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The Super Hornet Replaced the F-14 After Its 2006 Navy Retirement

The Super Hornet Replaced the F-14 After Its 2006 Navy Retirement

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat stands as a significant icon in the history of naval aviation, serving as the United States Navy's primary maritime air sup...

SIPRI Report Urges Responsible Procurement of Military AI Amidst Rapid Adoption Pressures

SIPRI Report Urges Responsible Procurement of Military AI Amidst Rapid Adoption Pressures

A new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), titled “Responsible Procurement of Military Artificial Intelligence,” highlights the critical need for speed and responsibility in the adoption of military AI. Authored by Netta Goussac and Vincent Boulanin, the report emphasizes that crucial decisions regarding military AI are made during the procurement phase, long before deployment on the battlefield. It notes that armed forces are under immense pressure to integrate AI rapidly, driven by competition between the United States and China, lessons from recent conflicts, and the technological industry. The report points out that traditional military procurement processes, designed for decades-long cycles, struggle to keep pace with AI's rapid development, which often involves product cycles measured in weeks or months. This disparity makes it challenging to integrate ethical and legal considerations, such as verifying the legality of new weapons under international law, into fas...

Raytheon Awarded Contract for Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile Development

Raytheon Awarded Contract for Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile Development

Raytheon, now operating as RTX, has been awarded a contract worth up to $985 million by the U.S. Air Force to develop and demonstrate prototypes for the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM). This air-launched, scramjet-powered missile is designed to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5. The HACM program originated from the U.S.-Australian Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE), which focused on air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile technology. Unlike boost-glide weapons that use a rocket to accelerate a glide vehicle before unpowered flight, HACM is intended to maintain hypersonic speeds throughout its cruise using a scramjet engine. This propulsion system allows the missile to take oxygen from the atmosphere, dedicating more internal volume to fuel and other components. The missile requires an initial propulsion stage to reach the necessary speed for the scramjet to operate effectively, a concept previously demonstrated by DARPA’s Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC).

Why 18,000 U.S. Troops Took Part in Operation Plumbbob Exercises

Why 18,000 U.S. Troops Took Part in Operation Plumbbob Exercises

Operation Plumbbob was a significant series of nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site between May 28 and October 7, 1957. This extensive o...

China Develops 200-Meter Mothership for Giant Uncrewed Submarines, Signaling Naval Advancement

China Develops 200-Meter Mothership for Giant Uncrewed Submarines, Signaling Naval Advancement

China is reportedly constructing a 200-meter mothership designed to support giant uncrewed submarines, a development that could mark a global first in naval technology. Satellite imagery has revealed the vessel under construction at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai. Analysts, including open-source naval analyst H.I. Sutton, suggest the ship features a large internal hangar and a stern launch-and-recovery system specifically for extra-extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XXLUUVs). This mothership is expected to carry, maintain, launch, and recover several of China's largest underwater drones, which are significantly larger than comparable Western systems. China has already tested 35-meter and 45-meter uncrewed submarines in Hainan, which previously relied on floating docks for transport. This new vessel would enable sustained remote operations for these advanced autonomous submarines, extending China's undersea capabilities far beyond its coastal waters.

Taiwan Bolsters Defense Industry with U.S. Collaboration and Domestic Innovation

Taiwan Bolsters Defense Industry with U.S. Collaboration and Domestic Innovation

Taiwan is actively strengthening its defense capabilities through increased collaboration with American firms and significant domestic investment in advanced technologies. This strategic push includes leveraging U.S. technical expertise, training, and co-development efforts, particularly in unmanned systems and autonomy software. The island nation is also reinforcing its semiconductor industry, which is crucial for modern defense applications. Recent defense reforms in Taiwan are focusing on enhancing institutional resilience and the capacity to sustain war efforts, moving beyond a sole focus on repelling an invasion. This comprehensive approach aims to solidify Taiwan's ties with the U.S. Congress and other allies, ensuring a robust defense posture. The U.S. continues to uphold its established policy towards Taiwan, maintaining deterrent capabilities across the First Island Chain.

Inside the Human Drama Behind the 1980 Damascus Missile Disaster

Inside the Human Drama Behind the 1980 Damascus Missile Disaster

In September 1980, a serious nuclear weapons incident, known as the Damascus Titan missile explosion, unfolded in rural Arkansas. This event involv...

III Armored Corps Receives Baseline Next Generation Command and Control Capabilities

III Armored Corps Receives Baseline Next Generation Command and Control Capabilities

The III Armored Corps is the first unit to receive baseline capabilities for the Army's Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) system. This initial fielding includes the infrastructure and transport layers of the NGC2, a data-heavy ecosystem designed to enhance commanders' decision-making against sophisticated adversaries. The NGC2 system aims to replace the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), which has been in use since 2004. This deployment follows over a year of experimentation by two Army divisions and a capstone event in the Mojave Desert. Brig. Gen. Shane Taylor, capability program executive for the Army’s command and control information network effort (CPE C2IN), stated that this equipment will serve as the foundation for future modernization efforts across the force. The new equipment includes dismounted satellite communication antennas, tools for automatic network traffic management, and servers with cloud access for data processing in forward operating environments.

Nearly 1,200 Pigs Were Used in Operation Plumbbob Experiments

Nearly 1,200 Pigs Were Used in Operation Plumbbob Experiments

Operation Plumbbob, a series of nuclear tests conducted in 1957, was not solely focused on the development of nuclear warheads. A significant and o...

The Damascus Titan II Missile Exploded in Arkansas

The Damascus Titan II Missile Exploded in Arkansas

The 1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion was not merely a technical failure; it was a human drama unfolding under immense pressure, involving the ...

Why Titan II's Hypergolic Fuel Was Both an Advantage and a Hazard

Why Titan II's Hypergolic Fuel Was Both an Advantage and a Hazard

The LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) stood as a formidable component of America's strategic deterrent force during the Co...

355th Operations Group Inactivated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ending A-10 Thunderbolt II Legacy

355th Operations Group Inactivated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ending A-10 Thunderbolt II Legacy

The 355th Operations Group (OG), along with the 357th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Generation Squadron, and the 355th Training Squadron, were officially inactivated during a ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, on September 18, 2026. This event marks the conclusion of the A-10 Thunderbolt II's operational presence at Davis-Monthan. U.S. Air Force Col. Jose Cabrera, 355th Wing commander, presided over the ceremony, which was attended by Airmen, their families, retired A-10 pilots, and local civic leaders. The 355 OG, activated on May 1, 1992, was responsible for controlling the flying units of the 355th Wing and provided A-10 Thunderbolt II capabilities for close air support, forward air control, and combat search and rescue missions from 1992 to 2026. The group also deployed personnel globally and managed all formal A-10 pilot initial qualification and requalification training. The inactivation was symbolized by the rolling and casing of the respective guidons by their last commanders and ...