Experimental equipment is paving the way for multi-domain operations. A recent and highly publicized and anticipated test off the coast of Florida in December of 2019 used experimental equipment developed by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Honeywell called “GatewayONE.” It is a radio and antenna system that allows two-way data transfer between an F35 and F22. The Air Force plans on testing GatewayONE on a Kratos XQ-58 Valkrie drone in April of 2020. Oriana Pawlyk of Military.com fills us in on future tests the U.S. Air Force is planning, she writes (abridged): The U.S. Air Force plans … [Read more...]
Key Figures in U.S. Airstrike that Killed Soleimani
The key figures in the January 3 U.S. airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani have been identified, most notably Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and commander of Kataeb Hezbollah. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was listed as a terrorist in the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Some security experts are divided on whether Muhandis was specifically targeted or if he was a bonus kill. Iranian and Iraqi officials have so far confirmed the U.S. attack killed ten people in addition to Soleimani. Rikar Hussein and Mehdi Jedinia of Voice of … [Read more...]
Breakthrough in Israel’s Laser Air Defenses
Investments in laser technology have paid off for Israel’s Ministry of Defense as they reveal a breakthrough in high-energy laser defense. The laser interceptor dubbed “Iron Beam” is designed to take down aerial threats including rockets, drones, and anti-tank missiles. Anna Ahronheim of The Jerusalem Post explains that significant achievements have been made over the past year and a half as a result of collaboration between the ministry and defense companies, she writes (abridged): The ministry has been working for more than 10 years on powerful laser technology to enable the development … [Read more...]
Russia’s New Avangard Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Enters Combat Duty
Vladimir Isachenkov of the Associated Press is reporting Russia's new Avangard, capable of traveling 27 times the speed of sound, is now operational. He writes abridged: Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty. [...] The Russian leader noted that Avangard is designed using new composite materials to withstand temperatures of up to 2,000 Celsius (3,632 Fahrenheit) resulting from a flight through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. The military said the Avangard is capable of flying … [Read more...]
New Secret Weapon is Like Dropping Anvils on Terrorists Heads
UPDATE: After Steve Schneider brought you this information on the Hellfire R9X back in May, the CIA ramped up its usage of these bombs developed to avoid civilian casualties. Since then it has taken on the nickname, the "Flying Ginsu." According to Popular Mechanics, the bomb has been used at least 8 times. The most recent known use was against members of Ahrar al-Sham in the first week of December. - E.J. Smith This is a variant of the Hellfire missile called the R9X. The secret missile has no warhead and is used by the U.S. to reduce civilian casualties by using kinetic energy. A regular … [Read more...]
The JEDI Battle – The DoD’s Push for an Enterprise Cloud
Cloud computing service providers Microsoft and Amazon have been locked in a battle to win the contract for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) program. That battle has now come to an end, with Microsoft coming out on top. Since winning the JEDI deal, worth up to $10 billion over ten years, Microsoft has been moving quickly with hirings to prepare for its work with the DoD. Today the Pentagon operates over 500 separate cloud systems, which creates many seams and additional layers of complexity for America’s warfighters. The scattering … [Read more...]
U.S. Looks to Address its Rare Earth Mineral Choke Point
The U.S. once dominated rare-earth mining and production during what is known as the “Mountain Pass era” from 1960-1980. In recent decades China has become the largest producer, now controlling 90% to 95% of the world’s rare-earth mineral mining and production. Rare earth elements are crucial to modern U.S. military aerospace technology. They are used in everything from high-powered lasers to missile guidance systems, radars, sonar systems, and more. China has the ability and has shown its willingness to manipulate the supply of materials and technologies deemed strategic … [Read more...]
Army Testing New Grenade Launching Drone
A new drone called Cerberus GL built by Skyborne Technologies Pty. Ltd. was designed to be a first man-packable multi-round UAV. The Cerberus GL can be equipped with a 40mm grenade launcher, 12-gauge shotgun, or Micro-Munitions. It has a range up to 2 miles and flight time of 28 mins and weighs just 14 pounds. The U.S. Army is searching for capable solutions for killing enemy troops protected behind cover. Matthew Cox of Militiary.com writes (abridged): U.S. Army weapons officials are testing an experimental drone armed with a multi-shot, 40mm grenade launcher to destroy enemy targets hiding … [Read more...]
New Stealth Combat Air Vehicle Revealed
Airbus recently released images of its Low Observable UAV Testbed (LOUT) to the public. The previously classified project, begun back in 2007, has now completed its first phase of testing. Built on a technological foundation of electronic countermeasures, signature reduction, and electromagnetic emission control, this demonstrator looks to achieve a stealthy low probability of intercept (LPI) for Airbus’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). Tyler Rogoway of The War Zone tells us that communications, sensors, and even cyber-security are included in the program. He writes (abridged): LOUT was … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy Wants Mini F-35 Carriers
The Navy’s demand for aircraft carriers is growing almost as fast as the cost to build them, but there’s one thing that’s not keeping pace, and that’s the budget. To bridge the gap in supply and demand, admirals are looking to a WWII strategy to fill their needs. The U.S. Navy is exploring the idea of converting an amphibious assault ship (LHA) to serve as a mini-carrier. Mike Glenn of the Washington Times writes (abridged): The U.S. Navy is looking to the past for a possible solution to its current aircraft carrier problems. Borrowing an idea employed in World War II, the service is … [Read more...]