Military & War News and Discussions

[wjfox]

Rishi Sunak pledges to hit 2.5% GDP defence spending target by 2030

14 minutes ago

The UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2030, Rishi Sunak has promised.

The move, which No 10 said would see £75bn more for the military over the next six years, follows pressure from Conservative MPs and ministers.

The government says it plans to spend 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence this year.

It had previously said it would raise spend to 2.5% when economic conditions allowed, without setting a date.

But the announcement of a specific date, made by the prime minister during a visit to Poland, hardens the spending commitment ahead of the general election, which could come as soon as July.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68880171

[weatheriscool]

Lockheed's Skunk Works teases a new aircraft it's developing for the 2040s
May 13, 2024

https://newatlas.com/military/lockheed- ... aft-2040s/
Lockheed Martin's paradoxically famous/secret Skunk Works has released the first image of its futuristic stealth tanker aircraft designed to refuel US and allied warplanes at long distances close to combat zones sometime in the 2040s.

Officially known as the Advanced Development Programs (ADP), the Skunk Works division was founded sometime between 1939 and 1943, depending on who's telling the story, and its engineers living under conditions of tight security cranked out the P-38 Lightning, P-80 Shooting Star, the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II.

In their spare time, they also worked on supersonic transports, hypersonic research planes, space launch vehicles, a fusion reactor, and even a stealth boat that was featured in a Bond thriller.

Today, the US government is pushing to develop a new family of aerial tankers to replace the aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers. These tankers are essential to US and allied flight operations because they allow warplanes to operate far out of range of their bases. They are what made it possible for B-52s to reach anywhere in the world from the 1950s onward, and for British Vulcan bombers to strike Stanley Airport in the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982 from bases in southern England.

[weatheriscool]

US Air Force releases first official pics of B-21 bomber in flight
By David Szondy
May 22, 2024

https://newatlas.com/military/usaf-firs ... er-flight/
Although snapshots of the B-21 Raider nuclear bomber in flight have been taken previously by the public in the vicinity of Edwards Air Force Base in California, these weren't with permission. Now the United States Air Force has released the first official images of the aircraft in the air.

Despite having a wingspan of 132 ft (40 m), an empty weight of 70,000 lb (31,751 kg), and the least inconspicuous profile in the world, the US Air Force is keen to keep tight security around the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The aircraft, which is slated to become the third leg of the US nuclear deterrent force by the 2050s, quietly shifted from ground tests to flight tests sometime around November 2023, though officials were reluctant to admit this until video footage started showing up on X (formerly Twitter).

[weatheriscool]

I know you don't like the source but it does show that china is investing big time into robotic killing machines.

[firestar464]

It's literally not that hard to find a better source.

https://interestingengineering.com/inno ... dia-drills

[weatheriscool]

Bell's High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing X-plane takes next step
By David Szondy
June 02, 2024

Bell has been selected as one of two companies for Phase 1B of DARPA's Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program to create a prototype High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) aircraft for the US military.

NASA's program to develop a new class of aircraft combining the hovering ability of a helicopter with the high-speed of a jet took a step up on May 28 when Bell Textron announced that it was given the go ahead to develop its concept for the SPRINT X-plane. This comes in the wake of Aurora Flight Sciences unveiling its concept for a blended wing aircraft for the project.

Bell has made considerable progress with its tilt rotor design. Earlier this year, it carried out ground track tests to demonstrate flight control systems and how the engine nacelles can convert from rotor to forward jet propulsion, then folding back the rotors into the nacelle to reduce drag.

https://newatlas.com/military/bell-hvtol-x-plane/

[weatheriscool]

[wjfox]

House passes defense bill automatically registering men 18-26 for draft

Fri, June 14, 2024 at 9:59 PM GMT+1·2 min read

The House of Representatives passed a measure on Friday automatically registering men aged 18 to 26 for selective service.

It was part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets out the U.S. government’s military and national security priorities over the next fiscal year.

This year's NDAA authorizes $895.2 billion in military spending, a $9 billion increase from fiscal 2024.

While it hasn’t been invoked in over half a century, it’s mandatory for all male U.S. citizens to register for the selective service, also known as the military draft, when they turn 18. Failure to register is classified as a felony and comes with a host of legal challenges.

Supporters of the amendment argue that it would cut down on bureaucratic red tape and help U.S. citizens avoid unnecessary legal issues, as well as cutting down on the taxpayer dollars going toward prosecuting those cases.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-passes ... 54045.html

[caltrek]

^^^Here is more on that defense bill:

by Julia Conley
June 14, 2024

Extract:

(Comon Dreams) (A)mendments pushed through by Republicans include one proposed by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), which would block a Biden administration policy that reimburses members of the military for travel costs they incur when seeking an abortion, and one put forward by Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), which would block funding for gender-affirming medical procedures for service members.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) proposed a ban on any funds in the legislation being used to implement President Joe Biden's climate change executive orders.

Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) proposed placing Pentagon jobs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on a permanent hiring freeze, and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) added an amendment requiring the Reconciliation Monument, a Confederate memorial, to be relocated to Arlington National Cemetery.
...

The NDAA in its current form is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-led Senate, where the Armed Services Committee held a markup this week on its own version of the legislation.

(Rep. Pramila) Jayapal (D-Wash) expressed hope that after the November elections, the NDAA process will be "led by a Democratic House that allows an open and robust debate on the issues Americans care about—national security and peace, upholding human rights, protecting our servicemembers and their families, and taking on the climate crisis and corporate corruption—not cynical attacks on vulnerable Americans."

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/ndaa-passed

[Powers]

House passes defense bill automatically registering men 18-26 for draft

Fri, June 14, 2024 at 9:59 PM GMT+1·2 min read

The House of Representatives passed a measure on Friday automatically registering men aged 18 to 26 for selective service.

It was part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets out the U.S. government’s military and national security priorities over the next fiscal year.

This year's NDAA authorizes $895.2 billion in military spending, a $9 billion increase from fiscal 2024.

While it hasn’t been invoked in over half a century, it’s mandatory for all male U.S. citizens to register for the selective service, also known as the military draft, when they turn 18. Failure to register is classified as a felony and comes with a host of legal challenges.

Supporters of the amendment argue that it would cut down on bureaucratic red tape and help U.S. citizens avoid unnecessary legal issues, as well as cutting down on the taxpayer dollars going toward prosecuting those cases.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-passes ... 54045.html

So it is draft then?