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A key lesson of the Ukraine War is that when we deploy certain types of precision guided munitions (PGMs), such as anti-tank missiles or man-portable air-defense systems like Stinger missiles, it takes years to manufacture new ones. We have also learned that the tooling needed to produce various types of PGMs no longer exists—indeed, in some cases entire factories have been dismantled. This means that if we want more PGMs, we will have to start from scratch.Another weakness of our defense manufacturing capability is that we depend heavily on global supply chains. Specialized parts may be produced in the U.S.,...

Sibanye Stillwater, the South African company that operates the nation’s only major palladium mine in south-central Montana, said Thursday that it plans to lay off about 40% of its Montana workforce as it scales back its operation in an effort to offset losses caused by low metal prices. In a letter to workers, U.S. Executive Vice President Kevin Robertson said the company will halt mining at the west section of its Stillwater mine southwest of Columbus until prices rise. It also plans to restructure operations at its East Boulder mine south of Big Timber and its Columbus-area processing and recycling...

Computer-generated image of the SPICE munitions | Screengrab from Rafael video As news of the Indian Air Force strike on terror targets in Pakistan dominated headlines across the world, speculation has begun on the kind of weapons the Mirage 2000 jets carried. The speculation has increased as the Indian Air Force hit a target in 'Pakistan proper' at Balakot, far from the Line of Control. While initial reports said the Indian Air Force used laser-guided bombs, some media agencies claim the Mirage 2000 fighters hit the targets from 'standoff' ranges, which meant they needn't have strayed significantly beyond the Line...

At Farnborough 2018, the Spice 250 is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen. Rafael’s Spice 250 electro-optical/infrared-guided glide bomb is on course to achieve initial operational capability with the Israel Air and Space Force next year, following a third test campaign earlier this year that saw the 100-km (62-mile) range weapon successfully engage moving, maritime, and time-critical targets. A few more qualification tests are due to be undertaken, with low-rate production just getting under way. At Farnborough 2018, the weapon is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab...

Human rights groups say they have uncovered definitive proof a UK-made cruise missile was used to destroy a civilian target in Yemen in September and have called for Britain to end arms sales to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting a bloody campaign against rebel forces there. Such a use of the missile, made by Marconi and sold to Saudi Arabia during the mid-1990s, was “depressingly predictable”, said Amnesty International, which conducted the investigation alongside Human Rights Watch. According to research at the scene and interviews with witnesses, the groups say the missile was used on 23 September to destroy a...

Starting from next year, the South Korean Air Force will boost the ability of its KF-16 fighter jets to hit long-range targets. The Air Force revealed the plan on Tuesday in a report submitted to the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee for parliamentary inspection. To hit long-range targets, the Air Force will introduce Israeli-made bomb guidance kits known as "SPICE," an acronym for smart, precise impact and cost-effective. When dropped from a high altitude by KF-16s, the SPICE-2000 guided bombs can travel more than 50 kilometers and hit targets, including on the other side of a mountain. The Air Force...

They’re not shooting precision-guided bullets — yet. But Raytheon may be the closest yet, with a tiny guided missile a soldier can launch from a rifle-mounted grenade launcher. Meet the Pike, a 17-inch-long, laser-guided munition that Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems is developing on its own dime in hopes the U.S. Army and perhaps other allied armies will buy it. The Pike and other small guided munitions Raytheon has developed in recent years meet a growing demand for precision, targeted strikes that leave minimal “collateral damage” — death or injury to civilians and property damage — in an era where enemies...

The bomb was constructed on the basis of the Kh-38ME modular aircraft guided missile, according to the manufacturer. ZHUKOVSKY (Sputnik) — A unique Grom-2, possessing the destructive utility of both a missile and a bomb, has been developed in Russia, general director of the Tactical Missile Systems Corporation said Wednesday. “Grom-2 is in fact a glide bomb, as there is another warhead weighing 130 kilograms [286 pounds] instead of an engine with a total weight of 250 kilograms," Boris Obnosov told journalists. According to Obnosov, the Grom-2 was constructed on the basis of the Kh-38ME modular aircraft guided missile. Russia's...

<p>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Concealed by the night sky, the two aging Philippine air force planes unleashed a surprise high-tech weapon: U.S. satellite-guided bombs that whizzed down with deadly precision toward a long-elusive terrorist suspect and two other top radicals dozing with their men in Jolo Island's jungle.</p>

Umbani becomes first SA weapon trailed off Hawk Written by Leon Engelbrecht Thursday, 28 July 2011 14:55 The Denel Dynamics Umbani precision guided munition (PGM) bomb kit optimised for the NATO Mk 82 gravity bomb has been test dropped from a South African Air Force's BAE Systems Hawk Mk120, making it the first indigenous guided weapon trialled from the lead-in fighter aircraft. Denel Dynamics CE Jan Wessels last year May said the development of the bomb kit was being funded by the SAAF as a technology project. According to the Armscor Bulletin System some R34 537 231.11 was spent on...

Rafale and AASM-Hammer, a dynamic duo 20-07-2011 - As we have seen throughout recorded history, each new conflict seems to bring its own share of innovations. Recently, for example, the air strikes over Libya – Operation Harmattan for France, and Operation Unified Protector for NATO in the framework of the UN resolution 1973 – have spotlighted the unexpectedly powerful performance of a new French-made weapon, the AASM Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) air-to-ground modular weapon developed and produced by Sagem. The AASM made a discreet debut in the spring of 2008, when the French air force deployed a...

Turkey develops domestic missile, rocket Sunday, June 19, 2011 ÜMİT ENGİNSOY ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News Two Turkish state-run defense companies have reported major progress in what analysts view as crucial locally designed and developed missile and rocket programs. Earlier in June, Tübitak Sage, the missile specialist operating under the state’s Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, or TÜBİTAK, exhibited the country’s first domestic cruise missile during an air show in İzmir marking the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Air Force’s foundation. The missile, which has a range of 180 kilometers, was designed and developed by Turkish engineers, including...

Saudis to buy $475M in Raytheon bomb kits Raytheon has signed a contract worth $475 million to supply Saudi Arabia with Paveway bomb-guidance kits made by Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems. The direct commercial sale "cements Raytheon's long-standing commitment to Saudi Arabian industry and keeps production lines operational in the U.S.," Raytheon said in a news release. The company will partner with Saudi Arabian industry to fulfill the support-equipment portion of the contract, said Mike Jarrett, vice president of supply-chain management at Raytheon Missile Systems. About 150 of Raytheon's Tucson-area employees work to design and produce the Paveway series of bomb...

France tests infrared-guided missile Published: Dec. 16, 2010 PARIS, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Sagem and the French defense procurement agency have conducted the first night launch of an AASM missile with infrared terminal guidance. The company said the night launch of the air-to-ground weapon from the DGA's test center in southwest France was part of export evaluation tests. The 511-pound missile was launched with a vertical trajectory more than 31 miles from its target. The missile's infrared imager identified its target several seconds before impact and its image processing algorithms enabled it to hit the target within 1 yard. "This...

For the last five years, South Korean intelligence has been trying to get their hands on North Korea's new GPS jammer. The South Korean recently revealed that they had evidence that these jammers were now mounted on North Korean electronic warfare vehicles. These jammers are used to spoil the aim of GPS guided bombs and missiles, and are believed to have a range of 50-100 kilometers. South Korea believes the jammer technology was obtained from Russia. The U.S., NATO, Israel and several Middle Eastern nations (friendly to the U.S.) are big users of GPS guided weapons. The North Korean device...

An aerial bomb descends toward a target in Najaf, Iraq, Monday Aug. 23, 2004, after two bombs were dropped from high altitudes by U.S. aircraft. Sporadic, but heavy fighting continued overnight and into the day Monday. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan)

* * * [asterisks indicate omitted text] The challenges facing the military today, however, are no less daunting than the opportunities are promising. Most leaders and observers agree that the U.S. military will have to "transform" itself in order to maintain its lead as well as to be able to meet the challenges of the present and the future for which it was not designed. At the same time, the U.S. is engaged in a war on terrorism, in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo, and in a massive peacekeeping, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and reconstruction effort in Iraq. Tensions over...