Daily Report

July 22, 2024

Radar Sweep

Biden Drops Out of 2024 Race

Defense News

President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on July 21, ending his bid for reelection after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about the incumbent’s fitness for office. ... Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, nominated by Biden in late 2020, praised Biden as “an extraordinary guardian of America’s national security” in a statement.

PODCAST: Ready to Fight All Night: High-Tempo Airpower Generation

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

In episode 193 of the Aerospace Advantage, Heather Penney discusses how to maximize airpower sorties with Mitchell Institute Fellow Lt. Col. Gary “Plugger” Glojek and Lt. Col. Matthew “Doubled” Jensen, the director of the experimental operations unit responsible for advancing Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) sortie generation and employment concepts.

Israel Intercepts Missile from Yemen After Airstrikes on Houthi Port

The Washington Post

Israeli forces intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on social media July 21. ... Although it was not immediately clear who launched the missile, a Houthi military spokesman had promised retaliation for Israel’s airstrikes July 20 on Hodeida, a port city in Yemen controlled by the rebel group. Spokesman Yahya Saree said the Israeli raids struck the port, a power station, and a fuel tank.

Lockheed Won’t Get Paid in Full Yet for Upgraded F-35s, Even as Deliveries Resume

Defense One

The Pentagon is withholding money from Lockheed Martin because the full upgrade for the latest version of the F-35 fighter jet isn’t ready, even though deliveries have restarted. ... “There are still withholds. Since not everything that we contracted for has been delivered, the payment is also not complete. We will not pay for that which we have not received,” Andrew Hunter, the service’s acquisition chief, told reporters at the Royal International Air Tattoo on July 20.

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Boeing Undertakes VC-25B Improvements, New Schedule to Outline Delays

Aviation Week

Boeing is fighting through extensive issues on building the next-generation Air Force One with a new schedule to be finalized soon, and the company’s boss says it is investing in ways to improve the overall program. First flight of the 747-8i-based VC-25B has slipped to 2026, despite a re-baselined schedule originally expecting delivery that same year.

How the Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet Will Upend Air Warfare

Defense News

The next generation of fighter aircraft could bring greater speed, range and ability to penetrate deep into enemy airspace—and it might even feature a revolutionary new type of engine, experts and retired U.S. Air Force officer say. The aviation world has seen five generations of fighters, ranging from the subsonic F-86 Sabre after World War II to the current, stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Now, militaries around the world are working on jets they believe will represent technological leaps significant enough to qualify as sixth-generation aircraft.

One More Thing

World's Youngest Air Force Papua New Guinea Takes to Skies Among Top Guns

Reuters

One of the world's youngest air forces is taking part in war games alongside cutting-edge stealth fighter jets as the Pacific Island nation of Papua New Guinea boosts defense ties with Australia and the United States. Papua New Guinea's trainee pilots have queued for take-off with U.S. F-22 Raptor and Australian Joint Strike Fighter jets in northern Australia this week in the 20-nation Pitch Black war games.