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☆ A.I. Brings the Robot Wingman to Aerial Combat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Eric Lipton | More About Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is powered into flight by a rocket engine. It can fly a distance equal to the width of China. It has a stealthy design and is capable of carrying missiles that can hit enemy targets far beyond its visual range. Its mission is to marry artificial intelligence and its sensors to identify and evaluate enemy threats and then, after getting human sign-off, to move in for the kill. On a recent day at Eglin Air Force Base on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Maj. Ross Elder, 34, a test pilot from West Virginia, was preparing for an exercise in which he would fly his F-16 fighter alongside the Valkyrie.

Persons: Ross Elder Organizations: U.S, Air Force, Eglin Air Force Base Locations: China, Florida’s Gulf Coast, Maj, West Virginia

“The main purpose of this aircraft is to support our ground forces at the front,” he explains. “I think we increase the morale of our ground forces too.”One of the main issues Kyiv’s ground forces have faced as the counteroffensive gets underway is Russian air power holding them back. "Juice" says the Ukrainian air force would be much more capable of protecting advancing ground forces if it had better aircraft. But the US now says it will train Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft, and the UK and Denmark have been pressing for more. But while Russia maintains technological superiority in the air, it’ll be very difficult for Ukrainian pilots to push Moscow’s pilots out of their skies.

Persons: Russia’s Su, Su, Oleksyi, ”, “, ” Pumba, “ They’re, it’s, Vasco Cotovio, ” Juice, Juice, they’re, Pumba, Oleksyi Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ It’ll Organizations: Southern, Southern Ukraine CNN —, ”, Territorial Defense Brigade, NATO, CNN, Defense Locations: Southern Ukraine, Soviet, Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Europe, Ukrainian, Moscow, “, United States, Denmark

☆ How the F-16 pilot nominated to be the US military's top officer earned the callsign 'Swamp Thing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

His escape from a burning jet earned him the callsign "Swamp Thing." Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr., the current Air Force chief of staff and former F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, is a distinguished four-star general. He has also logged more than 3,000 flying hours — including 130 in combat, yet his callsign is, perhaps unexpectedly, "Swamp Thing." Well I tell you what — he was back in the cockpit the next week with a new callsign: Swamp Thing." "While General Brown is a proud, butt-kicking American airman, first and always, he's always been an operational leader of the Joint Force," Biden said during Thursday's announcement.

Prince William honored his father with a few words during Sunday night's concert - the first ever to be staged at Windsor Castle, home to monarchs for almost 1,000 years. Royals dance the night awaySeveral members of the royal family got their groove on throughout the concert. Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesMesmerizing drone displayA fabulous drone display lit up the sky over the coronation concert, earning audible gasps from the crowd below. Crowds watch illuminated drones creating a light display above Windsor Castle. But when Miss Piggy, dressed in a cerise pink evening dress and glittering necklace, recognized “Downton Abbey” star Bonneville she had other things in mind, thinking he was a real lord.

☆ The US Air Force has big plans for the next-generation drones that will fight alongside its fighters and bombers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's now developing collaborative combat aircraft, which can fight alongside piloted jets or on their own. A need for 'affordable mass'MQ-9s on a runway at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in April. Worse, the Air Force faces a pilot shortage and its overall number of flight hours has been decreasing. The Air Force also continues to develop top-tier assets like the F-35, the B-21 stealth bomber, and the Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD. "Without it, it's very difficult to envision how we could keep the Air Force at the size it currently is."

☆ Skullduggery at the FCC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gigi Sohn withdrew her stalled nomination for the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday after Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) announced his opposition. Chair Jessica Rosenworcel will now have to advance her progressive agenda without a wingman, but her effort to kill a major media acquisition on the sly shows what she’s up to. Ms. Sohn blamed “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks” for her failure to be confirmed in two Congresses. But she has a long record as an unrelenting partisan and her attacks on conservative media suggested she couldn’t be trusted to be fair-minded in regulating the airwaves.

☆ A German company is offering Ukraine the benefit — and burden — of being the first military to get its brand-new tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Prominent German defense firm Rheinmetall is offering Ukraine its new Panther Kf51 tank. Rheinmetall DefenceRheinmetall is reportedly negotiating with Ukraine to build a tank factory there, though it's not clear whether it would produce the Panther or the older Leopard 2 tank. The Kf51 Panther is a new tank with some old features. A German Leopard 2 tank in Munster in May 2019. Like the next-generation Abrams tank, the Panther's turret can be unmanned, with its crew operating the vehicle behind the thicker armor of the tank's hull.

☆ Boeing says MQ-28 drone could be a fit for U.S. Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jamie Freed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone is kept on display at the Australian International Airshow, in Avalon, Australia February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jamie FreedAVALON, Australia Feb 28 (Reuters) - Boeing Co's (BA.N) MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone developed in Australia could fit the U.S. Air Force's requirements for a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), the company's defence division head said on Tuesday. "We're developing the MQ-28 to fit into a set of requirements that fit into that category of CCA and hopefully there is an intersection there," Boeing Defense, Space and Security Chief Executive Ted Colbert said on the sidelines of the Australia International Airshow. Boeing is developing the MQ-28 in Australia alongside the Royal Australian Air Force, in what is the country's first homegrown combat aircraft to be manufactured in more than 50 years. The MQ-28, which made its first flight in 2021, was on public display at the air show.

☆ BAE Systems Australia unveils first homegrown military drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People take a look at a model of STRIX drone by BAE Systems Australia, at the Australian International Airshow, in Avalon, Australia February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jamie FreedGEELONG, Australia Feb 28 (Reuters) - BAE Systems Australia and another local manufacturer on Tuesday unveiled a new uncrewed military aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, the first to be designed, manufactured and armed in Australia. Work on a prototype is under way, with operational service possible by 2026, said Ben Hudson, chief executive of BAE Systems Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems (BAES.L), Britain's biggest defence company. BAE Systems programme manager Natalie Waldie said that STRIX could be exported to allied nations and that there had been strong interest from two unnamed international customers. BAE Systems Australia will also deliver a new low-cost precision-guided munition, known as RAZER, usable with STRIX.

☆ Decades after winning the world's first jet-powered dogfights, US fighter pilots are still flexing their muscles over Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

That November, US Air Force and Navy pilots notched the first victories between jet-powered aircraft. The first, involving an Air Force Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star piloted by Lt. Russel Brown, occurred on November 8, 1950. Air superiorityUS Air Force F-80C fighters return from a mission in August 1952. The Air Force's 'first'A US Air Force F-80C armed with napalm bombs takes off from a Korean airfield in February 1951. The exercise, called Vigilant Storm, involved roughly 100 US aircraft and some 140 South Korean aircraft flying more than 1,600 sorties.

☆ Here's how a wildly outgunned US Navy pilot outfoxed one of the Soviet Union's best jets, scoring a string of kills in a legendary dogfight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An outgunned US Navy pilot downed four Soviet MiG-15 jets in a legendary dogfight over 70 years ago. This swept-wing Soviet aircraft was considered to be superior to the straight-wing American Panther in terms of overall performance. A Grumman F9F Panther fighter jet fires its guns during an attack on the North Korean port of Hungnam. "In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job," Williams said in an account of the fight, according to Pacific Fleet. Williams' dogfight isn't the only example of US planes battling enemy aircraft that are superior on paper.

☆ Former US Navy fighter pilot explains why TOPGUN fines aviators $5 each time they quote the iconic 1986 film 'Top Gun' starring Tom Cruise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US Navy's premiere fighter pilot training school, commonly known as TOPGUN, fines people for various infractions. At the Navy's decades-old tactical air combat training center commonly known as TOPGUN, there are fines for various infractions. Any quote from the iconic 1986 film "Top Gun" starring Tom Cruise as the hotshot naval aviator Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell will cost you $5, former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor Cmdr. Decades later, the school, since relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, is still producing some of the world's top combat aviators. He is a TOPGUN graduate and former instructor, as well as a retired naval aviator who flew combat missions overseas.

☆ A-10 pilot reveals what it was like trying to land an attack aircraft that was literally falling apart around her
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Taylor Bye's A-10 attack aircraft started falling apart on a training flight. US Air Force photo by Andrea JenkinsWhen Bye attempted to fire the cannon on a strafing run, she heard a troubling pop. Bye commissioned into the Air Force in 2015 straight out of the United States Air Force Academy, where she first flew. Her first ever solo flight was in a DA20 in Colorado during Air Force pilot training, and the experience, she said, "was so much fun." 995, for the first time since the Air Force maintenance and repair teams finished putting it back together.

☆ Top 25 roundup: No. 13 Indiana puts up 101 vs. Bethune-Cookman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jackson-Davis went 9 of 10 from the field and was aided by wingman Miller Kopp, who made 4 of 6 from 3-point range to add 12 points for Indiana (2-0). Bethune-Cookman (0-2) was paced by Joe French with 11 points and Marcus Garrett with 10. North Dakota State (0-2) got 11 points from Grant Nelson and 10 from Boden Skunberg. 9 Creighton 96, North Dakota 61Ryan Kalkbrenner collected a career-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Bluejays coast past North Dakota in Omaha, Neb. Tsotne Tsartsidze sank 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range and led North Dakota (1-1) with 16 points.

☆ China's biggest air show opens under cloud of zero-COVID policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING (Reuters) -A scaled-down version of China’s biggest air show opened on Tuesday, with some delegates unable to attend because of the country’s zero-COVID policy as virus case numbers there reached their highest level in six months. The show’s organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The zero-COVID policy comes amid a broader decoupling from the West in the aerospace industry as China aims for increased self-reliance and watches the effects of strict export sanctions placed on Russia’s aviation industry because of that country’s invasion of Ukraine. China Southern did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China is also showing off a FH-97A “Loyal Wingman” drone model designed to coordinate with crewed aircraft, the Global Times reported.

☆ China stages historic air show under cloud of zero-COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Sophie Yu | Norihiko Shirouzu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China’s zero-COVID policy has hampered its domestic aviation industry and kept international traffic at a tiny fraction of pre-pandemic levels as Western carriers rebound sharply. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) reported orders from leasing firms for 300 C919s and 30 ARJ21 regional jets. By contrast, the sun was setting in China on Tuesday on one of Europe’s most visible global symbols, the double-decker A380. Tracking website FlightRadar24 said China Southern Airlines operated its last A380 flight from Los Angeles on Tuesday. China is also showing off a FH-97A “Loyal Wingman” drone model designed to coordinate with crewed aircraft, the newspaper reported.

☆ Comac C919: Covid restrictions cloud airshow debut of China's showpiece jet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

China’s zero-Covid policy has hampered its domestic aviation industry and kept international traffic at a tiny fraction of pre-pandemic levels as Western carriers rebound sharply. Tuesday’s opening marked the first time Western plane giants Airbus and Boeing have shared the stage with China’s new COMAC C919 single-aisle jet at the showpiece event. Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets at Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on November 8. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) reported orders from leasing firms for 300 C919s and 30 ARJ21 regional jets. Production of the world’s largest jetliner ended last year after weak sales including a near-failure to conquer China’s market.

☆ The British navy's aircraft carriers are back after 'a bit of a hiatus,' but one of them has an uncertain future
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

HMS Queen Elizabeth, deployed for the first time last year, sailing to the Pacific and back. Its flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was commissioned in 2017 and is preparing to deploy with the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force. HMS Queen Elizabeth, bottom, alongside HMS Illustrious in July 2014. Aircraft Carrier AllianceThe UK began a "long-lead skills program" in 2010, sending 300 aircraft handlers, aircraft controllers, and aircrew to embed with US Navy and Marine Corps units, said Cmdr. An Italian F-35B lands on HMS Queen Elizabeth, with a US Marine Corps F-35 in the foreground, on November 20, 2021.

☆ The Justice Department's sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz seems stalled, attorneys say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +21 min

Those included a stalking charge for falsely smearing a political rival as a pedophile, identity theft and sex trafficking the same 17-year-old who is the alleged victim in the Gaetz case. The alleged victim, who turned 18 in December 2017, did not answer requests for comment from NBC News. Also according to that plea agreement, the alleged victim falsely claimed she was of age on her SeekingArrangement profile. The Gaetz investigation became public in March 2021, after The New York Times reported the general contours of the investigation. The potential witnesses in the federal government’s inquiry into Gaetz is not limited to Greenberg, the alleged victim and Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend.

☆ Boeing și Forțele Aeriene australiene au realizat primul test de zbor al unui avion de luptă fără pilot (VIDEO)
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-02 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Boeing și Forțele Aeriene australiene au finalizat primul test de zbor cu un avion de luptă fără pilot, conceput să funcționeze conectat cu aeronave cu echipaj, relatează Reuters, citat de Mediafax. Guvernul australian a investit 31 de milioane de dolari în dezvoltarea aparatului, despre care Boeing a spus că ar putea fi personalizat pentru alți clienți. În timpul zborului de test în Australia, Loyal Wingman a decolat singur înainte de a zbura pe un traseu prestabilit la viteze și altitudini diferite pentru a verifica funcționalitatea și a demonstra performanța designului. Primul Loyal Wingman este folosit ca bază pentru sistemul de echipare Airpower al Boeing, un serviciu dezvoltat pentru diferiți clienți globali. Boeing a declarat că sunt în curs de dezvoltare a altor avioane Loyal Wingman și alte zboruri sunt programate pentru sfârșitul acestui an.

Persons: Loyal, Wingman Organizations: Boeing, Forțele Aeriene australiene, Mediafax, globali Locations: Australia

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