Despite China’s notorious secrecy surrounding all things defense, there are indications it is making progress on a sixth-generation fighter. Perhaps the clearest admission came from a WeChat social media post by Aviation Industry Corporation of China in January 2019. In an interview discussing sixth-gen fighters, Wang Haifeng, the chief designer at AVIC subsidiary Chengdu Aerospace Corp., said preparations were underway to research a combat aircraft that would be ready to “protect the sea and sky” by 2035.
The forced U.S. troop withdrawals from bases in Niger and Chad and the potential to shift some troops to other nations in West Africa will be key issues as the top U.S. military officer meets with his counterparts this week at a chiefs of defense conference.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced that the country exported $13 billion in defense products in 2023, the third year in a row of record sales for the defense industry, and an increase of $500 million over 2022 despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The price of the Air Force’s new bomber has been cleared for takeoff. After taking a loss on the first lots of B-21 Raiders, Northrop Grumman has negotiated a higher cost ceiling on the next 19 aircraft, the company said in a June 18 release.
A two-star Air Force general pleaded guilty June 24 to adultery and dereliction of duty for pursuing an unprofessional relationship as the rare court-martial of a high-ranking officer got underway at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the Air Force’s former pilot training boss, entered a guilty plea ahead of opening arguments in the case, an Air Force spokesperson and a spokesperson for Stewart’s defense team confirmed to Air Force Times.
The Pentagon said June 24 it remains confident that it will be able to respond to ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea after a Navy aircraft carrier strike group departed the region and it was unclear when another carrier group might arrive.
U.S. Africa Command is evaluating how to best apply technology with allies and partners to monitor rising adversarial influence, terrorism, and other emerging threats as forces hustle to withdraw American military assets from Niger and Chad, and Western nations’ physical presence across the continent broadly shifts, Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley told DefenseScoop.
U.S. officials trying to prevent a bigger Middle East war are issuing an unusual warning to Hezbollah: Don’t assume that Washington can stop Israel from attacking you. The American message is designed to get the Lebanese-based Shiite militia to back down and de-escalate the brewing crisis along the Israeli-Lebanese border, a person familiar with the discussions said.
As the U.S. and India step up plans to tighten collaboration in the military space sphere, Indian officials next year will participate in U.S. Space Command’s annual Global Sentinel exercise designed to better integrate allied capabilities to monitor the heavens, according to the White House.
A stealthy-looking flying wing drone with a hybrid-electric propulsion system the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing now has a designation: XRQ-73. DARPA hopes to flight test this uncrewed aircraft later this year and eventually demonstrate it can be operationalized relatively quickly to meet an unspecified “urgent operational need.”
The head of U.S. Space Command expressed support for the military’s experimental “rocket cargo” program, even as the initiative remains in its infancy and far from operational status. Speaking June 24 at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Gen. Stephen Whiting said he sees promise in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s efforts on rocket cargo for point-to-point delivery. “We’re excited about the work that the Air Force Research Lab has done on rocket cargo,” Whiting said. “There’s a lot to be worked out here and to understand how it would happen.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has chosen the No. 3 official in the State Department as the Pentagon’s new chief of staff, the Defense Department announced June 24. Derek Chollet, the State Department’s current counselor, will start his new Pentagon role in July, replacing current chief of staff Kelly Magsamen, who will leave this month.
Four U.S. Air Force Academy cadets qualified for the Olympic trials for the 2024 Games in Paris. Cadet 2nd Class Tommy Nagle, Cadet 3rd Class Texas Tanner, and Cadet 2nd Class Patrick Hoopes qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in swimming, track and field, and gymnastics in June. 2nd Lt. (then-Cadet 1st Class) Wyatt Hendrickson competed in the Olympic wrestling trials in April, according to the U.S. Air Force Academy.
