The failed test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile at a military facility in Nyonoksa, Russia has put a spotlight on the country’s new array of so-called ‘Invincible’ weapons. One of these, the 9M730 Burevestnik missile, dubbed “Skyfall” by NATO, was first showcased in March of 2018. A failed test of the 9M730 on Aug 8th caused an explosion that killed seven atomic scientists. The explosion caused radiation levels to spike briefly, and induced panic across Russia as the plume spread. You can see the model of particles dispersing from Skyfall below provided by the Comprehensive … [Read more...]
How Vulnerable are Vital U.S. Military Systems to GPS Jamming & Spoofing?
Just ask the Russians who’ve made massive investments in electronic warfare and turned their cell phone towers into GPS jammers. They’ve also created “one of the most aggressive electronic warfare environments,” in Syria and are jamming F-35 GPS Systems near Iran. Foreign Policy even points out that Vladimir Putin’s bodyguards use a GPS Spoofer to protect the Russian president against drone strikes. Putin’s bodyguards are using what on its face is a counterintuitive approach to prevent assassination attempts by drone. The GPS spoofer that travels with Putin impersonates civilian GPS signals … [Read more...]
DARPA’s New Urban Warfare Program Takes Flight
In a recent test, DARPA’s experimental Offensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program, teams practiced complex urban warfare missions while the autonomous air and ground robots of the OFFSET program maintained situational awareness of the surrounding area. As more conflicts have been fought in cities and densely populated areas like Mosul, Aleppo, Mogadishu, Gaza, Basra, and Sadr City, hard lessons have been learned by the U.S. military about urban warfare. DARPA hopes its OFFSET program will give military units the upper hand with real time overall situational awareness. During the … [Read more...]
F-35 Performance Falling Short of Warfighter Requirements
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II is expected to fall short of former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ year-end 80% mission-capable rate. Lee Hudson of Aerospace & Defense Report tells readers that the main contributor to the delay is supply shortages for the F-35’s, most notably the transparency canopy. And it’s only going to get worse as worldwide fleet growth is expected to more than double by 2023. Lee Hudson goes on to write (abridged): The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is not expected to meet the Pentagon’s goal of an 80% mission-capable rate by the end of the fiscal year due to … [Read more...]
S-97 Raider Shows off its Maneuverability in Flight Test
Test pilots pushed Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider to the limits as it performed moves no ordinary helicopter could. The S-97 Raider flew sideways, nose-down, backwards, and even in stealth mode. The flight test proves that a software problem blamed for a setback in 2017 has been fixed. Eric Adams of Vertical details how the S-97 handled like a sports car (abridged): During a 20-minute test flight of the prototype S-97 Raider at Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach, Florida, facility — conducted in front of four journalists in the first such public demonstration — the unconventional coaxial-rotor aircraft … [Read more...]
U.S. Secretly Closing the Gap in the Air-to-Air Missile Race
The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have been secretly working on a new very long-range air-to-air missile (VLRAAM). The AIM-260 program known as the Joint Air Tactical Missile (JATM) Program recently popped up on a U.S. Navy awards announcement document in which a program manager for the Naval Air Systems Command was recognized for outstanding logistics in 2017. The new AIM-260 is being developed by Lockheed Martin to Counter China’s PL-15. The PL-15 can hit U.S. aircraft before they even have a chance to fire back. Flight testing for the AIM-260 is expected in 2021, and operational … [Read more...]
Serious F-35 Problems Detailed Ahead of Full Rate Production
An article by Michael Larkin of Investor’s Business Daily reveals there are major category 1 deficiencies in the F-35 as the program is just about to hit full rate production. Documents obtained by Defense News point out that pilots are forced to limit flight speeds in order to avoid damaging the F-35’s airframe. F-35 program executive Vice Adm. Mat Winter says that, and 12 other category 1 deficiencies should be successfully downgraded to category 2 status before a decision is made to enter full rate production at year’s end. Of those issues, two will be addressed afterwards with software … [Read more...]
Could Chinese Nuclear Submarines be Headed to the Arctic?
In recent years, the Arctic has seen a massive military buildup by Russia. Lyle Goldstein of The National Interest discusses the possibility of Chinese nuclear armed submarines putting in at Russian Arctic ports. He goes on to discuss the possibility of joint Russian and Chinese anti-aircraft systems and anti-missile defense systems in the Artic. Goldstein writes (abridged): […] Turning back to China’s undersea deterrent and potential parallels to earlier Soviet naval dilemmas, this Russian military expert observes that, geographically, the Chinese coast is a “huge distance [огромное … [Read more...]
Has the U.S. Navy Cracked the Code on Electromagnetic Railgun Power Generation?
The U.S. Navy has spent around $500 million in funding over the past decade for the research and development of its much-hyped electromagnetic railgun. The main obstacle to overcome was the massive 25 megawatts needed to power the weapon. That’s enough to power an average U.S. home for just over two years. It appears the U.S. Navy may have finally cracked that code as they are planning to test the railgun aboard surface warships, says Jared Keller of Task & Purpose. After more than a decade of research and development and upwards of $500 million in funding, the Navy finally plans on … [Read more...]
Remote Controlled Terror
Houthi rebel drone attacks are on the rise, and they’re getting more sophisticated. United Nations investigators have said the rebels, with their newest UAV-X planes, can travel 150mph and just over 900 miles. They are also using remote-controlled boats to target ships off the coast of Yemen. According to the U.N., these unmanned threats put much of the Gulf, including Saudi and Emirates capitals, and one of the busiest shipping routes, the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb within range. Dion Nissenbaum and Warren Strobel of The WSJ write (abridged). Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched armed drone … [Read more...]