In an extraordinary reversal, the U.S. Navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives, officials said on Friday. The Navy’s leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier to Defense Secretary Mark Esper Read more about US Navy wants to reinstate fired captain of coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier as another destroyer has a breakout of covid-19[…]

The US Navy (USN) flew two Boeing EA-18G Growlers as autonomous unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), using a third Growler as a flight controller. In total, four flights were conducted at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, with tests starting in September 2019, says manufacturer Boeing on 4 February. The aircraft demonstrated 21 missions during flights that Read more about US Navy flies two EA-18G Growlers autonomously; third Growler used as controller[…]

The retaliation for the killing last week of 33 Turkish soldiers by Syrian forces involved an unprecedented number of drones in coordinated action, said the senior official in Turkey with direct knowledge of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Syria policy. It was the first time a country had commanded the air space over such a large Read more about Turkey’s Killer Drone Swarm Poses Syria Air Challenge to Putin[…]

The US Department of Defense’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOTE) warned that the multinational F-35B fighter jet fleet is lagging behind a key flight-hours metric needed to show maintenance maturity. On top of that, the supersonic stealth jet project’s move towards Agile methodology for “minimum viable product” (MVP)-phased development of critical flight and Read more about Uncle Sam tells F-35B allies they probably won’t make minimum viable product unless they fly them a whole lot more[…]

Here’s something the public didn’t know until today: If one of the U.S. military’s new F-35 stealth fighters has to climb at a steep angle in order to dodge an enemy attack, design flaws mean the plane might suddenly tumble out of control and crash. Also, some versions of the F-35 can’t accelerate to supersonic Read more about F-35: a $400 Billion Stealth Fighter That Can’t Climb, accellerate, shoot straight or be resupplied using the mandatory software[…]

In its third field experiment, DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program deployed swarms of autonomous air and ground vehicles to demonstrate a raid in an urban area. The OFFSET program envisions swarms of up to 250 collaborative autonomous systems providing critical insights to small ground units in urban areas where limited sight lines and tight Read more about Swarm Drones Demonstrate Tactics to Conduct Urban Raid[…]

The Air Force Research Laboratory demonstrated a new and ultra-responsive approach to turbine engine development with the initial testing of the Responsive Open Source Engine (ROSE) on Nov. 6, 2019, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Aerospace Systems Directorate’s ROSE is the first turbine engine designed, assembled, and tested exclusively in-house. The entire effort, from Read more about AFRL tests in-house, rapidly developed small engine[…]

As part of the Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support programme, the companies will fly their own fleets of fighter aircraft against USAF types during Red Flag-series exercises, the USAF says in an online award notice posted on 18 October. Such activities are meant to help the service improve its performance fighting against a growing Read more about USAF awards 7 companies $6.4bn for mock dogfighting services[…]

Yesterday afternoon, the Pentagon notified Congress of its purchase of a microwave weapon system designed to knock down swarms of enemy drones with pulses of energy. The purchase comes with an intent to deploy the PHASER system overseas for a year-long assessment, making it the first directed energy defense weapon to ever be fielded. […] Read more about The US Air Force Is Deploying PHASER Microwave Weapon to kill drones[…]

The UK Armed Forces’ privatised pilot training system is taking nearly seven years to turn new recruits into frontline-ready aviators, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO investigation into the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) contract, which is let to a consortium backed in part by US arms multinational Lockheed Martin, thundered Read more about Privatised RAF pilot training takes 7 years to produce combat-ready aviators, has a shortfall of 86% with RAF needs[…]

In the margins of today’s EDA Steering Board, 22 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden) and EDA signed a new programme that will facilitate the granting of cross-border surface and air movement permissions. The programme Read more about 22 EU Member States sign new military mobility programme[…]

The CIA and the U.S. military have been using a new type of missile during some drone strikes in recent years, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. What makes this new missile unique? It doesn’t explode and instead deploys sharp blades, hitting targets “like a speeding anvil” from the sky. The new Read more about CIA’s Solution to Killing Too Many Civilians: Knife Bomb[…]

The new-build F-15 was not part of the service’s original budget plans, but was added because the type has lower lifetime operating costs, the USAF acknowledges. The service is committed to buying 72 fighters per year, but cannot afford to purchase only F-35As because of that aircraft’s high operating costs – which average about $35,000 Read more about US Air Force buys new  build 70s era vintage F-15EX fleet because F-35 is too expensive[…]

American plane-maker Boeing has revealed a stealthy, robotic fighter jet that could fly into battle alongside old-school manned planes. But the “loyal wingman” drone, as officials call it, isn’t for the U.S. military. The Australian government funded the ‘bot’s development in the hope of equipping Royal Australian Air Force squadrons with drone wingmen. Which is Read more about Boeing Just Revealed the ‘Loyal Wingman’ Fighter Drone—For Australia[…]

The Oryu is the eleventh submarine based on the Soryu’s design. Soryu-class vessels, which started being built in 2005, are among the largest diesel-electric submarines in the world. But the Oryu is a vastly updated version of the Soryu, the biggest change being the replacement of lead-acid batteries with lithium-ion ones. Mitsubishi Heavy tapped GS Yuasa Read more about Japan’s silent submarines extend range with li-ion batteries[…]

The aircraft flew for two weeks on kerosine with 5% biofuel. Unfortunately there is not enough fuel available to allow for more than one aircraft to fly for two weeks. A chicken and egg dilemma. Een F-16 van Vliegbasis Leeuwarden stootte de afgelopen 2 weken minder CO2 uit tijdens het vliegen. Het toestel koos het Read more about Dutch F-16 flies using fryer fat[…]

On June 22, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), China’s foremost military electronics company, announced that its groundbreaking quantum radar has achieved new gains, which could allow it to detect stealth planes. The CETC claims its system is now capable of tracking high altitude objects, likely by increasing the coherence time entangled photons. CETC envisions Read more about China’s latest quantum radar could help detect stealth planes, missiles[…]

China has developed a new portable laser weapon that can zap a target from nearly a kilometre away, according to researchers involved in the project. The ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle is classified as being “non-lethal” but produces an energy beam that cannot be seen by the naked eye but can pass through windows and cause Read more about China brings Star Wars to life with ‘laser AK-47’ that can set fire to targets a kilometre away[…]

With the UK at the forefront as the framework nation, the JEF can now deploy over 10,000 personnel from across the nine nations. Speaking at the event at Lancaster House today Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: Our commitment today sends a clear message to our allies and adversaries alike – our nations will stand together Read more about Over 10,000 troops from nine nations ready to meet global challenges in Joint Expeditionary Force led by UK[…]

DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program envisions future small-unit infantry forces using small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and/or small unmanned ground systems (UGSs) in swarms of 250 robots or more to accomplish diverse missions in complex urban environments. By leveraging and combining emerging technologies in swarm autonomy and human-swarm teaming, the program seeks to enable Read more about DARPA looking for Innovative Ideas for Swarm Drone Systems in Urban Environments[…]

What happens when a North Korean ballistic missile test fails in flight and explodes in a populated area? On April 28, 2017, North Korea launched a single Hwasong-12/KN17 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) from Pukchang Airfield in South Pyongan Province (the Korean People’s Army’s Air and Anti-Air Force Unit 447 in Ryongak-dong, Sunchon City, to be Read more about When a North Korean Missile Accidentally Hit a North Korean City[…]