Navy wants to add decoys to its F-35s in preparation for a near-peer conflict
To prepare for a possible conflict against China in the Indo-Pacific, the Navy wants to make its carrier-based F-35s more survivable.
Russia and China are gaining ground on the US in Latin America, US commander says
Russia and China are competing for influence with the US in Latin America, according to the top US commander in the region, forming closer ties there.
China is building the world’s first aircraft carrier for drones
The Chinese drone carrier seems to have evaded the eyes and ears of the global military community until now.
China was spotted using mock-ups of American stealth fighters to train its pilots
Leaked satellite images show the Chinese military using mock-ups of the most advanced U.S. fighter jets for target practice. The satellite imagery shows a number of F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet mock-ups, among other replica aircraft, parked in a desert in northwest China with bombing craters all around them. This isn’t […]
Air Force adds dozens of hot-pit refueling sites as it preps for future war
The Air Force is counting on hot-pit refueling to help it fight effectively in austere and far-distributed regions like the Pacific.
Why the Chinese military uses ridiculously blue uniforms
The Chinese military doesn’t only use blue in the uniforms of some of its branches but also for their vehicles and arms.
The man who stole America’s stealth fighter secrets for China
It’s not uncommon to hear people say that China’s most advanced stealth fighters, the in-service Chengdu J-20 and forthcoming Shenyang FC-31, incorporate stolen design elements from existing American and Russian fighter programs. Russian allegations of copycat technology are born largely out of overall similarities between the J-20 and Russia’s long-defunct MiG 1.44 program. However, although […]
Beating China could mean bringing the C-130 back to aircraft carriers
The C-130 could play a pivotal role in deterring war with China if the U.S. dusts off a 1960s program to fly the plane off aircraft carriers.
The race to field the most advanced stealth fighter engines in the world
The race to field the next generation of advanced turbofan engines to equip the most capable stealth fighters in the world is underway.
Chinese military journal asserts Russia lied about ‘hypersonic’ Kinzhal
Not even China believes Russia’s much-hyped hypersonic Kinzhal missile is a real hypersonic weapon, according to a new analysis.
Pakistan wants to fly Chinese stealth fighters alongside its F-16s
China’s second home-grown stealth fighter, the FC-31, may soon be joining Pakistan’s Air Force alongside American F-16s.
Offsetting China’s stealth fighter advantage: An in-depth analysis
America’s F-22 Raptor is still widely considered the most capable and dominant air superiority fighter in the world, but as China’s J-20 production continues to ramp up, the F-22’s dominance now faces a significant threat. This threat isn’t necessarily in stealth or even aerobatic performance, but potentially in an even more important combat capability metric: volume. […]
US SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNITS TO TAKE ON CHINESE DISINFORMATION
The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has created a new joint task force to fight against Chinese information operations in the Pacific. Army General Rickard D. Clarke, the commander of SOCOM, revealed the new task force during a testimony to the Armed Services Committee. In an increasingly inter-connected world where news (fake and real) shapes […]
WHY OUR APPROACH TO ‘STEALTH’ HAS TO CHANGE
The United States has maintained the technical edge in stealth technology for nearly thirty years, but if America hopes to keep it, we’ll need to develop new ways to leverage our stealth aircraft. The introduction of the F-117 Nighthawk in 1983 represented a pivotal shift in military aviation, proving once and for all that aircraft […]
TAIWAN STRAIT CRISES: HOW HISTORY IS REPEATING ITSELF IN THE PACIFIC
On January 29th, 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Formosa Resolution, a joint measure with the U.S. Senate authorizing the use of the United States military “as he deems necessary for the specific purpose of securing and protecting Formosa (Taiwan) and the Pescadores against armed attack.†Tensions in Taiwan probably sound very familiar, as the […]
J-20 Fighter Bomber: China’s plan to field the world’s first 2-seat stealth fighter
China has announced plans to begin production of a new two-seat variant of the Chengdu J-20 fifth-generation fighter that would, according to Chinese officials, dramatically increase the platform’s offensive capabilities. This announcement comes on the heels of China’s other significant J-20 announcement this week, relating to China’s decision to stop sourcing Russian engines for their […]
ARCTIC AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS: PREPARING FOR THE NEXT BATTLE
As the US military is focusing on the Russian and Chinese threat, the Arctic becomes an ever more important region. The bountiful natural resources reportedly existing under the endless ice of the Arctic make the contested region highly desirable for all contestants — and there’s a lot of them. In addition to the US, the European Union, China, […]
WHY IS AMERICA BUYING THE F-15EX INSTEAD OF MORE F-35S?
The U.S. Air Force is now poised to begin purchases of Boeing’s new and improved F-15EX, a fourth generation platform that has drawn its fair share of controversy in recent months. This purchase will mark the first time the Air Force has purchased an F-15 in more than 20 years, prompting some critics to question […]
HERE’S WHY THE PENTAGON SAYS YOU SHOULD DELETE TIKTOK
The Pentagon recently released guidance to all service members advising that they delete the popular social media application “TikTok” from their smart phones, and a number of military branches have heeded the call by mandating its deletion on all issued digital devices. Some commands are even going further, encouraging troops to delete the application from […]
CHINA’S J-20 STEALTH FIGHTER IS GAINING ON AMERICA’S TOP JETS
According to reports released through Chinese media, a modified version of their Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, dubbed the J-20B, has just entered mass production. This new variant of their first fifth-generation fighter will continue to run dated Russian-built engines, but will utilize thrust vectoring control nozzles to grant the aircraft a significant boost in maneuverability. […]
CHINA’S NEXT CARRIER FIGHTER WILL LIKELY BE BASED ON STOLEN F-35 PLANS
China’s growing fleet of aircraft carriers may promise to grant the nation more power projection capabilities than ever before, but first they’ll need a competent carrier-based fighter. That’s where a Chinese national named Su Bin comes in – he is currently serving a prison sentence for stealing tens of thousands of files on America’s premier […]
LIGHTNING CARRIERS: HOW THE MARINES ARE TEACHING AN OLD SHIP NEW TRICKS
The Marine Corps’s Lighting Carrier concept could change the way we fight wars, and they don’t even need any new ships to do it. The Problem In recent months, there’s been a lot of discussion about America’s fleet of massive super-carriers, and the threat posed to them by rapidly developing hypersonic anti-ship platforms like China’s […]
HOW AMERICAN MOVIES CHANGE FOR CHINA (AND HOW THE MILITARY MAY CHANGE THAT)
On Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) announced new legislation he’s drafting that would bar the Pentagon from supporting movies that see changes or edits mandated by the Chinese government. When the story broke, many on social media responded with confusion, wondering what the Senator was talking about and how China could possibly be manipulating […]
WHY CAN’T THE US TELL FOR SURE IF NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG UN IS ILL?
A few days ago, headlines around the world suggested that North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, was in critical condition following surgery. Almost immediately, questions arose about succession. After years of fiery bluster and threats of nuclear war out of the North Korean government, many wondered if relations between our two states might warm with someone new at […]