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June 20, 2024

 

The U.S. Air Force faces potentially serious operational, training, and testing challenges, and the risk of having to pay associated costs, if it gets rid of its 32 Block 20 F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, a Congressional watchdog has warned. The service’s assessment that it would be prohibitively expensive to bring these jets, which represent just shy of a fifth of the current Raptor fleet, up to a newer standard has also been called into question. The Air Force is already staring down looming budget cuts and growing questions and criticism about how far back it is trimming back its existing fleets, especially fighters, as it pushes ahead with its modernization plans. You can read more about this here.   Meanwhile, the U.S. government has approved the potential sale of over a thousand loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, a mix of Switchblade 300 and ALTIUS 600M types, both of which have been used in combat in Ukraine, to the Taiwanese armed forces. Large numbers of relatively cheap kamikaze drones would give Taiwan extremely valuable additional capacity to attack Chinese forces during any future conflict across the Taiwan Strait. In particular, the loitering munitions could be used to engage warships in the strait, and especially incoming Chinese landing craft, in response to an amphibious invasion. Altius 600s could also be used to deploy resilient mesh sensor networks over large portions of the strait, which could drastically enhance the targeting efficiency for other Taiwanese weaponry and overall situational awareness. You can read more about this here.   Make sure to check out highlights of all our coverage from the last week below. We are also continuing our rolling coverage of the conflict in Ukraine as it develops.    -- Oliver Parken The War Zone   Must Read Articles     Inside The First F-15EX Wing Commander’s Plans To Speed The Newest Eagle Into Service   We talked in-depth with the 142nd Wing's commanding officer about leading the F-15EX charge and everything the new jet brings to the fight.       Norway’s NOMADS Armored Short Range Air Defense System Unveiled   The highly mobile armored missile system has already been tested in Norway and there are reports that Germany may seek to transfer examples to Ukraine in the future.       New Leopard 2 Tank Packs A Big Cannon, Uncrewed Turret, Anti-Drone Defenses   The Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0, which also has a pop-up missile launcher, is a step toward a next-gen Franco-German tank.       Australian F/A-18F Super Hornets To Test Launch U.S. Air Force’s Hypersonic Cruise Missiles   Expansive ranges needed to test hypersonic weapons are in limited supply and high demand in the U.S., and the Australian outback offers better security.       Shipping Container Launcher Packing 126 Kamikaze Drones Hits The Market   Packing scores of loitering munitions and one-way attack drones into a container that can go pretty much anywhere will soon be all the rage.       Old Leopard Tanks Can Be Reborn As Air Defense Systems With Skyranger 35 Turret   Integrating the Skyranger automatic cannon system on old Leopard 1 tanks could speed critical drone-busting air defenses to Ukraine.       Europe Offers Its Own Ground-Launched Long-Range Cruise Missile Among Russia Fears   The new Land Cruise Missile from MBDA, based on its Naval Cruise Missile, is designed to address the need for a ground-mobile standoff strike capability.       From Our New YouTube Channel       Here are all the upgrades and new weapons that will turn the B-52 into a multi-role weapons and sensor truck of the future.       From the Archive     Recollections Of Life At Sea And Some Advice From A U.S. Navy Force Master Chief   The Master Chief talks everything from sailing on the Navy's largest nuclear cruiser alongside a battleship to reaching the heights of enlisted ranks.       Hot Shots     A 595th Command and Control Group E-4B receives fuel from a 126th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135R Stratotanker over the midwestern United States, May 15, 2024.     Army Sgt. Ratu Komaisavai participates in a simulated engagement during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center-Exportable at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, June 7, 2024.     Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Launch/Recovery) Equipment Airman Jonathan Bailey Hunter, right, and Airman Alexis Sandoval Mariscal oil arresting gear on the flight deck of the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS George Washington while underway in the Pacific Ocean, June 15, 2024.