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Air & Space Power 2022 Air & Space Power 2022 | Maintaining Our Leading Edge

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

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Air & Space Power 2022 Maintaining Our Leading Edge Editor Simon Michell Project Manager Group Captain Paul Sanger-Davies, Director of Defence Studies (RAF) Editorial Director Barry Davies Designer Ross Ellis Managing Director Andrew Howard Printed by Pensord Front cover image: Andy Teakle

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CONTENTS

Contents Forewords

15

Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston

38

Simon Michell Editor, RAF Air & Space Power 2022: Maintaining Our Leading Edge

Leading and integrating

28

32

39

Air operations concepts – keeping the RAF competitive Paul Stoddart from the Air and Space Warfare Centre’s Air Conceptual Element describes how current and future air operating concepts will ensure that the RAF maintains its competitive edge

US-UK space cooperation General John W ‘Jay’ Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force

41

Speed, dynamism, reach and agility Air Vice-Marshal Phil Robinson, Air Officer Commanding No 11 Group, explains how the RAF’s Command and Control is evolving to meet future threats

A diverse and dynamic space sector UK Space Agency Chief Executive Officer Dr Paul Bate explains how the UK space sector can play a key role in protecting the national interests of the UK and its allies

KCB CBE ADC, Chief of the Air Staff

27

Space partnerships Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth discusses the establishment of the UK’s Space Directorate and Space Command

Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP Secretary of State for Defence

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35

Unbound Prometheus 2.0 – saving the human race Will Whitehorn, President of UKspace, highlights how the UK space sector is pioneering ways to solve global challenges and maintain the RAF’s leading edge

Operational edge

43

Cutting edge – Combat Air Air Commodore Michael Baulkwill describes how the lessons learned from HMS Queen Elizabeth’s epic journey of 49,000 nautical miles, leading the Carrier Strike Group 21, will help shape future F-35 operations

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CONTENTS

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Protect and defend – UK space strategy Group Captain Rayna Owens of UK Space Command highlights the defence challenges presented by the proliferation of space assets

67

The combined power of people and partnerships Vice Admiral Rick Thompson, Director General Air, DE&S, outlines the importance of teamwork and partnerships in the successful delivery of new equipment, technologies and innovations

Adaptation

69

ETPS – aircrew training transformation Commander Steve Moseley RN explains how the Empire Test Pilot School is enabling the next generation of test pilots to maintain a competitive edge

73 46

A strong partnership to maintain our leading edge

74

Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of the German Air Force

49

Typhoon watch Group Captain Matt Peterson explains how the Typhoon Force maintains guard over the UK and continues to challenge our adversaries abroad

52

Investing today for tomorrow’s front line Anthony Gregory and John Stocker of BAE Systems explain how continued investments in common critical capability programmes will boost the RAF’s front line

55

79

Protector T&E – air test and evaluation

82

Achieving air combat mass? The constraints of performance, range and cost for future uncrewed combat air systems RUSI’s Justin Bronk explains how the expected high cost of complex uncrewed aircraft will prevent them from being produced and used in the high numbers that some had hoped for

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Achieving integrated air and missile defence Northrop Grumman UK’s Paul Tremelling and Mark Turvey on the benefits of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System

Lessons from Ukraine Air Marshal (Retd) Greg Bagwell CB, CBE, President, Air & Space Power Association, highlights what has been learned so far from the Russian invasion of Ukraine

86

Wing Commander Iain Hutchinson outlines the preparations for the entry into service of the Protector RG-1 remotely piloted air system in 2024

60

Operational readiness training revisited Wing Commander ‘Slim’ Dyer discusses the UK’s first-ever commercial contract for the provision of a medium-to-fast ‘Red Air’ capability

85

Poseidon potency

Next-generation aircrew training Ascent Flight Training’s Tim James provides an update on pioneering experiments with mixed-reality technologies for training the UK’s military pilots

Wing Commander Adam Smolak describes the special features and capabilities of the RAF’s Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft

57

A Team UK approach ADS Group Chief Executive Officer Kevin Craven on how its member companies are supporting the RAF

Satellite launch UK Squadron Leader Mathew Stannard talks about preparations for the UK’s first-ever satellite launch from British territory

Digital, data and information

88

Digital and data dominance Wing Commander James Kuht draws out RAFrelevant lessons from his time as a founding member of 10 Downing Street’s Data Science Team

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CONTENTS

Ethical and moral edge

108

Maintaining the ethical and moral high ground Air Commodore Mark Phelps highlights how democratic states need the support of their populations when embarking on military action, whereas autocratic states do not face such constraints

110

Power to the people As the RAF embraces great change, Air Commodore Fin Monahan DFC emphasises the importance of culture in this process

112

The new RAF Professions Air Vice-Marshal Maria Byford, the Chief of Staff Personnel, explains how and why the RAF employment structure is being radically transformed

Sustainability – achieving Net Zero 40

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Group Captain Peter Hackett reveals how the world’s first 100% fossil-free synthetic fuel flight was achieved and what it tells us about our future use of such fuels

Maintaining our leading edge Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force

Back to the future of information warfare

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Sensing the future Group Captain Stu Belford and Caroline Morrison explain the need to process vast quantities of data to transform information into actionable intelligence

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Artificial intelligence in air applications Squadron Leader Carolyn Swinney describes how artificial intelligence is already helping inject efficiencies into Air Power activities

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Quantum capabilities Flight Lieutenant Paul Fowler considers how quantum technologies would change the world we live in

102

The future of mission data Wing Commander Gerry McCormack explains how the MD4IA programme is overhauling the provision of mission data to the front line

106

Delivering the digital station Group Captain Gareth Prendergast discusses the major project at RAF Leeming that aims to set a template to bring the Service into the digital age

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Living Laboratory – RAF Leeming Group Captain Maurice Dixon describes how RAF Leeming is pioneering climate-change mitigation technology in search of a path to net zero by 2040

The Air and Space Warfare Centre’s Wing Commander Paul Withers highlights the utility of information warfare

95

Energy assurance for the Next Generation Air Force – synthetic fuels

Global Air Forces Climate Change Collaboration – GACCC Honorary Group Captain Kevin Billings provides an update on how the world’s air forces are stepping up to the challenge of climate change

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FOREWORD

Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP Secretary of State for Defence

2022

has defined the vital importance of our world-class Air and Space Power capabilities, which are playing a vital role in protecting our United Kingdom airspace, the security of our interests and allies, and in strengthening the Enhanced Vigilance of our NATO Alliance.

We are providing international leadership in standing shoulder to shoulder with our fellow democracies and making a stand against autocratic aggression.

The United Kingdom stands in solidarity with Ukraine’s courageous defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,

and we are using our air and space capabilities to ensure that Ukraine has the continued means to defend itself from the Russian invaders.

As a problem-solving and burden-sharing nation with a global perspective, our credibility is defined by our ability to deter threats and, if required, to defeat enemies. And this requires armed forces that are integrated, agile and actively engaged, upholding our values, securing our interests, partnering with our friends and enabling our allies.

We are investing in advanced technologies to give us battle-winning air and space capabilities for conflict within

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FOREWORD

A Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning at Amari Air Base in Estonia undertaking enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) in the Baltic region following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine (PHOTO: MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT)

the information age, whilst ensuring that we are threat-focused, modernised and ready to face future challenges. Our capability development is encouraging flexible partnerships that will energise innovation and stimulate the Defence Industrial Base, while generating the skills required for our next generations.

Our National and Defence Space Strategies are guiding our trajectory towards becoming one of the world’s premier space-focused nations. And we are taking a leading role

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within the United Nations in defining responsible state behaviour, as this critical domain is operationalised.

And the Royal Air Force’s aim to be the world’s first Net Zero Air Force by 2040 demonstrates our leadership in becoming increasingly sustainable, as we face the existential threat of climate change.

These exemplars provide the clearest confirmation that we remain very much at the leading edge.

Strength through capability, commitment and collaboration.

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FOREWORD

Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE ADC, Chief of the Air Staff

W

elcome to the 2022 edition of Air and Space Power. The theme is ‘Maintaining Our Leading Edge’. We are at a defining moment in history, standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies around the world in the face of the unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, and clear and present threats to our collective security, sovereignty and prosperity.

As I write, we are witnessing the heroic defence of Ukraine in the face of a brutal invasion, something we hoped had been consigned to history in Europe. It is a sobering, painful reminder of what our air and space forces must be

prepared for; and a reminder, too, of the decisive nature of air power in modern conflict, and the critical enabling roles of air and space power across all operational domains.

We operate today in an increasingly unstable geo-political environment of persistent challenge and strategic competition between states and other hostile actors. The threat picture is changing fast, too, boosted by exponential advances in technology. The threats from Hostile State Actors are increasingly more sophisticated, with new combat aircraft and missiles which challenge our air superiority. Sophisticated air defence missile systems, anti-satellite weapons, cyber, and

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FOREWORD

The RAF Red Arrows celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a flypast over Buckingham Palace (PHOTO: MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT)

potent long-range missiles are becoming more capable and proliferating to proxy states too. Space is now a contested operational domain.

To maintain our leading edge, our air and space forces must be ready to understand, decide and then act faster, with even greater precision and lethality, simultaneously in more places around the world than we do today; and sustainably too, in terms of both resources and the environment. It will require us to integrate ever more closely with our naval and land forces,

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across our governments and internationally. Our collective success in the future will demand swift, joint, fully integrated action across all warfighting domains, land, sea, air, space and cyber.

I hope you enjoy each of the fascinating and thoughtprovoking articles in the 2022 Air and Space Power journal.

Whether you are from the UK or a partner nation, military, government, academia or industry, we all have a part to play Maintaining Our Leading Edge in Air and Space Power, and, above, all ensuring the future defence of our skies and space.

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FOREWORD

Simon Michell Editor, RAF Air & Space Power 2022: Maintaining Our Leading Edge

T

he illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia has reinforced the need for western nations to strive for, and maintain, a leading edge across all of the military capabilities they deploy. For air power, in particular, it has underlined the consequences of a failure to achieve and maintain air dominance over an adversary. Both sides are experiencing high numbers of casualties as a result.

For the RAF, maintaining a leading edge requires a transformation in how it operates, trains, communicates, gathers and utilises information – involving a digital and cultural transformation across its entire corpus. As many organisations are finding, this requires careful thought, meticulous planning and creative experimentation. Once achieved it will, however, enable the RAF to reap the undoubted benefits of game-changing technologies and data sources such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, ‘Big Data’, machine learning and quantum computing, as it becomes a Royal Air Force fit for the Information Age. The RAF has made an impressive start on this journey, as highlighted by a number of articles in this issue. Gp Capt Gareth Prendergast, for example, reveals how RAF Leeming is pioneering the development of the ‘digital backbone’ and implementation of 5G to speed up its daily activities with digital signatures, improve maintenance and logistics using augmented and virtual reality systems, and enhance its protection with a digital perimeter. Flt Lt Paul Fowler clarifies the power of quantum computing and how it can be applied to air power operations, whilst Sqn Ldr Carolyn Swinney does the same for AI. A revolution in aircrew training, both rotary- and fixedwing, is also taking place, with synthetic (computer) systems

being more comprehensively woven into the training – not only to save money, but also to make the training modules faster, better and able to emulate, to a far greater extent than previously, the sort of real-life scenarios aviators are likely to face.

The introduction of such radical changes to the equipment, processes and capabilities of the RAF requires an equally profound adjustment to the RAF’s career structures, as well as its HR policies and processes. AVM Maria Byford, Chief of Staff for Personnel, describes how the RAF is going from 68 Trades and Branches to 11 Professions, making aviators’ skills more transferable and personnel more adaptable.

Aviators will no longer be stovepiped into a single speciality for their entire RAF careers, and they will be able to move around to where they are most needed with far greater ease. This is likely to be retention-positive, as RAF personnel benefit from enhanced talent management and feeling the benefits of increased investment in their careers As always, RAF Air and Space Power is boosted by messages from partner air and space force chiefs to emphasise the interdependence of the air power community and the reliance that each force has on others as they work together to strengthen security and defend our common values. I am indebted to the first Chief of Operations for the US Space Force, General John W. ‘Jay’ Raymond, for his contribution and thoughts on the UK-US partnership. Likewise, I am grateful to the Chief of Staff of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, and the Head of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, for their thoughtprovoking contributions and encouraging words.

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Speed, dynamism, reach and agility Air Officer Commanding No 11 Group, Air Vice-Marshal Phil Robinson, talks to Simon Michell about how the RAF’s Command and Control is evolving to meet future threats

A Sophisticated technology such as stealth and precision is becoming available to ever more countries (PHOTO: SAC BEN MAYFIELD RAF/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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s the UK Air Component, No 11 Group operates with the other domains and executes command and control (C2) of global air operations. In the words of the former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, who re-established the organisation in 2018, as far as the RAF is concerned, No 11 Group is “absolutely core to how we do our business”.

The current Commander, AVM Robinson, describes its role as follows: “We operate as the UK’s global air component – increasingly from Air Command at RAF High Wycombe.” He continues, “From here, and other deployed locations, we have the ability to command and control air operations around the globe, delivering integrated effects at

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speed and with precision. We bring to bear the collective power within the UK’s Air Component in a credible, capable and coherent manner.”

Evolving threats In terms of the air domain, AVM Robinson sees evolving threats in three areas: sophistication, accessibility, and diversification.

In terms of sophistication, at one end of the spectrum you have hypersonic capabilities that are designed with very high levels of survivability as a goal, in addition to being very destructive.

These systems are designed to threaten our highvalue assets and key infrastructure. In addition, capabilities that have previously enabled our

LEADING AND INTEGRATING

asymmetric advantage – stealth, precision and situational awareness – will increasingly be in the arsenal of our adversaries. Finally, there is a growth in miniaturisation of air platforms, weaponised commercial drones and swarming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), all enabled by improved connectivity.

AVM Robinson describes a rapid growth in state, non-state and individual threats in the air domain.

Many of these capabilities are increasingly accessible, including to private military companies and terrorist groups, and there is a rise in the number of states accessing high-end capabilities through exporting nations that apply less rigour to their export protocols.

According to AVM Robinson, that diversification brings the challenge of choice and cost. Increasingly, we have to deal with how we adequately train and equip to face a threat spectrum ranging from intercontinental hypersonic missiles targeting critical national infrastructure, to micro-UAV swarms operating in a dense urban area. These threats may not be mutually exclusive; adversaries may challenge us with them simultaneously.

AVM Robinson argues that, to counter these threats, it is necessary to invest in lethality, mass, agility and survivability. Furthermore, the ability to act at scale and pace is vital, and control of the air is an absolute imperative. No 11 Group, therefore, is

rapidly evolving to counter these threats and seeks to enable command and control to remain “agile, adaptive and dynamic”, whilst maintaining “global reach and close integration with our allies and partners”. This, according to AVM Robinson, is the best way to counter evolving threats – an international approach, integrated with the other domains.

There will have to be other changes too. For example, in the recent past, the expeditionary air campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq were prosecuted from vast fixed combined air operations centres based predominantly in the Middle East. In the future, the Air Component needs to be more agile and survivable, embracing the advances in technology to enable the delivery of operations increasingly from the homebase or dispersed locations.

Non-state groups and terrorist organisations have been able to weaponise commercial drones (PHOTO: KLETR/ SHUTTERSTOCK)

Multi-domain operations The UK’s implementation of multi-domain operations (MDO) is moving at pace, albeit not through a single physical MDO centre. This absence of a central MDO node may not be a problem, as MDI/MDO is as much about people, processes and mindsets as it is about technology. Moreover, MDO need to be flexible and capable of adapting to diverse roles and tasks as they arise. This will require investment and training, and inaction is not an option, as AVM Robinson concedes.

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LEADING AND INTEGRATING

Training RAF people and creating a learning culture will be key to maintaining vigilance and understanding evolving threats (PHOTO: PO PHOT DAVE JENKINS/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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“Clearly, this will involve investment in infrastructure; making sure we have the necessary connectivity and resilience,” he explains. “It will also require the effective use of liaison elements within the other components and with the Joint Commander.

“Increasingly the UK has moved down the line of componency, with empowered Component Commanders delivering the Joint Commander’s intent. Recent operations have validated this model, and we have already achieved excellent integration across the land, maritime and space domains with personnel fully embedded into those HQs. More interplay and gearing is required in the cyber domain, but we are making rapid progress.”

“Together, cyber and space provide speed, dynamism, reach and agility of response. Cyber alone is so critical that there is a growing need to consider it as all pervasive and as fundamental as fuel.”

However, unlike the other domains, cyber is a virtual environment. It is man-made, and it is ever changing, yet it permeates and is interdependent with the other traditional domains – air, land, sea and, increasingly, space. “We have to be able to rapidly exploit cyberspace – through data fusion, rapid analysis, effective visualisation and timely decision-making to enhance our combat advantage; if we don’t stay at the forefront of that, then we will lose,” AVM Robinson affirms.

Space and cyber

People

According to AVM Robinson, Air command and control (C2) is wholly reliant on space and cyber for the delivery of timely intelligence and situational awareness, to inform decision-makers and enable the execution of effects at speed and at range. “Space provides the support for the vital communication links and information feeds, which are essential for making sure we can discharge our C2 and that we have the requisite situational awareness to make quick and effective decisions,” he explains, adding, “cyber enables the integration of our awareness feeds; it secures the critical information flows and provides the necessary defensive capabilities against our adversaries.

AVM Robinson also believes that success in contemporary and future operations will depend less on highly advanced individual platforms – although some of those are still (and will remain) very important – and more on the strengths of an integrated network of sensors, weapons, analytical tools, optimised processes and people. “Our people are key; that is why training and creating a learning culture is so important,” he concludes. “We need our people to help us remain vigilant. They need to keep a laser focus on our adversaries and technological advancements. If we don’t fully understand the threat and how it is evolving, we will find it impossible to get ahead of our adversaries and, certainly, impossible to stay ahead of them.”

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

The value of connected information in modern warfare

Nick Chaffey Chief Executive UK, Europe and Middle East, Northrop Grumman Corporation

As we witness the conflict unfolding in Ukraine, what lessons are there to be learned?

First and foremost, the courage and determination of not just the Ukrainian armed forces, but the Ukrainian people as a whole, has been an extraordinary and powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. While we can only imagine their suffering, we can be uplifted by their fortitude and strive to do all we can in support.

Reassuring, too, has been the resolve and single-mindedness of Ukraine’s allies – NATO, Europe and beyond – who have shown a commitment, all too rare in recent global diplomacy, to stand up to an aggressor in a meaningful and unified manner, including at real costs to our own economies. What we are seeing is true assurance delivered through the strength of our strategic relationships. And while those may, at

times, have been strained or loosened in the past, it is heartening that in a moment of crisis they have proved resilient.

such as the AGS NATO RQ-4D, flying repeated missions since the conflict began, has been testament to that.

Practically speaking, will the conflict cause us to rethink military doctrine?

That seems to require an even more coordinated approach to information management. How is Northrop Grumman supporting customers in that regard?

No, indeed the value of many of the major tenets of modern military thinking have been reinforced, whether that is the strength that military capability gives to diplomatic efforts to avoid conflict, or the value of high-quality, permanent airborne and space-based ISR; the force-multiplier effect of integrated communications joining together sensors and effectors; or the control of the airspace above the battlefield.

“Military campaigns of the future will demand a totally integrated view of the battlespace” Clearly, however, the element of surprise in the Land domain may well be a thing of the past, thanks to the extraordinary visibility (across the optical and electromagnetic spectrum) available via HALE and space-based ISR platforms. The performance of aircraft

Military campaigns of the future will demand a totally integrated view of the battlespace, with no branch or domain excluded from providing intelligence, awareness and effect. That’s why we believe solutions like our Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) represent the future of Multi-Domain Integration. As the centrepiece of the U.S. Army’s modernisation strategy for air and missile defence, IBCS’s resilient, open, modular, scalable architecture is foundational to deploying a truly integrated network of all available assets in the battlespace, regardless of source, service or domain. The system enables the efficient and affordable integration of current and future systems, including assets deployed over IP-enabled networks, counter-UAS systems, fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, space-based sensors and more.

This highlights the increasing importance of systems being designed to be truly open. Developing new capabilities and systems with training, commonality and interoperability in mind across one’s own force and allies should be the embodiment of partnership with our customers.

www.northropgrumman.com/UK

LEADING AND INTEGRATING

Air operations concepts – keeping the RAF competitive Paul Stoddart from the Air and Space Warfare Centre’s Air Conceptual Element describes how current and future air operating concepts, based on agile combat employment (ACE) and dynamic force employment (DFE), will ensure that the RAF maintains its competitive edge

Agile combat employment (ACE) will see short-duration operations in a variety of dispersed, and sometimes austere, locations (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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he UK faces a return to ‘Great Power’ competition, with challenging, contested scenarios and potential adversaries possessing increasingly credible capabilities. That said, the four roles of air power remain unchanged: control of the air; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); mobility; and attack.

However, the strategic context within which they are utilised has changed. After two decades of counterinsurgency-type air operations, we must be

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ready for fast-paced, high-end warfighting. We no longer have unchallenged use of the air domain, and operating conditions are likely to change dynamically from the relatively benign to the very hazardous.

Air power will have to act effectively across the continuum of competition. This will involve achieving effective peacetime operations while retaining the agility, resilience and capability to rapidly transition to warfighting at scale. New aircraft, weapons and systems will not be enough to meet the challenges;

LEADING AND INTEGRATING

a new culture of risk-taking and a new approach to operations will be required. To these ends, the RAF has adopted two concepts: Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and Dynamic Force Employment (DFE).

ACE and DFE ACE is a concept of operations that enhances RAF resilience and flexibility through deployment to unconventional, austere bases. It can be used proactively or reactively; sub-threshold and in warfighting; and in offensive and defensive roles.

DFE is the episodic and flexible use of force elements to shape the strategic environment. It is specifically applied within sub-threshold scenarios, and is always proactive, to gain and exploit the initiative.

ACE projects air power to dispersed locations for limited periods and specific missions. It involves fast deployment and return (exploit opportunity, react to threat), a minimal footprint (essential support only), and independent operational capability (delegated C2 and mission command). As such, ACE will be challenging yet rewarding in terms of employing RAF

capability and to all of those involved. Multiskilling will be required with personnel working outside their specialisations to minimise the numbers deployed, while maximising their efficiency and effectiveness.

DFE missions will depend on ACE in some cases.

DFE is inherently non-regular in practice, making it unpredictable, and it can be applied at range in a variety of regions and roles. The aim is to drive the conditions and tempo of strategic activity, rather than responding to the actions of others. As a result, DFE will generate uncertainty for an adversary through complicating its decision calculus, while also demonstrating the UK’s capability and resolve.

DFE is consistent with the ‘Integrated for Advantage’ theme within the Integrated Operating Concept (IOpC): ‘an Assertive and Adaptable Defence Posture that profiles the UK globally, demonstrates political will and military capability …, and presents the adversary with multiple dilemmas.’

DFE is based on the exploitation of opportunity for strategic gain and on responding promptly and effectively to arising threats. DFE uses force

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

The prospect of a short deployment overseas may act as a means of personnel retention and, certainly, an opportunity for all RAF aviators (PHOTO: LPHOT UNAISI LUKE/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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LEADING AND INTEGRATING

Dynamic force employment (DFE) is based on responding quickly to threats to gain and exploit the initiative (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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elements outside their normal and routine activity to achieve specific aims. The DFE concept is well suited to the RAF as a central tenet in making the most effective and efficient use of limited resources.

Clear aims The essential features of DFE (and ACE) are shortnotice deployments of short duration. Deployed locations will vary markedly to avoid patternsetting and increase unpredictability. Each DFE task will be tightly bound, with clear aims and defined start and finish conditions. DFE will specifically not involve open-ended, lengthy deployments, noting that harmony issues have led to some valuable personnel choosing to leave the Service. However, ACE and DFE will not face this problem, as many personnel may prefer this more dynamic form of operations

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to protracted deployments. The prospect of potentially frequent, challenging yet brief operational tasks around the world should be a positive recruiting and retention factor.

DFE and, especially ACE, will involve a culture of prudent risk-acceptance across the chain of command, with mission execution delegated to the lowest capable level. The application of ACE, DFE and the use of austere bases will require a robust risk appetite in test and evaluation, experimentation, training and mission execution to achieve high operational readiness and effectiveness. Overly restrictive rules and regulations will have to be amended or deleted. The essence of ACE and DFE must not be ‘why’ and ‘stop’, but rather ‘why not’ and ‘go ahead’. These new concepts represent significant opportunity for enhancing the RAF as a whole, and especially for its personnel.

LEADING AND INTEGRATING

Space partnerships Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth tells Mike Bryant about the need for coherency and collaboration that led to the establishment of the United Kingdom’s Space Directorate and Space Command

“T

wo years ago, we didn’t exist,” notes Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Harv Smyth, director of the UK’s recently established Space Directorate. Shortly prior to 2020 and the creation of the Directorate, it was clear that UK Defence lacked a coherent approach to space, and that there had to be a “better way”, he says. There was some Defence-oriented activity in this domain, perhaps best highlighted by the Skynet satellite communications programme led by Airbus, yet there was no certainty regarding the future of a more coherent space programme for Defence and wider UK security interests. “We needed a space strategy that would feed back into a national strategy, we needed a central point of ownership for space within the MOD [Ministry of Defence], and we needed a delivery capability,” AVM Smyth recalls.

The 2019 Forber Review set the ball in motion, and one of the results of the enhanced joined-up thinking was, indeed, the subsequent establishment of the Space Directorate, as well as its operational and capability delivery mechanism, Space Command.

The key differences between the two are that Space

Command is a joint command, which sits under the RAF and does the day-to-day of space business (operations, training and capability development and delivery), while the Space Directorate is a MOD body that concentrates on the policy, strategy, cross-government coherency and the up-and-out with international partners and the space industry.

Space Directorate and Space Command “Over these past two years the Space Directorate has become Defence’s touchpoint for space,” says AVM Smyth. “We manage overlaps in responsibilities such that, together with others, including the new UK Space Command, we are complementary rather than competitive.”

Through his chair of the Space Alignment Group (SAG), AVM Smyth can ensure that all space-related issues are managed collaboratively alongside UK Space Command, UK Strategic Command, the individual Services and many other MOD and governmental bodies.

Another aspect prioritised by AVM Smyth is the need to hold to account all parties active in

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

Through the Minerva and Istari programmes, the UK will establish constellations of small satellites in low Earth orbit to enhance UK spaceborne ISR and communications capabilities (PHOTO: AIRBUS)

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joint Space Statement of Intent in December 2021, focusing on even closer collaboration to ensure that space is a safe and secure environment for all. This would involve information sharing and potential capability sharing where possible.

The Space Directorate is also working with other allies to support their efforts. For example, it is collaborating with Australia, via the UK-Australia Space Bridge, as it establishes its own Space Command, as well as supporting France’s intention to establish a NATO Centre of Excellence for Space in Toulouse by 2025. It is even looking to collaborate with other allies, such as Japan. AVM Smyth also points to the Space Directorate’s support of Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office liaison with the United Nations as the UK seeks to develop a global consensus on responsible behaviour and acceptable norms in space.

In transition

The UK’s worldleading military Skynet satellite communications system will be enhanced with the launch of Skynet 6A (PHOTO: AIRBUS)

The Airbus Prometheus payload has been specifically designed and built for both UK sovereign missions and Dstl international missions (PHOTO: AIRBUS)

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the UK space enterprise. “This is a vital function for the Space Directorate and, in due course, will become business as usual for my team,” he advises.

This role will solidify in importance as the space budget grows, and more capability programmes are delivered through UK Space Command.

Close collaboration Relations with Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey’s Space Command are extremely close; there’s a definite feeling of collaboration and team effort.

As the Command transitions through Initial Operating Capability, it will handle the deliverables of the UK space programme. Foremost among these are Minerva, which will demonstrate the architecture necessary to collect, process and disseminate data from space assets, and Istari, which will build a constellation of small low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, equipped with a variety of sensors to allow for multispectral surveillance.

The Space Directorate is acting as a “meaningful interlocutor” on the international scene to both help the UK become a “more meaningful global actor” in space and to help create and nurture a truly collaborative effort vis-à-vis space. Together with coalition partners, it is playing an important role in the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative, which incorporates the Five Eyes countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and US) alongside France and Germany and seeks to improve cooperation, coordination and interoperability opportunities in space.

The US is clearly a key partner for the UK in space, a relationship illustrated by the signing of a

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Right now, the Space Directorate is in a transitional phase, AVM Smyth advises. It is moving from handling much of UK Defence’s day-to-day space-related commitments to more of a head-office function, overseeing those who provide the deliverables while ‘scanning the horizon’ for new opportunities with industry, other parts of Government and allies.

The past two years have been extremely busy for the Space Directorate. Policy and strategy have been established and agreed, cross-government governance and cooperative methodologies have been firmed up, the Space Directorate and UK Space Command have been stood up and are now working well. To support this growing activity, £6.5 billion has been apportioned to deliver the Defence Space Strategy over the next 10 years.

All this is vital as space becomes “more congested, more contested and more competed,” says AVM Smyth. “It’s been quite a journey, and I’m extremely proud of the team for the success we have enjoyed thus far.”

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Building a UK space ecosystem chain. The more companies we can establish in the UK, the bigger the pool of talent, the better the training, the quicker we can develop systems and make the UK more competitive.

In short, it is all about a meaningful and steady flow of contracts.

What is the future of multidomain integration and the role of space in this?

Richard Franklin Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space UK

Where is the UK a leader in space capabilities today, and what does it need to develop for the future?

The UK has built a leading position in small satellites, processed payloads and SATCOMS. In fact, UK companies manufacture more than 25% of the world’s geostationary telecommunications satellites. We have a great heritage, and are truly world-class, but there is strong competition – not just from Europe and the US, but globally. So, our focus must be on retaining our world-class status. To do that we need to be smarter, cleverer and a stronger partner in Europe.

More Government programmes would help us overcome production thresholds and enable the UK to compete better in Asia, Europe and the US. For example, Airbus is an integrator, and many of the components in our satellites are produced outside the UK – engines, structures, complex antennas. I would like to see more of those being made domestically, so that we strengthen the UK supply

Space is increasingly playing a part in multi-domain operations, particularly with the advent of FCAS and the UK’s future combat cloud (Nexus) capabilities. Already, we see how drones and fifth-generation fighters are delivering huge volumes of data. Going forward, there will be an ever-greater need to coordinate that data-rich intel with deployed forces, backhaul it to national and deployed HQs and share it with our NATO and coalition partners.

So, the interoperability of these applications is key, as is being able to manage the entire communications network seamlessly. The user doesn’t want the complications of managing them. We need to take that complexity away from them, and space is a key part in achieving that.

What does the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) need to do to maintain its leading edge in space?

Without doubt, the establishment of the UK Space Command last year and the publication of the Defence Space Strategy and the National Space Strategy will underpin the MOD’s lead in space, but more could be done on the supply side. The continuation of the Skynet programme is most welcome, but with the UK’s space budget being a fraction

of the US space funding, it will take some strategically targeted national space programmes to enable the creation of a space ecosystem in the UK that is big enough to support the MOD’s aspirations.

How could the UK increase space exports?

At the moment, the UK space market isn’t very large, so the majority of what we manufacture in the UK is for export.

The challenge is how to increase the volume of those exports. We already enjoy support from BEIS, DIT and the MOD in driving exports. For us though, a key export driver is the MOD seal of

“Space is increasingly playing a part in multi-domain operations” approval. Overseas customers are more willing to buy our products and services if the MOD has already bought them.

We have to get more ‘joined up’ as UK plc in pushing the export market.

At the moment, we haven’t got a regular enough flow of projects and programmes. A programme to harness energy from space – such as the one that the Science Minister, George Freeman, referred to in Parliament – could be a great starting point, especially if the Government mandated that certain components had to be manufactured in the UK. The same might apply for ensuring national space-based defence capability.

www.airbus.com

STRATEGIC INDUSTRY PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

A diverse and dynamic space sector Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Space Agency, explains how the UK space sector can play a key role in protecting and defending the UK’s national interests, and those of its allies

One of many shocking stories to emerge from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol, where some 1,000 innocent people were sheltering for their lives. A satellite image, captured after the attack, showed not only the immense devastation, but also the word ‘children’ written in Russian on the pavement outside the building – a simple message, which was seemingly ignored, despite it being visible from space.

You would be forgiven for thinking that an image such as this could only be captured by a governmentoperated spy satellite. But, in this case, it was taken by a commercial satellite operated by Maxar – a US company with operations in the UK. Commercial satellites not only provide images and video of environments that are inaccessible, unsafe or otherwise impractical, they can listen in to signals from ships and aircraft, provide secure connectivity and augment positioning and timing signals.

This demonstrates how the global space sector has shifted over recent years to become driven primarily by private investors and commercial entities,

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and of how the powerful capabilities possessed by these companies have the potential for dual-use applications.

With the Defence Space Strategy, the UK Government has recognised the opportunities and the threats posed by this fundamental shift.

Defence has a vital role to play in sustaining the growth of one of our fastest-growing, most innovative and inspirational sectors. And, in turn, the diversity and dynamism of the UK space sector, and the innovative technologies and capabilities it generates, can play an important role in protecting and defending our national interests, and those of our allies.

At the UK Space Agency, we are focused on catalysing investment into the UK space sector, delivering missions

space actors should have an interest in protecting the space environment.

Hostile actions, such as Russia’s anti-satellite test last year, threaten civil assets such as the International Space Station and climate-monitoring satellites. Likewise, civil space activities can generate debris and increase congestion in orbit, which can impact military assets. We also share a need to develop new technologies faster than our competitors and to inspire a new generation of talented people to fill the jobs required to sustain our ambitions for the growth of the space sector across the country.

Another fundamental capability to all of our work is access to space – launch. A key priority for the UK Space Agency is our programme to

“We are focused on catalysing investment into the UK space sector” and new capabilities, and championing the role of space technologies to help us meet challenges and seize opportunities. We recognise the importance of integration across government, with international partners and with the 1,300 space organisations operating in the UK, as we deliver on the ambition set out in the National Space Strategy.

I am pleased that we have developed a strong relationship with the UK Space Command since it was established in April 2021, and our teams work closely together in the Space Operations Centre. Civilian and military

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

deliver the first small satellite launches from UK soil. While this is ultimately a commercial programme, it will provide new routes into orbit for both commercial and government payloads.

And, in what I hope is a strong signal of our strengthening cooperation across civil and military space, a Royal Air Force pilot will be at the controls of the Virgin Orbit carrier aircraft that will launch the first satellites from Spaceport Cornwall later this year. This will be a milestone moment for the UK space sector and I look forward to witnessing it alongside RAF and Ministry of Defence colleagues.

GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

General John W ‘Jay’ Raymond Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force US-UK space cooperation Two-and-a-half years ago, I became the first Chief of Space Operations for the United States’ newest service branch, the Space Force. While building the service from the ground up, we made our partnership with the Royal Air Force a priority. The United Kingdom is one the United States’ oldest space partners. Our shared history dates back to the depths of the Cold War, when, in 1959, UK scientists worked with NASA to develop the Ariel space satellites. Today, the UK remains one of our closest space partners, a relationship that has been reaffirmed recently through several strategic documents, including a Statement of Intent Regarding Enhanced Space Cooperation and the US-UK Shared Vision Statement.

The United States also welcomed the stand-up of the UK Space Command in April 2021 under the leadership of Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, followed by a Memorandum of Understanding between US Space Command and UK Space Command on Enhanced Space Cooperation, signed just a year later.

Our enduring alliance has never been more valuable – today’s strategic environment is increasingly complex, and the importance of space in international security and our daily lives is now indisputable. Space underpins not just our modern way of life, but our coalition forces’ ability to exercise command and control over the battlefield, to communicate and

to carry out operations in all domains.

As recent events make all too clear, our access to our space assets is at risk, and, with it, world order and international stability. Together, along with our many other allies and partners across the globe, the United States and the United Kingdom stand strong in the face of these challenges. Together, we will prevail in our mission to maintain space as a benefit to all humankind.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. This is why I am thankful for the UK’s leadership in the United Nations’ Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and in the UN’s Open Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats. Both efforts aim to strengthen international cooperation in establishing clear norms of behavior in space.

Our two nations provide a strong example in the area of cooperation.

We enjoy a robust space personnel-

exchange programme involving nearly 60 personnel, and we train and exercise together in the space domain, through events such as the Schriever Wargames and Operation Global Sentinel. The United States will also provide two Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction Cubesat Experiment 6U cubesats as part of a planned Virgin Orbit launch in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee – a prime demonstration of the UK-US solidarity in responsive launch and integrated deterrence.

We look forward to strengthening our partnership even more in the future, as both the Space Force and the RAF continue investing in their space capabilities. Forward-thinking initiatives, such as the UK’s ISTARI Programme and MINERVA project, will strengthen our coalition space architecture and create additional opportunities to deepen USUK space cooperation. Semper Supra!

Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, Commander of UK Space Command, and U.S. Army General James Dickinson, Commander of U.S. Space Command, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Space Cooperation last April (PHOTO: U.S. SPACE COMMAND)

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Working with the Royal Air Force, global allies and partners to realise a trusted digital future

thalesgroup.com

STRATEGIC INDUSTRY PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

Unbound Prometheus 2.0 – saving the human race Will Whitehorn, President of UKspace, highlights how the burgeoning UK space sector is pioneering ways to solve global challenges and maintain the RAF’s leading edge

Space will rescue humanity.

Without space-based technologies we would not be able to feed the planet, now or in the future, especially when the population skyrockets beyond 10 billion.

Space systems enable the agricultural industry to increase crop yields by managing weather and pest risks better. They help farmers maximise land use intelligently. Space-based monitoring and tracking will also help the logistics industry maximise supply chain efficiency to reduce the huge amount of food wastage that occurs in transit, estimated to be at least 30% per annum. Moreover, without satellite monitoring there would be no clear understanding of the rate of climate change and the mitigations we need to put in place to reverse it if we are to survive on Earth. That’s just the current situation. In the future, space will be even more crucial.

What we have witnessed over the past decade is an unfettered surge of space activities. We have finally reached that tipping point where access to space is economically viable

for commercial companies to start the process of industrialising space – a so-called second Unbound Prometheus – a human event every bit as significant as the first Industrial Revolution. Events in Ukraine have highlighted game-changing capabilities, such as the Maxar and Starlink constellations for surveillance and internet connectivity. Soon, energy generated in space will not just power systems in orbit as it does now, but it will be sent down to Earth on microwave links to power our homes, cars and factories. Other space-based technologies will make the race to net zero a viable goal, not an impossible challenge.

Creating a new space economy The UK is playing a significant role in this phenomenon and will play an even greater part in the future.

In the past three years, we have seen the establishment of a Space Council, a Space Command, two Space Directorates and a Space Agency. We have seen a National Space Strategy and a Defence Space Strategy published within months of each other. The pace of activity is astonishing. Never before have I seen such a coordinated, clever and rapid plan unfold. And, as President of UKspace – the nation’s foremost space trade association – I am confident that we have the industrial muscle and scientific footprint to grasp this opportunity and place the UK firmly at the centre of all this activity.

Our membership of over 150 companies includes pioneers that are

driving the process – OneWeb, Orbex, Reaction Engines and Surrey Satellites, for example. We have key players like Airbus, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Thales. We have venture capitalists like Seraphim, who are investing in space companies both at home and abroad to help them develop systems and capabilities. Seraphim has invested millions in technology companies like ArQit, D-Orbit and LeoLabs. These companies will be key for the safeguarding of space for all.

ArQit is using quantum computing to ensure that space systems can’t be hacked by those with malicious intent.

D-Orbit will act as a space taxi, moving satellites around space, either to avoid collisions with debris or malevolent satellites, or simply to another, more suitable location. LeoLabs was identified by the Financial Times as the first organisation to alert both the UK and US to the growing cluster of debris caused by a reckless Russian satellite missile attack in November 2021.

Space must be defended not just as an operational domain for the military, but also as the most important link in the chain of the UK and the planet’s critical national infrastructure and, of course, burgeoning space economy. I am proud to confirm that the UKspace fraternity will continue to collaborate with the Ministry of Defence and the RAF to maintain our leading edge and to ensure that space is a safe place to do business – not just for governments, but also for the expanding numbers of commercial actors that are playing their part in saving the planet and, with it, humanity.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Improved availability, lower costs and room for growth

Jen Latka Vice President, F135 Programme, Pratt & Whitney

Sustainment has been one of the challenges facing the F135 programme, particularly with respect to engine availability.

Can you provide an update on P&W’s efforts in this area?

Engine availability is improving.

Propulsion readiness comes from three main components: reliability, sparing levels and the maintenance network.

From a reliability perspective, the F135 has proven to be a very reliable engine, with 500,000+ flight hours logged. In fact, the current production configuration far exceeds the specification for Mean Flight Hours Between Engine Removals (MFHBR), and the global fleet is averaging mission capability rates above 90%.

Reliability is a continuous effort, and through the Component Improvement Programme, we are focused on leveraging operational data and our engineering expertise to make improvements.

On sparing levels, the F135 programme is spared at half that of

www.prattwhitney.com

legacy fighter programmes. However, there is now acknowledgement across the enterprise that additional spares are needed, and recent funding decisions reflect that.

Lastly, the F135 maintenance network made significant progress in 2021 and continues to mature. Overall, the global network more than doubled output of power modules in 2021, and we are on track to grow another 60% in 2022. Over the past year, three regional F135 depots (Australia, Norway, Netherlands) have achieved the Initial Depot Capability milestone, bringing increased capacity in support of the global fleet. Ultimately, we expect a 30%-50% improvement in engine availability by the end of 2022.

Affordability remains a top concern across the F-35 enterprise. How is P&W reducing costs for the F135?

Since delivering the first production engine, we’ve reduced the average unit cost of an F135 by more than 50%. While our focus on production affordability remains, we are now aggressively working to achieve the same level of reduction in sustainment. It is important to note that the propulsion lifecycle is different than the air vehicle. For propulsion, sustainment costs will rise and fall, driven by scheduled maintenance cycles, which are the primary cost drivers over the life of the programme.

We’ve identified opportunities to reduce the cost of the first scheduled maintenance visit by approximately 40%, which is projected to save more than US$14 billion over the life of the programme. Additionally, fleet milestones over the coming years will significantly increase our learning, as

well as provide additional efficiency and cost-reduction opportunities.

Key modernisation decisions are on the horizon for the F-35. Why is propulsion growth needed and what is P&W proposing?

Modernisation is a necessary element of any defence programme to keep pace with evolving threats, and the F-35 is no exception. A suite of hardware and software upgrades for the F-35 – known as Block 4 – is in development to bring new weapons, cockpit improvements and more to the jet. The engine must grow in concert with the air vehicle.

While it is recognised that more cooling will be needed in the future, a requirement has not yet been defined and the path forward has not been decided. F-35 propulsion modernisation decisions will have significant implications for all programme participants and taxpayers, including the UK. We believe an upgrade to the existing F135 engine – known as the Enhanced Engine Package (EEP) – is the most cost-effective and lowest-risk solution.

EEP incorporates the latest in propulsion technologies to deliver the capability needed for Block 4 aircraft, while maintaining the variant-commonality and international partnership approach that the joint programme was built upon.

Doing so maximises affordability for all, with EEP generating approximately US$40 billion in lifecycle cost savings over the life of the programme.

In sum, EEP can deliver the performance required so the RAF’s F-35 fleet maintains its leading edge for decades to come – without disrupting the programme of record or driving increased cost and risk.

OPERATIONAL EDGE

Cutting edge – Combat Air From May to December 2021, the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth led the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) on a truly epic journey of 49,000 nautical miles across three oceans and five seas – from the Navy’s home ports, across the Mediterranean, then to the Indian Ocean and much of the Indo-Pacific region. David Hayhurst asks Air Commodore Michael Baulkwill how the lessons learned during the voyage will help shape future F-35 operations

O

peration Fortis, the largest Royal Navyled deployment in a decade, saw ships from the American, British and Dutch navies visit or hold joint exercises with 44 Asian, European and Oceanic countries. The carrier air wing aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth included 18 F-35B Lightning stealth fighters: eight from the RAF’s 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, and 10 from US Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron VFMA 211, also known as the

Wake Island Avengers. This represented the biggest joint deployment of F-35s in the fighter programme’s history, as well as forming the largest fifthgeneration fighter carrier air wing ever assembled.

For Air Commodore Michael Baulkwill, RAF Combat Air Force Commander, the joint exercises and other operations undertaken during CSG21 provided invaluable lessons that will help shape RAF fundamentals regarding the F-35B’s future.

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

F-35Bs from RAF 617 Squadron rejoin US jets aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth during Exercise Falcon Strike (PHOTO: POPHOT JAY ALLEN/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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OPERATIONAL EDGE

“an exponential amount of data”, he reveals, which “increases agility and combat capability exponentially”, while also simplifying the joint force environment, and greatly impressing all partner nations involved.

While passing through the Mediterranean, the carrier’s F-35 air wings also frequently shadowed Russian fighters, and participated in anti-Daesh operations in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Shader. This provided a unique learning environment for the American and British aviators, marines and sailors aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Capability and interoperability

An F-35B taking off from RAF Marham.

Lessons learned during the CSG21 aircraft carrier operations will help to inform future F-35 TTPs from both land and sea (PHOTO: SAC NATALIE ADAMS RAF/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

As a fifth-generation multirole aircraft, the F-35B has been touted for its technological abilities to help provide unprecedented levels of situational awareness through its vast information-collecting capacity.

Although it was not designed as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, “we are certainly learning that it has that potential,” says Baulkwill. “I think the potential use of F-35 and what it can contribute to the operational commander regarding ISR is going to be essential in future.

Whether being called upon to serve in peacekeeping missions or maintain persistent engagement around the world as we saw with CSG21, right through to high-end war fighting, that ability to sense and understand the world around you is key, and F-35 has got some amazing capabilities,” he says.

Exercise Falcon Strike In June, CSG21 participated in Exercise Falcon Strike 21.

Led by the Italian Air Force, the exercise, combining fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, saw F-35A and F-35B Lightnings from Israel, Italy, the UK and the US train together for the first time ever. Air Cdre Baulkwill points out that a long history of operating in a complex joint force environment with NATO and other partner nations has helped foster a good overall understanding among pilots. The highly similar platforms of the various F-35 models greatly helped interoperability between the participating air forces, both tactically and in terms of mindsets.

Regarding future tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) considerations, having various F-35s working and interfacing together has provided

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Maintaining Our Leading Edge

Speaking with F-35 crews returning from these missions, Baulkwill was impressed by their sense of a “cross-fertilization of ideas and the generation of new ideas” regarding both carrier strike capability and interoperability. Another major joint-forces naval exercise in the Philippine Sea involved four large-deck carriers from the American, British and Japanese navies with a combined air wing of over 120 fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft. The F-35s remarkable sensor-fusing capabilities allowed for highly complex drills, including landings between the various carriers, conducted in highly congested air space with a great deal of civilian traffic. “We saw this F-35 air and surface picture, both on the Link 16 tactical data link network and within its own network, really help indicate the operating risks out there. This was an enormous exercise where we saw some real capability increases across all four aircraft carriers.”

Regarding the fighter’s future central role as part of wider RAF sea and land-based operational challenges, Baulkwill stresses the need not to overstretch the still-young Lightning Force. “We need to be sure we have enough to operate on both carriers, in a manner that allows political choice and longevity of both the carriers and the F-35 itself,” he explains.

And while the F-35’s awesome capabilities as both a high-end fighter and ISR platform were the raison d’être for its purchase, he emphasises the critical need for integration between fourth- and fifthgeneration fighters. Key to this will be the upgrading of the Typhoon Force, which he calls the “heavy lifter of combat air in the UK” with new radar and weapons systems coming aboard, such as SPEAR Cap 3.

“The Combat Air Force is bringing these great capabilities together and maximising them for the whole of Defence. It’s a very exciting time.

F-35 and the Carrier Strike Group form one part of that,” Baulkwill adds, while pointing out that this is only part of a far wider alliance of American and other partner nations buying F-35s and comparable platforms. “It is a massive step change in what this means to fighting in the air.”

VARIANT-COMMON

COMBAT-TESTED

COALITION-ASSURED

THE SMART CHOICE FOR THE F-35 The F135 Enhanced Engine Package (EEP) delivers adaptive technologies wrapped in a variant-common, combat-tested, coalition-assured and cost-effective combination. For full Block 4 capability and $40B savings over the lifecycle of the program to keep our militaries on the leading edge.

GET SMART AT PRATTWHITNEY.COM/F135EEP

GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz Chief of the German Air Force A strong partnership to maintain our leading edge In Europe, we are facing an unprecedented act of Russian aggression against a sovereign, independent country. It is our task and duty as the German Luftwaffe to take responsibility for European security. We patrol NATO airspace sideby-side with our partners, monitor the closure of German airspace to Russian aircraft with our radar systems, perform reconnaissance flights with our ECR Tornados over the Baltic Sea, and refuel allied combat aircraft with our A400M and A330 aircraft of the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit based in Eindhoven. In Slovakia and Lithuania, our ground-based air defence forces are also making an important contribution.

A new level of cooperation within the NATO Air Power community Only a few hours after the beginning of the Russian attack against Ukraine, we proved our flexibility and responsiveness by deploying additional Eurofighters to Romania. In summer 2021, together with the Royal Air Force, we laid the foundation for our rapid combined employment of Air Power. With our combined NATO airpolicing mission we have reached a new level of interoperability within the NATO community. We successfully used the ‘Plug & Fight’ capability, which has now helped us in Romania to react as quickly as required to protect NATO’s eastern flank.

Use of the same aircraft and weapon systems, such as the A400M and Eurofighter, forms the cornerstone of our interdependent cooperation and

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the interoperability of the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force. Precisely for this reason, our procurement decision in favour of the F-35 is logical and consistent. Thus, we will cooperate even more closely with the other F-35 nations in Europe and in the Alliance in terms of training, logistics and operations. Together with our friends and partners, we will implement the modernisation of our Air Force even faster and more consistently.

“The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe are building upon our long-lasting partnership” The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe are building upon our long-lasting partnership, and we are deepening our cooperation in various fields. In future, we will cooperate even closer. The actual drivers of our cooperation will always be human – the service members of our Air Forces.

Luftwaffe officer candidates regularly attend officer training courses at RAF Cranwell and flying units are affiliated with one another on a partnership basis (twinning). Moreover, information sharing occurs during weapons-instructor courses, and there are exchange

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

officers engaged in various tasks to support our forces’ daily operations – ranging from force protection to maintenance, as well as aircraft pilots.

The relevance of Air Power At this particular moment in time, the characteristics of Air Power – speed, reach and height – become obvious.

They have proven to be valid and decisive. Being rapidly deployable over long distances, and easily scalable, they are thus excellently suited to the delivery of a range of political signals indicating both escalation and de-escalation. That is why Air Forces will continue to be in great demand.

The Luftwaffe will follow the example of our British friends and participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2022 in Australia. We will use this chance to give a sign of trustworthiness to our friends in the Indo-Pacific region. Our participation cannot be underestimated: it is not just about the Luftwaffe deploying aircraft, it is about projecting Air Power thousands of miles away from home.

Our cooperation with other friends and partners has already proven successful over decades and is a natural part of our identity. All over Europe, we are currently experiencing a turning point in history. Precisely in these current times, our unity is more relevant than ever. Wing by wing with our British ally, we are proving what NATO is all about: trust, friendship and the firm commitment to defend our common values.

The latest generation engine for latest generation fighter aircraft The demands of military aviation in the 21st century leave no room for compromise – or outdated solutions.

With cutting-edge technology and unrivalled build quality, the EJ200, installed in the Eurofighter Typhoon, has proven time and again to be the best engine in its class. To find out more about our market-leading design and unique maintenance concept, visit us at www.eurojet.de

The EJ200: Why would you want anything less?

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Evolving Eurofighter taking shape

Carlo Mancusi Chief Executive Officer, Eurofighter

Carlo, you were appointed CEO of Eurofighter in January.

How would you describe the state of the programme?

We have a strong programme, with a strong future, and we have already secured several developments that will keep the weapons system at the forefront of European defence. I have no doubt that Eurofighter will long endure as the backbone of European air defence. What we do is difficult, it is complex both in terms of the weapons system and the programme, but we have the expertise.

development have been agreed among the key partners, with the first five years of the plan already on contract.

This plan will also see two key programmes of work crystallise. Firstly, the next capability enhancement contract known as P4E, which will ensure the E-Scan radar can reach its full operational capability. Secondly, the Eurofighter Long Term Evolution (LTE) study, which will underpin the future development of the weapon system.

We are looking forward to making progress on P4E and the additional capability that it brings. In terms of LTE, we have put some options on the table, but we need to let individual nations take decisions about the future

What opportunities exist in the longer term?

Notwithstanding the success we have with the Qatar, Kuwait and Quadriga contracts, we are seeking further contracts to keep our production lines busy. We are looking both to core customers and to the export market for additional procurements, and there are positive signs out there.

There is a growing interest with

“An evolved and advanced Eurofighter Typhoon is currently being shaped – ensuring it remains in service to 2060 and beyond.” of their armed forces. The world has changed significantly in a short period of time and it’s important that nations have a chance to reflect on their requirements.

What does the future have in store in terms of Eurofighter Typhoon capability?

What are the timescales for LTE?

An evolved and advanced Eurofighter Typhoon is currently being shaped – ensuring it remains in service to 2060 and beyond. The key strategic elements of a 10-year plan for Eurofighter

The LTE maturation phase is due to take place between 2023 and 2025 and will demonstrate in a practical way what technologies can be used in an ‘LTE Eurofighter’. It’s about improving the

www.eurofighter.com

existing platform step-by-step and, through this, paving the way for the future and helping to mature technologies.

Just how radical and ambitious the nations are and what is practically possible needs to be worked through.

respect to mature aircraft that can be used together with other platforms to give nations the best possible synergy. It is up to us to turn these opportunities into contracts.

Of course, we know that to win new contracts we need to show that we are thinking about the continuous development of the weapons system.

That’s why our 10-Year Plan and LTE are so important. They demonstrate we have the contractual route in place to achieve additional capabilities.

OPERATIONAL EDGE

Typhoon watch On the look-out for long-range Russian bombers and errant airliners, RAF Coningsby’s Station Commander, Group Captain Matt Peterson, explains to Alan Dron how the Typhoon Force maintains guard over the UK and continues to challenge our adversaries abroad

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he primary duty of any air force is to defend its nation and secure the airspace in its vicinity. The air defence of the United Kingdom is a collaborative effort spread across military and civilian agencies.

And, at the very tip of that spear, resolute and unyielding, is RAF Coningsby, currently commanded by Group Captain Matt Peterson.

The station provides Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) cover to most of the UK, including many of its most densely populated areas. Typhoon pilots and their supporting personnel deliver a graduated response to incoming threats that is tested almost daily at Coningsby. These threats are typically of the 9/11 scenario, rather than the longrange Russian aircraft more often encountered by its sister station at RAF Lossiemouth. However, as Peterson says, “The point of QRA is to be always

ready and never surprised. Sometimes Russian aircraft do come into the Coningsby area of interest, and our jets will always be waiting for them.”

Whilst QRA personnel are effectively ‘away’ on ‘Q’ (24 hours for pilots; seven days for engineers), the station will also always have personnel deployed overseas supporting operations. “There is a Typhoon squadron constantly deployed to RAF Akrotiri in support of Operation Shader, coming either from here at Coningsby or Lossiemouth. We also have an enduring presence in the South Atlantic, with personnel from Coningsby and other stations,” confirms Peterson. A little-known fact is that Station Commander Coningsby is also the Designated Duty Holder for Typhoon operations in the Falklands.

The two front-line operational squadrons, 3 (Fighter) and XI (Fighter), alongside their commitment to Shader, take their turn in supplying

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An RAF Typhoon jet refuels whilst on QRA duties guarding UK skies (PHOTO: CPL DRUMMEE RAF/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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allied nations from the Middle East. In a similar vein, 12 Squadron is a uniquely joint RAF-Qatari Emirati Air Force (QEAF) squadron, currently focusing on assisting the QEAF with its preparations for air security around the FIFA World Cup finals in November and December 2022. “Delivering air power is not just about the here and now, Coningsby is integral to how the Air Force works with the air components of friendly nations across the world, maintaining contemporary security and laying the foundations for successful future alliances,” says Peterson.

Everyone who delivers the UK’s combat effect via the Typhoon starts their journey at RAF Coningsby (PHOTO: EUROFIGHTER/ GEOFFREY LEE)

Evaluating new technology

the RAF Typhoon element of NATO Air Policing.

As an extension of this task, in early Spring 2022 the squadrons were tasked with supporting NATO following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

RAF Coningsby was the first RAF Typhoon station and, therefore, delivers support to the entire Typhoon element of the Combat Air Force. To underline this responsibility, Peterson points out, “Coningsby is the backbone of Typhoon combat mass: everyone who delivers combat effect on Typhoon will start their journey here at Coningsby.”

Typhoon test and training All RAF Typhoon pilots and engineers receive their initial type training at Coningsby, delivered by 29 Squadron, the conversion unit, and a mix of service personnel and industry contractors, both on the squadron and in the nearby Typhoon Training Facility. 29 Squadron also has a responsibility to deliver International Defence Training to several

RAF Coningsby Typhoon jets support RAF Lossiemouth in keeping tabs on unwelcome visitors to UK skies such as this Russian long-range bomber (PHOTO: SAC SIAN STEPHENS/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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41 (Test and Evaluation) Squadron, part of the Air and Space Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington, is located at Coningsby to benefit from close proximity to the front-line squadrons. Along with trials of new systems in their development phase, the squadron also undertakes the vital role of evaluating new technology as it arrives on the platform, thus ensuring the seamless fit of weapons and systems that guarantees Typhoon’s combat agility. A recent aspect of this work is to develop greater integration of Typhoon and the growing F-35B Lightning Force as part of the RAF Combat Air Force. Undoubtedly, this potent mix of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters has a force-multiplying effect that will assure our Next Generation Royal Air Force capability.

Coningsby is the engineering hub for the Typhoon fleet. Work undertaken in the Typhoon Maintenance Facility is a collaborative enterprise with BAE Systems to ensure that aircraft are available across the fleet when required.

For the foreseeable future, a significant part of RAF Combat Air will be delivered by the Typhoon squadrons. The responsibility for the larger part of the Typhoon effort, both in the front line and in support, is a task proudly carried by RAF Coningsby.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

As we reach for the future, we build a more capable present

Norman Bone Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Leonardo UK Our engineers inspire me on a daily basis. Some of the combat air research underway at our sites in Edinburgh and Luton is astonishing. However, when talking about the future, about the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and Future Force 2040, it is important to keep in mind the here and now. Because, by designing technology for the next generation, we are also making breakthroughs that are useful today. Breakthroughs that can enhance existing capabilities like Typhoon.

At the core of this is our work on the UK’s FCAS. In our role as domain leader for the integrated sensing and non-kinetic effects (ISANKE) system and integrated communications, we have invested substantially in new technologies and improvements to our existing capabilities. The benefit today is that we are already seeing opportunities for spiralling some of these advances back into ongoing programmes.

For example, we are currently developing the ECRS Mk2 radar for the Typhoon, which will be the most capable radar ever deployed when it goes into service later this decade. This is already benefitting from some of the research and development work we are doing on multi-function radio frequency (MRFS) technology under the FCAS TI and AP programmes.

At the same time, our work on the ECRS Mk2 is de-risking and accelerating our work on our MRFS technology demonstrator. We are exploiting mutually beneficial relationships across our programmes at every opportunity.

Our focus, the output of all this research, is to deliver what has been called ‘information at the point of need’ to the operator. In many cases, this will involve drawing from sources across domains. Here, Leonardo is uniquely well-positioned, with expertise in airborne sensing, in the naval domain, in land communications and in connectivity. Our engineers are now working hard to understand how best to implement the multi-domain architecture of the future. As they do so, we will make other advances that we can exploit today.

New considerations However, as sensors and other electronics become a materially more crucial part of an aircraft’s architecture, at every level, there are new considerations we need to make. For instance, with more connectivity comes a potential increased cyber threat. So, in addition to being resilient against traditional electronic

warfare threats such as jamming, future combat air systems will need to be able to operate while under sustained and sophisticated cyber attack.

This is why our cybersecurity experts, who are typically involved in the protection of the UK’s security services and critical national infrastructure, are now also working with our Team Tempest partners to implement cyber resilience across the whole FCAS ecosystem. Here again, by investing money and engineering hours in the longer-term goal of FCAS, we are going to be developing more broadly useful cyber resilience capabilities that we can employ in other areas.

Close working relationship In the delivery of all of these capabilities, we are proud to be working closely with the people who are actually going to be using them, as we are conscious that the people who use our technology are relying on us to complete their missions and come home safe. Over the years, that close working relationship has bred trust and transparency and led to the establishment of our strategic partnering arrangement (SPA) for platform protection.

This means that our view of the future will align closely with that of the RAF. By being close to our customers, our investment in the future can be efficiently re-used today to boost near-term capabilities; our multi-domain approach also means that the Royal Navy and British Army will benefit from the considerable investment in FCAS. All our efforts remain focused on our overarching goal: to bring those in harm’s way home safe.

UK.Leonardo.com

OPERATIONAL EDGE

Investing today for tomorrow’s front line Anthony Gregory, Business Development Director – Europe, and John Stocker, Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) Business Development Director at BAE Systems, explain how continued investments in common critical capability programmes will boost the RAF’s front line today by maximising Typhoon’s potential, and fuel faster-paced capability for the future by feeding into the development of the UK’s next-generation fighter, Tempest

BAE Systems is delivering the P3E version of Typhoon (pictured) with the introduction of EW and electronic attack capabilities, resulting in the more lethal P4E (PHOTO: BAE SYSTEMS)

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our years ago, the UK set out a bold vision to transform the delivery of Combat Air capability. Its Combat Air Strategy emphasised the need for Typhoon to continue as the backbone for the UK’s Combat Air power for the next two decades, and today’s geopolitical landscape starkly underlines the need for world-class combat mass. RAF Typhoons were sent to defend Europe’s border, alongside jets from the German and Spanish air forces, less than 24 hours after Russian forces

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entered Ukraine. Recognising the rapidly changing battlespace of tomorrow, as well as emerging threats and technologies, development of future capabilities has to be continuous and, in the four years since the Strategy was published, the UK’s combat air industry has been responding at pace.

While the events in Ukraine unfolded, BAE Systems’ duties remained firm to support the front line, without taking their eye off the ball in delivering Tempest – a next-generation aircraft

OPERATIONAL EDGE

system that must be delivered in half the time of traditional programmes. John Stocker, BAE Systems’ FCAS Business Development Director, explains: “The UK’s Combat Air Strategy set out an ambitious yet clear vision that placed Typhoon at the heart of its front-line combat air capability, sustained by a commitment to invest to ensure the RAF’s Typhoon force remains world-class.

“This creates the opportunity to qualify, prove and integrate a next generation set of systems on existing platforms and to ultimately pull through to FCAS, and that is something we are driving in benefit from today.”

At BAE Systems’ facilities in the north of England, engineers are developing game-c hanging new capabilities, including working with Leonardo on an advanced new radar, ECRS Mk 2, equipping Typhoon pilots of the future with electronic warfare and electronic attack capabilities, which will operate as part of a complete new weapons system, P4E. This system will unlock the potential of Typhoon’s radar and open the way to explore and exploit new sensors and weapons that will be critical to survive and succeed in a data-rich, complex battlespace environment.

Maximising investments and boosting efficiencies Anthony Gregory, Business Development Director for Europe at BAE Systems, explains how the team are looking at a wide number of technologies that can start life on Typhoon and evolve onto Tempest; or, in the other direction, start out as a new concept for Tempest, and spin back to provide Typhoon with the upgrades that keep it relevant for decades.

“If we start with the end in mind, where do we need to be in 2035 at FCAS IOC and beyond, and how do we invest across the continuum, starting with Typhoon and reaching FCAS, to get where the UK needs to be?” asks Gregory. “That is as much a question about maximising investments and boosting efficiencies as it is about strengthening a sovereign combat air capability – continuing to take pride in the value and skills we bring to the UK.” The journey along this continuum is being led by engineering teams from BAE Systems’ Typhoon and FCAS, working together to use Typhoon as the vehicle to rapidly prototype, de-risk and mature technologies bringing benefits across combat air.

Through company investment, these teams are using agile engineering processes to explore alignment

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Some technologies developed for Tempest (right) may be retrofitted into Typhoon (PHOTO: BAE SYSTEMS)

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BAE Systems is exploring commonality and spiral development opportunities for the Typhoon and Tempest (pictured) programmes (PHOTO: BAE SYSTEMS)

opportunities for ‘common by design’ development of critical technologies and capabilities, such as: – human-machine interface through an advanced Typhoon cockpit equipped with a large-area display, demonstrating how it can be rapidly reconfigured across different aircraft types; – model-based engineering and process, modelling and simulation; – data-processing power and performance through investments in multi-core processing and high-speed data networks; – open mission systems architecture, enabling rapid adaptability and ensuring freedom of modification.

Gregory adds: “Through this work we are exploring the opportunities to drive commonality and spiral development of technology and capability between Typhoon and FCAS, following the path set out by the UK Combat Air Strategy four years ago. In doing this, we are significantly compressing the timescales to bring capability on line quicker than before by changing the way we work, all of which drives a more agile, affordable and capable product. For every boundary we push through this work, our teams are developing

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“What we have before us is a really exciting challenge to deliver Tempest capability in half the time of a comparable programme” new skills and, ultimately, a sovereign capability the UK requires, and sustaining the value that brings.”

Stocker concludes: “What we have before us is a really exciting challenge to deliver Tempest capability in half the time of a comparable programme. We look at this as a 10-year challenge to achieve everything that previously took 20 years to achieve, and the approach we are taking in de-risking and left-shifting developments in collaboration with Typhoon is a great example of how we are innovating to meet that challenge and continue to deliver world-class capability to our customers now, in 2035, and beyond.”

OPERATIONAL EDGE

Poseidon potency On 11 January 2022, the ninth and final Boeing Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) was delivered to RAF Lossiemouth. Wing Commander Adam Smolak, Officer Commanding 201 Squadron, describes its special features and capabilities to Jim Winchester

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he Poseidon looks like a 737, yet has a strengthened spar and the ability to carry weapons, both on the wings and in an internal weapons bay,” says Wing Commander Adam Smolak. “It also has an intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) suite that is pretty much second to none. By selecting this modern aircraft we have bought the best the world has to offer, the proven airframe of a Boeing 737 with efficient engines, in order to give us the range and endurance that we require to protect our home waters and to deploy elsewhere.”

The mission kit is the best there is. Smolak explains, “It’s got an acoustic processing suite that is world-class in allowing us to process information from sonobuoys to track submarines, such that we are able to really narrow down not only the type of submarine that it is, but the actual hull that we’re tracking at the time. So, although the technology in itself is excellent, it is only one part of the equation. The technology is nothing without the engineers to maintain it and the operators that are using it. We have very highly trained acoustic systems and radar operators that practise their craft to the ‘nth’ degree

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The RAF’s final P-8A Poseidon touched down at RAF Lossiemouth on 11 January 2022 (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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to be able to finesse and get the most out of the equipment to attain that edge.

“So, why does Poseidon give us the edge?

Because we marry up cutting-edge technology with some of the most exquisitely trained and highly skilled maintainers and operators in the world.”

Seedcorn benefits

Not only can the RAF’s P-8A Poseidon find and identify enemy vessels on and beneath the water, it can also attack them with air-launched torpedoes (PHOTO: CPL ADAM FLETCHER/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Reaching initial operating capability (IOC) has required significant work, including the Seedcorn programme, which saw former Nimrod MPA crews and others fly with US Navy and Commonwealth MPA squadrons.

“We never sent out entire crews to fly as crews; rather, we sent individuals to augment the crews of our allies, whether that was to America, Australia, Canada or New Zealand,” explains Smolak. “Towards the latter end of the Seedcorn programme, there was a real focus on pulling people into America, so they all got the ability to experience the Poseidon, because at that point, we knew we were buying it.

“Prior to that, we wanted to absolutely ensure that we did not lose the skill sets that we had, because those were really hard won. So, the idea was that we would keep that skill set alive and be able to regenerate a capability, if and when required. Thankfully, the government decided that the MPA capability was something that it wanted to invest in again. I think the Seedcorn programme was an acknowledgment of that, right from the very start, giving us the ability to regrow from something rather than to grow from nothing.”

Getting in on the P-8 programme early was very useful, reveals Smolak. “We had people there right

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from the very beginning. I did my own Poseidon conversion course with VP-30 at Jacksonville, which trains all the US Navy crews. The skipper of VP-30 was effusive in his praise of the ‘Brits’ that had been out there helping him, because we had also sent instructors to train USN crews.”

The first in-house operational conversion unit (OCU) course began at RAF Lossiemouth in March 2022, with subsequent courses due to follow every three months. In August 2021, RAF Poseidons dropped their first training torpedoes. Smolak explains the significance of this event: “One of the important things for Poseidon was that there had to be a finish capability. In other words, the ability to not only find and fix a surface or subsurface contact, but to have the ability to attack that contact as well. Torpedoes are the weapon that we have to do that for now.

That said, the RAF is looking at a replacement for the lightweight torpedo, as well as anti-shipping missiles.”

Upgrading and improving In terms of keeping the aircraft at the forefront, “We’re staying in step with the Americans because they are constantly upgrading and improving the aircraft.” says Smolak. “The later aircraft that we’ve had delivered have an improved software fit to the initial ones. So, we see constant upgrades throughout and that’s one of the key elements of any modern combat aircraft – particularly intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft – that you have to be able to upgrade them constantly through software, not just hardware, to maintain that fighting edge.”

OPERATIONAL EDGE

AIR TEST AND EVALUATION

Protector T&E Wing Commander Iain Hutchinson, Officer Commanding, Protector RG-1 Combined Test Team, outlines what his staff are doing to prepare the aircraft for entry into service in 2024

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he Protector RG-1 remotely piloted air system (RPAS) has its roots in the highly successful MQ-9 Reaper RPAS, which has been flying continuously on deployed operations in RAF service since 2007, amassing over 140,000 operational flying hours. However, Protector is not just a Reaper replacement. An evolution of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian aircraft, which first flew in November 2016 and was designed from the ground up as an entirely new platform, Protector represents the next generation of certifiable RPAS, which will integrate seamlessly in national airspaces worldwide.

Protector is a weaponised, medium-altitude, long-endurance version of the SkyGuardian,

customised to meet specific UK requirements, and now in production for the RAF in the ‘combat ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance)’ role. With a 20% larger wingspan, more fuel capacity, leading-edge sensors and an increased weapons capacity, Protector provides a more comprehensive set of capabilities than its Reaper predecessor that can be more flexibly employed across a wide variety of roles both within the UK and worldwide.

As the lead customer for Protector, the RAF has high aspirations for what it can offer in support of a broad range of tasks, both traditional military roles and in support of other Government departments

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

Tests have been ongoing on the MQ-9B by the CTT since 2020 in preparation for service entry in 2024 (PHOTO: GA-ASI)

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Aircrew seated in a Protector certifiable Ground Control Station (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

and requirements. Therefore, there is a need to demonstrate that the novel, world-leading technology that Protector encompasses is up to the task.

This job falls to the Protector RG-1 Combined Test Team (CTT). Formed in 2017, and led by the RAF from the Protector production facility in California, the CTT is a multinational team made up of expert flight test aircrew and engineers from the RAF, USAF and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI). The CTT is tasked with generating evidence from ground and flight testing to show that Protector will be both effective in its role for

Secondly, the evidence that the CTT is generating is being mapped to each one of the thousands of individual system requirements that the Ministry of Defence has set for Protector, to demonstrate the degree to which it complies with each requirement, and where a shortfall may exist that may need addressing through the iterative development process. This element of testing provides assurance to the RAF that Protector will be capable of effectively conducting all the military tasks expected of it.

Close liaison is required throughout the multiyear testing process between the CTT and a wide variety of other stakeholders and interested parties.

These include Defence Equipment & Support, the Military Aviation Authority, the Air & Space Warfare Centre and the Air Capability & Group staffs in HQ Air Command and elsewhere. Once Protector enters RAF service in 2024, responsibility for operational test and evaluation will pass to 56 Squadron, the Air & Space Warfare Centre’s ISTAR test unit. Based at RAF Waddington, 56 Squadron personnel are already involved in test planning and have live test events planned for 2023. The Squadron’s flight test experts will work independently of the front-line Protector Force and be responsible for advising upon capability development, as well as evaluating new capabilities, primarily sensors and weapons, to further enhance Protector’s future utility.

Ahead of that transition, the Protector test programme is constantly achieving new milestones that help to demonstrate the capabilities that the system will offer and rigorous compliance with

“The Protector test programme is constantly achieving new milestones that help to demonstrate the capabilities that the system will offer“ the RAF and, just as importantly, as safe to operate and reliable as any comparable crewed aircraft.

Safety first The scope of UK developmental flight testing, which has been ongoing since 2020, is broad, encompassing dozens of individual test plans, and will generate evidence to be used for a wide variety of purposes. Firstly, the CTT is confirming that Protector is a safe and airworthy platform, through demonstrating compliance with all applicable safety and airworthiness standards, just as military and civil crewed aircraft are required to do. This will support the issue of a military-type certificate and Release to Service, to allow the RAF to operate the aircraft.

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all applicable safety standards. Some of those milestones enjoy a higher profile, such as the first flight of a UK Protector aircraft in September 2020, yet all are significant to the CTT. Collectively, the outputs from the wide range of testing that the CTT is conducting will provide assurance to the RAF that the capability which enters service will meet the many and varied requirements that have been set for it.

With over 1,000 hours of flying now accumulated on the SkyGuardian/Protector family of test aircraft, and the production line in California running at full speed, the era of fully certified and highly capable RPAS, seamlessly integrated with crewed aircraft in all classes of airspace, is just around the corner.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Showcasing Protector in Europe under-fuselage pod to give the aircraft that powerful maritime surveillance capability. The pod is also certified for a Leonardo Seaspray AESA radar giving customers a choice of radar. The aircraft can also be fitted with its own sonobuoy dispensing pods, enabling the aircraft to carry up to 80 G-size buoys, but during Joint Warrior we picked up the tracks from those dropped by the RAF P-8A Poseidon aircraft instead to demonstrate that interoperability.

Jonny King Vice President, General Atomics UK

What was the purpose of last year’s MQ-9B deployment to the UK? When the RAF invited GA-ASI to bring our MQ-9B over to the UK to participate in the NATO Joint Warrior exercise and spend some time at Protector’s future home base of RAF Waddington, we jumped at the chance. Joint Warrior was a great opportunity for GA-ASI to integrate the MQ-9B with other air and maritime assets.

That is why we brought a version of the MQ-9B, known as the SeaGuardian, to showcase the aircraft’s multi-mission, multi-sensor maritime capabilities. In fact, we called the whole series of activities the European Maritime Demonstration.

We were in the UK for six weeks in total – three at RAF Waddington and three at RAF Lossiemouth for Joint Warrior.

Some of the Joint Warrior activities were live-streamed from RAF Lossiemouth to the RAF stand at the Docklands DSEI exhibition. At Waddington we were able to familiarise everyone with the actual size of the aircraft, which surprised many, but mostly it was all about doing some of

How does the Protector programme benefit UK industry? the routine things to prepare everybody for Protector going into service with the RAF at Waddington. This included things like taxiing, integrating with ATC, arrival/departure procedures, getting into the A- to C-class airspace and handing over from the tower to NATS. It was also a great opportunity to demonstrate our Detect and Avoid system, which enables our unique non-segregated airspace integration capabilities.

What sensors were on the MQ-9B for the European Maritime Demonstration?

As you might expect, the MQ-9B we shipped over to Southampton for the European Maritime Demonstration series had a range of onboard systems enabling an extensive maritime capability. Beyond the standard EO/IR sensor and Lynx synthetic aperture radar, the configuration included onboard Automatic Identification System (AIS), sonobuoy receivers (together with a General Dynamics acoustic processing system), the Leonardo SAGE ESM system integrated into new wingtips, and a Link-16 capability.

To cap it off, there was a Raytheon SeaVue multi-role maritime radar in the

During the three-week stay at RAF Waddington, we held an industry day in which 16 of our UK industry partners showcased their participation in the Protector programme. The Secretary of State for Defence and the Chief of the Air Staff both came to get a feel for how UK industry will benefit from the Protector programme. In terms of actual numbers, it depends on whether the RAF selects an additional maritime capability. If they do, then the whole programme could inject as much as £1 billion into the UK defence industry sector.

Some of this investment would be a continuation of the existing Reaper programme. Draken (formerly Cobham Aviation Services), for example, currently supports Reaper ground control stations.

They will continue that work for Protector, as well as some additional aircraft maintenance work. GKN makes the MQ-9B V-tails in their facility on the Isle of Wight.

On the weapons front, Protector will be armed with MBDA Brimstone missiles and Raytheon Paveway IV guided munitions.

However, there is also the possibility of integrating other weapons, such as the Thales LMM (lightweight multi-role missile), which is manufactured in Belfast.

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OPERATIONAL EDGE

Achieving air combat mass? The constraints of performance, range and cost for future uncrewed combat air systems Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow at RUSI for Airpower and Technology, explains how the expected high cost of complex uncrewed aircraft will prevent them from being produced and used in the high numbers that some had hoped for

The DARPA Gremlin programme has successfully demonstrated airborne launch and recovery of a low-cost UAS (IMAGE: DARPA

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he increasing use of autonomy in uncrewed air systems (UAS), both large and small, as part of ‘system-of-systems’ approaches informs most visions for the future of combat air. The aim is to combine the best attributes of crewed ‘fighter’-type platforms with those of more numerous uncrewed ‘loyal wingmen’ and smaller ‘swarming’ UAS. This, it is assumed, will allow a hitherto impossible balance between the survivability/lethality needed to be effective against modern threats and affordable combat mass. However, although they offer significant

operational and tactical benefits, all UAS and airlaunched weapons remain bound by the relationship between performance, payload, range and cost.

In any combat air system, the primary questions for UAS are whether they are to be dropped by a fighter or launched/take off on their own; whether they are intended to be expended in a single use, potentially be recovered by parachute, or survive to land on a runway for rapid reuse; and whether they are designed to fly with and be directly controlled by crewed fighters or not. These decisions will have a major impact on design parameters, which will determine weight, complexity, cost and, consequently, numbers that can be purchased and operated.

High-end unmanned combat aerial vehicles Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) – UAS designed for survivability and lethality comparable to piloted combat aircraft – do not have to be flown for aircrew training and currency if they are largely automated in-flight. Theoretically, therefore, they offer more, cheaper high-end mass on the front line from a given fleet size.

However, to be lethal enough to survive and be effective in future high-threat environments, such UCAVs will need broadband, all-aspect stealth, advanced sensors, weapons bays and/or other effectors, and very complex software. With such expensive features, they are likely to cost upwards

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OPERATIONAL EDGE

of $20 million per aircraft,1 and so will not be genuinely ‘attritable’ assets, except in dire emergencies.

UCAVs must also be rapidly and reliably reusable, especially if they form a core part of a combat air system-of-systems. Therefore, they will need to incorporate landing gear and sufficient fuel for round trips into hostile airspace, in addition to the weapons, sensors and everything else that must be carried internally in a stealthy airframe.

This increases the size, weight and complexity required for a given range at a given level of performance, and, hence, both acquisition and operating costs. They will also need maintenance crews, logistics chains and operators that can generate and sustain significant operational tempo when required, despite relatively limited live flying hours being necessary from an operator outlook in peacetime.

Consequently, true UCAVs are likely to be relatively expensive, even though they are much more efficient to operate compared to fast jets.

Nevertheless, the United States and China are both actively exploring this technology, and the UK has already demonstrated it can develop such aircraft

via the Taranis demonstrator programme. Highly automated UCAVs will undoubtedly form part of the future combat air mix in many countries.

Lower-cost attritable UAS ‘Attritable, reusable’ UCAV or UAS concepts generally rely on one of two approaches to achieve lower cost. One is to forgo landing gear and self-launch capabilities in favour of a catapult/rocket launch and parachute recovery system, often without sufficient fuel to return to a main base after reaching a target area. This, however, brings problems of its own in terms of calculating true cost effectiveness and potential operational tempo. For example, it is difficult to model and calculate the cost of maintaining a capability to rapidly find, secure and recover airframes that land away from main bases. In addition, this concept requires infrastructure and a personnel cadre to rapidly inspect the airframes after recovery, repair any damage, recertify them for their next flight and transport them back to the launch units for reuse. All of this will add significant second-order costs.

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

The BAE Systemsled Taranis demonstrator programme has informed much of the thinking that has gone into a potential optionally manned version of the Tempest (pictured) future combat air system (PHOTO: BAE SYSTEMS)

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“Single-use UAS developed as part of any future weapons system will need to be cheap enough to expend in significant numbers”

The lines between expendable UAVs and actual missiles are becoming more blurred with the advent of highly cooperative weapons systems such as MBDA’s SPEAR3/EW air-tosurface missile (IMAGE: MBDA)

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The second approach revolves around much smaller platforms that can conduct vertical launches and recoveries, such as multi-copter-type UAS. These, however, lack the performance and range to accompany other aspects of a combat air systemof-systems, and are also limited in terms of the sensor and effector payloads that can be carried. As a result, they generally require launch vehicles that can get them close to the target area in a survivable way. This is not easy in many potential scenarios, and also makes them arguably a different category of weapons system to future fast jets and UCAVs.

Single-use, expendable UAS Similarly, single-use or ‘expendable’ UAS developed as part of any future weapons system will need to be cheap enough to expend in significant numbers during sustained operations and in exercises. If they are to be carried and launched by fighters, they will be competing with stand-off munitions and

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other stores for both budget and rails under wings.

They need to carry sufficiently advanced sensors, effectors and/or warheads to increase the overall combat capability of the entire system more than other stores, which is unlikely to make them cheap enough for medium powers, such as the United Kingdom, to use in swarms with any regularity.

These systems blur the lines between UAVs and autonomous air-launched weapons. The MBDA SPEAR 3/EW family is being developed with significant cooperative capabilities, and will greatly expand the combat capability and survivability of the fighters that carry them. The US-made MALD-X multirole decoy/jammer also arguably falls into this category of systems.

Both are examples of how increasingly autonomy-enabled cooperative expendable UAS/ weapons could transform the tactical options available to strike packages against high-threat targets. However, they are expensive and dependent on core fast-jet platforms to deliver them and exploit their effects. They will only be affordable in limited quantities by medium powers, and so will need to be reserved for key target sets, rather than forming part of the everyday combat air mix during contingency operations.

1 Author interviews with operational analysis specialists and designers, Palmdale, CA, November 2021

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UK SPACE STRATEGY

Protect and defend The Integrated Review included the Governmental ambition for the UK to be a “meaningful space player” and, by 2030, “to have the ability to monitor, protect and defend our interests in and through space”. Group Captain Rayna Owens of UK Space Command explains how the proliferation of space assets will make this a challenging ambition to achieve

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he space domain has evolved in recent years, fuelled by proliferating commercial activity, the ‘Rocket Billionaires’ vision, nations’ counterspace developments, formation of new military space structures, climatechange imperatives and the war in Ukraine. This has resulted in an increased understanding of our reliance on, and the usefulness of, services from space. There have been significant increases in launches, launch options and satellites on orbit. Mega-constellations have brought mass production to satellite manufacturing and driven down unit costs, and there is an increase in spacefaring and licencing nations.

What does the future look like?

Looking into the future space domain, the number of satellites on orbit will continue to increase; with

the US Federal Communication Commission alone having plans lodged for 94,000 satellites. The megaconstellation is spreading, involving plans from a spectrum of countries, including Rwanda and China. A range of new missions are in development including debris removal, refuelling, servicing, onorbit construction and power generation, some of which are likely to be fielded by the 2030s.

It is likely that nations will continue to develop their space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities to protect their national interests. This is likely to include development of sovereign capabilities, international collaborative arrangements and the increased use of commercially provided data or services. However, the lack of agreed data standards, accessibility of data, and a growing number of data providers make a single version of the truth unlikely.

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

The everincreasing number of satellites and space stations will make it more difficult to protect and defend national space assets (PHOTO: SPACEX)

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It is highly unlikely that there will be an international agreement on space-traffic management (STM) by 2030. The need for STM is increasingly recognised, with initiatives in this area being led by the United States under Space Policy Directive 3 and within the European Union. However, experience from both the maritime and air domains would indicate that international agreements on rules and supporting organisations take considerable time.

The focus of space in the 2030s will not be constrained inside geostationary (GEO) orbit. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, there are 106 cislunar and lunar activities planned from

“The increase in congestion and human presence could lead to death or injury in orbit”

Space travel has already become available to nongovernmental personnel (PHOTO: GEOPIX/ALAMY)

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19 nations and the European Space Agency.

Additionally, there are a growing number of Mars missions and other exploration initiatives.

Since Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961, there have been just over 600 people who have now travelled there. This will increase significantly due to a number of factors, including the possible transition of the International Space Station to commercial entities, development of additional space stations, expansion of support missions to the Moon and Mars as well as the arrival of space tourism.

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Sustainability and debris mitigation Satellite numbers and, consequently, increased congestion could make a Kessler event, where space debris becomes too prolific to deal with, more likely. This means that space sustainability, and debris mitigation, are likely to become priority topics, which could drive an imperative for development of STM measures.

The proliferation of space-surveillance capabilities without a ‘common operating picture’, coupled with an increase in new space missions, means increased transparency of space-domain activity, yet an everevolving pattern of activities. This, coupled with the innate dual-use nature of space systems, risks the potential for confusion and misinterpretation, which could have serious consequences.

The increase in congestion and human presence could lead to death or injury in orbit, raising issues relating to incident investigation and legal frameworks to deal with the consequences.

The plans for exploration and activity towards and on the moon, to Mars and beyond, means our ‘thought horizon’ needs to expand outside the confines of GEO. This will bring the requirement for extended SDA, as well as the infrastructure to support communication and navigation.

There is no doubt that the evolution of the space domain will continue throughout this decade and accelerate towards the 2030s, and this will grow as use of the domain matures. As well as being increasingly congested, contested and competitive, space is likely to become increasingly transparent, but at the same time more confusing and complicated.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

communications, network management and cybersecurity capabilities.

Why is adaptive data transport and resilience an important aspect of this?

John Reeves Managing Director, Viasat UK

How is Viasat UK helping the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) expand and improve its networking capabilities?

Viasat UK’s information assurance products have been protecting UK MOD data for more than a decade. Significantly, these were developed and produced in the UK with UK IP. More recently, we announced a £300 million investment in UK infrastructure to deliver sovereign operations and security for data transport in concert with the planned launch of our upcoming ViaSat-3 satellite constellation. As part of this investment, we have established a Network Operations Centre (NOC), which has already achieved initial operating capability, and we are also standing up a Cybersecurity Operations Centre (CSOC) to support secure defence communications.

Both of these centres are fully sovereign and are housed in UK-cleared facilities and operated by UK-cleared personnel. These investments represent our commitment to supporting UK-specific needs. Having made such a commitment, Viasat will be able to offer UK government and defence users with access to our wider trusted infrastructure and ecosystem in a way that can deliver new operational capabilities, while being designed to work shoulder to shoulder with users to expand and improve the UK’s defence

Three things spring to mind – security, performance and information advantage.

It’s all about being able to better understand your own posture with respect to your defence and being able to leverage it operationally, as needed.

In terms of security, having the flexibility to manage the flow of your users’ data is crucial. Having the right technology is part of the answer, but this really starts with examining the capabilities that the MOD and allies need for success, such as the ability to be highly adaptive and resilient in congested and/or contested environments.

Being able to move data quickly across the battlespace while dealing with dynamic interference, potential jamming or hostile cyber activity is what adaptive data transport is all about. This ability to use intelligent, agile pathway-routing to move data and achieve an information advantage will potentially be the most important capability in determining the outcome of future conflicts. The battlespace has fundamentally changed in that respect. In modern warfare, transferring information with speed and security leads to faster, smarter decision-making – and that gives you an edge over the adversary.

Today’s adversaries are smart and constantly evolving their tactics to either penetrate or disrupt defence networks.

MOD and allies must counter that by being equally or more dynamic in their own network capabilities, which is where commercial expertise from partners like Viasat can really be an asset.

How will the ViaSat-3 constellation support the UK’s Defence Space Strategy and priorities?

Without a doubt, the ViaSat-3 constellation would bring huge value and massive

support to the UK’s Defence Space Strategy (DSS) in terms of providing the MOD with unparalleled satellite capacity dynamics and on-demand scalability through its ‘Own-CollaborateAccess’ model. But, more than that, having been a defence company from its inception, Viasat understands defence requirements and has always been committed to finding solutions to evolving mission needs.

For the MOD, trusted and innovative partners, including Viasat, are positioned to be key enablers of the DSS in a significant, if not groundbreaking, manner. We understand the latest technologies in the commercial sector and how they might align with both strategic and tactical requirements and be deployed to address real mission priorities.

ViaSat-3 was designed to bring forward capabilities to support the connectivity needs of a wide range of users. More on-orbit capacity, flexibility, resilience and anti-jam/ interference capabilities are all things UK defence and allies will benefit from, particularly as space-based networks are called upon to enable missions in increasingly contested environments.

In many ways, ViaSat-3 is poised to be a gateway to an area of opportunity in which it will be possible to create new blended, hybrid communications architectures by using governmentowned assets in concert with modern commercial technologies. Such an approach will allow the MOD to harness the exponential innovation trajectory of the commercial sector, while still using existing purpose-built capabilities.

We believe Viasat can bring immense value to the UK space ecosystem, and there is a real opportunity to collaborate to offer the skills, knowledge and technologies from the commercial sector to the benefit of the UK defence community.

www.viasat.com

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Complex, connected capabilities Can you provide some examples of the technologies you are developing?

Julia Sutcliffe Chief Technology Officer, BAE Systems

How is the battlespace of the future changing and how are you addressing this?

The capabilities our customers seek are ever more complex and connected.

The emergence of space as a new domain, increasing cyber conflict, the prevalence of uncrewed systems and the vast volumes of data emphasise the need for multi-domain integration and information advantage.

As the pace of development increases, putting the right technology into the hands of the war-fighter requires not just high-value scientific research, but an aligned ecosystem of developers, innovators, industrial enterprises, governmental policies, agile processes and long-term collaboration.

Partnerships that support agile technology maturation and concept development allow us to maximise investment and access innovation across academia, through the supply chain, into the integrated product-providers and, ultimately, to deliver technological advantage and operational effect.

www.baesystems.com

Technologies that offer opportunity for transformation or disruption or both, include, for example, AI and autonomy, data science and security, quantum technologies, power and thermal systems, human augmentation and metamaterials.

These technologies could underpin a new generation of effects and capabilities.

Interestingly, many are germane to multiple sectors – from defence, to automotive, to health – which gives us greater access to innovation. For example, in our most recent cockpit trials we are blending commercial wearable technologies and virtual reality (VR), with sophisticated virtual-assistant algorithms and psychophysiological measurement approaches to create immersive, intuitive operational environments for the operator.

What are the challenges posed by a data-driven battlespace?

The sheer volume of data to contend with and the tempo of operations, driven by new threats, means we need solutions that rapidly analyse data and provide the decision-maker – whether at the edge, in the command centre, or in the wider defence arena – with the ability to make decisions at speed.

This means that we must develop technological and integrated system solutions that are explainable, robust and can be trusted and assured to operate in challenging conditions.

Can you explain more about what you’re doing in the field of artificial intelligence (AI)?

AI has vast application across the product and service life-cycle, so, as an

example, the work we are doing with our university partners – such as our accelerator programmes in data science with the University of Manchester and in applied AI and autonomy at Cranfield – is allowing us to explore a range of AI techniques that cover optimisation of aerodynamic design, reduction in physical test cycles, rapid detection and identification of image features, planning and mission-management to augment the human decisionmaker and reduce cognitive burden.

What do you predict will be the most disruptive technology in the future?

It’s hard to predict what will be the most disruptive, but quantum technologies from computing and sensing could have a profound impact, providing precision and accuracy that could drive new approaches to capability. So, too, will be the widespread use of synthetics, the development of new materials, approaches to augmenting human performance and, of course, new energy and power technologies that underpin a more sustainable future.

How important is collaboration in the pursuit of technological progress?

A broad defence-led ecosystem is critical for technology access and competitiveness.

This underpins our approach on Tempest, the UK’s next-generation fighter, and is also reflected across the NATO alliance.

As the UK’s Industrial Representative on the NATO Science and Technology Board, I see first-hand the need for this close collaboration and its potential to accelerate the development and application of technology to deliver both competitive and operational advantage.

STRATEGIC INDUSTRY PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

The combined power of people and partnerships Vice Admiral Rick Thompson, Director General Air, DE&S, outlines the importance of teamwork and partnerships in the successful delivery of new equipment, technologies and innovations

The Integrated Review, supported by the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, signalled the intent of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to leverage technology, innovation and agile delivery to maintain its operational advantage over potential adversaries.

As essential as these factors are, it is also about the people who deliver these complex programmes and

the partnerships that must flourish in order that they can succeed. As our collective effort spans many organisational boundaries, it is essential that we can demonstrate how we can come together as ‘one team’.

2021 saw many such successes in teamwork and partnership. The Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) deployment was the culmination of many years of building partnerships: the MOD/ industry Carrier Alliance, the F-35 eight-nation collaborative arrangement, our pooling operations with the U.S. Marine Corps to train our people and the logistic support networks that had to span the globe. Within DE&S, our support to CSG21 crossed many thousands of people and all four delivery domains: ships, aircraft, material, weapons. The year also saw delivery of our final Poseidon P-8A Maritime

Support Aircraft, the first torpedo drops and the capability at RAF Lossiemouth reaching Initial Operating Capability (IOC). This was the result of a strategic alliance built over seven years, post the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review announcement and spanning nations such as the US and Australia.

In addition, two new Command Support Air Transport aircraft were delivered in under six months, reaching IOC in June this year. This was only made possible by close cooperation between the Senior Responsible Owner, DE&S, the MOD’s scrutiny and approvals community, and a willing and able contractor!

Strong partnerships To move forward quicker, DE&S is also building strong partnerships with the Rapid Capabilities Offices

Last year saw the delivery of the RAF’s final Poseidon P-8A Maritime Support Aircraft (PHOTO: SAC SIAN STEPHENS/MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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within the Front Line Commands.

The Future Capabilities Group has been enhanced and invigorated, looking at those generic technologies and game-changing innovations that could benefit us ‘pan-defence’, such as autonomy and automation.

Commercial frameworks have been established to assist with rapid development, with industry and Dstl working ‘hand in glove’ and managing trials on a proportionate risk basis.

The Catalyst Team has stood up to support the Air Domain and the demands of the Future Combat Air System, along with digital certification within a highly regulated environment. It is these essential exploitation pathways that will now have to continuously mature and improve to ensure increasing success in shortening delivery timelines.

In the year to come, the demands on our partnerships will be no less challenging. We will accept our first Protector aircraft off-contract to take the design through its test milestones,

having worked closely with the UK’s Military Aviation Authority to ensure a Def Stan 00-970 compliant design from the outset, with General Atomics ‘setting the bar’ in cooperation with the Regulator and Type Airworthiness Authority. We will work across national boundaries to upgrade Typhoon with

“In the year to come, the demands on our partnerships will be no less challenging” a leading-edge ECRS Mk 2 radar to give the UK a battle-winning combination of fourth- and fifth-generation Combat Air, as F-35 approaches its tenth anniversary of ‘UK-ownership’.

Our E-7 Wedgetail aircraft will continue their modification, having

arrived in the UK last year and moving towards IOC, with a supply chain that spans the globe and brings Seattle and Birmingham closer together. Our support solutions continue to innovate, with Typhoon’s TyTAN contract having entered its second pricing period in 2021. This was a model from which the Hawk multi-year support contract was born, which now enters its first of 11 years to drive up availability and manage capability. The delivery of our 21st Atlas (A400M) will assist in driving up the essential availability from our Air Mobility Force, using a Global Support Solution across six European Nations that is taking the load from the C-130J as it heads toward retirement.

In DE&S, we continue to strive for excellence in delivery, yet we are clear that maintaining our leading edge is all about joint efforts, a unified purpose and empathy from all engaged parties. Steve Jobs once said, “creativity is just connecting things”, and 2022 will be no exception.

The RAF will take delivery of its 21st A400M aircraft, boosting its air mobility capacity (PHOTO: CPL BABBS ROBINSON/MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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ADAPTATION

ETPS – aircrew training transformation Delivered by QinetiQ, the Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) has always operated at the leading edge of air power. The Officer Commanding ETPS, Commander Steve Moseley RN, explains how it is transforming aircrew training to maintain a competitive edge for the next generation of test pilots

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est and Evaluation (T&E), by its very nature, has always been about operating at the edge of possibilities, discovering the limits of human and mechanical capabilities, and furthering the understanding of technological ingenuity. Since the birth of ETPS in 1943 as the world’s first dedicated test-pilot school, its role has been to instil the knowledge, skills and mindset required to reach efficiently and safely, and push beyond, those boundaries for a simple, unified aim: to maximise operational capability and safety

for the warfighter. This is what we understand by being on the ‘leading edge’, teaching our graduates to turn the latest research into effective air systems delivering for the national interest faster and more effectively than our competitors.

Our history is long, inspiring and deeply cherished by all of those who have studied or taught at ETPS, yet the old adage of past results giving no guide to future performance is as true for us as it is for any organisation. To maintain our place at the top table of flight test requires a continuous

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

With its stateof-the-art glass cockpit, the Pilatus PC-21 offers ETPS students a training environment similar to the frontline operational aircraft to which they will graduate (PHOTO: QINETIQ)

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ADAPTATION

process of engagement, research, renewal and reflection in both what we teach and how it is taught. However, there comes a time when the pace of change dictates that evolution must give way to revolution, and so in 2019 ETPS embarked on the biggest transformation programme in our history, delivering a new course on a new fleet, and transferring to the civilian regulatory environment.

PC-21 and AW139

The arrival of the new Leonardo AW139 helicopter will keep the ETPS at the leading edge of aircrew training (PHOTO: QINETIQ)

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QinetiQ has invested £90 million in modern, systemsrich aircraft, such as the Pilatus PC-21 trainer aircraft and Leonardo AW139 medium-sized helicopter, to replace ageing aircraft that had cockpits more recognisable to a Second World War pilot than the fourth- and fifth-generation combat aircraft our students operate in their front-line careers. Gone are the rows of extra analogue gauges bolted to cockpit coamings, to be replaced by state-of-the-art flight test instrumentation and telemetry systems that maximise understanding and instructional efficiency, and ensure that our students are taught using equipment that they will see today and into the future. Our revamped classrooms and IT systems reflect best practice from academia in delivering complex theoretical topics, and furthermore provided essential Covid-19 resilience when distance learning became an overnight requirement.

Our new syllabus meets our customers’ requirement for more systems-focused testing and our PC-21 can deliver comprehensive emulated mission capabilities far beyond what was possible in our recent history. Finally, close relations with the Ministry of Defence, partner nations, other testpilot schools and industry mean that we retain

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access to a wide range of aircraft, air systems and research programmes to expand our students’ horizons across both the civil and military sectors.

Sustainable aviation Delivering change on this scale, and in the midst of a pandemic, has been an immense challenge and has only been possible due to the dedication and passion of our staff and, it must be said, the fortitude of our students. We must maintain our drive for continuous improvement, or risk squandering these significant gains. Therefore, ETPS is making use of our industrial and academic links to investigate the rapidly expanding technologies in sustainable aviation, such as electric and hydrogen propulsion.

Elsewhere, the recent UK Integrated Review set ambitious targets for the use of synthetic environments within aggressive timescales, so we must adapt to meet the challenge of teaching not only the assessment of these vastly complex systems, but how they can be used in T&E themselves. Hand in hand with this is digital certification, such as the use of digital twins, and it is here that our external relationships provide the foundations for our future course content as we invest in PhD programmes to ensure that the high levels of technical expertise we currently enjoy are maintained within the school.

Now more than ever, T&E remains a team sport, and, therefore, the investment we make in our people is as important as the physical equipment we use at the school. Ensuring our teaching adapts to the changing nature of a diverse, international student cohort, and combining this with nearly 80 years of flight test experience, means that ETPS will remain at the ‘leading edge’ in test aircrew training.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Getting capability to the front line quickly

Cathy O’Carroll Global Campaign Director, Integrated Test & Evaluation, QinetiQ

Can you describe QinetiQ’s Test and Evaluation (T&E) services?

As a system-agnostic technology and engineering company with deep roots in Defence, QinetiQ offers T&E services to Defence customers, including the RAF, to inform the evaluation, development and operation of Defence capability across all domains. Our services include modelling and simulation, range and facility development and operation, provision of representative threats, trials design and delivery, data evaluation and performance and safety advice.

How do QinetiQ’s T&E capabilities help the RAF maintain its leading edge?

T&E is a fundamental enabler to capability assurance, providing confidence to deliver capability to front-line users and enable effective utilisation. For the RAF, this provides confidence in the systems

it uses – whether those are weapons, communication, navigation or an aircraft.

The services that QinetiQ provides enable the RAF to gain early and progressive confidence in their capability through: – verification and validation of new capability; – understanding risk-to-life and mitigation options; – optimising operational utility; – confirming interoperability and integration with coalition partners; – de-risking from concept through to the end-of-service life.

“T&E is a fundamental enabler to capability assurance”

techniques are, therefore, at odds with unpredictable and constantly changing threats and budgetary constraints.

Digitally revolutionising T&E presents the opportunity to break this upward trend.

QinetiQ is developing such techniques and applying increasingly sophisticated digital models and simulations to modern Defence programmes. Where possible and validated, these can be used to provide the required evaluation evidence.

The essential role of live testing then becomes the validation of the models that, once completed, can be used through to full acceptance testing. As well as enabling faster assessment, such approaches also provide more options to test under simulated conditions that would be impossible to replicate live for practical, cost or security reasons.

How does QinetiQ’s support to Tempest highlight the future of T&E?

By taking an integrated approach to T&E across these aspects, QinetiQ helps the RAF get capability to the front line as quickly and effectively as possible.

Why is digitalisation revolutionising T&E? The current approach calls for T&E to be undertaken predominantly in the physical world and late in a programme’s development lifecycle. Should an issue materialise at this stage, it can often prove to be expensive to rectify and cause significant delays in the programme’s delivery schedule. Such legacy

One of the major challenges facing Team Tempest and the wider FCAS enterprise is how to generate a sixth-generation air system in 50% of the usual costs and time. One of the key areas where QinetiQ can support this endeavour is through Digital T&E. By employing modern tools, processes and procedures that leverage the opportunities afforded by digital techniques, supported by carefully designed live testing only where necessary, QinetiQ can help develop an incremental ‘assure as you go’ mindset to ensure evidence is generated and captured from the start, thereby reducing costs, time and the risk of failure at the crucial live-testing phase of the programme.

www.qinetiq.com/en/what-we-do/test-and-evaluation

STRATEGIC INDUSTRY PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

A Team UK approach Kevin Craven, Chief Executive Officer of ADS Group, explains how its member companies are supporting the RAF in maintaining effectiveness against the UK’s primary threats

The UK’s Defence and Security sectors are dynamic and technologically advanced world leaders in protecting and safeguarding the UK and supporting our international allies. ADS member companies are playing a vital role in the development of technology and services to support the advanced capabilities of our Armed Forces.

Ensuring the UK can defend against rapidly evolving threats is a constant challenge. Even a modernised, large air force can struggle to achieve air superiority against a smaller force equipped with the right defensive weaponry.

Providing the Royal Air Force with its leading edge to maintain effectiveness against the UK’s primary threats requires diverse and advanced skills, and a broad industrial base built on strong foundations. New and emerging threats such as cyberattacks, malware and the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) also pose a threat to our military capabilities, which requires a fullspectrum response to match.

Delivering major programmes, such as the current F-35 programme and future Team Tempest development

and manufacturing, also plays a significant role in the prosperity of communities beyond London and the south-east of England. The UK’s combat air sector is a major employer right across the country, delivering billions of pounds’ worth of exports and added economic value, as well as being critical to the RAF’s development of new and agile capabilities.

Looking ahead, Team Tempest will produce next-generation, highly advanced combat aircraft, alongside the world-leading F-35Bs now being deployed in active service. These programmes have developed, and continue to develop, ground-breaking capabilities, with a view to maintaining the RAF’s leading edge. Key areas include the development of worldleading stealth and sensor fusion capabilities and game-changing AI and hypersonic technologies.

AI-enabled multi-domain integration will ensure the UK can achieve maximum effect in the air and elsewhere, and we look forward to the imminent publication of the Defence AI Strategy to set out more details on how industry can help the Ministry of Defence to leverage advanced autonomy. Supported by the commitments in the National Cyber Strategy, ADS member companies are making constant progress in ensuring the UK is ahead of future changes in technology, allowing the RAF to mitigate cyber-threats and gain strategic advantage over the UK’s adversaries and competitors.

On hypersonic technologies, ADS member Reaction Engines is developing a Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE). This technology could have military and civilian dual use, making hypersonic flight possible

and further advancing the future of UK air and space capability.

Last year’s publication of the Integrated Review, Defence Command Paper and Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) highlights the UK Government’s continued support for UK Defence and its recognition that stronger and more agile UK Defence and Security sectors are essential to supporting our Armed Forces and national security community in the years ahead. Now one year on from its publication, as DSIS is implemented it has the potential to expand opportunities for UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in supplying the UK Armed Forces. SMEs comprise 95% of the ADS membership, and it is vital that new opportunities are made available to utilise the groundbreaking technology and services that SMEs offer to the wider supply chain.

For the RAF to maintain its leading edge, collaboration through a so-called Team UK approach is vital, and partnerships through the Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) support this. Bringing together industry, academia and key Government departments, the DGP helps to promote investment in innovation, support international collaboration and provide companies with strategic marketing information and insight.

Finally, UK Defence companies have the wherewithal to support the RAF in maintaining its leading edge and continued partnership and investment will help our industries strengthen and grow for years to come, supporting and protecting UK prosperity and sovereign capability as the Armed Forces respond to changing, multifaceted threats.

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Next-generation aircrew training Over the last year, the way the UK trains its military pilots as part of the UKMFTS programme has been undertaking some pioneering experiments with mixed-reality technologies, as Tim James, Managing Director of Ascent Flight Training, explains

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he past 12 months, post pandemic, have been a busy year for Ascent in the everevolving world of military flying training.

It has finally been possible to attend conferences in person and look forward to the much-anticipated return of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and Farnborough International Airshow – events that enable us to engage, exchange ideas and learn from industry partners, as well as UK and international customers alike. It is exciting to see RIAT with an operational theme of ‘Training the Next Generation Air Force’, a topic that has been the focus for Ascent in some of our recent and most interesting projects.

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Ascent is contracted by the UK Minisitry of Defence (MOD) to design, build and deliver the portfolio of UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programmes. Ascent operates a fleet of 110 aircraft across our six UK MOD locations, working in a public-private partnership with Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force customers under the management of the MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Delivery Team specialists.

Our training facilities house a mix of classroombased technologies and fully immersive simulators designed to strike the optimum live/synthetic balance for our trainees. The UKMFTS programmes encompass the full complement of courses required

Maintaining Our Leading Edge

After Elementary Flying Training, pilots are ready for the multi-engined Phenom 100 trainer (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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to support the delivery of trained aircrew to positions on manned and unmanned fixed- and rotary-wing platforms. The trainees are put through an incredibly challenging training programme, designed to prepare them for their final operational conversion onto their front-line aircraft and roles. Having achieved our Full Course Capability milestone in 2020, we found ourselves able to apply far greater focus on what is best described as ‘transformation’.

Ascent Fast Jet Transformation Team

Ascent have successfully integrated head-mounted VR systems onto the Texan Desktop Trainer (PHOTO: ASCENT FLIGHT TRAINING)

For Ascent and our military customers, ‘transformation’ was the rallying cry to jointly challenge the status quo within UKMFTS. Over the past two years, we have been incredibly fortunate to have created a joint Transformation Team, drawing on specialists from across the MOD. These have included current military instructors from the UKMFTS stations within RAF No 22 Group, subject-matter experts from the RAF Central Flying School and Smith Barry Academy, programme management and commercial experts from DE&S, coupled with an industry team from Ascent and our supply chain, including Lockheed Martin and Babcock International.

The agile transformation projects undertaken were designed to explore the novel application of technologies to drive benefits across UKMFTS. Often the technologies were commercial off-the-

shelf (COTS) products, designed to be low-cost and readily available with constantly evolving and improving performance via frequent updates.

The focus of the transformation projects was on our ‘Fixed Wing’ pipeline, with a view that much of the knowledge and insight gained would have wider application across our other UKMFTS programmes. Our ‘Fixed Wing’ pipeline is designed to progress trainees through Elementary Flying Training on the Prefect aircraft, prior to streaming onto Phenom for Multi Engine Flying Training, or onto the Texan T1 and Hawk T2 for Fast Jet Training. The projects concluded in March 2022, having started during the pandemic, which created many unique challenges. Benefits realisation was focused on: – improving the trainee learning environment; – accelerating the rate of skills and knowledge acquisition; – generating system capacity; – reducing time in training, without compromising on quality or output standards.

Our foundation stone project was a full trial of a virtual-reality (VR) trainer, in Texan T1 configuration.

Dr Jon Allsop from RAF Central Flying School oversaw and assured this trial, in collaboration with scientists from Dstl. The trial assessed the extent to which skills could be acquired in, and transferred from, the VR environment.

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The projects saw a spectrum of technologies trialled. The team explored human performance enhancement and coaching through the use of appbased services, leveraging a product from 2nABLE. Dynamic, interactive courseware was created and trialled, using real-time 360-degree video capture from UKMFTS aircraft, enabling trainees to immerse themselves in mission rehearsals on the ground prior to flight, using VR headsets to view enhanced 360-degree video-based content and virtual instructor scenarios. The industry team supplied a suite of targeted fidelity flying training devices with a mix of VR and mixed reality (MR) solutions, including devices from CAE UK and Lockheed Martin.

Trainees and instructors were exposed to these new technologies through a series of rigorous test and evaluation iterations that enabled our synthetic engineers to respond to feedback and refine technical solutions in almost real time. The use case for these new technologies was constantly assessed, exploring how they could augment and accelerate trainee learning and progression within the context of the overall system.

The initial results are exciting and challenge our perceptions around the application of technology in flying training and associated human performance considerations. The results signal potential benefits via a tailored mix of these novel COTS technologies, integrated into our existing portfolio of courseware, ground-based training equipment and live aircraft sorties. The combination of new or upgraded flying-training devices – with high-fidelity cockpit controls, accurate flight and engine models,

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force-feedback controls and MR head-mounted displays – created a low-cost, low-footprint solution that provides trainees with the opportunity to engage in superior mission rehearsal, in addition to supporting the more formal elements of their syllabus. We believe that appropriate self-paced learning, involving realistic mission rehearsal in immersive, engaging environments will create confident, resilient trainees capable of extracting more value from their live flying, and achieving the necessary standards earlier in their training.

“‘Transformation’ was the rallying cry to jointly challenge the status quo within UKMFTS” So, where are we today? We are assessing our project results jointly with our UKMFTS partners, attempting to identify the optimum mix of transformative technologies and novel approaches to implement within the UKMFTS pipelines, leveraging the insights gained from the trials and building on our collective understanding of the available COTS technologies and capabilities, which are fast evolving and improving rapidly. The prospect of offering our trainees access to a transformative mix of technologies to accelerate their progression through the military flying training system is exciting and will enable them to achieve their ultimate goal of reaching their frontline units as confident, capable, resilient aircrew.

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Ascent’s Fixed Wing training is designed to provide Elementary Flying Training on the Prefect (pictured) to the Phenom 100 and Texan (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Delivering cost-effective and relevant air power and Embraer had to deliver solutions to all the elements of military capability, adopting and bringing together the most modern ‘best-of-breed’ systems, which generated exceptional levels of availability, simplified and automated operations, combined in a single platform that now delivers much more operational effect with smaller fleets.

What Embraer platforms are most vital for this and why?

Simon Johns Vice President Business Development, Europe, South & East Africa, Embraer Defense & Security

How can Embraer help air forces maintain leading-edge capabilities?

Embraer’s philosophy has always been to challenge established thinking, to tackle some of our most complex challenges, and then work collegiately to develop new and often innovative solutions.

This philosophy is reinforced through a combination of clear understanding of emerging customer requirements, reduction of the impact of potential future obsolescence, and trust between Embraer’s current and future aircraft operators.

Nowhere can this be more clearly seen than in Embraer’s largest and most sophisticated aircraft, the C-390 Millennium multi-mission and transport aircraft. Embraer worked closely with the Brazilian Air Force to meet a demanding and pressing need to modernise military air transport. The approach was holistic,

Embraer’s defence and security portfolio contributes to a range of military operations where different elements of leading-edge technologies carry varying levels of importance. For example, endemic and enduring counter-insurgency operations demand a combination of low operating costs, robust performance and 21st-century mission systems to generate highly cost-effective and relevant air power.

The A-29 Super Tucano light-attack and training aircraft has been selected by more than 15 air forces around the world because its combat-proven ‘Gold Standard’ design, combined with a continuous system-enhancement development programme that ensures it continues to excel in border protection, surveillance and close air-support missions.

The C-390 Millennium multi-mission transport aircraft has been developed with an incredibly efficient and quick reconfiguration philosophy to enable it to perform a wide range of missions, including troop and cargo transport, cargo airdrop, paratroop operations, search and rescue, medical evacuation, firefighting, aerial refuelling and support to special operations. The incorporation

of the most advanced command and control (C2) systems is one of the many reasons the C-390 was selected by the Portuguese and Hungarian Air Forces.

How can Embraer help air forces meet sustainability goals?

Embraer has aligned its business strategy with its social and environmental responsibilities. This includes all Embraer’s processes, product development and the standards we demand from our supply chain. Embraer is also guided by the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, which are fundamental principles of the UN Global Compact. Embraer’s roadmap covers the development of sustainable products, services and technologies. The company is intensifying efforts to minimise its carbon footprint, remaining dedicated to innovative solutions that all have a broader impact on our customers, our local communities and our portfolio.

Describe Embraer’s training aircraft and systems offerings The A-29 Super Tucano has long been used as an advanced trainer by multiple air forces around the world. Its sophisticated avionics, weapons and communications systems have enabled air forces to develop crew mission and flying skills for demanding operational environments.

Here in the UK, pilots of the Royal Air Force have been learning how to fly multi-engine aircraft on the Phenom 100.

Embraer continues to exploit technology to enhance all elements of training either on the aircraft, in the simulator, classroom or through distance learning.

https://defense.embraer.com/global/en/home/

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

‘White Force’ training – supporting the warfighter domain in nature across air, land, sea, space and cyber. We also have a very extensive ‘Human Factors’ (HF) training capability, and have been delivering HF training to all RAF aircrew mission specialists since 2008. Every RAF pilot undergoes HF training delivered by Inzpire.

How do Inzpire systems like GECO fit into this philosophy?

Hugh Griffiths Chairman, Inzpire

What is Inzpire’s approach to ‘White Force’ training?

Inzpire’s approach is about harnessing the power of the deep experience within our team and really understanding the operational environment, so that we can generate and provide realistic training to the warfighter in order to save lives. Inzpire has 300 personnel, of which 80% have served in the armed forces. That gives us about 5,000 years’ experience of real-world military environments and scenarios.

We use that deep experience to deliver truly valuable operational and tactical training to front-line soldiers, sailors and aviators. That includes designing the overall training scenario, briefing the trainees, running exercise control and, of course, the key bit – undertaking a very comprehensive and rigorous debriefing process.

As you would expect, Inzpire’s ‘White Force’ (WF) training is multi-

www.inzpire.com

Actually, most of our training is undertaken using equipment that has been produced by other companies, but we develop our own kit when we need to enhance and enable our training. Our GECO suite of missionsupport systems was not specifically designed for WF training. However, it is excellent for planning and debriefing and has layer upon layer of applications (apps) for everything from satellite imagery, targeting, overhead wire avoidance and load capacity planning, so it could be very useful for WF or any other form of training. It is currently being rolled out to UK MFTS across their trainers – Prefect, Phenom and Texan T-1, as well as the H135 and H145 helicopters.

Equipment that we have specifically designed ourselves (and in partnership) for WF training includes our targeted fidelity simulator (mission training device) and our family of CASE (compact agile simulation equipment).

The former is a low-cost, static, highfidelity synthetic training system that we are currently leasing to the European Defence Agency to deliver helicopter tactics training to NATO

at the Sintra Air Base in Portugal. The latter, has multiple applications. For example, we have developed CASE JTAC (joint terminal attack controller) for JTACs and Forward Observers and CASE UAS/ISR for pilots, sensor operators and intelligence specialists.

What other rotary-wing training does Inzpire deliver?

I have already mentioned the helicopter tactical training we are delivering in Sintra, Portugal, but on top of that we are also teaching British Army Air Corps (AAC) pilots to fly the Wildcat AH1 helicopter. We have a long relationship with the AAC as we used to teach their pilots to fly Apache, until the aircraft was upgraded to the AH-64E model.

How important is Inzpire’s support to the Typhoon Mission Support Centre?

It’s all about the mission data. Inzpire delivers vital support to the Typhoon Mission Support Centre (TMSC).

Typhoon is a highly agile and capable 4.5-generation fast jet, but it needs the right mission data to make it effective. That’s what we do.

We have a strong presence at the TMSC, working alongside military colleagues and our owners – QinetiQ. We have supported the Typhoon Force on numerous taskings and deployments including Operation Shader and other things. As a company, we may well be able to strengthen this partnership by offering our support to the Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit as well.

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Operational readiness training revisited RAF operational readiness training will enter an exciting new era this summer, when the UK’s first-ever commercial contract for the provision of a medium-to-fast ‘Red Air’ capability commences. David Hayhurst asks Wing Commander ‘Slim’ Dyer to explain

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he Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service (IRAATS), to be provided by Draken Europe, will see RAF Typhoon and Lightning pilots experience a higher quality of operational training through conducting simulated combat exercises against ‘enemy’ fighters in the form of the L-159E. The L-159E will be flown by experienced ex-military fast-jet pilots, who will adopt procedures and tactical manoeuvres that mirror those of potential adversaries.

The three-year contract with Draken Europe, agreed in March 2022, contains options for extensions of up to three years. This will provide an interim solution that will mitigate the earlier than expected retirement of the ‘black’ Hawk T1. Its retirement, as well as the disbandment of 100 Squadron that had used the T1 in front-line pilot and close-air-support training, was also announced at the end of March.

“The out-of-service date for the Hawk T1 was originally going to be 2027,” says Wing Commander (Wg Cdr) Dyer. “There would have been a significant capability gap between the Hawk T1 going out of service and the future Airborne Aggressor Capability that will be provided by the Next Generation Operational Training (NGOT) Programme, which is scheduled to deliver from 2025. It was operationally essential that this gap be filled as a matter of urgency.”

NGOT will provide an enduring requirement with a more capable service, and is currently entering the first phase of the six-stage CADMID (concept, assessment, demonstration, manufacture, in-service and disposal) cycle.

As the first commercial medium-to-fast air support contract for the RAF, Dyer is clear regarding what he feels needs to be delivered in both the immediate and longer terms: “We need to see a

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Draken Europe’s L-159E is equipped with Leonardo’s Grifo radar and Sky Guardian 200 radar warning receiver (PHOTO: DRAKEN EUROPE)

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The gap in operational training caused by the earlierthan-anticipated withdrawal from service of the Hawk T1 fast jet trainer, is being filled by Draken Europe’s IRAATS programme (PHOTO: LPHOT JULIET RITSMA/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

quality and reliability of service that must exceed the high standards that we’ve come to expect from 100 Squadron and IX(B) Squadron services on the Hawk T1 and the Typhoon, respectively.”

Optimum training value And, as Draken will offer a contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) service, this “must be transparent to the front-line pilots. It should be invisible to them whether it’s a contract pilot or a service pilot” during training exercises. Other optimisation priorities will be “timeliness to arrive on task and length of time on task, such that we are not wasting expensive Typhoon and Lightning flying time, to get the optimum training value derived from every sortie launched. To ensure this happens, we have set demanding key performance indicators (KPIs) within the contract,” Dyer adds.

Draken’s 2,000 hours per annum contract will see its L-159E fleet permanently based at Teesside International Airport, but also capable of deploying in support of exercises as required, with the service commencing in July 2022. Routinely, Draken can provide formations of up to four aircraft, which will be able to surge to higher numbers if required.

While Draken Europe (and preceding contractor Cobham Aviation Services, which Draken acquired in 2020) have provided the RAF with a medium-speed electronic warfare-focused service for over 25 years, the key difference with the new medium-to-fast training “will be the more agile and dynamic nature of the threats. These begin at beyond visual range, but then continue into the visual merge,” Dyer explains.

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Draken will provide a service that builds on the practices modelled on the current Medium Speed Air Support Services (MSASS) contract with the RAF, but provide far more advanced, agile and dynamic manoeuvrability.

Grifo Radar and Sky Guardian RWR A critical component of this will be the L-159E’s clear superiority over the Hawk T1 in what it can offer by way of realistic simulated airborne combat scenarios. The L-159E “has approximately 25% greater endurance, so it will be able to provide a longer time-on-task service,” reveals Dyer. It also has a Leonardo Grifo multi-mode air-to-air radar, which “gives the aircraft the ability to ‘reach out and touch’ opponents electronically”. Its Leonardo Sky Guardian 200 Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) also enables it to react better when threatened by opposing radar, and can record radar pictures for much higher-quality post-mission debriefing.

In Dyer’s opinion, the capability improvement with the air-to-air radar and RWR will help greatly in minimising the capability gap that the IRAATS programme is intended to fill.

Dyer also points out that the service has been delivered with remarkable speed: “We were only tasked with delivering this at the end of last September, and we signed the contract on 28 March.

That’s a very short timeframe, flash to bang, to run a competition and to get on contract. It’s been a hugely impressive effort by a multidisciplinary team of commercial, legal and capability personnel at Headquarters Air Command to deliver this.”

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Prepared to face tomorrow’s threats

Paul Armstrong Chief Executive Officer, Draken Europe Plenty has been written about the fragility of global peace lately.

Platitudes serve no purpose here. Perhaps it is of more use to reflect on lessons learned from our recent history, since these point clearly to the impact that the situation in Europe today will inevitably have on the next generation of operational readiness training needs for the future.

Forty years ago, after several decades positioning itself to fight alongside Western allies in Europe, the UK prosecuted a war 8,000-miles from its shores. Though ultimately successful, the country was barely prepared for the logistical delivery of a taskforce to the Falkland Islands – and for Draken Europe the consequences of that inflexibility directly influenced the evolution of the aviation services that we have delivered over the subsequent years.

In their air-launched version, Exocet missiles had only recently entered service.

Their use in attacks against HMS Sheffield and SS Atlantic Conveyor devastatingly illustrated two things. First, it painfully showed the effect of modern armaments

with a range beyond line of sight. Second, it highlighted the urgent need for an Electronic Warfare training capability to test our armed forces’ response to the latest forms of attack. Shortly after the Falklands conflict, FR Aviation Ltd was established – known today as Draken – specifically as an air defence training service for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).

adaptable, cost-effective, and readily deployed platforms. At the opposite end of the scale, hypersonic missiles and fifth-generation fighter aircraft represent an entirely different level of sophistication. All have the capability to devastate – and future forces must train in both the live and virtual environments to face this broad spectrum of threats.

Lessons from history – today

In the vanguard of the LVC capability

We still have the same purpose: to prepare military forces to survive attack. Lessons from the Ukraine conflict are already shaping Draken’s future service delivery.

Russian forces have shown the world what can happen to good equipment when it is backed up by poor training.

Similarly, Ukrainian volunteer troops have shown the effect that the right

“Lessons from the Ukraine conflict are already shaping Draken’s future service delivery” tools in the hands of highly motivated, non-military-trained personnel – such as teachers, IT workers and musicians – can have on an attacking force.

Demonstrated by UAS operations, not just in Ukraine, but in Yemen and elsewhere, contemporary examples point to one element of the changing threat picture that today’s defensive forces face: the rapid profusion of highly

At Draken, thanks to our heritage, our team is always alert to the need to evolve operational readiness training to replicate real-world threats. This evolutionary approach can be seen in our recently established Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service, agreed with the MOD. This will see our L-159E fleet flying regular sorties against UK forces in the first such commercially contracted ‘Red Air’ service of its kind in this country.

The service is positioned for growth across allied nations to ensure increasing interoperability across friendly forces.

The level of training, testing, and evaluation we develop and deliver daily ensures that the UK and its allies are prepared to engage when required. Our team is proud to be in the vanguard, creating a Next Generation Live / Virtual Constructive capability whose industryleading technology will be fully integrated with real-world Electronic Attack and medium-to-fast Red Air adversary combat training. Fundamentally, at Draken we strive for technological evolution in the service of a noble purpose: to prepare UK and allied forces to defend against the types of attack of which recent months have made us all too starkly aware. The goal remains as worthwhile today as it was when our company was founded.

www.draken.aero

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Achieving integrated air and missile defence Paul Tremelling and Mark Turvey, Northrop Grumman UK’s Business Development Directors, compare the Falklands War with today’s conflict in Ukraine to highlight the benefits of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS)

A Some 40 years ago, the Falklands War highlighted the need for multidomain air defence (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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s we approach the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War and bear witness to the events unfolding in Ukraine, we cannot help but draw parallels between the two conflicts. In particular, the perennial difficulty of delivering the sustained ability of air and ground-based sensors and effectors to act in a complementary manner.

The challenges facing British forces in the Falklands were considerable – geography, climate and the threat of Argentinian missile attack – all today crystallised in our memories of the conflict.

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Compounding those, however, was the additional challenge of coordinating UK forces drawn from multiple services, increasing the complexity of air and missile defence. While in Ukraine, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) have been employed effectively in a heroic effort by Ukrainian forces; they have, not unreasonably, not had the requisite training, with NATO support and multi-domain assets, to bring their fullest capability to bear.

Today’s air and missile defence operators are required to make rapid engagement decisions in highly complex, contested situations. Targets and

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friendly assets come from an ever-growing array of low, slow and low-observability (LO) aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, loitering munitions and hypersonic threats. As legacy systems have typically been designed to take on specific threats, they are generally inflexible, operate on closed architectures and are, typically, unable to use information generated by other systems, because they are not networked across the battlefield. This results in multiple, critical points of failure and a high cost to extend or upgrade in the face of evolving threats.

The solution to both these limitations and the resulting threat has been addressed by the U.S. Army: the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, or IBCS – the centrepiece of the U.S. Army’s modernisation programme for all its air and missile defence command and control (C2) systems. IBCS integrates the Army’s and its sister services’ sensors, launchers and effectors into a single, joint-C2 system, capable of integrating across multiple domains. As a modular, truly open system C2 system, IBCS is a true enabler of multi-domain integration and multi-domain command and control.

IBCS employs the concept of an integrated fire control network (IFCN) to fuse and pass sensor data from any participating system to a common warfightermachine interface, allowing tactical decision-making and the use of optimal launchers and effectors.

maximises the capability of every sensor and effector in their inventory.

IBCS is in production today with the U.S. Army and presents a vision of multi-domain integration (MDI) made real, and a very useful place from which to approach other, similar challenges. At the heart of MDI is the need for secure, resilient and open commandand-control architectures that integrate command and control, sensors and effectors across all domains, services and alliances. By integrating air assets into the ground-based air defence (GBAD) fight, and directing surface fires using airborne sensor data, IBCS has already proven it delivers MDI capabilities.

The UK and Allied GBAD development has too often stalled, for the simple reason that it sits, often uncomfortably, on a doctrinal seam. While the capability is ground-based, its effects are directed to the air environment. There is a natural tendency

Single integrated air picture IBCS moves beyond ‘any sensor, any shooter’ to truly next-generation ‘multi-domain, best effector’ operations. By fusing information from multiple, disparate sensors to create a single integrated air picture, whether using data from an F-35 to space-based ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and employing the best available effectors to defeat the threats efficiently.

Being able to do all of this without necessarily using an effector’s own organic radar also increases survivability. The ability to integrate international sensors and effectors has been demonstrated through development performed by Northrop Grumman with MBDA’s CAMM missile and Saab’s Giraffe radar.

What does the transition from a system-centric focus to IBCS’s network-centric approach mean in practice? The cognitive load on the operator is vastly reduced and the open system enables the addition of new sensors and weapons while preserving current capability.

Beginning of a new era We are at a true inflection point, then: a new era in truly multi-domain, truly integrated air and missile defence. For the first time, Commanders will be able to tailor, design and employ their air defence forces optimally for a theatre in a manner that

for air forces to prioritise air systems – and the mirror image occurs in land. Despite being critical to both air and land battles, GBAD is frequently a procurement priority for neither.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is demonstrating an open systems architecture solution that is currently available and can deliver immediate and effective C2, not just for GBAD, but, more broadly, for multi-domain integration. What the conflict today, and the one from almost 40 years ago, show so strikingly is that modern militaries must be able to see and understand the entire battlespace to optimise decision-making and engage multiple threats with the sensors and shooters currently fielded, as well as new systems in development. While implementation is challenging, the alternative is unacceptable.

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The U.S Army’s IBCS is a working example of multidomain integration (PHOTO: U.S. ARMY/ NORTHROP GRUMMAN)

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Lessons from Ukraine Air Marshal (Retd) Greg Bagwell CB, CBE, President, Air & Space Power Association, highlights what has been learned so far from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and considers future needs

The Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine continues its brutal and bloody path into a sixth month of fighting. The United Kingdom identified Russia as its primary threat in the recent Integrated Review, so now that it has materialised in its most brutal form, what can we draw from the conflict thus far in terms of lessons, and are we prepared for the consequences of what we have witnessed?

It is certainly true that Russian overall capability has been found wanting; specifically, tactics, logistics and equipment have all unimpressed. But is it their capability, or our estimation of it, that was lacking? In this modern age of being able to see everything, it is a fact that we still don’t truly understand everything we see. If we are to allocate resources accurately and deter effectively, we need to get better at this. Air power, in particular, has been somewhat muted, and it may be some time before we can truly unpick many of the more tactical lessons; however, even the most advanced Russian air capability appears to have seriously underperformed.

Despite the significant emphasis we have placed on the new kids on the block of space, cyber, artificial intelligence, information operations and autonomy, this war has shown us that peer conflict remains brutally industrial in nature. As we in the West have sought to perfect our accuracy, minimise collateral damage and eliminate indiscriminate weapons, some of our potential foes have not. This war has taken on a character that should cause us to reconsider our planning assumptions on things such as attrition and stockpiles.

All the excitement about drones has been understandable, but we have learned nothing new here, other than a rather novel way of dropping hand grenades. Soldiers will certainly spend more time

certainly taught us that mass isn’t everything. Complex combined, multi-domain arms warfare has to be practised to be perfected, and it needs a command and control (C2) network fit for purpose. What is clear is that Russia was not prepared to fight the war in which it now finds itself engaged; it will learn to, but we must ensure that we maintain our training ‘edge’.

But perhaps the greatest lesson here is that Russia has shown its claws, and it is not clear how it puts them back. NATO now faces its greatest and most dangerous challenge for decades. Deterring and, if necessary, defeating, a belligerent and (to our eyes at least) irrational Russia, mobilised and wounded, requires a concerted and determined effort, but one largely based on fighting with

“Perhaps the greatest lesson here is that Russia has shown its claws, and it is not clear how it puts them back.

NATO now faces its greatest and most dangerous challenge for decades” paying attention to the space above, but it is far too early to say that the paradigm has been reached. While some may argue that this is a binary choice we have already got wrong, relatively cheap drone warfare is still restricted to marginal tactical gains in the close battle space.

Mass isn’t everything Despite the industrial nature of this war, the Russian armed forces have

what we have today, because this is a five-year problem, not a 25-year one.

The thinking and resourcing now need to be directed at those things we need most to face this threat, and it is the protection and sustainment of current air power that might need our greatest attention in the coming years. We may need to spend as much time looking back more than 50 years, as looking forward 25 years.

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Satellite launch UK The UK is on the brink of its first-ever satellite launch from British territory. Squadron Leader Mathew Stannard, pilot of the ‘Cosmic Girl’ launch aircraft, tells Mike Bryant how the preparations are proceeding and why it will be a game-changing moment for the country

I LauncherOne, offers safe, affordable and reliable access to space, enabling the UK to launch satellites almost at will (PHOTO: VIRGIN ORBIT)

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n January 2022, a modified Boeing 747-400, owned and operated by Virgin Orbit, successfully launched an underwing LauncherOne rocket into space. Its payload of small satellites all successfully entered low earth orbit (LEO). At the controls of the ‘Cosmic Girl’ jumbo jet was RAF Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Mathew Stannard. This momentous flight was not the first time ‘Cosmic Girl’ had successfully launched satellites beyond the earth’s atmosphere.

In fact, since its first launch in May 2020, she has sent a variety of LEO satellites into space three times.

In just a couple of years, progress on the development of a revolutionary new horizontal launch capability for the UK has been “massive”,

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says Sqn Ldr Stannard. The fact that these last three missions have passed off so successfully represents a “really, really good success rate”, he notes, adding that there is now “huge confidence” in the aircraft and rocket’s performance. This is a relief as there was a small problem with the first rocket launch that has since been solved.

Sqn Ldr Stannard joined Virgin Orbit on his current secondment in early 2020 to contribute his and the RAF’s expertise to the programme. Currently based in Long Beach, California, where Virgin Orbit has its headquarters and payload processing facility, he began his training for piloting ‘Cosmic Girl’ with 747-type certification flights in a NASA

ADAPTATION

simulator and in the jump seat of the jumbo before progressing to lead pilot. Initial flights were made without LauncherOne, before everything built up to his lead pilot role on January’s successful mission. “Now, everything has come together,” he says, rating what has already been achieved as a “huge accomplishment”.

Yet there is much more to come. Stannard expects to be with Virgin Orbit until 2025, offering his expertise to the company and learning much that can be fed back to the RAF.

Relocating to the UK The UK already has great capacity to build small satellites, and this summer it will have the ability to launch them into orbit as well. In June, ‘Cosmic Girl’ and Sqn Ldr Stannard are expected to move to their longer-term base at Spaceport Cornwall at Newquay, southwest England – one of a number of spaceports across the UK that will be expected to handle horizontal and/or vertical launches in the near future.

The Newquay facility will have all the infrastructure and equipment necessary to prepare small satellites for deployment within LauncherOne, as well as for handling the associated 747 operations.

If all goes according to plan, the first such mission out of Spaceport Cornwall is scheduled for July this year.

The horizontal launch facility offered by the Virgin Orbit programme represents a whole new capability for the UK – indeed, one that is hard to find anywhere else in the world. For the first time, the country will have the ability to launch small satellites into different Earth orbits because, put simply, the release aircraft offers sufficient range to fly to different locations and the optimal release point for any given chosen orbit (and an important safety consideration, away from land).

Launching from a high-flying aircraft means that the rocket is released above a significant portion of the Earth’s dense atmosphere, enabling a more efficient route to space, and the thrust required from an air launch compared to a vertical launch can be kept low. Vitally, Sqn Ldr Stannard notes, this also means that the cost of the rocket can be minimised – an important consideration for any programme – as well as making any satellite targeted for enemy attack that much more replaceable.

Cheaper proposition Placing a satellite in orbit to monitor a certain area on the Earth’s surface might well be a much cheaper proposition than using a number of reconnaissance aircraft operating on station over a target for a sustained period of time. An aircraft launch vehicle can also fly around any weather that might affect launches from a static pad. The main downside

is that even an aircraft as large as a 747 can carry only a certain weight of payload. However, given that this programme is intended solely for the launch of small satellites, that isn’t a deal breaker.

The horizontal launch capability of ‘Cosmic Girl’ will also act as a complement to the vertical launch capability being built elsewhere in the UK. “We are in the early days of these programmes,” says Sqn Ldr Stannard. However, while the UK’s satellite launch capability has lagged behind its world-leading expertise in satellite design and construction, in terms of launch Stannard assures, “We are catching up now.”

From a UK Defence point of view, having that satellite launch capability will be fantastic, Sqn Ldr Stannard believes. “The UK has never had anything like this capability before. To have a feasible, affordable way of placing a satellite into orbit will really kick-start ‘Space’ for us. We are reliant on space, so we must ensure that we have direct access to deliver our satellites there.”

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A closer view of the LauncherOne rocket, mounted under the wing of modified Boeing 747-400 ‘Cosmic Girl’ (PHOTO: VIRGIN ORBIT)

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Digital and data dominance Former Special Projects Lead in 10 Downing Street, Wing Commander James Kuht, recounts experiences from his time as a founding member of its Data Science Team, and draws out some RAF-relevant lessons from No 10’s data transformation

W In 2020, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency sponsored the AlphaDogFight Trials, in which an algorithm outperformed a US F-16 pilot (PHOTO: USAF)

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hen I entered No 10 for the first time, it felt remarkably familiar. A plain RAF Mess clock was sitting on the entrance hall mantlepiece, opposite a well-worn green leather Chesterfield sofa. Swathes of advisers and staffers were moving purposefully through the hallways with folders full of paper briefing notes – no doubt to prepare their seniors as they tried to figure out options for multi-million, or sometimes multi-billion, pound decisions. It could easily have been an Air Force Headquarters.

My sense of déjà vu was only heightened when, in one of our first meetings as the newly minted No 10 Data Science Team, a senior adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) quoted Colonel John

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Boyd (USAF). He outlined the team’s raison d’être as, ‘using data to speed up and improve the OODA (observe, orientate, decide, act) loop of our country’s senior leadership’. It sounded akin to the Ministry of Defence data strategy – which recognises the need for change in our organisation and places the importance of data second only to that of our people.

The logic is simple. For the past 60 years or so, we’ve seen an exponential increase in both the amount of data captured and the computational power available to process it. This, combined with powerful machine-learning algorithms, such as artificial neural networks, has led us to an inflexion point where data/software companies

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dominate the world’s economy, data-driven targeted campaigning decides elections and referendums, and artificial intelligence (AI) beat a human F-16 pilot in a virtual dogfight. This is a tipping point that makes the process of making decisions based solely upon intuition or a paper briefing note start to look outdated. So, how do we catch up and achieve data dominance?

No 10’s Data Science Team developed digital dashboards to help Government ministers assess options for future decisions (PHOTO: PCRUCIATTI/ SHUTTERSTOCK)

Measure what matters The celebrated management consultant, Peter Drucker, put it simply: “you can’t improve what you don’t measure.” So, we started by collecting data on the baseline – what was the quality of data analysis and evidence going to the PM to inform major decisions? There was room for improvement – data played second fiddle to a well-crafted piece of prose, and sometimes barely featured at all.

Make the data accessible We sought to make the data behind the big decisions more accessible to the PM. We decided to build simple dashboards, available through an intranet site, that would show the relevant data for some of the major decisions the Government faced.

For example, the Government wanted to reduce the backlog in the court system, which had risen to high levels due, in part, to Covid-related court closures during 2020. We built a simple dashboard that showed the increase in the court backlog, and the level to which it was projected to rise. The dashboard also showed available prison places to highlight the prison system’s capacity to accommodate the incarcerations that would result from reducing the backlog. It was a simple, yet effective, way for ministers to ‘observe’ the current situation and ‘orient’ themselves.

However, it didn’t help them ‘decide’ what to do.

Data that drives decisions Following feedback from senior decision-makers, we then added functionality that allowed them to explore the available options. Now, they could interact with the dashboard on a large screen to explore the costs of the different policy decisions they had at their disposal. We built a ‘shopping basket’ (similar to those on e-commerce sites) to track the running total. We also enabled the dashboard to show how different decisions impacted forecasts of the court backlog and the prison space availability. These metrics changed instantaneously when different choices were selected.

Soon the dashboard could be found in the PM’s outer office, and those of other ministers, whose departments were keen to have accurate data on their flagship policies and key issues. Indeed, many departments collaborated with the Data Science

Team to help build more dashboards. These were used to improve the OODA loop on a variety of challenges, from major rail network upgrades to the net-zero roadmap and many more.

Implementation challenges Putting together dashboards like these requires cold, hard skills, and our first hurdle was to source the talented civil servants (data analysts, usually) who were able to handle large quantities of data, visualise it and, when appropriate, analyse it. I think we still have more to do to develop these skills within the RAF. Furthermore, a second challenge we faced in No 10 was the plumbing (digital network) – how to get data from Government departments to the PM’s dashboards in real time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, data usually either came as a weekly Excel spreadsheet, or not at all. To solve this conundrum, we worked with departments to help them set up seamless transfers of their relevant data using APIs (application programming interfaces) that connected with our modern cloud-computing platform. This meant the dashboards were highly scalable and contained data that was as close to real time as possible.

Of course, in the RAF we don’t just make major policy decisions. Nevertheless, hopefully many of the principles I have outlined in making an organisation more data-driven are relevant – specifically, get/grow the right skills, choose the right IT platforms and measure the effect of what you change. From the smallest workshop looking to use data to improve aircraft availability, all the way to the Executive Committee making future airframe decisions, using data to speed up our own OODA loop is crucial to building our next generation RAF.

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GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNER PERSPECTIVE

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force Maintaining our leading edge Today, we are witnessing a rapidly evolving world, where a rulesbased international order is increasingly being challenged by a complex multipolar world with little or no regard to rules or to the traditional processes of geopolitical interplays. Diplomacy, economy and information are increasingly becoming the primary tools of engagement, with the military instrument being used as a deterrent. Coercion is the new strategy, with cyber, information and space domains becoming the new battlefield. Therefore, there is a need for us to reassess our strategic priorities and realign our actions to ensure we don’t get left behind.

In an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous geopolitical environment, there is a strong linkage between security and development, and this is where the armed forces come in. In such a world, it is very important for the armed forces to maintain an edge by adding new capabilities and harnessing modern technology.

This will call for re-equipping, retraining and remodelling our security apparatus to make it more contemporary and relevant.

As Colin Gray wrote in his book on future warfare, “War does not change in nature, even though it manifests itself differently; war is driven mostly by political context, but is social, cultural, political and strategic in behaviour”. State and non-state actors pose security dilemmas for

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which the traditional instruments of national power could be ill-suited, inappropriate, too slow, too risky, or too costly. At times like these, the entropy of the strategic environment is very high, and anticipating the future is more difficult. There is a need to redefine our strategy, because all elements of national power will have to evolve and adapt to the changing nature of warfare.

India’s security dynamics involve multifaceted threats and challenges, and the Indian Air Force (IAF) would need to execute a multitude of operations simultaneously and in shortened timeframes. The key focus areas identified by the IAF are to build multi-domain capability, optimize C2 (command and control) structures, develop robust, resilient infrastructure and induct modern combat platforms to retain the combat edge. In order to do that, there is a renewed focus on indigenous design and development of niche technologies and weapon systems. The IAF is fully committed to the nation’s call for self-reliance and, by the year 2040, it is estimated that a majority of the IAF’s inventory of aircraft, weapons and systems would be “Made in India”.

In the modern battlefield, there is a need for joint planning at the apex level and integrated application of combat power. The creation of the Department of Military Affairs and the establishment of the post of Chief of Defence Staff has been a step in the right direction. Formation

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of joint structures in the higher Defence organisation is the next step, which would manifest into quick decision-making and a shortened sensor-to-shooter loop. The new structures should cater for the entire spectrum of threats ranging from kinetic to non-kinetic, lethal to nonlethal and tackle regular or irregular warfare. As we become increasingly networked, reliance on seamless flows of information has created a false sense of security. There is a need for us to learn to operate in an environment of denial by creating flexible and adaptive structures.

Last, but definitely not the least, is effective management of our human resource. The IAF is focussing on creating a lean force with highly focused and multiskilled personnel to fight tomorrow’s wars. A strong, motivated and cohesive team, which synergizes professional competency of each member, is the ‘sine qua non’ for success. We must train to absorb new technology and concentrate on quality of output. We must learn to ‘work smart’ rather than only ‘work hard’ and, therefore, there is a need for smart leaders to show the way.

There is a definite imperative to Reimagine, Reform, Redesign and Rebuild our traditional warfighting machinery and adapt to emerging paradigms. The IAF has embarked on a modernisation drive with an aim to become a contemporary, agile, resilient and capable force, while maintaining our leading edge.

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Back to the future of information warfare Wing Commander Paul Withers of the Air and Space Warfare Centre highlights the utility of information warfare

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he Integrated Operating Concept, issued as part of the UK Integrated Review, highlighted that the pervasiveness of information was “transforming the character of war”. The Concept calls for exploiting information to gain ‘information advantage’, indicating that we should focus upon rediscovering the history of information warfare and understanding its centrality within Information Age conflict.

Gaining advantage through the exploitation of information is, of course, nothing new, with examples stretching back into antiquity and throughout the modern era. At the turn of the 20th century, the Royal Navy’s technologically advanced ships and weapons systems were complemented by a worldwide intelligence and communications network, enabling

global maritime situational awareness. During the Second World War, ‘Ultra’ intelligence, derived from the breaking of German cyphers, gave the Allies a significant advantage, and the RAF’s Dowding System exploited information from Chain Home radars to direct fighter aircraft, concentrating their effect.

Moreover, information activities have been successful in changing the enemy’s perception; military deception campaigns, such as those used prior to the Second World War D-Day landings and the Operation Husky landings in Sicily, made significant contributions to the overall success of the Allied operations they supported.

As the world transitioned from the Industrial to the Information Age, the exploitation of information proved central to coalition success in the 1991 Persian

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Information warfare is playing a key role in the war in Ukraine. Russian casualties in Ukraine have been shared on social media by Ukrainian operatives to undermine enemy morale (PHOTO: GEOPIX/ALAMY)

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Social media was celebrated for catalysing the groundswell of activism in favour of democratic change during the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011.

However, its dark side has included concerns over the manipulation of democracy during the United States’ 2016 elections and the United Kingdom’s EU referendum. More generally, microtargeting using trolls and troll farms, has played its part in polarising elements of society within liberal democracies. However, information activities can be performed by any capability or means and are much broader than social media platforms or attacks in cyberspace. All contemporary activity conveys information; for instance, presence, profile and posture of forces can send powerful messages as much as a viral tweet or a media story.

Information warfare in the Ukraine war

Air Marshal Dowding’s skilful use of the Chain Home radar system was instrumental in the Luftwaffe’s defeat during the Battle of Britain (PHOTO: IWM/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

Gulf War. The combination of advanced sensors, communication systems and precision weapons used during this brief, yet decisive, conflict was dubbed a ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, information warfare concepts proliferated in both military and academic literature. Many of the Western concepts focused on the importance of information in command and control. Having a clear and up-to-date picture of the battlespace, coupled with effective communications, was seen as crucial to success, as was denying similar information to the enemy. These concepts later developed to give greater emphasis to cyberspace, giving rise to alarmist predictions of ‘cyber war’.

Disinformation and misinformation Information warfare has both positive and negative connotations, and, as a term, it carries some baggage.

For Western democracies, association with influencing the minds of populations attracts the pejorative term ‘propaganda’, often portrayed as a tactic of autocratic regimes, rather than of liberal democracies. In the past decade, much of the focus has been on the content of information, with disinformation through mainstream and social media being perceived as the main battleground of a putative ‘information war’.

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Information warfare is integral to 21st-century conflict, whether below the threshold of war, or as part of bloody and destructive conventional warfare, as recent events in Ukraine have shown us. Russia has used a combination of disinformation and cyber operations against Ukraine since 2014. This has included attacks on the electrical power grid and government digital services, and tactical cyber effects.

Since Russia’s illegal invasion in February 2022, predictions of crippling cyber attacks accompanying the conflict have not materialised. Instead, Russia has employed its cyber capabilities, including the disruption of commercial satellite communications and lower-level denial-of-service attacks, and Russia itself has been subject to attacks, including from hacktivist groups.

On the battlefield, it is evident that Russia has struggled with communications at the tactical level.

However, alongside horrific physical destruction and widespread military and civilian deaths, the most noticeable information war is in the battle of the narratives. The Russian state has maintained a rigid grip upon its internal narrative, in stark contrast to the evolving and sometimes diverging commentaries across most of the world. This rigidity and clumsy narrative development has resulted in significant economic sanctions against Russia and impressive material support for Ukraine.

Information warfare remains central to competition and conflict in the 21st century, therefore information activities and coherence with a strategic narrative are crucial to success within any military endeavour.

Wing Commander Paul Withers works within the Air & Space Warfare Centre. He is also a Chief of the Air Staff ’s Fellow, studying for a PhD in War Studies at King’s College London. His research focuses on cyber operations and information warfare

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Sharpening the RAF’s leading edge the UK safe. Raytheon Technologies also provides the advanced Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS-B) for the RAF’s current fleet of remotely piloted air systems, the MQ-9A Reaper, and has been selected to provide the enhanced MTS-D for the latest RAF variant, the MQ-9B Protector. The system affords maximum ‘eyes on target’ by helping to overcome challenging atmospheric conditions.

Jeff Lewis Chief Executive Officer, Raytheon UK

How do Raytheon UK’s technologies help the RAF maintain its leading edge?

The first example I can give is our GPS anti-jamming systems and technologies.

The current conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have shown, time and time again, the challenge for forces operating in a contested electromagnetic environment.

We’ve been supplying a variant of our GAS analogue anti-jam product for the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft under a Eurofighter framework for many years.

Similar systems help assure precision delivery of guided weapons for the RAF in the congested, cluttered, connected and constrained battlespace. Assured precision is a key focus for Raytheon UK. Elsewhere in Raytheon Technologies we provide the advanced surface search AN/APY-10 radar for the RAF’s fleet of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which keeps the seas around

How do Raytheon UK’s ISR and space offerings enhance the RAF’s capability?

Just last year, we signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to upgrade the Shadow Mk1 tactical ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) aircraft. We will also be helping the RAF to grow the size of the RAF Shadow fleet, providing more operational capability. Delivering unparalleled situational awareness and flexibility, Shadow improves a military commander’s awareness of what is happening on the ground or in the air, allowing them to formulate sound plans in an operational environment. It’s a powerful and indispensable tool when conducting modern ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance) day operations.

In space, it’s worth referencing our work on the RAF’s Artemis programme, where Raytheon Technologies has helped the MOD develop its knowledge and experience of small-satellite rapid tasking for ISR operations. This is an area that will only grow in importance as the UK delivers the Defence Space Portfolio.

What role does multi-domain integration (MDI) play now for future capability?

At the core of Raytheon Technologies’ approach to MDI is the ability to connect the multitude of separate government, military and agency systems, including those from different suppliers, to a common bank of data or information, most likely held in the ‘cloud.’ This connectivity will need to span the five domains – air, space, cyber, maritime and land – and enable decisionmaking at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.

Raytheon Technologies recognises that MDI also needs to work in a contested electromagnetic environment in which not all components of the ‘system’ can be connected all the time; they will connect when they are able. Consequently, MDI is likely to require disaggregated and ‘edge’ information-processing to allow for autonomy and to also process the vast amounts of information collected.

Developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning will help with this processing, allowing the automation of data analysis, (the ‘P’ of PED – processing, exploitation and dissemination) and determine the most relevant information to be sent into the ‘cloud’ (the ‘E’ and ‘D’ of PED). An increasingly complex and dynamic battlespace, combined with the exponential growth in data, means we must adapt to move beyond traditional joint operations and harness all available information to empower decision-making in real time.

www.raytheon.com/uk

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Sensing the future Group Captain (Gp Capt) Stu Belford, ISTAR Deputy Head, and Caroline Morrison, ISTAR CPG Manager from UK Strategic Command Capability, explain the need to process vast quantities of data in order to transform information into actionable intelligence, for operational advantage

“The technology you use impresses no one. The experience you create with it is everything” – Sean Gerety

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rom before the Crusades to the current events in Ukraine, military intelligence has evolved with one aim in mind – to take advantage of the enemy’s ignorance. Yet, how do we ensure that we can turn information into actionable intelligence, enabling us to gain and maintain operational advantage?

This is particularly pertinent in an age where information has become ubiquitous, and highly effective sensors, the capabilities of which were previously the sole preserve of military-grade technology, are now found in every home.

Between 2010 and 2017, the world’s volume of digital data grew from 1.7 to 18.3 zettabytes. By 2025, this is expected to rise to over 175 zettabytes.

The scale of the challenge this poses is vast. If these 175 zettabytes were stored on DVDs, it would require enough of them to go around the world 222 times. This explosion in data volumes has the

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With the new P-8A aircraft now operational, Project Albatross is seeking to exploit artificial intelligence within the maritime domain (PHOTO: CPL ADAM FLETCHER/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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The increasingly vast data lakes of information that will be poured out by aircraft such as the MQ-9B will require new technologies to process them (PHOTO: SGT NICHOLAS HOWE RAF/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

potential to overwhelm our traditional collection and analytical capabilities. Imagine all this information stored in vast data lakes that stretched as far as the eye could see. Every swipe of a loyalty card, every image taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle and every social media post, would further fill these lakes.

Traditional Defence processes have relied upon the equivalent of hundreds of people fishing, each with a single fishing rod to catch and analyse information. To answer our intelligence questions, Defence needs to be able to retrieve, analyse and disseminate this information at a speed commensurate to the Intelligence Age, rather than the Industrial Age. We need a fleet of supertrawlers adjusting the size of their nets to catch the most relevant information.

Imagine the power achievable if every commander had access to their own fleet of supertrawlers working together to answer their specific questions.

Programme Odyssey The intent is that Programme Odyssey will deliver this vision, providing the means to connect all these lakes of information across classifications, coupled with the

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“We must take early advantage of revolutionary algorithmic technology if we are to remain competitive” tools for analysts to support decision-makers through projects such as Nostromo. Alongside Odyssey there will be a new suite of integrated ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities, developed using cutting-edge technologies. A focus on data technologies and their acceleration into use is being delivered through programmes such as Mission Data for Information Advantage (MD4IA), Rapid Application of Autonomy and the ISR Spearhead.

Moreover, the establishment of Design Authorities is ensuring common standards in

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technical architecture that will allow ‘Integration

by Design’ across Defence domains, as well as with government partners and internationally.

A critical element of this approach and core to maximising opportunities is allowing rapid global access to these technologies across the intelligence cycle, including collect and PED (processing, exploitation and dissemination), as well as through exploitation of cloud technology.

AI, ML and quantum computing While the opportunity this will offer cannot be underestimated, neither can the efforts that these changes will require to ensure effective delivery.

To harness this data-based approach to full effect we must take early advantage of revolutionary algorithmic technology if we are to remain competitive against our peers. Research in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and quantum computing is ensuring that we are at the leading edge of modern technology, whilst enabling our technological evolution at a pace previously unseen in Defence. These technologies

are key elements across several projects – including Albatross – that is exploiting AI within the maritime domain; this will inform and accelerate similar requirements across other domains.

None of this technology will work without investment in our people. The ISR strategy will place a focus on ISR training, with pilot projects to inform and optimise a problem-centric approach also under development. The future requirements of Defence will be different to the status quo, and our world-class technology will be exploited by matching this with associated training for our people.

On 1 April 1918, the formation of the Royal Air Force marked the first time that any country had an independent Air Force without reference or subordination to either the Army or the Navy.

This approach has proved itself to be worldbeating through visionary leadership at all levels, taking risk with the exploitation of technology and harnessing the talents of our people. As Defence moves rapidly into a new data-driven intelligence era, this rich mix remains critical to ensuring we maintain our place at the leading edge.

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The RAF’s three RC-135W Rivet Joint Sigint aircraft are capable of gathering huge volumes of essential intelligence for decisionmakers (PHOTO: SGT SI PUGSLEY/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Artificial intelligence in air applications Faithful wingmen or killer robots? Squadron Leader Carolyn Swinney from the Air and Space Warfare Centre offers an insight into how artificial intelligence is already helping inject efficiencies into Air Power activities

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AI will help analyse and prioritise the huge volumes of data that fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft will gather (PHOTO: RLC/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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he potential for artificial intellgence (AI) to enhance air power is vast, significant and transformative. The economic value of embracing the technology is already being realised in all walks of life, with a recent UK Government report, published on 12 January 2022, showing that businesses in the UK spent £63 billion on AI technology and AI-related labour in 2020. Moreover, Sundar Pichai – chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary, Google – described AI as potentially having a “more profound impact on humanity than fire, electricity and the internet”.

When the term AI is used within the military context it tends to conjure thoughts of the ‘killer robots’ or lethal autonomous weapon systems, to which the media has given much attention recently.

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However, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) describes fully autonomous weapons systems as “machines with the ability to understand higherlevel intent, being capable of deciding a course of action without depending on human oversight and control”. The reality is that a general form of AI that is self-aware and able to fulfil that definition does not yet exist, nor is it likely to anytime soon.

The profound, transformative impacts for Air Power will be found not in the grandiose extremes of self-aware killer robots, but in embracing AI for specific everyday tasks.

From promotion boards to the kill chain These benefits range from holistic gains, such as the pre-screening of appraisal reports prior to a promotion board, to speeding up parts of the

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“For the UK, our collaboration with the US is vital.

Developing and integrating AI capabilities will be key to addressing the many issues we face in fully embracing the technology today” kill chain through pattern recognition within an operational environment. However, the advantages of AI for Air Power do not lie in a replacement for the experience of human operators who can understand context and novel scenarios. It lies in efficiency.

Efficiency, in turn, will provide increased capacity for a workforce continuously striving to achieve more.

The RAF has always been at the forefront of embracing new technologies. Speaking at the Global Air Chiefs’ Conference in 2021, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air Staff, talked of “our people in a 1918 Air force, people who were innovators and disrupters, who had discovered this amazing new technology and understood its limitless potential”.

Our talented people, who continue to innovate and disrupt, are still the key today for embracing technologies with limitless potential, such as AI.

Intergration is essential The integration of AI into a capable Next Generation Air Force is essential. Fifth- and sixthgeneration aircraft can produce enormous amounts of data that AI models have the potential to enhance, from directing analysts to anomalies in a timely manner, to streamlining arduous processes. We only need consider a cyber defence analyst looking at network anomalies; or a highly trained imagery analyst picking out persons of interest from moving imagery footage; or the vast array of sensor information recorded from a flight mission that must be reviewed to keep our aircrew safe.

If developed with the incorporation of human experience and trained on an environment that represents the real one as closely as possible, AI models have the potential to direct trained analysts very quickly to areas of interest, or even streamline unskilled portions of their work. This could have extensive benefits, from increased speed and recognition of threats in the air, to the early warning of attacks in progress for the cyber defence of networks that enable missions.

On a global stage, many fear we are already in the midst of an AI arms race. In a recent speech, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss commented on nation states like Russia and China working together on technologies such as AI. For the UK, our collaboration

with the US is vital. Developing and integrating AI capabilities will be key to addressing the many issues we face in fully embracing the technology today. Those challenges range from ones of a technical nature to striving towards the goal of safe, regulated models that can be trusted and understood in terms of risk.

Through all of this, the key comes back to integration with the human operator, from the development of models, through to the comprehension of acceptable risk for employment. The type of AI available today will never be able to understand the context of a situation or formulate a judgement or response to a novel set of circumstances. The advantage, which should not be underestimated as having transformative implications for Air Power, must be embraced as one of efficiency, fully integrated alongside our talented and experienced human operators... faithful wingmen.

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The talented aviators of the RAF remain vital to generating the innovation and disruption needed to realise the limitless potential of new technologies, such as AI (PHOTO: SAC JAMES SKERRET/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Quantum capabilities Teleportation, quantum links, instant communications; these are currently the science fiction of today, yet could they be the science fact of tomorrow? Quantum theories suggest that one day these capabilities, and more, will be achievable. Therefore, it is worth considering how they would change the world we live in. Flight Lieutenant Paul Fowler explains

“If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t understand quantum mechanics” – Richard Feynman

If the Tempest aircraft were able to utilise quantum-enabled communications it would transform airborne warfare and make the aircraft immune to electromagnetic interference (IMAGE: BAE SYSTEMS)

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he influence of quantum technologies is evident in the way in which Defence perceives the Future Operating Environment out to 2035 and beyond. The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) already incorporates quantum techniques for data protection. Further UK developments are being championed by the Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub and the Quantum Technologies Hub. Google’s Quantum Supremacy experiment performed a well-defined computational task in 200 seconds that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer an estimated

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10,000 years. With access to such quantum-enabled capabilities, it is worth imagining how their use could impact upon future operations, including our approaches to encryption and communication.

When researching quantum theory, Einstein conducted an experiment where he observed a phenomenon that baffled even him. The experiment demonstrated that an object could affect another instantly, even when those objects were separated by a great distance. He called it “spooky action at distance”. Years later, that “spooky action” was attributed to what is now known as quantum entanglement.

What is quantum entanglement?

In seeking to explain quantum entanglement, imagine a blue snooker ball with a brown-ball twin, each

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resting on a different table. If the blue ball is spun, then the brown ball also spins simultaneously. However, if the blue ball is moved, then the brown ball does not move. Now imagine that each ball represents a quantum particle. ‘Quantum entanglement’ between particles only permits the sharing of spin.

The spin is transferred in an instant, yet movement requires the user to physically go to the table to move the brown ball. This presented Einstein with a paradox, as it contradicted his theory that nothing can travel faster than light, yet here was evidence to the contrary that remains unexplained to this day.

So, what if this ‘spin’ could be translated to represent bits of data, ie zeros or ones? We would have the ability to send, receive and read data instantly wherever we are, with no requirement for a transmission medium for interception. The MOD currently expends considerable resource to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and assurance of its information, protecting it through encryption, firewalls, secure data links and myriad other security measures. Quantum entanglement data transmission could theoretically provide transformational capabilities, including examples such as: – instantaneous, secure communications anywhere, at any time; – adversaries’ inability to hack, intercept or deny our data links; – removal of our reliance on communications satellites; – seamless and uninterrupted contact with the UK Nuclear Deterrent.

Conversely, and hypothetically, if our adversaries achieved this capability first: – their communications would be invulnerable to electromagnetic attack; – we would be unable to compromise any of their data links; – they would no longer be reliant on communications satellites; – they could achieve seamless and uninterrupted contact with their Nuclear submarines.

Looking to the air environment, the F-35 pilot operates flight controls that pass electronic signals to enact an effect – move the joystick left, and the aircraft moves to the left. To achieve this remotely exposes the risk of the control signals being intercepted and jammed. With quantum-entangled communications, this data would be instantaneous, and secure from jamming or interception.

Consider the potential enhancements to Tempest, the RAF’s next-generation combat aircraft, incorporating real-time communications, flight

controls and situational awareness, with unlimited bandwidth and electromagnetic stealth. With assured quantum-enabled communications, the pilot could be relocated, therefore allowing the aircraft to fully exploit its flight envelope, unhindered by human resilience and g-tolerance.

Another evolutionary step Born out of technological innovation, the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918, flying biplanes made of wood and canvas. Now, 104 years later, we have witnessed the formation of Space Command, and we anticipate our first satellites launching from the United Kingdom in 2022. Yet in 1918, these events would have been considered as pure science fiction. Technology resides within our DNA, and the pursuit of quantum technology is just another evolutionary step in our desire to translate science fiction into science fact.

Of note, contemporary science has yet to overcome the significant obstacles inherent in delivering the quantum-entangled communications suggested within this article. Yet, if attaining information dominance through the utility of quantum technology represents a technology race and an arms race, can the UK afford to be in second place?

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Albert Einstein, pictured in Vienna in 1921, undertook experiments in quantum entanglement that even he didn’t understand (PHOTO: FERDINAND SCHMUTZER/ PUBLIC DOMAIN)

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The future of mission data Wing Commander Gerry McCormack, Officer Commanding Joint Electronic Warfare Operational Support Centre (JEWOSC) explains how the MD4IA programme is overhauling the provision of mission data to the front line

S The need for effective SEAD (suppression of enemy air defence) systems has been highlighted by Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine (PHOTO: VOIDWANDERER)

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ince the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of the most surprising aspects of the conflict has been the inability of the Russian Air Force to gain air superiority. With neither side able to effectively conduct suppression and/or destruction of enemy air defences (SEAD/ DEAD) operations, the air forces of both nations are being dramatically hampered in their ability to influence the fight. Forced to operate at low level, aircraft have been exposed to the myriad of MANPADs (man-portable air defence systems), anti-aircraft artillery and small arms that are widely dispersed across the battlefield, resulting in significant losses for both sides.

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The survivability of Ukrainian mobile surfaceto-air missile (SAM) systems has been remarkable, due to their likely reliance on continual movement, concealment and tight control over emissions.

Paradoxically, despite the capabilities, parametrics and operating modes of the Russiansourced SAM systems in use being well understood by both sides, this has not necessarily translated into effective protection for their respective air platforms. The lesson is clear: the ability to operate in a contested and congested electromagnetic environment is essential if we want to conduct effective SEAD/DEAD and be able to bring the full spectrum of air power capability to bear.

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This SEAD/DEAD mission-set is the raison d’être for the UK’s fleet of F-35B Lightnings, equipped with an advanced sensor suite, which enables the accurate detection, identification and location of threats based on their emissions alone, then the ability to target them effectively without being detected due to their low observable characteristics.

Credible SEAD/DEAD However, the hardware alone is not enough. For F-35s, or indeed any radar-warning receiver or electronic support measures (ESM) system, to be effective, they rely upon the mission data (MD) that controls how their sensors scan the electromagnetic (EM) environment and then identify a detected emission.

MD is the key to how well they perform in providing effective situational awareness (SA) to the operator.

Poor MD will lead to inaccurate identification, decreased SA and, at worst, will heighten the risk of fratricide. Effective MD allows the hardware to present accurate and timely information to the operator in an unambiguous manner, so that they can make effective decisions when and where they need to. The combination of the right hardware with the right MD, coupled with optimised training and tactics, form the cornerstones of a credible SEAD/DEAD capability.

Effective MD reprogramming relies on a thorough understanding of what the operator requires for their mission and a bedrock of accurate high-fidelity intelligence on the parametrics and characteristics of the systems of interest within an operating theatre (including friendly, neutral and hostile).

The trend with advanced radars associated with air, land and sea systems of most interest to warfighters is that they are becoming increasingly complex in the way that they manoeuvre throughout the EM spectrum. Additionally, due to the softwaredefined way they often operate, they are becoming increasingly agile in how they update their modes of operation, thus making the ability for the EM Intelligence community to capture and model their parametrics increasingly challenging.

Looking to the future, to counter this challenge, sensors on platforms are increasing in their accuracy and diversifying from a reliance on analysing radar emissions alone (including F-35 and FCAS/Tempest).

Additionally, the sources that could provide useful intelligence data to operators are diversifying and evolving. When a US F-117A was shot down by an SA-3 during the NATO operations over Yugoslavia in March 1999, the Defence Intelligence community was very quickly able to identify how it had occurred and using which system. However, it could not do this within a speed of relevance that would have allowed the pilot, Lt Col Zelko, an opportunity to manoeuvre his low observable platform in a manner that would have denied the shot. Since then, our ability across the Five Eyes community to exploit Air/Land/Sea/Space/Cyber capabilities to generate EM intelligence data has moved on a generation.

JEWOSC, based at RAF Waddington, now provides high-fidelity data on the parametrics and dispositions of adversary threat radars on a daily basis, to an accuracy and fidelity that would

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Sensors on platforms such as F-35B are diversifying from a reliance on analysing radar emissions alone (PHOTO: CPL TIM LAURENCE RAF/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Sensors on future platforms, such as Tempest, will be more accurate and better able to conduct SEAD/ DEAD missions (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

have been undreamt of 23 years ago. However, the task of providing accurate EM intelligence data to where it can assist the operators at the speed of relevance remains a significant challenge.

Against this backdrop of increasingly complex threats evolving at pace, expanded intelligence requirements to feed diverse high-fidelity sensor suites and the need to be able to update platforms rapidly to optimise their protection and lethality, the MD community has been energised to conduct a wholesale overhaul of its business.

Mission Data for Information Advantage In 2021, the Mission Data for Information Advantage (MD4IA) programme was launched by Defence Intelligence to conduct an overhaul in the provision of MD to the front line. To do that, it is looking at the whole-life cycle of a platform, a sensor and the data that we use to feed those sensors.

The Programme is engaging with the manufacturers, designers, science and technology base, programmers, intelligence community and operators, with the aim of enabling all stakeholders to operate within one holistic MD enterprise. The MD4IA programme is seeking to provide the framework, the operating model, the governance, the regulations, the policy and the advice through which all components can work towards a common goal of MD optimisation.

This is seeking to improve every component of the MD cycle; the way that data is captured, ingested into the system, analysed, visualised and then extracted in different ways, depending on the requirements of individual platforms, with the data that is collected by those platforms fed back

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and exploited. The goal is to enable this MD cycle to be almost instantaneous, spinning faster than the update cycle of any system it may encounter.

Projects JANUS and SOCIETAS As part of this activity, a number of sub-projects have been launched, including Project JANUS, focused on extracting the skills and knowledge within existing teams and developing toolsets that can increasingly automate the MD cycle process.

Furthermore, to build a new workforce that will increasingly sit above the system that is beginning to operate in a more automated way, Project SOCIETAS will go live in late 2022 as it progressively reshapes the JEWOSC personnel and structure.

Working with the MD4IA programme, the UK’s MD reprogramming centres across the JEWOSC and Air & Space Warfare Centre have begun working on joint trials to develop how they share their data and align operating procedures. In summer 2022, the second Trial LIONS RWR will bring together the UK’s F-35B, Typhoon, maritime, rotary- and fixed-wing platforms and systematically examine their ability to collaboratively generate updated MD in reaction to real-world events.

The conflict in Ukraine has brought fresh focus on the importance of this modernisation activity. While many of the activities related to the MD cycle are heavily technical in nature, it is fundamentally about maintaining the ability for the UK to have the freedom to operate when and where it chooses. The scale of the challenge, given the threat, is significant, hence the scale of the MD4IA activity that UK Defence is resourcing is both welcome and absolutely necessary.

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Providing secure, highly accurate, decision-ready intelligence data to understanding, and the critical Command OODA loop can operate at the speed needed in the modern battlespace.

Why is digital supremacy so important to military operations?

Graeme Mackay Vice President and Country Executive, L3Harris UK

How does the L3Harris RC-135W Airseeker help maintain the RAF’s leading edge?

The three UK Airseeker platforms flying with the RAF have clearly proved their importance to national security and that of our NATO allies. Continuous development is making them a leading element in delivering cutting-edge, system-of-systems, multi-domain coherent capability. Advanced artificial intelligence and machine-learning processes mean the RAF can extract more valuable information from the masses of available Signals Intelligence data.

Equally, highly agile advanced fusion processes enable SIGINT to be combined effectively with other intelligence sources, preeminently GEOINT and OSINT, providing greater awareness of objects of interest in the operational arena. By doing this, L3Harris is making sure Airseeker can enable commanders to move rapidly from

Massive data is now the foundation on which our ability both to understand and to react to our environment is built.

Successful outcomes depend on these abilities, whatever our area of endeavour.

In the military domain, L3Harris sees effective data exploitation, through emerging digital technologies, as being at the core of operations. We pride ourselves on providing resilient, agile end-to-end networks, waveforms and connectivity that allow data to flow to wherever required.

Equally, we focus on the effective fusion and processing of that data, resolving the challenges of understanding what really matters in the mass of information from an ever-burgeoning range of sensors. This provides end users with highly accurate, decision-ready, information. That’s why we attach such importance to developing industry-leading capabilities in networkcentric collaborative targeting across all platforms and domains. And, of course, our focus is increasingly on automated and autonomous teamed capabilities.

How does L3Harris support Cyber Resilience?

As data, digital technologies and connective networks increase in importance, Cyber Domain and Cyber Resilience are obviously critical to operational success. L3Harris’ Intelligence and Cyber International (ICI) organisation

has a deep history of supporting key partners in achieving success across all aspects of the Cyber domain. We protect data and its users through advanced cloud-based encryption methodologies and architectures, all with extensive, responsive electronic defensive measures.

Cyber Resilience and agility are the glue between the core data and connectivity layers and each of the operational domains. They can, and must, enable seamless integration across multiple domains. By facilitating the convergence of ideas, the synergy of domain effects becomes possible, and that synergy is crucial if current and evolving challenges in conflicts are to be overcome.

Can you describe your vision for autonomous systems?

Automation of platforms will be essential to optimise operational efficiency and effect while addressing the risk to frontline operators. I am sure that key platforms and fleet capabilities will need to be retained, but with increasing emphasis on desegregating and transferring highrisk activity to an increasing number of autonomous teamed entities. These entities must be able to swarm effectively alongside capital platforms, providing both the data and effects that underpin multi-domain operations. Equally, they must be capable of working in advance of core assets, operating as units whose loss does not undermine our future systems-of-systems ways of operating.

Our autonomous MCMM vessels, Mad Fox demonstrator and Iver 4 systems provide working surface and subsurface examples of our pathway to this autonomous future.

L3Harris.com

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Delivering the digital station For all its high-tech aircraft and weaponry, the RAF can still be regarded as being in the paper-and-pen age when it comes to handling administration and infrastructure matters at its bases. A major project underway at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, aims to break that mould and set a template to bring the Service into the digital age. Alan Dron asks Group Captain Gareth Prendergast what this entails

RAFX’s digital transformation programme will improve its engineering and logistics activities through VR/ AR training and maintenance systems and 3-D printing (PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD AMRC)

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AF Leeming is home to the Service’s innovation hub, RAF eXperimental (RAFX) and, in recent years, has installed its own private 5G network and digital backbone that covers the station. In trying to deliver a digital station, Group Captain Gareth Prendergast, Leeming’s station commander, accepts that digitalisation can mean a lot of different things to different people.

“What does ‘the digital station’ mean? Nothing is off the table. In terms of force protection, for example, it is creating a digital fortress around the

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station. If we’re able to take the multiple cameras we have around the station and connect them through the network, it means we have a digital perimeter fence, so a large physical fence is less important.

Our work here has to meet the demands of modern operations and have a positive impact on the effectiveness of our warfighters,” Prendergast explains.

It has been a long-standing complaint that the RAF is still a paper-driven organisation and, in certain areas, it is. When Prendergast started his career, most decisions needed a signature on

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a piece of paper, but this is changing. “We’re introducing things like e-documents, that you can put a digital signature on and pass across the site without moving paper around,” he reveals.

Increasing workforce agility “I’m trying to reduce the need for personnel having to walk around in search of a signature from a person in an office who may not be available at the time they are needed. This will allow them to focus on more important tasks. It also increases the agility of the workforce to complete work at times that suit them. A lot of things are still stove-piped activities; you may make progress in one area, yet that’s no guarantee that it’s going to be used elsewhere. We have to make sure that we ‘connect the dots’ and help everyone to implement these new tools.

“At Leeming, we’re trying to understand if there’s a single functional network on which we can place these things. Would this make it possible for different elements to communicate with each other?”

Stovepipes, where information is not shared horizontally across different parts of an organisation or network, can have severe consequences. “For example, before 9/11, information about the plot was being collected, yet there was no way to fuse the disparate elements together,” notes Prendergast.

“It’s undoubtedly going to take significant resource to transform the RAF into the digital vision we have, but the cost of not doing it will be even greater,” he insists. For example, there has been much talk in recent years of hybrid warfare and sub-threshold operations – actions that adversaries may take against the West that are not regarded as being serious enough to trigger a military reaction. Digitalisation may help to build a picture of these sorts of events faster than is possible today, improving intelligence and visibility of malign actors’ actions, and even allowing us to respond in different ways to deter and de-escalate.

Yet is there a risk that the various new digital strategies could, in turn, become modern ‘stovepipes’? “It’s something we have to be alive to,” says Prendergast. “Leeming could be seen as a ‘stovepipe’ in itself. We try to overcome that by challenging ourselves in asking why we’re going down a particular route and by sharing our information across the RAF and other partners. This is definitely a team sport.”

As well as the aforementioned force-protection aspect, digitalisation could be used to improve engineering and logistics – getting spares to an aircraft, for example. The spares system would benefit from having an accurate database of assets available to it. “If I know what I need for that particular aircraft at a particular time, I can do

3-D printing of a component on the station and have it autonomously delivered to the point of need,” says Prendergast.

A major potential drawback of digital services is that they can fall victim to hacking or malware, and so that is at the forefront of everything.

For obvious reasons, though, details on how to counter that threat are not being divulged.

Monitoring emissions Leeming is being transformed into a living laboratory to help another major project, reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2025. Sensors across the station monitor these emissions. Solar and photovoltaic panels are being placed around buildings to understand what they might offer the RAF, and there are geothermal boreholes around the site. “It allows us to create a digital

Working with AR headsets could revolutionise day-to-day maintenance, repair and overhaul (PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD AMRC)

twin of the station, so we can understand where energy is being used at any moment in time and to develop plans to make our facilities more sustainable and adaptable,” says Prendergast.

Due to the constantly evolving and sometimes disruptive nature of digital development there is no definitive end-point. “It’s a wonderful challenge because we have to constantly iterate and innovate, but we have to set appropriate way points to see how we’re doing. For example, Net Zero 2025 allows me to use a clear line in the sand to say ‘This is what I’m aiming for’, and go to the various teams to ask, ‘What are we doing to meet this?’.”

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Maintaining the ethical and moral high ground Air Commodore Mark Phelps, Deputy Director of Legal Services (RAF), highlights how democratic states require the support of their populations when embarking on military action, whereas autocratic states do not face the same constraints

I Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine highlights how below-threshold armed attacks in the grey zone have not replaced the unrestrained use of hard force (PHOTO: SYNEL/ALAMY)

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n 2021, the UK Ministry of Defence published its Integrated Operating Concept (IOpC), which situated state-on-state competition within a framework of continuous competition involving all instruments of statecraft. In so doing, the IOpC argued that our authoritarian rivals see the strategic context as a continuous struggle in which non-military and military instruments are used unconstrained by any distinction between peace and war.

Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western militaries had begun turning their focus to the realities of state-on-state competition in the 21st century – a world of cat and deniable mouse in which complex threats were advanced, all the time operating below

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the threshold of armed attack. The invasion of Ukraine served to underline that, whilst prevalent, belowthreshold operations have not replaced the use of hard force; rather all instruments of State action exist on a single continuum and are available to those with the requisite risk appetite to step outside the established framework of international law. The ability to reference all tools of statecraft within the normative framework of conflict is essential as, in an age of persistent strategic competition, the role of established ethical and legal frameworks cannot be overstated if we are to understand them and respond appropriately.

The bond between society and the military is vulnerable, and the perceived necessity to use military

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force has arguably lost it visceral immediacy within societies with little perception of existential threats.

This is crucial, as the evolution of warfare is found in cultural, normative and legal frameworks as they serve to determine when the military instrument is used, how it is used, and how the military will ultimately fight. Technological development does not exist in a vacuum; it responds to the demand placed upon it, the reality being that which is technologically possible will not always be acceptable to the societies in whose name the technology is deployed.

losing the political mandate. Maintaining the support of society is crucial if open democracies are to maintain their freedom of action to compete in all domains using all means lawfully open to them.

Technological prowess is nullified if the use of such innovation by the military is regarded as illegitimate.

Trust between society and the military instrument in a democratic society must be established and maintained, as what is acceptable to society will shape political appetites, dictate the causes that we fight for and, ultimately, the way in which we will fight for them.

“State action must accord with the values of society, or else run the risk of alienating the population and losing the political mandate” In this regard, the use of the term ‘authoritarian rival’ in the IOpC is telling in reflecting the role that can be played by society. The democratic process is an important moderator; however, when the State’s apparatus effectively controls the domestic narrative, one version of the truth, no matter how distorted, can prevail, freeing leaders from the need to maintain the support of society through their actions, rather than the weight of their propaganda.

Maintaining the support of society Societal support is more difficult to achieve and maintain in an open democratic society in which State action must accord with the values of society, or else run the risk of alienating the population and

Although there is no tangible moral high ground as such, the rules-based international system demands that nations adhere to an agreed set of standards when dealing with other states, such as those of the United Nations Security Council (PHOTO: SIPA US/ALAMY)

All is not fair in love and war; no matter how just the cause, actions undertaken on behalf of the State must reflect the prevailing norms and ethical appetite of the society represented. This remains so even when facing an adversary that does not hold to the same interpretation of international legal or ethical imperatives. It is only by holding true to the prevailing ethical norms and legal frameworks at all levels of society that states can identify and condemn abhorrent behaviours. There is no moral high ground, but rather an objective international standard that is understood and by which all can judge and be judged, with those found wanting subject to international scrutiny and censure.

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Power to the people As the RAF embraces great change, Air Commodore Fin Monahan DFC highlights the importance of culture in this process to Jenny Beechener

A The distance between the area of operations and the warfighters themselves is becoming ever greater with the emergence of technological innovations such as unmanned aircraft (PHOTO: SGT ROSS TILLY RAF/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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n organisation’s culture is widely recognised as a powerful force, and it is particularly important in military organisations in which cohesion and fighting spirit are so important. The military historian Williamson Murray wrote that “Military culture may be the most important factor, not only in military effectiveness, but also in the processes involved in military innovation, which is essential to preparing military organizations for the next war”.

Military culture is complex; it comprises history, symbols and artefacts such as uniforms, buildings, standards and badges. It also includes official and unofficial processes, practices, rituals and traditions that have emerged from generations of operational experience. All of these cultural facets result in the emergence of attitudes, expectations, beliefs, behaviours and biases.

When the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918, its leaders placed great emphasis on developing its culture. They realised they needed to create an ‘Air Force Spirit’ as they merged the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps. There was

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no blueprint for doing this, but they recognised its value at the very centre of their strategy and plans as they built the world’s first independent air force at the end of the First World War. The ‘Air Force Spirit’ that emerged underpinned the fighting spirit and innovation that has contributed to the performance of the RAF in conflicts over the following century.

However, organisational culture runs very deep and, as well as underpinning fighting power, it can also impede an organisation’s ability to evolve in a changing environment. This has prompted new analysis spearheaded by Air Commodore Fin Monahan and the RAF Culture Team that he leads.

“We are at a juncture of significant change in which technological change in areas such as autonomy, artificial intelligence, space and cyber, combined with geopolitical challenges, are fundamentally changing the way the RAF operates and fights,” says Air Commodore Monahan, who has a PhD in RAF organisational culture, as well as a Distinguished Flying Cross. “Now, the depth and breadth of change is so significant, we really need to make sure our organisational culture is

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fit for future warfare. While we will continue to fly aeroplanes, we are increasingly using remotely piloted systems. The majority of the personnel delivering air power using these systems can be located thousands of miles from the battlefield. This is also true for personnel conducting space and cyber operations. This is changing the way of war.”

In response to evolving challenges and emerging threats, the RAF launched the Astra programme in 2020 to review its structure, operations, equipment and training. It included a project led by Air Commodore Monahan that examined aspects of culture from which the service derives benefit, as well as aspects that hinder innovation, agility and change.

Air Commodore Monahan says that, “in addition to great technological and geopolitical change, we have also experienced significant social change. People’s lives have been transformed by the connectivity of the internet, and the way we lead our lives and socialise has dramatically altered since the early days of the RAF. As we modernise, we must take this into account to ensure that service in the RAF remains rewarding and something to be particularly proud of.”

The Culture Team The research project examines aspects of culture – such as uniforms, badges, medals, infrastructure, traditions, working practices, air safety practices, socialising, training and hierarchy – that can have both positive and negative impacts on the Air Force spirit and the fighting power. It highlights how behaviours and biases, such as a can-do mentality and unit pride, are essential in training and contribute to operational success. However, they can also have negative consequences that can contribute to air safety problems or be the cause of frictions between different units, trades and branches within the RAF. Strong culture and pride can bring resistance to change; yet, paradoxically, change is a prerequisite for maintaining an edge over adversaries.

Research by the Culture Team focuses on maintaining traditional aspects of culture that remain relevant, while adapting to the modern world. It recognises values of ‘empowerment’ and ‘agility’ and encourages a ‘manoeuvrist mindset and leadership through mission command’. Importantly, the research examines how culture should engage the whole force, from regular and reserve personnel to contractors and civil servants. Air Commodore Monahan points out that currently civil servants “receive no ‘encultural’ training. We are exploring how best to inculcate future RAF culture across the whole force.” The challenge is how to inculcate RAF core values, pride, and cohesion to all involved in the delivery of air power.

The Air Force is exploring novel training techniques such as virtual reality, and blended

learning that combines residential and online facilities.

These align more closely with technological change and influences emerging in modern warfare, and endorse the Government’s 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, which targets greater resilience, switching from ‘traditional warfighting’ to ‘technological warfighting’.

The Ukraine crisis demonstrates the important role of the NATO Alliance in assuring the security of our nation and the added complexities of developing an international culture within it. To do this, NATO uses various innovative concepts to guide changes that reflect the modern world as part of its vision of how to develop militaries to maintain advantage for the next 20 years. This includes continued commitment to initial training courses, such as collective experiences that instill a sense of group responsibility, selflessness and pride, principally achieved through learning traditional values such as teamwork, marching and uniforms.

A First World War Sopwith Camel.

Ever since the creation of the RAF in 1918, its leaders have emphasised the importance of culture (PHOTO: AIR HISTORICAL BRANCH – RAF/CROWN COPYRIGHT)

Balancing tradition and modernisation Getting the balance right between the traditions of the RAF that have underpinned its fighting spirit for over a century and modernising the Service is complex. Alongside the Culture Team’s research, Air Commodore Monahan has designed a training package to explain culture to RAF leaders of all ranks.

“We’ve been imparting our culture on our people for many years, but we have been doing so with little real understanding of the power of culture and the way it works. This research has explored culture in great depth and allows us to understand its place it in the heart of our change programmes, such that we retain the important aspects of culture whilst adapting at the pace of relevance so that we outmatch our adversaries,” he concludes.

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The new RAF Professions From 68 Trades and Branches to 11 Professions, the Chief of Staff Personnel, Air Vice-Marshal Maria Byford, reveals how and why the RAF employment structure is being radically transformed

F Aircrew is one of the five RAF Professions to have ‘graduated’ (PHOTO: SAC WILLIAMS/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

or over 70 years, our organisational design, with officer Branches and other rank personnel Trade Groups, has reflected the language, operating environment and scale of a 1950s Royal Air Force. Today, those descriptions no longer reflect the RAF’s professional, highly trained and increasingly agile workforce.

The old structure stifled career flexibility, because aviators were tied to a specific Trade or Branch throughout their service. Under Professions, they will instead be viewed as professional, adaptable individuals, with transferable skills matched to where the Service needs them most – the right people in the right jobs at the right time. That is why, on 1 April 2022, we began the transition from 68 Trades and Branches to 11 new Professions, and will continue this evolution through 2025. It not only aligns us

with modern employment expectations, it also demonstrates how we value our people. In addition, it will help to meet the RAF’s future workforce needs by offering more flexible and more rewarding careers.

Simply merging Branches and Trade Groups will not in itself deliver agility. More than 100 conditions have been set to determine all the supporting development for the stand-up of each Profession.

These conditions cover the cross-cutting areas of human resources policy and processes, as well as career management and training. Crucially, a Profession is only allowed to ‘graduate’ when the necessary conditions for minimum viability have been met. Naturally, ongoing work will be required to satisfy all of the remaining conditions over the ensuing years.

As we introduce Professions, we need to understand what roles an individual can perform, what skills they have developed and how we can grow these to support operational output and individual requirements. Each Profession will have career pathways underpinned by specific competences. The competency data will be essential for shaping aviators’ personal development and career management in the years to come.

Evolving for tomorrow Furthermore, the Heads of each Profession have produced a set of blueprints that explore functional output and structure within the 2040 timeline.

These blueprints reduce the constraints of the ‘here and now’ and seek to evolve for tomorrow.

They remain coherent with the RAF Strategy and the Astra transformation journey as we embrace the multi-domain, contested and competitive operating environment within which our people will be working. All recognise a future environment with significant increases in automation and digitisation, the regular use of artificial intelligence to support decision making, and an increased use of remote and autonomous systems.

This will require a diverse and inclusive workforce that is highly professional and agile, and able to innovate and respond to the needs of the nation

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RAF Medical Services and Chaplaincy are also among the first five professions to be recognised as one of the 11 new RAF Professions

using alternate ways of working. Our workforce will be increasingly diverse, with world-class, externally recognised training, delivered through multiple mechanisms that seek to harness and develop inherent talent. Personnel will be rewarded on skills, rather than rank and time in service, and we will seek to provide varied, interesting and challenging careers that give greater opportunity and choice to each individual. Throughout the journey, we will engage to understand the needs and views of our people and, in turn, evolve our plans.

(PHOTO: SGT ‘MATTY’ MATTHEWS/SAC TOM CANN/MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

The first five Professions On 1 April 2022, the first five Professions – Aircrew, Chaplaincy, Legal, Medical Services and People Operations – successfully graduated, substantially meeting the stringent conditions to form their Professions. The Heads of Professions and Profession Advisor Teams have worked extremely hard so far.

Not surprisingly, there is more work ahead – further development of the Professions, and widespread dialogue and communications – as we guide the remaining Branches and Trades into Professions.

The Chief of the Air Staff has purposely allowed a carefully phased approach out to April 2025, giving time for those Professions, where the changes are more profound, to really understand and exploit the opportunities ahead. The Heads of Professions, along with their teams of Profession

Advisors, will continue working with aviators throughout this change, enabling RAF personnel to have their say and be part of this transformation.

Our workforce of the future must be agile and adaptable, professional and collaborative, to meet future challenges. Agility and flexibility, in both our aviators and how we conduct business, are key characteristics for providing global air and space power to protect our nation. This move to Professions is a cultural step-change for our Service and will give us the operational flexibility that will be crucial to our success, and form the foundations of the Next Generation Royal Air Force.

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SYNTHETIC FUELS

Energy assurance for the Next Generation Air Force In November 2021, the RAF flew a Comco Ikarus C42 microlight aircraft fuelled by Zero Petroleum’s UL91 synthetic fuel. The pilot, Group Captain Peter Hackett, Head Airborne Experimentation Unit RAF RCO, reveals how this was achieved and what it tells us about our future use of synthetic fuel

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Group Captain Peter ‘Willy’ Hackett MBE at the controls of the Comco Ikarus C42 microlight, making final preparations before take-off and setting a Guinness World Record (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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he RAF is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and increasing operational resilience as we search for a suitable alternative to liquid petroleum fuels with the right energy density. For now, liquid fuel is the answer, especially for combat aircraft, yet how do we do this without negatively impacting our environment?

In the summer of 2021, serendipity brought together a collection of people in the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) at Cody Technology Park, Farnborough. From the start, it was obvious that the RCO had assembled a talented team that exuded quiet confidence and that something special was about to unfold. Led by Wing Commander Nicola Sinclair, a dialogue began with Paddy Lowe, founder

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and CEO of Zero Petroleum, and they quickly recruited me to explore the possibility of making the world’s first 100% fossil-free synthetic fuel flight.

Zero Petroleum was founded by Paddy Lowe and Professor Nilay Shah OBE in January 2020.

Their intent was to develop and commercialise the first fully synthetic petroleum fuels in the UK. Their revolutionary process combines carbon dioxide, water (collected from the atmosphere), and renewable energy (from wind or solar) to create fossil-free synthetic fuel. Burning the fuel in a traditional engine is 100% fossil-free, indefinitely sustainable and fully scalable, as the raw ingredients come from the atmosphere itself. In just five months, Zero Petroleum designed and manufactured a

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first-of-a-kind fuel synthesis plant and produced enough fuel for a flight demonstration.

The next hurdle was to find a suitable aircraft and regulatory regime under which to conduct the flight. Through a partnership with Kemble Flying Club, a completely standard Comco Ikarus C42 microlight aircraft was secured, and both the Civil Aviation Authority and British Microlight Aircraft Association were very supportive of using the aircraft for the record attempt. But why a microlight?

Firstly, the take-off and landing distances of these aircraft are small in comparison to the runway length available at Kemble airfield. This was a significant factor in driving down the consequences of our largest risk – engine failure. If the engine stopped in a microlight, I always had the option to glide down and land on the runway. Secondly, the Rotax engine in the microlight used only a small amount of fuel for the flight profile I intended to fly, and, as this was a research project, fuel was in short supply!

To make sure the synthetic fuel would perform as expected in the engine, we turned to CFS Aero in Warwickshire, who quickly produced a digital test rig for the Rotax engine in order to confirm the project was safe to advance to the flying phase.

Before the synthetic fuel was introduced to the engine, fuel testing and certification were performed by Intertek. This confirmed the purity of the synthetic fuel, with no additives required to meet the exacting standards demanded for flight.

Watching the engine start for the first time and perform flawlessly with identical power, without any modifications or retuning, gave me a great sense of pride in British engineering prowess, and the confidence we could make the record flight.

Record-breaking attempt Everything was set for the flight when 2 November arrived. A blanket of mist hugged the airfield, nestled in the Cotswolds. The forecast predicted a 10am clearance, and Kemble Flying Club became a hive of activity in preparation for the flight.

The onlookers, including press and celebrities, milled around the hangar, examining the small microlight, responsible for a world first and a big step forward in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

The sun peeked through the mist, creating a stir among the crowd, but each time the mist teasingly rolled back over the airfield. Finally, just after 11am, the sun vanquished the mist and the aircraft rolled out of the hangar – anticipation palpable. I performed one final pre-flight check, before strapping in. All systems behaving, I primed the engine and confirmed we were a ‘go’. As my finger hovered over the start button, I wondered whether the engine would actually start. I needn’t have worried.

The machine burst into life almost instantly and ran as smoothly as a hot knife through butter.

I taxied to the far end of the airfield to launch from runway 26. Once lined up for take-off, and after one final check of all engine parameters, everything was as expected. I had nothing left to do but go fly!

I eased the throttle fully forwards and the engine responded immediately. Acceleration was good, and the engine revs per minute (rpm) were correct, so I was quickly airborne. I circled into the overhead of Kemble, always keeping the option to land on that big welcoming runway below me. I joined in formation with another microlight, which had a photographer onboard to record this ground-breaking event.

On 2 November 2021, the RAF achieved the world’s first aircraft flight using only 100% synthetic fuel at Kemble Flying Club in the Cotswolds (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

Flawless flight With heightened senses I listened intently to the engine for any signs of failure, or unexpected changes in sound – but nothing. The Rotax performed flawlessly.

After several circles of the airfield, it was time to close the throttle and glide back to earth. I paused to process the magnitude of the event. We had done it and I had the privilege of experiencing it first-hand. A small, highly talented team from across the UK had, in only a few months, achieved something remarkable.

The RCO is now engaged with Zero Petroleum to scale up production of jet fuel (SynAvTur) and gasoline (SynAvGas). The intent is to produce enough to supply the entire RAF, including our current fleet of combat aircraft, from resources within the UK, using green energy. This will happen at costs within the range of current fossil fuels, not only achieving energy assurance for the RAF and potentially wider Ministry of Defence, but also at a far more predictable price than volatile fossil fuels.

But, best of all, are the amazing benefits of fossil-free sustainability becoming reality.

Not only will the RAF defend the UK of today, it will do so without attacking our future.

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RAF LEEMING

Living Laboratory Group Captain Maurice Dixon from the RAF’s Astra Sustainability Team reveals how RAF Leeming is being used as a Living Laboratory to pioneer climate-change mitigation across the Ministry of Defence

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he Chief of the Air Staff has set the RAF a tough target to reach net zero carbon emissions across its estate, its operational and flying activity by 2040. To better understand the intricacies and phasing of the actions, technologies and interventions to achieve this, RAF Leeming has been selected as the RAF Living Laboratory. This allows Air Command to take a logical system-ofsystems approach to reducing estate energy and fuel emissions to zero, and then to become carbon negative to offset remaining aviation emissions.

RAF Leeming is pioneering climate-change mitigation technology in search of a path to net zero by 2040 (PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Project ViTAL A Living Laboratory is a place-based research platform that leverages a bounded site as a testbed for innovation and the co-production of sustainability knowledge. The Air Living Lab is centred around collaboration between RAF Leeming and Newcastle University under Project ViTAL, yet is linked to

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many other initiatives on site. The RAF Leeming Living Laboratories will inform RAF and Defence decision-making by providing real-world, peopleand operations-orientated, peer-reviewed data and metrics. These will help to ensure Air climate change adaptation and sustainability is undertaken within, and compatible with, a military air power context.

RAF Leeming’s Net Zero 25 roadmap will outline options to decarbonise the site’s electricity, gas, oil and transport, and allow the many ‘what if?’ scenarios and technologies to be tested against the context of RAF Leeming out to 2035.

Project IOTA Project IOTA is providing a 5G communications backbone across the site to link multiple energy management systems and sensors to understand how RAF Leeming functions and how activity and context-based data can be leveraged to eliminate

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Project ViTAL consists of six core activities, to be scaled up and made available across the MOD:

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Carbon footprint baselining and reduction to develop a roadmap for RAF Leeming to reduce carbon, supported by other Air/Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) evidence-based decision-making, net-zero methodologies and interventions.

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Decarbonising electrical power by embedding thin film, lightweight integrated solar photovoltaic technology within building designs, on vehicles and potentially on clothing and equipment.

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Using carbon capture to improve soil carbon absorption and improve vegetation growth to balance the carbon emissions budget for the RAF Leeming estate.

(above) Project ZEHyDA is converting a diesel-powered medium aircrafttowing tug to run on hydrogen

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Decarbonising heating and cooling energy (currently natural gas) using a geothermal system to produce low-carbon electricity on site, in order to increase energy resilience and reduce electricity import from the grid.

(PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Evaluating the viability of a military hydrogen economy to decarbonise gas usage by fuelling vehicles and aircraft, storing surplus energy, and potentially generating electricity and synthetic fuels. Under Project ZEHyDA, a consortium is converting a diesel-powered Medium Aircraft Towing Tug to run on hydrogen via a hydrogen fuel cell and electric propulsion system. In parallel, a V8 diesel truck engine is being converted to run on hydrogen.

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(left) The whole of the RAF Leeming estate is being used to trial low-carbon technologies

Using life-cycle costing methodologies to understand the full ‘concept to end-of-life’ impacts of technologies.

energy, fuel and other resource waste. This will allow Air Command and DIO to build a Digital Twin of the site in a computer model, so that data can be visualised in 3D and data flows and site activities can be monitored, assessed and managed in real time.

Winter 2021 saw hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) used as a drop-in replacement for normal red diesel in a number of oil heating boilers to test its suitability as a low-carbon transition fuel, with an 80% emission reduction. Air Command’s HYDRO projects are addressing the heating and hot-water challenges across the ageing estate, and are now investigating the best technologies to decarbonise future heating and hot-water provision to buildings.

To reduce heat leakage from our poorly insulated buildings, 90 Signals Unit undertook a drone IR heat-loss survey of buildings, and a number of single-living accommodation blocks will be ‘compared and contrasted’ after insulation

(PHOTO: MOD/ CROWN COPYRIGHT)

retrofits, installation of smart metering and other technology, to influence the right energy-saving behaviours, building designs and operations.

RAF Leeming is also investigating the use of a local biogas plant for low-carbon electricity, gas and heating. Biogas and heat extraction from the local sewage farm is another option being assessed.

In addition, plans are being studied for a solar PV farm adjacent to the site. And, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions from on-site transport, the White Fleet is converting to electric vehicles, and an e-scooter trial is being evaluated, as are other e-mobility options to reduce on-site car travel.

It is not all about energy consumption and waste, though. RAF Leeming is also looking into promoting the rejuvenating benefits of wellbeing for its personnel by trialling experiments with bee-keeping and micro-agricultural allotments through Project Wellness.

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Global Air Forces Climate Change Collaboration – GACCC From seed-bombing the jungles of Sri Lanka to monitoring whales in the oceans, and even creating water out of thin air, the world’s air forces are stepping up to the challenge of climate change through the Global Air Forces Climate Change Collaboration. Honorary Group Captain Kevin Billings from 601 (County of London) Squadron, RAuxAF, provides an update on some of their efforts

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Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft dropped sonobuoys to monitor whales as part of its Marine Mammal Mitigation programme (PHOTO: RCAF)

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limate change is a transnational challenge that threatens global resilience and our shared security and prosperity. Every climate study speaks to the consequences of the earth’s rapidly rising temperature – drought, famine, mass migration, sea-level rise. All of these threaten global security and increase the chances of war.

While reducing the potential causes of conflict is reason enough for air forces to limit greenhouse-gas emissions, the greatest threat to combat effectiveness in the air is the air itself. Increased heat and humidity caused by climate change are radically altering the physical environment, making future military successes dependent on mitigation and adaptation today.

Research shows that climate change is reducing the performance of military aircraft. As the environment grows hotter and more humid, military aircraft will be less able to carry as much payload or execute long-distance sorties without refuelling.

More missions will be cancelled or modified due to decreased aircraft performance, which diminishes an air force’s ability to project power and respond effectively to conflicts and humanitarian missions.

Consequently, the world’s air and space forces are taking significant steps to address these challenges, both individually and collectively. Collectively, at the instigation of RAF Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the Global Air Forces Climate Change Collaboration (GAFCCC) has brought together over 40 air forces on six continents to share best practices, lessons learned and ideas. Working groups are being formed to address operations, infrastructure, fuels, logistics and sustainment, as well as training, organisation, design and mitigation.

The fundamental premise of the GAFCCC is that we are smarter together than we are individually.

Beyond the RAF commitment to achieve net zero by 2040, there are many examples from air and space forces around the world of addressing climate change

Bahrain The Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) has established several strategies to implement solar power within their power and back-up systems.

Indeed, several entities within the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), including the RBAF, are already successfully using green technologies at their remote

locations, including military camps and car parks, as well as medical and administrative facilities. The BDF has also started to generate water from thin air to help provide water supplies to remote areas. The strategy uses state-of-the-art technologies, with solar-powered machines to generate potable water.

Brunei Efforts by the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) to address climate change include work with the government agencies (including the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Development) that have adopted policies and approaches to address environmental change. In addition, the RBAirF is sharing knowledge and expertise with international agencies through training and education. For example, environmental awareness is being shared and inculcated to every individual (both military and civilian) at all levels throughout their training.

In addition, the RBAirF is implementing the use of environmentally friendly, non-hazardous materials and equipment in maintaining Rimba Air Force Base to align with government initiatives and policies pertaining to energy savings. This includes the use of energy-saving lighting and controls. In the long term, the RBAirF will enhance the use of sustainable energy in key development projects, such as new infrastructure at Rimba AFB and a future secondary AFB.

Canada In Canada, a healthy climate requires a healthy ocean, and a novel effort is underway in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) through a partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), which aims to leverage data in this fight. Using their advanced ISR capability, the RCAF worked with researchers studying critically endangered whales to collect a unique data set, now being used by researchers and policymakers.

The RCAF Marine Mammal Mitigation programme deploys autonomous systems to collect data, allowing planners the ability to make evidencebased decisions in the protection of our oceans.

In addition, research supporting the RCAF’s campaign to reach a net-zero carbon footprint is underway at DRDC through the Low Efficiency Aircraft Platforms Project. Ongoing research includes: – activities to improve platform efficiency such as drag-reduction techniques; – RCAF alternative-fuels adoption; – feasibility studies for the evaluation, advancement and certification of aircraft electrification technologies – batteries and hydrogen fuel cells; – hydrogen gas turbine research.

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Research that supports alternative mission approaches, such as reducing the time, cost and amount of fuel needed for ship helicopter trials is also underway.

France The French Air and Space Force (FASF) has adopted a sustainable development policy to address global warming in its current and future activities. In particular, it includes objectives in terms of environmental impact, biodiversity and increased awareness.

The FASF is fully involved in the national climate change initiatives, notably, by adopting alternative fuels. In a project started in 2022, the FASF aims to switch to 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2050. Moreover, with 10.15 million m2 of solar panels already installed on its airbases, the French defence ministry intends to install a total of 12.54 million m2 of solar panels by 2025 to provide clean energy.

This will continue the current effort of using 90% of carbon-free electrical energy on home bases.

Another activity relates to infrastructure. Since 2010, the FASF has achieved a 22% reduction in infrastructure energy consumption and a 32% reduction in GHG emissions. Those efforts will be followed up in the coming years. Regarding deployed airbases, major investments are being made on energy autonomy (self-sufficiency) in operations.

Italy The Italian Air Force (ITAF) is implementing a countrywide upgrade of all its installations and over 10,000 buildings to achieve a net-zero estate by 2040. The ITAF Sky Blue Air Base initiative will increase air base capabilities to be more adaptive and resilient, while maximising effectiveness in air operations and meeting the net-zero goal.

The ITAF Smart Energy Deployable Airfield (SEDA) will enable unit independence by integrating variable architectures and microgrids to generate autonomous and expandable airbases and support.

Additionally, the ITAF is collaborating with the Italian Navy to switch to synthetic and sustainable fuels.

Japan Temperature rises around Japan are higher than the world average, leading to more intense typhoons and an increase in flooding and landslides.

Consequently, Japan has established a nationwide net-zero goal by 2050. In May 2021, Japan’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) established a Climate Change Task Force to lead this effort, chaired by the State Minister of Defence. The Japan Air Self Defence Force is addressing these challenges, including significant programmes to switch to renewable

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electricity. In 2021, almost 400 new facilities switched to renewables, representing over 624 million kWh of new renewable energy replacing fossil fuels. This effort represents almost 50% of all MOD energy use.

Netherlands In its transition to a fifth-generation air force, sustainability is being specifically addressed so that airpower can be delivered within a sustainable world. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is currently undertaking initiatives into the production and application of alternative fuels in military aviation.

RNLAF uses SAF at Leeuwarden Air Base, and the Dutch industry has started the production on a limited scale of synthetic kerosene based on hydrogen.

Furthermore, the RNLAF is installing solar panels at its airbases to decrease its ecological footprint.

New Zealand The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is committed to taking action to reduce its climate and environmental impact at home and abroad.

The RNZAF is establishing links with domestic partners and its partner air forces with the intention of releasing a coherent climate-change strategy to meet New Zealand’s legislated climate-change requirements. In the interim, it has established a GHG-emission measurement methodology that is essential to meeting the Government’s Carbon Neutral Programme, and a requirement to publish reduction targets by December 2022.

Portugal The Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) is developing a roadmap for carbon neutrality.

It is a quantitative guide that identifies and estimates the PoAF’s GHG emissions and carbon sequestration capacity. Thereafter, and according to the emission sources, it prioritises actions to meet reduction targets, based on different scenarios. Finally, it defines the key performance indicators that need to be monitored to assure that a carbon-neutral scenario is achieved by 2050.

Spain The Spanish Air Force (SPAF) has implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS) based on ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards.

The EMS is audited externally every year and covers all SPAF facilities. Actions carried out so far include: – fluorinated gases inventory and periodic leak control; – carbon footprint assessment; – energy monitoring; – establishment of energy key performance indicators.

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By doing so, the SPAF has been able to establish its baseline, delimit GHG sources and start comprehensive air-base transformation, mainly through BACSI projects (connected, sustainable and intelligent air base) and focusing on SAF initiatives.

Sri Lanka Being a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is consistently among the top 10 countries at risk of extreme weather events by the Global Climate Risk Index. The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) is leading the reforestation effort of its jungles and carbon capture with seed bombing. Land reforested by the SLAF is capturing 14.8 million tonnes of carbon per year.

Switzerland Switzerland has signed the Paris Agreement, setting itself a CO2 -reduction goal of 50% by 2030, compared to 1990. According to the Federal Council’s decision, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by at least 40% by 2030, compared to 2001. With respect to replacing fossil fuels with sustainable fuel, the necessary technical and logistical clarifications have been successfully completed, and the financial and time consequences defined. On this basis, the Armed

Forces Command has approved the introduction of SAF in the Swiss Air Force. Currently, the procurement of SAF is being prepared. The goal is to start with an admixture rate of approximately 2% SAF from 2023, and to increase this to circa 10% by 2030. With this procedure and the simultaneous reduction of flight hours, the CO2 -reduction target of 85,000 tonnes of CO2 set for air mobility can be achieved in 2030.

A U.S. Air Force fifth-generation F-22 Raptor jet successfully completed a flight using a 50/50 blend of militarygrade fuel and a hydrotreated renewable jet fuel in March 2021 (PHOTO: U.S. AIR FORCE)

United States The United States Air Force (USAF) is doing its part to mitigate and adapt to climate change by enhancing the energy efficiency of weapon systems, developing more resilient and agile installations and institutionalising climate policies into operations. By incorporating aircraft drag-reduction and engine-sustainment technologies, innovative process improvements, modern planning software and advanced propulsion, the USAF is addressing the climate crisis from multiple angles, while ensuring a ready and lethal force.

The sharing of lessons learned from each of these examples is invaluable to each air force addressing its unique climate challenges. In facing our shared future, we are all smarter and more effective together than we are individually.

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Connecting the joint force as one.

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