Northrop Announces Start of Testing for EMRIS Multi-Function Sensor - Avionics International

Northrop Announces Start of Testing for EMRIS Multi-Function Sensor - Avionics International: Northrop Grumman [NOC] said on Feb. 23 that it has begun integration and test of the new ultra-wideband Electronically-Scanned Multifunction Reconfigurable Integrated Sensor (EMRIS) to enable military forces “to accelerate decision timelines and act collectively.” The company has been developing EMRIS at the Linthicum Heights, Md., campus, which began operations as a Westinghouse site decades ago before its …

Arctic Defence:Operation NOBLE DEFENDER

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sucessfully completed Operation NOBLE DEFENDER,a dynamic force employment operation,last month.It ran from 15-31 January 2023.The drills spanned multiple locations from Alaska to Greenland.Said NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) commander General Glen Van Herck,US Air Force: Operation NOBLE DEFENDER sucessfully demonstrated our willingness and capability to conduct operations above the Arctic Circle in even the harshest weather conditions,and proved a concept of integration with key Arctic partners to defend northern approaches to North America.* Locations of OND included Thule Air Base,Greenland;Iqaluit Forward Operating Location,Nunavut,Canada;5 Wing Goose Bay,Newfoundland and Labrador,Canada;and Eielson Air Force Base,Alaska.Some 225 US Forces and Canadian Forces personnel supported and operated a wide range of aircraft,including four F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters;three Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets;four KC-135 refueling tankers;one RCAF Airbus CC-150 Polaris transport/refueling tanker;one E-3 Sentry AWACS;and one Canadian Forces AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter.* OND marked an historic first-ever deployment of F-35As to Thule Air Base,Greenland,with the permission of NATO Ally the Kingdom of Denmark.* The drills culminated with CF-18 Hornets escorting a U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber posing as an adversary through Northern Canada and the Central US.The joint operation demonstrated collaboration and integration with mission partners to defend the entirety of our northern approaches and the necessity of force integration to the defence of North America.* In the course of OND,CF-18 Hornets from 3 Wing,Bagotville,Quebec took off from Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut.Special Operations Forces from U.S. Special Operations Command North parachuted out of a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter to a location off the Bering Sea.F-22 Raptors soared overhead and inflatable boats from Commander Naval Special Warfare Group One headed for shore.* OND is a recurring operation throughout the year,maintaining mission readiness in varied environments and preserving the capacity for follow-on operations,NORAD said.OND validates the command's capability to defend the US and Canada against threats from every avenue of approach to the continent.This is especilly relevant in light of Russia's Arctic buildup in recent years as they revamped Cold War bases and built new ones.China is also stepping up its Arctic military operations.*

NATO Secretary General - Doorstep statement at Defence Ministers Meeting...14 FEBRUARY 2023

National Security Crisis:New Details About Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)

Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired,Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House,held a briefing on 13 February 2023 for the press corps at the White House.China has had a long-standing programme of balloon surveillance.These balloons have provided a limited additive capability to the People's Liberation Army.We are finally trying to understand such Unidentified Aerial Phenomena better.We have been more closely scrutinising slow-moving,high altitude objects that are hard to detect.In each instance,we have followed the same basic course.Those objects whose altitude posed a threat to civilian aircraft were shot down immediately.There are no active tracks today.We are working with our Allies on tracking UAP.Interagency teams have been formed to deal with the UAP issue within the US Government.The fourth object, which came down in Lake Huron,came down in the Canadian part of Lake Huron and we had good communications with our Canadian Allies.It had been shot down by Wisconsin Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcons.* In general,with a balloon,as opposed to a spy satellite,you could get better fidelity photos;you can loiter and soak in a little bit more information.NORAD and NORTHCOM commander General Glen Van Herck is using established protocols.The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the safest,most effective way to bring objects down,in his judgement.A fighter jet's cannon could threaten civilian aircraft.Some of the Chinese spy balloon's electronics have already been recovered,along with some of its structure.Why were the three weekend objects shot down?They were unmanned,not being controlled,posing a threat to civilian aircraft,and could have surveillance capabilities with which to threaten national security.* The US Coast Guard is assisting the Canadian Coast Guard at Lake Huron.It is believed the wreckage of this fourth object is in deep water.The object had an octagonal shape with strings attached to the bottom.There is no reason for the American people to worry about extraterrestrial craft.There is no indication of such a thing.The basic parameters of the objects have been seen before.Some of them could be small rigid-sided dirigibles,pointed out former FAA official Mary Schiavo.It's nothing new.* The US has been aware of China's balloon programme since 2021.We're seeing more objects because we're looking more.We have modified the radar filters to scrutinise low speed,high altitude objects.* CNN has reported that the Beaufort Sea,Alaska object and the Yukon Territory object had small metal cylinders attached to them (possibly surveillance payloads).The Beaufort Sea object was metallic and broke into pieces when it hit the sea ice.The Yukon object was a small metallic balloon with a payload that had traveled over sensitive US sites.The Lake Huron object descended slowly into the water when it was shot down.* Update:The US Navy and Coast Guard have almost finished recovering the Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina.They will now move out further from the coast to finish up.

National Security Crisis:Three Unidentified Objects Downed by NORAD Over Weekend

The national security crisis facing North America and its NATO members,the United States and Canada,that began with the Chinese surveillance balloon continued unabated over the weekend,resulting in a total of four downings by NORAD over an eight-day period.This post will cover the recovery of the Chinese balloon and the second downing.The recovery of the Chinese surveillance balloon,the first object,has been hindered by rough weather,but it is known that the balloon's surveillance package is intact,meaning a windfall for the Intelligence Community once it can be retrieved from the 46 ft. of water it lies beneath off South Carolina.The US Coast Guard is providing security for the recovery operation by US Navy divers,chasing journalists away.The wreckage is being flown to the FBI lab on the Quantico Marine Corps Base,Virginia for analysis.* The second downing,of a car-sized object,took place over the Beaufort Sea near Deadhorse,Alaska.The Beaufort Sea is frozen over,so it means recovery of the object from a solid surface.F-35A Lightning II fighters were sent up from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson,Alaska to examone the craft.One of the F-35 pilots said the object was interfering with the fighter's sensors.If so,a record of that could be retrieved from the warplane's electronics.Another F-35 pilot said the craft showed no discernible means of propulsion. An F-22 Raptor fighter jet shot the object down at 40,000 ft. with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.Responding to the wreckage was an AK-66 Pavehawk helicopter,perhaps with the Air Force Special Operations Forces who customarily fly it.An HC-130 Hercules aircraft also responded to the scene.It is able to land on ice,being equipped with retractable skis.Harsh wintry conditions of -21F in the recovery zone have slowed the recovery process down.* Two other downings occurred on Saturday over Canada's Yukon Territory,and on Sunday over Northern Lake Huron,Michigan.*

North Korean parade showed off record number of ICBMs, analysts say - Stars and Stripes

North Korean parade showed off record number of ICBMs, analysts say: North Korea held the event marking the 75th anniversary of its army’s founding at the main parade grounds in Pyongyang, where it showcased roughly 15 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

NATO Secretary General with the 🇺🇸 US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken 08 FEB 2023

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches classified USSF-67 Space Force mission - NASA Kennedy Space Center - 15 January 2023

F-22 Raptor Brings Down China's Spy Balloon

Four Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fifth generation fighters were scrambled at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia Saturday.They were needed to bring down the Chinese military balloon that attempted to gather intelligence over US territory in a blatant violation of US sovereignty and international law.The balloon was loaded with tons of surveillance equipment directed at sensitive military bases with an apparent emphasis on strategic systems such as the Minuteman III ICBM and B-2 Spirit bombers.* The Raptors arrived on scene off the South Carolina coast and loitered while they awaited the balloon's arrival.The balloon had first violated Canada's sovereignty before heading south into Montana and surveilling Malmstrom Air Force Base and its missile fields.It had traveled from China to the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska before violating Canadian air space,all the while tracked by NORAD.Eventually it wandered east over to Whiteman Air Force Base,Missouri,home of the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.NORTHCOM,out of Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado,provides protection for the US mainland and took charge of the hostile incident.Two air refueling tankers flew a pattern off South Carolina,standing by to refuel aircraft as needed.* On Wednesday,US President Joseph R. Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down the balloon in the safest way as soon as possible.The Pentagon chose the sea option.* Climbing to an altitude of 58,000 ft.,one of the F-22s fired a Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missile at the balloon at short range.It punctured the balloon with a thud,rendering it limp as it plunged for about five minutes to the coastal waters below within the 12-mile territorial zone of the United States.Whatever lands within the zone is legally under US Government control.The balloon ended up at a depth of merely 47 feet,easily retrievable by even novice divers.The US Navy and Coast Guard secured the scene by establishing a perimeter.A salvage vessel made its way to the wreckage of the ill-fated Chinese contraption.Electronic warfare measures had been applied to its technology by US Forces as it was blown along,ensuring that it couldn't achieve its unlawful mission unhindered.The debris field had been ascertained by NORTHCOM and NASA in advance.* Analysis:So China ended up with its surveillance technology in the hands of the US Intelligence Community,embarrassed by this bizarre mission of the People's Liberation Army.For its part,Canada expressed its appreciation for the US downing of the balloon.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Raytheon Technologies (RTX)

Airbus Launches Two R&D Projects As Part of the European Defence Fund - Avionics International

Airbus Launches Two R&D Projects As Part of the European Defence Fund - Avionics International: Airbus is coordinating two research & development projects: European Defence Operational Collaborative Cloud and EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies.