The U.S. Air Force 461st Flight Test Squadron based at Edwards Air Force Base has received a unique specially instrumented F-35A fighter designed to enhance the much delayed testing of new software. The new aircraft is expected to help accelerate efforts to bring the F-35’s software fully up to the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) standard, which is critical to keeping up with the latest advances in Chinese fifth generation fighter programs, and eventually facilitating bringing the F-35 up to the Block 4 capability standard in the early-mid 2030.
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Key Points and Summary – Russia’s Su-75 “Checkmate” was unveiled as a bargain fifth-gen stealth jet to rival the F-35, but years later it remains a mock-up with sliding timelines and vague specs.
-Sanctions, supply-chain strain, engine and materials challenges, and Russia’s prioritization of missiles and drones all undercut prospects.
Su-75 Checkmate and Su-57. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Claims of $30M unit cost and ultra-low operating expense defy the realities of stealth manufacturing (RAM coatings, thermal management) and advanced avionics.
Key Points and Summary – Born for Cold War fleet defense, the F-14 Tomcat married variable-sweep wings with the Hughes AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix to swat bombers at 100+ miles while staying nimble for dogfights.
-Early TF30 engines were temperamental, but later F110 powerplants unlocked reliable thrust and better performance.
F-14D Tomcat Fighter Image from National Security Journal
-With a two-crew cockpit for superior situational awareness, the Tomcat intercepted Soviet aircraft, scored kills over Libya, and later adapted for precision strike.
The U.S. Navy has perceived a growing challenge from the capabilities of the China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy’s submarine fleet, with the service entry of new generations of vessels, and the even faster development of new generations of armaments for the ships, having exacerbated this. A recent report by the Wall Street Journal highlighted the consensus in the United States that while the performance of Chinese submarines, and particularly their quietness, has improved considerably, the U.S. Navy has been hindered by a major shortfall in submarine production capacity.
Civilian friends will ask the wrong questions.
“Can’t they just come home early?”“Why don’t you move back in with family while they’re gone?”Wrong. So wrong. Almost impressively wrong.
But here’s the thing: the fact that they asked at all matters. In a life where you’re expected to white-knuckle your way through separation, orders purgatory, and being a one-person logistics chain, the rare civilian who reaches out is worth gold.
Civilian friends will never get the acronyms right.
Key Points and Summary – First fielded in 1970, the tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missile remains a frontline anti-armor staple because it keeps evolving.
-Early combat wins in Vietnam proved the concept; later TOW 2A tandem warheads defeated ERA, while TOW 2B introduced “fly-over, shoot-down” top-attack with dual EFPs.
-Modern variants like TOW 2B Aero add range, improved guidance, and integration on vehicles, tripods, and helicopters across 46 allied users.
Key Point and Summary – PAK DA promises a stealth flying-wing bomber, but Russia’s wartime behavior says otherwise. Sanctions, thin supply chains, and engine/coatings hurdles make a reliable fleet unlikely this decade.
-Instead, Moscow refurbishes Tu-95s, modernizes Tu-160s, and leans on long-range Kh-101/102 cruise missiles: launch from sanctuary, flood defenses, preserve aircraft.
Tu-160 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Key Points and Summary – At the Cold War’s end, the Soviet Union laid down Ulyanovsk (Project 1143.7), its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier aimed at rivaling U.S. Nimitz-class ships.
-Designed with four KN-3 reactors, steam catapults plus a ski-jump, and a 44-aircraft air wing (Su-33/MiG-29K fighters, Yak-44 AEW, Ka-27 helos), the 75,000-ton flat-top promised global reach and heavier, faster sortie generation than Kuznetsov.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Since the start of his tenure as the top U.S. Space Force general in Europe and Africa last year, Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton has been strategically working to expand the access that military allies and partners across those regions have to space capabilities offered by the private sector.
“A lot of what we’re doing is training and educating them on how to leverage commercial — so they don’t have to come to us,” SPACEFOREUR-AF Commanding General Middleton told DefenseScoop this week.
After initially being told to “police that moustache,” Marines in an infantry battalion based at Twentynine Palms, California can once again have a little bit of fuzz on their upper lips.
A Sept. 24 memo from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, which ended up posted on the unofficial Marine subreddit page, announced that the battalion was implementing a mustache ban due to “repeated violations of male grooming standards regarding the authorized wear of mustaches.” A Marine official confirmed to Task & Purpose that the memo was genuine.