Author: Michael

Air National Guard

The U.S. Air Force has announced formal plans to close out A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft operations at two bases. F-35A Joint Strike Fighters will take the place of A-10s at one of those locations, while the other will see the arrival of F-16C/D Viper fighters. This is all in line with the service’s goal of divesting the last A-10s before the end of the decade, if not sooner, something Congress now seems inclined to acquiesce to after decades of blocking such divestments.

U.S. Air Force

One hundred years ago today, over California, two U.S. Army Air Service crews passed a fuel hose between them, allowing one plane to be topped up by the other, and opening up what was nothing short of a revolution in military flying. That milestone — the first properly recorded, practical air-to-air refueling — is marked today by their successors, the tanker fleet of the U.S. Air Force, the most capable of its kind anywhere in the world.

Join us as we commemorate a century of AR, a game-changing capability that has revolutionized global reach and power projection.

Duck insertions were developed decades ago. They come in different varieties and remain a core competency of Navy SEAL teams.
The post What are Navy SEAL ‘duck’ insertions and which one would you prefer? first appeared on Sandboxx.
The post What are Navy SEAL ‘duck’ insertions and which one would you prefer? appeared first on Sandboxx.

Building a community as a military spouse can be exhausting. You move, work hard to find your “people,” get settled, get orders, move, and start the process all over again.  While each assignment can be the chance to start over and meet new people, it’s not always easy. We’re sharing a few tips on making […]
The post Milspouse Life: Making Friends and Building A Community first appeared on Sandboxx.
The post Milspouse Life: Making Friends and Building A Community appeared first on Sandboxx.

There’s an old military adage: the enemy gets a vote. No matter how well-planned an operation, or how well-designed a weapon, something can always go wrong. With this in mind, it’s pretty rare for any weapon system to have a perfect combat record, be it aircraft, tanks, or any other kind of military hardware.
But there were, until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, three aircraft that had a spotless combat record, despite seeing intense fighting over their long lifetimes.

The first of three new C295s for the Irish Air Corps (two of which are configured for the maritime patrol role) seen on the static display line at the Paris Airt Show the week prior to delivery to Ireland. (Janes/Sam Wise)
Ireland has received the first of a pair of Airbus Defence and Space (DS) C295 transport aircraft configured for maritime patrol operations.

ChatGPT’s release to the public in November 2022 started a wave of global interest and funding, but has the hype outrun AI development?
The post Does the hype around generative AI reflect its technology progress? appeared first on Army Technology.

OMFV contracts from the US Army have been awarded to General Dynamics and Rheinmetall, with BAE and Point Blank cut from the programme.
The post Bradley replacement competition narrows to two OMFV designs appeared first on Army Technology.

Buried in the Senate’s approved text of the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for fiscal 2024 are inclusions that would direct deeper transparency regarding government encounters with unidentified anomalous phenomena and any associated attempts made to date to inspect or reverse engineer recovered, unexplainable craft or materials. 
The proposed legislative language included in the annual authorization bill comes just after reports from a former Pentagon official-turned-whistleblower emerged, alleging that the U.S.

Training solutions for the Challenger 3 main battle tank (pictured) and Boxer armoured vehicle are the mainstay of Project Vulcan. (RBSL)
The British Army’s Ground Manoeuvre Synthetic Trainer (GMST) programme for the provision of simulators for its new Boxer and Challenger 3 platforms is more ambitious than the requirement suggested, with several other new or existing platforms in its sight.
A contract for Project Vulcan was awarded to Elbit Systems UK in April 2023 and the first installation is scheduled at the Combat Manoeuvre Centre at Bovington in November 2023.