THREE-

DIMENSIONAL
WARRIORS

A Publication of Second Line of Defense

 Foreword Preface

Dr. Robbin F. Laird

T
The interviews and essays in this booklet have appeared in earlier hree-Dimensional Warriors provides Because the USMC lacks the organic ground
versions on the web site Second Line of Defense (http://www.sldinfo. an overview of how United States firepower of US Army forces, the air component
Marine Corps (USMC) aviation shapes provides the ground commander with essential
com/). SLDinfo.com focuses on the creation and sustainment of
their capabilities and directs how they strike support. From this standpoint, both fixed
military and security capability and the crucial role of the support operate. Aviation allows the USMC and rotary wing aircraft operate as flying gunships.
community (military logistics community, industrial players, civilian to be “three dimensional warriors” in fighting the
“three block war.” Not only does aviation provide Second, the unmanned and manned elements
contractors, etc.) along with evolving public-private partnerships among of USMC aviation provide essential ISR and C2
for 360-degree situational awareness, but aviation
democracies in crafting real military strength. SLDinfo.com is updated leverages the ground warrior against the “hybrid” capabilities for the ground commander. Indeed,
every Tuesday; articles, photos and videos are posted on a weekly basis. enemies he faces today. As a former Commandant because of USMC doctrine and training, USMC
of the USMC characterized the challenge, the pilots think like the ground forces and consider
Marines have to be prepared to fight the “three themselves as part of any ground operation.
block war.” For then-Commandant General Krulak,
Third, the USMC is an expeditionary force. As
Some of the interviews and articles in Three-Dimensional Warriors Marines had to be prepared to operate over
such, the air components enable the strike and
are excerpted from the longer pieces on SLDinfo.com as indicated at the spectrum of warfare within confined space.
C4ISR capabilities to facilitate a rapid advance
USMC aviation provides the essential glue for
the beginning of the article. The original pieces on the web site often against adversaries on the battlefield or to operate
such capability.
include photos and graphics which are not included in this publication. in a distributed manner to change the very
The new elements being added to the USMC— character of the battlefield or of military operations.
the V-22 and the F-35B—provide a significant Furthermore, air is an enabler for operations from
advancement in capability to support these the seabase, which figures prominently in USMC
concepts of operations. The role of the air element and USN strategic planning for the future.
for the USMC is essential to its future. One can
With regard to rapid advance, the USMC in the
have a police force that wears military uniforms or
assault on Baghdad was able to use its fixed wing
one can have a flexible military force enabled by full
fighters for close air support without its ground
spectrum capability. The choice depends upon the
forces waiting for the movement of artillery pieces.
central role provided by an integrated air element
The KC-130s operated off of highways to support
for USMC operations and options. The air element
flexible ground and air operations. Bringing the
enables diversified, decentralized, and flexible
tankers along with the troops is an essential
USMC operations.
element, and protection of the tankers as well as the
The aviation element within the USMC force ground forces is a crucial role for USMC tactical air.
structure plays a number of crucial functions.
But tac air does not simply play a close air
Because of the integrated nature of air and ground
support (CAS) role in any traditional sense. It is
elements, it would be difficult to conceive of
an enabler for distributed operations when such
effective distributed operations without the
operations are essential to either conventional
air element.
strike or counter-insurgency warfare. USMC
First, the air component provides crucial strike aviation has allowed the USMC ground forces
capabilities in support of the ground commander. to operate with greater confidence in deploying

i
 Preface Contents

within the civilian population in Iraq. Aviation’s “ground” forces to engage in envelopment Foreword
roles in both non-kinetic and kinetic operations operations that Napoleon could only have Preface: Dr. Robbin F. Laird i
have allowed the USMC to avoid operating dreamed about. The F-35 will be a “first-generation
within “green zones” so as to facilitate greater flying combat system” which will enable air- Introduction: Ed Timperlake 2
civil-military relations. Aviation has also provided ground communication and ISR exchanges Shaping the Concepts of Operations 4
an integrated asset working with the ground unprecedented in military history.
forces in joint counter-IED operations. 21st-Century Concepts of Air Operations 6
The pilot will be a full member of the ground An Interview with Brigadier General Walsh on the USMC Use of
Battlefields of the future will require the USMC team; the ground commanders will have ears and
to operate simultaneously upon many axes of eyes able to operate in a wide swath of three- Airpower in Iraq: From Precision-Strike to Presence 8
attack. Such an operation is impossible without a dimensional space. New unmanned air vehicles V/STOL Aircraft and Expeditionary Operations:
USMC aviation element. will be added to enhance, not supplant, the new
manned aircraft, operating as “extenders” of Shaping Flexible Concepts of Operations 13
Another aspect of the expeditionary focus of USMC capabilities and part of the integrated air- The F-35B and USMC CONOPS 20
the USMC is the central role of the seabase. ground solutions sought by the USMC to support
In a famous moment in the initial Afghanistan Going to Afghanistan: The Osprey Squadron Prepares 24
their concepts of distributed operations. In short,
operation, the USMC operated from ships to the new technology will fit within the operational The Osprey in Afghanistan: A Situation Report 27
move deep inland to operate against the Taliban. envelope already evolved by the USMC. This
Task Force 58 (TF-58) was in essence a seabasing Augmenting the Capability of the Amphib: A Key Element in the Evolution of the Seabase 30
operational approach will provide invaluable
operation and a prime example of what the assets for the evolving integration of air and An Interview with Lieutenant General George J. Trautman, III, USMC 32
USMC needs to be prepared and supported to ground capabilities required by the U.S. effort to On the Impact of USMC Aviation on the Evolving Capabilities for the U.S. Warfighter
do in the years ahead. TF-58’s combat operations transform the overall joint force structure.
in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Enabling Three-Dimensional Warriors 36
Freedom (OEF) in 2001 covered 450 nm to Three-Dimensional Warriors outlines the evolution Enabling the F-35 Pilot 38
establish Camp “Rhino” and then operated of the future of USMC aviation, especially as
over 750 nm to Kabul—unimaginable without shaped by the contribution of the F-35B. But The Distributed Aperture System and 360-Degree Situational Awareness 41
integrated airpower. given the centrality of integrated air and ground The F-35 Pilot: An Interview with Test Pilot Lieutenant Colonel M.G. “Squirt” Kelly at Patuxent River 45
capabilities to the evolution of 21st-century
The new air platforms fit into the overall warfare, the USMC case is definitional and not Evolving Manned and Unmanned CONOPS:
approach taken by the USMC. The Osprey An Interview with Lieutenant General David A. Deptula, USAF 48
unique to the service. ✪
provides unique capabilities, which allow the Supporting Three-Dimensional Warriors 50
Manufacturing for Sustainability: The F-35 Case 52
F-35 Low Observability: Lifelong Sustainability 54
An Update on the LO Maintenance Approach: The LO Repair Capability Deployed to Patuxent River 57
Pax River Interview: Gunnery Sergeant Larone Thomas in Charge of F-35B Maintenance 58
Preparing for the F-35: The 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base
Stands Up a Comprehensive Training Facility 60

ii 1
 improved radar systems and, second, as technology system. The entire engagement is also captured
allowed, improved weapons. Yet again, the art of electronically for immediate and direct refinements
aeronautical design had to work in partnership with to tactics and analysis at the Marine Air Weapons
the science of military R&D. Training Squadron during the air battle. Fleet-wide
Introduction: The F-35B in the Perspective of Aviation History information sharing among services and allies will
Along the way, survivability concerns shifted be a huge factor in winning an air campaign.
from armor, speed, and a good canopy to
Ed Timperlake
electronic warfare and the incorporation of stealth In WWII the Buffalo was a “grape” and the design
characteristics through design, composite materials, teams worked with wartime efficiency to follow a
Former Commanding Officer, VMFA-321 “Hells Angels” and paint chemistry. single path to improve airframe performance. After
WWII the technology vectors of improving internal

I
Stealth is a survivability factor and multiplies the systems and weapons carried were added to the
n the opening days of U.S. combat in experimented with early jet engines. But it was the effectiveness of the fighter. Stealth isn’t just added, it mix. In this new century, the concept of each pilot
World War II, extremely courageous Navy German ME-262 that changed the dynamics of is incorporated into the fighter. Being a multiplying being a three-dimensional warrior with superior
and Marine pilots went up against the combat, although the Germans employed it in an factor means it is sensitive and can drive the entire knowledge is being pioneered by the USMC
Imperial Japanese Navy in inferior aircraft. inefficient manner by following Hitler’s call for it to performance of the airframe and combat system. aviation community.
For the Marines, the Brewster F2-A Buffalo be committed to an air to ground role.
was woefully inadequate at the Battle of Midway. At the end of the 20th-century the complexities of
After WWII, the jet engines saw improved airframe The F-35 is not designed for the early century’s
An entire Navy torpedo squadron, Torpedo-8, fielding the best fighter were a much bigger challenge
system performance by improving speed, range, concept of the knife fight, and it has the growth
except for a single pilot, was killed in combat. because of three synergistic but independent factors—
and maneuverability. But two new dynamics were potential for internal changes to its systems
basic airframe performance improvements, internal to always incorporate the best weapons while
With the entire world in combat and nations added—both related to payload. system R&D, and constantly improving weapons. expanding empowerment of combat pilots to have
fighting for their very existence, aircraft design
teams pressed ahead with all the resources and For a fighter in WWII, the However, with the computer revolution moving three-dimensional knowledge and elevate the fight
intellectual vision they could bring to the design payload was simple—what at light speed, a fourth design dynamic is now at to a new level.
table. The U.S. air forces introduced a steady caliber and how many work—the man-machine interface.
machine guns or cannons fit In other words, the F-35 may actually be its own
stream of type, model, and series (T/M/S) of always
the design to give the pilot With the capability of three-dimensional sensing follow-on. Instead of the old paradigm of needing
improving airborne killing machines.
enough “deadly bursts” to kill and the ability to distribute information to other to completely build another fighter to move from
From the Brewster F2-A Buffalo to the F-4F and several of his opponents? warfighters—airborne, on the ground, or at sea— the F-2A “Grape” to F-4U “Whistling Death,” the
F-4U to the F-6 and, at war’s end, the F-8 Bearcat, the relationship of the individual pilot to the entire Marines can just change and update the F-35B
the Navy had a series of prop-driven fighters that In the jet age, the complexities of adding air battle offers a truly revolutionary shift that will system, sensors, and weapons. The Marines flying
mastered the Japanese Zero. The Army Air Corps airborne systems and improving the weapons continue to evolve. the F-35B with a pre-planned product improvement
went from P-39 to P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt to on board changed the technology vectors of design philosophy to pull and replace or add system
the P-51 Mustang, with its wonderful bubble canopy, design considerations and introduced two more For example, one of the most important capabilities capabilities will in the future have total flexibility
to carry the fight to the heart of Germany. synergistic, but relatively independent, research and of the F-35B, not yet exploited, is the distributed to add new sensors and the improved AA missiles
development paths. information capability. All pilots, regardless of currently being designed.
Along the way, emphasis was placed on pilot experience, will fly into the air battle with the same
survivability by putting armor plates in the cockpit Airborne radar and sensors were added to fighters. knowledge and situational awareness. Exploiting man-machine, three-dimensional
and installing self-sealing fuel tanks. Since the Those systems helped the payload—guns and early knowledge is truly a brave new world. Consequently,
entire objective was to get first “tally” and then infrared (IR) “fire and forget” missiles became Consequently, in the formation, if one pilot gets the F-35B is capable of constantly updating the
out-maneuver and kill the enemy, the design focus more efficient with the AIM 9 sidewinder series. inside the opponent’s OODA loop (observe orient next generation of U.S. fighters, but not by building
was on an improved blend of speed, range, and But then, concurrently, independent performance decide act) all are capable of having that same joint a new airframe, by staying inside the F-35B basic
maneuverability—in essence, better engines and was put into the payload by improving missiles and knowledge. The revolutionary aspect is that the airframe and adding the next generation of systems
smarter airframe designs. linking long-range (BVR) missile shots to radar enemy can “splash” an individual F-35B but they and weapons. The American arsenal of democracy
technology. At first, radar guided missiles needed can’t kill the knowledge gained by all—a truly is shifting from an industrial production line to a
While the main effort was producing enough continuous guidance from the fighter but eventually unique 21st-century technology brought to an “clean room” and a computer lab as key shapers of
“motors and gun sights,” industry and research labs even radar guided missiles became BVR self- air battle. our competitive advantage.
were working on the technology of the air fight. contained “fire and forget.”
Conversely, on the offensive, if one F-35B picks It is a bold concept and only history will tell us if
The P-61 Black Widow was an early attempt to Unlike WWII research and development, where up an enemy’s airborne vulnerability, such as an this is indeed the best way ahead. In addition, the
put radar on a night fighter, and the Germans research on airframes and engines was the mantra, aircraft system, weapon frequency emission, or USMC combat flexibility of basing mode enabled
tried a rocket plane against B-17 formations. The the jet age involved two other major design stealth breakdown—it can be sent to all. Every by V/STOL adds a revolutionary capability for the
Italians, Germans, Brits and, ultimately, Americans factors. The first was always a continuous quest for Lightning II is a real time intelligence collection integrated air-ground battle. ✪

2 3
Shaping
the Concepts of Operations
21st-Century Concepts of Air Operations
Dr. Robbin F. Laird

[Excerpted from “A 21st-Century Concept of Air and Military Operations.”]

T
he limited numbers of the F-22 will One example of an opportunity for CONOPS challenge will be to work an effective connectivity can recede during an operation, allowing the role
ensure that the F-35 will be the customization derives from the F-35’s multimodal/ battlespace with other manned aircraft, such as the of unmanned aircraft to increase significantly and,
dominant fifth-generation aircraft multi-mission capability, which includes the ability Eurofighter Typhoon and legacy U.S. aircraft. Here, over the course of the operation, supplant manned
in both numbers and availability in to deliver non-kinetic as well as kinetic effects, the advantages of each platform in contributing to aircraft in ISR and C2 roles.
a coalition environment. From the offering decision-makers many options. The F-35 the air battle and to the type of flexible military
force packages that 21st-century air capabilities The man-machine attributes and computational
standpoint of thinking through 21st-century air is central to operationalizing the networked battle capabilities of the F-35 provide a significant
operations, the ability of the F-22 and F-35 to work management environment. It can provide services provide will be the focus of a joint concept of
operations. opportunity to evolve the robotic elements within
together and lead a strike force will be central to (communications, intelligence, and electronic airspace to provide for data storage, transmission,
U.S. core capabilities for projecting power. The F-35 support) to others in the battlespace in ways that In addition to the core dynamic of working with collection, weapon emplacement, and loitering
will be flown from Air Force airfields, allied airfields, are transparent to its pilot. a variety of manned aircraft across the joint and strike elements, all of which can be directed by the
Navy carriers, and, in the case of the F-35B (the coalition battlespace, the F-35 will be highly manned aircraft as the centerpiece of a manned-
vertical lift version of the F-35), virtually anywhere interactive with the evolution of robotic elements. robotic strike or situational awareness wolf pack.
close to the action. UAS are not well designed for self-defense. For early Rather than focusing on robotic vehicles as self-
The F-22 and F-35 will work together in supporting
Large platforms that used to provide entry UAS to stay alive, they need to be part of contained units with proprietary interfaces and
a wolf pack built around the protective functions ground stations, the F-35 can be useful in generating
air dominance, kicking in the door, and supporting battle management will be supplanted of the manned aircraft. As air dominance and air common linkages and solutions to combine into a
insertion of a joint power projection force. The
F-22 provides the initial strike and guides the by a force mix of the F-35 and superiority operations succeed, their significance core wolf pack capability. ✪
initial air dominance operations; the F-35 and
fourth-generation aircraft support the effort. The
unmanned vehicles, shaping a 21st-
F-35, because of its stealth and sensor capabilities, century approach to air operations.
will be able to operate in a distributed network to
provide strike, ISR, and air defense suppression,
as well as attack shore defenses against maritime
projection forces. CONOPS customization is the reason that the
F-35B is of special interest to the Marine Corps,
The F-35 is more than a fifth-generation fighter; it is Royal Air Force, Italian navy, and other forces.
a first-generation flying combat system. The effects The F-35B’s short takeoff and vertical landing
that the F-35 can deliver within the battlespace (STOVL) capability will make possible a different
are flexible, synergistic, and multidimensional (air, approach to ground-air integration and CONOPS
ground, maritime). The F-35’s open architecture than with that of the F-35 conventional takeoff
allows this flying combat system to become the version. Almost certainly, weaponization and ISR
focal point of three core activities: air-to-air, air-to- requirements will be modified to work with the
ground, and air-to-maritime roles and missions. The STOVL-enabled CONOPS.
F-35 will be defined by how its open architecture is
customized by national militaries in meeting their An additional aspect in developing joint or
perceived priority needs and mix of air, ground, and coalition CONOPS for the F-35 will revolve around
maritime missions. Its combat capabilities will be its interaction with other manned and unmanned
defined in part by “CONOPS customization.” assets (UAS). With regard to manned assets, a key

6 7
 An Interview with Brigadier Gener al Walsh
on the USMC Use of Airpower in Ir aq:
From Precision-Strike to Presence

[Excerpted from a November 2009 interview with Brigadier General Robert Walsh, USMC
in which he discussed his recent experiences in Iraq.]

In December 2008, General the non-kinetic role needs to be understood as a

Walsh became the Commanding presence and support role. The presence role was
General of the 2nd Marine robust and significant; and Walsh argued that the
Aircraft Wing (Forward). He metrics for this significant airpower role are not well
deployed to Operation Iraqi understood. “One can measure the effects of kinetic
Freedom on November 3, 2009. strike; it is more difficult to measure the effects of
2nd MAW (Fwd) was deactivated presence.”
on Thursday November 19, 2009.
General Walsh served in Washington with the Walsh provided a core understanding of the
Deputy Commandant for Aviation as the principal strategic shift in the use of manned air in the
deputy, and in this position developed significant counter insurgency (COIN) environment. The
familiarity with the latest USMC aviation shift is from shaping air around precision-strike to
platforms, including the F35-B. He has extensive shaping air to provide collaborative presence.
experience in dealing with the USAF and is very
knowledgeable with regard to the USAF’s approach
to air-battle management, so his comments on
how the USMC has used aviation in Iraq, and the We are living among the people. The
growing requirement for integration between air
and ground elements is significant for the USAF enemy is living among the people.
and its relationship with the U.S. Army as well. He
was an instructor at the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons
The challenge is to get the people on
School (Top Gun) and is a decorated Marine Corps our side.
Aviator.

During Walsh’s time in Iraq, there was a double

transition underway. The first transition was the At the heart of the challenge, according to
acceleration of stability operations. The second was Walsh, is that “you are not dealing with one
the growing collaboration with the Iraqis in shaping large formation on attack; the forces are very
their evolving capability to provide for their own decentralized and very distributed. You are dealing
internal security. with a very large area and with a dispersed force.
This meant that the air element for the USMC You are dealing with little formations all over
had two crucial tasks: to support U.S. forces as they Anbar province, which is 250 miles by 150 miles in
began to withdraw and prepare for their exit role area. You have companies and platoons split over
as Iraqi advisors and to assist the Iraqis in shaping a large territory, which you have to support with
operations to provide for their own security. limited assets. There is no rear area; there is no safe
area.”
As such, the core role of the USMC air was largely
non-kinetic but with a residual kinetic role. But

8
Walsh went on to characterize the situation facing have the road divided now into two slow moving “At one point we had 140 combat posts; while we where the ground elements are located in real time
the COIN military force. “The enemy can hit small lanes of vehicles, how do you know who is were there we went from 36 to 4 combat posts; and provides a texting tool, BFT can be a crucial
you anywhere; the enemy gets a vote is how I in those vehicles? How do you know what they so air was relied on more frequently for convoy tool for the air element.
characterize it. We are not on the offensive; we are going to do? You can wait a long time for the protection. As we drew down combat posts
are on the defensive. clearing vehicles to show up. A request would come and associated capabilities, air was relied on for Walsh stated, “I can do my operations with real
in: Please bring in a fighter for presence to show you capabilities which had earlier been largely provided knowledge of where the ground elements are
If they are on our side they will give us credible are there. How do you measure that effect?” by the ground forces.” located to support them. It goes from being a tool
information upon which we can act. But to know to reduce fratricide in a fast moving offensive
that level of detail you have to be distributed or Second, it could be reassurance to the population. On another level, this was due to the need to operation to becoming a key tool to allow me to do
dispersed.” As the Iraqi leadership began to perform more protect the convoys moving equipment out of collaborative support and operations. Frankly, all of
functions, there was a remaining need to reassure Iraq. “As you close down and do retrograde, you our fixed wing aircraft should have BFT on them
The challenge is simply this according to Walsh: the population that support could be provided have to move further out in road miles and that and I hope the F-35 will have as well ....”
“How does aviation provide support in such a throughout the country to the Iraqi allies. requires air support.”
chaotic environment? Just like the guy on the The presence role, which Walsh sees as central to
ground who is not certain of what is about to “For example, when the provincial government On another level, transport needs increased COIN operations, is facilitated by the institutional
happen, the pilot who is trying to support those was to be seated in Al Anbar in June 2009, there demands to move support elements to work with investment, which the USMC has put into air-
ground elements also has to deal with managing was an Al Qaeda threat to Ramadi. The Governor Iraqis. “We were increasingly asked to provide ground integration.
uncertainty.” asked us to fly our F-18s at 5000 feet to reassure the support for partnering operations.”
population and to deter any threats.”
His answer revolved around the shift from precision Walsh underscored that the CONOPS for doing
strike to presence. Air presence was significant on Third, it could be presence to deter attacks from presence missions is considerably different from
three major levels for the USMC during this period a dispersed adversary. The pop-up capability of an doing strike-oriented, offensive operations. With “When we have the F-35, we will
in Iraq. adversary blended into a civilian population meant an offensive operation, air power can be tasked have a very significant flying combat
that air assets were in demand to come in and to in advance, targets are identified, and air battle
First, presence was crucial to support the Marine support the ground elements on an ad hoc, and on- management focus is on tempo of operations. With system overhead which can work with
on the ground. This could be lift, it could be call role. a presence-focus, which characterizes counter-
overwatch, it could be an ability to provide fire insurgency (COIN) operations, tasking is “on the this distributed command element.”
support, it could be to fly low to demonstrate to the As an example of the challenge of confronting fly” and is not orchestrated 48-72 hours in advance.
population that the ground element had significant attacks in a dispersed environment, Walsh offered
firepower available, it could be to deal with the this example. “I was on the ground; we were To do the “on the fly” mission planning, the ground
disparate strikes to which the ground forces were stopped at a check point and the check point came and air elements would work with common mission “The processing power of the aircraft and the
still subject from a dispersed enemy. “A lot of times, under motor fire. Several vehicles in front of us were planning software to identify the ground element’s software on board which will allow us to support
Marines on the ground would ask us to come down destroyed. All hell was breaking loose with mortars day-to-day tasks. The pilots would go airborne directly overhead our ground forces will be an
lower so that they could see us. How do you measure coming in every few seconds. We did not know with a set of four to five taskings for the support exponential increase in capability. But this
that effect?” where the things were coming from. We of course of the ground forces, and would shift among these capability will be built upon the organizational
had no battery radar. We called in some F-18s and taskings as the ground forces would demand. The investment and the habitual relationship we have
the minute the planes showed up the firing stopped; ground forces would identify the day’s schedule and between the ground and air elements....”
the enemy figured out that the F-18s would know intentions in the mission software and web-based
Walsh characterized this concept as where they were with the obvious consequences. communication system. These intentions drove the Walsh emphasized the central role of the manned
How do you measure this effect?” taskings for the air element. element in playing the presence role within COIN.
“no Marine walks alone.” When a Indeed, Walsh underscored that as the US forces In effect, a push concept for air operations was
“The ability of the ground and air elements to work
together to shape presence in a COIN environment
Marine is operating “outside of the withdrew there was demand for more, not less adopted. In the push concept, air elements would is central to reassurance of the Marine on the
airpower. This happened on several levels. be launched in support of the ground forces, and ground, to the population you are trying to reassure,
wire,” the role of airpower is to provide the selection of the taskings would be taken from and to the ability to strike an adversary who can
On one level, this was due to the drawdown of the pre-planned presence support list and adjusted pop up without warning.” ✪
protection and support to that Marine. the number of combat posts, which supported as challenges emerged. The USMC aviators worked
operations in Iraq. American forces continued to with the ground elements before launching to
work with Iraq forces but now had to commute determine the range of needs likely to be required
from distance to do their work, rather than being based on the ground forces intent.
He gave an example of dealing with an IED-event. in close proximity to combat posts. This meant
“When you have a vehicle blow with an IED and that airpower had to provide regular support to the A key technology highlighted by the push concept
transit of US forces working with Iraqis. is blue force tracking (BFT). Because BFT identifies

10 11
 V/STOL Aircr aft and Expeditionary Oper ations:
Shaping Flexible Concepts of Oper ations

[Excerpted from an April 2010 interview with Brigadier General Robert Walsh,
USMC concerning USMC experience in operating Harrier aircraft]

A
s the F-35B comes to the USMC and SLD: The point is that you have to go where the
replaces, in part, the Harrier, the crisis is: you cannot go only where a fixed-wing
concepts of operations introduced by aircraft could go. Is this correct?
the Harrier over the past thirty years
will be extended and transformed. BGen Walsh: That’s right, and to be those First
In this interview, BGen Walsh provides a better Responders, we have to be agile, light, and quick to
understanding of the concept of operations the fight. We can’t go with all the heavy gear and
facilitated by the Harrier as a V/STOL aircraft. firepower that the United States Army brings. They
have a different mission, they bring a lot more.
BGen Walsh: The Harrier enables the MAGTF
to have flexible expeditionary basing, and that’s So to be light we bring less. In order to bring less,
key. The Harrier provides the expeditionary basing our firepower, the organic firepower we bring with
capability from a fixed-wing standpoint. Obviously, ourselves is really our fixed-wing aviation, or heavy
we’ve got helicopters that can live in the dirt just firepower. Now if the firepower can’t go where the
like the Grunts do, and we support the Grunts right Grunts are, then they’re not going to have the
up front and close with our helicopters, but from firepower with them. We need to carry the aircraft
a fixed-wing standpoint, the Harrier is the only to the fight as we move, and our expeditionary air
aircraft that can do that. basing capabilities and the Harrier— or AV-8—as a
STOVL [Short Take Off/Vertical Landing] aircraft
facilitates that.

If you look at today’s global operating

environment, the threats are hybrid.
It’s a mix of conventional warfare,
The A-10 can do some of the things the Harrier
it’s irregular warfare, it’s terrorism,
does, but cannot operate off the small it’s criminal activity; but, today’s
strips like the Harrier can—diminishing its
expeditionary role. battlefield is a chaotic ever-changing
Marines in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force environment that requires rapid
(MAGTF) view ourselves as the Nation’s 9-1-1
Force. We look at ourselves as the First Responders decision making.
to any type of crises or event.

13
One of the things that we like to do because we’re If you look at Afghanistan in the early operations plussed-up the amount of aircraft that could go into
light—and this goes all the way in our history, all of Operation Enduring Freedom, our AV-8s were the initial stages of OIF-1.
the way back into World War II—is that we like to We’ve also loaded up large-deck operating off of USS Peleliu and USS Bataan.
control the tempo of operations in these chaotic They were some of the first aircraft to fly over SLD: So the point is that the aircraft allows you
environments. We want to operate very quickly, amphibious ships with Harriers: Afghanistan and operate well inland off of the to operate in initial insertion operations and to
make decisions fast, maneuver very quickly, and use coast of Pakistan, operating deep in Afghanistan operate off of seabases, or land bases as needed
maneuverable warfare as our ability to outmaneuver
we have put, say, 24 Harriers on an and actually using Kandahar Airfield, which was a and appropriate. It can be used in a moving COIN
the enemy. amphib and treated them as, what we badly damaged airfield that really only had about operation, so to speak, as you currently do in
Afghanistan. Or it can operate off of a sea base
2,000 feet of usable runway.
So to do that, we’ve got to be able to drive the fight, call, “Harrier Carriers.” of a variety of platforms to support insertion,
control the tempo of the fight. So, if we had to Again, the Harrier in this case could come off the high-intensity warfare, mid-intensity operations,
sit and wait for external air support to come from ship and use those runways to rearm/refuel, even or low-intensity operations. So it’s really an
long ranges away from fixed operating bases, then though it wasn’t a fully operational conventional important piece on the chessboard that gives the
we couldn’t drive that fight. We couldn’t drive that Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) go out with operating runway. In 2002 and 2003, we had our decision maker a lot more flexibility than he would
tempo because the ground combat element, without those on large-deck carriers. Along with the normal Harriers operate out of Baghram Airfield in the otherwise have.
organic fire power, is waiting for our air to be there complement of their combat element capabilities, northern central part of Afghanistan. In fact,
to provide that fire power. Tempo is key to the way CENTCOM put a Frag Order out that would BGen Walsh: I’ve seen numbers anywhere from
they also bring six AV-8s out there on every MEU five to eight times the number of runways that an
the Marine Corps fights. afloat. In Desert Storm, we located three squadrons only allow AV-8s and A-10s to fly out of Baghram
because the airfield—a former Soviet airfield—was AV-8 could use across the world, as opposed to a
The Harriers allow us to do so not only in at King Abdul Aziz air base. That air base was conventional aircraft. That means there are five to
basically an abandoned, unserviceable 6,000-foot in such terrible condition.
conventional ops, but in regards to this hybrid eight times as many fields that they could fly off of,
type of warfare, by bringing all assets to bear, airstrip where conventional aircraft couldn’t have In the first stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom we if you picked a country in the world that we were
all technology to bear. The AV-8 gives us that worked off of, but we were able to use them to started to look for places where we could put going to go in and operate from. There are only so
capability to bring that advantage to the battlefield. forward-base 60 AV-8s. Initially, the Harriers were aircraft. We were not able to rely on some of the many airfields that have the 8,000+ foot runways
operating out of Bahrain and it was taking 45 places that we previously depended on, like Saudi that conventional aircraft need.
The Marines on the ground in Afghanistan, minutes to get them to the battlefield—that’s a lot Arabia. As we started looking at bringing in
operating against the Taliban, may not have a lot of of time. By forward-basing them, we cut all that conventional aircraft, we quickly ran out of room FA-18s can fly off 11 carriers, but our 11 large-deck
advantages; if you consider the gear and equipment “drive time” away to get to the fight by basing them ashore. amphibs are available as well for the AV-8s.
they’re traveling with; knowing the terrain and the at that King Abdul Aziz airfield.
environment that the Taliban have lived in all their As a result, we came up with this concept of using
lives, it’s a fairly equal footing that they’re on. In Desert Storm we were able to move the Harriers our large-deck amphibs to move the helos ashore
that were operating off of the USS Nassau ashore and use those large deck amphibs, instead of a
You bring Harriers in there—and the technology at a place called FARP Tanajob, an Aramco helo normal MEU air combat element capability. We
that Harrier brings into that fight—then you do field. We moved them forward as a forward arming cleared the helos off and used them for what we
bring in that advantage. The key thing to remember and refueling site off the ship, where their mission called “Harrier Carriers.” Using those 750-foot flight
about the Harrier is that it is a flexible basing piece was to fly, refuel, rearm, and then eventually go decks that the Harriers could operate from—the
we can operate virtually anywhere. We can operate back to the ship. This FARP site—Forward Arming USS Bataan and the USS Bonhomme Richard—
off of major operating bases; we can operate off of and Refueling Point—allowed them to arm, refuel, we could operate in the Gulf by putting 24 AV-8s
damaged airstrips, as well as austere sites like we’re and operate right there on the battlefield, instead of on each.
doing in Afghanistan right now; we can operate off having to drive all the way back to the ship and use
of major conventional aircraft carriers, or we can a tanker. Along with that, we also had two MEUs operating
work off of smaller amphibious ships. on Tarawa and Nassau, so we had a total of 60 AV-8s
That’s a key benefit of being close to the fight. You that were operating out at sea. That allowed shore-
Among the conventional aircraft carriers that we’ve reduce the requirement for tankers and you free up based ramp space to be opened up to other coalition SLD: Could you describe the approach to using
worked off of are the USS John F. Kennedy, as well tankers for other conventional operating aircraft. and U.S. aircraft. the Harrier in the current Afghan situation?
as, in the past, the USS Teddy Roosevelt. Plus you allow the Harriers to carry more ordnance,
because they don’t have to worry about going long Because those ships were parked right off the coast BGen Walsh: Right now in the operation that
distances to get home or find a tanker to be able to of Kuwait, there was only a 15 minute transit to the we’ve got going on in Marjah in Afghanistan and
meet their bingo profiles to get back to the ship. battlefield. That’s a whole other piece of this basing Helmand Province is another indicator of how we
concept; because the Harrier could work off the can use the aircraft, the AV-8, in its capability as a
Those were some of the things we did in Desert Storm. ships, we didn’t have to put them ashore, allowing V/STOL or STOVL aircraft. This really proves the
other aircraft to come in and use the limited expeditionary capability of the aircraft in support
amount of basing that we did have. So it of the MAGTF and the Joint Force. In Marjah

14 15
right now, we had been operating out of Kandahar Harriers are dropping laser-guided bombs and FAC (Forward Air Controller) on the ground. Then
Airfield. It was about 100 miles from Kandahar using their 25mm cannon to kill the enemy and he’s there. There’s none of this putting the airplane
to where this Marjah operation was going to take support our Marines right there on the ground. When we move those sea-based on auto-pilot and smoking a cigarette as you drive
place. The AV-8 can take off in about a 1,000 to 2,000 an hour and a half to get to the battlespace from
foot ground run and can come back and land, with platforms ashore, move our airfields the aircraft carrier.
The key leadership in Afghanistan had made it its ordnance, and stop at about 2,200 feet without
very clear that we were going to Marjah and we using arresting gear.
to a shore expeditionary site, we can SLD: Is the STOVL concept central to COIN, hybrid
were going to take on the enemy in Marjah, and warfare, and insertion of force in the spectrum of
they were going to either leave or they were going We’re then able to generate a lot of sorties that
decrease our response time by 75% warfare?
to die there; but we were going to take Marjah way—a lot of sorties and a lot of time on station. and increase the on-station time by BGen Walsh: Because the world is so chaotic and
back and give it back to the people that once lived They’re flying out of Kandahar, they’ll fly a mission,
there. So I don’t think there was any doubt that we they’ll come down and land at Dwyer. They’ll about 50%. we don’t know where we’re going to go, it’s not
were coming there. We told them we were coming rearm, refuel, fly another mission, come back in and necessarily going to be at the Fulda Gap in the
land again at Dwyer; rearm, refuel, go back up, fly airfields that we set up at Spangdalem, and Bitburg,
again over the battlespace over Marjah; and then and Ramstein, and those places. We don’t know
eventually return back to Kandahar at the end of It is key to understand the presence piece. If you’re where we’re going to end up. It could be the South
their third mission. Dwyer is also the Regimental right there, you can respond quickly, which gives Pacific, off the Coast of Africa, or Central America.
Combat Team-7’s combat outpost, their combat you that presence piece so you can react and Who knows?
operations center. Our pilots are rearming and support that ground commander more effectively Being close to the battlefield minimizes time to
refueling at the same field in direct radio contact than if you’re parked an hour or two hours away go to the refueling tanker. If you look at the fixed-
with the Regimental Combat Team’s command from his location. The presence factor has an wing aircraft that are operating over Iraq and
operations center, talking directly to the air officers, impact on the friendly forces, the enemy forces, and Afghanistan, they’re always having to save gas to
getting the latest battlefield updates, the latest the civilian population. get to the tanker and be on their bingo profile to
operations intentions and what requirements they’re get to an airbase where they can get gas in case the
going to be needing on their next mission. When we were designing the original AV-8A, the
options we had were to buy lots of aircraft and tanker’s fouled, the tanker goes down, the weather’s
So, unlike other aircraft that are flying long blacken the skies with aircraft, which would not bad, or they can’t get in the basket; but they’re
distances from another major operating base miles be affordable, or develop an aircraft that could be always saving mission time to get to the tanker.
there, and in order to provide the best support and miles away, or from an aircraft carrier hundreds based close to the fight. With the STOVL aircraft, it’s parked right there on
we could from an AV-8 standpoint, we decided to of miles away, reading the Air Tasking Order the bow, but you don’t have to worry about getting
(ATO) in the morning and flying the mission, then So this presence concept, though we’re using it
build a runway called Dwyer 20 miles away from to the tanker, either pre-mission or post-mission,
finding out everything on the ground has changed differently today, was something we looked at
Marjah. We built that thing right in the middle of to get gas to get home or to increase time over
since they took off—these guys are right there many years ago when we developed the STOVL
the enemy’s battlespace, right there in the Helmand stations; the STOVL aircraft is already there on-
on the ground getting real-time updates from the concept, mainly because we couldn’t buy the
River Valley and, like I said, 20 miles away from station requiring less tanker requirements and less
command center or the ground combat element number of aircraft that we would have liked. By
where this major operation was going to take place. time to operate.
that’s conducting the operation. moving them closer to the fight we could afford
By doing that, we put AV-8s 20 miles away from to get that presence. SLD: So it changes the logistics needs from a
where the ground combat element was going to Going back to the current Afghan operations, if refueling point of view. You can play this game
be operating. And it was, again, a Marine Wing the ground element is moving to Marjah, we want differently and more effectively and allow your
Support Squadron that was able to build this to move with them. If it’s moving deep towards tankers to go support the fixed-wing assets that
Baghdad, we want to move with them. If it’s off the
austere 4,000 foot runway which the Harriers were
Coast of Iraq, we want to be on ships or austere sites
Within four to five minutes of taking might need them for other missions as well.
able to operate out of—in the middle of the enemy’s
battlespace. Since then, we’ve grown that runway close to them so we can support them. off from Dwyer, they are operating BGen Walsh: Another piece is strip alert. If you’ve
to 6,000 feet. The enemy is probably watching this got your aircraft parked right near the battlefield,
thing get built. Lo and behold, what they don’t
Responsive fire support is necessary because, as over the tactical area of operations there are times where you may not want to have
you know, the battlefield does not go as scheduled. them airborne all the time in a presence mission.
know is that AV-8s are going to show up here, and over Marjah.
Often you find yourself launching 500 miles away You might want to have them on strip alert as alert
that’s what we’re building that airfield for. So now
off an air-tasking order, thinking you know what aircraft that are ready to launch at a moment’s
in the Marjah operations, we’ve got AV-8s operating
you’re going to do, then 180 miles out you find out notice. When you can be airborne and over the
off of Dwyer, an airstrip that we carved out of the
that the battle wasn’t going as you planned. To battlespace in five minutes, you can allow your
desert.
be flexible in that situation, air has to change as This is enough time for the pilot to get the gear aircraft to sit on the ground waiting. You can’t do
ground changes. up, to get his weapons armed, to talk to the that when you’re four or five hundred miles away.

16 17
 can loiter much longer over the area you need to SLD: Can you summarize the STOVL impact on
loiter if you’re parked right next to it. CONOPS for the USMC?

SLD: So the time on station is the critical measure BGen Walsh: The biggest benefit we see in the
of success, if we’re trying to look for a metric, a AV-8 and V/STOL is its expeditionary nature.
metric for the presence capability. It allows flexible basing, and in today’s war or
tomorrow’s fight there are a lot of unknowns out
BGen Walsh: Presence may be the driving force. there. We could be operating on bombed-out
Troops may not go outside the wire if they don’t runways, highway strips, FARPS, and austere
have that capability overhead. That could be runways, or working off of amphibs and large-deck
a driving point in triggering their operations, carriers. This isn’t just a theory that the Marines of
dictating whether or not to send convoys based many years ago dreamed up and never used.
on if they have fixed-wing presence overhead. Just
like they may not go outside the wire if they don’t
have MEDEVAC support available. The more time
you’ve got on station, the better off you’re going to
be able to provide that presence capability. This is a proven concept that we’ve
SLD: Obviously, you are discussing sortie been using — with the Brits in
generation rates as well.
the Falklands, in Desert Storm,
BGen Walsh: Let’s look at it from a conventional
standpoint like we did in Desert Storm or OIF-1,
with the Marines in Iraq and OIF, in
where that proximity to the objective area, the Afghanistan…
target area, allowed us to go out, drop ordnance,
The STOVL allows you to set your aircraft down uniforms, they blend in. We don’t have the greatest rapidly get back a short distance, rearm, get back
and use less gas in a strip alert standpoint. So again, intelligence all the time on when they’re going to out there, and drop more ordnance again.
the responsiveness of being close to the battlefield attack, or operate, or come out of and today in the operations out of Marjah and
gives us the operational agility that we like. their holes. We’re able to service more targets and hit more
Kandahar in support of the Marjah operations. It
targets because we’re closer. So if I’m ten minutes
They haven’t turned Dwyer into a major operating So the presence capability with increased time goes right with our ethos of being expeditionary as
away from the target area and I can go out there
base. They could in the future if they want to, and on station to be able to observe, pounce, provide a MAGTF, being light and quick to the fight, and
and drop my ordnance and then come back in
then eventually you could bring in the conventional presence where they don’t come out; whatever the the aviation piece has to be right there with us. It’s
ten minutes, I’m already in the refueling mode
aircraft. But somebody’s got to make a decision that effect is you’re looking for, the STOVL being closely a natural bridge right to the F-35B. I look at the
or rearming mode in ten minutes. The guy that’s
you want to bring in all that logistic support and all based not only gives you the response time, but also AV-8 as that bridging aircraft to get us to that
driving back 500 miles to his major operating base
those resources. gives you that increased time on station by being fifth-generation capability, which is going to give
or to the aircraft carrier is not even thinking about
closer to the battlefield. us what we all want, but allows us the MAGTF to
rearming. He’s just trying to get back home, and
Right now, what they’re using it for is a Forward maintain that expeditionary capability so we can be
we’ve already generated another sortie by the time
Army and a Refueling Point at that Forward But time on station in these presence rules, because that 9-1-1 Force.
he lands.
Operating Base. And they’re rearming, refueling, this isn’t a deliberate attack, this isn’t driving
and doing three missions; and at the end of the forward on conventional operations what we’re We can be those First Responders because we
Hitting more targets goes back to the Harrier
three missions heading back to the major operating doing today. It’s a lot of times just waiting for the can get there lighter and quicker with our ground
providing our aviation fire, or a great portion of
base at Kandahar, 100 miles away, for long- ground force to say that they need an effect. combat elements. Because it’s really your ground
our aviation fires, for the ground combat element
term heavy maintenance and daily turnaround forces that take up all the weight and all the cube
because they’re able to be closely-based and provide
inspections. And it may be the enemy reacting to what we’re that goes aboard shipping and aircraft lift. If we can
that capability.
doing that drives that reaction. So it’s not that we’re reduce that down and bring a lot of that firepower
SLD: What about the time on station aspect developing a plan 72 hours out on when to attack Then again, it ties into the tanker piece. We’re not in our aviation combat element, that reduces what
which shapes the presence availability targets, and launch into a 10 minute window to sucking up those tankers. It’s go hit your target, the ground force has to bring. ✪
percentage as well? drop your ordnance and get out of there—that all come back, and, in some cases, not refuel. We’re just
works fine and good. rearming. We don’t have to get more gas.
BGen Walsh: You can’t predict today’s fight— when
the enemy’s going to attack, where they’re going We may not drop any ordnance. But it’s that
to operate. Like you said, these guys don’t wear presence piece, that loiter time, that’s critical. You

18 19
 That will allow us to identify threats to the aircraft This response time is critical when considering a
plus we’ll be able to see threats to other elements future battlefield with sophisticated hybrid threats
of the MAGTF. The system will allow us quickly that are dangerous, elusive, and can blend in with
to identify and pinpoint threats to those locations, noncombatants and hide themselves amongst the
The F-35B and USMC CONOPs and highlight Point of Origin and Expected
Point of Impact to the MAGTF. We’ll have an
civilian population, where collateral damage is
extremely important. This is where speed, precision,
unprecedented opportunity to counter a strike from and proportionality are critical to strategic
[In a March 2010 interview with SLD, former USMC aviator, Robert Fitzgerald, assets across the MAGTF. F-35 can self-engage, or success—where protecting the population is equally,
discusses how the F-35B will replace multiple assets for the USMC.] we can transfer that target off to another aircraft or if not more important than engaging the threat,
assign that target to another firing element inside just as we’re seeing in Afghanistan.
the MAGTF…with incredible speed.
SLD: Bob, could you tell Fitzgerald: As we pace the threat and as we This machine-to-machine interface with F-35 is
our readers about your understand the evolving national security By fusing that kind of capability across the MAGTF going to allow us to outpace the threat and engage
background so that environment and the engagement responsibilities in the single battle—the rear, the deep, and the the adversary with precision, with the right weapon,
they have a sense of the our Corps has in the littorals, the F-35 is going close fight—we can connect all the elements of with very specific yield, from very specific quadrants.
experiential base from to embody all of the unique characteristics and the MAGTF, not only for force protection, but for And at the same time limiting, if not eliminating
which you are viewing capabilities of our integrated TacAir force into a precision engagement, intelligence, surveillance, collateral damage and civilian casualties, which is
the introduction of single platform. and reconnaissance. The battlefield becomes very extremely important when we’re trying to separate
the F-35B within the dangerous for the bad guys, immediately, while the threat from the population and bring stability
USMC? SLD: So the F-35B is not simply replacing the giving great confidence to our friends and allies. and security to the region.
Harrier as many claim. It’s a much broader
Fitzgerald: I retired about two years ago. I was replacement effort. SLD: Could you talk to the machine-to-machine SLD: Can you speak to the difference that an
the director of aviation plans and policy inside aspect of the DAS and associated systems—what integrated capability brings to your ability to
HQMC Aviation, so was responsible for crafting the Fitzgerald: It’s certainly understandable why they that really means to future procurement and rethink operational capabilities as opposed to
Marine Corps aviation vision, which is parallel and would think that, because the focus is again, on a future operations? sequential upgrades which are not integrated
complementary to, but not the same as, the Marine fifth-generation afterburning capable aircraft that inherently into the legacy tactical aircraft?
can take off and land vertically. And so the natural Fitzgerald: That machine-to-machine piece is
aviation transition strategy.
tendency is to describe it in its STOVL attributes. what’s going to provide the decisive engagement Fitzgerald: This is going to fundamentally change
I have been a Harrier pilot for about 25 years with But it’s much more than that. capability we’re looking for: bringing strategic the way we conduct operations across all phases of
almost 3,000 hours in a Harrier. I also had an agility, operational flexibility, and tactical combat operations. Modernizing legacy platforms,
opportunity to fly the Prowler as the CO of MAG- In fact, this is an EC-130, F-18 and Harrier, all rolled supremacy to the single battle. The speed of intel- while important, limits you to just accelerating
14. So I have unique experience with the transition up into one. So what you have is a supersonic, fifth- sharing, threat-data processing, and decision making traditional tactics because you’re limited by your
from AV-8A to AV-8B, being involved in its growth generation, EC-130-Prowler-Hornet-Harrier all rolled will allow us to rapidly and accurately complete the technology. With these next-generation capabilities
from Day Attack to Night Attack to the AV-8B II+ up into one. It’s the computing processing power, kill-chain, and the target-to-weapon system pairing. and the machine-to-machine interface, which
radar jet and the introduction of the lighting pod it’s the sensors, it’s the integrated weapons suites The F-35 is not a traditional intel-consumer or exponentially increases our tempo and our ability
and the integrated capabilities of the Harrier, but and communication systems, combined with the intel-dependent weapon but an intel-generator and to influence actions across the electromagnetic
also with the electromagnetic spectrum exploitation stealth technology that enables persistent presence battlespace manager for the MAGTF. spectrum, we can influence the battlespace in ways
of the Prowler. on the battlefield. To do all the things we do across we’ve never seen before.
all six functions in marine aviation, and all six We’re transitioning from platform-centric operations
And in fact, that’s what we want to do with the warfighting functions of the MAGTF. And it brings to network-centric operations, and the F-35B is SLD: Rather than relying on specialized aircraft
F-35B. The JSF is really a fusion of the EA-6’s the expeditionary flexibility of STOVL operations, the key node in our integrated MAGTF system of that may or may not be there?
extraordinary EM capabilities, and the Hornet’s which doubles the number of airfields and decks systems. Not only can we Right-Configure our force
protection posture real-time, across the MAGTF, Fitzgerald: Expeditionary means being able to
long-range afterburning, supersonic, fourth- that we can take off, land, and operate from.
but we can engage threats as they’re presenting execute and sustain with organic capabilities.
generation capabilities, with the ground attack,
SLD: What’s the impact of the Distributed themselves or before, in some cases, to engage them While we expect to integrate with out-of-theater,
STOVL capabilities of the Harrier…all combined
Aperture System (DAS)? with the appropriate weapons system across the national, and joint/coalition partners and platforms,
into a single cockpit.
MAGTF. And we’ll do it at unprecedented speeds we don’t want to put operations or our Marines at
Fitzgerald: The DAS is an incredible leap in risk by being limited due to other priority tasking
SLD: So, from your point of view, the experiences because it will be machine-to-machine interaction
you’ve had with the transition within the Harrier technology. While it was initially designed for with all Blue Forces linked on the network, as or bandwidth limitations or physical locations of
force and transition within the Prowler force are protection of the aircraft—and it will certainly do opposed to identifying and prosecuting a threat— critical assets. So if the bad guys are operating
important operational experiences that you’ve that—we’re able to extend that capability across the the way we’ve done it for the last 30 years. anywhere in the battlespace, not only will we know
taken forward to the new aircraft. battlespace, truly integrating the MAGTF in the it, not only can we influence that, but we expect to
single battle. have unfettered access on our own, which gives us

20 21
unprecedented non-kinetic capabilities, which we’ve the battlespace, because even with a small We’re generating the support systems, the ship. And that enhances our ability to shape and
only begun starting to explore. We can finally fuse initial shaping force, such as a MEU, you bring a computers, the meta tagging, the data recalling, the influence the battlespace across the littorals, across
the non-kinetics with the kinetics in a time and tremendous range and depth of combat power from ability to manipulate and share, and the machine- the naval battle force, and deep inland. And this
place of our choosing. an integrated MAGTF with F-35Bs that shape the to-machine interface that is essential to exploiting kind of combat power isn’t resident in only discreet
battlespace with next-generation technologies. all of this combat power, and all of this information areas, but rather it’s spread across the areas.
SLD: The fact that you’re subsuming multiple sharing. We cannot overlay a manual process over
platforms will have a significant impact on the SLD: The Osprey’s a good example of new this high technology information exchange system. Now you’re just adding this enhanced capacity to
logistics problems; you’re now supporting one systems being ahead of CONOPS. I think we’re This is an unprecedented computerized capability, the force for the CoCom, and its resident from the
aircraft. Does bringing the Osprey plus the having the same problem with F-35; the DAS will and we’ll need the support infrastructure that smallest force up to the largest force. So you’re not
F-35 give you a much smaller footprint and a generate way too much information to handle for exploits that. That’s what we’re in the process signaling your strategic intent with force size, rather
greater capability? our current needs. Does that mean that we then of doing. you have the full spectrum at your disposal at any
go backwards and buy something that fits our force size. You can shape and influence operations
Fitzgerald: It certainly does. That’s part of the key current mental furniture? Or do we take advantage SLD: Does the built-in integrative capability of at the lowest level as well as the highest level.
performance parameters for the F-35—the ability to of what the new technology can provide us? the aircraft coupled with shaping new CONOPS
generate sorties. You hit the nail on the head when provide the ability to shape a smaller footprint for SLD: You’ve had a lot of Harrier experience.
you talk about our logistics sustainability, and our Fitzgerald: We’re tackling that issue across the the deployed force? Because folks often insist on seeing the F-35B
ability to conduct and sustain and surge operations force. The F-35B will be no different, in that the as a Harrier replacement, can you discuss the
for extended periods because of the smaller difference between flying a Harrier and an F-35B?
footprint over legacy platforms. And this will be
coupled with increased system reliability. We’re Fitzgerald: Mostly in cockpit management. The
expecting to see component Time Between Failures Harrier is a combat-proven, but first-generation
to be reduced by 30% and Combat Turn Around STOVL platform; a manual, mechanical aircraft
Times to increase by another 30%. that requires a great deal of hands-on flying from
the pilot. As the aircraft matured we added more
We’re also going to have unprecedented sophisticated capabilities, but it’s a third-generation
connectivity with joint and coalition forces. aircraft with limited growth potential.

Nine countries and 13 services will be operating The F-35, because of the enhanced technologies
the same basic airframe. We will have the and unprecedented reliability of the systems in
unprecedented ability to train, operate, integrate, the aircraft, you are less of a mechanical pilot and
and reduce the footprint across the joint and more of a battlefield operating systems manager.
coalition force. And…you can do it at 8.5Gs, at supersonic speeds,
through persistent presence on a sophisticated
SLD: Is shaping joint and coalition mental battlefield.
furniture a key part of 21st-century operations?
You are truly a fully networked, battlespace
Fitzgerald: We’ve always had exchange officers. integrator. You are able to develop the combat
And they’ve always been critical to sharing ideas situation and push real-time situational
and tactics and building long-term partnerships. In awareness (SA)…imagery, data, threat
this case, we’re taking it to a next logical step in communications…directly from your aircraft
that we’re flying the same aircraft. So, not only do new capabilities…such as the DAS…will generate Fitzgerald: We’ve never had the kind of operational into the network, and can directly engage threats or
we share tactics across tactical airframes, but now much more information than our current system flexibility in such a small footprint before. A much direct engagement from others with a full range of
we’re flying the same airframe. So that when we is equipped to manage and exploit. The answer smaller force now brings exponential growth in non-kinetic to kinetic options. ✪
form the coalition in response to crises, we expect does not lie in muting the capabilities so that combat power through integration: data sharing,
our combat power, our response force to be able to they conform to legacy systems and our current technology sharing, speed of decision making, and
respond faster and more appropriately because we integrated operations. We have bright young precision weapons. It is not commonly realized that
will have procedures, processes, tactics, systems, and Marines crafting next-generation concepts and the F-35B has 400 percent of the EA-6 Prowler’s
logistic support processes that all fall in on each intend on taking advantage of what the new processing capability.
other and accelerate our ability to respond technology can provide us. You can’t stay in place in
to threats. this business. You’re either moving forward or going You can deploy large-deck carrier capability to
backwards…and I’m pleased to say that I’ve served a significant extent from an amphibious L-Class
This will facilitate our ability to respond to in an organization with a history of innovation and
crises before they become conflicts and shape fresh ideas.

22 23
 Going to Afghanistan:
The Osprey Squadron Prepares
[Excerpts from an interview with several members of the Osprey squadron just prior to
the deployment of the squadron from North Carolina to Afghanistan in November 2009.]

T
he Osprey team discussed their With regard to operations, the Marines discussed
preparation, some of their the challenge of getting folks to understand the
expectations and some of their impact of the new machine on operations.
thinking about how the Osprey A common point is that “…we are not a rotorcraft;
could be used to benefit the we are operating a tiltrotor craft. As such, we can
MAGTF and the joint and allied forces. do the operations of a CH-46 but we are not simply
a CH-46. Do not confuse our abilities to mimic the
Above all, the core view was that the unique is true for several reasons. First, the adversary has of situations, but we can come from any direction,
CH-46 with the much more limited capabilities of
capabilities of this aircraft would provide some decades of experience of tracking and combating which offers a big surprise factor.”
the CH-46 when compared to the Osprey.”
tools which the MAGTF commander would be rotorcraft. The CONOPS of the Osprey are
different and can provide a counter to the years of The range of the aircraft means you can cover
able to use in the context of the topography of As one Marine put it: “…you can call it a rotorcraft,
experience of the adversary in countering rotorcraft. the entire theater. When VIPs came to Iraq and
Afghanistan and the demands of shifting strategy. it’s a form of rotorcraft, but it’s a tiltrotor; that’s the
Second, the combat operations in Afghanistan will wanted to get around Iraq in a day, one Marine
The speed and range of the aircraft and its ability distinction that gives you the speed and the altitude
be able to draw upon the unique capabilities of the underscored:
to support MAGTF team members, widely dispersed that a normal rotorcraft doesn’t have.”
in Afghanistan, were often cited in the interview. Osprey. Third, the ability of the Osprey to support
“The minute they got there and everybody realized
Also, underscored was the ability of the Osprey Another Marine underscored that getting folks ground forces not near its base will be a significant
that you can cap all six FOBs in less than six hours
to fly at a much greater height than traditional to understand the difference is essential to advantage.
if you’ve got the speed and the legs to do it, the next
rotorcraft to which it is often compared, and to understanding how to use it differently from a
The aircraft can move in areas not covered by thing you know you’ve become the VIP platform.
be able to use “vertical sanctuary” by operating at rotorcraft:
traditional rotorcraft without using multiple forward Why? Because I have to get to these places before
higher altitudes. the sun sets today. And no other machine can do
“Let me give you a practical example in CONUS. operating bases (FOB), and moving in the directions
When we land in the DC area, we challenge the of relatively direct flight which rotorcraft need to use. that for you except the V-22.”
The Afghan deployment is the second for the
Osprey. The Osprey was first used in Iraq, and its FAA controllers to understand how we operate. As one Marine commented on the critics of Osprey,
The infrastructure piece is key to the Osprey
“baptism” has been drawn upon for lessons learned We surprised the Washington Terminal area
advantage. The Osprey can operate from a single
in preparing for the new deployment. When asked controllers because…why can’t I get in the pattern
base, but its ability to operate all over the area of
whether the Marines had drawn such lessons, one with that guy up there? I’m moving at the same
squadron member commented: “Absolutely, we’re speed. Because then you have to take the runway. “They simply do not take into account operations (AOR) means that it can go where it is
needed. As one Marine put it:
Well, no, I don’t need to take the runway, I can
the Marine Corps. We pass it on.”
get off and fly helo route, too, if you want me to
the operational advantages of the
“We’re not married to the base and ground
Specifically, the Marines underscored that some do that. And that just blew their minds, and we ability to skip a refueling or its ability to infrastructure the same way as traditional aircraft
members had previous Osprey experience in Iraq, couldn’t find a way to work that out. So it is not just and the mission in Afghanistan requires that that
many had Iraq combat experience and some had us, the military, that are challenged to understand carry it all in one load.” not be the case. You can’t do it. You couldn’t…you
Afghan combat experience. Also emphasized was the unique characteristics of the Osprey, it’s FAA wouldn’t be able effectively to maintain aircraft
the wide-range of backgrounds of members of the controllers as well. We’re going to have to figure out and maintain the maintenance or the operation
squadron in working air issues within the MAGTF. this tiltrotor piece because it is far more versatile of infrastructure for a relatively small air element
As the squad leader commented: “We have guys and gives you a lot more options, and there are no Another Marine emphasized the joint impact of in so many different locations and FOBs from the
from every background: Hornets, Prowlers, CH-46s, rules written for it.” enhanced security for the force and increased ability company level, in some cases down to platoon level.
CH-53s, you name it....” to surprise the enemy. “If you’re flying a helicopter, But if you put them all in one place with their
Bringing the unique qualities of the Osprey to the you pretty much have to take a straight line in a lot ability to quickly dash out and get to that guy and
fight is especially important in Afghanistan. This

24 25
do whatever he needs you to do, then return to that could take troops from a regionally quiet area to an
same central base, we’re in effect doing distributed area where something’s going on, and that’s a real
operations.” combat multiplier, the ability to do that with the
speed that of which the Osprey is capable. That
The ability of the Osprey to move rapidly to support
dispersed forces is central to tempo-setting. As one
is the crux of it all. We can reinforce, cover great
distances in very short periods of time, and then
The Osprey In Afghanistan:
Marine noted: return those troops to their base, which might be
200 miles away, at the conclusion of an operation.”
A Situation Report
“The mission of support, which people often
lose sight of, isn’t just to move things around the Another key aspect is the ability to fly higher and
battlefield in a circulatory motion like we’ve seen quicker as a means of providing enhanced security
in Iraq, it is the ability to provide mobility to the [In February 2010, Second Line of Defense followed up its interview with the Osprey squadron,
and greater capability to execute envelopment
MAGTF Commander anywhere, anytime, anyplace, just before their deployment to Afghanistan, with an interview with
operations. As one Marine encapsulated the
any payload; that’s the key. I can be wherever the Osprey advantage: Lieutenant Colonel “Buddy” Bianca, USMC.]
enemy is, and I can be there faster than the enemy

T
can respond to me. That’s tempo-generating. That’s “Obviously Afghanistan’s got terrain that we’re
basic maneuver warfare. I can move faster, farther, all familiar with. Osprey’s got the highest altitude he most compelling point underscored that we can land at dozens of these places in a
with more stuff than you can, and you can’t get capability of any vertical lift aircraft. It’s the only by the squadron commander is how, single day—move mail, food, water, in some cases
away from me; and you can’t catch me.” vertical lift aircraft that has an oxygen system in effect, the Osprey has inverted building equipment. We have run the whole gamut
onboard. Our ability to fly more than 20,000 infrastructure and platform. Normally, of support operations. We’ve done external lift
The ability to quickly move ground forces from one feet does a lot for us. Obviously, we can’t carry the infrastructure shapes what the operations; we’ve done deliberate actions for assault
passengers at our highest altitudes, platform can do; a rotorcraft or a fixed wing insert looking to kick in the door.
but we can carry cargo. We can aircraft can operate under specific circumstances.
Osprey’s range and speed shapes an overarching Day-to-day, we circulate and circumscribe the
retrieve passengers and we can carry battlefield. And we do that in concert with the
passengers at lower altitudes. But flying infrastructure allowing the ground forces to range
over all of Afghanistan or to be supported where H-53s. Typically the H-53s or the other aircraft will
at higher altitudes makes you a whole work closer to Camp Leatherneck and the V-22s
lot faster. I see that glossed over when there are no airfields or where distributed forces
need support. The Osprey’s envelopment role in will range out to the far reaches.
this airplane is briefed. The average
ground person, or someone who’s not Afghanistan is evident as well as it can provide the
a pilot, or even a rotary pilot, may not other end of the operational blow for the ground
fully understand it. At higher altitudes, forces or rotorcrafts in hot pursuit of Taliban. The
you’re about a hundred knots faster Osprey can move seamlessly in front of the land
than you are on the surface, in any forces and allow different lines of attack to be
airplane, tiltrotor or otherwise. pursued. The envelopment role was not the focus of
the interview because of security considerations, but
The ability to go higher definitely anecdotal evidence suggests the role.
makes you faster, too. You get vertical
sanctuary. The ability of the enemy to SLD: What is the nature of the environment in
shoot you or channelize you through which you’ve had to operate and what kind of
some terrain is reduced. So you may challenges have you faced as a Marine
area where they are not needed to reinforce in areas have a helicopter that can fly at 13- or 14,000 feet, a supporting the ground forces?
The environment is challenging for several reasons.
under attack is essential in the Afghan theater. One very powerful lightly loaded helicopter; but, he’s still LtCol Bianca: The nature of this particular First and foremost is the fact that we’re not at an
Marine underscored the significance of the Osprey going to have to fly through passes where the enemy environment is distributed operations, which airport; we live in tents. The airplanes are hangared
contribution to this CONOPS capability: could establish a threat system. Our ability to fly at the V-22 excels at. We operate primarily in the in tents, and we only have one. For the most part
more than 20,000 feet empty, or 13,000 feet when Helmand province, but we do fly to the far reaches they live outside in the dust and the mud and the
“I see V-22 as a real combat multiplier with its full of people, gives us the ability to fly in straight
ability to reinforce ground forces over great of the country. The forces and the leadership want crud on expeditionary airfield matting. We don’t
lines from Point A to Point B without having to to go places where there is no runway, and the V-22 take off from a concrete runway. We typically lift to
distances. So right now, in the traditional deal go around mountain ranges in certain cases, and
that we’re in where we have platoon-sized elements can get you there. and from river rock pad, open desert, and things of
gives us vertical sanctuary and speed while doing so. that nature.
spread over hundreds of miles, it’s likely to be very That’s often not captured in discussions about the Distributed operations are mostly at outlying
quiet in one area, and there will be a tic in another airplane....” ✪ bases, living with the people in their villages and We’re trying to do some pretty sophisticated
area. At the ground commander’s request, we townships. One of the advantages of the V-22 is maintenance on some precision parts. These are

26 27
actuators, hydraulic actuators, electrical motors,
things of that nature, and even the electronics of
the aircraft, the flight control computers, mission
computers and things. They have to live in this
dusty environment. That’s been a challenge. But
the airplanes have held up to it.

In some cases, we learned a trick or two to ease

things and make the aircraft last a little longer—
keeping the electronics from overheating, keeping
the actuators so they could last longer on wing.
Things of that nature.

I’d say the biggest challenge has been the

environment and the fact that there is no factory
you can go to, no depot level maintenance facility
you can go to; we fix it right here underneath the
sun or the rain or the clouds.

In terms of flying the airplane in the dust, the V-22

is potentially the best airplane to do that. We are
very comfortable with landing in a brownout; we
do it daily. The pilots are very good at it, and the
airplane systems allow us to do that.
SLD: Can you speak to how the V-22 is providing
a very different kind of infrastructure than a
classic rotorcraft or a fast jet can provide for the
operational commander? three things: speed, range, and payload. If you need LtCol Bianca: Here’s something that nobody ever Never forget that it’s not like the troops just get on
mobility, hey, I just got here in Kandahar, and I thinks about until they get here. It’s one thing for the airplane here at Camp Leatherneck. They’re not
LtCol Bianca: This is true not just for pure military
need to go see this place and this place and this me to do an assault support mission where I insert here at Camp Leatherneck, they’re somewhere else.
operations but also in support of the political place, so I can get this non-government agency troops to a location. It’s quite another to talk about We have to go get them first and then move them
process closely associated with the military and eyes-on, well then, we’re your platform, and I distributed operations. to wherever the operation’s going to go. Regardless
security operation. For example, when a Shura or guarantee you, we’re going to get that mission. of how you characterize an operation, whether it’s
tribal council is to be held, a big issue is getting So, I’m here at this airport, the troops I have to an assault or it’s a town meeting, it’s time urgent
everyone together in a timely fashion to reduce the It’s the same with the VIPs that come from move are way over there, and the place I need to get mobility.
security risk to the council from Taliban attacks. America: the undersecretaries for agriculture, them to is way over that way. So, if you want to do
The Osprey can uniquely bring folks together and the various service committee members or this in one cycle of darkness, you’re going to have We are moving folks to places in this country that
move them after the meeting in a very timely representatives. If you need to see a lot of things, to put some speed on it or you’re going to have to you just can’t get to in a timely manner any other
manner. then we’re going to put you on a V-22, because that’s make this a two-day evolution. So, even if it was to way. You can’t get in a car and drive there. You can
the only way you’re going to see everything in this be characterized as “ferrying” of troops, there’s the get in a helicopter and fly there, but that’s going to
There have been one or two times where we had to province in a day. We’ll get you there and back in speed component. take two and a half or three hours.
go get a guy, literally, on the border with Iran and a day. There are no airports; we carry the airport
another guy from the other end of the country from with us. Your only option if you need to get somewhere
the border of Pakistan. If we didn’t have V-22s, we quickly is to get into a V-22. ✪
could not have done that without taking several SLD: A recent press piece focused on the
days to transport these guys. role of the V-22 in Afghanistan as “ferrying Football’s a game of inches; combat is
SLD: Are you highlighting how the V-22 fits the
around” troops. Given what you are saying, this
phrase probably should be modified to suggest
a game of minutes or even seconds.
political context of Afghanistan?
the impact you have in shaping operational
LtCol Bianca: We’re trying to put people and capabilities, not just doing something akin to
policy makers together in certain places at certain classic rotorcraft transport.
times. The nature of mobility is characterized by

28 29
 between the MLP and the LMSR, and the ability operationally ready Marine Air-Ground Task Forces
to transfer those assets from the MLP to LCACs for (MAGTFs). Those ships can project and sustain
maneuver ashore. those forces ashore, and can recover them to the
seabase when and where required. That’s a degree
Augmenting the Capability of the Amphib: Third, the original MPF Future program called of operational flexibility that significantly increases
for three T-AKE supply ships, carbon copies of the range of options available to the Combatant
A Key Element in the Evolution the T-AKEs that are being acquired for the Navy’s
Combat Logistics Force. The MPF Future T-AKEs
Commander. That’s very important in today’s
security environment.
were funded in Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010, and we
of the Seabase were able to retain the commitment for those ships Equally important is the fact that amphibious
to become part of our MPS program. By adding one ships can loiter virtually indefinitely with those
T-AKE to each of our three MPS squadrons, we’ll operationally ready forces fully capable of operating
[Excerpted from a March 2010 SLD interview with Jim Strock, Director, Seabasing Integration Division, be able to convert 20-25 percent of supply stocks, on a rheostat. Other ships can’t do that, or they
Capabilities Development Directorate, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development and Integration.]
previously packaged in 20-foot containers, into can’t do it to the extent amphib ships can. The
pallet-level stowage configuration, thereby enabling amphib ship with its onboard ability to care and
selective offload of small-unit sustainment packages feed and train and refresh and resupply those

J
im Strock is one of the nation’s leading (TRANSCOM) to replace for pinpoint delivery ashore by aircraft for surface troops, and house and maintain their aviation
experts on seabasing and an innovative some aging MPS ships. craft. and landing craft, those are critical capabilities
thinker with regard to the evolution of U.S. While those LMSRs are necessary to support today’s national security
Put all that together, the MPS squadrons operating strategy.
Naval and Marine Corps forces. In excerpts not outfitted with the MPF in the seabase becomes a very credible new node
from this interview, Strock highlights Future enhancements we within a much larger theatre operations and With the V-22, you now have a geometric increase
innovations in the decade ahead in augmenting the were seeking, they are distribution network. With those enhancements in your operational reach and speed of extending
capability of the seabase, notably under the impact LMSRs nonetheless, and to today’s MPS, we will have far greater seabasing those forces ashore. With a CH-53 kilo’s key
of the Osprey and the F-35B. they are extraordinarily capabilities—at-sea transfer, maneuver ashore, and performance parameter of 27,000 pounds traveling
capable ships. The Marine selective offload—that will enable our Navy and 110 nautical miles on a high hot day, that’s a level
SLD: Let’s turn to the question of the evolution Corps went to TRANSCOM and said we would
over the decade ahead; what new capabilities
Marine Corps operating forces to employ our afloat of operational reach we have never seen before.
like to acquire the operating rights of three of prepositioning capabilities across a far greater array With that elongated operational reach, you could
could be added to the seabasing effort? those ships and put them in our MPS program. of military operations in support of Combatant go farther inland; you can enable that seabase to
Strock: The capabilities that we need in the
The LMSRs are nearly a thousand feet long with Commander mission assignments. stand off a little bit more that enhances your force
seabase are the ability to conduct at-sea transfer of three to four hundred thousand square feet of protection.
personnel, equipment, and supplies between large rolling cargo space. They were built in the mid SLD: It seems to me that given your focus on
vessels and maneuver those capabilities ashore 90s as part of the Army’s overall strategic mobility the seabase, that the amphibious fleet becomes With respect to the F-35B, we’re talking about a
via all forms of surface craft. The last time we program. That’s a story unto itself, but we wound more important as the capabilities onboard are fifth-generation aircraft with greatly expanded
talked, we talked about the MPF future program up acquiring 19—half of them are the Bob Hope- enhanced, namely, the Osprey and the F35-B capabilities over its predecessors. It’s a multi-
and how we were going to have the LMSR, the class, the other half are the Watson-class. The which enable a three-dimensional capability mission aircraft. I’m not an aviator, but it’s clear
large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship coupled vessels are very good utility infielders, capable of for the seabase that it currently doesn’t have. that this aircraft will bring far more than improved
with a fully functional mobile landing platform. going 24 knots and carrying substantial amounts of Could you speak a little bit to the question about kinetic strike to the battle space. It will give the
With such platforms in the seabase, you’d be able to cargo. Those ships were one of the principal means how these new aviation assets interact with the commander on the ground vastly improved eyes
transport troops to the seabase by aircraft and the for getting combat equipment in theater for OIF surface assets? and ears. It’s an incredible aircraft.
Joint High-Speed Vessel and conduct at-sea arrival (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and OEF (Operation
Enduring Freedom). We still have the AMSEA Strock: I think what the nation needs to know We have a whole lot of ship integration work to
and assembly of troops, equipment, and supplies— about amphibious ships and amphibious forces do to get that aircraft onboard the amphibs and
transforming them into an operationally capable and Waterman-class dense-pack ships in our MPS
program, but with the addition of three LMSRs is, number one, that out of all the ships in the have it operate from the amphibs. The flexibility
unit able to maneuver ashore by both aviation and fleet—all the ships in the fleet—the only ships of what our amphibious ships can do across the
surface landing craft. we now have the beginnings of at-sea transfer
capabilities. that can truly extend the full range of seapower full spectrum of military operations is lost on the
We’re clearly heading in that direction, but we’re ashore are amphibious ships. Aircraft carriers nation. They are exceptionally versatile platforms,
not getting there as fast as we want. The answer Second, the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2011 shipbuilding and surface warfare ships have tremendous strike and they’re always in high demand. ✪
comes in three parts. budget contains funding for three revised Mobile capabilities, and the upcoming Littoral Combat
Landing Platforms. These MLPs will initially have Ships will provide enhancements to our surface
First, the Marine Corps fortuitously acquired three two basic seabasing capabilities: at-sea, sea-state combat, anti-submarine warfare, and mine warfare
LMSRs from the U.S Transportation Command three transfer of personnel, cargo, and equipment capabilities. But amphibious ships are armed with

30 31
 warfare airplanes do for us today be a “pilot-friendly” Combined with the improved intelligence
machine. If it’s not a pilot-friendly machine, built surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that
An Interview with from the ground up with fused systems, we’re not our nation already has, we’re going to be able to
Lieutenant Gener al George J. Tr autman, III, going to be able to perform all of those functions. exploit our asymmetrical advantage which will be
USMC, Deputy Commandant for USMC Aviation in the combination of the F-35B in the STOVL
We’re actually quite optimistic in what we’ve seen mode and the V-22 with the range and speed that it
on the Impact of USMC Aviation on the Evolving in the simulator and what we’ve seen through contributes to the fight.
Capabilities for the U.S. Warfighter various studies of the systems that are already
being built by the contractor that we’re going to be SLD: The combined capabilities that you are
able to train to this range of mission sets. We may crafting will be an essential contributor to dealing
SLD: The Commandant has referred to the F-35 And so in many ways, F-35 will lead us to the next have to have specialization of some of our aircrew. with hybrid threats. How do you view the multi-
as the centerpiece for the future of the MAGTF. generation of warfighting, if you will, in which It remains to be seen as we build our concepts mission capability of the F-35 in dealing with
Why is that so? information exchange is going to become more and of operation and our tactics, whether we have hybrid threats?
more important, and the F-35 is ideally suited for to evolve into a specialized approach or not. At
LtGen Trautman: The Marine Corps is by nature that kind of operation. this juncture, we’re actually fairly confident that LtGen Trautman: Some people like to paint the
a light force. We don’t have the luxury of traveling fifth-generation strike fighter, the F-35, as only
with a lot of heavily mechanized forces. Because of SLD: The F-35 is going to replace several aircraft the enhanced capabilities of the F-35 are going to
enable us to avoid building specialized aircrews. essential in a state versus state endeavor where
our naval character, we often go by sea and because for the Marine Corps. What contributions does
a near peer competitor has decided to build a
of our expeditionary nature we often find ourselves simplification of your fleet bring to the fight?
SLD: The USMC has introduced the Osprey, sophisticated integrated air defense system or has
in austere locations early in a campaign. In order to which is certainly a transformational product, and decided to spend a lot of money on sophisticated
get there early in a campaign, we need to deal with LtGen Trautman: The tangible benefit of replacing
our Hornets, our AV-8s, and our EA-6B Prowlers the F-35B is coming online. Those two together aircraft that can conduct a near peer aerial warfare
an increasingly inaccessible world. should give you more integrated capability to fight.
with a single type model series is going to be huge.
At the forefront of the ability to operate in this From the perspective of the logistics footprint, from certainly provide a leapfrogging capability for
your amphib fleets for example. I think that’s flawed thinking because even in a low
environment is the very low observable capability the training perspective, from things like peculiar end fight, it’s possible that you can encounter very
that the F-35 brings to the support equipment, ground support equipment, sophisticated enemy scenarios with radar guided air
fight, as well as the capabilities the training of individual Marines and aviators, defense systems and even double-digit surface-to-air
that STOVL will bring we’re going to take more than a threefold increase missiles in localized areas that preclude your ability
to the fight with regard in effectiveness, efficiency and resource savings by to operate freely. In other words, you can encounter
to close proximity to our transitioning to this single type model series. an integrated air defense system on a local level
expeditionary forces. right in the midst of another kind of fight.
The Marine Corps depends So in a single day—much like the Three Block War
on TacAir probably more than some of the other
services because of the light nature of our force
We’re going to take more than a that General Krulak talked about; much like the
hybrid war that we saw the Israelis and Hezbollah
and the dependency that we have on TacAir to threefold increase in effectiveness, involved in—you can find yourself in a COIN fight
ensure that we can take risk in maneuver. You can in one part of the battlespace quickly evolving into
only take risk in maneuver if you have adequate efficiency and resource savings a very different threat scenario in another part of
intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, LtGen Trautman: The range and speed that
dissemination of information and the firepower that by transitioning to this single type the Osprey brings to the fight is very much the battlespace. This might happen all within the
transformational, and the ability to connect Osprey range of maybe 100 miles or 200 miles. You have to
comes with it that will enable you to move about model series. to F-35 and then to the rest of the joint force is be ready and prepared to evolve from one type of
the battlespace without the heavy firepower that, threat scenario to another, even at the lower scale,
for example, an Army heavy corps would bring to going to open up potentialities that just have not
existed in warfighting to date. on a daily basis.
the fight.
We learned this when we, for example, transitioned I think by the time F-35 comes to the forefront Consider, for example, if someone had introduced
So TacAir is essential to our ability to maneuver sophisticated double-digit SAMs into Iraq at some
in the battlespace. F-35 is going to be an incredible our H-1 helicopters to two airplanes, the AH-1 here in the next four to five years and by the
Zulu and UH-1 Yankee, which have 84 percent time we figure out how to connect the two in point in the recent past or in the near future; it
contributor because of the sensing and computing would change the whole nature of the fight. You
power that this machine is going to bring to us. We commonality. We’re already reaping the benefits. the battlespace, we’re going to bring to the fight
We anticipate the same result with the F-35. something that is going to be very much a game have to be prepared to swing across the range of
are going to find ways to better disseminate that military operations, not just in the broadest strategic
information across the entire battlespace and all the changer. It’s going to be a game changer from the
It’s absolutely essential that a machine that is going perspective of the kinds of things that commanders sense, but at the tactical level in the context of
way down to our platoon and fire team leaders at something like the current fight that we find
to do everything that our STOVL AV-8s, F/A-18 can choose to do should they choose to do them.
the right time and in the right way. ourselves in in Afghanistan or previously in Iraq. ✪
fighter attack airplanes, and EA-6B electronic

32 33
Transitioning from Legacy Aircraft to the

Three-Dimensional
Warrior
Enabling
Three-Dimensional Warriors
 Enabling the F-35 Pilot

[Excerpted from a January 2010 SLD interview with Chris Sheppard, manager of the
USAF programs for Northrop Grumman Corporation’s government relations group.]

S
LD sat down with Chris Sheppard, Sheppard: Fighter pilots are typically thought
a manager of USAF programs for of as being tacticians in the Air Force construct
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s of operations. Although they will continue to
government relations group, to discuss be front-line tacticians, having an asset like
the interaction between the F-16 and the F-35 provides the capability to have much
F-35 as the U.S. Air Force builds its capabilities more situational awareness and have a much
into the 21st century. We asked Chris to share his more strategic impact on decisions made in the
personal experience as an F-16 pilot, his work on battlespace. Part of the paradigm shift is viewing
the F-35, and how the two compared. flying forces—in this case the fighter community—
as part of the strategic versus the tactical picture.
Chris works at the Fighter Demonstration Center in This is similar to the concept you spoke of
Arlington, Virginia, a facility shared by Lockheed previously regarding the situations our ground forces
Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Pratt and find themselves in in today’s fight—their decisions
Whitney that was set up to showcase the fifth- and subsequent actions can have significant right decision is invaluable. I’m sure the “strategic opportunity to have a much decreased chance of
generation fighter capabilities. Chris Sheppard strategic ramifications. corporal” to whom you referred earlier didn’t detection to not have to go into those force-on-force
has flown all F-16 blocks, “A through D,” he says,
anticipate the time he or she would be expected to types of scenarios, depending on the situation.
and has closely followed the fighter’s evolution In the current fight, we’re continuing to appreciate
make a decision that could have battlefield effects
from block to block in his current line of work at the value of leadership and critical decision making Pilots have to be mindful of ground threats as well.
larger than they ever dreamed possible. But that’s
Northrop Grumman. at every level. With today’s precision-guided weapons, the aircraft
what we’re facing now with this type of threat.
is like a truck that’s carrying weapons into a combat
A graduate of the Air Force Academy, Chris
SLD: How does stealth change Concepts of envelope where they can be deployed and then
Sheppard is now an Air National Guard F-16 pilot
Operations? returned to base. That’s a fairly typical mission.
and has flown F-16s operationally on active duty and
with the reserve component, and participated in a The F-35’s ability to gather data Sheppard: Stealth provides the ability for true One benefit of the F-35 is the ability to reconfigure
number of combat exercises including Operation and present it puts this platform on a first-look, first-shot in a traditional kinetic effect, and carry even more weapons externally when the
Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch, and force-on-force type application. One has to ask, threat environment is assessed to be permissible
Operation Iraqi Freedom. new level with regard to the strategic “With the evolution of enemy weaponry and the to this type of configuration. This enables the
projected evolution of threat aircraft by other benefit of internal and external stores to carry more
The F-35 is intended as the replacement for the importance of real-time decision countries building fifth-generation-like aircraft, will ordnance to service more targets if called upon to
F-16. Excerpts from this interview explore how the
new fighter will execute future missions differently, making. they be of the caliber of fifth generation aircraft do so. The F-35A can carry approximately 18,000
that we see in the United States and with her pounds of ordnance when fully loaded internally
as well as how the two fighters may work together
allies?” Perhaps not. and externally, far exceeding the payload of the F-16
during the transition. We also discussed with
and F-18.
Chris Sheppard how customers can get greater Will they be built in vast quantities? I think
connectivity between the two aircraft. When time isn’t as critical, some decisions can be there’s general agreement that will be the case. SLD: What does DAS (Distributed Aperture
passed back to the rear echelons to be analyzed Having the benefit of very low observable stealth System) do for your air-to-air combat and what’s
SLD: You referred to the F-35 pilot as a tactical and then proceed with the proper response. Many
decision maker, but doesn’t the F-35 play a much on these aircraft does require that weapons be the potential for DAS to contribute to the Army
times decisions need to be made in real time—not carried internally. This provides the aircraft the and the Marine Corps on the ground?
more strategic role in the new paradigm? only on the ground but in the air as well. The
ability to have that information there and make the

38 39
 spherically around the F-35. This capability
will have significant implications in air combat
maneuvering, for launching off-boresight weapons,
and for overall survivability.

There are also growth modes for the Distributed The Distributed Aperture System
Aperture System which will significantly enhance
the platform’s networking capability. DAS works in and 360-Degree Situational Awareness
a spherical context and is always on, all the time…
Sheppard: The Northrop Grumman Distributed
always detecting. Perhaps our biggest challenge is
Aperture System (DAS) is truly one of the game-
that DAS taking in so much information that the
changing capabilities on the F-35, and we’re already [An interview with Mark Rossi, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.]
next step will be to figure out how to manage and
seeing interest in its application on rotary wing
distribute all the data it can provide.

S
aircraft and other assets for missions and roles such
as missile defense. LD talked with Northrop Grumman The number one thing that DAS brings to JSF
SLD: In the manned-to-unmanned evolution, what
Electronic Systems’ Mark Rossi is 360-degree spherical situational awareness. We
do you think about the possibility of off-loading
DAS offers multiple capabilities. First, there’s no about the Distributed Aperture System create this bubble around the airplane where we’re
data from the F-35 to an unmanned flying data
need to fly with night vision goggles, which we do (DAS) on the F-35, which together just seeing everywhere all the time, we’re always on,
recovery system?
now when conducting combat operations at night. with the helmet provides 360-degree we never stop. We don’t interleave. We do it 100
The night vision goggles that we currently fly with Sheppard: There are multiple options. One of situational awareness for the F-35 pilot. percent, all the time.
are dependent upon the amplification of ambient the concerns of combatant commanders that is
light. In a sense, your night vision goggles are just Mark has served as the Director of the AN/AAQ-37 SLD: Is this a man-machine interface we’re
consistently articulated is the need to hand off
another sensor. They don’t simply turn night into Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EO talking about?
data in a usable format. It’s about turning data into
day. One must look and analyze before acting— DAS) for the F-35 platform, having management
actionable intelligence. Our challenge is to devise Rossi: From a situational awareness point of
much like a radar or a targeting pod. responsibility for the product development and
the most efficient manner to manage the data and view, the pilot does absolutely nothing. We are
production of the EO DAS hardware and software.
make the intelligence actionable. monitoring the world around us all the time and
The DAS provides an EO/IR picture in a different He joined Northrop Grumman in 1984 and has
spectrum than night vision goggles, such that it’s held numerous positions of increasing responsibility then differentiating things that occur that are
SLD: So the F-35 can help manage data choke
not dependent on ambient light. As a result, flying in Technical Subcontract Management, Business important to that pilot—classifying them for him.
points for leaders who have to make real-time
below cloud decks and flying anywhere there’s an Development and Program Management. It’s only when we determine there’s something
decisions in a tight time frame?
overcast sky or where ambient light’s not present is important that he’ll even know anything’s going on.
possible. Sheppard: The F-35 could aid by gathering and SLD: The Distributed Aperture System (DAS)
is one of the reasons why the development of SLD: DAS provides 360-degree situational
assimilating data from others in some circumstances,
Second, its ability to detect and accurately locate the F-35 is about the next 30 years of military awareness for the individual pilot on the F-35,
or acting as a data provider to other systems.
firing points of missiles and anti-aircraft artillery is aviation, not the past 30 years. Yet folks have not but is there any reason that we couldn’t take that
If the objective is to get the data off board to
key to getting other sensors locked on to where that really wrapped their heads around what DAS is or fused data and share it?
preserve the processing power on the jet for other
threat came from, so the appropriate action can be functions, it can be a data provider. Perhaps in other can and will do for the warfighter.
Rossi: There’s no reason we couldn’t do it short of
taken—whether it’s kinetic or non-kinetic. I think circumstances the best option is to utilize on-board
Rossi: The biggest problem with DAS is that it’s limitations of those sharing channels.
we’re only on the cusp of understanding what the fusion capacity, then relay. We’re now evolving into
true value of DAS will be to the warfighter. completely unknown to most people. We think
a system-of-systems construct, and we can readily see SLD: But the point is that you’re standing up a
of it as revolutionary. If you consider radars, it’s
how such a “flying combat system”—when integrated basic capability on the first production aircraft
evolutionary. Everything since WWII has been
with the ground forces—provides important new and there’s the opportunity to take this capability,
equipped with a radar, they just keep getting better.
capabilities from which to develop the future of air which is unprecedented, and figure out new ways
We keep building on it. People are used to what it
I think we’re only on the cusp of as well as ground and sea operations. ✪
brings to the fight. They’ve never had the capability
to share data and new ways to battle manage.
In other words, you’re investing in the future by
understanding what the true value of provided by DAS. So we wow them with imagery, buying this capability.
we wow them with performance data, and so forth.
DAS will be to the warfighter. But I think everybody who listens to our story, Rossi: Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. All of it’s
especially at a classified level, can imagine what there. What you do with it beyond ownership is all
they might do with this thing. But they have no in the realm of possibility.
idea what they’re getting.
DAS has a situational awareness mode that
simultaneously tracks all aircraft within range,

40 41
SLD: So the point—focusing on the individual be something coming from the ground, not only do the camera or the sector boundaries in inertial
aircraft now and the pilot managing the we need to know that it’s something coming from space is critical.
aircraft—this allows him to have capabilities the ground, we need to know that it’s coming from
to see 360 degrees and understand the threat the ground and it’s targeted at you and we have to
It’s going to revolutionize night SLD: Lockheed is addressing the broader air
envelope around him. tell you where it came from too. landings on aircraft carriers. integration issues, but there’s a significant
difference between an F-18 or F-16—where you’re
Rossi: The pilot gets this situational awareness, SLD: Why is DAS so misunderstood or doing iterative additions to the aircraft—versus
and obviously we’re providing an IR situational underestimated? what you’re doing with the F-35—where you’re
awareness of the world. It’s not individual. It’s in the coming on with an integrated sensor capability—
IR band and it is completely passive so it’s on all the Rossi: I think number one, they don’t really FLIR is an archaic term because FLIR stands for and the DAS—where it can work on a man-
time and it doesn’t hurt the LO capability of the understand what it’s going to do for them. And forward looking infrared. We’re not forward looking; machine basis. That is very, very different than
aircraft. number two, the few systems out there that try we’re everywhere looking. But it’s a term that people just incrementally adding capabilities.
to do this, never try to this degree. The missile have created so we stick with it. But anywhere the
Within that situational awareness, another mode warning systems that exist out there are just fraught pilot can turn his head—through his legs, through Rossi: That’s the whole fifth-generation concept.
that we were asked to develop was a missile targeted with error. The reliability of the DAS ensures a the floor of the airplane—he can look because we’re The F-22 is a fused airplane and so is the F-35,
at the plane. So we have to know what all those whole new level of trust and confidence for the pilot looking everywhere. and they can use these other weapon systems to
manmade airborne objects are and classify them, in operating the aircraft. enhance their overall integrative capability. The
and then if we believe that one of those happens to SLD: You mentioned fusion. The fact that this data
beauty about DAS is that we’re seeing everything
be a missile that’s targeted at the plane, we have to is fused… can you tell me a little bit about what
all the time in places on a 360-degree basis. Radar’s
actually tell them that. advantage that brings?
a phenomenal system but it has a cone, right? It’s
The reliability of the DAS ensures Rossi: We take and collect all that information never looking behind you and most of the time
and we, for lack of a better term, we fuse that data it’s not looking to the side of you unless you have
a whole new level of trust and and create a global theme within our processor. side arrays.
From that we produce the NAFLIR imagery. We’re
confidence for the pilot in operating watching everything and then we’re classifying
So we look everywhere and we can let the pilot
know that there may be a problem. The pilot may
the aircraft. everything by order of importance. So we do all of need to turn around and look to see if there is a
that, that fusion, ourselves and then the output is need for other weapon systems, where in the past
per the Lockheed defined interface control drawing you would have nothing in those coverage areas.
as to what messages we send and the streaming
SLD: How does the new helmet for the F-35
video that we also send. And then we have to work in all clutter
interact with the DAS? environments. Think about it, we’re looking
Then that information is fused with other weapon everywhere. In the daytime, at all times in the
Rossi: The DAS provides 360-degree NAFLIR
systems on the aircraft and then presented to daytime, one of our cameras, at least, is looking at
(Navigation Forward Looking Infrared) capability. the pilot. We actually don’t determine what the sun. So think of the challenges associated with
So if you think about it we’re out there staring gets presented to the pilot, they do. So if we see an IR system that’s staring at the sun. We obviously
at the world. We have all this information. We something and they want to put another weapon can’t bloom on it; we can’t bleed over.
can then take and post-process where the pilot is system on it to verify it, they might do that. We
looking on his helmet. We also have an auxiliary don’t know exactly what they intend to do with all Think about those challenges. There are all kinds
channel where he can dial in any particular sector the information we send them. That’s a Lockheed of things associated with looking everywhere.
that he wants to keep track of and we can give him fusion job. You don’t directly interface with the We’re looking at cold sky at the same time as we’re
near 20/20 IR imagery of the world about him. pilot, other than our imagery on their helmet and looking at a very highly cluttered mountainous
SLD: So this is a key tool to de-clutter the
the declaration of a plane-targeted missile. range, and we’re looking off to the side at backlit
battlespace so that the pilot can focus on the
most important priorities. So now night landings on carriers are fully enabled. clouds all at the exact same time in this 360-degree
We show this stuff to Navy pilots and they’re just We do a lot of fusion at our level because we have world. So we can’t be tuned to one or the other, we
awestruck that they can even see the horizon, let to integrate six sensors into a singular unit that does have to be tuned to all of them in order to provide
Rossi: Absolutely. So the pilot keeps track of the
alone the boat out there and the wake. not lose track of things across sector boundaries this performance. When you get into the details
world, but we classify the world into things that
and camera boundaries. A lot of systems in the you realize the challenge associated with doing this
the pilot would care about that are manmade.
past, even with multiple sensors, were challenged because we’re looking everywhere all the time in all
Obviously, this includes missiles and airplanes, both
by fusing those into a singular global seam that is conditions day and night, and we have to address all
air-to-air and air-to-ground, so if there happens to
impervious to the boundaries relative to tracking those conditions or else we’re not a capable system.
things of interest across them. Being able to seam
to the point that we don’t have a loss of track across

42 43
SLD: You’re providing technologies, tools that home playing they’re videogames. If you consider
really allow the pilot to act very differently, the mentality of the kids that are going to be sitting
function very differently. in those seats, they would be very disappointed if
they didn’t have that kind of capability. That’s just
The F-35 Pilot
Rossi: Absolutely. We provide a whole lot more
my take on the world. I’m 50 and I didn’t grow up
situational awareness around the pilot. We project
that way, but my 13-year-old knows a lot more about
imagery into the helmet to a defined field of view
it than I do.
based on where the pilot is looking. All that’s
mapped, and we predict where the pilot’s going The next generation of pilots is going to expect that [An interview with Lieutenant Colonel M.G. “Squirt” Kelly,
to move his head. We have post-processed that speed. They’re going to expect that image quality F-35 Flight Operations Lead, VX-23, Patuxent River, Maryland.]
region of imagery to provide the near 20/20 quality. to be given to them, and I think that they’ll already
We could do it everywhere, but it would just be a know how to use it because they will have been
processor hog so we post-process the spot where he’s trained all their life by playing video games. With The pilot on the F-35B SLD: Do you have better peripheral vision as a
looking and the region around where he’s looking this kind of capability, the F-35’s mission can be is really a centerpiece of result?
so to minimize latency as he moves, and then increased. what we are calling the
present him that near 20/20 quality visual wherever LtCol Kelly: Yes. The night vision goggle—the
three-dimensional warrior.
he moves his head. The missions JSF can do can expand the Legacy Night Vision Goggle—is just a sensor. It
The new helmet and the
operational envelope. You don’t want to make JSF doesn’t provide you with an integrated picture. The
And again, he can go pick an area and if he wants interactions between the
a drone, but if he’s up there anyway and they’re F-35 night camera as it’s projected in the helmet is
to just watch that area all the time, he can just dial pilot and the systems on
everywhere and they’re linked, your mind starts to really more like using your own vision, rather than
that in and he’ll stare at that thing. But remember, the new aircraft provide
think of the possibilities of what they could do with looking through a narrow sensor, or soda straw, so
we’re not slewing anything. We’re not moving the hub for new operational
this kind of 360-degree, fused information. to speak.
anything. It’s all just picking a spot in a virtual capabilities.
global sea. We’re doing this in the processor. Also, think about the additional information that SLD: Do you foresee a significant adjustment
SLD went to Patuxent River in April 2010 to
we could provide. We’re seeing everything so we’re when you start using this in the airplane?
SLD: How do you think they’ll experience
interview several members of the Patuxent River
seeing ground activity, all of which, right now, we
this because it’s going to be a very different
test team and spoke with test pilot “Squirt” Kelly LtCol Kelly: We think there will be a building block
completely suppress. We throw it away because—
experience and will drive new battle tactics and
about his thoughts on the F-35 experience. approach as we integrate more of the capabilities
guess what—it’s not an airborne object and right
operational foci? now we don’t care about it. But what if with a into the aircraft and the helmet. We saw the same
SLD: You’ve been testing the helmet and the
simple algorithm change you could direct other jump in tactics development in the simulator when
plane. What’s the synergy between the helmet
weapon systems to, say, “Hey, something’s moving we first added the helmet capability. We had to take
and the plane?
right there!” Then you point your “soda straws” and, a step back and rethink some of the ways we were
performing the mission, because now we had more
The young kids who are going to be wow, you’re not scanning and searching like you do LtCol Kelly: Well, it is quite a nice synergy, actually.
The helmet becomes very natural to the pilot, information, better information, more situational
today with your traditional “soda straw” systems.
flying these airplanes will have grown because it mimics what we have in legacy systems, awareness. We could be even more efficient and
Even radar is in volume search a lot. DAS is looking but it presents it in a way that’s clean and easy effective at performing the mission with this helmet.
up playing video games. everywhere, seeing everything, maybe not with the to understand, and is the building block for the
clarity of a targeting system, but if I see something SLD: Can you give me an example of the
DAS system, for the night camera, and all of the
here, all I have to do is tell my radar or my EOIS to difference this makes?
situational awareness that can be provided to
go look, and bingo. There are capabilities limited the pilot. LtCol Kelly: With the F-35, if my wingman finds
Rossi: This will not be foreign to them. We’re only by our imaginations! ✪
a target on the ground, he can data-link that
providing that technology now so that when the SLD: And you don’t need night vision goggles?
information to me and now my helmet will tell me
next generation of fighters get in that cockpit, it’s LtCol Kelly: You don’t need night vision goggles; where to look on the ground to find that target and
not going to be unlike what they’re used to back it’s all built into the helmet. So, depending on the I know we are looking at the exact same target.
conditions—the light levels, environmental factors,
SLD: So, in other words, it’s shared information?
and cultural lighting—you may choose to use the
night camera or your DAS system, depending on LtCol Kelly: Yes. It’s shared information and the
what gives you the best situational awareness. helmet will tell the pilot where to employ sensors
and weapons while providing threat information.

44 45
You get more awareness, throughout your flight, on SLD: So situational awareness offers a higher SLD: I assume that the F-35 will be able to real time situational awareness of all the threats,
friendly and enemy positions. So you have shared sense of confidence in the decision you’re about operate more effectively in airspace from the so there could be confusion about whether you
situational awareness across the board to understand to make. Is one of the advantages going to be pilot’s point of view? can still perform the mission … how safe is it to
who the “friendlies” are, who the “hostiles” are, your ability to share this information rapidly with a continue.
LtCol Kelly: One of the other great things about
what the order of battle is, and what the current ground decision-maker?
the F-35 is that it is a first day of the war airplane,
situation on the ground is in real time.
LtCol Kelly: Yes, based on the information you but not just a first day of the war airplane. So in
and your wingmen obtain, you can make timely those situations where we are supporting Marines
decisions more effectively as a team, and rapidly on the ground in a rapidly changing environment, I would have to abort missions in a
pass that information to the ground without relying the F-35 will be able to safely operate in that
on other assets. environment because of its sensors and the threat legacy aircraft that I will now be able to
You have shared situational awareness
As you add the F-35, you are going to reshape other
information that is presented to the pilot. continue in an F-35.
across the board to understand who capabilities on the battlefield as well, and provide In a high-threat, close air support environment,
the “friendlies” are, who the “hostiles” the foundation for managing battlefield assets, the F-35, through the helmet, will enable the pilot
UAVs, intelligence, and other tactical information. to focus on employing weapons on time, on target,
are, what the order of battle is, and The F-35 will change the way we think about the while providing the information to avoid threats SLD: Tactically, the big deal used to be to get your
where that’s possible, or defeat those threats where opponent to jettison his ordnance. To react to you,
role of tactical aviation.
what the current situation on the that’s necessary to perform the mission. And the he punches everything off, and you’re fighting and
SLD: Is there a cultural challenge to learn how helmet is the key to getting the pilot looking in the you want to kill him if you can’t get the silver star,
ground is in real time. to maximize the impact of the F-35 and to right direction. We all know a picture is worth a but at least you’ve stopped your opponent from
adjust CONOPS? thousand words, so, hearing something is nice, but doing something ugly to your guys. And they’re
being able to see it on the ground in relation to the telling you, basically, you’re not going to throw
LtCol Kelly: Yes, but one of the things we made anything over the side, you’re going to press on
battlefield really builds the pilot’s knowledge and
SLD: Are you also building a consensus sure of with the F-35 was that it is and will be awareness. with the fight, with enough confidence that you
between you and your mate on what you think compatible with legacy systems, like Link 16. Legacy survive a fight and get the mission done.
you’re seeing? platforms of the United States and various nations SLD: So you are enhancing the probability of
are going to be around for quite a number of years. looking at the right thing? LtCol Kelly: With this aircraft, I could take off, and
LtCol Kelly: Absolutely. The F-35 will have the ability to interact with after employing weapons on my primary target, my
those platforms in a large force coalition CAOC LtCol Kelly: Yes, whether it’s friendly or hostile, wingmen or someone on the ground can say okay,
SLD: So you have confidence that you’re looking and then having the aircraft, through the helmet,
environment where there are multiple platforms I’ve got another threat over here, can you provide
at the same thing? alert the pilot to what action he needs to take in
and multiple services. And then also provide the me some information. Instantly, you can become a
LtCol Kelly: Absolutely. Between you, your ability to have a separate communication system a particular scenario, to either avoid or defeat that flying ISR platform, and adjust to provide the context
wingmen, and the ground. That consensus allows that’s designed for low observable aircraft, which threat, and then perform the mission. In a legacy for that ground commander. So even after employing
for a safer, more rapid employment of weapons with provides the flexibility to operate differently and aircraft, depending on what that threat is, you may your weapons, which was your initial goal, you can
less potential for collateral damage. more independently. have to abort your mission. You wouldn’t have the continue maximizing your capabilities. ✪

46 47
 six minutes of F-16 time to send al-Zarqawi to the scratching the surface; we don’t know yet. It has a
nether regions. So the question is which one was the fascinating degree of capability when you look to
operation? the future because of the modularity of the avionics
packages that were built into it.
The fact of the matter is each one of those activities
Evolving Manned and Unmanned CONOPS: An Interview was required to achieve the desired outcome. As At the same time, we have some inkling because you
with Lieutenant Gener al David A. Deptula, USAF we move into the future—enabled by the variety of can conceive of a next-generation remotely piloted
different fifth-generation systems that we’re going to aircraft that is built to supplement and enhance
acquire—we have to think about incorporating all the capabilities that an integrated ISR on the F-35
the elements that they can bring to the table, not can bring to the fight. For example, by acting as
[In April 2010, SLD interviewed Lieutenant General David A. Deptula, USAF to discuss the evolving just the force application pieces. The old approach out-riggers in the context of providing information
interactions between the new manned aircraft and next-generation unmanned air vehicles.] is sequential thinking as opposed to parallel beyond the immediate range of the sensors of a
application of mission capability, which is the fused particular F-35, the RPA can act as a weapons mule,
con-ops approach of 21st-century air operations. if you will, by providing additional weapons at a

G
much lower cost, in terms of both the remotely
eneral David A. Deptula is Deputy And that Information Age is being perpetrated piloted aircraft themselves and in the context of not
Chief of Staff for Intelligence, by advances in technology that allows us to do exposing a human to the threat.
Surveillance, and Reconnaissance many more things on individual aircraft than we’ve
at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force in ever been able to do before. This advancement in As we move to the future, we need to So it can be used in higher threat situations than
Washington, D.C. He is currently technology enables different concepts of operation you would want the F-35 actually to penetrate, and
responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of for employing remotely piloted aircraft and joining
think about not manned or unmanned as a part of robust distributed air operation that the
F-35 and F-22 in conjunction with remotely piloted
the Air Force for policy formulation, planning,
evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force
them together with modern manned aircraft like the
F-35 and F-22. These capabilities can help produce
aircraft as separate entities but how aircraft can bring to the fight.
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. concepts of distributed air operations that we simply we can join them together in an So there’s a variety of different ways, but we need to
have not had the advantage of executing in the past. think about using remotely piloted aircraft—not just
SLD: UAVs and the ISR provided by UAVs have integrated fashion to accomplish as separate aircraft to be used in traditional ways, but
become prominent in public discussions about Modern fifth-generation aircraft like the F-22 and
as elements of a distributed air operation where they
the future of airpower. What are your thoughts F-35 are not simply fighters. We’re trapped by an desired outcomes of a particular joint can contribute to the entire panoply of missions that
about their future old historical nomenclature system here. They are
contributions?
in fact flying sensor platforms that have inherent force commander. an air operation might encompass.
force application capability associated with them.
SLD: Can you discuss how the notion of
LtGen Deptula: Well, So we need to think about new and innovative ways
“fractionation” plays off the distributed air
it’s an interesting that they can contribute to a system of individual
elements that create a force that can achieve operations you just mentioned?
question because it SLD: In a way we shouldn’t refer to this as fifth-
takes us down a deeper outcomes that are not just sequential in nature.
generation fighters, we should talk about this as LtGen Deptula: The notion of a fractionated system
train of thought where integrated sensor strike platforms? is separate and distinct from what has been discussed
we are focusing beyond SLD: So we should begin to think of the
correlation between ISR and OPS rather than
over the past couple of years as network systems.
remotely piloted aircraft vs. piloted aircraft. It takes LtGen Deptula: Absolutely. We have to get rid of A network traditionally involves different nodes,
us beyond the notion of aircraft as individual systems looking at them as separate entities?
last-century designators. If you look at either the different systems performing different missions.
and moves us into the realm of a future that is F-22 or F-35, they conduct a panoply of missions. The notion of a fractionated system is that you have
dominated not by things but by concepts of how you LtGen Deptula: Absolutely. The evolution of
technology and information is allowing us to change ISR strike is perhaps a better way to describe multiple entities operating to provide a particular
tie all of these things together and how they can all them because they perform all of those roles effect; you can afford to lose some yet not lose the
provide military capability, whether they operate our culture, a culture that in the past tended to
segregate intelligence from operations. That historic simultaneously. effectiveness of the overall system.
from the ground, on the sea, or in the air.
segregation of “ops” and “intel” is really dysfunctional So again, that should lead us toward a concept of
SLD: The F-35 brings with it significant
and slows our ability to accomplish desired outcomes. operations where we can marry-up remotely piloted
computational power, several sensors,
Let me give you an example. aircraft with fifth-generation aircraft in a way to
360-degree awareness with the distributed
amplify the entire force package in ways we never
I like to characterize the point of In the 21st-century I would tell you that ISR is
operations, it’s not simply support to operations. A
aperture system, a different kind of helmet, all of
which leads to a different kind of capability. How
conceived of in the past. This package is much more
survivable than the way we’ve operated in the past
history we’re in today as a transition good example is when we took out al-Zarqawi, the will that shape the next generation of UAVs?
or by using a traditional network approach to the
Al Qaeda leader in Iraq in 2006. That outcome took
point between Industrial Age warfare about 600 hours of Predator time, thousands of hours LtGen Deptula: Because of the powerful nature problem. ✪
of analyst time to evaluate that observation activity of the sensor suite resident on the F-35 we’re only
and Information Age warfare. from those remotely piloted aircraft, and about

48 49
Supporting
Three-Dimensional Warriors
 Manufacturing for Sustainability:
The F-35 Case
Integrated Power Plant Electrohydrostatic Tool Kit F-35 Engine Trailer
Actuation System

[In August 2009, SLD interviewed Bob Fiorentini, former head of F-35 production, and now
VP for Global Strategic Sourcing at Lockheed Martin Corporation, and discussed key aspects of
the approach to design, development and manufacturing for sustainability.]

A
key argument for buying newer then sustained in the field. These processes have build the aircraft and to sustain it are identical and trailer. This allows maintenance to be facilitated by
platforms is the savings built into a operated virtually independently of one another. are seen in the accompanying photos. use of the fitted trailer “truck.” The engine trailer
new platform over the operational and And learning which has occurred in the process used in production is the same as the one being
logistics costs of the older platform. of building the aircraft has not been passed on A second example is what the F-35 program team used in test and then-run stations. Fiorentini noted
In the commercial airplane business, directly for the post-build or sustainment process. calls the EHAS or the electrohysdrostatic actuation that “not only is training going on as the engine
both Boeing and Airbus design and build their In this program, the relationship has been changed system. The EHAS is a “revolutionary step in the trailers are used in the production process, but both
newest platforms with significant enhancements to allow significant interaction between production control of aircraft surfaces. Hydraulic systems for line workers and maintainers (who are on the lines
in sustainability in mind. According to one senior and sustainment approaches.” the F35 are not centralized. EHAS allows each unit as well) are inputting suggestions. This facilitates
official at Airbus, “We have a design committee on the surface to control itself.” Fiorentini adds that an early maintenance learning curve prior to
which reviews recommendations with regard to A core element of the approach has been upon this “significantly reduces the risk of catastrophic deployment.”
sustainment and logistics support from commercial designing and building tools for both manufacturing failure. The EHAS system reduces the amount
customers to determine the most desirable and sustainment. of maintenance for the aircraft by eliminating a There are additional examples throughout but the
enhancements we might then build into the new number of components in the airframe such as point is clear: in the design and production of the
Fiorentini noted, “We are designing and building hydraulic tubing, hose lines goring through the F-35 future sustainment has been built in wherever
aircraft (the A350). We then determine priorities
dual-use tools versus build and then sustainment airframe.” possible. And design features like the reduction of
and feasibilities with regard to the design approach
tools.” In other words, many of the tools used in panels, which need to be removed to do repairs,
and manufacturing process to shape the new build The EHAS reduces the overall weight of the
the build of the aircraft will be deployed to the reduce downtime. “Many of the components of the
aircraft.” aircraft and by simplifying the aircraft simplifies the
field. This leads to cost containment for the tool airplane which in legacy aircraft required panel
This is true as well for military aircraft. The companies that get a much longer run because maintenance tasks as well. As with other systems removal are now built into the weapons and landing
F-35 has been designed in part in ways to mimic they are producing for both production and in the F-35, the EHAS tools for the build of the gear bays where no panel disassembly is required for
a commercial manufacturing process and the sustainment processes. This also leads, according to aircraft are the same as the tools which will be used most commonly serviced parts of the aircraft.”
development, design and manufacturing approach Fiorentini, to “much earlier maturity for tools used to sustain the aircraft.
for the F-35 have been built around enhanced in sustainment than has been the case in legacy The maintainers for the F-35 use a ruggedized laptop
programs.” Another example of how design change shapes to do initial systems checks. In legacy aircraft,
sustainability for the new aircraft. Indeed, the F-35 sustainment capabilities is the operation of the
team has focused on ways to ensure that the build very specialized equipment proprietary to the
Fiorentini offered several examples of the build for F-35 canopy. The canopy tilts from the back, which manufacturer has to be used. And again, the same
and sustainment process have as much inherent allows the ejection seat to be removed and serviced.
sustainment approach for the F-35 program. procedures used in the factory are those used in the
overlap as possible. In legacy aircraft, the canopy has to be removed to
The first example is the integrated power plant field for flight tests.
According to Fiorentini, the focus of the program take out the ejection seat. By designing the canopy
(IPP) which is used to support the integrated suite this way, the time for servicing the ejection seat Fiorentini emphasized that the build-to-maintain
from the beginning of the design of the aircraft
of applications, which provide electrical power, is significantly reduced. The tools used for seat approach has enhanced significantly the reliability
has been upon affordability, both in terms of initial
temperature control and engine start systems. alignment are the same for both production and on the flight line. “We use one database throughout
cost and sustainment. The designs of the aircraft
“On legacy aircraft, all of these systems are separate maintenance. the design and maintenance process. This
and notably the tooling for both production and
and require separate maintenance efforts. On the guarantees consistency and will provide important
sustainment have been built with a keen focus on A fourth example is how the engine trailer is used
F-35, the IPP uses the same tools and maintenance metrics for sustainment. The use of the same design
logistics considerations. Fiorentini underscored that for the F-35. The engine trailer looks like a modified
process.” The result is a significant reduction of time tools to design for production and sustainment
“historically, legacy aircraft have been built and truck with four large wheels on it. The engine is
needed to maintain the aircraft. The tools used to tooling ensures compatibility throughout.” ✪
installed on the aircraft or pulled off by the engine

52 53
 being tested. We have engaged in a very aggressive manufacturing and maintenance capabilities prior
approach to testing which has been developed with to the full production run of the aircraft?
the military labs and the program office. We have
Grant: There has been tremendous investment
worked with them to shape the most aggressive
both on our part and the government in the
F-35 Low Observability: and most challenging test regimen from all of
their different programs and their experience, and
way that they configured the plan and the entire
program to address these issues. Supportability,
LIFELONG SUSTAINABILITY thereby compiled those experiences into our test
matrix. The testing process has led to changes in
in general, and supportability of the LO system,
specifically, is a highlight of the program. It’s one
the repair approach as well as the manufacturing
of the pillar elements of the program to ensure
approach for the program. Obviously, when we
aircraft availability and affordability. Obviously, the
[In January 2010, SLD interviewed Bill Grant, Lockheed Martin F-35 Supportable Low Observables found deficiencies, we suggested changes to the
issues of the past and the expense of maintaining
Integrated Product Team Lead, at a joint Lockheed Martin – Northrop Grumman facility manufacturing processes, which in turn were
LO on an airplane were of paramount concern to
adopted. The interaction between maintainers and
to discuss the facility as well as the F-35 approach to LO maintenance.] a fleet like the F-35, where there’ll be thousands of
designers has been followed throughout the F-35
the airplanes flying that need to be operational and

E
program in shaping the manufacturing approach.
maintainable around the globe.
veryone knows that the F-35 is a stealth to help refine them and then to incorporate them
aircraft. This is one element of what into a system level approach. We have developed SLD: You’ve mentioned “ten times the coupons
SLD: The program inherited a significant LO
makes it a fifth-generation aircraft. repairs for each of the materials themselves and being tested.” What exactly does that mean?
legacy capability given that Northrop Grumman
But what is not widely known is that then as an entire system. Grant: We use little mechanical coupons. They are and Lockheed are key partners in the program.
the stealth or low observable (LO) then used to do mechanical testing in corrosion and Can you elaborate on this heritage and how it has
character of the aircraft is significantly different SLD: How would you describe the stealth LO
twisting and pulling, and those are representatives been leveraged?
from other stealth aircraft, like the F-22. The F-35 capability of the F-35 when compared to legacy
systems? of all of the structural integrations of panels
LO capability is significantly more robust than Grant: The legacy stealth programs—which to a
and substructure, and the material systems that
legacy stealth. The F-35 stealth is designed to leave lesser or greater degree had to invent the technology
Grant: Performance-wise, it is a very aggressive spanned gaps in the panels and substructure. We
the factory and to be maintained in the field rather in a stovepipe mode. In the F-35 program, we are
capability. From a design standpoint, it is a radical test those coupons in those mechanical situations
than having to partnered with Northrop Grumman and, as such,
change from legacy systems. In legacy stealth, in both hot and cold extremes and we’ve yet to see
come back to the our team represents 100 percent of the operational
the stealth in effect is a parasitic application any of those gaps open up. Naturally, if you can
depot or the factory. stealth experience in the industry in the world. My
of a multiple stack-up of material systems done keep the gaps from opening up and introducing
In addition, the team and the LO sustainment area is comprised
in final finish after the actual airframe is built contaminants, the potential for corrosion is much
training of the of half Lockheed and half Northrop Grumman
and completed. In the case of the F-35, we’ve lower. We also have a large selection of similar types
maintainers for employees. Most of the Northrop Grumman
incorporated much of the LO system directly of coupons representative of various elements of
the LO repairs are employees are actually retired Air Force LO
into the airframe itself. The materials have been the structure that are in exposure environments.
being done at the maintainers who collectively have experience on
manufactured right into the structure, so they have These environments are either in the laboratory,
partner level. That is, if a coalition partner buys an all of the previous jets currently flying out there.
the durability and lifetime qualities. It makes them in our salt bog, exposed to acid rains, or stack
F-35 they will be able to maintain it with the proper Those who are retired have brought a tremendous
much more impervious to damage. It is a much gas type of environment—a very, very aggressive
training (such as the one to be received at the Eglin wealth of innovation and experience. They can
simpler system with fewer materials to contend with. environment where they’re out on exposure racks
AFB facility) and do so in the field. dramatically improve on the conditions for the
or at Battelle’s corrosion test facilities in Daytona
SLD: Will this have a significant impact on F-35 maintainers. We are not starting from zero.
SLD: Would you discuss the LO facility set-up? Beach, which is considered by the Air Force to be
maritime operations? Leveraging this experience is allowing us to build a
the most corrosion-prone area in the continental
sustainable LO capability. We’re all about creating
Grant: We had the privilege of being able to work 48. The coupons being tested, by the way, are
Grant: The Navy and Marine Corps have set the systems that are durable and easily maintained.
with complete access to data and experience of in both pristine and in deliberately damaged
benchmark for the LO repair facility program and
historic stealth programs, including the F-22. Our conditions so that we’ve introduced damage SLD: Can you discuss the interactive process
approach. They work in the worst maintenance
perspective was simply that LO was an afterthought that either the maintenance environment or between the maintenance and the manufacturing
environments. It was the challenge we had to meet.
from the standpoint of manufacturing, whereby manufacturing anomalies could represent so that we sides of the house?
So our material development effort and material
stealth was added on to the aircraft. In our have a good test of what all the materials do in that
qualification program was predicated and populated
program, stealth is manufactured into the aircraft. environment. Grant: From day one, the supportable LO has had
by requirements that were specifically suited for
The program recognized the LO repair needed a profound influence on the design of the airplane.
the Navy and Marine Corps. We have the most SLD: Can you discuss how the Systems
to be focused on as an effort by itself. The repair In fact, the element that is manufactured into the
extensive and aggressive material qualification in Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase
development center was an early invention of the skin was an initiative brought about by our LO
our history, probably in industry history. We have for the F-35 has been shaped to front-load many
program and was given the resources to go out there maintenance discipline. We’ve also had a profound
as many as ten times more coupons per materials
and experiment with different material systems and

54 55
influence on the selection of the materials and then, over the life of the airplane, again, without having
once they were decided upon, we helped refine the to return to the depot for refurbishment. There
properties to make them more workable for field use. may be some cosmetic-based reason why the jet
In addition, our team has innovated and simplified might go back to a facility, but from a performance-
tools and processes and reduced the training standpoint we recognize no need to do that. AN UPDATE ON THE LO MAINTENANCE APPROACH:
burden so that all can be easily done in a unit-level The unit-level maintenance will be adequate for
environment. maintaining the full-mission capability of the jet. THE LO REPAIR CAPABILITY DEPLOYED
SLD: What is the role of global partners in the
F-35 LO repair facility?
SLD: In entering the facility, I noticed you have a
“door mat” of stealth that’s been there for some
TO PATUXENT RIVER
time. Can you comment on this “door mat?”
Grant: The partners weren’t involved from the
very beginning because our technology transfer Grant: Oh, the slab of stealth? That’s our welcome
[In April 2010, SLD followed-up with Bill Grant to get an update on the
agreements didn’t permit it for a while. But as of mat. It is actually one of the test panels that we use
November 2008, they have participated in what for assessing the stealth of the various materials. LO maintenance approach to the F-35.]
has become a real institution here. We have It represents a stack-up that’s consistent with the
quarterly two-day, hands-on familiarization courses upper surface or the outer surface of the jet. It
SLD: When we last met you outlined the role We just completed our first formal training class at
where members from maintainers from all of the has the exact same structure and the primer and
of the LO repair facility and the maintenance Pax, supporting the training IPT. We had about a
services and several partners come in and get topcoat system that you’ll find on the operational
approach in the field. You have deployed this dozen maintainers in a four-day class learning the
some experience with the tools and the processes jets. That gets walked on every time somebody
capability to the Patuxent River test facility. Could tools and processes and becoming familiar with the
affecting the restorations and the repairs. That’s comes in or out of the repair development center.
you provide an update with regard to this activity? technical orders in the form that’s available right
been a tremendous plus in terms of their input Occasionally, we take it up to test to see if there’s
and shaping our understanding of what works and any electrical or mechanical degradation to the now. We don’t have formal joint tech data (JTD)
Grant: We now have three F-35Bs being maintained
what doesn’t work, and we’ve modified our designs system, and… yet but we have a very, very favorable response
in support of flight tests. We have two Supportable
and our concepts accordingly. But mostly, they’ve so far.
LO tech reps there facilitating activity: one
provided a high-level validation that these tools Lockheed Martin and one Northrop Grumman We have around a dozen fairly minor LO type of
and processes do, in fact, work for them, for both employee. A lot of what they’re doing is making repair activities and a few panel restorations. We
experienced and inexperienced LO maintainers, with around 25,000 steps across the maintenance personnel familiarizing with LO often see a problem when people invent processes.
and that it’s doable in their environment. procedures for restoration and repair.
SLD: So a lot of the LO maintenance will be done
that system we have not seen any SLD: So, one of the challenges is to adapt the
We don’t have a high volume of repairs yet. maintenance culture to the new aircraft.
by the services and partners in the field? degradation whatsoever. What little has occurred has not been from an
inherent failure of the material systems; they’ve Grant: The maintainers need to apply the discipline
Grant: Yes.
been maintenance-induced. But it gives us an of using proper procedures; they’re easy to do but
opportunity to test our approaches. We’re very you have to know what they are. It’s important
So we have a great deal of confidence, however encouraged about the experience; maintainers who to pay attention—easily done but it does take a
anecdotal that may be, that we have a very robust typically are wary of LO because it was so tedious modicum of awareness and training. ✪
We have no need to return to the system. ✪ and time-consuming have been very, very positive
about what they have seen and what they’ve been
depot or return to the manufacturer taught. The maintainers see LO support as very
for any LO maintenance. doable and it’s not onerous as in the past.

Our system requirement was for end-of-life, which

means that throughout the 8,000-hour service life
of the jet it is to remain fully mission-capable. We
projected the amount of maintenance that would
be done over the life of the airplane and allowed for
that in the design. The F-35 will be delivered with a
significant margin of degradation that’s allowed for

56 57
 PAX RIVER INTERVIEW:

GUNNERY SeRGEANT Larone THOMAS IN

CHARGE OF F-35B MAINTENANCE

[In April 2010, SLD interviewed Gunnery Sergeant Larone Thomas on F-35 maintenance.]

G
ySgt Thomas is in charge of but we found that he was not following a procedure
maintenance for the F-35Bs that appropriate to the aircraft.
are undergoing tests at Patuxent
River. He recently received the This aircraft is tighter and a lot more reliable.
Maintenance Officer of the Its chips are pretty hard to damage. The SLD: So the goal is to have the software and the SLD: Unlike the F-18, the F-35 has internal
Year Award from the Marine Corps Aviation maintainability package is smaller and focused computer to dialogue with the aircraft? weapons bays. How hard is this to work with?
Association. Thomas has significant experience as because the F-35 is more maintainable and more
an F-18 aviation electrician. solid state. GySgt Thomas: Correct. The goal is to have my GySgt Thomas: I’ve loaded this aircraft, I’ve been
maintenance day determined by what I’m seeing on part of the team here, and I am certified. It’s not
SLD: Tell us about your approach to shaping the
SLD: How is maintaining the F-35 different from my screen. hard at all. It’s not going to be a steep learning
metrics and protocols for maintenance on the
traditional aircraft? curve that will require extra schooling.
F-35B? SLD: As opposed to being defined by a checklist?
GySgt Thomas: The aircraft is the aircraft. Any SLD: This is the test regime for maintenance, so
good maintainer is going to be ready to walk in and GySgt Thomas: One big change is how we do GySgt Thomas: We’ll have two separate presumably it will take longer to do maintenance
be able to do maintenance on this aircraft. There our maintenance day. On traditional aircraft we entities. The PMA is able to access CMMS, here than when you have necked down the
is going to be a learning curve for some, but it’s not have a maintenance checklist and we do a set of the Computerized Maintenance Management procedures and do it in the fleet?
going to be much of a learning curve. If the aircraft tasks each day. Now the day is defined by what the Tool System. CMMS is where we document our
does half the things that it is projected to do, it is aircraft “tells us” it needs to have repaired. And we maintenance. We use it to document ordered parts GySgt Thomas: Doing pre-flight inspections and
going to be sweet. It’s going to be ten times better are trying to match our work approach to how the and more, but the other function, the other PMA, post-flight inspections on aircraft is cumbersome
than any aircraft that we have right off the bat. aircraft operates. will run up systems on aircraft—pull up Joint here because everything has to be documented. We
Technical Data (JTD), things of that nature. are shaping a process to make sure that there’s not
The capabilities I’ve seen on a hover pad—how We’re working towards the goal of having an going to be an issue in the fleet. Our inspections are
much thrust and force I have seen—will be a major aircraft tell us—“Hey, I’m low on oil.” We have to way more involved than what they’re going to be
increase in capability. It’s very promising, and as get used to working with this kind of capability. In once the F-35 is in operation. ✪
we work on shaping protocols and routines we can the long run we will waste less as we won’t change
help make decisions for the fleet to make it easier to things that don’t need changing. The impact will be shortened
maintain in the field. SLD: Tell us about your handheld laptops or maintenance time and the ability to
SLD: So during the test process you are shaping a Personal Maintenance Aids (PMAs).
repair the aircraft and generate more
protocol process for the maintainers in the fleet?
GySgt Thomas: These tools allow the maintainer
to connect to the aircraft and run up certain
sorties in support of the Marine in the
GySgt Thomas: Correct. For example, we had some
difficulties but they were based on past practices. systems to verify if the aircraft is in working order field. That is the whole point.
Unlike other aircraft, you can access many things and running properly. Right now, the software is
from panels. This takes getting used to. One day not at that state, but that’s what we’re working
one of the maintainers was having some difficulties, towards.

58 59
 An average daily student load is one of the metrics take for those pilot students to take that capability
we’re tracking: how many students are on the home and practice at their own leisure for learning.
campus on any given day. We expect somewhere
between 80 and 100 pilot students on the campus SLD: Are there cost savings as a result of this
Preparing for the F-35: on any given day; on the maintenance side, it will approach?
be a little slower to hit peak capacity. That comes Col Tomassetti: Absolutely. When I was a student
The 33rd Fighter Wing at around 2016 but we expect the average daily student going through initial flight training, I was issued
load for maintainers to be somewhere between 600 a stack of books that I had to carry with me from
Eglin Air Force Base Stands Up a and 800 on any given day. So you’re looking at day to day. If I was going to take anything home, I
almost 1,000 students on any given day here at the had to drag that big bag of books home. Digitizing
Comprehensive Tr aining Facility 33rd Fighter Wing. all that stuff gives you access to everything that’s
SLD: This feels more like a college campus than ever been written or documented to that point in
a classic military training facility, indicating new time about the F-35. So if a student is particularly
approaches to operating this center. interested in a certain thing and the one page or
[In January 2010, SLD interviewed Colonel Arthur Tomassetti, USMC, the one paragraph in the flight manual doesn’t
33rd Fighter Wing, Vice Commander, and discussed the 33rd Fighter Wing’s approach to Col Tomassetti: We have, indeed, set up the fulfill their curiosity, they have the ability to dig
F-35 training and the nature of the training center.] center to have the campus flavor and approach. down further into engineering drawings and
The academic training center—the place where background and stuff that I, as a student, could
everyone will go through their classroom training never access.
SLD: What is the 33rd Fighter Wing and what’s and some of their initial simulator training, the
your role at the Wing? living facilities for the enlisted folks, and the dining SLD: How will this joint approach shape the
facilities—are all co-located. No one has to cross training and, obversely, how will the joint
Col Tomassetti: The 33rd Fighter Wing is the any major roads to get from one building to another. experience shape training?
wing that has been charged with running the
joint strike fighter, the F-35 integrated training In fact, you could probably get everything you need Col Tomassetti: We’re going to have
center operations at Eglin Air Force Base. I am to get done on any given day as a student without representatives from all three services in the
the vice commander, so I answer to the wing leaving a four-block space. We are taking full United States and whatever partner countries are
commander, Colonel Dave Haltky, USAF. It is advantage of electronic classrooms—using a variety here at Eglin, and those students, without us doing
a joint organization. Key leadership roles include of electronic media. Most everything that the pilots anything deliberate or specific, are going to be
representatives from the three U.S. services, and will do in a classroom environment is computer- going to the same classrooms, sitting next to each
they are on a rotation basis. They’re on separate based. Whether you’re a pilot or a maintainer you other. They’re going to go and they’re going to
timelines so that we don’t ever change out the table in the 33rd Fighter Wing to the test mission will start out in the electronic classrooms, some eat breakfast and lunch together. They’re going to
entire leadership in any given summer rotation. that goes on for Air Force weapons testing, up to of which are led by human instructors and some go run in the same jogging rails. They’re going to
and including a phased array radar at one end of the which are purely computer-led. As an example, the workout in the same fitness facilities.
SLD: The Wing is located at Eglin Air Force Base, complex that tracks space debris and is a national pilots who check in here will be issued a laptop and
and you are a Marine in a deputy commander role. asset. From a training perspective for future air Without even trying, there’s going to be an
that laptop, of course, will allow them to access interchange of cultural ideas and philosophies.
I was surprised to learn that Eglin is not just an crew and maintainers, this affords a spectrum information, words, and pictures about the F-35 that
Air Force base, but has several co-located military of opportunities to interact with organizations, There’s going to be an interchange of how we do
they are learning how to fly. business, how they do business. There’s going to be
facilities on the base. This is collectively referred services, and capabilities without having to wait for
to as Team Eglin, so what are the advantages, big exercises or even wars. Additionally, it will allow them to practice an interchange of information that the students
from your point of view, of having the training procedures that they will need in the cockpit. You will naturally gravitate to as they train in close
center located in such a virtually joint setting? SLD: When are you anticipating a full ramp-up can replicate some of the displays that appear in proximity to each other.
of the program, and how many maintainers and the cockpit of the airplane on the laptop. You can
Col Tomassetti: Eglin is unique. I’ve heard it said pilots are you planning for? That’s without even trying. Now if you say, “Okay,
activate certain menus. You can drilldown through what if we put a little bit of effort and thought
in several briefs since I’ve been here that if you certain menus. You can work through certain
count the land ranges and the over-water ranges Col Tomassetti: The original vision was for five into this?” We can get a lot more by deliberately
procedures on the laptop including—if you check setting up events that will make Navy, Marine, and
that Eglin has purview over, it makes it the largest squadrons here at Eglin. We still have to decide
out the stick and throttle that can be connected to Air Force pilots fly training missions together as
military base in the world. The tenants at Eglin whether we will stay at three squadrons or grow to
the laptop—actual practice missions and practice they get into the advanced studies where multiple
include representatives from all the U.S. services the planned five; but basically, in the 2014 to 2015
profiles. That can be done in the academic training airplanes are required and we allow them to share
and a variety of missions—everything from special timeframe, we will hit the peak pilot production
center, and we’re working through what it would ideas and service techniques. Imagine adding in the
forces to the training mission that we bring to the based on three squadrons’ worth of airplanes.
partner countries for even more synergy.

60 61
 of that training is going to involve working with
air support. We are going to have students going
The opportunity to learn and increase through flight training for whom part of the
training they have to undergo is delivering that
the knowledge base of everybody who close air support to troops on the ground.

comes through the Eglin campus is In most pilot training facilities you’ve got to call
in another organization to come and support you,
tremendous. or you’ve got to wait for an exercise. Here, we’re all
going to be on the range on the same day. We can
both go out at the same time. The soldier on the
ground can get training requirements accomplished
SLD: What’s the thinking about involving the while our pilots can get their training requirements
partner countries? accomplished because that soldier on the ground
was doing their part of the close-air support mission.
Col Tomassetti: Right now, there will be partner All we have to do is talk to each other to make it
countries at Eglin, those who are already involved work.
in the program. Exactly how many and which
partner countries will appear at Eglin has not SLD: So the joint training and the joint fighter go
been determined. It could be up to and including together with an opportunity to leverage the co-
everybody who’s in the program right now, and located facilities and the shared resources across
we are preparing and planning for it to be of that those facilities.
magnitude. We want to accommodate every partner
Col Tomassetti: Absolutely. We have an idea and
country involved with the program today and are
planning for anticipated foreign military sales. a vision, of course, about what the F-35 is in terms
of its capabilities and how it will be employed on
SLD: What’s the importance of the co-location the battlefield. We have that vision today but until
of the training of pilots and maintainers in the we get out there and actually use it we’re going to
training center? have to validate that vision and our ideas of how we
employ it are correct. But in this joint environment
Col Tomassetti: There are definitely going to be at Eglin, we may be able to come up with
some efficiencies and synergies gained from having unprecedented ways of employing what the F-35 can
the pilots and maintainers together. They’re going do in some future battle scenario just because we
to be integrated when they get to their operational have a variety of players contributing input. ✪
units. Starting that integration out in the training
environment is a good idea.
SLD: You mentioned that the program approach
allows for the sharing of resources across the
base, across Florida. Can you elaborate?

Col Tomassetti: You’re going to have young soldiers

out on the land ranges here who are training in
preparation to go forward to a combat area. Part
Publisher: Second Line of Defense

Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Robbin F. Laird

Managing Editor: Jean Campbell Tullier

SLD Web Editor: Murielle Delaporte

Senior Art Director: Glenn Gemmell

Art Director: Ruth Gemmell

62 63
T
hree-Dimensional Warriors is a publication
of Second Line of Defense, a dynamic web
site that focuses on the development and
sustainment of U.S. and allied military and secu-
rity capabilities and the critical role of the support
community and the partnerships of democracies
that are key to the evolution of military strength.

www.SLDinfo.com