U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Hastings
Welcome to Bunker Talk. We’d like to wish all our American readers a happy Thanksgiving!
This is an open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s literally an off-topic thread.
We offer you piping hot Turkey Bird for this week’s top shot:
Maj.

The families of two 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment pilots killed in a 2011 crash may soon get their day in court. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Hastings.
A lawsuit brought by families of two 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment pilots who died in a 2011 helicopter crash has been revived in Federal court.
On Tuesday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals said that a suit brought by the estates of Army Chief Warrant Officer Steven B. Redd and Captain John D. Hortman should proceed.

Via Twitter
A Ukrainian Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus (MAGURA) V5 uncrewed surface vessel (USV) has been captured intact by Russia in western Crimea, Russian milbloggers are reporting on Telegram. Images of the drone boat sitting totally intact onshore seem to support this claim.
It was attempting to attack Russian ships in western Crimea “when it fell into Russian hands,” the Russian Military Informant Telegram channel reported.

In a promotional video, Lockheed Martin revealed more details of the 6th generation fighter, showing that the aircraft has a tailless design.

On November 21, US arms corporation Lockheed Martin posted a promotional video to celebrate the 80th anniversary of establishing the Skunk Works office, the company’s aircraft development department.
The video reviews Lockheed Martin’s military aircraft design and development journey over the past 80 years, including a rare illustration of the tailless design of the 6th-generation fighter line. This is a combat model.

USN
Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 30 (VX-30), the “Bloodhounds,” took delivery of a unique NC-20G range support aircraft. Now pictures have emerged that offer a look inside this modified Gulfstream IV business jet, which is primarily configured to visually document missile tests using a specialized camera system called Cast Glance.
A head-on look at the NC-20G. USN
Pictures of the NC-20G’s interior were included in a contracting announcement that the U.S.

Over 100 Soldiers got a head start on Thanksgiving with stuffing, turkey and cranberries last week at the Iron Mike Conference Center. Hosted by the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program in partnership with Fort Liberty’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation program, organizers said that the BOSS Thanksgiving helps create morale for single service members.
“There are so many Soldiers who don’t have families to go home to, don’t have plans for Thanksgiving, don’t have that family support or that support system with their unit,” said Fort Liberty BOSS president, Sgt.

Iranian State Media
Iran has officially presented a new version of its notorious Shahed ‘kamikaze drone,’ now powered by a jet engine rather than the previous piston-propeller arrangement. The Shahed-238 was also shown with new guidance systems, with radar and electro-optical/infrared guidance now apparently being offered in addition to earlier Shahed versions, which primarily employed a combination of inertial and GPS navigation to hit fixed targets.

The Space Force announced Tuesday that it will allocate money in 2024 towards three ideas for new capabilities that were proposed by employees of the service’s acquisition arm — including an interface that enables data-sharing between the Space Force and international allies.
The proposals were submitted to Space Systems Command’s (SSC) second annual “Fight Tonight” competition, which calls for the organization’s military and civilian personnel to come up with innovative solutions to some of its most pressing challenges and capability gaps.

Richard M. Browning capture via TikTok
The idea of a jetpack armed with a pistol that the operator aims remotely just by moving their head and looking at the target sounds like something ripped out of a Hollywood blockbuster or a first-person shooter video game. However, Richard Browning, founder of United Kingdom-based jetpack startup Gravity Industries, has now demonstrated this as a real capability to go along with his company’s signature Daedalus Flight Pack.
Browning released the video of the pistol-armed Daedalus in action, and with him at the controls, on TikTok yesterday.

CDM Found L Todd Wood discusses meetings with high level Israeli officials on situation in The Jewish State and the Gaza War.
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The Pentagon recently initiated a process to formally update the policies governing how its components protect and secure biometric data and devices, after a recent oversight review revealed records-keeping and information security gaps that could be placing sensitive national security information at risk of exposure to malicious actors.

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 into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** As the Israeli Defense Forces continue to carry out a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, questions are arising as to what the Palestinian enclave could look like after the end of the war.

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. *** Takuya Matsuda and Jaehan Park have co-authored two pieces for War on the Rocks that consider the tensions in the Japanese-South Korean relationship and their implications for the U.S.

The cumulative value of deals with the Carl-Gustaf M4 as exclusive, or included with other Saab weapons, is in excess of SEK 6.3bn in 2023.
The post Carl-Gustaf sales over $500m in 2023 as Saab announces latest deal appeared first on Army Technology.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urges enhanced air defence for Ukraine at Contact Group meeting to focus on capability coalition.
The post US Defense Secretary urges Ukraine Contact Group to supply air defence appeared first on Army Technology.

The Army is soliciting proposals from industry to examine what capability exists for current and future low-Earth orbit satellite constellations as part of modernization efforts related to its blue-force tracker system.
So-called blue force tracking allows units to keep tabs on the whereabouts of other friendly forces on the battlefield for command and control.
Project manager for mission command within the Army’s program executive office for command, control and communications-tactical released the request for information Nov. 16.

Not verified, but sure looks suspicious

The most dangerous event on a ship is always a fire. Firefighting skills are core to the safety and resilience of naval ships and submarines. When the Russian Cruiser Moscow was hit with missiles in the Black Sea in April of 2022, it wasn’t the explosions of the missiles or a gaping hole in the hull of the ship, it was the Russian crew’s inability to get the fires under control.

Hamas officials said the ceasefire agreement between this force and the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip will take effect from tomorrow morning.

A senior official of the Hamas armed forces, Musa Abu Marzouk, said on November 22 that this group would cease fire with the Israeli army from 10:00 a.m. on November 23 (3:00 p.m. on November 23.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Hamas could release up to 80 hostages from the Gaza Strip, higher than the initially announced number of 50.

An aerial view of Garden Island Precinct. (Thales Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a AUD2 billion (USD1.3 billion) contract with Thales to maintain and sustain Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessels in Sydney.
Under the agreement – announced on 22 November – Thales Australia was appointed as ‘regional maintenance provider’ for a new regional maintenance centre (RMC) at the DoD’s Garden Island Precinct.

US air strikes attacked pro-Iranian militias in Iraq after these forces launched ballistic missiles at bases where US soldiers are stationed.

“Iranian-backed militia last night used short-range ballistic missiles to attack US and coalition forces at Al-Asad air base, injuring eight people and causing some minor infrastructure damage.”, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder announced on November 21.
Mr. Ryder said that immediately after the raid, a US AC-130 attack conducted a “self-defense attack” against vehicles and Iran-backed militia groups.

The Israeli government and Hamas announced a 4-day ceasefire agreement in exchange for the freedom of about 50 hostages from the Gaza Strip.

On November 22, the Israeli government issued a statement saying that according to the agreement recently approved by cabinet members, 50 hostages, including women and children, will be released during a 4-day ceasefire between the country’s army and armed forces—Hamas armed forces in the Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire could be extended if more hostages are released.

GlobalData analyst Francesca Gregory discusses key topics around cloud computing for the defence industry.
The post Cloud in defence: Q&A with GlobalData thematic analyst appeared first on Army Technology.

DNews
WASHINGTON — The first production F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with an early, incomplete version of the

Hope Seck, Sandboxx News
Emotionally, it was never going to be a fair fight.

Robert Evans, a former NCO in the Army reserves and North Carolina National Guard, designed an app for military members to ‘review’ dorms and dining halls. Photo from Government Accounting Office.
A software developer who spent 12 years in the Army could not believe what he saw in a recent report about moldy, filthy barracks across the military.
“I want to hold leaders and installations accountable to this stuff,” said Robert Evans, a former sergeant in the Army Reserves and National Guard.

The US Army’s PrSM missile has successfully passed the latest production qualification test.
The post Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile passes shortest-range flight test appeared first on Army Technology.

Over the course of seven years, the Babcock Group has taken up the responsibility to manage and maintain more than 2,500 equipment pieces.
The post Babcock wins French military contract to support airfield ground equipment appeared first on Army Technology.

The BAAINBw has ordered 2,300 PARM off-route anti-tank mines from MBDA subsidiary TDW. (MBDA)
The Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support, signed a contract with MBDA subsidiary TDW on 14 November for 2,300 Panzerabwehrrichtmine (PARM) off-route anti-tank mines, MBDA announced in a press release on 15 November.

Conceptual drawing of the ABBS Dragon mine-clearing UGV presented at FAVS 2023. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)
United Kingdom-based company Advanced Blast & Ballistic Systems (ABBS) displayed its Dragon mine-clearing unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) concept at SAE Media Group’s Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability (FAVS) 2023 conference held in London between 13 and 15 November.

Ukrainian recruits undergo advanced combat training in the UK from Australia’s contingent at Operation Interflex, Operation Kundu.
The post Australian forces to prepare second cohort of Ukrainian troops appeared first on Army Technology.

The armament of the T-72 MBT, pictured above taking part in an Indian Army exercise in November 2022, includes a 125 mm smoothbore 2A46 main gun, a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun mounted to the right of the main gun, and a 12.7 mm Nikitina-Sokolova-Volkova tank gun mounted on the commander’s cupola. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
The Indian Army has issued a tender to support its programme for the restoration and life extension of in-service T-72 main battle tanks (MBTs).

President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan marked the closure of America’s longest war against the very adversary that started it. “Remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said Al-Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldn’t be there,” declared Biden, resonating with a nation eager to turn a new page. However, reality clashed with this confidence on Aug. 15 when a 17-year-old tied to al-Qaeda was arrested in Philadelphia on charges related to weapons of mass destruction.

Hyundai Heavy Industries marking the keel laying of the first 3,200 tonne corvette on order for the Philippine Navy. (Hyundai Heavy Industries)
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has laid down the keel for the first of two 3,200 tonne corvettes on order for the Philippine Navy.
A ceremony to mark the occasion was held on 22 November at the shipbuilder’s facilities in Ulsan, South Korea, the company disclosed on the same day.
At the event, a ceremony to mark the first steel cut for the second vessel was also carried out.

Automatic link establishment in high-frequency (HF) radios means a faster response from emergency management teams and a reduced need for experienced operators.
The post How high-tech HF radios are boosting Tobago’s disaster communications networks appeared first on Army Technology.

German General Wilhelm Falley, 91st Air-Landing Infantry Division, had a pretty crappy morning on June 6, 1944. First, he had to leave his headquarters early to make the long drive, easily two hours or more to Rennes, for a war game. Plus the stormy weather the night before had certainly turned conditions muddy.
And then, during the drive, he learned that the exact scenario he practiced for, an Allied invasion of France, was actually taking place that exact moment. And when he raced back to his headquarters, American paratroopers greeted him. Aggressively.
Bad. Morning.

In 1940, the British Army’s Parachute Regiment was formed. With their iconic red berets, the Paras fought valiantly during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem. Since WWII, the Paras have etched themselves into military history with campaigns like Cypress, Suez, the Falkland Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. As a tribute to the famous regiment, and with the approval of the British Ministry of Defence and the Paras themselves, watchmaker Christopher Ward designed the C63 Colchester.

The German Navy’s F126 frigates will be equipped with Systematic’s SitaWare C2 suite. (Damen Naval)
Germany’s F126 frigates will be equipped with Systematic’s command-and-control (C2) software, the company announced on 20 November.
The project, called the National Maritime C2 Service Bundeswehr (NMC2S Bw), will involve adding SitaWare Maritime and Fusion to the Bundeswehr’s SitaWare Headquarters (HQ) licences and installing this onboard the F126 frigates.

An Indian Navy Sea King Mk 42B helicopter firing a Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range as part of the weapon’s guided flight trials. (Indian Navy)
India has carried out another test of an indigenously developed anti-surface guided weapon known as the Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range (NASM-SR).
The latest launch was carried out as part of the weapon’s ‘guided flight trials’, the Indian Navy announced via an official social media channel on 21 November.

Santa Claus brings joy and delivers presents with his sleigh, powered by flying reindeer. However, in Alaska, Santa relies on the help of the Alaska Air and Army National Guards. Dubbed Operation Santa Claus, the annual community outreach program sees gifts and holiday cheer delivered to remote Alaskan communities by way of a C-17 Globemaster III and UH-60 Black Hawk. However, in 2023, Operation Santa Claus also became a lifesaving mission.

During WWII, American war correspondents sent news from the frontlines back home to the states. These journalists were often right there with the troops, slogging through mud and ducking enemy fire to provide accurate reports. However, covering the air war proved to be even more of a challenge, though not a physical one. Based out of London, journalists could only meet returning airmen after their missions to record their stories.
To give war correspondents a first-hand look at the air war, the U.S.

The first EA-37B Compass Call next to one of the EC-130Hs it is intended to replace. (BAE Systems)
The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) newest electronic attack aircraft, the EC-37B, was redesignated as EA-37B to better comport with its mission, according to Air Combat Command (ACC).
“The EA-37B aircraft designation was selected to better identify the platform’s mission of finding, attacking, and destroying enemy land or sea targets,” ACC said in a 14 November statement.
The initial EC-37B designation was an extension of the Gulfstream G550 platform’s other uses.

L3Harris Technologies will supply its radios for the combat net radio requirement as part of the Foxtrot digitisation programme. The company is already supplying its AN/PRC-163 radios to meet the ‘Replacement of Ground-Air Radios’ requirement under Foxtrot. (Janes/Olivia Savage)
L3Harris Technologies has been selected by the Netherlands Armed Forces to supply its radios for the Foxtrot tactical digitisation programme.

The NDM
Bahia
LPD, formerly the Foudre-class FS
Siroco
LPD with the French Navy between 1998 and 2015, was acquired by Brazil in 2015.
(Victor Barreira )

The Brazilian Navy is acquiring a new satellite communications (satcom) system for NDM
Bahia
(G40) multi-purpose landing platform dock (LPD) to improve the satcom capability of the amphibious warfare ship.

(Photo by Abdulqader Sabbah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
There are continuing indications that a temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas may be announced soon. This comes as negations between Hamas, Israel and the U.S., brokered by Qatar and Egypt, press on.
Before a meeting with his war cabinet Tuesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the airwaves, urging the Israeli government to back a deal to exchange some of the hostages held by Hamas for a pause to the fighting.

KYIV – After 2 weeks of warnings to Ukraine to stop the transport-export-import trade war, the Polish government decided to initiate a blockade on the Ukrainian border in order to stop the dumping export out of Ukraine. As we wrote previously in our article “Black Swan and Duck effect” the Ukrainian government decided not to care and increase the tensions against all neighboring countries on the East of Ukraine.
As of today, Slovakia joined the transport blockade blocking all transport customs point on the borders of Ukraine.
Now Poland and Slovakia are jointly blockading Ukraine.

KYIV – We assess the situation in Ukraine as critical. The illegitimate governmental institutions and the government in Ukraine is falling out of reality and legitimacy. 
President Zelensky warned Chief Commander Zaluzhny not to play political games, and he did it in his interview with The Sun. 
According to a source familiar with the Presidential Administration, Zaluzhny hasn’t had meetings in the last two weeks with the Office of the President of Ukraine. Yermak assumed that Zaluzhny declared the war on the Office of the President.

This year, the F-16 has captured global attention after the White House approved its use by Ukraine in war conflicts.
Analysis of the role of the  F-16  in the current conflict
Since early 2022, Ukraine has insisted on the need for more advanced aircraft to counter Russia. Initially, the US refused to supply F-16 Fighting Falcon to Ukraine, but the training of Ukrainian pilots on these jets was later approved.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that his country would lead a group of nations to train Ukrainian pilots and crews in the operation of the Fighting Falcon.

L3Harris
The U.S. Air Force has quietly changed the designation of its new electronic warfare jet from EC-37B to EA-37B. The service says this new moniker better reflects the aircraft’s roles and missions, which it says includes attacking and destroying certain targets. The War Zone has long highlighted how powerful active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas like the ones on the EA-37B could be used to send out highly focused beams of electromagnetic energy that can damage electronics within aircraft, missiles, and other systems.

U.S. Marine Corps Scout Snipers have a long standing history of being the deadliest marksmen on the battlefield. (Photos courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps. (Task & Purpose composite image.).
The last class of Marine Scout Snipers is scheduled to graduate on Dec. 15, marking the end of the 0317 MOS and a long tradition of producing some of the deadliest snipers on the battlefield. 
The last HOGs night will take place the night before, aboard Camp Geiger in North Carolina.

Members of the House of Representatives are considering a bill that would require U.S. defense and intelligence leaders to form a new working group to plan and steer a broad, strategic initiative to accelerate artificial intelligence experimentation, governance and deployments within the Five Eyes alliance. 
A deep and longstanding intelligence-gathering and -sharing partnership between the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the Five Eyes’ roots trace back to the aftermath of World War II. 
On Nov. 15, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.