Author: Michael

The UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) 6th-generation fighter aircraft is “a disaster in the making,” according to a lengthy report in one of London’s leading newspapers. The long investigative piece also finds that the GCAP is a microcosm of the UK’s defense establishment in that not just this program, but the country’s entire national security apparatus is in considerable jeopardy.

“The defense of the realm is in terrible trouble,” says the authoritative paper, the Daily Telegraph.

If war between Taiwan and China erupted, the Chinese military would unleash wave upon wave of drones across multiple domains to deplete Taiwanese defenses and sap Taiwan’s finite supply lines. This attack would all be in advance of a massive Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The island is well defended and fortified, thanks to its decades-long alliance with the United States. Beijing understands that it must first drain those defenses and weaken the island’s resolve.

The first step would be for China’s military to salami slice the outlying Taiwanese islands of Matsu, Penghu, and Kinmen.

Out of all the submarine stories I have worked on in nearly twenty years of defense publishing and running various national security outlets or think tank programs, this might just be the most chilling. To this day, it gives me goosebumps. But, as one engineer told me a few weeks back who worked on nuclear submarines in Groton, Connecticut, for several decades, “U.S. Navy submarines are the best on Earth, and they can take a pounding as they were built to fight the Soviet Union to the death.

The US Army’s 52d Air Defense Artillery Brigade is testing and evaluating IonStrike, a kinetic interceptor developed by DZYNE Technologies, as part of its strategy to strengthen defences against uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).

“The Army we have is not the Army we need.” Canadian Lt. Gen Michael Wright has been saying that since last fall — at base visits, in podcasts, in planning documents — which isn’t how generals usually talk in public. He’s also betting that Inflection Point 2025 and the subsequent Canadian Army Modernization Plan can close the gap before anyone tests whether he’s right. And yes, that means in a war that Canada might not perform very well in at the moment.

Inflection Point 2025: Give the Plan Its Due

Canadian Tank Firing. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Summary and Key Points: Naval leadership research consistently shows aircraft carrier captains report higher levels of anxiety than their nuclear submarine counterparts — despite submarines operating in a more physically dangerous environment.

-A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier holds approximately 5,000 sailors, including the air wing; a nuclear submarine holds 130 to 150 highly screened specialists.

Essex-Class Carrier USS Intrepid NSJ Photo.

-Submarine danger is static — governed by physics, engineering, and procedures.

Summary and Key Points: In March 2013, two Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom IIs scrambled to intercept an American MQ-1 Predator drone flying surveillance approximately 16 miles off the Iranian coast in international airspace. They did not know that two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors operating from a base in the United Arab Emirates were flying escort.

-Lt. Col. Kevin Showtime Sutterfield, an Air Force Reservist flying the lead F-22, eased his aircraft into a position under the lead Iranian F-4 to inspect its weapons loadout — the Iranian pilots never saw him.

The head of Airbus Defence and Space Mike Schoellhorn has provided details on ongoing issues with the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, which has for years been considered one of the most problematic fighter development efforts in part due to disagreements between the two leading partners.

Summary and Key Points: Russia’s 1980s-era Admiral Nakhimov — a Kirov-class battlecruiser — is being modernized with up to 60 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles, replacing the warship’s 20 P-700 Granite supersonic carrier-killer missiles on a 3-for-1 basis.

-The ship also carries 96 S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles and 40 9K33 Osa short-range missiles, with additional upgrades including Fort M missiles, AK-192 guns, and the Kashtan close-in weapons system featuring Gatling guns and eight 9M322 short-range missiles.

Kirov-Class Battlecruiser from Russian Navy.

Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Navy may not build the fifth and sixth Ford-class aircraft carriers as planned. The service’s review of the future carrier force will conclude in 2026 and could reshape carrier procurement strategy for decades.

-Each Ford-class ship costs more than $13 billion — among the most expensive military platforms ever built.

USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Creative Commons.