LSAT: SAW Replacement Lighter

PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ – Any Soldier who has ever served as a squad automatic weapon gunner is resigned to the burden of lugging a heavy weapon and ammunition on patrol.

Soldiers may soon have a solution, however, one that cuts the weight of small-arms ammunition nearly in half and provides a potential replacement for the SAW that weighs a whopping 8.3 pounds less than the current M249.

The weight reduction comes in the form of a new light machine gun and ammunition developed by engineers from the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program, or LSAT.

The program is managed by the Joint Service Small Arms Program, which is part of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal.

“LSAT is all about reducing Soldier load,” said Maj. Matt Bowler, a military adviser to the small arms program.

“We know that the Soldier is overburdened,” he continued. “The Soldier carries too much weight so anything we can do to reduce Soldier load increases the Soldier’s effectiveness, his capability on the battlefield and his survivability.”

The weight reduction provided by the LSAT will have a significant impact for the SAW gunner, the most heavily burdened Soldier in the squad.

According to a study conducted in 2005, the average fighting load for the SAW gunner is 79 pounds. That is nearly twice the weight a Soldier should carry, according to Army doctrine.

Excess weight significantly affects the speed of maneuver of the SAW gunner and therefore the entire squad, which relies on suppressive fire from the SAW gunner to support its movement.

So how is such a tremendous weight reduction achieved?

“We are using cased telescoped ammunition which uses a strong plastic case instead of a traditional brass case,” said Kori Phillips, a systems management engineer with ARDEC.

Weight reduction for the weapon was achieved by designing the new weapon platform using the latest materials technologies as well as modeling and simulation to achieve minimal weight without compromising performance.

With a basic load of 1,000 rounds, the LSAT light machine gun and its cased telescoped ammunition is 20.4 pounds lighter than a traditional SAW with the same amount of standard, brass-cased ammunition.

To try out the new lightweight ammunition and machine gun, a small group of Soldiers and members of the Army and Navy Senior Executive Service attended a live-fire demonstration in June at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va.

One Soldier who appreciated the lack of brass during the live-fire demonstration was Maj. Gen. Nick Justice, commanding general of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

“I’m used to getting hot brass in my face since I am left handed,” Justice said.

The Army’s chief scientist, Scott Fish, also attended the demonstration and tested the weapon first-hand. He later said he was extremely impressed and eager to learn more about the system.

As chief scientist, Fish identifies and analyzes technical issues and brings them to the attention of Army leaders. Additionally, he interacts with operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science and technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions.

Sgt. Jason Reed of the Soldier System Center in Natick, Mass., demonstrated firing both the LSAT LMG and the SAW from various positions -- from prone to kneeling to standing while in full combat protective equipment.

“The difference between the two weapons is night and day,” Reed said.

Before his assignment with Natick, Reed was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division and carried the SAW as an Automatic Rifleman for a total of two years, including a deployment to Iraq.

“The main thing I would take away from this is the weight issue, especially when firing in the standing position,” Reed said. “Bringing up the SAW, especially if you have it up for a long duration of time, it starts to get the best of you and you have less accuracy on target.”

Despite the significantly reduced weight of the LSAT LMG and its ammo, there is no degradation in accuracy or lethality.

“The cased telescoped ammo still provides the same muzzle velocity, range and accuracy as the brass-cased ammo,” Phillips said. “We’re not sacrificing lethality for weight. The plastic case does the same job.”

In addition to significant weight savings, the LSAT is designed to provide other advantages over the current SAW. With a rotating chamber design, the cased telescoped light machine gun improves reliability.

“We’ve avoided the common problem of failure to feed and failure to eject,” Phillips said. “In the current SAW system, that’s one of the places where you primarily have failures and malfunctions.”

The chamber is unique in that the cartridge goes straight through from feed to eject.

“With a regular SAW, or M249, the chamber and barrel is one piece,” Phillips explained. “But in this new light machine gun, the chamber rotates back and forth. The system works in a cyclical pattern, so there’s no interference.”

Additionally, the rotating-chamber design provides better heat management. Combined with the insulating properties of the plastic ammo cases the LSAT LMG has potential to decrease the possibility of a cook-off or eliminate them altogether.

Another significant feature is the long-stroke, soft-recoil design, which provides a noticeable reduction in felt recoil over the current SAW. This significantly increases control, thus providing the shooter the ability to put more rounds on target and making the weapon much easier to fire from the standing position as a result of decreased muzzle rise.

Moreover, the LSAT LMG has one other unique feature that the current SAW lacks: the ability to switch to a semi-automatic mode. This feature increases the flexibility of the weapon, allows for the precise engagement of point targets, and helps to conserve ammunition in situations where full-automatic fire may not be necessary or desired.

In September, the weapon and ammunition will undergo a Military Utility Assessment that is intended to demonstrate the advantages that the LSAT LMG provides for the warfighter, as well as possibly influence the user community to develop a Capability Development Document, or CDD.

A CDD is required before the system can transition to a program of record and enter the engineering and manufacturing development phase.

That is a significant milestone. It has taken six years to get from a concept to a fully functioning weapon that is ready to be evaluated by Soldiers.

Thus far, the ARDEC team, along with prime contractor AAI Corporation, has built four light machine guns and has test-fired more than 12,000 rounds of cased telescoped ammunition. They plan to have a total of eight weapons and produce more than 100,000 rounds in time for the assessment.

The LSAT development is much broader than just a new light machine gun. It is applicable to a broad range of calibers and platforms to include a carbine that also fires the lightweight cased telescoped ammunition.

The carbine is the same overall weight and length as the standard M4, but with its modified design, there is more than a one-inch gain in barrel length, which provides a slight increase in muzzle velocity over the current M4 Carbine.

Also under development is a caseless variant of the ammunition that provides a slightly greater weight savings and a significant decrease in volume, providing a 50 percent reduction in weight and a 40 percent reduction in volume compared to current brass.

Πηγή

Who Are The British Special Forces?

The United Kingdom special forces are comprised of the SAS or Special Air Service, the SFSG or Special Forces Support Group, the SRR or Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the SBS or Special Boat Service. 

The SAS or Special Air Services, a division of the British Army and is one of the most widely known and respected special forces groups in the world. The SAS has been used as a model for special forces by other countries seeking to emulate this elite squad of the best of the best of the British Army. 

Their History 

The SAS was formed in 1941, after the British had been under attack during WWII, although never occupied. They were re-formed after the war as they are today. They originally began as a combat force behind the lines and now cover many roles. They have been involved in numerous engagements since the Second World War, both on the domestic front as well as globally. 

How To Become A Member Of SAS 

All of the members of the UK military undergo a special process and are asked to sign non-disclosure statements. This is due to the popularity of the SAS throughout history and the books that have been written about this elite squad. The SAS, being a special operations unit, does not want to give away their operations secrets as it can compromise the security of the team. Those who wish to become members of the SAS must undergo extreme training. Most of those in the SAS are officers. 

SAS Training 

Training consists of air troop training, climbing, ice climbing, parachuting, survival skills, rigorous physical and psychological tests as well as exams. The training period for this elite team consists of 18 months, although most of those in the SAS are cross trained in different troop units. 


What Are They Best At? 


Counter revolutionary warfare, counter terrorism both inside and outside UK territory, training soldiers of other nations, capture of special interest persons, intelligence gathering, sabotage, offensive raids and rescue missions. 


Weapons Of SAS 


The British Government likes to keep as much of the information about the SAS covert as possible, until their actual missions. 


They are considered one of the best special service forces in the world and have a full arsenal of state of the art weaponry at their disposal. Known Missions Some of the more well known missions include WWII, Malayan Emergency, Northern Ireland, Falklands War, Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.


 Units 


Units consist of the 22 SAS that has five squadrons, the 21 SAS that has four squadrons and the 23 SAS that has four squadrons. 


Are They Professional Soldiers? 


Yes. They are highly trained professional soldiers, most of whom are officers and most of whom stay in the service until retirement. 


Πηγή

Operation Neptune Spear (2011)

Osama bin Laden, the founder of the al-Qaeda organization responsible for the September 11 attacks in the United States, was killed by gunshot wounds to his head and chest on May 2, 2011, around 01:00 Pakistan Standard Time, in a 40-minute raid by United States special operations forces. The raid, code name Operation Neptune Spearalso known as the Abbotabad Operation, took place at his safe house in Bilal Town, Abbottābad, Pakistan. At the conclusion of the raid, U.S. forces took bin Laden's body to Afghanistan for identification before burying it at sea within 24 hours of his death.

The operation was authorized byPresident Barack Obama and carried out by members of the United States Navy SEALs from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), informally referred to by its former name, SEAL Team Six, under the command of the Joint Special Operations Command, in conjunction with U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives. The team was sent across the border of Afghanistan to launch the attack.

The killing of bin Laden received a favorable response in the United States and was welcomed by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, and a large number of countries as a positive and significant turning point for global security and the War on Terror. The Palestinian Hamas leader of the Gaza strip, Ismail Haniya, however, said: "We condemn the assassination of a Muslim and Arab warrior".

The Pakistani government was criticized for failing to apprehend bin Laden, who had been living in a large prominent compound in a major Pakistani city, close to Pakistan's premier military academy and 30 miles from the capital, Islamabad. Pakistani officials denied knowingly harboring bin Laden, saying that they had no knowledge that he was there, and strongly denied allegations of official support for him.

Locating Bin Laden

American intelligence officials discovered the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden by tracking one of his couriers, as bin Laden was believed to have concealed his whereabouts from al-Qaeda foot soldiers or top commanders.

Identification of al-Qaeda couriers was an early priority for interrogators at CIA black sites and Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

By 2002 interrogators had heard uncorroborated claims about an al-Qaeda courier with the nom de guerreAbu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti (sometimes referred to as Sheikh Abu Ahmed of Kuwait). In 2003 Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged operational chief of al-Qaeda, revealed under interrogation that he was acquainted with al-Kuwaiti but that he was not active in al-Qaeda.

In 2004 an al-Qaeda prisoner named Hassan Ghul told interrogators that al-Kuwaiti was close to bin Laden as well as Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Mohammed's successor Abu Faraj al-Libi. Ghul further revealed that al-Kuwaiti had not been seen in some time, a fact which led U.S. officials to suspect he was travelling with bin Laden. When confronted with Ghul's account, Khalid Sheik Mohammed stuck to his original story. Abu Faraj al-Libi was captured in 2005 and told CIA interrogators that bin Laden's courier was a man named Maulawi Abd al-Khaliq Jan. Al-Libi was transferred to Guantánamo in September 2006. He denied knowing al-Kuwaiti. Because both Mohammed and al-Libi had minimized al-Kuwaiti's importance, officials speculated that he was part of bin Laden's inner circle.

In 2007 officials learned al-Kuwait's real name, though they will not disclose the name nor how they learned it. The CIA never found anyone named Maulawi Jan and believes al-Libi made it up. In 2010 a wiretap of another suspect picked up a conversation with al-Kuwaiti. CIA officials located al-Kuwaiti and followed him back to bin Laden's compound. Al-Kuwaiti and his brother were killed along with bin Laden in the May 2, 2011 raid.

Since the name Maulawi Abd al-Khaliq Jan appears in the JTF-GTMO detainee assessment for Abu Faraj al-Libi released by WikiLeaks on April 24, 2011, there has been speculation that the US assault on the Abbottābad compound was expedited as a precaution.

Locating the Compound

A telephone conversation between al-Kuwaiti and another operative monitored by the CIA led the agency in August 2010 to track al-Kuwaiti to the compound in Abbottābad. Using satellite photos and intelligence reports, the CIA determined the identities of the inhabitants of the mansion to which the courier was traveling. In September, the CIA concluded that the compound was "custom-built to hide someone of significance", and that bin Laden's residence there was very likely. Officials surmised that he was living there with his youngest wife.

Built in 2005, the three-story compound was located "at the end of a narrow dirt road", 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of the city center of Abbottābad. Abbottābad is about 100 miles from the Afghanistan border on the far eastern side of Pakistan (about 20 miles from India). The compound is 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Pakistan's "West Point". On a plot of land eight times larger than those of nearby houses, it was surrounded by 12-to-18-foot (3.7–5.5 m)concrete walls topped with barbed wire. There were two security gates, and the third-floor balcony had a seven-foot-high (2.1 m) privacy wall (which could hide the 6' 4" [1.93 m] bin Laden).

There was no Internet or telephone service connected to the compound. Its residents burned their trash, unlike their neighbors, who set their garbage out for collection. Local residents called the building theWaziristan Haveli (haveli is a term used in India and Pakistan that roughly translates to mansion) and believed it to be owned by a transporter from Waziristan, or possibly a gold merchant. Bin Laden had previously spent time in the Waziristan area of Afghanistan. Google Earth maps show that the compound was not present in 2001, but did exist on images taken in 2005.

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, using drone-derived intelligence, developed "what amounted to a detailed four-dimensional 'map' of the bin Laden compound and its occupants and their patterns of living and working." This map was used to create a model of the compound for practice runs.

CIA director Leon Panetta issued a memo that also credited the National Security Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for contributing to the intelligence-gathering that made the raid possible. TheNational Journal reported that "NSA figured out, somehow, that there was no telephone or Internet service in the compound."

Operation Neptune Spear

After an intelligence-gathering effort on the courier's Pakistan compound that began September 2010, Obama met with his national security advisers on March 14 to create an action plan. They met four more times (March 29, April 12, April 19 and April 28) in the six weeks before the raid, including once on March 29, 2011 when Obama personally discussed the plan with Vice Admiral William H. McRaven, the commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command. "Many multiple possible courses of action" were presented to Obama in March and "refined over the course of the next several weeks."

According to ABC News, the first approach considered by U.S. officials was to bomb the house using B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, which could drop 32 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs). Obama rejected this option, opting for a raid that would provide definitive proof that bin Laden was inside, and limit civilian casualties. Another one of the "courses of action" (COA) suggested by JSOC was "a joint raid with Pakistani intelligence operatives who would be told about the mission hours before the launch." Deploying drones was apparently not a feasible approach, in part because of limited firepower and in part because the compound's location was "within the Pakistan air defense intercept zone for the national capital."

Members of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group began training for the raid (the objective of which remained unknown to them) after the March 22 national security meeting, "holding dry runs at training facilities on both American coasts, which were made up to resemble the compound." As plans progressed through the month of April, the DEVGRU SEALs began more specific training exercises on a one-acre replica of the "Waziristan Mansion" compound built at Camp Alpha, a restricted section of the Bagram military base in Afghanistan., practicing rappelling down into it from helicopters, among other tactical approaches. According to The Daily Telegraph, 24 Navy SEALs carried out practice runs on April 7 and April 13.

White House counterterrorism advisor John O. Brennan stated after the raid that "If we had the opportunity to take bin Laden alive, if he didn't present any threat, the individuals involved were able and prepared to do that." However, another U.S. national security official, who was not named, told Reuters that "'This was a kill operation,' making clear there was no desire to try to capture bin Laden alive in Pakistan." Another source referencing a kill (rather than capture order) states, "Officials described the reaction of the special operators when they were told a number of weeks ago that they had been chosen to train for the mission. 'They were told, "We think we found Osama bin Laden, and your job is to kill him,"' an official recalled. The SEALs started to cheer."

On April 29, at 8:20 am, Obama convened with Brennan, Thomas E. Donilon, and other national security advisers in the Diplomatic Reception Room and gave the final order to raid the Abbottābad compound. A senior administration official told reporters after the operation was completed that the government of Pakistan had not been informed of the operation in advance.

The raid planned for that day was postponed until the following day due to cloudy weather.

After President Obama authorized the mission to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, CIA Director Leon Panetta gave the go-ahead at midday on May 1.

The raid was carried out by 20 to 25 helicopter-borne United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) of the Joint Special Operations Command, temporarily transferred to the control of the Central Intelligence Agency. According to The New York Times, "79 commandos and a dog were involved." Additional personnel on the mission included "tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers."

The SEALs flew into Pakistan from Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (Previous reports indicated that they may have staged through Tarbela Ghazi Airbase in northwest Pakistan, but Pakistan has denied that the U.S. used a location in Pakistan to launch the raid.) The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), an airborne unit of the United States Army Special Operations Command sometimes called the "Nighthawks," provided two modified Black Hawk helicopters, and two Chinooks as backups. The 160th SOAR helicopters were supported by multiple other aircraft, including fixed-wing fighter jets and drones. According to CNN, "The Air Force also had a full team of combat search-and-rescue helicopters available."

The raid was scheduled for a time with little moon luminosity so the helicopters could enter Pakistan "low to the ground and undetected," and the helicopters used hilly terrain and nap-of-the-earth techniques to reach the compound without appearing on radar and alerting the Pakistani military. Once the raid began, the Pakistani military scrambled their fighter jets but did not interfere with the raid. According to Public Multimedia, Pakistan was informed by the U.S. about the raid once it had started, but was asked to stay out of the way.

The DEVGRU operators fast-roped out of the Blackhawks. After the operators were on the ground, one of the hovering helicopters stalled, in a vortex created by its own prop wash and the high compound walls, and "rolled onto its side" during an emergency landing outside the compound.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. local time (20:00, May 1 UTC), the SEALs breached the compound's walls using explosives and attacked the compound's structures as the compound's occupants opened fire.

The SEALs neutralized the guards, who may have consisted of only the courier and his brother, and then cleared the various structures in compound, including the main building, room-to-room. CNN Fighting took place in the main building on the first floor, where two adult males lived, and on the second and third floors, where bin Laden lived with his family. The second and third floors were the last section of the compound to be cleared. Personnel in the compound encountered and captured by the SEALs, including women and children, were restrained with plastic zip ties and left in place until the raid was over, at which point the SEALs moved them all outside. reported there were no armed guards around the compound and the couriers were killed on the first floor of the compou

Bin Laden and the DEVGRU team encountered each other on the third floor of the residence; bin Laden was "wearing the local loose-fitting tunic and pants known as a shalwar kameez." "The encounter with bin Laden lasted only seconds," according to Politico, and took place during "the last five or 10 minutes" of the raid.According to U.S. officials, Bin Laden resisted the American special operation team. He was unarmed when he was shot Bin Laden was killed by at least one and possibly two American bullets, one of which struck the left side of his head. (The second shot was either a second bullet to the head, or to the chest.)

Three other men and a woman present at the compound were also reportedly killed in the operation, including bin Laden's adult son, the courier, the courier's brother, and the courier's wife. Two other women were injured. According to ABC News, bin Laden's wife was one of the injured women, "When the SEALs entered the room in which bin Laden was hiding, his wife charged them and was shot in the leg." It remains unclear which of bin Laden's adult sons was killed in the raid. The New York Times reported that U.S. authorities determined that the man was Hamza bin Laden. The Associated Press cited John O. Brennan as giving the man's identity as Khaled bin Laden. While bin Laden's body was taken by U.S. forces, the bodies of the four others killed in the raid were left behind at the compound. Pakistani television network GEO TVidentifies the son as Ibrahim bin Laden. Bin Laden's 12-year-old daughter also saw him killed.

The exact number and identity of the people living in the compound is uncertain. Several appear to be members of the Osama bin Laden family, including possibly his fourth wife and their daughter. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that in addition to the five adults who were killed during the operation, 23 children and 9 women were in the compound. The National Journal reported that 22 people were counted in the compound. A Pakistani official told the New York Times that nine children ranging from two to 12 years old were placed in Pakistani custody. According to the British Daily Mail, "four children and two women, including bin Laden's daughter Safia, were taken away in an ambulance."One other person was reportedly taken away alive by the U.S. military.

The raid was intended to take 30 minutes. All told, the time between the team's entry in and exit from the compound was 38 minutes. Time in the compound was split into exchanging gunfire with the defenders and searching the compound for information. U.S. personnel removed computer hard drives, documents, DVDs, thumb drives and "electronic equipment" from the compound for later analysis.

The helicopter that had made the emergency landing was damaged and could not fly the team out. It was consequently destroyed to safeguard its classified equipment; after they "moved the women and children to a secure area" U.S. forces "improvise[d] by packing the helicopter with explosives and blowing it up." The assault team "called in one of two backup [helicopters]" to ferry them back to their base.

Local Accounts of Raid

Details of the raid, albeit observed from a distance, were tweeted by Abbottābad resident Sohaib Athar, who initially did not know what was happening; he had begun tweeting by complaining about the unaccustomed noise of low-flying helicopters. Karachi's Geo News described a helicopter crash and "heavy firing" on the evening of May 1 "near the PMA Kakul Road".

The UK Telegraph quoted a resident of the area who said, "We saw four helicopters at around 2 am. We were told to switch off lights of our homes and stay inside."

According to BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Islamabad, reporting two days after the raid, ISI informed him after questioning survivors of the raid that there were 17 to 18 people in the compound at the time of the attack and that the Americans took away one person still alive, possibly a bin Laden son. The ISI also said that survivors included a wife, a daughter and eight to nine other children, not apparently bin Laden's; all subsequently had their hands tied.

Code Name

There were conflicting reports in the media regarding what the official mission code name was. Originally reported as "Operation Geronimo" it subsequently was reported as "Operation Neptune['s] Spear"; with "Geronimo" as the code name for bin Laden himself.

The name derives from Geronimo, the Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who defied the U.S. government and eluded capture. Unlike bin Laden, Geronimo was never killed by U.S. military forces.Channel 4 News said "According to some analyses today, the U.S. military chose the code name because bin Laden, like Geronimo, had evaded capture for years. If they were trying to avoid mythmaking, it seems they chose the wrong code name." Once bin Laden was killed, one of the commanders reported "Geronimo E-KIA", meaning that the mission had ended with the "Enemy Killed In Action."

Native Americans objected to the use of the name Geronimo. "It's how deeply embedded the 'Indian as enemy' is in the collective mind of America," said Suzan Shown Harjo, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Morning Star Institute, a Native American advocacy group. "There is little doubt [the] use of a leader like Geronimo to refer to bin Laden is ill-advised," wrote Keith Harper, an attorney and member of the Cherokee Nation, in an email with a reporter for the The Washington Post.

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AFSOC's First MC-130J Combat Shadow II Arrives

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM– The 27th Special Operations Wing held an aircraft acceptance ceremony Sept. 29 on the Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., flightline for the arrival of Air Force Special Operations Command's first MC-130J Combat Shadow II.

Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, AFSOC commander, and Brig. Gen. Stephen Clark, AFSOC director of plans, programs, requirements and assignments, were part of the official party flying the aircraft to Cannon for delivery to the 522nd Special Operations Squadron.

The MC-130J is the next generation special operations warfighter and a newer, better special operations C-130, said Lt. Col. Paul Pendleton, 522 SOS commander.

The MC-130J Combat Shadow II is the newest variant of the C-130J Super Hercules four-engine turboprop aircraft. The C-130 has been continuously produced longer than any military aircraft in history and has been a crucial component of U.S. special operations for decades.

The "J-model" boasts more power and efficiency, longer range, shorter takeoff distance, a smaller required crew and a modern computerized flight deck.

"We can carry about 40 percent more, it's about 25 percent more powerful and 15 to 20 percent faster," said Pendleton. "It's entirely computerized; this allows us to better complete our mission."

The aircraft was delivered to Cannon from the Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta, Ga.

A few of the Combat Shadow II's capabilities are to provide nighttime low-level infiltration and exfiltration, aerial refueling of helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, aerial delivery and resupply of Special Operations Forces and ground refueling.

This is a historic event for Cannon, said Fiel. "It marks a milestone in improving the combat capabilities of AFSOC and more importantly the 27 SOW."

"Members of the 522 SOS will rewrite history as they fly the MC-130 farther, faster and higher," he said. "As innovative Air Commandos you will push this plane to its limits and find creative ways to employ our people more effectively."

Col. Buck Elton, 27 SOW commander, spoke briefly on the significance of receiving the new aircraft and what it means for AFSOC's mission.

"This newest version of a combat proven aircraft has big shoes to fill, but there is no doubt that the MC-130J will take specialized mobility to a new level," said Elton. "This incredible new aircraft will quickly become the backbone of our nation's C-130 fleet. This is an exciting time for our base, our command and our Air Force."

Source

U.S. Military Special Forces Buy Unique Satellite Receive Suite From Nashua-Based Windmill International, Inc.

Windmill International, Inc. announced that it has received a $9 million order for their KA-10 Suitcase Portable Receive Suite (SPRS) for Central Command Special Forces in Afghanistan.  The order included KA-10s, training, and product support. Windmill’s KA-10 SPRS is a highly-portable, rugged satellite receiver system developed to support Special Operations forces deployed overseas.  The battle-ready KA-10 conveniently brings crucial command center information and data to the in-field warfighter, substantially improving mission success probabilities and saving lives.

The KA-10 can withstand a variety of adverse environmental conditions, including high humidity, blowing sand, rain, and extreme heat/cold. The SPRS has passed all MIL-STD-810F requirements.

The SPRS has Global Broadcast Service (GBS) broadcast reception capability—at up to 45Mb/sec—from UHF Follow-On (UFO) and Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) transponders. The SPRS supports operation with High-Assurance IP Encryption (HAIPE) to support a single security enclave from Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) classification. Satellite acquisition time is approximately 3 minutes due to Windmill’s patented auto-acquisition capability. The SPRS is designed to be battery operated. This truly portable unit weighs just 32 pounds in tactical carry mode. Accessible GBS products include unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) video and imagery; weather, terrain, geospatial and mapping information; Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) imagery; streaming video, web content replication and other large files.

Windmill developed the KA-10 SPRS under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program – and Windmill was recognized with a 2011 Tibbett’s Award from the Small Business Administration for excellence in the SBIR program.  Operational field evaluations of the initial KA-10 were conducted under the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program.  Windmill is currently developing an even smaller, more specialized version using funding from the Air Force’s Warfighter Rapid Acquisition Program.

About Windmill International:  www.windmill-intl.com

Πηγή

Who Are The Singapore Special Forces?

The Singapore Special Operations Force, the SOF, is part of the Commandos arm of the Singapore army and consists of highly trained individuals that participate in elite special forces operations. They are trained to deal with strategic special operations, hostage taking and counter terrorism. 

Their History 

The SOF was formed in 1984 but has only been acknowledged as a special forces operation since 1997. They are a division of the Army and the number of those in the ranks is classified information. They originally began as a unit after a hijacking incident that turned out to be a false alarm. At that time, it was recognized that they needed to have a special forces team to deal with hostage rescue situations. 

How To Become A Member Of The SOF 

Members of the army can train to become members of this special unit. Although some wear the insignia of the SOF, most members prefer to keep this discreet.

 SOF Training 

In addition to practicing free-falling in all types of weather conditions and in all kinds of terrains, the SOF also trains with the United States military special forces including the Navy SEALS, the U. S. Rangers, the Green Berets the United States Delta Force. 

Their training is takes four years to complete and includes counter terrorism strategies, jungle warfare, amphibious assault, airborne assault and reconnaissance. All SOF members receive training in all types of equipment and weapons. 

What Are They Best At? 

The SOF is best at strategic special operations and counter terrorism. In war time, they specialize in special reconnaissance missions. 

Weapons Of The SOF 

Much of what the SOF use is classified information. Some of the weapons that are used include the M4 Carbine, SAR-21 Assault Rifle, FN P-90 submachine gun, MP5 submachine gun, and various shotguns and sniper rifles as well as the Vektor and SIG-Sauer pistols. 

In addition, they also use typical counter terrorism equipment that is generally used for intervention purposes including clearing rooms and breaching doors and locks. 

Known Missions 

One of the most widely known missions is Operation Thunderbolt, in which Pakistani militants hijacked an SIA Airbus on 26th March, 1991. 

Commandoes from the SAF ( Singapore Armed Forces) stormed the airbus and freed the 123 passengers and crew in an operation that lasted half a minute. The four hijackers were all killed by gunfire. 

No injuries to the hostages were reported and this was the first time a hijacking was thwarted by deadly force in Singapore.

 Despite the well publicized operation, the Ministry of Defense of Singapore did not acknowledge the existence of the group until 1997. Units Size and units are classified. 

Are They Professional Soldiers? 

Members of the SOF are professional soldiers and highly skilled in intelligence gathering, land, sea and air operations as well as counter-terrorism.

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Who Are The Indonesian Special Forces?

Jala Mangkara Detachment (Denjaka) is the special forces of the Indonesian Navy that has been formed by the underwater special unit KOPASKA as well as the Yontafib, which is part of the Marine Corps. they are a combined detachment special forces group that work in combination with one another to secure the country of Indonesia.

Denjaka began as part of a special task force in 1982 under the Naval Special Forces and was further developed to work in conjunction with the Marine Corps Jakarta. Denjaka was then created on November 13, 1984 as a special forces team that works in unconventional warfare, secret, behind the lines missions and reconnaissance in the same way as most other special forces teams work.

How to Become A Member Of Denjaka

Members of the Indonesian Navy or Marines who have completed Para and Commando trainings can try to be part of this elite squad. they must also be highly qualified with regard to amphibious reconnaissance.

Specific training for Denjaka is similar to that of other special forces units. However, they are trained through the Navy as well as the Marines and are recruited from these branches of the armed forces. Little is known about the duration of the training, although this unit is considered to be well respected and organized.

What are they Best at?

Their primary task is anti-terrorism, anti-sabotage, clandestine operations that are classified as well as other operatives as directed by the Armed Forces.

Weapons include the SIG Sauer, Glock 17 and Glock 19 handgun, the Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun, several variants of sub machine guns and assault rifles, sniper rifles and the FN Minimi Machine Gun.

Missions of the Denjaka are classified as many of them involve clandestine, anti-terrorist activities as well as anti-sabotage activities.

Units are comprised from both the Navy as well as the Marines. no information as to the ranks of the units is available.

Are they Professional Soldiers?

Denjaka are professional soldiers who chose a career in either the Navy or Marines and endured the process to become a member of the special forces. they are usually professional soldiers for life.

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