Airborne (1997) (29 page)
Authors: Tom Clancy
All three of these systems are envisioned to be operated via headgear fitted to the helmets of soldiers of the future. Before these projects reach the troops, however, there are many technical difficulties to overcome, not the least of which is a reduction in the weight of battery packs to power these high-tech systems. There are other projects, however, besides the ISC/R system which may create an equally dramatic change in the way soldiers fight. These include the following:
•
Objective Infantry Combat Weapon (OICW):
The eventual replacement for the M-16 and the 40mm grenade launcher, probably using advanced composite materials and compact “telescoping caseless ammunition.” Prototypes may be demonstrated as early as 1998.
Objective Infantry Combat Weapon (OICW):
The eventual replacement for the M-16 and the 40mm grenade launcher, probably using advanced composite materials and compact “telescoping caseless ammunition.” Prototypes may be demonstrated as early as 1998.
•
Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW):
The next weapon the Army is looking at would be used to replace such weapons as the M240G machine gun. The OCSW will be carried by two soldiers and will contain a laser range finder and a day/night sight. The weapon, as with the OICW, will be capable of firing both kinetic-energy and bursting munitions.
Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW):
The next weapon the Army is looking at would be used to replace such weapons as the M240G machine gun. The OCSW will be carried by two soldiers and will contain a laser range finder and a day/night sight. The weapon, as with the OICW, will be capable of firing both kinetic-energy and bursting munitions.
•
Objective Sniper Weapon (OSW):
Also to be replaced in future would be the U.S. Army’s series of sniper rifles. The OSW would serve this purpose and greatly increase effectiveness against personnel and matériel targets at significantly increased range.
Objective Sniper Weapon (OSW):
Also to be replaced in future would be the U.S. Army’s series of sniper rifles. The OSW would serve this purpose and greatly increase effectiveness against personnel and matériel targets at significantly increased range.
•
Integrated Sight Module (ISM):
The ISM will combine an advanced thermal viewer with a digital compass, a “death dot” infrared laser aiming light, and a mini-laser range finder.
Integrated Sight Module (ISM):
The ISM will combine an advanced thermal viewer with a digital compass, a “death dot” infrared laser aiming light, and a mini-laser range finder.
•
Advanced Image Intensifier (AI
2
):
Night-vision goggles with sharper resolution, a wider field of view, and “integrated HUD symbology.”
Advanced Image Intensifier (AI
2
):
Night-vision goggles with sharper resolution, a wider field of view, and “integrated HUD symbology.”
•
Combat Identification for the Dismounted Soldier (CIDS):
One of the lessons of Desert Storm was that ground casualties from “friendly fire” in mobile warfare can now be as heavy as those inflicted by the enemy, but far more demoralizing and politically unacceptable. The modern infantryman needs an idiot-proof gadget that will shout
“Don’t shoot me!”
to
every
friendly sensor, while remaining invisible to every enemy sensor. Technical details of the solution are obviously classified, but it probably involves some sort of low-powered radio frequency transponder using coded signals with waveforms that are inherently “LPI” (low probability of intercept). This might be similar to the CSEL (Combat Survivor/Evader Locator) radio carried by pilots, but the complexity of tracking hundreds of friendly soldiers mixed in among thousands of bad guys must challenge even the most advanced tactical computers.
Combat Identification for the Dismounted Soldier (CIDS):
One of the lessons of Desert Storm was that ground casualties from “friendly fire” in mobile warfare can now be as heavy as those inflicted by the enemy, but far more demoralizing and politically unacceptable. The modern infantryman needs an idiot-proof gadget that will shout
“Don’t shoot me!”
to
every
friendly sensor, while remaining invisible to every enemy sensor. Technical details of the solution are obviously classified, but it probably involves some sort of low-powered radio frequency transponder using coded signals with waveforms that are inherently “LPI” (low probability of intercept). This might be similar to the CSEL (Combat Survivor/Evader Locator) radio carried by pilots, but the complexity of tracking hundreds of friendly soldiers mixed in among thousands of bad guys must challenge even the most advanced tactical computers.
•
In-Stride Mine Avoidance System (IMAS):
Land mines are weapons that wait, one of the nastiest scourges of the 20th century. Mines planted back in the First World War still kill or maim a few unlucky French and Belgians every year, and vast tracts of war-torn lands like Angola, Cambodia, and Afghanistan will be uninhabitable for decades thanks to the presence of millions of modern, hard-to-detect antipersonnel mines. Mine
clearance
requires either lavish expenditure of explosives, or infinite patience by large numbers of brave people probing the soil very gently. Mine
avoidance
is the only real solution. Ground-penetrating radars and infrared sensors, chemical sensors that sniff out minute traces of explosive or the unique signatures of disturbed soil, are being tried. Also, supersensitive magnetic detectors to pick up the few grams of metal in the detonator of a plastic-cased mine are being examined. Whatever the solution, it needs to be rugged, reliable, and light enough for an airborne trooper to carry and use. Oh, yeah, and we need it
yesterday!
In-Stride Mine Avoidance System (IMAS):
Land mines are weapons that wait, one of the nastiest scourges of the 20th century. Mines planted back in the First World War still kill or maim a few unlucky French and Belgians every year, and vast tracts of war-torn lands like Angola, Cambodia, and Afghanistan will be uninhabitable for decades thanks to the presence of millions of modern, hard-to-detect antipersonnel mines. Mine
clearance
requires either lavish expenditure of explosives, or infinite patience by large numbers of brave people probing the soil very gently. Mine
avoidance
is the only real solution. Ground-penetrating radars and infrared sensors, chemical sensors that sniff out minute traces of explosive or the unique signatures of disturbed soil, are being tried. Also, supersensitive magnetic detectors to pick up the few grams of metal in the detonator of a plastic-cased mine are being examined. Whatever the solution, it needs to be rugged, reliable, and light enough for an airborne trooper to carry and use. Oh, yeah, and we need it
yesterday!
•
RAH-66 Comanche Helicopter:
Now we come to the biggest of the big. In terms of firepower and capability, the Comanche will perhaps add the biggest punch (with the possible exception of the now-canceled AGS) to the Army’s power. If one were to compare the life of this helicopter program to anything, it would probably be a roller-coaster ride. The ups and downs of this formidable (and expensive!) helicopter are many. The original plan was to purchase 5,000 of these advanced helicopters. By 1987, that number had been reduced to 2,096, and in 1990 the requested number was again reduced to 1,292.
RAH-66 Comanche Helicopter:
Now we come to the biggest of the big. In terms of firepower and capability, the Comanche will perhaps add the biggest punch (with the possible exception of the now-canceled AGS) to the Army’s power. If one were to compare the life of this helicopter program to anything, it would probably be a roller-coaster ride. The ups and downs of this formidable (and expensive!) helicopter are many. The original plan was to purchase 5,000 of these advanced helicopters. By 1987, that number had been reduced to 2,096, and in 1990 the requested number was again reduced to 1,292.
In 1991, a joint team made up of the Boeing and Sikorsky helicopter companies beat out a Bell/McDonnell Douglas team to be awarded the contract for the experimental version of the Comanche, known as the YRAH-66. Unfortunately, in late 1994, the Pentagon terminated production of the Boeing-Sikorsky Comanche program. Instead DoD decided to build just two pre-production prototypes and continue engine and equipment development.
The first flight of the #1 prototype of the new RAH-66A Comanche Scout/Attack Helicopter. The Comanche should replace a number of different Army helicopters in the 21st century.
OFFTCIAL U.S. ARMY PHOTO VIA BOEING SIKORSKY
The Army and the Comanche team then went into full gear to save their program. In early 1995, the Army succeeded in reviving the program, and as of now, the procurement plans call for six Early Operational Capability (EOC) RAH-66s, equipped with only reconnaissance systems (no armament). After several years of in-field testing, assuming all is successful, the Comanche will begin low-rate production, and even-tually full-rate production. Initial operational capability for the RAH-66 currently looks to be about the year 2006.
The entire cost of the Comanche program has been estimated to total around $34 billion. What exactly does the Army get for that amount of money? The answer is: the most advanced and deadly helicopter in the world.
The armament will be composed of a three-barreled 20mm cannon in an under-nose turret. Side-opening weapons bay doors will be used to conceal the internal armament and help to keep Comanche stealthy. Internally, the RAH-66 can carry up to six Hellfire air-to-surface missiles or twelve Stinger air-to-air missiles (or a combination of both). For additional weapons carriage, the Comanche can sacrifice some of its stealth for missiles, and carry four more Hellfires or eight more Stingers from stub-fitted wings. Auxiliary fuel tanks can also be carried to dramatically increase deployment range.
The avionics systems carried by Comanche are equally as impressive as the armament package. All major communications systems used by the RAH-66 will be jam-resistant, and the aircraft will have an airborne target-handover system, GPS, and a radar altimeter. The fire control and navigation systems, however, are what takes the Comanche into a world of its own. Consisting of a night-vision system and a helmet-mounted display, the integrated cockpit will have a second-generation FLIR targeting system, digital map displays, and a host of multi-functional displays which will help the crew examine information on fuel status, weapons remaining, and communications systems. To top this all off, all Comanche helicopters will be capable of carrying a miniaturized version of the Longbow radar, although current plans call for only about a third of the fleet to actually be equipped with it.
•
Line-Of-Sight Antitank (LOSAT) Missile:
LOSAT is the second major Army program which will have a profound impact on the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division in particular. This missile system is a hit-to-kill weapon, designed to provide a high volume of extremely lethal kinetic-energy missile fire against heavily armored units such as tanks at ranges exceeding that of a main tank gun. The missile system itself, for which Loral Vought (also now part of Lockheed Martin) Systems of Dallas is the prime contractor, consists of four Kinetic Energy Missiles (KEMs) and their fire-control system, integrated into a Hummer chassis. The missile, when launched from its pod, begins maneuvering immediately. It is guided internally along the flight path and updated through the fire-control system aboard the launch vehicle. This continues until the missile strikes its target. As a result of tests conducted involving the firing of nearly twenty KEMs, it was determined that the missiles have a top speed in excess of 4,875 fps/1,486 mps. The missile will penetrate all known and projected MBTs, and can be used for engaging other targets as well, such as low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and bunkers.
Line-Of-Sight Antitank (LOSAT) Missile:
LOSAT is the second major Army program which will have a profound impact on the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division in particular. This missile system is a hit-to-kill weapon, designed to provide a high volume of extremely lethal kinetic-energy missile fire against heavily armored units such as tanks at ranges exceeding that of a main tank gun. The missile system itself, for which Loral Vought (also now part of Lockheed Martin) Systems of Dallas is the prime contractor, consists of four Kinetic Energy Missiles (KEMs) and their fire-control system, integrated into a Hummer chassis. The missile, when launched from its pod, begins maneuvering immediately. It is guided internally along the flight path and updated through the fire-control system aboard the launch vehicle. This continues until the missile strikes its target. As a result of tests conducted involving the firing of nearly twenty KEMs, it was determined that the missiles have a top speed in excess of 4,875 fps/1,486 mps. The missile will penetrate all known and projected MBTs, and can be used for engaging other targets as well, such as low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and bunkers.
Whether or not all of these systems will ever be fielded is anyone’s guess right now. Already, numerous other modernization programs like AGS and the liquid propellant gun for the new Crusader self-propelled howitzer have been killed by the budget ax. Whatever makes it into service, though, will have to be light and tough enough to stand up to the toughest battlefields on earth. The ones trod only by infantrymen.
The Air Force Contribution
Airborne Warfare: The Air Force LegacyWithin the U.S. Air Force (USAF), there is a class structure not unlike that of the other services. Ever since President Harry Truman signed the enabling legislation back in 1947, the USAF’s “kings of the skies” have come from the fighter and bomber communities. The internal USAF bias against those who do not kill people with their aircraft has meant that the careers of non-fighter and bomber aircrews rarely reach beyond the rank of brigadier general. Perhaps the armed flying jobs seem sexier or more powerful than the jobs of those who fly the supporting missions. Whatever the reasons, wearing the Air Force uniform and not shooting down enemy planes or nuking America’s enemies has usually meant never rising to the top jobs within the USAF.
This is not to say that these other missions are not vitally important. They are. So much so that precedent was recently broken when the head of the USAF’s Air Mobility Command, General Ronald Fogelman, was elevated to the job of Air Force Chief of Staff. In a way, it was a reward for the unprecedented job that AMC had done in supporting (and in some cases rescuing) the foreign policy initiatives of the Clinton Administration. I would like to believe, though, that it was a recognition that there are other things of importance that airpower can deliver besides killing power on enemy aircraft and cities. AMC and the support communities within the USAF’s Air Combat Command (ACC) deliver a huge boost to the missions of services other than the Air Force. From hauling Army paratroops, to refueling Navy and Marine tactical aircraft, and providing close air support for Allied ground troops, these aircraft and their crews are perhaps the most powerful part of America’s empire of airpower.
Back in the first chapter, I spent a considerable amount of space and time explaining the development of transport aircraft and their importance to airborne warfare. This is a vital introduction, for without the cargo aircraft to fly them off to war, airborne units would not even exist. While these statements are patently obvious, their real significance to the concept of strategic mobility goes far beyond the single act of letting paratroops jump out to do battle. Transport and support aircraft are the trucks of the sky for the U.S. Air Force. This mission alone would justify the significant part of the federal budget that has been spent on transport aircraft. Still, as USAF leaders have often pointed out to me, without the Air Force, airborne units are just well-trained infantry with a bad attitude. Even Army airborne troopers would concede that this is true.
Inter-service rivalries aside, the history of Air Force support for Army airborne and ground operations is both long and distinguished. Historically, it has primarily centered on transporting airborne units to their drop zones (DZs), and then resupplying them until follow-on forces arrive to relieve them.
This simple description is fraught with risk and danger, though. By their very nature, anything that does not help get transport aircraft into the air is a waste of potential payload. Adding armor and self-sealing gas tanks to a cargo airplane would only take away from its primary mission: moving people and stuff by air. So when transport aircraft go into harm’s way, they do so with very few of the survival features that would allow them to stand up to surface-to-air missile (SAM) or antiaircraft artillery (AAA) fire.
The history of airborne operations is replete with stories of transport crews piloting their burning aircraft and sacrificing themselves so that they could deliver their loads of troops and supplies onto their DZs. The British drop on Arnheim during Operation Market Garden in September of 1944 resulted in a fistful of Victoria’s Crosses for transport crews. Similar decorations have been the norm for U.S. transport crews in operations from Sicily in 1943 to Khe Sahn in 1968. While some fighter and bomber general might see transport crews as just glorified airline personnel, they do a vital, unloved, and sometimes downright dangerous job.
Another group of Air Force personnel looking for a little respect are those that fly close-air-support (CAS) and forward-air-control (FAC) aircraft. From the point of view of the 82nd’s paratroopers, you could not want a more important group of people over your head in a fight. The men and women who fly FAC/CAS planes are the flying eyes and artillery of the airborne task force. Ever since the Marine Corps first came up with the idea of dedicated front-line air support, ground troops have turned their eyes skyward, and prayed that the planes overhead would be theirs. Today, the airborne troopers of the 82nd have to depend on CAS/FAC aircraft if they are to succeed in their mission.
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