The U.S. Air Force has placed its first order for the new U.S.-Norwegian Joint Strike Missile built to equip its F-35 fifth generation fighters. The missiles will give the fighters a much needed beyond visual range anti-ship and air to ground capability, with integration expected to be completed by the end of August 2026. The Air Force previously stated that it intended to purchase 48 missiles, and potentially expand the purchase to 268, meaning they will only equip a very small portion of the fleet. This is likely because not only are the missiles specialised for anti-shipping roles, with air ..read more

Following its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2019, which had for the previous 31 years prohibited deployments of ground based missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres, the United States states was for years widely expected to deploy missiles from these previously prohibited classes in the Western Pacific. This materialised on April 11 with the U.S. Army’s landmark deployment of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system to participate in joint exercises with local forces in the Philippines. While capable of providing air def ..read more

U.S. officials have confirmed that the Joe Biden administration has “recently” approved Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied weapons to strike territory internationally recognised as Russian. The implications of this are significant due to the approved and initially secret transfer of ATACMS ballistic missiles to the country in February, which provide Ukrainian forces with a much longer reach into Russian territory. Speaking to the U.S. media outlet The War Zone officials reported: “The President recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S.-supplied weapons for counter-fire ..read more

Following a growing number of reports from a range of Western sources highlighting the game changing impacts of advanced Russian electronic warfare (EW) capabilities in its ongoing effort in Ukraine, EMP Task Force scholar and former U.S. Department of Defence officer David T. Pyne has provided further insight into prevailing evaluations of Russia’s capabilities. "Russia has the most capable electronic warfare systems in the world with the longest range and most powerful GPS and radio frequency jammers of any nation," he stated, adding that he had been impressed by "the speed at which Russian ..read more

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have face growing difficulties employing Western-supplied precision guided weapons systems due to the growing effectiveness of Russian electronic warfare assets, according to interviews with personnel on the frontlines conducted by a number Western media outlets. Some of the most seriously affected munitions types have included Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells, HIMARS rocked artillery systems, and JDAM precision guided bombs, with the former two in particular having taken a major toll on Russian forces when operating effectively in the past. Speaking to the Wash ..read more

On May 23 the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiated the Joint Sword-2024A combat exercises simulating major military strikes against targets on Taiwan. Separated from the Chinese mainland by a 130 kilometre straight, the island had since 1949 been under the control of the Republic of China government - one of two rival Chinese governments that fought in the country’s 22 year long civil war that was waged on the Chinese mainland from 1927 to 1949. Although both claim to be the sole legitimate authorities over the entire Chinese nation, however, the Taipei government lacks UN recognit ..read more

French media outlet Mediapart has revealed that Ukrainian military personnel with clear Neo-Nazi affiliations have been participating in training in the country, releasing footage showing the personnel with a range of Nazi symbols. This included one serviceman with an SS symbol tattooed on his face. "Equipped like French soldiers, these men were affiliated with the 3rd Assault Brigade, a unit of the Ukrainian Army, heir to the neo-Nazi Azov regiment,” the report stated, highlighting that this raised questions regarding the “implications of this controversial collaboration on national and inter ..read more

On May 22 Algeria’s was confirmed to have applied to become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, allowing the country to gain eligibility for full membership after a period as a dialogue partner and observer. The military bloc founded by China and five Soviet successor states in 2001 has since been joined by Pakistan, India and Iran, and has seen joint military exercises coordinated increasingly closely among members since the late 2010s. Algeria was one of five Arab republics which aligned themselves closely with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and following neig ..read more

The United States’ largest military contractor Lockheed Martin is struggling to find storage space for a fast growing fleet of F-35 fifth generation fighters which have been rejected by the Pentagon, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. With the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade for the F-35 overdue due to serious software issues and delays to spare parts production, an inability to produce aircraft to this standard has led the Department of Defence to refuse to receive additional fighters. The effects of this have been particularly detrimental ..read more

Following confirmation that the U.S. Air Force had forward deployed four F-22 fifth generation fighters to Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, the aircraft were confirmed to have made a rare appearance over the peninsula’s inland airspace for simulated close range air to air combat with South Korean F-35As. The Air Force 8th Fighter Wing stated that the aircraft would help “test Agile Combat Employment (ACE) capabilities within the Pacific region,” which comes amid a growing emphasis within the service of providing pilots with experience operating against other fifth generation aircraft ..read more