StormBreaker, the all-weather smart weapon, with 90 percent success rate, conducted its first ever drop from a Marine Corps. F-35B Lightning II on November 29th, 2021. StormBreaker weighs just over 200 pounds, has a 45-mile range, and is equipped with a tri-mode seeker (millimeter wave radar, infrared, and semi- active laser) to allow it to see through fog, smoke, and rain. Its interchangeable warheads include shape charge jets, fragmentation and blast charge effects, and an option for a delayed smart fuse, are powerful enough to defeat tanks. Integration activities for the F-35 and the F/A 18 … [Read more...]
First-Ever Counter-Hypersonic Interceptor in the Works
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has chosen Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Lockheed Martin, & Northrop Grumman to design the first-ever Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) for regional hypersonic missile defense. The MDA and the Space Development Agency are also working on developing a Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellite for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to expand the GPI’s reach. Theresa Hitchens of Breaking Defense writes (abridged): WASHINGTON: The Missile Defense Agency has tapped Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to compete in developing a new Glide Phase … [Read more...]
Is China About to Invade Taiwan?
In Tiananmen Square at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of China Communist Party’s founding, Xi Jinping called for a forced reunification with self-ruled Taiwan in a quest for a “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” He warned that anyone who bullies China “will have their heads bashed and bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people.” In preparation for defending its territorial claims, China has been fortifying its coastline and militarizing man-made islands in the South China Sea, and slowly taking over more territory in the Spratly … [Read more...]
SURPRISE: Loyal Wingman Packs Tricky Punch for Enemies
Flight testing of two Loyal Wingman aircraft, developed by Boeing with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), continues to expand and push the flight envelope. The two aircraft recently completed separate flight tests at the Woomera Range Complex. The test included the first time the landing gear had been raised and engaged. The ability to swap out the nose of the aircraft with multiple payloads gives it an element of surprise in the battlespace. Read Boeing’s press release on the Loyal Wingman below. Boeing [NYSE:BA] Australia has expanded its flight-test program of the Boeing Airpower … [Read more...]
Laser Weapons Heading to the Battlefield
The U.S. Army could soon deploy a 50-kW laser mounted atop its Stryker infantry fighting vehicles to counter threats from enemy unmanned aircraft (UAS), rotary-wing aircraft, rockets, artillery, and mortars. A contract worth $123 million was awarded to Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Kord Technologies to equip three Stryker A1 vehicles with the high energy laser weapon system. This is part of the U.S. Army’s rapid capability acquisition effort to secure Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) capabilities. Read more from Raytheon’s press release below. Raytheon … [Read more...]
US Wants to Transform Its Most Lethal Aircraft into Airborne Missile Launchers
The AC 130 has been punishing terrorists and insurgents for decades, and has saved hundreds of lives with its close air support. The AC-130 is armed with a 105mm cannon, a 30mm GAU-23/A cannon, and wing pylons designed to haul both GBU-39B small diameter bombs and AGM-114 hellfire missiles, making it essentially a flying tank. Troops fighting terrorists knew they could count on the AC-130s to get them out of harm’s way. But against Chinese and Russian air defenses, the AC-130 and MC-130 transport aircraft may find themselves irrelevant. That is why US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is … [Read more...]
China’s First Ever Hypersonic Missile Test
China is claiming its first-ever hypersonic missile test was actually the test of a space vehicle, but its recent activity provides a different story. In June of 2021, commercial satellite images obtained by researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California show that the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) is developing more than 250 silos in multiple locations. The construction of these silos indicates China is serious about bolstering its nuclear arsenal, and that its attention is being spent on becoming a nuclear threat. The discovery of these silos … [Read more...]
Is Google’s Stance on AI Putting the U.S. at Risk?
The Pentagon’s first chief software officer, Nicolas Chaillan, has resigned in protest of the Department of Defense’s lack of effort to stay competitive in artificial intelligence. Chaillan maintains that the DoD’s failure to keep up with China is putting the U.S. at risk. He’s not the only one who has expressed concern. An open letter from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has also warned that the U.S. is not prepared to defend or compete in the AI area. Chaillan blamed sluggish innovation and the reluctance of U.S. companies, like Google, which refuses to work with … [Read more...]
F-35 Passes Another Test on its Way to Becoming a Nuclear Stealth Bomber
Two F-35A Lightnings passed a nuclear training test this year when they dropped a pair of mock B61-12 gravity nuclear bombs. The exercise took place at Nellis Airforce Base in Nevada on Sept 21, 2021. The demonstration is regarded as a graduation flight test for achieving nuclear certification. Stephen Losey of Military.com writes abridged: A pair of F-35s from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada released dummy nuclear bombs at a nearby test range this month, moving the advanced stealth fighter closer to carrying the world’s most powerful weapons into combat, the Air Force said Monday. The … [Read more...]
Air Force Selects Partner for New Hypersonic Transport Aircraft Tests
Aerospace company Hermeus recently announced the signing of a $60 million dollar U.S.A.F partnership for flight testing its Mach 5 aircraft, Quarterhorse. The Award was part of the AFWERX Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program led by the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate (PE) as a follow-on to a Phase II SBIR contract. Hermeus believes leveraging autonomous and reusable systems, ruthlessly focused requirements, and a hardware-rich program will help keep its full flight envelope under $100 million. Hermeus is speeding up the global human transportation network and hopes to … [Read more...]
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