Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Rise And Avenge The X-32 With This F-47 Inspired T-Shirt

 

at 4/3/25 3:05pm

Boeing winning the Air Forces Next Generation Air Dominance fighter contract may have been a bit of a surprise to some, but it set the company up to have its F-47 make good on losing out on the Joint Strike Fighter to Lockheed Martin two and a half decades ago. As a result of that very high-stakes competition, a jet that would become an aerospace culture icon — for all the wrong reasons, and maybe undeservingly so — would live on, often as the butt of jokes and internet memes: Boeings slack-jawed X-32. Boeings X-32. The shirt was born from a meme I created that made its rounds on social media shortly after the F-47 contract award to Boeing. In it, we see the F-47 in a flag-draped hangar with the X-32 looming over it, giving a command of family vengeance: Rise and avenge me my son Now, we are recreating in stylized wearable fashion! "Rise and avenge me my son" pic.twitter.com/ZBpuHmeqdq— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) March 22, 2025 Click here to grab yours for $25 over at our partner Blipshift.com. They are available in various materials, as well as long-sleeve and hoodies. And as always, thanks for supporting TWZ! Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com The post Rise And Avenge The X-32 With This F-47 Inspired T-Shirt appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, F-47, Fighters, News & Features] [Link to media]

— Inflatable Decoys Paired With Faked Radio Signals Used To Bait Artillery In Recent Army Exercise

 

at 4/3/25 2:37pm

A U.S. Army unit used a combination of radio frequency emitters pumping out false signals and inflatable decoy artillery pieces to lure their opponents into attacking and revealing their positions in an exercise earlier this year. This underscores the importance of the services efforts to introduce new and improved electronic warfare capabilities, as well as expand its ability to defend against enemy forces doing the same, as part of its larger modernization efforts. Col. Josh Glonek, head of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, talked about using the emitters and decoys, as well as other developments, with Defense Ones Lauren Williams last week. The interview was streamed virtually as part of the outlets State of Defense 2025: Army virtual conference. 3/10th Mountain, which wrapped up a deployment to multiple locations in Europe in March, is one of three brigades the Army is using as testbeds for its Transforming in Contact modernization initiative. Members of the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division train in Germany in January 2025. US Army So it is something that we as an Army are trying to adapt to. as well, to learn more about, to employ more electronic warfare systems down at the brigade level and below, Glonek said. We employed these during our JMRC rotation, where we had electronic warfare teams that were out detecting the enemy. But we also used electronic warfare to help deceive the OPFOR that we fought against. OPFOR here stands for Opposing Force, which refers to the mock enemy forces in training exercises. The JMRC is the Armys Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany. So one of the important efforts that we conducted during the exercise was a deception effort where we placed electromagnetic emitters that would project a signal that we knew the enemy was looking for with their EW equipment, and we placed these adjacent to inflatable artillery guns, Glonek continued. And so the idea there was, rather than be able to target a real artillery [piece] that were hidden quite well, we had decoys that were offset. Glonek did not provide further details about the emitters or decoys used in the exercise. The U.S. military has a variety of signal emitters in service now, many of which are used to replicate threats during training, as well as for test and evaluation purposes. Passive electronic support measures systems (ESM) can pick up these signals and geolocate them. Existing signal emitters are often paired with mock targets to add additional fidelity for testing and training purposes. Modern decoys, as well as surrogate targets, can also include built-in features to replicate electromagnetic signals and infrared signatures to make them more representative of the real thing. Members of the 10th Mountain Division train with a signal emitter at Fort Drum, New York, in 2023. Whether or not this was among the emitter types 3/10th Mountain used during the recent JMRC rotation is unknown. US Army A stock picture of an inflatable decoy made in the Czech Republic representing a U.S. M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images MICHAL CIZEK As the enemy detected those signals, they then were able to confirm the presence [of artillery] with either a drone or a ground scout, and on three occasions over the course of our rotation they actually fired at our decoys, he added. This, of course, [was] what we wanted to happen. So we had our radars in position to detect their rounds. Its worth noting here that this highlights the ever-increasing use of drones on the battlefield, often in cooperation with electronic warfare systems and other capabilities like counter-battery radars, to find and positively identify targets, as well as provide improved overall situational awareness. In this case, the 3/10th Mountain subsequently destroyed the OPFOR artillery with simulated return fire. The use of decoys to bait enemy forces, including artillery, into wasting time and resources on fake targets and exposing themselves as a result is not new. Deception leveraging the electromagnetic spectrum is also a well-established tactic. However, Gloneks anecdote does still highlight the importance of electronic warfare to the U.S. military, as well as ever-growing threats in the electromagnetic spectrum. Observations from the ongoing war in Ukraine have also reinforced just how critical dominating in the electronic warfare realm is to succeeding in modern warfare. Ukrainian forces are making significant use of often high-fidelity physical decoys, as well. Ukrainian decoy IRIS-T system with AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar system, obviously of very high quality.It is suspected that one of these decoys was destroyed by a Russian strike (third video) in Kharkiv Oblast. The system was placed right in the middle of a known air defence base… pic.twitter.com/nFIJVBWXm7— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) February 1, 2024 This is a remarkably good decoy M777 from the Ukrainians. I wonder how many fakes are on the @oryxspioenkop list. pic.twitter.com/MydcsNwL40— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) February 22, 2023 Its an example of whats happening out there on the battlefield today in Ukraine and other places where electronic warfare is becoming a very critical part of the battle, the commander of 3/10th Mountain said of the use of signal emitters and decoys during the JMRC rotation. We are paying a lot of attention to how the electromagnetic environment is being impacted in Ukraine. And one of the things that anyone who studies that conflict closely sees is that its changing very rapidly, he added. So drones that might work well one week might not even be able to fly the next week, because really the EW atmosphere is iterating at such a fast pace. What seems to be happening today, because technology is evolving so rapidly, [is] that these cycles of action and counter action are occurring on a weekly or even a daily basis, and that probably isnt happening anywhere faster than [it is with] electronic warfare, he continued. At the same time, Gloneks comments raise questions about the degree to which the Army continues to lag in modernizing its electronic warfare capabilities, which largely eroded following the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as its ability to protect against threats in the electromagnetic spectrum. Well before Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Army was aware that electronic emissions signatures create serious vulnerabilities for its units that are only set to grow as they integrate ever-more networking and other electronic capabilities. “Concealment will help you stay alive a little longer in the close fight,” then-Army Col. Scott Woodward wrote in a social media post back in 2020. “What does your EW footprint look like is the larger question. If I can see you like this, it doesn’t matter how much camo you have.” These were taken at the National Training Center, in California. Concealment will help you stay alive a little longer in the close fight. What does your EW footprint look like is the larger question. If I can see you like this, it doesnt matter how much camo you have pic.twitter.com/EihBe4nEG3— LXVIII RCO (@theRealBH6) May 8, 2020 The post included an annotated satellite image showing the electronic emissions signature of a battalion-sized element and supporting forces during an exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California. At the time, Woodward was commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the NTCs dedicated OPFOR unit, which you can read more about here. He has since been promoted to the rank of brigadier general and is currently Deputy Commanding General-Support for the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea. The 11th Cavalry Regiment has a fleet of visually modified (VISMOD) vehicles, some of which are seen here, to act as surrogates for foreign types during training exercises. US Army Since 2020, the Army has been working to integrate a growing number of electronic warfare suites, many of which are mobile, being mounted on both unarmored and armored vehicles. Systems that individual personnel can carry on their backs are also becoming increasingly more widespread within the service, as well as elsewhere across the U.S. military. The Tactical Electronic Warfare System-Infantry, which is mounted on the 44 Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), is one of the Armys newest electronic warfare systems. US Army The same kinds of questions about the Armys pace of modernization extend to other global battlefield trends, as well. Rather than the traditional way of having a forward observer move across the battlefield to kind of get eyes [on] and identify a target, call for fire, what were seeing is the mass use of drones to rapidly fly around the battlefield, and to get eyes on those targets, and to enable a call for fire, which is very, very different from how weve done it in the past, Col. Glonek also told Defense Ones Lauren Williams last week. We tried to replicate some of this at our Joint Multinational Readiness Center rotation that we conducted up in Germany, and the Army fielded us a very high density of drones on this deployment to get us ready for this exercise, to really test this out. We had over 150 of them going into the rotation. And as we fought is a new Transform[ing in Contact] brigade for the Army, 90% of the fire missions that we directed, were all called and observed by a drone. So thats a big change there thats allowing us to really kind of saturate the battlefield with sensors, he added. A member of 3/10th Mountain with an Anduril Ghost drone helicopter at the JMRC in January 2025. US Army Staff Sgt. Tristan Peete Gloneks remarks here are notable given that various tiers of drones, including smaller hand-launched types, have now been in Army inventory for decades. The service has also been very publicly working through multiple efforts for years now to expand the use of uncrewed aerial systems even among small units. Both sides of the conflict in Ukraine drones for spotting artillery fire on a daily basis, something the commander of 3/10th Mountain also noted that the OPFOR was doing in the recent JMRC rotation. That this is still apparently novel even for one of the Armys three modernization testbed units is significant. The Army clearly understands the significance of growing its electronic warfare capabilities, as well as its other modernization efforts, as is underscored by 3/10th Mountains forces deceiving the OPFOR during the recent exercise in Germany. At the same time, there is still much work to be done. Contact the author: joe@twz.com The post Inflatable Decoys Paired With Faked Radio Signals Used To Bait Artillery In Recent Army Exercise appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: News & Features, Armies, Drones, Land, Land-Based Electronic Warfare, U.S. Army] [Link to media]

— Is The U.S. About To Go To War With Iran?

 

at 4/3/25 11:18am

In my line of work, I get asked a lot of questions. Sometimes they are on pretty heavy topics and other times they are on things that are downright bizarre. More often than not, they are driven by the news cycle. Over the last week, the one question I am suddenly getting all the time is if the United States is really preparing to go to war with Iran, and if so, why now? This type of inquiry isnt uncommon during times of great international tension, but this one is different. The situation seems more nebulous, and the idea that a U.S. attack on Iran could soon occur feels out of the blue for many, especially set amongst the ludicrous speed news cycle that has been a hallmark of the first and now second Trump administrations. Adding to peoples confusion is that there has not been one singular event to prompt the buildup to a potentially unprecedented and extremely volatile military action. This makes it harder for the public to wrap their heads around the possibility that this could really happen, and soon. For the Trump administration, the catalyst for the buildup is the matured state of Irans nuclear program, which, by most accounts, could break out into a nuclear weapons program at any moment if Tehran were to decide to go that route. Any buffer time in this regard seems to have dwindled to nothing. But also orbiting around that issue is the totality of many other long-standing problems the United States has with Iran, some of which date back five decades. The threat it poses to Israel is center stage, especially for the Trump administration, as are its destabilizing actions in the Middle East through its proxy forces. Its also personal. Iran has reportedly wanted to assassinate Trump, even going so far as to suggest a drone strike against him while he is golfing. President Trumps move to put Iran on a deadline has been eclipsed by other news, but that clock is ticking. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Andrew Harnik So, could an attack on Iran really happen in the near term? After all these decades of very uneasy restraint, is Trump going to follow through with his May deadline to get the regime in Tehran to come to the negotiating table over its nuclear program? And if that line is crossed without meaningful action on Irans part, is the United States really going to get rid of Irans nuclear program via unprecedented force? This is a military operation that has been avoided at all costs for decades, largely due to the massive ramifications it could have in the region and beyond. I dont think anyone knows the answer to these questions. Maybe not even Trump. But at this point, it seems very apparent that he at least wants the Iranian government to believe that will be the case. Brinkmanship on this level is a very risky game, especially as it is occurring in parallel with attempting a peace deal in Ukraine and as China accelerates its preparations to take Taiwan via military force. If Trump doesnt follow through with his threat, his hand will become vastly weaker in those other very high-stakes geopolitical confrontations. This may put him in a very tough position, especially considering his persistent declarations of being a vehemently anti-war president who avoids getting America involved in foreign conflicts. Regardless, make no mistake that a U.S. military buildup now underway in the Middle East is tangible and fitting to what we would see in a contingency situation like this. Moving in B-2 stealth bombers, fighters, support aircraft, another carrier strike group, air defenses, and more all fit the bill of a limited air operation and enhanced abilities to defend key interests in the aftermath. Deterrence — or intimidation — on this level is the strongest card to play at this time, but the hope is that you can achieve a favorable outcome just by posturing, not by actually using the forces you have flowed into the region. We shall see if that ends up being the page in the history book thats written or not. B-2 bombers and tankers are deployed in unprecedented numbers to Diego Garcia ahead of possible strikes on Iran. PHOTO © 2025 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION On the other hand, if Iran continues with its take a hike attitude in regards to Trumps diplomatic and power projection overtures, what happens next is truly an unknown. Yes, cracking open Pandoras box is a very real possibility. Still, we have seen multiple major kinetic escalations that took Iran and its primary foes — the U.S. and Israel — to the brink, only to see everyone get their shots in to check the box and/or to satisfy domestic concerns prior to rapid de-escalation. NEW: Tehran has rejected direct negotiations with the United States regarding its nuclear program, responding to a letter from President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. https://t.co/Q5yNfny8Z3— ABC News (@ABC) March 30, 2025 While those cases were certainly dramatic and fraught with the risk of sparking a wider war, nobody has gone after Irans ace in the hole — its nuclear program — in a comprehensive, kinetic manner. Yes, Israel has done whatever it could short of all out conflict to slow its advance, via all different means, from assassinations to crippling cyber attacks, but blowing up extremely hardened Iranian nuclear facilities is a whole other animal entirely. If negotiations dont come to pass and Trump decides to pull the trigger, the most probable operation would be the use of tailored airpower to target Irans most critical nuclear sites. Short of a nuclear strike or irradiating the sites via radioactive contamination, nobody has the airpower capability to accomplish this aside from the United States. Under #Iran’s Amad Superorganizational Plan, #Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (Al Ghadir) was built with the intention and purpose to make weapon-grade uranium for 1-2 #nuclear weapons per year. In this collaboration with @Orion__int, we present you Fordow as never seen before. pic.twitter.com/fdBQZDySYs— The Intel Lab (@TheIntelLab) May 29, 2021 We have covered this unique capability at great length over the years. Basically, this is the B-2 Spirit and its 30,000 lb Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) distinct mission set. Americas stealth bombers and their MOPs are the only conventional aircraft and munition combination that have a shot at striking at Irans most fortified nuclear facilities, some of which are literally tunneled into mountains. Even then, their collective ability to destroy them is questionable, but severely curtailing their utility, at least for a significant period of time, is highly likely. A B-2 dropping a MOP, which it can carry two of at a time, during a test. (USAF) The stealth bombers, as capable as they are, will not go it alone. A huge array of assets will be needed to ensure they reach their targets and return intact. This includes counter-air and suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) support, electronic warfare support, combat search and rescue support, intelligence collection and exploitation at every level, and so much more. The B-2s would not be fighting alone. And, yes, the Iranians have an antique air force and second-tier air defense network, but this doesnt mean the risk is low when putting B-2s and other aircraft, even with all the benefits of stealth, into a combat environment over the country. A lot can go wrong, and regardless of what popular culture may make you believe, stealth bombers are not invisible. No aircraft is. Still, perhaps the only assured way to destroy the most hardened of these sites by conventional means is via special operations raids on the ground. We have detailed this reality for years and Israel recently executed something of a proof of concept for such an operation in Syria to deter Iran and sharpen its own capabilities in this respect. Regardless, it is highly unlikely the U.S. would commit its ground forces to such a high-risk operation. Even if airstrikes just target command and control, air defenses, and nuclear sites, the reprisal could be extremely violent. Iran would likely throw everything it has — drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles primarily — at U.S. forces in the region. With this in mind, the U.S. militarys Iranian target taskings could also include standoff weapons facilities, as well as nuclear sites and air defenses, in anticipation of the execution of this retaliatory playbook. Its possible that hitting Irans ballistic missile sites, including its large bunker complexes used for concealed launches and weapons storage, even before attacking nuclear program-related targets may be the way forward should such an air campaign be executed. New #ballisticmissile UG facility near Bakhtaran base in Kermanshah. @Obs_IL and I combined skills on this new finding in #Iran . Two tunnels were excavated from January to September 2020. This 3D model is a possible layout of the UG facility when operational. #IMINT #JCPOA pic.twitter.com/j9hKHJsYBR— Om Gothi | Orion Intel (@Orion__int) January 28, 2021 Regardless, the air operation would likely rapidly expand after its initial strikes on key strategic facilities to focus on destroying any threatening standoff weapons that are dispersed away from these sites before they can be launched. This is a very challenging mission, especially for such a large country like Iran, whose forces have spent years preparing for exactly this scenario. A preemptive series of strikes on critical missile facilities and weapons being readied for launch would at least lessen the blow from a massive Iranian counter-strike and would give air defenses a shot at intercepting as much of the onslaught as possible. In addition, in this case, distance is not anywhere near as favorable as in the large-scale missile and drone strikes on Israel. Many U.S. installations are located just across the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman from Iran. Early warning and reaction times would be a fraction of what Israel had the advantage of twice last year. There is also the Strait of Hormuz to worry about, with all its international stakeholders due to the energy supplies that flow through it. China, which depends on oil that transits this notorious choke point, is a real wildcard in this respect. If Iran were to close the Strait and start firing on anything it thought was aligned with the United States in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, we would be once again in uncharted territory. Iran has built up a massive anti-ship arsenal made up of a vast array of weapon types that is collectively designed to turn this region into a super anti-ship missile engagement zone. This image from space shows the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The Strait of Hormuz runs between Iran and United Arab Emirates. It is one of the worlds most volatile choke points. (Photodisc via Getty Images) Stocktrek The Houthis are also another factor here, but they are more predictable and are now much more carefully watched compared to before they started taking regular shots at shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have already put the use of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in jeopardy with these constant attacks, although they could also throw everything they have at it suddenly at the direction of their Iranian benefactors. Mining the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz are additional possibilities that would be highly problematic and could take a long time to clear, resulting in devastating economic impacts. Iran also has the ability to execute strikes on targets far from the Persian Gulf region using vessels equipped with standoff weapons and via activating operatives around the globe. Simply put, Irans response could be very punishing and deadly, and have a real chance of pulling Gulf States that host U.S. forces, as well as key stakeholders dependent on energy from the region, into a wider conflict. As noted earlier, we do have the benefit of recent history to game out how Iran could respond in such a circumstance. In the recent past, escalation has been limited to strike and counter-strike. After that, all involved stopped climbing the ladder. This very much could be the case in this instance, too, but considering that attempting to crush Irans nuclear program kinetically is a whole other level of escalation than what we have seen before, all bets are off as far as how far it can escalate and how fast. Then there is Israel. Would they be part of such an operation? Their airpower and other military capabilities would be of great value, but involving them would instantly increase the volatility of an already massively volatile situation. So, at this time, it isnt clear. Trump is extremely close to Netanyahu and, clearly, the current administration in Jerusalem would be begging to help finally neuter its biggest foes most terrifying capabilities if the United States is willing to take the lead. While the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is a highly experienced, very well-equipped force to be reckoned with, it is not capable of achieving the same results in regard to striking Irans nuclear program using its airpower alone without direct U.S. involvement. An Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft flies over the city of Yokneam Illit in northern Israel on March 24, 2025. The jet carries a Delilah cruise missile and its associated datalink pod. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) JACK GUEZ The price of oil could (and likely would) skyrocket, which would affect domestic economics and, as a result, politics back home in the United States, as well as around the globe. Such a shock could send markets tumbling, especially if the military action quickly expands into a protracted conflict. If oil exports from the region are significantly reduced for a prolonged period of time, it could trigger rising tensions and aggression elsewhere. It would also help Russian President Vladimir Putin fund his war in Ukraine, and it could have major humanitarian impacts in poorer countries around the globe. These are just some of the general and most glaring factors at play. There is a massively complex mosaic of interests, tactical considerations, influences, and macroeconomic factors that would all impact what comes after the first bomb explodes. It is bewildering to try and parse it all. Considering we are potentially entering into such a perilous geopolitical moment in time, it seems to have not really registered with the masses just yet. Once again, the news cycle is fast and furious, and people are already desensitized to conflict, especially after three years of a risky proxy war in Ukraine and two decades of perpetual fighting during the Global War on Terror. Trumps messaging in regard to Iran has been consistent, but has not taken center stage. We have gotten no major addresses on such an action from the White House and open source intelligence has been driving the story in the media, above all else. We can only hope that peace will prevail and that Iran and the Trump administration will work something out to avoid all this. Its also possible that they could call Trumps bluff and be successful in doing so if, subsequently, he chose not to act militarily. But considering there are so many other international crises, or ones brewing, that are running in parallel to this one, not doing anything of major consequence would be a big credibility hit for still a very young second Trump administration. Amongst so much uncertainty, one thing is clear. We have entered into a massive game of chicken that has stakes that are so high they are truly incalculable. Its time to pay close attention to what happens next. Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com The post Is The U.S. About To Go To War With Iran? appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Around The Globe, B-2, Bombers, Iran, Middle East, News & Features, Persian Gulf] [Link to media]

— Anti-Drone Nets Now Being Used To Protect Buildings In Russia

 

at 4/3/25 11:18am

Faced with constant attacks by Ukrainian drones and artillery, officials in the Russian border town of Shebekino have placed anti-drone netting on dozens of buildings for protection. The move comes as Ukrainian forces continue to maintain a small salient in the region after launching an incursion there two weeks ago. Images taken by local photographer Olga Klyuchkareva emerged on social media Thursday showing several high-rise buildings covered by the netting. The nets in the images are attached to the tops of a block of five-story apartment buildings and drape down outward toward the street. In Shebekino, Belgorod region, 41 apartment buildings have been covered with anti-drone nets. The local creatures are loving it they joke about it and, as always, endure it with classic patience. pic.twitter.com/Q26fwKX1ut— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) April 3, 2025 “In the city, about 35 multi-story buildings are already covered with such networks,” the Russian Military Chronicle Telegram channel reported. “Shebekino is under constant enemy attacks. Yesterday, UAV strikes damaged an apartment in an apartment building, a car, and a residential building, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported in the morning.” The netting seen today in Shebekino is the result of a program Gladkov initiated last November. “‘As part of the experiment, 10 residential buildings will be covered with such nets,’ said Gladkov,” the independent Russian Astra news outlet reported at the time. The material chosen is non-standard, suitable for these purposes. One of the contractors undertakes to cover 10 buildings with such nets. We will see how it performs, and then we will make a decision. Though officials were evaluating how well the netting worked, that experiment was designed to be temporary, Gladkov explained at the time. “Such a measure would not be durable, since in winter the netting gets clogged with snow and can break under its weight,” he said. Their lifespan will be three to four days, so it is not profitable in terms of costs or implementation.  These building nets are the latest iteration of a defensive measure both sides have adopted to help protect against drones by either causing them to explode at a distance from the target or get caught up in the webbing. They have appeared in static locations like oil refineries in Kapotnya and in Novoshakhtinsk and more recently, as tunnels on roadways. To protect themselves from Ukrainian drone attacks, the Russians have fenced off the road from Bakhmut to Chasiv Yar, creating a 2-km mesh tunnel. In this way, the Russians are trying to rescue their equipment and personnel from threats from drones. pic.twitter.com/qbtFvwrAcx— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) February 9, 2025 “Installing nets made of durable synthetic material allows for the interception of small fragments and the slowing down of the fall of larger debris, minimizing the likelihood of casualties and destruction,” the Russian Dzen media outlet reported. This measure is far from infallible of course. First-person view (FPV) drones with the ability to command detonate could punch holes in these nets, allowing other FPVs to enter. They would offer no protection against artillery shells or airstrikes. All this comes as Ukrainian troops have established a 13km (about eight miles) thrust into the Belgorod region, a retired high-ranking Ukrainian officer told The War Zone. The Belgorod Oblast border city of Shebekino has come under frequent attack by Ukraine. (Google Earth) “Aviation assets are carrying out combat sorties to cut off logistic lines of supplies, blowing up bridges and trying to reduce the operational tempo of Russian troops in counteroffensive actions,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. “On the other hand, making it more difficult for Russian troops to withdraw from the area of operation.” The strategic objective of the Ukrainian Belgorod operation “is to create one more bridgehead as a buffer zone to our border and create more favorable conditions before the widely expected spring-summer Russian counteroffensive,” the retired officer posited. #Ukraine forces have entered #Russias Belgorod region pic.twitter.com/b4BUwRNzwy— C4H10FO2P (@markito0171) April 3, 2025 The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) acknowledges the incursion but said its forces are inflicting heavy casualties on Ukrainian forces. In the Belgorod direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces hit manpower and hardware of two mechanized brigades, one motorized infantry brigade, two assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and two territorial defense brigades close to Miropolskoye, Prokhody, and Petrushevka, That Russia is using nets to protect civilian buildings is a stark reminder of how the war has hit home for this city. A large number of the 40,000 residents who lived there before the all-out war began have been evacuated because of Ukrainian bombardment. Whether this defensive measure can help protect some of those who stayed remains to be seen. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com The post Anti-Drone Nets Now Being Used To Protect Buildings In Russia appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: News & Features, Around The Globe, Drones, Europe, Russia] [Link to media]

— JAS 39 Gripen E/F Chosen As Colombia’s Next Fighter

 

at 4/3/25 10:58am

Colombia’s new fighter will be the Saab Gripen E/F, the country’s president has confirmed. The acquisition of the Swedish-made combat aircraft will finally allow the retirement of the veteran IAI Kfir with the Colombian Air Force. The development is also of major significance for Saab. Other than Brazil, which co-produces the Gripen E/F, the company has previously failed to achieve any export sales of the jet. Thailand has provisionally selected the Gripen E/F but not yet placed an order. Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to X to confirm the country’s decision to buy Gripen fighters: “Following the letter of intent signed by the government of the Kingdom of Sweden, and the approval of the country’s strategic air defense as a priority project, I report: the fleet of aircraft to be acquired is completely new, with the latest technology, already implemented in Brazil, and will be of the Saab 39 Gripen type.” Después de la carta de intención firmada por el gobierno del Reino de Suecia, y de aprobar la defensa aérea estratégica del país como proyecto priorizado informo:Los flota de aviones que se adquirirá, es completamente nueva, ultima tecnología, ya implementada en Brasil, y son…— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 2, 2025 In a statement, Mattias Rådström, Saab’s head of media relations, told TWZ: “It is very positive for Saab and Sweden that Colombia’s President Petro has announced his intention to acquire the Gripen E/F advanced multirole fighter. Saab has the most comprehensive offer for Colombia, and we are convinced that Gripen E/F is the best choice for the long-term defense, security, and prosperity of Colombia. Although no contract is yet in place, we look forward to finalizing negotiations with Colombia.” At this point, it’s unclear how many Gripens Colombia wants to acquire and how much they might cost. The delivery timeline has also not been publicized. In the past, however, Colombia has reportedly been looking to buy between 15 and 24 new or secondhand fighters to replace its Kfirs, as a matter of urgency. Colombia will likely acquire a certain number of two-seat Gripen Fs to operate alongside Gripen E single-seaters, although this too is unconfirmed. The Gripen E/F, which you can read more about here, has often been pitched as a more affordable, albeit less capable, alternative to fifth-generation combat capabilities, such as those embodied in the F-35, against which the Swedish fighter has repeatedly lost out in various international competitions. The first serial production standard Gripen E, which first flew in November 2019. Jamie Hunter Smaller than many of its contemporaries, the Gripen E/F was developed from the earlier ‘legacy’ Gripen that was designed to meet a very specific Swedish requirement. However, the Gripen E/F variant includes features that would otherwise be more commonly found on larger and more complex fighters. Compared with the older Gripen C/D, the Gripen E/F has a bigger fuselage that accommodates approximately 30 percent more fuel and has a more powerful General Electric F414 engine, plus a total of 10 hardpoints for weapons and other stores. The cockpit is entirely revised, and the pilot is provided with a single Wide Area Display (WAD), replacing the three separate displays in the Gripen C/D. The Gripen E/F can carry up to seven MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles. It features the Leonardo ES-05 Raven active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the Leonardo Skyward G infrared search and track (IRST) sensor. It also includes a new Saab Electronic Warfare System (EWS), featuring a 360-degree spherical Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS). Reflecting its Swedish roots, the Gripen E/F is designed specifically to operate in austere environments with very high reliability and minimal support infrastructure, attributes that might make it especially attractive to South American operators. Less obvious is the Gripen E/F’s avionics architecture, which is designed to enable the rapid insertion of new hardware and updated software applications to take on new missions. Customers are also able to design and develop their own software, to introduce new technologies and systems to keep pace with ever-evolving threats. Despite Saab winning many plaudits for packing an impressive amount of high-end capabilities into a relatively small and easy-to-maintain airframe, the Gripen E/F has, so far, been a less-than-stellar performer on the export market. Brazil is the first and to date only export customer for the Gripen E/F, with its decision to buy the fighter influenced to a significant degree by the opportunity to establish a domestic production line. This will assemble 15 of the 36 aircraft currently contracted to the Brazilian Air Force. A Brazilian Gripen E — known locally as the F-39 — in flight. Saab Meanwhile, Sweden is buying 60 single-seat Gripen Es for its own requirements. Last August, the Royal Thai Air Force identified the Gripen E/F as its preferred next fighter. However, the government is yet to sign off on the purchase and a deal with Sweden hasn’t been signed so far. Ultimately, the increased concerns about the political stability of American arms exports could boost Gripen export sales, although the fighter will still face stiff competition from other European and non-U.S. combat aircraft. As for Colombia, the selection of a new fighter has been a long time coming. For more than a decade, Colombia has wrestled with the problem of replacing its Kfir fleet, which was determined to reach the end of its viable service life in 2023. An upgraded Colombian Air Force Kfir C10, photographed in 2020. Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images RAUL ARBOLEDA To keep the Kfirs operational until then, Colombia instigated an upgrade program, known as Colosseum. This saw surviving Kfirs brought up to C10/ C12 standard, which added a new Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire-control radar, electronic countermeasures, Rafael Derby beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, Rafael Python 5 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles, and Elbit’s Display and Sight Helmet (DASH) system. The upgraded Kfirs also received Rafael Spice 1000 precision-guided bombs. By the time the Kfir upgrade work was completed in 2017, Colombia had short-listed the F-16 Block 70, Gripen E/F, and Eurofighter Typhoon for its new fighter requirement. While a decision was stalled by budget constraints and the COVID pandemic, the option of secondhand Danish F-16s was raised — ultimately, this was the route that Argentina took to procure new fighters, as you can read about here. Then, in 2022, when President Petro took office, the Dassault Rafale was reported to have emerged as the most likely candidate for the Colombian Air Force, with suggestions that 16 examples might be acquired. A two-seat Dassault Rafale. Dassault Aviation www.twz.com However, the Gripen E/F offer finally won out, perhaps a reflection of Saab’s determination to secure further orders in South America, which it has long identified as a key battleground for the aircraft. Unconfirmed reports from the Colombian media suggest that, while at least some elements of the Colombian Air Force preferred the Rafale, the Gripen E/F was chosen “due to its versatility and technical benefits.” “It is a very important market to us, and we need to show our capabilities and have a supply chain in place,” Saab CEO Micael Johansson told AirForces Monthly in 2023, about the South American market. “We are working to achieve that and have done a fantastic job transferring technology to Brazil. To get the development center and production capabilities set up at Gavião Peixoto, where we even have a structures component factory. It means we could fulfill more technology transfers to the likes of Colombia. It can be supported from Brazil and would benefit the whole continent.” A Brazilian Air Force Gripen over Rio de Janeiro. Saab Linus Svensson @Saab At this stage, it’s unclear to what degree the Brazilian factory at Gavião Peixoto, in the state of São Paulo, will support the Colombian deal, although there’s potential for significant involvement. As well as the final assembly of 15 of the aircraft ordered for Brazil the plant builds tail units and front fuselages for Gripen Es as well as wing boxes and front fuselage sections for the Gripen F. In the past, Saab CEO Johansson has said the plan is for the Gavião Peixoto facility “to manufacture any future Gripen orders for Brazil, as well as for other countries. We want the country to become an export center for Latin America and potentially other regions.” As for the Kfir, Colombia’s almost four-decade relationship with this fighter now looks to be coming to an end. During the long conflict with the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (better known by the Spanish acronym FARC), the Kfirs saw a good deal of combat. Colombian Air Force Kfirs prepare for a mission during Red Flag 12-4, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in July 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. William P. Coleman Staff Sgt. William P. Coleman However, the fleet suffered from some high-profile accidents, and finding spare parts has become increasingly costly and complicated. The situation has gotten worse after Petro’s government broke off diplomatic relations with Israel, in protest against the conflict in the Gaza Strip. This renders the Israeli maintenance contract for the Kfirs obsolete and makes their replacement all the more urgent. It remains to be seen how many Gripen E/Fs will be procured to replace the Kfirs, or when they might start to arrive, but we now finally have confirmation of Colombia’s chosen replacement for these hard-worked jets. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com The post JAS 39 Gripen E/F Chosen As Colombia’s Next Fighter appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Americas, Around The Globe, Fighters, Gripen, News & Features, South America] [Link to media]

— Submarine Surveillance System That’s Rapidly Deployable, Unpredictable Unveiled By Anduril

 

at 4/2/25 10:02pm

Defense contractor Anduril has rolled out a new, readily deployable undersea surveillance system called Seabed Sentry, which uses networks of small and relatively low-cost modular sensor nodes. A novel sonar array with a design influenced by the extendable arms on satellites is the main sensor being paired with it now. Expanding fleets of quieter and otherwise more modern submarines, especially in Russia and China, as well as growing threats to critical undersea infrastructure, are driving demand for more and better ways to monitor what happens beneath the waves across the Western world. Anduril has already been working on various elements of Seabed Sentry for around a year. The system leverages various prior developments, including Lattice, the companys proprietary artificial intelligence-enabled autonomy software package. The Seabed Sentry name is a callback to Andurils first product, the land-based Sentry, which is designed to monitor for threats in the air and on the surface. One of the Seabed Sentry nodes. Anduril TREVOR DALTON A separate firm, Ultra Maritime, is also providing its Sea Spear sonar for use on Seabed Sentry through an exclusive partnership with Anduril. Surface and air vehicles can operate with clear lines of sight and reliable connectivity, but the ocean is vast and opaque, leaving current autonomous subsea sensing and communications technology operating slowly in silos. We need a network for real-time data exchange to reliably transmit information into action, per a press release from Anduril. Seabed Sentry fills connectivity and perception gaps, enabling maritime awareness and kill chains in ways not currently possible without high expense. With superior endurance lasting months to years, a depth rating exceeding 500 meters, a payload capacity of over 0.5 m³, and a modular, reusable design, Seabed Sentry is built to surpass existing seabed surveillance solutions. It offers operators greater flexibility and capability in even the most challenging underwater environments. Unlike fixed seafloor surveillance systems – which are expensive to place and maintain – Seabed Sentry is a network of ‘cable-less’ deep-sea nodes that sense, process, and communicate critical subsea information at the edge in real time, the release adds. It has an open systems architecture for rapid integration of first or third-party sensors and payloads customized to the commercial or defense missions including seabed survey, marine pattern of life building, port security, critical infrastructure protection, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare. At the core of the Seabed Sentry system is an array of cylindrical buoy-like nodes that are 21 inches in diameter and roughly eight feet (two and a half meters) long. Each one has a modular payload bay and an anchor to keep it in place underwater after deployment. The head of it is kind of where all the comms and compute [communications and computing capabilities] live, Dr. Shane Arnott, Senior Vice President for Engineering at Anduril and the company’s maritime lead, told TWZ. And then the tail of it, which youll see, is where we can host flexible payloads. A close-up look at the head-end of the Seabed Sentry node. Anduril TREVOR DALTON A close-up look at the head section. Anduril In addition to being physically modular, Seabed Sentry is also an open-architecture system, which helps make it easier to upgrade existing capabilities and integrate hardware and software. How long a Seabed Sentry node can remain deployed will depend on its exact configuration, but Anduril says the nodes should be able to remain in place for multiple months at a time. After that, they can be recovered and reused. When its done, we basically, we can talk to it, and it says, Yep, Im ready to be recovered,' Andurils Arnott explained. The anchor will sever itself, and the system is positively buoyant, so it comes to the surface. We recover it, and then we can refit it, and then send it back on mission again, he continued. The team can, kind of, you know, either just scrape the barnacles off it, recharge it, and throw it back in, or there could be a new mission, new payload that needs to be fitted to it – recharge it, new payload, and off you go again. As already noted, Ultra Maritimes Sea Spear is the premier sensor payload for Seabed Sentry at this point, though it is expected to be just one one of many options in the future. Sea Spear is similar in form and function to cable-like sonar arrays towed behind surface ships, but it uses a unique extendable trusswork to allow it to extend from and retract back into the Seabed Sentry node. The exact configuration of the sonar for use with Andurils underwater surveillance system is still being finalized, but it is expected to be tens of meters long when fully extended. A view of the trusswork developed for Sea Spear extending during a demonstration. Ultra Maritime We design and build towed arrays today for multiple reasons. For torpedo defense, for low-frequency surveillance, for different things. So it derives from that, Ultra Maritimes President & CEO Carlo Zaffanella also told TWZ. But the trusswork and the creativity behind that, actually, it takes a hint from from some work that NASA did for space, where you needed [a] very lightweight, extendable arm that could suspend in space. When we make something neutrally buoyant in the water, [there are] very similar sort of physics involved. Once extended, Sea Spear functions primarily in a passive mode. However, it can be used in combination with other systems, including air-dropped sonobouys with active sonars, to provide additional functionality. Additional views, above and below, from the Sea Spear trusswork demonstration. Ultra Maritime Ultra Maritime So, you get a P-8 [Poseidon maritime patrol plane] thats flying over, it throws sonobuoys, and the array can listen for that, right? [It] Can listen for reflections off of the submarine, Zaffanella explained. You could do the same off from a UUV [uncrewed underwater vehicle]. You might transmit and then receive using the, you know, the great receiving capability that Sea Spear has. A P-8 launches sonobuoys. Elbit Systems of America Getting whatever data Sea Spear and any other sensors on Seabed Sentry collect where it needs to go presents its own challenges that Anduril and Ultra Maritime have been working hard to address. If you turn your iPhone on and you start streaming a whole bunch of pixels in, if you [want to put that] data back out, well, you can sort of do that with a with a phone, because in the air you can transmit a whole lot of bandwidth. In the water, you cant. So, you couldnt possibly take all of that information and just constantly pump it through acoustic communications, Zaffanella noted. Instead, what we do is we use our sonar algorithms that weve been developing for many years, and using in many applications, and using modern AI and ML [artificial intelligence and machine learning], we make it possible to run them right at the tactical edge. So we put processing, low power, specialized, right there and all of that sonar information is processed sort of in real time. So the only thing that you have to acoustically communicate back away from Seabed Sentry is information like a track or a detect, right? he continued. What Seabed Sentry then does is its capable of taking that data and communicating it to some other vessel. Could be another Seabed Sentry. Could be the unmanned vessel that delivered the thing in the first place. Could be a manned vessel. Could be another relay. And using Andurils Lattice framework, of course, we can then put multiple of these [nodes] together, and you can create a mesh network where you have this easily deployable, producible in volume, extendable array. This kind of onboard AI/ML-assisted processing is becoming increasingly prevalent elsewhere, even on aerial platforms, to help manage ever larger volumes of data. Some of the stuff that were bringing our magic to, if you will, is through Lattice, where weve kind of pioneered on the edge acoustic processing. Like this is actually a super wicked [hard] problem, Andurils Arnott also told TWZ. So we figured out how to put Lattice on these nodes in a low power setting and optimizing when they talk to each other in order to maintain their persistence. The kind of persistence and broad area undersea surveillance coverage that Anduril, together with Ultra Maritime, is aiming for with Seabed Sentry has historically been provided by large networks of static hydrophones that are extremely costly to establish, operate, and maintain. The U.S. Navys Cold War Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) network is perhaps the best-known example of such a system. Portions of SOSUS do remain in service, but are now used more for scientific research than watching for foreign submarines. SOSUS has been largely supplanted operationally by a mix of fixed sensor arrays, surface ships towing sonar, and processing stations ashore known collectively as the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS). The general size and scope of undersea surveillance networks like SOSUS and IUSS can make it easier for opponents to map them out, even when it comes to underwater components that may not be publicly acknowledged. These are cabled systems. Theyre insanely expensive, like, just crazy expensive, almost impossible to upgrade, other than ripping them out, and, you know, putting new stuff in, Andurils Arnott highlighted. And, you know, with a little bit of intelligence, the threat can actually track where these nets are, because you can see these cable laying ships from space, right? Some of these cabled subsea networks are there for a reason, and you know, the host nations arent worried that the bad guys know where they are. So theres definitely purposes for these wired networks, Arnott did also add. This [Seabed Sentry] can actually work in conjunction with those wired networks. So we intend that this could be an extension, as well, like a wireless extension if you will, leveraging some of those networks. So its not kind of an either or, but its really a different tool in the toolkit. Anduril notably envisions Seabed Sentry nodes being emplaced and recovered using UUVs, as well as via ships on the surface. This, in turn, would allow arrays to be deployed covertly or clandestinely, and in denied or otherwise sensitive areas. This also makes the system more unpredictable overall, which is a major advantage. So we can load up the Dive XL [a large UUV in Andurils larger portfolio also known as Ghost Shark] with, you know, about a dozen of these things, go and place them on the sea floor wherever you want, [and] do that completely covertly [or] clandestinely, Arnott said. If you want to, you know, lay a trip wire or set a net for threats, you know, its a good idea for them not to know where your security cameras are, for want of better words. The first Ghost Shark for the Royal Australian Navy. Australia Defense Force Arnott further noted that Seabed Sentrys networked design and high degree of modularity means that it could also be adapted to roles far beyond just undersea surveillance in the future. The payload bay is configurable. So the vast majority of the system is this long tube, in effect, that you can fit whatever you want in there, which could be AUVs [autonomous underwater vehicles] or things that swim out of it, he explained. So you could, if you can imagine, load up these things that look the same from the outside And some of them could be comms. Some of them could be sensing. Some of them could have effectors. So AUVs that kind of swim out of, out of the payload bay, if you will. So anything that you can fit within that payload bay that then hooks up to the brain is possible with this. Seabed Sentry is inherently scalable whatever mission sets it might be assigned, which would allow it to be employed in a very targeted manner. That could be attractive for smaller and otherwise more cost-conscious users, as well as ones interested in employing it on a much wider basis. Arnott said that the systems flexibility has already prompted interest from potential customers looking to leverage it more as a contractor-operator service. So the approach that were taking, and we are in active conversations with \customers at the moment, who are thinking about this even as a service, Arnott said. The whole idea is its at a cost point thats so affordable that, you know, we can be constantly re-seeding these nets, if you will, that theyre theyre placing out there, and be able to change it as well, because the bad guys may figure out, oh, theyve put one of these here, or they get dug up, or attritted for various reasons. Anduril says it cannot currently name any customers or potential customers for Seabed Sentry. Anduril TREVOR DALTON There are certainly clear demand signals for new and improved undersea surveillance capabilities, and the ability to acquire and field more of those systems at lower costs, coming from the U.S. military and the armed forces of other Western countries. In particular, American officials have been warning for years now that new Russian and Chinese submarines are increasingly harder to detect and track, and present new threats, including to the U.S. homeland, as a result. Russias expanding fleet of ultra-quiet Yasen-M class nuclear guided missile submarines, one of which made a visit to Cuba last year, are often held out as particularly concerning. UUVs are also emerging as a problem set that could outpace crewed submarines. The Russian Navys Yasen-M class submarine Kazan arrives in Havana, Cuba, on June 12, 2024. YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images The trend of approaching our coast from both Russia[n] and Chinese submarines is increasing, U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told members of Congress during a hearing just yesterday. We need an expanded undersea detection capability to ensure that we are aware of these and can properly posture to defend against submarine launched cruise missiles or ballistic missiles. The U.S. Navy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have already been working on various new undersea surveillance capabilities, including lower-cost systems that could be employed in a distributed manner, in recent years. The underwater threat ecosystem already goes well beyond just submarines launching missiles at targets ashore and is continuing to expand in scale and scope. Incidents involving damage to undersea oil and gas pipelines and cables used to support sensor and communications networks, many of which are increasingly believed to be deliberate attacks, are on the rise, especially around Taiwan and various parts of Europe. In January, NATO went so far as to launch a named operation, Baltic Sentry, to address growing threats to critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. That same month, a related United Kingdom-led effort, Nordic Warden, also kicked off in the Baltic region. Dutch forces seen deployed in support of Baltic Sentry earlier this year. Dutch Ministry of Defense The subsea [domain] is kind of the major highway for energy and information infrastructure for the planet. You know, just on the information front, open source is over 500 subsea cables that are pushing information around, Andurils Arnott noted while talking to TWZ about Seabed Sentry. And, depending on who you believe, its between 95 and 99 percent of all internet traffic [that] flows over these cables. You know, its like 1 percent goes over space. So much of that critical [undersea] infrastructure is basically unsecured at this stage, he continued. So the greatest vulnerabilities for many nations for their energy and information needs are under the waves, and very few people are talking about it. Seabed Sentry is now central to Andurils pitch for a way to help better keep tabs on submarines and other underwater threats to friendly assets ashore and below the waves. Contact the author: jtrevithickpr@gmail.com The post Submarine Surveillance System Thats Rapidly Deployable, Unpredictable Unveiled By Anduril appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Sea, Naval Sensor Systems, News & Features, Submarines, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs)] [Link to media]

— Israel Craters Runway To Keep Turkey From Taking Over Syrian Airfield

 

at 4/2/25 6:17pm

The Israeli Air Force carried out more strikes on Syrian air bases on Wednesday, including on an airfield in central Syria that Turkey may take over. The attacks will make it harder for Ankara to deliver troops, air defenses and other equipment and to operate the facilities in general, should it attempt to do so. We recently reported on the growing tensions between Turkey and Israel over Syria and on the formers potential plans to setup shop at T4 airfield, which could become very problematic for Israeli air operations over the country. “In the past hours, the IDF struck military capabilities that remained at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with additional remaining military infrastructure sites in the area of Damascus,” the IDF declared on Telegram. “The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to Israeli civilians.” مصادر "الحدث": غارة جوية إسرائيلية تستهدف محيط مطار T4 العسكري في ريف حمص#قناة_الحدث pic.twitter.com/wyfv2YWyp3— ا لـحـدث (@AlHadath) April 2, 2025 Yahudi Medyasına göre görüntüler Türkiyenin yerleşmeye başladığı T4 Havaalanından.Telegram Kanalımız: https://t.co/UTK3N34Y0I#SonDakika #Israel #Türkiye pic.twitter.com/xW2vyqXT61— Omerta Haber Ajansı (@omerta_haber) April 2, 2025 Syrian media report at least 11 Israeli airstrikes targeted the Hama military airport. Additional reports of simultaneous strikes on the Scientific Research Building in Damascus and the T4 airbase in the Homs countryside.Israel appears to be sending a clear message to Turkey. https://t.co/XWwxCDeCyG pic.twitter.com/YeKDTxVc5b— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) April 2, 2025 Turkey intends to convert the T4 base into a drone facility, The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday, citing a Western intelligence source. Ankara is “considering the temporary deployment of S-400 air defense systems to T4 or Palmyra to secure the airspace during reconstruction efforts,” the Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday, citing a source. “However, no final decision has been made and Russia would need to give its approval.” Low-resolution satellite images show that previous Israeli airstrikes have created two large crater areas in T4s runway, making it virtually impossible for any heavy-lift transport planes to land. The main taxiway is also cut into three parts. The images were taken today and on March 19th, so the runway was cratered within that timeframe. While it is too early to get a battle damage assessment on today’s attack, it would have created additional damage. T4 air base in Syria as seen today after being hit by Israel on March 21. PHOTO © 2025 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION This image, taken on March 19th, is how the base looked before the recent wave of Israeli attacks. PHOTO © 2025 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION The facility is located 140 miles south of the Turkey-Syria border, making any overland supply, especially of delicate weaponry like drones and advanced air defense systems, a challenging and dangerous option. Turkey and its local proxies are still fighting the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The T4 air base is about halfway between Turkey and Israel. (Google Earth) As we previously reported, the strikes come amid concerns that Turkey will move aircraft, air defense systems and troops there. Ankara is negotiating a security agreement with the new government in Damascus, sparking concerns about a confrontation between Israel and Turkey. “The establishment of a Turkish Air Force base in Palmyra, Syria, could heighten regional tensions and increase the risk of conflict with Israel,” a senior IDF official told The War Zone last week. “Given Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent hostile military entrenchment in Syria, any significant Turkish military presence, especially in strategic locations like Palmyra, could be perceived as a threat to Israeli security interests.” The growing friction between Israel and Turkey is taking place as both sides are seeking to satisfy their own territorial ambitions in wake of the fall of long-time dictator Bashar Al Assad in December. The new government established by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led anti-Assad forces with a great deal of support from Turkey, has yet to gain full control over the country. In that vacuum, Jerusalem and Ankara have been seeking to expand their spheres of influence there. For Israel, its more about being able to operate its combat aircraft freely over the country. If Turkey sets up advanced air defenses, ones that could act on behalf of the sitting government, it would greatly complicate Israel access to the airspace. It could also result in a sudden escalation between Turkey and Israel, which are taking increasingly hostile positions to each other. The strikes were seen as a message to Ankara, according to the Jerusalem Post. “Do not establish a military base in Syria and do not interfere with Israeli activity in the countrys skies,” was the message, explained the Post, citing an official. An Israeli analyst offered a similar take last week after previous strikes on the base. Given whats at stake, one Israeli analyst told is that todays attack on T4 wont be the last. It is highly likely we will see more such incidents in the future, as part of the Turkish efforts to establish themselves in Syria, suggested Boaz Shapira of Israels Alma Center. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com The post Israel Craters Runway To Keep Turkey From Taking Over Syrian Airfield appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Air Forces, Around The Globe, Israel, Israeli Air Force, Middle East, News & Features, Turkey] [Link to media]

— OK To Shoot Down Cartel Drones Flying Over Border Sought By NORTHCOM Boss

 

at 4/2/25 2:52pm

The general in charge of defending U.S. skies from drone incursions wants the authority to be able to shoot them down near the Mexican border. Current law greatly restricts U.S. military counter-drone responses, which you can read more about in our deep dive here. Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot testified to the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that since President Donald Trump took office, he “proposed…a change to the rule of force.” It would “allow us to shoot down or bring down drones that are surveilling over our deployed and mobile troops…not just that are in self-defense, but anything thats surveilling and planning the next attack on us within five miles of the border.”  Because theyre mobile,” U.S. troops on the border are not allowed to take down drones under current law, Guillot, the commander of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), added. His testimony came as Mexican drug cartels have been steadily increasing their use of weaponized uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), as well as unarmed types for surveillance and smuggling. The issue has been so concerning that the U.S. Army recently deployed ground-based radars along the border to help spot and track drones as part of the continued build-up of U.S. military support there. You can read more about that in our in-depth story here. The Trump administration has made border security one of its major priorities. The issue of drones flying over the border is not new. As we have reported in the past, pilots have reported seeing and having near misses with them in the skies near Arizona ranges and military bases for years. Guillot also repeated his call to enable all Continental U.S. bases to take action against drones. He also wants to increase the range those actions can take place. At present, only about half of the 360 bases in the U.S. – considered “covered installations” – even have permission to defend against drones. “Were working with the services and with the [Defense] Department to increase not only the capability but also to expand the authorities,” Guillot explained. “We have to knock out not only aircraft or UAS that are a direct threat, but also that are surveilling over the installation. Id like to even see it expanded beyond the installation to ensure they cant see anything sensitive on our bases.” Drone incursions over Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey late last year added to concerns about installation security. (U.S. Army photo) Expanding the perimeter where counter-drone actions can take place also increases the chances of identifying and capturing the drone operators, Guillot explained. Guillot testified that he wants increased ability to take action granted under a federal law known as “130(i).” The subsection of Title 10 of the U.S. Code (10 USC 130i) covers current authorities for the “protection of certain facilities and assets from unmanned aircraft,” including through the use of kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities. It contains a number of specific stipulations and where and when those authorities can actually be employed, which you can read more about here. Any change in those authorities, which Congress is considering, would be on top of the Pentagon’s counter-drone strategy released in the last days of the Biden administration, which you can read more about here.  As we previously reported, the U.S. is not ​​fielding kinetic and directed energy capabilities, such as laser and high-power microwave weapons, surface-to-air interceptors, and gun systems, to defend domestic bases and other critical infrastructure from rapidly growing and evolving drone threats. Instead, the focus is on electronic warfare and cyber warfare, and other ‘soft-kill’ options, at least for now. A system designed to detect drones via the radiofrequency signals they put out and hijack the control link between them and their operators on display at Falcon Peak 2025. Howard Altman The legal and regulatory hurdles limiting how and when counter-drone systems of any kind can be employed within the homeland are confusing even to the military and first responders.  Amid the frenzy of drone sightings reported over U.S. military and power facilities that we were the first to report about last November, runways at Stewart Airport in upstate New York were shut down because of a drone incursion in December. The airport is also home to an Air National Guard Base. “Several very, very sizable drones came within 25 feet of our C-17 fleet,” said U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan during Tuesday’s hearing. Ryan said there was confusion at the time about how to respond. Base officials “still dont have full clarity on authorities,” Ryan stated, adding that Stewart also lacks “the tech and some of the other support pieces that they need.”  During the drone incursions over Langley Air Force Base in December 2023, which The War Zone was the first to report on, base officials were not given the authority to respond, the Congressman representing that district stated during the hearing. The drones over Langley “werent trying to hide anything,” said U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA). “I felt bad for the base commander because he wanted to do something and wasnt getting backing from folks up the chain of command. We had a bunch of resources there where we could do things. None of those were used. If it wasnt for NASA Langley next door, we wouldnt even have the sensors to be able to sense those unmanned aerial systems…” That lack of response sent the wrong message to foreign adversaries who observed it, Wittman complained.  “I believe that our adversaries are probing, trying to figure out what we can do, what we cant do, and thats very telling to them what they saw that day or what they saw over that month,” he explained. “It was very telling to them that there wasnt the type of reaction that was necessary.” A satellite image of Langley Air Force Base. Google Earth In the wake of the Langley incursion, NORTHCOM asked for and received “responsibility to synchronize the DOD and if necessary, inter-agency response to counter UAS incursions,” Guillot told Wittman. “During that time we conducted three assistive responses where we can use our new responsibilities to bring capabilities on a base similar to what you saw at Langley.  He did not elaborate where or when those responses took place. NORTHCOM later told us Guillot was referring to Edwards Air Force Base,Vandenburg Space Force Base and Picatinny Arsenal. While it is up to the military services and installations to defend the bases from drones, NORTHCOM is looking to surge counter-drone equipment to assist them in what Guillot calls “flyaway kits” that include counter-drone equipment and the personnel to operate it. “We dont have those kits yet, but were in the process of acquiring” them, he told committee members. Guillot’s testimony and statements by legislators further highlight concerns about dangers posed by drones that The War Zone has been making for years. We laid out a detailed case through dozens of reports that adversaries were taking advantage of the lack of aerial domain awareness over and above the homeland. The issue has been complicated by the fact that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), are also tied up in this deeply. You can read all about this here. Congressional interest in mysterious UAS flying in the skies was further fueled by the so-called Jersey Drone craze. It began with sightings over Picatinny Arsenal and spread throughout the region to the point where the FBI fielded more than 5,000 reports. TWZ saw no evidence of large-scale drone incursions over New Jersey, with a chronic issue of people reporting normal aircraft as mysterious drones being glaringly apparent. The Biden administration repeatedly stated that there was no foreign connection to any of these flights. The Trump administration ultimately told the public that these drones were largely FAA-authorized or research-related. During this period, U.S. air bases in England experienced a week-long spate of drones flying overhead, which The War Zone was also first to report. The origination of those drones and identity of their operators remains publicly unknown. The Congressional reaction to Guillot’s testimony seemed to heavily favor giving him more authority to shoot down drones near the border as well as all U.S. military installations. Given our long and leading interest in this topic, we will continue to monitor that progress. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com The post OK To Shoot Down Cartel Drones Flying Over Border Sought By NORTHCOM Boss appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: News & Features, Americas, Around The Globe, Drones, U.S. Homeland] [Link to media]

— Smaller Rockets To Provide Key Artillery Firepower Boost Sought By Army

 

at 4/2/25 1:01pm

A new five-inch (127mm) artillery rocket Lockheed Martin is developing for the U.S. Army primarily as a low-cost training round could evolve into an operational munition. The service already wants to increase the magazine depth of its existing Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher vehicles, which can currently fire various 227mm rockets and short-range ballistic missiles. This is part of a larger Army push to expand its overall rocket artillery capacity. The new Joint Reduced Range Rocket (JR3) was showcased at the Armys recent Project Convergence-Capstone 5 (PC-C5) test exercise at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin in California earlier this month. Raytheon (now formally known as RTX) also notably fired a JR3 from a new uncrewed launcher vehicle it has been working on in cooperation with Forterra and Oshkosh Defense at PC-C5. The Army also released a picture from PC-C5, seen at the top of this story, showing its existing crewless Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher (AML), which is derived from the HIMARS, firing what looks to be a JR3. The AML and Raytheons new design are based on 66 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and FMTV A2 truck chassis, respectively. Raytheons new uncrewed launcher vehicle fires a JR3 at PC-C5. Raytheon A JR3 on display at PC-C5. US Army Since the Army first kicked off the initiative in 2020, Project Convergence has been using events like PC-C5 to test, integrate, and network together new and improved weapons and other materiel, and do so in ever more operationally representative conditions. JR3 is set to supplant the 227mm Low Cost Reduced Range Practice Rockets (LCRRPR) the Army, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps, use for training now. LCRRPRs use rocket motors taken from unguided 227mm M28A2 artillery rockets that were previously removed from service. However, the available stockpile of old M28A2s is expected to dry up by 2032, promoting the need for the JR3. A HIMARS launch fires a 227mm reduced-range training rocket. US Army In addition to being cheaper than full-up live rounds, reduced-range practice rockets allow units to make use of a greater number of more constrained ranges for live-fire training. The current slate of precision-guided 227mm rockets that existing MLRS and HIMARS launchers can fire have maximum ranges of between around 40 and 50 miles (65 and 80 kilometers). New types with ranges closer to 100 miles (150 kilometers) are also in development. Those same launchers can also fire Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) short-range ballistic missiles that can hit targets hundreds of miles away. The range the Army is targeting for the new JR3 is unclear, but existing LCRRPRs have a maximum reach of around 10 miles (16 kilometers). A now-dated briefing slide that still offers a good overview of existing rocket and ballistic missile options for the MLRS and HIMARS launchers. The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is the result of the Long Range Precision Fires program mentioned at bottom right. US Army Though designed primarily for training use, the JR3 has a modular design and Lockheed Martin has already talked about the potential for future variants or derivatives to be configured for use as live munitions. “We’re definitely looking at [direct support fires technology] and how we could be a competitor in that market,” Dave Griser, Vice President for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems within Lockheed Martins Missiles and Fire Control division, recently told Defense News. “We think we can play there in terms of how we produce, our production and our experience that’s unique to [MLRS family of munitions] and what we do. We think it’s a good fit for us.” For its part, the Army has been very open about its interest in acquiring smaller artillery rockets to increase the magazine depth of its MLRS and HIMARS launchers. The munitions for those launchers come in standardized pods that can hold six 227mm rockets, a single ATACMs, or two PrSMs. MLRSs can be loaded with two of those pods at a time, while HIMARSs can hold one. A mock-up of an ATACMS missile next to one of a standardized ammunition ‘pod.’ US Army A PrSM short-range ballistic missile is fired from a HIMARS launcher. DOD A PrSM missile is fired from an M142 HIMARS launcher during a test. DOD “If you’re familiar with the rocket pods we have for [guided multiple launch rocket systems], I would like to fill those rocket pods with 50 to 100 rockets,” Army Gen. James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, said at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium on March 25, according to Defense News. “What we could put in that box … it’s not as good as [guided multiple launch rocket systems], but it can visit a lot of hate on the enemy in the right conditions.” The Army has said in the past that it is actively looking at new munition pods for the MLRS and HIMARS launchers that can each hold up to 30 rockets with maximum ranges between approximately 18 and 25 miles (30 and 40 kilometers). Last month, it was announced that the service had awarded a contract to Anduril for 4.75-inch (120mm) solid rocket motors that is tied, at least in part, to that work. Anduril A picture, seen below, also emerged last year showing a HIMARS launcher vehicle at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division (NSWC-Corona) in Fallbrook, California loaded with a pod with 24 tubes. Whether or not that pod is related to work on the JR3 or other munitions is unclear. USN Neil Mabini Its also worth noting here that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has fielded AccuLAR-122 pods, which can hold up to 18 122mm rockets, in inventory as an option for its MLRS launchers. Soviet pattern 122mm artillery rockets and similar designs are in widespread use globally, despite the current absence of munitions in this general class in U.S. military arsenals. https://t.co/q6YFAkdZ0a The Army is developing a capability of reducing the diameter of rockets, so a Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, pod can carry up to 30, a dramatic increase from the six-per-pod solutions like the Guided MLRS.P2 is ACCULAR-122 pod of israel. https://t.co/4DmhBSkSe4 pic.twitter.com/3UAznoMPy1— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) October 18, 2024 New launchers able to fire new smaller artillery rockets, as well as existing 227mm types and ATACMS/PrSM missiles, also increasingly look to be on the horizon for the Army, as well as the Marine Corps. The Raytheons recently unveiled launcher and the AML design the Army has been working on for some time now reflect growing interest in uncrewed types. The prototype AML launcher vehicle. US Army The Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher (AML) prototype. US Army There is also the 44 Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires) derived from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which Oshkosh Defense developed primarily for the Marines. ROGUE-Fires variants armed with Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship cruise missiles and Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles are already in Marine Corps service. A version of ROGUE-Fires that can fire munitions from the same pods as the MLRS and HIMARS launchers is in development, as well, and Oshkosh is now pitching it to the Army. A promotional graphic of a ROGUE-Fires vehicle with an MLRS/HIMARS munitions pod. Oshkosh Defense Uncrewed launchers could help expand rocket artillery capacity without the need for significantly larger numbers of personnel. They could also be pushed further forward with less risk to human operators. This could all be particularly valuable in combination with smaller, but shorter-range rockets. New crewed launcher vehicles could be part the equation, as well. Last year, Lockheed Martin also unveiled a new palletized ground-based launcher concept based on the Marine Corps 1010 MKR18 Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) truck and that can be loaded with up to four MLRS/HIMARS munition pods at once. With four pods each loaded with 30 smaller rockets, that system could pack a whopping 120 rounds in total. Lockheed Martins MKR18-based launcher vehicle. US Army Patrick Hunter Additional magazine depth for U.S. rocket artillery launchers, as well as expanding overall rocket artillery capacity both in the Army and the Marine Corps, could be valuable in various future contexts. In addition to engaging targets on land, shore-based launchers could also engage maritime targets relatively close to shore, including incoming waves of landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Launchers loaded with smaller rockets could be mixed in with ones with other payloads, including loitering munitions and anti-ship missiles, to provide an even broader array of effects against a swath of different target types. The computer-generated Army video below depicts a scenario in which HIMARS and AML launcher vehicles engage various targets on land and at sea. Smaller rockets would also allow MLRS, HIMARS, and other launchers, crewed or uncrewed, to conduct high-volume shoot-and-scoot attacks capable. Even a single launcher vehicle loaded with dozens of rockets would be able to saturate a relatively area. The ongoing war in Ukraine has provided particularly pronounced evidence of the immense continued value of rocket and other artillery on modern battlefields. Ukrainian forces have made particularly good use of Western-supplied MLRS and HIMARS launchers firing guided rockets and ATACMS missiles against an array of different targets, including air bases and helicopter landing zones. Smaller rockets could also provide a valuable lower-cost alternative to guided 227mm types and short-range ballistic missiles, in general, for use against certain targets, especially ones at shorter ranges. The average unit cost of a 227mm precision-guided rocket, regardless of specific variant, is around $160,000, according to Army budget documents. The price of each new PrSM, as well as that of the latest variants of ATACMS, is closer to $1.5 million. As it stands now, the Army is at least pushing ahead with plans to add smaller rockets to the arsenals of its existing MLRS and HIMARS launchers. Work now on the JR3 training rockets could provide one potential pathway to that new operational capability. Contact the author: joe@twz.com The post Smaller Rockets To Provide Key Artillery Firepower Boost Sought By Army appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Land, Armies, Artillery, M142 HIMARS, Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), Sea, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps] [Link to media]

— Sale Of Advanced F-16s To The Philippines Moves Forward Amid Deepening U.S. Ties

 

at 4/2/25 11:32am

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 20 F-16C/D Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines, the latest turn in a long-running saga as Manila seeks to revamp its air force. The announcement comes as the United States reinforces military ties with the Southeast Asian country, with a recent visit there by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the forthcoming deployment of U.S. anti-ship and land-attack missile systems for a military drill. The approved Foreign Military Sale package, which has an estimated cost of $5.58 billion, covers 16 single-seat F-16C and four two-seat F-16D versions. As well as the aircraft and engines, the package includes AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR), AN/AAQ-33 Sniper advanced targeting pods, AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield electronic warfare or equivalent systems, Scorpion Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Trackers (HObIT) or Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems II (JHMCS II) helmet-mounted displays, and undisclosed infrared search and track (IRST) systems. A Block 70 F-16. Lockheed Martin The IRST system could be a version of Lockheed Martin’s Legion, a pod-mounted sensor that is also offered in miniaturized form for the F-16 Block 70/72 as the Legion-Embedded System (ES). Legion pods are fitted on the left underside of the forward fuselage, on the chin hardpoint. An alternative could be the Northrop Grumman OpenPod, a modular, open-architecture design, equipped with Leonardo’s SkyWard IRST sensor. This pod might be more likely for export to the Philippines and is notably already used Top Aces, a private adversary air company. An IRST of any kind is especially useful as an additional way of detecting and tracking other aircraft at long ranges, including ones that employ stealth technology to hide from radar. The pod can also provide targeting information so the pilot can engage an enemy passively, without emitting any electromagnetic energy. You can read more about the capabilities that the Legion pod offers here. Air-to-air weapons are set to be provided in the form of up to 112 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and 40 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. Offensive weapons in the package comprise 36 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), 60 Mk 82 500-pound general-purpose bombs, 60 Mk 84 2,000-pound general-purpose bombs, 30 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits for the GBU-38 or GBU-54 Laser JDAM, and 30 kits for GBU-50 Enhanced Paveway II precision-guided bombs. Overall, the total number of munitions included is relatively tiny, for a deal of this kind. At this point, it’s worth noting that the State Department announcement is not final. The quantities of aircraft and other equipment and the costs involved could all change. Potentially, lawmakers could also move to block the deal within the next 30 days, although that is unlikely. A fully armed Block 70 F-16D of the Royal Bahraini Air Force. Bahrain was the first customer to receive the Block 70/72 series jets. U.S Air Force “The proposed sale will enhance the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness and close air support missions and enhance its suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and aerial interdiction capabilities,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. “This sale will also increase the ability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to protect vital interests and territory, as well as expand interoperability with the U.S. forces. The Philippines will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.” Previously, back in 2021, the Philippines had been approved for another F-16 Block 70/72 sale, this time involving 10 F-16Cs and two F-16Ds, valued at a total of $2.43 billion. In the event, the Philippines didn’t proceed with that deal, having only allocated $1.1 billion for the acquisition. Notably, that earlier package didn’t include IRST systems, but the Philippines was approved to buy 12 AGM-84L-1 Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles. The Philippine Air Force retired its veteran fleet of Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighters in 2005. As long ago as the 1990s, efforts were being made to introduce new fighters, but so far the only new jets for the service have been 12 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50PH light combat jets acquired from Seoul. One of those has since crashed. A Philippine Air Force F-5A fighter taxis to its hangar at Basa Air Base before being formally decommissioned on October 1, 2005. JAY DIRECTO/AFP via Getty Images JAY DIRECTO An FA-50PH performs a flypast at Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga province, north of Manila on November 28, 2015. TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images TED ALJIBE The Philippine Air Force’s combat fleet also includes six Embraer A-29B Super Tucano turboprop light attack aircraft. Philippine Air Force Super Tucano light attack aircraft fly by during an airfield seizure exercise as part of the US-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercise at San Vicente Airport in Palawan on May 1, 2024. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP) JAM STA ROSA Compared to anything else in the inventory, the F-16 represents a huge advance in capability, not just in terms of performance, but also in the advanced sensors and precision-guided weaponry it will carry. Currently, for example, the Philippine Air Force doesn’t have any aircraft armed with beyond-visual-range missiles. These, combined with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, will represent a step-change in terms of air-to-air capabilities alone. Last year, the Philippine Secretary of National Defense, Gilberto Teodoro, outlined plans to buy 40 fighter jets as part of a major military modernization effort. Known as Horizon 3, the fighter acquisition would be worth $33.6 billion over the next 10 years, provided it’s fully approved. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) and the Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro speak after a joint press conference following their meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila on March 28, 2025. Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP TED ALJIBE However realistic that plan, it’s clear that Manila is set on rebuilding its armed forces to better face off against the growing Chinese threat in the region. Reflecting the increasing strategic significance that Washington is assigning to the Philippines, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the archipelago nation last week, as part of a wider Indo-Pacific trip. “It’s a strong message to China on solid bilateral relations” between the U.S. and the Philippines,” Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez told The Associated Press, ahead of Hegseth’s visit. On the agenda were joint measures that can be taken to enhance deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea, almost the entirety of which is claimed by China. The Philippines is one of several regional nations that also have overlapping claims on these highly strategic waters. Romualdez also highlighted the possibility of “more significant support” from the United States in this regard. U.S. defense policy in relation to the Philippines has become a more important topic in the last couple of years, as confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in the South China Sea have become increasingly tense. A People’s Liberation Army (PLAN) warship shadows the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cape Engano, during a supply mission to Sabina Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea on August 26, 2024. Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP JAM STA ROSA; JAM STA ROSA In response to clashes between Chinese and Philippine forces in these waters, the previous Biden administration issued repeated warnings to Beijing. These included the fact that the United States is obliged to help defend the Philippines if its ships or aircraft come under armed attack anywhere in the wider region. Such statements from Washington prompt predictably hostile reactions from Beijing, but currently, it seems, the defense relationship between the United States and the Philippines is only set to be reinforced. In addition to the possible sale of F-16s, which would mark a significant advance in capabilities for the Philippine Air Force, Manila’s armed forces are also deeply involved in joint exercises with those of the United States and other allies. The most significant of these drills is the Balikatan exercise, the 2025 edition of which kicks off later this month and which also features forces from Australia and Japan. U.S. Marines with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division, and Philippine Marines with Force Reconnaissance Group, conduct a raid rehearsal during the Balikatan exercise in 2022. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jackson Dukes Cpl. Jackson Dukes The 2025 exercise is especially notable since it will feature two recently inducted types of U.S. missile systems. While the U.S. Army has said it will not conduct live-fire drills of its Typhon in Exercise Balikatan, the deployment of the system to the Philippines is already a big deal and one that has been criticized by China. Typhon was first deployed to the Philippines during last year’s Exercise Salaknib and has remained in the country since then. Typhon can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 multi-purpose missiles. The latest Tomahawk cruise missiles have land attack and anti-ship capabilities, while the SM-6 missiles are intended to be employed primarily against targets ashore and at sea, essentially as a short-range ballistic missile. The Army has also described it in the past as a “strategic” weapon system that would be used against higher-value targets like air defense assets and command and control nodes. A Typhon launcher from Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Long Range Fires Battalion, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, on April 8, 2024. U.S. Army/Capt. Ryan DeBooy With Tomahawk’s range of roughly 1,000 miles, Typhon is highly relevant in this context. From a location in the middle of Northern Luzon in the Philippines, it has more than enough range to reach the southeastern corner of mainland China, as well as Hainan Island with its key naval and other bases. Chinese man-made outposts across the South China Sea would also be within range. Meanwhile, Balikatan will see the U.S. Marine Corps deploy its Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) anti-ship missile system for the first time operationally in the region. The complete NMESIS system consists of the uncrewed Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), also known as the Remotely Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary-Fires (ROGUE-Fires), and a launcher with two ready-to-fire Naval Strike Missiles (NSM). The NSM is a stealthy anti-ship cruise missile with a secondary land-attack capability. The NSM is capable of hitting targets 115 miles away. A Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) anti-ship missile system during trials at the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Hawaii, on August 16, 2021. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Maj. Nick Mannweiler Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler “The more security cooperation, the better,” U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth reflected in a press conference with his Filipino counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, last week. “The more strategic dilemmas for our adversaries, the better.” The inclusion of Typhon and NMESIS in the upcoming Balikatan drills is a very visible indicator of this strategy. As the United States forges expanded defense ties with the Philippines, the likely transfer of F-16s is very much a logical next step. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com The post Sale Of Advanced F-16s To The Philippines Moves Forward Amid Deepening U.S. Ties appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Around The Globe, F-16, Fighters, Indo-Pacific, News & Features, South China Sea] [Link to media]

— New Russian Offensive In Ukraine Looms

 

at 4/1/25 4:19pm

Russia is increasing the pace of attacks in eastern Ukraine ahead of what Ukrainian officials and analysts believe will be a major new offensive designed to give it a better bargaining position in ongoing ceasefire talks. Despite that, Russia has reportedly seen a decrease in the amount of territory it has captured while Ukraine has made incremental gains. “The intensity (of Russian attacks) in the Pokrovsk direction began to increase significantly in the second half of March and reached the level of the end of 2024, when the defense south of the city sometimes simply collapsed,” the Ukrainian DeepState open-source mapping group stated on Telegram Tuesday. About a third of more than 200 clashes across the front lines Tuesday took place in and around Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian military stated. The city is a key logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in the region. Pokrovsk remains the epicenter of fighting in Ukraine. (Google Earth) The uptick comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is planning a new push along a wide swath of the 620-mile front lines. “According to our intelligence, Russia is preparing for new offensives in Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions,” Zelensky said last week. “They are dragging out negotiations and trying to drag the U.S. into endless, meaningless discussions about fake conditions to buy time and then try to seize even more land.” Russian President Vladimir “Putin wants to negotiate territory from a stronger position,” Zelensky added. “He only thinks about war. So, our job — all of us — is defense in the broadest sense of the word.” Today, there was a detailed report by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov — particularly regarding support packages from our partners. Some new good agreements have been reached. There is also an understanding that a new meeting in the “Ramstein” format should take place… pic.twitter.com/DaqWyznKqn— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 28, 2025 “They are preparing offensive actions on the front that should last from six to nine months, almost all of 2025,” Ukrainian military analyst Oleksii Hetman, who has connections to the military’s general staff, told The Associated Press. Any new Russian push would likely be aided by the transfer of tens of thousands of troops from Kursk, where Ukraine has only a limited presence in what used to be a 500-square-mile salient. Meanwhile, Ukraine is also moving troops out of that area, according to the official Russian RIA Novosti news outlet. “The Ukrainian Armed Forces have redeployed four brigades from the Kursk direction to try to hold Pokrovsk and recapture Selidovo and Kurakhovo,” the outlet claimed, citing security forces. Adding to Ukraine’s concerns, Putin has called up 160,000 men aged 18-30. That is Russias highest number of conscripts since 2011, the BBC noted.  “The spring call-up for a years military service came several months after Putin said Russia should increase the overall size of its military to almost 2.39 million and its number of active servicemen to 1.5 million,” the outlet explained. “That is a rise of 180,000 over the coming three years.” Though Vice Adm. Vladimir Tsimlyansky said the new conscripts would not be sent to fight in Ukraine, previous waves of those troops have been deployed on what Russia calls a “Special Military Operation.” While some still entertain the notion that the Russian dictator isnt planning for full war on the European continent, Putin just signed the decree for spring molibilization, growing the army by another 160,000 troops, in addition to the constant influx of contract soldiers.… pic.twitter.com/NOKNa5Ei1y— SPRAVDI — Stratcom Centre (@StratcomCentre) March 31, 2025 Despite increasing its tempo of attacks, Russia has gained the least amount of ground since last July, when Putin’s troops launched their major offensive in the Donbas region, according to DeepState. “Russian troops managed to occupy 133 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in March, stated DeepState, a Ukrainian analytical project that provides updates daily on the current state of the front lines using open-source data. Compared to November, monthly losses of territory have fallen by almost six times.” The slowdown in Russian advances is not the result of a pause ahead of ceasefire negotiations, DeepState posited. “This does not mean that the enemy has sat on its ass and is waiting for a ‘negotiator,’ DeepState suggested. “The [Russians] have resumed offensive operations in several directions.” Regular followers will know that personnel changes, more support and better defences managed to slow the Russian advance.Figures for March, produced by DeepState/Agentstvo show the invaders gained the least amount of ground in 9 months. But, its still the wrong direction. pic.twitter.com/vIwucz5FIu— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) April 1, 2025 The reduction in Russian territorial gains comes as Ukrainian forces have made incremental advances in Donetsk. 2/ Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk.Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 30, 2025: https://t.co/0HFlBEbn1Y pic.twitter.com/OT3L4mneXu— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) March 30, 2025 Ukrainian commanders say constant drone attacks have played a key role, reducing the ability of Russian armor to operate, forcing Putins troops to advance in many cases on motorcycles and by foot in so-called meat waves. An interview details the intense fighting near Pokrovsk, with Russias "meat wave" tactics and drone warfare. Ukrainian forces utilize drones effectively, but face artillery shortages and infantry fatigue. Morale remains crucial amidst heavy combat.https://t.co/xzbnJbCSwK— ArmyInform (@armyinformcomua) April 1, 2025 However, Russian sources, including the Defense Ministry (MoD), said they have imposed heavy casualties on Ukraine. “The Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions,” the Russian MoD claimed on Telegram. “Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of three mechanized brigades, one assault brigade, one infantry brigade, and one jaeger brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Grishino, Shevchenko, Krasnoarmeysk, Novosergeyevka, and Dimitrov.” The continued fighting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump tries to broker a deal between the two sides that would first see a 30-day ceasefire, with the ultimate goal being a peace deal to end this full-on war. The prospects of that seem daunting, which you can read more about later in this piece. The Latest Elsewhere on the battlefield, Ukraine is holding on to small sections of Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions while Putin’s troops have pushed into Sumy Oblast, which borders both. Here are some of the key takeaways from the latest Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessment. Kharkiv: Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Kharkiv direction on March 31 but did not advance. Luhansk: Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions but did not gain ground toward Borova. Donetsk: Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Siversk directions but did not make any confirmed advances. They did gain ground toward Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced in the Toretsk direction.  Zaporizhzhia: Russian forces continued offensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast on March 31 but did not advance. Kherson: Russian forces continued limited offensive operations in the Dnipro direction on March 31 but did not advance. NEW | Russian Occupation Update, March 31: Russian occupation authorities have intensified law enforcement activity in occupied areas of Ukraine since mid-March, likely in part due to Russian President Vladimir Putins March 20 decree ordering Ukrainians living in occupied areas… pic.twitter.com/3zS7PsdydG— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) March 31, 2025 Ukraine received the text of the U.S.s vastly expanded mineral resources deal on March 28 and carried out the first round of consultations with U.S. partners, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 1, the Kyiv Independent reported. However, the issue has reignited the spat between Trump and Zelensky. Ukraine was ready to sign the previously developed framework agreement. Now we have received a proposal for development and a new text of the agreement, Sybiha said at a press conference. I confirm that we have begun consultations with the United States on the text of the agreement. Ukraine is determined to conclude a document that would meet the interests of both countries. The new proposal was put forward by the U.S. Treasury Department and “goes well beyond the initial draft, particularly on future US rights and reimbursement for past assistance,” CNN reported. It would “give the U.S. more access to Kyiv’s rare earth minerals, according to two people familiar with the discussions and a copy of the draft proposal obtained by CNN on Thursday.” The deal would apply to all mineral resources, oil and gas across all of Ukraine, the sources told CNN. It does not, however, include concrete security guarantees in the country’s ongoing war with Russia, one of Ukraine’s main interests. A key part of the proposal “requires Ukrainian enterprises to contribute to a joint U.S.-Ukraine investment fund that would be overseen by a five-person board consisting of three members from Washington and two from Kyiv – prompting concerns that Ukraine would be ceding sweeping control of key assets to the United States,” according to the network.  Ukraine received new US minerals deal draft on March 28, consultations ongoing, FM confirms."Ukraine was ready to sign the previously developed framework agreement," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 1."Now we have received a proposal for development and a new…— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 1, 2025 Over the last two days, Trump has accused Zelensky of trying to back out of the deal, saying he would face “big problems” if he did. He added that Zelensky wanted to tie the deal to NATO membership, which Trump said Zelensky knows wont happen. Zelensky shot back that he would not accept past U.S. support as debt and said the conditions of the deal under negotiation are “constantly changing,” but overall, Ukraine feels positively toward a future agreement. Zelensky: Mineral deal from US is now radically different. Ukraine won’t accept past US military support as debt. Putin fears direct talks with me. France and the UK are ready to send troops. Ukraine will have European intelligence, ammunition reserves 0/ pic.twitter.com/1WNALJdUu1— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) March 28, 2025 One Ukrainian member of parliament slammed the deal. “Just a little more — and they’d offer us slavery, groused MP Oleksiy Movchan. Some conditions in the proposed U.S. mining deal are too harsh, he added. Any cooperation must ensure that profits stay in Ukraine and fund its reconstruction. "Just a little more — and they’d offer us slavery": Ukrainian MP slams U.S. mining deal proposalMP Oleksiy Movchan bluntly said: “Just a little more — and they would have offered us slavery.”Some conditions in the proposed U.S. mining deal are too harsh. Any cooperation… pic.twitter.com/dHqB5Qeu0Z— Devana (@DevanaUkraine) April 1, 2025 Putin suggested placing Ukraine under temporary governance under the U.N. umbrella as part of efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the three-year-old war, CBS News reported. Speaking to the crew of a Russian nuclear submarine in televised remarks broadcast early Friday, Putin reaffirmed his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal, the network stated. Kyiv maintains that elections are impossible to hold amid a war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed putting Ukraine under temporary governance under the U.N. umbrella as part of efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the three-year-old war. https://t.co/ISmrC7X7ve— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 28, 2025 Trump insisted progress was being made in negotiations with Russia over a Ukraine war peace deal, but said that he would consider imposing further sanctions to put pressure on Moscow. Putin has effectively refused a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting, despite Trump’s prodding, The Associated Press noted. Also, a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea that could allow safer shipments “has fallen foul of conditions imposed by Kremlin negotiators.” Russia is holding out on a Black Sea deal in order to “stall efforts toward a general ceasefire and extract additional concessions from the West,” according to an assessment late Monday by the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, the wire service stated. Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian assets in the Black Sea region. Russia is unlikely to agree to a "full ceasefire without any conditions" within three weeks, given that Russia has demanded that the West provide some sanctions relief as a precondition for a temporary Black Sea ceasefire. The United States and Ukraine proposed on March 11… https://t.co/A71astR8QH pic.twitter.com/1aShm9E1UZ— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) April 1, 2025 After meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Finnish President Alexander Stubb offered some observations about the U.S. president’s ongoing negotiations with Putin. “Number one, [Trump] is probably the only person in the world who can mediate the peace between Ukraine and Russia. Why? Because Putin respects and, in many ways, fears Donald Trump,” Stubb told Fox News. “Secondly, the point I had was that we need a ceasefire and we need a date for the ceasefire. And that date should be the twentieth of April. If President Putin, whos the only one not accepting the ceasefire, because Americans want it, the Europeans want it, the Ukrainians want it, if he doesnt oblige by the ceasefire, then we should go for a colossal set of sanctions coming from the United States and Europe. President Stubb: "The discussions I had with President Trump in Florida are basically two very simple messages:Number one, he is probably the only person in the world who can mediate the peace between Ukraine and Russia. Why? Because Putin respects and, in many ways, fears… https://t.co/KnIkHtXrPZ pic.twitter.com/T768DZp1O0— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 1, 2025 Outgoing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning, on the heels of Berlin promising a further €130 million ($140 million) in aid for Ukraine, the German DW publication reported. Baerbock warned the U.S. not to be misled by what she described as “stalling tactics by the Kremlin, DW noted, adding that Trump “has made repeated concessions to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but that has yet to yield results at the negotiating table.” At the upcoming meeting of NATO foreign ministers, we will make it clear to the American side that we should not engage with Putins stalling tactics, Baerbock said. It is Putin who is playing for time, does not want peace and continues his illegal war of aggression.” During a surprise visit to #Ukraine today, Germanys Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock pledged another €130 million in humanitarian aid and stabilization funds to Ukraine.In a press statement, she said, among other things, that Putin is only simulating a… pic.twitter.com/Yl7CD9vbMS— German Aid to Ukraine (@deaidua) April 1, 2025 Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the NATO foreign ministers meeting to “discuss security priorities for the Alliance, including increased Allied defense investment and securing lasting peace in Ukraine,” department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters. “Secretary Rubio will also discuss the shared threat of China to the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific alliances at a NATO session with representatives of the Indo-Pacific Partners.  Lastly, the Secretary will discuss plans for The Hague Summit this summer.” US Secretary of Stat Rubio is heading back to Europe to meet with his NATO counterparts with the focus on Ukraine.https://t.co/U6T9vEHKfd— KyivPost (@KyivPost) April 1, 2025 Despite diplomatic efforts to end mutual attacks on power infrastructure, Sybiha said Russian forces struck an energy facility in the city of Kherson Tuesday morning, leaving tens of thousands of residents cut off from the power grid.  After [talks in] Riyadh, one of the agreements with the US was to refrain from attacks on energy infrastructure,” Sybiha said. “However, Russia continues to violate this agreement. Energy facilities in the cities of Kherson and Kharkiv and Poltava Oblast have already been damaged. And this morning, another Russian strike damaged an energy facility in Kherson, leaving 45,000 residents cut off from the power grid. Moscow has “claimed that its side of the energy ceasefire has been in effect since March 18, when Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly declared a halt on such attacks following a call with U.S. President Donald Trump,”  the Kyiv Independent noted. “In spite of this, Russian forces also reportedly attacked Khersons energy infrastructure on March 27, violating the terms of the U.S.-brokered limited ceasefire.” Russia: “We don’t strike energy infrastructure.” Reality: 45,000 people in Kherson just lost power.This morning, Russia violated yet another agreement and hit a critical energy facility in Kherson. 45,000 civilians are now without electricity.Hitting the power grid isn’t a… pic.twitter.com/CZMfQRouWU— Devana (@DevanaUkraine) April 1, 2025 Ukrainian officials did not say what Russia used to strike the Kherson power facility. However, Moscow did not launch a Shahed drone attack Tuesday against Ukraine for just the second time this year, the Ukrainian Militarnyi news outlet reported. “It is currently unknown what caused this step by the aggressor country,” the outlet reported. “The last time there were reports about the absence of Shahed drones in Ukrainian airspace was on March 14 this year.” Prior to that, the last time there were no Shahed drone attacks was Oct. 14, 2024, according to the Ukrainian War Monitor X account. Still, Russia has launched thousands of drone attacks. In its monthly report, the Ukrainian Air Force stated that during March 2025, the air defense of the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed 4,043 enemy aerial targets. Головне на ранок 01.04.25Вночі ворог не запускав ударні БпЛА.Останній раз ніч минула без ворожих дронів 14 березня цього року, а до того — 14 жовтня 2024-го.Впродовж ночі ворог активно застосовував планеруючі авіаційні бомби (КАБ) по прикордонню Сумщини, Запорізькій…— monitor (@war_monitor_ua) April 1, 2025 Speaking of Shaheds, Ukraine has recovered one of these drones containing cardboard inside instead of a warhead. Ukrainian drone expert Serhii Flash suggests that the most likely reason is that Russia is using these drones as decoys. Russia has been using drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and get them to use up valuable and limited effectors. Sometimes the Russians use "Shahed" drones without a warhead. Instead of warheads they use plywood disks.For the time the reason is unknown.https://t.co/ED6GosWHlg pic.twitter.com/rJCwCPO8Y7— ??? ???? ????????△ (@TheDeadDistrict) March 29, 2025 The Netherlands is financing a large-scale drone project for Ukraine, the Netherlands Defense Ministry (MoD) announced.  “This should help Ukraine to be able to stop Russian attacks at the front,” the MoD stated. “The Netherlands is releasing €500 million (about $540 million) for this, the Netherlands Defense Ministry announced. “This is part of the €2 billion (about $2.16 billion) acceleration package in support for 2025.” The Netherlands is allocating €500 million to ramp up drone production for Ukraine — part of a fast-tracked €2 billion support package for 2025. Thank you for your support! pic.twitter.com/ZE8NQ8DhBb— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) March 31, 2025 The Ukrainian Army will receive 15,000 uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV) this year, according to the director of the procurement department of the Ministry of Defense, Gleb Kanevsky. While a number of variants have already been fielded, the use of these systems is still in the early stages, Kanevsky told the Ukrainian Ekonomichna Pravda news outlet. The UGVs are largely used for the transportation of equipment, supplies, wounded and weapons, he noted. “Why is Ukraine not using robotic platforms against the Russians on a large scale? The first reason is that most robots are still technologically immature,” Kanevsky explained. “The platform must have reliable communication because it can be easily lost due to terrain distortions or other obstacles. The robot must be cross-country, that is, not get stuck in grass, snow, sand, and mud. At the same time, it must be relatively cheap, because it is a consumable.” The second reason “is that the army has not yet learned to use them effectively,” Kanevsky suggested. “The military must understand the capabilities of robots and correctly lay routes. At the same time, most units have not yet had enough time to develop tactics and determine what characteristics ground robots should have.” https://www.kyivpost.com/post/49960 Speaking of Ukrainian UGVs, after a Russian T-90M Breakthrough tank recently stopped after becoming entangled in barbed wire, Ukrainian ground drones encircled it with more barbed wire overnight in an apparent attempt to further immobilize it. Unequal Battle T-90M Breakthrough vs Barbed Wire.The tank got tangled in a wire fence, dragged it a dozen meters and stopped. And it looks like overnight, ground drones quickly deployed new barbed wire around the tank to cover a potentially vulnerable spot. pic.twitter.com/DPKje2ZNoX— Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) March 30, 2025 The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) released a video compilation of its first-person view drones (FPV) launching attacks on Russian equipment in Crimea. GUR stated that the video shows the drones dodging Russian air defenses to strike a Project 03160 Raptor class high-speed coastal vessel and a Project 02510, or BK-16 high-speed assault boat. The FPV drones also struck a Russian “TOR-M2” anti-aircraft missile system, GUR claimed. Earlier this month, GUR released a video compilation it said showed FPV drones, launched from uncrewed surface vessels, attacking Russian air defense systems and other equipment in Crimea. You can read more about that here. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR MO) released a new video compilation from strikes with FPV drones on Russian military targets in the area of the Crimean Peninsula.These targets include BK-16 high-speed assault boats, as well as the… pic.twitter.com/91Ske4bc1h— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) April 1, 2025 Ukraine released a full image showing one of its latest ground-based so-called ‘FrankenSAMs,’ a cobbled together surface-to-air missile system. The system, set up on a donated Humvee, uses repurposed Soviet-era heat-seeking R-73 air-to-air missiles as interceptors. You can read more about it in our story here. At the time of writing that piece, what the vehicle was being used for wasnt known. Now we know it is a Humvee. A first look at one of Ukraines newest short-range air defense systems: a pair of R-73 air-to-air missiles mounted to a US-supplied HMMWV. Turns what was previously an Osa-only system into an extremely lightweight, mobile anti-drone platform. pic.twitter.com/zNd5I5JPNh— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 28, 2025 A Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 carried out a “pinpoint strike” on a Russian command post in Kherson Oblast with two Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range precision-guided bombs (JDAM-ERs), according to Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov. The attack “neutralized the ‘high-ranking’ officer corps along with equipment on one of the enemys unmanned launch pads in the Oleshky air defense zone, Kherson region,” the Ukrainian Sunflower Telegram channel stated. “Such strikes deprive enemy forces of clear control, and also significantly demoralize the military. No leadership no landing on our islands.” Kherson Oblast, a pair of Ukrainian JDAM-ER guided bombs, fused as bunker busters, slam through the roof of a Russian command bunker, detonating inside. The strike reportedly eliminated a number of Russian officers running operations near Kherson City. pic.twitter.com/J9yUSgDgj2— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 1, 2025 Speaking at an Atlantic Council event focused on Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) insisted that their repatriation be part of any peace deal.  Any peace agreement thats being talked about right now has to include returning these kidnapped children, Grassley stated, adding that those rescued, say they were placed in camps and constantly bombarded with Russian propaganda to make them forget who they are.” Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “international watchdogs and human rights organizations have tracked more than 19,000 Ukrainian children illegally abducted by Russia and relocated to Russia, Belarus, and temporarily Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine,” the Atlantic Council stated. “Under Russian captivity, Ukrainian children have reportedly been subject to frequent abuse, forced adoption, and compulsory ‘re-education’—all part of a Moscow-led effort to indoctrinate children and erase Ukrainian identity. "Rescued [Ukrainian] kids say they were placed in camps and constantly bombarded with Russian propaganda to make them forget who they are," says @ChuckGrassley at our event with @AtlanticCouncil."Any peace agreement thats being talked about right now has to include returning… pic.twitter.com/ZAx6JGN6ts— Razom for Ukraine (@razomforukraine) March 31, 2025 The Ukrainian Birds of Magyar drone unit displayed their FPV drone skills, flying one into a Russian base and taking out sleeping Russian soldiers. The operator of a night FPV drone of the "Birds of Magyar" unit flew into a Russian base where at that very moment Russian infantrymen were sleeping in sleeping bags. pic.twitter.com/omi0FMV6Qt— Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) March 24, 2025 Last week, Russia destroyed an iconic restaurant set in a replica of a wooden sailing ship during a bombardment of the Ukrainian vacation resort city of Dnipro. Moments ago, Russia bombed a vacation resort in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, setting the area, including the resort restaurants replica wooden sailing ship, ablaze. pic.twitter.com/UbXK79rmBi— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 28, 2025 In the wake of a Russian operation to recapture the Kursk city of Sudzha by having its troops crawl through a gas pipeline, a replica has been set up allowing people to crawl through. You can read more about that operation in our initial story here. The Kremlin has created pipe hysteria across Russia, with Russians lining up to crawl through the replica of the gas pipeline in which around 800 Russian soldiers were sent to their deaths in last months failed military operation near Suzdha.Pop songs, cartoons, all to paint… pic.twitter.com/w2jS9RRHVX— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) March 28, 2025 Putin signed a decree on March 20 ordering all Ukrainians in occupied territory to either obtain Russian citizenship or leave by Sept. 10. If they don’t leave within 90 days, they’ll be forcibly deported. The decree has apparently led to an increase in Russian law enforcement activities. BREAKING:Putin signs decree ordering all Ukrainians to either obtain Russian citizenship or leave the occupied territories by September 10th.If they don’t leave within 90 days, they’ll be forcibly deportedHe’s forcing them to choose between their homes and their citizenship pic.twitter.com/3wQ7mqV4Qo— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 20, 2025 Thats it for now. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com The post New Russian Offensive In Ukraine Looms appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: News & Features, Around The Globe, Europe, Russia, Ukraine] [Link to media]

— New AIM-120E Variant Of AMRAAM Air-To-Air Missile Hinted At By USAF

 

at 4/1/25 4:07pm

There are signs that a new AIM-120E variant of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) may now be in development. Hints that work on the AIM-120E is underway came after the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) put out a notice yesterday regarding a sole-source contract that it had awarded to Raytheon (now formally known as RTX) earlier in March. Raytheon is the current prime contractor for the AIM-120 family, the newest known variant of which is the AIM-120D-3. Within the U.S. military, the U.S. Air Force is the lead service for the joint AMRAAM program. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are also users of these combat-proven missiles. A US Navy F/A-18 fires an AIM-120 during a test. Raytheon The deal in question, valued at just under $95 million if all options are exercised, is for the procurement of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Risk Reduction Processor Upgrade for Mission Alliance Risk Reduction, according to AFLCMC. No further details about this particular upgrade were provided in the notice, and it appears to be unrelated to any forthcoming AIM-120E variant. Raytheon will produce and sustain the AIM-120 missile variants and associated configurations for US customers, and variants/associated configurations authorized for release to Foreign Military Sales (FMS), notes a redacted Justification & Approval (J&A) document that AFLCMC released along with the contract award announcement and that dates back to 2018. This J&A excludes any potential next generation variants developed after the AIM-120D (i.e. AIM-120E and beyond). In many cases, U.S. military contracting offices (and those elsewhere across the U.S. government) must justify the need for a sole-source contract and receive approval before moving ahead without a traditional competitive bidding process. TWZ reached out to AFLCMC earlier today to clarify whether the AIM-120E designation mentioned in the J&A document reflected a real development effort and, if so, what that might entail, or if this was simply a notional designation for a future AMRAAM variant. We don’t have any details that we can provide at this time, an AFLCMC spokesperson told us flatly in response. Whether or not any future AIM-120E variant might represent a substantial departure from existing AIM-120s is unknown. The Air Force, as well as the Navy, are now required by law to explore whether extended-range variants or derivatives of the AIM-120 and the AIM-9X Sidewinder could help both services meet their future air-to-air missile needs. AIM-9X and AIM-120 missiles on a trailer. USAF In particular, a new longer-range version of the AMRAAM could help bridge the gap between existing types and large-scale fielding of the forthcoming AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). The AIM-260 will have the same general form factor as the AIM-120, in large part to make it easier for existing F-22 Raptors and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to carry them in their internal bays. As of 2019, the goal was for JATM to start entering service in 2022. However, there are no indications that this has occurred despite continued active testing of the missile, including live-fire shots. A rendering of the AIM-260 that the US Air Force has confirmed reflects the real design now in development. USN The Navy has also now fielded, at least on a limited level, another very-long-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-174B, which is an air-launched version of the multi-purpose surface-launched Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). You can learn more about the AIM-174B here. Both the AIM-260 and AIM-174B are highly classified, and additional U.S. military air-to-air missile development work is likely to be ongoing in that realm, as well. Its also worth noting that Raytheon has already developed an AMRAAM-Extended Range (AMRAAM-ER) derivative, which combines elements of the AIM-120 and the surface-to-air RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). The AMRAAM-ER, which has also sometimes been referred to by the designation AIM-120ER, was designed for surface-to-air use as part of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). Raytheon developed NASAMS, which can fire regular AIM-120s, as well as AIM-9Xs and IRIS-T missiles, together with Norways Kongsberg Defense. The idea of an air-launched AMRAAM-ER was put forward at least as far back as 2021, but what progress, if any, may have been made since then in turning that concept into a reality is unclear. What changes would be required to allow for the missile to be internally carried by a stealthy jet like an F-35 is also not clear. The speed and altitude of an aerial launch platform offer benefits when firing any missile, especially when it comes to range and end-game kinematic performance. Extending the air-to-air reach of U.S. combat aircraft is a particular priority at present. Chinas development of increasingly longer-range air-to-air missiles was a key factor in the decision to start developing the AIM-260. There are concerns now that anti-air missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 miles could be part of the threat ecosystem facing U.S. forces by 2050. When the baseline AIM-120D variant arrived in the mid-2010s, it already offered a significant boost in capability over previous AIM-120 types, including greater range and a two-way datalink with third-party targeting capabilities. In 2021, an F-15C Eagle fighter shot down a target drone with an AIM-120D in what the Air Force described at the time as “the longest known air-to-air missile shot to date. An F-15C Eagle fires an AMRAAM. USAF The AIM-120D-3 version offers further improvements, including enhanced seeker performance, and incorporates a new System Improvement Program 3F (SIP-3F) operational flight software upgrade. You can read more about the D-3 here. Multiple follow-on SIPs are planned to provide AIM-120D-3 updates to enhance missile performance and resolve deficiencies, the Pentagons Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) said in its most recent annual report, which it released in January. A SIP-4 upgrade is already in the works for the D-3, the report notes. Further SIP software updates and other more incremental improvements could be enough to warrant a new designation. The original AIM-120D evolved from a subvariant upgrade effort for the AIM-120C. The AIM-120C-8 subvariant that was subsequently developed for export customers is also understood to have capabilities that are very close to that of the baseline D version. Raytheon The Air Force even just talking about the potential for an AIM-120E variant as far back as 2018 underscores the expectation that versions of the AIM-120 will remain in service for decades to come, even with the introduction of new missiles like the AIM-174B and the future AIM-260. Still-expanding exports of AMRAAMs for air-to-air and air-to-surface use, including now to Ukraine, are also likely to continue driving interest in further improving the design. Whatever the current state of any work on an AIM-120E variant might be, AMRAAM is already a key component of the United States air-to-air arsenal, as well as that of many of its allies and partners. Contact the author: joe@twz.com The post New AIM-120E Variant Of AMRAAM Air-To-Air Missile Hinted At By USAF appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-260, Air Force Munitions, Air Forces, Air-To-Air, News & Features, U.S. Air Force] [Link to media]

— F-47 Fighter Program Could See Multiple Versions Built In Increments

 

at 4/1/25 2:43pm

Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter may just be “Increment 1” of the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned combat jet initiative. This is according to the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Andrew Hunter, who had a major hand in the program up until the end of the Biden administration. Alongside the former Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, Hunter spoke on the latest edition of the Defense & Aerospace Report’s Air Power Podcast. You can also read our previous run-down of the main revelations that came to pass in what was a wide-ranging discussion on the F-47 and the related NGAD initiative, here. The then-Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, center, along with Andrew Hunter, center left, the then-Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology Logistics, meet with Air Marshal Richard Knighton, U.K. Ministry of Defence Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, at RAF Fairford, England, in July 2022. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Eugene Oliver Staff Sgt. Eugene Oliver Stressing that the competition for the NGAD manned combat jet, won by Boeing, was “structured in a way to encourage […] creativity,” Hunter remarked that the F-47, now under contract for development, represents “Increment 1,” noting that the program is based around the concept of there being future increments beyond this. As a result, the competition for the NGAD combat jet wasn’t designed to be “all or nothing,” rather, the winner will likely receive an eventual production contract for “roughly” 100 aircraft, after which “there will be other orders coming down the pike.” In the past, Kendall had repeatedly stated that the crewed component of NGAD will be made up of around 200 aircraft. Intriguingly, a very similar concept is already taking shape for the Air Force’s CCA program. Anduril and General Atomics are currently developing designs as part of Increment 1, with these now designated as the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, respectively. Service officials have said they could ultimately buy between 100 and 150 Increment 1 CCAs, and multiple thousands of drones across all of the program’s eventual increments. Increment II is already on the horizon, for instance. A composite rendering of the CCA designs that General Atomics (top) and Anduril (bottom) are currently developing, along with their new formal designations. General Atomics/Anduril/TWZ Hunter’s words seem to suggest that all might not be lost for Lockheed Martin, which was beaten to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract by Boeing’s F-47 design. Perhaps there could even be a way back into the program in a leading position for Northrop Grumman, which announced what it described as a voluntary withdrawal from the NGAD combat jet competition in 2023. On the other hand, Hunter also indicated that Northrop Grumman was in line to be ejected from competition before that point, which might well adversely impact its future prospects here. Of course, whether either of these companies could take on a central role in the manned NGAD initiative via future increments involving different designs is questionable, with further developments of the F-47 looking to be a more realistic path to achieving the kinds of goals that Hunter refers to. It’s also worth noting that these companies can still become (and likely will, at least to some degree) subcontractors to the prime contractor on the program. A rendering of a notional NGAD-type combat jet presented in a Northrop Grumman promotional video back in 2021. Northrop Grumman screencap Clearly, however, Hunter sees different increments as being a part of the program for the NGAD combat jet, although “time will tell how many increments ever get built.” As for how those future increments may look, Hunter didn’t reveal any more details. Although he noted that “both designs were quite creative,” it seems that Boeing’s one for the F-47 may have been somewhat bolder and more innovative than that from rival Lockheed Martin. Hunter said that, in general, incumbent contractors (in this case, Lockheed Martin, already building the F-35) can often appear more risk-averse than challengers. The “incentives may have been stronger for Boeing. In some ways, they needed to win this one more than Lockheed did,” Hunter added. Between them, Hunter and Kendall did give a few impressions of what the F-47 will likely consist of, which could help provide an idea of how it might be adapted for further increments in the future. Overall, it seems the F-47 follows the basic philosophy of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. As Kendall explained it, the F-47 will primarily be an “F-22-like long-range air superiority focused aircraft, designed for power projection, and designed to go against the most stressing threats that we have.” A pair of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters turn on final approach to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. U.S. Air Force On top of this, the F-47 will, from the outset, be equipped for the “quarterback role,” in which it will control uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs). Further iterations of the NGAD combat jet could still have these qualities, but they might yet add more. Alternatively, the future iterations might emerge as less complex, cheaper designs, intended to maximize ‘combat mass,’ rather than offer the very highest level of penetrating air superiority capabilities. The ramifications of a lower-cost NGAD combat jet are something that we explored in depth when this same topic was brought up by Kendall last summer. Interestingly, this latter option would also seem to chime with the idea of an export-configured F-47, something that President Donald Trump referred to when he announced Boeing’s win. Trump said that U.S. allies “are calling constantly” with a view to obtaining an export version of the NGAD fighter. He said that the United States would be selling them to “certain allies … perhaps toned-down versions. We’d like to tone them down about 10 percent, which probably makes sense, because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?” U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting to announce the F-47 sixth-generation fighter jet in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and General David Allvin also attended the meeting. Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images The Washington Post As we pointed out at the time, getting the F-47 cleared for export, even in a downgraded version, could be a challenge, even more so than it was for the F-22. Kendall was generally circumspect about the chances of an F-47 export version. “I would be very surprised if any of our partners were prepared to pay that unit cost for a new aircraft,” he said, in reference to the price tag of the basic F-47. Kendall says the F-47’s unit cost is expected to be at least twice that of an F-35, or in the $160 million to $180 million range, based on publicly available information. In the past he has mentioned this new aircraft costing up to around three times that of existing designs, or upwards of $300 million. It’s not clear what changed that would result in lowering his original estimate. “Another factor right now, of course, is that the attitude we’ve taken towards our allies is driving a lot of them to rethink their degree of cooperation and commitment and reliance on us sources for equipment,” Kendall added. He was referring to the growing schisms between the United States and certain NATO allies, increasingly worried about Washington’s commitment to mutual defense and its overall reliability as a strategic partner. Kendall also raised a question about the viability of a “toned-down version” of the F-47, based on the requirements of prospective customers: “I think, going forward, there are a number of things that will make it problematic for international sales of the F-47. One of them is going to be the statement that was made about lowering capability. You know, we basically have very close allies traditionally, and we share some of the best of our capabilities with them, because we have a lot of trust in them. This administration doesn’t seem to be taking that point of view.” A rendering of the F-47 fighter jet in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025. Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images The Washington Post On the other hand, U.S. allies might be more willing to buy a somewhat downgraded NGAD crewed fighter if it were to be notably cheaper. Different future iterations of the NGAD combat jet could offer one way of achieving that. For now, we don’t know what “Increment 2” and beyond might look like, or even if the Air Force will find space and funds for them. However, it’s worth noting that this is not the first time that fielding multiple variations of the NGAD fighter has been proposed. Back in 2021, TWZ reported on how the Air Force was apparently looking at fielding long- and shorter-range versions of the NGAD combat jet, optimized for operations in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters, respectively. One of the first renderings of the Boeing F-47. U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force At a House Armed Services Committee hearing regarding the Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request, Gen. James M. Holmes, the former head of Air Combat Command, brought up the idea of two distinct versions of the NGAD fighter component, an ‘Indo-Pacific version’ optimized for long-range/heavy-payload missions and one with shorter range sufficient for the European theater of operations. At the very least, it would appear that a different wing planform would be required for each jet to meet these goals. These different configurations could make the ‘European version’ a bit cheaper to buy, although savings might be offset by the need for different support infrastructure, with a knock-on effect on concepts of deployment and operation. It was later said that this concept had been dropped from where the Air Force was headed with the NGAD fighter program. But nevertheless, an iterative approach to the NGAD fighter jet could revive such an idea and make it a reality. At the same time, there would still be some significant commonality between different NGAD fighter increments regardless of the base airframe configuration. Having the aircraft’s subsystems and software identical across different increments would help reduce risk, increase commonality, and drive down costs. Furthermore, the broader NGAD family of systems —  radars, infrared search and track systems (IRST), electronic support measures, electronic warfare capabilities, engines, communications architecture, weapons, and more — would be the same. The Navy NGAD program, too, features a lot of commonality with the Air Force equivalent, especially when it comes to the elements mentioned here. Another F-47 rendering. U.S. Air Force In the past, TWZ considered whether the Air Force might choose a highly modular design to achieve different versions of the fighter, although Hunter’s more recent words would seem to suggest at least the possibility of more distinct iterations, which might not even be from the same manufacturer. Even before this point, there was a broader discussion about a more rapid development of new fighter designs, something that now seems to be reflected in Hunter’s outline of NGAD combat jet iterations. Most prominently, Hunter’s predecessor as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Will Roper, championed the so-called ‘Digital Century Series.’ Under this approach, new fighters were to be developed at increments of up to one every five years. Limiting service life to reduce cost and increase iterative production was also a major potential component of such a vision. The idea was always highly ambitious, as we have discussed before, but it was also always expected to play a central part in the NGAD program. Hunter’s words could imply that, at least in some small part, this may now be the case. But it still seems highly unlikely that we will ever see all-new crewed fighter designs being churned out at such a prodigious rate. Dr. Will Roper, in 2019, when he served as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology Logistics. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Trujillo Staff Sgt. Chad Trujillo Overall, from what we know so far about the F-47, this component of the NGAD ‘family of systems’ does sound like it will be primarily a Raptor successor for the high-end fight, albeit one that is superior across its capabilities and which adds new functions such as drone-controller. However, the words of the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics do at least point to thinking around additional versions of the NGAD combat jet. Perhaps the most likely scenario will involve successive production batches of the same basic F-47 design, but incorporating certain changes. Whether such designs will actually be realized remains to be seen, but for now, this is another tantalizing potential aspect of a program that is slowly starting to emerge from the shadows. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com The post F-47 Fighter Program Could See Multiple Versions Built In Increments appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Air Forces, F-47, Fighters, NGAD, U.S. Air Force] [Link to media]

— China’s KD-21 Air-Launched Ballistic Missile Appears To Be Operational

 

at 4/1/25 12:14pm

China’s KD-21 air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM), a shadowy weapon that is widely seen as part of the country’s rapidly developing anti-shipping armory, appears to now be in operational service. The missile, carried by the H-6K bomber, first appeared when it made an official public debut at Airshow China in Zhuhai in November 2022. Until now, however, it had not been confirmed as being carried by aircraft assigned to a frontline unit. Imagery has emerged showing an H-6K aircraft assigned to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) 10th Bomber Division, carrying a pair of KD-21 missiles under its center-wing pylons. The images, which appear to have been taken during a recent military drill, were brought to our attention by Andreas Rupprecht, a long-term observer of Chinese military aviation and a TWZ contributor. A PLAAF H-6K taxies with KD-21 missiles under the wings. via Chinese Internet The 10th Bomber Division’s 29th Air Regiment, part of the strategically highly important Eastern Theater Command, flies the H-6K from Anqing, in Anhui province. The aircraft wear codes in the 20x1x sequence, matching those in the images. Another view of a PLAAF H-6K armed with KD-21s. via Chinese Internet Turning to the KD-21, when this was first identified at Airshow China in 2022, the missile had ‘2PZD-21’ stenciled on the side. You can read more about its surprise debut here. One of the inert ‘2PZD-21’ missiles under the right wing of the H-6K at Zhuhai in November 2022. via Chinese Internet 杰哥很狗仔Video of the H-6K carrying an air launched ballistic missile, arrives at the Zhuhai airshowPossibly capable of targeting moving ships pic.twitter.com/SAUy0pYHTZ— Zhao DaShuai 东北进修 (@zhao_dashuai) November 3, 2022 Overall, the ALBM concept is far from new, with designs dating back to the Cold War, although they are currently seeing something of a renaissance, with multiple nations around the globe now pursuing their capabilities. At one point, it was suggested that the designation YJ-21 was applied to the missile, but it now appears to be known as the KD-21. Intriguingly, the KD-series designation refers to a land-attack missile, rather than an anti-ship missile (YJ-series). The missile appeared again in a video published in May of 2024, showing an apparent test launch from an H-6K. 5月1日メーデー特番内に登場したH-6K爆撃機。2PZD-21 ALBMの実弾発射シーンがあります。 pic.twitter.com/68uxH3Eazz— お砂糖wsnbn (@sugar_wsnbn) May 1, 2024 pic.twitter.com/VgNefRF9TG— Húrin (@Hurin92) May 1, 2024 The KD-21 is, however, only the latest in a series of Chinese ALBMs. These have tended to be considered primarily as anti-ship weapons — often referred to as ‘carrier-killers’ based on their likely high-priority targets, but they can be used against many ship types. Pursuing various ALBMs optimized for the anti-shipping role also fits with their use as part of China’s fast-evolving anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy. The KD-21 designation, combined with the fact that the missile is being issued, at first to the PLAAF, suggests that it might be primarily intended for land attack, rather than anti-shipping. As such, the KD-21 might be closer in concept to the Russian Kinzhal (known in the West as the AS-24 Killjoy). This is a weapon that is launched from adapted MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Kinzhal, which has been described, somewhat misleadingly, as a hypersonic missile, has been used by Russia in Ukraine, although it seems to have only achieved mixed success. There have been reports that Kinzhal can also be used as an anti-ship weapon, although this remains unconfirmed. A Russian MiG-31 armed with a Kinzhal missile on the centerline. Russian Ministry of Defense Another potential parallel with Kinzhal is the KD-21’s possible origins in a surface-launched weapon. While the Russian ALBM is an air-launched development of the Iskander short-range ballistic missile, the KD-21 looks like it might be an adaptation of the CM-401 anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM), otherwise launched from a truck or ship. The CM-401 can also strike static land targets and reportedly has a terminal speed of between Mach 4 and 6. A mockup of a CM-401 on display at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2018. In the background is the truck-based launcher. via Chinese Internet As we have discussed before, whether the air-launched KD-21 is intended primarily to strike land or maritime targets — or both — the fact that it now seems to be in operational service is significant. Whatever the target set, ALBMs are notably difficult to defend against. Like many ballistic missiles, ALBMs arrive at their target with a hypersonic or near-hypersonic terminal velocity and a steep angle of descent. While this is hard enough to intercept, an added problem comes when the missile also maneuvers dynamically during the terminal attack phase. The lessons of the Ukraine war suggest that ALBMs like Kinzhal are not immune to interception by high-end air defense systems. However, in the context of a future confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific region, the KD-21 would be just one element with a layered and complex A2/AD strategy. Not only would ALBMs arrive in considerable numbers, but they could also be accompanied by other types of missiles, ballistic and cruise, as well as drone strikes. A close-up of an insert version of the KD-21 missile at Zhuhai in 2022. via Chinese Internet Already, China can call upon a huge arsenal of ground-launched ballistic missiles, but having ALBMs delivered by H-6 provides a much greater reach and the possibility of more dynamic, less predictable targeting. In its surface-launched form, the CM-401 has a reported range of a little over 180 miles, which will be extended when launched from the air. Meanwhile, the H-6K is understood to have a range of 3,700 miles. Certain examples are also equipped with probes so they can be refueled in flight, allowing them to range as far as the coast of Alaska, for example. There are meanwhile suggestions that the basic CM-401 might be able to hit targets at much greater ranges, by using a ‘porpoising’ or ‘skip-glide’ trajectory. This involves the warhead pulling up into a steep climb at least once as it begins the terminal stage of its flight. In the case of the CM-401, this could potentially boost its range to around 600 miles. This kind of trajectory also makes it even trickier to intercept. A Chinese graphic showing a ballistic missile with the ‘porpoising’ or skip-glide trajectory associated with the CM-401. via Chinese Internet Clearly, a missile like this, whether being used against targets on land or at sea, could play a significant role in scenarios involving Taiwan. Even when launched from over the coast of the Chinese mainland, the KD-21 would be able to threaten targets on Taiwan’s eastern coast. By firing these missiles from other vectors, Taiwan’s problem of defending air bases, command centers, and other key military targets would be exacerbated. Elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific theater, the KD-21 could be used to strike critical enemy installations along the First Island Chain and further out into the Pacific. An official video from China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force showing H-6 bombers taking part in a simulated attack on Andersen Air Force Base on Guam: Overall, having H-6s equipped to deliver smaller, more numerous ALBMs — potentially against ships — makes them a very unpredictable threat to any potential adversaries. In particular, the H-6K/KD-21 provides an alternative where otherwise a longer-range ground-launched ballistic missile would be needed. Meanwhile, the KD-21 is not the only ASBM available to the H-6. There is at least one larger and longer-range weapon known by the Western codename CH-AS-X-13, which may carry the Chinese designation KF-21. You can read more about it here. Due to its size, the missile is carried semi-recessed on the centerline of the fuselage of the H-6N variant. According to a Pentagon assessment, this weapon is likely available in nuclear-capable and conventionally armed versions. Potentially, there exist two further variants of the missile, one with a warhead similar to the land-based DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, and another that may be topped with a hypersonic glide vehicle upper stage similar to that on the DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile. An embedded Tweet with one of the best videos we have seen so far of the much larger CH-AS-X-13 ALBM: Other sources indicate at least two sub-variants of the same weapon, differing in their warhead types. The first variant is thought to feature a ‘double-cone’ type tip, similar to that found on the land-based DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, while the second variant may feature a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) upper stage similar to that on the DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile. 空军轰6N挂载空射弹道导弹视频 pic.twitter.com/S4r03bcgK0— lqy (@lqy99021608) April 19, 2022 For now, the apparent operational fielding of the KD-21 further underscores the continued importance of more modern versions of the H-6, the original design of which dates back to the 1950s. At the same time, the weapon reflects China’s continued effort to expand and increasingly diversify its already potent missile armory, with a notable focus on ALBMs. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com The post China’s KD-21 Air-Launched Ballistic Missile Appears To Be Operational appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Air Forces, Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles, Air-Launched Hypersonic Missiles, Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles, Bombers, H-6 Bomber, Naval Munitions, People's Liberation Army Air Force (China), Sea] [Link to media]

— B-2 Spirits Amassed On Diego Garcia Underscore Hardened Aircraft Shelter Debate

 

at 4/1/25 11:11am

Last week, a large force of B-2 Spirit bombers and other supporting assets deployed to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which TWZ was first to report on. The unprecedented stealth bomber deployment comes amid growing U.S. threats to the regime in Tehran, as well as stepped-up strikes on their Houthi proxies in Yemen. Now, according to a recent report from The Telegraph, Iranian officials are exploring options for preemptive strikes on Diego Garcia or at least a show of force aimed near the island. The mounting tensions and high-profile B-2 deployment offer a new and particularly pronounced data point in the already heated debate over whether the U.S. military should be investing more in new hardened aircraft shelters and other fortified air base infrastructure amid rapidly evolving standoff aerial attack threats. A satellite image from Planet Labs taken today that TWZ has reviewed shows six B-2s, as well as six other large aircraft that could include tankers, cargo planes, and other types, parked in the open at the airfield on Diego Garcia. Another Planet Labs image from March 29 shows four B-2s and six KC-135 tankers parked on the apron, as well as three of the bases four specially designed B-2 shelters open. Containers that may be associated with deployable mobile operations centers are also visible. Whether or not there are additional bombers inside the shelters in either image is unknown. The shelters are not hardened, but are climate-controlled, and are each designed to hold a single B-2 each. A picture from 2020 showing a B-2 inside one of the shelters at Diego Garcia. USAF Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar The B-2 Spirit looks full on Flight Of The Navigator when stowed in its B-2 Shelter System (B2SS) while operating abroad. pic.twitter.com/mFbnpD8p4x— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 23, 2018 Additional satellite imagery has previously been circulating online showing up to five B-2s on the apron along with other supporting aircraft. There are still-unconfirmed reports that seven Spirits may now be at Diego Garcia. The Air Force only has 20 of the stealth bombers in total, meaning that somewhere between 20 and 35 percent of the entire fleet is now forward-deployed in the Indian Ocean. Only a portion of the B-2 fleet is available for operational tasking at any one time due to maintenance and other factors, so this represents an even higher percentage of the bombers that the Air Force has to actually send out on missions. Higher resolution commercial (paid) imagery from yesterday (March 30, 2025) confirms the B2s along with the 6x KC-135s currently forward deployed to Diego Garcia. https://t.co/zaQpTgdHkz pic.twitter.com/RSAbDKqCva— S2 Underground (@s2_underground) March 31, 2025 NSF Diego GarciaLatest view of the situation at Diego Garcia (31 March 2025) via Sentinel 2Appears to be 5x B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers on the south apron as well as 6x other aircraft (likely KC-135 but could also be C-17A or P-8A)@Schizointel pic.twitter.com/AXaPndoVp2— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) March 31, 2025 At least as of yesterday, an additional B-2 was still at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii after diverting there on March 24 for reasons that remain unexplained. And there she sits. Looks like someone is there for it besides security. https://t.co/VBVf7NA0GY— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) March 31, 2025 As TWZ has previously noted, the B-2 force Diego Garcia is a major show of force aimed squarely at the Middle East, primarily toward Iran, but also Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. There has been a recent surge of U.S. airpower and other forces into the Middle East, including the dispatching of a second U.S. Navy carrier strike group to join the one already in the region. Significant movement from Osan AB, South Korea to Isa AB, Bahrain is underway.At least 13 US Air Force C-17A Globemaster IIIs have arrived at Osan in the last 3 days. Four have left Osan and arrived at Isa AB. Mission coding is sequential suggesting that these flights are… pic.twitter.com/MEA2HCIQ3l— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) March 31, 2025 Six USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bombers — 1/3 of America’s fleet — forward deployed to Diego Garcia over the last week The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) continues strike operations against the Houthi. Carl Vinson CSG, en route to the Middle East, is 1-2 weeks out. pic.twitter.com/xkRvcOMcAa— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) March 30, 2025 The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is just days away from entering the CENTCOM/5th Fleet Area of Responsibility. https://t.co/OwLduZuvFH— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) April 1, 2025 But the B-2s are an especially large threat to Iran, and specifically their prized nuclear program, which is the primary catalyst for the current tensions. They offer a unique mix of capabilities when it comes to penetrating deep inside hostile territory to conduct precision strikes against deeply buried and otherwise hardened facilities. The B-2 is currently the only U.S. aircraft certified to operationally employ the 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs. The MOP itself provides a unique conventional weapon for prosecuting especially deep targets, such as ones associated with Irans nuclear and long-range missile programs. TWZ has previously highlighted the signals that B-2s, in particular, send to the regime in Tehran, including after the stealth bombers were used in strikes against the Houthis in Yemen last year. B-2 drops a GBU-57/B MOP during a test. USAF Now, “top [Iranian] commanders are being urged to launch preemptive strikes on the island and its base if [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s threats have become more serious, an unnamed official in Tehran said, according to The Telegraphs report yesterday. “Discussions about the island have intensified since the Americans deployed bombers there.” “Some are suggesting that missiles be fired towards the island, not with the intent to hit anything, but to fall into the water to send a clear message to the Americans that we are serious, the same individual reportedly added. Yesterday, Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also threatened a strong response to any new attacks by the United States or Israel. If they [Iran] dont make a deal there will be bombing, President Trump had said in an interview with NBC News Kristen Welker on Sunday. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before. Trump in a strong warning to Iran: "If they dont make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before." pic.twitter.com/1qi5TfmUQ1— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 30, 2025 The Trump administration has been using back channels to try to negotiate a new nuclear deal of some kind with Iran while also pursuing a so-called maximum pressure campaign against the regime in Tehran, of which the B-2 deployment is a major part. All of this is primarily focused on pushing the Iranians to abandon any potential of producing a nuclear weapon. U.S. authorities consistently assess that the Iranian government does not have an active nuclear weapons program, but that it could take just weeks or even days for them to produce the requisite fissile material should it decide it change course. A recent letter from President Trump to Irans Supreme Leader Khamenei reportedly included a two-month deadline for reaching an agreement, which could come up as soon as the first week of May. We are not moving towards [nuclear] weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself, Ali Larijani, an adviser to Khamenei who has served as a top negotiator in the past, said today on state television in Iran. Iran does not want to do this, but [it] will have no choice. Based on the publicly assessed capabilities of Irans missile and drone arsenals, the Indian Ocean island remains largely out of the reach of threats launched directly from Iranian territory. TWZ has highlighted the defensive value the remote outposts physical location offers in the context of previous large-scale bomber deployments intended to send signals to the government in Tehran. A map showing the general location of Diego Garcia. At shortest, the distance between Iran and the Indian Ocean island is some 2,358 miles (3,795 kilometers). Google Maps At the same time, ever-growing threats emanate from Iran, as well as its regional proxies, that are no longer just defined by range rings around the Middle East. Iran has notably commissioned multiple sea base-like vessels that can be used to launch potentially large numbers of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range kamikaze drones, all from hundreds of miles away, in recent years. The Iranians have also demonstrated missile and drone capabilities, including launchers in standard shipping containers, which could be employed from commercial cargo and other civilian ships. Iran already has a history of using converted cargo vessels as motherships for intelligence gathering and covert attacks. There is also the potential for Iranian operatives or proxies to infiltrate an area to launch more localized, including using smaller and shorter-ranged weaponized drones. Irans sea base-like ship Shahid Mahdavi, a converted container ship from which missiles and drones can be launched, notably made a port visit to Port Klang in Malaysia in February after sailing through the Indian Ocean. The Moudge class corvette Dena accompanied the Shahid Mahdavi on its voyage, which began last year. Ship tracking data suggests the two ships came within 800 miles of Diego Garcia during the trip. Irans IRGC published a video today of launching a ballistic missile from their forward base Shahid Mahdavi (converted container ship). pic.twitter.com/400Y8DYPlr— Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) February 13, 2024 Location shows it is was approximately 1,200 KMs away from Diego Garcia in 2024. Location: https://t.co/3Jqw7PIIAK 2/2 pic.twitter.com/Wk7jItkXbH— Brian (@BrianE6B) March 31, 2025 How successfully any attempted Iranian attacks on Diego Garcia might be is an open question. It is also unclear what the current defense posture on the island is, as well as how it may have been bolstered as part of the deployment of the B-2s. We have multi-layered defense systems to ensure the security and protection of our personnel and equipment, a spokesperson for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) told TWZ. Beyond any ground-based defenses on Diego Garcia, this is also a textbook case for how U.S. Navy ships can be tasked to provide additional bubbles of air and missile defense around a particular littoral area. Surface warships and submarines, as well as maritime patrol aircraft flying from the island, could help provide an additional screen against maritime threats, including vessels capable of launching missiles and drones. A satellite image offering a general view of the airfield on Diego Garcia. Google Earth Iranian ships could seek to overwhelm any defenses on Diego Garcia by launching large-volume drone and missile attacks. Iran used similar tactics against Israel on two separate occasions last year, which required significant Israeli, U.S., and other foreign forces to help blunt those incoming threats. The Houthis in Yemen have also been launching complex drone and missile attacks on foreign warships, including U.S. carrier strike groups, and commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea. Any Iranian ships used to conduct attacks on Diego Garcia would quickly become targets for U.S. forces. An overt Iranian attack on the island launched from anywhere would otherwise put the two countries in a state of open conflict. Since it is a British territory, the United Kingdom could be embroiled, as well. Iran attempting to preemptively attack the island still seems like a long shot, although some form of show of force is more possible, although probably quite unlikely considering the tensions in play at the moment. If the B-2s are used to strike Iran directly, this calculus would clearly change, but the U.S. would be prepared for such contingencies. The use of fighters has played a major role in protecting assets against Iranian and Houthi long-range drone attacks. We could see a fighter contingent deployed to the island prior to May, along with additional defenses. This would also be a possible sign that the administration intends to use the stealth bombers if a deal doesnt move forward. US Air Force members, government employees, and contractors pose in front of a B-2 at Diego Garcia in 2010. USAF Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar Whatever happens, it is indisputable that aircraft sitting exposed on a flightline are particularly vulnerable to attack — even to drone threats leveraging commercially available technology. This is something we regularly highlight and that has been continually demonstrated in the ongoing war in Ukraine. The B-2s are incredibly fragile national treasures and cannot be replaced. Losing even one to even a low end drone attack would be a massive hit Americas standing strategic capabilities. A Maxar satellite image taken on June 8, 2024, showing the aftermath of a Ukraiian drone attack that damaged one and possibly two Russian Su-57 Felon new generation fighters at Akhtubinsk Air Base. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies When it comes to the threat posed by standoff weapons to aircraft on the ground, remember that Irans missile and drone arsenals are more limited in scale, scope and capabilities when compared to those of a near-peer competitor to the United States, especially China. The Chinese armed forces have far more options to hold not only Diego Garcia, but other U.S. bases, particularly those elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, at risk. This also further reinforces the threat of high-volume strikes overwhelming existing active air and missile defenses. As such, the aircraft shelters, or the lack thereof, on Diego Garcia underscores the larger debate ongoing now about whether or not the U.S. military should be building more hardened aircraft shelters and otherwise improving the physical resiliency of its bases at home and abroad. A report the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., published in January included an assessment that it might take only 10 missiles with warheads able to scatter cluster munitions across areas 450 feet in diameter to neutralize all aircraft parked in the open, as well critical fuel storage facilities, at various key air bases. Just five of these weapons would be able to destroy or badly damage every aircraft sitting on the main combat aviation ramp at Diego Garcia. Once again, Iran has the ability to launch its increasingly capable ballistic missiles at sea and within range of the island. For China, it has many options to execute such an attack. A graphic accompanying the Hudson Institutes January 2025 report showing how aircraft parking areas and fuel storage facilities areas at key air bases could be readily saturated by missiles with warheads packed with cluster munitions. Hudson Institute Depending on their exact construction, semi-hardened shelters could still provide some degree of protection against shrapnel from things like cluster munitions or kamikaze drones. In general, soft shelters help shield aircraft from the elements, which, as already noted, is of particular importance for stealthy types. It also makes it harder for an opponent to track aircraft movements, making it more challenging to target critical aviation assets. Just having the four shelters on Diego Garcia has made it difficult for independent observers to readily confirm how many B-2s are actually there right now. Creating ambiguity around the locations of assets is becoming much harder as satellite imagery becomes increasingly ubiquitous, even to independent observers via commercial providers, as this story makes clear. Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russian air bases have already prompted the latter country to embark on a major effort to construct new hardened air shelters, particularly at air bases within range of those threats. The Chinese military has also been building thousands of hardened and unhardened aircraft shelters across its air bases. This is a growing trend that also includes subterranean hardened facilities, such as ones built into mountains. This is something that has been observed elsewhere globally, too, including in North Korea and Iran. Work underway in December 2024 on new hardened aircraft shelters and other infrastructure at Russia’s Belbek Air Base on the occupied Crimean Peninsula. PHOTO © 2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION The Air Force continues to push back on calls to invest in more hardened infrastructure. So far, the service has preferred to keep the focus on distributed and disaggregated concepts of operations, known collectively as Agile Combat Employment (ACE), as the primary means of reducing vulnerability to attack. ACE is heavily based around short-notice and otherwise irregular deployments, often to remote, austere, or otherwise non-traditional locales like Diego Garcia. The Air Force also regularly talks about the importance of active base defenses, such as surface-to-air interceptors, with work now underway on Guam being a prime example. Other branches of the U.S. military, particularly the U.S. Marine Corps, have been focused on similar efforts rather than physical hardening. “While ‘active defenses’ such as air and missile defense systems are an important part of base and force protection, their high cost and limited numbers mean the U.S. will not be able to deploy enough of them to fully protect our bases,” a group of 13 Republican members of Congress wrote in an open letter to the Air Force back in May 2024. “In order to complement active defenses and strengthen our bases, we must invest in ‘passive defenses,’ like hardened aircraft shelters … Robust passive defenses can help minimize the damage of missile attacks by increasing our forces’ ability to withstand strikes, recover quickly, and effectively continue operations.” An F-16 fighter sits inside a hardened aircraft shelter. USAF There are capacity concerns on that front, as well, with U.S. Army air and missile defense forces struggling to meet current operational demands. Per current intra-service agreements, the Army is the lead surface for defending Air Force bases against aerial threats. Our forward air bases are fixed. Were using Agile Combat Employment to increase the numbers of [bases] which we have the potential to operate from. But the Chinese have fielded literally thousands of weapons to attack those bases – cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and hypersonics, former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said on a recent edition of Defense & Aerospace Report‘s Air Power Podcast. So having an effective, cost-effective ability to defend them is very important. Patriot and THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] type of [surface-to-air] systems are not going to get you there. The economics just dont work. So we need something more cost-effective than those, Kendall continued. If we leave our bases vulnerable to attack, the F-22s, the F-35s, and the F-47s will never get off the ground. B-2s at Diego Garcia during a past deployment. USAF The threat ecosystem is only set to continue expanding. The democratization of long-range guided weaponry is already occurring at a rapid pace, and smaller nation states and even non-state actors are increasingly able to employ such systems. As it stands now, a substantial portion of the B-2 fleet is in Diego Garcia, and a significant number of them have to be parked completely out in the open due to the lack of shelters there now. Whatever the veracity of Irans threats to target the island might be, this can only add to the already raging debate about the U.S. militarys needs when it comes to new hardened infrastructure in general. Howard Altman contributed to this story. Contact the author: joe@twz.com The post B-2 Spirits Amassed On Diego Garcia Underscore Hardened Aircraft Shelter Debate appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Around The Globe, B-2, Bombers, Indo-Pacific, Iran, Middle East, News & Features, Red Sea, Yemen] [Link to media]

— Puma Helicopter Retires From UK Service After More Than 50 Years

 

at 3/31/25 6:14pm

The Puma medium support helicopter, one of the longest-serving aircraft in the history of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF), was retired by the service today, after 54 years of operations. While the workhorse helicopter was seen off in style, with farewell flights in the United Kingdom, as well as in Brunei and Cyprus, the Ministry of Defense is yet to decide on a replacement for the Puma. At the time of its formal withdrawal today, March 31, the RAF had 23 Pumas on strength, all of which had been upgraded to the definitive HC2 standard. However, months in advance of the retirement, the main operating base at RAF Benson, England, had already begun putting Pumas into storage. The announcement that the Puma fleet would be withdrawn by the end of this month came last November, as part of sweeping cuts of the U.K. Armed Forces, as you can read about here. By that time, the frontline Puma fleet was reduced to 17 active aircraft. A pair of Puma H2 helicopters return home to RAF Benson after a long day supporting Exercise Wessex Storm, moving troops from 2 Para, in December 2020. Crown Copyright Sgt Andy Holmes As well as the Pumas, 14 of the oldest Chinook heavy-lift helicopters used by the RAF were also slated to be removed from service. The farewell flight by three Pumas — callsign WARLOCK flight — out of Benson on March 26 took in various locations that held an important place in the type’s RAF career. Among them was Northern Ireland, where the Puma was heavily involved during The Troubles, providing support and transport for the British Army, as well as during subsequent peacekeeping efforts. Key training bases and exercise areas, including Cranwell, Halton, Honington, Shawbury, and the Stanford Training Area (STANTA), were also included. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RAF Benson (@rafbensonofficial) Meanwhile, Boscombe Down and Airbus Kidlington were on the itinerary, these sites were central for the maintenance and operational upkeep of the RAF Pumas in their last years of service. A No. 33 Squadron Puma HC2 flying over the Derwent reservoir bridge, during the final flight from RAF Benson on March 27, 2025. Crown Copyright AS1 Jake Hobbs “This flight route is via various locations of significance,” said Wing Commander Nick Monahan, commanding officer of No. 33 Squadron and Puma Force Commander. “Each place reflects the rich history and contributions that the Puma has made during its time in service. The aircraft has been a cornerstone of global defense operations for more than five decades. We want to celebrate its contribution to supporting our people around the world over the past 54 years.” RAF Pumas from 33 Squadron depart from @RAFBenson for the final time.The Puma has been in Service for 54 years and begin its draw down on 31 March.Introduced in 1971, it has been successfully deployed in various Operations & humanitarian missions. https://t.co/kRXSDV7Rri pic.twitter.com/3tlEsl8mVI— Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) March 27, 2025 Two more farewell flypasts took place at the RAF Puma’s other final operating locations: Brunei, on the island of Borneo, where the helicopter supported a battalion of the British Army’s Royal Gurkha Rifles, and Cyprus, where the type equipped the RAF’s last remaining dedicated search and rescue squadron. The Cyprus-based Pumas were also used to support British military activities on the island and for aerial firefighting. A No. 84 Squadron Puma HC conducts a farewell flight over Cyprus on March 27, 2025. Crown Copyright AS1 Natalie Adams RAF Designed by Aérospatiale of France and built in the United Kingdom by Westland, the Puma first entered RAF service in 1971. Initially, its primary mission was carrying troops and logistics, as well as casualty evacuation, which it was expected to do on the battlefield if NATO had ever gone to war with the Warsaw Pact on the Central Front. The Puma could carry 12 fully equipped troops or up to 4,400 pounds of freight, the latter moved as internal cargo or underslung, or a mix of the two. For casualty evacuation, it could be configured with up to six stretchers. The helicopter soon gained a reputation for agility, speed, and versatility during the course of multiple overseas operations and humanitarian relief missions. As well as in Northern Ireland and Belize, the RAF Puma saw notable operational service in Rhodesia, in the 1991 and 2003 conflicts in Iraq, and in the former Yugoslavia, where it contributed to the U.K. effort as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). Of the 48 original Puma HC1 variants, 24 were upgraded to HC2 standard, one of these being lost on operations in Afghanistan. The Puma HC2 featured more powerful Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines, increased range, new composite tail rotor blades, and a modern digital cockpit, among other changes, collectively known as the Puma Life Extension Programme (LEP). A formation of 10 Puma HC2s departs RAF Benson in July 2021 as part of a training sortie. Crown Copyright SAC Emma Wade The first upgraded Puma HC2s entered RAF service in September 2012, followed by an initial release to service in August 2015. Once upgraded, Pumas saw extensive service in Afghanistan between 2015 and 2021. The RAF Puma helicopters and personnel that formed the ‘Toral Aviation Detachment’ in Kabul, Afghanistan have returned to @RAFBenson after over 6 years service in support of @NATO Operations.Read more: https://t.co/3HtzNNpp0t pic.twitter.com/BTLEo2xc1v— Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) July 16, 2021 “It’s a great aircraft for the operations we’ve been on,” Squadron Leader Niall Davidson, second-in-command of No. 33 Squadron, told Forces News. “Be that Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan.” He continued: “It’s a great aircraft for getting in and out of really tight urban sites, even in high altitudes of Kabul we are able to lift troops out of really tight sites and keep them off the roads.” "Still looks great" after 54 yearsThe RAF is bidding farewell to the Puma after it has served for more than 50 years.Sqn Ldr Niall Davidson has commended the outgoing aircraft on its years of service.Read morehttps://t.co/nbB1F9cB70 pic.twitter.com/QQbSLK44Pt— BFBS Forces News (@ForcesNews) March 30, 2025 Other recent Puma assignments included Operation Ruman, providing humanitarian support in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma struck in September 2017. In the United Kingdom, the Puma was active in the response to the COVID pandemic, under Operation Rescript in 2020. In Belize and Cyprus, the Puma’s role will be taken on as of next year by six Jupiter (Airbus H145) helicopters, a type that the RAF otherwise primarily uses for advanced training. Wearing a 50th-anniversary special color scheme, a Puma HC2 flies over the Oxfordshire countryside in July 2021. Crown Copyright Hannah Smoker As for the bulk of the RAF Puma fleet, a replacement is still to be decided. Last month, it was reported that the United Kingdom was “close” to deciding on a type for its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement. This is the program to replace the Puma, but it’s been dogged by delays, cost concerns, and the withdrawal of two of the three bidding vendors. Expected to be worth $1.5 billion, the NMH competition calls for up to 44 new rotorcraft, although, should the program survive, it’s likely to be trimmed down to 23–30 helicopters. As well as the Puma, the NMH is intended to replace the six shadowy Blue Thunder AS365N3 Dauphin IIs that are used in support of special forces operations, notably by the Special Air Service (SAS). Previously, the Airbus Helicopters H175M, Leonardo AW149, and Lockheed Martin S-70M Black Hawk were all in the running for NMH, but last year, both Airbus Helicopters and Lockheed Martin withdrew their participation. The companies said that they couldn’t fulfill the requirement within the budget provided. While it might be expected that Leonardo has now sealed the competition, there are still questions about whether it will survive, at least in its current form, amid a time of tough defense procurement decisions. As for the retired Pumas, it’s also unclear what will happen to them. While old, the airframes have been upgraded and well looked after, and they could well be attractive on the secondhand market, provided they are not scrapped. An alternative might be to donate them to Ukraine, which would surely find a use for them. Kyiv has also previously received helicopters retired by the U.K. Armed Forces, specifically former Royal Navy Sea Kings. Meanwhile, Portugal has also donated eight Pumas to Ukraine, so there would be some useful type of commonality. Whatever happens next to the ex-RAF Pumas, there’s no doubt that these venerable rotorcraft provided invaluable service to the British Armed Forces over a remarkably long period. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com The post Puma Helicopter Retires From UK Service After More Than 50 Years appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Air Forces, Around The Globe, Europe, Helicopters, News & Features, Royal Air Force, United Kingdom] [Link to media]

— Sacked Marine Pilot Whose F-35B Flew Without Him After Ejecting Gives His Side Of The Story

 

at 3/31/25 5:06pm

The Marines partially blamed Charles Tre Del Pizzo for the loss of his F-35B Joint Strike Fighter that flew pilotless for nearly 12 minutes before slamming into the ground following his ejection back in September 2023. Now the 48-year-old retired colonel is giving his side of the story. In a truly amazing piece by Post and Courier reporter Tony Bartelme, Del Pizzo pushed back on the Marine Corps findings, saying he was essentially blinded in bad weather by cascading equipment malfunctions while returning to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, from a training sortie over the Atlantic Ocean. Before the incident, Del Pizzo was putting the jet through its paces as he was learning its strengths and weaknesses before taking command of VMX-1, a key operational test and evaluation squadron in Yuma, Arizona. The mishap occurred as Del Pizzo was attempting an instrument landing in the F-35B’s vertical mode in zero-visibility conditions during a raging storm. Unlike the Air Force’s F-35A and the Navy F-35C carrier variant, the B version flown by the Marines possesses short takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, allowing it to take off, land and hover in a manner similar to the AV-B8 Harrier jets that Del Pizzo used to fly. An F-35B stealth jet like the one piloted by then-Marine Col. Charles Del Pizzo taking off. (Lance Cpl. Kyle Baskin) Both the Marine Corps’ final report on the mishap and Del Pizzo’s version note problems with the nearly half-million-dollar helmet that displayed the jet’s speed, altitude and targeting information. It is the severity of the malfunctions and how much it contributed to Del Pizzo’s decision to punch out of the aircraft on Sept. 17, 2023 where the two accounts greatly differ. Two other Marine investigations into the incident backed up Del Pizzos contention (more on those later). “Contributing factors to the mishap included an electrical event during flight, which induced failures of both primary radios, the transponder, the tactical air navigation system, and the instrument landing system; and the probability that the helmet-mounted display and panoramic cockpit display were not operational for at least three distinct periods,” the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) stated last year in a press release announcing the results of the third and final investigation into the incident. This caused the pilot to become disoriented in challenging instrument and meteorological conditions.” “The investigation concluded that the mishap occurred due to pilot error,” the release continued. “The pilot incorrectly diagnosed an out-of-controlled flight emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft, albeit during a heavy rainstorm compounded with aircraft electrical and display malfunctions.” A timeline of events compiled by the Marines for their Command Investigation into the Sept. 17, 2023 mishap. (USMC) Del Pizzo said he had no choice but to eject. Starting suddenly shortly after 1:30 p.m., the helmet failed three times in 41 seconds, the now-retired Marine pilot stated. At first, he said his helmet flickered, then “the visor erupted in flashes of alerts,” Bartelme wrote. “Failures in flight control systems, avionics, cooling, navigation, GPS, communications. Audio alerts sounded: whoop, whoop, whoop. Then the helmet and main displays went dark; the audio alerts stopped. About 15 seconds had passed.” About 15 seconds later, the helmet failed for a second time as the jet was in clouds about 750 feet off the ground and descending in vertical mode at about 800 feet per minute. He opted to execute a “missed approach procedure” and get away from the ground. Del Pizzo pulled back the stick to climb, pushed the throttle forward for thrust,” Bartelme wrote. “Raised the landing gear. Pressed a button that converts the jet from vertical mode to conventional. Then the helmet display went dark again, as if rebooting. He tried to radio his wingman, the control tower. Nothing. Coms out. Then it flashed on, along with another thunderstorm of alerts, more than 25 messages telling him that the jet was in deep trouble and getting worse. Whoop, whoop, whoop.” Just 11 seconds later, the equipment failed again, Del Pizzo stated to Bartelme. “The helmet and main display failed a third time, differently now, as if powering down for good,” Bartelme wrote. “Instruments gone, a sea of gray outside his window. Is the plane responding? He pulled the throttle back. He glanced at the small backup panel between his legs. He heard what sounded like a motor spooling down. The engine? He felt the nose of the aircraft tilt upward. He felt a falling sensation. He still couldn’t see the ground. Was he still over the base? Over the trees? Forty-one seconds. Decide, act: The jet’s going into the trees, and I’m going with it. In one quick motion, he reached between his legs for the yellow handle, put his left hand over his right wrist. And pulled.” You can hear audio feeds from emergency responders and air traffic control audio of the incident below. To go along with the ATC audio put together by Aeroscout, heres the full radio traffic from Charleston County EMS/Fire for the #F35 pilot ejection beginning from the initial dispatch until they cleared the scene. Units: Medic 8 (Charleston County EMS), Engine 210 (North… https://t.co/zzJiybqlOy pic.twitter.com/6HY4CAg7jF— ☈ Chris Jackson ☈ (@ChrisJacksonSC) September 19, 2023 Del Pizzo was injured by the ejection as shards of metal dug into his neck from the canopy blown open by explosives. He was hurt some more when his helmet and face mask were ripped off by the force of the wind. He also broke his back. He initially feared he would be killed by the out-of-control jet falling on top of him as both came back to Earth. “I remember feeling the precipitation on my face, and then just being pulled back as the drogue chute opened and slowed me down,” Del Pizzo noted  “And I could hear the engine noise from the airplane. With my helmet off, it was pretty loud. What I heard was complete chaos. Things falling around me. And thats when I thought the airplane is going to come down and hit me, because I felt like the airplane was out of control, right? I thought the airplane is going to hit me, and Im going to die here in this parachute.” However, he said his biggest concern wasnt for himself. Uppermost in his mind as he talked to the dispatcher and arriving paramedics: What happened to the jet? Bartelme wrote. “My biggest fear was that I’d hurt someone,” Del Pizzo told him. Unbeknownst to him at the time, however, the jet continued flying unmanned for another “11 minutes and 21 seconds before impacting in a rural area approximately 64 nautical miles northeast of the airfield in Williamsburg County, South Carolina,” the Marines said in their press release last year. The investigation concludes the mishap aircraft’s extended unmanned flight was due to stability provided by the F-35’s advanced automatic flight-control systems. The aircraft was discovered more than 24 hours later, crashed in a heavily wooded area.  “The mishap resulted in no ground-related injuries, but it did result in property damage in the form of lost forested land and crops,” the Marines noted in their press release. Part of the lift fan, nose landing gear, and other debris found in the area where the F-35B impacted the ground. (USMC crash investigation document) The exact cause of the electrical malfunction may never be publicly known, because the Marines redacted it for “national security purposes,” Bartelme pointed out. “Unredacted portions ruled out some causes, though,” he wrote. “Thunderstorms were in the area, but bolts at the time of the mishap were 20 miles away and couldn’t have fried the plane’s electronics. Investigators noted that the aircraft entered heavy rain five minutes before Del Pizzo ejected. But a Marine spokesperson said its investigation found no evidence that rainwater caused the electrical malfunction.” The F-35 fleet as a whole experienced issues with lightning over concerns about the aircrafts fuel system. You can read more about that here. The Marines final investigation report said that “there were no punitive actions recommended as a result of this mishap. However, more than a year later, the Marine Corps relieved Del Pizzo of command of VMX-1. U.S. Marines with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 pose for a photo at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, March 12, 2025. VMX-1 is responsible for assessing all Marine Corps aviation systems and platforms, contributing to the development of Marine aviation tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Radosti) The decision was made even though two of three Marine investigations into the incident concluded that Del Pizzo was not at fault, the Post and Courier explained. That conclusion was based on statements from Del Pizzo, officials knowledgeable about the reports’ contents and documents obtained by the publication through open records laws. “Del Pizzo’s aircraft experienced a significant electrical malfunction, one that knocked out key systems — including displays and navigation aids he needed to land in severe weather,” the newspaper noted. “Knobs to radios weren’t working, making it difficult to contact air traffic controllers or his wingman for guidance. A small backup display was partially functional, but Del Pizzo had to look down to see it.” This and zero-visibility conditions “likely contributed to a phenomenon known as spatial disorientation, where your inner ear tricks you into feeling that you’re dizzy or falling,” Bartelme’s story continued. The Navy Aviation Mishap Board and the Field Flight Performance Board “each noted that nothing in the military’s training and simulator work prepared pilots for a crescendo of systems failures in severe weather at a low altitude,” according to the Post and Courier. “In fact, the F-35B’s flight manual said, ‘the aircraft is considered to be in out of controlled flight (OCF) when it fails to respond properly to pilot inputs,” adding, “if out of control below 6,000 feet AGL (above ground level): EJECT.’” Both of those investigations concluded that most highly experienced pilots with similar levels of experience in an F-35 would have punched out of the plane. One even lauded Del Pizzo for his handling of the event. After the accident, superiors also praised Del Pizzo for his command of VMX-1 Still, last October, he was suddenly and immediately relieved of command, based on the service’s Command Investigation, the third of the three that looked into the accident, Bartelme reported. The Marines explained the sudden and immediate relief of command was due to a “loss of trust and confidence.” Del Pizzo, caught off guard and hurt by the decision, opted to retire given that his future options in the Marine Corps would be severely limited. U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jared K. Stone, left, commanding officer, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, and retired Col. Charles W. Del Pizzo and his family conduct the proper procedures during the playing of the national anthem during the opening ceremony of the Yuma Airshow at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, March 15, 2025. During the Yuma Airshow, Del Pizzo was honored for 32 years of service. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jade K. Venegas) Asked by The War Zone for a response to the Post and Courier story, the Marines offered the following: The Commandant of the Marine Corps continually assesses matters associated with commanders and their units. Following his detailed review last August of the command investigation into the 17 September 2023 F-35 mishap, he made the decision to relieve the Commanding Officer of Marine Operational Test & Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, due to the unique mission of VMX-1. Despite everything, Del Pizzo remains a fan of the controversial F-35 and its technology. However, he is concerned that the outcome of his situation will send the wrong message to other pilots. “We needed to take a hard look at that to prevent it from happening again,” Del Pizzo told Bartelme. “In aviation, we have a culture. When there are errors, when things dont go as planned, we learn from them. If you don’t do that, then you have a culture of fear. And if you have a culture of fear, then people are going to be paralyzed and not be able to make decisions. And thats how people end up getting hurt. Thats how people end up getting killed.” Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com The post Sacked Marine Pilot Whose F-35B Flew Without Him After Ejecting Gives His Side Of The Story appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, F-35, F-35B, Fighters] [Link to media]

— C-32A ‘Air Force 2’ Jet Like You’ve Never Seen One Before

 

at 3/31/25 2:26pm

One of the most famous aircraft on earth was caught in the nude very recently as it underwent deep maintenance and upgrades at L3Harriss Mission Integration plant at Majors Field in Greenville, Texas. The facility is a mecca for large special mission aircraft in need of enhancements and TLC. While the Air Forces twin VC-25A aircraft, which are based on the 747-200, get most of the attention, the C-32As, based on the 757-200, are the real workhorses of the executive airlift fleet. Like their much larger counterparts, the eight C-32As in the 99th Airlift Wings stable are into the back half of their service lives and have been receiving a number of upgrades to keep them relevant. These include new interiors and enhancements to their communications, navigation, and defensive systems. Above all else, they need periodic deep maintenance like any other aircraft, and that is often a great time to make those upgrades. This is what the C-32 in the photos here is seen undergoing. The shots come to us from our friend on X @SR_Planespotter, who captures some awesome shots of the aerospace happenings around Texas. In this case, he caught the C-32A 09-0016, operating under its common Venus callsign, on a test flight with its iconic blue, white, and gold paint removed. Once work on the jet is wrapped up, it will go to the paint barn where workers there will dress the jet in its uniform once again. C-32A 09-0016 " VENUS97 " comes back from a test flight in primer! pic.twitter.com/pup78VJyZ0— ??_???????????? (@SR_Planespotter) March 31, 2025 @SR_Planespotter said the following about the unique work at Majors Field (also known as Majors Airport) that brings some very interesting flying machines to northeastern Texas: At Majors Airport in Greenville, L3 Harris has contracts with the USAF to maintain the VIP airlift fleet and the RC-135 fleet. They do a lot of communications upgrades and then test them on their own unique test range called the MSTF (Multi-Sensor Test Facility). Its pretty fun watching them go along on ADSB and then come back and get up close and personal with them. C-32A 98-0001 under the South EMP array at KGVT November 13th 2023 after 7+ months of repairs. On March 8, 2023, this C-32 carrying SecDef, struck its aft fuselage during its landing at Amman, Jordan, causing $2.5m in damages. pic.twitter.com/gmfC0E5wKs— ??_???????????? (@SR_Planespotter) April 30, 2024 As the C-32As continue to receive upgrades, the USAF is also looking on the horizon for a replacement. Around 30 years old already, even with the best maintenance, the governments VVIP 757s wont last forever. Now, according to a recent report from Aviation Week, it appears that the flying force wants to consolidate the high end of its executive airlift suite from two to one new type. Under such a plan, the 737-based C-40s and C-32As would be replaced with one type. This would simplify many aspects of operating two narrow-body airliner types in the executive airlift role. The 757 went out of production in 2005. In 2023, the Air Force had also expressed interest in potentially supplementing rather than replacing the C-32 fleet with new commercial airliners converted into VVIP transports. It isnt clear exactly what airframe the service would favor as a replacement or a supplement, although the 737 MAX seems like the only clear choice. Still, the short field performance of the 757, which is a huge selling point when using the jet in the Air Force One role in order to get into smaller airports while still carrying the president and their entourage. The USAF still hasnt taken a delivery of a 737 MAX for any mission. One was in the services requested budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year, but remains unfunded. C-32A taking off from PDX. (Authors image) Regardless of what the Air Force and the White House finally decide on when it comes to any new jet to replace the aging C-32As, they will continue to soldier on with more lumps and bumps — housing communications and defensive countermeasures — than ever before. And as a result, they will still have to fly around naked out of Greenville for years to come. Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com The post C-32A Air Force 2 Jet Like Youve Never Seen One Before appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Air Force One, C-32, Transports] [Link to media]

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

 

at 3/28/25 7:00pm

Welcome to Bunker Talk. This is a weekend open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s an off-topic thread. The caption to this week’s top shot reads: Bunker 42 situé à plus de 60 mètres de profondeur en plein centre-ville, ancien centre stratégique de commandement et de communication militaire transformé en musée de la Guerre Froide, 23 mars 2016, Moscou. (Photo by Francois LOCHON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Translation: "Bunker 42 located more than 60 meters deep in the city center, former strategic military command and communications center transformed into a Cold War museum, March 23, 2016, Moscow." Also, a reminder: Prime Directives! If you want to talk politics, do so respectfully and know that there’s always somebody that isn’t going to agree with you.  If you have political differences, hash it out respectfully, stick to the facts, and no childish name-calling or personal attacks of any kind. If you can’t handle yourself in that manner, then please, discuss virtually anything else. No drive-by garbage political memes. No conspiracy theory rants. Links to crackpot sites will be axed, too. Trolling and shitposting will not be tolerated. No obsessive behavior about other users. Just don’t interact with folks you don’t like.  Do not be a sucker and feed trolls! That’s as much on you as on them. Use the mute button if you don’t like what you see.   So unless you have something of quality to say, know how to treat people with respect, understand that everyone isn’t going to subscribe to your exact same worldview, and have come to terms with the reality that there is no perfect solution when it comes to moderation of a community like this, it’s probably best to just move on.  Finally, as always, report offenders, please. This doesn’t mean reporting people who don’t share your political views, but we really need your help in this regard. The Bunker is open! Contact the editor: tyler@twz.com The post Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: News & Features, Bunker Talk] [Link to media]

— Major F-47 Revelations Were Just Dropped By Former Air Force Secretary

 

at 3/28/25 5:47pm

Significant parts of the veil of secrecy over the origins of Boeings F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter, and the decisions and tradeoffs made along the way, have now been pulled back. New revelations about the future of the Air Forces next-generation combat jet plans, which might include additional tranches of different aircraft, have now emerged, as well. Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Andrew Hunter talked at length about the F-47 and the related Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative, as well as early related research and development efforts, in the latest edition of Defense & Aerospace Reports Air Power Podcast. In the mid-2010s, Kendall, then Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, first started the ball rolling with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-led Aerospace Innovation Initiative, which produced multiple flying demonstrator aircraft. A rendering of the Boeing F-47. USAF The demonstrator aircraft are where the podcasts hosts Vago Muradian, editor-in-chief of Defense & Aerospace Report, and J.J. Gertler, director of The Defense Concepts Organization and senior analyst at the Teal Group, start the conversation with Kendall and Hunter, which is well worth listening to in its entirety. TWZ has distilled down the main takeaways from the ensuing discussion, which are as follows: The Aerospace Innovation Initiative was a $1 billion effort led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), but that also included the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. We hadnt finalized the configuration, but there were certain desirable characteristics we were after when the initiative started, according to Kendall. What we call X-planes, experimental aircraft were designed and built to prove out the more risky and important technologies we were after, he added. Really their intent was to prove out the characteristics of a platform of the nature of a sixth generation air dominance platform, including unspecified capabilities, as well as range and other aspects you would expect with an aircraft, Hunter said. Industrial base considerations had a lot to do with me starting the Aerospace Innovation Initiative. I wanted to reintroduce competition for tactical aircraft after years of Lockheed Martin market dominance, especially with the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Kendall added. A now-dated Lockheed Martin rendering of a notional sixth-generation stealth combat jet. Lockheed Martin DARPA and the Air Force have previously confirmed that two X-planes were built for the Aerospace Innovation Initiative, and that they first flew in 2019 and 2022, respectively. Kendall has now added the detail that they were built sometime after 2017. Kendall also stressed that the demonstrators were entirely experimental demonstrator aircraft and not reflective of a production prototype for a tactical design. We can tell you that they were not all built by the same company. They were competitive, he noted. We know that Boeing and Lockheed both built demonstrators. The tactical requirements for what eventually led to the F-47 were developed by the Air Force during President Donald Trumps first administration, per the former Secretary of the Air Force. A Program Executive Office for Advanced Aviation, which was stood up in 2019, was responsible for much of that work. It has since evolved into the Agile Development Office that manages the entire NGAD initiative. I think part of the reason to create a new office for advanced aircraft was [that] NGAD was envisioned as a different way of solving the problem that wasnt necessarily looking for something or wasnt presupposing the answer was something that would look like a traditional fighter, according to Hunter. The original NGAD combat jet requirements were centered heavily on the idea of a direct replacement for the F-22 Raptor to perform the job of going into a dense, highly protected airspace, and being able to penetrate and being able to establish your superiority, at least temporarily within over enemy territory, Kendall said. A pair of F-22s. USAF The requirements subsequently evolved to put substantial emphasis on the quarterback role controlling Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. Kendall described the F-47 as having, in very broad strokes, an aircraft configuration itself [that] is going to be [a] pretty direct descendant of F-22. Hunter highlighted significant new networking capabilities, including for exchanging sensor data with other platforms, thanks to common underlying systems reference architecture, which will be found on the F-47. Hunter pointed out that the common architecture extends beyond the Air Force, and will help F-47 and the Navys future F/A-XX next-generation combat jet be more seamlessly interoperable with each other and other assets. The F-47 and whatever design is selected for F/A-XX are also set to leverage a pool of common subsystems, including advanced sensors and communications suites. A rendering of a pair of notional naval sixth-generation combat jets. Boeing Kendall also emphasized the significant amount of control that the U.S. government will exercise over the design and other intellectual property surrounding the jet, which could make it easier and faster to upgrade and otherwise evolve over time. Were not a prisoner of a prime [contractor], basically, for upgrades and for competing for modular components that can be added to replace other components as the life of the aircraft goes on, the former Air Force secretary said. Kendall has been an outspoken critic of Lockheed Martins dominance when it comes to the F-35 program, describing it as acquisition malpractice. Kendall elaborated on three core factors that led to his decision to pause the NGAD combat jet program for a deep review last year. The one that led to the pause initially was we just didnt have enough money. Kendall said that completing the research and development phase of the program will take at least another $20 billion, a figure he has publicly given in the past. We just couldnt do it unless we were going to be given more money, and there was no place to trade off left within the Air Force to fund it. Secondly, the evolution of the CCA program called into question the core function of the NGAD combat jet and whether being able to perform the penetrating counter-air mission to the same degree was as critical. A composite rendering of the two CCA designs currently in development, General Atomics YFQ-42A and Andurils YFQ-44A. General Atomics/Anduril Kendall noted, as have other Air Force officials in recent months, that the review of the NGAD combat jet program determined that such an aircraft would be a key element to achieving air superiority in the future, especially in a high-end fight, with the lowest amount of risk. The third and last of the factors that contributed to the pause was questions about opportunity cost and whether the NGAD combat jet programs high price point would prevent the Air Force from pursuing other critical efforts. Kendall said he had been willing to trade the NGAD combat jet for investments in new counter-space capabilities and improved base defenses. We need to move forward aggressively with counter-space. The Chinese were fielding tens or hundreds of satellites designed to target the joint force and enable long-range fires against the joint force. So we had to respond to that. The Chinese have fielded literally thousands of weapons to attack those bases, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and hypersonics. So having an effective, cost-effective ability to defend them is very important. To the latter point, the former Secretary of the Air Force highlighted a broad need for lower-cost alternatives to Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) surface-to-air interceptors to help defend against large barrages of threats. This underscores the Air Forces continued preference, at least publicly, to focus on improved and expanded active base defenses like surface-to-air missiles, rather than new hardened physical infrastructure. This is now a heated topic of debate that TWZ has been following closely. An F-16 sits inside a hardened aircraft shelter. USAF If we leave the joint force vulnerable to targeting from space by the Chinese, and if we leave our bases vulnerable to attack, the F-22s, the F-35s, and the F-47s will never get off the ground. Kendall said he was unaware of what tradeoffs the Trump administration may have made or may be planning to make as part of the decision on the F-47. He also said that there was no indication that the core design of the F-47 had changed in any fundamental way from what it had been prior to the pause. Kendall said that the F-47 was the product of a very real competition and that Boeing and Lockheed Martin presented viable and distinctly different designs, though he said he couldnt elaborate on the specifics. One company moved faster than the other to meet key milestones, but they both got there in the end, he added. These are new designs. Theyre aggressive designs. Theyve got a lot of new technologies [that] are going to be integrated together, according to Kendall. Hunter described both designs as quite creative. Hunter, speaking generally, also noted that incumbent contractors (understood in this case to be Lockheed Martin given its previous win in the Joint Strike Fighter competition) can often come across as more risk averse while challengers are often willing to risk more. Kendall said more bluntly that the incentives may have been stronger for Boeing. In some ways, they needed to win this one more than Lockheed did. Another F-47 rendering. USAF Hunter separately indicated that Northrop Grumman was in line to be cut from the NGAD combat jet competition before the company announced what it described as a voluntary withdrawal in 2023. The F-47s unit cost is expected to be at least twice that of an F-35, or in the $160 million to $180 million range, based on publicly available information, according to Kendall. He has previously said the final price point could be multiple hundreds of millions of dollars. In terms of the ultimate selection of the F-47, Kendall also notes that there isnt a readiness at this point, a confidence in the uncrewed aircraft to bet entirely on them, right? And I tend to share that view. Kendall said he was doubtful any U.S. allies or partners would be willing to buy an export version of the F-47, especially given the expected unit cost and the potential for those jets to come with significant downgraded capabilities. Hunter noted that most successful large U.S. military acquisition programs do get to a point where export sales occur and that the fact that this didnt happen for F-22 was one of many factors that contributed to their high upfront and sustainment costs. Hunter also disclosed that the NGAD combat jet program, at least as it existed under his tenure, was expecting to see multiple iterative tranches in the same vein as what is happening in the CCA drone program. The F-47 may just be Increment 1 of a family of NGAD combat jet designs. Kendall also stressed that F-47 is not a silver-bullet solution to achieving air superiority and advocated for continued investment in the CCA program and the Block 4 upgrade effort for the F-35. Much still remains to be learned about the F-47 and the full extent of the ramifications that continuing with the program will have for the Air Force and its future force structure. We do now have a much fuller picture of how the service arrived at its choice for its next-generation stealth fighter. Contact the author: joe@twz.com The post Major F-47 Revelations Were Just Dropped By Former Air Force Secretary appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: Air, Air Forces, F-47, Fighters, NGAD, U.S. Air Force] [Link to media]

— Israel-Turkey Tensions Mounting Over Air Bases In Syria

 

at 3/28/25 5:23pm

Israeli military leaders are concerned about Turkey potentially building up a presence at air bases in Syria, a senior Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) official told The War Zone. His comments come as Ankara is negotiating a security agreement with the new government in Damascus, sparking concerns about a confrontation between Israel and Turkey. “The establishment of a Turkish Air Force base in Palmyra, Syria [seen at the top of this article], could heighten regional tensions and increase the risk of conflict with Israel,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military-related matters. “Given Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent hostile military entrenchment in Syria, any significant Turkish military presence, especially in strategic locations like Palmyra, could be perceived as a threat to Israeli security interests.” Israel is concerned about the potential presence in Syria of Turkish warplanes like these F-16 Vipers. (Photo by Ali Atmaca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The official noted that while the chances of a direct fight between Israel and Turkey remain low at the moment, that could change in the already very volatile region. Earlier this week, Israel bombarded some of those bases, he pointed out. “Recently, Israel has conducted airstrikes against military infrastructure in the region, including the T-4 airbase near Palmyra,” he said. “While there have been no direct confrontations between Israeli and Turkish forces so far, the situation remains sensitive and requires close monitoring.” The strikes targeted “remaining strategic military capabilities” at the two sites, the IDF said, according to the Times of Israel.  “The airstrikes were carried out after the Israeli Air Intelligence Group — the Israeli Air Force’s intel unit — had been monitoring weapons and other strategic capabilities at the two military sites in central Syria over the recent period,” according to the publication. The resulting damage was “‘extensive,’ taking out capabilities that will preserve Israel’s aerial superiority in the region,” the publication noted. The IDF struck the T-4 and Palmyra airfields in central Syria twice this week.Rather than targeting the Syrian regime, this operation seeks to deny Turkey use of these strategic regional assets. 1/ pic.twitter.com/yM7Kze5PhC— PythonFive (@pyhtonfive) March 25, 2025 Turkey is also beginning to build out a base in northern Syria, according to the Syrian North Press Agency. Turkish forces have begun constructing a military base inside Menagh Military Airbase in northern Aleppo countryside, northwestern Syria in recent days, the publication wrote, citing a source. Turkish forces started transporting massive concrete slabs and logistical materials using large transport vehicles into Menagh Military Airbase, approximately six kilometers south of Azaz, to establish an air defense center.” Turkey wants to turn the airbase into a fully operational air defense base, including the restoration of helicopter landing pads, as part of efforts to strengthen its military presence in northern Syria, North Press Agency stated. There are additional claims that Turkey is building a base in northwestern Syria near the town of Manbij. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have released a report showing the construction of new Turkish military bases in Syrian territory, as well as the mobilisation of Turkish military equipment and personnel into Syria https://t.co/kWg613J0ru pic.twitter.com/aG8tFCg7qI— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) March 28, 2025 Israel and Turkey have had an up-and-down relationship over the years. A brewing rapprochement in September 2023 fell apart weeks later over Israels war on Hamas. The growing friction between Israel and Turkey is taking place as both sides are seeking to carve out territory in Syria in the wake of the fall of long-time dictator Bashar Al Assad in December. The new government established by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led anti-Assad forces with a great deal of support from Turkey, has yet to gain full control over the country. In that vacuum, Jerusalem and Ankara have been seeking to expand their spheres of influence there. Israel has been increasing the territory it controls in the south while Turkey is seeking to expand its military influence in the north, west, and now center of the country. Ankara already backs several militant groups in Syria that are fighting with the U.S.-backed Syrian Defense Forces and has carried out airstrikes against those groups. Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned, without using Israel’s name, against intervention in Syria.  Those seeking to benefit from Syrias instability will not succeed, said Erdogan. We will not allow them to divide Syria as they imagine. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting earlier this week over the increasing tensions with Turkey. The Israeli leader was trying to portray a confrontation with Ankara as inevitable.  Understand that Syria will become a regional battleground between Turkey and Israel and re-emerge as the most important Islamist terrorism headquarters in the world. pic.twitter.com/nmqlnf9HgN— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) March 28, 2025 In January, an Israeli government advisory committee warned that Israel must prepare for a direct confrontation with Turkey, The Jerusalem Post reported. The committee was established by the Israeli government to review defense budgets and policies. The committee cautioned that “Turkey’s ambitions to restore its Ottoman-era influence could lead to heightened tensions with Israel, possibly escalating into conflict,” the publication explained. Adding to the concerns is the fact that both Netanyahu and Erdogan are facing intense domestic pressures. Netanyahu is on trial for corruption while protests are roiling Turkey after Erdogan jailed the popular mayor of Istanbul, his main rival for the 2028 election. Erdogan might escalate tensions with Israel to rally domestic support, the senior IDF official posited. Similar concerns have been expressed about Netanyahu. You can see protests against Erdogan in the following video. Saraçhane, Turkey It’s getting Violent… pic.twitter.com/Z7XrGo0K9C— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 23, 2025 Any form of direct conflict with Turkey would further strain Israel’s military. In addition to expanding its salient in south Syria, Israel has resumed fighting Hamas in Gaza after a pause in the war that began Oct. 7, 2023. Today IDF struck the IAF Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire. The country is being attacked by Houthi missiles and was hit by hundreds of missiles and drones during attacks in October and April by Iran. Turkey possesses a formidable arsenal even if it falls far short of Israels. It includes upgraded F-16C/D fighters as well as advanced drones, potent air defenses, modern tanks and long-range fires. Being able to operate from bases in Syria would place Turkish warplanes closer to Israel. If they bring air defenses as well, the combination could create far less permissible skies than the Israel Air Force now enjoys over Syria. Having these bases, with aircraft and air defenses, could allow Turkey to frustrate Israels plans to keep the new Syrian regime militarily defanged, as well.  In addition, a large Turkish presence at these bases would greatly increase their ability to control large swaths of Syria on the ground. Aside from places to deploy aviation assets, these air bases would also serve as garrisons for troops and proxies that can be supported independently of roads. A Turkish military buildup in Syria could also complicate the aerial capabilities of the U.S., which carries out airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria and provides a lot of support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF operates in areas of Syria where HTS has little influence, and an increased force level could help Turkey back its allies in those areas. However, in a direct conflict, Turkey would be overmatched in many respects. Israel has a superior Air Force and air defense systems and a battle-hardened, very high-tech army. Israel also enjoys the steadfast support of the U.S., which provides billions of dollars in weapons and munitions as well as intelligence to the Jewish state. Syrias T4 Air Base is located about 140 miles from the Israeli border. (Google Earth) Even an indirect conflict with Turkey could add to Israel’s problems. “Similar to the period when there was significant Russian deployment in Syria, the Turks, like the Russians then, could take a variety of retaliatory measures beyond dispatching their aircraft against Israeli planes,” the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center recently noted. “These actions could include providing the Syrians with advance intelligence on Israeli intentions, publicizing details of Israeli activities, and transferring advanced conventional weaponry to the Syrians (emphasizing air defense systems, missiles, UAVs, and more).” According to several reports, a scenario of aerial friction in Syrian skies between Israeli and Turkish aircraft has already occurred. Turkey is increasing its direct military involvement on Syrian soil, including the physical presence of soldiers and advanced weapon systems at… pic.twitter.com/TjDOVbwDNz— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) March 25, 2025 Despite the increasingly heated rhetoric, several factors could reduce the likelihood of conflict, the IDF official told us. The tensions between Israel and Turkey pit a key U.S. ally against a NATO member. Should Israel and Turkey come to blows, it would put the U.S. in a terrible position of having to navigate between the two. Right now, President Donald Trump has said he backs Israel unequivocally, which isnt a good sign for Turkey should a still unlikely skirmish break out into a wider conflict. A direct conflict could strain Turkeys other Western alliances, the official said. Still, all things considered, the IDF official is concerned about the future. As mentioned earlier, Erdogans stability is one driving factor. Personally, I believe we are closer to a conflict, given the emergence of a radical jihadist regime in Syria and the high likelihood that Erdogan, facing concerns over his regime’s stability, might choose escalation despite conflicting interests, the official suggested. It could become a do or die scenario for him. In short, there is no longer any certainty in the Middle East or perhaps anywhere in the world regarding regional stability, he added. We must constantly monitor the situation and define, based on security interests, the warning signs that could lead to such an escalation. This is essential to avoid being caught off guard. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com The post Israel-Turkey Tensions Mounting Over Air Bases In Syria appeared first on The War Zone.

[Category: News & Features, Air, Air Forces, Around The Globe, Israel, Israeli Air Force, Middle East, Syria, Turkey, Turkish Air Force] [Link to media]

As of 4/3/25 3:49pm. Last new 4/3/25 3:49pm.