[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FROM THE FICTIONAL, THINK ICE MAN AND MAVERICK IN TOP GUN, TO THE REAL-LIFE, CHUCK YEAGER AND NEIL ARMSTRONG IN THE RIGHT STUFF, THE IMAGE OF A FIGHTER PILOT, FROM ANY ERA, IS AN ICONIC ONE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND FOR AS LONG AS THERE HAVE BEEN AIRCRAFT BUILT TO RULE THE SKIES, THERE HAVE BEEN BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WILLING TO CLIMB INTO THE COCKPIT AND ANSWER THEIR COUNTRY’S CALL.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
BUT AS EACH BRANCH OF THE D-O-D CONTINUES TO MODERNIZE FOR WHATEVER CONFLICTS COME OUR WAY, THEY’RE ALL FACING A VERY BIG PROBLEM: NOT ENOUGH PILOTS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY’S MILITARY. AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE FACING THAT ISSUE IS THE U.S. AIR FORCE. AND THAT’S THE FOCUS OF THIS WEEK’S DEBRIEF.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WHILE THERE IS NO ONE SPECIFIC CAUSE FOR THE SHORTAGE, THE NUMBERS ADD UP TO A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AT THIS YEAR’S AIR, SPACE, AND CYBER CONFERENCE, AIR FORCE LEADERSHIP DETAILED HOW THE SERVICE IS SHORT BY NEARLY 2,000 PILOTS, MORE THAN 1,100 OF WHICH FALL INTO THE FIGHTER PILOT CATEGORY.
[GEN. JEFFREY L. HARRIGIAN]
“Suffice it to say, it remains a chronic issue, as you have highlighted, and one that these gentlemen, I’m sure will have great solutions how we’re going to fix it. It’s all easy. We know it’s not. It’s very complex, and frankly, takes input from across the force to understand best how we do what the nation requires of us as an Air Force.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ONE WAY THE AIR FORCE IS TRYING TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM IS BY CHANGING HOW NEW PILOTS ARE TRAINED AND ASSIGNED TO THE AIR FORCE’S WIDE ARRAY OF AIRCRAFT AND THEIR VARIOUS MISSIONS. THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE THE LENGTH OF TIME IT TAKES TO MOVE CANDIDATES THROUGH THE PIPELINE.
[Lt. Gen. BRIAN ROBINSON]
“Today, the average pilot training officer is going to go to pilot training, from a commission to pilot or being mission qualification in their platform. 528 days, give or take if you’re going to mobility, it’s about 400 and some, about 430 days and it, you know, that’s way too long. We need to get airmen on their mission, in their platform, in their combat squadron.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
LIEUTENANT GENERAL BRIAN ROBINSON, COMMANDER OF THE AIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND, ALSO POINTED TO A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS CANDIDATES ALREADY POSSESSING A PILOT’S LICENSE AND ARE LOOKING TO FLY REFUELERS OR CARGO AIRCRAFT THE CHANCE TO START IN THE T-1 JAYHAWK, A MEDIUM-RANGE, TWIN-ENGINE JET, RATHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE OF STARTING IN THE T-6. THIS CAN CUT MONTHS OFF TIME SPENT IN THE PIPELINE AND GET PILOTS TO THEIR FIRST ASSIGNMENT SOONER.
[Lt. Gen. BRIAN ROBINSON]
“We’ve had 16 folks go through the KC-135 portion, all have passed their check rides. Q1, a couple, not on the first time through, but that’s normal. And the CU, 130 j, we’ve had 22 go through, and again, all at low risk have met on time and passed their check rides.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FOR THOSE SET ON FLYING FIGHTERS OR BOMBERS, THEY STILL START ON THE T-6 BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE T-38.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ONCE PILOTS GRADUATE OUT OF THAT PHASE, THEY TYPICALLY MOVE ONTO PLATFORMS LIKE THE F-16, F-35, AND B-1. WHILE THE AIR FORCE DOES TRY TO PAIR GRADS WITH THEIR AIRCRAFT OF CHOICE, THEY’RE NOW ASKING AIRMEN TO BROADEN THE SCOPE OF WHAT THEY’RE WILLING TO FLY. THINK AIRLIFT OR TANKERS AS TWO EXAMPLES.
[Lt. Gen. ADRIAN SPAIN]
“It doesn’t mean that if you go to T 38 you’re not going to get a fighter. It means that you might not get a fighter. One benefit to the member is that you continue to move through your pipeline more quickly, and you get to a flight line and an OP squadron sooner than you would have going another direction, we’re looking at ways to ensure that there’s still some element of choice and that merit matters, and so how well you do certainly will matter and in some of these selections. But we also need to be aware that this is good for the Air Force, and we have to fight against those things that are hurting this pilot shortage and contributing to it, and find ways to overcome it.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANOTHER AVENUE THE AIR FORCE IS PURSUING IS MAKING A CONCERTED EFFORT TO KEEP PILOTS LOOKING TO LEAVE ACTIVE DUTY AWARE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN THE GUARD AND RESERVE COMPONENTS.
[MAJ GEN RANDAL EFFERSON]
“Everybody’s life changes as you move through service and. And you start business, you have kids, you know, family doesn’t want to move around, whatever the reason is, the Reserve component offers a position for you no matter what phase of life you’re in.”
[Lt. Gen. ADRIAN SPAIN]
“We need this symbiotic relationship. It’s not active duty versus reserve component, or reserve component versus active duty. We want the right balance there. And you know my message, I really hope you stay on active duty, but if you can’t, I really need you to go to the Reserve component so that I have access to your skills when the fight comes, because that’s really all. I give a shit about to be real honest with you, right? When the fight comes, will we be ready, and will I have the forces to go, to go implement our nation’s interests with kinetic air power.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AT THIS POINT, YOU MIGHT THINK, ‘WHAT IF WE JUST HAD FEWER MANNED AIRCRAFT AND RELIED MORE ON UNMANNED PLATFORMS?’ TO THAT POINT, RETIRED AIR FORCE GENERAL JEFFEREY HARRIGIAN OFFERS THIS COUNTER.
[GEN. JEFFREY L. HARRIGIAN]
“As we talk, as you know, great power competition, I’d argue numbers are important, and I don’t think you guys would argue with me. And so how we do that going forward? And we can talk about mixes of man and unmanned, but people matter. War. Fighting is about humans, and humans are required to fly airplanes, and so we got to think our way through that.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WITH A CUMULATIVE 12 STARS AND DECADES OF EXPERIENCE, THE FOUR AIRMEN ALL AGREED THERE’S NO ONE QUICK FIX TO THIS ONGOING PROBLEM. THEY INSIST IT WILL TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO REACH RECRUITING, TRAINING, AND RETENTION GOALS THE AIR FORCE HAS BEEN CHASING FOR YEARS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SPEND ENOUGH TIME ON THE FLOOR OF A DEFENSE EXPOSITION, AND YOU’LL FIND JUST ABOUT ANY KIND OF DRONE YOU CAN IMAGINE. BUT RECENTLY, WE CAME ACROSS SOMETHING WE HADN’T SEEN BEFORE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND THAT’S WHY HEVENDRONES ARE OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TO LOOK AT HEVENDRONES’ NEWEST PROJECT, THE H2-D-250, YOU MIGHT NOT THINK IT’S ALL THAT DIFFERENT FROM DOZENS OF OTHER SIMILAR-LOOKING MODELS LOOKING TO CLAIM A PIECE OF THE MARKETSPACE.
[BEN LEVINSON]
“We said we have to solve the energy piece. And when we’re looking for the ideal energy source of drones, we got the hydrogen. So it’s really one long story, which is, how can drones do more than just be flying robots, heavy lift, great. Getting to long endurance is what led us to hydrogen.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SO WHY HYDROGEN? LEVINSON SAYS IT OFFERS THREE TO FIVE TIMES THE ENERGY DENSITY OF TRADITIONAL BATTERIES, EXTENDING FLIGHT TIME BY HOURS. IDEAL FOR PLACES LIKE THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.
[BEN LEVINSON]
“So it’s highly pressurized hydrogen that is sitting in a tank, small amount, about a pound of hydrogen. That’s it. And then we have a fuel cell. The fuel cell is taking that hydrogen and slowly making that into electricity. So we’re kind of creating, it’s like a power plant in the sky. So that’s how it works. So we’re going from again 30 minutes to about three hours, and our new systems, that actually include a wing, can already achieve 10 hours of flight time.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
OF COURSE, OPERATING IN AUSTERE CONDITIONS, THINK A SMALL ISLAND SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC, PRESENTS A HOST OF CHALLENGES. LEVINSON SAYS THEIR DRONES DON’T NEED MUCH IN THE WAY OF INFRASTRUCTURE. IN FACT, THEY DON’T EVEN NEED TO ADD FUEL TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN.
[BEN LEVINSON]
“We actually have portable hydrogen refueling stations. So trailer-based, imagine your pickup truck or your, you know, your Hummer, and there’s solar panels on the roof. So wherever you are in the world, once you have this station, you’re just creating your hydrogen. You’re using it. So if you’re on an island or wherever you are, there’s no need to get more fuel or into the country. You just created your hydrogen with thin air every single day.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
OF COURSE THE ULTIMATE QUESTION IS, WHAT CAN HEVEN’S DRONES PROVIDE TO THE WARFIGHTER? LEVINSON SAYS THEY ARE FOCUSED ON THREE ASPECTS: LOGISTICS, A LAUNCH PLATFORM FOR OTHER DRONES OR GROUND ROBOTS, AND FINALLY, DELIVERING MUNITIONS.
[BEN LEVINSON]
“I think we as the US and Israel, for example, realized over the past year after October 7th, that without its safety and security, our way of life, everything else is irrelevant. I think that we all have to work together again, as individuals, right, as companies, etc., to make sure that, you know, we as the US, we as the Western world, have these strengths and have the capability to continue to live our lives in the way of freedom that we all believe in.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AT THE MOMENT, HEVENDRONES IS STILL WORKING WITH THE DOD AND ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES TO SECURE A DEAL WITH U.S. FORCES. AND IF THEY ARE LOOKING FOR PROOF OF PERFORMANCE, THEY DON’T HAVE TO LOOK TOO FAR.
[BEN LEVINSON]
“Our drones are the leading drones working heavy lift in Israel today. Give a lot of experience on the ground, actually scaling up, and we’re just kind of getting ahead of the curve and what we’re expecting for the conflicts in the years and decades to come.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IF YOU’RE LIKE ME–AND YOU’RE THINKING THIS ALL SOUNDS GREAT BUT ISN’T A HYDROGEN-POWERED DRONE SUPER DANGEROUS IF IT CRASHES OR GETS SHOT? WELL, WE ASKED LEVINSON THAT EXACT QUESTION–AND HE SAYS WHILE IT MAY SEEM COUNTER-INTUITIVE–THEY’VE DONE THE TESTING TO SHOW HYDROGEN BATTERIES ARE AS SAFE–OR SAFER–THAN TRADITIONAL ELECTRIC BATTERIES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TIME NOW FOR COMMS CHECK, AND WE THOUGHT WE’D CHECK IN WITH YOU, OUR VIEWERS, TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT SOME OF OUR LATEST STORIES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
REGARDING OUR STORY ON THE ARMY’S EFFORTS TO MODERNIZE AND STAY AHEAD OF WOULD-BE ADVERSARIES. JARED RICHARDS WRITES, “I’m pretty sure Russia is the most battle-hardened. I am an American and I had to wake up to this fact.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
That’s a thought-provoking comment, Jared. It’s true that Russia has extensive combat experience, which certainly influences global military dynamics. It’s crucial for the U.S. to adapt and innovate to maintain its edge.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
NEXT UP, OUR STORY ON THE USS SEAWOLF, ONE OF AMERICA’S NUCLEAR-POWERED FAST ATTACK SUBMARINES, MAKING A VERY VISIBLE APPEARANCE IN TOKYO BAY RECENTLY, PROMPTED ONE VIEWER TO WRITE, “I don’t think China cares anymore.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
That’s an interesting perspective! The presence of the Seawolf certainly sends a message, but it’s clear that geopolitical tensions are complex. It’s essential to keep an eye on how these developments unfold.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THAT’S GOING TO DO IT FOR THIS EDITION OF COMMS CHECK. IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS FOR US HERE AT THE SHOW, WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. YOU CAN EMAIL US AT WEAPONS AND WARFARE AT S-A-N DOT COM, OR CHECK IN ON ANY OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALRIGHT FOLKS!
THAT’S GOING TO JUST ABOUT DO IT FOR US ON THIS EDITION OF WEAPONS AND WARFARE.
BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE THOUGH– I WANT TO SPEND A FEW MOMENTS ON A TOPIC THAT JUST MIGHT HAVE THE MOST BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN CONGRESS RIGHT NOW–DISCLOSURE.
SPECIFICALLY–DISCLOSING WHAT SOME IN THE GOVERNMENT–OR PRIVATE SECTOR–KNOW ABOUT UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENON–OR UAP.
THAT’S HOW THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY NOW REFERS TO WHAT WE ALL USED TO CALL UFOS… BUT THAT MONIKER DOESN’T REALLY WORK ANYMORE–BECAUSE THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS DON’T JUST FLY–THEY ALSO GO UNDER WATER.
NOW, BEFORE YOU TUNE OUT OR CALL ME A CRACKPOT–CONSIDER THIS–
IN THE LAST YEAR–THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HELD TWO HEARINGS ON THE SUBJECT OF UAPS. THE WITNESS LISTS INCLUDED CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, FORMER HIGH-RANKING NASA OFFICIALS, AND RETIRED MILITARY OFFICERS–INCLUDING AVIATORS AND AN ADMIRAL WHO SPENT TIME ON SUBMARINES.
THEY WERE ALL UNDER OATH …AND THEY ALL SAID THERE ARE VEHICLES OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN OPERATING IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, AND IN OUR OCEANS.
VEHICLES WHICH DEFY THE KNOWN LAWS OF PHYSICS–AND DISPLAY A LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE MORE ADVANCED THAN ANYTHING DEVELOPED BY HUMANS ON THIS PLANET–AT LEAST UP TO THIS POINT IN OUR HISTORY.
NOT ONLY THAT–BUT THERE IS EVIDENCE SHOWING THESE UAPs CONCENTRATE AROUND MILITARY FACILITIES–ESPECIALLY THE ONES INVOLVED IN OUR NUCLEAR TRIAD….AND MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE WHO TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS SAY THE UAPS HAVE THE ABILITY TO INTERFERE WITH MILITARY-GRADE SENSORS AND WEAPONS CONTROL SYSTEMS.
I’M NOT TRYING TO BE AN ALARMIST–AND WHILE I MAY KNOW A FEW–
I DON’T CONSIDER MYSELF A CONSPIRACY THEORIST.
BUT AS A JOURNALIST–I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.
BASED ON ALL THE EVIDENCE AND TESTIMONY PRESENTED TO CONGRESS IN JUST THE LAST YEAR–IT SEEMS PRETTY CLEAR THERE IS AN ACTIVE AN ONGOING EFFORT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO CONCEAL THE TRUTH ABOUT UAPS, THERE’S JUST NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT VACUUM OF TRUTH–CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE ALLOWED TO SPREAD UNCHECKED.
IF DAYLIGHT TRULY IS THE BEST DISINFECTANT–LET’S HOPE THE NEXT CONGRESS HAS THE GUTS TO DISINFECT MORE DISINFORMATION.
THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS ANYWAY—WHAT ABOUT YOU? LET US KNOW BY COMMENTING ON OUR SOCIAL FEEDS–OR BY SENDING US AN EMAIL, WEAPONS AND WARFARE AT SAN DOT COM
FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.
