FILE: A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter lands on a snow-covered field at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. (Maj. Travis Mueller/U.S. Army).
A Massachusetts man who suffered life-altering injuries after running into an Army Black Hawk helicopter that had landed on a snowmobile trail is suing the federal government for $9.5 million to cover medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.

Although Marine Aviation officially started in 1912 when Marine First Lieutenant Alfred Cunningham reported to an aviation camp in Annapolis, Maryland, it took over a century for the United States Marine Corps to officially get its own dedicated operational test squadron after decades of conducting testing in Navy-led test squadrons. That unit is Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1).
Today, VMX-1 is hitting its stride with multiple aircraft types in its inventory and a big increase in manpower.

A Baltimore-based startup has recently flown an experimental drone powered by a pulsejet engine, a type of powerplant that has few moving parts, in contrast to a conventional turbine, offering the promise of low-cost jet performance. Previously, the company, Wave Engine Corp., received U.S. Air Force funding to develop a decoy powered by a pulsejet — a powerplant best known for its infamous use in World War II.

MilitaryView

Surprise landing of an F-35 in Southeast Asia
This event is part of a complex strategic game that takes place in the South China Sea, where nations like Brunei play crucial roles against regional powers like China, which is in the middle of territorial tensions with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The US military tactically deployed two of its F-35 stealth fighter jets to Brunei, marking a significant entry into Southeast Asia’s smallest country.

MilitaryView

The Russians finally destroyed a Ukrainian HIMARS.
The fate of the HIMARS crew during the attack is uncertain, as is the reason why the system was parked in the open in broad daylight. After persistent efforts for two years, Russian forces have finally managed to neutralize one of the Ukrainian High Mobility Artillery Rocket Launcher (HIMARS) systems.
A Russian unmanned aircraft detected the wheeled HIMARS and its support units in the vicinity of a forest in Nykanorivka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, located about 40 kilometers from the battlefront.

MilitaryView

Inside Russia’s long-range suicide UAV production facility
Russian media published images of the Geran-2 suicide UAV production line, with a large number of aircraft waiting to be assembled and shipped.

Russian reporter Vladimir Soloviev released a 17-second video on March 5, saying these were exclusive images shot inside the Geran-2 suicide drone (UAV) factory. The recording time was not disclosed, but it is likely that the video was filmed in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Tatarstan.

A Ranger secures an enemy objective while participating in the third phase of Ranger training at Camp James E. Rudder, Florida. (Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo/U.S. Air Force).
The U.S. Army’s Ranger Course, better known as Ranger School, is one of the best and toughest leadership schools in the military — arguably in the world. Every military branch, including foreign allies, can send troops to Ranger School. 
The grueling course takes Ranger trainees through three phases, from the forests in and around Ft. Moore, Georgia, to the swamps of Florida.

The Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence is adrift and reportedly on fire after being abandoned following a missile attack by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Gulf of Aden. Reports say that members of the ship’s crew suffered serious injuries in the incident or are now missing.
This is the second ship to be abandoned in the region after sustaining serious damage in the past two weeks or so. The other vessel in question, the Belize-flagged Rubymar, sank in the adjacent Bab al Mandeb Strait over the weekend.

A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** After more than 18 months of delays, Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance was finally approved last week. Sweden and Finland were both invited to join NATO after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but while Finland became part of the alliance last year, opposition from Turkey and Hungary held up Sweden’s approval.

Internet access has become more and more of a necessity in the 21st century. The worldwide web has rapidly evolved into an integral part of everyday life. For retired Veterans, having internet access can make daily tasks like buying groceries and managing healthcare more convenient. In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission reported that 15% of Veteran households did not have an internet connection. To close this digital divide, the FCC offers two programs to help qualified retired Veterans get online.

The Defense Department’s top watchdog is conducting a comprehensive assessment to ultimately determine the impacts and “effectiveness” of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office’s procurement, strategy and policy development, and adoption of AI since its inception, according to a recent memorandum.  
“This is a self-initiated evaluation that the DOD [Office of Inspector General] identified as part of our ongoing series of oversight projects on DOD’s implementation of artificial intelligence,” Pentagon OIG spokeswoman Mollie Halpern told DefenseScoop this week.

An extraordinary video has emerged showing some of the last moments aboard the Russian Black Sea Fleet landing ship Cesar Kunikov (also written as Tsezar Kunikov) as it was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones last month. The sinking of the Ropucha class landing ship by MAGURA V5 uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) was no secret, but the latest footage is the most dramatic to have emerged so far from the Russian perspective of the ‘drone boat war’ in the Black Sea. It also underscores just how challenging defending against such an attack, especially by multiple drone boats at once, can be.

Babcock has signed an agreement with ST Engineering to market land-based solutions, with an initial emphasis on 120mm mortar systems.

Members of the New York National Guard will deploy to the NYC subway system to patrol platforms and help check bags, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.(Air National Guard / Staff Sergeant Christopher S Muncy).
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the New York National Guard to begin patrolling the NYC subway system Wednesday with an emphasis on finding illegal weapons among riders. The governor cited a string of violent attacks on the NYC subway system in recent months including a Subway conductor who was slashed in the neck while working in Brooklyn in February.

An artist’s impression of the FAC 50 that the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces has ordered. (Dearsan)
Dearsan has been awarded a contract to design and build two 50 m fast attack craft (FAC) for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces (QENF), the Turkish shipyard announced during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.
The contract was also reported by Qatar News Agency, which said the QENF signed a contract to “implement the fast attack craft project (Halul 11)”.

Vietnam’s expenditure on defence is expected to increase by 5.6% CAGR due to the escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

A model of the AW249 attack helicopter was displayed for the first time at DIMDEX 2024 in Doha. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)
Leonardo showcased its AW249 attack helicopter with a scale model displayed at the DIMDEX 2024 show held from 4 to 6 March in Doha.
The event marks the first time that the Italian manufacturer has displayed its developmental “heavy” attack helicopter to the public, and comes one-and-half years since the type made its maiden flight in August 2022.

Through the DIPS framework, QinetiQ has been awarded the responsibility of providing digital and IT services to the UK Ministry of Defence.

Indian Army soldiers wearing a combination of Newndra’s JaipurBelt and ArmMax exoskeletons while carrying ammunition and other load. (Newndra Innovations)
The Indian military has procured passive exoskeletons to support logistics and potentially combat operations, it has been confirmed to Janes.
The company that developed the exoskeletons – Newndra Innovations in Rajasthan – has provided two types of exoskeletons to the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in the past few months.

The Army is moving forward with Palantir as the prime contractor for the next phase of its Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) ground station program, which aims to provide soldiers with next-generation data fusion and deep-sensing capabilities via artificial intelligence and other tools.
Palantir’s USG subsidiary was awarded a $178.4 million other transaction agreement, which calls for the delivery of 10 prototypes, the company announced Wednesday.

DefBlog
The U.S.

Scott Murdock, Military.com
Various militaries have given the world plenty of interesting vehicles, but few reach elite status as cultural icons.

Nathan Jennings, Modern War Institute
On the evening of April 13, 2022, two Neptune antiship missiles streaked out from the northern coastline of the Black Sea to

Jared Keller, Military.com
After nearly a decade in development, the Army’s primary vehicle-mounted laser weapon is on a collision course with its most fearsome foe yet — dust.

Francis P.

The British Army successfully tested the Ajax armoured fighting vehicle in harsh sub-Arctic weather conditions in northern Sweden.

China Coast Guard vessels dousing Philippine supply boat
Unaizah May 4
with water cannons in the latter’s mission to resupply BRP
Sierra Madre
with provisions on 5 March 2024.
(Philippine Coast Guard)
A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Parola-class patrol boat and a Philippine government-operated supply boat have been damaged after a 5 March encounter with China Coast Guard vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The Guarani APC (pictured above) is designed to carry a section of infantry dismounts across a fire zone so that they can engage a target or complete a mission. (AEL Sistemas)

The Philippine Army has received the first batch of five Guarani 6×6 wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from Elbit Systems, Lieutenant Colonel Louie Dema-ala, the Philippine Armyʼs official spokesperson, told
Janes
on 6 March.

An Arquus-upgraded VAB on display at the Milipol Qatar show held in Doha in May 2022. (Arquus)
French armoured vehicle company Arquus announced during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March that it had secured an additional contract to upgrade more of the Qatar Emiri Land Forces’ (QELF’s) Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé (VAB) armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
It said that the contract covers 54 VABs in addition to the 126 it has already modernised in France since 2018.

“Uncertainty regarding the US budget” has seen Pentagon contractors miss out on the boom in defence shares across Europe.

Amidst escalating geopolitical tensions and strategic imperatives, GlobalData predicts a substantial increase in US defence spending.

Precision timing is paramount in the military. From coordinating infantry charges across no man’s land in WWI to ensuring that a raiding special forces team gets off the X before enemy reinforcements can arrive, watches are a critical piece of kit for soldiers today and throughout history. The stories behind military timepieces and their connections with certain units can exponentially increase their value on the collector’s market. As a result, many of these rare and historically significant watches are out of the reach of most enthusiasts. However, Praesidus Watch Co.

The British Army began World War I with only two machine guns per infantry battalion. One gun was a spare, meaning the effective ratio was one per 1,000 soldiers. Historian John Ellis summarized, “For the British commanders, on the eve of the First World War, the machine gun simply did not exist.” The inability to grasp the changing technological character of ground combat cost British forces dearly early in the war.

A model displayed at the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March shows the new Al-Sayliyah site of the Project 401 Special Forces Training Centre. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)
Qatar’s Project 401 Special Operations Training Centre revealed its second site during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.
The new site adds to an existing 300 m range and simulator facility in the southwest corner of Camp Al-Sayliyah, west of Doha.

We now have our first look at debris that fishermen recently recovered off the coast of Alaska and turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. authorities are reportedly looking into the possibility that this could be the remains of another spy balloon like the Chinese one that the U.S. Air Force shot down off the coast of South Carolina last year. You can read more about what is already known about this more recent incident here.
User @rayendzz23 on TikTok, who appears to be a member of the crew of a fishing vessel, posted one video last week showing what was retrieved.

MilitaryView

Top 10 Most effective Air Defense Missile Systems in 2024
Discover the latest innovations in air defense with our list of the Top 10 Most Effective Air Defense Missile Systems in 2024. Explore the cutting-edge technologies and strategic importance of these systems in modern warfare.
Many experts agree that the Air Force is the most crucial part of any military today. When we look at the wars of the last few decades, we can say that getting control of the air has become the top goal of every army, but it is not easy to do.

For the first time, we have gotten the chance to see inside the Russian factory where license production of the Iranian Shahed-series one-way attack drone is taking place. A video showing the assembly line at the plant reveals many dozens of Shahed drones — named Geran (geranium) in Russia — taking shape, spelling bad news for Ukraine, which has come under sustained attack from these weapons since October 2022.

Russian media published a video from the “Shahed” UAV assembly shop pic.twitter.

An aerial view of a new barracks complex at Fort Stewart, Ga. The 20 barracks accommodate 72 soldiers each.
Soldiers can now tell the U.S. Army exactly what it’s like to live in barracks and housing. The service launched it’s annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey Monday, looking for anonymous, Army-wide feedback about the housing experiences of Soldiers and their families.
This year’s survey was sent to more than 110,000 tenants in Army privatized, government-owned, and government-leased housing.

MilitaryView

How the US Army prepared for the use of nuclear weapons during the Cold War?and is it ready now?

What the American military will have to remember to fight in the face of nuclear danger

During the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s, the US Army had some conceptual work on how to operate on the battlefield in the event that the Soviet Union began using tactical nuclear weapons.
However, especially after the collapse of the USSR and the end of the “Cold War,” the American military did not, in principle, prepare for hostilities that the use of nuclear weapons could accompany.

Go to https://bit.

MilitaryView

Why T-14 Armata tanks did not participate in the war in Ukraine?
Rostec leaders said Russia did not send the T-14 Armata to fight in Ukraine due to its high cost, even though this tank has many outstanding features.

“The Russian army already owns the T-14 Armata main tank,” Sergey Chemezov, leader of Russia’s Rostec defense corporation, said on March 4. “The Armata surpasses all existing tanks in terms of features, but it is a bit expensive.”
Mr.

The Air Force updated a broad agency announcement and offered additional insights into the service’s vision for adapting AI capabilities on the battlefield.
The amendment to the BAA, published Feb. 29, revises a key technical area and adds three subsections to the document that was originally issued in August 2023 regarding “artificial intelligence and next generation distributed command and control.

“Echo Four, cleared wet contact right hose,” crackled the radio in Paul’s helmet. He gripped the controls on his CF-5A Freedom Fighter a little more tightly, focusing on the steel basket that would deliver much-needed fuel to his little jet.
The basket bobbed gently behind the wingtip-mounted pod on the military Boeing 707 tanker in light turbulence. Paul, or “P.I.” as he was known to his friends on 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec, Canada, ignored the rush of the cloud deck that was barely 1,000 feet below their formation.

Offutt Air Force Base, in Nebraska is home to U.S. Strategic Command. (Charles Haymond/U.S. Air Force).
A retired Army officer passed secrets via a dating website to someone claiming to be a woman in Ukraine in online chats that mixed teasing sweet talk in broken English with specific requests for classified information, federal prosecutors claim.
“Beloved Dave, do NATO and Biden have a secret plan to help us?” read one note, according to court documents. “Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting,” said another.

MilitaryView

Ukraine announced it had sunk a $65 million Russian warship
Ukrainian intelligence announced that it coordinated with the country’s navy to sink the Russian warship Sergey Kotov worth $65 million.

“Special unit Group 13 of Ukrainian military intelligence attacked a Russian patrol ship in a coordinated operation with the navy,” the General Directorate of Military Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) announced on March 5. “The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine supports this campaign.

Ryan sat down at the Pentagon with Gen. Gary Brito, who leads U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, to talk about strengthening Army professionalism, which Gen. Randy George, the chief of staff of the U.S. Army, has identified as one of his key priorities. Whether you’re a solider, Department of the Army civilian, a contractor supporting the Army, or just someone interested in the future of America’s Army, this episode is for you. Image: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jilian Mueller
The post Gen.

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs will not ban a picture of a sailor kissing a young woman on V-J Day from its facilities. Photo from Library of Congress.
The Department of Veterans Affairs disavowed a memo from a senior official requesting that VA facilities remove any displays of a famous photo commemorating the end of World War II. The picture captures a sailor kissing a woman in New York City’s Times Square on V-J Day. Modern views of the picture include criticism that it may capture a non-consensual moment.

The “Paras” of the British Army’s 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team now have Israeli-made computerized sighting systems for their L85A3 rifles. The main purpose of the SMASH X4 sights from Smart Shooter is to give the Paras a new way to help tackle enemy drones, a now long-standing threat that has come into sharp relief in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Army’s highest readiness unit, shared pictures of personnel training with the new SMASH X4 sights on social media. The U.K.

MilitaryView

Gliding Bomb War : Russia Can launch a Hundred a Day
Ukraine has sought to counter this threat, initially with the acquisition of JDAM gliding bombs from the United States and more recently with French Hammers, although aid has faced domestic political obstacles in the US.
In the context of the prolonged conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the air forces of both nations have intensified their operations, evidencing significant progress in the application of air strategies and the use of cutting-edge technology.

Ukraine continues to strike blows against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, with the latest victim the Project 22160 patrol ship Sergei Kotov, the target of an overnight attack involving uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or ‘drone boats.’ The same vessel had come under USV attack before, with Russia claiming to have foiled an effort to sink it last July before the warship was reportedly damaged again in September.
The incident is said to have taken place near the Kerch Strait that separates Russian-occupied Crimea from the Russian mainland.