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Two Russian Flanker series fighter jets have been damaged in an overnight arson attack on the military airfield at Lipetsk in the region of the same name in southwest Russia. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR), the raid was launched by “a representative of the resistance movement in Russia.” If that’s the case, it underscores the varied tactics being used to strike Russian military aircraft on their bases, coming soon after two separate drone attacks on Belbek Air Base in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Su-30

Sabotage Attack On Russian Su-30 Fighters Shown In Video

The attack was executed by "Russian partisans," Ukraine claims, and happened 200 miles from the border.

The U.S. Air Force has formally designated Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon drone as the YFQ-48A and described it as a "strong contender" to be part of its future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) fleets.
Drones

YFQ-48A ‘Fighter Drone’ Designation Given To Northrop Grumman’s Talon By USAF

The USAF says the Talon drone is a "strong contender" in its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, Increment 2 of which has now kicked off.

F-35A Joint Strike Fighters from the Vermon Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing have arrived in Puerto Rico for Operation Southern Spear.
F-35A

USAF F-35As Have Arrived In The Caribbean

The F-35As bring enhanced capabilities to Operation Southern Spear, and are the first USAF fighters deployed for it. 

The Marine Corps is seeking to bolster its supply of FPV drones.
Unmanned

Marines Seeking 10,000 First-Person View Drones At $4K A Pop

The USMC just issued a call for 10,000 FPV drones to be delivered in one year, a small step toward fielding this capability across the force.

F-117 combat debut in Panama happened 36 years ago today.
F-117

The F-117 Nighthawk First Went To War 36 Years Ago Today

With clear parallels to the U.S. standoff with Venezuela today, it's worth remembering the F-117's combat debut over Panama in 1989.

220203-N-PI330-1018 Camp Shelby, Mississippi (February 3, 2023) Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133), go to bunkers during a simulated missile strike on Camp Shelby, Mississippi, February 3, 2023. NMCB 133 is at Camp Shelby, Mississippi conducting a field training exercise operating as part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command conducting the advanced phase of the force readiness training plan (FRTP). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Waters/Released)
Bunker Talk

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

We leave the Christmas lights up all year down in here.

The Navy is eyeing distributed construction to help speed up delivery of the FF(X) frigates.
U.S. Navy

This Will Be The Navy’s New FF(X) Frigate

The Navy is leveraging the Coast Guard's Legend class National Security Cutter to plug the gap left by axing the Constellation class frigate.

In a significant escalation of the ‘tanker war’ between Russia and Ukraine, which has so far played out mainly in the Black Sea, Ukrainian aerial drones have struck a tanker belonging to Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ in the Mediterranean.
Mediterranean

Ukraine Strikes Russia-Linked Tanker In The Mediterranean With ‘Bomber Drone’

The Ukrainian drone attack on the tanker, part of the Russian shadow fleet, is the first one of its kind outside of the Black Sea.

A U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft appeared near the Venezuelan coast today
South America

E-3 Sentry Joins U.S. Combat Aircraft Tracked Off Venezuelan Coast

The E-3 radar jets have been noticeably absent as of late from the flurry of trackable U.S. military aircraft flying near Venezuela's airspace.

The U.S. Navy personnel in the Middle East have test-launched a Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) long-range kamikaze drone from the Independence class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Santa Barbara.
Unmanned

Littoral Combat Ship Launches Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone

Being able to deploy LUCAS kamikaze drones from Navy ships drastically opens the aperture as to where swarms of these aircraft can emanate from.

A top Canadian Air Force general breaks down the role of his nation's future F-35A stealh fighters and the challenges of integrating them into the force and NORAD.
F-35A

Canadian NORAD Commander’s View On Future F-35 Fighter Force

Maj. Gen. Chris McKenna offers exclusive insights into what opportunities and challenges the F-35A will bring to his commands.

A key Russian airbase in occupied Crimea has been targeted by a Ukrainian drone strike. According to Ukraine, the drones hit a MiG-31BM Foxhound interceptor, as well as elements of an S-400 air defense system, at Belbek Air Base, near Sevastopol.
Russian Air Force

MiG-31 Foxhound Among Russian Air Defense Assets Targeted In Crimean Drone Strike

With its valuable collection of fighters and air defense systems, Belbek Air Base has long been a key target for Ukraine.

The first full deployment of the U.S. Army's new Sentinel A4 air defense radar will be in the area around Washington, D.C., also known as the National Capital Region (NCR).
U.S. Army

Army’s New Sentinel A4 Radar’s First Full Deployment Will Be Defending Nation’s Capital

Sentinel A4 offers a boost in detection range and other capabilities, especially for spotting and tracking cruise missiles and drones.

Austria is buying 12 M-346F Block 20 light combat aircraft from Italian defense contractor Leonardo, as part of an overhaul of its air force, the Luftstreitkräfte. Austria already operates 15 Eurofighter Typhoons, procured under controversial circumstances, but these jets have notably limited capabilities and high operating costs, which has seen previous efforts to offload them.
Typhoon

Austria Buys M-346F Light Fighters

The M-346Fs will give Austria a new air combat boost, supplementing the country's long-troubled Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.

Ukraine is set to receive more surface-to-air missiles to arm its Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems, paid for by Norway.
S-300

Ukraine To Get More S-300 Interceptors With Norway’s Help

Norway says it will pay for the badly needed missiles for Ukraine's S-300s, but there are questions about where they will come from.

The U.S. Air Force has confirmed it is buying two Boeing 747-8 airliners from German flag carrier Lufthansa.
Civil Aviation

USAF Buying Lufthansa 747s To Serve As Future Air Force One Trainers, Spare Parts Sources

The future presidential airlift program has ballooned from two aircraft to five, four of which will be flyable.

The Pentagon has sent more KC-135 refueling jets to the Dominican Republic as part of the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
KC-135

More KC-135 Tankers Deploy To The Caribbean

The Trump administration is also eyeing new oil tanker seizures to add more economic strain on Venezuela's Maduro.

Satellite imagery is now available showing the aftermath of a Ukrainian attack yesterday on a Russian Navy Improved Kilo class diesel-electric submarine in the Black Sea naval stronghold of Novorossiysk.
Ukraine

Aftermath Of Ukraine’s Underwater Drone Attack On Russian Submarine Seen In Satellite Imagery

Ukraine's submersible drone navigated into a protected harbor and detonated very close to the targeted submarine.

A 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) with a luxurious VVIP interior has re-emerged unexpectedly tied to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as evidenced by a large departmental seal in the main cabin.
U.S. Homeland

Mystery Surrounds Luxury 737 That Appears To Be Flying For Department Of Homeland Security

DHS is buying 737s for deportation flights, but the appearance of one with apparently a luxurious interior intended for senior leaders is unexpected.

The latest Chinese military aircraft to appear in flight test is a tactical transport aircraft, known, unofficially for now, as the Y-30. Not perhaps as headline-grabbing as China’s string of new crewed and uncrewed combat aircraft designs, the transport is nonetheless highly significant, reflecting the People’s Liberation Army’s growing ambitions to be able to conduct out-of-area operations.
Y-20

China’s ‘Y-30’ Turboprop Airlifter Spotted For The First Time

The four-engine tactical airlifter likely has a similar mission to the C-130J and is undergoing flight tests.