According to Air Power Australia, the West has paid scant attention to a growing problem—the evolution of Cold War legacy surface-to-air missiles into hybrid forms. Defense analyst Carlo Kopp writing in APA’s Notam says that this hybridization—the relatively inexpensive but sophisticated upgrades to stocks of older SAMs—may well “be occurring on a larger scale than previously anticipated.” He says the “more sophisticated upgrades” increase “radar performance, jam resistance, and track capabilities” and even the mobility or kinematic range. Kopp’s Notam offers examples. This is worth noting.
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…