Browsing: All news

The Strategist
But why? That’s a hard question to answer, on two levels.

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet has been photographed carrying an inert AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) during the U.S. Navy’s Gray Flag 2026 test exercise in California, providing the first public evidence of an Australian aircraft carrying the highly classified long-range air-to-air weapon. The aircraft, assigned to No. 1 Squadron, was photographed taking off from Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu on September 11.

Debate over the future of the Republic of China Air Force’s fighter force has intensified after the Liberty Times discussed the possibility that a larger fleet of upgraded F-16V and F-16 Block 70 fighters could offer greater value than a smaller force of newer F-35s. The Times’ comparison between 200 F-16s and 100 F-35As highlights a fundamental difference between increasing fighter numbers relying on loewr cost aircraft, and acquiring higher value aircraft designed to operate in heavily contested airspace.

Iran says it has received Washington’s official response to its recent seven-day proposal for ending the war — and even though President Donald Trump publicly rejected the offer in its current form, the prospects of finding a diplomatic solution are not entirely gone.

Many analysts argue that a deal is the only way the conflict can end because several factors limit President Trump’s ability to keep escalating.

Ukraine and the European Union confirmed they have secured the funds needed to keep Kyiv fighting through the end of the year, after Kyiv warned that a $27 billion defense funding gap threatened its ability to buy weapons and equipment and prepare for winter.

The new agreement, announced on October 1, comes at a troubling moment for Ukraine, with Russia ramping up its missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of the coldest months of the year.

Russia held parliamentary elections last month, giving President Vladimir Putin’s ruling party a larger majority, though the elections’ legitimacy has been questioned.

According to a BBC analysis by Russia editor Steve Rosenberg, Putin has used the occasion of the election results to double down on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Tu-22M3 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Russia Tu-22M Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

With just over a month to go before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s approval ratings on the economy have hit an all-time low and are rivaling those of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

According to the Associated Press, citing the most recent AP-NORC poll, just 26 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, and just 17 percent approve of his handling of the cost-of-living issue.

The recent disappearance of a retired SR-71 Blackbird from its comfortable retirement in the high desert of California appears to be linked to a NASA effort to produce new super-fast test aircraft, and perhaps even get an original Blackbird back in the air.
The iconic reconnaissance aircraft flew for over 30 years before the last of the black jets was retired in 1999.
It is that final jet, with tail number 844, that is at the center of unconfirmed reports that NASA may have a plan to once again kick the tires and light the fires of a plane that still holds a mythic spot in aviation history.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for 22 additional F-15EX Eagle II fighters, bringing the total number of aircraft under contract to 120. The award, announced on September 29, covers the seventh production lot of the aircraft and was concluded just before the end of the U.S. fiscal year, allowing the service to preserve funding provided through last year’s congressional reconciliation legislation.

In June, the Pentagon announced a special monetary incentive that promised a “new era of cyber management.” Part of a sweeping effort to change the way the military builds its digital force, the new pay model aims to reward troops for achieving advanced technical skills across the services’ cyber cohort.
But days before the department’s self-imposed launch Thursday, services were scrambling to prepare for the new initiative, called Cyber Mastery Incentive Pay (C-MIP).