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Boeing says its MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone is on track for its first live-fire weapons shot, which will be of an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), next month.
Loyal Wingman

MQ-28 Ghost Bat To Fire AIM-120 Missile In First Live Weapons Test Next Month

The live AIM-120 shot is part of the MQ-28's ongoing development for Australia, but additional customers could be on the horizon.

In its latest efforts to modernize its air force, Ukraine has signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Dassault Rafale multirole fighters from France over the next 10 years. Today’s agreement comes less than a month after Sweden and Ukraine unveiled a plan to export as many as 150 Gripen E fighters to Kyiv. While the Rafale is the most advanced combat aircraft so far included in Ukraine’s defense plans, there remain huge questions about whether the acquisition of one of these aircraft types, let alone two, is really feasible, especially in such numbers.
Rafale

Ukraine’s Questionable Plan To Buy Up To 100 Rafale Fighters

After signing a letter of intent for up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen jets, Ukraine has now added up to 100 French Rafales to its future fighter list.

As U.S. President Donald Trump suggests Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro wants to talk, the USS Ford is now about 700 miles north of Caracas.
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

Pressure On Maduro Cranked Up As USS Gerald R. Ford Arrives In Caribbean

The State Department is declaring Maduro's alleged cartel a Foreign Terrorist Organization potentially opening the aperture for expanded strikes.

An MQ-20 Avenger drone flew a mock mission at the direction of a pilot in an F-22 Raptor during a demonstration earlier this year, General Atomics has disclosed.
Loyal Wingman

F-22 Pilot Controls MQ-20 Drone From The Cockpit In Mock Combat Mission

The demonstration highlights the USAF's plan for the F-22 to be its first airborne controller for Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones.

With the first example of Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter for the U.S. Air Force now in production, a company official has highlighted how its prototyping effort allowed the program to move forward at a rapid pace. Winning the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program was “humbling,” said Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. He added that the fact the F-47 is now in production is testament to “the maturity of our design and pedigree coming off the prototype.”
F-22

F-47 Program’s Accelerated Pace Made Possible By NGAD X-Plane Efforts

Boeing officials are talking-up the speed of the F-47 program, with the first example in production and a first flight slated for 2028.

Israel's stocks of AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles are now more effective against long-range kamikaze drones like Iran's Shahed-136, thanks to changes to their seekers, according to a new report.
Israeli Air Force

Israel Modified AIM-9M Sidewinder Missile Seekers To Better Target Drones: Report

The Israeli modifications could help friendly air arms put the dated, but still plentiful AIM-9Ms to better use in the counter-drone role.

The Pentagon's new counter-drone task force has created an Amazon-like shopping portal for equipment.
U.S. Army

Pentagon Creating Amazon-Like Shopping Portal For Counter-Drone Equipment

The new shopping portal is being created as the U.S. faces increasing numbers of highly concerning drone incursions over military bases.

Members of the 576th Flight Test Squadron install launch control panels Feb. 26, 2015, during the start-up of the Missile Alert Facility for Glory Trip-214 and Glory Trip-215 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch control panels are a vital safeguard for launching the Minuteman III missile in both test and field environments. For the operational test launches, unarmed Minuteman III missiles are used, with specialized data monitoring and test equipment.
Bunker Talk

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

We are running on lead-acid batteries and saltines!

China's first super-sized Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, has left port for its first sea trials.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

China’s Type 076 Supersized Amphibious Assault Ship Heads To Sea On Its Maiden Voyage

Sea trials are a big step for the unique Type 076, which features a catapult for launching fixed-wing unmanned aircraft.

For the first time, Ukraine has presented footage that purportedly shows its extended-range Long Neptune cruise missile in action.
Land

Ukraine’s Long Neptune Cruise Missile Seen in Action For The First Time

The extended-range Long Neptune missile had reportedly been tested in combat, but had not been seen being launched until now.

French authorities have provided the first real look at the latest version of the Air-Sol Moyenne Portee (ASMP; or Medium-Range Air-to-Surface) ramjet-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile.
Rafale

France’s New Nuclear-Armed Supersonic Cruise Missile Seen Clearly For The First Time

French Navy Rafale M fighters have also now joined their Air Force counterparts as launch platforms for the updated nuclear-tipped ASMPA-R.

Russia has created a new military branch, called the Unmanned Systems Forces, to oversee drone operations, development and testing.
Russia

Russia Creates New Military Branch Dedicated To Drone Warfare

The new Unmanned Systems Forces was created to oversee Russia's drone operations, development, testing and training.

Japan’s Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has offered the first look at damage to a target ship after it was hit by projectiles fired from a prototype electromagnetic railgun in testing earlier this year.
Naval Gun Systems

Railgun Damage To Japanese Target Ship Seen For The First Time

Japan has shared new details about its continued pursuit of naval railguns, a capability the U.S. Navy halted work on years ago.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense has announced that NATO nations have dropped their plan to buy Boeing E-7A Wedgetail as its next airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform. The decision comes after South Korea rejected the E-7 for its own AEW&C program and would appear to open the door to Saab’s rival GlobalEye, which France has already said it intends to buy.
E-3

E-7 Wedgetail Radar Jet Procurement Plans Axed By NATO

With a requirement to replace NATO’s geriatric E-3 AWACS planes by 2035, the path could now be clear for the Saab GlobalEye.

Anduril Unveils Omen Hybrid-Electric Vertical Takeoff And Landing Drone
Unmanned

Anduril Unveils Omen Hybrid-Electric Vertical Takeoff And Landing Drone

Anduril thinks Omen, now in co-development with a company in the UAE, will take on long endurance missions performed by much larger aircraft.

Current and future operators of A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft could use them to shoot down incoming drones, according to manufacturer Embraer.
Light Air Support

A-29 Super Tucano Light Attack Aircraft Being Pitched As Drone Hunter

The A-29's chief competitor, the AT-6 Wolverine, is also getting the same treatment as the aerial drone defense market explodes.

A battlefield commander in Ukraine gives. us exclusive insights into the fighting in Pokrvosk and its effect elsewhere on the battlefield.
Russia

Battlefield Commander In Ukraine Details Russia’s Increasing Frontline Pressure

The commander, whose troops are fighting in Pokrovsk, offers exclusive insights about the bloody battle there and its impact on Ukraine's defenses elsewhere.

Recent imagery indicates that China is progressing work on a new aircraft carrier, its fourth, which is widely expected to introduce nuclear propulsion. The development comes just a week after the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned its first domestically produced carrier, the Fujian. Meanwhile, there are signs that Beijing may also still be working on at least one more conventionally powered carrier, too.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

Strong Evidence That China’s Next Carrier Will Be Nuclear Emerges In Shipyard Photo

Nuclear propulsion for China's 'Type 004' aircraft carrier would represent a leap in naval capability and another step toward parity with the U.S.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has joined the SOUTHCOM fight against drug traffickers and pressure campaign against Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro.
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

Supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford Enters U.S. Southern Command’s Area Of Responsibility

America's newest carrier has now joined Fourth Fleet for the counter-drug effort that is also aimed to put pressure on Venezuela's dictator.

A month after the emergence of satellite imagery that showed GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealthy flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAV) in an apparently semi-operational state, China has released the first air-to-air video of the drone. China also revealed that the official People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) name for the GJ-11 is Mysterious Dragon.
UCAVs

China’s Stealthy GJ-11 ‘Mysterious Dragon’ Soars Out Of The Shadows

The GJ-11 unmanned combat air vehicle has a new name and has been officially shown flying alongside J-20 and J-16D fighters.