US, Yemen Launch Large Scale Attack against AQAP Terrorist sites in Yemen!

Four attacks by CIA drones are believed to have targeted AQAP training camp in Yemen, killing over 30

A large number of al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) militants were killed when a series of air strikes has hit their training camp in a remote mountainous region of southern Yemen on Saturday and Sunday, April 19-20, 2014 – the Yemeni defense ministry said. AQAP has been regarded by Washington as the jihadist network’s most dangerous affiliate. The attacks are likely targeting Al Qaeda number two Nasir al-Wuhayshi, deliberately exposed in a recent video taken at a large gathering of terrorists in Southern Yemen.  
The operation targeting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is under way in Abyan and Shabwa, Yemen, a high-level Yemeni government official who is being briefed on the strikes told CNN on Monday (see video below). The Yemeni official described the attacks as “massive and unprecedented”, confirming at least 30 militants have been killed. The operation involved Yemeni commandos who are now “going after high-level AQAP targets,” the official said.
According to unofficial reports the April 20 attack comprised at least three separate strikes that were directed at a terrorist training camp in al-Mahfad, killing up to 25. On the 19 April attack ten AQAP personnel and three civilians were also killed on another drone attack; intelligence report said they were planning attacks on civil and military targets in al-Bayda province, in southern Yemen.

The locations of air strikes (yellow) and drone strikes (grey) in Yemen. Radius indicates the number of killed. The red mark is the position of the Yemeni Air Force Base at Al Anad, allegedly providing the forward operation base for those operations. It is also believed that since the introduction of MQ-9 Reaper drones, at least part of the activity has moved to the more desolate Um El-Melh border guard new airbase base built near the Saudi-Arabian-Yemeni border, about 900 km north-east of Al Anad. Source: New America Foundation.

Drone attacks in Yemen have killed about 40 people in Yemen since January 2014. While US drone activity in Yemen can be dated back to 2002, the attacks have been intensified since 2012, as the CIA increased its pressure on the Yemen-based AQAP. Yemen is among a handful of countries where the United States acknowledges using drones, but it does not comment on the practice. The CIA is believed to be operating drones from two main bases in the area, the Yemeni military air base at Al Anad, in Southern Yemen and the Saudi border guard airbase at Um El Melh guarding the southern border of the desert kingdom’s ‘empty quarter’ – Rub al Khali. This base is belived to have been operational since 2013. While aerial images of Al Anad do not indicate special facilities for drones, images from Um El-Melh show massive buildup of ground facilities for a base that can operate numerous drones of various sizes.

Umm Al Melh Border Guards Airport (click for a larger size)

The drone campaign in Yemen is managed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2002. The momentum of this campaign increased since 2011, particularly as the Obama administration began using drones to support the Yemeni government’s battles against al-Qaeda-linked militants in 2012. Without ‘boots on the ground’, this campaign suffered relatively high rate of ‘collateral damage’ (unintended civilian casualties) but this ration has dropped significantly in recent years (except in 2012 when 11 civilians were killed on their way to a wedding).
AQAP has also directed its attacks on civilian and military targets of the Yemeni regime as well as targets thought to be related to US operatives. In a recent attack in December 2013 a car bomb exploded inside a hospital in the capital city Sana, killing 52 people. The Mujahedeen  claimed the attack was directed against an operations center controlling the drones attack in the country however, the US denied there were any American victims at the site.
AQAP has been growing in Yemen despite the U.S. CIA and government efforts to rout the terrorist groups from the country. In February 2014 AQAP conducted a suicide attack on the central prison in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. The attack involved suicide bombers and an assault team that penetrated the facility and freed 29 prisoners, among them 19 AQAP operatives, the Long War Journal reported.

The terrorists freed during the February raid were greeted by al-Qaeda’s number two in command, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, appearing in a video aired recently on Youtube. The 15-minute video, posted on YouTube by the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC).

US NAVY CARRIER DRONES

Following almost a year of delay, and gathering more confidence with drone operations from carriers, the US Navy is moving forward with Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) - the future carrier operated drones

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS-D) completes preparations for launching aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is the third carrier to test the tailless, unmanned autonomous aircraft’s ability to integrate with the carrier environment. The future UCLASS will be optimized to operate with the new Ford Class carrier (CVN-78) fitted with electrically rather the conventional steam powered catapult, enabling safe handling of lighter aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Heath Zeigler)

The four candidate designs considered for UCLASS depicted in this image published by the US Naval Institute (USNI)

Future drone attacks could be more pervasive and less constrained by access permissions and host country support, once the US Navy goal to integrate unmanned systems capabilities on board its aircraft carriers is fulfilled. Current operations, conducted by the CIA and Air Force from land-based sites are constrained to the availability, permission and security provided by host nations, bases that should be located relatively close to the target and, hence, may compromise operational security and operator safety. New generations of drones to be operated by the US Navy from aircraft carriers could introduce a new capability, unbound by those restrictions.
Following a year-long delay the U.S. Navy released a draft request for proposal (RFP) for the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft on April 17, 2014. The draft release was delayed due to disagreements within the Navy, about the technical specifications for the future unmanned aircraft. The final RFP is expected later this year. The new carrier-operated drone is scheduled to enter service in the early 2021.
Four prime contractors are participating in the competition – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. All four have already been contracted to carry out preliminary studies of a UCLASS type drone and are likely to submit their proposals for the final design. The current draft RFP calls bidders to submit proposals for design, development, assembly, delivery, testing and integration of the air vehicles segment of the UCLASS system. Other elements are likely to include sensors, datalinks, command and control systems.
The US Navy made history last year when the X-47B became the first unmanned air vehicle to launch off the CVN-77 George W. Bush aircraft carrier’s catapult and perform an arresting gear landing. In those cases the X-47B was alone on the carrier. Moving forward, the Navy plans to continue testing the unmanned drone operating as part of a carrier air group. These flights are scheduled to take place in the Atlantic Ocean this summer, aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

UCLASS will be a key Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) asset for future carrier air groups, enabling each carrier of the CVN-78 Ford class to support two continuous ISR orbits at “tactically significant ranges” over uncontested airspace.

In preparation for these flights an X-47B carried out its first night flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The flights planned for this summer will be carefully scripted to measure and account for any variables. The Navy will initially focus on low-tempo operations but could sometime in 2015 intensify the tempo if there is funding and an available aircraft carrier. Aircraft carrier are normally operating on operational cycles of 12 hours each, and all future unmanned assets would be required to align to these operational tempo.
The UCLASS will benefit from lessons learned through these evaluations. According to Rear Adm. Mat Winter, NAVAIR’s program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, UCLASS will be a key Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) asset for future carrier air groups, enabling each carrier of the CVN-78 Ford class to support two continuous ISR orbits at “tactically significant ranges” over uncontested airspace. The aircraft would have some stealth capabilities to enable it to operate in ‘lightly contested’ areas.
The Navy has budgeted the UCLASS capability at a $150 million per orbit. Assuming that two air vehicles can cover one orbit (if that aircraft is capable of flying for 14 hours), that means the maximum price point for a UCLASS air vehicle is about $75 million, USNI said, quoting industry sources. According to preliminary specifications released in June 2013 the goal for UCLASS was to conduct two unrefueled orbits at 600 nautical miles (1,111 km) or one unrefueled orbit at 1,200 nautical miles (2,222 km).
UCLASS drones will also have moderate stealth characteristics and internal payload carrying capacity to conduct light strike missions to eliminate targets of opportunity. Additional roles for the UCLASS could also be aerial refueling, albeit, given their limited payload capacity, such missions could be relevant primarily for other UAS.
The original spec called for a minimum payload capacity of 3,000-pound (1,360 kg), to include electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) surveillance and signals intelligence capability similar to the current MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9B Reaper. The Navy would also like to have a modular radar payload to include synthetic aperture radar and moving target indicator (SAR/GMTI) as well as maritime area search radar capability. In addition, the aircraft will be able to carry 1,000 lbs (454 kg) of external load, primarily weapons.

An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush was the first aircraft carrier to successfully catapult launch an unmanned aircraft from its flight deck. (U.S. Navy photo by Brian Read Castillo)

Part of the Demonstrator Unmanned Combat Air System - Demonstrator (UCAS-D) testing was to demonstrate how an unmanned aircraft can operate within the crowded and complex carrier environment. In this photo the Northrop Grumman X-47B is seen towed into the hangar bay on board the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) which was one of three carriers that participated in the evaluation. Key design parameters of the UCLASS program will be based on the lessons learned through the UCAS-D evaluations. (U.S. Navy photo by Timothy Walter)

Introducing HAMMER Precision Targeting System

BAE Systems HAMMER precision targeting system successfully completes Critical Design Review for the U.S. Army’s JETS program. Photo: BAE Systems

BAE Systems has completed the U.S. Army’s Critical Design Review for its HAMMER precision targeting system, one of two candidates for the Army’s the Joint Effects Targeting System (JETS) program’s Target Location Designation System (TLDS) system. JETS is an Army-led, joint-interest program with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps.

Current systems are too heavy, lack the capability to deliver precision fire support in day and at night and do not interface easily with modern, digital radios.

Systems delivered as part of the JETS program will provide the dismounted Forward Observer and Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) the ability to acquire, locate and mark for precision Global Positioning System-guided and laser-guided munitions. The TLDS component of this system will provide the dismounted Forward Observer with a common and light-weight handheld precision targeting capability.
Current systems are too heavy or lack the capability to deliver precision fire support in day and at night. Current systems are also lacking efficient interface with modern digital communications, to receive, transmit, store, display, plan, and coordinate targeting data.
The system enables dismounted observers to rapidly identify, precisely locate, and accurately mark targets for precision strike. It works in all weather and lighting conditions, and transmits targeting data to existing forward entry systems. The new targeting system will help soldiers distinguish friends from foes with satellite positioning and surveillance information, and allow them to rapidly receive, transmit, and coordinate targeting data.
In April 2013 the Army awarded two contracts to BAE Systems and DRS. Each company received about $15 million cost-plus-fixed-fee for a three-year engineering and manufacturing development (E&MD) contract to supply prototypes that will meet the JETS TLDS requirements. In the next phase the systems will go through the program’s qualification phase, in which several systems will be manufactured and tested against JETS technical requirements throughout 2014 and early 2015. The program remains on schedule for initial JETS TLDS fielding in 2016.

“HAMMER will provide forward observers and JTACs with the lightweight, compact, and highly advanced system with the precision required for GPS-guided and laser-guided munitions” Dr. Mark Hutchins

BAE Systems developed the Handheld Azimuth Measuring, Marking, Electro-optic imaging, and Ranging (HAMMER) addressing the army requirement for a lightweight precision targeting solution. As such, HAMMER weighs less than one-half the weight and cost about half the cost of the targeting systems currently in the Department of Defense inventory.
The system employs the company’s Target Reconnaissance Infrared Geolocating Rangefinder (TRIGR) system which has already been fielded. HAMMER architecture enhances precision targeting capabilities by adding a compact laser marker and a non-magnetic compass. For the laser designator BAE Systems teamed with Elbit Systems of America, to provide a laser marker based on laser target designators they have developed and fielded with the U.S. Marine Corps.
BAE Systems and DRS Technologies, Inc., are required to deliver between five and 20 prototypes for testing, between 2014 and 2016. DRS, the U.S. based member of the Italian Finmeccanica group said it will design and produce their TLDS prototypes at DRS facilities in Dallas, Texas and Melbourne, Florida.

HAMMER Precision Targeting System. Photo: BAE Systems