China ramping J20 stealth fighter production and should have improved WS-15 engine by 2019

China’s Air Force released on its weibo social media account two pictures, which show four J-20 stealth fighter jets flying in formation. As of 2017, it is reported that control system, stealth coatings and hull materials, and infrared sensors still have technical issues as does the reliability of its WS-15 engines. Some prototypes use the …

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Preparations for nuclear armed B52 to go back to Cold War Readiness

Marcus Weiberger at Defense One reports that the US Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed B52 bombers back on 24-hour ready alert, a status not seen since the Cold War ended in 1991. Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, and other senior defense officials stressed that the alert order had not been …

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Israel converts artillery into a precision guided weapons

Israel Aerospace Industries is course correction artillery fuzes. The fuze, called TopGun, is an add-on fuze mounted on 155mm shells. It allows guiding the shell to its a pre-defined coordinate after it has been fired. Small wings controlled by miniature avionics embedded into the fuze is used for the guidance. Use of the fuze essentially …

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Stealth fighters, submarines and aircraft carriers could become ordinary weapons

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The nuclear-powered submarine. Ultra-advanced stealth bombers and fighters. These all represent the most lethal, sophisticated and expensive weapons in the US military’s mighty arsenal—and they might soon all be close to obsolete. The aircraft carrier, stealth fighters and submarines will still be useful but they will have new vulnerabilities that will …

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Xi Jinping has engineered the largest ever turnover of military elite in the history of the PRC

A top achievement in China President Xi Jinping’s first five years is military reform. President Xi Jinping’s efforts have centered on marginalizing the four so-called “general departments” of the PLA that functioned as a virtual arm of government and had undermined the authority of the civilian-led Central Military Commission (CMC). He also transformed China’s military …

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Rand corporation Conflict with China Revisited

Rand Corp analysis – Although armed conflict between the United States and China is not likely, the possibility is real enough to require prudent policies and effective deterrent measures. In the past six years, the range and capabilities of Chinese air and sea defenses have continued to grow, making U.S. forward basing more vulnerable and …

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US and China stealth fighters would attack bases, refueling planes

China’s j-20 stealth fighter is operational. It has small wings and is not optimized to beat other advanced fighters like the US F-22 raptor. Short-range tactical fighters like the F-22, F-35 and J-20 are ill-suited for operations in the Western Pacific where distances are vast and bases are scarce. The same geographic constraints also apply …

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Proposed acceleration of superchopper replacement starting in 2025

Bell Helicopter is so confident in their new V-280 tilt-rotor prototype that they want the Pentagon to accelerate the Future Vertical Lift program by five to eight years. This would pull production of the first future helicopter replacement, twice as fast and longer-ranged replacement for Army UH-60s and Marine UH-1s, from the 2030s to as …

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Upgrades and improved weapons for the F22 and F35 stealth fighters

The F-22 Raptor stealth figheter has been involved in combat missions since 2014, the Air Force is planning to equip the fifth-generation aircraft with new missiles, upgraded sensors and perform key maintenance on its special stealth coating. By 2019, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin hope to upgrade the F-22 to carry advanced AIM-120D and …

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China’s Navy in the 2020s will have a lot of modern subs, carriers and sea bases

China’s naval modernization effort encompasses a wide array of platform and weapon acquisition programs, including anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), submarines, surface ships, aircraft, and supporting C4ISR (command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems. China’s naval modernization effort also includes improvements in maintenance and logistics, doctrine, personnel quality, education …

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Until exoskeletons are deployed the French Felin body armor is the most advanced infrantry system

France deployed the first versions of combat armor with the FELIN combat system. FÉLIN (Fantassin à Équipement et Liaisons Intégrés, Integrated Infantryman Equipment and Communications) is the name for the French infantry combat system developed by Safran Electronics and Defense. It combines a modified FAMAS rifle with a host of other electronics, clothing, pouches, and …

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