As Canada deployed military aircraft over Haiti, a private military contractor operated a troll farm to give the appearance of popular support for foreign military intervention.
BUSTED: Canadian troll farm manufactures consent for Haiti invasion
Still skeptical about Jimmy Chérizier.
To US Papers, Iranian Weapons Far More Newsworthy Than Those Made in USA
How Much it Actually Costs to Fly U.S. Military Aircraft
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter costs $41,986 an hour across all models, including the F-35A for the Air Force, the F-35B for the Marine Corps, and the F-35C for the Marine Corps and Navy. The Air Force in particular is stuck with the headache of replacing the F-16, which costs $26,927 an hour, with a plane that costs 25 percent more to operate, permanently raising costs. This is especially a problem as the F-35 was originally promised to cost the same to operate as the F-16. The Air Force must now either buy fewer F-35s or figure out how to foot a bigger annual bill.
South Korea and the US are holding more military exercises this week, with their troops staging a joint river-crossing drill on Wednesday.
South Korea, US resume drills, blame North for tensions
H/T: Aletho News
Army launches coup in Burkina Faso amid mass protests against France
The ousted junta leader, [Paul-Henri Sandaogo] Damiba, was widely seen as too closely linked to France. Late Saturday, there were protests outside the French embassy in Ouagadougou and the French Institute in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. Video on social media showed residents with lit torches outside the French embassy, and other images showed part of the compound ablaze. The crowds also vandalised the French Institute.
Related:
Burkina Faso: Another Coup Led By U.S-Trained Soldier
[Paul-Henri Sandaogo] Damiba is a highly trained soldier, thanks in no small part to the U.S. military, which has a long record of training soldiers in Africa who go on to stage coups. Damiba, it turns out, participated in at least a half-dozen U.S. training exercises, according to U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM.
AI to the Rescue as the Military Continues to Struggle With Pilot Shortage
Only further causing headache this year was the fact that the Air Force had to temporarily ground nearly 300 trainer aircraft over concerns that their ejection seats would not fire correctly in an emergency. The problem, which also impacted the entire Air Force’sF-35A Lightning II fleet, was also discovered in 203 T-38 Talons and 76 T-6 Texans IIs.
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There are now various efforts underway to use advanced technology to address the pilot shortage gap. The United States Air Force and Merlin Labs are now developing software that could allow the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules to fly with just a single pilot, whereby artificial intelligence (AI) would act as the second pilot. The C-130, built at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Marietta, Georgia, now holds the record for the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft – first entering service in 1954.
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The software will be able to follow verbal instructions* from air traffic control, while the goal is for it to respond much like a human pilot. It is just one of several efforts currently underway to explore how AI can fill the pilot shortage.
The U.S. Army is also looking at how AI could be employed in its aircraft. Earlier this year, a Sikorsky UH-60A successfully conducted a 30-minute flight over Fort Campbell, Kentucky. It had no pilot or aircrew. The test was conducted as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program.
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“All modern combat jets are inherently instable, which makes them more maneuverable, and only fly due to the help of a computer,” explained technology industry analyst Roger Entner of Recon Analytics.
Hope that it’s better than Apple’s Voice Control.
US defence industry boss calls for clarity on what arms Ukraine needs
Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman, one of the top five “prime” contractors in the US, warned that weapons stockpiles had not been built to service a lengthy war.
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“I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’ve heard we’re running out, but if you do project forward that we’re going to want to sustain these levels of commitments for another couple of years — that’s certainly not what anyone had built stockpiles to accommodate,” she said.
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“We think in the long term, there’s going to be a requirement to replace Russian air combat capability — fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft” for the Ukrainians, the industry executive said.*
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Northrop was prepared to make investments, including expanding factories “ahead of a contract”, said Warden, but cautioned that industry needed to “get an indication that if we build it, the demand will come”.
It can take years for a defence company to source parts, assemble, test, and deliver a system.
Northrop Grumman generates more than 80 per cent of its annual revenues from contracts with the US government, including key roles on programmes such as the F-35 fighter jet where it provides parts for the weapons system and avionics. It also led the industry team for NASA’s James Webb space telescope.
Like many manufacturers, Northrop Grumman is wrestling with supply chain challenges, in particular shortages of electronic parts such as cables, connectors and power supplies. Lead times for such parts have “doubled or tripled,” said Warden.
*What a co-inky-dink?!
Title borrowed from:
Ukraine Update: West Can Not Sustain Prolonged Conflict In Ukraine, Says Pentagon Supplier
As members of the House of Representatives debate the details of their latest draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), one possible addition came seemingly out of left field, or maybe 20,000 leagues. It could change the public’s access to information about military ships and aircraft that have sunk. The amendment, put forward by Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican, is said to have been motivated by unlawful salvaging operations that occur at these sites.
Military Could Keep Shipwreck Info From Public If New Amendment Passes
Hundreds of Key U.S. Warplanes Aren’t Ready for Combat, Government Report Finds
The GAO says the Department of Defense “generally concurred” with its recommendations to “prioritize and complete required sustainment reviews” faster in order to develop plans to fix the availability shortfalls. “The Navy,” the GAO states, “did not agree to complete sustainment reviews in a timelier manner, citing resource limitations.” Just to be clear, the Navy’s budget in 2021 was $161 billion, and yet it claimed it did not have enough resources to figure out the depth of the problems that are grounding half of its fighter jets.
Advertisement for more funds for the Navy?! 🤷🏼♀️
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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