C-130 ready aircrew program

The program may still have a ways to go, as one Gremlin — presumably the one that wasn't recovered in flight — was destroyed. It isn't clear what sensors the small unmanned aerial system could carry, but some options are intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ISR sensors to enhance the situational awareness of nearby aircraft or troops on the ground, and electronic-warfare jammers, to "clear" the way for airstrikes by manned aircraft.

The Gremlin can carry about pounds, which will probably limit its payload to small munitions, such as the AGM Hellfire missile. The Gremlins are the Pentagon's response to the increased aircraft-detection, anti-aircraft, and anti-drone capabilities of near-peer adversaries. For the past 20 years, the US military has enjoyed an uncontested air superiority against less-advanced foes.

But now, as competition with capable rivals like Russia and China intensifies, air superiority would be contested throughout a conflict. Gremlins are intended to be cheap. DARPA plans for Gremlins to be used about 20 times and to need considerably less time and expense to operate and maintain than more sophisticated manned and unmanned aircraft, which are designed to be in service for decades. A key assumption is that Gremlins will be retrievable and thus reusable, driving down costs.

Airborne recovery and launch will also increase the Gremlins' range and increase the survivability of the motherships, as they could launch the drones from longer distances, remaining outside the anti-aircraft umbrella of an adversary. After a Gremlin has completed its mission, it would fly to a mothership and be retrieved. Then, after a hour maintenance session, it will be able to conduct another mission. If the airborne retrieval part of the program doesn't succeed, then DARPA and the Pentagon would have to rethink their project's viability and goals.

A second key assumption is that the Gremlins will be able to fly in a swarm, ideally with as few motherships as possible. If the testers can't achieve that, then the Gremlin program would again have to refocus and be redirected. The agency is the Pentagon's main arm for researching and developing cutting-edge projects to maintain the US military's technological advantage. The C fleet supports the Jordanian Armed Forces through airdropping equipment, paratroopers, and cargo, but also non-military roles including support for disaster relief, humanitarian missions, and medical evacuation missions.

Last year, within days of the tragic explosion in Beirut, Jordanian Cs were in the air delivering essential supplies to assist the Lebanese people. Courtesy of U. The final modification involves modernizing the s technology hydraulic propeller control system with an advanced electronic propeller control system which will increase propeller acceleration response and an in-flight propeller balancing system which will decrease maintenance down time. Max Duran, rd Maintenance Squadron propulsion supervisor.

It equates to longer time on wing, less major overhaul maintenance, and extended life of the engine module, as well as increased efficiency.

The C remains the primary aircraft for dropping cargo to forward operating bases in continuing combat operations overseas. Additionally, increased reliance on domestic operations support in the homeland including natural disaster assistance and firefighting efforts have underscored the need for an increase in aircraft performance, fuel efficiency and reliability for the legacy CH fleet.

RJAF has been flying Cs for over 50 years as a key component of its transport fleet. The C fleet supports the Jordanian Armed Forces through airdropping equipment, paratroopers, and cargo, but also non-military roles including support for disaster relief, humanitarian missions, and medical evacuation missions. Last year, within days of the tragic explosion in Beirut, Jordanian Cs were in the air delivering essential supplies to assist the Lebanese people.

In follow up to the C transfer, the USAF Mobile Training Team will provide basic and advanced training of Jordanian aircrew and maintenance crews, in line with the US vision to provide a total package approach to capacity building for key security partners.

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