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☆ Shunned by the US, Turkey is preparing to launch its first aircraft carrier — but it will come with a twist
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Turkey will instead operate the Anadolu with drones, using them to project power across the region. The US kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program in 2019, leaving Ankara without fighter jets for its new carrier. Strictly speaking, Anadolu is not a dedicated aircraft carrier but an amphibious assault ship — specifically a landing helicopter dock, or LHD. Turkey was a Level III partner in the US-led F-35 program, with Turkish companies making about 900 parts for the aircraft. Turkish carrier dronesTCG Anadolu in Istanbul in September 2022.

☆ U.S. recovers suspected Chinese spy balloon remnants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, February 4, 2023. "We successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," President Joe Biden said. Biden...moreA jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, February 4, 2023. "We successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," President Joe Biden said. Multiple fighter and refueling aircraft were involved in the mission, but only one -- an F-22 fighter jet -- took the shot, using a single AIM-9X missile, a senior U.S. military official said.

☆ Fact Check-Suspected Chinese surveillance balloon is not proof that satellites do not exist in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China’s suspected surveillance balloon that was shot down by the U.S. military on Feb. 4 is spurring online claims that it is proof there are no satellites in space. Examples of Facebook users sharing an image that says “Chinese Spy Satellite proves that there are no satellites in ‘space’” can be seen (here), (here) and (here). Images and videos of satellites and spacecrafts launched into space can also be found on NASA’s Image and Video Library (here), (here). According to the U.S. government, the “Space Force has been flying 31 operational GPS satellites for well over a decade” (www.gps.gov/systems/gps/space/). There is ample evidence to prove the existence of satellites, and the recent incident over a Chinese surveillance balloon in no way disproves their existence.

☆ Fact Check-Balloon marking digitally added to photo of U.S fighter jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

After a United States military fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over U.S airspace on Feb. 4, social media users widely shared a digitally altered image of a fighter jet with an apparent victory marking of a balloon on its fuselage. A victory marking is a practice where military planes or ships are adorned with symbols on their exterior to represent their military achievements (here). On Feb. 4, Reuters reported that an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon six nautical miles off the coast of South Carolina a week after it entered U.S. airspace (here). The original, unaltered image was shared by the verified Twitter account of Edwards Airforce Base in April 2020 and shows an F-22 Raptor fighter jet without the balloon signage on the fuselage (here). An image showing a United States fighter jet with a balloon symbol on its fuselage is digitally altered.

☆ U.S. blocks vessels from area near balloon shoot down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it is imposing a temporary security zone in the waters off Surfside Beach, South Carolina in the area where the U.S. military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The 10 nautical mile area security zone blocks vessels from entering without permission of the Coast Guard and is intended to protect the public "from potential hazards associated with physical objects." The Navy has divers and unmanned vessels to retrieve the remnants of the balloon. "Recovery options will seek to recover all debris and any material of intelligence value," a senior defense official told reporters. We planned for much deeper water," the military official said.

☆ FedEx, Southwest planes believed under 100 feet apart -NTSB
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told Reuters the "near miss" incident could have resulted in "terrible tragedy." Homendy said it appears likely the FedEx plane overflew the Southwest plane during their takeoff role momentarily and then Southwest passed beneath the FedEx plane again as its speed increased on takeoff. The FAA issued a takeoff clearance to Southwest when FedEx was about 3.32 nautical miles from the end of the runway. "When FedEx said Southwest abort, they were 1,195 feet (364 m) down the runway and climbing." The NTSB has investigated 17 runway incursion incidents since 2013, including two from last summer that remain under investigation.

☆ U.S. shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon with a single missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Thank You for ‘Navigating’ the Pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Veronica Majerol | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Thank You for ‘Navigating’ the PandemicThe English language is filled with nautical metaphors. In business, captains of industry take the helm of sinking companies and try to keep them afloat, sometimes in the face of strong headwinds. When Covid-19 cast everyone into uncharted waters in early 2020, one nautical metaphor kept popping up in earnings calls, regulatory filings, news releases and other corporate documents: Suddenly everyone was talking about how chief executives would “navigate” the pandemic. They’re still navigating things — these days mostly high inflation and fears of a recession.

A sailor was rescued by the Colombia’s navy after what he said was a 24-day ordeal in which he only had a bottle of ketchup and some seasoning to eat. Elvis Francois, 47, a national of Dominica, said in a video released by the navy that he spent 24 days with no sight of land before his rescue in the Caribbean Sea. Colombian Navy press office via APHe had written “help” on the hull of the boat, which was spotted by air, the navy said. In video released by the Navy and distributed by news services The Associated Press and Reuters, Francois tells medical staff he is doing OK.“Twenty-four days, no land. Francois said in the video he tried to go back to port, but couldn't, and he tried to call friends but lost service.

☆ Viking cruise passengers tried to maintain their sense of humor after marine growth on the ship's hull left them trapped onboard for 10 days: 'It was a plot twist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Passengers aboard the Viking Orion missed several port stops due to marine growth on the ship. It was to be the "trip of a lifetime," Heydrick told Insider. The Viking Orion made headlines last month after the cruise ship missed several planned port stops due to "marine growth" found in the ship's hull. Cruise liner Viking Orion (L) is moored in Melbourne's Port Philip Bay on March 24, 2020. "Viking Orion" cruise ship under the flag of Norway is seen anchored at Bodrum Cruise Port in Bodrum district of Mugla, Turkey on April 18, 2021.

☆ China's navy is showing off a huge new ship designed to carry other warships around
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Liu Zhen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yinmahu is a semi-submersible heavy-lift ship that could ferry equipment and damaged ships. Chinese state TV recently showed the ship doing various maneuvres but didn't reveal its specifications. Footage showed the Yinmahu's departure, submerging, ship loading, lifting and transporting. The Chinese navy's first heavy-lift vessel, the Donghaidao (hull number 868) is known to have entered service in 2015. The semi-submersible heavy-lift ship can carry vessels over 100,000 tonnes.

☆ Celebrity Cruise captain explains how her crew maneuvered their massive ship in rough conditions to rescue a boat of migrants in distress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two cruise ships rescued over 20 migrants in distress off the coast of Florida earlier this week. "Because of the rough sea conditions, I needed to maneuver the ship in order to provide a lead so that we could bring the boat safely alongside the ship." A post shared by Captain Kate McCue (@captainkatemccue)Maritime law requires all vessel — including cruise ships — to provide assistance to passengers in distress regardless of circumstance. On Monday, a Carnival cruise ship similarly rescued a boat of five migrants 25 nautical miles northwest of Cuba. Steve Glassman, a Fort Lauderdale city commissioner, was one of the thousands of passengers onboard the Celebrity Cruise ship during Tuesday's rescue mission, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The 930-guest capacity Viking Orion docked in Sydney on Wednesday, the final stop on what is normally a 15-day, 9-stop cruise of New Zealand and Australia. But plans went awry, local media reported, after New Zealand officials asked the ship to leave the country's waters part way through its cruise after finding small amounts of biofoul - plants, algae and small animals - that grow on ship hulls. Tickets for a 15-day Auckland to Sydney cruise departing Jan 10 range from A$8,995 ($6,066.23) to A$29,995 on the Viking website. Viking's Orion is the second cruise ship to fall afoul of New Zealand officials in the past month. New Zealand fisheries officials stopped cruise ship Coral Princess entering the country's waters in December after finding snails on the hull.

☆ Zelenskyy comes to Washington, DC, with a long military wish list. But what could he ultimately get?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is in Washington to meet with President Biden and Congress. Zelenskyy brings with him a long military wish list, though it's unclear what he will go home with. He is set to ask for weapons that the US has long balked at providing, including Gray Eagle drones. But it's only one of the weapons Zelenskyy is expected to press for in his meetings with Biden and others. But the US has long balked at providing them, fearing that long-range weapons would be too provocative for Russian leaders.

☆ Zelenskyy comes to Washington DC with a long military wish list. But what could he ultimately get?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy is in Washington to meet with President Biden and Congress. Zelenskyy brings with him a long military wish list, though it is unclear what he will go home with. He is set to ask for weapons that the US has long balked at providing, including Gray Eagle drones. But it's only one of the weapons Zelenskyy is expected to press for in his meetings with Biden and others. But the US has long balked at providing them, fearing that long-range weapons would be too provocative for Russian leaders.

☆ Relatives despair as search continues for Thai marines missing at sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Napat Wesshasartar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Napat WesshasartarBANG SAPHAN, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Hopes faded on Wednesday among relatives of Thai marines still missing after their warship sank off the country's central coast, even as military-led rescue teams expanded their search area. The navy and air force mobilised five planes, six helicopters, and at least four warships to find the missing sailors. The navy said on Twitter that search efforts were focused on the area where others had been found on Tuesday. Families awaited news at rescue centres onshore, but some were already grieving as rescue teams flew in the recovered bodies. Including the HTMS Sukhothai, Thailand's navy has lost four warships in the 116 years since its founding.

☆ Thailand's navy searches for missing marines in race against time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Napat Wesshasartar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Crew members from the capsized HTMS Sukhothai warship receive medical treatment in the Gulf of Thailand, December 18, 2022. Royal Thai Navy/Handout via REUTERSBANG SAPHAN, Thailand, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Navy ships and rescue teams searched waters off central Thailand on Tuesday in a race against the clock to locate 30 missing marines, who abandoned a warship that sank at the weekend in choppy waters. The HTMS Sukhothai warship, a U.S.-made corvette in use since 1987, suffered an engine malfunction and went down just before midnight on Sunday about 20 nautical miles off the coast. The vessel was carrying 105 military personnel when it capsized after being knocked over by big waves as water flooded its engines. Though military accidents, often with aircraft, are not uncommon in Thailand, incidents involving navy vessels have been rare in recent years.

☆ Thai navy hunts for 33 missing marines after warship sinks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Thailand's military deployed warships and helicopters on Monday to try to locate 33 marines missing after a corvette sank overnight in choppy waters in the Gulf of Thailand, the navy said. Three navy vessels and two helicopters were sent to find the missing off Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok, after the HTMS Sukhothai warship suffered an engine malfunction and went down just before midnight about 20 nautical miles off the coast. An overnight rescue mission in bad weather secured 73 of the 106 people aboard, the navy said, with the remaining 33 forced to abandon ship. The Sukhothai, a U.S.-built corvette in use since 1987, was hit by strong waves on Sunday, forcing it to tilt to one side before becoming flooded with seawater, navy spokesperson Admiral Pogkrong Monthardpalin said. Reporting by Juarawee Kittisilpa, Panu Wongcha-um and Napat Wesshasartar; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Romania defuses mine drifting near its Black Sea shore
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Romania's navy carried out a controlled explosion on Saturday of a naval mine that had drifted close to the country's Black Sea shore, the defence ministry said. Mines began floating in the Black Sea after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish military diving teams have been defusing those drifting in their waters. The ministry said the navy was alerted by a Turkish cargo ship about a mine drifting some 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) north of the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta. The Black Sea is crucial for shipment of grain, oil and oil products. Since the war started, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine have destroyed roughly 40 mines in western waters of the Black Sea.

A rare subtropical December storm could form in the Atlantic this week, marking the first in nearly a decade. Although the Atlantic hurricane season ended Nov. 30, an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms in the central tropical Atlantic have a 40% chance of developing into a subtropical storm in two days, and a 50% chance in five days. The last time there was a December subtropical storm was nine years ago in 2013. The next name on the list for a storm is Owen, following Hurricane Nicole which pummeled the east coast of Florida last month. A subtropical storm has a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 39 mph, according to the weather agency.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Monday awarded the contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Bell unit, ending a years-long competition for the technology that will replace the Black Hawk utility helicopter. The Army's "Future Vertical Lift" competition is aimed at finding a replacement as the Army looks to retire more than 2,000 medium-class UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built by Sikorsky since the 1970s. The Army was looking for an aircraft capable of moving about a dozen troops 400 nautical miles. Ultimately, the contract is potentially worth around $70 billion - over decades - depending on how many the Army and U.S. allies order, the Army told reporters on Monday evening. In the FLARAA competition was Bell's V-280 "Valor," a tiltrotor aircraft that has reached speeds in excess of 340 mph (547 km) according to the Army.

☆ Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle push Biden administration to provide Ukraine with lethal 'Gray Eagle' drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lawmakers are asking the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with MQ-1C "Gray Eagle" drones. The drones, made by General Atomics, can carry four Hellfire missiles. "The long-term upside of providing Ukraine with the MQ-1C is significant," lawmakers wrote. C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesperson for General Atomics, told Insider that lawmakers are right to argue that Ukraine could put the drones into service soon after receiving them. "We believe it would be a game-changing decision to send Gray Eagles to support the Ukrainian defense."

☆ 2 little-known intel agencies are helping US partners keep an eye on Russia's and China's frontline forces
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Two little-known US intelligence agencies have made significant contributions to countering Russia in Ukraine. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office have gathered and distributed valuable information about Russian activity. Little-known intel agenciesA National Reconnaissance Office payload is launched into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in September 2017. US Air Force/Senior Airman Ian DudleyThe US response to Russia's war in Ukraine has pulled the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office out of the shadows. NRO satellites have many customers, but the NGA is probably the most reliant on the satellites operated by the NRO.

☆ The US may downgrade an advanced drone to ease its concerns about letting Ukraine have it, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US is considering modifying the powerful Gray Eagle drone for Ukraine, CNN reported. Two unnamed officials told CNN this week that the US was investigating how to change the components in the Gray Eagle, or MQ-1C drone. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the US had declined the request for the Gray Eagle. But both Ukrainian and US officials told CNN since then that discussions were continuing. "These are very expensive systems and there are concerns that they could be shot down," an unnamed official told CNN.

☆ Rising tensions between 2 of NATO's biggest militaries are driving fears of the first war between alliance members
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Greece and Turkey have two of NATO's largest militaries and are in an important corner of Europe. Their tensions have escalated in recent years, stoking new fears about the first war within NATO. Greece's defense spending in 2022 was the highest in the alliance as a share of GDP. (NATO also calls for 20% of members' defense spending to go toward equipment purchases and upgrades.) Greece's defense minister said that "as long as there is a threat of territorial sovereignty, it renders futile any attempt at communication."

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