President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-provided long-range weapons inside Russia for limited strikes, according to two U.S. officials. Longtime restrictions are being eased as North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to the Kursk region of Russia to support Russian troops fighting Ukrainian forces.
On Nov. 17, Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Ukraine in what’s being seen as the largest barrage in recent months, officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on the social platform X that Russia used nearly 140 missiles of “various types” over the last week, as well as more than 900 “guided aerial bombs” and more than 600 strike drones.
In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney continues the electronic attack conversation with Dave Harrold and Duane Beaulieu of BAE, plus THE Mitchell Institute’s Mike Dahm. Electronic Attack is an essential 21st century mission capability. Learn more about this crucial mission from the experts developing the essential technology.
The U.S. Air Force expects to have its new modernization-focused command fully staffed by early 2025 to begin informing the service’s fiscal 2027 spending plan. The service last year announced the creation of an Integrated Capabilities Command (ICC), a new major command led by a three-star general.
Killer robots have arrived on the Ukrainian battlefield. In a front-line dugout this spring, a Ukrainian drone navigator selected a target—a Russian ammunition truck—by tapping it on a tablet screen with a stylus. The pilot flicked a switch on his handset to select autopilot and then watched the drone swoop down from a few hundred yards away and hit the vehicle.
Japan, Australia, and the United States are strengthening their three-way defense cooperation—vowing, among other things, to consult with each other in military planning and regional crises, defense leaders from the countries said Nov. 17.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to the Indo-Pacific on Nov. 15, his 12th and final trip to the region America has long said is its top priority and home to its main rival: China. While there, he will visit a bevy of U.S. allies and meet with colleagues on what amounts to a farewell tour.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, was involved in an incident of alleged sexual assault in 2017 at a hotel in Monterey, Calif., according to local authorities. The alleged incident occurred in the early hours of Oct. 8, 2017, and involved a victim who suffered bruising on their thigh, police records released by the City of Monterey show. Authorities did not disclose the age or identity of the alleged victim.
The Air Force may be operating the oldest, smallest air fleet in its history, but it hasn’t stopped keeping those planes modernized and combat-effective against the latest weapons and threats.
After the close of business Nov. 15, the Pentagon released the findings of its fiscal 2024 annual audit. And for the seventh consecutive year, it has failed, though claiming incremental improvements. The annual audit is conducted by the DOD’s Office of Inspector General along with an independent public accounting firm that examined $4.1 trillion in assets and $4.3 trillion in liabilities.
By the end of the year, the Air Force plans to complete a review of the Next Generation Ejection Seat (NGES) program, whose contract is currently held by Collins. Sometime after that, the service could decide to change its acquisition strategy, potentially shifting the rights to produce ejection seats for hundreds, if not thousands, of U.S. aircraft.
The U.S. Space Force awarded space engineering and manufacturing firm Optimum Technologies (OpTech) a $4.5 million contract to develop an optical imaging payload for a mission scheduled to fly in 2026 on an Impulse Space vehicle.
The possible ascendance of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to the chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee could be a turning point in Air Force modernization efforts as the ranking member has pushed for boosting the existing topline for national defense spending by billions of dollars to ensure legacy and new platforms can rule the air domain.
The search for clues after a U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper fighter brought down a still-unidentified object over Lake Huron in February 2023 did result in the recovery of debris, it has been disclosed. However, it remains unclear whether or not the wreckage was from that shootdown.