Israel’s Defense Ministry on June 4 officially signed a deal with the United States to procure a third F-35 fighter jet squadron. The ministry said a delegation to the U.S. signed a letter of agreement for the $3 billion deal that included 25 advanced stealth fighters built by Lockheed Martin.
Just days after the Biden administration granted permission for Ukraine to fire American weapons into Russia, Kyiv took advantage of its new latitude, striking a military facility over the border using a U.S.-made artillery system, according to a member of Ukraine’s Parliament.
The chairs of a congressional working group on nuclear arms announced June 4 a late July hearing on the controversial Sentinel missile program, which has blown past its budget and triggered concerns among more progressive lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
... Since the shootdowns of February 2023, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has learned to check websites for hobbyists and other organizations whenever the command’s sensors pick up an unknown radar track to see which balloons are out there, said NORAD’s chief of strategic engagement Steven Armstrong.
A multinational effort to provide Kyiv with additional first-person view (FPV) drones has officially begun, thanks to the launch of an industry competition. Led by the United Kingdom, the competition will dish out funds to successful bidders in hopes of delivering significant quantities FPV drones to Ukraine. These types of munitions have become critical on both sides of the front lines in the war in Ukraine; so much so that it has spurred an arms race for them.
Iridium Communications, a provider of mobile satellite communications, on June 4 announced a new five-year contract valued at $94 million—with a potential total value of $103 million—to provide communication support services to the U.S. Department of Defense. The contract, awarded by the Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office (COMSO) within the U.S. Space Force, is for ground infrastructure services in support of the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) program.
The Pentagon is ramping up pursuit of a commercial capability to deliver cargo to the battlefield via space, looking for alternative sources even as it aims for a live delivery test in the next few years aboard SpaceX’s Starship heavy lift vehicle. The Defense Department’s near-term interest is in point-to-point delivery (P2PD) of supplies through suborbital space anywhere on the globe within 90 mins or less, with U.S. Transportation Command particularly hopeful for the capability to rapidly drop kit into the Asia-Pacific theater in a conflict with China.
President Joe Biden’s move last month to reclassify marijuana as a less risky and dangerous drug on the federal government’s list of controlled substances could mark one of the most significant drug reforms in decades once finalized. But for service members and veterans, nothing will really change.
When a B-2 Spirit bomber lands at an airfield, it typically needs a crew of several maintainers who spring into action to ready it for takeoff again. But on May 28, two stealth bombers assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., took on a unique mission: fly to Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., where a single pilot from each aircraft would jump out and refuel the plane—alone.
The U.S. is continuing to find ways to fortify defenses across the Pacific to deter China and counter its influence. The Philippines, a nation made up of more than 7,000 islands and islets, is situated in a prime location.
Two months after retiring as head of the National Security Agency and Cyber Command, Gen. Paul Nakasone is confident that the U.S. intelligence community and private sector have everything they need to detect and respond to possible U.S. election interference attempts this November.
Development work on the U.S. Air Force’s experimental, hypersonic Mayhem vehicle has been paused following the completion of an early design milestone due to a “temporary” lack of funding, the lead design company said June 4.
Back in the 1970s, as USAF aircraft featured increasingly sophisticated communications and electronic warfare systems, the service established a secretive testing project to measure the emissions and effectiveness of aircraft antennae systems. Known unofficially as the "Upside-Down Air Force," the project is still an important part of USAF testing to this day.