Daily Report

Dec. 17, 2024

Radar Sweep

China’s Remote Sensing Buildup Risks US National Security: Congressional Commission Report

Breaking Defense

A new report for Congress’s U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission warns that China’s rapidly expanding remote sensing capabilities already have raised risks to U.S. national security, as well as created economic challenges. The report, shared with Breaking Defense ahead of its formal release, is authored by the OTH Intelligence Group and entitled “China’s Remote Sensing.”

Two Arrested in Connection with Fatal Drone Attack on US Troops in Jordan

The Washington Post

Two men have been arrested in connection with a drone attack in January that killed three U.S. troops and injured more than 40 others at a military base in Jordan. They are accused of violating export laws by leaking sensitive American technology information to Iran, which U.S. officials said allegedly helped that country launch the attack.

Ukraine and US Say Some North Korean Troops Have Been Killed Fighting Alongside Russian Forces

The Associated Press

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said Dec. 16 that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region. These are the first reported casualties since the U.S. and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war.

Russian Military Has Begun Large-Scale Withdrawal from Syria, US and Western Officials Say

CNN

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence. The officials characterized the Russian withdrawal as large-scale and significant and said it began last week, but it is not clear whether it will be permanent, the officials noted.

OPINION: Bring on the Unstoppable Rise of Thinking War Machines

Breaking Defense

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated, once and for all, that drones are here to stay—but it has also underlined that battlefield communications are fragile and easily disrupted, leaving drones unable to receive their orders from their operators. ... The solution: The military will eventually need more machines that can think like human soldiers, deciding autonomously what to destroy and who to kill in ambiguous battlefield conditions. And to secure future battlefields, the Pentagon, and the public, will need to get over its ‘Terminator’ fears and embrace reality,” writes Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

China Launches Hypersonic Test Planes from Drones, Balloons

The War Zone

A video and pictures have emerged showing testing of Chinese high-flying and high-speed uncrewed air vehicles, including aerial releases from a TB-001 drone and a high-altitude balloon. The air vehicle designs are related to the MD-22, ostensibly a hypersonic testbed, which first broke cover two years ago.

Starlink Set to Hit $11.8 Billion Revenue in 2025, Boosted by Military Contracts

SpaceNews

SpaceX’s satellite internet service Starlink is projected to reach $11.8 billion in revenue next year, driven by strong consumer demand and growing U.S. military contracts, according to a new market analysis. The forecast, released by the market research firm Quilty Space, represents a substantial increase from the estimated $7.7 billion in revenue for 2024, highlighting Starlink’s rapid growth trajectory in the satellite communications market.

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AFWERX Says Agility Prime eVTOLs Lack Range, Shifts to Hybrid

Aviation Week

In a significant shift of its strategy, the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX Agility Prime program has acknowledged that the battery-powered electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft it has been funding and testing over the past four years lacks the range necessary to be useful over the vast distances of the Indo-Pacific.