Male UAV voor de Klu

Gestart door jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter), 23/04/2011 | 11:46 uur

Poleme

#391
In het US Marine Corps heeft men last van een over-focus op F-35B Air Power.  De core-business van oorlogsvoering gebeurt altijd door boots on the ground.  Die coniferenbroerders krijgen echter steeds meer te maken met Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) en toenemende complexe situaties waar onschuldige burgers, strijders, terroristen en reguliere troepen zeer dicht bij elkaar zijn of door elkaar heen zijn vermengd.
Een F-35A. F-35B, F-18 of F-16AM is dan NIET het juiste antwoord, om deze grond troepen doelmatig en doeltreffend te ondersteunen.
Daar ga je met je opschepperij, dat de F-16AM het meest ingezette wapensysteem is na de Koude Oorlog.  Wat een over-focus !
Een jachtbommenwerper of aanvalshelikopter kan grond troepen ook niet (volledig) vervangen.  Hoe graag ook hoe bange politici en burgers, die huiverig zijn voor grote risico's en dus voor lijkenzakken, dat graag zouden willen zien. 

Jachtvliegtuigen dienen bij hun leest te blijven, dus luchtoverwicht bevechten, (battlefield) air interdiction en tactical air reconnaissance in een conventioneel natie-vs-natie conflict.
Close Air Support /nabijheid ondersteuning in observatie, intel, leveren van goede communicatie mogelijkheden, EOV en kinetische lucht-grond aanvallen zijn de taken voor andere 'beesten' !

SECRETARY MATTIS' "GUARDIAN ANGEL" AND HOW MARINE CORPS AVIATION CAN GET BACK ON TARGET.

Humanity is now a predominantly urban species," observed the authors of last year's Joint Operating Environment assessment. The Marine Corps' operating concept added months later that urban operations (MOUT) are "the most likely to occur and the most dangerous." This is just a small sample of the avalanche of official documents and non-official analysis that has tackled the military risks posed by dense and under-developed cities.

Imagine someone who is only a high school student today who, in three years, finds himself a Marine squad leader deployed on short notice to a city wracked by violence. Most of his squad is fixed in an alleyway that spills into a street, where one of his marines lies wounded in the middle.  Another of his marines made it a few steps further before he was shot as the platoon moved to secure a building across the street. Every attempt to rescue the wounded marines is met by hundreds of enemy bullets. The squad leader's marines are bleeding out.  He has never experienced anything close to this level of pressure in his life.

An American aircraft – with "Marines" painted on the sides – can be overhead to help.  Take a moment to list the characteristics you would want this aircraft to have. Maybe your list will be similar to mine. As an American who has had the privilege to serve marines in multiple infantry units in urban combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, not a day goes by where I don't think intensely about this subject. Here's my list:

1 -   Be there, now! Persistence is the first word that comes to mind. Not for minutes or hours, but for as long as the unit is on the ground, even if this means a day or more.
Communicate securely and provide the unit with a persistent airborne network bridge for sharing mission critical information. This is essential for increasing situational awareness, preventing fratricide, and expediting fire support.
2 -  Be deadly. This aircraft should be able to fire a variety of precision-guided munitions at the enemy, even if they are within 15 meters of marines.
3 -  Be more than just deadly. This aircraft needs to deliver a range of what the military calls "non-kinetic" functions as well. For example, it should be able to interfere with enemy communications, including their unmanned aircraft. Marines on the ground should be able to direct these capabilities via persistent close air support
4 -  Provide real-time, multi–spectral, and wide area motion imagery to intelligence and fire support specialists supporting the unit. This should include the ability to detect and attack enemy drone locations, indirect fire positions, and mobile targets.
5 -  It should be able to serve as an airborne quarterback for supporting assets helping the unit. It should, for example, be able to provide real-time, updated imagery, enemy target coordinates, and friendly position location information for other aircraft and supporting artillery and mortar units.
6 -  It should be able to fly high. If this aircraft can operate at altitudes above 20,000 feet, it will be able to avoid the most likely man-portable air-defense threats.
7 -  It should also be able to fly from expeditionary airfields to maximize support options.
8 -  And finally, it should be able to do all of this in training, again and again, day after day, and night after night before the unit deploys, just like a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) should be able to do.
In short, this aircraft should be a "Guardian Angel," or what Ben Brewster called a "Grunt-Angel." Unfortunately, the Marine Corps doesn't have one. The technology exists. Indeed, aircraft that can do all this already exist.  Such aircraft cost far less per unit and are cheaper to operate than any manned close air support aircraft in the U.S. arsenal today. But the Marine Corps has none. It won't have any in 2020 or even 2025, unless senior leaders get involved and change course.

Failing the Marine on the Ground: How Did This Happen?

At this point, some readers may be confused.  A few of you might be thinking, "Isn't the Marine Corps designed such that everything in the organization is focused on supporting the ground combat element, including and especially the infantry squad fighting on the street?" You might wonder why Grunt-Angels aren't already flying above these squads already.

These are reasonable questions.  After all, Lt. Col. Alfred A. Cunningham, the first Marine aviator, made clear in 1920 why Marine aviation exists: "It is fully realized that the only excuse for aviation ... is its usefulness in assisting the troops on the ground."  Joint doctrine, as early as 1986, reinforced the same: "The primary mission of the MAGTF air combat element is the support of the MAGTF ground element." The most recent Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1-0 continues to emphasize this same primary mission for the Marine air combat element.  The most current Joint Publication 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States does the same.

What's the problem, then?

In reading the 2017 Marine Aviation Plan (AVPLAN), one gets the sense that something important is missing from its 286 pages: an emphasis on Marine Aviation's "primary mission." The ground combat element is barely mentioned at all. This is a marked contrast with the 2012 AVPLAN which features a Marine infantryman on the cover under the words "Supporting Our Most Lethal Asset." The 2012 AVPLAN notes in its opening comments: "As it has been for the 100 years since our founding, Marine aviation's number one priority is to support the ground force in winning our nation's wars."

This clarity of Marine Aviation's "primary mission" is gone today. It has been replaced with something else.

If this situation weren't troubling enough, in a six-page May 2017 Marine Corps Gazette article about Marine aviation, the deputy commandant for aviation emphasized not once, but twice, "The F-35B has proven that we have a war-winning capability in our hands" — without even once mentioning anything to do with supporting marines on the ground.  Nowhere in the article can one even find the words "ground combat element," "infantry," "grunt," "combat engineer," "armor," "artillery," or "Marine on the ground."  Perhaps this ahistorical belief in a jet's "war-winning" capability, combined with a loss of primary focus on the ground combat element, has led aviation leadership to wrongly overlook the Guardian Angel.

If this trend continues, one can't help but wonder if future "Marine Aviators of the Year" will be awarded in honor of the airpower advocates such as Giulio Douhet, Billy Mitchell, and John Warden instead of Alfred Cunningham.

Given such foundation-shaking thinking coming from the top of Marine Aviation, perhaps it is no surprise that ground combat element marines don't have the support they need, nor are they slated to anytime soon, despite the Marine Corps Operating Concept's specific guidance to provide it.  Regardless, this tragic reality must be addressed head-on.  The reasons to do so are many, including, as Rep. Niki Tsongas recently highlighted when expressing her concerns about Marine Corps budgeting priorities, "the Marine Corps' mission to be the premiere force-in-readiness and the historical reliance that the nation has placed on the Marine Corps' role in ground combat."  This reliance today includes the Marine Corps providing almost one-third of the United States' total active-duty ground combat capability.

Enter Secretary Mattis and the Guardian Angel

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, himself a legendary member of the Marine Corps, has his own history with what he called the "Guardian Angel." In October 2006, while serving as the commanding general of the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), then-Lt. Gen. Mattis issued Policy Letter 04-06: "I MEF Rules for Force Protection," often referred to as the "Flat Ass Rules."  At the time, marines were in near constant, intense and close-quarters combat in urban areas such as Fallujah, Qaim, Najaf, Habbaniyah, and Ramadi. At the same time, the fierce summer 2006 battle between the Israeli Defense Force and Hizballah in urban areas such as Bint Jbeil was a topic of frequent discussion.

Policy Letter 04-06 emphasized that I MEF would use "the Guardian Angel construct as our overarching force protection policy."  The letter went on to explain the Guardian Angel as "a mature, alert, and hidden individual" possessing an ambush mentality focused on protecting his unit.  Additional requirements for those serving as Guardian Angels included "being imaged through the use of deadly force" and possessing the appropriate communications equipment to warn protected units in the event of hostile activity or action.  Moreover, the Guardian Angel was to ensure that "any attempt to attack us will result in the swift and immediate death of the enemy threat."

As a young Marine officer, I received the general's guidance on countless occasions and read Policy Letter 04-06 in detail, numerous times. No doubt the boss' intent was clear: have marines constantly hidden, in over-watch, in continuous communications with the protected unit, ready to precisely kill our adversaries.

This may sound simple enough.  However, looking at the dense urban landscape in places like Baghdad's Sadr City, Najaf, and Fallujah, one quickly realizes how difficult it is to carry this out, especially when most of the buildings in these cities have people in them, no small number of whom wanted to see the Marines fail. Regardless, marines did their very best to carry out the general's guidance.

Reflecting on this guidance 11 years later, alongside forecasts about even more demanding urban warfare yet to come, one wonders if today there is a better way to achieve Secretary Mattis' intent.  The answer, of course, is yes.  Marines who have served or are serving in close-combat units have explained how.  In short, when implementing the Guardian Angel concept, leverage Marine Aviation's "primary mission" to support the ground combat element, not just marines on the ground seeking to move into elevated positions in the urban landscape.  As an example, an infantry battalion forward air controller, who served in and around the urban areas in Marjah in 2011, stated the following when asked about the best aviation platform in support of his unit:

The deadliest was the UK (MQ-9) Reaper.  This was due to extended time on-station, diverse precision-guided munition load-out, high fidelity sensor, video downlink capability, reliable communications, imagery analyst as part of the flight crew, and stable and reliable terminal guidance operations.

More recently, in August 2016, after observing a Reaper's capabilities in support of a distributed, experimental infantry company, to include against enemy counter-attacks, an infantry captain stated, "The MQ-9 provided persistent ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and served as a guardian angel to prevent enemy reinforcements."  The infantry captain in charge of this experimental company, who had previously served as a platoon commander in Sangin District, Afghanistan, in one of the Marine Corps' most challenging combat experiences since 2001, got straight to the point when describing what the MQ-9 meant to his unit:

Having the Reaper on-station was the most important thing ... it is something we need right now... we would not have been successful without it, hands down.

These marines' insights are further supported by 13 years' worth of deliberate and combat urgent universal needs statements written by other marines requesting exactly these types of persistent, unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; command-and-control extending; and precision strike capabilities.  Not coincidentally, the first urgent request for this capability came from I MEF immediately after the November 2004 Fallujah battle.

Recent combat operations further validate the immense value of the requested capability.  For example, in 2016 alone, in support of American and partnered ground forces, U.S. Air Force MQ-9 and MQ-1 persistent attack and reconnaissance aircraft provided more than 351,000 hours of dedicated coverage, which included more than 3,000 kinetic strikes and 600 buddy lase missions, where they directed ordnance from other aircraft against enemy positions. Most recently, these collective capabilities were so important in the nine-month Mosul battle that an immediate lessons learned assessment described them as "the king of the urban battlefield," before going on to state "an Army without organic airborne armed ISR will be at a severe disadvantage on a contemporary urban battlefield."  This observation is even more telling given the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's guidance that  "We must ensure that no Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine ever finds themselves in a fair fight."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the 2012 Marine Aviation Plan also envisioned Marine Aviation fielding by 2018 a "high-flying, long duration" drone with "strike, ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], and EW [electronic warfare] capabilities," similar to the requested Guardian Angel characteristics.  Sadly though, these words have yet to turn into deeds, and thus ground combat element marines are now being told to wait nearly a decade or more longer.  It doesn't have to be this way.

What To Do: The "Close Combat Study" Savior

Fortunately, the perfect opportunity lies before us to fix the unacceptable situation within Marine Aviation. Secretary Mattis recently ordered his Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to conduct a "Close Combat Study."  The study's purpose is to determine investment strategies that enable America's close-combat units – who have suffered "four out of five of all those killed at the hand of the enemy from Korea to Afghanistan" despite "com[ing] from a population that comprises less than four percent of the uniformed force within the Department of Defense" – to have decisive overmatch in future battle.  Given the Guardian Angel's great potential to help achieve this purpose, particularly since approximately "52 percent of those who die do so trying to find the enemy," the below three actions are essential:

First, starting with Program Objective Memorandum 2020, or the next five-year defense budget plan, Secretary Mattis' Close Combat Study team should heed the aforementioned infantrymen and air controllers' words.  Accordingly, Program Objective Memorandum 2020 should include funding for organic Guardian Angel support for, at a minimum, every Marine infantry company-sized force.  Although, given how similar the U.S. Army's and U.S. Special Operations Command's future concept visions are to the Marine Corps', it's near impossible to imagine these organizations' close-combat units not having a comparable need.

Second, the Close Combat Study team should direct joint doctrine to include "Guardian Angel" as a new core mission within appropriate aviation components.  For example, in the Marine Corps, the air combat element should have seven rather than the current six, functions: offensive air support, anti-air warfare, assault support, air reconnaissance, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles, and Guardian Angel.  This new addition will unequivocally reinforce joint doctrine's continued emphasis that "the primary mission of the MAGTF aviation combat element is the support of the MAGTF ground combat element."

Finally, building on the welcome, long overdue, and mutually supporting light attack competition this summer, the Close Combat Study team should direct no later than nine months from today a Guardian Angel evaluation at the Marine Corps' urban ranges in Twentynine Palms, California.  Given the time-intensive nature of urban combat, this experiment should last at least 96 hours, straight.  Competitor aircraft should be evaluated on their ability to meet the previously described Guardian Angel characteristics.  The evaluators, 15 personnel from Marine and Army ground combat formations and 10 from U.S. Special Operations Command, should come from currently serving personnel who have fought in close-combat unit key billets such as infantry squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon commander, special operations team chief, special operations team leader, company commander, joint fires observer, joint terminal attack controller / forward air controller, and fire support coordinator.  The evaluator entry requirement should include service in urban combat such as what has occurred over the past 15 years in Sadr City, Mosul, Fallujah, Najaf, Ramadi, Qaim, Raqqa, and Sangin.

At the conclusion of the Guardian Angel evaluation, these personnel should report directly to the secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commandant of the Marine Corps, Army chief of staff, U.S. Special Operations commander, Air Force chief of staff, chief of naval operations, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and House and Senate Armed Services Committee leadership.  This report should include a refined Program Objective Memorandum 2020 and subsequent investment strategy priorities, including for the Defense Secretary's National Defense Restoration Fund.

No More Unnecessary Heroes

For America's infantrymen, urban combat is ruthless, fought in close quarters, and unforgiving.  Giving America's close-combat formations the maximum chances for success in the operations forecasted to be "most likely to occur and most dangerous" must be considered a sacred obligation.  Implementing Secretary Mattis' Guardian Angel – within a new airpower paradigm dedicated to supporting close-combat forces – should be an essential component of this effort.  It's time to attack, now!


Author Maj Scott A. Cuomo has had the privilege to serve the American people for more than 16 years.  He is a Marine infantry officer. The positions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of the Marine Corps, the Department of Defense, or any part of the U.S. government.
bron: https://warontherocks.com/2017/07/secretary-mattis-guardian-angel-and-how-marine-corps-aviation-can-get-back-on-target/           20 July 2017.
Nulla tenaci invia est via - Voor de doorzetter is geen weg onbegaanbaar.

Harald

Interessant naast de F-35



Kratos to unveil new class of unmanned aerial systems at 2017 Paris Air Show

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will officially unveil a new class of unmanned aerial systems that represent the future of air combat at the 2017 Paris Air Show. Kratos is at the forefront of unmanned aerial systems with its ability to rapidly design, develop, demonstrate and deliver affordable high-performance jet powered drones.

At the show, Kratos will be presenting the XQ-222 Valkyrie and UTAP-22 Mako drones that provide fighter-like performance and are designed to function as wingmen to manned aircraft in contested airspace.

The Valkyrie and the Mako represent the next generation of UAVs. They are highly maneuverable, stealthy, able to fly at near supersonic speeds, and can carry and deploy weapons or surveillance systems. The larger Valkyrie, measuring in at roughly 30 feet in length, has an impressive range of more than 3,000 nautical miles.

Most important, Kratos' UAVs are aligned with emerging military strategies because they are reusable and lower priced — in the $2 million to $3 million range. This makes it cost efficient to deploy them in numbers that can effectively support manned aircraft or operate independently in combat.

The Valkyrie was recently announced by the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) at a presentation on its Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) program at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

"If you team up a bunch of these aircraft with an F-35 or an F-22, or some of our surveillance assets, you'd basically be able to cover more space at a lower cost point," Bill Baron, AFRL LCAAT project manager, told the Dayton Daily News at the May 9 event. "In a lot of cases, we don't have enough airplanes and as you look to the future, most likely our fleet sizes are going to continue to be more limited so this is a way to provide a force multiplier."

The Valkyrie has been in development since July 2016, when the U.S. Air Force awarded Kratos a contract to develop the LCAAT. After a less-than-two-year design and development effort, the Valkyrie is scheduled for its first flight in spring of 2018. The Mako is already operational and is scheduled for follow-on test flights, where it will carry sensors and be teamed with manned aircraft, in June, July and August of this year.

"The Mako and Valkyrie represent an entirely new category of UAVs," said Eric Demarco, Kratos CEO. "Thanks to our target drone expertise and our in-house research and development team, we have been able to combine high performance with low cost in fully functioning aircraft. And we did it in less than two years, not decades."

http://defence-blog.com/news/kratos-to-unveil-new-class-of-unmanned-aerial-systems-at-2017-paris-air-show.html

XQ-222
http://www.kratosusd.com/capabilities/unmanned-tactical-systems/xq-222


Harald

mooie toevoeging voor onder de Reaper

ARDS ELINT pod set for 2018 flight testing on Predator B

Raytheon Deutschland GmbH expects to flight test its new Advanced Radar Detection System (ARDS) electronic intelligence (ELINT) payload on a General Atomics Predator B unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in the first half of 2018, company officials have confirmed.

Developed by Raytheon Deutschland's Space and Airborne Systems business under private venture funding, ARDS is an advanced exploitation of digital receiver technology being embodied as an upgrade of the Emitter Location System (ELS) fitted to German and Italian Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance (ECR) Tornado aircraft. This new configuration, known as dELS, is now in production and completing final certification ahead of fielding on the ECR Tornado in early 2018.

According to Andreas Radermacher, Raytheon Deutschland's managing director, ARDS is based on the same dELS technology but incorporates further improvements in terms of hardware, firmware, and software.

"This is a new high-sensitivity payload designed for long-range, long-endurance reconnaissance missions," Radermacher told the EW Europe 2017 conference in London.

"Integrated into a standard pod that will be mounted on the centreline hard point of Predator B, it will [provide] passive, wide-area ELINT over land and sea and enable high-fidelity detection and precision direction finding [DF] of RF [radio frequency] emitters to auto-generate the electronic order of battle."

He added, "Predator B is the ideal platform for ARDS as it deploys the capability with significantly greater endurance at much lower cost per flight hour compared with other platforms.

"Right now, Predator users are limited to radar and electro-optical sensors. What ARDS brings is a complementary capability for ELINT and electronic reconnaissance."

http://www.janes.com/article/71445/ards-elint-pod-set-for-2018-flight-testing-on-predator-b

Harald

Netherlands Ministry of Defence Selects Insitu Integrator

BINGEN, Wash. --- The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (NMOD) has awarded the Short Range Tactical UAV (SRTUAV) contract to Insitu for its proposed Integrator offering. The baseline offering is for three Insitu Integrator systems that will replace the ScanEagle systems currently in use by the NMOD defence forces, which have been in service since 2012.

Integrator is a multi-mission, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that carries custom payloads for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The system was designed to be a modular, flexible and multi-mission capable solution for land and maritime operations including force protection, target acquisition and battle damage assessment.

The air vehicle has a payload capacity of 18 kg (40 lb) and supports an evolving set of sensors, delivers line-of-sight communications up to 55 nautical miles, and is supported by runway-independent launch and recovery systems. Integrator is controlled by ICOMC2, which enables one operator to control multiple unmanned vehicles from a single workstation.

It is the baseline aircraft for the RQ-21A Blackjack, a program of record with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps that achieved full rate production in the fall of 2016.

"Whether the mission is to support boots on the ground or increase safety in commercial marketplaces, our team is dedicated to providing our customers with the solutions they need to make critical decisions," said Ryan M. Hartman, Insitu president and CEO. "We are proud to continue to support the Royal defence forces with the capabilities they need to ensure security for the Netherlands and their global allies."

NMOD defence forces will receive their Integrator systems beginning in 2018.

Parera

RNLAF readies for Reaper
Beth Stevenson, Gilze-Rijen Air Base - IHS Jane's International Defence Review
16 May 2017


Ahead of the planned purchase of a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for its air force, the Netherlands is in talks with other operators of the type to outline what training will be required ahead of its first operational deployment.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) was authorised by the US State Department in 2015 to purchase one Reaper system consisting of four air vehicles, but it has so far failed to secure the funds to contract the planned buy.

However, once the new government in the Netherlands is established in coming weeks following an election in March, decisions on funding allocation for programmes such as this are expected to be made.

[Source: Janes.com]

Harald

#386
Textron Successfully Tests Fury Glide Bomb Against Moving Targets: Milestone Marks the Completion of the Fury Weapon's Development

TAMPA, Fla. --- Textron Systems Weapon & Sensor Systems announced today the successful testing of the Fury lightweight precision guided glide munition against moving targets at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona. This test marks a significant milestone, as it marks the completion of the Fury weapon's development.

The Weapon & Sensor Systems team conducted 13 test flights for the Fury weapon, which accumulated to a total of 23.8 flight hours between captive carriage, survey flights and 10 weapon releases from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Two tests were conducted from Textron Systems' own Shadow® Tactical UAS at an altitude of 8,000 feet and a 1.5 kilometer standoff against a moving target. Both munitions successfully impacted the target. These results demonstrate end-to-end testing of the Fury weapon and improve both system maturity and Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

"Based on the results achieved during Fury flight testing, we are pleased with the development progress of the Fury lightweight precision guided munition," says Weapon & Sensor Systems Senior Vice President & General Manager Brian Sinkiewicz.

The Fury weapon uses a common interface for rapid integration on multiple manned and unmanned platforms. The weapon's tri-mode fuzing – impact, height of burst and delay – further enables a single Fury to address a broad target set, ranging from static and moving light armored vehicles to small boats and dismounted personnel. Fury is guided by a GPS-aided inertial navigation system with a Semi-Active Laser terminal guidance, enabling engagement of moving targets.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/183659/textron%E2%80%99s-fury-glide-bomb-hits-moving-targets.html

FFLMM/Fury
In July 2014, Thales unveiled a modification of the LMM that turns it into a glide bomb, called the FreeFall LMM (FFLMM). Thales partnered with Textron to market it as the Fury for the U.S. market, who provides a height-of-burst sensor and electronic safe and arm device. The weapon had been in development for 18 months and undergone initial test drops in August 2013. In comparison to the LMM, the FFLMM removes the rocket motor and associated components while keeping the body and control actuators, as well as adding INS and GPS navigation, semi-active laser guidance in place of the beam-riding system, and four enlarged fins for increased lift.

The bomb is not intended to replace larger munitions, but be used as a smaller and cheaper alternative to self-propelled missiles, with three bombs able to fit on a single Hellfire missile rail. It is 70 cm (28 in) long, weighs 5.8 kg (12.7 lb), and uses a 2 kg (4.4 lb) dual-effect shaped charge and pre-fragmented blast warhead for use against armored vehicles, small boats, and personnel, with an operational range of 4 km (2.5 mi) when launched at 10,000 ft (3,000 m). A potential role for the Fury could be to arm medium intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) UAVs like the RQ-7 Shadow to deal with fleeting or time-sensitive targets. Thales is offering the weapon to meet the U.K. Defense Ministry's Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Light) (FASGW (L)) requirement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightweight_Multirole_Missile




Poleme

Citaat van: StrataNL op 12/05/2017 | 18:29 uur
3 systemen met elk 2 Integrators dus.....
Wat gaat er nu gebeuren met de als interim oplossing bedoelde ScanEagle systemen ?

De US Coast Guard heeft onlangs 6 weken lang een ScanEagle systeem aan boord van de Coast Guard Cutter "Stratton" op de Oostelijke Stille Oceaan ingezet.
Er werden 39 sorties gevlogen met in totaal 279 uren = gemiddeld 7 uur en ruim 9 minuten.  Inclusief een operatie waarbij het ScanEagle 22,7 uur vloog in een 24 uurs periode.  Er werd toen meer dan 1.676 kg aan contrabande in beslag genomen met een waarde van 55 miljoen US dollar en 10 drugs smokkelaars werden aangehouden.

Per 9 mei 2017 vlogen ScanEagle's in totaal meer dan 975.000 uur in 120.000 sorties = gemiddeld 8 uur en 7,5 minuten.
zie:  http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12332465/us-coast-guard-makes-history-with-insitu-scaneagle

In het tweede deel van april 2014 stuurde het US Marines Corps haar eerste Early Operational Capability RQ-21 Blackjack systeem met 5 vliegtuigjes naar Afghanistan.
"The models in Afghanistan were early operational capability (EOC) aircraft without shipboard software or testing. Deploying the aircraft on the ground was a way to catch and fix problems early on that could delay the project."
Dit Blackjack systeem kwam op 10 september weer terug van deployment, na bijna 1.000 vlieguren gemaakt te hebben in 119 dagen.

In augustus 2014 werd een digitaal ScanEagle systeem (totaal 3 vliegtuigjes, waarvan 1 reserve) operationeel in Mali.
Op 3 november 2015 werd de mijlpaal van het 1.000 ste vlieguur bereikt.  En op 28 november 2015 werd de 200 ste ScanEagle vlucht gemaakt.
In de praktijk betekende dat er om de 2 dagen 1 vlucht van gemiddeld ruim 5,5 uur werd gemaakt.   Terwijl de SE een maximum vliegduur heeft van 11 - 20 uur.
In de zomer van Mali werden ScanEagle vluchten begonnen vroeg in de ochtend (start rond 0600 uur) en laat in de middag.  Omdat dit kleine vliegtuigje (te) gevoelig bleek voor harde wind en zware turbulentie ontstaan door de hitte.  Het gebeurde wel eens dat door thermiek het ScanEagle-tje ineens hard ging klimmen of moeilijk te landen was.  Vliegen in de regen ?  Het bulletje zit vol met elektronica, dus probeert men maximaal 15 minuten in de regen te vliegen.

Nogal een verschil in inzetbaarheid tussen US Coast Guard, US Marines en KL.


Nulla tenaci invia est via - Voor de doorzetter is geen weg onbegaanbaar.

Harald

Citaat van: Ronald Elzenga op 12/05/2017 | 20:07 uur
Inderdaad, maar niet overal wordt aangegeven dat het eenzelfde soort systeem gebruikt en niet hetzelfde.
Idd, ik ging ook uit van dat de bestaande opvang en lanceermiddelen gebruikt konden worden.
Dat was toch ook een voordeel om de scaneagle als interim te gebruiken.

Ronald Elzenga

Citaat van: StrataNL op 12/05/2017 | 19:28 uur
Niet gek gezien de afmetingen tov de ScanEagle.
...
Inderdaad, maar niet overal wordt aangegeven dat het eenzelfde soort systeem gebruikt en niet hetzelfde.

StrataNL

Citaat van: Ronald Elzenga op 12/05/2017 | 19:16 uur
Wat mij opviel was dat de oude opvanginstallatie dus niet meer voldoet...

Niet gek gezien de afmetingen tov de ScanEagle.

-Strata-
Je Maintiendrai! Blog: Krijgsmacht Next-Generation

Ronald Elzenga

#381
Citaat van: StrataNL op 12/05/2017 | 18:29 uur
3 systemen met elk 2 Integrators dus.....
Niet echt veel..maar ja..centenkwestie. Voor een moderne oorlog heb je er tientallen nodig.

Ronald Elzenga

Citaat van: Harald op 12/05/2017 | 18:36 uur
Begrijp ik het nu goed en hebben ze de integrator aangekocht en niet de doorontwikkelde blackjack versie.
Ik vermoed dat ze de oude naam nog gebruiken...

"In September 2013, the Integrator was renamed the RQ-21A Blackjack."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Insitu_RQ-21_Blackjack

Wat mij opviel was dat de oude opvanginstallatie dus niet meer voldoet...

StrataNL

Citaat van: Harald op 12/05/2017 | 18:36 uur
Begrijp ik het nu goed en hebben ze de integrator aangekocht en niet de doorontwikkelde blackjack versie.

RQ21 is een variant van de Integrator. Kan ook best zou zijn dat de NL Integrators een iets andere configuratie hebben natuurlijk. Het project heette in NL destijds al integrator.

Blackjack heeft volgens de fabrikant een iets hogere kruissnelheid maar een kleinere endurance tov de basis integrator.
-Strata-
Je Maintiendrai! Blog: Krijgsmacht Next-Generation

Harald

Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 12/05/2017 | 17:42 uur
Integrator komt eraan #defensie

https://magazines.defensie.nl/materieelgezien/2017/03/mg201703integrator-jv
Begrijp ik het nu goed en hebben ze de integrator aangekocht en niet de doorontwikkelde blackjack versie.

StrataNL

-Strata-
Je Maintiendrai! Blog: Krijgsmacht Next-Generation