New Equipment Development on Operation Influence of Air Force

1. Influence of Air Force New Equipment Development on Operation 2. Introduction Having been incepted in 1947, the United States Air Force (USAF) is effectively the country’s youngest military formation. It is important to note, from the onset, that USAF came to be as a consequence of the need to ensure that the U.S. has a decisive advantage as far as the character of warfare is concerned. This is more so the case in reference to long-range bombing.

The USAF has, since then, continued to be seen as the force of the future. It therefore follows that the relevance of modernizing USAF and equipping it with new tools of engagement cannot be overstated as far as the further enhancement of its operational capabilities is concerned. 3. Discussion 3.1. The Relevance of USAF from an Operational Perspective In basic terms, USAF has immense maneuver advantages as a result of its vertical perch. This is an advantage that ground forces do not ordinarily normally have.

Also, the air force, unlike other military formations has the capability of global deployment. Its versatility is unrivaled when it comes to not only tactical goals, but also the advancement of operational as well as tactical objectives. Further, the air force also possesses the unique ability to overwhelm a broad target spectrum with simultaneous attacks – which could significantly weaken the capability of enemy troops to remain on the offensive. For this reason, with the appropriate equipment, USAF has the potential to significantly stress enemy defenses. 3.2.

The Need for New Equipment Development It could be argued that the steady development of new equipment appears to have slowed down in recent times – and most particularly post the Cold War years. There is ample evidence to this effect. For instance, in the words of Mark Welsh, former Air Force Chief of Staff General, “airplanes are falling apart… they’re just flat too old” (O’Brein, 2016, p. 137).

It is also important to point out that Army General John Campbell has in the past warned that although the U.S. military personnel is largely adaptive, a sudden crisis would effectively expose some inherent weaknesses as far as degradations are concerned (Laslie, 2015). The B-52 bomber, for instance, has not been fully retired despite having been a common heavy bomber for slightly over five decades (Laslie, 2015).

Although there has been significant progress in the refurbishment as well as replacement of USAF airlifters, there is still more to be done on the new equipment development front – particularly given that there are still some planes in this case that still utilize the analogue electronic systems. USAF must stay ahead of enemy capabilities.

While a slow pace of new equipment development does not necessarily hurt the operational capabilities of USAF against enemies that do not have robust air defenses or air forces (such as ISIS), USAF’s potential could wane in the face of rising powers such as Russia and China. 3.3. Key Considerations According to O’Brein (2016), USAF has in the past attempted to ensure that its technological advantage is far much greater than that of its real and perceived adversaries.

This it has done by way of staying ahead of the game as far as new equipment development is concerned. Towards this end, O’Brein (2016) is of the opinion that the equipment of the future ought to have a number of key attributes. The said attributes include, but they are not limited to, precision, flexibility, range, as well as speed. These ought to be seen as the fundamental characteristics of airpower.

Speed, as one of the key factors that new equipment development ought to take into consideration, “means that missions can be completed in shorter times and more missions can be carried out each day” (Fino, 2017, p. 112). Further, it adds to the element of surprise and leverages on the unpreparedness of the enemy. When it comes to range, considerations are inclusive of the need to ensure that the offensive advantage that USAF has over surface forces is further enhanced.

According to Fino (2017) rage also means that USAF has greater potential as far as the defense of the U.S. airspace is concerned. At the operational level, flexibility as yet another key component that ought to be taken into account in the development of new equipment permits air forces to implement maneuvers – whereby it becomes easier to shift decisively and quickly from a specific objective of a campaign to another (Fino, 2017).

Lastly, it should be noted that when battles space awareness is coupled with precision, the capability of a single weapon can be greatly enhanced. As a matter of fact, what could have taken numerous bombs to accomplish in the past could be accomplished in the future using a single precision weapon. Thus, precision is yet another important consideration in new equipment development. A good example in this case could be the Small Diameter Bomb.

According to Laslie (2015), thanks to the GBU-39, targets can be hit within a range of only four feet. This effectively means that it would be possible to target the enemy in a room within a larger house with minimal risk to occupants in other rooms. The tactical relevance of developments on this front could be immense. In the past, vast armies could be game changers in war as a massive army could wreak havoc on smaller enemy troops.

Thanks to technological advances and air force new equipment development, war objectives can be achieved using a relatively small fleet of aircraft with precision guided munitions. When this is coupled with speed, range, and enhanced flexibility, the air force can pack a massive punch. On the equipment development front, there are numerous technologies that USAF ought to assess in an attempt to decipher their utility in operations.

Some of the said technologies, which could be game-changers in their own right include, but they are not limited to, unmanned systems and hypersonics. These will be discussed below, with prominence being given to unmanned systems. In brief, when it comes to hypersonics, it is important to note that advances on this front could have a significant yield as far as the capabilities of USAF are concerned.

This is more so the case given that miles per hour have in the past been the format of choice in the measurement of operational speed (Laslie, 2015). USAF operational tactics as well as concepts would be revolutionized by practical hypersonic operational speeds. According to Pickrell (2018), some of the countries in the race to the development of hypersonic weapons include Russia and China. These weapons, according to Pickrell (2015) will have the potential to penetrate the defenses of enemies and deliver devastating strikes.

Already, Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract by USAF “for an Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), a hypersonic weapon…” (Pickrell, 2018). Hypersonic aircrafts have immense operational potential as they could come in handy as platforms for hypersonic strikes. Such a platform could, in addition to having the capability of delivering nuclear as well as conventional payloads, also be capable of effectively evading the missile and air defense systems the U.S. has in place (Pickrell, 2018). 3.4.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - UAV In recent times, UAVs have come in handy in the operational context with USAF deploying the unmanned aerial vehicles in diverse contexts. Essentially, UAVs have come a long way with the U.S. military having for the past five decades tested and developed various UAV setups and modes with the very first UAV, according to Laslie (2015), having been largely used for reconnaissance.

It was not until the 1960s and 70s that undertakings such as D-21 Tagboard were launched with an intention of finding alterative application of UAVs (Laslie, 2015). However, test failures as well as budgetary constraints in some instances got in the way of further advancement of prototypes. With the development of the RQ-1 Predator, however, the U.S. was well on its way to fully functional tactical UAVs.

It should be noted that since then, the RQ-1 Predator system has come in handy in military operations support and has been utilized in a wide range of contexts as an instrument of combat support (Laslie, 2015). Today, as the author further points out, we have amongst others the AGM-114 hellfire missiles armed MQ-1 Predator as a favorite of the USAF particular in the war against terror. Some of the UAVs that were operationally instrumental in both Iraqi and Afghanistan were the Pointer and Raven.

It should be noted that in addition to the provision of reconnaissance, these UAVs have in the past come in handy in force protection as well as enhancement of base security. The wellbeing of crews should be protected at all times. This is more so the case in reference to minimizing the risk of capture, injury, or loss of life. Unmanned vehicles come in handy in this endeavor. One of the key advantages UAVs have over manned aircraft is endurance. In essence, endurance is often greatly minimized in manned aircraft.

This is more so the case given that such aircraft usually use consumable fuel – and the fuel quantity that can be carried is definitely finite. Although this is a challenge that could be addressed by aerial refueling, there are factors that have got to do with the human pilot that cannot be remedied, i.e. fatigue. Keeping a manned aircraft airborne for a long period of time could adversely affect the wellbeing (and thus sobriety and judgment of the deck crew).

From a tactical and operational perspective, a UAV with greater endurance would be able to be stationed for longer over the combat zone with no need for constant recall (Jaffer, 2016). Thanks to the said greater endurance, UEVs can be used in strike operations that are complex and that require longer flight hours. The ability of UAVs to keep vigil over combat zones and conduct longer air patrols effectively means that precisely timed attacks on enemy targets that call for complex execution approaches can be conducted.

There is also the concept of distributed control. The fact that the coordination of UAVs can be shared amongst multiple users leads to the further enhancement of military capabilities. It should be noted that although this is something that could also be implemented in the context of manned air operations, in the context of UAVs, it is possible for numerous users to share direct control. Here, direct control could be assumed from time to time by the user who possesses greater situational awareness.

There are a number of factors that warrant serious consideration in the development of UAVs both at present and in the future. The said factors include greater endurance, enhanced autonomy, and reduced size of UEVs. When it comes to endurance, it should be noted that this remains a special challenge for UAV manufacturers and developers (Jaffer, 2016). There is need for the development of UAVs that can stay afloat for longer.

Essentially, UEVs that have longer endurance are capable of not only flying at a higher altitude but also have a higher payload capacity (Jaffer, 2016). Greater endurance would also effectively increase the coverage range and thus the strike as well as surveillance capabilities. At present, there are also various degrees of autonomy in reference to the operation of UAVs. It should be noted that although UAV are yet to be fully autonomous, significant technological advancements have effectively made this goal even more realistic in the coming years.

In basic terms, “the ability of a UAV to take off, execute a mission, and.