Author: Defenceline Webdesk

K. Toropin & G.A. Angueira, AP The U.S. Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California. Source link

The United States State Department has made permanent its pilot visa bond program, under which citizens of listed foreign countries seeking to obtain business or tourism visas to come to the United States may be required to pay a significant sum – a bond of up to $20,000 – to obtain a visa. As stated in the Federal Register notice, the program will be limited to those who are applying for business visitor/tourist (B-1/B-2) nonimmigrant visas and are citizens of specific countries identified by the State Department as “failing to meet rigorous standards relating to overstays, information sharing, screening and…

Stew Magnuson, NatDefense Cost overruns and schedule delays have put the program to replace the B-52 Stratofortress’ engines some $3 billion over budget Source link

The head of Uzatom, Uzbekistan’s atomic energy agency, Azim Akhmedkhadjayev said recently that the first small modular reactor of Uzbekistan’s ongoing nuclear power plant (NPP) project is to be commissioned in 2029, while the first large reactor will come online in 2033. The project itself will be completed in 2034-2035. The NPP will produce up to 17 billion kWh of electricity per year, which, according to Akhmedkhadjayev, will amount to 20 percent of the country’s energy production. Current annual production volume is 80 billion kWh. Having an NPP is not a new dream for Uzbekistan. The first president of the…

Defense Post The U.S. Army has

The Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed — US Central Command protestations notwithstanding — with traffic running at about 10 percent of prewar levels. That strategic fact pushed President Donald Trump to rescind orders for what he described as a massive military strike amid talks to fully reopen the key waterway. In a recent op-ed in these pages, Stephen Wills argues in response to an opinion piece of my own that this is not a Navy failure. While I greatly respect Wills’ expertise on naval affairs, we don’t agree here. Our analyses do overlap in several respects, however, even if the conclusions we draw…

Burak Oktenli, RCDefense The Joint Force Is Buying Autonomy Faster Than It Can Measure Whether It Can Fight Without It Source link

MILAN — German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall unveiled today a new guided-missile frigate, dubbed the GMF 140, intended for an undisclosed procurement tender in North America. The 140-meter warship is designed for a variety of operations, including air and ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and long-range strikes. Rheinmetall said in a press release that while it is targeting global markets, it intends to offer it first as part of a North American procurement program.  A Rheinmetall spokesperson declined to specify to Breaking Defense whether the project of interest is a Canadian, US or Mexican tender. The German GMF 140 is envisioned…

For 15 years, Bangladesh’s government was viewed as a firm bulwark against religious extremism. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had cracked down heavily on the country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as various radical and jihadist outfits.  Really, Hasina cracked down on everyone – but to some, her authoritarian bent was an acceptable price to pay to keep religious extremism under wraps. So when Hasina’s Awami League government was ousted from power on August 5, 2024, it triggered a wave of deep anxiety. Many feared that Islamists in Bangladesh would now have free rein. India, especially, was horrified by the…

Rich Nolan, RealClearDefense . . . there is a sharp focus on rebuilding U.S. capacity to produce ships, missiles, aircraft and drones, but a less visible vulnerability threatens the ability… Source link