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Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s highly specialized Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft last month, has acquired five Boeing 747-8s from Korean Air. The likelihood is that these will be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s aging 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch ‘doomsday planes,’ although at this stage we still don’t know how many of the new SAOC aircraft will be fielded.
E-4

Former Korean Air 747s Slated To Become USAF Doomsday Planes (Updated)

Korean Air has confirmed the sale of five of its 747-8s to SNC, which is building the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft.

The famed Little Bird helicopters used by the Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment are seeing a 'resurrection' after the Army's cancellation of the Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft program, but their future is still murky.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

H-6 Little Bird’s Future Upended Due To Army Axing Armed Scout Helicopter

The Night Stalkers' famed AH/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters are looking at a "resurrection," but for how long and what comes after is uncertain.

We now have our first look at a mini-cruise missile U.S. Special Operations Command is developing that could arm AC-130J gunships and other aircraft.
AC-130

Our First Look At The Tiny Cruise Missile That Aims To Arm AC-130 Gunships

Special Operations Command sees a mini-cruise missile as a top priority that will help ensure the relevance of AC-130s and other aircraft.

STRAIT OF SAN JUAN DE FUCA, Wash. (May 6, 2024) The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) transits the Strait of San Juan de Fuca escorted by U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and U.S. Coast Guard screening escort vessels. Joint operations, such as this one which involved the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, ensure the U.S. military is ready to meet its security commitments at home and abroad including commitments to our allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gwendelyn Ohrazda/Released)
China

A-10 Warthogs Escorting A Ballistic Missile Submarine Is Certainly Different

The A-10 is highly capable of force protection, including against boats that could threaten a submarine loaded with nuclear-tipped missiles.

KH-101s are now being fired at Ukraine with two warheads onboard.
Russian Air Force

Russia Now Firing Kh-101 Cruise Missiles Modified With Two Warheads At Ukraine

The modification likely halves the range of the missile, but a separate fragmentation warhead makes it considerably more lethal.

Unmanned Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft crew chiefs, assigned within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, prep an ULTRA aircraft for taxi across the flightline before an early morning takeoff at an undisclosed location, May 7, 2024. ULTRA is an unmanned aerial system capable of flight times up to 80 hours, providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to combatant commanders, with a smaller operational footprint than other UAS in its class.
UAE

Air Force’s ULTRA Long-Endurance Glider-Like Drone Is Now Operating In The Middle East

The product of a long program to field a low-cost, long-endurance surveillance drone, ULTRA is now flying missions around the Persian Gulf.

An annual special operations capability demonstration has included paragliding Marines on a mock drone hunt.
Special Operations Aviation

Marine Special Operations Paragliding Capabilities Emerge At Demonstration In Tampa

Paragliding Marines went on a mock drone hunt at the event, but this is a capability that could be valuable for a host roles.

Rogue 1 the marines' new drone.
Loitering Munitions

Rogue 1 Is One Of The Marine Corps’ Newest Kamikaze Drone

Rogue 1 is being procured alongside two other types that are competing to give the USMC more robust man-portable loitering munitions.

Armed robotic dog in use by MARSOC
Drones

Rifle-Armed Robot Dogs Now Being Tested By Marine Special Operators (Updated)

MARSOC is using robotic dogs equipped with remote weapon stations to detect targets automatically before being given approval to fire.

US Special Operations Command says it has 'hit pause' on plans to convert an MC-130J special operations tanker/transport in a floatplane.
MC-130

C-130 Floatplane Program Put ‘On Pause’ By Special Operations Command

The grand on again, off again plan for putting a special operations MC-130 on floats is not moving forward.

Super hornets now carrying nine air-to-air missiles
F/A-18E/F

Super Hornets Now Flying With Nine Air-To-Air Missiles To Counter Houthi Drones

Thanks to a recent upgrade, five AIM-120s, four AIM-9Xs and an ATFLIR pod offer considerable ‘magazine depth’ for tackling Houthi drones.

Ukraine Situation Report: Half Of North Korean Missiles Used By Russia Failed, Kyiv Says
North Korea

Ukraine Situation Report: Half Of North Korean Missiles Used By Russia Failed, Kyiv Says

Ukrainian authorities paint a dismal picture regarding the accuracy and reliability of the 50 or so KN-23 missiles provided by Pyongyang.

161013-N-OI810-093 WATERS SURROUNDING THE KOREAN PENINSULA (Oct. 13, 2016) Petty Officer 1st Class (AW/SW) John Diwa, from Dededo, Guam, installs inboard and outboard bearings on a main tire mount of an F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the "Diamondbacks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, in the hangar bay of the Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), during Exercise Invincible Spirit. Invincible Spirit is a bilateral exercise conducted with the Republic of Korea Navy in the waters near the Korean Peninsula, consisting of routine carrier strike group (CSG) operations in support of maritime counter-special operating forces and integrated maritime operations. USS Ronald Reagan is on patrol with CSG 5 supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class (SW/AW) Nathan Burke/Released)
F/A-18E/F

Navy Pays $100K To Replace Each F/A-18 Tire, 3D Printed Repairs Cuts Cost To $300

Additive manufacturing and cold spray technology are revolutionizing how the Navy looks at sustainment, saving millions in the process.

The Air Force new 5,000-pound-class GBU-72/B bunker buster bomb could be a future addition to the B-2 bomber's arsenal.
B-2

B-2 Spirits Could Get New 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters

The new GBU-72/B penetrator bombs could be a valuable addition to the B-2's already diverse arsenal before it is replaced by the B-21.

USMC is wanting to incorporate drones across its forces.
Artificial Intelligence

‘Robot Marines’ In Every Formation: Corps’ Robotics Chief Casts Vision

Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Systems chief for the USMC lays out just how critical robotics will be in a future fight.

Iskander M Ukraine running low
Russia

Putin Orders Tactical Nuclear Drills In Response To Western “Threats”

The move comes as France says it won't rule out sending troops to Ukraine and billions in weapons are set to rearm the Ukrainian military.

A US Air Force F-22 stealth fighter has suffered a mishap at an airport in Georgia today, May 6, 2024.
F-22

F-22 Raptor Ends Up On Its Side During Air Guard Exercise (Updated)

The F-22 mishap briefly closed a runway at Hilton Head International Airport during the Air National Guard's Sentry Savannah war games.

Russian 'turtle tank' seen operating with additional cage armor and an attached mine roller
Russia

New Russian Turtle Tank With Cage-Like Armor Emerges On Ukrainian Battlefield

Recent video footage not only shows Russia's latest 'turtle tank' but provides an operator's-view of it in action.

Switchblade 600 Kamikaze Drone Is The First Named Replicator Program Weapon
U.S. Homeland

Switchblade 600 Kamikaze Drone Is The First Named Replicator Program Weapon

In addition to the Switchblade 600, the Pentagon is also looking to purchase drone boats and counter drone systems.

In a most unusual development in the Black Sea ‘drone war,’ Ukraine appears to have begun arming uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), better known as drone boats, with heat-seeking air-to-air missiles. The adaptation seems to have been made to provide the USVs with protection against the Russian helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that are increasingly being used to counter them, although many questions remain about how these newly added weapons are intended work.
Russia

Ukrainian Drone Boats Now Armed With Adapted Air-To-Air Missiles

Videos show a clash between a Ukrainian drone boat armed with an adapted AA-11 Archer and the Russian helicopter sent to hunt it.