SOTECH 12.10 (December 2014)

AFSOC Optimizer

Lt. Gen. Bradley A. HeitholdCommanderAFSOC

SOF Medicine O V-22 O Fixed-Wing AircraftCommando Survival Gear O Agile Thinking

December 2014 Volume 12, Issue 10

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World’s Largest Distributed Special Ops Magazine

A Tribute to the 75th Ranger Regiment

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4Equipping thE V-22The V-22 Osprey was jointly developed between Bell Helicopter and Boeing as a multimission tilt-rotor aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing.By Brian O’Shea

22SOF MEdical tEchnOlOgiESSOF medics are trained to operate independent of a physician in austere conditions and hold/maintain patients for extended periods of time.By ChriS MCCOy

24SpEcial OpEratiOnS FixEd-Wing capabilitiESSOCOM has a number of fixed-wing aircraft at its disposal to carry out a variety of different mission types.By Brian O’Shea

26dEVElOping an agilE thinkEr: charactErizing ExpErtiSEUsing blended qualitative and quantitative Cognitive Task Analysis applied research methods, researchers explain how individuals think in operational settings.By Bill rOSS

Cover / Q&AFeatures

lt. gEn. bradlEy a. hEithOldCommander

AFSOC

18

Departments Industry Interview2 EditOr’S pErSpEctiVE3 WhiSpErS12, 17 black Watch27 rESOurcE cEntEr

ryan hartManPresident and CEOInsitu

December 2014Volume 12, Issue 10Special OperatiOnS technOlOgy

28

“To guarantee successful mission

accomplishment, we have

established the following four AFSOC

priorities: provide

combat-ready forces; create an environment for

our airmen and

families to thrive; transform training to optimize human

performance; and modernize and

sustain the force.”

— Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold

8

gOing cOMMandO: SurViVal gEarFor special operations forces and others engaged in commando-type action, the bare necessities are today a bit easier to obtain thanks to advances in gear technology, including equipment to purify water, mark people or locations, and provide power.By hank hOgan

a tributE tO thE 75th rangEr rEgiMEntThe 75th Ranger Regiment celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

13

Special Section

I recently read how U.S. Army Special Operations Command dedi-cated the new Special Operations Mission Training Center (SOMTC) facility to a well-known special forces operator who served in the Army during World War II.

The facility is now named after Colonel Frederick Bradshaw, a founder of the Alamo Scouts who served as the first director of the Alamo Scouts Training Center.

The Alamo Scouts was an elite unit of the 6th Army who operated in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. The unit was formed on Fergusson Island in New Guinea in November of 1943.

The Alamo Scouts are most famous for their accomplishments in the Luzon campaign. They set up intelligence networks and saved downed airmen in addition to supplying, coordinating and taking part in operations with guerrilla leaders.

During the Luzon campaign, the Alamo Scouts conducted over 50 identified missions. Overall, the Alamo Scouts conducted 112 identified missions during the war. They did this without losing a single man to the enemy through death or capture.

“To this, we owe Colonel Bradshaw our success for his part in training us and to the wonderful offi-cers,” said Jack Geiger, a former Alamo Scout and distinguished member of the Special Forces Regiment. “I would say that having been an Alamo Scout was an unforgettable period of my life and I believe all the other Scouts would agree.”

Lieutenant Colonel Gil Cardona explained that Bradshaw stood out among many other early leaders of the Army special operations community.

“More than seven months ago, as we knew that we were going to move into this building, we wanted to memorialize the building after someone who was involved in Army Special Operations from the very beginning and [who] was directly involved with the training of SOF, since that is our mission here at the SOMTC,” Cardona said.

As editor of SOTECH, and as someone with a strong interest in history, it is great to see how special operations forces continue to remember their own.

As usual, feel free to email me with questions or comments for Special Operations Technology.


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iRobot Corp., the leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, announced the uPoint Multi-Robot Control (MRC) system, a universal control system for iRobot’s line of defense and security robots that will enable robot operators to be more proficient than ever before.

The uPoint MRC system runs an Android-based app that standardizes the control of any robot within the iRobot family of unmanned vehicles. Utilizing the same intuitive touchscreen tech-nology in use on millions of digital devices, the uPoint MRC system simplifies robot operations including driving, manipulation and inspection, allowing operators to focus more on the mission at hand.

“Success as a robot operator during high-stress, critical opera-tions depends on precise and reliable control, so the interface needs to be intuitive,” said Frank Wilson, senior vice president and general manager of iRobot’s Defense and Security business unit. “We’ve leveraged decades of experience working with robot operators and held dozens of user focus groups to develop the uPoint MRC system. The uPoint MRC system drives mission effectiveness by decreasing training time and increasing overall ease of use. With uPoint, you point and the robot goes.”

The uPoint MRC system is currently compatible with a range of ruggedized and consumer Android-based touchscreen tablets. With an easy-to-use interface that puts robot controls at your fingertips, the era of digging deep in menus is a thing of the past.

The uPoint MRC system also features the uPoint Robot Radio, which offers improved communications and smart networking. The uPoint Robot Radio leverages frequency agility (the ability to automatically switch away from congested frequencies), power management and mesh networking to form a robust network in which robots, operators and observers work seamlessly together. With the uPoint Robot Radio, robots can travel deeper into complex structures and further downrange than previously possible.

Prox Dynamics unveiled a new variant of the PD-100 Black Hornet with night flying and surveillance capability.

The PD-100 “T” nano-UAV includes a specifically designed and integrated thermal and daylight camera with fused imagery that will provide warfighters with a low- or no-light tactical ISR capability.

“The introduction of the PD-100 T signifi-cantly enhances the Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System solution, offering a 24-hour Cargo Pocket ISR capability to the warfighter,” said Ole Aguirre, vice president of business development at Prox Dynamics. The PD-100 enjoys a proven combat-worthiness record from operations in Afghanistan by U.S. allies. Operational since 2011, the PD-100 has been in use by the U.K. Army and several coalition partners and was described as a “life-saver” and “game-changing” technology by the U.K. Ministry of Defence. The inclusion of a complete, digitally enhanced thermal sensor from FLIR Systems Inc., paired with an EO camera, enables unprecedented mission flexibility and situational awareness in night operations.

“We believe this is the single most important upgrade on the PD-100 system to date. The PD-100 T combines EO and thermal camera into an 18 gram heli-copter, allowing fused live video and still images to be viewed by the operator. Today’s modern warfighters demand a 24-hour solution, and here you have the first nano-UAV solution to achieve this,” said Petter Muren, CTO and founder of Prox Dynamics.

In June 2014, Prox Dynamics introduced the PD-100 Black Hornet PRS Block II, an upgrade from the original Block I, with enhanced wind performance, enhanced EO cameras and several important software upgrades. The PD-100 T Black Hornet UAVs will be available to government end-users immediately.

The North Carolina Army National Guard (NCNG) welcomed its newest unit of quiet professionals during an activation ceremony at the Claude T. Bowers Military Center drill hall on October 18, 2014.

The Special Operations Detachment (SOD), which supports and augments U.S. Special Operations Command elements as required, adds another total Army capability to the NCNG’s ready units throughout the state.

“The addition of the SOD, coupled with the two special forces companies currently in place and in close proximity to Fort Bragg … means North Carolina now has the ability to accomplish worldwide missions,” said Army Brigadier General John Byrd, the NCNG’s assistant adjutant general for domestic opera-tions. Fort Bragg, long known as the home of the U.S. Army’s airborne and special operations forces, is home to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command, and is located one hour south of Raleigh.

The SOD’s mission is to provide planning and mission support to special-operations forces.

U.S. special operations personnel, known as quiet professionals for their habit of keeping out of the limelight, include Army Special Forces, Rangers, civil

affairs and psychological operations, Navy SEALs, Air Force combat control-lers and pararescue specialists, and U.S. Marine Corps special operators.

SOD personnel will provide the special operations community with a broad and diverse perspective when planning and executing missions due to their experiences and knowledge from the civilian sector, said Army Colonel Sean Corrigan, the JSOC chief of staff, following the activation ceremony.

The NCNG SOD is one of 10 National Guard SODs located across the country, each of which supports a specific U.S. Special Operations Command component headquarters or theater headquarters, worldwide.

Multi-Robot Tablet Controller

NC Guard Activates Third Special Operations Forces Unit

Nano-UAV with Night Flying and Surveillance Capabilities

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 12.10 | 3

The V-22 Osprey was jointly developed between Bell Helicopter and Boeing as a multimission tilt-rotor aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short take-off and landing (STOL). It can act as both a helicopter and a long-range turboprop aircraft.

The United States Marine Corps MV-22 is designed and delivered to replace the CH-46 Sea Knight in the role of ship-to-shore operations, while the CV-22B is designed for the long-range infiltration, resupply and exfiltration of U.S. Special Operations Forces, said Lieutenant Colonel Sean Brammer-Hogan, chief, CV-22 Requirements Branch, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). It has been upgraded with a number of unique capabilities necessary to perform a mission any time, any place. For example, the CV-22 is equipped with increased fuel capacity for greater range, as well as integrated threat countermea-sures, terrain-following radar, a forward-looking infrared sensor and other advanced systems that allow it to operate at low altitude in adverse weather in medium-to-high threat environments.

Currently, there are 38 CV-22s in the field, with 12 more to be delivered by fiscal year 2017 reaching the planned total of 50 CV-22s.

The CV-22’s primary mission is to insert or extract special operations forces personnel, said Brammer-Hogan. It does this by combining the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range speed and fuel efficiency of a turboprop aircraft. It can also be used effectively to resupply those forces or conduct humanitar-ian operations where conventional aircraft cannot be used because of the lack of prepared surface landing areas.

There have been discussions on adding more firepower to the current CV-22. At this time, the CV-22 is equipped with a single ramp-mounted machine gun as its defensive weapon for operations into or out of a hostile landing zone.

AFSOC has asked the Joint MV/CV-22 Program office to explore options to expand the defensive capabilities of the air-craft to improve its self-protection in a hostile environment, said Brammer-Hogan. Those explorations will range from a forward-firing machine gun to the use of small rockets.

Special operationS go to aircraft for long-range and low-altitude operationS.

By Brian o’Shea, Sotech Staff writer

www.SOTECH-kmi.com4 | SOTECH 12.10

“We continually explore concepts and technology to enhance the Osprey’s survivability and combat capability,” said Brammer-Hogan. “As a lesson from our December 2013 non-combatant evacuation of American citizens from Bor, South Sudan, we have increased our priority for a forward-firing self-defense weapon.”

The Joint MV/CV-22 Program office, in coordination with Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, is scheduled to complete a weapons trade study for the CV-22 by early 2015, he added. The results of this study will help shape a development program and acquisition plan.

Additional armor was recently added inside the back of the CV-22 as a result of the hostile fire incident in the Bor, South Sudan evacua-tion. United States Special Operations Command approved an imme-diate operational requirement to provide protection to the passengers and cargo carried by the CV-22, said Brammer-Hogan. AFSOC and SOCOM worked together to define the operational requirement and source the necessary funding.

The joint program office then moved to quickly find a manufac-turer who could meet the timelines for designing, testing and field-ing the solution within the required 180 days. The finished product provides a scalable and modular capability that can be quickly added to the aircraft to provide a variety of protection options for personnel riding on the CV-22. The approved requirements were given to the joint program office in March 2014, and by the end of September they had delivered all 16 ship-sets specified in the requirement. The armor has been deployed downrange to support ongoing operations.

However, the CV-22, like all aircraft, must operate within a defined weight range, said Brammer-Hogan. Today, there are many missions and operating environments where the Osprey is at or near its maxi-mum capability, and for every pound put on a pound of something else must come off.

“The design of the armor solution will allow us to make appro-priate decisions between operational requirements and personnel protection to continue to use the aircraft to its maximum capability,” he said. “We have demonstrated the ability to install or remove the armor protection in as little as three hours, so as we gain experience with the kits we expect they will become a normal planning factor in our mission optimization.”

Other improvements to the CV-22 over the past two years have worked to improve the image quality on the forward-looking infrared system, the performance of the communication suite regarding range and connectivity, and the capabilities of the radio-frequency imaging and infrared self-protection systems. AFSOC is also working with the program office to improve the engine life during operations in the severe dust environments the aircraft are currently operating in.

The future of the CV-22 remains to be seen regarding the 2015 defense budget.

“It would be inappropriate to speculate about potential budget cuts in the future,” said Brammer-Hogan. “What we know is that the CV-22 is filling a critical role for U.S. SOF and the Department of Defense; it provides our ground and maritime forces with combat agility unmatched by any other aircraft.”

ATK Defense Electronic Systems has the AAR-47B(V)2 installed on all U.S. Marine Corps MV-22s. ATK’s AAR-47 Missile Warning Sys-tem (MWS) is a combat-proven electronic warfare system designed to protect helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft from surface-to-air threats, said Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager of ATK Defense Electronic Systems. The system integrates missile, laser and hostile fire indication (HFI) into a single system.

Upon detection of an HFI threat, such as small-caliber weapons and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), the AAR-47 system provides audio and visual warning situational awareness to enable aircrews to perform evasive maneuvers away from the threat.

In addition to the AAR-47’s ability to detect incoming missile threats, the new HFI capability provides enhanced protection through the detection of anti-aircraft artillery threats, RPG and smaller-caliber weapon fire. With ATK’s HFI capability added to the AAR-47, military aircrews flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft can detect a wider range of threats to their aircraft and quickly respond with counter-measures or tactics and procedures. The HFI is a software upgrade and requires no hardware modifications to the aircraft or existing AAR-47 components.

“The AAR-47 is a lightweight, low-power drawing and affordable missile warning system that integrates missile warning, laser warning and HFI into a single system,” said Kasting. “ATK is the first company to deliver HFI as a key capability as part of a proven MWS. ATK’s AAR-47 systems are in production for U.S. and international customers, and are combat-proven, saving lives and resources.”

The system, deployed since 1987, has protected military aircrew and aircraft in a variety of combat missions. The AAR-47 system is presently installed on over 4,000 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft flown by the United States and its allies in more than 16 countries. Platforms include AH/UH-1, CH-46, CH/MH-47, CH-53, HH/MH/SH/UH-60, S-61, S-92 and Bell 407 rotorcraft, as well as P-3, C-5, DHC-7, DHC-8, MC/UC-12, C-17, MV-22, RC-26, C-27, BT-67, C/KC-130, C-141, AC-208 and B1900 fixed-wing aircraft.

The MV-22 has attributes of both a rotary-wing and a fixed-wing aircraft. Fortunately, the adaptability of the AAR-47 allowed it to be integrated with no changes, said Kasting. He added that as threats continue to evolve, so will ATK’s systems.

Other developments from ATK in aircraft defense include Shot-Finder. ShotFinder uses acoustic technology that excels at detecting small-to-large caliber shots (5.45 to 40 mm) from ranges of 50 m to 3 km. It also detects muzzle blasts from anti-aircraft artillery, unguided rockets and rocket-propelled grenades. The sensor weighs less than 4 pounds, is easy to install and can be integrated to multiple display options. ShotFinder can be used as a stand-alone hostile fire detec-tion system or in conjunction with other threat warning systems to provide a complete threat-awareness capability.

ATK’s ShotFinder uses a single, 12-inch-diameter, half-inch-high “pancake” sensor mounted flush on the belly of the aircraft, said Kasting. The system has a nearly zero false indication rate with an

A CV-22B Osprey assigned to the 7th Special Operations Squadron flies a training mission to join a three-ship CV-22B formation October 20, 2014, from RAF Mildenhall, England. This was the first time the unit conducted CV-22B three-ship training over the island, preparing the 7th SOS for typical requirements while off station in support of a variety of operations. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force/by Senior Airman Christine Griffiths]


approximately 95 percent probability of indication. When combined with an electro-optical MWS, ShotFinder can refine the determination of threat angle of origin, range and shooter geolocation. The system detects small-caliber ball and tracer rounds, anti-aircraft artillery, unguided rockets, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Honeywell Aerospace provides a broad portfolio of mechanical and electronic products for the V-22. Mechanical products include the gen-erator and the environmental control system. Electronic products include displays, Honeywell’s inertial naviga-tion unit (INU), Traffic Collision Avoid-ance System (TCAS) and the Primus 701A weather radar, said Bob Olson, director and general manager, Military Integrated Avionics, Honeywell Aero-space. These systems work as follows:

• The auxiliary generator extracts power from the main engine and converts it to electric power for aircraft systems, such as the avionics. Honeywell has made the generator a variable frequency type, which eliminates the need for a constant speed transmission and reduces maintenance costs for the operator.

• The environmental control system is based on Honeywell’s proven system in commercial and business aviation. It controls the air temperature, pressurization and circulation for the cabin environment.

• The displays are adapted from commercial displays and provide pilots with multifunctional information such as altitude, speed and heading and standby flight display.

• The new and improved inertial navigation system is based on Honeywell’s commercial navigation sensors, with additional features adapted especially for the V-22.

• Honeywell’s TCAS system specific for the military is the MILACAS-XR TCAS II. It provides the same functionality as a civilian TCAS, but also has military-unique capabilities such as visual indications of potential intruder aircraft showing altitude, bearing, range, and threat level for actively interrogated aircraft. Ultimately, this system provides V-22 pilots critical information about aircraft flying around them, keeping the operators and platform safe.

• The Honeywell Primus 701A weather radar is a high-resolution, high-power airborne ground/sea mapping and weather radar system that is optimized for use over water and search and rescue/military missions. The system provides pilots with the ability to detect storms along the flight path of the aircraft and gives the pilot a visual indication, in color, of the storm location and intensity, while detecting turbulence up to 40 nautical miles out. It also provides a ground/sea mapping mode that helps pilots identify potential targets in the ocean.

“While every aircraft has unique qualities and requirements, Hon-eywell’s experience and breadth of technology enable it to create base-line products that can be tailored for any environment,” said Olson. “The Honeywell V-22 portfolio is no exception. We were able to create new products and adapt existing technology to help the V-22 achieve its unique mission portfolio.”

He added that one of the biggest challenges with military aircraft is the longevity of the platforms. The V-22, like other military platforms,

will be around for many years, but technology will change every year. For Honeywell, the challenge is making sure they plan the appropriate times to introduce the new technology for platforms, while keeping the critical systems running for the life of the platform.

As technologies advance, reducing cost and improving safety are always in demand, said Olson. Relevant areas where Honeywell is focusing on the future include:

• Improved safety and situation awareness in a degraded visual environment (DVE). Honeywell completed successful testing on a new Synthetic Vision Avionics Backbone (SVAB) that will enable helicopter operators to integrate multiple types of sensors with Honeywell’s Synthetic Vision System to provide pilots with a 3-D view of the outside world in DVE.

• Honeywell is supporting enhanced operational safety through application of a suite of safety system products such as weather radar, traffic collision avoidance systems and enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS). The first two systems are already on USAF CV-22, while application of EGPWS is still pending. EGPWS uses aircraft inputs such as position, altitude, air speed and glideslope, which along with internal terrain, obstacles, and airport databases predict a potential conflict between the aircraft’s flight path and terrain or an obstacle.

• Improved operating efficiency with Honeywell’s next-generation Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS). They are getting ready to take HUMS to a new level with a next-generation system that will rival those available in the most advanced commercial fixed-wing aircraft. The next-generation system will still include all the features and functionality that operators have come to expect from the leader in HUMS technology, including more than 10 times the processing power of the current generation system, support for additional sensors on the aircraft so operators can isolate faults faster and more efficiently, and more flexibility, giving operators the option to put together the system in a way that makes sense for them.

One of the most important features of the V-22 is the engines that give it the VTOL and STOL capability. Rolls-Royce designed and manu-factures the AE 1107C engines for all versions of the V-22 aircraft,

Bob Olson The AE 1107C is part of the Rolls-Royce AE family of engines, with an engine core very similar to engines which power the C-130J transport aircraft as well as the Global Hawk and Triton. [Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce]


said Tom Hartmann, senior vice president, Customer Business, Rolls-Royce. There are two engines on each aircraft, and they have delivered more than 730 engines to the V-22 program. The Rolls-Royce engine is the only engine powering the V-22 fleet.

The V-22 is a unique aircraft in that it can take off like a helicopter, then rotate the nacelles forward and fly like an airplane. The entire engine rotates from vertical to horizontal during flight operations. The AE 1107C engine is a highly efficient, powerful gas turbine engine. The AE 1107C is part of the Rolls-Royce AE family of engines, with an engine core very similar to engines which power the C-130J transport aircraft as well as the Global Hawk and Triton unmanned aerial vehicle fleets. The engine core is also in use in a large, global fleet of corporate and regional aircraft. Altogether, the AE 1107C fleet and the rest of the AE engine family have totaled more than 61 million flight hours.

The Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engine was designed specifically for the V-22 aircraft, said Hartmann.

“The tilt-rotor design is unique to the V-22, and in fact, the Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engine is the only tilt-rotor aircraft engine in produc-tion in the world,” said Hartmann. “The requirements called for a powerful, efficient engine that could operate in horizontal or vertical mode, and Rolls-Royce has delivered exactly that.”

Rolls-Royce has developed a growth plan that adds 17 percent more power to the original engine design, and includes additional ‘hot

and high’ capability for the operator up to 6,000 feet and 95- degree days.

“We have already added hardware and software changes to the engine for more power, and additional power is being added at routine overhauls to enhance performance,” said Hartmann. “The AE 1107C engine has the potential to increase its power rating to more than 8,000 shaft horsepower.”

Rolls-Royce maintains the AE 1107C engine fleet through a Mission Care services plan that incentivizes the company to design technology and affordability improvements to benefit the customer, he added. Since

2009, Rolls-Royce has invested more than $90 million in company funding for capability and reliability improvements for the AE 1107C engine fleet, resulting in maintenance cost reduction of 34 percent per flight hour.

“Rolls-Royce works continuously to develop improvements for the customer, focusing on enhancing capabilities and reducing costs,” said Hartmann. “The AE 1107C engine is combat-proven and depend-able—a power plant that V-22 pilots and crew can rely on to complete their mission and return to base safely.” O

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Chris McCoy at [email protected] or search our online archives for related stories

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THE ULTIMATE PATROL OPTIC

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Tom Hartmann


Getting the bare necessities of life could be the first step toward forgetting worries and strife, as noted in the Disney song. For special operations forces and others engaged in commando-type action, the bare necessities are today a bit easier to obtain, thanks to advances in gear technology, including equipment to purify water, mark people or loca-tions, and provide power. There also are treatments for com-monly encountered biohazards like poison ivy.

As an example, for those trying to live off the land, it’s important to have access to water. However, drinking water can be in short supply in an austere environment, and esti-mates are that a normally active person needs about a gallon of water a day. Since each gallon weighs 8.3 pounds and takes up a volume 6.1 inches on a side, it’s easy to see that even missions of short duration can benefit from warfighters being able to drink the local water.

Products from Aspen Water of Richardson, Texas, make this possible through the use of multistage purification tech-nology. According to Robert Atchley, inventor of the system and the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, more than 1,000 of Aspen Water’s purification devices are in use by the military in the desert areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the jungles of Colombia and Africa.

“Our products were designed to meet the needs of the military in regards to size and weight. All of our systems are considerably smaller, lighter and use much less energy than any other water purification systems available,” Atchley said.

He added that the systems run on any form of single-phase AC from 120 to 240 volts, running at either 50 or 60 Hertz. They can also run on 12 to 24 volt DC. A final option is to power them via solar energy systems.

According to company documents, water can be drawn from ditches, rivers, lakes or other sources. Some of the units can handle saltwater, while some cannot. No matter the source, the water can contain chemical pollutants, biological contaminants or a combination of both. The water is purified in stages, with the sequence depending upon the nature of the incoming water.

In general, the first purification step removes sand, dirt and fine particulates down to five microns in size. The following stage removes bacteria and other small matter down to a micron. Disinfecting is done using ultraviolet light, an approach that is faster-acting than chlorine and destroys 99.99 percent of all bacteria. The list of disease-causing micro-organisms that are vanquished includes cholera, typhoid, anthrax and E. coli. Anything that makes it through the

By hank hogan, Sotech correSpondent

Going Commando:Survival Gear

a graB Bag of technologieS aidS the Sof operator.


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filtration and disinfection process is effectively inactivated. Con-sequently, after going through all of the stages, water is trans-formed from health- and life-threatening to drinkable.

The weight of the systems ranges from 100 up to 400 pounds, with the output some 2,500 gallons per day and up. Accord-ing to Atchley, customers have successfully “tested them on water containing gasoline, sand, dirt, motor oil and various other contaminants.”

Another necessity for survival in a commando survival situa-tion is to see and be seen. Here, too, technology is giving warf-ighters a helping hand. Examples come from high-performance flashlight and weapon-mounted light maker Surefire of Fountain Valley, Calif.

Company spokesperson Thomas Carlson points to changes made to Surefire’s white-light and infrared-illuminating weapon-mounted M600V and M620V Scout Lights. Advances in LED technology have made the light-emitting heads smaller, reducing the size of the company’s products and bringing other benefits.

“The new LED head also weighs less than the previous ver-sion, shaving 1.5 ounces off the total weight of both,” Carlson said. He added that it leads to a weight reduction of nearly 20 percent on the M620V and nearly 23 percent on the M600V.

This reduction in the first two components of SWaP—or size, weight and power—has been made while keeping the light output and runtime the same. The products have a weatherproof sealed head, which contains both a white-light and infrared LED. Switching between the two involves twisting a self-locking selector ring, which means that one light can perform tasks that before might have taken two—one to provide a tactical white light and another to supply infrared illumination for use with night vision devices.

Speaking of levels of illumination, sometimes a light does more than just show the way. For instance, a bright light can blind an adversary, particularly at night, a capability that can be an important asset for survival. However, the brightest light is not always the best choice. It may be best, for instance, for a light to run all night or during an eight-hour shift. In that case, the need for brightness has to be balanced against the runtime require-ment. Surefire has found 600 to 1000 lumens to be enough to blind an aggressor at night and to handle most tasks, according to Carlson.

He noted that the company continues to innovate, pushing the boundaries of LED technology to benefit the warfighter. “The ability for the soldier to switch from infrared to white light makes him that much more adaptable for any mission put in front of him or changing conditions on the battlefield,” Carlson said.

Another use of lighting technology that improves survival chances for special operations forces comes from Adventure Lights of Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada. The company makes products that are used for marking underwater and landing zones, as well as in other situations calling for identification of a person or area. Adventure Lights has product lines that are water-proof to depths of 100 meters and able to function at -40 F. Thus, they’re well-matched to austere environments, and have design features that make them suitable for forward-deployed forces.

“Our products are based on a modular layout which allows the user to configure our systems for multiple applications, which is critical in the field and further saves on logistics and supply,” said Tim Ford, president of Adventure Lights.


More than simple lights, the company’s products consist of microprocessor-controlled LEDs. Some of the latest communi-cate wirelessly over an ad-hoc mesh network. In this way, they function as smart beacons, enabling each light-bearing node to identify someone in an easily visible manner to others on the ground and even to assets in the air. They also are used in the company’s landing zone systems.

The company’s products help keep weight and bulk down by being adaptable. For instance, a helmet light may be able to turn into a marker for a landing zone. With this capability, it’s possible for a single marking light to do the work of many, thereby reduc-ing the need to carry extra lights or other gear to handle multiple mission tasks.

Adventure Lights makes extensive use of commercial-off-the-shelf technology. That makes sense, as the company’s primary tar-get audience is the fanatic sportsman. It just so happens that the same products have been adapted and put to use by the military in general and special operations forces in particular.

When asked about innovation and ongoing improvement, Ford pointed to an energy harvester recently released by Adven-ture Lights. Those undertaking missions in the field want, quite understandably, to have their lights and other electronic gear function for the entire duration of the mission. So, they may swap out partially discharged batteries for fully charged ones before a mission, particularly if it is a critical one. The result can be a stack of partially discharged batteries.

The company’s Battery Harvester drains the power from these batteries, storing it in an internal battery. The internal battery can be also be charged by plugging into a wall or a solar energy station. The energy, whether from partially used batter-ies or elsewhere, can be used to recharge phones, radios or even rechargeable batteries.

“It’s kind of like an energy gas station,” Ford said. “When you’re in the field, you can’t plug into a wall. You don’t have a generator. A lot of these batteries are just left there and have sig-nificant energy in them.”

In terms of survival gear for austere environments, ADS of Virginia Beach, Va., supplies a wide assortment, according to Mark Libonate, combat support equipment market manager. The list includes everything from entire base camps down to such items as knives, gloves and other basic items. ADS packages gear and equipment from a host of other companies into an appropri-ate form factor to create a suitable mission solution.

Because it works with 150 or so suppliers of gear, ADS is in a position to see what’s going on and where technology is headed. Broadly speaking, the trend line is energetic.

“Many of the newest, most innovative products are seen in the energy efficiency category,” Libonate said.

One example he cited is flex fuel generator technology from INI Power Systems of Morrisville, N.C. Fuel agnostic, the genera-tors range in size from 500 watts to five kilowatts. Because they allow the use of any fuel in any combination, they enable opera-tors to use local fuels, including contaminated ones.

Another example of energy-related innovation comes from Nishati, which has a U.S. subsidiary headquartered in Lafayette, Colo. The company’s Portable Array Modules are lightweight, small volume and rapidly deployable solar panel arrays, with some models designed for use in remote locations. Due to their modu-lar design, these products can be used by individual troops or in

The Battery Harvester can drain the power from partially discharged batteries and store it in an internal battery. [Photo courtesy of ADS]

Survival Gear on the HorizonCurrent technology boosts the survival chances and effec-

tiveness of warfighters in austere environments. Emerging technology promises further improvements.

A case in point comes in the form of power generation. Warfighters sent on an overnight mission may carry four to eight batteries, each the size and weight of a brick. A back-pack-mounted solar panel developed by the Office of Naval Research and field-tested in 2014 by the Marines could ease this burden.

The system makes make use of flexible sheets of high-efficiency solar cells from MicroLink Devices of Niles, Ill., with each 20-square-centimeter sheet capable of generating about 17 watts of power. Electricity is stored in a rechargeable bat-tery, with an inexpensive spectral sensor helping to maximize power generation.

Water is another heavy item that must be carried around. The ideal water purification solution would be manpackable while removing all microbes, arsenic, cyanide, heavy metals and organics. The ideal doesn’t exist today, but might someday be possible thanks to an emerging technology: carbon nano-tubes. Single-walled nanotubes are rolled up two-dimensional sheets of carbon, with a tube diameter of approximately a nanometer. The multi-walled variety is larger and consists of multiple concentric structures. The length-to-diameter ratio for carbon nanotubes runs in the millions to one.

When the interior tips of the nanotubes are functionalized through the insertion of additives, they can form the basis for a membrane that lets water through but rejects salts, pollutants and contaminants. The technique could lead to membranes that consume little energy, don’t foul and easily self-clean. The potential of this technology is so great that the military is keep-ing an eye on its development. What’s more, carbon nanotube membranes are being evaluated as a way to desalinate sea or brackish water, thereby helping to alleviate a growing world-wide shortage of drinking water.


larger tactical power systems, hybrid generators or micro-grids, according to Libonate.

He added that the development of the flex fuel generator and portable solar array were done to address the critical need to reduce weight and volume of gear that a warfighter needs while maneuvering around the battlespace. Adoption of these and similar technologies are needed to fit within SWaP constraints, Libonate indicated.

Much of the gear that ADS supplies consists of commercial-off-the-shelf products, while other gear has been modified to meet military needs, a category that Libonate identified as modified-off-the-shelf items. Examples of gear that fall into these two groups are gloves from Mechanix Wear of Valencia, Calif., and all-terrain vehicles from Medina, Minn.-based Polaris.

As for the future of gear needed to survive and function in austere settings, there will be a continued trend toward reducing equipment load without sacrificing readiness, Libonate predicted. “Along these lines, advances in energy efficiency, including renewable and hybrid power, increased insulation factors in shel-ters, and alternative or renewable fuel vehicles, will continue at a robust pace,” he said.

A final example of gear essential to survival in harsh envi-ronments comes from Zanfel Laboratories of Peoria, Ill. The company’s one product is a treatment that removes the toxins left behind by an encounter with poison ivy, oak or sumac. The traditional remedies reduce itching for at most a few hours, but then the problem returns because the toxin is absorbed into the skin, where it chemically bonds to cells. Thus, it can stay present and active for weeks, leading to ongoing misery, missed work and possible clinic visits.

“If you have a typical case of poison ivy, [with] one application of Zanfel to the area you’re done itching and you’re healing up nicely. So instead of having poison ivy for three weeks, you might have two or three days and you’re done,” said Daniel Boelman, Zanfel customer service manager.

A patented mixture of different soaps, the wash is activated by pouring it into the hands and mixing the product with water. When applied, it removes the toxin. This is critical, because when the toxin is present it triggers an immune response that causes the itching and swelling.

Another avenue to attack the problem is by altering the immune response through the application of steroids or antihis-tamines. However, according to Boelman, these can sometimes have bad side effects. The Zanfel product, in contrast, has no known side effects, according to company literature.

The effectiveness of the wash on poison ivy has been demon-strated clinically. Anecdotally, there is evidence that the wash can also work on mosquito and chigger bites, bee, wasp and hornet stings, and most ant and insect bites. Given that all of these, as well as poison-bearing plants, are common hazards for anyone working outdoors, Zanfel Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Wash—or something just as effective—could well be essential survival gear for those warfighters and special operations forces operating in the field.

What’s more, the wash can be seen as an exemplar of the char-acteristics survival gear should have. It performs an important task and can be stored without special precautions until needed.

In discussing the last item, Boelman said, “The Zanfel product has a 10-year shelf life. Degradation testing has been done on the product and shown that it’s stable at high and low temperatures.” O



A treatment from Zanfel Laboratories reduces downtime from poison ivy. [Photo courtesy of Zanfel Laboratories]

More Gear for the CommandoMatbock’s S-Lift system offers SOF multiple uses in a com-

pact and lightweight package. The system has the ability to be a bag and shoulder strap with 4,222 cubic inches of storage.

“Unzip the bag to have a soft litter with five carrying han-dles on each side. The weight of that is only 10 ounces. Then if you have [Matbock’s] Combat Carbon Poles, you can route them through the carrying handles to give you a semi-rigid litter that weighs only 3.5 pounds,” said Zach Steinbock, co-founder and president of Matbock.

When questioned about the S-Lift’s medical applications, Steinbock reiterated that the product acts as a soft litter, a bag to carry sensitive gear/equipment of the casualty; with the company’s Combat Carbon Poles, it acts as a semi-rigid litter.

Multiple military units are now using the S-Lift. The 160th SOAR just purchased over 200 for their emergency evacuation kits.

“No soft litter offers these options to the operators, and being former operators ourselves, we developed these prod-ucts from direct requirements on the battlefield,” said Stein-bock.


Compiled by kMi Media group staffBlacK Watch

New VeRsIoN of DIgITAl foReNsICs TeChNology MSAB

MSAB announced the release of the latest

version of its XRY platform. XRY allows users

to perform forensically sound extractions of

data from mobile devices. Version 6.11 offers

a number of new features and capabilities,

including expanded access to a wider array

of devices, chipsets and apps in use around

the world.

“Keeping pace with the explosion of

new technologies and applications in use

is essential to our mission of empowering

investigators with the tools they need to

be successful in today’s global technology

environment,” said Glenn Hickok, president of

MSAB Inc.

The new XRY also introduces a feature

that makes it possible to visualize emails in

their original format so that users can view

the source code of emails or view them in

HTML. 6.11 also provides full logical support

for iPhone 6 and iOS 8 and can fully decode

Windows phones.

“As the majority of data on smartphones

is now being transmitted by apps, the

difference between success or failure for an

investigation will often be determined by the

agility and adaptability of the forensic tools

being employed to interact with them,” added

Hickok. “By bringing the total support levels

for XRY to 543 different apps versions, we are

confident that it is the best tool available for

the recovery and analysis of app-related data

on the market.”

ClIp-oN TheRMAl weApoN sIghT FLIR

The new HISS-XLR clip-on thermal weapon sight allows

snipers to detect and recognize man-size targets in excess of

2,000 meters, an increase in engagement range of more than

25 percent compared to previous models.

Fully tested on weapons up to and including .50 caliber,

the HISS-XLR includes a built-in ballistics mode that can give

an instantaneous target solution when integrated with a laser

rangefinder and ballistics computer.

The HISS-XLR includes an integrated digital magnetic

compass for azimuth information and can be remotely

operated with the stock-mountable control pendant. Its high-

definition display provides cleaner text and symbology while

allowing the use of day scopes of up to 25x without image

distortion.

Theresa Turner;

[email protected]

U.s. ARMy TesTINg UpgRADes To BATTlefIelD INTellIgeNCe eNTeRpRIseLockheed Martin

The U.S. Army’s primary intelligence system is testing

software developed by Lockheed Martin that will help them

sort through terabytes of intelligence gleaned from manned

and unmanned sources, improving their ability to efficiently

analyze data.

As part of their ongoing test and evaluation process that

includes multiple stages of technology reviews, practical

application evaluations and operational user tests, the Army

is working with Lockheed Martin to update the Distributed

Common Ground System (DCGS-A) as the service prepares

for fielding in 2015.

DCGS is a family of systems that enables military analysts

from all services to access shared intelligence. DCGS-A takes

sensor data from all sources, (signals, imagery and human

intelligence) and integrates it into a common data format in a

fused environment, making multisource intelligence analysis

possible.

Through multiple projects focused on interoperability,

automation and efficient analysis, Lockheed Martin is

modernizing how data flows and is connected through the

DCGS-A enterprise. Two new software capabilities are:

Automated Entity Merge Service (AEMS): AEMS merges

similar real-world intelligence data, providing a significant

time savings for analysts who are faced with thousands of

entities that would otherwise need to be manually reviewed.

By automating the merge process, analysts can spend more

time analyzing fused results that support understanding the

common operating picture.

DataMover: Because DCGS-A is deployed worldwide,

often with different versions of software, it is often necessary

to convert the data from one format to another so that it can be

shared. DataMover converts the data and allows intelligence to

be transferred across the DCGS-A enterprise.

Suzanne Smith;

[email protected]


Special Section: a tribute to the 75th ranger regiment

1980s 1990sin January 1974, general Creighton abrams, army Chief of Staff, directed the formation of a ranger battalion. The 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th infantry, was activated and parachuted into Fort Stewart, ga.

On July 1, 1974, the 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th infantry followed, with activation on October 1, 1974.

The modern-day ranger battalions were first called upon in 1980 when elements of 1st Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger) participated in the iranian hostage rescue attempts.

During the United States’ invasion of Grenada on October 25, 1983, the 1st and 2nd ranger Battalions conducted a daring low-level parachute assault (500 feet), seized the airfield at Point Salinas, rescued american citizens at the True Blue Medical Campus and conducted air assault operations to eliminate pockets of resistance.

The 3rd Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger), and headquarters Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger), received their colors on October 3, 1984, at Fort Benning, ga.

The 75th ranger regiment was designated in February 1986. The activation ceremonies were a step into the future for the ranger regiment, and a link to the past, as they were held concurrently with the first reunion of the Korean War-era Rangers.

On December 20, 1989, the entire 75th ranger regiment participated in Operation Just Cause, in which U.S. forces restored democracy to Panama. rangers spearheaded the action by conducting two important operations.

elements of Bravo Company and 1st Platoon, alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 75th ranger regiment deployed to Saudi arabia from February 12, 1991 to april 15, 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm.

From August 26, 1993 to October 21, 1993, Company B, a platoon from Company a and a command and control element of 3rd Battalion, 75th ranger regiment, deployed to Somalia to assist United nations forces in bringing order to a desperately chaotic and starving nation.

On October 3, 1993, the rangers conducted a daylight raid with other special operation units in which several special operations helicopters were shot down. For nearly 18 hours, the rangers delivered devastating firepower, killing an estimated 600 Somalis. The events were later immortalized in the film “Black hawk Down.”

1970s

On February 3, 1986, World War II battalions and Korean War lineage and honors were consolidated and assigned by tradition to the 75th infantry regiment. This marked the first time that an organization of that size had been officially recognized as the parent headquarters of the ranger battalions.


On April 1, 2003, the regiment, with elements of 1st and 2nd ranger Battalions, executed a daring raid into the Fedayeen-controlled city of nasiriya. The mission was one of the nation’s most successful POW rescues, as it resulted in the safe return of Private First Class Jessica lynch.

2000s TODAYOn november 24, 2000, the 75th ranger regiment deployed regimental reconnaissance Detachment Team 2 and a command and control element to kosovo in support of Task Force Falcon. They returned on April 8, 2001, 135 days after deploying.

after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 75th ranger regiment immediately staged and prepared to “Lead the Way” in what came to be known as the Global War on Terror. The ranger regiment spearheaded the initial ground invasion of afghanistan.

On October 19, 2001, the regimental headquarters and 3rd ranger Battalion conducted Objective rhino, an airborne assault to seize a desert landing strip south of kandahar. This forced-entry operation began 13 years of continuous combat operations for the 75th ranger regiment.

On March 4, 2002, a ranger Quick reaction Force departed on a no-notice mission to rescue a fallen U.S. navy Seal. as the ranger QrF approached the hlZ, it was engaged with a hail of deadly accurate automatic machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades. The rangers destroyed all al-Qaida-linked militants and secured all fallen U.S. personnel.

in 2007, due to the increased requirement to find, fix, finish, analyze and exploit terrorist threats in a hybrid environment, the regimental Special Troops Battalion was established to provide key enablers to the regiment and Joint Task Force.

in 2009, as the nation renewed its efforts in the afghan Theater, the commander of the Joint Task Force assigned the regimental headquarters as the mission command for JTF Operations in afghanistan. as the JTF headquarters, the regiment executed missions targeting senior leadership of al-Qaida, Taliban and haqqani terrorist networks.

The U.S. army has given a green light to the 75th ranger regiment to retire its Universal Camouflage Patterned uniforms and wear the Operation enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern, or MultiCam, in garrison. The change-over became official as the elite unit celebrated its 30th anniversary.

In the mid 1700’s, Captain Benjamin Church and Major Robert Rogers each formed Ranger units to fight during King Phillip’s War and the French and Indian War. Major Robert Rogers wrote the 19 standing orders that are still in use today.

The Continental Congress formed eight companies of expert riflemen in 1775 to fight in the Revolutionary War. In 1777, this force of hardy frontiersmen commanded by Dan Morgan was known as the Corps of Rangers. Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox,” organized another famous Revolutionary War Ranger element known as Marion’s Partisans.

During the War of 1812, companies of United States Rangers were raised from among the frontier settlers as part of the regular army. Throughout the war, they patrolled the frontier from Ohio to western Illinois on horseback and by boat. They participated in many skirmishes and battles with the British and their Native-American allies. Many famous men belonged to Ranger units during the 18th and 19th centuries, including Daniel Boone and Abraham Lincoln.

The Civil War included Rangers such as John Singleton Mosby, the most famous Confederate Ranger during the Civil War. His raids on Union camps and bases were so effective, part of North-Central Virginia soon became known as Mosby’s Confederacy.

After the Civil War, more than half a century passed without military Ranger units in America. However, during World War II (1941-1945), the United States, using British Commando stan-dards, activated six Ranger infantry battalions.

Major (later Brigadier General) William O. Darby organized and activated the 1st Ranger Battalion on June 19, 1942, at Carrickfer-gus, Northern Ireland. The 1st Ranger Battalion participated in the North African landing at Arzeu, Algeria, the Tunisian Battles and the critical Battle of El Guettar.

The 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions were activated and trained by Colonel Darby in Africa near the end of the Tunisian Campaign. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th Battalions formed the Ranger Force. They began the tradition of wearing the scroll shoulder sleeve insignia, which has been officially adopted for today’s Ranger battalions.

The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions participated in the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, Normandy. It was dur-ing the bitter fighting along the beaches that the Rangers gained their motto, “Rangers, lead the way!” They conducted daring mis-sions, including scaling the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc overlooking Omaha Beach to destroy German gun emplacements trained on the beachhead.

The 6th Ranger Battalion operated in the Philippines and formed the rescue force that liberated American Prisoners of War from a Japanese POW camp at Cabanatuan in January 1945. The 6th Battalion destroyed the Japanese POW camp and evacuated more than 500 prisoners.

The 75th Infantry Regiment was first organized in the China-Burma-India Theater on October 3, 1943, as Task Force Galahad. During the campaigns in the China-Burma-India Theater, the regi-ment became known as Merrill’s Marauders after its commander, Major General Frank D. Merrill. The Ranger Battalions were deac-tivated at the close of WWII.

The outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950 again signaled the need for Rangers. Fifteen Ranger Companies were formed dur-ing the Korean War. The Rangers went to battle throughout the winter of 1950 and the spring of 1951. They were nomadic warriors, attached first to one regiment and then to another. They performed “out front” work—scouting, patrolling, raiding, ambushing, spear-heading assaults and serving as counterattack forces to regain lost positions.

Rangers were again called to serve their country during the Vietnam War. The 75th Infantry was reorganized once more on January 1, 1969, as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Reg-imental System. Fifteen separate Ranger companies were formed from this reorganization. Thirteen served proudly in Vietnam until inactivation on August 15, 1972. O

Ranger History Predates the Revolutionary War




Francis Marion


Compiled by kMi Media group staffBlacK Watch

weARABle CoMpUTeRs foR BATTlefIelD INTellIgeNCe opeRATIoNsRaytheon Company

Raytheon Company unveiled its wearable computing Intel-Ops solution at the

AUSA 2014 Meeting and Exposition. The new technology merges its proven, wearable

computer system with situational awareness capabilities to create an enhanced real-

time view of the battlefield for commanders and their troops. The new Intelligence and

Operations Convergence solution provides a near-term, affordable way for warfighters

to overcome challenges in delivery of relevant intelligence and operational information

at the battlefield’s tactical edge by integrating existing programs of record.

Raytheon’s solution leverages investments already made in its deployed Air

Warrior wearable computing technologies and couples that with the DCGS-A Lite

capability that enables troops to receive intelligence and generate new intelligence

as they perform missions in bandwidth-challenged areas. The combination offers

customers cost and time efficiencies as they address their Intel-Ops convergence

requirements.

“DCGS-A Lite integration with our wearable computing technologies for

dismounted forces represents a first in a series of steps of where battlefield command

and control is combined with relevant intelligence and information to provide

commanders and soldiers enhanced situational awareness,” said Todd Probert, vice

president of Raytheon’s Mission Support and Modernization business. “Leveraging

these two investments, Raytheon offers our customers a rapid, mature and affordable

way to merge intelligence with operational data.”

Jason Kello;

[email protected]

NexT geNeRATIoN sCANeAgleInsitu

Insitu announced ScanEagle 2, the next generation

of its revolutionary ScanEagle platform. Leveraging

lessons learned from more than 800,000 operational

hours, ScanEagle 2 provides increased payload power

and expanded payload options, a more robust navigation

system, better image quality due to a fully digital video

system and a state-of-the-art, purpose-built propulsion

system. The aircraft’s new architecture also maximizes

commonality with all Insitu systems, reducing training,

hardware and life cycle costs.

“For two decades, Insitu has made a name for itself

through iterative innovation,” said Ryan M. Hartman,

Insitu’s president and CEO. “ScanEagle 2 will shepherd

us into the next two decades as we focus on reliability

and affordability and enter the civil/commercial market.

And as ScanEagle has always done, ScanEagle 2 will provide the

capability our warfighters have come to expect from Insitu—yet more

affordable and more capable.”

Engineered for performance, ScanEagle 2 employs a whole-

systems approach to affordability and higher reliability that includes

a new propulsion system—the first reciprocating internal combustion

propulsion system designed and manufactured specifically for

Small-Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems-class vehicles. ScanEagle 2 also

enables commonality with other unmanned systems thanks to an

open-architecture ground control system, as well as a launch-and-

recovery system it shares with Integrator, Insitu’s other unmanned

platform.

Jill Vacek;

[email protected]

pReDAToR/gRAy eAgle seRIes sURpAsses 3 MIllIoN flIghT hoURsGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

(GA-ASI), a manufacturer of remotely piloted aircraft

(RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related

mission systems solutions, announced that its

Predator/Gray Eagle-series aircraft family has achieved

a historic company and industry milestone: 3 million

flight hours—which is the equivalent of flying more

than 340 years, around-the-clock, every day. The

milestone occurred on October 2, with nearly 222,000

total missions completed and almost 90 percent of all

missions flown in combat.

“Three million flight hours is a tremendous

accomplishment that attests to the reliability and

versatility of our proven technology,” said Linden P.

Blue, CEO, GA-ASI. “We strive to provide solutions

that support the requirements of our customers but we

could not have reached this milestone without the hard

work and dedication of our employees. We eagerly

look forward to 4 million flight hours and beyond and

will keep focusing on improving the mission capabilities

of our systems because what they can do when they’re

flying is as important as keeping them airborne.”

Kimberly Kasitz;

[email protected]


Lieutenant General Bradley A. Heithold is the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. The command is the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant com-manders. The command has approximately 19,000 active duty, reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals.

Heithold enlisted in the Air Force in 1974 and spent three years at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., as an F-4D avionics technician. He was commissioned in 1981 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and agency levels, including serving as the commander of the 451st Air Expeditionary Group in Southwest Asia and as the commander, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency. His staff assignments include positions on the Air Staff and a unified command staff. Prior to his current assignment, he was the vice commander, United States Special Operations Command.

Heithold is a master navigator with more than 3,400 flight hours in the AC-130H/U, MC-130P and C-130E.

Q: Lieutenant General Heithold, what are the key elements of your commander’s guidance?

A: My goal is to ensure every person in AFSOC understands our mission, which is to organize, train and equip airmen to execute global special operations. To guarantee successful mission accom-plishment, we have established the following four AFSOC priorities: provide combat-ready forces; create an environment for our airmen and families to thrive; transform training to optimize human per-formance; and modernize and sustain the force. As a component of a very powerful joint special operations team, our mission priorities ensure that our teammates can always depend on us.

Q: What are some of your current focus areas in order to implement your commander’s guidance?

A: Almost daily, our global environment becomes more uncertain, complex and dangerous, which is why it is so important we optimize our training and provide combat-ready forces to do the hard mis-sions. Right now we’re looking at how we generate forces so we can maximize aircraft availability and maintain a sustainable rotation for our Air Commandos going downrange. We’re making sure we have the right people and equipment at home to provide the best training to our people and crews so they are proficient and ready when the

nation calls. We will not settle for the status quo; instead, we’ll keep pushing to be the best.

Q: How are you planning AFSOC’s budget over the next 12 months? Do you expect budget cuts to impact your command’s capabilities, and how are you planning to confront possible cuts in order to mitigate those cuts’ effects on AFSOC’s capabilities?

A: DoD as a whole is challenged with fiscal realities marked by declining budgets, and AFSOC is no exception. At the size we are right now, we can afford to shoot a lot and train a lot. We will invest in our people, mission and capabilities to attain the highest possible state of combat readiness. Additionally, we will invest in state-of-the-art, high-fidelity simulators and training devices which replicate combat scenarios for our Air Commandos.

Q: Recently, the USAFSOS Language Center was recognized as the best language center in SOCOM. How is the language center better preparing today’s Air Commandos for operations overseas?

A: Speaking our partners’ languages and understanding essen-tial traits of their cultures opens up a new dimension of the operating environment. By understanding the human aspects of military operations, we can better synchronize special operations

Ensuring Every Person in AFSOC Understands and is Prepared for the Mission

AFSOC Optimizer

Lt. Gen. Bradley A. HeitholdCommander

AFSOC

Q&AQ&A


forces’ efforts with our partners and understand the motivations and intents of our adversaries.

The USAFSOS Language Center expanded its offerings by adding faculty and resources to provide initial language training, sustain-ment and enhancement, and tailored pre-deployment training in 13 languages to support the increasing language needs of AFSOC and its supporting units. Air Commandos are not only learning essential language skills, but also regional and cultural competen-cies needed to build trust and strengthen relationships with partner nations as well as increased situational awareness and cultural understanding of the operational environment. We call this the human domain.

Q: How can the defense industrial base better aid AFSOC in carrying out its global SOF mission?

A: To operate in the future, AFSOC will need to partner very closely with industry and the science and technology communities. Like other Air Force aviation assets, our next-generation strike and mobil-ity platforms will need to operate in anti-access/area-denied environ-ments, which are becoming more dangerous by the day because of emerging adversary capabilities.

We will need to examine future concepts to minimize our infrared signature, visual detection and acoustic signatures. Our platforms will also need to operate in GPS-denied environments and be equipped with state-of-the-art strike capabilities such as directed energy.

Finally, we need to explore the use of composite materials for lower-weight, lower-cost and higher-strength structures, self-heal-ing, and structural health monitoring. We need to replace traditional platform maintenance cycles with more efficient means of monitor-ing the reliability, maintainability and survivability of our aircraft.

Q: As you recapitalize your fleet, how will you manage to keep legacy aircraft such as the C-130 mission ready? How are the newer C-130Js integrating into the fleet?

A: AFSOC plans to replace 37 legacy AC-130H/U/W with 37 AC-130J Ghostriders. We will also replace 57 legacy MC-130E/H/P with a fleet of MC-130Js Commando IIs that can fly higher, faster farther and carry more cargo than any other legacy aircraft. We have to upgrade and advance in technology where it is needed while also taking advantage of what we have and sustaining it well into the future.

As we transition from the legacy gunships, we will maintain our combat capability by ensuring the new AC-130Js possess the appro-priate weapons systems and the necessary self-protection systems. Additionally, we will equip our new MC-130Js with the ability to con-duct terrain-following operations and the defensive systems neces-sary to penetrate, operate and survive in challenging environments.

Q: What are some of the technical challenges involved with developing remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) that can operate in denied airspace?

A: RPAs, like our MQ-9s, are designed for permissive environ-ments, which make them well suited for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations with host nation support. The techni-cal challenges lie in aircraft survivability against any air-to-air or ground-to-air threat. Until threat detection and countermeasure

capabilities are fielded on RPAs, flight profiles in contested airspace would prove challenging.

Q: The Army is building up a lot of experience in the domain of manned-unmanned teaming. Do you see manned-unmanned teaming playing a role in your command?

A: Like the Army, we regularly train and execute daily com-plex missions with both manned and unmanned aircraft in the same airspace. AFSOC’s ability to seamlessly integrate all plat-forms enables combat forces to achieve synergistic effects on the battlefield. In addition, we cross-flow crews between AFSOC plat-forms to enhance tactics, techniques and procedures exchange and development throughout the command, heightening our combat success.

Q: AFSOC has been the first to arrive at a number of recent humanitarian disasters. How does AFSOC maintain this capability to be the first to the scene?

A: Our Air Commandos shoot more, fly more and train harder than ever before, and this is why we are prepared to respond to any global situation as needed. As a result of the combat skills we possess to conduct our core missions, our personnel have the inherent capabil-ity to support humanitarian operations when they arise. When the nation calls, our highly trained airmen are ready to go. O


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SOF medics are trained to operate inde-pendent of a physician in austere conditions and hold/maintain patients for extended peri-ods of time.

“SOF medics train way beyond basic trauma and are responsible for the health and well-being of their teammates,” said Hospital Corpsman, Master Chief (HMCM) Jody G. Fletcher, Command Master Chief for MARSOC. “In some instances they will provide health care to the local population and their livestock/animals.”

Based on the mission set and operational requirements, SOF medics might deploy with a variety of different medical equipment.

“SOF medics are capable of setting up small, independently-run clinics with a myriad of different ancillary services. Por-table X-ray machines, lab sets, ultrasound, and patient monitoring systems are just a few examples,” said Fletcher. “SOF med-ics are a unique breed of health care pro-viders. They are trained to think outside

the normal parameters of health care and rely solely on the equipment and supplies they pack.”

In other words, SOF medics must blend health care with the operational require-ments of the mission in ways that would not occur to other health care practitioners.

“SOF medicine is a challenging and rewarding experience for anyone with a pas-sion for medicine and a propensity for seek-ing arduous duty,” said Fletcher.

BreakthroughS in Vital SignS MonitorS

Remote Diagnostic Technologies (RDT) provides SOF medics an advanced vital signs monitor with multiple and emerging capa-bilities.

“The Tempus Pro is a compact, light-weight, extremely durable vital signs moni-tor that was chosen by the SOF medics in a rigorous selection process and is the

primary monitor of choice in the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Kit awarded to Trib-alco LLC,” said Marc Whedbee, director, U.S. military sales.

According to Whedbee, the Tempus Pro is more than just a monitor.

“While the Tempus Pro offers the full range of medical monitoring parameters, it also allows the SOF medics to capture and send medical data, voice, video and still imagery to a response center utiliz-ing military communications,” said Whed-bee. “Throughout the echelons of care, the medics can hand over valuable treatment records from one Tempus Pro to the next by importing/exporting a digital TCCC card. This information holds medical data and treatment interventions from each medic throughout transport.”

Whedbee continued, “When the patient arrives to each facility, the physician can quickly analyze this data to provide vital life-saving interventions. The entire medical

By chriS Mccoy, Sotech editorwide-ranging and innoVatiVe technologieS are aVailaBle to the Sof Medic.


Preventing Injury Through Protective FabricW. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) is a material supplier in chemical

and biological (CB) protective garments under the Uniform Integrated Protection Ensemble Increment 1 (UIPE I1) effort. Such suits can prevent the need of assistance from SOF medics. The company’s protective ensemble is a layered clothing system that consists of a lightweight combat uniform worn over a CB protective undergarment.

Stretch Gore Chempak selectively permeable fabric is used in the protective undergarment layer of the clothing system.

Mike Kienzle, product specialist at Gore for Gore Chempak products, said, “This durable, low-profile protective undergarment is truly a revolutionary CB product that will protect the operator while allowing them to be more functional during operations in adverse conditions.”

Kienzle added, “This clothing system with Gore Chempak selec-tively permeable fabric is ideal for use by military medics because of the combination of durable, broad protection and [a] reduced thermal burden.”

This clothing system provides enhanced individual protective capabilities through protection from warfare agents after wear, and after exposure to petroleum, oils, lubricants (PnOL) and other envi-ronmental contaminants.

In addition, the undergarment design integrates easily with cur-rent combat gear and personal protective equipment. The breath-able performance of Gore Chempak selectively permeable fabric reduces thermal burden by allowing sweat to escape. In addition, the stretch construction allows for a comfortable, next-to-skin fit, which further reduces heat stress by eliminating the thermal insulating

layer that surrounds the body and by increasing heat loss through convection.

The chemical and biological protective clothing system is suit-able for wear while performing combat operations, whether on land or at sea, in any climate with minimal impact on combat effective-ness. The versatile design allows for easy integration with current and developmental clothing and equipment, including load-bearing equipment, handwear, footwear and protective masks.

Gore also offers a line of flame-retardant (FR) military apparel for protecting military medics and other personnel in heat and flash-fire incidents.

John Buchwald, product specialist at Gore for Gore FR Tech-nologies, says, “Gore Pyrad Flame Retardant allows us to develop apparel that protects the wearer without compromising durability or comfort.” Buchwald points to Gore’s FR Lightweight Loft (LWL) Jacket as an example. “The Lightweight Loft Jacket provides proven heat and flame protection against battlefield hazards without sacrific-ing protection from the elements, especially cold temp[erature]s. It’s also highly breathable, dries fast and packs quickly.”

Gore Pyrad Flame Retardant is a laminate technology that offers an optimal combination of thermal/flashover burn protection, envi-ronmental protection and comfort. This technology self-extinguishes flames so that the fabric does not continue to burn. Traditional non-FR textiles will continue to propagate flame, exhibit melting and dripping, and increase the potential of burn injury to the skin. Gore Pyrad Flame Retardant increases thermal protective performance and reduces potential for burn injuries.

data is captured in a report and saved for future review.”

A primary advancement in the Tempus Pro is its flexibility to integrate new tech-nology such as video laryngoscopes and ultrasound. An SOF medic is able to perform these procedures without having to carry multiple devices.

“Small, compact, Tempus Pro-pow-ered probes plug into the USB port,” said Whedbee. “The device is instantly recog-nized and allows the medic to perform Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma exams, line placement and vascular examinations.”

The video laryngoscope is plugged into the USB port and is viewed directly on the touchscreen of the Tempus Pro. This is useful during difficult intubations inside of MRAPS, Stryker vehicles and rotary aircraft.

According to Whedbee, it’s not just the quality that goes into RDT’s product, but the attention to detail.

“An example would be the collaps-ible feet that enable the Tempus Pro to be angled in certain positions to provide a clear camera viewing of the casualty while

in the supine and prone positions,” he said. “Realizing this was not enough, the lead engineer placed the camera at an angle, thus allowing the perfect position for camera and video usage.”

Another item that makes the Tempus Pro so unique is the ability to utilize the iAssist screens. These are tutorials a non-medically trained individual can utilize to perform life-saving interventions. IAssist screens can easily be utilized by an indigenous popula-tion a SOF medic may be working with.

a range of optionS for the Sof Medic

North American Rescue (NAR) provides many solutions to SOF that reduce the threat of potentially preventable combat death. The Combat Application Tourniquet, Berry Amendment Compliant Flat-Emergency Trauma Dressing and Gauze, HyFin Vent Chest Seal, ARS Needle Decompression Kit and Hypothermia Prevention and Manage-ment Kit are just a few.

“NAR prioritizes its research and devel-opment efforts to areas with the greatest

scientific and commercial promise,” said Chief Innovation Officer Robert M. Miller. “We are moving forward with advances in ruggedized, lightweight, point-of-injury diagnostic tools and micro climate technol-ogy for SOF-specific requests.”

The company uses outcome-based prod-uct development strategies achieved through a modified stage/fast-gate process called Delta 5. “That stands for: Discover, Define, Design, Develop and Deliver, and a very unique Gap Analysis Tool,” said Miller. “These processes and tools, when combined with our entre-preneurial spirit and voice of the customer feedback, truly cultivate innovative product solutions that meet the specific needs and requirements of our end-users.”

According to Miller, NAR has set con-tracts with the government including, but not limited to, FSS, ECAT, CEC and DAPA. O

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Chris McCoy at [email protected]

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


SOCOM has a number of fixed-wing aircraft at its disposal to carry out a variety of different mission types. For example, the Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan is a highly agile and adaptable air transport platform for troop transport, personnel and equipment airdrop, mate-rial transport and medical evacuation. It can be easily reconfigured with operational kits that are typically stowed in the aircraft, said an Alenia source. Reconfiguring for any of the multirole configurations can be accomplished by one loadmaster in less than one hour.

“It provides superior performance, operating flexibility and cost-efficiency to any aircraft in its class in the world, making it the refer-ence point for Europe and NATO countries,” said the Alenia source. “Thanks to its excellent capabilities in operational scenarios, it has the fundamental means to assure full interoperability with other bigger-size heavy airlifters used in international coalitions.”

With the addition of palletized mission payloads, a wide range of additional missions can now be supported by introducing the MC-27J. Implementation of a palletized mission payload as a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) capability for the MC-27J allows tailoring of the payload to specific mission needs and allows the aircraft to be easily reconfigured back to the airlift role as national/command-level needs dictate.

The C-27J performs a variety of general SOF missions, includ-ing troop transport, logistical re-supply, pallet and containerized airdrop, and paratrooper operations. While not directly SOF-related, with its inherent multirole capabilities, the C-27J can also provide medical evacuation, non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO) and humanitarian assistance, search and rescue (SAR), firefighting, and maritime domain operations in support of homeland security.

A modification development program is under way with the Ital-ian Air Force. Last July during the Farnborough Air Show, ATK and Alenia announced that they successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight testing of the fully configured multimission MC-27J tactical transport aircraft with the support of the Italian Air Force (ITAF), said the Alenia source.

The series of tests exceeded all test objectives and demonstrated the accuracy of ATK’s side-mounted GAU-23 30mm cannon. The ITAF MC-27J aircraft was modified with an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di electro-optical and infrared turret (EO/IR) mounted under the nose of the aircraft to support multimission applications such as a gun-ship; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and SAR missions; various radio and data links and ATK’s RORO palletized gun and mission control systems.

“Missions for the new MC-27J with its RORO systems are vastly expanded,” said the Alenia source. “Beyond the ‘traditional’ missions noted above, the MC-27J adds significant additional ISR and com-munications capabilities for battlefield awareness and command and control (C2), while the addition of offensive weapons opens up other mission sets, including armed overwatch, close air support (CAS), strike coordination and armed maritime defense.”

The palletized solutions allow an MC27J Special Mission Aircraft to be rapidly tailored on a mission-by-mission basis.

“Based on the mature, proven technologies brought forward by ATK and Alenia, there were relatively few challenges; in fact, the development quickly moved forward through live-fire certification testing with full Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) oversight and required testing protocols,” said the Alenia source. “There were no anomalies noted during ground or flight operations and the results proved even more optimistic than anticipated. We believe live-fire testing fully validated the RORO design elements and integration with the C-27J airframe.”

Using modular and scalable design practices opens the door to the ability to expand into other special mission areas usually reserved for pure military single-purpose aircraft. If new weapons become avail-able, the palletized solution allows rapid replacement of one palletized solution with a new capability. This allows upgrade and enhancement of the MC-27J without any major impacts to the airframe.

The future of the C-27J looks positive, added the Alenia source. Alenia is running several commercial campaigns, and the source believes the C-27J has the potential to achieve more orders in the short to medium term, both for the baseline C-27J and for the new multimission variant, MC-27J. The aircraft has been ordered by the air forces of Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Rumania, Morocco, the United States, Mexico, Australia and Chad, and recently by Peru and the Slovak Republic, for a total of 78 airplanes.

“Alenia Aermacchi deems that when the requirement is for robust capabilities in rugged, austere environments that only a true military transport aircraft can meet, the C-27J is the only cost-effective solu-tion in its class,” said the Alenia source.

Another fixed-wing aircraft in AFSOC’s arsenal is the MQ-1 Preda-tor from General Atomics (GA). First flown in 1994, the MQ-1 was the first-ever weaponized remotely piloted aircraft system featuring preci-sion air-to-ground weapons delivery capability, said Chris Pehrson, director, strategic development, GA.

froM preciSion weaponS deliVery and cargo tranSport to Medical eVacuation.

Special Operations Fixed-Wing Capabilities

By Brian o’Shea

Sotech correSpondent


“Offering unprecedented reliability, MQ-1 has the highest opera-tional readiness rate of any aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory,” said Pehrson. The MQ-1 can fly up to 25,000 feet with an endurance of up to 40 hours, and incorporates numerous payloads, including EO/IR video cameras, laser designators and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

Featuring unmatched operational flexibility, the multimission MQ-9 Reaper is the larger sibling of the MQ-1 Predator, he added. It has an endurance of over 27 hours, flies at speeds of up to 240 knots true air speed, can operate at altitudes up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850-pound payload capacity which includes 3,000 pounds of external stores. Twice as fast as MQ-1, Reaper carries diverse payloads, including weapons, sensors, and communications equipment, and provides extremely capable and cost-effective persistent surveillance and precision-strike capability for the warfighter.

MQ-1 and MQ-9 continue to excel in combat missions focusing on ISR, targeting, forward air control, laser designation, weapons delivery and bomb damage assessment.

Seeking to upgrade the MQ-9, GA Aeronautical Systems Inc. developed two types of improvements. The first are those that refine the current block system performance and the second are those that add features to provide additional capabilities.

“The challenge was to create increased multimission flexibility and even greater reliability,” said Pehrson. “We worked on both types of upgrades for a number of years and then were awarded a USAF contract in 2009 to develop the Block 5 design for the service’s MQ-9.”

The Block 5 Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper was designed for increased electrical power, which creates new opportunities to carry power-hungry payloads in support of missions like electronic warfare. Numerous new communications capabilities also are available in the Block 5, including dual ARC-210 VHF/UHF radios with wing-tip antennas, allowing for simultaneous communications between multiple air-to-air and air-to-ground parties; secure data links; and an increased data transmission capacity. Additionally, a trailing arm main landing gear enables the aircraft to carry heavier payloads or additional fuel.

Beyond the MQ-9 Block 5 upgrades, GA created the Predator B/MQ-9 Extended Range (ER) variant in an effort to greatly extend the aircraft’s endurance and range, while increasing its operational flex-ibility even further, said Pehrson. Predator B ER first flew in February of this year, and GA is currently under contract with United States Air Force to deliver 38 Reaper ER “kits,” a field-installable modification that will increase endurance from 27 to 34 hours by adding two exter-nal fuel tanks to its existing wings and a heavyweight landing gear to accommodate an increase in maximum gross takeoff weight. At the

same time, they are using Internal Research and Development funds to develop an ER variant that optimizes the aircraft for multipurpose missions, with a projected increase in endurance from 27 to 42 hours by replacing its current 66-foot wings with 79-foot wings. The first fuel-filled, longer wing was completed this summer, with the first test flight to follow before the end of the year. O



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A Fixed-Wing StapleThe Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules reached another major

milestone on August 23, 2014, marking the 60th anniversary of its first flight at Burbank, Calif., in 1954. The C-130 has the longest continuous military aircraft production run in history and is one of the top three longest, continuous aircraft production lines of any type.

To date, more than 2,500 C-130s have been ordered and/or delivered to 63 nations. The C-130 operates out of 70 countries and has been produced in more than 70 variants. All of the C-130’s pro-duction models have been built at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Marietta facility.

“In its first six decades, the C-130 shaped aviation history, rede-fined industry standards and exhibited flexibility that other aircraft have yet to match,” said George Shultz, Lockheed Martin vice presi-dent and general manager, C-130 Programs. “The C-130 remains the world’s most proven airlifter because of its ability to adapt, remain relevant and deliver results no matter the mission. As we celebrate the Hercules, we want to thank the people who designed, and now build, deliver, fly, maintain and sustain it. It’s their contributions that have kept the global C-130 fleet flying and will continue to do so for decades to come.”


Take a moment to visualize the SOF warrior. Most see an elite athlete, a resilient performer or a creative problem solver, while some perceive an agile thinker. Exceptional levels of human performance do not occur by chance. These outcomes are the result of a career-long commitment to learning, performance coaching and senior mentor-ing. Benchmarking individual mental agility requires skilled observation, objective mea-surement and sound application of theory.

Physical, emotional and cognitive readi-ness are the foundation of human perfor-mance for SOF warriors. Using blended qualitative and quantitative Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) applied research methods, researchers explain how individuals think in operational settings. The research find-ings provide a rigorous framework for train-ing, educating and developing SOF warriors. The research identifies critical links among decision requirements, skill acquisition and measurement, which are the foundation for a career-long curriculum.

So what is CTA? CTA is a toolkit of methods that field researchers use to con-struct descriptive models of human behaviors in nonlinear, dynamically complex envi-ronments. With the appropriate CTA tool, researchers can explain how people think and why they make decisions. These models reveal which thinking abilities matter most, what influences decision-making and how to make sense of observable behaviors.

Highly proficient SOF warriors and SOF teams are systems thinkers adept at assessing behaviors, visualizing future states and adapt-ing their stance to accommodate change. Systems thinkers demonstrate specific behav-iors that allow them to make sense of com-plex situations and take action with limited information or direction from others. They are queued, naturally predisposed and trained to respond to cues. The most proficient SOF

warriors possess a knack for perspective tak-ing, making accurate predictions and adapt-ing efficiently. In doing so, they avoid surprise and seize the initiative. When the intensity is the greatest, they retain the ability to think critically and make sense of patterns of infor-mation where less experienced SOF warriors may struggle.

Cognitive skill development is progres-sive and occurs in stages. Development typi-cally requires a form of guided practice within authentic, experiential learning scenarios. Within each of the problem contexts, infor-mation is accessed, processed and applied to solve problems. Early cognitive skill develop-ment begins with practice in how to observe and report what is sensed. After initial prac-tice and feedback, observations take on added meaning as patterns or trends that are evi-dent to a more experienced eye. As the envi-ronment becomes more complex, the learner acquires enhanced abilities to recognize pat-terns and perceive meaning that triggers observable outcomes.

In addition to guided, experiential learn-ing for adaptability, tolerance for ambigu-ity, resilience, agility and teamwork, SOF warriors require feedback to improve skills and mentoring to expand individual mental models. CPG has developed cognitive batter-ies that reveal the maturity of mental models and characterize how they are applied to think or solve problems. These approaches are grounded in adult learning strategies like active learning and experiential learning cases to create and measure these mental mod-els under cognitively authentic conditions. Looking across the population, the measure-ment instruments offer generalizable insights about creating training solutions that build individual and shared mental models.

Measurement for decision-making is not about achievement tests; it is about practi-cal application under cognitively authentic

conditions, where learners are required to tackle or master real-world problems. There are several sources of data. Direct observa-tions of thinking skills and processes are not possible; instead, behaviors associated with specific proficiency levels are tracked. These findings can be transformed to cre-ate immersive training solutions that place learners inside the simulation and require them to interact under conditions of time pressure, uncertainty and risk. In immersive simulations, cues and triggers that aggregate into patterns are presented for assessment. Then, learners select a course of action and deal with its outcomes. In these situations, trend data are analyzed and often point to the quality of decision-making as the problems grow in complexity.

Mental agility is a desired learning out-come looking for a training solution. There is a deliberate transformation under way that places the learner at the center of instruc-tion. This means that training developers must acquire and apply a deep understand-ing of how individuals learn and their stages of development, from simply observing to perceiving their environment. Each devel-opmental stage is uniquely characterized by styles of learning, instructional methods and assessments. When immersive training solu-tions that support agile thinking are in place, the learning outcome will result in efficiently adaptable SOF warriors prepared to confront next-generation novel problems and win in a complex world. O

Bill Ross is a principal research scien-tist and founder of the Cognitive Perfor-mance Group (CPG).

Developing an Agile Thinker: Characterizing Expertise

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Chris McCoy at [email protected]

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

By Bill roSS


SOtech reSOUrce center

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OnLIne & DIGITAL DISTRIBuTIOnReach beyond the show attendees.• Email notification to more than 20,000• Blog Updates• Daily Tweets

DRIve TRAFFIC TO yOuR BOOTH

For more information or to book your space, contact Philippe Maman at [email protected] or 301-670-5700 x155

DAILy AGenDAThe agenda that the KMI Show Daily delivers every morning of the symposium will include the most current updates, additions and changes to the speakers, speaker topics and locations to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

PReSS ReLeASeSThe Global Force Symposium and exposition is the ideal time for companies to announce new products and capabilities.

SHOw newS & HIGHLIGHTS exclusive interviews and commentary from the show floor.

HIGHLIGHT yOuR LOCATIOn The expo floor is huge. Make it easy for people to find you.

GLOBAL FORCE SYMPOSIUM AND EXPOSITION KMI SHOw DAILy

Produced by Ground Combat Technology, Military Logistics Forum, Special Operations Technology and Tactical ISR Technology

CONFERENCE EXCLUSIVES DAILY AGENDA SHOW HIGHLIGHTS BREAKING NEWS

2015 AUSA GLOBAL FORCE SYMPOSIUM AND EXPOSITION DAY

SHOWDAILYBlast-Attenuating SeatsScience and technology save lives from hidden threats.

With energy, or blast-attenuating seating

installed in select ground vehicles, the U.S.

military has been increasing survivability of its

vehicle-based troops one seat at a time.

Installed in mine-resistant ambush protect-

ed (MRAP) vehicles and some other vehicles,

these unique seats use technology to help keep

personnel riding within a vehicle from feeling

the full effects of an improvised explosive device

(IED), mine or other blast, should their vehicle

encounter one.“They’re absolutely critical for the surviv-

ability of the occupant. It is what the occupant

is riding on and, essentially, it is the last line of

defense in terms of protecting the soldier or the

occupant because of the survivability features

on the seat,” said Mike McDermott, program

director for vehicle protection at BAE Systems,

which has supplied blast-attenuating seating on

MRAPs and the Bradleys. “It essentially pro-

vides the ultimate solution in terms of surviv-

ability in a blast event or a vertical attenuation-

type event that the occupant’s going to see.”

These seats have saved American lives—and

could save even more if the U.S. military were

to expand their use on even more ground plat-

forms, according to executives at companies

that make the seats.“Initially, the seats were deployed in MRAPs

and light combat vehicles as a means of defeat-

ing overmatch conditions in the field. This is

a trend that is continuing, and with good rea-

son. However, the place where they would have

the biggest impact is in common-use platforms

Nimble WheelsThe Army is acting

smartly and swiftly to

keep soldiers safely

on the move.

If you thought that after more than a

decade at war, the U.S. military’s wheeled

vehicle fleet might be worn out and in

need of repair, you would be wrong.

So says Kevin Fahey, the Army’s pro-

gram executive officer for Combat Sup-

port & Combat Service Support. “Overall,

today the Army’s tactical wheeled vehicle

fleet is healthy, young and in good shape.

Thanks to substantial, rapid, warfighter-

focused investment over the past de-

cade, today’s tactical wheeled vehicles

offer greater capability and improved

protection than their predecessors,”

Fahey said in a statement provided to

Ground Combat Technology. “Our me-

dium and heavy tactical vehicle fleets will

conclude most production programs in

the next few years with young fleet ages

that should keep our soldiers in safe, reli-

able trucks for many years.”

Meanwhile, the primary tactical

wheeled vehicle production effort is mov-

ing quickly to the joint light tactical ve-

hicle (JLTV) program, which Fahey called

“a critical Army and Marine Corps effort

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 ➥



CONFERENCE EXCLUSIVES DAILY AGENDA SHOW HIGHLIGHTS BREAKING NEWS2015 AUSA GLOBAL FORCE SYMPOSIUM AND EXPOSITION

DAYSHOWDAILYBlast-Attenuating SeatsScience and technology save lives from hidden threats.

With energy, or blast-attenuating seating installed in select ground vehicles, the U.S. military has been increasing survivability of its vehicle-based troops one seat at a time.Installed in mine-resistant ambush protect-ed (MRAP) vehicles and some other vehicles, these unique seats use technology to help keep personnel riding within a vehicle from feeling the full effects of an improvised explosive device (IED), mine or other blast, should their vehicle encounter one.“They’re absolutely critical for the surviv-ability of the occupant. It is what the occupant is riding on and, essentially, it is the last line of defense in terms of protecting the soldier or the occupant because of the survivability features on the seat,” said Mike McDermott, program director for vehicle protection at BAE Systems,

which has supplied blast-attenuating seating on MRAPs and the Bradleys. “It essentially pro-vides the ultimate solution in terms of surviv-ability in a blast event or a vertical attenuation-type event that the occupant’s going to see.”These seats have saved American lives—and could save even more if the U.S. military were to expand their use on even more ground plat-forms, according to executives at companies that make the seats.“Initially, the seats were deployed in MRAPs and light combat vehicles as a means of defeat-ing overmatch conditions in the field. This is a trend that is continuing, and with good rea-son. However, the place where they would have the biggest impact is in common-use platforms

Nimble WheelsThe Army is acting smartly and swiftly to keep soldiers safely on the move.

If you thought that after more than a decade at war, the U.S. military’s wheeled vehicle fleet might be worn out and in need of repair, you would be wrong.So says Kevin Fahey, the Army’s pro-gram executive officer for Combat Sup-port & Combat Service Support. “Overall, today the Army’s tactical wheeled vehicle fleet is healthy, young and in good shape. Thanks to substantial, rapid, warfighter-focused investment over the past de-cade, today’s tactical wheeled vehicles offer greater capability and improved protection than their predecessors,” Fahey said in a statement provided to Ground Combat Technology. “Our me-dium and heavy tactical vehicle fleets will conclude most production programs in the next few years with young fleet ages that should keep our soldiers in safe, reli-able trucks for many years.”Meanwhile, the primary tactical wheeled vehicle production effort is mov-ing quickly to the joint light tactical ve-hicle (JLTV) program, which Fahey called “a critical Army and Marine Corps effort




CONFERENCE EXCLUSIVES DAILY AGENDA SHOW HIGHLIGHTS BREAKING NEWS

2015 AUSA GLOBAL FORCE SYMPOSIUM AND EXPOSITIONDAY

SHOWDAILYBlast-Attenuating SeatsScience and technology save lives from hidden threats.

With energy, or blast-attenuating seating

installed in select ground vehicles, the U.S.

military has been increasing survivability of its

vehicle-based troops one seat at a time.

Installed in mine-resistant ambush protect-

ed (MRAP) vehicles and some other vehicles,

these unique seats use technology to help keep

personnel riding within a vehicle from feeling

the full effects of an improvised explosive device

(IED), mine or other blast, should their vehicle

encounter one.“They’re absolutely critical for the surviv-

ability of the occupant. It is what the occupant

is riding on and, essentially, it is the last line of

defense in terms of protecting the soldier or the

occupant because of the survivability features

on the seat,” said Mike McDermott, program

director for vehicle protection at BAE Systems,

which has supplied blast-attenuating seating on

MRAPs and the Bradleys. “It essentially pro-

vides the ultimate solution in terms of surviv-

ability in a blast event or a vertical attenuation-

type event that the occupant’s going to see.”

These seats have saved American lives—and

could save even more if the U.S. military were

to expand their use on even more ground plat-

forms, according to executives at companies

that make the seats.“Initially, the seats were deployed in MRAPs

and light combat vehicles as a means of defeat-

ing overmatch conditions in the field. This is

a trend that is continuing, and with good rea-

son. However, the place where they would have

the biggest impact is in common-use platforms

Nimble WheelsThe Army is acting smartly and swiftly to keep soldiers safely on the move.

If you thought that after more than a

decade at war, the U.S. military’s wheeled

vehicle fleet might be worn out and in

need of repair, you would be wrong.

So says Kevin Fahey, the Army’s pro-

gram executive officer for Combat Sup-

port & Combat Service Support. “Overall,

today the Army’s tactical wheeled vehicle

fleet is healthy, young and in good shape.

Thanks to substantial, rapid, warfighter-

focused investment over the past de-

cade, today’s tactical wheeled vehicles

offer greater capability and improved

protection than their predecessors,”

Fahey said in a statement provided to

Ground Combat Technology. “Our me-

dium and heavy tactical vehicle fleets will

conclude most production programs in

the next few years with young fleet ages

that should keep our soldiers in safe, reli-

able trucks for many years.”Meanwhile, the primary tactical

wheeled vehicle production effort is mov-

ing quickly to the joint light tactical ve-

hicle (JLTV) program, which Fahey called

“a critical Army and Marine Corps effort CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 ➥



Q: Could you tell our readers about some of the solutions that Insitu offers to the military and other government contractors?

A: With our introduction of ScanEagle in 2004, Insitu invented the small tactical, long-endurance UAS market. Since then, we’ve grown our business to provide two run-way-independent platforms—ScanEagle and Integrator—as well as the ICOMC2 (Insitu’s Common Open-mission Management Com-mand and Control) ground control station, which allows a single operator to control multiple unmanned vehicles. In addition to offering our customers ScanEagle and Integrator, we offer ISR services, where our platforms are operated and supported by a trained team that deploys with our custom-ers to provide on-site mission support. We also offer training for our customers using our highly skilled instructors to train our customers at our training facilities or theirs.

Q: What unique benefits do Insitu’s products provide its customers in comparison with other companies in your field?

A: Our customers’ needs inform every deci-sion we make. Insitu has more than 800,000 combat flight hours and maintains some of the best field service representatives in the world. This unique ISR services model has honed the iterative innovation, elegant design, flexibility and focus on reliability and capability that our customers have come to expect from us. It has enabled us to execute more than 100,000 sorties. And it is apparent in the ever-improving sensor technology and other capabilities we are continually advanc-ing through new payloads.

Q: What are some interesting new programs or initiatives at Insitu?

A: We were extremely pleased to introduce ScanEagle 2 at Euronaval in Paris in Octo-ber. ScanEagle 2 represents an evolution of our ScanEagle platform, designed to deliver more capability, reliability and affordabil-ity to our customers. The enhancements include commonality with Insitu’s family of

systems, a customized propulsion system with gasoline and heavy fuel options, a fully digital video system and increased power available for payloads.

Q: How is Insitu positioned in the market for expansion?

A: We are excited about the potential that is beginning to take shape in the commercial marketplace, and we designed ScanEagle 2 specifically to help us capture these oppor-tunities. We are already flying in support of wildfire management and disaster relief. In addition to these new market opportunities, through the introduction of ScanEagle 2 we have the opportunity to introduce even greater capability through an expanded port-folio of payloads. In doing so, we are able to continue the behaviors that have enabled our warfighter customers to have the tools and capabilities necessary to succeed on the battlefield.

Q: Can you provide a few success stories?

A: We have been continuously deployed with customers for more than a decade, and are extremely proud and honored to have sup-ported countless successful missions. One of Insitu’s best-known deployments was five years ago on the USS Bainbridge, where Insitu field service representatives helped the U.S. Navy find, fix and track the pirates who commandeered the Maersk Alabama and held Captain Phillips captive. Insitu’s ScanEagle was launched and provided valu-able ISR to allow special forces to plan and execute a successful rescue.

Q: What are Insitu objectives in 2014-15 for the government market? Which of your sectors has experienced fast growth and why?

A: Insitu will continue to do what Insitu does best: identify difficulty challenges for our customers and provide innovative solu-tions in response to those challenges. This year, the results are ScanEagle 2 and RQ-21A. Both solutions provide new levels of performance for both the air vehicle and its ISR capability. Both will also support our fastest growing segment, sea-based ISR. Our systems, supported by our small-footprint launchers and Skyhook recovery system, enable superior ship-based capability.

Q: Can you describe the challenges that Insitu encounters in the government market?

A: As the technology of war has grown more sophisticated, it is important to us that we are always bringing the right solutions to our customers. Since our inception in 1994, Insitu has embraced Moore’s law through a culture of constant innovation focused on giving our customers every possible advan-tage in very serious circumstances. As we see it, there is no challenge that we cannot rise above.

Q: How are Insitu solutions customized to meet the needs of the government?

A: We are always focused on the future, anticipating the needs of our government customers and innovating solutions that take our quality, reliability and capability to the next level. RQ-21A, our program of record for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, is an open-architecture system eas-ily customizable to customer requirements. The program made history when Marines from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2, located at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., deployed with the first opera-tional system to Afghanistan. In the first three months in theater, RQ-21A flew more than 500 hours and executed 60 missions. O

inDUStry interVieW Special Operations technology

Ryan HartmanPresident and CEO

Insitu


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Documents

SOTECH 12.10 (December 2014)