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☆ Elon Musk is looking for trillions in government waste, and defense is a massive potential target
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Elon Musk to help spearhead cuts to government spending, and the defense sector could be a prime target. But Musk's past comments hint at one area he could target: defense contracts. Musk built SpaceX's business model around fixed-price contracts. Musk's new initiative could recommend exactly this: a move away from cost-plus contracts toward fixed-price contracts. An aerial view of the Pentagon AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, FileMusk's new initiative may target other areas of Pentagon spending, as well.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon, Elon Musk, It's, Trump, Musk, Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Clayton Swope, Walter Isaacson's, Swope, John Raoux Overspending, Gerald R, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, Ford, Steve Helber, Bryan McGrath, Todd Harrison, —, Harrison, Michael Bohnert, they've, Archer Macy, Patrick Semansky, John Harvey Jr, Mississippi Sen, Roger Wicker Organizations: Defense, Pentagon, Department of Government, SpaceX, NASA, AP, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Services, International Space, Kennedy Space Center, Littoral, Ford, DoD, Republican, Palantir Technologies, Newport News Shipbuilding, American Enterprise Institute, Shipbuilding, BAE Systems, RAND Corporation, CSIS, US Air Force, Navy, Senate Armed Services Committee Locations: Pennsylvania, Columbia, China, Wisconsin, Virginia, Mississippi

☆ New French Mirage fighter jets could help Ukraine skirt one of the biggest roadblocks for the F-16 program
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

France also said it was training Ukrainian pilots. That's a big benefit, experts said, as the F-16 training program keeps being delayed. AdvertisementFrance's plan for getting Ukraine new Western fighter jets could help it skirt a big issue facing the F-16 program. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands against the background of Ukraine's Air Force's F-16 fighter jets in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force's F-16 fighter jets fly in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

Persons: —, Sébastien Lecornu, Gordon, Skip, Davis, Lockheed Martin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it's, Michael Bohnert, George Barros, Barros, Lecornu, Tim Robinson, Bohnert, Denmark — that's, Abrams, Robinson Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Ukraine Mirage, US Army, Lockheed, Politico, Street, AP, Pravda, RAND Corporation, Mirage, Institute for, Dassault Aviation, La Tribune, Ukrine's, Ukrainian, UK's Royal Aeronautical Society Locations: Ukraine, France, Ukrainian, Western, Russia, Nancy, US, Denmark, Romania, Soviet, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands

☆ Russia's struggle to kick the Ukrainians out is likely only going to get tougher
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementRussia's retaking territory in Kursk, but efforts to drive the Ukrainian forces out of the country will likely only get more difficult. Ukrainian troops invaded the Kursk region in southwestern Russia in August, and at one point, they held roughly 500 square miles of Russian territory. Russia's response to the shock assault was slow, but a larger effort to drive the Ukrainians out is now underway. Michael Bohnert, a warfare expert at RAND Corporation, told BI Ukraine doesn't have to defend Russian cities. Russia's military is larger than Ukraine's, which means that the more resources Russia uses, the harder it will be to defend.

Persons: —, William Alberque, Matthew Savill, YAN DOBRONOSOV, Michael Bohnert, it's, Alberque, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine would've, Savill, Russia's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Kursk ., Service, Stimson Center, Royal United Services Institute, UK Ministry of Defence, Getty, Russia Ukrainian, RAND Corporation, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Korean, Russian Defense Ministry Press, AP Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Russian, Ukrainian, Sudzha, AFP, Russia's Kursk, Ukraine Ukraine, Russia's

☆ Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian soil have an advantage they've never had in this war
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian troops in Russia have an advantage that they haven't had before in this war. Being on foreign soil means less pressure to defend and more strategic options, war experts say. AdvertisementUkrainian troops fighting on Russian soil have a kind of flexibility in combat that they haven't had before in this war. Ukrainian forces surged into the southwestern Russian region of Kursk in August, and at the peak of the incursion, they held about 500 square miles. AdvertisementAlberque said that in Kursk, Ukraine could ask itself: "Where can we actually defend?

Persons: it's, —, Ukraine's, Michael Bohnert, KIRILL CHUBOTIN, Libkos, Bohnert, William Alberque, Matthew Savill, Alberque, Ed Ram, they're, haven't, Alexander Ermochenko Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Publishing, Getty, Stimson, Royal United Services Institute, UK Ministry of Defence, Washington, REUTERS Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Kursk, Sudzha, Bakhmut, Crimea, Donbas, Avdiivka, Alexander Ermochenko Ukraine

☆ Ukraine needs F-16s now, but this rugged jet made for the Russia threat could be the better choice for its future fighter fleet
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine needs its F-16s, but it should get Gripen jets to help fight Russia long-term, experts said. A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on August 4. A Ukrainian air force F-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on August 4. Three Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets escort a B-52H Stratofortress in flight. AdvertisementUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in front of the first F-16 fighter jets received by Ukraine.

Persons: —, Michael Bohnert, They're, Bohnert, Gordon, Skip, Davis, You'll, Swedish Saab JAS, Corban Lundborg, Mats Helgesson, Sukhois, Oleg V, AirTeamImages Gordon, they're, Saab JAS, PATRICK TRAGARDH, Lloyd Austin, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Vitalii, Tim Robinson Organizations: Gripen, Service, RAND Corporation, Saab AB, Ukrainian Air Force, AP, US Army, Defense Investment Division, Russia, Royal United Services Institute, NATO, Swedish Saab, Tech, US Air Force, Sweden's Saab Gripen, Swedish Gripen, Saab, Getty, Defense, UK's Royal Aeronautical Society Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Swedish, Sweden, Europe, Germany, Ukrainian, Russia Sweden, AFP

☆ Getting more F-16s is only half the battle. Ukraine also desperately needs to be training more pilots.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine needs more trained pilots to effectively build a reliable F-16 fighter fleet. AdvertisementUkraine desperately needs more trained pilots to effectively build a formidable F-16 fighter fleet, air warfare experts told Business Insider. AdvertisementTraining bottleneckF-16 training for Ukraine's pilots is being done by a coalition of countries, including the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, the US, and Romania. "The number of F-16s we have in Ukraine, the number of pilots who have already been trained, is not enough," he said. AP Photo/Efrem LukatskyBohnert said the number of F-16s Ukraine is getting from its partners is "definitely not enough."

Persons: —, Michael Bohnert, Gordon, Skip, Davis, Bohnert, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Efrem, Troels Lund Poulsen, George Barros, Ukraine's, Lockheed Martin, That's, Efrem Lukatsky, Lukatsky Bohnert, Zelenskyy, Russia's, it's Organizations: Training, Service, Ukraine, RAND Corporation, US Army, Defense Investment Division, REUTERS, Politico, AP, Danish Defense, General Dynamics, Lockheed, Associated Press, Ukrainian, Air, Patriot Air and Missile Defense, US Air Force Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Romania, Norway, Belgium, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Putin's weak response to Ukraine's advance on Russian soil appears to be rooted in a persistent fatal flaw
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's weak response in Kursk shows Putin's leadership still has a major flawRussia's response was slow, allowing Ukraine to take territory, and it hasn't put a general in charge. Putin doesn't want a situation where "any general could claim credit for being the victor," an expert told BI. AdvertisementRussia's weak response to Ukraine's assault into Russian territory is partly due to a persistent flaw in Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership, a warfare expert told Business Insider. Weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia put Gen. Aleksandr V. Dvornikov in charge of operations in Ukraine. Destroyed Russian military vehicles on the outskirts of Sudzha, in the Kursk region, in August.

Persons: hasn't, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Michael Bohnert, Vladimir Putin, Bohnert, GRIGOROV, Weeks, Aleksandr V, KIRILL CHUBOTIN, Simon Sebag Montefiore, George Barros, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Getty, New York Times, UK Ministry of Defense, Russian, Moscow Times, Publishing, Institute for, Newsweek Locations: Kursk, Ukraine, Russia's Kursk, Russia, Moscow, Kremlin, Russian, Sudzha

☆ Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots have had to dramatically change the way they fly after long flying Soviet jets, and it's a lot to overcome
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ukraine's F-16 pilots have had to get up to speed on a different fighter jet quickly. And more broadly, Ukraine's air force is having to rapidly undergo a wider transition that its international partners took significantly longer to do. Those older jets have hydraulic systems, while F-16 jets are fly-by-wire, which means computers process the input by pilots. A Ukrainian air force F-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. A farewell ceremony for Ukrainian F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mes in Shepetivka on August 29.

Persons: Ukraine's, —, Michael Bohnert, Bohnert, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vitalii, Tom Richter, James Hecker, Mitchell, David Deptula, Christopher Bowie, Oleksiy Mes, Oleksiy, they're, Valentyn, Keir Giles, Michael Clarke, Gordon, Skip, Davis Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Associated Press, Getty, Nokia, US Marine, National Guard, Politico, US Air Forces, NATO Allied Air Command, AP, Air Force, Pentagon, Ukrainian Air Force, Libkos, REUTERS, Chatham House's, West, Ukraine, US Army, Defense Investment Division Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Europe, Ukrainian, Shepetivka, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Chatham House's Russia, Eurasia, British

☆ The old F-16s the West is giving Ukraine can't outmatch Russia's best jets, former US general says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementThe old F-16 models that Ukraine's allies are giving it are no match for Russia's best jets, a former US general told Business Insider. The F-16s, which Ukraine has started receiving from its allies, are the most advanced aircraft Ukraine now has in its arsenal and are armed with more powerful bombs and missiles. AdvertisementDavis said Ukraine's F-16s "are making a difference now" and said when more arrive, that "will help them make more of a difference." All of them pose a threat to Ukraine's F-16s, Davis said, along with Russia's formidable batteries of surface-to-air missiles. Related storiesThe Wall Street Journal reported in August that many of Ukraine's F-16s "are secondhand and have decades of flying time already."

Persons: —, Gordon, Skip, Davis, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Vitalii, Michael Bohnert, Josh Rosales Ukaine's, David, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they'd, we're Organizations: NATO, Service, Business, US Army, Defense Investment Division, Getty, SU, Air Missiles, Street, RAND Corporation, Air Force, US Air Force, Tech, Aircraft, Russian Defense Ministry, Anadolu Agency, Air, Ukrainian Air Forces, REUTERS Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, of Mexico, Brest, Belarus, Valentyn, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands

☆ The West's restrictions on Ukraine's weapons are making its F-16s less effective, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewWestern restrictions on how Ukraine can hit targets in Russia make its F-16 fighter jets less effective, military experts told Business Insider. This, in turn, leaves Russia's weaponry more free to hit Ukrainian jets, making them more vulnerable and less able to fly close to the front lines. A still from footage by Ukraine's air force that shows a Storm Shadow missile being launched. A limited number of F-16sThe effectiveness of Ukraine's F-16s faces other challenges, too. Ukraine and its allies, as well as warfare experts, also describe Ukraine's F-16 program as being in its infancy.

Persons: —, George Barros, Barros, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Michael Bohnert, Gordon B, Skip, Davis, Jr, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Vitalii, it's, Czarek, Michael Clarke, Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Giles, Oleksiy, Zelenskyy, Ukraine's Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, RAND Corporation, Shadow, YouTube, Ukrainian Air Force, AP, Chatham House's, Air, Libkos, Ukraine US Locations: Ukraine, Russia, AFP, Kursk, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Chatham House's Russia, Eurasia, Russian, Ukrainian, Shepetivka, Britain

☆ Ukrainian forces in Kursk are readying for a long fight and may plan to 'bleed' the Russians just like in Ukraine, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That figure is more than the amount of territory Russia has seized in Ukraine so far this year. AdvertisementThat's a rate of more than 1,100 casualties a day, and there are indications Russian forces are continuing to take heavy losses. A pair of Ukrainian soldiers walk in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region. But he said there's also a danger that Ukraine's forces could get overextended and "get too widely spaced that the Russians can take advantage of it." Furthermore, this unexpected invasion of Russian territory has allowed Ukraine to regain the initiative after months in a grueling defensive position.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Fabien Nachi, Matthew Savill, David Cohen, Michael Bohnert, Savill, Ed Ram, Mark Cancian, there's, Cancian, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Business, NBC, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, UK Ministry of Defence, Russia, Ukraine, CIA, RAND Corporation, Washington, Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russia's Kursk, Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Sudzha, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine can still beat Russia. It just comes down to enough Western aid.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

With 14 to 21 well-equipped brigades, Ukraine could eject Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory, according to an American expert. One is Ukraine amassing a sufficiently powerful ground combat force that can defeat the estimated 500,000 Russian troops in Ukraine. With Russian forces solidly dug in behind minefields and fortifications across eastern and southern Ukraine, that Baltic scenario bears similarities to the situation that Ukraine faces today. Given sufficient quantities of munitions, Ukraine could inflict enough losses to decisively attrit Russian forces that have already sustained an estimated 500,000 casualties. He started with a 2023 Estonian Ministry of Defense plan that laid out a roadmap for Ukraine to defeat Russia.

Persons: one's, Michael Bohnert, Bohnert, isn't, Chasiv, — Bohnert, they've, Andrei Belousov, Putin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, RAND Corp, RAND, US Army, NATO, Russian, Anadolu, Getty, Estonian Ministry of Defense, Atlantic, Storm, Bohnert, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, American, Russia, Russian, Baltic States, United States, U.S, Chasiv Yar, Estonian, Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe, America, China, Israel, Forbes

☆ As Israeli jets devastate Gaza, air force photos show fighter aircraft armed with what look like unguided 'dumb' bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But the Israeli Air Force recently published photos of fighter jets armed with what experts said look like unguided bombs. Israeli Air Force personnel "arming and continuing the series of attacks," per an X post on October 12, 2023. Israeli Air ForceIsraeli Air Force aircraft outfitted with bombs. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn Israeli Air Force video posted on Monday also showed fighter jets armed with unguided bombs ahead of footage of airstrikes. The unguided munitions in the photos look noticeably different from those equipped with JDAM kits, which turn unguided munitions into precision weapons.

Persons: —, it's, Israel, Michael Bohnert, Justin Bronk, Bronk, jet's, Momen Faiz, NurPhoto, JDAMs, they're, MAHMUD HAMS, Yoav Gallant Organizations: Israeli Air Force, Service, Attack Munitions, Twitter, Israeli Air Force Israeli Air Force, Rand Corporation, Royal United Services Institute, Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy, US Army Air Force, Israel Defense Forces, Air Force, Boeing, Guardian, ISIS, Hamas, Getty, Israeli Air, Israeli, IDF Locations: Israel, Gaza, Vietnam, Gaza City, AFP

☆ Russia's air force has lost 90 planes in Ukraine and is becoming less formidable by overworking its jets, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's air force has lost 90 planes in Ukraine since February 2022, British intelligence said. Despite this, Russia still has the ability to fly missions over occupied Ukraine, the update said. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia's air force has lost 90 planes since the start of the war in Ukraine and is becoming less formidable by overworking its jets, UK intelligence said. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 28 September 2023. Its air force has managed to maintain its overall front-line strength by restoring old, grounded airframes and acquiring from NATO countries 18 Su-25s and 27 MiG-29s.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, British Ministry of Defence, Latest Defence, Ukraine –, Defence Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Russia is quickly depleting its fleet of warplanes through overuse, and Ukraine deploying F-16s could worsen the situation: expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An enginerring expert says the Russian air force is being depleted through overuse in Ukraine. The arrival of Ukraine's F-16s could worsen the problem, wrote Rand's Michael Bohnert. Ukraine says it urgently needs F-16s to reduce Russia's air dominance. He added that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by its Western allies, which had been delayed by bureaucracy, could damage Russia's air force even more. In the early weeks of the conflict, some analysts believed that Russia would be able to establish rapid control of Ukrainian air space, with its air force more sophisticated and bigger than Ukraine's.

Persons: Ukraine's, Michael Bohnert, Bohnert Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Defense News, Rand Corporation, International Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Russian, British

☆ Crashes behind the front lines hint at a looming problem for isolated Russia's Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia lost several combat aircraft to crashes in the final months of 2022. The question is what has changed in Russian aircraft reliability and maintenance? The site where a Russian military aircraft crashed into a residential building in the city of Irkutsk on October 23. REUTERS/StringerFor example, measuring the impact of mobilization on Russian manufacturing is difficult, as is determining how many aircraft parts Russia is covertly importing. In the end, Russian aircraft maintenance may face a mix of problems.

☆ The US and Canada are updating a Cold War-era system to keep an eye on Russian and Chinese missiles. Experts say they need to add a lot more territory too.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US and Canada are modernizing NORAD to watch for Russian, Chinese, and North Korean missiles. At the same time, some experts argue that the command should expand beyond North America to include Denmark and its North American territory, Greenland. North American Aerospace Defense Command, as it's now known, is also responsible for detecting and tracking North Korean missile launches. But the North Pole is still a dagger pointed at North America. The defense of North America is still on NORAD's radar.

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