“There was a distinct difference between the objectives of the opposing sides,” Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, commander-in-chief of Fighter Command, reflected on the Battle of Britain. Whereas the German military sought to end the war by invading across the English Channel, he explained, “Now, I was trying desperately to prevent the Germans from […]
The post In Defense of Denial: Why Deterring China Requires New Airpower Thinking appeared first on War on the Rocks.
Author: Michael
The Satellite Control Network’s largest remote tracking station, operated by the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, at New Boston Space Force Station, New Hampshire. DARPA’s Overwatch programme will allow for active tracking of 1,000 targets from space. (US Space Force)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing a new satellite-based targeting software, capable of tracking upwards of 1,000 individual terrestrial targets simultaneously from space, once it is mature.
China’s Type 052D destroyer,
Nanning
, seen here, participating in NAVDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi.
(Source withheld)
In early February 2023, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducted a duty handover ceremony in the Gulf of Aden. The ceremony was carried out between ships of the service’s 42nd and 43rd Chinese naval escort flotillas.
Virgin Orbit fires its LauncherOne rocket from a modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft. (Virgin Orbit)
Small-satellite launch provider Virgin Orbit plans to lay off about 675 employees, or about 85% of its workforce, to reduce expenses amid a cash shortage, the US-based company announced on 30 March.
“Those impacted [by the job cuts] are located in all areas of the company,” Virgin Orbit wrote in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The lay-offs will force Virgin Orbit to cease launch operations, at least temporarily,
Janes
has learnt.
The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder is a multirole fighter that emerged as a joint project between the United States and China. This aerial prodigy, comparable to the mastery of a ferocious dragon, was envisioned as a low-cost replacement for fighters like the American Northrop F-5 and the Soviet MiG-21. Although the original program was canceled, China continued with the project, renaming it the FC-1 Xiaolong (Fierce Dragon).
Global collaboration and an imminent threat
China and Pakistan jointly developed the JF-17.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan landed in New York on Wednesday, reports indicate that authorities in China are careful about her trip.
China has warned that she will retaliate if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets the Taiwanese leader during her planned visit to California.
The Wall Street Journal stated that upon his return from his trip to Guatemala and Belize, he would meet with President McCarthy and other Republican leaders at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
McCarthy is the nation’s highest Republican office and is second in succession to Vice President Kamala Harris.
TOKYO, JAPAN – A US Air Force bomber has been deployed to the Sea of Japan in a joint exercise with the Japan Self-Defense Force.
This comes just two days after a Russian Federation Pacific Fleet ship assault group fired a P-270 Moskit anti-ship supersonic cruise missile at a conditional target. We recall that the Russian missile hit a target 100 km away.
The joint US-Japan exercise has been deployed over part of the waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Along with 12 F-15 fighters and four F-2 fighters, the American B-52 bomber joined the exercise.
The Air Force has successfully fired its air-launched hypersonic rapid response weapon (ARRW) from a B-52 with initial success. This promising development suggests rapid weapons development for the service as it tries to close the gap between China and Russia.
Lockheed Martin leaves the ARRW
However, although early tests indicate initial success, the service is canceling the ARRW program with Lockheed Martin.
Several KS-19 guns fire at targets in Ukraine. (Screenshot via @UAWeapons on Twitter).
The war in Ukraine has seen a large amount of anachronistic weaponry. For every new drone or high-tech targeting system fielded in the fighting, there are older, outdated weapons being used. Drone jammers are used alongside World War I-era Maxim machine guns. Old Cold War-era T-55 tanks are being dusted off to replace destroyed modern armor pieces.
And now Ukraine is using the KS-19, an anti-aircraft gun that first entered service more than seven decades ago.
The advanced WS-15 afterburning turbofan engine, designed for the Chengdu J-20 fighter of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Forces, has entered series production.
This engine not only enhances the capabilities of the J-20 but also puts China on par with the United States in terms of engine technology for fifth-generation fighters.
The WS-15 and its advantages
The WS-15 promises longer life, lower maintenance, and more power than its predecessor, the WS-10C.