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Forbes
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Can U.S.-Made Shahed Clones Compete In Drone Wars?
New footage shows mass production of Shahed drones at a Russian facility in Alabuga, Tartarstan Russian state media via Twitter On July 20th,Russian state television showed new footage from the giant drone factory which makes Iranian-designed Shahed-136s, revealing the sheer scale of production. The facility in Alabuga a thousand miles East of Moscow has ramped up production roughly tenfold in the last year, enough for more than 700 attack drones to be launched in one night. That could rise to 2,000 Shaheds a night by the end of the year, according to Major General Christian Freuding of Germany's Situation Center for Ukraine. Now plans are afoot for the U.S. to launch drone barrages of its own, with the Pentagon unveiling a new type of weapon apparently in response to a presidential request. But is the Pentagon ready to compete with Russia in launching mass drone attacks? Tactical "Tomahawk" Block IV cruise missile,, the U.S. choice for precision long range attack. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images Traditionally the U.S. military has favored sophisticated, highly capable weapons like the Tomahawk cruise missile. This is a 20-foot-long weapon flying under 300 feet to avoid radar at around 500 mph and, delivering a 1,000-pound warhead to targets around 1,000 miles away. It has led to attack in many recent operations, including strikes on the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year. In the latest U.S. Navy budget, a batch of 40 Tomahawks cost $1.9 million each. That is not a lot of missiles in the arsenal, especially considering that many may not reach their targets. On 12th July, Russian launched 26 Kh-101 cruise missiles at Ukraine, along with a number of other missiles and hundreds of drones. 25 of those 26 missiles were shot down by air defenses. The Shahed has a similar range and accuracy to the Tomahawk, but flies at a quarter of the speed and carries a tenth as much explosive. A high proportion of the drones were shot down in July 12th too – over 90% -- but as these cost around $35k each they look like a much more cost-effective way of hitting a target. Especially if a 1,00-pound warhead is not needed. President Trump remarked on the need for a U.S. equivalent of the Shahed at a Business Roundtable in Qatar in May, saying: The new LUCAS attack drone U.S. DoD 'We're coming up with a new system of drones because drones are really … drones really seem to be taking over that war… I asked one of the companies, I said, I want a lot of drones and in the case of Iran, they make a good drone and they make them for $35,000, $40,000. So I said to this company, I want to see. They came in two weeks later with a drone that cost $41 million. I said, that's not what I'm talking about, $41 million. I'm talking about something for $35,000, $40,000, where you send thousands of them up and that's a great way -- and they're very good too and fast and deadly, horrible, actually, when you look at what's happening with Russia and Ukraine .' (My emphasis) Part of this speech was quoted on a signboard in front of the new Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) displayed in the Pentagon courtyard at an event attended by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week. LUCAS looks very much like a Shahed clone, and is billed as ' designed to rival Iran's widely used Shahed-136 loitering munition, in a push to expand affordable airpower options for modern battlefields .' But the new drone may not be all that it seems. A Weapon, Or Just A Target? LUCAS is made by Arizona contractor SpektreWorks and LUCAS looks very much like a version of their FLM-136, a copy of the Shahed-136 made for 'threat emulation'. In other words it was designed as an aerial target for U.S. forces to get realistic practice shooting down Shaheds. Norma Jean Dougherty, aka Marilyn Monroe, assembling target drones in 1945 U.S. Army The U.S has been using target drones for decades. In WWII an Army photographer captured one Norma Jean Dougherty (later to become famous as Marilyn Monroe) on the assembly line for RadioPlane OQ-3 target drones. Generations of target drones followed, including the Teledyne Ryan Firebee, successfully converted into a reconnaissance drone in the Vietnam War. It is obvious why the military would want a drone target representing a Shahed. The U.S. Navy came under attack from a variety of similar drones launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea recently and needs to practice the best ways to tackle them. However the requirement for a target drone is not the same as for an attack drone. The specifications of the FLM-136 show that while it is an excellent substitute for shooting practice, it does not have quite the performance the real thing. U.S. LUCAS attack drone on display week U.S. DoD The FLM-136 has the same size and speed as the Shahed-136 but weighs about half as much as and carries half the payload. Its range of around 500 miles is less than half that of the Shahed. What we do not know is the unit cost of the FLM-136, which is a key metric. It is possible that it really has been procured for the desired '$35,000, $40,000' but this would be remarkably low by Pentagon standards. Previous small drones have been known to cost more than their weight in gold, and the BQM-167 Skeeter, the Air Force's reusable jet-powered drone, costs $1.7 million each. Presumably the LUCAS is at least less than '$41 million,' or a Tomahawk cruise missile. But without seeing numbers we cannot know for sure. Return To The Age Of The Jet Bomb A series of images showing the trajectory of a JB-2 buzz bomb during take off in the desert, USA, ... More circa 1945-1950. (Photo by Frederic Lewis/) Getty Images Back in WWII, the U.S. was big on the idea of reverse-engineering enemy weapons and producing them at scale. The Republic-Ford JB-2 'Loon' was a direct copy of the German V-1 'Doodlebug' which carried out the same roles as the Shahed does now. 'JB' was short for 'Jet Bomb'. V-1s had caused tremendous damage in Europe. The plan was to use JB-2s to bombard Japan into submission with thousands of JB-2s with no risk of losing aircraft, launching them from the decks of aircraft carriers from where they could hit any part of Japanese territory. The military initially ordered 1,000 JB-2, with the same number to be made each month. The project was canceled when Japan surrendered while the first weapons were still on their way to the Pacific. Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril, has said that he wants to see a return to the mass-production approach of WWII and 'bring mass to the fight.' This means vast numbers of Anduril's low-cost Barracuda cruise missile/drones and other weapons rather than a handful of Tomahawks. But Anduril products were not apparent at the Pentagon event. Whether the Pentagon is serious about this approach, or whether they just wanted to show the Secretary of Defence that the U.S. could make something that looks like the Shaheds the President asked for, is another matter. Meanwhile Ukraine is producing its own low-cost, long-range attack drones and plans to hit Rusia with 30,000 this year. These include a mix of sophisticated types and ultra-low-cost designs with bodies fashioned from plastic pipe. The drone arms race is well under way, and the U.S. is starting from behind.
India.com
01-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Big worry for China and Pakistan as India's friend develops new missile which can..., speed is...
(Representational image: Oscar Sosa US NAVY AFP) New Delhi: India's friend Japan has taken a big leap in the world of hypersonic missiles. India and Japan are members of QUAD and both have a common enemy, China, so this hypersonic missile will not let China relax. What is the mobile hypersonic missile? Japan has unveiled its new mobile hypersonic missile, Hyper Velocity Guided Projectile (HVGP), which has changed East Asia's defense strategy. According to a report by Asia Times, Japan's announcement about the HVGP hypersonic missile means that Japan has changed its strategy. Now it has moved out of its defensive strategy and tried an offensive strategy, which includes the ability to launch offensive attacks if needed. Experts consider it not just a technological leap, but a complete change in Japan's decades-old policy of 'not having an army'. What are features of HVGP missile? The biggest feature of the HVGP missile is its high speed and ability to attack at very long distances. This missile flies at Mach 5 i.e. five times the speed of sound and currently its range is 900 kilometers, which will be increased to 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers in the coming years. This means that Japan can now not only protect its coasts, but can also destroy Chinese naval bases, North Korean missile bases and even the threat spread in the Indo-Pacific region. Also, it will come handy as a deterrent to the nuclear threat from North Korea. How will it counter China? The Chinese Navy, especially its aircraft carrier group, has so far been trying to dominate the South China Sea to the East China Sea region. China protects itself in three levels, 1- J-15 fighter jets in the outer circle, 2- destroyers and submarines in the middle circle, and 3- near-enemy weapon systems and anti-submarine defense in the inner circle. Pakistan has also partially adopted this model, due to which its navy remains China-dependent. But Japan's HVGP missile has weakened this entire structure. Its speed is so high that the Chinese radar and interceptor systems will not have time to react. That is, all three defense layers will be rendered useless one after the other. The guiding system in this missile is so accurate that it can hit a moving submarine or an aircraft carrier moving in the sea. Experts believe that this missile will give a big blow to China's traditional naval superiority. How will it trouble Pakistan? Pakistan has strengthened its missile system, radar, and navy in recent years with the cooperation of China. But missiles like Japan's HVGP are a big challenge for Pakistan's current defense capabilities. The platforms in the Pakistan Navy, such as frigates and submarines based on Chinese design, are helpless in front of high-speed missiles like HVGP. Moreover, if HVGP is combined with US intelligence and satellite systems, then this missile can disable Pakistani military bases, naval bases and missile batteries in the 'first strike' itself. Since India and Japan have a deep defense cooperation and both are QUAD partners, this missile would also trouble Pakistan, which has very weak air defense systems.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Nothing is Impossible: Tom Cruise really did get a US aircraft carrier for his latest Mission
Tom Cruise (left) meets sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush during a visit to the ship on March 2, 2023. PHOTO: NOVALEE MANZELLA/US NAVY Nothing is Impossible: Tom Cruise really did get a US aircraft carrier for his latest Mission For fans of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series, the Pentagon can answer the incredulous question at the climax of its latest trailer: 'You gave him an aircraft carrier?' Yes, the US Navy and Air Force Special Operations Command decided to accept the mission: help the American actor's secret agent Ethan Hunt save the world. Or, at least make a movie about it. For The Final Reckoning, which is showing in Singapore cinemas, Cruise and the crew spent three days in the Adriatic Sea filming aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier commissioned in 2009. It is the latest cinematic incarnation of Cruise's career-long affinity for the US military and its aircraft (as well as doing his own stunts). It is an example of the Pentagon's willingness to showcase its hardware and martial might through a classic piece of American soft power, the Hollywood blockbuster. The Pentagon has a long history as a supporting character, most famously the 1990 spy thriller The Hunt For Red October – the one where Scotsman Sean Connery plays a Soviet submarine captain. Before getting on board, the US Department of Defense reviews scripts for accuracy and depictions of the military. (The Pentagon declined, for instance, to support Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon.) The US military charges for equipment use, as well as transportation and lodging for personnel. For 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, for example, the Navy was paid as much as US$11,374 (S$14,600) an hour to use its F/A-18 Super Hornets – which Cruise could not control as he flew in the fighter jet's back seat. For The Final Reckoning, however, movie studio Paramount's reported blowout budget of US$400 million got a break because the carrier and crew were already on scheduled training missions. 'Most, if not all, of the aircraft time was logged as official training requirements, and therefore not reimbursable,' the Pentagon said in a statement. The cast and crew – including Cruise, co-star Hannah Waddingham and director Christopher McQuarrie – were ferried to the carrier aboard Sikorsky Aircraft Corp MH-60S Seahawks, flown by the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5 based in Norfolk, Virginia. While aboard from Feb 28 to March 3, 2023, Cruise hosted a Top Gun: Maverick viewing in the ship's hangar bay and visited sailors , who had been deployed for about six months at that time. 'Given that we were on deployment, operational and safety plans were in place so that if called upon, we were ready to execute our mission on a moment's notice,' spokesman Lieutenant Commander Matthew Stroup said in the statement. The crew filmed flight sequences, a scene in the navigation bridge and Hunt's departure aboard a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, from the 352nd Special Operations Wing out of Souda Bay, Crete, which was on a joint training exercise with the carrier group. The film 'supplemented the already scheduled training and did not interfere with any requirements', said Air Force Special Operations Command spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Rebecca Heyse. The USS Hyman G. Rickover, a Virginia-class attack submarine, makes a cameo, shot off the coast of Massachusetts. The interiors, however, were pure Hollywood: stage sets and actors for sailors. They did, however, have the help of a Navy representative and a retired submarine commander as a technical adviser. 'Being able to namecheck an aircraft carrier that you've filmed on lends a dimension of accuracy to the film that elevates it,' Paramount said, referencing a scene in which Hunt specifically requests the Bush carrier. The Pentagon's support 'lends authenticity to the military involvement necessary to help Ethan Hunt accomplish his mission'. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Fox News
30-04-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Norway raises security concerns over Manhattan-sized Arctic land sale as tensions rise
A large plot of private land in Norway's Arctic Svalbard archipelago may soon be sold for about €300 million ($330 million), but the deal has raised concerns in Oslo over national security. The property, known as Søre Fagerfjord, covers roughly 60 square kilometers (23 square miles) and is the last privately owned land in Svalbard. A group of international and Norwegian investors has offered to buy the land, but officials in Norway worry it could give foreign powers a strategic foothold in a sensitive Arctic region. The land is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the main town of Longyearbyen and has been in Norwegian hands for over a century. It was listed for sale last year, and the government quickly made it clear that any sale must be cleared in advance due to security TO KEEP SUPPLYING US NAVY WITH FUEL DESPITE COMPANY BOYCOTT CALL One of the sellers even called it a "strategic foothold in the High Arctic," which has only fueled concerns. Svalbard is becoming more important as melting sea ice opens up new shipping routes and increases global interest in the NEEDS TO BE CONVINCED DEFEAT IN UKRAINE IS INEVITABLE, NORWAY'S FINANCE MINISTER SAYS The buyers describe themselves as environmentalists from NATO countries who want to protect the land. "The consortium includes both Norwegian and international investors who have a long-term perspective of protecting this territory from environmental changes," said Birgit Liodden, a shareholder and climate activist. She added that about half the money from the sale would go toward environmental projects in Svalbard. So far, the group has not discussed the sale with the Norwegian government. Still, Norwegian officials are cautious. In 2024, they blocked a similar attempt by Chinese investors. Trade Minister Cecilie Myrseth warned at the time that such actions could harm regional stability and threaten national interests. Svalbard is governed by a 1920 treaty that gives over 40 countries, including Russia, China and the U.S., equal rights to live and do business there. Russia, which operates a settlement on the islands, has accused Norway of breaking the treaty by increasing its military presence, something Norway HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The sellers' lawyer, Per Kyllingstad, said the buyers only want to protect nature and that the sale should not be blocked.
