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Summary and Key Points: The F-22 Raptor remains one of the most capable fighters in the world, but a 2012 training matchup with German Eurofighter Typhoons showed even elite aircraft can be caught out by tactics and geometry.

-During Red Flag drills, Luftwaffe pilots claimed notional kills on Raptors in visual-range engagements, later joking about having “Raptor salad for lunch.”

An Air Force F-22 Raptor executes a supersonic fly by over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. John C.

Summary and Key Points: France’s Charles de Gaulle remains one of the world’s most important aircraft carriers and the only operational nuclear-powered carrier outside the United States.

-Despite early delays and technical issues, the ship matured into a proven combat platform with deployments supporting operations in Afghanistan, Libya, and against ISIS.

-Its air wing, catapult system, and cross-deck interoperability with U.S. Navy aircraft make it a serious force multiplier.

Summary and Key Points: RIMPAC 2024 delivered a powerful demonstration of U.S. and allied maritime strike capability when the retired USS Dubuque and USS Tarawa were sunk in separate SINKEX events near Hawaii.

-The exercises showcased realistic live-fire training, interoperability, and the use of modern anti-ship weapons, including LRASM and the QUICKSINK munition.

-A B-2 Spirit and an AC-130 also contributed to the broader testing effort, highlighting joint-force maritime strike options.
-Beyond training value, the sinkings underscored a strategic message aimed at China: U.S.

Defense One
A look at new tech efforts in the Pentagon’s $151 billion reconciliation allocation plan.

S. Freedberg, Breaking Defense
Known as Project Overwatch, the AI is trained to distinguish different types of emissions, autonomously identifying the source for the human pilot.

Global Defense News
The U.S.

FGlobal
The U.S. Air Force has issued initial development contracts for a new class of engines meant to power the emerging Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

J. Trevithick, WarZone
The USAF says its Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone program has entered the weapons integration and captive carry testing phase.

Agentic AI is quickly moving from demo to deployment inside the Department of Defense. But what does it actually mean to give AI “agency” — and what does it take to make those systems work on real military networks?In this episode, Ryan sits down with Ben Van Roo, co-founder and CEO of Legion Intelligence, Jags Kandasamy, co-founder and CEO of Latent AI, and Aaron Brown, co-founder and CEO of Lumbra AI, to discuss why the real challenge is not just building smart models but getting AI agents to run on military networks and inside operational workflows.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has purged dozens of senior People’s Liberation Army officers since mid-2023, including two in January, but will this increase the risk of war? The loss of experienced officers could make Xi less confident in how his military would perform, but his increased power could also provide him greater latitude to order troops into combat to achieve what might be a key legacy for him — the long-elusive unification of China with Taiwan. As political scientists recognize, competent leadership is a key ingredient of battlefield effectiveness.