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Russia claims Ukraine plotted to steal one of its Tu-22M Backfire bombers.
Tu-22

Ukraine Situation Report: Plot To Steal A Tu-22M3 Backfire Thwarted Russia Claims

Tu-22M Backfire bombers, which have played a key role in Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, have been the target of a previous Ukrainian plot.

A clearer view of how the AIM-174B air-launched version of the SM-6 fits into the US Navy's larger arsenal is emerging.
Air

AIM-174 Missile Brings Navy’s Future Counter-China Air Combat Strategy Into Focus

The air-launched SM-6 will disrupt China's carrier-killing kill chain and pierce open its anti-access bubble.

Ukraine is developing its own air defense missile systems.
Ukrainian Air Force

First Inside Look At Ukraine’s HAWK Air Defense Systems

Ukraine claims it has had particular success using the vintage American system to down Russian one-way attack drones.

The first weapon-ready plutonium pit for the future W81-! nuclear warhead has been produced.
U.S. Air Force

Problem Plagued Sentinel ICBM Program Will Press Ahead Despite Nearly Doubling In Cost

The Sentinel ICBM program's projected price tag has grown more than 80 percent to almost $141 billion and is now years behind schedule.

Ukraine’s unorthodox efforts to develop ways of defeating Russian drones have taken an apparent new turn, with the appearance of a light airplane carrying a sharpshooter to intercept uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). At this stage, few details about the concept are available, but it’s notable that the aircraft in question — the Ukrainian-made Aeroprakt A-22 ultralight — is a type that we have seen in the past adapted as one-way attack drone, something you can read more about here.
Unmanned

Ultralight Drone Hunting Planes Now In Use In Ukraine

Small, easy to fly, and relatively cheap, the A-22 ultralight is the latest addition to Ukraine’s anti-drone force.

The Department of Energy has recieved two new AW139 helicopters specially configured for nuclear detection missions.
Helicopters

AW139 Nuclear Detection Helicopters Join Department Of Energy Fleet, Replace Bell 412s

The AW139s will create detailed maps of radiation levels from the air which would be critical in a response to a nuclear attack or accident.

A C-130J Super Hercules rests on the flightline under a fireworks display, July 3, 2018, at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: 4th Of July Edition!

Enjoy the fireworks!

The Pentagon has made a new announcement about the first forward-deployments of Air Force F-35As and F-15EXs to Japan, as well as changes to the Marine Corps' F-35B force in that country.
F-35A

USAF F-35As To Be Based In Japan Replacing Wild Weasel F-16s

The USAF is also moving ahead with plans to forward-deploy F-15EXs to Japan as the Marines make changes to their F-35 units in the country.

Ukraine will receive more than $2 billion in additional air defense interceptors for its Patriot and NASAMS systems.
Surface-To-Air Missile Systems

Ukraine Situation Report: $2.2B In New Air Defense Interceptors Coming From U.S.

The new aid package includes an unspecified number of munitions for Patriot, NASAMS and HAWK air defense systems.

The Navy's Training Air Wing 2 (TAW-2) has hit one million flight hours with the T-45 jet trainer as plans to replace that are have been delayed.
Air

Navy Delays Jet Trainer Replacement As T-45 Wing Hits One Million Flight Hours

A debate about whether the T-45's successor will have to land and take off from aircraft carriers is slowing down the replacement process.

In a bizarre turn of events, Chinese-made Wing Loong drones, apparently headed to Libya, have been seized by Italian authorities off the coast of southern Italy. The disassembled drones were in crates that were marked as containing parts for wind turbines, in what seems to have been an effort to evade a United Nations arms embargo imposed on Libya.
Unmanned

Chinese Wing Loong Drones Disguised As Wind Turbines Seized By Italy

With wrappers and labels suggesting they were wind turbine parts, the drones were supposed to beat the UN arms embargo on Libya.

The air-launched version of the hugely versatile SM-6 missile, also known as the RIM-174, has appeared on U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters at the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest international maritime exercise. We now also know the missiles are designated AIM-74B, indicating an air-to-air missile, although, as we have discussed in the past, the weapon also has the potential to strike high-priority ground targets, such as air defense sites, and warships, acting as a quasi-ballistic missile.
F/A-18E/F

AIM-174 Super Hornet-Launched Variant Of SM-6 Missile Breaks Cover In Hawaii (Updated)

After years in the shadows, what is likely the longest-range air-to-air missile ever fielded by the Navy comes into full view.

Kratos has developed a new launch trolley that allows its XQ-58 drones to take off from traditional runways.
XQ-58

XQ-58 Valkyrie Can Now Take Off From Runways Thanks To New Launch Trolly System

A new launch trolley expands potential XQ-58 operations, including greater payloads, while also retaining runway-independent capabilities.

MQ-9 with new electronic warfare pod
Q-9

New Electronic Warfare Pod Turns Marine MQ-9 Reaper Into “A Black Hole”

The new electronic warfare and intelligence collection pod enables MQ-9 Reapers to be "mostly undetectable," according to the Marine Corps Commandant.

Marines train with an ACV in 2022
Japan

USMC’s New ACV Amphibious Assault Vehicles Have Arrived In Japan

The arrival of the ACV-P personnel variant in Okinawa comes as the Marines are rapidly recalibrating for the future high-end fight.

Russia has unveiled a counter-drone interceptor, a single-use drone with an explosive warhead that’s expressly designed to bring down the kinds of Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicles that have taken a steady toll of Russian troops and equipment on the battlefield. The Vogan-9SP counter-drone interceptor was developed by Russia’s Red Line company, seemingly a new entrant in the field.
Unmanned

Russia Jumps Into Purpose-Built Drone-Hunting Drone Weapons Space

The kamikaze drone is billed as the latest Russian effort to try and counter Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicles on the battlefield.

The US Army has put out a new request for information for compact sensors for use on high-altitude balloons underscoring its broader vision for using those capabilities in the future.
Airborne Radar

Army’s High-Flying Balloon Surveillance Vision Grows With Call For New Radars, Other Sensors

The Army sees networked fleets of high-altitude balloons providing critical persistent surveillance coverage even in heavily contested areas.

Israeli AH-64 helicopter gunship pilots have provided an extensive account of their operations during the surprise attack on the country by Hamas militants last October 7. Their accounts — provided to the Israeli media — give a rare insight into the Israeli Air Force’s immediate response to the first invasion of Israeli territory since 1948.
AH-64

Israeli AH-64 Apache Commanders Describe Brutal Reality Of October 7 Missions

Taken entirely by surprise, Israeli AH-64 crews raced to respond to the attack by Hamas but with mixed results.

Russian missile strike on airfield in Ukraine.
Land-Based Ballistic Missile Defense

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Strikes Airbase In Drone-Directed Missile Attack

While both sides confirm that an attack took place at the Mirgorod Air Base in central Ukraine, the extent of the damage is in dispute.

The US Air Force is taking a second look at the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet it is developing under the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative to see where costs could be cut, even at the cost of losing certain capabilities.
Loyal Wingman

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter’s Future Increasingly Uncertain

The Air Force is reassessing what it wants out of a new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet set to cost triple the price of an F-35.