FA Units in Afghanistan Field Precision Guidance Kit

The A and B Batteries of 2^nd Battalion, 15^th Field Artillery Regiment have recently received and employed precision guided munitions as part of the fielding phase in the XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit project.  Initial field testing on the low-fi alternative to Raytheon’s Excalibur munitions began in March, and is expected to be completed by the end of June. 

The XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit, or PGK, is the latest in “smart” munitions that use Global Positioning and in-flight corrections to increase the accuracy of the round. According to the performance specifications listed by Peter Burke, the Deputy Project Manager, an 155mm PGK round fired from a M549A1 Paladin, will be accurate within 50 meters out to 30km, as opposed to 267 meters with a standard round.

This increased accuracy mitigates the risk for collateral damage and civilian casualties in and around Afghanistan’s urban centers, but also allows for increased support of the maneuver mission, improving lethal fires as well. Spc. Clayton of Battery B said that the increase in accuracy was “impressive… and immediately noticeable” in comparison to the standard round. 

Logistically speaking, the PGK is a relative no-brainer. It is currently compatible with two versions of the standard 155mm rounds, the M795 High Explosive and M549/A1 Rocket Assisted Projectile. Integration into the A and B batteries has been as simple as screwing on the PGK like any other fuse. Plans for the development of a 105mm compatible model are also in the works, as well as expanding the fusing options for the 155mm. 

On the dollar, the PGK is a significant development in the field of precision guided artillery. The current standard, the XM982  Excalibur costs $89,000 per round, in comparison to $300 dollars for a standard shell. Currently the reported unit cost of the PGK is less than $3,000 with virtually the same capabilities as the Excalibur. Perhaps the future of Precision Guided Munitions has a new face.

Dumb Problems with Smart Phones

The US Army recently picked Android to power its Joint Battle Command Platform, a new Army smartphone that will hopefully keep all soldiers properly networked.  The hope that this new platform will be able to run Apps (applications) like the Blue Force Tracker and other programs to keep the Army on the cutting edge of the technological battlefield.  The Army is also hoping to be able to use this technology for "critical messaging" to send medevac requests and other reports.

Ignoring the logistic problem of purchasing and supplying these smartphones to every soldier, this program has an extraordinary potential.  A greater situational awareness should theoretically be able to completely eliminate all incidents of friendly fire, and soldiers getting lost should become a thing of the past.  Many military maps have already been turned into Apps by both Raytheon and Textron.

One issue, however, with using smartphones for military business is the problem of keeping them secure.  The US Military conducted an audit looking into how smartphones were currently being used.  The study tracked the use of 842 mobile devices, and discovered that while many lacked updated security software, some didn’t have any at all and some didn’t even have password protection.  It also found that the Army wasn’t even aware of where all of the thousands of smartphones it has purchased for soldiers are, and that many have likely been lost and replaced by the soldiers personal phone without informing the supervisor.  One Chief Information Officer who took part in the audit was shocked to discover that while he was tracking 180 mobile devices on his network, there were actually 276.  Device disposal is a problem, as anyone finding one of these unprotected devices would easily have access to anything that the previous soldier had access to.

Like many things that the Army does this is a great idea in theory, but until they are able to demonstrate that they are being secure with the limited number of mobile devices they already employ should they really entrust one to every soldier?

China Upgrading Its Airlift Capabilities

American military correspondent David Axe has new photographic evidence suggesting that the Chinese now have their first long-range, jet transport aircraft to marvel the American Air Force C-17 Globemaster. In his blog post Satellites Spot China's Mysterious New Warplane, Beijing has confirmed the existence on the Xian Aircraft Corporation's Y-20, but Western experts contend that the aircraft lacks the performance capabilities of much older American, Russian and European transports. The Chinese hope is that the Y-20 will be able to replace older main transports like the Y-8 medium airlift and the tanker version of the H-6 bomber. In terms of military reach and airlift capabilities, the Chinese have been far behind the U.S. and other advanced nations. The Chinese believe that the Y-20 will bring its airlift capabilities to par with the rest of the world and greatly enhance the logistical network of its military. However, before the Chinese can reach that point, American analysts suggest that the engine capabilities in the new Y-20 are severely lacking. New evidence suggests that the Y-20 prototypes have been fitted with old, Russian made D-30 engines that may not be adequate for the size of the aircraft. Imagery shows the Y-20 as slightly smaller than the United States' C-17, but with the same wide swept wing and T-shaped tail. However, the C-17 aircraft requires a large, high-bypass turbofan that the Chinese are currently lacking. The engine capabilities of the Chinese Y-20 can only be built by four companies in the world today, three of which are western and one is Russian. Pending a deal with Russian manufacturers to import the engine and install them in the Y-20 prototypes, it appears this is this just a prototype. However, if the Chinese are able to integrate the Y-20 into its military airlift command, it would see an astonishing increase in airlift capabilities. Assuming the Y-20 is able to rival the airlift capabilities of the C-17, that would give it a payload capability of approximately 160,000lbs and a range of 2,400 nautical miles. Compared to the medium airlift capabilities of the Y-8 (44,000lbs and 3,030 nautical miles), this would be a tremendous improvement in airlift capability. Moving forward, we have seen other recent innovations in Chinese military air capabilities. In his recent blog post Is This China's First Killer Drone on Danger Room, he suggests that new imagery is proof that Beijing now has its first jet-powered, armed drone warplane. While militaries around the world are skeptical, Chinese aerospace firms claim that the vehicle depicted in the images is in fact the Lijian or "Sharp Sword," an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. This proves, if nothing else, that the Chinese are thoroughly invested in expanding the capabilities of their military.

French Redeployment From Afghanistan

Recently posted in "The Bug Pit: The military and securty in Eurasia" blog on eurasianet.org was the post "French Military Begins Withdrawal From Tajikistan." This article was written by Joshua Kucera discusses how a small French air detachment operating in Dushanbe is redeploying back to France. As France continues to withdraw from Afghanistan so does its supply bases in the region. France's Operational Transport Group started redeploying on April 15th of this year and is projected to complete its redeployment by July. 

 

This particular base has been in operation since 2002. "It has hosted between 170 and 230 French soldiers who work on supply and logistics for their compatriots in Afghanistan, and occasionally French multirole fighter jets used for operations in Afghanistan."  This redeployment is not unexpected considering that French forces have been redeploying from Afghanistan for sometime now. What is interesting is that the French are using Shymkent, Kazakhstan as their main logistics hub for shipping military supplies out of Afghanistan. The author states that, "Like the U.S. and other coalition countries operating in Afghanistan, France wants to use the land route through Central Asia to withdraw its equipment from Afghanistan. That route has recently started operating, with the first shipments arriving in France last month, according to another French MoD announcement." Below provides further information on French redeployment and possible courses of action for other coalition partners.

The decision to open a transit center in Kazakhstan is to accelerate the withdrawal from Afghanistan with different exit roads (the same problematic exists for US troops). The opening of a multimodal road from the north of Afghanistan, using the aircraft to Shymkent and the railroad to Latvia, was still in negotiation at the end of 2012. The Kazakh authorities expected some French funds to improve a part of the airport.
But all these agreements (with Kazakhastan, and also with Uzbekistan) are too late (for France, but maybe useful for other coalition members). French vehicles and equipment will be mostly withdrawal by Antonov airplane to the United Arab Emirates and by boat to France. According to the latest news, 80% of the goods withdrawal (armoured vehicles, containers ...) has already been achieved.

 Current French redeployment efforts will allow the United States to look at the French model of redeployment and decide whether or not to follow suit. 

                There has been talk on this blog about fuel and especially the consumption of fuel in deployed environments. Currently at Fort Hood a new forward area refueling point is being implemented which reduces the traditional helicopter refueling time of 20 minutes to just 4 minutes. The 166^th Aviation Brigade is serving as the testers for this new technology.

                Before the introduction of the forward area refueling point pilots had to fly to off post airstrips, power their aircraft down, and then manually refuel their own aircraft. This process is known as a “cold fuel” because the aircraft is off and therefore “cold”.

                The forward area refueling point uses a “hot fuel” where the pilots and crew remain in the aircraft, the motor is running, while a support unit refuels the aircraft. The process saves time allowing the pilots to spend more time focused on the mission rather than refueling.  For more information visit www.army.mil.

                As we continue to deploy and redeploy troops into Afghanistan, the “hot fuel” can become more of an asset and help to maintain the safety of our troops. It will be interesting to see how classes at the Army Logistics University (ALU) are structured to incorporate this new concept. For all of the Quartermaster companies out there, this will be a new and possibly very exciting field for soldiers to be a part of.

Preemptive Strike: Iran won't go down easy.

              Having long range conventional weapons by a country as unstable as Iran is undesirable for the national interest of the United States.  Even more disconcerting, is Iran's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction in the form of Nuclear Warheads. The lack of centralization could result in irrational decisions to carry out attacks on neighboring countries and US bases in the region. Furthermore, these weapons could land in the hands of unpredictable terrorist organizations.  Peaceful attempts to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state have been ongoing since the discovery of such programs.  Once the peaceful options have been exhausted, a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities is the final course of action available to
American policy makers.
           However, the preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities is not as simple as it may appear.  The strike would require massive amounts of planes, missiles, and ships in order to reach the sought after underground nuclear facilities.  The multitude of considerations go beyond simply flying a pair of bombers out of Kuwait, and into Iranian air space.  The invasion of air space would cause Iran to initiate air defense systems to deny the attack.  Iran will also retaliate with its own barrage of conventional missiles on American targets.  Lastly Iran will attempt to seal the Strait of Hormuz with a swarm of small boats and other conventional weaponry, seen in the image bellow.   

  

The United States will have to commit large amounts of conventional resources to mitigate the expected Iranian mobilization.  Many air defense batteries will have to be strategically located throughout the middle east to protect American allies, and their interests from Iranian aircraft and missiles.  Large naval fleets will be required to maintain the straight open for commerce.  Lastly, fighter escorts and bombers are essential to counter Iranian fighter aircraft within Iran, destroy ADA batteries, and neutralize air bases.  

          Along with the need for hundreds of planes, ships, and missiles, are huge logistical considerations.  First, the fuel required for continued kinetic operations in Iran are substantial.  The potential disruption of oil production in the middle east would require the US to import the fuel from other locations mainly from CONUS.  Millions of Gallons of fuel are required to maintain all of the ships, planes, and ground troops. The logistical requirements for the Air Defense batteries are also important.  The troops will need a constant resupply of each class of materials.  Getting the supplies to the units will require generation of the supplies at the home front, transporting the supplies over long distances, and then using trucks and cargo planes to actually reach the batteries.  Naval fleets also require vast quantities of supplies to maintain their operations.  Specifically, the denial of their abilities to dock due to constant Iranian pressure, would highlight the need for smaller transport ships to bring supplies from the nearby docks.
           Taking all of the logistical factors into account, one can see why the decision to launch an attack on Iran has been approached with extreme caution.  The propositioned supplies and build ups would only sustain the force for a temporary amount of time.  Being able to cripple Iranian nuclear programs would require a sizable force with a great deal of time to work with.

CUBE System Looks to Make Water and Fuel Resupply Easier

Whether it is Patton’s Third Army during World War II or a Special Forces unit operating from a remote FOB in the Afghan mountains, getting fuel and water is a constant problem and necessity. We know this because without fuel our vehicles cannot run and without water our soldiers cannot function.  One of the current methods of resupplying soldiers with water and fuel is to airdrop it in 50-gallon drums or 500-gallon blivets. These containers, however, take up a lot of space (especially when you are operating out of an already tiny FOB) and are cumbersome to handle (especially when you are trying to lug them back over harsh terrain).  A new system, however, is looking to replace this old method and make the process of resupplying soldiers with essential liquids more efficient at all stages of the logistical process.

                The Container Unitized Bulk Equipment system or CUBE allows for delivery via sling-load, airdrop, or ground transport. It contains sling-load nets, two crate-like plastic containers, and two 400-gallon fuel blivets or water bladders. This new system can potentially cut the cost of resupplying water and fuel by fifty-percent and the stackable, collapsible nature of the CUBE units allows them to take up less space on the FOB, be re-purposed somewhere else, and it makes them easier to transport back to logistics hubs where they can be restocked. This is in complete contrast to blivets or fuel drums that are extremely heavy, cumbersome, and difficult to manage during transportation, use, and storage. This allows units deployed deep within a country to leave a much smaller footprint and this is better for the people and the environment.

                  Test drops back in 2011 proved to be very successful. Each CUBE system was delivered via dual 100-foot parachutes from 1,000 feet up. This is also a significantly better system for supplying small FOBs because there will be a significant cut-down on the amount of parachutes needed to effectively resupply a unit. This means less time and energy spent dealing with extraneous matter like parachutes, rigging, or sling-load nets-all of which require precious resources to deal with.