Il tiro della corda .....

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Armi ipersoniche ... sta circolando la notizia di un missile aviotrasportato cinese ...

Video has emerged out of China showing what appears to be an H-6N missile carrier aircraft with a massive weapon slung underneath it.
The unique wedge-shaped profile of the missile's forward section points to the possibility that the missile is a hypersonic weapon system.
In particular, the form factor looks similar to the one found on China's ground-launched DF-17 hypersonic weapon, which uses a ballistic missile to boost an unpowered DF-ZF hypersonic boost-glide vehicle to a velocity well over Mach 5 before the vehicle continues on maneuvering path through the atmosphere to its target.

… thedrive.com/the-war-zone … Video Of Chinese Missile Carrier Jet Hauling What Appears To Be A Hypersonic Weapon Emerges …
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Taiwan ... ulteriore, probabile incavolatura in vista per la Repubblica Popolare Cinese ...

The U.S. State Department has authorized a possible $2.37 billion sale of Harpoon missiles to Taiwan.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Monday announced the authorization and that it had informed lawmakers of the potential sale.
The deal, should it go through, could feature as many as 400 Harpoon Block II missiles and 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems, according to a DSCA news release (*).

… news.usni.org … State Department Authorizes $2.37B Harpoon Missile Sale to Taiwan …

(*) … dsca.mil … TAIPEI ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN THE UNITED STATES (TECRO) – RGM-84L-4 HARPOON SURFACE LAUNCHED BLOCK II MISSILES …

“To safeguard our national interests, China decided to take necessary measures and levy sanctions on U.S. companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defence, and Raytheon, and those individuals and companies who behaved badly in the process of the arms sales,” a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said ...

Se ne parla qui … defensenews.com … China to sanction Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon over Taiwan arms sales …
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Un importante test di difesa ABM ...

The Navy and the Missile Defense Agency proved that an Aegis ballistic missile defense ship could effectively take down an intercontinental ballistic missile and serve as a backup to a ground-based homeland defense interceptor, the MDA announced on Tuesday.
FTM-44, mandated by Congress, pitted an ICBM target fired from Kwajalein Atoll against USS John Finn (DDG-113) firing the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA BMD interceptor during an early Tuesday morning test off Hawaii, the MDA announced.
Based on the preliminary data, the test was successful.

… news.usni.org … VIDEO: MDA, Navy Down ICBM with Destroyer-Launched Missile Interceptor …

Anche qui … defense.gov/Newsroom … U.S. Successfully Conducts SM-3 Block IIA Intercept Test Against an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Target …

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Tensione fra USA e Russia per un presunto sconfinamento navale ...

The Navy on Tuesday refuted Russia’s claim that it found and drove an American warship out of the Sea of Japan.
Destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) performed a freedom of navigation operation in the waters near Peter the Great Bay, a gulf off the Pacific coast of Russia in the Sea of Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet said in a news release (*).
Moscow’s Ministry of Defense said that during the operation Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov drove McCain out of the bay after telling the American destroyer it could ram the ship if McCain did not leave the area ...

… news.usni.org … Navy Denies Claim Russians Drove Out U.S. Destroyer From Sea of Japan …

(*) … c7f.navy.mil … USS John S. McCain conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation …
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Armi ipersoniche ... accordo USA-Australia ...

Australia’s military will help the Pentagon pursue so-called “air-breathing” hypersonic weapons and more under the U.S.-run Allied Prototyping Initiative, the U.S. Defense Department said Nov. 30.
The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) initiative “will be essential to the future of hypersonic research and development, ensuring the U.S. and our allies lead the world in the advancement of this transformational warfighting capability,” Michael Kratsios, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said in a release.
It’s the second partnership created through the prototyping initiative since it launched last year.
Norway became the first as part of a bilateral effort to pursue solid fuel ramjet technology.

… airforcemag.com … Air Force to Lead US, Australia Push for Hypersonic Technology …
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A difesa delle SLOC nell'Atlantico del Nord ...

The Navy plans to rename U.S. Fleet Forces Command to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, harkening back to a time when the Navy was fully focused on maritime operations in the Northern Atlantic rather than the Global War on Terror, the secretary of the Navy told a Senate panel today.
“As the world changes, we must be bold, evolve, and change with it. Instead of perpetuating a structure designed to support yesterday’s Joint Forces Command, we are aligning to today’s threat. To meet the unique maritime challenges of the Atlantic theater, we will rename Fleet Forces Command as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and we will refocus our naval forces in this important region on their original mission: controlling the maritime approaches to the United States and to those of our allies,” Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite told the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.“The Atlantic Fleet will confront the reassertive Russian Navy, which has been deployed closer and closer to our East Coast, with a tailored maritime presence capability and lethality.”

… news.usni.org … SECNAV Announces the Return of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Focus Will be on Russian Threat …

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Turchia ... scattano le (non inique) sanzioni ...

... airforcemag.com ... US Sanctions Turkey Over S-400 Buy …

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Lancio multiplo di missili Bulava dal sottomarino Vladimir Monomakh ...

... russianforces.com ... First Bulava launches from the Pacific …

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Espansione ...

The Chinese Navy, formally known as the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy), conducted a live-fire exercise several days ago over the South China Sea utilizing a newly expanded naval base.
Harbin Z-9 helicopters took off from a base at Sanya on the southern tip of Hainan and fired anti-ship missiles at simulated targets.
The Z-9, a license-built variant of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, is a standard shipboard helicopter the PLAN flies.
The exercise itself sends a signal, but the base from which the helicopters took off is crucial.
The base has been massively improved over the past year.
The South China Sea is a strategically important and hotly contested region.
China claims virtually all of it and has been strengthening its navy’s bases in the region.

… news.usni.org … Chinese Navy Expanding Bases Near South China Sea …
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Corsa agli armamenti e propaganda ...

The progress of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in modernizing and expanding its arsenal will continue over the upcoming year after an unsettling 2020 in which recently developed equipment played major roles in protecting Chinese people from COVID-19, safeguarding national sovereignty and development interests in regions like the China-India border, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits.
China's third aircraft carrier, a newly developed frigate with integrated electric propulsion system, aircraft carrier-based stealth fighter jets and more could make their first appearances in 2021, military observers predict.
With China setting the centennial goal by 2027 for its military in November, urging it to modernize military theories, organizations, personnel and weapons and equipment, analysts said there is no doubt that China will continue to develop new, world-class weapons for years to come.

… globaltimes.cn … From 3rd aircraft carrier to fighter jets: weapons to expect in 2021 …

La fonte citata … thediplomat.com … Hints of Chinese Naval Procurement Plans in the 2020s …
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Un avvertimento all'Iran ...

The United States flew strategic bombers over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday for the second time this month, a show of force meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East.
One senior U.S. military officer said the flight by two Air Force B-52 bombers was in response to signals that Iran may be planning attacks against U.S. allied targets in neighboring Iraq or elsewhere in the region in the coming days, even as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office.
The officer was not authorized to publicly discuss internal assessments based on sensitive intelligence and spoke on condition of anonymity.

… military.com … US Bomber Mission over Persian Gulf Aimed at Cautioning Iran …

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La Cina (tanto per cambiare) protesta ...

China on Thursday expressed its objections to talks between the United States and Taiwan, according to a Thursday statement (*) from the People’s Liberation Army.
In a news release, a Ministry of National Defense spokesperson said the discussions break the United States’ longstanding one-China policy.
“The US move has seriously violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, said the spokesperson, noting that China had lodged solemn representations to the United States,” the press release reads, referring to Senior Col. Tan Kefei.

… news.usni.org … China Voices Objections to U.S.-Taiwan Military Talks …

(*) … english.chinamil.com.cn … Chinese defense ministry slams US 'political-military dialogue' with Taiwan …
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A quanto pare i Cinesi sono refrattari al rispetto delle regole ...

... news.usni.org ... https://news.usni.org/2021/01/16/chines ... operations ...

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Non sarà facile, per i Cinesi, trovare un porto accogliente ...

A major weakness “the largest navy in the world” has yet to solve is where Beijing will find skilled shipyard workers and modern facilities to maintain its fleet’s combat readiness far from its shores, the co-author of a major study examining Chinese vulnerabilities said Thursday.
Speaking in a Center for Strategic and Budgetary Analysis online forum, Toshi Yoshihara said, “Chinese analysts can only dream about this access” to the host nation’s workforce and facilities at places such as Yokosuka in Japan and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean that the United States enjoys.
China “has a long way to go” in finding nations in “far seas” that are willing to become more actively involved with the People’s Liberation Army Navy and expose themselves to risk if war breaks out.
In addition, Beijing would have to work very hard and at substantial cost to overcome “this tremendous lead” the United States has established in basing, maintenance and alliances since the end of World War II.

... news.usni.org ... https://news.usni.org/2021/01/22/chines ... eport-says ...

Il rapporto ... csbaonline.org ... https://csbaonline.org/uploads/document ... t)_Web.pdf ...
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Attività aeree cinesi in prossimità di Taiwan ...

... focustaiwan.tw ... 13 Chinese warplanes intrude into Taiwan's ADIZ in single day …

... focustaiwan.tw ... 15 Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's ADIZ …

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Ritorno in Medio Oriente ...

A B-52 flew a long-range direct sortie from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to the Middle East on Jan. 27, the third such flight this year and the first under the new Biden administration.
The bomber from the 2nd Bomb Wing flew the “presence patrol” over the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, linking up with Air Forces Central Command F-15Es, F-16s, KC-10s, and KC-135s ...
The bomber also flew alongside Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s.

... airforcemag.com ... Barksdale B-52 Flies Direct to the Middle East …

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Ritorno nel Pacifico ...

Four U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers returned to the Indo-Pacific region Jan. 28 for a Bomber Task Force deployment, conducting operations out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
The bombers, from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La., deployed in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces.
These strategic deterrence missions reinforce the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Deploying as a Bomber Task Force exercises our ability to produce agile, combat power in any location we are needed,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Duff, 96th Bomb Squadron commander.
“Our strategic bomber missions demonstrate our always-ready global strike capability. We remain ready to deploy to reach anywhere in the world at any time.”

... pacaf.af.mil ... B-52 Bombers arrive at Andersen AFB for Bomber Task Force Deployment …

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Gli Stati Uniti a caccia di ... rarità ...

The U.S. Defense Department awarded a $30.4 million contract to boost domestic processing of light rare earth elements as part of an effort to become less dependent on China for critical technologies, the department announced Monday,
The Pentagon awarded the funds to Lynas Rare Earths Limited, the world’s largest rare earth element mining and processing company outside of China.
The firm will use the funds to open a processing facility in Hondo, Texas, through its U.S. subsidiary, Lynas USA.
The award is part of a broader push by the department to secure its rare earth supply chain, which is threatened by China’s dominance in the industry, and move more production to the United States.
China is the top producer of rare earth metals, which are a critical piece of defense systems like satellites or the F-35 fighter jet.

… c4isrnet.com … Pentagon awards $30 million contract to boost processing of rare earth elements …

… govinfo.gov … Executive Order 13817 …

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Destinazione ... Norvegia ...

U.S. B-1B bombers will deploy to Norway for the first time in both a message to Russia and a sign of the growing importance of the Arctic.
B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, will fly out of Orland Air Base on the coast of the Norwegian Sea.
While bombers have repeatedly flown alongside Norwegian aircraft, this will be the first time Lancers will operate out of a base in the country

... airforcemag.com ... B-1Bs to Deploy to Norway …

Anche qui … theaviationist.com … U.S. B-1 Lancer Bombers To Operate From Orland Air Base During Upcoming First Ever Norway Deployment …
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Operazioni navali USA nel Mar Cinese Meridionale ...

A day after transiting the Taiwan Strait, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea, U.S. 7th Fleet announced on Friday.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) passed through the Paracel Island chain, conducting an innocent passage past the islands that are largely controlled by China but claimed by Beijing, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Under international maritime law, a warship can enter the territorial sea of a nation without prior notification if the ship does not perform any military operations such as launching aircraft or boats or operating fire control radars.
“All three claimants require either permission or advance notification before a military vessel or warship engages in ‘innocent passage’ through the territorial sea. Under international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention, the ships of all States –including their warships –enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea,” reads a statement from 7th Fleet (*).

... news.usni.org ... https://news.usni.org/2021/02/05/destro ... -china-sea ...

(*) ... c7f.navy.mil ... https://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Dis ... qs.twitter ...

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Programma JSF ... la Turchia resta fuori ...

The Biden administration is continuing its predecessor’s policy of excluding Turkey from the international F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby indicated Feb. 5.
Pentagon officials kicked Turkey, a NATO ally, out of the F-35 coalition because it bought the S-400 air defense system from Russia - a purchase the U.S. said puts American military information at risk.
The Trump administration believed the advanced fighter jet used by troops around the world cannot coexist with a surface-to-air missile system designed to take out those same planes.
That argument remains even as new leadership takes the reins.
“Our position has not changed,” Kirby said at a Pentagon press briefing.
“The S-400 is incompatible with the F-35 and Turkey has been suspended from that program.”

… airforcemag.com … Biden’s Pentagon to Keep Turkey Out of F-35 Program …

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In politica estera il nuovo Presidente degli Stati Uniti adotta una linea più risoluta ...

… airforcemag.com … Biden Pledges Tougher Line on Russia, China, and End to Saudi-Led Yemen War Support …

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La battaglia per le terre rare fra USA e Cina procede ...

Secondo il Financial Times la Cina starebbe valutando un’ulteriore stretta all’export di terre rare per danneggiare l’industria della difesa americana.
Il Pentagono si sta attrezzando per rafforzare la filiera e ridurre la dipendenza, ma a Pechino resta il monopolio della produzione.
E c’è chi suggerisce di puntare alla Luna.

… formiche.net … Usa vs Cina. La guerra per le terre rare arriva sulla Luna? …

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"Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent" ... passi avanti per il successore del Minuteman III ...

Northrop Grumman’s design for a new nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile is moving forward after the Air Force signed off on the latest development milestone in November, the company announced Feb. 16.
The Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent will replace the aging Minuteman III nuclear missiles starting in the late 2020s.
Northrop is now the sole company under contract to create the new fleet under a $13.3 billion engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) agreement awarded in September.
“Achieving this milestone demonstrates our team’s commitment to deliver a safe, secure, and reliable system to the U.S. Air Force on schedule and on budget,” Steve Lunny, Northrop’s vice president for the GBSD program, said in a release (*).
“Our team is applying a digital engineering approach that will produce a modern strategi c deterrent capability for our nation and its allies.”

… airforcemag.com … Nuclear Missile Program Passes Review, Moves Closer to Production …

(*) ... news.northropgrumman.com … Northrop Grumman Successfully Conducted Major Milestone for Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Program ...

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Retaliation ...

Two USAF F-15E Strike Eagles conducted the Feb. 25 strike on infrastructure used by Iranian-linked militias in Syria, dropping seven precision-guided munitions on a border crossing complex in a move designed to send a message in the region, the Pentagon said.
The F-15E strike destroyed nine facilities near the Abu Kamal border crossing with Iraq and damaged two more in the complex, Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Feb. 26.
The complex is an “entry control point” that the militias, Kait’ib Hezbollah and Kait’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, used to bring weapons and fighters into Iraq.
President Joe Biden ordered the strike the morning of Feb. 25 ...

… airforcemag.com … F-15Es Conducted Strike on Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria …

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Mar Cinese Meridionale ... il Vietnam corre ai ripari ...

Vietnam has continued to beef up its outposts in the disputed South China Sea with improved fortifications and infrastructure, although the scale of its activities is modest compared to that carried out by China, according to a new report.
Emplacements for anti-aircraft and coastal defense systems have been built on reclaimed land at West Reef and Sin Cowe Island, according to the report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, or AMTI, which is part of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

… defensenews.com … Vietnam strengthens fortifications in disputed South China Sea, satellite images reveal …

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Misure da prendere per bloccare un'eventuale invasione cinese di Taiwan ...

The U.S. military needs to quickly deploy more anti-ship missiles capable of targeting invading forces heading to Taiwan, and ensure American assets within range of Chinese missiles are sufficiently dispersed or hardened against a preemptive strike.
At least that’s the recommendation made by Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submarine commander, during a Feb. 18 hearing held by the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Shugart, who is now an adjunct senior fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, also said during his testimony (*) that the U.S. and Taiwan should “visibly” prepare for a protracted conflict in the event that China attacks the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China considers as a rogue province and has vowed to take it back by force if necessary.

… defensenews.com … More missiles, dispersed forces are key to stopping Chinese invasion of Taiwan, says former US Navy official …

(*) … uscc.gov … Trends, Timelines, and Uncertainty: an Assessment of the State of Cross-Strait Deterrence …
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53 anni dopo ...

Sixty-one crew members and 110 surviving family members of USS Pueblo (AGER-2) are entitled to more than $2.3 billion in damages suffered in the capture of the intelligence-gathering vessel in 1968 in international waters off Wonsan, North Korea, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled this month.
Mark Bravin, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told USNI News today that the damages awarded are among the largest ever awarded in a state-sponsored terrorism case.

… news.usni.org … Federal Judge Awards USS Pueblo Survivors and Families $2.3 Billion in Damages …

Il sito … usspueblo.org … USS PUEBLO (AGER-2) …

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"Nuclear modernization is an imperative" ...

... because the strategic environment has evolved dramatically since the last century, with more and different kinds of existential threats, senior U.S. military leaders said at AFA’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.
“Deterrence in the 21st century is wholly different than it was in the 20th century,” Gen. John E. Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained in a panel discussion on strategic modernization.
The primary reason, he said, is that “strategic attack can no longer just be defined as nuclear attack,” but could be a cyber, chemical, biological, space, or conventional attack - think hypersonic - used against a crucial target that could “cause strategic problems for the United States,” Hyten said.
The National Defense Strategy states that such non-nuclear but nation-debilitating attacks may be answered “at a time, place, and [in] a domain of our choosing,” he added.
Strategic deterrence must now be viewed in the context of that posture, taking missile defenses into account as well, he added.

… airforcemag.com … New Threats Demand Nuclear Modernization …

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Secondo la TASS ...

Russia is ready for holding negotiations with Turkey on the possible delivery of Su-35 and Su-57 fighter aircraft, if it receives the corresponding request, Spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Valeria Reshetnikova said on Friday.
"As for Ankara’s potential plans of purchasing Russian Su-35 and Su-57 fighters, it should be noted that the Turkish side has been informed about their technical specifications in full.
If there is a request from Turkey for these planes, we are ready for negotiations on this issue," the spokesperson said.

… tass.com … Russia ready for talks with Turkey on Su-35, Su-57 fighters …

Se la Turchia compie anche questo passo ... è la volta che la cacciano sul serio dalla NATO ...
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Difesa ABM ... assegnati due importanti contratti ...

The Missile Defense Agency on March 23 awarded Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin contracts (*) worth a total of $7.6 billion to develop technology for the Next Generation Interceptor, which will replace aging ground-based interceptors and serve as the first layer of defense against intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at the homeland.
Lockheed Martin received a total of $3.693 billion with a performance period through August 2025, while Northrop Grumman was awarded a total of $3.932 billion with a performance period through May 2026.
The funding for the contract is limited to $1.6 billion through fiscal 2022.

… airforcemag.com … Northrop, Lockheed Selected to Compete for Next-Generation Interceptor Program …

(*) ... alla voce "MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY" ... Contracts For March 23, 2021 ...

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Operazioni di intelligence della Marina Cinese nell'Oceano Indiano ...

China is gathering data on the undersea environment in the Indian Ocean as evidenced by two government survey ships seen operating in the region via open source satellite photos.
These survey activities may be aimed at giving Chinese submariners an advantage in their area.
In January, a Chinese survey ship was accused of “running dark” – a term used to describe a ship operating without transmitting its position ...

… news.usni.org … Two Chinese Survey Ships are Probing a Strategic Section of the Indian Ocean …

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Why ?

America is building a new weapon of mass destruction, a nuclear missile the length of a bowling lane.
It will be able to travel some 6,000 miles, carrying a warhead more than 20 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
It will be able to kill hundreds of thousands of people in a single shot.
The US Air Force plans to order more than 600 of them.
On September 8, the Air Force gave the defense company Northrop Grumman an initial contract of $13.3 billion to begin engineering and manufacturing the missile, but that will be just a fraction of the total bill.
Based on a Pentagon report cited by the Arms Control Association Association and Bloomberg News, the government will spend roughly $100 billion to build the weapon, which will be ready to use around 2029.

… thebulletin.org … Why is America getting a new $100 billion nuclear weapon? …

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Quante ne ha la Russia ?

Russia is in the middle of a decades-long modernization of its strategic and nonstrategic nuclear forces to replace Soviet-era weapons with newer systems.
In December 2020, President Vladimir Putin reported that modern weapons and equipment now make up 86 percent of Russia’s nuclear triad (Russian Federation 2020a), compared to the previous year’s 82 percent (Russian Federation 2019a).
He additionally noted that he expects that number to rise to 88.3 percent in 2021.
As in previous years, Putin’s remarks emphasized the need for Russia’s nuclear forces to keep pace with Russia’s competitors: “It is absolutely unacceptable to stand idle. The pace of change in all areas that are critical for the Armed Forces is unusually fast today. It is not even Formula 1 fast—it is supersonic fast. You stop for one second and you start falling behind immediately” (Russian Federation 2020a).

… thebulletin.org … Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does Russia have in 2021? …

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