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KC-46 mishap closes moron
KC-46

KC-46 Mishap Closes Key European Logistical Hub For U.S. For Days (Updated)

The KC-46 mishap at Moron Air Base in Spain comes as the U.S. is flowing military resources to the Middle East ahead of a potential attack on or from Iran.

The U.S. Marine Corps says it is planning to award a sole-source contract for a new AGM-114 Hellfire missile-armed mobile counter-drone system to defense contractor V2X.
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (C-UAS)

Company Behind Drone-Killing Hellfire Missile-Armed Buggy Set To Get Marine Corps Contract

The Denied Area Sprinter-Hellfire system offers Marines a new highly mobile way to defend against drones and potentially other aerial threats.

F-16s are having a second coming in Europe with the Block 70 and V variant becoming popular, as well as Ukraine using them in combat.

A New-Generation Of F-16 Operations In Europe

Branded Content: A new training center, F-16 Viper (F-16V) upgrades, and new-build Block 70/72 variants hail the second-coming of the Fighting Falcon in Europe.

Jordan, where U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles are base, says the U.S. cannot launch an attack from its country.
Iran

Washington-Tehran Talks Planned As U.S. Military Buildup Continues

Iran's nuclear ambitions are at the heart of what could be a last-ditch negotiation effort to avert a war.

The U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble used its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to down four drones in a demonstration last year, Lockheed Martin has shared.
U.S. Navy

USS Preble Used HELIOS Laser To Zap Four Drones In Expanding Testing

The Navy sees HELIOS and other directed energy weapons as critical capabilities, but has faced persistent challenges in expanding their use.

KestrelX KX-2s flew to simulate drone threats at Sentry Savannah exercise.
Air Combat Exercises

These Planes Are Mimicking Enemy Shahed-136 Drones In U.S. Military War Games

We were on the scene to get an exclusive look at KestrelX's new KX-2, which is helping the U.S. military confront the ever-evolving drone threat.

The U.S. Air Force has released details of a live-fire test of the Rusty Dagger, one of two new Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) being developed under a crash program. The milestone suggest that Ukraine is a step closer to getting its hands on thousands of air-launched ERAMs that will provide the country with a powerful new and relatively low-cost standoff strike capability. The event is also significant in terms of the Pentagon’s focus on rapidly developing and bringing into operational service new weapons that can be built at scale.
Ukrainian Air Force

Rusty Dagger Low-Cost Cruise Missile Hits Its Target

Rusty Daggers are headed for Ukraine, but the effort to field low-cost cruise missiles could have big implications for the U.S. military.

New Pentagon guidance for defending critical infrastructure against drone attacks calls for the increased use of netting, cables, and other kinds of passive physical defenses.
U.S. Homeland

Hardened Structures, Nets For Drone Defense Front And Center In New Pentagon Guidance

The Pentagon openly advocating for hardening facilities against drone attacks stands in contrast to pushback from officials in recent years.

The Launch Control Center, with blast door at left, underground at the Oscar-1 Minuteman Missile Alert Facility on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 18, 2020. The Oscar-01 MAF was constructed in 1963 and determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) by Missouri SHPO in 1998. The facility consists of a one-story surface structure, assembled as a Launch Control Support Building (LCSB), and two sub-surface, re-enforced concrete encapsulated steel pods- a Launch Control Center (LCC) and Launch Control Equipment Building (LCEB). These two sub-surface wings are connected by a Tunnel Junction and accessed by an elevator. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

It's like Fraggle Rock.

Finland is pushing back on claims that its forces went soft on U.S. troops during an Arctic training exercise.
U.S. Army

Finland Denies Being Asked To “Go Easy” On U.S. Troops In Arctic Exercise

While the claim is disputed, the U.S. military does have major work to do in getting prepared to operate in the Arctic at scale.

The initial production representative MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone for the U.S. Navy has completed its first low-speed taxi test.
MQ-25

MQ-25 Stingray Has Begun Taxi Tests (Updated)

Despite a push to get to first flight in 2025, the Navy is now hoping to see its MQ-25 aerial refueling drone fly in the coming months.

The Israeli Iron Fist active protection system has demonstrated its ability to down incoming drones.
Armored Vehicles

Iron Fist Active Protection System For Armor Can Shoot Down Drones

Iron Fist's ability to defeat drones reflects surging global demand for more ways to shield armored vehicles from uncrewed aerial attacks.

As both sides in the war in Ukraine continue their campaigns of long-range drone attacks, the Ukrainian government’s internal security agency has released a compilation of strikes directed against Russian airbases.
Russian Air Force

Ukrainian Drone Strikes On Parked Russian Aircraft Seen In “Greatest Hits” Video

The Security Service of Ukraine claims that its drones struck at least 15 Russian aircraft on airfields last year.

F-35s land in the Azores.
Iran

USAF F-35s Redeploy Across Atlantic From Puerto Rico, Final Destination Unknown

The F-35As are on the move after assisting in the Maduro capture and could end up in the Middle East.

The recent declassification of the United States’ Jumpseat spy satellite provides details on what was previously a highly secretive system, one that monitored critical Soviet military installations during some of the tensest years of the Cold War.
Spy Satellites

Top Secret Spy Satellite Declassified By National Reconnaissance Office

After spying on the electronic signals of adversaries for decades, the NRO's enigmatic Jumpseat spy satellite has emerged from the darkness.

Lockheed Martin has offered a very rare confirmation of the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone's operational exploits, in this case, in support of the recent mission to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
RQ-170

Lockheed Confirms RQ-170 Sentinel Spy Drones Took Part In Maduro Capture Mission

RQ-170s have been flying for decades, but official confirmation of any details about their activities is very rare.

The future USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford class aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy, has begun its initial sea trials.
U.S. Navy

Future USS John F. Kennedy, Second Ford Class Carrier, Has Set Sail For The First Time

The Navy hopes to take delivery of the future USS John F. Kennedy next year after repeated delays.

The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black and an Air Force spy plane joined a growing for in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran.
Iran

Destroyer, Electronic Surveillance Jet Joins U.S. Forces Massing In Middle East

Amid the ongoing military buildup, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that no one knows who would lead Iran next should the Khamenei regime fall.

F/A-XX is critical as the Navy's "ability to fly with impunity" using non-stealthy types like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, even against smaller nation-state adversaries like Iran and non-state actors, is now "fleeting."
F/A-XX

F/A-XX Naval Fighter Needed For Adversaries Like Iran, Not Just China and Russia: Navy Boss

Global proliferation of more capable air defenses means the era of the Navy 'flying with impunity' is increasingly at an end.

Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet production line is one major step closer to shuttering with the completion of the last batch of fuselage sections and vertical tails for those jets by Northrop Grumman.
EA-18G

Last New F/A-18 Aft Fuselages Built As Super Hornet Production End Approaches

Boeing expects to close out production of new Super Hornets in 2027 and has already stopped building EA-18G Growlers.