The U.S. Air Force Laboratory has partnered with Kratos to bring the company’s low cost “wingman” from prototype to operational status. In its first three flight tests, Kratos’s XQ-58A Valkyrie has successfully executed 100 percent of test points. The three virtually flawless flights totaled about 270 minutes of flight time. The USAF envisions the Valkyrie with onboard sensors and weapons and will also look to implant artificial intelligence. The effort to incorporate AI is being called “Skyborg,” and will give the Valkyrie the ability to learn alongside pilots and even respond … [Read more...]
U.S. Air Force Deploys Weapon to Counter Hostile Drones
The recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities show that rogue drones are the new weapon of choice for militants in the Middle East. An inability to stop drones capable of raining down terror from the sky day or night could be the biggest defensive gap experienced in warfare since the U.S. encountered IEDs in Iraq. The rogue drones are virtual flying IEDs and may have turned U.S. military assets in the Gulf region into a strategic vulnerability. At the moment, America’s military lacks the ability to guard against these crude air assets in such a target-rich environment. Without a proper defense … [Read more...]
New Smaller Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile Unveiled
Raytheon’s new Peregrine medium-range missile is small, fast, lightweight and can be used against drones, manned aircraft, and cruise missiles. The missile is more maneuverable, weighs just over 150 pounds, and is half the cost and size of legacy medium-range missiles. The missile has advanced tracking and targeting systems for all-weather day/night operations. Its compact airframe is easily integrated into 4th and 5th generation fighters and allows them to carry more missiles into battle. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is developing a new medium-range, air-launched weapon called … [Read more...]
This Weapon Could Drastically Affect the Balance of Naval Warfare
Russia’s Shkval Supercavitating torpedo could affect the balance of naval warfare. It’s a game-changer, and the U.S. has nothing like it in its arsenal. Kyle Mizokami of The National Interest tells us that, “a 200 knot torpedo is a very attractive capability, and as naval competition heats up in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, we may see even more navies adopting supercavitating designs and adjusting their undersea tactics accordingly”. He writes (abridged): Imagine the sudden revelation of a weapon that can suddenly go six times faster than its predecessors. The shock of such a … [Read more...]
World’s First Unmanned Ground Vehicle Equipped with a Micro-Combat UAV
German defense contractor Rheinmetall showed off its new Mission Master unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) platform at this year’s International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO. The new platform includes Polish defense systems company WB Group’s WARMATE Loitering Munition, a multi-mission unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). #MSPO2019: #Rheinmetall Unveils #MissionMaster #UGV Armed with #WARMATE Loitering Munition System. #WBGroup https://t.co/krHQdKrs7U pic.twitter.com/Thy5sQzZSY— DefPost (@defpostmedia) September 3, 2019 WARMATE has a flight time of 50 minutes and can perform … [Read more...]
Marines Innovate to Overcome Shortcomings in the Amphibious Fleet
A traditional necessity in amphibious warfare is the need to defeat land-based opposition to dominate the theater of battle. Given that, the military has long focused on projecting power ashore. Now, however, with the development of anti-access/area-denial systems (A2/AD), potential adversaries building strong navies, and the advent of drones, it’s pushing the military to consider a flip of the script. There is competition for control of the seas now, and that’s putting amphibious ships in great danger. America’s amphibious warships will need upgrades to leverage the power of the F-35B … [Read more...]
Is Russia’s Failed Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile Worth the Risk?
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...]