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What It Took To Fly The SR-71 Blackbird, And All The Ways It Could Kill You: Only 93 Air Force pilots ever flew the SR-71 Blackbird operationally. That number is worth thinking about. The United States has minted thousands of fighter pilots, hundreds of astronauts, and exactly 93 men entrusted with the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever built, a titanium dart that cruised at Mach 3.2 on the edge of space, where the air outside could not keep a human conscious, and the airframe glowed hot enough to cook on.

Russia is facing a mounting fuel shortage in occupied Crimea and throughout southern regions of the country following a sustained Ukrainian campaign that has targeted its oil depots and fuel storage sites. As key energy and logistical hubs continue to come under attack, the shortages are growing so severe that even the Kremlin is publicly acknowledging the problem. On June 8, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that there are “certain problems” with supply.

According to a new analysis, the Russian Aerospace Forces currently operate 18 Tu-160 strategic bombers, but only seven are being used for combat missions in Ukraine.

Russia’s most powerful strategic bomber fleet looks smaller in practice than it really is on paper, and analysts are now asking why.

Tu-160M Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Russian Military/Creative Commons.

Tu-160 Bomber from Russia.

Satellite images from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard show a submarine under construction that lacks the traditional sail (sometimes called the fin or conning tower for all you submarine enthusiasts). This feature is found on virtually all modern submarines, regardless of their country of origin.

Based on the satellite images that were made public, it appears this sailless sub has a highly streamlined hull, minimal external structures, X-shaped stern control surfaces, significantly reduced hydrodynamic drag, and potentially a lower acoustic signature than conventional designs.

Veterans seeking to file disability claims related to military sexual trauma are “more likely” to be denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs than those whose claims are for combat injuries, according to a new report mandated by Congress.
That conclusion emerged in a major review of VA protocols around disability claims related to military sexual trauma, or MST.

U.S. Special Operations Command and the SOFWERX innovation hub are launching a new initiative to support SOCOM’s pursuit of new capabilities to train computer vision models for unmanned systems.
American special operations forces use various types of drones in the air, maritime and ground domains to support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and other missions. Computer vision can boost those efforts by using AI to detect, identify, classify, and track objects and people of interest. However, there are challenges associated with the technology.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump publicly urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched ballistic missiles at the country – and it wasn’t the first time he asked Jerusalem to show restraint. As U.S.-Iran negotiations entered what Washington indicated were their final stages, Trump insisted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have to accept whatever agreement was made, stating that he “calls all the shots.” And within hours, Israeli aircraft were striking targets inside Iran anyway.

Neighbors at a Texas Air Force Base say that they have seen poisonous snakes and scorpions hiding in waist-high weeds and grass in base neighborhoods where landscaping crews have not worked in over a month. 
Families at Lackland Air Force Base, which is home to Air Force basic training, shared photos with Task & Purpose of waist-high grass that residents say has been allowed to grow by base housing officials since the first week of May.
“The last time they mowed in my neighborhood was 4 May,” one resident told Task & Purpose.

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s J-35 stealth fighter has officially been adapted to ski-jump carrier launches, meaning the country’s three aircraft carriers will now be capable of fielding fifth-generation air wings for the first time. Both the older Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers may now, therefore, operate the same stealth aircraft expected to serve aboard the newer Type 003 carrier Fujian.

The Russians have been hammered by Ukrainian drone attacks against their energy infrastructure. Additionally, Ukrainian interceptor drones have been very effective in shooting down Russian Shahed drones.

In response, Russia has stepped up attacks against Ukrainian civilian targets using jet-powered drones. These new drones, known as the Geran-3, Geran-4, and Geran-5, are proving much harder to bring down.

Iran’s Drones That Russia Is Using. Image Credit: Creative Commons.