MilitaryView

Drone war in Israel: Enemy UAVs disconnect in the air
The importance of anti-jamming GPS technology has grown exponentially as drones rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation and control.
GPSdome2 anti-interference GPS technology, developed by InfiniDome, becomes key in the defense of Israeli drones.
Anti-interference Technology Strengthens Israel’s Defense in the Drone War
October 7 marked a before and after for Omer Sharar and his team at InfiniDome, a start-up based in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv.

(Image courtesy U.S. Central Command).
American and British forces struck 18 targets across eight locations in Yemen, the fourth large-scale bombing of Houthi-controlled areas in the last two months. 
The strikes, which occurred just before midnight local time on Saturday, Feb. 24, hit targets including one-way attack drones, radars, air defense systems and a helicopter, according to U.S. Central Command. The operation also hit multiple underground weapons storage facilities as well as above ground missile storage sites.

MilitaryView

Russian Air Force has lost another rare A-50 radar aircraft
Adding complexity to the matter, the Ukrainian air command has declared itself to be the architect of the downing of the A-50, thanks to the support of Kyiv intelligence.
In the event that defies logic, the military aviation of the Russian Federation has experienced the loss of another unit of its fleet of Beriev A-50M/U Mainstay aircraft dedicated to early aerial surveillance using radar.

(photos courtesy Mississippi National Guard/composite by Task & Purpose).
Officials in Mississippi released the names of the two Army National Guardsmen who died Friday when their AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed on a training flight. 
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bryan Andrew Zemek, 36, was from Oxford, Mississippi. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Derek Joshua Abbott, 42, was from Fulton, Mississippi. Zemek served as an AH-64D Apache Standardization Instructor Pilot with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment.

MD Helicopters has changed the designation of its MD 530F to the TH530 or AH530 depending on whether it is a trainer or a light combat platform. (MD Helicopters)

MD Helicopters (MDH) has relaunched its MD 530F rotorcraft as the TH530 and AH530 for the military trainer and light attack markets respectively, a company spokesperson confirmed to
Janes
.

MilitaryView

China’s Missile Reserve: How Long Can It Last in Battle?

Discover the lifespan of China’s missile reserves in battle. Explore the factors that affect their duration and strategic implications.
Amidst the current unstable political climate, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding China’s missile systems. China has an extensive missile reserve and has developed the most comprehensive and powerful missile weapons system globally.

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE – 22 FEBRUARY: Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at their fighting position in the direction of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 22 February 2024. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images).
Today marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. 24 months later, advances remain stalled while intense fighting rages one, even as Ukraine’s diminishing supply of artillery ammunition are starting to impact its capabilities. 
The milestone in the war comes as brutal combat continues in the country’s east.

U.S. Marines with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion conduct pre-jump inspections prior to Military Free Fall and Low-Level Static Line parachute operations over Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, May 10, 2023. (Cpl. Michael Taggart/U.S. Marine Corps).
The United States Marine Corps just scored a major victory. Not over an enemy force, but over its finances and assets. The Marine Corps passed its audit for the first time, making it the first branch of the U.S. military to accomplish that.

On the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ryan and Mike Kofman sit down to chat about where the war stands today and where things are heading. It is, to be candid, a pessimistic conversation. They cover the fall of Avdiivka, military leadership changes, Ukraine’s mobilization challenges, Congressional dysfunction, European defense spending, and more.   Image: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
The post The Russo-Ukrainian War at Two appeared first on War on the Rocks.

Jon Guttman, HistoryNet
Drones have added a new wrinkle to air combat.

Francis P.

Seth Allard, Providence Review of River City One by John Waters, a novel of coming home from war

Curt Taylor, Modern War Institute
A half century ago, on October 6, 1973, two foreign armies invaded the nation of Israel and, in a matter of hours, one of the most sophisticated armies in…

Eleanor Watson, et al., CBS News
The U.S. is tracking a small, high-altitude balloon that is drifting across the country but poses no threat to national security, U.S.

FILE: A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache assigned to the Mississippi Army National Guard flies in an attack pattern during a training scenario on April 24, 2023. (Tech. Sgt. Charles Wesley/U.S. Air National Guard ).
Two soldiers were killed on Friday when their Mississippi National Guard AH-64 Apache crashed during a training flight, National Guard officials have announced.
The helicopter went down about 2 p.m. local time in a wooded area near Boonville, Mississippi, according to a news release from the Mississippi National Guard.

MilitaryView

What gives stealth to the F-35 fighter?
The F-35 arsenal is diversified into three essential variants: the F-35A, configured for conventional takeoff and landing; the F-35B, designed for short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) operations; and the F-35C, adapted for deployment from aircraft carriers.
The cornerstone of fifth-generation air supremacy, the F-35 Lightning II represents the pinnacle of Lockheed Martin aeronautical engineering.

MilitaryView

P-61 Black Widow Fighter Jets: There are only 4 left in the world
The Legacy of the P-61 Night Fighter
In the 20th century, the world was embroiled in the chaos of World War II. In the relentless pursuit of victory, nations pushed the boundaries of science and technology, birthing formidable weapons of war, including the iconic P-61 Night Fighter, affectionately known as the “Black Widow.

Frank Wright has a unique background as one of the original Marine Raiders. (Task & Purpose composite image).
Frank S. Wright left for U.S. Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, at the young age of 16. He left feeling it was the right thing to do after the Pearl Harbor attacks rocked the U.S. and catapulted the country into World War II. 
Not long after, he was liberating Guam via hand-to-hand combat. That’s where he said he “earned” his first of two Purple Hearts in WWII. During the initial fighting, Japanese soldiers carried out Banzai attacks with bayonets fixed.

Amid continued high-profile delays in the delivery of additional Western military aid, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the situation on the front lines as “extremely difficult.” Most tellingly, Zelensky has specifically attributed the potential for further Russian advances on the battlefield to delays in getting aid from the United States and other Western countries. Moreover, U.S. officials are now increasingly warning that Ukrainian forces are running dangerously low on ammunition and other weapons.

Cutting back on ground stations and operators, embracing autonomous satellites and experimenting with “strange” orbits, could be the wave of the future for the Space Force, a top acquisition official suggested.
Service leaders have warned about the risks to the ground segments of U.S. military space architectures from cyber threats or other adversary methods, seeing them as a potential “backdoor” way of attacking American satellite communications.
Additionally, delays in delivering ground systems from industry can set back space programs.

MilitaryView

The US has no plan to maintain weapons transferred to Ukraine
The Pentagon has no plans to maintain the series of armored tanks and Patriot missiles donated to Ukraine, threatening their long-term operation.

The Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Defense on February 20 published two reports on the strategy and ability to maintain operations of 31 Abrams tanks, 375 Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, and a number of air defense missile systems. Patriot will receive aid from this country to Ukraine in 2023.

The woman whose call-for-fire transmissions over post-9/11 battlefields earned her the nickname “the Angel of Death” relinquished her final command in the Air Force Friday.
Col. Allison Black turned over command of the 1st Special Operations Wing at a change of command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida on Friday and plans to retire later this year, according to the Air Force.

Ukraine claimed today that Russia lost another A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft — which would be the second such loss of the conflict so far. Among the first rumors of the incident to circulate came from Russian military bloggers, saying that the Mainstay was a victim of friendly fire over the Sea of Azov. Meanwhile, Ukrainian accounts suggested that the aircraft was shot down in a joint operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Ukrainian intelligence services.

MilitaryView

Putin presents four deeply modernized Tu-160M ​​bombers
The Tu-160 program came to an abrupt halt after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving a void in the air fleet that Russia has sought to fill in recent years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin evaluates improvements to the Tu-160M ​​in Kazan, marking a milestone in military aviation.
The Russian president witnesses the evolution of the Tu-160M ​​in Kazan.

Army Col. Frank Rubio, then a lieutenant colonel, completing a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022. Rubio has been awarded the Army Aviation Badge with Astronaut Device. (Photos from NASA and Sgt. Deonte Rowell/U.S. Army).
Army Col. Frank Rubio, who broke the record for the longest spaceflight for an American astronaut, is now one of only three active-duty soldiers awarded the Army Aviation Badge with Astronaut Device
The badge is awarded to soldiers who have completed at least one operational mission to space. Rubio spent 371 days aboard the International Space Station from 2022 to 2023.

The “Iron Mike” statue at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Joint Base Lewis-McChord Facebook page.
An Army doctor accused in one of the largest sexual abuse cases in military history will appear in court for the first time late Friday. 
The Army preferred court-martial charges against Maj. Michael Stockin, an anesthesiologist at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in August for abusive sexual contact and indecent viewing. In statements obtained by Task & Purpose, soldiers claim Stockin forced them to be naked for routine exams and groped their genitals.

Major new details about the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program emerged at the Air & Space Forces Association’s recent annual Warfare Symposium. This includes a clearer picture of the effort’s autonomy goals, aggressive production plans, and future operational impacts. Though questions remain about the capabilities and costs of these future uncrewed aircraft, the CCA program looks set to have a number of disruptive impacts that could fundamentally reshape the Air Force.

MilitaryView

Putin gives the military three weeks to seize the entire Luhansk region.

Ukraine’s General Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said on Wednesday that the Russian armed forces had been given just over three weeks to take full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

During an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the GUR, it is said that the Kremlin wants control of Luhansk before the next Russian presidential election.
The country’s presidential elections will be held from March 15 to 17.

Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below. *** Russia The Russian leadership has been pushing forward its agenda on multiple fronts recently. Domestically, the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison on Feb. 16 signals a potential new round of repression. Russian opposition leaders believe that Navalny was poisoned, possibly once again with Novichok, the nerve agent that almost killed him in August 2020.

The Austrian Armed Forces seek to integrate Rheinmetall’s Sky Ranger air defence systems onto their newly acquired Pandur vehicles.

Russia’s recent capture of Avdiivka after months of bloody assaults came days before the second anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

A video has emerged showing, apparently for the first time, a U.S.-supplied M1 Abrams tank in action on the front lines of Ukraine. While it’s been known that these tanks have been in the country since at least last September, the appearance of a Ukrainian Abrams reportedly close to Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region — as well as possible evidence of one having been put out of action — confirms that these capable combat vehicles are indeed in the fight.

Croatia took over official ownership of six Rafale combat aircraft from France on 23 February. (Croatian MoD)
Croatia has taken over formal ownership of the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft to be received from France.
The Croatian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the development on 23 February, saying it now owns the first six of 12 Rafales it has ordered.

The US Army’s medical evacuation sled includes an extra piece of plastic bolted on to provide cover for patients being pulled by snow machine. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)
As the US Army works to phase out Small Unit Support Vehicles (SUSVs) and replace them with Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs), army medics are trying out a new sled for evacuation in the Arctic environment, medical officers said during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 training rotation.

Norway extends life of its GAMER live training solution with Saab. (Saab)
Saab has been contracted to support Norway’s training and simulation facilities, including the Combat Training Centre in Rena, the company announced on 22 February.

As part of the contract, the company will offer support, service, and maintenance for the modular GAMER (gunnery and manoeuvre exercise) live training system, a company spokesperson confirmed to
Janes
.

The contract totals SEK190 million (USD18.4 million) and spans between 2024 and 2027.

Malloy Aeronautics T-150, flown during a live demonstration at the company’s factory in Maidenhead in February 2024, is being acquired by the Royal Marines and Japan for experimentation and trials. (Crown Copyright)

The T-150 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufactured by UK-based company Malloy Aeronautics has been acquired by the Royal Marines and Japan, UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge announced to
Janes
and other media representatives on 22 February.

The UK Minister of Defence, Grant Shapps, has pledged to send 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles to Ukraine to shore up its ‘weapons deficit’.

Hungary is to bring its Gripen fleet up to 18, with the addition of a further four aircraft announced on 23 February. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
Hungary is to increase the size of its fleet of Saab Gripen combat aircraft, with a deal announced on 23 February for an additional four airframes.
With 14 Gripen C/D aircraft having been leased from Sweden in 2001 and entering service in 2006, Saab has said that it has signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for four additional Gripen Cs for the Hungarian Air Force (HuAF).

The Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, unveiling the UK’s Defence Drone Strategy at Malloy Aeronautics factory in Maidenhead in February 2024. (Crown Copyright)
The UK unveiled its Defence Drone Strategy on 22 February to accelerate the adoption and development of unmanned systems across air, sea, and land for the armed forces.
Backed by GBP4.5 billion (USD5.

The Spanish Navy decommissioned
Tramontana
on 16 February 2024.
(Spanish Navy)
The Spanish Navy’s fourth S 70 (Galerna)-class conventionally powered diesel-electric submarine (SSK) has been retired from service.
Tramontana (S 74), the youngest of four Galerna-class SSKs, was officially decommissioned during a ceremony held at the Spanish Navy’s submarine base in Cartagena on 16 February.

John A.

Patricia Kime, Military.

Colin Demarest, C4ISRNET
The Pentagon’s realization of a basic form of Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control is a signal to China that the U.S.

M. Eaglen, D&A Rep
When war broke out in Gaza and shortly thereafter Houthi fighters threatened shipping in the Red Sea, U.S.

Team Mighty, We Are the Mighty
For as long as wars have been fought, great military leaders have been able to use the power of the pulpit to motivate their troops.

To enhance the defence capabilities of Taiwan, the US State Department has approved the sale of an advanced tactical data link system.

The UK Ministry of Defence announces its new Drone Strategy, which will work with industry to deliver UAS to the Armed Forces at pace.

Steadicopter’s Black Eagle 50E electric-powered unmanned aerial vehicle is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations from land and naval locations. (Steadicopter)
Israeli-based Steadicopter Ltd is improving its Black Eagle and Golden Eagle series of rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (RUAVs) and positioning them for the larger Asia-Pacific (APAC) market.

The Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle is likely to incorporate a small unmanned aerial vehicle as a MUM-T capability to assist with waypoint navigation. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal/ST Engineering)
A range of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities are being planned for Singapore’s recently unveiled Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).

A full-scale Kawasaki KJ300 turbofan engine displayed at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Prasobh Narayanan)
Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries displayed its KJ300 turbofan engine at the Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February.

Speaking to
Janes
, a company official said the engine completed its high-altitude testing in 2023 at a test facility in Japan and further testing is under way.

The KJ300 is the latest addition to the KJ engine series developed by Kawasaki and is primarily intended for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications.