His name is Gerald Brown. Left USAF in 1997. Lost pilot license in FAA in 2016 for fighting fellow UPS MD-11 crew member in the air. Lost next job on sexual harassment. Lockheed briefly hired him as an F-35 simulator instructor, then fired him after security check. aviationweek.com/defense/budg...

Debrief: How A Disgraced Former U.S. Air Force Pilot Started Working For China | Aviation Week Network

Gerald Brown was arrested for violating the Arms Export Control Act for allegedly working as a contract instructor for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

aviationweek.com

All of Ukraine is currently covered with hundreds of Russian drones and missiles. It's impossible to have sufficient "air defense." Ukraine needs thousands of long-range offensive weapons to destroy Russian military bases.

The J-50, now available on Alibaba.

@thedewline.bsky.social reveals Project Lotus - Northrop Grumman’s secret autonomous aircraft aviationweek.com/defense/airc...

Project Lotus, Northrop Grumman’s Secret Autonomous Aircraft Revealed | Aviation Week Network

Northrop Grumman has secretly built a large new uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), dubbed Project Lotus.

aviationweek.com

New episode just posted (featuring @thedewline.bsky.social):

Russia Gaining in Drone War over Eastern Ukraine

YouTube video by Ward Carroll

youtu.be

The U.S. Air Force search for a new military leader broadened to more retirees and lieutenant generals after a leading contender faced new criticism on social media report @beverstine.bsky.social and @thedewline.bsky.social aviationweek.com/defense/budg...

Three-Stars, Retirees Among Options For Top U.S. Air Force Job | Aviation Week Network

The U.S. Air Force search for a new military leader broadened to more retirees and lieutenant generals after a leading contender faced new criticism on social media, sources say.

aviationweek.com

Did you know the word Leiden, which is also the name of a city in The Netherlands, means “to lead” in Dutch and “suffer” in German? Just thought I’d share.

At some point this summer, a courier from a UAE-based freight forwarder will attempt to serve a court summons to Iran's Foreign Minister, informing the diplomat that his government is being sued in a Fort Worth courtroom by Bell Textron. aviationweek.com/defense/supp... @thedewline.bsky.social

Debrief: Bell Sues Iran For Unpaid Helo Storage Bills | Aviation Week Network

Iran's foreign minister is being sued by Bell Textron over a little-known dispute over helicopter storage fees dating back to the Iranian Revolution of the late 1970s.

aviationweek.com

A Block 4 type vision effectivity development capability costs $33,355,000, in case you were wondering.

Russia has cancelled Army 2025, this year's version of the country's largest, annual defense exhibition, says Izvestia. No reason given. s iz.ru/1921520/2025...

Стало известно об отмене международного военно-технического форума «Армия»

Международный военно-технический форум «Армия» отменен. Об этом 16 июля сообщил источник «Известий».При этом на данный момент сайт «Армия-2025» по-прежнему функционирует. Там указано, что мероприятие ...

iz.ru

The blogfather @armscontrolwonk.bsky.social and I finally sat down to discuss the "12 day war" and Iran's pathway back to the Bomb :: www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1220...

Iran’s Pathway to the Bomb

Aaron and Jeffrey finally deconflict their schedules to talk about the outcome of the Israeli-Iranian war, Iran’s pathway back to the bomb, and why [...]

armscontrolwonk.com

But I want carrot cake.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last yr.

Mehmet Oz on Medicaid: "We'll be there for you, the American people, when you need help, but you gotta stay healthy yourself ... don't eat carrot cake. Eat real food."

To give the conspiracy crowd something new to play with, I propose we all call the circular, white building in the middle of the future @anduriltech.bsky.social Arsenal 1 campus in Columbus, Ohio, the "Tic Tac."

Bell will get a chance to build an X-plane demonstrator for high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing technology based on a stop/fold tiltrotor. aviationweek.com/defense/airc... via @thedewline.bsky.social

Does this mean Eric Schmidt is a closet Swiftie?

German defense suppliers go on the attack to press case for airborne electronic attack aviationweek.com/defense/sens...

German Industry Steps Up Electronic Attack Push In Demo | Aviation Week Network

German companies are pressing their case for Germany to invest in enhanced electronic attack capabilities.

aviationweek.com

About one-third of the overall funding from the U.S. Air Force for JetZero’s Z4 blended wing body demonstrator is at risk of being cut in the fiscal 2026 budget request. aviationweek.com/defense/budg... via @thedewline.bsky.social

The Marine Corps needs an Italian-made violin and a century-old violin bow immediately. And it somehow must be manufactured in the USA. #forcedesign #lethality sam.gov/opp/1a25df9f...

Newswire editors: This is your periodic reminder to avoid placing random images of fighters that don't belong to any of the subjects of the story. There's plenty of pictures of Chinese fighters available.

Really hope this is for a next-generation lava lamp. sam.gov/opp/670f02db...

Note the steel toe booties. It's important to avoid injuries from stubbing your toe while posing in front of a 360-kiloton nuclear bomb.

New episode just posted (featuring @thedewline.bsky.social):

Trump Surprises Air Force with New Fighter

YouTube video by Ward Carroll

youtu.be

Here's the full transcript of President Trump's remarks today in Doha, revealing a proposed twin-engine F-55 variant of the F-35 and his thoughts on single-engine aircraft and stealth aircraft design, in general. Trump, Ortberg & Culp are there due to blockbuster Boeing/GE order by Qatar Airways.

President Donald Trump proposed new “super upgrade” programs for the Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-22 fighters during a May 15 press conference in Doha, Qatar. aviationweek.com/defense/airc... via @thedewline.bsky.social

Trump Floats Major New Upgrades For F-35 And F-22 | Aviation Week Network

President Trump has proposed new “super upgrade” programs for the Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-22, including a twin-engine variant of the F-35 dubbed the F-55.

aviationweek.com

Here's the transcript, for those interested.

Andy Scollick@andyscollick.bsky.social · last yr.

OMG 😮 Trump likes fighter jets with four engines. Coming soon: the Boeing 747 Jumbo fighter jet. Also, the "F-55": there is no such jet as the "F-55". AFAIK it is figment of the imagination of 'Freelance Military Concept Artist' Olivier Vargas 🙄

A U.S. Navy flight test announcement revealed work is underway to revive a decades-old concept to miniaturize missiles by combining an air-breathing ramjet with a solid fuel rocket. aviationweek.com/defense/miss... via @thedewline.bsky.social

U.S. Navy Revives Rocket Ramjet Concept In New Tests | Aviation Week Network

A U.S. Navy flight test announcement revealed work is underway to revive a decades-old concept combining an air-breathing ramjet with a solid fuel rocket.

aviationweek.com

Northrop says higher cost reflects "a manufacturing process change to enable accelerated production ramp, and increased general procurement costs" aviationweek.com/defense/airc... via @thedewline.bsky.social

Robert Wall@r-wall.bsky.social · last yr.

Northrop Grumman Losses On B-21 Production Rise To More Than $2B aviationweek.com/defense/airc... via @thedewline.bsky.social

Ukraine’s long-suffering aerospace giants look to Europe to break free from Russian orbit kyivindependent.com/ukraines-lon...

Ukraine’s long-suffering aerospace giants look to Europe to break free from Russian orbit

Where the Donbas meets the Dnipro River, the USSR built out a dense range of massive factories, using the local coal and metal reserves to smelt, weld, and cast the heaviest of machinery — and weaponr...

kyivindependent.com

They’re talking about mining manganese modules off the Pacific floor again. Maybe it’s time for the CIA to dust off Project Azorian plans? Elon Musk could reprise the role of the crazy investor played by Howard Hughes. Any Russian or Chinese subs sink recently? www.ft.com/content/2205...

Donald Trump plans to stockpile deep sea critical metals to counter China

US drafting order to collect ‘nodules’ from Pacific seabed for minerals used in battery supply chains

ft.com