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☆ Top US Air Force general was surprised that Russia 'gave up' trying to destroy Ukraine's Russian-designed air defenses so quickly
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's limited use of its air force in Ukraine has surprised US Air Force leaders. Those leaders are surprised in large part because Ukraine is using air defenses that Russians designed. "I would say that I was somewhat surprised" by Russia's inability to control the air and knock out Ukrainian air defenses, Hecker said. Ukrainian forces are now using US-made Patriot missiles and the US-Norwegian-designed NASAMS to defend against long-range threats as well as several Western-designed systems for short-range air defense. US intelligence assessments leaked online this spring suggested Ukraine could expend its supply of surface-to-air missiles for several systems by mid-year.

Persons: James Hecker, " Hecker, Justin Bronk, Hecker, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Hecker, Charles Brown Jr, Brown, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Ed Ram Organizations: US Air Force, Service, Russian Air Force, US Air Forces, Defense Writers, Russian Ministry of, Royal United Services Institute, Russian Sukhoi, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ukraine, Ukrainian, International Institute of Strategic Studies, The Washington, Getty, Patriot, Russian, Ukraine Defense Contact Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Europe, Russian, Russia, British, Soviet, Norwegian, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine is closer to having F-16s, but don't expect them to suddenly start 'taking down' Russia's formidable air defenses, top US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Christopher Woody | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In addition to anti-radar missiles, Ukrainian jets have employed US-made guided bombs, which Russia has countered with electronic warfare. While F-16s would allow Ukraine to better employ those weapons, Hecker said Russia's military will continue to adapt and adjust. "It allows us to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots. Although the timeline has been somewhat unclear, Denmark — one of 11 countries in the coalition — announced on Friday that it would start training pilots later this month. But training and equipping Ukrainian airmen to operate F-16s and other sophisticated jets will be a long-term project, Hecker said Friday.

Persons: Ukraine's, James Hecker, " Hecker, JOHN THYS, Hecker, It's, you'll, Beata Zawrzel, Kajsa Ollongren, Wopke Hoekstra, Antony Blinken, Pat Ryder, Yasuo Osakabe, US Air Force Hecker, they're, that's, it's Organizations: Service, US Air Force, US Air Forces, Defense Writers, Siauliai, NATO, Getty Images, SA, NATO Summit, Defense, —, Pentagon, Air Force, Yokota Air Base, Alpha Jet Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Romanian, Lithuania, AFP, Russia, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Japan, France

☆ U.S. approves shipments of F-16s to Ukraine in major gain for Kiev
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Ukrainian air forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era planes, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday that the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month. A coalition of 11 Western countries — the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom — pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s. In other developments:— Russian air defenses stopped drone attacks on central Moscow and on the country's ships in the Black Sea, officials said Friday, blaming the attempted strikes on Ukraine.

Persons: James Hecker, Yevgen, Rakita, Jake Sullivan, State Anthony Blinken, Jakob Ellemann, Jensen, —, Joe Biden's, Abrams, Joseph Schulte Organizations: Air Force, NATO, NATO Air Policing, United, Kyiv, 18th Army Aviation Brigade, Associated Press, State, Danish, Sukhoi Locations: Netherlands, United States, Denmark, Ukraine, Washington, Europe, Ukrainian, U.S, Africa, Russia, Russian, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, United, Moscow, Hong Kong, Istanbul

☆ B-2 stealth bombers are in Iceland on their first deployment since a fiery mishap grounded the whole fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers have returned to Keflavik in Iceland for the first time since 2021. It's the first deployment since B-2 bombers resumed flying after a five-month safety stand down. The deployment is the first one since the stealth bomber fleet returned to normal operations on May 22, 2023, after a five-month safety stand down following the incident in December last year. Two pilots approach a B-2 during Bomber Task Force 24-4 in Keflavik on August 15. A crew chief prepares to marshal a B-2 during Bomber Task Force 24-4 in Keflavik on August 15.

Persons: Heather Salazar, James Hecker, Andrew Kousgaard, Col Kousgaard, Diego Garcia, Northrop Grumman Organizations: US Air Force, Keflavik, Service, 509th Bomb, Whiteman Air Force Base, Whiteman, Alliance ., Bomber, Tech, RAF Fairford, Force, Naval Air Station Keflavik, US Air Forces, US Air Forces Africa, NATO Allied Command, 393rd Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Libya Air, Allied Force, ISIS, Lajes, Andersen Air Force Base, Raider, US Air Force's, Northrop Locations: Iceland, Wall, Silicon, Missouri, Keflavik, Mississippi, Europe, U.S, Korean, Libya, Serbia, Fairford, Azores, Portugal, Guam, Ocean Territory

Indicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrives at the United States Courthouse in New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda. He said he submitted Tuesday's filing independently, as a constitutional law expert. Tribe published the major treatise "American Constitutional Law" in 1978 and was lead counsel in 37 Supreme Court cases. The case is U.S. v. Bankman-Fried, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Amr, FTX, Laurence Tribe, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Tribe, Bankman, Kaplan, Joseph Bankman, Kaplan Hecker, Fink, Robert Bork's, Jonathan Stempel, Luc Cohen, Daniel Wallis Organizations: United, REUTERS, Harvard Law School, New York Times, District, Bankman, FTX, Alameda Research, Alameda, Prosecutors, Supreme, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan, Alameda, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

☆ Air forces are ditching runways to prepare their jets to keep operating when enemies aim for their bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It is meant to be a test of the British air force's ability to operate away from its main bases. Some air forces moved away from that capability after the Cold War and now have to train for it again. US Air Force/Senior Airman Jonathan Valdes MontijoThe US military has also been planning distributed air operations from unconventional airfields and runways. When done correctly, ACE "complicates the enemy's targeting process, creates political and operational dilemmas for the enemy, and creates flexibility for friendly forces," according to the Air Force's ACE doctrine. Gen. James Hecker, the head of US Air Forces in Europe, said last year that his command was sending airmen to study the Swedish approach.

Persons: Jon Hobley, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, Smyth, Janis Laizans, Sweden's JAS, Jonathan Valdes Montijo, Phil Speck, James Hecker, " Hecker, Janes, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Royal Air Force Eurofighter, FGR4, Coningsby, Getty, NATO, Britain's Royal Air Force, Air, Aviation, RAF, REUTERS, US Air Force, Marine Corps, Agile, US Air National Guard, Air Force, Aircraft, US Air Forces, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, London, Finland, Finnish, Russia, Sweden, Guam, Estonia, Wyoming, Europe, Swedish, Johns

☆ Russia's air force 'remains largely intact,' but more jets won't fix all its problems in Ukraine, NATO commanders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After 16 months of fighting, most of Russia's air force remains intact. And even though Russia has a vastly larger air force, other issues may keep it from operating effectively, according to two NATO air commanders. Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Rich Knighton at the Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference on July 13, 2023. Massicot and others say Russia's air force could still exploit its numerical advantage if Ukraine's air-defenses network falters, though other factors could inhibit Russian air operations going forward. "The Russians have recapitalized a fair amount of their tactical air force, and they've done a lot on the weapons front as well.

Persons: Rich Knighton, Knighton, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, James Hecker, " Hecker, Hecker, hasn't, We've, Dara Massicot, Johnny Stringer, Stringer Organizations: NATO, Service, Royal Air, Jets, Global Air & Space Chiefs, Conference, Air, British Defence Intelligence, Royal Air Force Air, Global Air & Space Chiefs ’ Conference, Space Power Association, YouTube, Ukrainian Air Force, Russian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Air Forces, NATO's Allied Air Command, Aircraft, Russian Ministry of Defense, Rand Corporation, British Air Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, London, Donetsk, Europe, Poland, Romania, Russian, Bakhmut, Kherson, Massicot

☆ Former F-16 pilot says he would not want to fly missions over Ukraine right now, arguing 'there is no fighting chance'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine has repeatedly asked the US for fourth-generation fighter jets like the F-16. A former F-16 pilot said these jets don't have a fighting chance given Russia's air defense systems. One former F-16 pilot told Insider he wouldn't want to attempt to fly missions over Ukraine right now, asserting that the aircraft can't outmatch Russia's air defense systems. Fourth-generation fighters "have no business in a modern-day battlefield," John Venable, a 25-year veteran of the US Air Force, told Insider in a recent interview. F-16 fighters would likely be outmatched by Russian air defense systemsThe airspace above Ukraine remains contested after 14 months of war.

☆ Analysis: Calls for South Korean nuclear arsenal unlikely to fade despite US deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Domestic politics could distort the incentives South Korean leaders face when it comes to limiting their nuclear options over the long run." Nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker warned in January there could be disastrous downsides to Seoul acquiring its own nuclear weapons. The United States once stationed hundreds of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and has made other agreements to reassure Seoul. Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain, told Reuters that South Korea's fundamental answer to the growing North Korean threat remains unchanged. "If you strike us with nuclear weapons, then we will strike back with our own."

☆ Explainer: South Korea's nuclear dilemma: Would U.S. trade Seattle for Seoul?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHY IS SOUTH KOREA WORRIED? U.S. "extended deterrence" protection for South Korea rests on a simple, if grim, assumption: if North Korea were to attack South Korea with nuclear weapons, it would face devastating U.S. retaliatory strikes. Yoon vowed in his election campaign to seek redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and possibly "nuclear sharing," meaning joint command over U.S. weapons. But his comments have driven a growing debate that one former senior U.S. defense official said threatens to normalize a once unthinkable concept of a South Korean nuclear arsenal. WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS OF A NUCLEAR SOUTH KOREA?

☆ Tim Hecker Helped Popularize Ambient Music. He’s (Sort of) Sorry.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Grayson Haver Currin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Still, he admitted, the loss was “bound up in the melancholy of youth.”This multivalence seemed to follow Hecker. He would spend his collegiate summers in the British Columbia wilderness, planting as many as 4,000 trees each day in clear-cut forests. Later, frustrated by the exigencies of starting a band, like remembering what they’d played the day before, Hecker began experimenting with drum machines and samplers. “The original impulse was this awe-struck excitement,” Hecker said, recalling his titanic computer tower, gargantuan monitor and pirated software. “There are different feelings in those different moments, and they each have their own ecosystem,” he said.

☆ Ukraine's fighter jet fleet is slowly growing, but its weapons to bring down Russian jets are dwindling, leaked US document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The jets will bolster Ukraine's fighter fleet, which is still under fire from Russia's larger air force. But air-defense ammunition is a more urgent need, one underscored in recently leaked US documents. Berlin approved Warsaw's request to send jets to Ukraine on Thursday, the same day it was received. Both air forces have shifted tactics and now operate farther from the front line, playing to the advantage of the Russian aircraft, which have an edge at longer ranges. Without the threat posed by those interceptor missiles, Russian aircraft would have greater freedom to attack Ukrainian aircraft and bomb Ukrainian targets, including in support of Russian front-line troops, the leaked document says.

☆ Trump again asks to delay the E. Jean Carroll rape case — this time to probe billionaire Reid Hoffman's support for the litigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Trump's lawyers asked to delay the E. Jean Carroll battery and defamation trial a month on Thursday. It is unclear how much of Reid's money granted through his nonprofit was used by Kaplan Hecker & Fink for the Carroll case. Seth Wenig/APOn Tuesday, Trump's lawyers asked the judge for a one-month delay to allow the "media frenzy" around his arrest to die down. Judge Kaplan has also complained about numerous attempts to delay the case in the past. But that litigation has been in limbo while appeals courts weigh in on whether Trump can even be sued in that case.

☆ Labcorp to pay $2.1 million to settle allegations it overbilled Defense Department for genetic tests for military members
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Laboratory Corporation of America will pay the U.S. $2.1 million to settle allegations that it overbilled the Department of Defense for genetic tests that involved children and fetuses, the Justice Department announced Monday. Hecker-Gross' allegations surrounded genetic tests performed under a contract LabCorp entered with the Defense Department in 2012. Hecker-Gross alleged that LabCorp overcharged and double or triple-billed DOD for genetic tests performed by GeneDx. There were $210,959 in overcharges on 38 tests, including $113,525.50 for 21 tests billed between March 2016 and January 2017 alone, the lawsuit alleged. In 1996, LabCorp agreed to pay $187 million for fraudulently billing the government for unnecessary tests on elderly patients.

☆ Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark struck a deal to run their 200+ advanced fighter jets as a single fleet, creating a new headache for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Air force commanders of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said Friday that they have signed a letter of intent to establish a unified Nordic air defense, Reuters reported. "Our combined fleet can be compared to a large European country," commander of the Danish air force, Major General Jan Dam, told Reuters. Norway, Denmark, and Finland have all committed to the F-35 jets which are the most advanced Western fighter planes. NATO Air Command chief General James Hecker was also present at the signing of the letter at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, jolted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine into ending decades of their position of "non-alignment."

☆ Nordic countries plan joint air defence to counter Russian threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COPENHAGEN, March 24 (Reuters) - Air force commanders from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said on Friday they have signed a letter of intent to create a unified Nordic air defence aimed at countering the rising threat from Russia. The move to integrate the air forces was triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, commander of the Danish air force, Major General Jan Dam, told Reuters. Finland has 62 F/A-18 Hornet jets and 64 F-35s on order, while Denmark has 58 F-16s and 27 F-35s on order. The signing at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany last week was attended by NATO Air Command chief General James Hecker, who also oversees the U.S. Air Force in the region. The Nordic air force commanders first discussed the closer cooperation at a meeting in November in Sweden.

☆ Poland says it will send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine 'in the next few days'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Poland will be the first NATO member to supply about a dozen fighter jets to Ukraine. This makes Poland the first NATO member to supply fighter jets to Ukraine. This plea for fighter jets has been a longstanding request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Poland's decision to supply military jets to Ukraine may not push other allies to do the same. A White House representative said President Joe Biden has not changed his mind on not giving Ukraine fighter jets.

☆ Fighter jets are 'worthless' over Ukraine, and it's a sign of what US pilots and troops may face in future battles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

As a result, neither side is able to provide close air support to its troops on the front line. US pilots and ground troops may face a similar situation in future wars, US Air Force leaders say. They're not doing a whole lot because they can't go over and do close air support," Hecker said. "Close air support in a contested environment, that's not what we do, no matter who you are," Brown added. William GreerSince taking over as the top Air Force officer in August 2020, Brown has stressed that future battlefields will be more complex and deadly for the Air Force.

☆ Moscow was likely trying to send a message by harassing a US drone, but officials say the Russian pilot ran into it because they're bad at flying
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Russian fighter jet harassed a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea this week. But US officials said the fighter pilot demonstrated a "lack of competence" by clipping the drone. On Tuesday, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone that was flying in international airspace above the Black Sea. A composite image showing the rear of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone before and after the US military says a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with it. The report consists of empirical research completed in 2020 that analyzes years of Russian military activity like intercepts and other engagements.

☆ The White House is 'not sure' the US can recover the drone a Russian warplane ran into over the Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian fighter jet hit a US military drone on Tuesday, forcing it to crash into the Black Sea. It's unclear if the US will be able to recover the aircraft, a White House official said Wednesday. I mean, where it fell into the Black Sea, very, very deep water. During the Tuesday incident, two Russian Su-27 jets conducted what US European Command described was an "unsafe and unprofessional intercept" of the Reaper drone as it flew in international airspace over the Black Sea. It was also the latest in a string of provocative and aggressive Russian actions against NATO militaries around the Black Sea, where intercepts, including unsafe intercepts, are fairly common.

☆ Factbox: What happened to the U.S. drone downed near Ukraine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, March 15 (Reuters) - Russia and the United States have offered different accounts of the downing of a U.S. intelligence drone in the Black Sea. The United States said the drone was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by the Russian aircraft. WHAT RUSSIA SAID:Russia said the MQ-9 drone was flying near Crimea - which Russia annexed in 2014 - and heading towards territories which Russia considers its own. "The unacceptable actions of the United States military in the close proximity to our borders are cause for concern," Antonov said. "If, for example, a Russian strike drone appeared near New York or San Francisco, how would the US Air Force and Navy react?"

☆ Kremlin: relations with US in dire state amid drone incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 15 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that relations with the United States were in a "lamentable state" and at their lowest level, after Washington accused Russia of downing one of its reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters there had been no high-level contact with Washington over the incident, and that he had nothing to add to a statement issued by Russia's Defence Ministry. He said bilateral relations were "at their lowest point, in a very lamentable state" but that "at the same time, Russia has never refused constructive dialogue, and is not refusing now". Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said that the drone "deliberately and provocatively was moving towards Russian territory with transponders turned off". "The unacceptable activity of the U.S. military in close proximity to our borders is a cause for concern," Antonov said.

☆ A Russian fighter jet clipped a US drone over the Black Sea, causing a crash and the 'complete loss' of the American aircraft, US military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian fighter jet clipped a US military drone operating over the Black Sea on Tuesday. It's the latest aggressive maneuver by Russian forces against NATO members in eastern Europe. When the Russian plane clipped the drone, the US military was forced to bring the aircraft down in international waters. EUCOM criticized the incident as "reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional" and said it demonstrates a "lack of competence" from Russian forces. Over the years, Russian aircraft have also repeatedly buzzed NATO warships in the Black Sea, and Russian jets have on a number of occasions conducted "unsafe" maneuvers around American planes.

[1/8] A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits in a hanger at Amari Air Base, Estonia, July 1, 2020. On the diplomatic and economic fronts, talks continued to extend a deal to allow grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports that is due to expire this week, the United Nations and Turkey said. DRONE CRASHTwo Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the U.S. military described as a reckless intercept of the American spy drone while flying in international air space. The accounts of the incident in the Black Sea, which is bordered by Russia and Ukraine among other countries, could not be independently verified. RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR SUMMONEDRussia's Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov was summoned by the U.S. State Department to discuss what happened over the Black Sea, said spokesperson Ned Price.

☆ Russian jet downs U.S. Reaper drone over Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

General Atomics' Guardian drone, which is the maritime version of the company's Predator B or MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle. WASHINGTON — A Russian fighter jet downed a U.S. drone operating over the Black Sea on Tuesday, U.S. European Command said in a statement. "Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," said U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa. Prior to the collision, two Russian aircraft harassed the drone, he said. "Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner," the statement added.

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