Radar Sweep
US Troops Go to Court Seeking Vaccine Exemption for Those Who've Had COVID-19
Two U.S. service members who have recovered from COVID-19 are asking a federal judge to put an immediate stop to the Defense Department's mandatory COVID-19 vaccine order. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Robert and Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Hollie Mulvihill filed a suit Aug. 17 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado seeking an exception to the order for military members who have recovered from the illness.
DOD Trying to Keep China From Accessing Critical US Space Technology
Chinese investments in U.S. space startups and use of Chinese software by DOD suppliers are issues of growing concern at the Pentagon, officials said. “I will tell you that supply chain is one of the most important things that we are focused on right now within DOD,” Colin Supko, director of the Defense Department’s trusted capital program, said Sept. 28 at the Space Sector Market Conference.
Turkey Wants Compensation for Ouster From US-Led Jet Program
Turkey intends to seek compensation for its removal from a U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program, possibly during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the margins of a Group of 20 meeting next month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan also said there would be no “turning back” from a deal with Russia for Turkey’s acquisition of S-400 advanced missile defense systems.
Defense Lags Behind Commerce in UK ‘Galactic’ Space Power Goals
The United Kingdom’s new National Space Strategy envisions the nation as a major space player in the near future—what Prime Minister Boris Johnson has termed a “Galactic Britain”—while leaving details about its military plans to a still-to-come Defense Space Strategy.
China Preps Rollout of a New Carrier-Based Fighter Jet
China will debut its next-generation, carrier-borne fighter jet later this year, according to the country’s main state-owned aerospace conglomerate and the chief designer of its current carrier-based fighter jet. This comes as China has demonstrated a pair of its land-based J-20 stealth fighters powered by indigenous engines at the ongoing Zhuhai airshow.
ICBM Modernization and Sustainment: Getting Minuteman III to the Finish Line
With the aging Minuteman III ICBM system staring down obsolescence in the near future, the Air Force and its partners are looking to develop the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. At the same time, they will have to sustain the legacy platform until the end of the decade. Find out how they’re managing the delicate balance.
One Senator’s Plan to Cut Through the Politics and Get Answers on Afghanistan
One senator is introducing a bill that would establish a nonpartisan commission to study the war in Afghanistan to try to cut through the political drama that has surrounded lawmakers’ consideration of the conflict this week. A nonpartisan commission is one way to rise above that fray, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said.
This Tuskegee Airman Accomplished a Lot. But Nothing Topped Winning the 1st ‘Top Gun’ Trophy
James Harvey doesn’t want to be known as the first Black fighter pilot to fly in Korean airspace. He doesn’t want to be known for his Distinguished Flying Cross or the 11 Air Medals he earned in combat. And he doesn’t want to be known for his time as a commander, a test pilot, or an officer reporting to the head of NORAD. Harvey, one of the few members of the Tuskegee Airmen still living, wants to be remembered as the winner of the first “Gunsmoke” aerial shooting competition in 1949.
Skunk Works Boss Says He Can't Comment on Video of Mysterious Stealth Shape at Radar Test Range
Jeff Babione, the head of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works advanced projects division, declined to comment in a somewhat cryptic way on a video that emerged last week showing what looked to be a stealthy, advanced fighter aircraft-like test shape at the company's secretive Helendale, Calif., radar cross-section measurement facility. Separately, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said he was not aware of the clip and couldn't comment on it.
Why the Royal Air Force Burns Pianos Every Year
Every September, the Royal Air Force—along with American fighter units who served as volunteers during the Battle of Britain—commemorate the Battle of Britain with the ritualistic burning of a wooden piano. The piano is delivered in a ceremony, often ceremoniously hacked to pieces by airmen wielding axes and sledgehammers. Then, it’s set ablaze.