F-35 Deliveries Can Resume Immediately With ‘Truncated’ TR-3 Software
More than 90 brand-new F-35s, many in storage since last fall, can be delivered now that a “truncated” version of the Tech Refresh 3 software has been approved for use.
NATO Sounds Alarm on China’s Advances in Space and Nuclear, Ties with Russia
NATO leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. for the alliance's 75th anniversary summit said they were alarmed at China's ambitions and aggression in nuclear, space, and cyberspace on top of its deepening ties with Russia.
‘Like Your Uncle’s Old Porsche’: Why the Aging C-21 Is Still in High Demand
With just 19 jets, the Air Force C-21 transport fleet is busier than ever moving VIPs, wounded troops, and urgently needed cargo in a hurry.
ACC Boss: CCA Drones Will Mostly Be Kept in ‘Flyable Storage’ Outside of Missions
With the Air Force's fighter plans in flux—the Next-Generation Air Dominance program’s future in doubt and the F-22 potentially being extended—Collaborative Combat Aircraft autonomous drones will be all the more important for restoring capacity to the fleet, the head of Air Combat Command said July 10.
Maj. Gen. Joe Engle, X-15 Pilot and Shuttle Astronaut, Dies at 91
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Joe Henry Engle, test pilot, Apollo-era astronaut, and the only American to fly two different winged vehicles into space, died July 10 at the age of 91. Engle flew more than 185 different aircraft—38 of them fighter/attack types—and amassed more than 15,000 flight hours, including 9,000 jet hours. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving X-15 pilot out of only 12 men to fly that craft.
Radar Sweep
Russia Vows ‘Military Response’ to US Missile Deployments in Germany
The New York Times
Russia is preparing military countermeasures in response to the planned American deployment of longer-range, ground-based missiles in Germany, the Russian deputy foreign minister said on July 11, adding that the U.S. move was “destructive to regional safety and strategic stability.”
2 Percent on Defense? That Is So Last Year.
POLITICO
Officially, NATO doesn’t want to set new goals on what countries should spend on their own defenses until next year. Unofficially, no one could stop talking about it at the NATO Summit. The original goal of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense, first announced in 2014, is a highly volatile issue for the alliance—partly because one-third of the member nations are under pressure for failing to reach the target this year; and because Donald Trump hammered European allies that fell short when he was president.
The US Says the End of Its Pier for Gaza Aid Is Coming Soon
The Associated Press
Battling rough seas around Gaza, the U.S. now is considering abandoning efforts to reinstall the pier that has been used to get badly needed humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians, two U.S. officials said July 11. The initial plan earlier this week had been to reinstall the pier for a few days to move the final pallets of aid onto the shore and then permanently remove it, but rough seas have prevented the reinstallation.
AFSOC Seeks Industry Feedback for ‘Swarm Carrier’ Drone
Breaking Defense
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is seeking industry feedback for a “Swarm Carrier” uncrewed aircraft system capable of launching from a C-130 and deploying drones of it own, according to a new notice published July 10. AFSOC eventually plans to seek input on drones in sizes between Group 2 and Group 3, Pentagon parlance for small- to mid-size UAS.
Suicides in Air Force, Navy and Marines in First Quarter of 2024 Top Pandemic-Era Rates, DOD Data Shows
Stars and Stripes
Suicide rates among troops in the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps for the first quarter of 2024 topped pandemic-era rates while the Army saw a significant dip, according to new data released by the Defense Department.
General Atomics to Build Second Space Force Weather Satellite
SpaceNews
The U.S. Space Force awarded General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems a contract for a second weather satellite. Under the Space Systems Command contract modification announced July 11, General Atomics will provide three years of operational services for two Electro-Optical Weather System, or EWS, satellites.
Air Force’s Cheap and Fast-to-Produce Long-Range Missile Is Being Built for Ukraine
The War Zone
The U.S. Air Force has disclosed that Ukraine is the intended recipient of a new relatively low-cost precision-guided air-launched stand-off munition it is looking to start development of called the Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM).
Switzerland Squares Neutrality with Its European Air-Defense Push
Defense News
Switzerland is moving to formalize its membership in the European Sky Shield Initiative, a step that officials and analysts believe is in line with the country’s neutrality stance thanks to the project’s procurement focus and some special wording.
NATO ‘Drone Coalition’ for Ukraine Announces New Common Fund, Formalizes Plans
Breaking Defense
The European members of the United Kingdom-Latvian-led “Drone Coalition” have announced a new common funding pool of €45 million ($48.8 million) to help get unmanned systems in the hands of Ukrainian fighters more quickly. The U.K. is taking the lead on what it’s calling the “Drone Coalition Common Fund,” which was established within a new Memorandum of Understanding signed by the coalition members on July 10 that also “provides a framework outlining the Coalition’s core activities, management structure [and] procurement mechanisms.”
The National Archives Needs Your Help Transcribing Revolutionary War Records
Military.com
How many times did David Beach apply for his Revolutionary War pension? How much did Joseph Smead of Massachusetts receive for his? Did Ephraim Blackmer ever get the land warrant he applied for after fighting with the Green Mountain Boys? Reviewing and transcribing records such as these may seem like doing Department of Veterans Affairs paperwork 200 years too late, but it’s actually an exciting opportunity for everyday Americans to learn about and preserve their country's fascinating early history.