The Next- Generation MAGTF the State of Marine Aviation by Ltgen Steven R
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IDEAS & ISSUES (AVIATION) The Next- Generation MAGTF The state of Marine aviation by LtGen Steven R. Rudder s we built the 2018 Marine Aviation Plan, we at Head- The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. A quarters Marine Corps Avia- tion ran into a fundamental question: what is the next-generation The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, MAGTF, and what capabilities are we pursuing to contribute to it? What do both his own and the enemy’s. we in aviation bring to the fight? We discuss daily this next generation of —Napoleon Bonaparte capability, but we must define what it means: not only the Joint Strike Fighter the next-generation ACE and the F-35 but also a larger and systemic change to were synonymous and that the F-35 the way our air-ground team conducts was the sole initiative in the Marine business. aviation portfolio, modernizing to keep With all the talk about a “next gen- pace with the challenges of the future eration” aviation combat element or operating environment. To achieve a “next generation” MAGTF, there is no next-generation ACE/MAGTF, Marine official Service document that defines aviation’s vision is much larger than a either of these terms, not to mention single platform; we need to do more how they should be realized. Like many than just leverage new commercial tech- other conceptual concepts, the evolving nology and procure advanced systems. next-generation concepts are vague and To evolve the MAGTF, Marine aviation need refinement to provide a vision with envisions using new and current systems tangible, executable initiatives that will in innovative ways; advancing the idea deliver true capability to the warfighter. that every platform is a sensor, shooter, As with any higher-level guidance, low- and sharer; and creating a MAGTF that er-level staffs are encouraged (in some is effective and resilient while not cost cases required) to extract the vision and prohibitive. intent and develop customized and re- LtGen Steven R. Rudder. (Official DOD (USMC) Definitions of Terms fined products to achieve a desired end photo.) state. Here, we start that process. • Command and control (C2). Next- In aviation parlance, fighter aircraft generation C2 architectures employ are grouped into generations, defined by strike fighter squarely fits the definition agile communications pathways (both their performance characteristics, air- of a next-generation strike fighter. voice and digital) to provide resiliency, craft systems, and capabilities. The term However, with all the advertise- increase the speed and volume of data next generation began as an HQMC ment and excitement about this new flow, and accelerate decision making. Aviation term of art and expanded to capability, some came to believe that • Intelligence. In a future operating other Marine aviation circles as the Ma- environment, a next-generation intel- rine Corps began the development and ligence architecture is able to sense and procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike >LtGen Rudder is the Deputy Com- make sense of the entire operational Fighter. With its stealth technology, mandant for Aviation. environment. Human decision-mak- fusion engine, targeting systems, and ing will be supported by “big data” expanded weapons capabilities, the F-35 management and advanced analytics. Marine Corps Gazette • May 2018 www.mca-marines.org/gazette 7 I&Is_0518.indd 7 4/4/18 10:34 AM IDEAS & ISSUES (AVIATION) • Fires. Capitalizing on a range of new weapons and sensors, next-generation fires are networked to leverage the ben- efits, while mitigating the limitations, of individual systems. • Maneuver. A next generation MAGTF expertly leverages maneu- ver across the five domains (air, land, maritime, space, information/cyber/ EMS (electromagnetic spectrum)) of the future operating environment. • Force protection. In the next-gener- ation MAGTF, all elements are aware of their multi-spectral signatures and actively conduct signature manage- ment. MAGTF elements will utilize an integrated and layered approach, employing various active and passive, force protective measures/methods. • Logistics/sustainment. A next- generation MAGTF is capable of H-1s on the flight deck. (Photo provided by Department of Aviation, HQMC.) providing distributed forces logistics and sustainment support across a dy- n Tactical Datalinks naval force, contributing speed and namic and fully contested battlespace m Link-16 range to the combined arms capability through responsive, agile, and multi- m Multifunction Advanced Data- of the MAGTF. modal methods/approaches. link (MADL) n CTN m Tactical Targeting Network m CEC The Next-Generation ACE (TTNT) n Net-enabled weapons • C2 systems are a key element in le- m Bandwidth Efficient Common n Naval integrated fire control-coun- veraging and integrating current in- Datalink (BE-CDL) ter air vestments and systems (both fourth m Adaptive Networking Wideband n Intrepid Tiger II—communica- and next generation) to connect the Waveform (ANW2) tions electronic attack future growth network seamlessly between air and m High Performance Waveform • The premier capability of the ACE is ground (fully realizing the potential (HPW) the ability to facilitate maneuver from of the MAGTF tactical grid), ulti- n Mobile User Objective System the sea in support of expeditionary op- mately achieving sensor fusion across • Marine aviation intelligence pro- erations ashore, providing aviation as- the MAGTF, similar to the individual vides additional range, capacity, and sets and aviation ground support that aircrew experience in the F-35. Spe- automation to MAGTF multispectral enhance MAGTF speed and range. cific command and control systems collections capabilities, with the as- Enhanced maneuver is provided by include: sociated processing, exploitation, and the following ACE assets: n Marine Air Command and Control dissemination capabilities to improve n MV-22—speed, range, air and System (MACCS) Family of Systems the MAGTF fires, planning, and deci- ground refueling m Common Aviation Command sion cycles. Key Marine aviation intel- n CH-53K—increased lift capacity/ and Control System (CAC2S) ligence assets include: payload m Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar n F-35B and C n KC-130J—Outside of SOCOM, (G/ATOR) n RQ-21 payload development this is DOD’s only fixed-wing tacti- m TPS-59 Long Range Radar n Group 5 MAGTF unmanned ex- cal ground and air refuel capability. m Combat Targeting Network peditionary (MUX) aircraft n Aviation ground support (expe- (CTN) n Integrated aircraft survivability ditionary airfields/FOBs (forward q Cooperative Engagement Ca- equipment (IASE) operating bases)/FARPs (forward pability (CEC) • As the integrated air arm of the arming and refueling points)) n MAGTF Agile Network Gateway MAGTF, Marine aviation affects the • Marine aviation enhances force Link (MANGL) close and deep fight with a variety of protection efforts by providing a lay- m Software Reprogrammable Pay- lethal and non-lethal fires. Through ered air defense capability, combining load (SRP) integrated networks, Marine aviation airborne defensive counter-air with m Mesh Network Manager (MNM) links sensors and shooters across the persistent ground-based air defense. 8 www.mca-marines.org/gazette Marine Corps Gazette • May 2018 I&Is_0518.indd 8 4/6/18 1:52 PM With integrated C2 and networked This approach provides the additional play or transport; examples include sensors providing external sensing and advantage of responsible spectrum use, overhead in existing platform mission cueing, target engagement can be ini- which becomes increasingly important computers, additional processor cards tiated closer to a weapons maximum as spectrum demands increase, as tech- in both related or unrelated systems, effective range, effectively increasing nology advances, and as our MAGTFs and standalone processors. the range and depth of protection continually operate in more distributed • An interface that allows the system coverage with the following systems: and disaggregated operations. We con- user to interact with the translated and n TPS-59 long range radar tinue to pursue integration and data formatted data from the processor; n TPS-80 G/ATOR exchange throughout various arenas: examples include integrated Multi- n Integrated fire control situational awareness; aircraft surviv- Function Display, a handheld elec- n Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) ability; intelligence, surveillance, and tronic tablet, and a laptop computer. future weapons system (FWS) reconnaissance (ISR); fire support; and • Radios and associated antennas that • With the speed and range of its avia- logistics by conducting continuous and can transmit and receive the translated tion assets, Marine aviation provides iterative analysis of ever-evolving infor- and formatted data, such as the Mul- additional options and capacity for mation exchange requirements (IERs) tifunctional Information Distribution MAGTF logistics and sustainment. and the technological tools needed to System (MIDS-J), ARC-210, Small Establishing and operating various satisfy those requirements. Network Tactical Terminal, 117G, SRP, and FOBs and FARPs, Marine aviation design must be based on IERs so that Vortex systems. Each of these com- provides additional logistics nodes to the right information gets to the right ponents is required to fulfill the in- support a distributed MAGTF with Marine at the right time. formation exchange requirements in a the following systems: In order to be digitally interoperable, constant integrated loop. The absence n CH-53K—increased