MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that the United States should destroy its MK-41 missile defense launch systems deployed in Romania in order to return to compliance with a Cold War-era nuclear pact. It said Washington should also destroy its strike drones for the same reason. The ministry said it had… read more
USNI – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chief of naval operations upped his rhetoric regarding Russian and Chinese “gray-zone” aggression, saying the Navy needed to put pressure on Russia instead of passively reacting to the European competitor and calling for more “muscular” enforcement of rules of the sea when it comes to China. Adm. John Richardson… read more
Veteran Air Force pilot Robert Hopkins, who is also the author of one of my favorite reference books, The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More Than a Tanker, flew RC-135S Cobra Ball missile tracking planes during the twilight of the Cold War. Cobra Ball was one of America’s most important intelligence-gathering assets as it collected high-fidelity data… read more
(Navy Recognition) Germany, through its defense procurement agency (the BAAINBw), is seeking to replace its current SMART-L radars aboard the Sachsen-class (F124) air-defense frigates. This information has been given through a request for information (RFI) on January 28. As stated in the German RFI, the aim is to replace the Dutch-built radars currently aboard the… read more
Defense News: COLOGNE, Germany — The French Air Force has successfully practiced a nuclear strike mission, sending aircraft on an 11-hour mission to sneak a nuclear-capable cruise missile through simulated enemy air defenses and nail it into the sands of a test range south of Bordeaux. The Feb. 4 mission, billed by the Armed Forces… read more
US and Israel say Tehran’s space program a cover for ballistic missile development; Iran has not acknowledged conducting fresh launch after previous effort failed to reach orbit (Times of Israel) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran appears to have attempted a second satellite launch despite US criticism that its space program helps it develop… read more
Fox News: With the recent announcement of a second summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, the goal of any discussions with North Korea should remain the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of the Korean Peninsula. The Trump administration’s own 2019 Missile Defense Review released this week states that North Korea “continues to… read more
The Jerusalem Post: The launchers of Russian-made S-300 missile defense systems deployed to Syria have been erected, new satellite images released on Tuesday showed. “Due to the current regional tension and the detected erection of the launchers it is possible that the mentioned activity indicates an increase of the operational level and alertness,” ImageSat said… read more
UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea is working to ensure its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities cannot be destroyed by military strikes, U.N. monitors said ahead of a meeting between U.S. and North Korean officials to prepare a second denuclearisation summit. The U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, will meet his North Korean… read more
The Hill – Russia announced Tuesday that it is planning to develop two new land-based missile launch systems in response to President Trump’s announcement last week that the U.S. will withdraw from a landmark nuclear weapons treaty. Moscow intends to develop the systems by 2021 in order to counter U.S. developments in its missile capabilities,… read more