Christopher Crowley’s Post

We explore key takeaways from the FY2025 Air Force and Space Force budget requests—why it’s important to boost investment in key mission areas like space control and domain awareness, to the importance of growing aircraft acquisition numbers. #AirForce #USAF #Airman #SpaceForce #Guardian

Boeing has been awarded a USD 2.56 billion contract from the U.S. Air Force Reserve for two rapid prototype E-7A AEW&C Wedgetail aircraft. The contract includes lifecycle development, training and support for the Air Force’s E-7A fleet. The combat-proven E-7A Wedgetail provides targeted tracking and battle management command-and-control capabilities to joint forces for “first to detect, first to engage” advantage. The E-7 AEW&C platform is currently in service with the Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force (designated E-737 Peace Eye) and Turkish Air Force (designated E-7T Peace Eagle). “Global operators are proving that the E-7 AEW&C is a critical node for air superiority in the modern battlespace,” said Boeing Vice President and E-7 Program Manager Stu Voboril. “In our partnership with the U.S. Air Force, we’re focused on stable, predictable execution to deliver crucial mission-ready capabilities today. This will put us on the path for the long-term growth of the aircraft and mission.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dM6HWVfV #Boeing #airforce #USAF #E7A #Wedgetail #earlywarning #aircraft #defence #aerospace #industry #technology #armedforces

"Hey - what's the range of that radio?" How many times have you heard this? The answer is always the same: It depends. Terrain, urban sprawl, spectrum clutter, altitude, antenna gain... all of these variables affect your radio's performance. Instead of guessing, wouldn't you like to KNOW your radio link budget? You can. Soothsayer by CloudRF, provided exclusively by Fenix Group, Inc., allows for network planning including all variables - in the cloud, on #ATAK, and on prem. Visualize everything from space based emitters, drones telemetry links, to ship-to-ship comms, to handheld radios. Plan #MANET, #TETRA, #cellular & even #radar networks and see your Fresnel zones come alive on active maps. Control all the variables of your mission. More importantly, ensure mission success while saving time & money doing it right the first time. Contact us at: [email protected] to learn more. #radio #MANET #5G #pLTE #4G #military #defense #defence #MoD #army #navy #airforce #marines #USMC #USAF #SOCOM #communications #wireless #battlefieldofthings

NATO Picks E-7 as Its New AWACS; Six Aircraft to Start Nov. 17, 2023 NATO has selected Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail as its next airborne moving target indicator and air battle management aircraft, succeeding the aging Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS, the alliance announced this week. The first of six aircraft will be operational by 2031, but the fleet may grow beyond that number. The alliance joins Australia, South Korea, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S. as having selected the Wedgetail; the U.S. Air Force plans to acquire 26 of the aircraft. The Wedgetail beat out several other offerings for NATO, including the Saab Global Eye; a Bombardier Global 6500 equipped with mission equipment provided by L3Harris; and Northrop Grumman’s E-2D. Northrop is also a major supplier to Boeing on the E-7, as the builder of the Wedgetail’s main, dorsally-mounted Multi-role Electronically-Scanned Array (MESA) radar. The value of the planned acquisition was not stated. The Air Force announced its selection of the E-7 in February, capping the undefinitized development contract at $1.2 billion. An Air Force-specific prototype will enter production by 2025, and the first E-7 is to be in service by 2027, with the last delivered by 2032. The Air Force’s acquisition of the E-7 is characterized by the service as “urgent,” as mission availability rates for its aging E-3s have fallen below 60 percent in recent years. That urgency required going with a non-developmental, off-the-shelf solution, officials said. However, USAF E-7s will be equipped with a unique mission gear suite, including more extensive communications functions and possible application as a controller of autonomous aircraft. In a statement, NATO said the choice of the E-7 was made by “a consortium of Allies” who “gave their approval to the project, one of NATO’s biggest-ever capability purchases, this month.” Production is set to begin “in the coming years,” the release added https://lnkd.in/efBeDb6a

"Hey - what's the range of that radio?" How many times have you heard this? The answer is always the same: It depends. Terrain, urban sprawl, spectrum clutter, altitude, antenna gain... all of these variables affect your radio's performance. Instead of guessing, wouldn't you like to KNOW your radio link budget? You can. Soothsayer by CloudRF, provided exclusively by Fenix Group, Inc., allows for network planning including all variables - in the cloud, on #ATAK, and on prem. Visualize everything from space based emitters, drones telemetry links, to ship-to-ship comms, to handheld radios. Plan #MANET, #TETRA, #cellular & even #radar networks and see your Fresnel zones come alive on active maps. Control all the variables of your mission. More importantly, ensure mission success while saving time & money doing it right the first time. Contact us at: [email protected] to learn more. #radio #MANET #5G #pLTE #4G #military #defense #defence #MoD #army #navy #airforce #marines #USMC #USAF #SOCOM #communications #wireless #battlefieldofthings

IAI - Israel Aerospace Industries has signed contracts with the Czech Republic and Greece concerning its multi-mission radar (MMR) systems and Barak missile systems, respectively. IAI signed a contract with the Czech MoD on 14 March for the sustainment and maintenance of IAI ELTA Systems Ltd’s MMR systems. The contract includes local companies RETIA, Inc. and Military Technical Institute (VTU s.p.), which will collaborate with Elta as local contractors for the maintenance of the radar systems. In Greece, IAI signed a contract with its Greek subsidiary and technology defence company INTRACOM DEFENSE (IDE) for the development of an advanced Hybrid Energy & Climate Control System (HECCS) to be fitted onto the Barak missile systems. Systems development will take place at IDE’s R&D centre in Athens and is expected to create 200 jobs. Find out more in the latest issue of the CTO newsletter 👉 Link in the comments. #CTO #offset #defenceindustry #Israel #CzechRepublic #Greece #technologytransfer #collaboration

The European Commission has signed a Grant Agreement to launch the Land Tactical Collaborative Combat (LATACC) project, led by the Thales Group. The project will bring together around 34 companies and research institutions, including Rheinmetall, Saab, and Indra, to better collaborate and interconnect disparate European Armed Forces' assets. Through the use of AI and Cloud technology, LATACC aims to prepare for 'high-intensity' battles and enable more responsive actions on the battlefield. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting collaboration! #AI #Cloud #MilitaryTechnology #LATACC #military #defense #defence #aerospace #aviation #aircraft #aircrafts #airplane #airplanes #aviationlovers #militaryaviation #militaryaircraft #fighterjet #engineering #technology

The announcement by the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) that it will take delivery of 20 F-35A Block 4 Lightning II from 2028 raises two big questions: the first, how will the force operate; and the second, who owns the data? 1️⃣ The HAF is a big-sized ‘medium’ air force with over 194 combat aircraft across five types (for comparison the Royal Air Force (RAF) maintains 149 across two types). The plan is to rationalise that force down to three: upgraded F-16 Block 52, F-35A Block 4 and Rafale F4. Greece’s longstanding competition with Turkey means it runs a suite of air operations in the Aegean as well as participating in NATO missions. Using the stealthy F-35A in a pathfinder ISR role designating targets for the Rafale would maximise the French jet’s 14 external hardpoints. But what about the Vipers? Most air forces are transitioning *FROM* F-16 *TO* F-35; the HAF will be operating two ‘4.5 generation’ airframes simultaneously. 2️⃣ The really interesting question is though, who talks to whom? F-35A runs quiet because it doesn’t transmit on RF, while 4.5 gen still talk across Link-16. Solving the comms interoperability problem is going to be huge because there is no indication the US will share MADL (the F-35 datalink) directly with any non-5th generation airframe. To share data between 5th gen and other jets the HAF will need a comms gateway, and we’re not aware of any European manufacturer able to offer a MADL gateway similar to BACN or TALON HATE. And therein lies the rub – air power is now about systems. Will the HAF go down the path of the US ‘combat cloud’ which allows full exploitation of MADL and data fusion, or wait for inclusion in the European #FCAS program? The twin-track of Lockheed Martin and Dassault Aviation airframes may well be an astute hedging move by the HAF, as the Rafale F5 build (now on order with Armée de l’air et de l’espace) will be a gateway to the FCAS/SCAF family of systems. 👉 But both involve a trade-off: the loss of sovereignty that comes with using US data, versus the ‘requirements battle’ involved in multinational defence programs. In Australia, we need to be thinking today about how the future RAAF air combat ‘system’ will be built. Watching how medium-sized forces such as the HAF and Polish Air Force respond to these thorny problems can help and guide that response. The Royal Australian Air Force should watch how the HAF integrates two very different weapon systems across different aircraft generations, whilst managing competing geopolitical demands between European and American manufacturers. Air power is a national capability that requires strategic (whole of society) thinking. #systemofsystems #sovereignty #airpower

The aerospace and defence sectors demand a blend of innovation and complexity. Advances in combat strategies, the changing requirements for civil and military aircraft, and humanity's desire to explore space have led to significant achievements that have enhanced various aspects of human activity. These projects are intricate and require ongoing effort and investment to achieve their full potential. DesignTech Systems has been instrumental in several important projects, both domestically and globally. Know More: https://lnkd.in/d8v6mbSY #aerospace #defence #engineeringservices #cae #designtech Sandeep Aare Nikhil PRATAP Sakshi Narkar

Honored the United States Air Force has awarded ThroughPut.ai a Direct-to-Phase-II Contract for Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Sikorsky Mission Design Series to accelerate aircraft readiness. “ThroughPut.ai looks forward to supporting efforts to accelerate inventory flow across the United States Air Force,” said Ali H. Raza, CEO & Founder of ThroughPut.ai. “By driving inventory/materiel management changes at the maintenance endpoint first, supply chain improvements can then be amplified across the greater industrial base to create aircraft capacity.” Learn more here -->> https://lnkd.in/gjdRPNUM #aircraftavailability #flighttime #flyinghours #missionreadiness #missioncapability #usaf #usairforce #daf #departmentoftheairforce #airforceresearchlaboratory #afwerx #sbir #sttr #supplychainai #ai #ml #missionsupportgroup #maintenancegroup #mxg #sustainment #materiel #operations #logistics #maintenance #airmen #warfighter #assetavailability