Current Events in the Americas

The Age of the Strike Carrier is Over (CIMSEC) Some problems with this article, not the least of which is a misunderstanding of the actual history which reflects negatively on the overall argument being put forward. This comment, for example, talking about Desert Storm: The PGM capability of the A-6E TRAM Intruder was in place long before Desert Storm. And Navy A-6E jets dropped a significant proportion of the munitions delivered. (The proportion of PGMs was small overall, something like 5% of total munitions, but that was true across all services/platform and the bad weather/smoke/haze of the battlefield made it difficult for all EO/IR guided muni…

The Air Force Can Never Deliver Enough Close Air Support for the Army (War on the Rocks)

From Air Force Times ‘The Airman’s Creed’ issued By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Apr 19, 2007 9:10:30 EDT Through 60 years of flying and fighting, there has been something missing from Air Force tradition — an official creed for airmen. This week that changed. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley are issuing “The Airman’s Creed” as part of wider range of initiatives to encourage a “warrior ethos” in airmen. “When you look at our new Air Force creed and you say; ‘I am an American airman. I am a warrior. I have answered my nation’s call’ — imagine at basic military tra…

The Antiship Mine Gets New Wings (The Diplomat)

A pretty good article on a subject that probably not a lot of people are aware of. The Bermuda Triangle of Space: The High-Energy South Atlantic Anomaly Threatens Satellites (DefenseNews)

Nice article on the B-1B Lancer ... The Bone is back ... and from the article, a link to a pretty cool video:

The Case for Strategic Discipline During the Next Presidency (War on the Rocks) The lack of banter here - let alone debate - following the US election has been somewhat surprising to me. How about it? In the context of Harpoon relevant scenarios, do you think the world is a scarier place? Less scary?

From Flight International EXPORT READY? Once an endangered species, the US Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor stealth fighter is soaring on the success of its first operational deployments. A three-year contract for 60 aircraft is about to be signed, and the USAF is gearing up to seek funds to continue buying 20 Raptors a year for the foreseeable future. Now the USA must decide if it is ready to release the Raptor - winner of this year's Collier Trophy - for export. "The F-22 is healthier than at any other time. The plane is performing well and the programme is stable," says US defence analyst Loren Thompson. "There is some disagreement within th…

From Air and Space Power Journal, November-December 2012 issue (pdf)

From Flight Global [excerpt] CV32: We have an election looming here in Canada in less than a week, and the planned purchase of 65x F-35A is one of the more controversial issues dogging the campaign. And while I am Conservative to my very bone marrow, I will say that the Conservatives are wrong on this issue in that: (1) the requirement was written for the F-35, rather than a requirement being written and then candidates sought to meet it; (2) that the only 'competition' was undertaken in the USA, between LM and Boeing over who would build JSF, and had nothing to do with what platform would replace the CF-18; (3) the F-35 is not the only aircraft that mi…

From USNI Proceedings, Oct 2011 [excerpt]

Norfolk Virginian-Pilot February 9, 2006 The Fight Over The New F-22 Raptor By Louis Hansen, The Virginian-Pilot HAMPTON — On a recent clear Sunday afternoon, Capt. John Echols took his fighter jet into the sky for another homeland security mission. The Air Force’s role in Operation Noble Eagle had grown routine since Sept. 11: Patrol the skies over East Coast cities and watch for planes drifting into restricted airspace. If a private pilot starts heading toward a potential target, the fighter pilots quickly introduce themselves and escort the intruder back on course. But Echols’ patrol this day was anything but routine. He and a wing mate flew o…

"The Navy must redesign a capable follow-on ballistic-missile submarine that it can afford." Makes a lot of sense but the choice to drop torpedoes would be a hard one to swallow...

From On Space [excerpt] CV32: I still remember the first Shuttle launch. Sitting in the library of my school with the rest of my Grade 4 class as we all watched on a tiny (by today's standards) color TV.

Concept and practical testing before build the ships: https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2023/02/marines-begin-testing-leased-vessel-pier-less-operations/383234/

The New Strategic Realities of U.S. Carrier Operations (USNI News)

The Next Act for Aegis (USNI News)

From Flight Global DATE: 02/02/09 SOURCE: Flight International US Navy starts next-gen jammer bidding war By Stephen Trimble The US Navy has selected four companies to participate in a four-year, $430 million competition to design the next generation jammer (NGJ) pod for the Boeing EA-18G Growler and Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). BAE Systems, ITT Corp, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp and Raytheon have each received a $6 million deal to begin developing their concepts for replacing the 38-year-old ALQ-99 pod. The USN favours a solution based on an active electronic array, but is not constraining any approach the bidders might take to …

From Aviation Week's ARES Blog DARPA/ONR Launch Long-range Anti-ship Missile Demonstrator Posted by Graham Warwick at 6/17/2008 9:05 AM CDT After years of neglect, the US is looking to get back into the anti-ship missile business. DARPA and the Office of Naval Research have kicked off a joint effort "to rapidly demonstrate a ship-launched standoff anti-ship strike weapon". The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile Demonstration program aims to flight test a prototype within three years of contract award. The problem is the US doesn't have a long-range anti-ship missile - and the countries it considers potential enemies do. Boeing's Harpoon is subsonic and can fly abou…

From Aviation Week Next decade's AF bomber to be subsonic, manned Michael Fabey/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report The U.S. Air Force's long-range strike aircraft set to be deployed by 2018 will be subsonic and manned, said Brig. Gen. Mark Matthews, director of plans and programs, headquarters, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. But it would be wrong to characterize the aircraft as being entirely devoid of current technology, Matthews said May 1 during a panel discussion "Return of the Bomber: The Future of Long Range Strike," presented by the Eaker Institute, the research arm of the Air Force Association (AFA). "There is new technology ass…