Breaking Defense
In his first public remarks since becoming head of the Royal Australian Air Force, Air Marshal Robert Chipman said pointedly that his pilots would keep flying over the South China Sea in the face of “unsafe” operations by Chinese pilots. Recent encounters with the Chinese “have been robust, to say the least, and to make a finer point, they’ve been unsafe,” Chipman said.
Military.com
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was back in his Pentagon office Aug. 22 after beating his second case of COVID-19. The decision to return was made after Austin tested negative for the virus Aug. 21 following a work week of quarantining at home, according to the new Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder.
Breaking Defense
Startup SpaceLink was among the 11 winners recently chosen by DARPA to develop pieces of its Space-BACN project to develop a “universal” on-board terminal for optical intersatellite links (OSILs). But the company’s plans are aimed far beyond, with the firm en route to launching a data relay constellation for both military and commercial customers.
The Drive
The saga of China’s H-20 next-generation bomber may have taken a very interesting new turn, with the appearance of at least two models showing a new aircraft design, or at least a concept, that seems to have strong similarities to how the H-20 is expected to look. That last point is crucial, since we have not, so far, seen any official renderings of the H-20 beyond depictions that are highly obscured and which may not actually bear much of a relationship to the final design. However, with recent hints of an imminent first flight dropped by China’s state-run media, there seems to be momentum gathering behind the long-awaited bomber, suggesting its official unveiling—or a state-approved leaking—may not be far off.
Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
In Episode 90 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast—“Crisis in the Pacific: What Just Happened Between China and Taiwan?”—the Mitchell Institute’s Executive Director Douglas Birkey is joined by Brian Hart, a fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ China Power Project; Thomas Corbett, a research analyst at Bluepath Labs; and Dan Rice, Mitchell Institute’s research analyst, to discuss what we can learn from China’s recent military activity around Taiwan and the broader international response.
Military.com
The Department of the Air Force is discussing a pilot program that would allow Airmen and Guardians to grow beards, one of the most requested changes to uniform and grooming standards among service members. The potential test comes as other service branches have crafted policies that limit shaving for troops—particularly African-American men—who suffer from painful ingrown hairs.
SpaceNews
As satellites become military targets, the Space Force is training its operators to think on their feet, said officials who participated in a two-week exercise focused on space operations. “The threats have grown in both scope and complexity over the years,” said Lt. Col. Albert Harris, commander of the Space Training and Readiness Command’s 392nd Combat Training Squadron. The squadron runs Space Flag, a military exercise modeled after the Air Force’s Red Flag.
Military Times
More than 7,400 troops ran through the National Guard’s largest and longest bi-annual home defense military exercise in August. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines combined ground and air power to beat back a simulated peer threat on the nation’s northern border, specifically northern Michigan.
Air Force release
The Department of Defense is increasing its supply of the approved monkeypox vaccine, JYNNEOS, which allows for more Airmen and Guardians at higher risk for transmission to access preventive measures to keep themselves safe. Concurrently, on Aug. 9, the Food and Drug Administration allowed for smaller doses to be given through intradermal administration, which is an injection between the layers of the skin.
One More Thing
NPR
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to earn a pilot's license, American Airlines operated a flight out of Dallas with an all-Black, all-female crew. From the pilots and flight attendants to cargo team members and aviation maintenance technicians, the women operated and took charge of every aspect of the flight from Dallas to Phoenix.
