USA Armed Forces

[SW1]

It was due an upgrade that had been repeatedly put off due to heavy operational demand.

The “planners” determined they had ordered a load of new aircraft they didn’t have any crew or funding to operate unless they sacrificed other aircraft. Neither Poseidon or protector replace the function the aircraft conducted and neither did mean the aircraft were old or not worth the cost.

If you were then going to claim your are basing your army model on fighting the deep battle then you may of considered supporting that rather than just putting out words around it.

Still, the sensors and systems aboard this new aircraft will have been different to our theoretical upgraded or not on sentinel. Therefore yo can't really claim "and we just retired ours" when they do are things.

Yes as apart from similar airframes the sensor fit is completely different between Sentinel and HADES.

What is the proposed sensor fit for HADES ?

AIUI it isn't a great big SAR\MTI radar but SIGINT kit.

Last time I heard about HADES, it was a long range radar with sar and gmti coupled to an electro optical sensor and sigint capability.

Which funnily enough was not a million miles away from the configuration Raytheon was offering on sentinel.

So a roughly similar a/c with roughly similar sensors doing the roughly similar mission of airborne stand off ground surveillance, target identification and pattern of life mission targeting for long range surface to surface strike weapons.

[tomuk]

It was due an upgrade that had been repeatedly put off due to heavy operational demand.

The “planners” determined they had ordered a load of new aircraft they didn’t have any crew or funding to operate unless they sacrificed other aircraft. Neither Poseidon or protector replace the function the aircraft conducted and neither did mean the aircraft were old or not worth the cost.

If you were then going to claim your are basing your army model on fighting the deep battle then you may of considered supporting that rather than just putting out words around it.

Still, the sensors and systems aboard this new aircraft will have been different to our theoretical upgraded or not on sentinel. Therefore yo can't really claim "and we just retired ours" when they do are things.

Yes as apart from similar airframes the sensor fit is completely different between Sentinel and HADES.

What is the proposed sensor fit for HADES ?

AIUI it isn't a great big SAR\MTI radar but SIGINT kit.

Last time I heard about HADES, it was a long range radar with sar and gmti coupled to an electro optical sensor and sigint capability.

Which funnily enough was not a million miles away from the configuration Raytheon was offering on sentinel.

So a roughly similar a/c with roughly similar sensors doing the roughly similar mission of airborne stand off ground surveillance, target identification and pattern of life mission targeting for long range surface to surface strike weapons.

Well L3 don't seem to be suggesting any radar just sigint kit.

[tomuk]

It was due an upgrade that had been repeatedly put off due to heavy operational demand.

The “planners” determined they had ordered a load of new aircraft they didn’t have any crew or funding to operate unless they sacrificed other aircraft. Neither Poseidon or protector replace the function the aircraft conducted and neither did mean the aircraft were old or not worth the cost.

If you were then going to claim your are basing your army model on fighting the deep battle then you may of considered supporting that rather than just putting out words around it.

Still, the sensors and systems aboard this new aircraft will have been different to our theoretical upgraded or not on sentinel. Therefore yo can't really claim "and we just retired ours" when they do are things.

Yes as apart from similar airframes the sensor fit is completely different between Sentinel and HADES.

What is the proposed sensor fit for HADES ?

AIUI it isn't a great big SAR\MTI radar but SIGINT kit.

Last time I heard about HADES, it was a long range radar with sar and gmti coupled to an electro optical sensor and sigint capability.

Which funnily enough was not a million miles away from the configuration Raytheon was offering on sentinel.

So a roughly similar a/c with roughly similar sensors doing the roughly similar mission of airborne stand off ground surveillance, target identification and pattern of life mission targeting for long range surface to surface strike weapons.

Well L3 don't seem to be suggesting any radar just sigint kit.

Apologies I was basing my on current announcements and fit of the current planned aircraft. Radar is a potential option for the future, although it doesn't appear to be that large, I assume tech has moved on.

But there does seem to be a larger parallel with Sentinel in that there is a turf war with the Air Force. The Army want to do the ISR themselves but that is traditionally a USAF mission. So they Army need to get that past the powers that be. Lets hope this doesn't lead to the Sentinel situation where neither arm felt the capability was theirs.

[Poiuytrewq]

Bad news for the USN.

https://news.usni.org/2024/01/11/first- ... nt-ongoing

[SW1]

Highlights to the wider world how dangerous these boarding operations are. But also who Iran is exporting too

[SW1]

https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-REL ... r-houthis/

TAMPA, Fla. – On 11 January 2024, while conducting a flag verification, U.S. CENTCOM Navy forces conducted a night-time seizure of a dhow conducting illegal transport of advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply Houthi forces in Yemen as part of the Houthis’ ongoing campaign of attacks against international merchant shipping.

U.S. Navy SEALs operating from USS Lewis B Puller (ESB 3), supported by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), executed a complex boarding of the dhow near the coast of Somalia in international waters of the Arabian Sea, seizing Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missiles components. Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components. Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea.

[sol]

US cancel FARA projects

The reason for ending FARA, Army leaders told a small group of reporters ahead of the announcement, is a reflection of what war looks like in the modern era.

“We absolutely are paying attention [to world events] and adjusting, because we could go to war tonight, this weekend,” head of Army Futures Command Gen. James Rainey told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.

“We are learning from the battlefield — especially Ukraine — that aerial reconnaissance has fundamentally changed,” Army Chief Gen. Randy George said in a press release. “Sensors and weapons mounted on a variety of unmanned systems and in space are more ubiquitous, further reaching and more inexpensive than ever before.”

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/02/arm ... n-shakeup/

[SW1]

It’s like back to the future same reasons same conclusions when they cancelled Comanche in 2004.

They waste colossal amounts of cash on these things they’re even worse than we are.

[SW1]

Harrier jump jet shooting down Houthi drones.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68227200

[SW1]

Something stirring

[xav]

[Tempest414]

A bit of fun

[bobp]

USAF testing its new trainer Red Hawk..

[sol]

After FARA, US canceled ERCA too, accordingly due excessive barrel wear.

[sol]

Plans for AC-130J to get laser direct energy weapon are scrapped. It could also lose its 105mm gun

https://www.twz.com/air/ac-130-gunships ... be-removed

[bobp]

The US Airforce has cleared its F35A aircraft to fly in lightning. The F35B and C are already cleared.....

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/04 ... n-4-years/

[Ian Hall]

https://interestingengineering.com/mili ... on-missile

[SW1]

https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/20 ... air-force/

The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday announced it selected Anduril and General Atomics to keep designing, building and testing its first batch of drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft.

The decision on contract option awards marks the service’s most significant step yet as it aims to create a series of drones using autonomous software to fly alongside piloted fighters, such as the F-35 and Next Generation Air Dominance system.