The War Zone – The USAF has offered new views of the Quicksink anti-ship bomb after a B-2 stealth bomber deployed the weapon off Norway in a test.

The War Zone – F-16s will get stealthy AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, giving them the ability to attack highly defended ships over great distances.

RUSI – Outsized combat aircraft built for stealthy long-range supersonic flight may be worth the cost for the US and China, but countries in Europe may be better off pursuing other capabilities.

Naval News – The use of Harpoon anti-ship missile on foreign customers of the F-16 is not uncommon. Integrating them on American F-16s is.

The War Zone – The Quicksink seeker could turn the Extended Range Attack Munition into a new low-cost anti-ship weapon that could be bought quickly in large numbers.

War on the Rocks – Executing an effective campaign to enhance the resilience of U.S. airfield operations will require informed decisions to prioritize projects and sustained funding. What is clear, however, is that U.S. airfields do face the threat of attack, and the current approach of largely ignoring this menace invites Chinese aggression and risks losing a war. Passive defenses, including hardening, are essential, and other countries have invested heavily in them to sustain airfield operations amidst attack. It is past time for the United States to do so again.

The War Zone – Arming the F-15E and EX with AGM-158Cs will give the Air Force a major boost in its ability to target enemy ships over long distances.

Reuters – The United States said on Friday it will deploy B-52 bombers, fighter jets, refueling aircraft and Navy destroyers to the Middle East, in a readjustment of military assets as the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group prepares to leave the region.

CNN – A very specialized part of the world’s largest naval drills off the northern Hawaiian island of Kauai is gaining attention on both sides of the Pacific. Earlier this month, the US and allies practiced taking out a large surface ship with long-range weapons, including, for the first time, a US Air Force B-2 bomber.

The War Zone – The USAF is also moving ahead with plans to forward-deploy F-15EXs to Japan as the Marines make changes to their F-35 units in the country.

CIMSEC – The rapid proliferation of military drones in the Indo-Pacific region has become a crucial feature of contemporary maritime security dynamics. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, have revolutionized the way naval operations are conducted, presenting both challenges and opportunities for regional security. Understanding the strategic impact of this technological advancement is essential for shaping effective policies, strategies, and operational concepts in the Indo-Pacific region.

War Zone – MC-130s operating from beaches could provide critical logistics in the Pacific where runways are few in number and under threat.

1945 – James Holmes writes that if successful, in short, the B-21 will present U.S. and allied commanders the opportunity to exploit command of the air before winning it.

War on the Rocks – The conventional deterrence patrol is an operational concept for an alert model that makes the joint force’s most advanced anti-ship munitions available for employment at a moment’s notice during a crisis. Conventional deterrence patrols would provide significant, flexible combat power for the joint force by keeping strike aircraft airborne within range of the battlespace but at the edges of China’s reach.

War on the Rocks – Air denial is not a new strategy, but neither is an alternative based on air superiority and penetrating strikes. It is a way to use the U.S. Air Force and surface-based air defenses to increase Chinese Communist Party perceptions of the uncertainty and risks inherent in an invasion without potentially provoking nuclear escalation. This approach is controversial to many in the Air Force because this strategy upends decades of Air Force doctrine. But that doctrine was based on using aviation offensively, which may be unwise in a Taiwan scenario.

Naval News – Naval News reached out to the RAND Corporation, an independent non-profit Think Tank, for comments on how the U.S. Air Force’s new B-21 “Raider” stealth heavy bomber can operate with the U.S. Navy in a maritime role.

War Zone – The U.S. Air Force’s B-1 bomber community has become primarily focused on executing very long-range land-attack and anti-ship strike missions utilizing stand-off cruise missiles as the supersonic swing-wing jets steadily enter the twilight of their careers. 

War on the Rocks – The U.S. military once dominated the electromagnetic spectrum, but due to lack of investment and years of flying close air-support missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. skills have atrophied.

The Atlantic – Mark Bowden says Russia’s war on Ukraine has given us just a peek of the world to come.

War Zone – The Air Force has said it wants its new anti-ship version of the ubiquitous Joint Direct Attack Munition to have “torpedo-like” capabilities.

War Zone – While plans for an amphibious MC-130 transport take shape, Cope North 2022 provided an opportunity to see the capabilities of the US-2 firsthand.

(Thanks to Alain)

New Yorker – Artificial intelligence is being taught to fly warplanes. Can the technology be trusted?

Air Force Magazine – The Air Force is about to roll out another aspect of its new Force Generation model (AFFORGEN): Air Base Squadrons are designed to provide forward-deployed units the necessary support to conduct operations from widely dispersed and likely austere locations with a minimal footprint of people and gear.

War on the Rocks – Today, America’s military posture, which is comprised of forces, bases, and agreements, is a critical issue that needs a senior champion. China has a formidable arsenal of conventionally armed long-range missiles that are significantly more accurate than the ones that the Soviet Union had during the Cold War and plans to fire them in a first strike to destroy U.S. forces on the land and at sea. The Defense Department should ensure that American forces in the Indo-Pacific can survive this blow and generate combat power while under attack, which requires taking steps to increase the resiliency of U.S. military posture.

Navy Times – The push for joint warfare spurs more Air Force focus on anti-ship tactics, weapons.