After the U.S. Air Force chief was repeatedly hectored by protesters at a Feb. 28 think tank event, Gen. David W. Allvin called an Airman’s recent self-immolation a “tragedy” and said his service is investigating.
Singapore will add eight conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A stealth fighters to its existing order for 12 short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B variants. While Singapore had not previously ruled out the F-35A version, which offers various performance and cost advantages, it has now committed to a highly capable and versatile future fighter fleet that will comprise the F-35A, F-35B, and fourth-generation F-15SG—an advanced development of the F-15E Strike Eagle.
A key missile warning satellite’s sensor payload is a year behind schedule, according to the Space Force’s top acquisition official. Receiving that payload, built by RTX, and integrating it onto the first Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellite is a top acquisition priority for the service, Frank Calvelli said during a Feb. 27 speech at the National Security Space Association’s Defense and Intelligence Space Conference.
Senior members of Hamas’s leadership in exile met in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month amid concerns that its fighters were getting mauled by an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Enemy troops were killing dozens of militants each day as they methodically overran Hamas strongholds. Then a courier arrived with a message from Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, saying, in effect: Don’t worry, we have the Israelis right where we want them.
Some of the Air Force’s plans for an organizational shakeup to better posture itself for future conflicts with U.S. adversaries are at risk due to continued instability with the federal budget, according to the service’s top officer. Some of the action items will require extra funds, and those efforts are at jeopardy if lawmakers do not pass a federal budget in the near future, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said Feb. 28.
As Greece’s Hydra Frigate reportedly sets sail for the Red Sea, the narrow shipping lanes there are now host to two separate Western missions to protect commercial vessels: the EUNAVFOR Aspides mission launched by the European Union last week and the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian launched in December.
The Pentagon is mulling workarounds to arm Ukraine as the country faces severe ammunition and artillery shortages amid recent Russian advances. But the department is limited in its ability to fill the gap given President Joe Biden’s funding request for additional Ukraine military aid remains stalled in Congress.
The FAA this week closed its mishap investigation into the explosion of SpaceX’s Starship rocket and agreed with the company on new procedures for future flights. SpaceX launched Starship on Nov. 18 and reached space before the vehicle’s upper stage was destroyed by an automated internal system just minutes into the test flight.
In the ship model shop at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific you’re more likely to hear machines whir than people. Ben Wong probably won’t say much because he works alone. Wong fields questions in the form of digital blueprints: Here’s how we want to place the antennas, will it work? And he builds his part in the answer with wood, brass, and tiny antennas you could hold between your thumb and index finger.