This year, we observed growing defence expansion as nations around the world modernise to avoid falling behind their adversaries.

The analysis of the landing gear of the FC-31, with its double nosewheel configuration, reveals a possible but questionable orientation toward operations on Chinese aircraft carriers.
While favoring landings on flat surfaces under heavy loads, this arrangement is not exclusive to carrier-based aircraft. However, a question arises here about the real robustness of this configuration in the face of the extreme demands of deck landings, a scenario where structural resistance is critical.

Boeing
Boeing has now delivered the first of its Orca extra-large unmanned undersea vehicles, or XLUUVs, to the U.S. Navy. Delivery submarine drone has been delayed by several years, in part due to differences between Orca and its prototype as well as the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The delivery was announced earlier today by Boeing, following the completion of acceptance testing earlier in December. In partnership with the Navy, it has previously undergone several phases of at-sea testing, including maneuvering above and below the surface which we saw glimpses of back in the summer.

Public Domain

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military will make “significant progress” toward reclaiming a World War II-era airfield on the Pacific island of Tinian in the upcoming months, an air force general said, part of an initiative to disperse aircraft across the Indo-Pacific region as China’s missile threat continues to grow.
The U.S. Air Force is stepping up construction at the Tinian North airfield, once used by the largest B-29 bomber fleet during World War II, and at the Tinian International airfield, Gen.

Boeing capture
Boeing has delivered another two F-15EX Eagle IIs to the U.S. Air Force, a year later than originally hoped. Manufacturing-related issues were the primary driver behind the delays.
A spokesperson for Boeing confirmed to The War Zone that the Air Force’s third and fourth F-15EXs, also known as EX3 and EX4, were delivered to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida today. Air Force pilots had conducted pre-delivery checkout flights on these jets earlier this month.

Since late 2021, a surprising phenomenon has dominated the skies: the deployment of mirror-like coatings on US tactical stealth aircraft like the F-22, F-35 and F-117. This renewed interest in a technology that reduces aircraft signature, especially in the infrared spectrum, has been notable throughout 2022. Although primarily observed in test missions, this camouflage strategy dates back several decades.

This week, an F-35C operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln was spotted off the coast of California, sporting these enigmatic coverings.

Twelve airmen were will recieve distinguished flying cross for missions during the kabul airlift. Photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz, composite by Task & Purpose.
In the latest round of awards for the Kabul airlift, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command approved 12 Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Bronze Star Medals, 208 Air Medals and 73 Meritorious Service Medals to aircrew and other personnel who flew in and out of the chaotic scene at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the final days of August 2021.
The 12 DFCs — the highest award in the U.S.

FILE: Santa Claus waves upon arriving at the 419th Fighter Wing’s Christmas party Sunday. (Airman 1st Class Crystal Charriere/U.S. Air Force).
It’s been an especially demanding year for the U.S. military air defenses, which have spent 2023 shooting down a Chinese spy balloon, UFOs, and Houthi missiles and drones – all while troops continue to fight ISIS and fend off attacks in Iraq and Syria, and the U.S. military as a whole watches warily as China increases the size of its navy and nuclear stockpile.
The demands on the U.S.

Major Sayed Hussain Musawi, Major Mohammad Bashir Safdari, and Lieutenant Ali Jan Ferdawsi. Photos courtesy of Salem For Refugees. (Task & Purpose composite image.).
As the Taliban took over Afghanistan over the summer of 2021, Afghan Air Force pilots flew their aircraft out of the country to prevent the aircraft from falling into terrorist hands. Many then made their way to the U.S., hoping for a chance to find a permanent home.
Three of those pilots were killed in a single-engine plane crash on Saturday near Independence, Oregon.

Drones and artificial intelligence capabilities that have been tested and refined in the Middle East by an innovative U.S. Navy task force are now under consideration to support the new multinational coalition set up to protect ships transiting the Red Sea, multiple sources told DefenseScoop.
On Tuesday in Bahrain, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Operation Prosperity Guardian — a new security initiative between the United States and an undisclosed number of other nations to “jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Army tested its modernized communications network with a division for the first time last month, a major milestone as it seeks to scale technologies across the service.
As the Army transitions from the global war on terror to great power competition and large-scale combat operations, the division will be the main unit of action as opposed to the brigade.
Up to this point, the Army’s integrated tactical network — a combination of program-of-record systems and commercial off-the-shelf tools — had been tested with brigades and below.

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE – DECEMBER 9: Ukrainian soldiers of the UAV strike company ‘Achilles’ of the 92nd Assault Brigade ‘Ivan Sirko’ are on day duty adjusting to work with FPV drones in Bakhmut direction on December 9, 2023 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Photo by Vladyslav Kravets/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC”/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Kyiv says it plans to manufacture around a million first-person view (FPV) drones next year, as part of expanding efforts to build uncrewed aircraft of different types.

Raytheon
The U.S. Army plans to substantially increase its arsenal of Coyote counter-drone interceptors, as well as associated launchers and radars, in the next five years or so. The service says it wants to buy 6,000 jet-powered Block 2 variants, which carry an explosive warhead to destroy their target, and 700 more Block 3 versions that utilize an unspecified “non-kinetic” payload.

Boeing delivered the first Orca underwater drone to the Navy this month after a series of tests at sea, the company announced Wednesday.
The service is pursuing extra-large unmanned undersea vessels (XLUUV) that can travel long distances and lay mines without putting sailors in harm’s way. The initiative is part of a broader push to acquire new robotic platforms for the fleet. The Navy is also acquiring and deploying a variety of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned aerial systems.

Staff Sgt. Zachary Melton, 30, and Staff Sgt. Allen Burtram, 34, both drill sergeants at Fort Jackson, South Carolina were found unresponsive eight days after apart after colleagues of each reported that they had not shown up for work. Army photos.
Two Army drill sergeants were found dead within eight days of each other at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, according to officials.
Staff Sgt. Zachary Melton, 30, was found unresponsive inside his car on Saturday, December 16, according to Fort Jackson officials. It came a little over a week after 34-year-old Staff Sgt.

Negotiations over the Navy’s latest batch of Super Hornets have stalled due to the rising price of the fourth-generation aircraft, USNI News has learned.
The contract for the Navy to buy the last 20 F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from Boeing is deadlocked.
«The Navy continues to work with Boeing on the contract for the 20 Super Hornet aircraft added by Congress. “Ongoing negotiations cannot be discussed at this time,” Capt. Michael Burks, program manager for the F/A-18 and EA-18G office at Naval Air Systems Command, said in a statement.

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 Jan. 13, 2024, voters in Taiwan will head to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections amidst increasing pressure from China, which views the island nation as its own territory.

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial (Friends) is thrilled to announce that it has presented its UNITY Award to award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter Steven Spielberg.
Named for a true gentleman, Air Force Brigadier General Charles E. McGee was an original Tuskegee Airman, this award is a significant recognition of those actively working for the betterment of their community and beyond, and for living up to the moral integrity exemplified by Gen. McGee and his fellow members of the “Greatest Generation.” Gen. McGee passed away in January 2022 at age 102.

If you’ve seen one Hallmark Christmas movie, you’ve seen them all, and yet somehow, we just can’t get enough (sidenote: other love stories we can’t get enough of? Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce). There are a few essential elements of these riveting flicks. A wealthy and entitled heir or heiress undercover or with amnesia, who, given the right circumstances (love), can be a productive member of society. A widow with children, alone for the holidays, longing for love. A beautiful, snow-riddled location, with a storm rendering the roads inoperable. You know the drill.

A steel-cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction on the Italian Navy’s new oceanographic research vessel was held at Fincantieri’s facilities in Riva Trigoso on 19 December. (Fincantieri)
Fincantieri held a steel-cutting ceremony for the Italian Navy’s new large oceanographic ship (Nave Idro-Oceanografica Maggiore: NIOM) in Riva Trigoso on 19 December, the shipbuilder confirmed the same day.
The new vessel is being built under a design and construction contract worth EUR284 million (USD311 million) awarded to Fincantieri in December 2022.

Minister Shoigu said Ukrainian forces lost more than 383,000 soldiers since the conflict broke out, and losses in the counterattack campaign were 159,000 people.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on June 4 launched a large-scale counterattack prepared by foreign observers,” Russian Defense Minister General Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting on December 19. “The enemy was stopped and suffered heavy losses when they could not overcome the tactical defense zone of the Russian army.

Ukrainian officials say Russia possesses a large number of weapons to attack Kyiv’s infrastructure and has enough suicide UAVs for daily raids.

“Russia is stockpiling cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to carry out new attacks. They use air-launched missiles more often, such as the Kh-101 and Kh-555 series fired from aircraft strategic bomber Tu-95MS,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said on December 19.
Mr. Ignat said Russia also used Iskander missiles and S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to attack Ukraine, but suicide drones (UAVs) were the most used weapons.

A U.S. Army Ranger evaluator, from the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, provides mission inputs for a training mission at the Saylor Creek Range, south of Mountain Home, Idaho, Oct. 21, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Senior Master Sgt. Joshua C. Allmaras).
The U.S. military’s special operations forces (SOF) are home to some of the most highly trained soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen in the world. They must undergo grueling assessments and selections before they make it into one of the prestigious SOF units under the umbrella of the U.S.

saudi advanced industries’ reason for sale was stated as being “due to the losses” exceeding the capital of Al-Salam Aerospace Industries.

Politico
The blockade ends with no concessions from the administration on the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy.

Mizokami, PopMech
The Apache was designed to hunt the deadliest prey on the battlefield.
Among the weapons in the U.S.

Graham McAleer, Law & Liberty
Tom Holland is a phenomenon. X (formerly Twitter), podcasts, lectures, books, and he graces the local cricket field, too.

Crosbie & Klitmøller, Strategy Bridge

Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner River City One, published by Simon and Schuster in November 2023, is a novel about a Marine who comes home from war to find himself waging a harder war for true…

Patria has won contracts aimed at reinforcing the Finland’s armed forces capabilities both on land and in the air.

Leidos completed US Army tests on the Enduring Shield multi-launch missile defence system designed to counter cruise missiles and UAS.

Defence Merger and Acquisition activity was unusually buoyant in 2023, with M&A values advancing 14.2% over last year.

BAE Systems M777 155 mm/39 calibre ultra lightweight howitzer in service with the Ukrainian forces can hit targets to a maximum range of 24.7 km using unassisted rounds and has a sustained rate of fire of 2 rds/min. (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)
BAE Systems and AMS Integrated Solutions have signed an agreement to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for artillery systems in Ukraine.

Andrew Griffiths, a director at Planet Mark, tells a GlobalData COP28 podcast about the need to bring back down the 1.5°C overshoot.

The SAMAR air-defence system – as seen at Aero India 2023 – uses Ashok Leyland vehicle mounted with refurbished R-73E missiles on rail launchers. (Janes/Rahul Udoshi)
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has inducted the Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) system, an IAF source told Janes on 20 December.
According to the source, the service also test-fired the system in mid-December at Air Force Station Suryalanka located in the southern coastal region of India.
The source did not elaborate on the number of systems the service has inducted.

It is a story so well known it has become a meme. “Americans: Willing to cross a frozen river to kill you in your sleep on Christmas.” George Washington’s Continental Army, having suffered a series of major setbacks in the fighting around New York City in the summer and fall of 1776, launched a surprising counterattack on Dec. 26, 1776. Crossing the icy Delaware River on Christmas night, Washington’s army surprised and captured almost 1,000 brutal Hessian mercenaries, drunk from Christmas celebrations.

Recently, Terminal Autonomy (formerly One Way Aerospace) announced an agreement with the Ukrainian defense forces to supply the kamikaze drone AQ 400 Scythe, highlighting its mass production strategy and tactical capabilities.
The AQ 400 Scythe: A Breakthrough in Unmanned Warfare and Its Strategic Impact
The AQ 400 Scythe represents a milestone in unmanned aerial warfare, given its ability to reach targets at 750 km. This distance allows it to operate within Russian territory, suggesting a significant change in the dynamics of the current conflict.

U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Waters/Released
The newly minted international maritime effort to defend against ongoing attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen is much larger than originally announced.
So far, 19 nations have signed onto what has been dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG), instead of the initial nine that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin introduced on Monday, Lara Seligman of Politico reported.

Chinese internet
An apparent mockup of China’s stealthy GJ-11 Sharp Sword unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) has appeared aboard the country’s full-size aircraft carrier test facility. This may well be the strongest suggestion so far that the GJ-11, or a development of it, is intended to form part of China’s future carrier air wing. If fully realized, it would provide a capability not currently known to be pursued by the U.S. Navy.

(Photo by Ariel Hermoni (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
During meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top officials in Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appealed for a shift to less intense combat operations, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Productive meeting today with @yoavgallant to discuss Israel’s ongoing campaign to defeat Hamas, to include objectives, phasing, and protecting civilians.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Tyler Wisely, left, and Spc. Brandon Ball, right, put on their operational camouflage pattern coats as they prepare for a deployment response exercise at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, March 13, 2019. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Grimes).
A defense contractor may have rigged test results on how bug repellent Army Combat Uniforms were, officials say, leaving soldiers in insect-heavy places vulnerable to illnesses like the Zika virus and Lyme disease.

They say if you can find a way to do what you love and get paid doing it, you’ll never work a day in your life. There are few things I love more than We Are The Mighty and Taylor Swift (I have a tween daughter, after all). Consequently, I constantly find myself looking for ways to justify all the reading I do about her and one of my favorite Chiefs’ players, Travis Kelce (I mean, I am from Kansas City… this tracks). We recently brought you this excellent piece about Kelce’s grandfather being shot down three times during WWII.

The Israeli army, equipped with superior technology, faced significant losses in the recent campaign in the Gaza Strip. This article delves into the complexities of urban warfare, shedding light on the unexpected challenges that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) encountered.
The Shocking Losses in Gaza
On December 13, the Israeli Ministry of Defense reported a staggering toll of 10 soldiers killed in a 24-hour period in the Gaza Strip. Among them was a colonel leading a forward base, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Terminal Autonomy
The Ukrainian military has received an initial batch of a new kind of relatively low-cost, long-range, one-way attack drone. While it’s just one of a number of types in various stages of development or operation intended to hit targets deep inside Russia, it provides a good example of how Ukraine is doing anything it can to gain long-range strike ‘combat mass’ and evolving what is still a relatively new weapons frontier in the process.

An M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle assigned to 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., May 10, 2018. (U.S. Army photo/Pfc. Antoine Rolle).
Yet again, the online combat game “War Thunder” has seen a leak of sensitive military documents related to the M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicle into one of its game forums. 
In this case, the leak is information that isn’t legally classified but holds nuts-and-bolts-level details that the Army considers sensitive.

The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by both houses of Congress, outlines the forecasted strength of the U.S. military in fiscal year 2024. Under end strength levels outlined in the bill, the number of active duty troops will shrink to 1,284,500. Down nearly 64,000 troops in the last three years, America’s military will be the smallest it has been since before the start of WWII, shining a spotlight on the military recruiting crisis.
Men apply at an Army recruiting office in New York, June 1940 (National Archives)
The last year that the military was smaller than 1.

We weren’t born with eyes on the backs of our heads. That much is obvious. We can only see and absorb as much information as our eyes and brains allow. We’re limited. But through technology, we can slim the odds of missing a chance (which could be the buck of a lifetime). Trail cameras are one of the simplest ways to keep eyes on game paths and other common areas where activity is frequent.

North Korea announced that it had tested a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM, with an estimated range of 15,000 km, to “send a strong warning to hostile forces.”

North Korea’s central news agency KCNA said today that leader Kim Jong-un directly supervised the test launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that took place on December 18. The Hwasong-18 missile reached a maximum altitude of 6,518.2 km, flew 1,002.3 km, and accurately crashed into the target in the eastern sea of ​​North Korea after 4,415 seconds.

White House officials said the US only has enough resources left for one Ukraine aid package this year, and Congress needs to approve new amounts.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on December 18 that the Pentagon’s finance official, Michael McCord, wrote a letter to parliamentarians saying “the government has allocated the remaining money.” to supplement US supplies and replace what is being shipped to Ukraine.”
“We only have one more aid package left before the additional authorization is exhausted,” Mr.

FILE: Airmen pose with an MQ-9 Reaper for a photo at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., Nov. 19, 2019. (Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado/U.S. Air Force).
A Dec. 17 U.S. airstrike near Jilib, Somalia is believed to have killed one militant with al-Shabab, a terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida, according to U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM. 
U.S. military officials have not provided any information about the militant .Voice of America reported that the airstrike targeted a high-ranking al-Shabab leader, who has not been identified.
The U.S.