Special Operations International March 2016

The most widely distributed special operations magazine in the world

James F. GeurtsAcquisition Executive

U.S. Special Operations Command

Q&A With

Rotary Wing Assetspage 14

UAS Anti-Ice Protectionpage 17

Small and Nano UASpage 18

Small SATCOMpage 22

CBRN Detection and Protectionpage 25

USSOCOM FY17 Construction Projectspage 28

InsIde ThIs Issue...

International Vector Lieutenant Colonel

Riho Ühtegi Commander, Estonian

Special Operations Force

March 2016 • Volume 14 • Issue 2

SOPHISTICATED EQUIPMENT FOR THE SOPHISTICATED MISSION

Realizing the most intricate missions call for the most dependable communications, L-3 GCS has developed its latest generation of VSAT terminals. The L-3 GCS Panther™ II manpack terminal is designed to be carried by a single user in a tactical, rugged environment. Together, its ability to support high-speed data rates, its lightweight and portable design, and its user-friendly control interface make the Panther II the logical choice for your next mission.

GCS L-3com.com

SOT_May2015_PantherII.indd 1 4/24/2015 10:16:04 AM

Features

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RoTaRy Wing asseTsIn these frugal times, helicopters that have been specially procured for special mission operations are few and far between. Internationally many helicopters used by special forces have dual use between the regular forces and SOF, but often it is the pilots who are imbued with special operational training.By andrew Drwiega

CaRBon nanoTuBe CoaTing FoR uaV all-WeaTheR opeRaTionsThe phenomenon of ice accretion on aircraft wings and control surfaces is a well-recognized challenge in aerospace engineering. The problem is more pronounced on unmanned aerial systems.By Chris Corsbie

smalleR is geTTing BeTTeRUnmanned aircraft systems (UASs) or drones in common language have been crowding the news lately and may someday crowd the skies. While the field of small, mini and nano UAS platforms may be crowded, technology is propelling capabilities to meet the demand signal.By henry Canaday

maximizing small saTCom CapaBiliTiesWhen special forces were beyond the reach of high-quality communications networks, they operated at a deficit of the kind of information and data that would make fulfilling their missions quicker and more efficient. By peter Buxbaum

DeTeCTion anD pRoTeCTionThe Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense purpose is to defend the United States against the unknown and unexpected, defend cities, support allies and protect warfighters.By patrick e. Clarke

ussoCom miliTaRy ConsTRuCTion Fy17Sixteen projects drive the special operations military construction budget request for FY2017.

Special Operations International

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table of ContentsDepartments

Cover/Q&A withJames F. Geurts

Acquisition ExecutiveU.S. Special Operations

Command

March 2016 • VoluMe 14 Issue 2

BlaCkWaTCh

people

ResouRCe CenTeR

Exclusive interviews with USSOCOM, CANSOFCOM and our annual USSOCOM

program management updates

Don’t miss the SOFIC issue of Special Operations International

See you in Tampa!!

Ron Mayne • [email protected] • 240-813-5654

12InternatIonal VeCtorExclusive interview with:lieutenant Colonel Riho ÜhtegiCommanderEstonian Special Operations Force

BlaCkWatCh Department

17th sos’s First Five-ship mC-130J Commando ii Formation

Instead of the usual howl of jet engines, Team Kadena heard the growl of 120 turbo-prop blades chopping the air as 17th special operations squadron Mc-130J commando II aircraft dominated the airfield February 17, 2016.

The aircraft took to the skies during the Pacific region’s first five-ship formation flight involving the new specialized mobility aircraft.

The formation was part of a 353rd special operations Group exercise testing the 17th sos and 353rd special operations Maintenance squadron to launch a short-notice, large-scale tasking.

“We routinely fly two ships, but we mobi-lized five ships to test our ability to generate aircraft in full force to make sure our mainte-nance can support that, and to make sure we can do the planning in case we are ever asked to fly a large formation,” said Major Brad Talley, 17th sos assistant director of operations.

As part of that assessment, team members evaluated their formation flying and short runway landings, combat systems operators tested their cargo air drop timing, and load-masters practiced their cargo delivery system rigging capabilities.

As reported by Senior Airman Peter Reft.

aFsoC issues Contract for aircraft Component locator service

The Inventory locator service (Ils) program is a database warehouse program used by civilian companies to list their inventory of aircraft components and their conditions. The software assists aFsoc in finding parts that are not stocked in the standard base supply system. They are critical in maintaining mission readiness and avoiding unnecessary delays in repairing their aircraft. The database is a necessary and valuable tool to support the aFsoc mission by providing an avenue to locate and procure

weapon system parts that are not available within the regular military/government supply channels.

Ils is used to research and resolve aFsoc critical parts shortages and mission capable required assets for the aFsoc weapons fleet. With over 5 billion parts listed, Ils is the largest and most active business-to-business elec-tronic marketplace. More than 15 vendors who supply certified aircraft components utilize the Ils on-line database to post their aircraft parts inventory. Without using the same company the vendors of certified aircraft parts use, the program would be useless.

additionally, Ils is the database used by the c-130 system office at Warner robins when they require surplus assets.

multi-purpose Canine and handler Training

The united states army special operations command (usasoc), Fort Bragg, N.c., has a requirement for a contractor to provide non-personal services and provide all personnel, supervision, supplies and other items and services (not specifically identified to be govern-ment-furnished) necessary to provide special operations forces multi-purpose canines and handler training. To this end, usasoc issued a presolicitation announcement in early February and expected to release an rFP in late February 2016.

The contractor shall possess the capability of providing the latest methodologies in the canine community regarding skilled canines and associated training and lodging and equipment in accordance with the requirements stated within the performance work statement. The contractor shall provide a multi-purpose canine handlers course that will train a soldier with no canine experience to handle a multi-purpose canine in basic and combat situations.

Additionally, the contractor shall provide pre-trained multi-purpose canines capable of on and off leash forensic, explosive ordnance detection for area, route/road, vehicle and building clear-ance, sensitive site exploitation, pursuit, tracking/trailing, patrol/bite-work, close quarter combat apprehension, and bite and hold capability to restrain fleeing subjects by using less lethal means.

night Vision kit

on February 11, TrackingPoint announced its first night vision product for their precision-

guided firearms. The Night Vision Kit (NVK) is available for most fielded and future PGFs. The NVK provides Gen2-like night vision performance. The kit is comprised of a software upgrade and high intensity infrared (Ir) illuminator.

“our customers have patiently waited for night vision capabilities,” said John Mchale, TrackingPoint ceo. “Now they can make extraor-dinary shots in total darkness.” later this year the company will announce additional night vision and thermal products for their precision-guided firearms.

The Night Vision Kit enables the scope’s embedded infrared sensitive cMos (complemen-tary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensor to detect light not visible to the human eye. depending on the strength of the IR illuminator, targets can be engaged and tracked out to 200 yards at night.

As a shooter pulls the trigger the target is automatically acquired and tracked. When trigger pull completes, the target is instantly eliminated. Total time-to-kill is approximately 2.5 seconds. rapidlok fire control is image stabilized enabling you to make off-hand shots and shots on the run.

The NVK includes a thumb drive and high intensity IR illuminator. Installation is simple and straight forward. To enable night vision the user inserts the thumb drive into the scope’s usB port and powers on the scope. The IR Illuminator comes with a rail mount kit.

suggested price of the NVK kit is $2495 and includes an IR Illuminator.

Ballistic head protection

3M Deutschland Gmbh and schuberth Gmbh have joined forces to develop new and improved ballistic head protection systems for military and law enforcement applications. The agreement outlined plans to collaborate and create custom solutions for end users in the european market. schuberth will also be a distributor of 3M ballistic helmets manufac-tured by ceradyne, Inc., a 3M company.

“The agreement with 3M is an important step for us in strengthening our position in the market segment of ballistic head protection systems,” said schuberth ceo Jan-christian Becker. cheryl Ingstad, 3M busi-ness manager, advanced ceramics platform—defense, added “schuberth is a leader in military head protection and accessories, with a deep understanding of customer require-ments. This aligns well with our efforts to understand and translate needs in head protection to exciting, new developments in our products.”

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schuberth is a manufacturer of head protec-tion systems for various applications, including motorsports, industrial safety, military and law enforcement. 3M subsidiary, ceradyne, Inc., utilizes advanced materials and a proprietary manufacturing process to produce lightweight body armor and ballistic helmets, which has helped to make them a key supplier to the u.s. armed forces.

meuas isR services Contracts

ussocoM’s acquisition, Technology, and logistics (soF aT&l), Procurement office-KW intends to solicit, negotiate, and award a sole source contract to AAI Corporation and Insitu. Both will provide contractor-owned, contractor-operated mid-endurance unmanned aircraft system (Meuas) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services while operating at multiple simultaneous sites worldwide.

The estimated award value of the AAI contract is $75 million for continuation of three sites ranging from 378-700 flight hours per month and any emerging requirements. The anticipated contact type is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm-fixed price contract with a six-month base period and two three-month options.

The estimated award value of the Insitu contract is $150 million for continuation of four sites ranging from 450-900 flight hours

per month and any emerging requirements. The anticipated contact type is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm-fixed price contract with a six-month base period and two three-month options.

spain to acquire predator B

on February 17, General atomics aeronautical systems, Inc., a manufacturer of remotely piloted aircraft (rPa) systems, radars and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, announced its notification of spain’s selection of the Predator B/MQ-9 reaper rPa system to support the nation’s airborne surveillance and reconnaissance requirements.

The spanish Ministry of defense has awarded Ga-asI the delivery of one Predator B RPA system for the spanish armed forces to include four aircraft equipped with MTs-B electro-optical/infrared sensors and Ga-asI’s Block 20a lynx multi-mode radar, two Block 30 ground control stations, and satellite communi-

cations and line-of-sight data link capabilities by means of a spanish-u.s. Foreign Military sales agreement.

“Ga-asI is proud to partner with the spanish Armed Forces to offer our operationally proven Predator B RPA to fulfill spain’s emerging multi-mission requirements,” said linden Blue, ceo, Ga-asI. “We also look forward to working with teammate sener, a leading engineering company, and developing collaborative partner-ships with other spanish companies to help ensure the long-term success of the program.”

helicopter landing aid Contract from DaRpa

honeywell has been awarded a contract from the defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DarPa) to continue improving three-dimensional visibility and safety for u.s. military helicopter pilots experiencing inclement weather and harsh environments. Among the visual challenges faced by pilots are issues with rain, snow, dust, fog and other elements that reduce the ability to fly and land.

As part of the dARPA Multifunction Radio Frequency effort, honeywell will program, update and integrate the company’s synthetic Vision avionics Backbone (sVaB) solution on u.s. military test helicopters such as the uh-60 Black hawk. honeywell’s technology provides pilots with the most accurate “out-the-window,” 3D view on their

Brigadier General Tony D. Bauernfeind, deputy commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan, has been assigned to commanding

general, Special Opera-tions Command, Korea, U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, Korea.

Brigadier General Scott A. Howell, who has been selected for the grade of major general,

the director of operations, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Com-mand, Hurlburt Field, Fla., has been assigned as the new commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Major General Mark R. Stammer, commander, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Operation Enduring Freedom-Horn of Africa, Djibouti, has been assigned as the deputy

commanding general, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Air Force Brigadier General Albert M. Elton II has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Elton is

currently serving as the deputy commanding general, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Com-mand, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Rear Admiral (lower half) Collin P. Green has

people


primary flight displays, which is critical in low-visibility environments that mask hidden dangers such as treacherous terrain, other aircraft or utility wires.

honeywell will update the synthetic vision system to support the next phase of the Multifunction radio Frequency program to fuse information from dARPA’s Advanced Rotary Multifunction sensor radar along with terrain and obstacle databases and satellite imagery. The wider breadth of information will better inform helicopter pilots faced with low-visibility chal-lenges.

“honeywell is meeting the challenge of miti-gating degraded visual environments,” said howie Wiebold, manager of business development at honeywell Aerospace. “By processing data from multiple sensors and developing a 3D synthetic rendering of the exterior view in degraded condi-tions, we can create a safe environment where military pilots can turn degraded visual environ-ments into a tactical advantage.”

Tagging, Tracking and locating information Dissemination and Visualization

ussocoM has issued a special notice seeking information from sources that can provide ussocoM with a software based management system for the dissemination and visualization of TTl data as well as device command and control.

This software must be capable of providing situ-ational awareness, data collection, geospatial data and two-way communications between multiple satellite, cellular and radio frequency providers.

Technical requirements include:

• Provide the ability to connect with dod and commercial gateways as well as other commercial data management servers

• Provide a permission based system (user, admin, etc.)

• Provide tools for data filtering and analysis, geofencing, management of devices by groups/units, and historical querying

• allow for the integration of 3rd party devices as directed by the government

• Remotely configure and send messages to devices, query devices for configuration information

• operate in a DoD cloud based network and meet dIsA security Technical Implementation Guides (sTIG) mandatory requirements

• Provide options for hosting and maintaining physical server based systems at the contractor facility

• Provide technical and training support 24/7/365

• Provide over-the-horizon airtime services (Globalstar, Iridium, cellular, etc.)

• Provide u.s personnel cleared to the secret level as well as secret cleared facility at the start of the task.

hybrid unmanned ground Vehicle

Milrem, an estonian defense solutions provider specializing in military engineering, unveiled the first-of-its-kind modular hybrid unmanned ground vehicle (uGV), TheMIs (Tracked hybrid Modular Infantry system), on February 16.

A multi-mission vehicle platform that can assist and replace soldiers on the battlefield in complex and hazardous tasks, TheMIs is able to reduce operational risks and work as a force multiplier.

Together with singapore Technologies Kinetics (sT Kinetics), Milrem developed the TheMIs adder which is a variant where TheMIs is equipped with sT Kinetics’ remote weapon station, the RWs Adder.

unlike existing uGVs, TheMIs is a highly modular platform that allows different superstructures to be mounted and integrated onto the middle vehic-ular platform for complex missions such as rescue, transport and reconnaissance. The flexibility and versatile nature of the system not only increases efficiency, it also significantly reduces the life cycle costs of these complex unmanned systems with simplified maintenance and spare supplies.

spain’s paratroop Brigade Celebrates 50th anniversary

on February 23, spain’s Paratrooper Brigade celebrated the 50th anniversary of its creation coin-ciding with the 62nd anniversary of the founding of

been assigned as com-mander, Special Opera-tions Command South, U.S. Southern Command, Homestead Air Force Base, Fla. Green is currently serving as executive of-ficer to Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Brus-sels, Belgium.

Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Mat-thew M. Caruso, currently assigned to Air Force Spe-cial Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla., has been selected to replace Air Force Command Chief

Master Sergeant William W. Turner as the command senior enlisted advisor for the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Major General Sean P. Swindell, commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan/Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan, Resolute Support Mission/United States Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Senti-nel, Afghanistan, has been assigned as director, J-8

(Force Structure, Require-ments, Resources and Strategic Assessments), U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

Brigadier General Mark C. Schwartz, deputy com-manding general (maneu-ver), 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, has been assigned as commander, Special Operations Com-mand Europe; and direc-tor, Special Operations, U.S. European Command, Germany.

Brigadier Gen-eral Antonio M. Fletcher, special assistant to the commanding general, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., has been assigned as deputy commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Senti-nel, Afghanistan.

Brigadier General Bryan P. Fenton, assistant chief of staff, G-3, U.S. Army Pacific, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, has been assigned as commander, Special

Operations Command Pa-cific, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.

Brigadier General Robert P. Walters Jr., direc-tor of intelligence, J-2, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., has been assigned as deputy chief of staff, intelligence, Resolute Support Mission, North Atlantic Treaty Orga-nization; and director, J-2, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Senti-nel, Afghanistan.

www.SPECOPS-dhp.com SPECOPS 14.2 | 5

Q&Athe Airborne Forces, at a ceremony held at the Prince of Paracuellos del Jarama (Madrid) Base.

Jetboot maintenance

naval special Warfare Command maintenance personnel require original equipment manufacturer (oeM) authorized training on the proper preventa-tive maintenance services, unscheduled mainte-nance, repair, and troubleshooting of its Jetboots.

To that end, nsW announced its intention to award a single award, sole source, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract to Patriot3 Maritime for those services.

Dutch special Forces Decorated for afghanistan service

The special forces of the dutch army, the Korps Commandotroepen, will be awarded with the highest Dutch military order, the Military order of Willem, the dutch ministry of defense announced on Monday.

“The Korps Commandotroepen get their award for their extraordinary efforts in afghanistan,” the defense ministry said.

King Willem-alexander will present the award on March 15 in The hague. The award is intended for soldiers, civilians or units that distinguished themselves in a military battle by bravery, lead-ership and loyalty. It is the first time that since World War II that a whole unit is to be honored for actions.

The Military order of Willem, the oldest and highest bravery honor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was established in 1815 by King Willem I.

The last time the Military order of Willem was awarded was in 2014 to Gijs Tuinman for his performance as commander in the Korps Commandotroepen, also in Afghanistan. The dutch joined international missions in Afghanistan since 2002.

Communications Training services for maRsoC

Jacobs engineering Group Inc. recently received a contract from the Marine Corps special operations command (Marsoc) to provide commu-nications training services to Marine Raiders combat personnel.

as the prime contractor, Jacobs brings a team of highly qualified communication and data experts to develop and provide hands-on training in state-of-the-art radio and data communica-tion systems. under the contract, Jacobs is also providing technical advice to Marsoc on training and employment of future ground-based and satel-lite communications systems.

In making the announcement, Jacobs senior vice president aerospace and technology darren Kraabel stated, “Jacobs is proud to provide this unique and important training capability in support of Marsoc. This appointment extends our long-standing and successful relationship with Marsoc.”

south africa and Brazil practice at sea special operations mission

As the south African navy’s SAS Spioenkop continued passage to Visakhapatnam, India to participate in the Indian International Fleet Review and thereafter sail to Goa for exercise IBsaMar V, joined up with the Brazilian navy’s BNS Amazonas, an offshore patrol vessel. The two ships practiced replenishment-at-sea functions including multiple helicopter cross-decking.

concluding the exchange, two basic interdic-tion boarding exercises took place. Phase 1, was the SAS Spioenkop’s special Forces and the Marine reaction squadron boarding the BNS Amazonas. Phase 2 was the BNS Amazonas special forces boarding the SAS Spioenkop, simulating anti-piracy search and seizure mission. A non-compliant proce-dure was followed which simulates a no co-oper-ative posture being adopted by the vessel being boarded. The vessel being boarded also “refuses” to stop which necessitates the boarding team boarding the suspect ship whilst underway.

special Forces C-27J engine support Contract

standardAero was recently awarded a new contract to provide support for the u.s. Army special Forces aviation Group’s engine mainte-nance, repair and overhaul services for its fleet of eight c-27J aircraft.

The contract will be administered by lockheed Martin, who holds the overarching responsibility to provide maintenance for the u.s. Army special forces aviation sector.

“We are excited to begin this new rela-tionship with the u.s. Army special Forces and lockheed Martin and hope to exceed their expectations,” said Fritz Wolkenstein, vice president and general manager of standardAero’s defense and energy business unit in Winnipeg, Canada. “We look forward to developing a long-term partnership.”

simulated intelligence Training environment platformsimulated intelligence Training environment platform

Visual awareness Technologies and consulting Inc., a provider to socoM with global strategies, training and technology for secure operations around the world, recently launched its simulated Intelligence Training environment Platform. sITReP is a patented, secure, fully operational social media platform to support simulated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for special oper-ations and joint training environments.

sITreP will be demonstrated during soFIc 2016 as one of the first innovations showcased at The Farm, a new 16-acre operations and training facility being developed by the nonprofit WolF—Warrior outdoor leadership for the Future. VaTc will be one of the first tenants at The Farm, which is expected to open in May in the Tampa Bay area and offer field testing grounds and mobile facili-ties that complement existing academia, industry and government research capabilities.

“We’re committed to engineering ongoing innovations for soF customers and are excited to have a real operational environment opening in which we may test sITReP and other technology solutions we have in development,” said VaTc president sara Moola.

all proceeds from The Farm will support WolF, which provides leadership and internship oppor-tunities to sons and daughters of fallen special operators (www.sofwolf.org). .


James F. Geurts, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the ac-quisition executive, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. He is responsible for all special operations forces research, development, acquisition, procurement and logistics.

Geurts, a native of Charleston, S.C., entered the Air Force in 1987 as a distinguished graduate from the Lehigh University ROTC program, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineer-ing. He has served as an acquisition program manager with engineering and program management leadership positions in numerous weapon systems including intercontinental ballistic missiles, surveillance platforms, tactical fighter aircraft, advanced avionics systems, stealth cruise missiles, training systems, and manned and unmanned special operations aircraft. He commanded an acquisition group, served as the Program Executive Officer for Fixed Wing Programs at USSOCOM, and was commander, Joint Acquisition Task Force Dragon, an elite team of USSOCOM and service acquisition personnel responsible for executing USSOCOM’s most urgent acquisitions in response to wartime critical mission needs statements. He retired from the Air Force in the rank of Colonel in Jul 2009 after more than 21 years of active duty. Prior to his current assignment, he was the deputy director, Special Operations Research, Development, and Acquisition Center, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base.

His awards and decorations include: Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; Meritorious Service Medal ; Air Force Commendation Medal; Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster; and Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster

Q: understanding that there are few working crystal balls, but what are you expecting for Fy17 your budget to look like?

a: ussocoM continued to be well supported, both within the Depart-ment of Defense and with congress. our fiscal year 17 President’s Budget request maintains a balance of reducing expenses with the operational necessity to continue building networks, relationships and resources required to successfully accomplish our missions. In this year’s submis-sion, ussocoM sustains its investment in technology to exploit special operations peculiar capabilities and ensures special operations forces maintain the ability to prepare for the future.

The FY17 President’s Budget request includes $1.6 billion dollars in procurement and nearly $500 million in research, development, test and evaluation, needed so that ussocoM can continue to develop and inte-grate new technologies to sustain ussocoM’s decisive combat system superiority across the globe.

Q: What are the key technological challenges for the future soF warrior?

a: In an increasingly interconnected world, a broadening array of state and non-state actors are employing irregular and hybrid approaches to challenge u.s. interests.

For ussocoM, the future operating environment will be character-ized by an increasingly complex set of challenges in every part of the world. Beyond the employment of improved technology, adversaries will

continue to blend traditional and irregular techniques, capabilities, and resources to execute hybrid approaches in the ‘gray zone’, the space between peaceful competition and war. The operational challenge for soF will be to deter ‘gray zone’ emerging security challenges, rather than responding to them once a crisis erupts.

after 14 years of sustained combat operations, u.s. special operations command has reassessed its capability requirements in light of rapid changes occurring in the strategic operating environment. The Future special operator is ussocoM’s solution to the challenges posed by the increasing velocity of human change. some of the key technology chal-lenges for the Future special operator include: comprehensive signature management and protection; tagging, tracking and locating (TTl), counter-ing weapons of mass destruction, c4 revolutionary capabilities, bio-medical/human performance, scalable effects weapons and battlespace awareness/intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

In addition, we are looking for novel ways to employ commercial or commercially-derived technologies to simplify the tools we use with partnered force operations to enable more adaptive solutions, decrease training time, and allow more affordable support for those activities.

James F. Geurtsacquisition executive

u.s. special operations Command

Q&A


Q: how will ussoCom help them overcome those challenges?

a: ussocoM will continue to foster a culture that embraces and supports innovation in our research, development and acquisition programs, and capitalize on our number one asset—our people. ussocoM’s acquisition, Technology, and logistics center (soF aT&l) is developing and testing new operating models to help build a marketplace for soF innovation.

For example, soF aT&l has established soFWerX; an open collabo-ration facility designed to bring non-traditional partners from industry, academia, and the government together with soF operators and soF acquirers to focus on soF’s most challenging problems. Programs such as the Tactical assault light operator suit (Talos) are providing an oppor-tunity to collaborate and rapidly prototype with industry, academia and other government organizations to match the latest technologies with the needs of soF. This approach is also “spinning off” technologies from the larger Talos effort that are improving soF capabilities at an acceler-ated rate.

ussocoM is also working closely with international soF partners to leverage the capabilities of those partners and work together to solve the common challenges we are all facing.

Q: how does soCom acquisition and technology programs differ from the services?

a: ussocoM has no special authorities or waivers which makes our acquisition systems different from the service acquisition systems and, as in operations, we rely heavily on the services to provide many of the capabilities we need. not only do the services assign their talented uni-formed and civilian acquisition professionals to socoM, but our acquisi-tion workforce often reaches back to the services for support.

ussocoM could not develop the capability of a soF ac-130 gunship without the air Force first developing and procuring the c-130 airplane, the Mh-60 or Mh-47 without the army’s Black hawk and chinook helicop-ters, or the cV-22 without the usMc’s osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

That being said, we have developed a soF acquisition system and

culture which is geared to operate to meet the demanding needs of the soF operator.

as the socoM acquisition executive, I work directly for the ussocoM commander, which enables me to proactively initiate action on the com-mander’s intent and the intent of his subordinate commanders without reactively waiting for formal requirements. This allows for a parallel pursuit of capability as we also line up the requirements and the fund-ing. rather than trying to have one acquisition process, we have many different acquisition approaches which allow us to take advantage of our decentralized approach to acquisition management.

My Peos are delegated full authority to execute the programs in their portfolio, which enables us to be more adaptive and responsive to the soF operators’ needs. We focus on developing our soF acquirers and logisticians to be recognized experts and trusted providers to the soF operators they support. Integrating soF operators directly into the ac-quisition processes ensures we’re fielding relevant capabilities with the balance of capability, cost and schedule needed to meet the operational requirement.

Q: how did soFWeRx come into existence? Was there one specific challenge that spurred the inception?

a: one my biggest fears is that we fail to capture an idea, innovative ap-proach or technical solution which might solve a soF need because of the complexities of the traditional federal acquisition processes, which can create significant barriers to innovation.

In addition, I have also found the traditional acquisition approaches do not make it easy to co-invent solutions through the collaboration of diverse contributors. This is essential to help us develop solutions to hard problems through the integration and accumulation of multiple ideas towards a common problem.

To address these issues, ussocoM created soFWerX—an open, easily accessible, business model designed to bring non-traditional partners from industry, academia and the government together to work on us-socoM’s most challenging problems.

USSOCOM has no special authorities or waivers which makes their acquisition systems different from the service

acquisition systems and, as in operations, they rely heavily on the services to provide many of the capabilities they

need. Not only do the services assign their talented uniformed and civilian acquisition professionals to SOCOM,

but their acquisition workforce often reaches back to the services for support. U.S. DoD photo.


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Special Operations Int_You Copy.indd 1 2/24/16 1:57 PM

Q: What is the future of soFWeRx and what benefits do you antici-pate?

a: soFWerX is designed to serve as an incubator for innovative think-ing by creating an interactive venue for “return on collisions” of innova-tive ideas and non-traditional partners. It includes rapid prototyping and fabrication capabilities so that operators, acquirers, and technologist can invent, rapidly produce, test, and improve capabilities for the soF operator. Rapid prototyping events enable a multi-disciplinary team to focus on a particular problem to create new and innovative approaches to solve those problems.

The projects coming out of soFWerX will benefit ussocoM by serving to better inform future technical development, engineering decisions, and provide a center of mass for future innovations.

The soFWerX eco-system consists of both traditional and non-tradi-tional partners from industry, academia and the government. These rela-tionships, when cemented with divergent thought and design thinking, will create a forum for innovation and accelerating technologies to ussocoM.

These continuing relationships will allow ussocoM to increase its iteration speed, flatten information dissemination and influence initiatives across the enterprise.

Q: give an example of how soFWeRx acts as a “collision chamber.”

a: We have used soFWerX to host hackathons—prize contests to solve a particular problem or set of problems. our first hackathon was co-spon-sored by the Military open source software (Miloss) Tampa chapter; and participants worked on a number of challenges, including developing an open source Intelligence (osINT) framework, developing automated actions to configure secure cloud server instances, developing real-time visualiza-tions to enhance tactical urban operations, or developing a 3D multi-model collaboration environment.

The winning hackathon team (Team shudder) created a very novel heads up display that integrated data from satellite feeds to show what was behind walls and buildings or other obstructions to the operator’s view. Their concept and design was so novel that they were invited back the following week to participate in a heads up display technology sprint for the Tactical assault light operator suit. This is exactly the kind of unique input and non-traditional performer that we’re attempting to at-tract with our open collaboration model and soFWerX.

Additionally, at the event, we identified several up and coming students in undergraduate programs, one of which became our first

intern and now full-time employee at soFWerX, thus we are growing a future generation of soF acquirers. We also connected with several other government organizations interested in similar problems, and from this event are now fully linked in with our activities, enabling us to collectively deliver more capabilities to our customers through integrated use of our resources.

Q: how does soCom see competition in the marketplace?

a: competition is extremely important to us, as we seek to provide best value both in terms of capability for our operators and value for the taxpayer. a strong and vibrant competitive marketplace also incentivizes innovation and new approaches to solving problems.

ussocoM executes roughly $3 billion per year in contracts with ap-proximately 1,150 different industry partners. We competed 76.4 percent of all contracts awarded in FY15.

We believe small Businesses are also a key to achieving agile, afford-able, and innovative results for our operators. of the contracts ussocoM awarded in FY15, 33.1 percent were awarded to small Business, includ-ing 10.8 percent to service Disabled Veteran owned small Business, 10.5 percent to small Disadvantaged Business, 4.6 percent to Woman owned small Business, and 2.3 percent to historically underutilized Business Zones (huBZone).

opportunities for contractors can range from technology information exchanges, to cooperative research and development agreements (cra-Das), to contracts across a vast array of capability areas—in programs that range from undersea to space.

This year we’ll begin hosting monthly capability collaboration events where we will seek to bring together key stakeholders from the ussocoM staff, academia, other government agencies, and industry to focus on a specific capability area; such as biometrics/forensics, precision munitions, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance etc.

USSOCOM AT&L has established SOFWERX; an open collaboration facility designed to bring non-traditional partners from industry, academia, and the government together with SOF operators and SOF acquirers to focus on SOF’s most challenging problems. U.S. DoD photo.

The FY17 USSOCOM budget request includes $1.6 billion dollars in procurement and nearly

$500 million in research, development, test and evaluation, needed so that USSOCOM

can continue to develop and integrate new technologies to sustain USSOCOM’s decisive combat system superiority across the globe.

U.S. DoD photo.


Q: What advice would you give would-be contract partners?

a: When considering ussocoM, it is important to remember that our focus is on the procurement of soF unique capabilities and equipment. ussocoM has many different avenues to provide industry with opportu-nities to participate and support the command, which include our small business office, our Technology and Industry liaison office (TIlo), our technical experimentation (Te) events, our small Business Innovative research (sBIr) program and craDas.

For small businesses, we recommend you contact the small Busi-ness office directly at 813-826-9475, [email protected]. The small Business office is one conduit into the command. Their char-ter is to ensure small businesses are represented within the command when acquisition strategies are being developed to ensure maximum participation for small businesses, either as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor.

The TIlo supports the command through interfaces with large and small businesses, educational institutions, and think tanks.

To initiate the TIlo process, the first step is to submit a capabili-ties paper via our website (http://www.socom.mil/sordac/pages/default.aspx) under the applicable technology area of interest. This allows our office the ability to capture all contractor-provided information in one central data repository, which is accessible by all ussocoM personnel throughout the headquarters.

once received, the information will then be reviewed and staffed to the various hQ ussocoM program executive offices responsible for the development, acquisition, production, and sustainment of material and technology platforms and other hQ personnel that support our special operations forces, to include our science and technology advisor. If there is interest generated from a submission, our office will coordinate a capabilities briefing with company representatives, in accordance with FAR Part 10.001, for the purpose of market research.

This review and evaluation process is usually completed in 30 days. We are looking for solutions focused on the special operations forces mission, vice a generic corporate overview.

ussocoM conducts Te events throughout the united states with government, academia and private industry representation. Te provides a unique opportunity for technology developers to interact with the soF community in a collaborative environment. Te identifies potential Tech-nology readiness level (Trl) 3 or greater technology solutions, impacts, limitations, and utilities to meet soF technical objectives and thrust areas. Te is not a marketing event or trade show, therefore engineers are likely the best representatives. To view the most current request For Information (rFI), go to FedBizopps.Gov then search for Keyword/solicitation #: “Technical experimentation” and agency: “u.s. special operations command”.

The ussocoM sBIr program supports the DoD sBIr program’s overall mission to leverage small business technology innovation for the warfighter, and is focused on providing funding for the development of advanced technology that provides increased capability for the soF warfighter. The command issues broad agency announcements (Baas) to provide a general description of ussocoM’s research areas of inter-est, general information, evaluation and selection criteria, and proposal/application preparation instructions.

craDas are agreements between ussocoM and a non-federal party to perform collaborative research and development in any area that is consistent with ussocoM’s mission. They allow us to provide the partner with virtually anything but money to further an agreed upon work plan or technology development effort. This can include access

to people, access to technology, access to ranges or test venues, and many other enablers.

Q: are you satisfied with the rate that contract awards are pro-tested and denied (as a reflection that ussoCom’s contracting pro-cesses was handled appropriately)? Within your processes, are there mechanisms in place to mitigate or reduce the likelihood of a protest or, barring that, it being sustained?

a: For ussocoM, the number of protests received is relatively low as compared to the total number of contract awards over the past three fiscal years. Thus, I feel confident that our acquisition and contracting processes are being handled appropriately.

however, in that same respect, I feel we can continue to refine our processes and procedures to not only improve upon our denied rate, but also decrease the rate at which contractors file protests. That would be a win-win for everyone since it mitigates costs on both sides and helps to maintain acquisition schedules in order to deliver services or equipment to the soF operator.

I have found that when we communicate with industry early in the solicitation process (i.e. industry conference, draft request for proposal, etc.), industry provides valuable feedback in such areas as performance thresholds and objectives, evaluation criteria and pricing structure.

In addition, I have formalized a process where I and my director of pro-curement will meet with competitors (selectees and non-selectees) after major competitions to enable them to provide feedback on the process so that we can use that information to continue to improve our competitive processes and ensure a vibrant competitive business market.

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Q: Tell me about estonian special opera-tions Forces.

Ühtegi: From the beginning of restoration of estonian Defense Forces (eDF) there was al-ways the idea to create a unit similar to special Forces (sF).

In the 1990s there was a small unit called the special operations Group (soG) which was part of the edF, but this was more of a sWAT-type unit which was disbanded in 1999. at the same time, as a part of military intelligence (MI), a new unit was established and called the long range reconnaissance and Diversion Platoon (lrrDP).

In 2003, a concept was developed to reor-ganize the lrrDP to a modern soF-type unit. Those initial concepts that we used to plan the initial units and the primary functions of each unit within estonian special operations Forces (esTsoF), are still very similar to the way we are organized today. unfortunately not all the decision-makers supported this concept at that time and, as a result, it took us until 2008 to re-ceive the funding and resources to completely establish the unit.

This is a reason why we celebrate our an-niversary in May each year—starting from 2008.

Today, esTsoF is much larger, but the size and, as would be expected, our tactics, techniques and procedures are classified. It is a separate command under direct subordination to the Chief of defense. The main mission of unit is to support law enforcement in crisis situation and provide deep operations behind enemy lines

in case of war. esTsoF is capable of conduct-ing—as normal soF—military operations like direct actions, special reconnaissance, military assistance and unconventional warfare.

Q: are there capabilities that you do not have today that you would like to add to esTsoF?

Ühtegi: esTsoF has limited transportation resources. If we need airlift, we need support from our allies. Airlift is probably the biggest challenge for us. Also we have very limited capabilities for nBC reconnaissance which we would like to improve.

Q: The estonia budget is expecting about a 9 percent increase in 2016 over 2015. That’s a fairly substantial amount in this day and age. how will that affect estonia special operations?

Ühtegi: There will be no remarkable affect. edF creates armored warfare abilities and this project “eats” most of money.

Q: is esTsoF tasked with both domestic and international operations? Would you be called on if there were an aircraft hijacking or a domestic hostage crisis?

Ühtegi: esToF has already been engaged in international operations. Between 2012 and 2014 our troops operated in afghanistan. our troops are now also in ukraine to support the ukrainians as they are working to develop their own special operations capabilities.

earlier this year we also participated in the Flintlock exercise in senegal, africa, along with I think more than 30 other countries.

If another country asked for help from estonia and our government decided to deploy the esTsoF unit, we are ready to operate with no caveats. But we prefer military assistance-type missions.

Q: Do you train for those kinds of missions?

Ühtegi: Yes, we train routinely for those kinds of missions. We train for missions on our own, also with police sWaT units and with allied soF units.

International VectorLieutenant Colonel Riho Ühtegi, Commander, Estonian Special Operations Force

An Exclusive Special Operations International Q&A with


Q: What are your biggest procurement pri-orities? What equipment items are your forces most in need of replacement or up-dating?

Ühtegi: We have equipment which is good enough. We keep all of that equipment and gear continuously up to date. of course there are challenging moments. especially if when we talk about communications, night vision and other special equipment where the technology advances very quickly and unfortunately, the procurement process can take substantially longer.

Q: how do you search for the best candi-dates for esTsoF? What are the attributes you look for?

Ühtegi: We have a two-week selection program where we test different abilities of candidates. From that process, we select candi-dates who are mentally and physically healthy. normally only one or two candidates out of 10 can pass the selection. If we call them to the unit, they still stay for one year under observa-tion and if we detect bad habits or anomalies, they will then leave the unit.

Q: Tell me about your training of a special operator?

Ühtegi: To be an esTsoF operator every soldier must pass three years of training. during the first year they improve their personal skills, go through Nco training and then go through esTsoF basic training.

The candidate will spend the second year in qualification courses and learn special skills according their position within the team.

The third year is for team training and also for cross training. normally this three-year cycle ends with a mission. The last months of the final year, the team spends on permission training.

After this initial three-year cycle there fol-lows more exhaustive training on unconventional warfare and military assistance which takes an additional two to three years. only after that can the team focus more on specific expertise or areas, like counter terrorism for example.

Q: What have been the biggest lessons learned from the international missions that esTsoF participated in?

Ühtegi: Probably the biggest lesson that was learned was that if you deploy your troops to foreign country you have to understand the

traditions and habits of the local people. You must be trustable and supportive. If you have to work alongside local troops, you must show yourself as competent and experienced, you have to train them, make them to listen you and also to go with them on operations. only then can you expect them to trust you.

Q: Do you have esTsoF officers embedded with special operations forces of other countries on an exchange basis?

Ühtegi: no, we don’t.

Q: What are your goals for esTsoF over the next 12 months?

Ühtegi: our main goals are: to man and train a new team, to participate in NaTo response forces, to continue participation in the joint training mission in ukraine and to be ready to deploy on NaTo or european union-led mis-sions.

lieutenant colonel riho Ühtegi was conscripted into the soviet army in 1982. he joined the estonian Police Forces in 1991 and became a company commander in the estonian Defense Forces (eDF) in 1993. he became a section chief in the eDF J2 office in 1996 and chief of the J2 Department in 1996. From 1998 to 2006 he commanded the eDF military intelligence battalion while remaining chief of the J2 Department within eDF headquarters.

he became the chief of the G2 Department of the army staff in 2008 and was a con-tingent commander for IsAF in 2010. he was promoted to lieutenant colonel also in 2010. In 2011/12 he was the defense attaché in Georgia.

he became commander of esTsoF in 2012.his awards and decorations include: The cross of the eagle, 4th class order; The

cross of the eagle, 5th class order; Badge of Merit of eDF; Medal of special services of edF; edF service Medal; service Medal of edF hQ; service Medal of Army staff; 10 years of restored Defense Forces Memorial Medal; White cross of estonian Defense league, 4th class order; service Medal of estonian Defense league; Medal of special services of estonian Defense league; Badge of service of estonian Defense league; Medal for par-ticipation in international peacekeeping operations; Golden badge of Ministry of Defense; Badge of service of army staff; Badge of service of Intelligence Battalion; Medal of NaTo Non-article 5 operations Georgian medal of General Kvinitadze; estonian paratroopers’ badge 1th class; us Marine paratroopers’ badge; French paratroopers’ badge 3th class; and German paratroopers’ badge 3th class.

Lieutenant Colonel Riho Ühtegi (right) meets with General Joseph Votel during a recent visit the USSOCOM commander made to Estonia. Estonian Special Operations Force photo.


Where u.s. special operations forces can rely largely on their own specialist aircraft and units to deliver aviation support, the lack of mass among european nations has resulted in a trend to look for ‘pooling’ opportunities to create capability.

By anDReW DRWiegaspeCops CoRResponDenTa

The role of rotorcraft in special forces operations is a vital one. The conditions under which such missions are undertaken not only demand aircraft that deliver the performance required, often in hot and high conditions and at night, but also that they have or can be fitted with mission specific equipment and weaponry which allows them to support ground forces not only while the operation is in progress, but also during the entry and exfiltration phases. Most of all, extensive training is vital to mission success.In these economically frugal times, helicopters that have been specially procured for special mission operations are few and far between. Internationally many helicopters used by special forces have dual use between the regular forces and soF, but often it is the pilots who are imbued with special operational training. Forces that posses their own soF fleets are few but would probably be headed by the united states army’s 160th special operations aviation regiment (airborne) (soar (a)), part of u.s. army special operations command (usasoc). Nicknamed Night stalkers, their three stalwart helicopters are MD helicopters’ Mh/ah-6M little Bird, sikorsky’s Mh-60M Black hawk and Boeing’s Mh-47G chinook.Borne out of the failed operation eagle craw, the attempt to rescue american hostages in Iran during 1980, the 160th soar has been supporting u.s. special forces since from operation urgent Fury in Grenada (1983) through to being used extensively during the campaigns in Iraq, afghanistan and now in the fight against Daesh in syria/northern Iraq.

While none of the soar’s helicopters are new in design (two forerunners saw service in the Vietnam War—the 0h-6 cayuse ‘loach’ and the ch-47a chinook), all three Mh designations are now very much equipped for soF use.

one of the major advances across the whole soar fleet is that all rotorcraft now have a Rockwell Collins Common Avionics architecture system (caas) cockpit. Initially developed for the soa Mh-4 communications, navigation, weapons and mission sensor subsystems.

The Mh/ah-6M (Mission enhanced little Bird) has had many modifications during its time, including a removable mounting system (called a plank) across the cabin of the aircraft which allows weapons pods either side of the main airframe. These pods can hold General Dynamics M260 folding-fin aerial rockets and lockheed Martin aGM-114 hellfire laser-guided missiles. Door-mounted Dillon aero M134 mini guns are more usually seen in the regiment’s Black hawk and Chinook. however, the age of the aircraft means that a replacement is being considered from 2030 onwards.A proposal under the national defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which was vetoed by President obama last october, called for the “DoD to submit to congress a roadmap for replacing a/Mh-6 Mission enhanced little Bird aircraft to meet the rotary-wing, light attack, reconnaissance requirements particular to special operations.”

until such time that a new aircraft is identified, planning for the block upgrade of the aircraft continues with the next in line to be the Block III upgrade. The airframe upgrades are necessary because of structural failures caused by frequent, high intensity

160Th speCial opeRaTions aViaTion RegimenT (aiRBoRne)

Mh/ah-6M little Bird 51

Mh-47G chinook 61

Mh-60M Black hawk 72

Total 184


operations often with the aircraft at high gross weight, not to mention battle damage that has been repaired.

This upgrade will encompass a number of improvements includ-ing the latest high-performance rotor blades and main/tail rotor

drive train together.Following suite with the Army Kiowa community and went

with the single Channel full authority digital engine control (FaDec) upgrade program to improve reliability of the system, not to improve the engine performance. engine performance at high hot conditions will be improved with the rolls royce Value Improvement Program kitted engines.

The rotor blades are a result of Boeing’s upgrade to the ah-64e Guardian. The new blade design will in-crease lift capacity and provide a 55 percent increase in forward level flight at high/hot, high grow weight, high drag conditions.

The direction of rotation of the tail rotor will also be changed to provide increased stability and better performance. Additional upgrades within the avionics are planned to increase battlefield situ-ational awareness in the cockpit in support of time sensitive missions.

It is planned for the upgrades to the 51 Mh-6M are currently planned to begin in 2019 at a rate of 10 per year, depending on budget. however, the rate of transition will also be moderated by availability of

helicopters that can be taken out of the line, with each upgrade cycle lasting around 12 months.

In terms of the other two aircraft, the standard Black hawk replacement is currently being studied by the dod

through the Future Vertical lift (FVl) program, which also encompasses the replacement of the Boeing ah-64 apache.

The initial milestone for this comes next year when the two contenders, Boeing/sikorsky’s sB.1 defiant and Bell helicopter’s V-280 Valor will perform first flights in the Joint Multi role technol-ogy demonstrations (JMr TDs).

until that progresses through the development phase into a program of record, the Mh-60M continues to be used by the soar in two versions: troop lift and a direct action penetrator configura-tion. The Mh-60M modernization program delivered 72 aircraft to the soar and involves the addition of mission equipment including a suite of integrated radio frequency countermeasures, wide-chord rotor blades, active vibration reduction, and an improved electro-optical sensor system. above all, The T706-Ge-700 engine featuring a larger compressor, hot section improvements and a full FaDec) to provide increased power for the soar’s Mh-60Ms. Interestingly, it was also used to power sikorsky’s s-97 raider, a rotorcraft that was being considered as a replacement for the Mh-6M.

recently, Boeing delivered all eight new-build Mh-47G aircraft. Improvements include the digital advanced flight control system, ze-ro-time monolithic machined-frames to give greater durability and a lifting capacity of 54,000 pounds. The expected number of Mh-47Gs that the soar will end up with including new builds and remanufac-tured aircraft will be around 69.

The united states air Force soF rotorcraft focus is currently on the Bell Boeing cV-22 tiltrotor osprey. like its Marine corps cousin, it provides speed over long range, day or night. It is self-deployable and has already been proven in action. By January this year 46 cV-22s had

been delivered out of a total order of 51 aircraft scheduled by the end of 2019. It also has the added advantage of being fly by wire.

The soF osprey has been enhanced with the addition of a range of countermeasures including the aN/aaQ-24 directional infrared countermeasure (DIrcM), the aN/alQ-211 suite of integrated radio frequency countermeasures (sIrFc), and the aN/aPQ-186 terrain following/terrain avoidance (TF/Ta) multi-mode radar. This latter system gives it low-level penetration capability in difficult terrain.

one new advantage the osprey might bring to the fight is self-deployable vehicles. socoM is evaluating the potential of a fast, light vehicle that could be deployed for a range of missions from reconnaissance, to combat or even search and rescue. A small, narrow vehicle which could quickly be deployed. a proof of concept evaluation to end in the summer may then trigger a request for proposals later in the year with a potential requirement for around 68 vehicles from 2017.

General Dynamics has been developing its Flyer 60 vehicle not only for the cV-22 but also other aircraft including the ch-53, c-130 and c-5. It is lightweight and reconfigurable with a payload of up to 3,500 lbs. While no ‘shoe-in’, such a vehicle could also appeal to the usMc and army. (I’m reluctant to mention one of the competitive vehicles and not the others)

When it comes to training, 160th soar has had a host of full mo-tion simulators and training systems to use, including CAe’s combat mission simulators. These provide dynamic responses in a real-word environment which allows crews to “practice, validate and verify tactics, techniques and procedures to support training and mission rehearsal.” All of the simulators receive modifications in line with those made to the real-aircraft.”

euRopean soF heliCopTeR TRaining

In europe, where dedicated aviation assets such as those in the soar are few and far between, there has been there is an increas-ing belief that international cooperation and joint deployment will be the norm in foreseeable future military deployments. Many regular national forces have been combined in bilateral agreements, such as the anglo-French combined Joint expeditionary Force or the NaTo Response Force.

Multinational helicopter training exercises have also been staged by the european air Group with its combined Joint combat search and Rescue standardisation Course, now taken over by the newly formed european Personnel Recovery Centre at Poggio Renatico air base in Italy.

on a wider scale than Personnel recovery, the european Defence agency (eDa) has been working since 2009 to provide its member states with a framework to learn, develop and share best practices particularly in coalition missions. Within this are a number of courses that are designed to give military participants an insight into coalition operations through the helicopter exercise program, the helicopter tactics instructor course, the helicopter tactics course and an operational english language course.

since 2012, an annual hot Blade exercise has been held in Por-tugal, although the pattern was broken last year when the exercise moved to Italy, hence Italian Blade. The eDa’s exercises since its conception have trained a total of 1,320 aircrew and more than 10,000 support personnel, with the involvement of 206 helicopters.

This year, the exercise moves again and has been renamed cold Blade 16 as it will be held in Finland, with a focus on cold operating


conditions and white out (similar to the dusty version, brown out).

however, in 2012 a soF exercise was also launched by the eDa called Green Blade. staged in Belgium it was an integrated ground and air exercise specifically for multinational soF forces.

It ran from september 17 to october 5, 2012 and was hosted by the Belgian air component, with missions ranging from the north to the southeast of the country. exercise Pegasus, a soF training ex-ercise also ran concurrently, the two groups working together over several missions. The inclusion of the Pegasus exercise organized by the (Belgium) special Forces Group provided the soF ‘customer’ for helicopter forces to support.

rotorcraft were supped by Belgium, Germany and Italy, with another 800 personnel being drawn from eDa member states: Bel-gium, Germany, Italy, luxembourg, austria, Ireland and spain (with canadian units joining for the Pegasus exercise).

The 15 helicopters were based out of the Kleine Brogel air Base, and ranged from Italian ch-47s to Belgian aW109s and German uh-1Ds, escorted by Italian a129 Mangoosta attack helicopters. as is the case in the eDa’s exercise programs, other air assets are utilized to add realism. In this case those aircraft included an AWACs; F-16; c-130; and the Belgium B-hunter uaV. This had two roles; to provide intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance for soF, and secondly to act as a personal recovery asset.

The combat enhancement and force integration training phase Green Blade/Pegasus combined soF from Belgium’s special Forces Group in heverlee, Italy’s IX Battaglione “col Moschin” based in livor-no, and spain’s escuadrón de Zapadores Paracaidistas in Murcia as

well as the Fuerza de Guerra Naval especial in cartagena.The Kleine-Brogel Air Base was used as the deployed operating

base during the exercise. all flights had to be made at a minimum of 250 feet above ground level due to noise abatement issues. however, this restriction was lifted in dedicated helicopter training areas.

drills rehearsed included fast-roping and the use of special pa-trol insertion/extraction rigging, or sPIerIG, by day and night. This is where soldiers wearing a harness can hook up to a d-ring inserted into the sPIe rope and inserted or extracted without the helicopter needing to land. Night vision goggle (NVG) flying was also central to the exercise.

There was also a multinational ‘best practice helicopter tactics workshop” that got participating groups to discuss the way that they conduct mission planning, NVG flying, MeDeVac methods and general soF tactics.

The helicopter forces executed over 60 missions which gradually increase in complexity as happens with the regular force hot Blade exercises. however, the missions are planned to align with pro-spective soF scenarios including insertion/extraction, direct action, personnel recovery and IsR. They are conducted by day and night and in single or multi-ship packages.

But the main aspects of Green Blade were to demonstrate how resources could be pooled to achieve a mission and to provide an overall combined soF environment that individual nations would have been otherwise unable to experience.

The next eDa soF exercise will be Black Blade between Novem-ber 14 and December 2 this year.

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The phenomenon of ice accretion on aircraft wings and control surfaces is a well-recognized challenge in aerospace engineer-ing. And while large aircraft are commonly equipped with efficient anti-icing and de-icing devices, these are usually unsuitable for small aircraft and essentially useless for unmanned aerial vehicles.

For uaVs, which each week are tasked with a wider range of operations, it is vital to be able to detect and accommodate ice adhesion on wings, control surfaces and airspeed sensors since ice accretion modi-fies the shape of the aircraft and alters its measurements, thus changing resulting aerodynamic forces and reducing maneuver-ing capability.

In short, the uaV needs an “overcoat” to keep it warm and the ice away in all kinds of weather. More precisely, it needs a resistive heat coating

For military use, the metrics demanded of a uaV are clear: Find and assess the target, engage to destroy quickly, and then analyze the results. To maximize that ability means the uaV must keep that loop as short in time as possible. The less interference in operating, the quicker the loop.

Ice remains one of the largest impedi-ments to that smooth function, whether affecting the uaV enroute or while on orbit, all over the world temperature and moisture can combine to create icing and not just in the coldest climates.

The formula for solving this challenge is one that has proven a winner time and time again. Make the solution more efficient, more transportable, more flexible, more reli-able, lighter and less expensive.

That is where the battlefield in the uaV anti-ice war will be won.

A solution using a carbon nanotube coat-ing has demonstrated the ability to minimize the threat of icing is feasible with current technology. With this carbon nanotube coat-ing, it can operate on less power than other options, is lighter than traditional ice protec-tion systems, has no moving parts and can be easily retrofitted to all existing craft.

The coating is sprayed onto an aircraft surface, much like paint. This creates a heat-ed area when power is applied. A controller monitors the heater performance and only applies power levels to selected areas per need and as necessary for flight conditions.

The ability of unmanned platforms to loiter at higher altitude for longer durations means they can identify a target and engage in a matter of minutes. That is a strong option against any terrorist targets in the world.

Anything that increases that operational envelope of the uaV large and small across all environmental conditions is a significant step forward. Weather currently is one of the biggest enemies of uaV success; mas-tering the anti-ice conundrum will elevate effectiveness immensely.

Developed in 2009 by Battelle, this anti-icing technology called heatCoat has demonstrated its ability to perform in-flight anti-icing and de-icing functions on uaVs during wind tunnel testing where the technology was integrated with represen-tative wing and engine inlet test articles and then placed in an aero-icing tunnel developed by an aircraft manufacturer. The chamber was designed to generate the type

of icing conditions a uaV could encounter while in-flight. Temperatures dipped as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit, with air speeds reaching up to 182 knots. The coating suc-cessfully performed anti-icing and de-icing functions.

The carbon nanotube coating is inte-grated into the normal coating stack found on an aircraft. It is directed through the use of an intelligent autonomous closed-loop controller—a system that senses environ-mental conditions and the condition on the wings and makes decisions regarding power application. Power is applied distinctively for each heater zone. Thus, you do not have to heat up every section of the wing at the same time. That adaptive ability means you can heat one section for 30 seconds, anoth-er for an individual short period and so on, a benefit that helps keep the power demand for an electrical thermal system low.

Continued work on heatCoat has focused on maintaining its ability to perform over the lifetime of the system and to en-sure its durability. Results have shown that it will last the lifetime of the aircraft and will not degrade over time. once controller development has been completed the next steps would be in-flight demonstration and certification

a resistive heat coating helps uaVs oper-ate in conditions that were difficult for them to operate in before. It has the lowest size, weight and power, it solves a worldwide issue for modern day composite craft, and it is elegantly simple.

Chris Corsbie is director of marketing and communications at Battelle.

All-WeatherOperations

Coating for UAVCarbon Nanotube


unmanned aircraft systems (uass) or drones in common language have been crowding the news lately and may someday crowd the skies. uAss in civilian hands are increasing exponentially in number, in variety and in potential uses.

uAs technology began mostly in the military, partly for doing intelligence, surveil-lance and reconnaissance (Isr) and partly for hitting targets in the wars on terror. as businesses and civilians exploit these powerful new tools, defense forces remain intensely interested in improving uAss for future conflicts.

one important focus has been on smaller uAss, so-called minis, micros and nanos. These are the tools that tactical for-mations, even individual soldiers, can use in the field to dramatically enhance situational awareness, over the next hill or just over a suspicious wall. Progress here has already been dramatic as the steady advances in consumer electronics enable more surveil-lance power to be packed in ever smaller devices.

And this progress will continue, better batteries will increase the endurance of electric-powered small uass. experience

gained and better materials will increase their ruggedness. experience and volume will lower costs. Tighter integration and bet-ter miniaturization will improve payloads. design and configuration will also improve with experience and new demands, for ex-ample for more vertical take-off and landing (VTol) capabilities and even tilt-rotor de-signs that allow VTol and horizontal flying.

For the military, as for civilians, this uAs revolution is still very young.

The u. s. army’s rapid equipping Force has a long history of evaluating and deploy-ing uAss, noted sergeant First Class sam

While the field of small. mini and nano uas platforms may be crowded, technology is propelling capabilities to meet the demand signal.

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Bright of reF outreach and assessments. In the last five years ReF has deployed sys-tems such as the RQ-11 Raven, RQ-20 Puma, lethal Miniature aerial Munition system (lMaMs) and Instant eye.

“Recently, we have been working more with the micro and nano-class uAs systems,” Bright said. Partnering with the asymmetric Warfare Group, reF has assessed several micro- and nano-uAs technologies. Assessments use operational vignettes and scenarios to focus on opera-tional applications and technical limitations, and these assessments in turn inform ReF deployment decisions.

reF‘s mission is harnessing current and emerging technologies to provide immediate solutions to urgent challenges of u.s. Army forces. It tracks commercial and govern-ment off-the-shelf products and state-of-the-technology with the goal of giving warfighters the most advanced products that meet their requirements and are ac-ceptable under defense department and Army protocols.

Bright said ReF’s major priority is meet-ing army requirements. It is not looking for any particular improvements in structural design. It simply accelerates Army technol-ogy by inserting new models of uAss from commercial markets. “design improvements are best handled by subject matter experts in uAs manufacturing.”

however, ReF is looking for certain per-formance improvements: increased range in both flight and signal transmissions; improved performance in winds, better operations in all weather and light condi-tions and temperature extremes; and better durability.

some navy researchers are taking a more active role in pushing uAs technology forward. The Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable aircraft (cIcaDa) is a low-cost, GPs-guided, micro disposable air vehicle that can be deployed in large numbers to an area with miniature electronic payloads. CICAdA is deployed from the air and might perform some missions in the air, but is essentially a set of tiny unmanned ground sensors. These sensors could be connected to form an ad-hoc, self-configuring network.

The office of Naval research, which is developing CICAdA, has called it a flying circuit board. Aerospace engineer and Prin-cipal Investigator Dan edwards said oNr is working on version five of CICAdA in a program that began in 2004. one initial goal was being able to send perhaps a hundred CICAdAs to the ground with confidence that at least 80 would make it and work. on the way down, CICAdA could also support some airborne-sensing goals, for example meteorology.

In any case, “quantity is itself a quality,” edwards stressed. Instead of a silver bullet with a million-dollar gimbal and sensors positioned at one point, CICAdA would deploy low-cost, low-quality sensors at many points over a wide area.

Many uses are thus possible. CICAdA could be dropped into tornados to give meteorologists very useful data on the way down. on the ground, a cIcaDa network could detect the rumbling of convoys over a wide area. In a disaster, CICAdA could provide a distributed network for relaying radio communication. And edwards said there are many more possible defense missions that he cannot discuss.

Advantageously for IsR, CICAdA is hard to see in flight, at 70 grams about a third the size of a Frisbee. “It looks like a bird,” edwards said. And CICAdA sets could come in any number. Version 5 fits 40 units neatly in a sonobuoy—five inches in diameter and three feet long that can be dropped from a multitude of airborne options. An earlier CICAdA version was even munition-launched.

The devices have been successfully dropped from up to 57,000 feet, landing with-in 15 feet of intended locations. all cIcaDa versions use the same autopilot, a crucial avionics component with two sensors, a three-axis gyroscope and GPs. The cIcaDa has no motor and only 10 parts in all.

oNr is now focusing on launching cIcaDa and looking for a service to sponsor and oeM to manufacture it.

apart from cIcaDa, oNr is also work-ing on getting more endurance and better propulsion into uAss, on new uAs configura-tions, on solar aircraft and on autonomous soaring.

The great majority of uAs innovations still comes from the private sector.

scott newbern, vice president for small uass at aeroVironment, said most configura-tion concepts for uAs platforms are fairly ma-ture, although VTol capabilities are becoming more desirable. “Advances generally fall into payload capabilities and advancing levels of autonomy.”

For payloads, the priorities are improv-ing the resolution, size, weight and power (sWaP) of traditional electro-optical and infra-red sensors and introducing new capabilities, such as high-resolution mapping, light detec-tion and ranging and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detection.

Manufacturing advances and miniaturization technologies have made mini and nano-sized unmanned platforms possible. U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research photos.


For extending flight duration, new bat-tery and propulsion capabilities are key. aeroVironment routinely surveys battery and other energy storage and conversion technologies to stay up to speed on the state of the art. “This often involves building prototypes and demonstrators for evaluation and characterization,” Newbern explained. When this results in something promising, the company develops and produces a new uas. one recent example is a solar wing for aeroVironment’s Puma ae. This solar wing has extended Puma’s endurance from 3.5 hours when powered only by batteries to beyond six hours.

To improve ruggedness, aeroViron-ment mostly tests and learns. “We analyze product use and feedback from operations,” newbern noted. Areas of wear or failure are first looked at in detail by developing a test that reproduces the wear. Then aeroViron-ment goes through a series of new designs, testing them to ensure wear is reduced while avoiding any new problems. The result is a revised product or next-generation design.

operating altitude depends on rugged-ness and propulsion. aeroVironment’s small uAss are hand-launched and use deep-stall recovery for impact on the ground. “Fly-ing at higher altitude, while not trivial, is fairly straightforward,” newbern said. But hand launching at higher altitudes is more difficult. landing-impact force is higher at higher altitudes. so ruggedness and propul-sion enhancements are required.

To reduce sWaP, aeroVironment’s tightly integrates its systems and optimizes them for low sWaP. Improvements come as small enhancements and efficiencies are made and component revisions are introduced. one example is improved composite fabrica-tion that has reduced structure weight by a few percent without affecting the struc-ture’s performance.

Improvements in af-fordability come from learn-ing over a uAs’s lifecycle, applying lessons learned and designing for lower costs in the next product revision.

uaV solutions ceo Bill davidson has been making uass for about 15 years, all the way from 800-pound-ers to his latest Phoenix ace le, weighing 3.8 to 5 pounds. his firm does

most of its work in-house, with a composite shop, aluminum machining and now eight machines for 3D printing of plastics.

davidson said he has worked recently on smaller uass, weighing 15 pounds or less. his Phoenix usually carries full-motion video eo and Ir cameras, although multispectral or high-resolution still cameras could also be carried. The 3.8-pound version has one bat-tery for 40 minutes duration, the 5-pounder can stay aloft an hour with two batteries. Both are priced at about $10,000.

uaV solutions may move into smaller, pocket-sized uAss, or it might simply try to make its small uAss more capable, in dura-tion and capability. steady advances in con-sumer electronics spur constant decreases in size and weight of uAs components, Davidson noted. and 3D manufacturing meth-ods enable even small firms to make smaller, lighter and more intricate parts that simply were not possible before. 3D also brings

with it new materials, such as fiber-filled nylon, that make thinner, lighter parts stronger.

davidson stressed his firm’s ability to make most of its own equipment without outsourcing and its wide range of experience in variously-sized uAss. he looks forward to support-ing military, law enforce-ment and commercial uAs customers as these devices increase in number.

The latest mini-uAs from Israel Aero-space Industries’ Malat division is the Birdeye 650D, an enhanced version of its Birdeye 650. Marketer Dan Bichman said 650D has a wingspan of four meters and a maximum takeoff weight (MToW) of 30 kilograms. Most interesting is a rather long endurance, 15 to 20 hours, possible because Birdeye has a gasoline engine, unlike most electric-powered mini-uAss.

The new mini has an operating radius of 100 kilometers and a payload of eo and Ir sensors of 3.5 kg.

IAI is also working on two new minis, the Panther and mini-Panther. The con-cept is the same for both uAss, which are electric-powered. They are vertical VTol, tilt-rotor uass, like the V-22 osprey. The Panthers can take off and land vertically with no runway, then rotate their two wing engines to fly horizontally, while the tail engine remains in place.

The larger Panther has a MToW of 65 kg, can be taken out on a vehicle and requires 15 minutes to prepare for launch. It normally carries a payload of 6 to 8 kg with eo, Ir cameras and a laser range finder. endur-ance is four hours.

The smaller mini-Panther, has an MToW of 12 kg, payload of 2 kg and endurance of 2.5 hours. The entire system can be carried in three backpacks.

Bichman expects endurance will be longer for both versions as better batteries are developed. he is seeing lots of interest in his new mini-uAss and predicts IAI will always be “working on something new.”Bill Davidson

This illustrates the swarming aspect of ONR’s CICADA. U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research image.


elbit systems is introducing a new mini-uas, skylark 3, designed for brigades and divisions. The skylark 3 increases range to more than 100 km, endurance to 6 hours and payload to 10 kg. With MToW of 45 kg, the new model launches from a pneumatic system on the ground or on a vehicle.

skylark 3 offers eo and Ir video and photographic imaging, and an electric motor reduces its sound signature. It can operate at up to 15,000 feet. With a shared ground control system, two skylark 3s can be assigned to the same mission, yielding consistent target acquisition from two as-pects or extended flight endurance by uas hot-swap. General Manager elad aharonson called this uAs, “an ideal solution for carry-ing out complex IsTar missions.”

last year elbit introduced the skylark I-leX, another mini-uas that is man-portable and electric-powered, best suited for beyond-the-next hill reconnaissance, counter insurgency and force protection. The I-leX is already used at battalion level by Israeli land forces and has accumulated thousands of operational sorties.

This mini-uAs carries best-in-class day and night sensors, has secured, encrypted

communications and offers simultaneous operation of two uass up to a range of 40 km. An advanced ground control station has a modern graphical interface, automatic tracking and motion detection and adapts to customers’ languages.

Prox Dynamics continues develop-ing and selling airborne soldier sensors through its Black hornet product line. The Black hornet is a palm-sized nano-uaV and provides real-time video and snapshots to enhance the immediate situational aware-ness for soldiers and first responders. The nano-uaV is by far the smallest on the market, weighting only 18.5 grams! The two latest versions of the Black hornet, Bh2 and Bh2T (night vision capable), have pro-vided great improvements over the launch model Bh1. “The Bh2 and Bh2T have really proved themselves over the last year, and are now in use by more than 15 countries worldwide. We keep enhancing these small life savers based on customer feedback and a continued increased access to smaller, better and more capable sensors. We stay loyal to customers’ key demand for keeping sensors light, covert and inherently safe for operations anywhere, anytime,”

said ole aguirre, vice president of business development.

Aguirre said rapid developments in cam-era technology and microchip processors, combined with advanced software engi-neering, will enable further improvements in the development for nano scale “flying binoculars” like the Black hornet. “upgrades made and in development will increase both durability and flexibility, and Bh sensors are already combat-proven in the roughest environments in the world.” Most improve-ments will come from software upgrades, better processing power and enhanced battery technology.

The Black hornet airborne soldier sen-sors are part of the Pd-100 Personal Recon-naissance system (Prs), giving warriors an instant pocket-sized IsR capability for real-time, live-motion video and snapshots during missions. It was combat-proven in afghanistan by NaTo forces as early as 2012 and has a range exceeding 1.6 km. “Devel-oped in norway and fielded in both freezing artic, humid sub-tropic and hot dessert combat arenas, the Black hornets have set the class for the smallest military-rugged uaVs in the world,” said aguirre.


For years, the United States military has expressed the goal of providing communications and information to the tactical edge of the network. Special operations units, because of the way they operate, represent that leading edge of military networks.

When special forces were beyond the reach of high-quality commu-nications networks, they operated at a deficit of the kind of information and data that would make fulfilling their missions quicker and more efficient. That state of affairs prevailed as long as portable satellite communications equipment was not available to special ops teams.

Those small teams need to rely on what they can carry and are un-able to haul heavy equipment with them—huge satellite dishes are out of the question. Missions are often carried out in hostile and austere environments where the benefits of a military infrastructure are not available.

Satellites provide warfighters with the link for beyond line-of-sight communications, allowing small units of special operators performing missions in isolated locations to maintain contact with each other and with headquarters. Besides the ubiquity of SATCOM’s coverage, several interrelated technology developments have contributed to making global broadband communications possible.

Recent advancements in technology have combined to allow satel-lite communications equipment to be developed that can be carried by special forces to the remotest locations, giving them reachback communications capability, as well as a rich array of information, data, imagery and video which allow them to accomplish their missions

more expeditiously. The same technology also allows them to feed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information back into the network to help commanders and decision makers develop situational awareness and script missions for joint forces that better brings the fight to the enemy.

The ultimate requirement that allows small special forces units to carry advanced satellite communications systems with them to remote locations involves the reduction of size, weight and power (SWaP) needs of that equipment. The advent of new high-throughput satellites enable the use of very small and low-power antennas and terminals. Those developments, combined with advances in electronics miniaturization, increases in computing power and innovations in component circuitry combine to reduce the SWaP of SATCOM equipment, all of which come together to make the era of portable satellite communications a possibil-ity, if not a completed reality.

The downside of smaller terrestrial equipment is that it requires more bandwidth to transmit the same volume of data. Advances in space assets, the proliferation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, efforts to match terrestrial equipment with the most appropriate satellite constel-lations, and developments in wave form software are all taking place to tackle the bandwidth challenge.

“Fiber and copper communications networks are usually not available in the austere environments in which the Army operates,” said Lieutenant Colonel Joel Babbitt, product director for wideband enterprise satellite systems at the Army’s Program Executive Office,

Working to overcome the technology challenges of smaller, more deployable systems.

By Peter BuxBaum, SPecOPS cOrreSPOndent


enterprise Information systems. “It is the remoteness from terrestrial networks that has led to the explo-sion in saTcoM throughout the operational forces. What we have seen is the thickening of the network with products like css VsaT which provide warfight-ers with small satellite dishes.”

The css saTcoM Very small aperture Terminal (VsaT) program provides a worldwide commercial saTcoM network in support of army css logistics Information systems (lIs) operating from garrison or deployed within the tactical and operational bat-tlespace. Babbitt also oversees the acquisition and provisioning of portable saTcoM equipment for the Joint Telemedicine Network.

“special operations forces need to take their communications with them,” said scott Potter, busi-ness development manager for saTcoM solutions at harris Corp. “Man portable and vehicle portable sys-tems allow special teams to download IsR informa-tion such as full motion video during their missions.”

The Army’s Communications-electronics Research, Development and engineering center (cerDec) has funded harris Corp. to create and develop a new sat-ellite terminal that can provide vehicles on the move with better satellite coverage. “The vehicles can be equipped with smaller flat panels in arrays through-out the vehicle,” said Potter. “The vehicle doesn’t have to look like it is carrying communications equipment.”

“The main driving factor that makes satellite terminals smaller is lower power consumption,” said Karl Fuchs, vice president of technology at idirect Government technologies. “lower power consumption leads to smaller form factors.” iDG contributes to this effort by developing smaller satellite modems that are incorporated into saTcoM terminals and which consume less power.

“historically special ops forces made good use of l-band satellite technology,” said Dwight hunsicker senior vice president and general manager for Globe-comm systems. “l-band was relatively restricted in the amount of throughput available to devices. The advent of Ku-band, X-band and Ka-band man packable terminals are the next step in throughput availability which will allow special ops warfighters access to greater amounts of information and data, not just text and voice but also streaming video for Isr types of missions.”

small satellite dishes and terminals fielded for command and control are all about the speed of decision-making, Babbitt noted. “You have to get the information you need and make a decision on it before the enemy can make a decision,” he explained. “It’s all about seizing the decision from enemy forces by knowing more than they know.”

“With this technology special ops teams can change their missions on the fly,” said Potter. “Access to real-time video can provide them with new targets or new instructions about targets while on the mis-sion.”

Perhaps the chief technology change that has enabled the suc-cessful development of smaller terrestrial satellite communications equipment has been the deployment of more powerful satellites. “as

the birds get more powerful the terminals don’t have to be as large,” said Potter. “Meanwhile, on the ground there has been a shrinkage in the size of electronics. More powerful components can be placed in smaller packages, requiring less power and weight.” The proliferation of low earth orbit (leo) satellite constel-lations also means that less energy is required to communicate between the space-borne asset and the terrestrial terminal.

developed with an internal company investment and two dod small business innovative research contracts, the GaTr antenna is a radome-style implementation of a saTcoM terminal with a flexible parabolic reflector inside of the radome. There are no rigid components to the radome and reflector, thus allowing the lightweight system to be rolled up inside a compression bag for ultra-portability. “The result in an 80 percent reduction in weight and volume over traditional rigid saTcoM systems,” said cyrus Wilson. XXX XXXXX for GaTr. “For example, a GaTr 2.4-meter single band system packs into as few as two cases with a total weight of less than 200 pounds.”

Babbitt manages two programs—the cFs VsaT that provides network capabilities for combat support—and the Joint Telemedicine Network that provides specific network capabilities to medical personnel.

“cFs VsaT is all about the speed of logistics,” said Babbitt. “We are replacing a sneaker net—where we actually drove a disk from one location to another to order parts—with network messages. Instead of risking their lives to take a disk from one place to another to order parts, the request goes over the network and the parts get requisitioned that much faster.”

Joint Telemedicine Network provides communica-tions with medical specialists to the small number of medical personnel located at forward operating bases (FoBs). “The network adds a huge amount of expertise to the tactical edge, right at the point of treatment to increase the chances of soldier survivability,” said Babbitt, “and to better deal with serious problems at FoB as opposed to back at the rear.”

harris has been developing and manufacturing small ground terminals for saTcoM for a number of years. “We have .6-meter and .65-meter man pack

terminals available,” said Potter. “We are working toward creating smaller systems as well. We have a 1.3-meter system that fits into two rollaway cases that can be checked as baggage on airlines.” harris has sold over 80 plus of those systems, primarily to special forces in the u.s. military, as well to the larger Army and to foreign militaries. harris uses advanced materials to make equipment lighter, improving the sWaP of the units.

Central to the issue of sWaP reduction is the selection of com-ponents such as modems and antennas that go into the satellite systems. In order to reduce the power consumption—and therefore the size and weight—of the satellite modems that it develops and produces, iDirect Government has migrated from the use of field programmable gate arrays (FPGas) to application specific integrated circuits (asIcs).

Karl Fuchs

Scott Potter

Lt. Col. Joel Babbitt


“There are pluses and minuses to both,” said Fuchs. “FPGas are fairly generic and flexible, can be modified by engineers, and can be programmed to do all the functions, such as modulating and demodulat-ing, required in a modem. The price you pay for that flexibility is in power consumption.”

AsICs are pure hardware that are designed to perform specific applications. “They are designed specifically to do only one job and can’t be changed,” said Fuchs. “on the plus side they can be manufac-tured inexpensively and are very tight on power. on the down side, if something isn’t working with the implementation you have a big issue on your hands.”

But shrinking terminal size can also have a negative impact on bandwidth. “With smaller anten-nas you need to utilize a greater amount of bandwidth to get same amount of data through,” Fuchs noted.

Wilson draws a distinction on the bandwidth issues and believes that those issues are primarily on systems smaller than a 1-meter aperture. “While there are several mitigating factors that will ultimately determine system performance, GaTr users have seen a lot of success with our 1.2-m sized terminal with regards to achieving higher band-width data rates in remote areas,” explained Wilson. Furthermore, our ability to package the 1.2-m into a single case or backpack, as opposed to smaller terminals that consume more volume, makes it the system of choice for ultra-portable systems that can provide high bandwidth communications while also providing the benefits of a larger dish.”

For Wilson, there’s always a need for smaller and lighter technol-ogy. “Most of our customers are the tip of spear for new technology development and implementation, so we are constantly working to meet their needs and provide them with greater capability. The technol-ogy is definitely there, and all I can say is keep your eyes open for the continued innovation from GaTr.”

“When manpacks were first introduced into theater it become clear quickly that the terminals worked theoretically but that the amount of bandwidth required because of small antenna apertures made the business case for manpacks somewhat challenged,” said hunsicker. “The disadvantaged nature of the terminals inhibited market growth of the manpacks.”

For hunsicker, part of the solution is to take a holistic perspective—to include the space and ground segments—of the saTcoM ecosystem.

Matching ground terminals with space assets, noted Babbitt, is an important part of what he does.

“Continual improvements in wave forms are also working to correct this problem,” said Fuchs.

From hunsicker’s perspective, warfighting units that absolutely require the use of portable and man-pack saTcoM equipment to fulfill their missions have to pay the freight for the increased bandwidth they require, at least for now. The key to making the de-ployment of this type of equipment more ubiquitous, he said, is to introduce “a step-function increase” in the performance of the smaller-aperture antennas.

The good news is that these problems are being worked on. “new technologies and new capabilities

are being developed to improve the aperture part of the equation,” said hunsicker, “which will help make terminals less disadvantaged and help the budget, business and economic cases for the use of manpack satellite terminals.”

ease of operator use

harris is eight months into a 28-month program to develop a dis-tributed aperture scheme for military vehicles. “We are working on flat panels and arrays of small aperture antennas that can be distributed throughout a vehicle making it electronically the equivalent of a bigger aperture,” said Potter. “The technology is amazing for reducing sWaP and maintaining communications reliability. If one aperture is blocked another can still reach the satellite and maintain the link. The Army is interested in adapting these technology developments to the Bradley fighting vehicle as well as command vehicles.”

Besides the use of advanced materials that make equipment lighter, harris is also working on virtualizing network hardware as well as waveform software. satellite communications works today on the basis of the various military networks such as nIPRnet, sIPRnet and coalition networks, each of which require their own hardware such as routers and switches. “In the future we see those types of routing functions virtualized on virtual machines,” said Potter. “standardized hardware can be configured using software to perform different mis-sions across different networks.

“hardware units will become virtual machines in the computer system of the terminal,” he added. “We are looking for that to develop within next five years.”

“Manpack antennas with very small form factors are becoming a reality,” said Babbitt. “As satellites become higher powered we can use smaller antennas on the ground” ne continued. “each generation of satellites is becoming more powerful. leo satellites are becoming more of a reality and will decrease the power requirements for terminals to close the link because those satellites are so much closer to the earth. smaller terminals are more viable for use with leo constellations.”

The Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), the army’s tactical communications network backbone, is fielding dozens of small satellite dishes on small communications nodes throughout brigade combat teams, Babbitt noted. “That development is transforming the ground footprint,” he said. “Basically this means that a lot more infor-mation will be passed throughout the tactical formation. I see saTcoM on the move (soTM) continuing to mature as time goes by.”

While saTcoM terminals provide the most benefits when deployed as a ground-based solution, GaTr’s modem product line is currently being integrated with soTM products.

Systems are becoming

ever more portable, like this Harris Seeker which

can be dismantled and packed in an airline-checkable case. Harris photo.

Dwight Hunsicker


Chemical Biological Radiation nuclear (cBrN) detection equipment alerts the warfighter to unseen hazards. hazardous materials are in use by terrorists. examples include the sarin gas attack in the Tokyo sub-way, anthrax in the us postal system, and the discovery of military bioweapons programs in the former soviet union.

The Joint Program executive office for chemical and Biological Defense (JPeo-cBD) purpose is to defend cities, support allies and protect warfighters against new forms of at-tack. This is not an impossible task. The JPeo-CBd is responding with research, develop-ment, acquisition and fielding of cBrN defense equipment and medical countermeasures. JPeo-cBD military and civilian acquisition pro-fessionals, along with a dedicated industrial base, are simultaneously developing the next generation of mobile, agile and modular chemi-cal and biological defense systems.

While the task is not impossible, the mili-tary faces several challenges detecting these hazards. Detection equipment must be:

• light weight, easy to use, and rugged enough to withstand field conditions

• accurate (minimize false positives, produce repeatable results, etc.)

• Able to detect various concentrations of a hazard (sensitivity)

• Proficient at identifying and correcting for masking agents used by the enemy

• Cost effective

Detection equipment is critical as the enemy moves toward more sophisticated methods of attack. Michael deckert, director, chem-bio defense for sRC, Inc., summed it up, “The probability of chemical and biological attack steadily rises because terrorism is a

growing global threat, and terrorists are look-ing for new ways to make bold statements. ricin, abrin and anthrax “how to” instructions are readily available, making it easier to both produce and disseminate weapon agents. The recent spike in the number of ricin threats, and IsIs’ use of chemical warfare agents is absolute proof that the chemical and biologi-cal threat is here.”

The primary application of sRC’s Aklus shield system is to detect and sample biologi-cal agents including bacteria, viruses, and toxins. some of the most common tests for biohazards include anthrax, botulinum toxin, smallpox and plague.

The aklus shield system is also flexible enough that chemical and radiological sensors can be added to the sensor platform. one of the technology needs identified by JPeo-cBD is enhanced chemical and biological agent de-tection/collection/identification. deckert said sRC has been contributing to military defense against chemical and biological warfare for more than 20 years. Aklus shield is a self-contained portable biological detection and sample collection system. It is a battery oper-ated networked warning system designed to rapidly detect, sample and identify biological warfare agents. Its mission space includes perimeter defense, critical infrastructure and building protection, as well as special event surveillance. The bio identification assays developed by acumen Detection, llc (an src company) for the aklus shield system can also be used in support of sensitive site exploita-tion and consequence management roles. The aklus shield system assays have extremely long shelf life. These assays still perform after being stored at 122 degrees Fahrenheit for over three months, and over two years at room temperature. In addition, there’s no

need to perform sample clean-up or extraction prior to running testing, which saves up to an hour of time, and significant reagent costs. Tim Moshier, president acumen Detection, llc, said Acumen detection’s assays are tolerant to common environmental contaminants so that tap water can be used to reconstitute the freeze-dried assays. even unpurified swamp water can be used, as demonstrated during a recent u.s. special operations com-mand technology demonstration.

acumen Detection’s toxin assays are really unique for their ability to provide actionable knowledge at the point of need says Moshier. The assays measure a toxins’ biological activ-ity, which is very important since some toxins can quickly degrade into a harmless state once exposed to the environment. Determin-ing if a toxin is still dangerous or not is a key piece of information for accurate, informed decision making. Because Acumen detec-tion’s toxin assays can work on the same polymerase chain reaction (Pcr) instruments that the bacteria and virus assays work on, there’s no need to take multiple instruments to the field.

src technologies meet several of JPeo-CBd stated technology needs and moderniza-tion goals:

• Reduced reliance on consumables and high-stability reagents

• Field a new biological toxin identification capability

• simplified sample preparation for analytic devices

Another sRC product, Acu-swab-R, is a broad-spectrum surface collection device, and is effective in sampling explosives, drugs, chemical warfare agents, and biological

Chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear detection threats are requiring more precise and deployable technologies.

By paTRiCk e. ClaRke, speCops CoRResponDenT


agents. It collects both liquid and solid materials from a broad range of surfaces, even highly porous and irregular surfaces like asphalt. The only real limitation is the library that is loaded onto the instrument analyzing the collected Acu-swab-R sample.

deckert said, “sRC and Acumen detec-tion’s innovative design approach and rigorous manufacturing processes assure the highest quality product. every conceivable approach to masking has been reviewed and assur-ances have been made to protect the suite of products from any masking attempt.”

False positives are a CBRn concern since they might derail a mission needlessly. sRC systems minimize false positives using highly sophisticated algorithms to separate background biological particles from “agents of interest.” Acumen detection’s identification assays are tested against a panel of contami-nants (arizona road dust, humic acid, diesel exhaust, saline, Montana soil) and to assure against false positives and cross reactivity. during development sRC used side-by-side testing in a dynamic aerosol chamber to ensure the best possible technologies were incorporated. To account for challenging environments, “sRC evaluated detector com-ponents against biological aerosols that were of varying concentrations, and particle sizes; with clean backgrounds, and with high-con-centration road dust backgrounds. This way we can be sure that our systems have little chance of either being blinded, or spoofed into false alarming” said Moshier.

hazard detection field use includes sev-eral steps:

• detection of a hazard • sample collection • sample preparation • Testing and finally; • hazard identification.

smiths Detection Inc. (sDI) has more than 50 years of experience partnering with agen-cies like the dod. sdI’s sampling device, Cus-todion, leverages a special technique called solid phase micro-extraction (sPMe) to collect trace level samples. This technique combines extraction, collection, and concentration of hazards present for gas-phase, liquid, and dis-solved solid samples. “sPMe is ideally suited for sampling in the field because of its low logistical burden for sample preparation,” said dr. Warren Mino, senior product manager at sDI. The technique meets the JPeo-cBD need for simplified sample preparation

sPMe sampling is used with one of

sDI’s detection technologies, Guardion, which employs high-speed, high-resolution gas chromatography (Gc) and a miniatur-ized mass spectrometer (Ms) compounds in complex gases, vapors, liquids and solids. Guardion is hand-portable and ruggedized for use in a hot zone or extreme environments. “Guardion features both a touch screen and keypad for operation, providing ease-of-use in personal protective gear. All software re-quired for sample identification and reporting is on board the system. It includes chemical warfare agent and toxic industrial chemi-cal libraries, as well as a hazards database for rapid decision support,” said Mino. he continued, “We have an onboard verification to ensure the instrument is tuned prop-erly and is working to our high standards of sensitivity and accuracy, which exceed market standards.” These technologies fall in line with JPeo-cBD modernization goals to improve detection systems’ ability to detect and identify non-traditional agents (NTas), low volatility agents (vapor/aerosol), toxic industrial chemicals (TIcs), and traditional chemical warfare agents (liquid, solid, vapor and aerosol).

one characteristic of the combination of Gc and Ms is its ability to separate the sample into its individual components. For example, diesel fuel has many compounds that could mask a threat, but even in this complex background, Gc/Ms can detect and identify individual traces of threats.

all detection equipment identifies haz-ards by comparing the hazard results to a comprehensive collection of known hazards called hazard libraries. sDI’s Guardian soft-ware includes chemical warfare agent and TIC libraries, as well as a hazards database for rapid decision support.

Prime Alert is sdI’s bio-detection and threat verification system. It is a portable system that screens unknown powder samples for suspicious levels of all known microbes and key bio-toxins.

In looking toward the future, Mino said, “Customers are always looking for smaller, lighter and faster technology. In addition to that, the use of data is the future. The ability to use multiple technologies to give users integrated information in the field will raise confidence in decision making.” In its 30-year plan JPeo-cBD agrees, “the mid-term (FY17-20) modernization goal is to improve the integra-tion of chemical detectors. detector informa-tion must be relayed to other information systems to support operations and enable additional analyses.”

another company working to meet JPeo-CBd needs is environics, which offers three detectors for special operations:

• ChemPro100i - a handheld chemical warfare agent (cWa) and toxic industrial chemical (TIc) detector. The chemPro100i provides early warning and classification of the chemical hazard providing time for the users to protect themselves or escape from the hotzone. The ChemPro100i detects and classifies all the most common cWas (nerve, blister, blood agents) and approximately 25 of the most common toxic industrial chemicals.

• RanidPro200 - a radionuclide identifier backpack for gamma and neutron radiation that provides a rapid response time (only a few seconds) and selective identification of the radiation source and

• eNVI assay system - rapid tests for biological agent identification.

samuli Kirjalainen, business manager for environics’ Chemical detectors said, “Reducing false positives is a challenge which requires new, novel technologies such as orthogonal chemical detection, i.e. combining the sensor re-sponses from different technologies. In addition to IMs (Ion Mobility spectrometer), the chemP-ro100i includes several semiconductor sensors which provide additional, orthogonal information on the surrounding atmosphere. This gives the ChemPro100i remarkable capabilities in terms of false alarm rejection.”

As always, the military must be prepared for future challenges. The same is true for the field of hazard detection. smaller, faster, more cost effective equipment will be needed. Terrorist threats are a global issue concerning govern-ments, military, law enforcement and public health officials around the world. In the future, hazard detection equipment must be flexible enough to deal with unanticipated conditions as well as meeting international standards to work with partner forces and foreign agencies.

phoenix Defender

The Royal Canadian Air Force re-cently conducted Phoenix Defender, an exercise held at canadian Forces Base Bagotville, Quebec, aimed to improve the Canadian Armed Forces’ response to a CBRn threat at a busy military airfield using computer-triggered alarms.


AR Modular RF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9www.arworld.us/tactical

Battelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3www.battelle.org

Insitu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C4www.insitu.com/suntzu

L-3 GCS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C2www.l-3com.com

Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference . . . . . . . . . . 21www.inegma.com/events/mesoc2016

SOFEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C3www.sofexjordan.com

Visual Awareness Technologies and Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11www.vatcinc.com

Xponential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16www.xponential.org

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seal Team FiVe ($47.3 million)

constructs a 96,000 square foot (sF) facility to support seal Team Five operations at naval Base Coronado. Facility will support a variety of func-tions including operational gear storage, applied instruction, administrative, and includes both interior and exterior op-erational load out areas.

seal Team seVen ($43.9 million)

constructs a 96,000 square foot (sF) facility to support seal Team seven operations at naval Base Coronado. Facility will support a variety of func-tions including operational gear storage, applied instruction, administrative, and includes both interior and exterior op-erational load out areas.

nsW gRoup Ten, speCial ReConnaissanCe Team one ($20.9 million)

constructs a 340,000 sF facility to support naval special Warfare (NsW) Group Ten special Reconnaissance Team one (srT-1) operations at naval Base Coronado. sRT-1 unmanned aerial vehicle opera-tions are currently accommo-dated in a space approximately 15,ooo sF on the ocean side of naval Amphibious Base coronado that only meets 38 percent of the requirement.

TRaining CenTeR FoR nsW gRoups one, Ten, eleVen anD suBoRDinaTe uniTs ($15.6 million)

constructs a 40,000 sF human performance training center to support naval special Warfare (NsW) Groups one,

Ten, eleven and subordinate units at naval Base Coronado. The facility will support special operator injury prevention, re-habilitation, testing and evalua-tion, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and research and development.

nsWg one TRaining DeTaChmenT ($44.3 million)

constructs a 65,000 sF facility to support naval special Warfare Group oNe (NsWG-1) Training Detachment (TraDeT) oNe operations and training at naval Base Coronado. Project also includes a 25,000 sF combat training tank com-plex. Facilities will support a variety of functions including operational gear storage, ap-plied instruction, administra-tive, and includes interior and exterior operational load out areas. A synthetic turf test and evaluation field and a combat scenario obstacle course are also included.

TaCTiCal unmanneD aeRial VehiCle ($4.8 million)

Construct new hangar and maintenance facility for the 3rd Battalion, 75th ranger regi-ment, Fort Benning. The hangar will provide an adequate facility for the storage, maintenance, classroom, operations, and training requirements of the new TuaV platoon.

speCial TaCTiCs FaCiliTy ($30.7 million)

Construct two team build-ings, Isu storage, CsT mainte-nance/equipment barn and cov-ered parking (deficit solution) at Fort Bragg.

soF ComBaT meDiC TRaining FaCiliTy ($10.9 million)

construct a Joint combat Medic Training Facility for the united states army John F. Kennedy special Warfare Center and school, Fort Bragg. This project is required to meet growth requirements to train combat medics in accordance with commercial testing stan-dards.

soF paRaChuTe Rigging FaCiliTy ($21.4 million)

Construct a consolidated parachute rigging facility the u.s. army John F. Kennedy special Warfare Center and school (usaJFKsWcs) and the 1st special Forces Command (1st sFc), Fort Bragg.

soF TaCTiCal eQuipmenT mainTenanCe FaCiliTy ($23.6 million)

construct a tactical equip-ment maintenance facility com-plex for the 95th civil affairs Brigade at Fort Bragg.

soF mainTenanCe hangaR ($42.8 million)

This project will construct adequate facilities, properly sized and configured, for a multi-bay aircraft hangar and an aMu to supporting Mc-130 aircraft and maintenance unit at Kadena air Base Japan.

soF simulaToR FaCiliTy ($12.6 million)

This Kadena air Base, Japan, project supports aircrew train-ing by providing a weapon sys-tem trainer (WsT) for the new Mc-130J model aircraft. This is part of the aFsoc recapitaliza-tion of older Mc-130s.

aiRFielD apRon ($41.3 million)

Aircraft parking apron with associated taxiways and shoulders required to accom-modate cV-22 aircraft at Yokota air Base, Japan.

hangaR/aiRpoRT mainTenanCe uniT ($39.5 million)

This projects funds ad-equate facilities, properly sized and configured, for a multi-bay aircraft hangar and an aircraft maintenance unit to support special operations forces (soF) cV-22 aircraft beddown at Yokota air Base, Japan.

opeRaTions anD WaRehouse FaCiliTies ($26.7 million)

Facility at Yokota Air Base, Japan, will support squad-ron operations to provide an adequate facility for squadron commander, command section, secure flight planning, briefing, and critique of aircrews and to direct flight operations of aircraft. space is also required to maintain, store and issue life support, aircrew flight equip-ment and clothing.

simulaToR FaCiliTy ($6.3 million)

This project at Yokota Air Base, Japan, supports the bed down of a special operations forces cV-22 aircraft squadron. It is required to provide an adequate facility for aircraft crews of the special operations squadron to conduct required training for both annual and semi-annual events to support crew upgrade training as well as specific mission rehears-als.

USSOCOM Military Construction FY17sixteen projects drive the special operations military construction budget request for Fy2017.


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