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Northrop Grumman’s Mission Solutions Aim To Keep Fourth-Generation Aircraft Lethal And Survivable

Northrop Grumman’s Mission Solutions Aim To Keep Fourth-Generation Aircraft Lethal And Survivable

Branded Content: Advanced radar, electronic warfare, and passive targeting upgrades keep fourth-generation aircraft relevant for decades to come.

We have gotten our best look at a Ukrainian 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) mobile short-range air defense system (SHORADS) armed with the Soviet-era R-73 (AA-11 Archer) infrared-guided air-to-air missile. While other such systems have typically integrated Western missile armament on existing Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems — known as ‘FrankenSAMs’ — this one is notable for combining a Soviet-era SHORADS vehicle with Soviet-era missiles.
Ukrainian Army

Ukraine’s SA-8 Gecko ‘FrankenSAM’ Adapted To Fire Air-To-Air Missiles Seen In New Detail

All Ukrainian units operating Soviet-era Osa air defense systems have reportedly received upgraded versions armed with R-73 air-to-air missiles.

Any plans the Air Force might have for new hardened aircraft shelters or other physical defenses at bases are prominently absent from a new infrastructure modernization strategy rolled out today.
U.S. Air Force

Plans For New Hardened Aircraft Shelters Notably Absent From New USAF Base Modernization Strategy

The USAF also says that its bases can no longer be treated as sanctuaries and need to be better prepared to operate while under attack.

Hysteria about drones over New Jersey obscures the fact that there is a real national security concern.
Iran

Coast Guard Ship Stalked By Unidentified Aircraft, Iran Drone Mothership Claim Shot Down By DoD

While a credible national security issue appears to be unfolding in New Jersey, erroneous drone reports are being peddled, fueling hysteria.

T-7 at Edwards AFB undergoing testing.
T-7

Inside T-7 Red Hawk Test Operations At Edwards AFB

T-7 Red Hawk Integrated Test Force director details testing progress that will enable a desperately needed production green light.

V-BAT Drone Has Proven Its Ability To Operate In Heavily-Contested Skies

V-BAT Drone Has Proven Its Ability To Operate In Heavily-Contested Skies

Branded Content: V-BAT can fly for many hours, operates from pretty much anywhere and is rapidly evolving with new capabilities.

A U2 Dragon Lady Pilot is integrated into his spacesuit for a flight to the Edge of Space. This photoshoot was done by Blair Bunting, a commercial photographer from Phoenix, AZ.
U-2

Dressing For Success At 70,000-Feet Aboard The U-2 Dragon Lady

Pro photographer Blair Bunting provides a firsthand experience of donning the lifesaving mission equipment behind the iconic U-2 spy plane.

he U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy could soon be tasked with exploring whether extending the range of existing AIM-120 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles is one path to help right-size stocks of those weapons.
U.S. Air Force

Extended Range AIM-120s, AIM-9s Eyed To Meet Future Air-to-Air Missile Demands

Calls are growing for ways to rapidly bolster stocks of more capable air-to-air missiles with a particular eye to a future fight with China.

Mohamed Bashir, who heads HTS's so-called "Salvation Government", holds a press conference in the rebel-held northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on November 28, 2024. The Syrian rebels now in power in Damascus have appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government that will be in place until March 1, state media said on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel

New Syrian Prime Minister Assumes Power Amid Airstrikes, Continued Fighting

In the wake of Assad's demise, the first steps of forming a new government are being taken, but the violence throughout the country appears far from over.

Imagery has appeared showing Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Felon new-generation fighter fitted with a new type of thrust-vectoring engine nozzle. The radical-looking design is intended to improve the low-observable features of the Felon, although the future of the new engine nozzle is far from certain.
Su-57

Su-57 Felon’s Two-Dimensional Thrust-Vectoring Engine Nozzle Breaks Cover

The flattened exhaust nozzle installed at an angle is planned to reduce the signature of advanced versions of the Su-57.

Mk 41 launcher MDA Guam
MIM-104 Patriot

Tilting Mark 41 Launcher Emerges During Guam’s First Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test

The test that saw an SM-3 swat down target is a big step forward for the massive air defense system being installed on the island.

North Korea is set to receive MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker fighter aircraft from Russia in return for Pyongyang having sent thousands of troops to fight in Moscow’s war in Ukraine. This is the assessment of the commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), after much speculation about the nature of the support that might be headed to North Korea to reward that country for its growing military backing of Russia. The prospect of fighter aircraft being transferred by Russia is something that TWZ has discussed in the past.
MiG-29

Russia Giving North Korea MiG-29s And Su-27s Isn’t That Straightforward

A U.S. admiral says that the fighters will be given to North Korea in exchange for sending troops and ammo to help Russia in Ukraine.

Pictures and videos have now emerged of the aftermath of Israeli strikes on the Syrian port of Latakia overnight, which destroyed at least six Soviet-era Osa II class missile boats.
Israel

Israel Lays Waste To Syria’s Missile Boats (Updated)

Israel targeted Syrian Navy vessels as part of hundreds of strikes aimed at preventing former Assad regime assets falling into rebel hands.

Israel strikes targets in Syria after Assad falls.
Iran

Syria’s Suddenly Permissive Airspace Prompts Flurry Of Foreign Airstrikes (Updated)

The fall of Assad has resulted in open season on legacy Syrian military capabilities and ISIS from the air.

What will happen to highly strategic Russian air and naval bases in Syria is now very much now an open question following the downfall of long-time strongman Bashar Al Assad and his flight to Moscow.
Syria

Fate Of Russia’s Prized Syria Bases: What We Know

Moscow's naval port in Tartus and airbase in Latakia are in very precarious states after the fall of the Assad regime.

The United Kingdom has taken an important step toward its Tempest next-generation fighter, with the start of a trials campaign for the Flight Test Aircraft (FTA), nicknamed Excalibur, which will serve as a flying laboratory for the new combat aircraft. Based on a Boeing 757 airliner, the FTA joins a growing band of dedicated trials aircraft that are being used to prove out technologies for current and future-generation fighter programs, also in the United States and China.
Airborne Radar

UK’s 757-Based ‘Excalibur’ Avionics Testbed For Tempest Future Fighter Emerges

The 757-based flying laboratory will be tasked with helping get the Tempest future fighter into service, planned for 2035.

HMAS Brisbane fires a Tomahawk Weapon System off of the cost of San Diego, United States of America.
Royal Australian Navy

Australian Navy Fires Tomahawk Cruise Missile For The First Time

Tomahawks will give Australia the ability to reach deep into China's anti-access bubble, striking ships and land targets.

Ukraine’s Drone Boats Are Now Shooting Machine Guns At Russian Helicopters, Boats
Naval Gun Systems

Ukraine’s Drone Boats Are Now Shooting Machine Guns At Russian Helicopters, Boats

Gun-armed Sea Baby uncrewed vessels have emerged amid growing Russian efforts to stymie Ukraine's kamikaze drone boat attacks.

The entire fleet of U.S. V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft has been temporarily grounded after a mishap involving an AFSOC CV-22 last month at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

V-22s Grounded Again After Special Operations Osprey Mishap

The Navy, Marines, and Air Force have stopped or severely limited Osprey operations following a scare aboard a CV-22 out of Cannon AFB.

A huge underground bunker complex, said to be beneath the mansion of Maj. Gen. Maher al-Assad, the disposed dictator’s brother. Maher al-Assad was best known as the leader of the Syrian Army’s elite Fourth Armored Division.
Syria

Descend Into The Depths Of The Assad Regime’s Massive Bunker

The labyrinth of an installation is remarkably modern and deeply buried, filled with creature comforts and regime oddities.