So, HTs now have a new selection out of Advanced?

[robav8r]

Word on the street is the next west coast ARG will go without Scan Eagle. Apparenty STUAS is the next bright shiny object for the MEU. We have Scan Eagle now and it works pretty well, but a real bitch to train with in CONUS due to all the FAA restrictions in SoCal. For strait transits and maritime missions where it doesn't have to stray too far from mom, it works OK.

http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cf...play&key=4043B5FA-7056-4A3A-B038-C60B21641288

 

[CommodoreMid]

1. Is there anything to the fact that this thing looks exactly like a Bell-206 with no windows?

2. Triton was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb that accidentally got funded, which is a lot of the reason no one knows how its going to work. So when you say community politics, there are some very real actual politics going on there as well.

And now there's a potential career path involved. Basically the most liked proposal that we got pushed from our front office involves an MPRA (read P-8) 1st sea tour, then typical shore/dissociated, but come DH time everyone goes into a pool and you get selected for either flying or Triton DH tours. Whether or not you get a say in if you want one or the other or both was up for debate last time I heard, but the end moral of the story is that if you got Triton DH you would only be eligible for Triton command and same for flying.

 

[helolumpy]

And if you get a Triton command, you still may have a mishap...
http://news.yahoo.com/military-could-help-looking-drone-lost-lake-ontario-144230402.html

 

[statesman]

And now there's a potential career path involved. Basically the most liked proposal that we got pushed from our front office involves an MPRA (read P-8) 1st sea tour, then typical shore/dissociated, but come DH time everyone goes into a pool and you get selected for either flying or Triton DH tours. Whether or not you get a say in if you want one or the other or both was up for debate last time I heard, but the end moral of the story is that if you got Triton DH you would only be eligible for Triton command and same for flying.

I see an RAAF transition in my future.

 

[robav8r]

And now there's a potential career path involved. Basically the most liked proposal that we got pushed from our front office involves an MPRA (read P-8) 1st sea tour, then typical shore/dissociated, but come DH time everyone goes into a pool and you get selected for either flying or Triton DH tours. Whether or not you get a say in if you want one or the other or both was up for debate last time I heard, but the end moral of the story is that if you got Triton DH you would only be eligible for Triton command and same for flying.

Be interesting to see what the pilot/NFO spread is for that Triton DH tour.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, with HUQ-1 having been strangled in the crib, it looks like the manning future for Fire Scout will remain in the "contractors and reservists" model for the forseeable future.

That way of doing it works okay; there've been something like a dozen operational shipboard deployments now, plus the erstwhile Kunduz dirt det. Problem is there's been no effort to hold on to experience once the det's done. Everyone de-mobs and scatters to NOSC Dubuque or whatever, the Regulars go back to their previous airframe. So then you wind up training every det from scratch, with maybe one or two guys who've ever even seen a Fire Scout before. That's bad enough for the AVOs and payload operators, but it's a real problem for the maintainers. Keeping the helos up without all that "corporate knowledge" in the shop is a bastard.

 

[Gatordev]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, with HUQ-1 having been strangled in the crib, it looks like the manning future for Fire Scout will remain in the "contractors and reservists" model for the forseeable future.

That way of doing it works okay; there've been something like a dozen operational shipboard deployments now, plus the erstwhile Kunduz dirt det. Problem is there's been no effort to hold on to experience once the det's done. Everyone de-mobs and scatters to NOSC Dubuque or whatever, the Regulars go back to their previous airframe. So then you wind up training every det from scratch, with maybe one or two guys who've ever even seen a Fire Scout before. That's bad enough for the AVOs and payload operators, but it's a real problem for the maintainers. Keeping the helos up without all that "corporate knowledge" in the shop is a bastard.

Not quite. HSM has a dedicated squadron that will be the PAC FS operators. HSC looks like it will take the RAG component. I'm not sure if they'll be a LANT FS dedicated squadron (there may, I'm just not aware).

I haven't heard if the RC support is going to continue for FS to help augment the AC side, but it may. I haven't seen the next wave of FS Reserve requests yet, which would normally be coming out now since the det after yours is now out.

 

[Uncle Fester]

There's an idea out there to have a Fire Scout shop (det, whatever) in each coast's RAG; AFAIK, it's only Powerpoint-deep at this point.

There's two different kinds of Fire Scout dets planned for the future: composite dets with a -60 and two FS to go out on LCS, and FS-only "ISR dets" for the FFGs and eventually DDGs when the Figs are all gone. The "composite squadron" concept is for the former, and very much on trial, to hear the heavies around here tell it. The dets actually going out are ISR Dets, and their manning will continue to come from the Reserves until someone comes up with a better plan. Anyway, as the HUQ-1 debacle demonstrated, nothing pertaining to this damned robot's for certain.

The next two FS dets to cruise are already in training/workups. To my knowledge, that process will keep going. HUQ-1 was supposed to take over ISR Det manning in FY14, but now that ain't happening, obviously. So last I heard, they'll continue to pull guys from the RC, IAs, ACs from the host squadrons (which will continue to be the expeditionary HSMs and HSL-60).

 

[BigRed389]

There's an idea out there to have a Fire Scout shop (det, whatever) in each coast's RAG; AFAIK, it's only Powerpoint-deep at this point.

There's two different kinds of Fire Scout dets planned for the future: composite dets with a -60 and two FS to go out on LCS, and FS-only "ISR dets" for the FFGs and eventually DDGs when the Figs are all gone. The "composite squadron" concept is for the former, and very much on trial, to hear the heavies around here tell it. The dets actually going out are ISR Dets, and their manning will continue to come from the Reserves until someone comes up with a better plan. Anyway, as the HUQ-1 debacle demonstrated, nothing pertaining to this damned robot's for certain.

The next two FS dets to cruise are already in training/workups. To my knowledge, that process will keep going. HUQ-1 was supposed to take over ISR Det manning in FY14, but now that ain't happening, obviously. So last I heard, they'll continue to pull guys from the RC, IAs, ACs from the host squadrons (which will continue to be the expeditionary HSMs and HSL-60).

Huh...does that mean the Navy's pulling back on manned helos overall? Seems that with FFGs more or less going away 1 for 1 with LCS and some CGs going away, if FS supplants some of the FLT IIA helo dets, that would reduce the overall LAMPS requirement...

 

[Uncle Fester]

Huh...does that mean the Navy's pulling back on manned helos overall? Seems that with FFGs more or less going away 1 for 1 with LCS and some CGs going away, if FS supplants some of the FLT IIA helo dets, that would reduce the overall LAMPS requirement...

Nope. They're special-purpose dets going out with a very small number of independant deployers. FS can't do what LAMPS can do, and it's not intended to.

 

[robav8r]

There is no more "LAMPS" right? Everything is HSM/HSC now? One of the interesting "growing" requirements in theater is the ability to support top-down, night VBSS. Seems like a growth industry/requirement for HSC, not FS or any other unmanned RW platform.

 

[Uncle Fester]

There is no more "LAMPS" right? Everything is HSM/HSC now? One of the interesting "growing" requirements in theater is the ability to support top-down, night VBSS. Seems like a growth industry/requirement for HSC, not FS or any other unmanned RW platform.

There's CVW HSM squadrons and a few "expeditionary" HSM squadrons, which deploy as traditional FFG/DDG dets on independent deployers. LAMPS by another name. The utility of FS for VBSS support is one of the missions being tested/developed.

 

[robav8r]

The utility of FS for VBSS support is one of the missions being tested/developed.

Yep, forgot about HSL-37 & 49 (I think). I don't imagine FS will be able to support (deply) VBSS boarding teams at night though.

 

[Gatordev]

There is no more "LAMPS" right?

They say that, but it's still alive and well. They're just in denial.

There is no more "HSL-37." Only HSL-49. HSM-37 is now alive and beginning their transition. -49 will be the last PAC HSL squadron.

 

[helolumpy]

60 still has an "L" in their name, don't they?