Western aerospace companies have increased stocks of titanium and are scrambling to shore up supply chains in case the metal used widely in planemaking is thrust into a potential trade war between Russia and the West.
Shield AI, the defense-focused autonomous drone startup, won a possibly $60 million contract from the Air Force designed to keep cash flowing to companies while they await opportunities to get on major contracts. The contract, awarded through the Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) Program, might be small compared to full production awards but can be issued much faster than the two-year budgeting cycle allows for programs of record.
The United States is demanding that Russia explain its military buildup near Ukraine at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Jan. 31, senior administration officials told reporters. The meeting, which was called by the United States, will follow weeks of attempts at diplomacy aimed at easing tensions. Previous efforts have involved NATO as well as bilateral and multilateral meetings by the United States, Europe, Ukraine and Russia.
The 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron completed the final integrated test on the third iteration of the AIM-120D Systems Improvement Program Nov. 2, 2021. Equipped with additional capabilities from the Advanced Electronic Protection Improvement Program for C7 air-to-air missiles, AIM-120D SIP-3 provides the warfighter with enhanced missile performance.
“U.S. national security interests are inextricably linked with actions that occur in space. Our air, land, and sea forces rely on critical capabilities delivered by systems on orbit. Our adversaries know this, and it is why they are fielding weapons capable of destroying U.S. satellites that deliver intelligence, navigation, missile warning, and global communications to our forces,” writes retired USAF Gen. Kevin Chilton, the explorer chair for space warfighting studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and former commander of U.S. Strategic Command and Air Force Space Command.
The Pentagon’s independent weapons tester has eliminated data about the performance of more than 20 weapon programs from the public version of its 2021 report, including major acquisition efforts like the Marine Corps’ CH-53K King Stallion and the Navy’s Ford-class carrier. On Jan. 27, the director of operational test and evaluation published the public version of its annual report, and for the first time ever, a version with “controlled unclassified information” was also made available to Defense Department personnel and Congress—out of sight of taxpayers who foot the bill for the multimillion dollar programs.
In episode 61 of the Aerospace Advantage Podcast, host John “Slick” Baum is joined by retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Heather Penney, Douglas Birkey, and Lukas Autenried of the Mitchell Institute team to discuss some of the latest developments that are impacting U.S. national security, from Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine, to a Department of Defense highly compromised thanks to Congressional budget inaction, and the nation’s newest service—the Space Force—continuing to come into its own.
The Space Force has closed down the last remaining piece of the Joint Mission System (JMS), a troubled software platform conceived more than a decade ago to help track satellites and orbital debris. The Space Systems Command in a news release Jan. 26 said it began the decommissioning of JMS Service Pack 9, the final component of JMS. The U.S. Air Force in 2018 decided to terminate JMS following years of cost overruns and criticism for the system’s poor performance.
A Space Force captain traveling with their spouse stood stunned at the Spirit Airlines ticket counter this past October hoping to take advantage of the company's waived baggage fees for Active-duty service members. But there was a problem: The Spirit employee didn't believe the Space Force exists.
A video showing the moments leading up to the crash of an F-35C Joint Strike Fighter that occured aboard the USS Carl Vinson on Monday is now circulating online. The Navy also confirmed that a photo showing a canopyless F-35 bobbing in the water which had begun circulating shortly before the video was also related to the crash.
Built in 1961 at the height of the Cold War, the B-52H Stratofortress nicknamed “Damage Inc. II” served venerably in multiple commands until retired to an Arizona boneyard in 2008. Now, following one more journey, this time across 1,407 miles of blacktop, the aircraft is back in service for one last mission.