Archive for category Aviation
To quote the Joker, ‘Now You’re Talking’. lol It’s about time the Army invests in this weapon. Like I mentioned before, every contact with the enemy could produce tons of intel using drone archer weapons, and most of all, produce some kills. Or hey, if we really get good at this game, use the drones for non-lethal means and stun the prey so we can capture and get even more intel.
Weapons like this will also allow competent drone archer teams to take advantage of the chaos of a battle. As soon as the battle starts, these things go up and the hunters begin to hunt from a flank (the air) that most enemies are not prepared for. Not only can we see from the air with these devices, but we can kill, and that puts a lot of capability in the hands of small unit leaders.
Having a drone that can not only watch enemy movements during the battle, but could actually track the enemy as they try to escape is a tool that can be used for ‘relentless pursuit‘. (h/t to Eeben for that) And this also gives a squad leader choices. They can either watch with the drone and call it back if they can’t get a kill, or use the drone as a kamikaze weapon.
This weapon also helps in the ‘locate, close with, and destroy’ mission. Because as you close with that enemy, you need to be able to see if they are staying put while maneuvering upon their elements. You can also use the drone to see any terrain or enemy positions that a ground based observer could not see. This information is vital for a squad’s decision making loop (OODA) as they are trying to gain advantage in their fight and get a win.
Which by the way….. Something we can take from the insurgents here, is their methods for suicide assaults. Swarming is what they are depending upon–or to do a breach with one suicide bomber, then swarm in with multiple suicide assaulters fighting their way into pockets of human concentration to detonate. A drone archer team could probably take some interesting ideas from this process, as well as learn from the old Japanese Kamikaze attack strategies. I also like the idea of including these weapons within the strategic planning for an assault. Much like how you would use a SMAW team for initiating an assault, a drone archer team could have similar utility.
I also like the idea of being able to fly this thing across a canyon or to the tops of hills during a fight. I am sure most combatants have no respect for small drones at this time, thinking that they are not armed. I would love to see the expression on a booger eater’s face when they see that little thing slam right into their team and blow up. lol Or how about ten of those little drones swarming like some bees, and just plowing into targets of opportunity during a fight? And meanwhile the infantry is pouring on the lead and any other munitions to keep the enemy busy. That chaos, will provide plenty of opportunities for a drone archer team. Lots of ideas here….
I guess my intent is that I would like to see this weapon used to defeat hit and run tactics. These tactics are what insurgents depend upon for success against infantry units, and I would like to see drone archer tactics contribute to countering hit and run. In other words, if the enemy wants to expose themselves with a ‘hit’, then I want to deploy a weapon that will get them during the ‘hit’ and/or during the ‘run’ portion of that fight. We will see….-Matt
U.S. Army Awards AeroVironment $4.9 Million Contract for Switchblade Agile Munition Systems and Services
September 01 2011
AeroVironment, Inc. announced that it received a contract on June 29 from the U.S. Army Close Combat Weapons Systems (CCWS), Program Executive Office Missiles and Space (PEO MS). The $4,907,840 contract for the Switchblade agile munition includes engineering services and operational systems for deployment with the U.S. Army.
This award represents the culmination of years of development, testing, demonstrations and customer evaluations. The prototype Switchblade system previously received Safety Confirmation and underwent Military Utility Assessment with the U.S. Army in the fall of 2010. The award is for rapid fielding of this capability to deployed combat forces.
Til Valhall to those who perished in this incident. You will not be forgotten, and your contribution to the cause in Afghanistan was profound and honorable. My heart also goes out to the friends and family of the fallen, both in Afghanistan and in the US.
As far as what exactly happened is up to the military investigators to reveal. So I will not get into any speculation as to the weapons used by the Taliban, or who to blame for any operational screw ups. It could be that this shot was the Golden BB, or the lucky shot. Or it could be something that was planned and well coordinated using advanced weapons. Who knows, and it is all speculation until the final reports come out as to what exactly happened. -Matt
This is a quick one, and falls under the Opensource Military Hardware concept. Imagine this–building a weaponized drone using open source maker’s sites like DIY Drones and Dronepedia and utilizing a 3D printer to make hundreds if not thousands of them? That is where all of this stuff is going, and the possibilities are endless.
The other reason why I wanted to bring this up is that this kind of thing is definitely competition for the defense industries that specialize in UAV sales. Why buy an expensive drone from a company when you can just print out a bunch of them? And because anyone can access the information on how to build these things, then now you have the ability to continuously improve your drone program based on the input of the crowds.
My last point to bring up with this is that as this technology becomes cheaper and more available, then the odds of these things being used by criminals or terrorists increase. The other day, a DIY crew made a drone that could hack into computers via Wifi, and it is only a matter of time until we see the bad guys use this stuff to do all sorts of interesting things. Or even today’s terrorists/enemies, and all of the possible deadly uses of drones. Cartels or pirates could also get into the game of making and using drones. Especially for pirates, because drones could help them to find vessels to take down. Perhaps having shotguns for site security will be a required weapon in the near future? Or some kind of grenade launcher outfitted with special rounds to counter drone attacks?
Now what I would be interested to see is a drone that could be launched by an RPG launcher, and either used for surveillance or as a flying missile. A drone that you could quickly get into the air and use it as a ‘bird of prey’ for a fire fight. Or something that you could launch and have it fly farther than any of your unit’s weapon’s effective ranges, and have the ability to locate and destroy an enemy across the canyon or up in the hills. Something like that could end one of these DShK cross canyon ambushes, and especially if you did not have CAS on deck to deal with the attackers. While everyone is returning fire, this drone could be launched and flown above enemy positions so precise targeting data could be collected, or targets of opportunity could be taken out by the drone itself. -Matt
Thanks to Mad Duo over at Kit Up for posting this one. I am always on the lookout for potential drone archer weapons, or UAV’s that are small and lethal. I believe tools like this can enhance the lethality of a small unit. The more we can put that capability of small lethal drones in their hands, the more options a small unit has on the battlefield.
The specifics that interested me about this UAV is that they are able to equip the thing with a 40mm grenade launcher and FLIR. Although for a platform like this, I would much rather see a precision weapon system. It would be the ultimate aerial sniper platform, and especially if they can get the stabilization game down. In this case, you could use the drone archer more like a sniper team on the battlefield, and less as a hammer that is armed with just explosive drones.
The down side with this UAV is flight time and it’s durability. If an enemy sniper is able to get one shot on this thing, they could take it out. A shotgun or drone hunter UAV would be some tools that could counter such a weapon. So the thing with this weapon is it might be best served for aerial surveillance/tracking and helping with targeting. Who knows, and what is required is to get weapons like this into the hands of the troops, and let them find it’s utility. -Matt
I remember when the Blackwater Little Bird (MD 500) went down in Iraq, and it was a shock to all of us working in the industry at the time. This crash and the deaths that resulted, hit home to a lot of folks, to include the brother of one of the dead–Dan Laguna. Dan’s book goes into some of the details of this crash, and the life and sacrifices of this 160th SOAR pilot and contractor Little Bird pilot.
These Little Bird pilots and crews did some amazing and extremely dangerous work back then. If you remember the battle of Najaf or the rescue of the wounded Polish diplomat, you get an idea of the type of missions and contracts they were involved with. Which by the way, I did not know that the Polish government awarded Dan their Silver Star for the rescuing of their diplomat? (see video)
But the other thing I wanted to highlight here is that Dan represents the kind of sacrifice that contractors make and have given in this war. In this war alone, from 09/01/2001 to 03/31/2011, there have been 2,620 contractors killed.(Xe has lost 29 KIA according to the DoL statistics, 33 according to T. Christine Miller’s graph) That is 2,620 souls that had friends and families, all destroyed by the worst disaster they could ever experience–the loss of a loved one or friend. Not to mention entire towns mourned the loss of these men and women, and the memory of that loss is with everyone forever…
During this Memorial Day weekend, there will be many folks out there looking back on this loss and trying make sense of it all. For some, the pain and despair is a constant, and any and all sources of inspiration is needed to get through the days. That is why I recommend books like Dan Laguna’s. He is a military veteran and contractor veteran, and he lost his brother and comrades to war. If you want to learn how he copes, or understand his struggle to better understand how you can work through your loss and struggle, then this book is for you.
This book is also a testament to the kind of every day heroic deeds that contractors performed in these wars. It is also a testament to the heroic deeds of a 160th SOAR pilots. Which brings up another point.
A contractor is usually a military veteran. Most often, they are military veterans with incredible backgrounds, multiple deployments in the war, and have lost comrades. Not to mention the hard lives of the families of veterans who had to keep things going at the home front all of those years.
These veterans make up a large contingent of contractors. Some are even retired military veterans who definitely gave their pound of flesh to country….and then some. And yet these same men continue to serve and die as contractors, and to me, that is inspirational and something to admire. -Matt
Dan Laguna’s blog here.
Buy the book here.
Facebook for book here.
Blackwater’s Little Birds blog here.
Find the book in the Jundi Gear Locker here.
Book Description from Amazon
On July 20, 1994, Dan Laguna and Carlos Guerrero of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment SOAR were in a devastating helicopter accident. Carlos died and Dan spent months in the hospital recovering from 3rd and 4th degree full thickness burns and several broken bones. His story of survival is miraculous, inspirational and motivating. He returned to duty a year later and served seven more years in his unit before retiring.
After retiring from the Army and moving to Utah, Dan took a job working as a contractor for Blackwater USA in 2004. On January 23, 2007 his brother, Art Laguna, and four of his brothers in arms were killed when their helicopter was shot down over Baghdad, Iraq.
Dan Laguna’s helicopter had extensive damage due to small arms fire and was forced to land but after inspecting the helicopter and noticing dozens of insurgents racing toward them, he decided to take the risk and fly back to the Green Zone.
This book is a tribute to his fallen brothers whose, courage, bravery, and patriotism are what make this country what it is today.—————————————————————-
Utah Helicopter Pilot Talks About Battle That Killed Brother
January 24th, 2007
First of all my brother is and was a HERO. All he ever wanted to do from the time I can remember as a child, was he wanted to fly. He became one of the most professional pilots you could have ever known. I recruited my brother to join us with Blackwater Aviation. We get a lot of resumes but only a few have the qualifications to join us. This is one of the most demanding jobs in Iraq. The military flies some every day, but we in Blackwater Aviation are up flying in the RED zone every day all day.
These types of articles are great because they give the reader some perspective as to where the industry is going. DynCorp mentioned specifically that they are looking at getting into intelligence and post conflict international development as their targets for company growth. They are also recognizing the fact that a company that can meet the needs of both the DoD and DoS will have some good diversification as the wars evolve and transition. I love this quote:
“We position ourselves for transition,” he said. “We have to watch the whole life cycle of conflict to see where we’re going to play and who we’re going to play with.”
Which brings up another quote that really kind of threw me here. I had no idea that DynCorp was maintaining Presidential aircraft? That is a huge deal, and to put that kind of trust in a company like DynCorp says a lot. Here is the quote:
“We’re also known for our work with the presidential fleet,” he added. “There are now about 28 airplanes at Andrews Air Force Base that support the president’s Cabinet, and we support that fleet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
So there you have it. A private company tasked with maintaining the aircraft of the most important leaders of the nation. Might I add that DynCorp is also tasked with protecting dignitaries and politicians in the war zones through their DoS contracts, and that is a huge responsibility as well. From protecting nuclear plants, government employees, CEO’s and VIP’s, military officers, political leadership of the US, etc.–private industry is certainly making a contribution. DynCorp is definitely making their mark and it will be very interesting to watch them grow and evolve as the wars transition, or new wars come on to the scene. -Matt
Missions evolve, so does DynCorp
By Amber Corrin
Jun 06, 2011
It’s been a busy year for DynCorp International. In the past 16 months, the company has been bought by a private equity firm, made two acquisitions of its own and won at least four new major contracts.
At the same time, it is maintaining critical U.S. aircraft fleets, running counter-drug operations in Colombia, training law enforcement agents and shuttling dignitaries throughout Iraq, and maintaining military bases and working with police and Ministry of the Interior personnel in Afghanistan.
The company’s success helped it reach the No. 12 spot on the 2011 Top 100 with $3 billion in prime contracts.
The company continues to look toward its future. Specifically, it’s seeking to break into the intelligence and international development spheres, President Steven Schorer said.
Very cool. Al Venter has authored some fantastic books and is certainly dedicated to this subject matter. I have not read this particular book yet, and if any readers out there would like to add their two cents about the publication, please feel free to do so in the comments.
Also, this book is in the Jundi Gear store, and the link provided below will take you there directly. Or you can visit the JG store at any time and it will be there to check out or buy at your leisure. It looks like it is priced at $21.75. Be sure to check out Al’s wikipedia I posted below because it will give you an idea of the kind of work he has done over the years. -Matt
Gunship Ace: The Wars of Neall Ellis, Gunship Pilot and Mercenary
By Al Venter
Book Description
A former South African Air Force pilot who saw action throughout the region from the 1970s on, Neall Ellis is the best-known mercenary combat aviator alive. Apart from flying Alouette helicopter gunships in Angola, he has fought in the Balkan War (for Islamic forces), tried to resuscitate Mobutu’s ailing air force during his final days ruling the Congo, flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and thereafter an Mi-8 fondly dubbed ‘Bokkie’ for Colonel Tim Spicer in Sierra Leone. Finally, with a pair of aging Mi-24 Hinds, Ellis ran the Air Wing out of Aberdeen Barracks in the war against Sankoh’s vicious RUF rebels.
For the past two years, as a “civilian contractor,” Ellis has been flying helicopter support missions in Afghanistan, where, he reckons, he has had more close shaves than in his entire previous four-decades put together.
