Editorial: Risk & Reward

A nation that budgets more than $840 billion for national defense has reason to believe it is well-insured. But circumstances change. What was good enough before may not be good enough for long. 

Radar Sweep

Trump Admin Will Bring ‘Uncertainty,’ Opportunities for Defense Industry: Analysts

Breaking Defense

A second Donald Trump administration will likely bring unpredictability in defense spending, but the final makeup of Congress will help drive the ultimate final number for the defense budget, analysts tell Breaking Defense. Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris is coming hand in hand with a takeover of the Senate. The House remains undecided, but even if Democrats take over the lower chamber, it seems likely to be with a razor thin edge.

Skunk Works’ Latest Stealthy Tanker Concept Revealed

The War Zone

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works advanced projects division has put forward a new notional vision for a stealthy pilot-optional aerial refueling tanker. This comes as the U.S. Air Force is refining requirements for a future Next Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) ‘system of systems’ and amid serious concerns about how the service expects to pay for that and other modernization priorities.

Electronic Warfare: The Invisible Battlespace

Air & Space Forces Magazine

While it cannot be seen by the human eye, electronic warfare and its importance to the modern fight is clear. Learn more about how the Department of the Air Force is upgrading its EW capabilities, from in space to in flight, on orbit and onboard fighters.

Trump’s Pentagon Overhaul: 8 Policy Changes He’s Expected to Make

POLITICO

Joe Biden’s first days in the Oval Office were spent undoing a number of Donald Trump’s most divisive changes at the Pentagon. Now, President-elect Trump is ready to do the same. The full extent of Trump’s plans for the Pentagon are not entirely clear after the former president defeated Vice President Kamala Harris. But he’s likely to begin the process of reversing some of the policies Republicans have been gunning for—and reinstating some of his own from four years ago.

One More Thing

5 US Fighter Jets & Their Cannons

Simple Flying

Do cannons really matter anymore in fifth-generation fighter jets? For Top Gun: Maverick fans out there (where stealth aircraft conveniently come up to exchange hand signals), sure. Or for those who would like to point out the Eurofighter Typhoon ‘shooting down’ the F-22 Raptor during training exercises. However, for fifth-generation fighters, they are reduced in importance. ... Regardless, all U.S. fighter jets are fitted with guns; here are five.