by Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
Several years ago, the US Air Force recognized the utility and tactical advantages associated with arming cargo planes with missiles, an initiative which gives commanders more options with which to support attacking forces.
Arming C-130s
C-130s, for instance, have long been workhorse cargo planes able to land in austere environments to deliver forces and supplies in “hot,” high-risk landing zones. In recent years, the service has been working arming C-130s with palletized weapons configurations intended to fire groups of missiles on targets in support of air-ground missions. A key part of the development has been a Lockheed Martin-US Air Force effort to field a new system called Rapid Dragaon
“The Rapid Dragon journey began with a simple proposition: that the Air Force launch its affordable mass revolution by showing the viability of palletized deployment—and do it fast,” a Lockheed essay says.
In support of this mission, Lockheed used digital engineering to engineer a series of “compact, low-cost air vehicles” intended to provide Rapid Dragon with mass-attack capability using groups of a new weapon called Common Multi-Mission Truck (CMMT).
The Pentagon’s use of digital engineering has proven quite significant, as it enables developers to “design,” “test” and “assess” weapons systems using computer simulation before “bending metal” and actually building prototypes. Computer simulations have become extremely effective and very accurately replicating performance parameters of emerging weapons systems, something which enables designers to make adjustments early in the developmental process. This expedites production and lowers costs as the service does not need to build a number of “different” prototypes but can rather assess different design options in a digital capacity.
CMMT “Live Fire”
Lockheed and the Air Force have been conducting live-fire tests to assess the “feasibility of palletized deployment in a tactical environment” to refine requirements and ensure the weapons function as intended.
The idea of “massing” attack is quite clear, due to the reality that launching air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons involves the use of highly expensive weapons. The use of CMMT, for example, is intended to address this challenge and enable “mass” attack at much lower costs. The CMMT missiles may be less “exquisite” in some respects than other air-fired weapons, yet they are intended to be used en masse to blanket identified targets with munitions. Certainly using larger numbers of lower cost missiles makes “mass” attack much more realistic, introducing new offensive air-warfare variables
Lockheed Martin is flying CMMTs with two configurations: an-air-launched variant that deploys via U.S. Air Force airlifters, fighters and bombers to put affordable mass on target, and a smaller long-range launched effect that deploys from rotary-wing platforms.
The CMMT will still make use of precision guidance, while introducing the well-known tactical advantage associated with “mass” fires. Once a target is identified or an enemy formation is located and successfully targeted by drones, satellites and other aircraft, there can be a fast-emerging need to suppress, attack and disable the target.
Mass Attack
Many missiles in the Air Force inventory are built with new generations of sensing, guidance technology and hardening systems to ensure effective precision targeting, yet firing many of them at one time could prove both extremely expensive and not necessary. Next-generation guidance and targeting, such as two-way datalinks or the ability to adjust targets in flight, are much less necessary once a target is identified and verified. Therefore the use of CMMT can achieve an intended combat effect without using large numbers of the most technologically advanced and expensive weapons systems.
The concept of using “mass” air attack with CMMT would address tactical realities associated with major great-power warfare, as such a contingency would introduce the need to “blanket” enemy areas with large-scale attacks. In this respect, the CMMT could prove effective in any major engagement with China in the Pacific, given the sheer size of the People’s Liberation Army.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
