Free Republic

The U.S. Navy has big plans for modernizing existing major end items. The maritime branch is excited about the next-generation DDG(X) destroyer and the F/A-XX next-generation fighter jet. Now, the SSN(X) futuristic submarine that will replace the Virginia-class boats is experiencing delays. The SSN(X) may not come to fruition until the early 2040s, which is hard to fathom. Who knows what the U.S. military will look like in two decades?

Russia’s Su-57 Felon Next-generation Fighter Has Its Wings Clipped: It hasn’t been a good summer for the Russian Air Force, and now the Ukrainians are adding insult to injury. One of Russia’s most vaunted warbirds – the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon – was destroyed by a Ukrainian drone strike in June. The resilient and intrepid Ukrainians have raised the stakes in the war against Russia by using drones in deep attack mode. The destruction of the single-seat twin-engine Su-57 Felon must have created another headache for air force leaders in Moscow because it is one of the jewels in the Russian...

Ukraine is burning through ammunition for 155mm howitzers quickly and it is leaving the United States in a bind, according to a new report by think tank CSIS. It could take up to five years for the industrial base to produce enough rounds to replenish American stocks. It is not just cannon shells. Javelin and Stinger missiles could take six to eight years to normalize for the U.S. inventory.