02 Nov 23. Japanese Join HMS Prince of Wales to Pave Way for F-35 Operations by their Navy. Six senior Japanese officers watched F-35 operations on Britain’s biggest warship to help them introduce the jet into service. The delegation from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force joined HMS Prince of Wales for a fortnight of stealth fighter trials off the USA – helping to pave the way for their own trials in the same waters in 12 months’ time.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force is modifying its Izumo-class helicopter carriers so they can operate the F-35B – already in service with the UK’s two carriers.
Prince of Wales is conducting the third phase of complex trials with the jets – known as Development Test 3 (phases one and two were carried out aboard her sister HMS Queen Elizabeth) – extending the operating limits, increasing the sortie rate, testing payloads.
To see what’s in store – and to learn about the ever-growing capabilities of fifth-generation carrier strike operations – Captain Sato Tsuyoshi, Izumo-class special modification programme lead, and five colleagues were shown every aspect of life aboard Prince of Wales off the Eastern Seaboard, not least deck operations.
The two navies have been forging an ever-closer working relationship over the past decade, with increasing visits to Japan by RN vessels (not least HMS Queen Elizabeth herself on her 2021 maiden deployment) and Anglo-US-Japanese naval agreements.
“It has been my privilege to help HMS Prince of Wales host our friends and allies from the both the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and the Japan Air Self-Defence Force to share in an exchange of knowledge on all things Development Test and Carrier Strike,” said Lieutenant Commander Roderick Royce, who hosted the Japanese delegation.
“Hopefully it is the first of many such collaborations which might one day lead to full interoperability between our respective carrier strike groups – it is quite possible we will one day see a Japanese F-35B landing on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales.
“My sincere thanks to the ship’s company for their professionalism, enthusiasm and warm welcome when supporting this visit.”
Captain Sato JMSDF said: “It’s been an exciting study on board, seeing fixed wing operations as well as the traditions of the Royal Navy.
“The team have been so welcoming and without your support our study into operating F35-B for the Japanese Self-Defence Forces would not have been as successful.”
“Hopefully it is the first of many such collaborations which might one day lead to full interoperability between our respective carrier strike groups – it is quite possible we will one day see a Japanese F-35B landing on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales,” said Lieutenant Commander Roderick Royce. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/RN)
02 Nov 23. DRDO reveals updated Abhyas target system. Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) – an agency under the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – revealed an updated configuration of the Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) at the eighth Aerospace & Defence Manufacturing Show (ADMS) 2023 held in Bangalore on 26 and 27 October.
The original configuration of Abhyas was launched in 2013 and featured twin underslung boosters. However, the new configuration features a single underslung booster with an improvised rocket motor, an elongated length (2.44 m), and a new wingspan. The dimensions of the latter were not disclosed.
“The Abhyas, which was initially launched using two boosters producing 800 kgF, is now leveraging a single booster producing 400 kgF. The modification was done to reduce the initial g-factor,” an ADE official said.
According to ADE, the new Abhyas configuration provides greater efficiency compared with the original configuration in terms of thrust, endurance, and control with changes in propulsion and its integrated ADE electronics suite. (Source: Janes)
01 Nov 23. US B-1B Lancers Conduct Bomber Task Force Mission in Eastern Europe. U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, currently deployed to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, undertook a comprehensive Bomber Task Force mission, collaborating closely with fighter jets from NATO Allies Czech Republic and Hungary over Eastern Europe on Oct. 26, 2023.
The aircraft also conducted a flight over Mihail Kogalniceanu “MK” Airbase, Romania, signifying unwavering support. The flyby stands as a powerful demonstration of the shared values and mutual alliance, contributing to the reinforcement of NATO’s unity.
“Today’s Bomber Task Force mission serves as another testament to our unwavering dedication to Allies and partners, showcasing our collective capacity to strategize, execute and synchronize seamlessly together,” said Gen. James Hecker, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Forces in Africa and NATO Allied Air Command.
The B-1 Lancers successfully carried out the long-planned mission, showcasing the expansive global capabilities of these aircraft. Collaborative missions with NATO countries highlight the collective unity of the Alliance, while underscoring their commitment to maintain peace in the region.
Bomber Task Force missions showcase the U.S. capability to efficiently and lead and oversee its bomber fleet for global missions, further solidifying the commitment to both NATO and U.S. National Defense Strategy. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ US European Command)
01 Nov 23. Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 Excels at Major NATO Exercise.
Schiebel participated in REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) and Dynamic Messenger 2023, in Portugal. Together with several partners, Schiebel conducted flights with the CAMCOPTER S-100, showcasing its Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) sonobuoy deployment solution, bathymetric scanning for Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA) and Mine Counter Measures (MCM) as well as Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and profiling float deployment.
Unmanned solutions for ASW, MCM, REA and Maritime Security Operations (MSO) are becoming increasingly relevant and applicable in today’s naval defence. At the month-long large-scale NATO exercise, Schiebel demonstrated its multi-mission capability with a selection of different sensors and payloads, reconfiguring the CAMCOPTER S-100 between missions to conduct a variety of operations.
At last year’s REPMUS, Schiebel, together with Thales, demonstrated the relaying of data from sonobuoys. This year, the S-100 impressed with its sonobuoy dispenser, successfully deploying NATO-standard G-size sonobuoys. The combination of both these capabilities enables the Schiebel Unmanned Air System (UAS) to offer an end- to-end solution for ASW.
In the field of MCM, the CAMCOPTER S-100 successfully demonstrated the VQ-840- G LiDAR from the Austrian company RIEGL working with Thales. Through the open architecture of the Thales MCM Mission Management System (M-CUBE), which enables rapid and flexible third-party sensor integration, the CAMCOPTER S-100 was able to perform a complete airborne MCM mine hunting capability, achieving 100% detection of all mine targets.
Schiebel also showcased its role in supporting advanced REA missions, using the S-100’s proven cargo hook to deploy the Yuco AUV from the French company Seaber, as well as the APEX profiling float from Teledyne, producing a topobathymetric situational picture. The Fugro Rapid Airborne Multibeam Mapping System (RAMMS) from the U.S. company Areté contributed to the topobathymetric product, specifically closing the surf zone gap, which cannot be safely accessed by surface assets.
Unmanned-Unmanned Teaming (U-UT) was presented at the NATO exercise with the S-100 relaying data from ALSEAMAR’s SEAEXPLORER glider to a Combat Management System (CMS), validating the capability of the underwater vehicle to operate in a satellite-denied environment.
“Being NATO exercises, REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger are exceptional playgrounds to demonstrate our innovative capabilities. The S-100 once again proved to be a vital unmanned asset in supporting the latest maritime defence solutions, such as ASW and MCM – offering highly sought after capabilities”,
said Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group.
Schiebel’s partners included Areté, Thales, Seaber (Yuco), Teledyne (APEX), ALSEAMAR (SEAEXPLORER), RIEGL and Fugro. The S-100’s involvement in the exercises was sponsored by both the UK Royal Navy and the U.S. Office of Naval Research. REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger were hosted by the Portuguese Navy. (Source: UAS VISION)
31 Oct 23. US Army EOD Techs Train With Canadian Allies During Exercise Ardent Defender. U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians are training with military personnel from eight partner nations during Exercise Ardent Defender at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown in New Brunswick, Canada, Oct. 20 – Nov. 2.
EOD techs from the Fort Liberty, North Carolina-based 192nd Ordnance Battalion are participating in the counter explosive threat exercise with EOD troops from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The 192nd EOD Battalion is part of the 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command, the U.S. military’s premier multifunctional CBRNE command.
Canadian Armed Forces Lt. Col. Ben Aho, the Exercise Ardent Defender director, said the scenarios are focused on explosive threats, primarily based on what has been observed in Eastern Europe conflict zones.
“The types of scenarios are built to exercise Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams, high risk search teams that investigate large areas or buildings, as well as route clearance teams,” said Aho, who serves as the director at the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Counter Explosive Threat organization in Ottawa, Ontario.
Aho said the scenarios are developed from real world events and change every year to take into consideration the continually evolving threat situation.
“Once these scenarios are designed, the explosive threat is incorporated with the appropriate level of technical complexity required to challenge the exercise participants for their tasks,” said Aho. “This entire process allows us to expose our operators to new and emerging devices that are being found globally.”
The exercise director said that all recovered evidence and material, regardless of which scenario it was collected from, are then entered into an exploitation and analysis center that then injects their findings back into the development of the intelligence picture for the exercise.
Aho said analysis and exploitation are key capabilities that the Canadian Armed Forces has developed to not only counter explosive ordnance when discovered but also to disrupt their use and neutralize threats in future areas of operations through intelligence gathering.
This year marks the 10th iteration of Exercise Ardent Defender and the second year that the exercise has taken place at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown.
The New Brunswick base is home to the 4th Engineer Support Regiment and Canadian Army Combat Training Centre, as well as the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering, which supports the majority of Explosive Ordnance Disposal training for the Canadian Armed Forces and supports the exercise with their staff, instructors and facilities.
“These reasons are just some examples of the advantages of hosting Exercise Ardent Defender at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown now and into the future,” said Aho.
A native of Montague on Prince Edward Island, Canada, Aho has served as a military engineer in the Canadian Army for 26 years.
Aho said the interoperability forged during the multinational exercise is essential to prepare allied Explosive Ordnance Disposal units for high stakes missions overseas, adding that defeating new devices require new ideas.
“The ability to train together, discuss lessons learned, demonstrate new tools and equipment and to share operational experiences, all within a training environment, allows the EOD community to develop best practices for new and emerging explosive threats and hazards,” said Aho. “These lessons, and the teamwork that is built during Exercise Ardent Defender 2023, helps to create a collaborative network among the Explosive Ordnance Disposal operator community that is global and robust.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
30 Oct 23. US, South Korean warplanes kick off joint air drills. The United States and South Korea began major air exercises on Monday, involving 130 warplanes from both countries to simulate 24-hour wartime operations. The annual drills, called Vigilant Defense, will run until Friday, featuring variants of the F-35 stealth fighter from both the United States and South Korea, among other aircraft, South Korea’s Air Force said.
The drills are aimed at improving interoperability between the two militaries by performing major air missions such as air-to-surface live fire drills, defensive counter air operation and other emergency training.
“We will maintain the best combat readiness to immediately respond to and strongly punish any provocation by the enemy through an intense training simulating an actual situation,” South Korea’s military said in a statement.
The drills come as North Korea has been stepping up military cooperation with Russia in what the United States and its Asian allies have condemned as Pyongyang’s efforts to advance its military capabilities in return for arms support to Moscow.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on Saturday it was the “steadfast will” of Pyongyang to expand ties with Russia, adding that their relations will act as a “powerful strategic” element if security in the region is endangered.
North Korea has long condemned joint drills between the United States and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul. (Source: Reuters)