Boeing Airpower Teaming System: A smart unmanned team for global forces

At the 50 second mark of the above vid you're taking a look at perhaps the most powerful electronic warfare trio in existence today.

The Wedgetail, along with the EA-18G with the wingman stealth fighters could prove to be war winners.

Add the new pods that Raytheon is working on and you have a force that can detect and jam the enemy into the ground.

The Navy/Marines would be wise to get an Americanized capability that mirrors what the Aussies are doing.  It's a distinct possibility but will require the will and funding to match the goal.

First the Marine Corps is going to have to climb out of its foxhole and embrace the idea that an all F-35 is not only cost INeffective but probably not where we want to go into the future.

Dump the C-model NOW.  Instead re-establish our electronic attack squadrons and buy EA-18Gs.

Next make the tough decision of considering hanging these pods off select F-35Bs aboard the LHD/LHAs.  Not every airplane but float with say...six of them aboard ship?  That would give each MEU that goes on float ORGANIC electronic attack capability.  Would it equal the capabilities of the EA-18G?  Probably not but it would be superior to what we'd get from the current plan of relying on the AESA array in this mode.

Lastly we should rethink what we want from our current workhorse.

The above modules are great.  They might be greater than great but if we're looking at great power competition then we need a dedicated electronic warfare module that we can roll onto the MV-22.

The Corps has put itself into a position of relying on air for its electronic warfare mission.

We've done away with the EA-6 so until the fast mover community sorts itself and provides the missing functions then its up to the rotary community to do it in the interim.

This needs to happen poste-haste.

The planners of the 1980's and 1990's labored hard to look at the future.  They got it mostly right but they missed on a few items.  This appears to be one of them.

No problem.  Perfection is the goal, but since its unattainable we're flexible and can adjust.  We need to readjust and deal with this formidable new area of air/ground warfare.

Consider this though.  The below vid but instead of an "Australia Only" initiative, its picked up by the US Navy & Marine Corps.  That would be a formidable teaming.

That's a team that could dominate the Pacific from the air.  If Japan, Singapore or a few other allies picked up a few pieces of this initiative then you would have a juggernaut that could keep the Chinese bottled up.  They wouldn't dare to range off shore.