Editor’s Note
The Daily Report will not publish Thursday, Jan. 9 in observance of the National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. We’ll be back in your inboxes Friday, Jan. 10.
Kendall: Reveal of New Chinese Aircraft ‘Hasn’t Really Changed’ USAF Plans
The appearance of new Chinese combat aircraft in recent weeks—potentially a new bomber and medium bomber, a smaller, fighter-size aircraft, and a new AWACS platform, among others—didn’t influence current Air Force leadership’s recent decisions on the Next-Generation Air Dominance program or the service’s broader strategic outlook, Secretary Frank Kendall said.
Biden Admin Prepares ‘Substantial’ Final Aid Package to Ukraine
The Biden administration is preparing to announce its final package of military assistance to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, defense officials said Jan. 7. The military assistance, which is to be drawn from existing U.S. stocks, will be detailed when Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III convenes the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Jan. 9. But Pentagon officials acknowledge they will not be able to spend all of the funds they have on hand to help Ukraine before Trump assumes the presidency.
Off-Road Reaper: Air Force MQ-9 Roughs It for ACE Exercise
Over its 20 years of service, the MQ-9 Reaper drone has typically landed on paved runways, where it is rearmed and refueled by a large group of maintainers and support staff. But a recent Agile Combat Employment exercise saw Air Force Special Operations Command land an MQ-9 on a dirt strip in New Mexico on Dec. 16, where it was rearmed, refueled, and launched again by a small group of Airmen.
Space Force Eyes New Jam-Resistant Tactical SATCOM Options
Competing prototype payloads developed by Northrop Grumman and Boeing meant to demonstrate secure, jam-resistant tactical communications for the Space Force are set to launch in 2025.
Radar Sweep
Iran Pulls Most Forces from Syria, in Blow to Tehran’s Regional Ambitions
The Wall Street Journal
Iranian forces have largely withdrawn from Syria following the Assad regime’s December collapse, according to U.S., European and Arab officials, in a significant blow to Tehran’s strategy for projecting power in the Middle East.
Trump Refuses to Rule Out Use of Military Force to Take Control of Greenland and the Panama Canal
The Associated Press
President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 7 said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.
SPRINT Contractors Add Details About Their Fast, Runway-Independent Aircraft
Defense One
A bit more than halfway to the final-design deadline in DARPA’s SPRINT vertical-takeoff program, the two contractors have revealed new details about their candidates.
Tricare West Region Woes: Reserve Members Mistakenly Told They Owe Up to $1,200 More Each Month
Military.com
Military reserve members across the Tricare West Region mistakenly were told they must pay monthly premiums of more than $600 to $1,500 to retain their health benefits in 2025. TriWest Healthcare Alliance, the new Tricare contract manager for 26 states, sent letters late last month to an undisclosed number of reservists and their families with updates to their monthly health premiums for 2025.
US Completes $9B B61-12 Nuclear Warhead Upgrade
Breaking Defense
Seventeen years after it began design and development, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has completed work on the B61-12 nuclear warhead, the agency announced. The Last Production Unit of the upgraded warhead was completed on Dec. 18, roughly three years after production formally started on America’s updated nuclear gravity bomb. An October 2024 report from the agency put the total program cost at around $9 billion.
Air Force Clears BAE’s F-15 Electronic Warfare Kit for Full Rate Production
Breaking Defense
A new electronic warfare kit for the Air Force’s F-15 fleet has been cleared to enter full-rate production, the Pentagon announced. The nearly $616 million contract, revealed late Jan. 6, for the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) has a performance period expected to last until the end of 2030. The kits are produced by BAE Systems and integrated in the F-15 by prime contractor Boeing.
Pentagon Awards Anduril $14.3 Million to Expand Production of Solid Rocket Motors
SpaceNews
Defense technology contractor Anduril Industries has secured a $14.3 million Pentagon contract to expand solid rocket motor production, as the U.S. Department of Defense moves to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities amid growing supply chain concerns. The contract, awarded under the Defense Production Act, will support facility modernization and manufacturing improvements at Anduril’s Mississippi plant, the Pentagon said Jan. 7.
Pentagon to Blacklist China’s Largest EV Battery and Tech Firms
The Washington Post
The Pentagon will blacklist China’s largest EV battery manufacturer and its largest tech firm beginning in June 2026, barring them from Defense Department contracts and sending a powerful signal to American firms about the potential risks of doing business with them.
Lockheed Topped F-35 Delivery Range in 2024
Aviation Week
Lockheed Martin delivered 110 F-35s overall in 2024, achieving the top end of a production target range reduced by software development delays, the company said in a social media post on Jan. 6.
Tailless Fighter-Like Airframe Appears at Chinese Jet Manufacturer Shenyang’s Main Plant
The War Zone
China’s aviation industry closed out 2024 with the stunning debut of two previously unseen stealthy combat jets. The country’s two preeminent fighter manufacturers, the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, are understood to each be responsible for one of them. Now, a recent satellite image shows what looks to be yet another next-generation fighter-like airframe or mockup at Shenyang’s main plant in the city of the same name.
A WWII Icon: How Effective Was The P-38 Lightning?
Simple Flying
While earlier fighters like the Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Zero, and U.S. Navy planes (like the Douglas divebomber) tend to be remembered, one of the most effective fighters of WWII was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The National Museum of World War II Aviation states, "The P-38 Lightning was the only successful twin-engine air superiority fighter of the war." Some go as far as to say the P-38 revolutionized aerial combat during WWII.