News Notes

NEWS NOTES

By Dale Atkinson and Eric Edwards

BOB CLODFELTER PASSES

Bob Clodfelter

In January, long-time aircraft survivabil­ity and safety leader Bob Clodfelter passed away in Dayton, OH, at the age of 86. A mechanical engineer with undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Dayton and The Ohio State University, respectively, Bob initially worked for Northrop Aircraft before beginning a 35-year career at Wright-Patterson AFB. He held numerous positions at the Air Force Research Laboratory, including serving as Chief of the Fire Protection Branch in its Propulsion Directorate. Bob also travelled the world investigating aircraft fires and mishaps, including the infamous 1996 TWA 800 accident, which resulted in the most extensive and expensive air disaster investigation in U.S. history. In addition, he authored numerous technical reports and papers and worked with astronauts on the NASA space program.

Following Bob’s retirement at Wright-Pat, he developed a popular Aircraft Fire Protection Mishap Investigation Training course and spent more than 20 years training other aircraft practitioners in his important field of work.

JASPO extends its sincere condolences to the Clodfelter family and posthu­mously thanks Bob for his many years of dedication, contribution, and achieve­ment in aircraft survivability.

JASPO PERSONNEL CHANGES

JASPO is pleased to welcome three new Deputy Program Managers (DPMs) to the team. Mr. Andrew Kurpik from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) will be taking the modeling and simulation (M&S) reins from Mr. James Davis. In addition, Messrs. Charles “Chad” Zolynsky and Kenneth Butler from the U.S. Army Aircraft Survivability Equipment Program Manager’s office (PM-ASE) will team up to manage the JASP Susceptibility Reduction Program, allowing Mr. Robert Lyons to fulfill his JASP Technical Director role.

Andrew Kurpik

Andrew Kurpik has supported Air Force Acquisition for more than 18 years, with experience in many survivability disciplines. These include ballistic vulnerability modeling and testing, Joint Combat Assessment Team (JCAT) assessments, endgame analysis, mission-level modeling, and cyber analysis. In addition to assuming the JASPO position as the DPM for M&S, he is also an M&S Technical Expert for AFLCMC/EZJA and an Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration and Modeling (AFSIM) Threats and Scenarios Working Group Co-Chair. Mr. Kurpik holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering from Wright State University. He is also a 2019 graduate of the Air Force Air War College Distance Learning Program.

Chad Zolynsky

Chad Zolynsky is the Army Representative DPM for Susceptibility Assessment & Reduction and the ASE Digital Engineering Lead under the Army Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center’s Technical Management Division. He is an experienced systems engineer with prominence in requirements management and model-based systems engineering. He has supported various Product Offices, including Utility Helicopters Modernization, Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, UH-60V Digital Cockpit with the Prototype Integration Facility, and Infrared Countermeasures. In these efforts, Mr. Zolynsky’s focus has been on Government requirement allocation, flowdown, and traceability via the Technical Decision DOORS database and other requirement metric tools. As the ASE Digital Engineering Lead, he reviews contract deliverables for model-based engineering efforts with the goal of evolving acquisition into the digital environment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial systems engineering from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in project management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Kenneth Butler

Kenneth Butler joined JASPO in March to serve as a DPM for the Army, assuming research, development, test, and evaluation efforts across the JASP portfolio. He also supports PM-ASE and is firmly invested in its mission of “developing and fielding world-class aircraft survivability systems that maximize the survivability of Army aircraft against a continually evolving threat without degrading combat mission effectiveness.” As an experi­enced systems engineer, Mr. Butler has worked on the Common Infrared Countermeasure Program (CIRCM), assisting in all programmatic milestones up to the Full-Rate Production award, including managing/tracking of require­ments, providing support and analysis of live fire test events, and supporting all systems engineering technical efforts. He has also been integral in getting CIRCM fielded with the Army’s rotary-wing fleet, including the UH-60 and CH-47. Mr. Butler also previously worked as a materials engineer at Purdue University, as well as a process engineer for GE Aviation. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University.

Finally, JASPO’s excitement of adding new team members is tempered by the departures of LCDR Tyler “Sloth” Harrell and James Davis. After 2½ years serving as JASPO Military Deputy, LCDR Harrell has moved on to his next assignment as Senior Air Defense Duty Officer in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In this exciting position, he will oversee execution of close air support (CAS) sorties and assist in reroling CAS assets in support of troops in contact, dynamic targeting, and real-time high-value target prosecution. LCDR Harrell’s experience as a UH-60 helicopter pilot and time working with the JASP community are sure to bring a unique perspective and understanding of aircraft survivability to his new role.

LCDR Tyler Harrell

In addition, after 3½ years as the JASP M&S Lead, James Davis is shifting his focus to leading engagement analysis efforts at AFLCMC. Mr. Davis will continue to support the JASP as the M&S Lead for the Susceptibility Reduction Working Group Joint Aircraft Threat Model Simulation Validation, which is a JASP-led effort to validate rotary-wing susceptibility M&S using the JASP model Survivability and Lethality of Aircraft in Tactical Environments (SLATE).

JASPO thanks LCDR Harrell and Mr. Davis for their service and wishes them much success in their new assignments.

AJEM 4.22.1 RELEASED

In February, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Analysis Center (DAC) announced the release of version 4.22.1 of the Advanced Joint Effectiveness Model (AJEM). The release integratesthe latest version of the Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME) Projectile Penetration (ProjPen) model. ProjPen 3.1.0 is thread-safe, enabling multithreaded, parallel-processed AJEM analyses of projectile threats against materiel targets. The result is improved throughput and faster run times to provide more timely vulnerability/lethality estimates in support of system acquisition, live fire test and evaluation, and weaponeering requirements.

For more information about AJEM or v4.22.1, readers are encouraged to contact the AJEM Model Manager, Ms. Marianne Kunkel, at marianne.kunkel.civ@army.mil. To obtain the latest version of AJEM, qualified users should contact the Defense Systems Information Analysis Center at https://dsiac.org/models/ajem/.

CMV-22B OSPREY COMPLETES MAIDEN DEPLOYMENT AND IOC MILESTONE

U.S. Navy Photo by MC Specialist 3rd Class Megan Alexander

In February, the Navy announced the initial operational capability (IOC) of its CMV-22B Osprey after the tiltrotor aircraft successfully completed its maiden deployment with Carrier Air Wing 2 and the carrier USS Carl Vinson. The Osprey squadron, which joined F-35C Lightning II and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye squadrons on the 8-month deployment, executed a mission completion rate of 98% and a mission capable rate of 75%.

This first deployment of the CMV-22B came just 19 months after its first flight. The aircraft features redesigned forward sponson fuel tanks, as well as the addition of two wing fuel tanks, giving it 50% more internal fuel than the Marines Corps variant and significantly extending its flight range. Accordingly, the CMV-22B will be able to transport up to 6,000 lbs of cargo and personnel more than 1,150 nautical miles. This multirole, long-range capability is considered crucial due to the cargo capacity needed to transport F-35 power modules, as well as the wide range of logistics support needed for future air wing operations and next-generation-platform deployments.

MARINE CORPS F-35 PILOT FIRST TO REACH 1,000 HRS

In January, the Marines Corps announced that Lt. Col. Brian Bann became the first pilot in the U.S. military to accumulate 1,000 flight hrs in the F-35 Lightning II. The milestone came in December, when Lt. Col. Bann delivered a new production F-35B to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in southwestern Arizona. In addition to his 1,000 hrs in the F-35, the Marine aviator has extensive flight time in the AV-8B Harrier II and the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and he was one of the first Marine Corps pilots to fly the Joint Strike Fighter.

U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Allison Lotz