Securing the Homeland

Northern Strike 24-2 replicates aerial threats

Story by Tech. Sgt. Tristan Viglianco 

Cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are an emerging challenge our nation’s Air Force will face in the future. Northern Strike (NS) 24-2 is replicating this threat with several unique platforms designed to train various skills such as: detection, identification, destruction, and command and control (C2) in a live-fly environment.

Over the course of exercise, August 3-17, Air National Guard (ANG) F-16 Fighting Falcons, from the 113th Wing, District of Columbia ANG, Joint Base Andrews, Md, and the 180th Fighter Wing (FW), Ohio ANG, Toledo Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Ohio will train against these threats. Pilots will fly sorties out of either their home station, the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) or Oscoda–Wurtsmith Airport in Northern Michigan.

“One of the Air National Guard top priorities is defending the homeland. Additionally, our Airmen expect to face similar challenges in overseas deployments,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Nicholas Smith, Michigan National Guard (MING), deputy J7. “Northern Strike presents unique training opportunities to warfighters, allowing them to train for scenarios they’ll unlikely encounter in their normal day to day readiness training.”

According to Smith, the exercise is spending approximately $1 million to replicate various aerial threats, with ANG F-16s from the 122nd FW, Indiana ANG, Fort Wayne ANGB, Ind., and small microjets.

“In the past, NS has used various electronic warfare capabilities to simulate various surface threats to aircraft,” said Smith. “For the first time, NS is using a combination of ANG aircraft that replicate cruise missile flight characteristics alongside microjets with small radar cross sections to simulate a wide variety of emerging threats, such as adversaries small UAS platforms.”

RTX's Pratt & Whitney delivers F100 engine in support of Poland's F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet

Pratt & Whitney, an RTX  business, has announced the delivery of an F100 engine to Poland. This delivery supports Poland's ongoing efforts to strengthen the readiness of its F-16 fleet, which is powered exclusively by Pratt & Whitney engines.

"This is the first of several engines we'll deliver to our Polish ally this year to ensure they have the propulsion power they need to address current and future threats," said Josh Goodman, senior director of the F100 Program at Pratt & Whitney. "The Pratt & Whitney F100 is the mainstay powerplant for 23 global air forces, and we are seeing increased demand for our latest generation F100 engine."

Currently produced in Middletown, Connecticut, the original F100 engines powering the Polish F-16 fleet were manufactured at Pratt & Whitney's Rzeszów facility. Today, nearly 20 years later, that facility produces F100 static structures and critical rotating parts in support of new F100 engines and worldwide sustainment.

The F100 boasts operationally proven technologies, such as advanced materials and thermal coatings, improved turbine cooling capabilities and prognostic health management. Across global F-16 and F-15 fleets, the F100 has flown more than 30 million engine flight hours, which is nearly three times as many hours as other fourth-generation fighter engines.

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BAE Systems delivers advanced radar warning receivers to protect U.S. Air Force Aircraft

BAE Systems is delivering AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receivers to the U.S. Air Force to help protect C-130J Super Hercules aircraft missions under contracts worth $133 million with the Defense Logistics Agency. The company has delivered more than 1,700 radar warning receivers for F-16 Fighting Falcons and C-130Js over three decades, providing situational awareness and self-defense capabilities that have proven themselves in combat by saving lives and enhancing mission success.

“The AN/ALR-56M has shown what it can bring to the fight, and it is keeping these critical aircraft relevant against evolving threats in contested battlespaces,” said Lindsay Gallagher, Tactical Aircraft Electronic Warfare Systems director at BAE Systems. “56M is a critical part of the fleet’s electromagnetic warfare capabilities. As a global leader in defence electronics, we are working hard to keep the F-16 and C-130J survivable and relevant for decades to come.”

The AN/ALR-56M provides broad-spectrum, long-range threat detection, and adaptive filtering to isolate threat signals in dense signal environments. The system provides timely warning about modern search, acquisition, and tracking radars, and reliable threat response capabilities – allowing pilots to engage or evade threats and enabling freedom of maneuver in the battlespace.

RAF Typhoons are flying on a large scale Saudi Arabian multinational air exercise

The RAF Typhoons from XI (Fighter) Squadron that are in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia taking part in this year’s Spears of Victory exercise are flying daily sorties as part of a large coalition of nations.

During the exercise, the nations are flying together in mixed groups to conduct air operations against a simulated peer adversary. Each contingent during the missions is practicing conducting defensive counter-air and offensive counter-air operations, as well as air interdiction training against live and simulated threats. 

Colonel Alshehri Saeed, Royal Saudi Air Force Exercise Director said:  “The RSAF and the RAF have a strong alliance that has continued to develop here on Spears of Victory 24, we look forward to working together in the future."

Squadron Leader Hodgkinson, UK Detachment Commander commented:  “The missions that are flown on Spears of Victory 24 are the centrepiece of the exercise. Pilots and aircrew on a multinational exercise are able to build relationships through shared experiences."

In addition to the RAF Typhoons taking part, the Royal Saudi Air Force are flying their Typhoons, Tornados and F-15s. F-16s are taking part from, Greece, and the UAE. The Saudi F-15s have been joined by others from Qatar, with the French Air and Space Force detachment contributing Rafales. The Pakistan Air Force are flying their JF-17s. The Royal Air Force of Oman IS also flying Typhoons. The US contribution this year has been to allocate KC 135 sorties to add to the Air to Air Refuelling capability. In total, over 60 aircraft are taking part in the exercise this year.

Flight Lieutenant ‘Boz’,  RAF Typhoon pilot on the exercise told us: “Whilst on Spears of Victory, a number of us will take part as the Mission commander, Deputy Mission commander, or a Package Lead.

“During one sortie I was the Air to Air package lead.  What that means is whilst I am leading a formation of Typhoons, I'm also feeding into the bigger picture and in charge of other assets within the area of operations.  With this being a network-enabled exercise I not only have the situational awareness of my own formation, but also what other call signs are doing and that is a critical element of modern warfighting."

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Royal Air Force Typhoons arrive in Saudi Arabia for large scale multinational air exercise

RAF Coningsby based Typhoons from XI (Fighter) Squadron have arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to join this year’s Spears of Victory exercise being held at the King Abdulaziz Air Base. 

Personnel from across the RAF have deployed on this large scale, Saudi hosted multinational air warfare training exercise. The RAF are joining participants from several branches of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s military, as well as contingents from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, France, Greece, Pakistan, and the US.

Squadron Leader Hodgkinson, UK Detachment Commander said:  “Spears of Victory 24 is an extremely important training opportunity for our force enablers to work alongside strategic partners in the region to demonstrate the Combat Air capacity of our highly trained pilots and engineers in the Typhoon Force. Now, as much as never before, we strive for excellence in air dominance – collaborating with allies that have come together in a demonstration of their commitment to stability in the Broader Middle East."

In addition to the RAF Typhoons taking part in this year’s exercise, the Royal Saudi Air Force will be flying their Typhoons, Tornados and F-15s.  F-16s are taking part from Bahrain, Greece, and the UAE.  The Saudi F-15s will be joined by others from Qatar.  The French Air and Space detachment will be contributing Rafales, and the Pakistan Air Force will be flying their JF-17s. The Royal Air Force of Oman will also be flying Typhoons.

Hodgkinson adds: "The welcome at King Abdulaziz Air Base and the support in country has been fantastic and the facilities here will allow us to really make the most of this opportunity. We look forward to a busy deployment, operating at a high tempo alongside our international colleagues; I am confident the whole detachment will learn a great deal from the Exercise."

The United States Detachment is not flying this year, but instead has committed a mixed unit of National Guardsmen to provide a range of ground support activities, including Fire Fighters Security, and logisticians to support the exercise.