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https://x.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1730 ... 97375?s=20 ---> Maintainers at Hill Air Force Base in Utah stitch two damaged aircraft into a fully operational F-35A Lighting II. Nose section of AF-211 (had a nose landing-gear separation) is being replaced with undamaged nose from AF-27 (had a severe engine fire).
The red bolded part below is not referring to the Patriot missile, but rather the American football team (New England Patriots) and football player -- Tom Brady. I am mentioning this for readers outside of North America, who will not get the cultural reference
https://x.com/AlexHollings52/status/173 ... 44462?s=20 ---> The F-15EX is not stealthy. Heck, it doesn’t even wanna be. It’s like the Patriots offense during the Brady years. Predictable… but too effective to be stopped.
The F-15EX is the deadliest dogfighting Eagle ever to fly
RTX's Raytheon to build defensive microwave antenna systems for U.S. military
Systems will use directed energy to defeat airborne threats
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, will design, build and test two high-power microwave antenna systems that will use directed energy to defeat airborne threats at the speed of light. The systems are designed to be rugged and transportable for front-line deployment.
Raytheon to build defensive high-power microwave antenna systems for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force under the DARPA DEFEND program.
Under the three-year, $31.3 million contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Raytheon will deliver prototype systems to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force as part of the Directed Energy Front-line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat (DEFEND) program.
"Non-kinetic defense systems are a key part of America's national defense strategy," said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon. "The new iterations of Raytheon's high-power microwave systems are cost-effective and reliable solutions that operate at the speed of light – enabling our warfighters to defend against faster and more maneuverable threats."
Raytheon has been a leader in the use of high-power microwaves for nearly 80 years. The new HPM prototype systems build on Raytheon's decades of experience developing capabilities like the Counter-Electronic High Power Microwave Extended Range Air Base Defense, known as CHIMERA.
This is to mitigate the costs of using a 2 million USD missile to shootdown a 2K USD drone, as per the following Sputnik news item.
The news was announced Tuesday in US media as drone attacks from smaller adversaries increasingly change the dynamics of warfare internationally. Most recently, Houthi fighters in Yemen have used suicide drones to attack ships in the Red Sea as the country attempts to enforce a blockade against Israel. Drones have also seen use by both sides in Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
The swarms can be attacked with missiles, but that strategy is costly – far more costly than the drones themselves. Pentagon planners hope to find a cheaper way to neutralize the threat.
https://x.com/Liz_Friden/status/1752810 ... 32030?s=20 ---> BREAKING: The USS Carney shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile and several drones launched by the Houthi's in the Gulf of Aden today, a U.S. defense official tells Fox News. The Carney shot down the ballistic missile with the SM-6 which costs $4.3 million.
https://x.com/Doha104p3/status/1752814755054596232?s=20 ---> First confirmation of SM-6 usage. I can already see the cost argument being made. You know what's far worse than a $4 million SAM being used? An AShBM with 500-1,000kg warhead impacting the ship and causing casualties. SM-6 did its job perfectly.
https://x.com/Doha104p3/status/1760361523547914352?s=20 ---> "Boeing F-15EX can reach nearly Mach 3 in controlled flight in a “clean” configuration, meaning no external pylons, munitions or sensors, Boeing’s program manager said Feb. 21 at the Singapore Airshow." In combat config, won't be anywhere near that speed.
https://x.com/Doha104p3/status/1760361523547914352?s=20 ---> "Boeing F-15EX can reach nearly Mach 3 in controlled flight in a “clean” configuration, meaning no external pylons, munitions or sensors, Boeing’s program manager said Feb. 21 at the Singapore Airshow." In combat config, won't be anywhere near that speed.
American submarines will further extend their advantage in the undersea domain. In the first of a kind, the U.S. Navy has fitted a new form of propulsion, magnetohydrodynamic drive (MHD), to a Virginia class submarine. This promises to make the submarine virtually undetectable, the holy grail of naval warfare.
American submarines will further extend their advantage in the undersea domain. In the first of a kind, the U.S. Navy has fitted a new form of propulsion, magnetohydrodynamic drive (MHD), to a Virginia class submarine. This promises to make the submarine virtually undetectable, the holy grail of naval warfare.
the entire article is filled with shout-outs to the Hunt for Red October.
Well played, comrades
PS - wonder if there is news of any progress (or failure) of the Chinese program
https://x.com/paulmcleary/status/1775287808724226289 ---> BREAKING: The Navy released a fact sheet late Tuesday showing that every major shipbuilding program they're working on is delayed by years. YEARS. It's jaw-dropping.
the entire article is filled with shout-outs to the Hunt for Red October.
