Thomas Newdick

Taiwan’s RF-5 Tigergazer Reconnaissance Jets Have Retired Tigergazer, with its elongated nose full of film cameras, will be replaced by drones and new pods for Taiwan's F-16s that use digital imaging systems. The

Taiwan’s RF-5 Tigergazer Reconnaissance Jets Have Retired

Tigergazer, with its elongated nose full of film cameras, will be replaced by drones and new pods for Taiwan’s F-16s that use digital imaging systems.

www.twz.com/air/taiwans-...

Israeli Commandos Attacked Iranian Air Defenses With Drones From Inside The Country: Report Mossad operatives went as far as setting up drone and missile bases near major air defense sites and other key targets. Mossad operatives went as far as setting up drone and missile bases near major a...

Israeli Commandos Attacked Iranian Air Defenses With Drones From Inside The Country: Report

Mossad operatives went as far as setting up drone and missile bases near major air defense sites and other key targets.

www.twz.com/air/israel-h...

Confirmed Losses Of Russian Aircraft Mount After Ukrainian Drone Assault Some of the bombers were armed with cruise missiles when Ukraine’s drones rained down on them. Some of the bombers were armed with cruise missiles when Ukraine’s drones rained down on them.

Confirmed Losses Of Russian Aircraft Mount After Ukrainian Drone Assault

Some of the bombers were armed with cruise missiles when Ukraine’s drones rained down on them.

www.twz.com/air/firm-evi...

What Ukraine’s Unprecedented Drone Attack Means For Russia's Bomber Force Russia is currently in no position to replace large losses of its strategic bombers and future operations will likely be impacted by force protection needs. Russia is currently in no position to repla...

What Ukraine’s Unprecedented Drone Attack Means For Russia's Bomber Force

Russia is currently in no position to replace large losses of its strategic bombers and future operations will likely be impacted by force protection needs.

www.twz.com/air/what-ukr...

What Ukraine’s Unprecedented Drone Attack Means For Russia's Bomber Force Russia is currently in no position to replace large losses of its strategic bombers and future operations will likely be impacted by force protection needs. Russia is currently in no position to repla...

What Ukraine’s Unprecedented Drone Attack Means For Russia's Bomber Force

Russia is currently in no position to replace large losses of its strategic bombers and future operations will likely be impacted by force protection needs.

www.twz.com/air/what-ukr...

Great backgrounder by @combatair.bsky.social about Russian nuke air-to-air missile mentioned in recent DIA testimony. www.twz.com/air/russia-f...

Thanks for crediting my post bsky.app/profile/nuke...

China’s J-10C Fighter: Separating Myth From Reality China's J-10C is in the spotlight after claims of Pakistani air-to-air kills against their Indian counterparts, but just how capable is it? Multiple reports suggest that Pakistan’s J-10Cs played an ou...

China’s J-10C Fighter: Separating Myth From Reality

China's J-10C is in the spotlight after claims of Pakistani air-to-air kills against their Indian counterparts, but just how capable is it?

www.twz.com/air/chinas-j...

F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts The U.S. had not committed to giving Ukraine its F-16s, but images of the type being flown out of Arizona on a Ukrainian An-124 began circulating last week. The non-operational F-16s appear to be the ...

F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts

The U.S. had not committed to giving Ukraine its F-16s, but images of the type being flown out of Arizona on a Ukrainian An-124 began circulating last week.

www.twz.com/air/f-16s-pu...

How times change… back in 2011, the Belarusian Oboronnyye Initsiativy company was offering its Talisman electronic warfare self-protection pod for the Eurofighter Typhoon, with a combined stores carriage/jammer outboard pylon.

China's Giant Land-Based Carrier Mockup Grows In Size, Now Resembles Ford Class The full-size aircraft carrier test facility in Wuhan is now a better approximation of China’s latest and future flattop designs. The modified land-based aircraft carrier test facility should be a bet...

Good overview on recent developments at the land-based carrier mockup site in Wuhan, by @combatair.bsky.social. I like how the writing especially caveats on what we do or do not know. As noted, its early, but nevertheless very interesting days in regards to Type 004.
www.twz.com/sea/chinas-g...

Su-35s Once Expected To Arm Iran Are Now In Algeria Originally built for Egypt, the Su-35s now being transferred to Algeria had long been expected to bolster Iran’s decrepit air arm. Originally built for Egypt, the Su-35s now being transferred to Alger...

Su-35s Once Expected To Arm Iran Are Now In Algeria

Originally built for Egypt, the Su-35s now being transferred to Algeria had long been expected to bolster Iran’s decrepit air arm.

www.twz.com/air/su-35s-o...

Reflections Of The F-47: Looking Back At The X-36 The tailless X-36 demonstrator was one of several test planes and studies that likely paved the way for the F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter. The tailless X-36 demonstrator was one of several tes...

Reflections Of The F-47: Looking Back At The X-36

The tailless X-36 demonstrator was one of several test planes and studies that likely paved the way for the F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter.

www.twz.com/air/reflecti...

Super Hornets Are Now Carrying Stormbreaker Glide Bombs On Combat Missions Imagery shows Navy F/A-18E/Fs equipped with GBU-53/B Stormbreakers being launched on missions against Houthi militants in Yemen. Imagery shows Navy F/A-18E/Fs equipped with GBU-53/B Stormbreakers bein...

Super Hornets Are Now Carrying Stormbreaker Glide Bombs On Combat Missions

Imagery shows Navy F/A-18E/Fs equipped with GBU-53/B Stormbreakers being launched on missions against Houthi militants in Yemen.

www.twz.com/air/super-ho...

Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract The Air Force's next and possibly last manned tactical jet will be built by Boeing.

Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract

The Air Force's next and possibly last manned tactical jet will be built by Boeing.

www.twz.com/air/boeing-w...

Our Best Look At Ukraine’s ‘FrankenBuk’ Air Defense System The best-known of Ukraine’s so-called ‘FrankenSAMs’ puts RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles on a Soviet-era Buk-M1 ground-based air defense system. The best-known of Ukraine’s so-called ‘FrankenSAMs’ puts RIM...

Our Best Look At Ukraine’s ‘FrankenBuk’ Air Defense System

The best-known of Ukraine’s so-called ‘FrankenSAMs’ puts RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles on a Soviet-era Buk-M1 ground-based air defense system.

www.twz.com/air/our-best...

Interesting; thanks for your insight, Steve. The supersonic anti-ship missile development club is indeed a very small one.

not convinced?

France Eyeing Deployment Of Nuclear-Armed Rafale Fighters To Germany: Report Amid concerns over U.S. commitment to European security, France is mulling the extension of its nuclear umbrella farther across Europe. The latest proposal reportedly involves the deployment of nuclea...

The difference, in that historic case, is that the F-100s were armed with U.S.-made Mk 28 thermonuclear bombs, as part of the ‘dual-key’ arrangement. A future deployment would involve Rafale Bs and ASMP-A missiles, as you can read about here:

www.twz.com/air/france-e...

What’s old is new again? The recent suggestion of possible deployment of nuclear-armed French fighters in Germany led me to recall when this happened before: F-100D/F Super Sabres from the 11e Escadre de Chasse based at Bremgarten and Lahr-Hugsweier, 1963-64.

France Eyeing Deployment Of Nuclear-Armed Rafale Fighters To Germany: Report Amid concerns over U.S. commitment to European security, France is mulling the extension of its nuclear umbrella farther across Europe. The latest proposal reportedly involves the deployment of nuclea...

I spoke with @twz.com about The Telegraph report on hypothetical deployment of some French nuclear-capable fighters in Germany. It’s a lot more complex than the off-the-cuff comment suggests. www.twz.com/air/france-e...

Also see our French nuke notebook: www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

Air-Launched Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile Being Tested By Taiwan The air-launched adaptation of the HF-3 will provide Taiwan’s F-CK-1 fighter with a faster, more survivable missile than the F-16-launched Harpoon. The air-launched adaptation of the HF-3 will provide...

Air-Launched Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile Being Tested By Taiwan

The air-launched adaptation of the HF-3 will provide Taiwan’s F-CK-1 fighter with a faster, more survivable missile than the F-16-launched Harpoon.

www.twz.com/air/taiwan-i...

Trump Offers India Path To F-35 As India sits at a fork in the road for its future fighter fleet plans, the U.S. has just upped the ante with the prospect of F-35 deliveries. As India sits at a fork in the road for its future fighte...

Trump Offers India Path To F-35

As India sits at a fork in the road for its future fighter fleet plans, the U.S. has just upped the ante with the prospect of F-35 deliveries.

www.twz.com/air/trump-of...

First Mirage 2000 Fighter Has Arrived In Ukraine Less than a year after the transfer was announced, the first of the French-made delta-wing jets has now arrived in Ukraine. Less than a year after the transfer was announced, the first of the French-m...

First Mirage 2000 Fighter Has Arrived In Ukraine

www.twz.com/air/first-mi...

Airbus A321 Airliners To Be Modified Into “Flying Frigate” Patrol Jets By France The maritime patrol jet is intended to replace the French Navy’s aging Dassault Atlantique 2s and comes as Boeing’s P-8 gobbles up market share. The maritime patrol jet is intended to replace the Fren...

Airbus A321 Airliners To Be Modified Into “Flying Frigate” Patrol Jets By France

www.twz.com/air/airbus-a...

North Korean Air Defense System Revealed In Ukraine By Russian Friendly Fire Strike A North Korean-made surface-to-air missile, broadly analogous to the Russian Tor, has appeared for the first time in combat in the Kursk region. A North Korean-made surface-to-air missile, broadly ana...

North Korean Air Defense System Revealed In Ukraine By Russian Friendly Fire Strike

A North Korean-made surface-to-air missile, broadly analogous to the Russian Tor, has appeared for the first time in combat in the Kursk region.

www.twz.com/land/north-k...

Personalized helmet (presumably a Soviet-era ZSh-7 series) belonging to a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 pilot, with the callsign “Hooligan.” Source: @army_tv_ua

Hints At More B61 Nuclear Bomb Variants In The U.S. Military's Future A true successor to the specialized deep bunker-busting B61-11 variant could be a future addition as adversaries increasingly go underground.

Hints At More B61 Nuclear Bomb Variants In The U.S. Military’s Future

A true successor to the specialized deep bunker-busting B61-11 variant could be a future addition as adversaries increasingly go underground.

Story: www.twz.com/air/hints-at...

Tailless Fighter-Like Airframe Appears At Chinese Jet Manufacturer Shenyang's Main Plant The appearance of the object comes after two new tailless heavy tactical jet designs appeared in the Chinese skies on December 26th.

Tailless Fighter-Like Airframe Appears At Chinese Jet Manufacturer Shenyang’s Main Plant www.twz.com/air/tailless...

China Stuns With Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet’s Sudden Appearance This is the most advanced flying machine we have seen out of China, lacking any tails and packing stealth and long range. This is the most advanced flying machine we have seen out of China, lacking an...

China Stuns With Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet’s Sudden Appearance

This is the most advanced flying machine we have seen out of China, lacking any tails and packing stealth and long range.

www.twz.com/air/china-st...

What We Know About The Russian Cargo Ship That Sank In Mediterranean Ukrainian intel claims the cargo ship was headed to Syria, to take Russian materiel out of the country, but Moscow says otherwise. Ukrainian intel claims the cargo ship was headed to Syria, to take Ru...

What We Know About The Russian Cargo Ship That Sank In Mediterranean

Ukrainian intel claims the cargo ship was headed to Syria, to take Russian materiel out of the country, but Moscow says otherwise.

www.twz.com/news-feature...