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It is the oldest active duty unit of the US Army and it presides over America’s fallen heroes on a daily basis. What for many would be a task too heavy to bear on a daily basis, the Third Infantry Regiment takes incredible pride and honor in executing.
The fight to kill the A-10 Warthog rages on in Washington after the U.S. Air Force tried to sneak-retire the incredibly useful attack jet following a failure to get Congressional approval to end it outright. Now the Air Force’s shell game includes a potential A-10 replacement, dubbed the A-X.
Russian media reports that Jordan is consulting with Moscow on buying a batch of Su-32s, a export derivative of Russia’s Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber, which itself is an evolution of the Su-27 Flanker series of fighter aircraft.
American sailors aboard the USS Donald Cook got one intimidating air show over the Baltic Sea yesterday. Russian swing-wing Su-24 Fencers made multiple simulated attack runs on their ship. The maneuvers were said to have been “extremely aggressive” and so low that wakes were kicked up in the water below the jets, Navy officials said.
The AAV-7 soldiers on after over 40 years in service with the USMC and a dozen other operators around the globe. As such the “Amtrak” has been upgraded over the decades to stay tactically relevant. Now, once again, it is receiving yet another infusion of new technologies making it more effective and survivable.
One of Russia’s most advanced attack helicopters, the Mi-28 “Night Hunter,” crashed today while operating in Syria. Russian officials say that the helicopter was not taking enemy fire at the time and went down due to technical reasons, killing both crewman onboard. A team is reportedly on the scene trying to determine what exactly caused the crash.
LPD-28, the 12th ship in the San Antonio class line, may serve as somewhat of a bridge to the upcoming class of amphibious transport docks, currently dubbed the LX(R). As part of this transitional vessel, Lockheed wants to install its vaunted Aegis Combat System aboard it, giving the ship a much higher level of defensive capabilities, independence and situational awareness.
“Team Coco” recently added Korea to the list of the many places the show has visited. During the trip, Conan O’Brien and The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun toured the incredibly tense Joint Security Area along the demilitarized zone for some less-than-easy laughs.
The Navy’s ultra-versatile P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft has risen to all-star status both within the halls of the Pentagon and on the export market. It has been at the center of the search for MH370 and at the tip of the growing dispute over China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea. Now it has has made headlines once again, locating marooned men on a deserted island in the Pacific.
VFC-111, the Sundowners, provide fleet adversary support with their F-5Ns out of gorgeous Key West, Florida. For a recent air show there, headlined by the Blue Angels, the squadron put together their own little four-ship demo team, and by the looks of the video below they did not disappoint.
R2D2's demented big brother, the iconic 20mm cannon shell squirting Mark 15 Phalanx close-in weapons system (CIWS), remains the last line of defense for many of America’s most capable surface combatants. The video below shows a AV-8B Harrier making a high-speed attack run on the USS Germantown while its Phalanx, which is empty, attempts to blast it out of the sky.
Israel has done amazing things with their imported U.S. fighter aircraft, innovating and tailoring their capabilities to meet their unique needs. They want to continue this legacy with the F-35. Part of this initiative now includes the ability to externally modify their new stealth jets with the addition of conformal fuel tanks.
In recent years, the Kremlin has touted its development of unmanned ground combat vehicles. Its small Platforma-M has been somewhat of a press marvel, with pictures of it supposedly patrolling a submarine base going viral. The Uran-9, on the other hand, is a much more powerful and larger drone that is supposedly capable of doing a job similar to an armored fighting vehicle, without anyone aboard. Now the big question is this: does this thing have the ability to actually be useful on the battlefi
There is a lot of political talk right now about the U.S. carrying the weight militarily for its allies, including NATO. One actual example of this is the recurring situation where, even in lower-intensity conflicts, our allies run out of guided air-to-ground munitions to drop on the enemy. Well, it has happening once again over Iraq and Syria, and the U.S. has stepped in like always as the big bomb and missile sugar daddy. But are even U.S. stockpiles up to the Pentagon’s strategic demands?
Along with the armada of motorcade and helicopter lugging transports, as well Air Force One and other special air mission VIP aircraft, a C-17 outfitted as a mobile emergency operating room accompanied President Barack Obama on his historic visit to Cuba last week.
Extreme speed is once again becoming a prized quality at the Pentagon after a two decade long hiatus following the retirement of the SR-71 Blackbird. Now Lockheed says it can build 3,800 MPH proof-of-concept jet in just a couple of years time, an aircraft that could lead to an fully operational “SR-72.” Amazing as that sounds, does the Air Force even need such an aircraft at all?
Just as word has come that two Americans were killed in the attacks on Brussels, multiple reports state that brothers and suicide bombers Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui plotted to get their hands on nuclear material for a dirty bomb—and they set their eyes on a top Belgian nuclear researcher to do it.
Twenty-two months ago, ISIS seized Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, during a blitzkrieg across the region. The militants have held it ever since. At last, an offensive to retake the city has begun. The stakes could not be higher; the operation will biggest test yet for Iraqi forces and Barack Obama’s counter-ISIS strategy, and victory will not come easy.
The USS America, a Gator Navy amphibious assault ship built specifically to accommodate Marine Corps F-35Bs, has just left port for sea trials after having to be overhauled for ten months immediately following its original introduction into the fleet due to issues over carrying the aircraft it was designed for.
The existence of a previously unknown Marine fire base in northern Iraq came suddenly to light last weekend after a Marine was killed by an ISIS rocket attack while serving there. This same austere base has reportedly been attacked once again by ISIS, although this time via a squad-sized group of foot-soldiers. The attack was fended off by the Marines without injuries.
The Donald’s 757 with its billboard motif has been a nearly continuous fixture on the campaign trail and his S-76 helicopters have also made headlines. Yet there is another aircraft in Trump’s fleet that is seldom seen, a 1997 Citation X with massive logos all over it.
The man shown wearing a bucket hat and heavy white jacket in a video surveillance still from Brussels’ airport has been identified as Najim Laachraoui, European authorities told news outlets today. This is the same man suspected of building the bombs used in the Paris attacks last November. He’s also the only living suspect still at large related to those attacks.
Images of the men whom law enforcement officials suspect are the Brussels airport bombers was just released, and if you look closely there are some peculiar elements. Most notably, the two men on the left are dressed identically and each of them is only wearing one black glove.
Belgium has been on high alert for terror attacks since the November 13th attacks in Paris. Now those anxieties have become a reality with one attack hitting a check-in area at the Brussels airport and two others hitting Brussels subway stations, leaving dozens dead or wounded. The attacks come just four days after the suspected logistical mastermind of the Paris attacks was apprehended during a raid in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek.
It is only fitting that in a week in which we were vividly reminded of the symbolism and powerful impact of Air Force One that the first aircraft to fly with that callsign has also made news. Columbine II, a gorgeous Lockheed Constellation (military designation Lockheed VC-121A-LO) that flew President Eisenhower, has taken to the skies once again and will soon be be fully restored to its full Presidential airlift glory
On Saturday morning Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin, a 27-year old artilleryman, was killed by a ISIS rocket attack on a previously secret forward fire support base in northern Iraq. Eight other marines were wounded by the onslaught. The news comes as the long awaited and extremely high-stakes “Mosul Offensive” is slowly taking shape.
America’s ability to unpredictably project power nearly anywhere in the world on short notice is a strategic advantage that has become more valuable than ever before. The C-17 is a major part of this equation, able to move everything from Abrams main battle tanks to massive fuel bladders into short and even dirt airstrips. The video below highlights exactly this capability, with a C-17 accessing a dirt airfield, dropping off two AH-64 Apaches and living to do it again and again if need be.