More MiG-29 fighters from the former Soviet Union are en route from Warsaw, Poland, to Ukraine to enter the ongoing battle for air superiority over Ukraine.
The prospect of Western fighter aircraft, or even Soviet-era fighters, arriving in Eastern Europe has long topped Ukraine’s “wish list.” Not surprisingly, Russia or Ukraine’s inability to obtain air superiority remains a reoccurring mystery of this conflict.
Author: Michael
The B-52H aircraft will become the B-52J after receiving new Rolls-Royce F130 engines and several significant upgrades, according to Air Force fiscal 2024 budget documents.
The path to the B-52J
The designation change resolves an ongoing debate over what to call the upgraded B-52, as the aircraft will undergo several upgrades in its 61-year lifespan.
In addition to the new engines, the B-52 will also receive new radar, updated communication and navigation systems, and new weapons. These improvements are designed to keep the aircraft relevant and capable well into the 2050s.
The US Air Force was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan due to engine trouble on two of its F-16 fighters. The incident occurred on April 8 when the planes were flying in pairs 60 km south of the Japanese island of Miyako. According to information provided by the US Air Force in the region, there were no injuries, and the flight schedule was unaffected.
Shaken Engine-16
The US Air Force report described the condition of the damaged power unit as “engine shaken,” though no further details will be provided.
The USS Florida travels through the Suez Canal on Friday, April 7, 2023. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elliot Schaudt/U.S. Navy).
In an unusually open announcement, the U.S. Navy said that it is sending one of its nuclear-powered attack submarines to the Middle East, following recent strikes on U.S. forces and allies.
The Ohio-class guided missile submarine USS Florida will operate with the Navy’s 5th Fleet, based out of Bahrain. It passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea on Friday, April 7.
The rocket fire from Syria is an unprecedented escalation, unique for its brazenness.
Syria restores ties in the region.
In recent months, the Syrian regime has been working towards normalization in the region, particularly through rapprochement with the Persian Gulf and Egypt.
However, the fact that rockets were fired from Syria on the night of April 8-9 and a drone launched from Syria on April 1 aimed at Israel illustrates that the regime seeks normalization while not reining in the dangerous terrorist groups and militants.
Photo via Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
In late March 2023, Walter Reed Medical Center issued a “cease and desist order” to priests that had been providing Catholic pastoral care to the famed military hospital personnel and patients for over 2 decades and specifically barred them from conducting pastoral work on the Walter Reed campus over Easter.
Kris Osborn, 1945
The
Irish Defense Forces/Wikimedia Commons
A Ukrainian volunteer group is asking the public for monetary donations that would be used to crowdfund a fleet of British FV101 Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicles, sometimes identified as light tanks, for the country’s ground forces. The Ukrainian Army has already received a number of other variants that belong to this broader family of tracked combat reconnaissance vehicles, which could help with training on and sustainment of the Scorpion should it arrive on the battlefield.
During a three-day exercise, the People’s Liberation Army Navy conducts simulated attacks on key targets on the island of Taiwan and the surrounding area.
China’s CCTV channel on April 9 reported that the country’s military sent dozens of aircraft and many warships to participate in the joint drills in the Taiwan Strait, the northern, southern, and eastern offshore areas.
The Russian military set up units specializing in destroying Western tanks that aid Ukraine, training soldiers to attack their weak points.
Evgeny Arifulin, head of the Russian Army’s Combat Training Center, said on April 9 that specialized units to destroy Western tanks were established on the instructions of Deputy Defense Minister of Russia, Lieutenant General Yunus-bek Yevkurov.
Mr. Arifulin assessed that this is a large systematic program and is on schedule as set out by the superiors.