BAE Systems Receives Contract for Iraqi Ministry of Defense

BAE Systems has received a $59 million contract from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command for the production of 109 second-generation Iraqi Light Armored Vehicles (ILAV) and 10 Mine Roller Kits. These vehicles are being built for delivery to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and Interior.

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Iraq to relaunch air force nearly 20 years after Kuwait war

Iraq is to relaunch its air force which was decimated in the 1991 Gulf War and to train pilots for a squadron of 18-24 fighter planes, Defence Minister Abdel Qadr Obeidi announced on Wednesday. Obeidi said at the reopening of the air force academy in Tikrit, in northern Iraq, that the facility would produce a new generation of pilots, navigators and ground crew. "We are turning a new page in the history of the Iraqi air force," the minister said as he attended the arrival of four US-built T-6A trainer aircraft piloted by Iraqi instructors.

Under a 210-million-dollar joint venture between the two countries, Iraq is due to receive another four T-6As at the end of January, followed by seven more in December. The United States is also to provide flight simulators and training, which is to begin for Iraqi instructors in January before they take on their first students at the end of next year. The Americans are to erect a 36-metre (120-foot) control tower by mid-2010 and a training centre in Kirkuk will be moved to Tikrit, which is to have 60 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

Obeidi said the country would have a squadron of between 18 and 24 fighter aircraft by the end of 2011, when the US military is due to have completed its withdrawal, to support the infantry and defend Iraqi airspace. The Tikrit academy trained hundreds of pilots before the 1991 war over Kuwait. Iraq's air force, at its peak in 1987, was 40,000-strong with a 950-plane fleet, mostly Soviet-built but also French Mirage aircraft.

The academy, which was founded by the British in 1931, virtually ceased to exist 60 years later when most of the Iraqi air force was destroyed and the US-led allies imposed "no-fly zones" for Iraq's warplanes. During the US-led invasion of 2003 which toppled Saddam Hussein, the American army occupied the academy. "Today marks an important step toward the reconstruction of the Iraqi air force and the restoration of the country's security," said US General Michael Barbero at the Tikrit ceremony.

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Iraqi Militants are using $26 off-the-shelf software to intercept live video feeds from Predator

By SIOBHAN GORMAN, YOCHI J. DREAZEN and AUGUST COLE

Militants in Iraq have used $26 off-the-shelf software to intercept live video feeds from U.S. Predator drones, potentially providing them with information they need to evade or monitor U.S. military operations.

Senior defense and intelligence officials said Iranian-backed insurgents intercepted the video feeds by taking advantage of an unprotected communications link in some of the remotely flown planes' systems. Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber -- available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet -- to regularly capture drone video feeds, according to a person familiar with reports on the matter.

U.S. officials say there is no evidence that militants were able to take control of the drones or otherwise interfere with their flights. Still, the intercepts could give America's enemies battlefield advantages by removing the element of surprise from certain missions and making it easier for insurgents to determine which roads and buildings are under U.S. surveillance.

The drone intercepts mark the emergence of a shadow cyber war within the U.S.-led conflicts overseas. They also point to a potentially serious vulnerability in Washington's growing network of unmanned drones, which have become the American weapon of choice in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Obama administration has come to rely heavily on the unmanned drones because they allow the U.S. to safely monitor and stalk insurgent targets in areas where sending American troops would be either politically untenable or too risky.

The stolen video feeds also indicate that U.S. adversaries continue to find simple ways of counteracting sophisticated American military technologies. U.S. military personnel in Iraq discovered the problem late last year when they apprehended a Shiite militant whose laptop contained files of intercepted drone video feeds. In July, the U.S. military found pirated drone video feeds on other militant laptops, leading some officials to conclude that militant groups trained and funded by Iran were regularly intercepting feeds.

In the summer 2009 incident, the military found "days and days and hours and hours of proof" that the feeds were being intercepted and shared with multiple extremist groups, the person said. "It is part of their kit now." A senior defense official said that James Clapper, the Pentagon's intelligence chief, assessed the Iraq intercepts at the direction of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and concluded they represented a shortcoming to the security of the drone network.

"There did appear to be a vulnerability," the defense official said. "There's been no harm done to troops or missions compromised as a result of it, but there's an issue that we can take care of and we're doing so." Senior military and intelligence officials said the U.S. was working to encrypt all of its drone video feeds from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but said it wasn't yet clear if the problem had been completely resolved.

U.S. Air Force

U.S. enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan have used off-the-shelf programs to intercept video feeds from Predator unmanned aircraft. Some of the most detailed evidence of intercepted feeds has been discovered in Iraq, but adversaries have also intercepted drone video feeds in Afghanistan, according to people briefed on the matter. These intercept techniques could be employed in other locations where the U.S. is using pilotless planes, such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, they said.

The Pentagon is deploying record numbers of drones to Afghanistan as part of the Obama administration's troop surge there. Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who oversees the Air Force's unmanned aviation program, said some of the drones would employ a sophisticated new camera system called "Gorgon Stare," which allows a single aerial vehicle to transmit back at least 10 separate video feeds simultaneously.

Gen. Deptula, speaking to reporters Wednesday, said there were inherent risks to using drones since they are remotely controlled and need to send and receive video and other data over great distances. "Those kinds of things are subject to listening and exploitation," he said, adding the military was trying to solve the problems by better encrypting the drones' feeds.

The potential drone vulnerability lies in an unencrypted downlink between the unmanned craft and ground control. The U.S. government has known about the flaw since the U.S. campaign in Bosnia in the 1990s, current and former officials said. But the Pentagon assumed local adversaries wouldn't know how to exploit it, the officials said.

Journal Communitydiscuss“ Who were the lame engineers who came up with a system that runs without encryption? Even the graduates of the local high school programming courses know better than to leave to chance an important security hole. ”

— John Cierra Last December, U.S. military personnel in Iraq discovered copies of Predator drone feeds on a laptop belonging to a Shiite militant, according to a person familiar with reports on the matter. "There was evidence this was not a one-time deal," this person said. The U.S. accuses Iran of providing weapons, money and training to Shiite fighters in Iraq, a charge that Tehran has long denied.

The militants use programs such as SkyGrabber, from Russian company SkySoftware. Andrew Solonikov, one of the software's developers, said he was unaware that his software could be used to intercept drone feeds. "It was developed to intercept music, photos, video, programs and other content that other users download from the Internet -- no military data or other commercial data, only free legal content," he said by email from Russia.

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Iraqi Oil Up For Auction News Hub: Bombs Target Government Symbols Seven Children Killed at Bombed Baghdad School Obama Welcomes Iraq Election Law U.S. Troops to be Pulled From Iraq Isolationism Grows in America Officials stepped up efforts to prevent insurgents from intercepting video feeds after the July incident. The difficulty, officials said, is that adding encryption to a network that is more than a decade old involves more than placing a new piece of equipment on individual drones. Instead, many components of the network linking the drones to their operators in the U.S., Afghanistan or Pakistan have to be upgraded to handle the changes. Additional concerns remain about the vulnerability of the communications signals to electronic jamming, though there's no evidence that has occurred, said people familiar with reports on the matter.

Predator drones are built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego. Some of its communications technology is proprietary, so widely used encryption systems aren't readily compatible, said people familiar with the matter.

In an email, a spokeswoman said that for security reasons, the company couldn't comment on "specific data link capabilities and limitations."

Fixing the security gap would have caused delays, according to current and former military officials. It would have added to the Predator's price. Some officials worried that adding encryption would make it harder to quickly share time-sensitive data within the U.S. military, and with allies.

"There's a balance between pragmatics and sophistication," said Mike Wynne, Air Force Secretary from 2005 to 2008.

The Air Force has staked its future on unmanned aerial vehicles. Drones account for 36% of the planes in the service's proposed 2010 budget.

Today, the Air Force is buying hundreds of Reaper drones, a newer model, whose video feeds could be intercepted in much the same way as with the Predators, according to people familiar with the matter. A Reaper costs between $10 million and $12 million each and is faster and better armed than the Predator. General Atomics expects the Air Force to buy as many as 375 Reapers.

http://www.wsj.com/

Not Just Drones: Militants Can Snoop on Most U.S. Warplanes (Updated)


By Noah Shachtman

Tapping into drones’ video feeds was just the start. The U.S. military’s primary system for bringing overhead surveillance down to soldiers and Marines on the ground is also vulnerable to electronic interception, multiple military sources tell Danger Room. That means militants have the ability to see through the eyes of all kinds of combat aircraft — from traditional fighters and bombers to unmanned spy planes. The problem is in the process of being addressed. But for now, an enormous security breach is even larger than previously thought.

The military initially developed the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver, or ROVER, in 2002. The idea was let troops on the ground download footage from Predator drones and AC-130 gunships as it was being taken. Since then, nearly every airplane in the American fleet — from F-16 and F/A-18 fighters to A-10 attack planes to Harrier jump jets to B-1B bombers has been outfitted with equipment that lets them transmit to ROVERs. Thousands of ROVER terminals have been distributed to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But those early units were “fielded so fast that it was done with an unencrypted signal. It could be both intercepted (e.g. hacked into) and jammed,” e-mails an Air Force officer with knowledge of the program. In a presentation last month before a conference of the Army Aviation Association of America, a military official noted that the current ROVER terminal “receives only unencrypted L, C, S, Ku [satellite] bands.”

So the same security breach that allowed insurgent to use satellite dishes and $26 software to intercept drone feeds can be used the tap into the video transmissions of any plane.

The military is working to plug the hole — introducing new ROVER models that communicate without spilling its secrets. “Recognizing the potential for future exploitation the Air Force has been working aggressively to encrypt these ROVER downlink signals. It is my understanding that we have already developed the technical encryption solutions and are fielding them,” the Air Force officer notes.

But it won’t be easy. An unnamed Pentagon official tells reporters that “this is an old issue that’s been addressed.” Air Force officers contacted by Danger Room disagree, strongly.

“This is not a trivial solution,” one officer observes. “Almost every fighter/bomber/ISR [intelligence surveillance reconnaissance] platform we have in theater has a ROVER downlink. All of our Tactical Air Control Parties and most ground TOCs [tactical operations centers] have ROVER receivers. We need to essentially fix all of the capabilities before a full transition can occur and in the transition most capabilities need to be dual-capable (encrypted and unencrypted).”

Which presents all sorts of problems. Let’s say a drone or an A-10 is sent to cover soldiers under fire. If the aircraft has an encrypted transmitter and the troops have an unencrypted ROVER receiver, that surveillance footage can’t be passed down to the soldiers who need it most.

“Can these feeds be encrypted with 99.5 percent chance of no compromise? Absolutely! Can you guarantee that all the encryption keys make it down to the lowest levels in the Army or USMC [United States Marine Corps]? No way,” adds a second Air Force officer, familiar with the ROVER issue. “Do they trust their soldiers/Marines with these encryption keys? Don’t know that.”

Since the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, issued strict new guidelines on the use of airstrikes, the United States has turned nearly every plane in its inventory into an eye in the sky. Sending video down to those ROVER terminals has become job No. 1 for most American air crews flying today.

And U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have come to depend on the feeds. “For sure,” Lt. Col. Greg Harbin told the Los Angeles Times, “I would be dead without this technology.”

Still, some Air Force officers downplayed the significance of the ROVER’s security hole. “If you’re an insurgent, you need to know when and where [aircraft] are flying and then be within the line-of-sight footprint of the feed for any chance of successfully using the information real-time,” one officer writes. “This is much to do about nothing. You have bigger fish to fry.”

“The ranges on these signals is not very great, they are low-power and intended for line-of sight communications. A risk has been identified, [but] it poses limited immediate operational or tactical risk, and certainly does not outweigh the value of thee capabilities,” a second notes.

I have immense respect for both of these officers. But I’m not sure I buy their arguments. If real-time video feeds are valuable to U.S. troops, then it stands to reason that the footage is valuable to insurgent forces, as well. Either this is important data — and worth protecting — or it isn’t.

UPDATE: Some military drones are “particularly susceptible” to having their video tapped, a senior military officer tells Danger Room. That’s because these smaller unmanned aircraft — like the Shadow, Hunter, and Raven — broadcast their surveillance footage constantly and in every direction. All you have to do, basically, is stand within “line of sight” of the drone, and you can tap in. “It’s like criminals using radio scanners to pick up police communications,” the senior officer says.

Larger aircraft — both manned and unmanned — are a little less vulnerable. They can shut off their video feeds if no friendly forces are watching at the time. And they can “neck down” those omnidirectional signals a bit. So it’s more difficult to intercept the transmission. The officer contends that there have “not been any significant — not any impact — on operations as a result of this.”

Still, systems like the ROVER (and the Predator, for that matter) were “built to be cheap. They used commercial off-the-shelf hardware. We wanted to get stuff out there. So it’s not gonna be perfect,” the officer adds. “So yeah, if we’re broadcasting in the electromagnetic spectrum and you’re underneath the footprint, you can receive it. Duh-uhhhh.”

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US Ground Forces Still Want Manned ISR platform

While the U.S. military during the last eight years has become enamored of remotely piloted aircraft, the Air Force is rapidly fielding a new manned twin-propeller airplane to monitor battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“What we’ve been told is, ‘I don’t want all unmanned systems,’” said Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold, commander of the Air Force intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance agency. “There is something special, if you will, about a manned ISR platform.”

The Air Force, under the recommendation of the an ISR task force established by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, began developing the MC-12W Liberty aircraft in May 2008. Thirteen months later, the aircraft flew its first sortie out of Joint Base Balad, Iraq, according to an Air Force statement.

Heithold, who had previously served on AC-130 gunships, said there are strong bonds between those fighting on the ground and the crews in the air supporting them. “Because you’re not going to leave those people on the ground until you are out of fuel or out of bullets,” he said at the Geo-Int conference in San Antonio, Texas.

The Liberty, while not armed like an AC-130, has a four-man crew. In order to rapidly field the platform, the Air Force procured second-hand Beech C-12 turboprop aircraft and outfitted them with full-motion video and signals-intelligence gathering equipment, said a Globalsecurity.org factsheet on the program. They include an L-3 manufactured Wescam MX-15 sensor payload with day/night cameras, high- and low-resolution video and a laser rangefinder and illuminators. The aircraft will also carry a classified signal-intelligence, or eavesdropping, payload.

Kevin Meiners, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for portfolio, programs and resources, said the Liberties will have the first high-definition, full-motion sensor balls. Current unmanned systems do not have high-def, he suggested. Heithold said the crew will process, exploit and disseminate the information on board and push the information down in real-time to ground forces.

“I don’t want those planes to get there without the intelligence community being able to exploit the [information] that comes off them and get it to someone able to take action on it,” Heithold said. Otherwise, “you’re just burning JP-8 [fuel] for no reason,” he added. Current plans call for the Air Force to field a fleet of 37 Liberties. Another manned ISR platform, the U2, is still flying and contributing to the war efforts, Heithold reminded conference attendees.

He recalled a recent incident where a battlefield officer wanted some up-to-date snapshots of an area his troops were about to enter. Through a chat room, he sent the request to an airman stationed at one of the six distributed common ground system nodes the Defense Department has set up to provide 24/7 intelligence capabilities to those in the field. The airman was able to direct the U2 pilot to the area, where he gathered the necessary imagery.“That vignette happens every day to get the kind of actionable intelligence they need,” Heithold said.

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Joint Light Tactical Vehicles get ready for 2010 Testing

By the end of 2009 the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Program Office expects the three contractors to provide technology development and demonstration vehicles and associated equipment for performance and reliability testing by U.S. army, Marines and Special Operations Command users. According to Kevin Fahey, Army program executive officer, the current evaluation phase is designed to assess the maturity and integrability of the different technologies submitted by the three industry teams selected for the demonstration. Following the 27 month program a production decision is expected by the end of 2014, with full-rate fielding to begin in 2016.

The program has received a lot of international attention, too. Australia and India both signed agreements to provide development support and share the associated costs, and other countries have expressed interest in participating as well. Israel, Canada and the U.K. are also following the program closely.

Earlier in November 09 the models designed by General Tactical Vehicles (GTV), the joint venture between GDLS/AM General has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR). GTV was the first JLTV contractor to meet this milestone, enabling them to proceed to the production and testing of the vehicles and trailers scheduled for delivery for the U.S. government by spring of 2010. Second to pass CDR was the BAE Systems/Navistar team completed this milestone. The BAE Systems-Navistar team has developed two JLTV prototypes for internal testing that have provided valuable information being used in the CDR. Their JLTV design also incorporates lessons learned from the deployment of MaxxPro and RG33 type Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, being produced by the two partners. Next, in line is the Lockheed Martin, expected to complete the process soon.

JLTV will arrive in time to modernize the U.S. military tactical vehicle inventory, which is riding today on the 40 years old HMMWV designs back in the 1970s. The military’s fleet of Humvees, estimated at about 160,000, was developed in the 1970s and delivered in the early 1980s. It was the first example of the 'family of vehicles' approach, replacing a number of light and medium vehicles with a common platform designed with high mobility, effective payload capacity and modularity, providing a common platform for utility, liaison, patrol, and mission-specific roles. Although it had the capability to apply light armor for combat missions it was never designed to survive as a direct combat vehicle.

When these vehicles proved vulnerable to roadside bombs in Iraq and, increasingly, in Afghanistan, the military responded by applying armor plating, bulletproof windows, protected weapon stations and electronic defensive equipment that overloaded the vehicle's engine and electrical supply. This evolution brought the typical Humvee from the original designed maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) of about 12,000 pounds, closer to 18,000 pounds. The vehicle is way overweight, underpowered, lacking the mobility is was designed to provide and does not have the payload to do its missions.

On the other end of the weight scale is the MRAP behemoth, which was bought off the shelf, rapidly fielded and being improved and modified to meet the shortcomings and limitations that evolve through operational use. Currently being deployed to Afghanistan are the lighter weight variants of the MRAP, known as M-ATV. While being more adaptable to the rough terrain, these truck based vehicles are much heavier and limited in their growth capacity, compared to the planned JLTV.

In contrast to the rapid evolution of the Off-The-Shelf MRAP that focused primarily on protection, and left the other aspects for future improvements, the military is taking the time to design its next generation vehicle to meet the user's current and future expectations in operational use, while focusing on reliability and maintainability and commonality.

Fahey emphasized the benefit of designing the next-generation light tactical vehicles from the ground up for their specific use rather than simply being adapted to meet operational requirements. The biggest challenge in a joint program, Fahey said, is agreeing to a common set of requirements. The Marine Corps puts the highest emphasis on making the vehicles lightweight to meet its mobility requirements. The Army tends to focus more on troop protection.

Defense-Update

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Ukraine to sell BTR-4 armored vehicles and An-32 transport planes to Iraqi military

Ukraine has signed a deal to deliver $550 million (338 million pounds) worth of arms to Iraq, an official said on Friday, in what local media said was part of the country's largest-ever arms deal.Ukrainian arms firms will sell around 400 BTR-4 armored vehicles and 10 An-32 transport planes to Iraq's military, said Stepan Havrish, the deputy head of the council of national security and defence council, Interfax news agency reported.

Ukrainian daily Delo reported on Thursday that Kiev had negotiated a $2.4 billion deal with the Iraqi government, to be financed by the United States, which would be the largest arms deal in Ukraine's history.Ukraine was a centre for arms production in the Soviet Union and remains a major exporter of armoured vehicles and anti-missile defence systems.It is one of the United States' closest allies in the former Soviet Union.

The BTR-4 is a 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed in Ukraine by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau as a private venture. The prototype was unveiled at the Aviasvit'2006 exhibition held in Ukraine in June 2006. The BTR-4 medium-armored vehicle is well suited for rapid reaction forces and marine corps carrying up to fully equipped infantrymen/marines in addition to the three-man crew.

It has been designed to operate on road and cross country in extreme climates and adverse weather at day/night with temperatures ranging from -40 to +55 Celsius. The BTR-4 medium-armored vehicle is well suited for any land or infantry marines forces carrying up to fully equipped soldiers in addition to the three-man crew. KMDB is developing several versions derived from the BTR-4 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC).

The BTR-4K is a command vehicle featuring a 7-man crew, communications equipment and a combat weight of 20t; BRM-4K is a reconnaissance vehicle featuring six-man crew, communications and reconnaissance equipment and combat weight of 20.7t; BREM-4K is a four-man, 19t repair and recovery vehicle equipped with crane, winch, etc; BTR-4KSh is a command and staff vehicle featuring a combat weight of 18t, communications equipment and a 7-man crew; BSEM-4K is an 18.6t ambulance; MOP-4K is a 21t fire support vehicle fitted with a 120mm gun and 40 rounds.

Variants :
BTR-4K : Command Post
BTR-4Ksh : Staff and command vehicle
BRM-4K : Reconnaissance armoured vehicle
BREM-4K : Repair and recovery vehicle
BSEM-4K : Medical support vehicle
MPO-4K : Fire support vehicle with a 120 mm gun
BTR-4 BAU : With a two gun 23 mm turret

Armament

In its base configuration, the BTR-4 is armed with a Grom weapon station whose armament – 30 mm gun, automatic grenade launcher, 7.62 mm machine gun and 4 anti-tank missile launchers is fully stabilized in two planes. The BTR-4 can be also equipped with the GROM, Shkval or BAU 23x4 weapon stations. GROM includes a 30mm gun with 360 rounds, a 30mm grenade launcher with 150 rounds, a 7.62mm machine gun with 1,200 rounds and four Konkurs or Baryer anti-tank missiles. Shkval module consists of a 30mm gun with 360 rounds, 30mm grenade launcher with 150 rounds, a 7.62mm machine gun with 2,000 rounds and two Konkurs or Baryer anti-tank missiles. The BAU 23x2 includes two 23mm automatic guns with 400 rounds and one 7.62mm machine gun with 2,000 rounds.

Protection

The vehicle layout is similar to Pandur, Piranha and AMV — the driver and commander are sitting in the front of the hull, the engine is in the middle, troops are in rear. The troops egress is through the rear door. The BTR-4 hull consists of three compartments: front compartment is the driving station; middle compartment contains the vehicle's powerplant; and rear compartment which acts as the troops and fighting compartment.

The basic version featuring ballistic protection against medium-caliber firearms weighs 17.5 tons. The basic version featuring ballistic protection against medium-caliber firearms weighs 17.5 tons. One version, can also be fitred with add-on amour, with this feature, the BTR-4 providing the highest level of protection, weights around 25-ton. The vehicle has a modular protection design.

In its base configuration it is protected from small arms of 7.62 mm armored piercing balls from any distance. Besides, one of the additional protection sets can be installed in field conditions. The first one is for urban conditions. It is a bar armor to protect from hand grenade launchers and additional mine protection. For use in open space – it is an additional ballistic protection from ammunition up to 30 mm in caliber.

Propulsion


Various engines can be installed in the vehicle. In standard the BTR-4 can used the Ukrainian made 3TD two-stroke engine, with a maximum power of 500 hp. A 600 hp is also available. The BTR-4 can be powered by either 3TD 2-stroke diesel or DEUTZ 4-stroke diesel engines both developing 500-hp (or 600-hp). During amphibious operations it is powered by waterjets.

Accessories

The basic vehicle is fitted with a NBC protection system. The BTR-4 is fully amphibious, and he is propelled in the water with two propellers mounted to the back side of the hull. The driver is equipped with a day/night vision system.

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DSCA notified Congress of a possible FMS to Iraq of 15 helicopters

The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of up to 15 AgustaWestland AW109 Light Utility Observation helicopters, or alternatively, 15 Bell Model 429 Medical Evacuation and Aerial Observation helicopters, or 15 EADS North America UH-72A Lakota Light Utility helicopters; and, up to 12 AgustaWestland AW139 Medium Utility helicopters, or alternatively, 12 Bell Model 412 Medium Utility helicopters, or 12 Sikorsky UH-60M BLACK HAWK helicopters equipped with 24 T700-GE-701D engines. Also included: spare and repair parts, publications and technical data, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, ground support, communications equipment, U.S. Government and contractor provided technical and logistics support services, tools and test equipment, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $1.2 billion.

DSCA

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Pentagon Reorganizing For A New War

The Pentagon is trying hard to reorganize itself for the next several years of combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, Eastern Africa, the Indian Ocean and elsewhere.

Military planners and politicians know that time, money, military manpower and civilian patience are running out. So the question becomes one of making the greatest impact with an alchemy of less funding, fewer personnel and the accelerating growth of advanced technology.

The newest effort is the U.S. Navy decision to combine its N-2 (intelligence) and N-6 (command-and-control) functions into a Directorate of Information, effective Nov. 2. It brings together a corps of 44,000 information professionals. The organization is a tool to bring cyber-war, unmanned vehicles, network architecture and other advanced components together in one organization--with an operator and warfighter perspective--that also offers flexibility and speed of change in technology.

"That [dispersion of capability] is what drove me to reorganize the headquarters of the Navy," Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, told an international military group at the Brookings Institution. "[The directorate] brings together information and moves some programs out of the platform directorates into information." Platforms making the shift include all unmanned systems and the EPX multi-intelligence/multi-sensor aircraft that is to replace the Lockheed Martin EP-3E signals intelligence aircraft. The Navy also stood up the 10th Fleet that will be the forward operator of cyber-attack and defense, and it also will determine how unmanned vehicles will support that effort.

The Navy is focusing on current conflicts, particularly Afghanistan and Iraq.

"What we're seeing is the desire for introducing new technologies into the battlespace that provides faster, more accurate, better information to the warfighter," Roughead says. "We need to fuse information and intelligence in ways we've never seen before."

Roughead also calls for the acceleration of programs, naming Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout helicopter unmanned air vehicle (UAV) as a successful example. Another concept to get a push is the formation of composite squadrons that combine similar type airframes from different services, such as the Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance and the Air Force's Global Hawk long-endurance, high-altitude UAVs, both built by Northrop Grumman.

Senior Air Force officials are repeating the joint service mantra.

"We have to capitalize on each of the service's core competencies and trust one another to develop what is unique to our particular [organization] to provide a joint force commander with the capability to integrate [air assets] and move away from self-sufficiency," says Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, deputy chief of staff for Air Force ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance).

Fast fielding of functional systems that fill an operational need is key.

"I would like to make that the norm as opposed to the exception," Deptula says. "An example is the MC-12W [intelligence-gathering aircraft]. The first aircraft was delivered in less than seven months. We are in an information age, but we have an industrial-age acquisition system. We have to become much, much more capable because our adversaries are not limited by the same sort of bureaucratic and legislative constraints that we have."

In a separate project, the U.S. is looking at single-engine turboprop aircraft that can be available quickly to provide the Afghan National Army Air Corps with up to 20 advanced flight trainer/light attack/reconnaissance aircraft. Variants of the T-6 Texan may be considered. The requirement is for an initial batch of six aircraft, with options for a further 14. The U.S. Air Force-managed program is looking for an off-the-shelf design. Equipment needs include common multifunction displays with GPS navigation capability and front-seat head-up display with air-to-ground capability as well as cockpit compatibility for eventual night-vision goggle use. The aircraft should already be certified for day/night VFR/IFR operations.

Like Roughead and the Navy, Deptula names information-age warfare as underlying the Air Force transformation of ISR that he initiated three years ago.

"Non-traditional threats [in Afghanistan and Iraq] are much different than what we faced in the past," Deptula says. "Small groups can produce the impacts and effects in ways that only nation-states had in the past. [As a result,] ISR is not just support to operations, it is operations," Deptula says.

Deptula suggests that ISR demand can be addressed in ways other than just adding more assets.

"There needs to be a way to validate demand with respect to resourcing," he says. "Part of that is integrating all the ISR capabilities that are provided by each of the service components to make sure that we treat ISR holistically from a combatant commander's perspective and to optimize what's actually available. We can't afford excessive redundancy."

The solution, Deptula predicts, is a new way of making war.

"We're moving into a different paradigm," he says. "What's forward on the battlefield is like the tip of an iceberg. You've got all these people back here [in the U.S.] that can do tipping, cuing and analysis without the burden of being forward, yet they can conduct actions as if they were."

Other Pentagon officials and law-makers are not as sanguine.

A senior Defense Dept. official who is providing equipment for Southwest Asia says the buildup of manned and unmanned aircraft for operations in Afghanistan is being crippled by a lack of aviation ramp space, personnel and sensors that can deal with terrain that bears almost no resemblance to Iraq. Also jeopardizing the mission are limited infrastructure, housing, specialized facilities and high-altitude runways. The last of those require smaller gross takeoff weights and longer takeoff distances.

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Iraqi air force acquires advanced radar system

Iraqi air force officials advanced their air defense monitoring capabilities after a ceremony marked the transfer of a digital air surveillance radar from American control to Iraqi control Oct. 26 here.

"Today, another historical day added to our brothers and the Iraqi air force," said Iraqi air force Brig. Gen. Ahmed Ghani, the Iraqi communications director. "Through that system, we will identify more ... aircraft entering our sovereignty."

Maj. Gen. Robert C. Kane, the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force director, gave a speech providing a timeline of how the Iraqi air force is evolving in military capability leading up to the transfer of the new Kirkuk Air Base airfield system.

"We started this process by installing more than $53 million of air traffic control and navigation capabilities for the Iraqi air force more than three years ago. Beginning in August of 2006, our governments, air forces and civilian contractors cooperated to not only fund the purchase of this highly technical equipment, but to train the Iraqi air force personnel how to use it and maintain it," General Kane said. "I'm very proud to say that the Iraqi air force now possesses these capabilities. You now have full operational control of this new state-of-the-art, digital airport surveillance system."

Having a more advanced system gives the Iraqi air force the ability to protect its airspace on a grander scale.

"They're able to now see on this radar northern Iraq, southern Turkey, Syria, Iran, the entire northern quadrant of the country and they'll know if anybody enters their airspace," said Capt. Jeremy Kruger, the 521st Air Expeditionary Advisor Squadron onsite program manager deployed from Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.

The digital air surveillance radar system, which includes the radar and the radar control facility, enables Iraqi air traffic controllers the capability to monitor aircraft from up to 120 nautical miles away. The overall system also comprises other modernizations made to the airfield.

"Those two specific pieces of equipment are part of a larger package," said Lt. Col. Brian Carr, the 506th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron commander deployed from Luke AFB, Ariz. "It also includes comprehensive new lighting, signs and weather observation for the entire aerodrome which makes Kirkuk a modern airfield."

The new radar system is also the standard for international civil aviation and surveillance requirements. Colonel Carr said the equipment gives Kirkuk's airfield the potential for future commercial airline use.

"It preps them to have that capability," he said. "There's a brand new navigational aid node VOR (VHF Omni-directional Range), which brings them up to a modern operating capability. Probably most important among those upgrades is the instrument landing system, which allows aircrew to land in poor weather."

Eventually, the radar signal will be remotely accessible from Baghdad International Airport for even greater airspace control. Colonel Carr described the significance of what this and the entire airfield upgrade means to Iraq.

"It sets the groundwork for a unified air picture by remoting the signal to BIAP. So from one place, air traffic control can see all the airspace," he said. "It's a very robust and capable air picture compared to what has historically been used; so it will allow both high fidelity on guarding their borders and high fidelity for controlling traffic. It facilitates our mission short term and makes this a viable, sustainable, modern airport for the Iraqis once we depart."

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Face of Defense: Test Pilot Takes Equipment to Iraq

By Kari Hawkins

 Experimental test pilot Army Chief Warrant Officer Cary Nadeau views his job as being the consumer advocate for Army aviators. And like any good consumer advocate, he reaches out to his customers – in his case, in combat zones.

Nadeau, 38, recently left for his fourth deployment – his third to Iraq – as one of the Army’s 30 experimental test pilots to show Chinook pilots the benefits of new technology tested by the Redstone Test Center here.

Chinook helicopters flown by pilots of the 25th Infantry Division’s 25th Combat Aviation Brigade are the first to be equipped with a laser-based countermeasure system designed to shoot laser energy at incoming infrared missiles to redirect them away from the aircraft.

"It looks like two R2-D2 heads on the side of the aircraft,” Nadeau said. “They provide an added layer of protection against infrared missiles by using laser energy to spoof them or direct them in a different direction. The lasers work automatically to confuse the missile. It's all about increasing the survivability of the aircraft."

Because of their limited number, experimental test pilots are assigned only to brigades fielding equipment being used for the first time on major systems or airframes. Nadeau has flown test flights with the laser-based countermeasure system that he will support in Iraq, and possibly Afghanistan, where he could be transferred about midway through the deployment to support another unit of Chinooks being equipped with the system.

"Eventually, all of the Army's Chinooks will have this system," he said.

Nadeau recently transferred to Redstone Arsenal as part of the merger of Fort Rucker's Aviation Technical Test Center with the Redstone Technical Test Center. He is assigned to the Redstone Test Center to perform test flights on new technology for Chinook helicopters.

During his six-month deployment, Nadeau said, his mission, first of all, is to be a soldier. “Second, it is to embed with the aviation brigade to impart my experience in flight testing,” he said.

“My job is to dispel myths and rumors about the new equipment, to train the soldiers on how the technology works and to bring information back to Redstone Test Center on how well the system is operating in real use situations,” he explained. “I've seen this system flown. I've seen it work against real live missiles. I can impart that confidence to the pilots of the 25th."

It's critical, when flying a Chinook, that the aircraft have the "capability of protecting itself from outside forces," Nadeau said. Geneva Convention rules prohibit medical evacuation Chinooks from shooting back when fired upon, so their crews must rely heavily on armed escorts and multilayered defense systems, he added.

Nadeau will serve as a liaison between the brigade and the test center.

"We're shifting this system from testing to now flying," he said. "We will gain more experience from the pilots in Iraq that we can use productively in the test community. This keeps us relevant."

Nadeau's role is an offshoot of a program started after 9/11 when the Army Test and Evaluation Command and Fort Rucker’s test center used forward operational assessment teams in theater in support of new technology.

"ATTC realized then the importance to staying relevant to the fight," Nadeau said. "We needed to look at new systems in theater and help in the deployment of new systems.” Since then, commanders began requesting experimental test pilots for their brigades.

“We offer a very good liaison capability between the brigade and program managers, airworthiness managers and test managers,” Nadeau said. “We can get commanders things - information, technology and equipment - that they can use in their brigades while in theater."

Nadeau enlisted in the Air Force and served as a firefighter for seven years before joining the Army's warrant officer program 12 years ago. He first deployed to Kosovo in 1999 and 2000, where he flew Black Hawk helicopters. During his first deployment to Iraq in 2003, Nadeau served with the 507th Medical Company, assigned to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, where he flew Chinook medical evacuation missions.

"It was during the initial invasion, the main push into Baghdad," he recalled. "It was real quick. Most of our medevac missions involved soldiers who happened to get injured by a mine in a field.”

In his second deployment to Iraq, he flew a medevac Chinook for the 1st Marine Division, mostly in the western regions of Fallujah and Ramadi. “The enemy had gotten smarter, and there were a lot of [improvised explosive devices],” he said. “Our bus picked up a lot of Marines."

Nadeau left Oct. 24 for his third deployment to Iraq. Before leaving Redstone, he met with Army Maj. Gen. Jim Myles, commander of the Aviation and Missile Command, and aircraft program managers to establish a rapport that will serve him well in his liaison role.

"The message I received from General Myles and all the program managers is that they are there to support the warfighter 24/7," he said.

Besides supporting warfighters, Nadeau views his deployment as a way to gain a better understanding of theater requirements.

"I think staying relevant is the big thing,” he said. “We need to keep our testers relevant to the current fight so that we keep our credibility with the soldiers.

"It's sort of a role reversal,” he continued. “To stay credible with soldiers and soldier pilots, I'm going over there to eat dirt, walk my boots in the sand, fly missions and be a soldier with them."

Although he will fly Chinooks and primarily support technical issues involving the Chinook, Nadeau also supports technical questions involving the unit’s Black Hawk, Apache and Kiowa helicopters.

"Army pilots typically fly one airframe," he said. "But as an experimental test pilot, those divisions go away, the lines dissolve. I will be used where my expertise is, but I can also work outside my expertise to provide a fresh view of any of the airframes flown by the brigade."

For example, if a technical issue arises involving the brigade's Apache helicopter, Nadeau has the expertise to get involved, formulate the issue and communicate it back to program managers for resolution.

Being an experimental test pilot has allowed Nadeau to get more involved in how the Army acquires new aircraft. “I fly a plethora of different aircraft, and test lots of systems," he said.

During experimental testing, pilots look for flaws in new systems. Nadeau recently performed several test flights for a new infrared exhaust suppressor that reduces the Chinook's heat signature so that it is more difficult to detect by heat-seeking missiles. During those tests, Nadeau discovered flaws in the infrared exhaust suppressor system that resulted in a system redesign.

"We don't say ‘Buy it’ or ‘Don't buy it,’” he said. “We tell the good things, the bad things and the safety things about an aircraft or its systems and subsystems. We answer questions like 'Is it safe?' and 'Does it function the way it is supposed to?'"

Once his deployment is complete, Nadeau will return to Redstone and resume flight testing for the test center.

"The projects we test are always changing," he said. "I will just fall right back into the test schedule."

(Kari Hawkins works in the U.S. Army Garrison Redstone public affairs office.)

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Upstart MC-12 Liberty fleet to grow to 29 aircraft

The US Air Force's six-month-old fleet of MC-12W Libertys will grow to 29 aircraft under a new contract announced on 19 October by Hawker Beechcraft.

The $45 million for six aircraft brings Project Liberty within eight aircraft of the original plan to field 37 Hawker Beechraft King Air 350s and 350ERs, which are rapidly modified by L-3 Communications to serve as intelligence-gathering aircraft. The USAF has announced that Project Liberty completed its first combat sortie by an MC-12W in Iraq in June.

"Since being deployed in several theatres of operation, the aircraft have demonstrated extremely high-mission capability and logged hundreds of hours on station," says Jim Maslowski, president of US and international government business for Hawker Beechcraft.

The MC-12W is equipped with the L-3 MX-15 turreted camera to supply full motion video. The sensor suite also includes an unidentified signals intelligence system. The sensors are operated by two on-board crew members, each of whom are provided a special console for that purpose.

US Air Force officials launched Project Liberty in May 2008, immediately after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates publicly criticized the service for moving too slowly to respond to urgent demands for more airborne intelligence-collectors of all types.

The payload suite aboard the MC-12 is similar to the intelligence systems installed aboard the US Army's MQ-1C Sky Warrior, which are expected to make their maiden deployment later this year, albeit with a lesser-capable synthetic aperture radar payload.

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Iraqi MPs approve Britain naval training deal

Iraqi MPs finally approved a naval training agreement between Baghdad and London on Tuesday, officials said, months after about 100 British sailors had to leave Iraq because no deal was in place.

Although Iraq's cabinet approved a draft accord in June, it faltered in parliament as lawmakers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr repeatedly walked out of debates on it, ensuring the assembly failed to reach the required quorum.

"We welcome today's decision of the Council of Representatives (parliament) to endorse the Iraq-UK Agreement on training and maritime support, which now goes forward to the Presidency Council for final ratification," Christopher Prentice, the British ambassador to Baghdad, said in a statement.

"The agreement is evidence of our mutual commitment to building the capability of the Iraqi Navy to undertake protection of Iraqi territorial waters and installations."

Embassy spokesman Jawwad Syed earlier told media he could not specify when the Royal Navy trainers would return to Iraq, but said, "Hopefully, it will be as soon as we can."

A parliamentary official, who declined to be identified, said about 100 MPs had approved the agreement in parliament on Tuesday. The official said a quorum was reached despite another walkout by Sadrist MPs.

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Second of four Offshore-Patrol Vessels Delivered to Iraq

Yesterday, Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri delivered the second of four patrol vessels, christened “Nasir”, to the Iraqi Navy, becoming an important part of the rebuild of the service which has been entirely annihilated by the past wars. “Nasir” (meaning “Victory”) is a SAETTIA MK4 class vessel with a design based upon the DICIOTTI class vessels in service with the Italian Coast Guard and the Maltese Navy. The official ceremony at the company’s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) was attended by General Saleh Sarhan, Iraqi Secretary General of the Department of Defense and Admiral Dino Nascetti, Director General Naval Armaments of the Italian Navy.

The contract for these vessels, worth a total of €80 million, was signed in February 2006 after the Navy cancelled the original plan to buy two Fincantieri-built Assad-class corvettes from the Italian Navy, which had been found to be in a worse state than originally believed.

The Offshore Patrol Vessel is urgently needed as the Iraqi Navy is responsible for patrolling its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) representing 58 kilometres of Iraqi coastline. Therefore, Nasir will immediately undergo its journey, which will last about a month - escorted by the Italian and US Navy - to the Persian Gulf.

Manned with a crew of 38, the 53.40-metre-long, 8-metre-wide vessels can reach speeds of 23 knots and enable the Iraqi Navy to complete operations such as research and salvage, maritime traffic controls and fire-fighting. Besides the SAETTA MK4 vessels, the Iraqi fleet consists of 26 Predator Class patrol boats, ten rigid inflatable boats, two offshore patrol vessels and ten fast-attack boats.

For the SAETTIA MK4 class vessels, Fincantieri also has the responsibility of the ship systems and components, such as the propulsion (Isotta Fraschini 2360 kW engines V1716T2MSD, shafts and variable pitch propellers), generation (Isotta Fraschini 220 kW generators L1306T3ME) and stabilising systems.

The contract also includes provisions for logistical support and crew training with each crew completing a seven week training course. Additionally, in cooperation with the Italian Navy, there will be one week’s course held on a bridge simulator at the Academy of Leghorn.


Iraqi Navy is crucial for economic and national security

Upon arrival, Nasir will join her sister vessel “Fateh”, delivered in May, in undertaking surveillance of the EEZ, rich in oil reserves and considered the country’s most important economic resource. Having been the world’s 13th largest oil producer in 2008 (with the world’s third largest proven petroleum reserves) and most of the exported oil being transported by sea, the protection and surveillance of the coastal sea lanes and oil platforms, 80 kilometres off the port of Umm Qasr, is of great interest to the country.

Earlier this year, British Royal Navy Capt. Nick Hine said that developing a professional naval force capable of various maritime duties is essential to safeguarding the flow of oil from Iraq. Hine directs the Coalition Naval Advisor and Training Team, part of the Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.

The Iraqi Navy must continue to grow to fulfil its mission independently, Hine emphasised. At its current level of 1,974 people, its size is on par with the Iraqi Air Force. However, the service is expected to grow to 3,000 soldiers by the end of 2010.

Capabilities in areas such as intelligence, engineering and construction support are necessary for full, independent operational sustainability and are being developed with coalition assistance, but at present are “very much in the embryonic stage,” Hine said. Developing those capabilities will be a priority in 2009 and 2010, he explained.


Trying to reform from the ashes

The Iraqi Navy is currently being rebuilt after all vessels of the Saddam-era were destroyed in the Gulf Wars. A UPI report of early September suggests, that further Iraqi naval equipment of the Saddam-era may not have been destroyed but, rather, is mooring in foreign ports. According to this report, Iraq's Ministry of Defence has also located two navy vessels in Egypt and two others in Italy (only part of the missing equipment which reportedly has also been found in Serbia, Russia and France). So far it is not clear whether delegations would be sent to those countries to retrieve the Iraqi assets and if these still are in any shape to resume service. Particularly the finding of 19 MIG-21 and MIG-23 jet fighters, sent for repair to Serbia two decades ago, was quite surprising.

The service also lacks any aviation capability. Although Baghdad has plans to deliver both a maritime surveillance capability and a support helicopter capability, currently none of those plans have gone beyond the requirements stage.

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Aging U.S. Rotary Fleet Gets Upgrades

Facing a spending freeze, the U.S. military is concentrating on maintaining its mostly legacy rotary-wing fleet, with upgrades and improvements driven by demands from combatant commanders in Afghanistan.

Most people "would characterize this as a helicopter war," says Army Brig. Gen. William Crosby, program executive officer for aviation. "We're fighting in an austere environment and we're living in an austere budget environment." With no new clean-sheet helicopter designs on the near horizon, the services are shifting their focus to maintainability, affordability and reliability.

Crosby notes the brisk operating tempo, combined with sand, heat and high altitude, creates tremendous wear and tear on the platforms. "I'm trying to address [these issues] for the long term," he says. Army logistics leadership has asked Aviation and Missile Command (Amcom) to look at the future of helicopter reset programs. This month, the first report on the so-called Deep Maintenance program is due, after which several months of follow-on analysis will help flesh out the program's scope.

"We want to maintain a fleet life of 10 years between upgrades," Crosby suggests as an example. "How do we do that? We're trying to be proactive. We don't want to wake up one day asking, 'What do we do now?'"

The Army flies more helicopters in combat every day than the other services, says Col. Neil Thurgood, project manager for utility helicopters, pointing to the 350 Black Hawks currently deployed. The 1980s-era UH-60A, and newer L and M (Alpha, Lima and Mike) models are all flying. The A and L models have all been modified and upgraded, and the first unit equipped with the new UH60M is in Afghanistan and "doing very well," Thurgood says.

The Army's requirement is for 1,931 UH-60s, but the service has only 1,750, according to Thurgood. "The Army needs more aircraft than they have on hand." To get to the goal of two model types--the L and M--the Army is bringing all its Alpha aircraft into depot for reconfiguration to the Lima, which takes about 290 days. The next step, the Mike upgrade aircraft--featuring fly-by-wire, full-authority digital engine control (Fadec) and the common avionics architecture system (CAAS) cockpit--will be in developmental testing for at least two more years.

The need for increased capabilities is so great, however, that the Army will take pieces of the Mike upgrade aircraft and plug them into the baseline aircraft as developmental testing evolves, Thurgood says. "It's a work in progress," he adds. "As we get close to cutting [new capabilities onto baseline aircraft], we'll refine a date. Those discussions are ongoing."

Boeing has been incorporating lessons from Iraq since Operation Desert Storm, says Jack Dougherty, Boeing's director of H-47 Chinook programs. "We were eating engines like candy," he says. "[Desert Storm] taught us a lesson." As a result, Dougherty says the Chinooks are well-suited to Afghanistan and Iraq. Improvements to counter the corrosive effects of sand include engine barrier filters and the engine air particle separator (EAPS).

When Chinooks return to the U.S. for maintenance, Dougherty says people are often surprised at "how much sand you can get out of the EAPS. That's what it's supposed to do, but some say it's like bringing home half of Afghanistan."

The older D model Chinooks get small modifications based on what Boeing hears from the Army. "It's a continuous process of listening to the field," Dougherty says. "We work with the Army to see if they can afford to make the changes."

For the most part, Army rotary-wing programs are upgrades to existing platforms or involve sustainment, says Crosby. He points to the fielding of new the F model Chinooks, the baseline UH-60M, the OH-58D Kiowa Life Support 2020 program (implemented after the cancellation of the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter that was supposed to replace the aging Kiowas) as well as the future Mike upgrade and Apache Block III.

"What keeps me up at night is that we're flying these aircraft at about 4-5 times normal operational tempo," Crosby says. "The high usage rates will drive [our decisions]."

The Navy is pushing for more and faster feedback from the fleet, a move prompted by an enterprise operating model, according to Rear Adm. Steven Eastburg, program executive officer for air antisubmarine warfare, assault and special mission programs at Naval Air Systems Command (Navair). "When the lessons are fresh in the fleet's mind, that's exactly when we want to capture the message," he says. Ten years ago, Eastburg says, the Navy ushered in a generation of development. "We've been intensely heads-down in terms of developing new and modified platforms."

The last several years have seen a shift into heavy production and most recently a stronger focus on operations support. "We're in the burgeoning stages of a helicopter renaissance of sorts," says Eastburg. "There's lots happening with technology that's 20-40 years old. We're in the process of pushing a lot of new hardware and software out to the field."

The first deployment of the Navy's newest Seahawks--the antisubmarine/antisurface warfare MH-60R and the armed MH-60S--went very well, says Navy Capt. Dean Peters, H-60 program manager. They comprised a 19-aircraft fleet on board the USS John Stennis carrier strike group (see p. 52).

At the top of the list for the Marines is the H-1 upgrade program, which introduced the UH-1Y, or Yankee, and AH-1Z Cobra, or Zulu, to the Marines. Both were first deployed to Camp Pendleton, Calif., and the Yankee will deploy to Afghanistan in November, according to Lt. Gen. George Trautman, deputy commandant of Marine Corps aviation. During its first deployment, "the [Yankee's] significantly increased power, payload and performance meant that pilots and aircrew were never forced to compromise on fuel, ordnance or passengers in the execution of any utility helicopter mission, which included antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden," Trautman says.

Col. Harry Hewson, the Marine Corps program manager of the H-1 upgrades, says the focus is on maintenance, "24/7, for our legacy platforms in particular." The predecessors to the Zulu and the Yankee--the AH-1W and UH-1N, respectively--are still in the field and require plenty of care to keep pace with operations. Trautman says the UH-1N, while still a "viable aircraft," has "incrementally lost its operational lift capability over 30+ years and is especially challenged under high, hot and heavy conditions like those" in Afghanistan.

The Marines are also making a huge push for improved maintenance and reliability on the V-22 Osprey. Trautman, who has openly discussed the aircraft's low reliability rates, led an Executive Supportability Summit in late September in part to address the issue. The attention is having a positive effect, he says, noting that August saw mission-capability rates improve for all aircraft types in deployed units. "Each platform has different mission-capability goals," he says. The goal for a deployed CH-46E is 85%, he says, while the CH-53E's target is 75%.

Improvements to the CH-53E and D are extensive, as the Marines await the arrival of the new heavy-lift CH-53K. An Engine Reliability Improvement Program (ERIP) is increasing time on wing for the T64 engines' three variants--the -413, the -416 (being qualified on the CH-53D for increased power) and the -419 (to which the CH-53E is upgrading). The change is dramatic, says Navy Capt. Rick Muldoon, CH-53 program manager. In the desert, the CH-53s were getting only 150 hr. on wing, he says. With the ERIP, performance has risen to 650 hr. The target, Muldoon says, is 1,100 hr.

"We're certainly focused on keeping and sustaining the force we have," Muldoon says. "My No. 1 priority is to keep them flying and relevant." It is a sentiment echoed across the services.

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Iraqi AF pilots graduate, earn their wings

The newly emerging Iraqi air force proudly celebrated a monumental advancement in military capability when 23 Iraqi air force airmen were presented their pilot's wings during a graduation ceremony here Sept. 27. Eleven Iraqi officers became the first class of student pilots to earn their rotary-aircraft pilot wings and 12 Iraqi airmen earned their fixed-wing pilot wings.

Iraqi army Gen. Babakir Baderkhan Shawkat Zibari, Chief of Staff, Iraqi Joint Forces, and Maj. Gen. Robert C. Kane, Director, Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force, presented the new pilots with their wings and spoke to a crowd of more than 300 U.S. and Iraqi servicemembers, Iraqi government officials, civilian contractors and media.

"Today marks a significant milestone in the rebuilding of the Iraqi air force," General Kane said. "The pinning of these young officers' wings could not happen at a more important time in the history of the Iraqi air force and the country of Iraq. These new airmen will arrive at their units at a time of rapid growth as the Iraqi air force increases operations across the country in support of all Iraqi security forces who are taking full responsibility for the protection of the Iraqi people."

Leading up to the graduation, the new rotary wing pilots were trained to fly the Bell 206 and OH-58 AC helicopters. The training included initial flight screenings, primary training consisting of approximately 33 sorties, general and emergency handling of the aircraft, basic and advanced instruments, and tactics. The U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization and Westar Aerospace and Defense Group provided all the training the students pilots needed to qualify.

"Logistically, this is really something they can sink their teeth into," said Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Alton Campbell, government flight representative, USSATCOM. "The role of the helicopter is very diverse depending on the air frame (the aircrafts mechanical structure), but it gives the Iraqi government and the Iraqi air force short and medium range cargo capability, lift capability and eventually a tactical capability once those air frames are in place and acquired ... The ability to move people and parts, to put it simply, by air is tantamount to them regaining independence."

The chief added that they are the first Iraqi military rotary wing pilots to graduate in 12 to 15 years and the new pilots are excited about their future in the Iraqi air force.Second Lt. Ali Jamal Ali, an Iraqi air force helicopter pilot, said he and his family are very proud and knows that it comes with extra responsibility."I hope they will feel very proud because ... all of the student pilots just want to serve this country, just want to protect them," he said.

Lieutenant Ali spoke passionately about serving his country and hopes to set an example for fellow Iraqis."I hope that because we are so few and we need more pilots, more power for this country to save it and protect it" he added. "I hope that they can learn something from us to come here and serve their country."

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Iraq Needs a Real Air Force

By OMAR FADHIL AL-NIDAWI AND AUSTIN BAY

The U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement says American combat units will depart Iraq by December 2011. At that point, Iraq's armed forces must provide for defense against internal and external threats. While Iraqi forces have improved remarkably, progress has not been even across all services. This imbalance is particularly acute in the case of the Iraqi Air Force.

It's clear that Iraqi air defense forces will not be ready to handle the mission by 2011. Currently, the Iraqi Air Force is a creature of turbo-prop planes and helicopters. A squadron of high performance aircraft flown by Iraqi crack pilots is an expensive goal that might sortie over Baghdad by 2016 at best, though the Iraqi Ministry of Defense quietly estimates that 2018, or 2020, is more probable.

Waging a complex counterinsurgency war is Iraq's first priority, so it's understandable that the country has made the decision to proceed slowly with the creation and funding of front-line air defense forces. But integrating sophisticated technology and skilled personnel into air force and air defense formations requires a long lead time. Thus the Iraqi government must make several immediate decisions regarding air space defense.

Improved ground-based air defense systems are an interim solution and can be deployed quickly. Missile batteries are cheaper than jets, and cost is a critical factor. The most attractive choice is the U.S. Patriot system, with Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. The Patriot PAC-2 can intercept hostile aircraft. The PAC-3 defends against the ballistic missiles Iran's mullahs possess. An Iraq with antimissile capability will help thwart that rogue's nuclear threat.

A Patriot battery can track and engage multiple targets. Ten batteries—costing around $2 billion—would provide a robust contribution to meet interim Iraqi air-defense needs.

Patriot systems could be leased, perhaps with instructor crews, until a purchase is possible. During the lease period, Iraqi crews could train on the job. And a Patriot investment ultimately reduces the number of fighter aircraft Iraq needs.

Still, to field an integrated defense, Iraq needs fighters. Trained pilots can intercept and confirm an intruder's identity. This helps avoid mistaking an accidental intrusion for an attack. There is also the psychological dimension: Jets are icons of modern national power. Saddam had Soviet MiGs—free Iraq deserves better.

We know the Iraqi government likes the F-16. If Iraq wants to make 2016 a goal for deploying an effective fighter squadron, it should immediately acquire half a dozen early model F-16s. This mini-squadron cannot control Iraq's skies, but it makes an important statement about the nation's intent to provide a full-spectrum defense. However, until the Iraqi squadrons are ready, they will need U.S. air units to help protect Iraqi air space. And the Status of Forces Agreement may require a sensible adjustment.

Without the Patriot system, Iraq would need a minimum of 72 interceptors to cover its four air defense sectors. These squadrons would cost $6 billion to $8 billion and take a decade to deploy. An integrated defense creates a sum larger than its parts. Deploying the Patriot batteries means Iraq will ultimately require fewer aircraft. With U.S. backup, the Patriots and F-16s will hold the line until Baghdad can finance "full-up" squadrons.

Iraqi and American civilian leaders must address these needs realistically and honestly. Iraqis need American support, and Americans—and the entire Middle East—need a successful Iraq. Iraq faces a tough transition period. At times, defeatists will no doubt claim that the sky is falling. Free Iraq's sky won't fall, but it must be sensibly defended.

Mr. Al-Nidawi is an Iraqi commentator and political analyst. He blogs at iraqthemodel.blogspot.com. Mr. Bay served with the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2004. His latest book is "A Quick and Dirty Guide to War: 4th Edition" (Paladin Press, 2008).

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Iraqi air force assumes control of their C-130 operations

Iraqi air force officials officially began fully independent C-130 air operations Sept. 29, marking the end of the U.S. C-130 air advisory mission here. A ceremony deactivating the U.S. Air Force's 321st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron and marking assumption of C-130 operations, maintenance and training by the Iraqi air force's Squadron 23 formalized the milestone.

Presiding over the event were Maj. Gen. Robert C. Kane, the 321st Air Expeditionary Wing commander and director of the Air Force's Iraq training and advisory mission; Staff Lt. Gen. Anwar Hamad Amen Ahmed, the Iraqi air force commander; Brig. Gen. Kareem Ali Abud, commander of the Iraqi air force's New Al-Muthana Air Base; and Col. Christopher Pehrson, commander of the U.S. Air Force's 321st Air Expeditionary Advisory Group.

"Today, I say we are proud to have had the honor to work with you side by side as brothers, not less," General Kareem said. "I have worked with about eight advisers, and we have here more than 60 groups at Al-Mathana, great in all fields: discipline, versatility, specialties and, more than that, humanity.

"We can't forget the support you gave in the training of pilots, craft engineers, logistics, security forces and English classes," he continued. "We respect your sacrifices: leaving your families behind just to support Iraqi air forces. We are grateful for you and your families. We don't like to say goodbye. See you again with better situations in Iraq."

The deactivation of the U.S. squadron marked another claim to the Iraqi air force's independence. Squadron 23 is the largest C-130 squadron in the Iraqi air force, and its mission includes delivering troops and cargo, supporting distinguished visitors and flying medical evacuation missions. The squadron began after the United States gave three C-130E aircraft to the Iraqis through the Excess Defense Articles program.

The Iraqi air force C-130 airlift mission was born with the arrival in January 2005 of those same three aircraft at Ali Base. This paved the way for the first aircrew members to receive flight training at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. After being assigned to Ali Base since 2005, the squadron moved here March 7, 2006.

In his remarks, General Kane declared the C-130 flight training effort "mission complete." "The Iraqi pilots, navigators, flight engineers, loadmasters, and maintainers have clearly demonstrated that they are ready to perform their missions and, most importantly, to do it well," he said. "American advisers have also done what we've asked them to do: to stand side by side with their Iraqi partners and provide them the training required to operate the C-130 safely. This is a big deal; something the people of Iraq, and even the world, will take note of. The Iraqi air force is on its way to independent operations."

In his comments, Colonel Pehrson noted the milestone's importance. "Today's ceremony is possible because the United States Air Force and the Iraqi air force were successful in their partnership to develop credible, professional and enduring airlift capability in the Iraqi C-130 fleet," he said. "It's an important step in the realization of a fully independent Iraqi air force that will one day defend and protect the people of Iraq.

"From today forward, Squadron 23 will fly independently over the sky of Iraq without direct support from a U.S. air advisory squadron," he added. "One day soon, other squadrons throughout the Iraqi air force will also operate independent of American adviser support. This change, and the evolution of the air advisory mission, is good because it means that we are moving together beyond foundational training and towards air power capabilities that are credible and enduring." Air advisory training included a focus on foundational training for pilots, navigators, flight engineers, loadmasters, crew chiefs and maintenance specialists in engines, sheet metal, avionics and hydraulics.

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