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Chinese SAM Launch
U.S. Air Force

Air Force Predicts Enemy Anti-Air Missiles With 1,000-Mile Range By 2050

The Air Force expects very long-range missiles guided by satellite constellations to their aerial targets will reshape the future air combat battlespace.

Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia (April 1, 1999 -- President Clinton addresses U.S. and NATO military personnel, families, and civilian Department of Defense employees to express America's thanks to personnel deployed overseas in support of U.S. and NATO operations, as well as underscore the importance of NATO Operation Allied Force in Kosovo. (U.S. Navy photo by PH1(SW) Benjamin D. Olvey)
U.S. Navy

New Aircraft Carrier To Be Named After Bill Clinton

After the USS William J. Clinton, the next Ford class super carrier slated to be named USS George W. Bush.

A greater focus on long range strike capabilities is among the alternatives the U.S. Air Force is considering to a costly new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems. A lower-cost design focused primarily on acting as a 'quarterback' for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones is also still on the table.
Loyal Wingman

$20 Billion Price Tag To Complete Development Of USAF’s Next Generation Fighter (Updated)

The Air Force could also still proceed with its original 6th generation stealth combat jet plans, but would need billions more in funding.

A North Korean-made mobile surface-to-air missile system has appeared for the first time in the Ukraine conflict. The air defense system, the name of which remains unknown, is the latest example of Pyongyang’s military assistance for Moscow’s war. Ironically, however, its presence in the fighting was disclosed by a video shared by Russian military bloggers, showing it being attacked by a Russian drone, in an apparent ‘blue on blue’ incident.
Russian Army

North Korean Air Defense System Revealed In Ukraine By Russian Friendly Fire Strike

A North Korean-made surface-to-air missile system, broadly analogous to the Russian Tor, has appeared for the first time in combat in the Kursk region.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - MAY 10: A group of media were allowed inside Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station as NORAD celebrates its 60th Anniversary on May 10, 2018 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

Plenty of stored canned foods to go around!

Soldiers driving Revised Weapons Mount Installation Kit (RWMIK) from Support Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, on their way to defensive positions during Exercise Haraka Storm, Kenya, on the 19th of July 2023. The British Army’s global response force has tested its ability to deploy and fight at short notice in some of Africa’s most challenging environments. The soldiers of 3 PARA Battlegroup honed both their fighting and fieldcraft skills on the Kenyan savannah as part of the six-week long Exercise Haraka Storm. Dealing with the rough terrain, searing heat and potentially deadly animals - ranging from lions and elephants to scorpions and snakes – troops followed a progression of training, building from polishing their individual skills and specialities to a final mission which sees the whole force operating together to assault a heavily-defended objective. The 1,000-strong battlegroup is built around the airborne infantry of Colchester-based 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, bolstered by artillery, engineers, signallers, medics, and logisticians from across 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. Specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter or airlanding, the 3 PARA Battlegroup is currently held at very high readiness to respond to global crises. In April, it deployed to Sudan to provide security and logistic support to the evacuation of British civilians.
United Kingdom

Land Rover Replacement Program Kickstarted By U.K. Military After 76 Years Of Service

After multiple false starts, the United Kingdom is looking for a successor for the last of its venerable Land Rover light utility vehicles.

The CL-415 Super Scooper damaged by a drone while fighting the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles should be dropping water on the flames again by earlier next week. Meanwhile, firefighters will receive two additional planes.
Unmanned

Two More CL-415 Super Scoopers On The Way To Fight Palisades Fire After One Damaged By Drone

Officials hope the aircraft hit by the drone will be repaired and ready to fly again early next week.

The second tranche of U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones could be between 20 to 30 percent more expensive per airframe than those in the first batch.
Loyal Wingman

Second Batch Of Air Force CCA Drones Could Be 20 To 30 Percent Pricier Than The First

Concerns still loom over how the Air Force will pay for its CCA drones, as well as other advanced next-generation aircraft.

CL-415 super Scooper working for Cal Fire
Unmanned

One Of Just Two CL-415 Super Scooper Planes Taken Out Of Palisades Fire Fight By Drone

The drone strike punched a hole in the CL-415's wing and caused all firefighting aircraft on the Palisades fire to be temporarily grounded.

The Biden administration announced its last Presidential Drawdown Authority package for Ukraine, which included Sea Sparrow RIM-7 missiles.
Russia

Biden Puts Forward Final Ukraine Military Aid Package Of His Administration

Ukraine Situation Report: Plans for future aid to Kyiv were also unveiled, but all that could change with the new U.S. administrations.

The Olavsvern complex.
Northern Europe

U.S. Navy Still Wants To Operate Out Of This Norwegian Submarine Cave, But A Deal Remains Elusive

Sold after the Cold War, the U.S. Navy remains interested in once again using the Olavsvern complex as a hub for Arctic operations.

Sweden is buying 44 German-made Leopard 2A8 tanks, in addition to upgrading 66 of its older models to the same standard, continuing a period of military investment for the Scandinavian country, which joined NATO last year. The decision adds another customer to a growing list of Leopard 2A8 operators, which also notably includes fellow NATO members Lithuania and Norway, also in the strategically critical Baltic region.
Leopard

Sweden Buys More Leopard 2 Tanks As Part Of Major Defense Build-Up

The Swedish tank force is undergoing a renaissance as part of an ambitious build-up spurred by the Russian threat.

Hades ALEs
Airborne Sensors

Army Wants To Test Air-Launched Drones From A Global Express Business Jet

The planned trials tally with previous comments about launching the drones from the new Global 6500-based HADES surveillance jet.

The U.S. Navy's Ohio class guided missile submarine USS Michigan made notable use of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) in the course of operations between October 2022 and January 2024 it has emerged. During that time, the boat and its crew completed at least three secretive "national security" missions, as well as ones involving special operations forces, "in hostile and challenging environments."
Ohio Class (SSGN variant)

Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine Deployed Underwater Drones On Award Winning Secret Missions

USS Michigan's operations included three separate missions vital to national security and ones that involved special operations forces.

Donald Trump has refused to rule out using the U.S. military to seize Greenland, citing economic security as a driving factor, saying that America needs it — as well as the Panama Canal — for “economic security.” Amid predictable kickback from Denmark — of which Greenland is an autonomous territory — it’s worth looking in more detail at the enormous significance of one of the world's largest islands, in economic, geostrategic and, above all, military terms.
NATO

Why Greenland Is Of Growing Strategic Significance

Donald Trump seems more insistent than ever on controlling Greenland, but regardless of his controversial intentions, the island is of real strategic importance

The arsenals of the U.S. Air Force's F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II combat jets look set to grow with the addition of stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM).
F-15

Stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles To Arm F-15EX, F-15E

Arming the F-15E and EX with AGM-158Cs will give the Air Force a major boost in its ability to target enemy ships over long distances.

A strategically important fuel farm supplying Russia's Engels Air Base was struck by Ukrainian drones.
Russia

Ukraine Targets Strategic Bomber Fuel Supplies In Long-Range Strike On Russia

The strike was designed to keep Russian bombers from generating combat sorties.

A new independent report says that U.S. airbases have been left worryingly vulnerable, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, by a lack of investment in new hardened aircraft shelters, or even unhardened ones.
U.S. Air Force

Lack Of Hardened Aircraft Shelters Leaves U.S. Airbases Vulnerable To China New Report Warns

China is already massively outpacing the U.S. military in new hardened aircraft shelter and other airbase construction.

USS Jack H. Lucas
Procurement

Cost Of Navy’s Newest Arleigh Burke Destroyers Is Ballooning

A wide array of chronic cost overruns and industrial capacity factors could torpedo the Navy’s goal of fielding a 390-ship force by 2054.

Ukraine has claimed that it’s successfully used uncrewed surface vessels (USV), better known as drone boats, to launch aerial drones against Russian targets for the first time. According to Ukrainian authorities, the first-person view (FPV) drones were employed in combat during strikes on Russian ground-based air defense systems. This is the latest development in Ukraine’s Black Sea drone war, which is seeing increasingly innovative use of uncrewed systems, including adapted air-to-air missiles launched from USVs against Russian aircraft.
Russia

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boats Are Now Launching Kamikaze FPV Drones At Russian Shore Targets

Ukraine says it has destroyed three Russian air defense systems in some of the first successful FPV drone strikes launched from drone boats at sea.