The Chinese J-31—a two-engined copy of the US F-35—does not represent “a game-changer” in the Pacific theater, Pacific Air Forces chief Gen. Lori Robinson said Wednesday. Robinson declined to provide an intelligence analysis of the J-31’s capabilities, but did say that the US technological edge is “smaller” than it used to be, particularly with regard to China’s new air systems. Even so, Robinson believes the continuous and realistic training of US air forces “gives us a great capability” and one that China can’t easily match. “We still have the edge,” she said.
The Space Force wants to launch hundreds of satellites in the coming years—and use contractor spacecraft to sweep them out of orbit later. The service’s Space Development Agency and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit announced a trio of preliminary contracts for their Deorbit-as-a-Service project on Aug. 14, to Firefly Aerospace,…