Sotech 10-6 Final

Command Leader

Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel

CommanderAir Force SpecialOperations Command

Hydration Systems O SOF Training & Mission Readiness Shotguns, Grenade Launchers & Smart Ammo

August 2012 Volume 10, Issue 6

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World’s Largest Distributed Special Ops Magazine

SPECIAL SECTION

Unmanned Aerial Systems

Special OperatiOnS technOlOgy auguSt 2012VOlume 10 • iSSue 6

FeatureS cOVer / Q&a

DepartmentS2

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Editor’s Perspective

Whispers/People

Black Watch

Resource Center

inDuStry interView

Jay McConvilleExecutive Vice President

ChandlerMay

36

Lieutenant General Eric E. FielCommander

Air Force Special Operations Command

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SOF Training and Mission ReadinessIt is critical for special operators to attain peak proficiency before embarking on the high-risk missions they execute. Advanced training systems provide them with a winning advantage over a dangerous enemy.By William Murray

29

Hydration Systems—Potable and PortableBecause special operators often move through austere terrain with polluted streams and lakes, they are at risk of contracting debilitating diseases. But treatment and storage systems ensure the water they drink is safe and clean.By Dave Ahearn

25

Shotguns, Grenade Launchers and Smart AmmoTake a tour of the latest in systems that enhance the basic rifle or carbine, allowing the special operator to pack an added punch. We also examine mortars and smart ammo.By Henry Canaday

6

Unmanned Aerial SystemsExamine the latest in the myriad unmanned aircraft that can do it all, from providing intelligence on the enemy to putting steel on targets, without placing a pilot in harm’s way.By Peter Buxbaum

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Smaller UAVs These aerial systems are incredibly small and light. But their value is tremendously outsized, as these ISR platforms send live full-color video or other data back to special operators.By Peter Buxbaum

15

UAV Payload SystemsWhile remotely piloted systems are technological masterpieces by themselves, their true value lies in the ISR and other systems they carry to provide life-saving knowledge to U.S. warriors.By Henry Canaday

SPECIAL SECTIONSOF UAS

Special operators are warriors’ warriors who execute death-defying missions on a daily basis, but they shun the spotlight. They own the night but never wish to be seen in the daylight of publicity. However, they should still receive the accolades of a grateful public, which never hears of most of their exploits.

Happily, for one brief moment they will receive the recognition they are due, when the National Defense University Foundation (NDUF) honors Admiral Bill H. McRaven and the men and women of SOCOM. NDUF will present them with the 2012 American Patriot Award at a gala November 15 in Washington, D.C., to celebrate their patriotic leadership and devotion to country.

“Admiral McRaven and the men and women of U.S. Special Operations Command have played a vital role in the security of our nation, taking global responsibility to protect our freedoms against terrorist networks,” said Albert C. Zimmerman, chairman of the board of directors of the National Defense University Foundation.

Previous recipients of the award have included former astronaut and Senator John Glenn, General Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and General David H. Petraeus.

Only on rare occasions has the veil of classified security been lifted for the public to see the kind of work that SOCOM performs for the nation, such as the mission to take out September 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, a mission that McRaven executed before taking command of SOCOM.

While that brilliant and brilliantly planned feat commanded worldwide headlines, the unknown routine actions of special operators are no less compelling.

For example, a Marine assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, was awarded the Silver Star medal for gallantry. Staff Sergeant William E. Burch was awarded the military’s third highest medal for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in Afghanistan, where he came under heavy enemy fire on April 6, 2010.

Though wounded, he charged up a hill in the face of enemy fire, laid down suppressive fire, and aided a wounded comrade. He continued to disregard his wounds throughout the 10-hour firefight.

That is the mettle of a special operator, and just one reason why the NDUF award is so rightly deserved.

Dave AhearnEditor

World’s Largest Distributed Special Ops Magazine

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SOCOM Obtains up to $500 Million of Comms Systems

L-3 Communications announced its L-3 GCS subsidiary has been awarded a contract by Special Operations Command to provide special opera-tors with worldwide communications. Under the contract, L-3 GCS will develop and manufacture very small aperture terminal satellite systems. The program, Special Operations Forces Deployable Node-Family of Terminals, will provide tactically deployed SOF users with worldwide communica-tions connectivity. Total contract value is up to $500 million over the next five years.

“L-3 GCS is honored to have been selected for this program, which represents new busi-ness for our unit and highlights the priority our customer has placed on SATCOM equipment. We look forward to a continued productive partner-ship with SOCOM, ensuring their deployed users are equipped with the best possible communica-tion systems,” said Bob Jacobson, president of L-3 GCS. “L-3 GCS will begin delivering tri-band Hawkeye III Lite 1.2M terminals and quad-band 2.0M terminals later this year and we are currently ramping up our engineering and production capabilities to meet our customers’ objectives.”

Agreement Set to Offer UHF Tactical Satellite Solutions

Harris CapRock Communications has signed a multi-year, multi-channel agreement with Astrium Services to offer end-to-end ultra-high frequency (UHF) tactical satellite solutions for international and U.S. government users. The joint Harris CapRock and Astrium Services end-to-end commer-cial UHF service will be launched in spring 2013.

Harris CapRock now joins Astrium Services in providing UHF solutions across the entire Skynet fleet as a global channel partner. Astrium Services owns and operates a fleet of military-grade geosyn-chronous communications satellites with both UHF and X-band payloads.

UHF is the ultra-critical communications link designed for users at the tactical edge, and for command and control reach-back. As the most robust beyond-line-of-sight communications available, access to scarce UHF satellite capacity is becoming increasingly important. In February, the government launched the first of five next-generation UHF satellites known as the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). Despite the substantial increase in capacity and capa-bility offered by MUOS, the demand for UHF satellite capacity still exceeds supply by over 200 percent, according to recent government reports.

The joint Harris CapRock and Astrium Services end-to-end commercial UHF service offers domestic and international users access to an unprecedented level of control over UHF capacity.

The service will include dedicated 25 kHz and 5 kHz satellite channels for use with any UHF tactical satellite (TACSAT) capable radios, including several prevalent Harris models such as its Falcon II and Falcon III product lines.

Using a new Harris TACSAT waveform, offered as part of the end-to-end service, users will be able to actively manage their channels by splitting the capacity into multiple networks for simultaneous users—a significant improvement over current levels of capability. The UHF service also will support legacy UHF waveforms such as DAMA and IW when using Harris Corp. government infrastructure.

“UHF is essential when assured tactical commu-nications are a must,” said Tom Eaton, president, Harris CapRock. “Because we are part of Harris Corporation, we are able to combine industry-leading radios and waveforms with Harris CapRock’s satel-lite and terrestrial infrastructure to offer end-to-end UHF solutions to customers operating in extreme environments. We also are enabling something our customers have never had before—full control over their UHF missions.”

“Astrium Services pioneered the concept of commercially supplied military-hardened SATCOM capacity, and this represents another step forward in delivering real capability directly to the end users,” said Simon Kershaw, executive director Telecom Governmental, Astrium Services.

Army Colonel Clayton M. Hutmacher has been nominated for the rank of brigadier general. Hutmacher is currently serving as

commander, U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Brigadier General Eric P. Wendt, deputy commander, Regional Command North, International Security Assistance Force, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, was named commanding general,

Special Operations Command Korea, U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea.

Brigadier General Charles A. Flynn, special assistant to the commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., was named deputy commanding general, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Robert Newberry has been assigned as special advisor to the assistant secretary of defense, special operations/low intensity conflict, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Policy, Washington, D.C. Newberry previously served concurrently as deputy assistant secretary of defense for prisoner of war/missing personnel affairs and director,

defense prisoner of war/missing personnel office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Policy, Washington, D.C.

AR Modular RF announced the addition of Joe Reminder, a 25-year RF sales veteran, to its U.S. sales staff as the East Coast regional sales manager.

Compiled by KMi Media Group staffPEOPLE

Compiled by KMi Media Group staffWHISPERS

Col. Clayton M. Hutmacher

www.SOTECH-kmi.com4 | SOTECH 10.6

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The first instance of a military use of full motion video (FMV) on a drone came in 1982 when Israeli forces deployed video cameras on early-gener-ation unmanned aerial systems over Lebanon. Since that time, the use of UAVs to capture FMV has become ubiquitous in warfare. Their use by U.S. forces increased drastically in Afghani-stan and Iraq.

There has also been an explosion in the num-ber of sensors and plat-forms that provide FMV available to the U.S. military: a few dozen assets 10 years ago has increased to thousands today. UAVs, because they are able to collect intelligence without putting personnel in harm’s way, have emerged as a key com-ponent in the U.S. military’s FMV strategy. The volume of video taken in Southwest Asia in any given year can be measured in decades.

Video brings a key added value over still imagery intelligence in its ability to

observe targets over time. FMV provides a capability to understand human activity over and above the insights to be derived

from still imagery.There are several UAV plat-

forms of varying sizes (see accompanying articles on small UAVs and UAV systems) which have the capability to transmit full motion video to ground forces. These undergo a constant evolution in their capabilities. At the same time, there are new developments in systems that facili-

tate the utility of UAVs. There is a movement toward universal ground control stations that can control UAVs of different manu-facturers as well as technologies that boost the bandwidth avail-able on UAVs so that they can better accommodate warfighters’ require-ments for FMV.

AAI Corp.’s Shadow UAV was first flown in 1991 and is in service with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and several foreign

militaries. The Shadow 200, designated as the RQ-7B by the Army, can see targets up to 125 kilometers away from a tactical operations center. The Shadow 400, which can be launched and recovered onboard ship, has been deployed with allied naval forces. Control of the Shadow 400 can be transferred between ship and land-based control stations.

The Shadow typically carries an optical payload consisting of a laser pointer, a video camera and an infrared camera. The Shadow has a gross takeoff weight of 400 pounds and cruises at 15,000 feet.

Recent enhance-ments to the Shadow have targeted its endurance and its tac-tical common data link

capability, noted Vance King, vice president for tactical unmanned aerial systems at AAI. “We incorporated an extended wing on the existing fuselage to increase the Shadow’s endurance by six to 10 hours,

By Peter BuxBaum

SOteCH COrreSPOndent

Chris Pehrson

Vance King

uaVS yield Big BenefitS, new CaPaBilitieS fOr warfigHterS.

SOF UAS Special SectionSPECIAL SECTIONSOF UAV


depending on the payloads it is carrying and how much fuel it is using,” he said. “The extended wing also adds to the Shad-ow’s payload capacity.”

General Atomics produces some of the better known UAVs, including the Predator, flown by the U.S. Air Force, as well as the Army’s Gray Eagle. Some 230 Predators and 50 Gray Eagles are currently in service.

The Predator and Gray Eagle have both grown bigger and heavier over the years, enabling them to carry twice their origi-nal payload of sensors (as well as Hellfire missiles). “We have also improved the digi-tal data links on both platforms to provide more throughput for full motion video,” said Chris Pehrson, director of strategic development for General Atomics Aeronau-tical Systems Inc. The UAVs also use the same heavy fuel that the Army uses for all of its ground and air vehicles.

The Predator B, also known as the MQ-9 Reaper, has in the last few years

been rewired to improve reliability and power distribution. “Certain payloads require more power,” noted Pehrson. “The payload capacity for the MQ-9 is up to 3,000 pounds, up from the original 500 pounds.”

The UAVs are equipped with an elec-tro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) video camera that enables both day and night operation. “These provide a narrow field of view but the camera can zoom in and capture pretty good detail,” said Pehrson. The platforms are also capable of carrying synthetic aper-ture radar, which enables weapons to hit a moving target and can return photo-quality images of the ground.

“The radar can capture wide areas,” said Pehrson. “If something of interest shows up, you can then slew the EO/IR camera over it to see what it is.” Wide-area motion imagery, signals intelligence and hyper-spectral sensors are also capable of being mounted on the UAVs.

The Gorgon Stare wide-area persis-tent surveillance system was developed by Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) and mounted on a General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper to provide wide-area ISR capabilities to the U.S. Air Force. After a shaky start, the system has been successfully deployed to Afghanistan and has achieved good results.

According to an SNC document, “each Gorgon Stare orbit provides uninter-rupted, 24/7 visible and infrared coverage of city-sized areas, giving real-time motion video directly to theater and tactical forces engaged in combat and support opera-tions.” The system provides motion video in three coverage tiers: the full field; multiple sub-views of the full field; and high resolu-tion chipouts of individual views, each of which can be streamed to multiple viewers.

Data from Gorgon Stare, as well as other sensors mounted on Predators and Gray Eagles, can be transmitted to war-fighters on the ground by way of a small

SOF UAS Special Section SPECIAL SECTIONSOF UAV

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 10.6 | 7

L-3 Communications device known as the ROVER (originally developed by the U.S. Air Force as the Remote Operations Video Enhanced Receiver). The ROVER product line, now in its sixth generation, is capable of receiving video feeds from overhead air-borne vehicles and from sat-ellites and can be vehicle mounted or handheld. In its latest iterations it is capable of transmitting as well as receiving.

An innovation in the UAV platform is coming from the Saab Group in the form of a 520-pound rotary wing platform called the Skeldar 200. A rotary wing platform rep-resents several advantages over fixed wing aircraft from an ISR perspective, according to Johan Hansson, vice president for aero-nautics marketing and sales at Saab Group.

“The Skeldar can carry as much pay-load as a fixed wing UAV of the same size,” he said. “But unlike the fixed wing plat-forms, the Skeldar does not require launch assistance nor a paved runway to land. It can take off and land pretty much any-where, including a naval vessel with very limited space. Once it is in the air it has the ability to maneuver and hover. The Skeldar doesn’t have to be continuously flying. It can stop and turn around and that makes it suitable for tracking targets, especially in terrain where there can be obstacles. Larger UAVs require more time to turn around and can’t fly at slow speeds.”

The potential for hovering or flying at low speeds benefits the collection of data from some types of sensors. “For some sen-sors, like penetrating radar or software like three-dimensional mapping, you get better quality data if it is collected at slow speed or at hover,” said Hansson.

FMV cameras are easily integrated into the Skeldar, noted Hansson. “More and more sensor interfaces are becoming stan-dardized,” he said, “so it is just a question of plug and play.”

IDirect Government Technologies, a provider of satellite communications to the U.S. government, has applied its expertise to allow UAVs to transmit FMV to warfighters on the ground. Most of today’s FMV is broad-cast directly to the ground over the L-band

frequency from manned and unmanned airborne assets, noted Karl Fuchs, the com-pany’s vice president of technology.

“The biggest advantage to satellite communications is ubiquitous coverage,” he said. “L-band communica-tions direct to the ground implies some existing infra-structure to leverage. In some areas that is not the case.”

IDirect has worked to integrate its satellite com-munications technology on the aircraft providing the

FMV. This has included working on anten-nas, modems and routers. “This work has resulted in increases in output from 512 kilobits per second at first to 2 megabits per second, and in the latest efforts to 12 to 14 megabits per second off a 60 centimeter aperture antenna,” said Fuchs. “Once you get over 12 megabits you can accommo-date high definition full motion video.”

The development of universal ground stations has helped warfighters by allowing them to retrieve data on one device from multiple ISR platforms. AAI’s One Sys-tem Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT) is a modular video and data sys-tem that enables warfight-ers to remotely downlink live surveillance images and geospatial data directly from tactical UAVs, including the Shadow, and the Predator.

AAI is currently in the final testing of a new uni-versal ground control sys-tem that incorporates the tactical common data link. “The new device can handle encrypted data as well as adding interoper-ability to the system,” said King. “If the mission gets altered because of a situation in the field, operators can bring in a Gray Eagle or Shadow, which can then take full motion video and relay it to another system.”

Kutta Technologies Inc. has developed a bidirectional video transceiver, a soft-ware product, which currently is loaded on the OSRVT. “The Bidirectional Remote Video Transceiver allows a warfighter with a laptop to take control of a UAV,” said

Doug Limbaugh, Kutta’s CEO. “We dem-onstrated this capability for the Army last year controlling the Shadow, Gray Eagle and Hunter.”

With the Bidirectional Remote Video Transceiver, an operator can slew a camera to a particular location through a graphi-cal map interface on a handheld device. The warfighter can click on the same inter-face to determine the UAVs route. “The operator can define a route by clicking on points on the map,” said Limbaugh. “The UAV and its payload are then programmed autonomously to satisfy the mission. The warfighter soldier just has to sit back and watch the video as it unfolds.”

The Army is considering deploying 3,000 of the bidirectional transceivers, according to Limbaugh, in a formal pro-gram of record. A future iteration of the transceiver will include a manned-unmanned teaming capability, which will allow control of a UAV from the cockpit of a manned aircraft such as an Apache helicopter.

Kutta is also working on a universal ground control station that will be able to interoperate with a variety of UAV sys-tems. “The unified ground control sta-tions refers to our graphical user interface,

which scales nicely from a small form factor device like a personal digital assistant all the way to a command center display,” said Lim-baugh. “We have an ongoing effort with the Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for using handheld controllers for unmanned resupply.” The product com-plies with the NATO interop-erability protocol for UAV

ground stations, STANAG 4586.“The advantage of using our universal

ground controller, especially the handheld device, is that it is small and lightweight and modular in design,” said Limbaugh. “It allows a warfighter to dismount from a convoy operation and take UAV control along with him. It is designed around a touch-screen interface, it can be hooked up into any Internet Protocol-based radio, and its human-machine interfaces, such as a joy stick or a slider, can be swapped out. It is sunlight readable and also night

Johan Hansson

Karl Fuchs



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vision goggle compliant. Milspec testing is ongoing now.”

More intelligence is currently being built into unmanned aerial systems, which will enable teams of UAVs to work better together in spotting and prose-cuting potential targets and provide pos-sible targets to human operators as well. “Machine-to-machine interfaces are going to be improved,” said Derek Lyons, vice president for sales and marketing at Prioria Robotics, maker of the small Maverick UAV. “The planes are going to have to talk to each other with digital data links. That is something we are working on right now.”

Enhanced communications would enable teams of UAVs to work together on hunter/killer missions. “The systems would be equipped with something akin to facial recognition software,” said Lyons. In other words, they would be able to recog-nize a target of interest. When the target is spotted, the hunter UAV would communi-cate the coordinates to the killer vehicle to prosecute the hit.

A similar idea will go into systems that will take the burden off human operators to spot potential targets within large volumes of video footage. Next year, Lyons predicted, capabilities will be in place that will enable the unmanned systems to com-municate the location of poten-tial targets to human operators.

“The UAV will cue the opera-tor to the target,” said Lyons. “This will provide better results than depending on the operator to spot targets himself.”

AAI is working on a new version of the Shadow, the M2, which will be able to accom-modate high definition video sensors. “The ground control system is already HD ready,” said King, “but we are still working on the payload for Shadow M2 and it is not ready for deployment yet.”

The M2 will have a larger fuselage as well as a longer wingspan than the current generation of the UAV, which will provide opportunities to carry more sensor pay-loads. (The Shadow is also in the process of being weaponized by the U.S. Marine Corps.)

“For the first time, the M2 will allow for the simultaneous use of mission payloads,”

said King, “which can include the HD video, electro-optical/infrared sensors, synthetic aperture radar and signals intelligence sen-sors. We are working with over 15 payload vendors to try to bring their capabilities into the system.”

General Atomics’ Predator C, which is cur-rently being tested, is a jet-powered aircraft that will provide significant enhancements over and above current Predator platforms. “It is a differ-ent class of UAV,” said Pehrson. “Because it is jet powered, it can fly at over 200 knots. That means that it can be

more responsive to situations as they arise. The Predator C can reposition itself across the battlespace faster.”

This UAV, while not considered stealthy, has a lower signature, which means it has greater survivability capabilities. It also has significantly greater payload capacity. At 6,000 pounds, it can carry twice the pay-load of any current Predator model.

The U.S. Air Force has bought one Predator C for research and development. “The Air Force is doing testing and evalu-ation,” said Pehrson. “With today’s budget environment the Air Force is not in a

position to procure a new system. It could conceivably be fielded by 2015, but I don’t think it will move that fast.”

Although the Air Force may not be able to procure a new platform as fast as General Atomics would like, Pehrson sees a continued strong role for UAVs in pursuing ISR missions. “New starts will be difficult unless there is an operational need. But with the drawdown in the size of the military, ISR will become even more important and won’t suffer as much as other areas. It is too risky to give up indi-cators and warnings. ISR will stay pretty robust,” he said.

The role of special forces is likely to grow, Pehrson predicted, and UAVs will be accompanying them wherever their mis-sions take them. “UAVs give special opera-tors a tremendous force multiplier,” he said. “It gives them situational awareness for whatever they are doing. We anticipate that we will be able to maintain healthy production of our UAVs because the plat-form’s capabilities remain compelling.” O

Derek Lyons

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at [email protected]

or search our online archives for related stories at www.sotech-kmi.com.

An Air Force MQ-1B Predator takes off from Ali Base on a mission in theater. [Photo courtesy of DoD]



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SOF UAS Special Section

The development and deployment of small unmanned aerial vehicles has emerged as a growth industry in recent years. Special operations forces have developed requirements for small UAVs, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and have deployed them extensively in the Southwest Asian the-ater. Smaller UAVs that can be operated by a small team of ground troops, or even a single solider, open new possibilities for deliver-ing full motion video and other imagery to the lowest tactical levels.

Capabilities of small UAVs have benefited from the minia-turization of a variety of payloads, including electro-optical and infrared cameras as well as radars and signals intelligence sensors. Smaller systems are tote-able in one or two backpacks, can be assembled in a few minutes, and often can be launched by hand. What all have in common is the mission to provide capabilities to small teams of front-line personnel.

AeroVironment Inc. first introduced a small UAV called the Pointer 20 years ago and sold it to the U.S. Marine Corps. But it was only in the post-9/11 world that the capabilities of small UAVs came to be recognized, according to Steve Gitlin, the company’s director of marketing strategy. “The threat environment that continues to this day gave rise to increased demand for our solu-tions,” he said.

“Technology is moving along at a rapid pace,” said Stephen Flach, vice president and director for small unmanned aircraft, at AAI Corp., a UAV maker in Hunt Valley, Md. “There has been reduction in size, weight and power requirements, enabling more sophisticated payloads and better capabilities to be integrated on smaller aircraft.”

Lockheed Martin’s Stalker was developed in 2006 to quickly address requirements of the U.S. special operations forces. The 13-pound aircraft, designed to be carried and operated and hand-launched by an individual soldier, has a wing span of 10 feet. Lock-heed Martin recently introduced a larger and more rugged version of the Stalker, dubbed the Stalker XE.

“The Stalker takes a variety of modular payloads which can be swapped out in 15 seconds,” said Tom Koonce, small UAV program manager at Lockheed Martin. The UAV can be fitted with different payloads such as a daylight video camera, a low-light video cam-era, an uncooled thermal sensor, and a combined sensor and laser target marker.

The Stalker has a lightweight, stealthy design and a very low acoustic signature. This helps the UAV deliver high quality imag-ery to the ground. “A quieter platform with less vibration is going to produce better quality video after the application of image sta-bilization,” said Koonce. “We have received phenomenal responses from customers for this size vehicle.”

ligHt airCraft PrOVide Huge BenefitS.

By Peter BuxBaum




The Stalker XE system, with a 12-foot wing span, quadruples Stalker’s flight endurance to over eight hours, thanks to a propane fuel cell. The XE was tested last year and is now in production. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has purchased several, as have other customers whose identities are classified.

AeroVironment currently has three small UAV models in pro-duction. The Raven weighs 4 pounds and has a wingspan of 5 feet. The vehicle is laden with an electro-optical or thermal payload and its electric motor runs on a battery pack that keeps the unit aloft for 90 minutes at a time. The system, including its ground controller, fits into two rucksacks that weigh less than 15 pounds.

The Wasp, which weighs 1 pound and has a 28-inch wing-span, has an endurance time of 60 minutes. The Puma weighs 13 pounds and boasts two hours of endurance. It carries electro-optical and infrared cameras on a gimbaled payload and is capable of landing in the water or on land.

“These systems provide video and infrared imagery to opera-tors using handheld controllers,” said Gitlin. “Since the systems can be transported in a backpack, they can provide information to the frontline warfighter. They are launched by hand and can operate between 10 and 15 kilometers from their ground sta-tions.”

AeroVironment has also developed a nano-sized UAV, thanks to a contract with DARPA. “The Nano Air Vehicle program was initiated to develop a new class of air vehicles capable of indoor and outdoor operations,” said Gitlin. “It employs biological mimicry to look like an object in nature. The aircraft is designed to provide new military reconnaissance capabilities in urban environments.”

AV’s Hummingbird nano air vehicle weighs less than 10 grams and has the ability to carry a payload of up to 2 grams. “We have successfully demonstrated the Hummingbird transmitting video back to controllers,” said Gitlin. “Several potential customers are considering the product.”

AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems recently won two contracts to provide its Aerosonde small unmanned aircraft system, together with support services, to the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Navy. The SOCOM contract is a three-year, $600 million pact that includes support operations. The Navy’s ISR Ser-vices awarded AAI, along with two other companies, a contract encompassing land- and sea-based unmanned aircraft systems operations for the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

“The Aerosonde is a high-performance system that incorpo-rates a heavy-fuel engine for superior endurance,” said Flach. “The aircraft’s electro-optic/infrared payload delivers day-and-night, persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.” The

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75-pound Aerosonde can also accommodate a second payload. It doesn’t require a runway but can take off and land where there is 250 square feet of open space.

Arcturus’ T-20 UAV has an empty weight of 110 pounds. In a typical configuration, the T-20 carries 32 pounds of fuel plus a 35 pound payload. Endurance in that configuration is up to 16 hours.

“The T-20 launches from a catapult that can be assembled by one person in 10 minutes,” said Steve Smith, a senior application engineer at Arcturus UAV. “The T-20 UAV is modular and can be assembled in less than an hour and operated by as few as two people.”

The T-20’s key attributes are its ability to carry payloads heavy for its size as well as its long endurance. Smith attributes the T-20’s performance to its monocoque construction, a technique in which the fuselage skin is used to bear weights and which elimi-nates the use of bulkheads and braces in the interior of the aircraft.

“That means that the entire interior of the aircraft is hollow,” said Smith. “The T-20 has an extremely rigid and lightweight fuse-lage, which makes it a very rugged platform that can carry a lot of weight for its size.” T-20 payloads can include EO/IR, hyperspectral sensors and signals intelligence sensors. The payload bays’ modu-lar design allows for payloads to be easily swapped.

Arcturus has delivered 60 unmanned aerial systems to custom-ers including the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy.

Recent developments in small UAVs include equipping the vehicles with increased processing power on board in order to facilitate greater navigational autonomy and to reduce the amount of data filtering that needs to take place on the ground. Prioria Robotics Inc. developed a micro unmanned aerial system, the Maveric, a single-person portable system equipped with Prioria’s processing platform, called Merlin.

“Merlin provides Maveric with on-board collision avoidance capabilities,” explained Derek Lyons, the company’s vice president for sales and marketing. “The vehicle automatically looks for and finds a safe altitude in mountainous terrains, sloping elevations, or urban settings with buildings or trees.”

The enhanced processing capabilities also allow the aircraft to transmit smoother images back to the ground. “That means the ground station doesn’t have to be that robust,” said Lyons. “It doesn’t have to crunch a huge amount of data to make a better image. Flying at 500 feet, you can get a really close look with a lot higher resolution than with a Predator or a satellite.”

Prioria’s Maveric is equipped with bendable, carbon fiber wings, allowing it to be stored in a 6-inch tube and deployed in less than two minutes with no assembly. The standard payloads for the Maveric, with a 28-inch wingspan and weighing 2 pounds, include an analog gimbaled electro-optical camera and a fixed side-look infrared camera along with an analog zoom camera. Prioria is will soon be introducing new payloads, including a map-ping application, a digital gimbaled zoom camera, and digital fused EO/IR sensor.

The mapping utility will “deliver geo-rectified images that can be pulled directly into Google Earth or Falcon View,” both map-ping applications, said Lyons. “The digital gimbaled zoom camera has 10 megapixels [and] is able to track a person at 750 to 1,000 feet. The images are stabilized onboard so that the image looks like it was taken in hover mode. With the EO/IR camera the UAV can work through dusk and then at night.”

The U.S. Army has purchased several Maverics for evaluation. The Canadian military purchased 60 units and deployed them to Afghanistan.

Future small UAVs will also be able to provide “full motion color video at resolutions that meet customers’ ISR needs,” said Koonce. He also expects chemical, biological and radiation sensors to be integrated on small UAV platforms.

Gitlin predicted that UAVs will continue to shrink in size. “The smaller you make the UAV,” he said, “the greater the potential to push these capabilities lower in the force structure.” O

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at [email protected] or search our online archives

for related stories at www.sotech-kmi.com.

An Aerosonde made by AAI Corp. skims over tree tops. [Photo courtesy of AAI]



SPECIAL SECTION

Unmanned aerial vehicles played a critical role in reconnais-sance and gathering intelligence in Iraq, Afghanistan and else-where. Many UAV platforms have been developed and proven their worth. But equipping UAVs with the right components is just as important as supplying the aircraft.

Private firms are steadily expanding the capabilities of UAVs while keeping size, weight and power (SWaP) within tight limits. Better equipment is coming in signals intelligence (SIGINT) to locate targets, sensors and cameras to watch them, weapons to destroy them and electronic warfare (EW) to deal with enemy threats.

Kor Electronics, a subsidiary of Mercury Computer Systems, builds communications intelligence sensors that can, from a sin-gle aircraft, locate radio transmissions, explained Dave Edwards, vice president of ISR systems. Kor is now focusing on the RQ-7 Shadow, but its 25-pound SIGINT package would fit on anything of the same or larger size as the Shadow.

Unlike time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) systems, which need multiple aircraft to geo-locate a signal emitter, Kor’s SIGINT can locate the emitter using just one aircraft. Reapers and Predators already have the less efficient TDOA location capabilities. Single-aircraft SIGINT could shorten the sensor-to-shoot time, increase return on investment and yield longer endurance.

Edwards said SIGINT capability is one of the top two UAV priorities of the Marines, Army and Special Operations Command. “They want to locate and find the emitter with broad area surveil-lance, then use electro-optical (EO) or infrared (IR) to validate the identification, then bring in Gray Eagle or a manned aircraft to hit it,” Edwards explained.

Kor designed the system to fit widely deployed medium-sized UAVs. There are many more Pumas AEs and RQ-11 Ravens than Shadows, Edwards acknowledged. “But they are too light to carry this.” He estimated there are about 600 medium-sized UAVs

already deployed that could carry the Kor product. “We can work with anything larger than Shadow.”

The Kor system would also be easy to retrofit. Unlike other SIGINT products that need antennas spread over the aircraft, Kor’s system is all in one easily installed pod. “All we need is power, navigation and a data link,” Edwards said.

Kor has a strategic alliance with Shadow manufacturer AAI. In mid-June, Kor was expecting to sign a contract with the Army for integration and testing of its SIGINT on the Shadow. The company is also in discussions with Northrop Grumman and General Atom-ics for application to their UAVs.

He believes the new product “is a game changer.”Goodrich specializes in high-performance, compact, rugged,

uncooled short wave infrared (SWIR) sensors, with the highest-sensitivity SWIR cameras available. Business Development Man-ager Joshua Poulin explained, “SWIR light is reflective light, which gives us images with shadows and contrast that make them very similar in appearance to visible imagery.” Unlike mid-wave and long-wave IR thermal sensors that sense heat, SWIR imag-ers provide highly detailed images suitable for target identifica-tion. SWIR imagers can also see through haze, fog and other atmospheric obscurants and see throughout thermal crossover at sunrise and sunset.

Goodrich SWIR cameras provide high-sensitivity day and night imaging at room temperature, and some models can image in starlight-only conditions. Not needing cooling, Goodrich cameras can be small and require little power. For additional illumination, SWIR illuminators are available that cannot be seen by either the naked eye or by common night vision goggles. “Furthermore, Goodrich near infrared (NIR) and SWIR cameras can see all com-monly used battlefield lasers and beacons,” Poulin said.

Goodrich cameras come in different models, suited for differ-ent UAVs and missions.

SyStemS PrOVide CritiCal ClOut fOr iSr and mOre, eVen On tHe tinieSt uaS.

By Henry Canaday




The GA640C-15 is ideal for UAVs that allow higher SWaP. A quarter of the size of comparable SWIR cam-eras and needing only a third their power, this model is well-suited for large Tier I UAVs.

Ideal for multi-spectral and hyper-spectral imaging, Goodrich’s GA1280J is a high-resolution SWIR imager suitable for Tier III and larger UAVs.

Goodrich’s SU640HSX-1.7RT is a high-performance, military-rugged, SWIR imager capable of laser spotting during both day and night operations. Also ideal for multi-spectral and hyper-spectral imaging, it can be used on nearly any UAV.

Poulin said Goodrich will release this summer a new 1,280-by-1,024 pixel camera with even smaller pixel pitch, 12.5 microns and snapshot operation that will capture each pixel within a frame simultaneously.

Stark Aerospace offers a line of plug-in optronic pay-loads (POP) in a variety of sizes, including the POP300, MiniPOP, MicroPOP and the MOSP3000, its largest sensor. Stark also makes the POP300-D and MiniPOP-D, which are equipped with laser designators, and the GTADS, which is a backpack version of the MiniPOP.

The POP300 and POP300-D are flown on the Shadow by the Army and Marine Corps. The POP300 is an advanced multiple-sensor stabilized payload for observation, surveillance, tracking and targeting. Reconfiguration in the field is easy for flexibility in choosing sensors.

POP300 has a thermal imager, continuous-zoom daylight TV, NIR capability and a laser pointer on dual-axis stabilized gimbals. Options include an optical magnifier for the thermal imager and daylight TV, a laser designator (POP300-D) and a video motion detector. The 10- by 15-inch POP300 weighs just 35 pounds.

Starks’s MOSP3000 is used on the Hunter and the Heron. The Heron is flown by Stark’s Flight Services subsidiary. At 14 by 23 inches, this model weighs 61 to 68 pounds, depending on configu-ration. The MOSP3000 has full digital controls and is optimized for laser designation from airborne platforms with an automatic boresight for all its sensors. The four-gimbal, stabilized platform’s sensor package can include a variety of TV and IR sensors, laser pointer, rangefinder and designator. The MOSP3000 is suited for medium altitude, long endurance and tactical UAVs.

Stark always brings a focus and advanced technologies to its end-user requirements, emphasized Jon Waldrop, senior vice pres-ident of business development. “We listen to customers and deliver requirements in an affordable and effective way, not according to what is convenient for us.”

Waldrop predicts the future will see more capable and even lighter systems, especially for special operations troops. Apart from lightness, he said, warfighters increasingly seek much clearer images and more persistent UAVs that can fly missions longer.

Integrated Microwave Technologies’ military, aerospace and government group specializes in innovative digital microwave video solutions for defense, security and law enforcement applications. IMT makes ultra-compact transmitters and receivers, microwave links, digital, portable and fixed airborne video systems and specialty antennas. It has worked with several large defense contractors.

Military products must meet tough technical specifications, such as small SWaP, high mean time between failure and reliable link performance, noted John Procacci, business development manager-ISR. And the military is looking for open-architecture functionality to avoid being locked into one system, product or supplier due to proprietary technology, Procacci said. “Smart sup-pliers work very hard to offer military-grade products that can be easily integrated into platforms.”

Changing UAV cameras has a positive impact, since sensors are constantly improving. “That is the perfect time to look at upgrad-ing the video radio solution as well, which is also improving over time,” Procacci said. IMT has solutions that are much lighter and more capable then some legacy units and use less power. “Unlike other radio companies, we can customize end-to-end solutions that can upgrade UAV video radio range, performance and real-time image-distribution options.”

MBDA Missile Systems makes the GBU-44/B Viper Strike glide bomb that was used on MQ-5B Hunters in Iraq. Weighing 44 pounds, the bomb is fired out of a common launch tube and uses GPS and a semi-active laser seeker to guide it to the target, explained Vice President of Business Development Douglas Den-neny. MBDA is looking at other large UAVs that the Viper Strike might be launched from.

MBDA is also developing the small air bomb extended range (SABER), which could be flown on the Tier II UAV Arcturus T-20. Weighing just 13 pounds, the SABER would be suited for similar UAVs that cannot carry the heavier Viper Strike. Like the Viper Strike, the SABER would glide and seek its target with both GPS and semi-active laser. And because both weapons glide to the ground, they can hit targets within a wide range of directions from the UAV aircraft, not just in one direction like a rocket.

In the U.S., MBDA markets the dual-mode Brimstone missile that flies from U.K. aircraft. “It could fly off any UAV that carries the [AGM-114] Hellfire, for example, the Predator B,” Denneny noted.

The dual-mode Brimstone is unique in using two seeking mechanisms, semi-active laser and millimeter wave (mmW). “The


A Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle is poised for launch from a catapult. [Photo courtesy of DoD]


laser initiates, then mmW takes over,” Denneny stressed. “It is very accurate, superior to the Hellfire.” Fired from a fighter aircraft, the missile recently hit an 18-foot boat in rough seas.

Raytheon’s Advanced Communications and Countermeasures division has two parts, an identification friend and foe (IFF) unit and an EW unit, explained New Business Director Karen Steinfeld. “EW is the ability to target different threats in the electronic spec-trum, from communication systems to radar,” Steinfeld explained. “EW is able to target and attacks those threats.”

Raytheon IFF products are used on both manned and unmanned aircraft. Most of its EW work has so far been done for manned aircraft, but that is changing.

Raytheon is now developing the architecture to migrate its EW capabilities in UAVs. Defense customers need lower SWaP for UAVs and also want open architecture so they can integrate products from different vendors. “We are looking at open-standard software and open hardware,” Steinfeld said. “We are also looking at com-mon hardware modules so we can lower the logistics burden and support multiple UAVs.”

Steinfeld sees this EW move as just one part of the Defense Department’s overall effort to migrate more duties and capabilities from manned to unmanned aircraft. “Naturally it will apply first to larger UAVs, and then we will try to look at lots of variants.”

Installing EW on UAVs “will be practical in very near term,” Steinfeld predicted. “It is doable today, but the challenge is to do it well. You can always do it for a point solution, but supporting multiple platforms is the harder part.”

Another Raytheon division, Space and Airborne Systems, is also involved in UAV equipage. In July Raytheon was awarded a contract for four radar pods with ground moving-target indica-tion and synthetic aperture radar for U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reapers. Raytheon will also make the ground stations.

The radar is an innovative and scalable surveillance and tar-geting solution, according to Mark Sims, director of strategy and business development for intelligence, surveillance and recon-naissance in Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. The radar provides increased resolution, range and coverage to find and track threats such as vehicles and individuals in near real-time, both day and night.

Raytheon also developed the multi-spectral targeting EO/IR system used by the Air Force on the MQ-1 Predator.

The ultimate aim is to bring significant capabilities down to very small UAVs. Emmen Aerospace makes these small UAV air-craft and an aerostat platform. It also integrates sensors and other equipment on these platforms, explained Robert Fitzgerald, CEO of The Bosh Group, which is acquiring Emmen.

For example, Emmen’s Swiper weighs just 2.8 pounds, but can stay aloft for up to 65 minutes at speeds of 20 to 35 miles per hour with its gimbaled color EO and IR sensor. The Super Swiper is a little larger and can stay in the air for two hours, and fly at up to 70 miles per hour.

Emmen’s rotary wing Condor weighs 40 pounds and can fly at altitudes up to 12,000 feet while carrying up to 2.3 pounds of pan-and-tilt cameras and sensors.

Bosh will be modifying some of these UAVs with a special eye on the requirements of Special Operations Command. Emmen’s

founder once served in SOCOM, so the platforms are already small and very portable. “We emphasize low cost, high reliability and easy maintenance,” Fitzgerald stressed. For example, the Swiper can be maintained with rubber bands and duct tape.

B.E. Meyers makes laser pointers and illuminators, as well as cameras and sensors and SWIR devices, explained Chief Executive Officer Greg Quarles. Meyers equipment is now used on about 80 percent of UAVs. “We have been doing this for about 10 years,” he said.

Meyers works closely with UAV manufacturers, helping them decide what equipment can be fitted, and how and where it can be best fitted, on the UAV. SWaP is critical in this step and Quarles is proud of his engineers’ ability to both design leaner and more capable equipment and to optimize it for new platforms.

The future will bring an even more intense focus on SWaP. In addition, Meyers is increasingly being asked to design the entire gimbaled package, along with providing the lasers, sensors and cameras that go inside it. O

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ISR Video Kit Developed for Long Operational Life

OmniWatch

The OmniWatch portable ISR video kit has been developed with the

capability to autonomously detect targets, classify them, capture target

video in real time, and communicate the information to distributed users

over a wireless network.

The small physical size means it can be deployed by one person

and easily camouflaged in a target area of interest. The kit provides the

information to immediately identify hostile or illegal activities for up to 30

days on one small battery.

Long operational life is provided by using McQ iScout sensors to trigger

an image processing node (IPN). The IPN remains in a low power state while

listening for iScout target detection events. When a target is detected the

video cameras and image processing are turned on. The video kit begins

operation by storing video until WiFi communication is established with a

TNet wireless base repeater that connects the video with the user interface.

When the connection to the user is established, the IPN streams the

initial several seconds of stored video then transitions to live video so that

no target imagery is lost. The target detection and the video information

is stored on a database and displayed in real time on a map-based user

interface. The user can review any video event using familiar DVR controls

in the user interface.

The video kit is compatible with commercial smartphones and tablet

devices.

BLACK WATCH What’s Hot in Special Operations Gear

Simulation System Aids Airborne Warfighters’ Training at Fort Bragg

Systems Technology Inc.

Systems Technology Inc.

announced new product additions and

features to one of its flagship military

grade products, ParaSim, in correlation

with a new installation at Fort Bragg,

N.C., and a new upgrade to the

Australian Army.

ParaSim 5 includes all new graphics

with scene extents over 200 miles across,

new canopy malfunction simulations, a

custom wind field entry system, software

controlled motorized frames and advanced

jump log recording system. The upgraded

version of ParaSim 5 boasts many new

features which will strengthen and increase

training capabilities, and enhance training

operations such as static line, military free

fall and high altitude parachute operations.

STI recently completed a successful

installation of six ParaSim jump stations and

a central network controller at the U.S. Army

John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center

and School. This state-of-the-art network

features ParaSim’s new software-integrated

motorized suspension frames. This recently

completed installation—as part of an

effort funded by the Combating Terrorism

Technical Support Office—will be used for

military free-fall and static line training.

“The new features to ParaSim 5 will

drastically change and improve how

military operations are executed without

putting soldiers/crew, etc., at risk while

training for search and rescue, combative

warfare and bail-out ejections while in

the field,” said David Landon, CEO of

Systems Technology Inc. “Our advanced

technologies will change the landscaping

of how we combat terrorism and train our

special armed forces in the field.”

In addition, Systems Technology Inc.

recently worked with local representative

Defcon Technologies Ltd. to upgrade the

Australian Army’s ParaSim network at the

Parachute Training School in Nowra, New

South Wales, Australia. This six-station

network, originally installed in 2008, was

upgraded to ParaSim Version 5 with

complete replacement of all simulation

computers.

Aircraft Protection System Introduced

Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems introduced J-Music, the newest

member of its directed infrared countermeasures, or

DIRCM, systems family. It is designed to protect

medium-to-large aircraft such as transporters, special

mission platforms, tankers and others against shoulder

fired missiles.

Based on the same proven technologies of the

C-Music system, selected by the Israeli government

to protect passenger aircraft, J-Music is an advanced

multi-spectral infrared fiber-laser based DIRCM

system, which rapidly acquires and tracks incoming

man-portable missiles, commonly called Manpads,

and deflects them from the target using a powerful

laser beam. J-Music is a distributed system, meaning

that components can be installed in various locations

onboard the aircraft, enabling an optimized installation

solution for protection of the aircraft. Interfacing with the

aircraft’s missile warning system, J-Music provides an

integrated, comprehensive and cost effective solution.

J-Music is lightweight, compact and can be easily

installed on a wide range of aircraft types, in single turret

or multi-turret configurations. Operational advantages

include:

• Rapid response

• Protection against multiple, simultaneous

missile threats

• Very high reliability due to the advanced fiber

laser and sealed dome architecture

• Requires minimal maintenance, hence

minimizing aircraft down-time


New Configuration of Tactical System Goes to Air Force

Black Diamond Advanced Technology

Black Diamond Advanced Technology has received a firm fixed-price

contract for a unique configuration of its Modular Tactical System

(MTS) from the U.S. Air Force/Air Force Materiel Command

Aeronautical Systems Center.

This procurement is for the Battlefield Air Operations

(BAO) Operator Control System (OCS), a dismounted,

precision-strike and communications-control

solution primarily used by special operations

forces.

The purpose of the BAO Kit program is

to upgrade the current equipment suite of the

battlefield airmen in five areas: communications,

computers, human input/output, power generation

and management, and software. The OCS consists of

a wearable vest with cable runs, cables, power manager

and computer.

The Black Diamond Advanced Technology MTS is

a wearable multi-mission system that funnels control of

mission-critical peripherals to a central display to eliminate

battery and equipment redundancies and lighten load-out.

As an off-the-shelf solution with a patent-pending cable-

management cummerbund system, the MTS allows the Air

Force to fulfill its OCS requirements and field a truly foot-

mobile solution.

As a component of the BAO Kit, the MTS allows Air Force

Special Operations Command special tactics squadrons, combat

control teams, tactical air control party, and Guardian Angel pararescue

personnel to meet stringent digitally aided close air support requirements for f u t u r e

participation in U.S. and joint operations worldwide.

Compiled by KMi Media Group staff

GPS Receiver Technology Completes Multiple TestsL-3 Communications

L-3 Communications announced its Interstate Electronics

Corporation (L-3 IEC) business successfully completed multiple test

firings of its next-generation Military Code (M-Code) GPS receiver

technology. This milestone represents a significant breakthrough in

GPS receiver modernization and validates the unit’s survivability and

performance in extreme guided munitions environments, the company

stated.

L-3’s gun-hardened, next-generation M-Code GPS receiver

prototype was fired from a 155 mm Howitzer and tracked the M-Prime

signal from several modernized satellites to successful target impacts.

This achievement represents the first-ever use of the M-Code

GPS technology in a weapon system, and provides critical

validation of the hardware and software performance in a projectile.

Importantly, this first-ever successful test supports a congressional

mandate to implement M-Code technology on all future and

existing Department of Defense platforms and their objectives

for technical innovations capable of offsetting future threats.

L-3’s next-generation design presents a flexible hardware and

software configuration for GPS integrators and is capable of tracking

legacy and modernized signals. The receiver will be applicable on a

variety of host platforms, including guided munitions, unmanned aerial

systems, soldier systems and ground mobile systems.

“Our backward and forward compatible next-generation receiver

provides a proven, low-cost solution for development programs as well

as an upgrade option for current fielded systems,” said Todd Gautier,

president of L-3’s Precision Engagement sector. “Our solution supports

a seamless technology transition when M-Code is fully operational and

deployed, and the design meets long-term security and information

assurance standards.”


Real-time screen captures are from MetaVR’s visualization system and Afghanistan 3D virtual terrain and are unedited except as required for printing. The real-time renderings of the 3D virtual world are generated by MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG™). 3D models and animations are from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries. Photograph of the F-16 simulator built by International Simulation & Training Systems (ISTS) courtesy of SSgt. Dan DiPietro, 158 FW, Vermont Air National Guard. © 2012 MetaVR, Inc. All rights reserved. MetaVR, Virtual Reality Scene Generator, VRSG, the phrase “Geospecific simulation with game quality graphics”, and the MetaVR logo are trademarks of MetaVR, Inc.

* Quote from James Cluck, acquisition executive and director of the Special Operations Research, Development and Acquisition Center at USSOCOM.

http://[email protected] 617-739-2667

MetaVR and Battlespace Simulation’s JTAC simulator (a self-funded private venture) was recently granted accreditation by the Joint Fire Support Executive Steering Committee for types 1, 2, 3, and day/night control, and laser target designation. **

“The U.S. Special Operations Command will rely more on industry self-funding R&D of military equipment and weapons.” *

** Draft accreditation assessment report issued by the Joint Fire Support Executive Steering Committee on June 19, 2012.

Lieutenant General Eric E. Fiel is the commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. The command is the Air Force component of Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. The command has approximately 16,000 active-duty, reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals.

Prior to his current assignment, he was the vice commander, Headquarters Special Operations Command, Washington, D.C.

Fiel has significant experience in combat and leadership posi-tions in major joint contingency operations. He commanded a special operations squadron during Bosnia and Kosovo operations. From September 2001 to March 2003, he was forward-deployed as the joint special operations air component commander in Opera-tion Enduring Freedom. From May 2006 to April 2008, he was forward-deployed as a task force commander multiple times for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

His educational achievements include: 1980 Bachelor of Sci-ence degree in management, University of Buffalo, N.Y.; 1984 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.; 1989 master’s degree in management, Troy State University; 1992 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; 1992 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.; 2001 master’s degree in stra-tegic studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.; 2005 National Security Management Course, Syracuse University, N.Y.; 2008 Navy Senior Leader Business Course, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

His assignments have included: April 2003 - May 2005, com-mander, 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.; June 2005 - December 2005, director of operations, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.; December 2005 - April 2006, commander, Air Force Special Operations Forces, Hurlburt Field; April 2006 - April 2008, deputy commanding general, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; May 2008 - September 2009, director, Center for Force Structure, Requirements, Resources and Strategic Assessments, Headquar-ters Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.; October 2009 - June 2010, chief of staff, Headquarters Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB; June 2010 - June 2011, vice commander, Headquarters Special Operations Command, Washington, D.C.; June 2011 - present, commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field.

He was a master navigator, with more than 2,000 flight hours in aircraft including the T-43, T-37, MC-130E/H and AC-130A/H/U.

His major awards and decorations include: Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross; Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Air Medal; Aerial Achievement Medal; Air Force Commendation Medal; Joint Service Achievement Medal; Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster; Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster; National Defense Service Medal with bronze star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Kosovo Campaign Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Armed Forces Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; NATO Medal (Former Republic of Yugoslavia).

Q: What changes have you instituted in AFSOC since you took command a year ago?

A: Changes within AFSOC are a continuing state. Our mission set is focused on providing SOF air worldwide, focusing specifically on SOF airpower in Afghanistan. To do that effectively, we must

AFSOC Prepares for Challenges; MC-130, CV-22, UAS Assets Critical

Command Leader

Lieutenant General Eric E. FielCommander

Air Force Special Operations Command

Q&AQ&A


constantly review our missions, and that was one of the first things we did when I assumed command.

We looked at missions, aircraft, personnel, organization and training—all in an effort to generate and sustain as much combat power as possible. Part of the initial review was to prioritize our mission set from one to eight like specialized air mobility and precision strike as examples that are at the core of what we do. If we are not able to do these core missions at the level required of us, other mission taskings either cannot be accomplished or are irrelevant.

We are now actively instituting the changes we felt necessary, including re-missioning the MC-130W as an AC-130W gunship, standing up a special tactics wing, and rebalancing our posture overseas. We are also focusing a lot of effort into translating the CV-22 acquisition and MC-130 recapitalization programs into com-bat power on the battlefield. This involves providing the manning for both ops and maintenance, and ensuring we can train the force to meet an aggressive delivery schedule we need.

Q: How well is the CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft performing dur-ing insertion and extraction missions?

A: The CV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft is a game changer for spe-cial operations forces. The CV-22 has vertical take-off and landing capabilities like a helicopter, but flies en route at the speeds of a C-130. The result is a high-speed, long-range, vertical-lift capabil-ity. This requirement is not met by any other fixed or rotary wing platform in existence.

In a large operating area like Afghanistan, moving SOF rap-idly is an imperative, and at the same time a serious challenge due to the terrain and weather. The CV-22 gives us the ability to place SOF teams literally in the field in a time frame we couldn’t possibly meet in years past. Even though we are deploying the CV-22 in combat, we are only about 50 percent complete with our program of record acquisition. This means that we are still training initial crew and maintenance forces and maturing the weapons system as a whole. The aircraft, ops and maintenance crews are achieving a great performance in combat.

Q: Is AFSOC still interested in obtaining perhaps 3,000 iPads or other tablets for the electronic flight bag program to be used on missions in special ops aircraft, and if so, what is the outlook for the program?

A: Yes, the contract was recently awarded to Executive Technology Inc. of Phoenix for Apple iPads. AFSOC’s goal is to provide Air Commandos an electronic flight bag that is equally cost effective, secure and pro-vides the best technological capability available to our airmen.

The transition from paper flight publications to an electronic tablet is an obvious choice for so many aspects, and we are commit-ted to get this capability fielded where it is needed. Keeping flight publications/information current is a daunting task, especially when you consider it on a global basis.

Even with the best information updating capability, having to print changes, then accomplish a paper remove and replace to com-plete the transition to the user is a logistical nightmare. And the cost is tremendous—both in dollars and workload. Contrast that with the ease of electronic download. There is no comparison.

Q: You spoke of changing the MC-130W mission. What drove a change of mission for this insertion and refueling platform?

A: We have never had a very large gunship fleet. We have only eight AC-130H and 17 AC-130U models—not a large number. The H-mod-els are 48 years old, and the newest U-models are over 20 years old. As the demand for special operations capabilities increased, so did the demand for precision fire support, straining our capability to provide the coverage needed. Even though the AC-130J is our future capability, we needed additional gunship capability to bridge the gap and relieve pressure on the current fleet.

Modifying the MC-130W and re-designating it as the AC-130W was the best option to address this requirement quickly and within budget constraints. We designed the Dragon Spear precision strike package as an add-on, requiring minimum modification to the MC-130W airframe, providing a high-definition surveillance and sensor capability, a 30 mm gun, and stand-off precision guided weapons. This was another success story of a small team developing, testing,

U.S. Air Force members from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Air Force Special Operations Command, wait to board a C-130 Hercules at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The airmen will practice combat operations in the Santa Rosa Sound. [Photo courtsey of DoD]


training, and delivering combat capability to the battlefield in minimum time. Plus, the Dragon Spear precision strike package will translate into the AC-130J as we continue to recap the AC-130 fleet.

Q: In September, you took delivery of and flew the first MC-130J Commando II to Cannon AFB, N.M., an infiltration-exfiltration trans-port plane that can both refuel other planes and be aerial-refueled itself with a boom. What is your assessment of this new asset?

A: That was a historic event for Cannon AFB. It marked a milestone in improving the combat capabilities of AFSOC and more importantly the 27 SOW. Members of the 522 SOS will rewrite history as they fly the MC-130J Commando II. The delivery of the new J-model begins the long-awaited recapitaliza-tion of our older MC-130E/P aircraft.

We are still developing the training and tactics to fully exploit the capabilities of the J-model, and to help do this, we tapped the C-130J-model experience existing within the 193 SOW [Pennsylvania National Guard]. Their experience in operating the J-model has helped us build the initial training and tactics procedures, as we work with AETC to estab-lish the formal training pipeline requirements for the MC-130J. We are also developing a new terrain following radar for the MC-130J. The project is contracted with a 2013 goal for our first operational test aircraft. If testing goes well, we could be fielding the new combat capability by 2015. Not only will we have increased capability, but we will decrease the number of variants we possess while reducing the maintenance and flying hour costs.

Q: What is your view on the MQ-9 Reaper, the MQ-1B Predator, the small WASP and other SUAS?

A: There is a high demand for tactical ISR in the SOF battle space. Remotely piloted aircraft meet a significant portion of that demand. We began several years ago with the initial Preda-tor acquisitions to build an ISR capability that was tailored to SOF specific needs. We had to create almost the whole process of pilot/sensor operator coordination with the intel analyst and the SOF ground team. We have specific SOF needs and are still improving the coordination process, adding technological advancements, and adjusting our techniques to improve how we do our missions.

Our commitment is to maintain 10 com-bat air patrols [CAPs] of unmanned ISR, and

we consistently seek to maximize that pro-gram of record. Any time we can tailor any weapon system to better support the SOF warfighter, whether through improving the responsiveness of a platform or the perfor-mance of a sensor, we will pursue it. The smaller SUAS platforms have specific uses for our special tactics personnel in increas-ing surveillance over the hill. Ever since the first hand-launched SUAS with a sensor capability was used to prevent a ground team from surprise contact with the enemy, we have aggressively tested and fielded several platforms. These small platforms have become a critical enhancement to SOF ground teams.

We have even created our own SUAS training school to teach employment tac-tics and techniques to our special tactics personnel. We continue to develop better SUAS platforms to add new capability to SOF ground teams.

Q: There is a possibility of $487 billion of defense spending cuts over 10 years grow-ing to roughly $1 trillion reduction over the decade. What cost-cutting moves have you already taken in the command?

A: Regardless of any mandatory defense spending cuts, identifying efficien-cies ensures we are constantly evaluat-ing and improving the combat capabilities we provide to the combatant commands. We’re recapitalizing and repurposing 15 mission-design series into eight, align-ing platforms to reduce maintenance and training costs in a way that forti-fies our principal combat missions. And as we recapitalize our legacy aircraft, maintenance costs are projected to drop with each newer weapon system brought online. We examine each Air Force, SOCOM and DoD initiative for cost cutting to see if there is applicability to AFSOC, as well as always looking at adapting proven technolo-gies to avoid development costs.

Q: Has the drawdown of forces in Iraq and the reduction in forces in Afghani-stan provided AFSOC with a lessened number of missions, or do you find that the number of missions actually is increasing and exceeds the number of available aircraft and special operators to perform them?

A: Though conventional forces in Afghani-stan may draw down, we expect special


operations requirements to endure. SOCOM holds dual responsi-bilities in global counterterrorism and provision of combat-ready SOF to the geographic combatant commanders. Special opera-tions forces are a tool available to those commanders, to be used in their overall strategy.

As the aviation component for SOCOM, AFSOC will always seek to posture our assets in a way that supports the SOF mission in Afghanistan, the geographic combatant commanders outside the CENTCOM theater, and the global responsibilities of SOCOM as a force provider. Based on our past successes and contributions to the coalition campaign strategy, we are preparing for continued requirements for AFSOC to support operations in Afghanistan. Recapitalization and repurposing of our weapon systems as I

mentioned earlier will consolidate resources around our core combat capabilities to ensure those are as robust as ever for all supported commands in any environment. The Air Commando motto is any time, any place. That still holds true today.

Q: AFSOC recently made Air Force history with the activation of the first Battlefield Airmen special operations wing. What transformations are you looking to accomplish with this new organization on behalf of battlefield airmen?

A: Alignment of the 720th and 724th Special Tactics Groups, the Special Tactics Training Squadron, and the recruiting elements into a single organization in the 24th Special Operations Wing

better prepares the special tactics community to meet the evolving requirements of a global SOF partnership. As the ground authorities on integrat-ing airpower with SOF missions, these men have an incredibly unique signature on the SOF battle-field. As SOF grows, special tactics needs to grow with it. The level of effort and resourcing within this community was commensurate with that of an Air Force wing, and creating the organizational structure had positive advantages.

Activation of the 24 SOW allows squadron commanders to focus on tactical employment downrange, group commanders to focus on opera-tional concerns and coordination, while the wing executes strategic forecast and programming for evolving requirements. The new wing focus will include training requirements across special tac-tics including a growing concentration on human performance programs. Specialized athletic facili-ties and training programs are being created to meet the physical needs of special tactics person-nel as part of a broad effort to fully resource SOF resiliency programs.

Q: Do you have any closing thoughts on the people in your command and the missions they perform?

A: The United States is at an unprecedented point in our history. For over a decade, America has been running major combat and contingency opera-tions concurrently with an all-volunteer force. The mission here is unique; it draws dedicated profes-sionals and that’s what makes AFSOC truly special. We’ve done a great job taking care of our aircraft and weapon systems through superb maintenance efforts. But after 10 years of war, we need to invest an equal level of effort in our human performance and resiliency initiatives. Whether physical, men-tal, social or spiritual, we’re following SOCOM’s lead and are committed to doing everything we can to strengthen our air commando’s resiliency. We’ve always lived by the SOF truth that humans are more important than hardware, and now we’re getting ready to make even more investments in our personnel. O

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Wars bring harsh experience and lessons learned. Combat identifies gaps in capabilities that need filling or at least require improvements and new systems. This has been true across the board in ground operations, and private industry has been working hard to improve critical ground capabilities.

SHOtgunS and grenade launCHerS

Beretta now offers the GLX160 A1 grenade launcher, designed to be fully integrated with the ARX160, Beretta’s candidate for the individual carbine competition. With a fast-mount attachment, the GLX160 can easily be added to any rifle with a proper interface.

Vice President of Military Sales Gabriele DePlano stressed that the GLX160 was made as small and lightweight as possible, only 2.2 pounds, using polymer or aluminum except for steel in areas subject to critical firing stresses. The GLX160 integrates with the ARX160, used by Italy and other nations, smoothly, with no clamps, bolts or pins, and it has both a manual and assembly safety. A foldable ladder sight indicates eight positions at 50-meter intervals from 50 to 400 meters. Controls on the GLX160 are fully ambidextrous.

On the defense side, Beretta also represents Benelli, whose M4 shotgun has been used by the Marines since 2000. “It is the only combat-proven semiautomatic shotgun on the market, rugged and reliable,” DePlano emphasized. The M4 can convert to pump action so it can cycle between lethal fire and door breaching.

The M4 is an auto regulating gas-operated shotgun with a seven-round magazine, a collapsible, three-position stock, Picatinny rail and parkerized finish, explained Joe Coogan, spokesman for Benelli USA. “It is distinguished by its rugged modular stock and extended magazine. Because of simple and reliable design, it is easy to maintain.”

The M4 is used by Italian, Libyan, Slovenian and Irish special forces, Slovakia’s Special Defense Division, U.K. forces, and the U.S. Army, Marines and Navy SEALs.

The M4’s telescopic stock is collapsible and the magazine holds seven standard or six magnum cartridges, plus one in the cham-ber. Coogan said current-production M4 shotguns have screw-in chokes, so they can accept the special chokes designed specifically for breaching. Earlier versions had to be held two to three inches back from doors for breaching.

Beretta has also developed the less-than-lethal LTLx7000 to deliver accurate lethal and non-lethal fire from 50 to 230 feet with only one type of ammunition. A special barrel and range finder allows this 12-gauge shotgun to bleed explosive gas out for short range but use all the gas for long range, thus maintaining the same velocity and energy at both distances. The weapon fires a high-deformation, spin-stabilized projectile with enough accuracy to hit a 500 mm target at 70 meters. Converting the LTL from non-lethal to lethal configuration requires only a simple barrel assembly and cheek-piece replacement.

weaPOnS adVanCeS Cut COllateral damage.

By Henry Canaday



DePlano said the new firearm is at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and Beretta is waiting for a customer to develop it further.

O. F. Mossberg & Sons’ 590-A1 has been in mil-itary service for 25 years, fully meeting all military specifications. Vice President of Sales and Market-ing Tom Taylor said the 590’s heavy-walled barrel protects the shotgun from damage by banging against hard objects and a parkerized finish makes it very durable in saltwater and other elements.

A new flex system enables the change-out of the 590’s stock and forearm without tools such as Allen wrenches. In use by law enforcement, the improvement is being considered by military customers.

Mossberg also makes a saw-tooth breaching tool that can be jammed in a door to get a grip. “Then you can pull or blow though the gap,” Tay-lor noted. “It can cut through a concrete block.” Unlike breaching tools that screw onto barrels, the Mossberg device is machined onto the barrel, making it very durable.

Remington offers its 870 and MCS pump shotguns and 1187P and R12 automatic-loading shotguns, according to Gregory Bara-dat, director of Remington Defense USA.

The 870P Breacher fires 12-gauge loads including standard, buckshot and breaching rounds. For efficient transition between loads, it has a Velcro side saddle, retention holster and button-sling attachment.

The modular combat shotgun (MCS) Breacher is extremely compact with pump action and a Pachmayr pistol grip for effi-ciency and control. It has a three-shot tube magazine plus one in the chamber.

Remington’s 870 MCS serves virtually any close-range sce-nario. Modifications can be made rapidly without tools with the 870 MCS’s quick-change stock system.

Remington’s R12 auto-loading Tactical Shotgun has a self-adjusting, short-stroke, dual-piston gas operating system for ver-satility, reliability and minimal maintenance. It fires all standard 12-gauge rounds for both lethal and breaching duties. “Best of all, the unique operating system and revolutionary recoil pad fire magnum loads with almost 20 percent less felt recoil,” Baradat stressed. As Remington’s newest offering, the R12 is expected to add configurations in the future.

Finally, Remington’s 1187P gas-operated, semi-automatic shotgun has a wealth of features, including 14- and 18-inch inter-changeable barrels and rugged parkerized finish.

RM Equipment makes the M203PI enhanced grenade launcher module 40 mm grenade launcher, standalone mounting systems for the M203PI and M203, M203grip, Railgrip, G36grip, RMgrip and FastRail Picattiny Rail Accessory, according to the company’s Todd Griffin.

The RM M203PI 40 mm universal grenade launcher system has a quick-disconnect feature that allows fast, tool-free installation and removal in any conditions. The mounting system can adjust for any gun length and can be mounted to virtually any rail system. RM’s M-203PI 40 mm modular grenade launcher mounts on any combat rifle. It is thus ideal for forces that use mixed rifle models but want to use a single 40 mm launcher system.

RM’s M203PI snap-on launcher assembly (SOLA) can mount the M203PI grenade launchers on an M4 or M16 rifle without a rail. The SOLA adaptor mounts to the magazine well and bayonet lug for a secure mounting point without altering either weapon itself. It carries its own 400-meter pop-up sight.

Griffin said RM’s M203grip gives 40 mm operators the advan-tages of the forward vertical grip popular on M4s and M16s. Avail-able in two sizes, tactical for low profile and a battery-storage version that has a watertight compartment, the grip is also ambi-dextrous and can be switched among rifles with tools.

Breaching with shotguns is sometimes done with special rounds. Ruag Ammotec’s 12/70 Magnum Entry l allows for rapid door breaching at a point-blank range to maintain the element of surprise and minimize risk of collateral damage. A 12-gauge, 2.75-inch cartridge, the Entry I is a special round designed to destroy door locks and hinges at close range. The pressed zinc-powder pro-jectile completely disintegrates upon impact and transfers its high kinetic energy to the target. There are no ricochets or backsplashes with the Entry 1. It can penetrate 3 mm of sheet steel up to 2 cm and five layers of fir wood up to 2 cm.

Ruag’s 12/70 Magnum Entry II is for rapid door breaching from a distance, up to 30 meters. It is designed to destroy door locks and hinges and to be used against booby traps and for explosive ordnance disposal missions. Shooters can thus engage targets from a safe distance with the Entry II.

Colt’s M203 grenade launcher is a 40 mm weapon that attaching to an M4 carbine and the M16A2 and A4 rifles. Offering light weight, it can fire a range of 40 mm high-explosive and special-purpose rounds. The M203 can be fired on its own while attached to a carbine or rifle, thanks to a self-cocking firing mechanism, with barrel latch, trigger and positive safety lever.

The M203 comes in several models, one with a 12-inch barrel for the M16 and two models with 9- and 12-inch barrels for the M4. It weighs as little as 2.5 pounds and has an effective range of 400 meters. The M203 fires high-explosive, armor-piercing, buckshot, practice and specialized 40 mm ammunition.

For forced entry, the M203 can blast open windows and doors. It also can inflict casualties among groups of hostile forces, penetrate

A shotgun can be used in forced entry. [Photo courtesy of DoD]


bunkers and damage soft-skinned vehicles. It is not intended for use against armored or heavy vehicles.

The M203 has been in service since 1969, when it began replac-ing the standalone M79 grenade launcher. The M203’s under-barrel system has allowed infantrymen to carry a rifle, but easily switch to the grenade launcher when needed.

Heckler & Koch makes the M320 GLM, a 40 mm single-shot add-on grenade launcher that can be attached to the M16 rifle or M4 carbine, the HK416, HK417 or a variety of other weapons equipped with an under-swung Picatinny rail. It fires high-explosive, armor-piercing, irritant-gas, smoke and illumination rounds and, with its side-opening breech, also longer non-lethal rounds.

Ladder sights on the M320 are located on the side of the gre-nade launcher, not the rifle or carbine it attaches to, so these sights do not require re-zeroing every time the M320 is reattached. An optional day-or-night sight is offered, which can be mounted with mechanical sights.

The M320 has a double-action mode, with an ambidextrous safety and barrel-release lever. After a misfire, the M320 shooter merely pulls the trigger again. The side-loading, 8.46-inch rifled barrel is made of lightweight aluminum and is spring-actuated for quick loading and unloading.

A retractable butt-stock allows the M320 to be used as a stand-alone launcher, rather than being added to a rifle or carbine. An integral Picatinny rail also allows it to be used with a folding vertical foregrip, so it can be used as a grenade pistol in confined spaces.

The M320 was developed using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology and is in the current Army support network. The first M320s were fielded in the summer of 2009.

Smarter ammunitiOn, Smarter weaPOnS

Government and industry have been working together on another major need: new weapons and ammunition systems that will be more lethal when needed and much more accurate all the time. The principles of guidance and range control, first applied to air power and heavy bombs, are now well along in application to ground weapons, starting with heavy artillery and now in progress for mortars. The general aim is to obtain the accuracy of pinpoint weapons without replacing entire platforms and, some-times, even the inventories of rounds already in stock.

Two of three planned increments of Excalibur have been fielded and are in use overseas. The third incre-ment, which Walsh expects to deliver the same range and accuracy as, but higher reliability and lower unit costs than, the first two increments, should be fielded in fiscal year 2014.

The 120 mm Accelerated Precision Mortar Initia-tive (APMI) was fielded in March 2011 to Army forces in Afghanistan. APMI is a GPS-guided 120 mm mortar high-explosive cartridge with 10-meter CEP precision capability, said Peter Burke, deputy product manager for Guided Precision Munitions and Mortar Systems. It is currently used by all ground-mounted 120 mm mortar platoons in theater. Burke said fielding was planned for mounted 120 mm mortars on Stryker mortar carriers by end of June 2012.

A 155 mm precision guidance kit (PGK) is in development with fielding planned under an urgent material release in the second

quarter of fy 2013. PGK is a GPS-guidance kit with fusing functions for the 155 mm M795 and M549A1 high-explosive projectiles, for 155 mm M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and for 155 mm M777A2 towed howitzers. “It turns our current stockpile of conven-tional high-explosive projectiles into near-precision projectiles with CEP of 50 meters or less,” Burke said.

The purpose of the XM25 individual semi-auto-matic airburst system is to defeat enemies who hide in defilade behind cover of walls, buildings or ter-rain, explained Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Lucas, product manager for individual weapons for Project Manager Soldier Weapons. This type of cover has often frustrated current small arms. The XM25 is also called the counter defilade target engagement system for the gap in current capabilities it fills.

The semi-automatic XM25 weighs just 12.5 pounds, is less than 20 inches in length and carries four rounds in its magazine. It has fully integrated day-and-night optics and fires a high-explosive 25

mm airburst projectile. The brains of the XM 25 are its target acqui-sition and fire control system with thermal capability including direct-view optics, laser rangefinder, compass, fuse setter, ballistic computer, laser pointer and illuminator, and internal display.

The XM25 gunner finds the target with one button and then adds or decreases distance with two other buttons. This effectively selects

The XM395 precision guided munition is produced by ATK. [Photo courtesy of DoD]

Lt. Col. Shawn Lucas


the range for detonation to destroy the target. “He may place it above or to the side of the target depending on the situation,” Lucas noted.

The fire-control system messages the round during its flight and the round’s turn count will track the distance traveled, allow-ing it to detonate the airburst at the selected range. “That is what is revolutionary,” Lucas said. “We have never had that in a shoulder-fired, direct-fire weapon before.”

In late July, a critical design review was scheduled to lock in design, a major step forward in acquisition. Three dozen systems are expected to undergo operational assessment in 2013 to help determine training, techniques, tactics and procedures. This will tell “how will we introduce it to squads and platoons, how will it alter the squad, how will we employ it with carbines and grenade launchers,” Lucas explained.

The program is on track for low-rate initial production in the first quarter of FY14. The Army plans to deploy XM25 to all brigade combat teams, probably two per squad, and field one XM25 to each special operations A team. “The Marines are interested observers,” Lucas noted. In addition to the current air bursting high-explosive round, the Army may add armor-piercing, less-than-lethal blunt, less-than-lethal airburst and door-breaching rounds.

ATK has a precision-guidance kit for 155 mm artillery that would allow military forces to use their existing rounds rather than spend extravagant amounts of funds on new ammunition. GPS can give conventional 155 rounds precision capability, explained Rod Gibbons, spokesman for ATK Defense.

The 155 mm guidance kit uses canards similar to the Joint Direct Attack Munition and GPS tracks its location. A small inter-nal generator does not need any external power source. Instead, the generator gets its power from the round’s spin. This enables it to power the GPS and steer the round with the canards. The kit has been field tested and is in final-design phase. “The Army must still make a decision on full-rate production,” said spokesman Jar-rod Krull.

Based on ATK’s precision guidance kit for 155 mm artillery, the XM395 combines GPS guidance and directional control surfaces. The ATK system for precision-guided mortars converts the Army’s conventional mortar rounds by replacing tail sections to give them more spin, making them spin rapidly like artillery rounds. This XM395 is the projectile used in the APMI and has already been fielded in Afghanistan.

The XM395 gives brigade commanders organic, accurate indi-rect fire capability, especially in mountainous terrain inaccessible to artillery or in built-up areas where conventional fire support could cause collateral damage. It also works on reverse slopes, nar-row gullies and urban areas, difficult for low-angle fire.

ATK was also a partner in development of the XM25. The new weapon allows soldiers to “point where they want to,” explained Krull. “They can adjust to aim above a wall and program it to burst just past the wall for lethality,” he noted.

Five prototypes of the XM25 were sent to Afghanistan two years ago for training and important lessons were learned. Krull expects it will take another a year for the XM25 to be ready for production, and he said the Army still must decide on the quantity desired.

ATK makes the ammunition for the XM25 and is responsible for integrating ammunition, rifle and fire-control systems. Heck-ler & Koch makes the rifle itself, and L-3 makes the critical fire-control system.

Teaming with BAE Systems, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has developed a GPS-guidance kit for the 81 mm mortar for the U.K. army. This 81 mm roll controlled guided mortar (RCGM) was based on General Dynamics’ previous work on 120 mm mortars, explained Joe Buzzett, director of technical programs. “We used as much of the unguided system as was pos-sible,” Buzzett emphasized. For control of the round during flight, the RCGM uses fixed canards on a bearing and GPS controls, much like Excalibur or JDAM.

RCGM was demonstrated for the Army at Yuma in early 2012. Unguided 81 mm mortar rounds have a 40-meter CEP. Firing 16 rounds at 980 to 4,000 meters, RCGM achieved a median missed distance of 4.6 meters. “You need a bigger sample for a true CEP, but we got less than 5 meters and it has a very high TRL,” Buzzett noted. “They have not had a very mobile precision system before.”

The RCGM can be fired from existing M252 81 mm medium mortars, and General Dynamics estimates a 30 percent reduction in logistic burdens as greater accuracy means fewer rounds needed to complete mortar missions. Three-quarters of RCGM compo-nents are already in production and combat proven.

The Army is first pursuing a requirement for guided 120 mm mortars. “Then we will see about the 81 mm,” Buzzett said. O



Spc. Brett Waller of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division, Task Force Maverick, from Ponca City, Okla., waits for word if the latest mission is a go from Combat Outpost Red Hill. [Photo courtesy of DoD]


A special operator can take on and take out an enemy combatant who is 6 feet 5 inches and solid muscle. But an enemy that is far less than a thousandth of an inch can

defeat that special operator for days.The enemy in this case is a disease organism such as

Escherichia coliform (E. coli) bacteria, a fecal contaminant often found in lakes and streams in the austere environments

where special ops missions are executed.That is why, while combatants may experience great thirst while on

an extended mission, they dare not drink water from local streams, or even from wells—unless, that is, the water has first been purified and made safely

potable. Especially in hot climates such as Iraq, warfighters without water may become dehydrated, leading to incapacitation on the battlefield.

Fortunately, a wide array of solutions is at hand, from water storage units that can slake the thirst of a combatant during a protracted mission, to purifi-cation systems that can take water from a highly polluted stream or lake and transform it into pure, sparkling H2O.

Aspen Water Inc. of Richardson, Texas, offers water purification capabilities that can serve the hydration requirements of sizeable military units.

Aspen Water units are in use with the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, Ed Atchley, vice president of marketing, said. “We cut our teeth on special forces” with the purification systems now used by naval special warfare personnel and others.

And Aspen systems aren’t just found on battlegrounds, Atchley noted: They are in high demand in disaster zones, where natural calamities—earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and more—can be compounded if the local populace is stricken with water-borne diseases.

For example, he added, military rescue teams have used Aspen Water systems to serve victims of a typhoon and mas-sive flooding in Thailand. Aspen gear is “used worldwide in

disaster relief,” he observed.

SyStemS tranSfOrm POlluted StreamS intO Safe water fOr warriOrS.

By daVe aHearn

SOteCH editOr


Fortunately for personnel who employ Aspen Water systems, they take just minutes to set up and take down, and are transportable on many types of military vehicles.

Electrical energy demands are minimal, “less than 1 kW,” he said. And that electricity can come from a wall outlet, from a vehicle battery or from the sun, thanks to a solar cell system.

Aspen Water offers many different systems to meet varying requirements, including “the new one we just introduced, the Aspen 3300,” Atchley said.

The Aspen 3300 can remove chemical or biological contaminants from up to 3,300 gallons of non-salt water per day taken from lakes, ditches, rivers or other streams, and do so quietly, a key point if the enemy lurks nearby.

The purification system is carried in two rugged cases, one with the main gear weighing less than 100 pounds that can be carried by two personnel, and the other case carrying accessories and tipping off at 85 pounds.

While at one time water purification units relied on a settling tank, a powder filter, chlorination, an activated charcoal filter to remove foul odors and tastes, and other steps, modern purification systems use filters and reverse osmosis, where water—but not contamination—passes through a membrane.

In place of chlorination and the challenges of having to handle chlorine, plus the odor of the chemical, contemporary systems such as the 3300M use ultraviolet light, with the rays killing microscopic disease organisms such as cholera, typhoid, anthrax and polio organ-isms.

BAE Systems offers hydration for combatants on long missions, sufficient to meet their needs, in MOLLE pack-style gear.

“The benefit to using hydration carriers is that they hold a lot of water and can be conveniently worn by soldiers,” said Greg Kraak, director of war fighting equipment for BAE Systems. “It’s all about the design and how much fluid the carriers can hold. Those elements are key to keeping soldiers hydrated for longer periods of time.”

Conventional maintenance and care for the system keeps it in good working order. “When using hydration carriers, the same basic hygiene and cleaning principles apply as canteens,” Kraak said.

The BAE Systems Eclipse Performance Gear product line includes a hydration pouch and bladder. The pouch holds a standard 100-ounce water bladder in a low-profile design. It has additional attachment points at the top and side along with MOLLE snaps.

One-inch elastic straps help hold the bladder in place, and there is a drainage grommet on the bottom. It only weighs 8.7 ounces, a welcome feature for electronics-laden combatants who carry loads of 60 to 120 pounds.

McNett offers Aquamira lightweight water purification units that can be carried easily by special operators, while safely treating con-taminated water from mud puddles and other risky sources. Gerald Craft, customer relations specialist with McNett, explained how these differing systems work.

The Aquamira approach may involve, for example, a bottle that the warrior fills with water from a stream. Then he inserts a filter, attaches the top and squeezes the bottle to force the water through the purify-ing filter. Out comes H2O that is safe to drink.

The filter will “remove 99 percent of your crypto [cryptospo-ridium] and giardia,” along with other disease-causing organisms, and “remove any particulates that may be present,” Craft noted.

While the bottle is lightweight, another purifier is lighter still: a straw with a filter on the end that goes into a stream or other water

source. The Frontier emergency water filter system allows a combat-ant to pull water straight from the source.

A step up to the Frontier Pro water filter system yields a similar arrangement that can be used to fill a bottle or bladder on a water storage system, such as a CamelBak, Craft continued. The Frontier Pro connects to the bottle or bladder using a universal quick connect system.

The special operator knows when the filter no longer should be used: when water no longer can be drawn through it. Because the Aquamira system is powered by the combatant, it needs no electricity or fuel.

Special operators can purchase Aquamira water treatment units at PX stores.

WorldWater & Solar Technologies Inc. offers solar-powered water purification systems that don’t require any diesel or other fuel hauled in fuel convoys that often are targeted by the enemy. Chief Operating Officer Davinder Sethi, Ph.D., explained how the systems can serve personnel on the move.

The flagship water purification system is called Mobile MaxPure, able to produce 30,000 gallons of safe drinking water daily from fresh-water streams or bodies of water, “and 3,000 to 4,000 gallons per day from a brackish or saltwater source,” Sethi added. Many military operations are conducted near ocean shorelines, so the saltwater capability can be a key asset.

The unit, which furls into a 7-foot cube, can be airlifted in various military cargo planes or helicopters. “It fits into a standard interna-tional shipping container,” he said, or it can be towed on a trailer or placed on a standard shipping pallet.

Setup and break down are easy, so that “within half an hour of arrival at the site, it is operating, producing pure drinking water,” Sethi continued.

The All Clear water purification system [Photo courtesy of CamelBak]


Some 37 of the units have been shipped to Iraq, eight to Afghani-stan, eight in Sudan, and seven to earthquake-striken Haiti, he related. There also are two in Japan, where an earthquake, resultant tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster displaced thousands of people.

Not only can the Mobile MaxPure remove typical impurities from water, its filtration system also removes radioactive particles, he said.

The solar-powered Mobile MaxPure is economical because it not only saves money by producing potable water from streams in Afghani-stan—where shipped-in water can cost $16 a gallon—it also doesn’t require diesel fuel that can cost $400 a gallon in theater. That is critical because coalition fuel convoys are frequent targets of the enemy. Sethi recalled that a general at the Pentagon told him, “Forget the econom-ics. You’re saving lives.”

A smaller version of the unit is the Solar Hybrid Expeditionary Power and Purification System, a man-portable asset that can be car-ried in two suitcase-like containers. This is especially useful where the military is aiding disaster victims, with 10 to 30 people per unit. “Once again, it’s a complete stand-alone system, meaning integrated solar [power] with reverse osmosis water filtration and auxiliary electric power for cell phones and things like that,” he said.

Solar power panels creating excess electrical power can be used to recharge computers, navigation systems, cell phones, radios and more. That means warriors don’t have to carry as many heavy batter-ies, lightening their load.

The Worldwater purification systems, being solar powered, have batteries so they continue to operate after the sun sets. “And when the sun comes up, the batteries get recharged at the same time as the system is working,” Sethi added.

Worldwater also provides a highly militarized version of the Mobile MaxPure that adds to the water purification system a com-plete solar powered local and satellite communications center as well. This militarized system is called PEAK: Prepositioned Expeditionary Assistance Kit.

Aside from the water treatment hardware that can make salt water drinkable, Sethi explained that PEAK provides “20 smart-phone handsets, so that when the system lands [at the objective], within a 5-mile radius, you have your own WiFi cell system, as well as—through the satellite terminal which is in the system—you can communicate via satellite with the … command center. So it’s a complete communications system that comes into operation in the middle of nowhere.”

Another company with a major presence in the military hydra-tion area has been L-3 Communications. But L-3 just spun off a separate company as an independent firm called Engility, and the hydration products are part of that spinoff.

Leonard Maxwell, an L-3 veteran who now is senior systems engineer with Engility, described the hydration systems that have been offered for years.

The 5.0 portable water purification system is the largest of sev-eral, able to pump out 1,000 gallons per day of fresh, potable water, while other units range down to 180 gpd.

Even the big 5.0 unit fits easily in a HMMWV, with the portable water plant having dimensions of just 25 inches long by 20 inches wide by 8 inches high. There’s also a small bag of auxiliary equipment that goes with that, Maxwell noted.

Each of the units, large and small, uses an ultraviolet (UV) light rather than chlorine to disinfect the water, and each features a reverse osmosis membrane.

“The Marine Corps has a number of units they bought a couple of years ago,” he said. “We’ve upgraded them to the most current designs.” There also was another sale to naval facilities.

CamelBak has long been known as a provider of water storage products, for water that already is drinkable. But the firm has a new product that takes impure water and renders it potable, according to Seth Beiden, CamelBak marketing manager, product and public relations.

All Clear is simple: There is a 0.75 liter bottle that a combatant fills from a stream. The warrior places a lid containing a UV light on the bottle, turns on the light, “and in 60 seconds you have purified water,” Beiden said.

“Each recharge will get you 80 refills of the bottle,” he noted. “So for most people … that was almost two weeks of use without having to recharge it. Because it recharges on a USB, you have unlimited options as to where to charge it,” he said. “Anything that has a USB port can charge the system.”

As for appearance, CamelBak hydration systems are offered in “any camo, any size, any use,” he said.

CamelBak markets the All Clear directly to special operators and anyone in the military needing hydration.

Sure Aqua Corp, of Epping, Australia, has a water purification product, AquaSafe Straw, that requires no fuel or electricity.

It is a tube that can be slipped into a glass of impure water, like a straw. Then the combatant drinks the water through the purifier. It can last for months, providing up to 500 liters of potable water.

Using membrane technology, it filters out 99.9999 percent of bacteria. O



BAE Systems long range assult pack [Photo courtesy of BAE Systems]


Given their previous experience facing shrinking Pentagon budgets from the fall of the Iron Curtain until the 9/11 attacks, spe-cial operations mission readiness trainers say they are focused on meeting emerging needs and they can continue to meet the market demand for their services with real-istic training, whether it involves Labrador retrievers or unmanned aerial systems, even when orders are smaller and more competi-tively sought.

“As the military draws down and begins to respond to the threats they discern, we will continue to be a requirements-driven company that will meet their needs,” said Jim Lynch, chief operating officer and executive vice president of K2 Solutions of Southern Pines, N.C. Founded in 2003, K2 Solutions’ principals are military veterans who have been involved in special opera-tions mission readiness training since 1983.

K2 Solutions is well-positioned to pro-vide tailor-made, efficient training for small, more agile special operations forces at Spe-cial Operations Command, according to Kathryn Anderson, the company’s market-ing manager. The company provides simula-tion training, rapid prototyping, real-world training scenarios and tailored training

programs for the U.S. military and has the ability to rapidly prototype new equipment for training.

It’s clear that special operations person-nel undergo an exhaustive amount of train-ing, from attending jump school to small arms training, water survival and learning language skills. The animals that special operations personnel use also need mission readiness training. K2 Solutions has made its name, in particular, through providing K-9 training for the military. K2 Solutions, for example, has trained Marine Corps Lab-rador retrievers for counter-IED mission duty in Afghanistan.

In addition, the company has formed research and development partnerships with colleges and universities to enable military members to receive college credits through certain training programs. With the military drawdown in Afghanistan and Iraq, Ander-son sees a greater need for such services, to help soldiers work toward receiving college degrees as they prepare to transition from military service to civilian life.

J.P. Cervantes, chief executive offi-cer of Centurion Advanced Security Group of Fayetteville, N.C., said that his company strongly prefers to train with

equipment—whether it involves detector devices, trackers or other gear—that its military customers can use after the train-ing has ended. The training is worthless if the military does not have access to the equipment for use after the course has ended, he said.

Founded in 2006, Centurion Advanced Security Group is a small disadvantaged business and service-disabled veteran-owned business that works with the Army and law enforcement customers, including in Puerto Rico, where the company has trained the police in high risk entry, kidnap-ping and ransom scenarios. A native of the island, Cervantes served for 16 years in the Army, including in U.S. special operations.

Much of the Army’s mission readiness training needs involve surveillance, accord-ing to Cervantes. His company offers train-ing in North Carolina, Puerto Rico, outside the continental U.S., and at customer loca-tions.

“We like to keep it realistic,” Cervantes said. In one week-long training course, for example, Centurion Advanced Security Group hired two primary trainers, two assis-tant trainers and 16 role players for a class of 10 soldiers. The 16 role players helped

PreSSureS emerge fOr mOre realiSm and lOwer COStS in training. By william murray



keep the training realistic, according to Cervantes, because role players can serve as waiters in a restaurant, taxicab drivers and other civilians that the special opera-tors could expect to encounter in a theater of operations. Such training teaches junior soldiers and special operators that even civil-ians who appear innocuous could make note of what they say in a relaxed environment.

Another special operations training pro-vider, Bosh Global Services, provides train-ing modules that are “extremely realistic,” according to Michael Gendron, vice presi-dent of aviation service at the Newport News, Va.-based company. “Our training mod-ules incorporate lessons learned in theater, including current tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP), and meet [joint, SOCOM and Air Force training requirements].”

Soldiers and Marines watch videos and engage in training that features hostile and permissive environments through K2 Solu-tions’ services, Anderson said. “They see the folks they will be in touch with on the ground every day” through such mission readiness training, she said.

Close quarters training in buildings, moreover, has become more important for U.S. special operators, according to Cer-vantes. “Once you’re in a building, it’s more dangerous, and there is a higher likelihood of being shot at [by an adversary],” he said. Centurion Advanced Security Group tries to make sure that roughly 25 percent of train-ing is classroom learning, with the rest sce-nario-based field training, said Cervantes.

During a time of tightened budgets, the ability to deliver cost-effective training that government purchasers could charge to a government IMPAC credit card has become more important, according to Cervantes. The week-long training for 10 soldiers, for example, cost the Army less than $25,000, which is a common limit to IMPAC credit card purchases, according to Cervantes. “A lot of people are having trouble with the contracting system,” Cervantes said, in a statement that can apply both to govern-ment program managers and contractors.

“The market is starting to slow down a lot,” as a result of the drawdown in Afghani-stan and Iraq, Cervantes said of the mili-tary’s special operations mission readiness training needs. “It’s killing small business,” which continues to demonstrate the techni-cal and programmatic abilities to meet the government’s needs but lacks some of the resources of larger businesses to earn the work, he said.

Maintaining a balance between U.S. military, law enforcement and private sec-tor training work has enabled Centurion Advanced Security Group to ride out the current market challenges, according to Cervantes.

“We don’t sell anything they don’t need,” K2 Solutions’ Lynch said of his company’s “client-driven” philosophy, whether the company is training in extrica-tion techniques or operating shoulder-fired weapons. He estimated that 50 percent of company employees are veterans, and “most of us have skin in the game. Our kids are deployed in Afghanistan, and we take a lot of pride” in providing a key training need to U.S. military customer, so that as many young people as possible can come back safely, he said.

Some special ops components are turn-ing to e-learning provider Blackboard to cut down on classroom training to save on hotel, printing, travel and other significant expense items, according to David Palmer, national e-learning consultant for DoD and intelligence with Washington D.C.-based Blackboard. “These are real hard costs” in a training budget, he said, but the amount saved can vary widely, depending in part on how many trainers would have been flown in to conduct a classroom training exercise. It’s possible to save 50 percent of printing costs in a training program through using e-learning, according to Palmer.

There are also significant start-up costs associated with launching an e-learning program, according to Palmer. Much thought and planning must go into such an initiative for it to succeed.

“We can supplement what they do in a classroom environment,” Palmer said of the special forces community. Blackboard has been working in the special forces commu-nity for about eight years. “It was a mission for them to put things online,” for greater efficiencies and lower costs, he said.

Many DoD organizations are opting for a hybrid learning environment, as opposed to a fully online one. In a 12- to 16-week training program, the first half of the training could take place using e-learning, according to Palmer. A hybrid or blended learning environment includes classroom learning and online activities for tests, exer-cises and discussions both as asynchronous and synchronous exercises. “It represents a shift in the learning paradigm” away from a classroom-focused one, he said. “There’s

a lot of institutional support for blended learning,” Palmer said.

Blackboard runs on both an unclassified network background and with classified networks, such as Secret IP Router Network (SIPRNet) and Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS), accord-ing to Palmer.

On the back end, training supervisors and contractors can keep track of analytics, such as how long and what time military personnel sign in for their training, in addition to their answers for exercises and tests, according to Palmer. He also noted that there’s a “bring your own device” trend in military training, where personnel are able to bring their own mobile devices and use them for e-learning training, with a particularly strong Army mobile initiative. The form factors of smartphones differ sub-stantially from desktop and notebook PCs, however, giving each user a much smaller screen size and smaller keypad.

In an additional cost-saving measure, U.S. military units are more interested than ever in a “train the trainer” scenario through which contractors such as Cen-turion Advanced Security Group train one military member, who then trains his unit, according to Cervantes. “You have to have a balance in contracting,” he said.

At the Small Unmanned Aircraft Sys-tems (SUAS) Joint Formal Training Unit, Bosh Global Services provides DoD Group 1-3 UAS training, which includes basic UAS qualification training, initial qualification training, mission qualification training and instructor upgrade training, according to Gendron. The training takes place at Navy Outlying Field, Choctaw, Fla.

The students that Bosh Global Services trains are primarily from Special Opera-tions Command components, such as Naval Special Warfare Command, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Air Force Special Operations Command and U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and Air Force Battlefield airmen, including special tactics and security forces.

Bosh Global Services offers training on Raven, Wasp and Puma SUAS, according to Gendron. “We have the capability to provide training on larger UAS but that has not been utilized at the [Fleet Training Unit] yet,” he said.

There’s a balance between cost savings and the need for standardized, high qual-ity training, Gendron said. “The trend I’ve seen is for SOCOM to seek out high quality,


standardized training at a reasonable price,” he said. “SOCOM wants assurance that their personnel are consistently getting the same high quality training so there is a uniform level of capability across the components,” he said. “Bosh has delivered that in spades. “

Gendron produced a testimonial let-ter from SOCOM UAS Training Assessment Report cover letter where the commander wrote, “Small UAS JFTU has implemented the highest quality Group 1 UAS initial qualification training program seen by the assessment team, which includes programs instructed at other service schools as well as contractor provided courses.”

In the expanding and fluid environ-ment of UAS operations, Bosh’s ability to react quickly to changes in TTP and get the changes incorporated into its training separates the company from its competi-tors, according to Gendron. “Through our support of the SUAS Joint FTU, United States Air Force Academy UAS training, and SOCOM (Mid-Endurance Unmanned Air-craft System or MEUAS) ISR, we have access to the latest Group 1-3 UAS training materi-als and TTP,” Gendron said. He noted that unmanned aircraft systems are only as effec-tive as the skills of the individual operator, which highlights the importance of training companies such as Bosh Global Services.

“Our personnel maintain recent knowl-edge of the most current TTP used in theater through feedback from FTU graduates and from our own SOCOM MEUAS ISR support personnel deployed to Afghanistan,” Gen-dron said. “We also ensure our personnel

remain up to speed on system changes and employment issues as they affect unmanned operations. This constant interaction and resulting awareness of the entire spectrum of training impact-related contributors fuels innovation and ensures rapid reaction to changes. We work closely with the govern-ment, instructors, operators and subject matter experts to identify and fix gaps in SUAS training and TTP.”

Laser Shot provides a virtual shoothouse that can train personnel using live fire, laser-weaponry or both, with 3-D characters moving and reacting in lifelike fashion, according to Laser Shot’s Chace Freel.

An instructor can create myriad sce-narios to keep trainees guessing what comes next, changing characters and other ele-ments. Then there is an after-action review, where the instructor can go over each tra-ninee’s actions. That can include seeing whether a given trainee’s shot killed a sim enemy by showing an X-ray view of the character, and whether the trainee’s round shattered a bone or pierced the heart or other organ.

Lighting can range from bright rooms to darkness for night vision training, and the instructor can direct movements of the sim characters such as running, crawling, surrendering or other actions. Hostage situ-ations can also be simulated.

For its part, Blackboard has shown a commitment to DoD e-learning by undergo-ing a two-year security certification process with the Air Force, and as a result of the DoD Information Assurance Certification

and Accreditation Process (DICAP) audit, Blackboard is DICAP-certified for hosting its applications at its network data centers. Blackboard works with the JFK Special War-fare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., the Marine Corps Joint Special Operations Center, and the Air Force Special Operations Center, and conducts training at Fort Bragg and MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

Blackboard’s Palmer is very excited about his company’s work with Rustici Soft-ware, which has been tasked by ADL, a DoD-affiliated research group, to develop the next generation e-learning standards through Project Tin Can to replace an e-learning standard that has been used for 10 years and has helped ensure e-learning systems interoperability.

Rustici Software officials are promising a simplification that will eliminate the need for Internet browsers, make it easier for learners and instructors to interact, facili-tate collaboration and conduct team-based learning. Project Tin Can should also have more robust security, since authentication will be tied to the user, rather than the con-tent. Rustici Software officials think that Tin Can will help to make higher-stakes training possible, and over time, it seems likely that Tin Can conformance will become a require-ment on more requests for proposals. O

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at [email protected]

or search our online archives for related stories at www.sotech-kmi.com.


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Black Diamond Advanced Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17www.bdatech.comChandlerMay Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9www.chandlermay.comDavid Clark Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24www.davidclark.comEsri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C3www.esri.com/sotFLIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5www.flir.com/gsGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11www.ga-asi.com Leupold & Stevens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3www.leupold.comLGS Innovations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13www.lgsmobile.comMBDA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C2www.mbdainc.comMetaVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20www.metavr.comPersistent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7www.persistentsystems.comSelex Galileo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C4www.selexgalileo.comSkedco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23www.skedco.comUSGIF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35www.geoint2012.com

SOTECH RESOURCE CENTER

September 2012Volume 10, Issue 7

Next ISSUE

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Colonel Jeffrey FultzCommanding OfficerMarine Corps Special Operations Support Group

Insertion Order Deadline: August 28, 2012 • Ad Materials Deadline: September 4, 2012

FeaturesLanguage Translation and Cultural TrainingSniper DetectionMissile Systems

Bonus DistributionModern Day Marine

sPeCial seCtioNNon-Lethal WeaponsAs the U.S. military strives to avoid collateral damage and civilian casualties, non-lethal weapons permit special operators to take out the enemy even when civilians are nearby. And a live, captured enemy can yield valuable intelligence.

Special Operators’Higher Education GuideWe examine the many opportunities special operators have to advance themselves through education. included is advice from educational service officers on selecting the right school; a round table discussion with admissions directors, with counsel on financial aid, the application process, transferring credits and much more; and operators’ and commanders’ comments on why education can provide the edge for warriors.

NATION’S LARGEST INTELLIGENCE EVENT

geoint2012.com


James (Jay) McConville is the executive vice president for strategy and business development at ChandlerMay Inc. and the chairman of the board of AME Unmanned Air Systems Inc., a ChandlerMay company. The combined companies specialize in the design, development and manufacture of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), UAS ground control systems, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission management solutions for defense and intel-ligence customers. McConville is the former president and CEO of AME Unmanned Sys-tems (then called AeroMech Engineering) and served four years as the vice president for strategy and business development for ChandlerMay. Before joining ChandlerMay, he was the vice president of reconnaissance and surveillance within a major defense firm, directing over $300 million per year of the company’s systems integration and engi-neering business. He has served in various other industry positions supporting defense agencies and the national intelligence com-munity for over 15 years.

Prior to entering industry, McConville served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer.

Q: Could you tell us about the ChandlerMay product line and accompanying services?

A: ChandlerMay Inc. is a leading manufac-turer and developer of unmanned aircraft systems, including ground control systems, ground control software systems, command and control computing, and fully integrated unmanned aircraft systems. We are a major supplier of UAS ground stations to the U.S. Department of Defense and have fielded thousands of unmanned aircraft for defense uses around the world.

Q: Do you also work with prime contractors in the unmanned systems area?

A: Our focus is on working with the major integrator prime contractors in defense, to provide both research and development support to new systems, design and devel-opment engineering, manufacturing and production, as well as logistics and systems support.

We are a manufacturing company, and as we say in our literature, ‘We Build It!’

Q: Which systems are currently deployed with special operations and how is their mission enhanced with these systems?

A: Our Fury 1500 UAS was built specifi-cally to support a wide variety of special mission users, including special operations forces. Fury is completing its new system testing under a controlled U.S. government program, and we anticipate deployment in support of special missions within the near term.

Q: Can you describe the payload options available with the ChandlerMay systems?

A: We have multiple aircraft systems, rang-ing from small, handheld UAS assets carry-ing electro-optic camera systems and other payloads, to the Fury 1500, a true ‘multi-INT’ platform capable of simultaneously carrying a variety of payloads, including of course EO/IR, but expanded to cover the waterfront in available surveillance and communications capabilities.

Q: You mentioned the Fury 1500 UAS platform. Could you describe the Fury 1500 for us, and speak to how it can serve the warfighter?

A: Fury 1500 is a ‘strategic asset in a tacti-cally deployable form’ that can service many missions. With industry leading endurance and payload capacity, as well as plenty of on-board power and payload bay volume,

Fury is truly a strategic asset. With our small footprint for launch and recovery (no airfield needed) and our heavy-fuel engine, as well as our small support crew require-ment and small signature, Fury 1500 can bring those strategic capabilities to the tactical battlefield and remote deployment locations.

Q: How is ChandlerMay differentiating itself from other UAS manufacturers serving U.S. warfighters?

A: No other company of our size offers the fully integrated capability of ChandlerMay. At the same time, we maintain our flexibility and high levels of customer support. Fury 1500 is in itself a discriminating technology, as is our Sharkfin Mission Management and Control System, but it is the ability to fully field entire UAS systems for the warfighter with the highest quality that sets us apart in the market.

Q: Where do you see UAS technology evolv-ing and expanding over the next five to 10 years?

A: UASs are still in the ‘Wright Brothers’ stage of development and deployment. There are many missions and capabilities still to be imagined and executed. As the U.S. national airspace opens up to the UAS, we expect to see unmanned aircraft used for a variety of missions, bringing the benefits of lower cost, increased safety (no pilots!) and improved mission coverage to the civil and eventually the civilian market.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: ChandlerMay Inc. is bullish on the UAS market. There are so many ben-efits that are provided by unmanned sys-tems, for military, civil and civilian uses, that the future will be filled with many uses still as yet unimagined. Companies like ChandlerMay Inc. that are able to pro-vide quality systems, a proven track record of performance, and continuous innova-tion will be well situated for success. O

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW Special Operations Technology

Jay McConvilleExecutive Vice President

ChandlerMay


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your mission.

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With a proven track record of quality products and services, we are ready to deliver tailored solutions to meet your most demanding mission requirements.From specialized training support to integrated solutions, we provide state-of-the-art technology and customized services with one thing in mind: you and your mission.

SELEX Galileo – partners in your success.

Your journey to mission success starts here.

With a proven track record of quality products and services, we are ready to deliver tailored solutions to meet your most demanding mission requirements.From specialized training support to integrated solutions, we provide state-of-the-art technology and customized services with one thing in mind: you and your mission.

SELEX Galileo – partners in your success.

selexgalileo.com

Sotech 10-6 Final

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