Weekly Update
8 - 14 April 2023
A junior Air National Guardsman leaked a trove of classified information about the Ukraine War. France’s president tries to cozy up to China. The U.S. military conducts multiple, large joint exercises throughout the Pacific. Germany shutters its last nuclear power plant. The first private company is poised to land on the moon next week. The ESA launched its JUICE Mission to explore Jupiter’s moons.
Weekly News Round Up
Military
Europe, Russia, the Arctic, NATO, and the war in Ukraine
Top Secret U.S. documents about Ukraine War leaked (MT)
Air National Guardsman arrested in connection to intel leak (MT)
China, Russia defense ministers to meet in Moscow (AP)
Russia loses votes in bids to multiple U.N. bodies (AP)
Russia moves to tighten conscription law, pressing more men to fight (WP)
Russia may be jamming U.S. guided missiles in Ukraine (TH)
U.K. confirms further $500M in loan guarantees to Ukraine (RT)
Russian snap drills put its Pacific Fleet on high alert (AP)
China, Korea, and Asia
French President Macron meets with Chinese premier Xi Jinping, refuses to follow U.S. lead on Taiwan (RT)
After Macron’s craven cozying to Xi, French lawmakers to visit Taiwan (Pol)
China conducts large Taiwan drill involving blockades and strikes (RT)
China continues ‘combat training’ around Taiwan after drills end (RT)
NSA Cybersecurity Chief: U.S. tech firms should wargame response if China invades Taiwan (BD)
U.S. Navy destroyer sails past man-made Chinese-controlled island (RT)
North Korea launches ballistic missile toward sea (MT)
... N. Korea claims it is a new solid-fuel ICBM (RT)
U.S., Philippines conduct massive joint exercise, ‘Balikatan’ (MT)
… New U.S. Marine littoral force to demonstrate capabilities (USNI)
U.S. Army prepares for record-setting logistics exercise in Pacific (DN)
U.S. Navy, partner nations conclude anti-submarine warfare exercise in Guam (NT)
F-15Es arrive in Kadena Air Base in Japan as F-22s and F-16s depart (ASF)
Middle East and Africa
U.S. deploys guided-missile submarine amid tensions with Iran (NT)
White House ignites criticism with release of Afghan review (TH)
U.S. Defense modernization and innovation
Atlantic Council: DoD Acquisition has innovation problem (USNI)
U.S. Army’s 101st adopt integrated tactical network radios (C4ISR)
U.S. Space Force to simplify timelines, purchases as launches surge (C4ISR)
U.S. Air Force flies C-17 as command and control platform (ASF)
U.S. Air Force passes Northrop Grumman-made F-16 EW upgrades through emulator (C4ISR)
U.S. Army’s logistics focus includes watercraft and networks (DN)
U.S. Air Force Research Lab awards contracts worth up to $400M (YN)
U.S. Army to mount high-energy laser on infantry vehicles to destroy drone (DP)
A separate directed energy system successfully tested at Yuma (DN)
U.S. Navy seeks to have manned-unmanned fleet within 10 years (DN)
U.S. Defense Industry News
BAE transitions first set of multi-chip prototypes into EW systems for DoD (BD)
Northrop Grumman developing military communications satellite for 2025 launch (SN)
Boeing: Developmental flight testing for the T-7 expected this summer (ASF)
General Dynamics targets tactical vehicle market with low-cost ANPT (BD)
Boeing wins $1.17B U.S. Navy contract for Harpoon Block 2 Missiles (DP)
Huntington Ingalls gets $567M from General Dynamics Electric Boat for submarine work (BD)
Yemenis sue Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics (MT)
TRX Systems wins $402M deal from U.S. Army for jam-resistant navigation gear (C4ISR)
ThayerMahan, an autonomous maritime surveillance solutions provider, raised a $30M Series C led by MC2 Security Fund (VCN)
Lux Capital raised $1.15B for its largest fund to date, Lux Ventures VIII, to invest in science and deep technologies (BBG)
Foreign Defense Industry News
One Way Aerospace exits stealth, mass-produces attack drones for Ukraine (Forbes)
British industry partnership “Team Tempest” wins $822M to advance next gen warplane tech (DN)
Finland to buy Israel’s David’s Sling air defense system (DN)
Greece to buy $403M worth of Spike anti-tank missiles from Israel’s Rafael (RT)
Turkey launches its first amphibious assault ship (RT)
Romania to buy F-35s (BD)
Italy names Cingolani as CEO of Leonardo, could indicate shift to cybersecurity and AI focuse (C4ISR)
Thales prepares to secure European infrastructures against quantum computing attacks (BW)
Germany not yet ready to fulfill NATO obligation of a division (Pol)
Japan signs $2.8 Billion deal for long range missile development (DN)
South Korea to lend half a million artillery rounds to the U.S. (RT)
India awards contracts for Akash and BrahMos missiles, and more ships (DN)
Egypt planned to provide rockets to Russia for use in Ukraine (WP)
…Egyptian official denies (AlJ)
Morocco to buy HIMARS from the U.S. for ~$524.2M (RT)
Sweden’s Saab, Brazil’s Embaer partner up for Gripen, C-390 sales (BD)
Space
Japanese company ispace’s lunar lander is prepared for moon landing (SN)
European Space Agency launches JUICE mission on Ariane 5 rocket to explore Jupiter moons (BBC)
China is set to start building lunar-base in 5 years, will use lunar-soil bricks (Insider)
Relativity to shelve Terran 1 rocket, focus on redesigned Terran R rocket (SN)
China’s iSpace (not to be confused with aforementioned ispace) succeeds in launch after 3 straight failures (Space)
China’s CAS Space tests vertical rocket landings (Space)
Asteroid mining company AstroForge poised for test flight next week (NBC)
NASA establishes a Moon-to-Mars office (SN)
Federal Communications Commission establishes a Space Bureau (SN)
FAA may force launch delays to minimize impact on air travel (RT)
Space Systems Command’s Tetra-1 begins mission operations (SN)
U.S. Space Force proposes plan to acquire wideband communications satellites (SN)
NRO extends contracts with Hawkeye 360 and Maxar’s Aurora Insight for radio-frequency data (SN)
U.S. Space Force Chief: We have to better define relationship with industry (SN)
Satellite telecommunications company Kepler Communications raised a $92M Series C led by IA Ventures (TC)
Nuclear Power & Weapons
Germany foolishly shutters its last nuclear plant (AP)
Joint Venture established for second Polish plant (WNN)
Report to congress on Iran’s nuclear program released (USNI)
IAEA Chief warns after two explosions near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant (DM)
Hungary and Belarus agree to cooperate on nuclear projects (WNN)
Japan adopts national strategy on fusion (JT)
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy, and other cool tech
One in three experts believe AI could cause “Nuclear-level” catastrophe (AlJ)
Amazon enters generative AI race with Bedrock (TC)
After railing against AI, Musk invests in Twitter AI project (Mashable)
Despite plenty of issues, Microsoft and U.S. Army plow ahead with HoloLens Augmented Reality system (WC)
Japan offers $30M in aid for quantum computer sharing in industry, finance (Nk)
Lighter Side
These patches are apparently very popular in Taiwan… I wonder why? (Do you think the designer was inspired by Wednesday’s edition that included pictures of bears?)
The more you know…
Keep building!
Andrew