The U.S. Air Force has disclosed substantial new details about its secretive Off-Board Sensing Station program, or OBSS, and related developments. This comes after the drone developed under OBSS, General Atomics’ XQ-67A, took its first flight. We now know about the existence of a previously undisclosed companion drone, with higher-performance and weapons deployment capabilities, called the Off-Board Weapon Station, although the exact status of that aircraft remains unknown.
The Air Force Research Laboratory announced the first flight flight of the XQ-67A earlier today.

The Air Force’s latest update to its uniform regulation allows more leniant tattoo rules, walking with coffee and clearer guidance on nail polish. Photo by Army Private Carlynn M. Knaak.
In the Air Force, you can now officially have tattoos on your neck, drink your coffee while walking and not salute your boss when you drop your kids off at daycare, according to newly updated dress and appearance regulations released Thursday.
But you still can’t grow a beard.
The Air Force released an update on Feb.

The head of the U.S. Strategic Command has called for “serious consideration” of a return to deploying intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, with multiple nuclear warheads. The U.S. Air Force’s LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBMs have this capability, but operational examples are presently only loaded with one warhead due to arms control agreements with Russia. The plan has been that the service’s future LGM-35A Sentinel ICBMs will also only have a single warhead for the same reasons.
U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) boss Air Force Gen.

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USA and China’s Nuclear Capabilities: A Brief Comparison
USA and China’s Nuclear Capabilities: A Brief Comparison” provides a concise examination of the two nations’ nuclear capabilities, focusing on land, sea, and air-based systems.
Satellite images have revealed China’s recent construction of numerous silos in its desert regions, purportedly designed to house intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). These developments signal China’s growing nuclear capabilities as it moves closer to matching the United States across land, sea, and air.

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Italy moves away from NATO’s 2% defense spending target.

Italy’s military budget will be cut again this year, moving the country further away from NATO’s target of spending at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2028, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on Wednesday.

Defense spending has fallen steadily from 1.59% of GDP in 2020 to 1.46% in 2023, and “will probably fall” again this year, Crosetto said in a question session in the Lower House of the Parliament.
“It is not news that makes me happy,” he added.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) XQ-67A advanced air combat drone has flown for the first time. The War Zone was the first to report on the unveiling of this drone, which was built U.S. Air Force’s secretive Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program, and you can learn more about this design in our initial reporting here.
The XQ-67A drone seen during its first flight.

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US Military Plans to Restore V-22 Ospreys to Flight

The U.S. military services are set to take a key step toward getting the fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft back into the air when they present their plans to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday to resolve safety concerns stemming from the deadly crash. Occurred in Japan, according to Defense officials.

The US fleet of about 400 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft has been grounded for 83 days following the crash of a US Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B on November 29, 2023, in Japan, in which eight service members died.

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The First Domestically Manufactured Taiwanese Submarine: A Deep Dive
Taiwan’s first domestically manufactured submarine, the Hai Kun (SS-711), has recently entered the water for its inaugural sea trials. This groundbreaking development marks a significant milestone in Taiwan’s naval capabilities and strategic defense posture.
In this article, we’ll delve into the details of the Hai Kun, exploring its design, capabilities, and the broader geopolitical context in which it operates.

A story that we recently published about the top speed of the F-15EX Eagle II caught a good deal of attention. Most intriguingly, one U.S. Air Force veteran got in touch with The War Zone to provide an idea of the even more impressive speed that could be attained by one of the aircraft’s predecessors — the F-111 Aardvark.
Returning to the F-15EX for a moment, we reported about how manufacturer Boeing told us that the aircraft — the U.S. Air Force’s newest fighter — has achieved a maximum speed of Mach 2.497.

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Russia revealed Ukraine’s first Abrams tank destroyer weapon
Piranha Design Institute revealed that their suicide drone was used in the raid and fire on Ukraine’s first Abrams main tank near Avdeevka.

“I received information from the battalion that destroyed the Abrams. They said that our first-person view (FPV) drones helped shoot down the target,” said a representative of the Piranha Design Institute in the city of Ulyanovsk. Russia said on February 28 but did not disclose further information.

Every year, the Council on Foreign Relations pulls together a comprehensive report surrounding the biggest threats to our American experiment called the “Preventative Priorities Survey.” I like to call it “Top 8 reasons to have anxiety.” According to the PPS, the survey evaluates “ongoing and potential conflicts based on their likelihood of occurring in the coming year and their impact on U.S. interests.”
The PPS aims to “help the U.S. policymaking community prioritize competing conflict prevention and mitigation demands.

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The US uses AI to identify airstrike targets in Iraq and Syria
US military officials said this country’s forces used AI to identify targets during airstrikes in Syria and Iraq earlier this month.

Schuyler Moore, head of the technology department of the US Army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), said on February 26 that this unit built a machine learning algorithm to determine target lists for 85 air strikes that day.

The German frigate Hessen came close to shooting down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper over the Red Sea earlier this week, according to German media.
The ship detected the drone on its radar but was unable to identify it, a spokesperson for the German navy told Task & Purpose on Thursday.
The Hessen fired two missiles at the U.S. drone but neither missile hit the Reaper due to technical problems, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported. The Hessen was taking part in a mission to protect commercial shipping from ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
A U.S.

Welcome to Rewind & Reconnoiter. Each week, we’ll ask one of our authors to look back at an article they’ve written for War on the Rocks in light of a current news event. Did their argument hold up? Read more below to find out. *** In 2017, Henrik Ø.

New photos and video have emerged, providing us with a much better view of the mockup of China’s stealthy J-35 carrier-capable fighter aboard the aircraft carrier Liaoning. While we had previously seen the test specimen on the carrier while it was in port, it’s now clear that deck-handling trials are continuing with the overhauled warship now going to sea. The development raises more questions about what the future makeup of the Chinese carrier air wing will look like.

The Liaoning heads out to sea with mockups of the J-35 and a J-15 variant seen at the rear of the deck.

The Army recently concluded latest iteration of a validation exercise for its team of specialized foreign advisers that expanded upon elements of the information environment.
The Operation Combined Victory event — which took place in February and included the 1st, 2nd and 54th Security Force Assistance Brigades — was the second of its kind for the SFABs, which are unique units designed solely to advise and assist local, indigenous forces.

Leonardo and Bell are to leverage their respective AW609 (pictured) and V-22/V-280 tiltrotors for the NATO NGRC programme. (Leonardo)
Leonardo and Bell signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 29 February geared at evaluating tiltrotor options for the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme.
The European and US companies will pool their combined tiltrotor knowledge on the AW609 and V-22 Osprey/V-280 Valor respectively, as they look to secure the fifth concept study of the NGRC effort to develop the next generation of rotorcraft for 2035 and beyond.

L3Harris Technologies’ AN/PRC-160 HF manpack, which enables forces to transmit video, voice, and data up to Top Secret Level, has been selected for the German armed forces. (L3 Harris Technologies)
The US Department of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Germany for Falcon III wideband software-defined radios.

A picture of an American M1 Abrams tank named “Animaniacs” — after the hit 90s cartoon — has been spotted in Germany’s Grafenwoehr Training Area. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christian Carrillo).
Gen Xers and elder millennials, rejoice! A picture of an American M1 Abrams tank named “Animaniacs” — named for the 90s cartoon beloved by many in those generations — has been spotted in Germany’s Grafenwoehr Training Area. Tank crews are known for creative names to adorn their main gun, but this may be the most nostalgic one we’ve seen.

CASIC is enhancing its Sky Hawk low-observable UAV for improved stealth characteristics and greater range. (Janes)
China’s Tianying (Sky Hawk) tailless low-observable, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has started flight-testing following upgrades to its primary parameters. According to Chinese state-owned media, the changes improve the UAV’s stealth characteristics and endurance.

The Indian MoD is procuring an undisclosed number of Jaga unmanned aerial vehicles (pictured) from Noida-based IG Drones to enhance the surveillance capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. (IG Drones)
Noida-based IG Drones has secured a contract from the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide its 5G-enabled Jaga unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enhance the surveillance capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces.

Paul Johnson has trained hard to break the world record for crossing the US on foot in under 42 days. His attempt begins March 1. (Courtesy photo by Brady Keegan).
75 miles per day — every day for 40 days — adding up to 3,000 miles total. From Santa Monica to New York City, Navy officer Paul Johnson plans to break the world record for a transcontinental run. 
Johnson’s not just taking on the brutal feat for bragging rights; he aims to raise awareness for mental health and $1 million for Team Red, White, and Blue (RWB).

DefOne
Companies that have previously supplied Ukraine are now competing to provide “special ammunition” worth $624 million.

Eckstein & Judson, DefN
The U.S.

Brandi Vincent, DefenseScoop
The Air Force has tapped California-based fusion power startup Fuse Energy Technologies to deliver nuclear effects testing capabilities, DefenseScoop has…

Stew Magnuson, NatDefMag
Depending on who you ask, directed energy weapons are either “here and now” or still not ready for prime time.

Military History Now
Oliver Hazard Perry, one of the United States Navy’s most famous commanders, is best remembered for his exploits during the War of 1812.

The first KC-130J for the Luftwaffe departs the Marietta production facility in the US, bound for the joint Franco-German C-130 squadron in France. (Lockheed Martin)
The first Lockheed Martin KC-130J tanker-transport aircraft for the Luftwaffe was delivered to the joint Franco-German C-130 air-transport squadron at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in northern France on 28 February.

Germany considers a vision for a closer Chinook user support ecosystem in the future to help it maintain its new CH-47F Block II fleet.

A Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft takes off with a payload of GBU-12 bombs during an exercise in 2021. Singapore is procuring eight F-35A airframes in addition to the 12 F-35Bs announced earlier. (Commonwealth of Australia)
Singapore will procure eight conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variants of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft in addition to the 12 F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) versions it is acquiring.

According to Janes Defence Budgets, Australia’s total defence spending will rise from the equivalent of about USD38.4 billion in 2024 to nearly USD48 billion by 2030. About 19% of the annual defence expenditure is allocated to procurement. (Janes Defence Budgets)
Australia launched on 29 February a new strategy to enable local industry to meet the future capability requirements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss an article on the concept of unbalanced multipolarity by Emma Ashford and Evan Cooper. They debate what might happen if the United States pulls back from its leadership role in Europe and the rest of the world.

On the morning of Nov. 1, 1951, within the confines of Area 7 at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site, soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division dug foxholes and positioned weapon systems in anticipation of the Atomic Energy Commission’s BUSTER-JANGLE nuclear tests. The Soviet Union had conducted its first nuclear test two years earlier, prompting the Army to confront the possibility of its troops encountering nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

Repair work on attack submarine USS
Boise
is just one of the programmes that could be at risk during a year-long continuing resolution restricting funding.
(Newport News Shipbuilding)
Officials for the US Navy, US Air Force, and US Army painted a grim picture for the services if they are saddled with a full-year Continuing Resolution (CR) and unauthorised supplemental funding for fiscal year (FY) 2024 during a 28 February round-table media briefing at the Pentagon.

Leaked documents indicate Russia’s threshold for employing tactical nuclear weapons is significantly lower than previously thought, according to a new report. The Russian Navy losing a fifth of its ballistic missile submarines or even three cruisers might be enough to trigger such a response. The documents also point to continued Russian planning around a potential conflict with China, despite the strengthening of relations between the two countries in recent decades.

The US military exists to protect the country from enemies abroad. Why are we allowing it to be used against the American population?

The US military exists to protect the country from enemies abroad. Why are we allowing it to be used against the American population? pic.twitter.com/KFws4kCoAA
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 28, 2024

REPORT: Ukraine Front Line Continues To Collapse
Here It Comes…Biden To Launch WWIII

The post TUCKER: US Military Being Used Against Americans appeared first on Armed Forces Press.

A tornado caused major damage to parts of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, today, including to the National Museum of the Air Force, which is located at the base. Wright-Patterson AFB is also home to Air Force Materiel Command, the 445th Airlift Wing and its C-17 transport aircraft, as well as the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Museum’s main campus is situated roughly a mile and a half southwest of the main base.
Imagery of the devastation released by Wright-Patterson certainly makes for grim viewing.

In our first update in the third year of the all-out war in Ukraine, Germany’s insistence on not supplying Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine is making headlines once again. Coming under continued pressure to give Kyiv Taurus, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has now stated “that was out of the question” regarding the potential transfer.

Women veterans are 1.6 times more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared to civilian women which also increases their risk of suicide, a study from Disabled American Veterans found. Photo by Tech. Sgt. April Wickes.
Women veterans are 1.6 times more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared to civilian women which also increases their risk of suicide, researchers found.
A study by Disabled American Veterans describes the unique risk factors that led to an increase in suicide rates among female veterans between 2020 and 2021.

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China is obsessed with sinking US aircraft carriers
The acquisition of the hull of the Russian aircraft carrier Riga, which was transformed into the Liaoning, marked the beginning of China’s effort to develop its own aircraft carrier fleet.
China’s obsession with developing capabilities to sink US aircraft carriers after the Third Taiwan Crisis.
The Genesis of a Military Obsession: The Third Taiwan Crisis
The confrontation in East Asia in the mid-1990s, specifically the Third Taiwan Crisis, marked a turning point in China’s military strategy.

Task & Purpose photo composite of a note left for sailors at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and midshipmen visiting the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington. (Reddit/ Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Milham/U.S. Navy).
Sailors who live in unaccompanied barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, will be locked out of their rooms if they fail random inspections, the senior enlisted leader for the base has announced.

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Boeing says F-15EX can’t reach nearly Mach 3
Boeing says F-15EX can’t reach nearly Mach 3,” clarifies Boeing’s director of business development, Robert Novotny, in response to recent claims.
The true merit of a fighter lies not only in its ability to sustain level or controlled flight at extreme speeds but rather in its agility in maneuvering, the effectiveness in the use of its weapons and its ability to evade detection.

The U.S. Army has laid out plans to significantly expand its air and missile defense units, with a particular focus on counter-drone and counter-cruise missile capabilities, as part of a larger restructuring of its forces. This reflects U.S. military concerns about these and other aerial threats that have been growing for years now. This is also a major turn-around for the service, which has been very much playing catch-up with these threats, as The War Zone has highlighted in the past.

The German Navy Type 124 Sachsen class frigate FGS Hessen has downed two Houthi drones at close range while operating in the Red Sea. In addition, the ship accidentally fired on an American MQ-9 Reaper drone while confused as to its identity.
This spate of action comes just a few days after the vessel arrived in the region, after departing Germany on February 8, to aid in the protection of international shipping in the vicinity in response to ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Beyond the U.S.

Some of the Air Force’s plans for an organizational shakeup to better posture itself for future conflicts with U.S. adversaries are at risk due to continued instability with the federal budget, according to the service’s top officer.  
On Feb. 12, the Department of the Air Force announced it would be partially reorganizing — an effort dubbed “reoptimizing for great power competition.

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Germany and Poland say they will not send troops to Ukraine.
European military heavyweights Germany and Poland said Tuesday they will not send troops to Ukraine, following reports that some Western countries may be considering doing so as the war with Russia enters its third year.
The NATO chief also said the US-led military alliance has no plans to send troops to Ukraine after other Central European leaders confirmed they would not contribute troops either.

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. *** On Feb. 16, 2024, Russian opposition leader and activist Alexei Navalny collapsed and died after a walk in the penal colony where he was being held north of the Arctic circle.

Singapore will add eight conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A stealth fighters to its existing order for 12 short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B variants. While Singapore had not previously ruled out the F-35A version, which offers various performance and cost advantages, it has now committed to a highly capable and versatile future fighter fleet that will comprise the F-35A, F-35B, and fourth-generation F-15SG — an advanced development of the F-15E Strike Eagle.

#SGBudget2024: MINDEF will acquire 8 F-35As adding to the previously announced 12 F-35Bs.

A new green hydrogen plant opened this month in Petersburg, Virginia, producing one ton per day of green hydrogen. The plant was commissioned by Independence Hydrogen, a small, gritty start-up in Virginia, founded by Bill Lehner, graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. It is a notable achievement. Despite lots of enthusiasm and unprecedented government incentives, the building of a new hydrogen economy in the United States is moving very slowly.

Europe wants defence industry independence from the US, but half of the European Union’s air forces use US-origin combat aircraft.