U.S. Air Force Gen. Michael “Mini” Minihan said on Feb. 14 that he is focusing on his “25 by 25” initiative in his six remaining months as the head of Air Mobility Command (AMC).
“25 by 25” aims to connect 25 percent of the AMC fleet by 2025–a less than stellar percentage but one that comes perhaps as no surprise, given the number of old tankers and airlifters that the command has.
“’25 by 25′ is aggressive. I picked 25 percent because I thought it was enough of the fleet to make an instant difference, and I thought it was a small enough portion of the fleet that the cost associated with it wouldn’t overwhelm the need to do it, ” Minihan told reporters on Feb. 14 at the Air and Space Forces Association’s warfare symposium in Aurora, Colo.
Last month, the Air Warfare Center at Nellis AFB, Nev., kicked off the first Exercise Bamboo Eagle to integrate tankers, airlifters, fighters, and command and control elements (Defense Daily, Feb. 13).
Minihan said on Feb. 14 that Bamboo Eagle exercises “will demonstrate that the Joint Force wants this [’25 by 25′].”
“This is not a one size fits all,” he said. “This is not a technology that needs to be developed. This is technology that exists right now. Roll-on, roll-off; line-of-sight; beyond line-of-sight; secure communications–both in the classified and unclassified [realm]. I’ll take anything from a SATCOM link to a Starlink, to a UHF, VHF radio.”
More than 5,000 SpaceX Starlink satellites are in low Earth orbit.
“We talk about fifth and sixth generation fighters and bombers, and I am on generation 2.5 in lift and tank [tankers],” Minihan said on Feb. 13. “I am almost four generations behind so how can we, without bankrupting the Air Force, get that gap closed so we can first support the joint strike team but also have a modular systems approach so that we can afford to do this and implement it on a quicker timeline?”
“If I have to key a mic to understand where the good guys are and the bad guys are in any potential conflict, then I am doomed to operate that airplane just like our grandparents did,” he said of the KC-135 Stratotaner. “It [connectivity] is the single biggest contributor to survivability.”
On Feb. 13, Boston’s Merlin Labs said that it has signed an agreement with the Air Force to test the Merlin Pilot drone on the KC-135.
“The multi-year partnership is focused on using a stepwise approach starting with reducing crew workload, then proceeding to reduced crew operations,” the company said. “As the system gains experience and trust, it will pave the way for autonomous uncrewed operations of the KC-135–an unprecedented new capability for AMC and the USAF.”