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Iraq's electric power plants were bombed by Tomahawk cruise missiles equipped with warheads filled with carbon fibers during the early hours of the Persian Gulf War. The carbon fibers caused transformers and other electrical apparatus to short circuit, thereby blinding electronic air defenses.

Maj. Gen. Stephen B. Croker of the US Air Combat Command believes the pared-down USAF heavy bomber force would not be capable of sustaining two simultaneous regional conflicts. A Command road map details long-range utilization plans for B-2s, B-1s and B-52s.

There is speculation that a large scale withdrawal by the US of its military operations in Asia in addition to the Soviet Union collapse could create a power vacuum that could cause a major arms race in the Pacific Rim region.

The article discusses the latest developments that the U.S. Navy (USN) is undertaking in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' reduced-signature Predator C is one such development that has a turbojet engine with hidden exhaust and recessed air intakes, swept wings and V-tail.

The US Navy's Office of Space and Electronic Warfare is working on a program to revise the military's command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I) systems. The new C3I plan, called Copernicus, is being criticized for its lack of focus.

The US military response to North Korea's nuclear test on October 9, 2006 is muted since its ground forces are locked in deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan with no opportunity to withdraw them, and enough ground troops are not available to back up any intended air strikes and a naval blockade of North Korea.

Reports on methods used to detect military airplanes with stealth capabilities. How two of the United States Air Force's stealth bombers were severely damaged in Kosovo in 1999; Ways to make an airplane undetectable to radar; The impossible nature of hiding an airplane's radiation signature.

The author examines new avionic systems developed by the U.S. Navy for use in both military and civilian aircraft.

Together, Ryan Aeronautical Center and Schweizer are designing a UAV that will surpass the Navy's specs that it must carry a 200-lb. payload, take off vertically, fly 110 miles, loiter for 3 hours at up to 20,000 feet, return to the gound and land in a 25-kt. breeze. Competitors include Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky. The Navy should make a decision by March 1, 2000.

Passing Block 3.0 software testing is the factor Lockheed Martin is facing now in order to get approval to proceed with production of the Air Force's F-22's. This critical testing must by met in order to get congressional money for production. It is still unclear whether the software has to pass actual flying or not.

The Scientific Advisory Board did a study of the U.S. Air Force's airborne electronic warfare and how to improve it. Some of the studies findings were that EW needs to be elevated to a higher level of importance so that combat aircraft survivability is not jeopardised; new jamming aircraft needs to be purchased; and 'elevate EW investments on a par with stealth and reorganize acquisition and operations of these esoteric skills.'

Two intelligence gathering aircraft will be used by the U.S. Air Force to conduct long-range surveillance missions. An RC-135S Cobra Ball and an RC-135W River Joints were built by Raytheon Co.'s E-Systems unit in Greenville, Texas.

US and UK aircraft and cruise missiles were successful in pressing their air war against Iraq in a four day campaign. Suppressing Iraqi air defenses was a high priority though mission planners concentrating on destroying key parts of the overall system rather than destroying all air defense hardware. Many Iraqi radars and air defense missiles did not engage Allied aircraft at all with the bulk of the resistance limited to largely ineffective anti-aircraft guns. A key air defense equipment repair facility was also hit.

Israel is preparing a series of tests for its advanced Arrow ballistic missle defense system following the system's successful targeting and engagement of a simulated target in September 1998. The next test, slated for spring 1999, will use the complete Arrow system to intercept a TM-91 surrogate Scud target. The third test, which will be conducted later in 1999, will strain the system's capabilities by launching target missiles from different directions and varying distances. Advanced versions of Arrow are expected to be operational in about 15 years at the same time advanced warheads and missiles have been developed by hostile governments.

The US military's Expeditionary Force Experiment 1999 will give emphasis on space-based communications and sensors and will include more military installations to allow more integrated participation of air, space and ground forces. EFX is a series of annual experiments designed to use mature technology to form a seamless warfighting system by 2010. EFX's initial vision is to reduce the current 72-hr planning cycle for an air tasking order by using continously updated battlefield data. In 2000, EFX will focus on logistics.

The US Navy is considering new generation of penetrator warheads to boost firepower of its current crop of air- and sea-launched missiles. Fitting the Tomahawk land attack missile or Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile (Calcm) with the new bunker-busting warheads will significantly broaden the missiles' role as a strategic-range weapon. The new warheads could offer improved performance than the Air Force's 2,000-lb. air-dropped penetrator bomb, but not greater than the GBU-37 penetrator weapon. Candidate warheads include the British Aerospace's Lancer Broach and Lockheed Martin's Advanced Unitary Penetrator.

Airborne lasers being developed by Boeing, TRW and Lockheed Martin are considered to have potential roles as a weapon against ballistic missiles. The laser, which showed successful test results, could be a defense mechanism against cruise missiles and as a passive, long-range optical reconnaissance platform. The three company's success in the testing of the device also indicates an overall technical health of the project, which would have its critical design review in July 1999, while the airborne laser aircraft would be tested beginning 2001.

The US Air Force takes over the task of handling the managing and operating responsibilities for the the Defense Department's unmanned aerial vehicles, DarkStar and Global Hawk. The stealthy, high-altitude and big-payload DarkStar and Global Hawk will be deployed in 1999 to the East Coast by the US Air Force in an effort to show the flexibility of the unmanned aerial vehicles when used in missions. The scheduled deployment will come after the receipt of the fourth and third DarkStar deliveries.

US Air Force analysts cast doubt on North Korea's claims that it launched its first satellite from the two-stage Taepo Dong 1 missile. There was nothing in available sensor data to suggest that the Aug. 31, 1998, firing was anything other than a theater ballistic missile test, said USAF analysts. However, some intelligence agency analysts said an object that separated from the missile could have been powered, indicating that the object could be a satellite. Moreover, the missile's due-east path bolsters North Korea's contention as the Earth's rotation would have boosted the vehicle's speed. The firing had angered Japanese officials because the missile flew across Hokkaido Island before landing in the Pacific Ocean.

The Air Force is doing secret series of upgrades to the E-3 AWACS and E-8 Joint-STARS aircraft and the AIM-120 Amraam air-to-air missile to counter the threat of stealth cruise missiles. The E-3 AWACS' upgraded S-band radar would provide a wide-area, long-range surveillance. Since S-band radars do not have the accuracy of X-band radars, the E-3 AWACS would transmit the cue to the E-8 Joint-STARS. The 'kill chain' of the anti-cruise missile system starts with an E-3 AWACS detecting a cruise missile and designating an area where an Amraam missile may be fired. The E-8 Joint-STARS aircraft would then guide the missile within the designated area. When the cruise missile is already within the range of the Amraam, the latter's guidance system would take over and complete the interception.

The US Air Force will restructure its operations into 10 air expeditionary forces of about 175 aircraft each, with less than half of the aircraft to be deployed aboard. Moroever, the planes will be equipped with better communications and enhanced sensing to link the flying units more closely both to the battlefield and headquarters. USAF's top officials hope that by launching new technology and creating a flexible organization, the service will overcome declining number of personnel, shrinking funds and an unrelenting deployment schedule.

The orientation of future unmanned combat aircraft (UCAVs) design is in transition from greater maneuverability and high speed, to greater payload and range capability. Planners are discovering that their original goals of building high-speed UCAVs that can turn at least 12 to 15 G, are less important than producing larger, subsonic aircraft that can carry greater numbers of high-performance weapons over farther distances. Such a transition is likewise resulting in a shift in the cost-evaluation for UCAV development, with aplnners and budget builders becoming more inclined to endorse new designs costing from $5 million to $10 million each, instead of $15 million apiece.

There exist some reservations at the Pentagon that the diverse mix of manned and unmanned aircraft for strike and reconnaissance missions in the 21st century, may be much harder to monitor, control and clear for attack than previously anticipated by planners. Among the foremost concerns is the ability of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to engage previously undetected air defenses, while defending, and simultaneously operating with, manned aircraft in a mixed force. Another regard is the dependability of long-range data and command communication links, with which UAVs will exchange information from so-called mother aircraft and other command platforms, amid heavy electronic jamming.

The Air Force is developing Senior Glass 1R, a single payload that consolidates all types of US aircraft and satellites that collect electronic signals emitted by foreign air defense systems. These aircraft and satellites include the Air Force's U-2S, RC-135U Combat Sent and RC-135V/W Rivet Joint; the Navy's EP-3E Aries 2 and ES-3 Shadows; and several 'ferret' satellites. All these systems are equipped with intelligence-gathering packages that has the capability to monitor, collect and process radar emissions coming from foreign defense systems.

The Pentagon fears that the US has less dominance on electronic warfare due to a mix of upgraded surface-to-air-missiles and a breakdown in the country's ability to counter air defense threats. A review of US air defenses revealed that the U-2Ss, which is among the best reconnaissance and electronic signals intelligence-gathering aircraft in the US, would have been unable to identify the signals from some older, but newly upgraded Iraqi air defense radars. The updating has altered the electronic observables of the radars that guide Iraq's SA-2 missiles, so that radar warning devices are unable to identify the missiles as threats. In the spring of 1998, the military has started a crash program called the Electronic Warfare Operational Shortfall Study (EWOSS) to address the U-2S problem.

Lockheed Martin has successfully flown its redesigned stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called DarkStar on Jun. 29, 1998, from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA. The company redesigned the UAV's landing gear and flight control system, beating the problems that destroyed the first DarkStar aircraft two years ago. DarkStar will undergo three more flight demonstrations, with the second flight expected to be held occur in July 1998. The UAV's advanced concept technology demonstration is set to be concluded in December 1999, after which the services and US Atlantic Command will have to decide on the aircraft's military utility.

The Air Force's long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle Predator is being considered to play a role in defeating enemy air defenses. The aircraft will introduce another layer of operational complexity to the initial two weeks of Green Flag 1999 military exercise. The exercise will determine the ability of manned and unmanned aircraft to operate jointly while airborne. Specifically, Defense Department planners will study the Predator-Joint-STARS combination. The major role for Joint-STARS is to act as control aircraft for unmanned vehicles such as the Predator, while unmanned vehicles will be tasked to venture in areas unsafe for the Joint-STARS.

The Department of Defense have allocated funds in future budgets to upgrade five E-8C Joint-STARS aircraft on or before 2006 with enhanced radar and computer systems. Major changes that will transform the Joint-STARS APY-3 radar system into the next-generation APY-X are to include the radar technology insertion program (RTIP) and computer replacement program (CRP). The new radar system should have sufficient resolution and computing capability to accurately calculate the physical dimensions of a target. This data, together with other information, would be combined to precisely identify the target, know its origin and track it until it stops.

The WikiLeaks documents have confirmed that Chinese advisers are working with Afghan Taliban groups that are currently in combat against the NATO forces in the region. Chinese specialists have been training Taliban fighters in the use of infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles.

The main benefits that cost-cutting measures have brought for the defense forces in both the U.S. and the U.K. are improved intelligence gathering and analysis. The U.K. and the U.S. are also planning to closely collaborate on a number of important programs.

The article discusses the tough times that Israel's defense planners face in dealing with threat from the large accumulation of well-calibrated weapons and missiles possessed by neighbors that pose a threat to the country. The only solution that Israel sees is to add more layers to its missile and air defenses.

Increasing evidence is emerging regarding the ballistic missile development ties between North Korea and Iran and the assistance being provided by both countries in the development of the arsenals of both. Iran has earlier been a junior partner; however, the situation is currently reversed.

The U.S. Navy (USN) is all set to focus all its energies on the development of the Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) as the backbone of its future electronic attack capabilities. The main goal of the USN is to find a primary airborne electronic attack initiative that manages to strike the right balance between performance and acceptable program risk.

Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI's) Malat division has developed the, electric-powered, 70-kt. Panther unmanned aerial system (UAS) for low-noise surveillance operations. The aircraft features tilt-rotor motors that allow point takeoffs and landings, automatic navigation to the targets, and day/night cameras.

The cyberworm that damaged part of Iran's nuclear weapon program demonstrates countries' increasing vulnerability to cyber-attacks from unknown sources. The origin of the attack is unknown, despite Tehran's claims that the worm was inserted into its computer systems by Israel.

The article discusses the different technologies being made use of for killing tactical ballistic missiles in order to ensure that explosive, biological or radioactive debris falls near enemy launch sites. Israel does not have any such weapon; however, details of weapons it used and has added to its arsenal are highlighted.

The article discusses the special needs of the Israelis that the use of varieties of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) will meet. However, the primary challenge that continues to remain is that of high price; and several concepts that will define the development of UAS by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are highlighted.

Germany is training a large number of its pilots to the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to receive training on operating the Tornado and Heron aircraft in preparation for operations in Afghanistan. The German crew are doing well in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training mainly due to the high level of experience that the crew already possess.

Israel's unmanned aircraft such as the huge Eitan/Heron 2 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and the F-15I Ra'am long-range strike fighter are tracking missile proliferation in the Red Sea. The various benefits and advantages that the two provide to Israel are highlighted.

The article discusses the varied and different technology systems and missile defense approaches that the three different international powers- China, Israel and the U.S. are following. Israel is concentrating on development of specialized ground-based defenses; China is building the world's largest inventory of defensive surface-to-air missiles (SAM); and the U.S. is looking at a set of capabilities such as combination solid-state and chemical/gas lasers and advanced air-to-air missiles capable of being carried by unmanned aircraft.

The main issue of contention between negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. over the sale of 84 new F-15S strike-fighters by the U.S. to Saudi Arabia is the degree of sophistication of the aircraft's active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. The Saudis now want an advanced version of the AESA radar than was originally planned.

The article discusses the benefits and advantages that the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) as highlighted by the U.S. Navy (USN) will provide to the air-defense capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The core mission for the NGJ remains defending and protecting U.S. strike-fighters against sophisticated, high-altitude, surface-to-air missiles.

Senior officials in the Israeli government have said that the government is debating its decision to purchase a large number of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) keeping in mind the rising costs. The only possible compromise will probably be the plans for the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to procure much fewer JSFs.

The article discusses the tough time that Israeli officials are facing in deciding on where to invest in terms of defense, keeping in mind the shrinking budgets as well as changing threats. Some of the areas that need to be developed by the Israeli government with regards to cyber warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are highlighted.

The article discusses the increasing reliance that militaries of the world are putting on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for missions. The same is amply evident from the use of the U.S. Air Force's (USAF's) stealthy RQ-170 in operations in Afghanistan and the use by Israel of its strategic-range UAVs to observe, target and strike smugglers in the Red Sea.

The article discusses the key aspects and features of the high-speed computer-based weapons that can be used to fight corruption, financial scams and other cyber threats that threaten most governments all over the world. Afghanistan will be a test example for optimizing the use of such technology and internal intelligence-gathering techniques.

The resignation of Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, Japan's Democratic Party (DPJ) has been able to save face as Hatoyama went against the promise made by the DPJ with regards to the U.S. marines. Some of the other factors responsible for his having to resign including alienating the U.S. are highlighted.