The Ukrainian government says its military intelligence has evidence that North Korea isn’t just sending weapons to assist Russia in the war on Ukraine. Pyongyang may also be sending soldiers. “This is no longer just about transferring weapons,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address over the weekend. “It’s about actually transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces.”
The Chinese warplanes, deployed in record numbers, crossed an informal boundary between China and Taiwan. Chinese Coast Guard boats joined naval ships in encircling Taiwan. Fighter jets took off from an aircraft carrier parked off the island’s east coast.
A pair of CV-22 Ospreys from Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo flew to Okinawa for the first time since a deadly accident grounded the military’s entire fleet of hybrid tiltrotors in November. The aircraft landed at Kadena Air Base on Oct. 15, a spokeswoman for the Okinawa prefecture’s Military Base Affairs Division told Stars and Stripes by phone the next day. The Okinawa Defense Bureau, an arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, notified the prefecture of the flight, she said.
Airbus is cutting up to 2,500 workers from its struggling defense and space division as the European aerospace giant battles with program delays, increased costs, and competition from the likes of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
President Biden on Oct. 16 discussed U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression during a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced a new $425 million military aid package.
While it cannot be seen by the human eye, electronic warfare and its importance to the modern fight is clear. Learn more about how the Department of the Air Force is upgrading its EW capabilities, from in space to in flight, on orbit and onboard fighters.
A Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed Oct. 15 in Washington state during a training flight, and the status of the two crew members was unknown, according to the Navy. An update from the Navy on the search, released at 11 a.m. Oct. 16, said that “neither the crew nor wreckage has been located” and noted that “responders are facing mountainous terrain, cloudy weather, and low visibility as the search is ongoing.”
Following a first-ever bilateral space dialogue in Rome, the U.S. and Italy on Oct. 15 inked a wide-ranging cooperation agreement—including strengthening national security space ties on issues such as space domain awareness and commercial integration.
General Atomics could ramp up production of autonomous combat drones to a rate of one aircraft per day in two to three years if given the signal by the Defense Department, the company’s head of aeronautics told Breaking Defense. The Air Force has yet to award a production contract for its drone wingman, known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), nor has it laid out a definitive plan for how quickly it plans to acquire at least 1,000 drones across the lifespan of the program.
RTX Corporation, the defense contractor formerly known as Raytheon, agreed Oct. 16 to pay more than $950 million to resolve allegations that it defrauded the government and paid bribes to secure business with Qatar.
The top U.S. Army commander in the Pacific region is sounding alarms about China’s “dangerous trajectory” and the rising threat of a war in Asia. Gen. Charles Flynn, the outgoing commander of U.S. Army Pacific, said increased coordination and technology exchange between autocratic states such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea is a “very dangerous combination that we all should pay very, very close attention to.”
Hurricane Helene and Milton have left a path of destruction in its wake, affecting countless families, including those who serve in the armed forces. Military families are uniquely positioned to support each other in times like these, drawing on shared resilience and community spirit. Whether you’re nearby or stationed far away, here are some ways you can help.