AirPower (MIL-STD)
Old radar types never die; they just phased array!
Aerospace, Defense and NatSec related content
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- Zone 5 Rusty Dagger. #AffordableMass
- Our closest look at the AIM-260 #JATM guidance section yet. Quite a contrast to the AMRAAM with a much pointier radome and the almost non existent fins. Also distinct are the two sets of apertures covering the diameter of the section (presumably a multi-band targeting device). 📸 Colin Clark CCFOC1
- 🚨 AIM-260A live-fire testing on the F/A18 E/F is well underway giving further indication that #JATM is close to becoming, if not already, operational. USN recently recognized an officer with its Air Test & Eval Squadron 31 for leading #JATM live-fire testing back in 2024.
- Now that we know what #JATM looks like, some impressions 👇 🔸Significant ⬆️ in Solid Rocket Motor length vs AMRAAM (45%- 50 % of total length) 🔸Low drag wingless design w/o forward aero surfaces. Similar to early AMRAAM proposals from Raytheon & Northrop 🔸Multiple conformal antennas aft of seeker
- US Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance Software Factory has been recognized by the Department of Defense with a software innovation award. #NGAD SFT has managed and delivered a classified software & digital infrastructure portfolio..for the $22.4 Bn NGAD and CCA programs.
- Back in 2020, the US Navy's Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division asked industry for multiple 16 inch diameter / 106 in long Solid Fuel Ramjet & IRR propulsion systems to support a 'demonstration program'. The Navy hasn't released much additional info on that effort.
- "Epirus will soon host a live demonstration to showcase its advanced #HPM #Leonidas counter-drone capabilities, including a "100-drone shoot down" that aims to display the company's ability to neutralize a swarm of UAS with a single, coordinated strike" insidedefense.com/daily-news/e...
- "Th US Navy's Next Generation Air Dominance #NGAD Family of Systems (FoS) ICD [Initial Capabilities Document] was approved by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in Spring 2015 and validated by the Joint Staff in summer 2015" ~ US Navy
- Assuming the $300 MM #NGAD PCA estimate (shared by Frank Kendall) is in 2018/20$, you are looking at a 30-50% ⬆️ unit cost for #NGAD compared to F-22A (adj for same year $) . Folks forget that in FY07, the fly-away and weapon system unit cost of F-22A exceeded $130MM & $170MM respectively.
- Both USAF & Navy #NGAD efforts just secured all the funding they need for the rest of the decade & beyond. Also worth noting that a stealthy theater strike aircraft was called out in DOD's China assessment released recently. NGAD-USAF was probably assessed against that..
- 🚨#NGAD A recent internal Air Force analysis supports the development of a manned, next-gen fighter jet, 3 sources told @breakingdefense.com — a finding that comes amid a high-profile debate over the future of the multi-billion-dollar Next Gen. Air Dominance #NGAD program.
- You want a 1,000 #ATACMS for Ukraine. I want $200+ Billion invested in Long Range Fires over the next decade to help build back the arsenal of democracy and help Ukraine, Taiwan and our allies and partners. We are not the same.
- We've made a lot of progress on #NGAD over the last decade flying multiple FS demonstrators supporting USAF & Navy programs. I hope the incoming administration will green light AF's #NGAD EMD & that we have both AF (air sup) & Navy (strike) programs in full scale dev in 2025.🤞
- “ The 2 test flights involved a Raytheon-made missile propelled by an Ursa Major SRM measuring less than 10 inches in diameter...Much about the capability Ursa Major is developing — and the weapon that will use it — is shrouded in mystery" breakingdefense.com/2024/12/rayt...
- "They [US Army - Cap & limitation tests] tried to get as many drones as they could that we would see overseas. They wanted to get drones that might have been hardened..against EM emissions.We had zero targets that we did not take down. We were 100% effective"~Andy Lowery, #Epirus
