of more than 35 units from both the United States and Canada in land, air and sea maneuvers in frigid temperatures and harsh conditions in late February and early March. Army Times spoke with Maj. Santon Jordan, with the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command’s training and readiness authority, housed in the Army National Guard. For the first time at least in recent decades, commanders incorporated air defense and strike capabilities such as the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system and the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Short-range Air Defense or SHORAD system, he said. Jordan’s soldiers began planning and preparing for this event 18 months before it kicked off. Individual soldiers attended cold-weather training, returned to their unit to train other soldiers. They scoured procedures and manuals to winterize their systems, installing arctic kits on the air defense platforms. There were many equipment parts to get from the logistics side of the house, Jordan said. Small things make a substantial difference when temperatures not only drop below zero but can hit -60 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Throughout this exercise, we’ve learned to make sure we have the correct fuel for the systems, the correct additives so hoses don’t freeze while rotating turrets,” Jordan said.
And, as many who’ve trained, lived or fought in the Arctic can recall, everything takes more time.
“We have to wait 30 minutes before bringing cold air into the system,” Jordan said. That’s to ensure that the cold won’t affect electronics within the platform, halting operations.
The air defenders took two battalions’ worth of SHORAD assets, such as Avengers and Sentinels. A single Patriot battalion and a brigade headquarters were brought to run it all.
That’s where commanders can get a clear picture because it’s within the brigade HQ that the systems “fuse” all operations together, Jordan said.
Using the assets isn’t new. These systems have been around a long time and used in real-world operations for years. But the freezing weather really tests the units’ fundamental skills, Jordan said.
This type of exercise provides a kind of “strategic asset,” Jordan said.
For soldiers out there maneuvering in the frozen tundra, they know that the skies above are covered by a crew of an estimated 300 Army air defenders.
Jordan’s system operators are scanning the skies, relaying the radar picture so they can detect aircraft and threats being engaging them with either the Avenger or Patriot.
The Patriot fires a solid-fuel rocket that can reach 80,000 feet and ranges out to as far as 100 miles.
The Avenger also fires a solid-fuel rocket, the vehicle-mounted Stinger missile, which also comes in shoulder-fired variants. The missiles have about a 3-mile range and are mostly used for low-altitude, short-range air defense.
But the Arctic Edge exercise focused mostly on the cruise missile threat, Jordan said.
By definition, a cruise missile is a guided missile that can fly at a variety of speeds from subsonic, or below the speed of sound, to hypersonic, which is five times the speed of sound. Most larger cruise missile variants can carry nuclear warheads.
The Arctic Edge event worked in conjunction with the Army’s Joint Multi Readiness Center, the Alaska Air National Guard’s Arctic Eagle-Patriot, the Navy’s Ice Exercise, NATO’s Cold Response and NORAD’s Operations Noble Defender, according to a DoD press release.
“This really is a demonstration of how we can use all these different operations to weave together how we support our countries to protect our nations’ interests and defend our homelands as well,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. David Krumm, head of Alaskan Command.
Krumm called the domain awareness piece of the exercise “critical” for Arctic defense work.
“Technologies are changing and access to the Arctic is increasing, so it is imperative that those who choose to come to the Arctic are abiding by international rules and norms,” said Krumm.
The Curtis Wilbur, a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, provided command and control functions for the simulated air defense portion of the exercise, according to the DoD release. (Source: Army Times)
18 Mar 22. HMAS Arunta, RAAF P-8A Poseidon conclude trilateral training. The frigate and the maritime patrol aircraft have wrapped up their contribution to a trilateral military exercise alongside US and Japanese counterparts. Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Arunta and a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft have concluded trilateral training alongside US Navy destroyer USS Momsen and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Yudachi in the South China Sea. The exercises, which wrapped up on 15 March, were designed to enhance interoperability and communications between the partners, while also helping to preserve an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region. Training involved testing a range of professional mariner skills, including cooperative navigation, communications and helicopter operations. HMAS Arunta’s contribution forms part of a regional presence deployment, the Navy’s first for 2022. The deployment commenced in late February, with HMAS Arunta securing shipping lanes, visiting regional ports and participating in Exercise Milan 2022 — a multinational military exercise involving 16 navies from across the Indo-Pacific, held in the port of Visakhapatnam, India, and in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian-led exercise provided personnel with experience operating at sea in a large multilateral force. The sea phase followed a harbour phase program in Visakhapatnam, which included an opening ceremony, seminars, briefings, technology demonstrations and training activities. These deployments aim to support the Australian Defence Force’s international engagement programs, and demonstrate Australia’s commitment to working with regional partners to address shared challenges. (Source: Defence Connect)
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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 and commercial range customers 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 15,500 live-fire ranges and 7,500 virtual systems globally during its 95-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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