Our focus now is also on unmanned aerial systems [UASs], though the only unmanned aerial system that we own within the ARSOAC enterprise are the MQ-1C Gray Eagles. Echo Company of the 160th SOAR was just activated earlier this year to operate those. The rest of them within USASOC, the RQ-7 Shadows and the RQ-11 Ravens, are down in the Special Forces Groups and the Ranger Regiment, and we have an oversight and modernization responsibility for those which we’re embracing. Those are two major areas that we’re going to help ARSOF 2022 reach its objectives.

A third one is establishment of our USASOC Flight Company, which is improving our ability to provide institutional support across SOF. And, you know, the C-27J Spartan acquisition with the Air Force was absolutely fantastic, and they’re very supportive. That will dramatically increase our ability to support the special warfare community in the future.

We’re putting high definition electrical optical systems on the Gray Eagle, which they don’t have now. We’re also putting in an improved antennae array, which will increase their range of transmitting full motion video back to ground stations.

 

Regarding the Gray Eagle UAS, what is its current status, and where do you want to take it in the next few years?

With Gray Eagle we’ve already gotten approved and programmed two significant improvements to the MQ-1C, which will take effect later this year. We’re putting high definition electrical optical systems on the Gray Eagle, which they don’t have now. We’re also putting in an improved antennae array, which will increase their range of transmitting full motion video back to ground stations. Those are two significant upgrades, which we’ve already acquired. We are also looking at acquiring a signals intelligence pod for that vehicle.

And then eventually the Army is considering – or certain communities in the Army are considering – purchasing the improved Gray Eagle, which will take the endurance of the aircraft from up to 24 hours to somewhere between 30 and 40 hours of endurance depending on the payload configuration. I see that as a significant upgrade for us. Within the Special Forces Command [SFC], one of their core tasks is to operate in denied territory for extended periods of time. In my opinion, having UAS support in those operations is absolutely critical to mitigating the risk of those operators on the ground. When you’re operating in denied territory for an extended period of time, you’re giving the enemy the luxury of time to study you and develop counter actions. The capabilities resident in our UASs will extend or improve the situational awareness of those SOF forces on the ground, drive down risk, and improve their effectiveness. So, we’re very committed to doing all we can, even in this fiscally constrained environment, to improving the Gray Eagle.

I’d also like to say a couple of things about the RQ-7 Shadow. The Shadow, as you know, is an Army procured system, and was purchased really to provide increased situational awareness on a force-on-force type of conflict where you’re identifying enemy tanks, vehicles, and things like that. And in my opinion, there are some significant shortcomings with the Shadow from our point of view. It’s rather loud, has limited endurance, and is runway dependent. The runway dependency is probably what I think needs to be fixed right away. That makes us very predictable to our enemies, and creates a real security problem for a small SOF team. If you’ve got a 12-man Operational Detachment-Alpha [ODA] deployed in denied territory, the ability for them to secure a runway is problematic.

So we’re looking at a future UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] system, when the fiscal environment allows, that is recoverable to a net, that can be launched and recovered from and to a forward operating base, is quieter, and is able to stay airborne longer. We’re committed to this, even though there are a lot of pressing priorities that Lt. Gen. Cleveland and Adm. McRaven have to consider. But, I think a rapidly deployable Group III UAS in support of all U.S. special warfare units – and I would extend this to MARSOC and the Naval Special Warfare Command – I think will be critical to their effectiveness as we look to future battlefields or future operating environments in Africa and across the Levant.

 

Another issue in ARSOF 2022 is the question of modernization. Obviously in this budget environment it’s going to be really tough to convince the Congress and whatever administration is in power to buy brand-new aircraft types. What are you going to do to move that modernization pipeline to the right?

What I would tell you is that our modernization challenge is really centered around four different aircraft types. Let me tell you where we’re healthy first. I told you earlier that our fixed-wing fleet, which is primarily focused on institutional training in the United States, is very healthy with the acquisition of the seven C-27J Spartans, which replaced a 26-year-old CASA-212. So, we are very, very healthy there and it was a real deal for us. We didn’t pay anything for them. So, it was about $300 million of cost savings for us.

 

I assume it’s fair to say those are good airplanes?

They are … absolutely. They are very impressive and we are very fortunate to have them. And as I said earlier, the Air Force has been a great partner for us. They provided us multiple semi-loads of spare parts too, which is going to help drive down our operating costs, at least for the near term.

The second modernization issue is that our MH-60s are very healthy. We’re nearing completion of our MH-60M [called the “Mike”] fielding program, and that will help keep that fleet relevant for the foreseeable future. On the Mike, we not only have dramatically improved the situational awareness and the safety for the aviator in the cockpit, but also, we put bigger engines on it, which gives what we in aviation call a better “high and hot” capability to operate in places like Afghanistan and other future environments. So, we’re very healthy there.