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Summary and Key Points: Russia has lost an estimated 250 to 400 aircraft over Ukraine, including Su-25 attack jets, Su-34 strike fighters, and — most painfully — Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers it can no longer build.

-The most dramatic blow came in Operation Spiderweb, when Ukraine smuggled explosive FPV drones into Russia on trucks and destroyed more than a dozen parked aircraft, Russia’s worst air loss since World War II.

Su-27 Flanker. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

-Four years in, Russia has never won control of Ukraine’s skies.

Marines will soon be eligible for promotion to sergeant earlier in their careers. The move is intended to give larger groups of top-tier corporals the opportunity to compete for the next rank up.
As of Oct., the Marine Corps is shortening the time in service requirement for promotion to sergeant from 48 to 30 months, according to a recent Marine Administrative Message, or MARADMIN.
First reported by Marine Corps Times, the change applies to all Marines, the message says.

Starting as early as 1939, German U-boat “Wolf Packs” transformed the Atlantic Ocean into a shipping graveyard.
In response, the United States Navy upped its game, and by May 1943, aka “Black May,” the tide began to turn. Part of that turn involved technological advances such as the “Hedgehog” anti-submarine mortar, high-frequency direction finding, and torpedo decoys.

Stymied on the battlefield by Ukraine’s increasingly effective deep-strike drone campaign against Russian personnel and logistics nodes, Russia has turned up its rhetorical pressure on the Baltic countries, accusing them of serving as launching pads for Ukrainian strikes on Russia and hosting Ukrainian forces, accusations that the Baltic countries have hotly denied.

Stefano D’urso, The Aviationist
Boeing confirmed that the MQ-28 Ghost Bat has conducted three flights at the Point Mugu Sea Range after initially flying only in Australia.

S&S
Concerns over the technical feasibility of the proposed Trump-class battleship are prompting lawmakers to put the brakes on construction of the warship as part of the Navy’s planned…

Lauren C. Williams, Defense One
Lessons from the SINKEX are shaping the service’s plans to buy and fight.

George Galdorisi, CIMSEC
The CNO’s emphasis on the U.S.

Kevin Eyer, RealClearDefense
It is a common misperception—not only among the public, but even within the military—that the naming of ships and submarines is a routine and apolitical…

Summary and Key Points: Ukraine has announced it will acquire 20 new-build Saab JAS-39 Gripen E/F fighters from Sweden, financed by a €2.5 billion EU loan, with deliveries possible by 2030. Sweden will also transfer 16 used Gripen C/D jets starting in early 2027, and Ukrainian pilots have already begun training.

-Pilots prize the Gripen for its ability to operate from highway airstrips — defeating Russian airfield strikes — and its MBDA Meteor missile, which can finally outrange Russia’s best fighters.