Anglesey based RAF Valley takes on Cyprus based
Author: Michael
Acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao has confirmed that the delivery of $14 billion worth of defence equipment to the Republic of China Armed Forces has been temporarily suspended, which is expected to exacerbate the already considerable delays to defence supplies to the island-based forces at a strategically critical time. Speaking at a Senate committee hearing, Cao stated that the pause is intended to allow for the replenishment of U.S. stockpiles following the 39 day U.S.-led war against Iran. He added that deliveries will resume once they are approved by on Capitol Hill.
Following the announcement that the Russian Armed Forces and allied Belarusian forces were conducting large scale nuclear forces exercises, which included units across the breadth of the two countries’ territories from Eastern Europe to the Pacific, the launches of six separate types of nuclear-capable missiles have been confirmed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has commented on Belarus’ effective handling of nuclear weapons since the two countries entered a nuclear sharing agreement in 2023, observing that Belarusian personnel have shown considerable skill in handling the new high-impact armaments.
The U.S. Navy’s Orca XLUUV — Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle — is an 84-foot autonomous submarine drone with a 6,500 nautical mile range, built by Boeing under a 2019 Navy contract that began with DARPA’s Manta Ray program and Northrop Grumman’s prototype before Boeing inherited the production line.
The Orca Could Change Naval Warfare and Submarines Forever
If you are of a certain age and perhaps a member of the Baby Boom or “X” generation, you may remember a 1977 movie by the name of Orca: the Killer Whale.
On December 29, 2011, a Russian Delta IV submarine called the Yekaterinburg caught fire in the PD-50 dry dock at Roslyakovo, near Severomorsk in the Murmansk region. Sparks from welding on the hull ignited wooden scaffolding around the submarine, which spread to the rubber acoustic coating on the boat itself. Russian firefighters fought the blaze for nearly 24 hours using helicopters and tugboats; eventually the Russian Navy had to partially submerge the entire submarine to extinguish the fire. Russian officials told the public there were no missiles aboard the Yekaterinburg during the fire.
Three months into the Iran War, Gulf states are pushing the United States and Israel toward a lasting peace settlement with Tehran. The talks are stalling on two points neither side will abandon: Iran’s nuclear materials and Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has created a new government bureaucracy to collect tolls from ships passing through the Strait. Iran cites the 1936 Montreux Convention covering the Turkish Straits as legal justification. Washington counters that Turkey charges service fees for navigation aids and rescue services, not tolls.
The U.S. Air Force concluded Exercise Checkered Flag 26-2 at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on May 14, integrating F-22 Raptors, F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, F-16 Fighting Falcons, Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, and E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes into a single combat network. The 325th Fighter Wing ran the exercise in partnership with the 53rd Wing’s Weapons System Evaluation Program East. Aircrews conducted live-fire missile engagements against maneuvering aerial drone targets across the Gulf Range Complex.
The U.S. Navy was supposed to have its own stealth bomber. The A-12 Avenger II — nicknamed the “Flying Dorito” for its triangular flying-wing shape — was designed to replace the A-6 Intruder, fly off carrier decks, and deliver precision strikes against the most heavily defended Soviet targets on Earth. The Navy planned to buy 620 of them. Not a single one ever flew. Dick Cheney canceled the program in January 1991 — the largest defense contract termination in Pentagon history. The lawsuit that followed lasted 23 years.
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