# us air force (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover us air force. Page: Feed: --- ## [‘Not Anything to Lose a Lot of Sleep Over’: What a US General Said After the US Military Got Close to the J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Fighter](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/not-anything-to-lose-a-lot-of-sleep-over-what-a-us-general-said-after-the-us-military-got-close-to-the-j-20-mighty-dragon-stealth-fighter/) _2026-08-23 · Steve Balestrieri · 19FortyFive_ "It's not anything to lose a lot of sleep over," Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said of the J-20 while head of Pacific Air Forces. But he was not dismissive about everything: "We're relatively impressed with the command and control associated with the J-20." The airframe was not what caught his attention. ## [The US Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise Has 8 Nuclear Reactors. Every Carrier Built Since Has Had 2. And Now She Needs to Be Scrapped](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-us-navy-aircraft-carrier-uss-enterprise-has-8-nuclear-reactors-every-carrier-built-since-has-had-2-and-now-she-needs-to-be-scrapped/) _2026-08-23 · Caleb Larson · 19FortyFive_ Construction on the USS Enterprise began in 1958, and she needed eight nuclear reactors because that was what the technology of the time could deliver. Every Nimitz-class carrier that followed needed two. The Ford class also needs two, of a significantly newer and higher-output design. Nobody has ever dismantled a carrier with eight. ## [Each Boeing F-15EX Eagle II Can Carry at Least a Dozen Air-to-Air Missiles, and Kadena AFB Is Getting 36 of Them](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/each-boeing-f-15ex-eagle-ii-can-carry-at-least-a-dozen-air-to-air-missiles-and-kadena-afb-is-getting-36-of-them/) _2026-08-23 · Reuben Johnson · 19FortyFive_ Kadena is located closer to Taiwan than any other American air base. A force of 36 F-15EX Eagle IIs, each capable of carrying at least a dozen air-to-air missiles, is considered an essential component of the island's defence as the PLA Air Force and Navy increase their activity across the region. ## [2,074 Years Later, Julius Caesar’s 4 Words at the Rubicon Are Still the Most Famous Decision in Military History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/2074-years-later-julius-caesars-4-words-at-the-rubicon-are-still-the-most-famous-decision-in-military-history/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ He said it in Greek, quoting a comedy; the Latin everyone knows is a mistranslation written 170 years later; his own memoir skips the river. The full story of history's most famous decision — the trap, the crossing, Pharsalus, the Ides — and why the gambler's four words still name every point of no return. ## [86 Years Later, Winston Churchill’s Sentence About the Royal Air Force Is Still the Greatest Tribute Ever Paid to Fighting Men](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/86-years-later-winston-churchills-sentence-about-the-royal-air-force-is-still-the-greatest-tribute-ever-paid-to-fighting-men/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Born in a car outside a bunker, edited by a joke, and delivered mid-battle to describe 2,937 young men of a dozen nations — the fourteen words passed their 86th anniversary this week, the first with none of the Few still living. The full Battle of Britain story behind the greatest tribute ever paid. ## [82 Years Later, General Norman Cota’s Order on Omaha Beach Is Still the Reason the US Army Rangers Have Their Motto](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/82-years-later-general-norman-cotas-order-on-omaha-beach-is-still-the-reason-the-us-army-rangers-have-their-motto/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ The casemates held telephone-pole decoys, two sergeants followed tire tracks to five guns aimed at Utah, and at the Dog White seawall a general who refused to crouch asked one question of the 5th Rangers. The full morning behind the motto, told with the variants the survivors argued about ever after. ## [251 Years Later, 1 Order at Bunker Hill Is Still the Most Famous Command in All of American Military History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/251-years-later-1-order-at-bunker-hill-is-still-the-most-famous-command-in-all-of-american-military-history/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ The phrase is older than the battle, no one wrote it down in 1775, and the veterans credited it to different officers — yet it attached to Bunker Hill because there it was true. The detective story behind the most famous command in American history, and the discipline the casualty rolls signed. ## [A Treaty Banned This Missile System for 32 Years. Russia Broke the Treaty, and Now the US Army Has It.](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/a-treaty-banned-this-missile-system-for-32-years-russia-broke-the-treaty-and-now-the-us-army-has-it/) _2026-08-23 · Steve Balestrieri · 19FortyFive_ The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty banned American and Russian ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres for more than three decades. The United States withdrew in 2019 after Russia developed, flight-tested and deployed a prohibited system known as the 9M729. Typhon is the most visible result. ## [75 Years Later, Marine Corps General Oliver P. Smith’s Reply at the Chosin Reservoir Is Still the Best Line Any American Military Commander Ever Said While Surrounded](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/75-years-later-marine-corps-general-oliver-p-smiths-reply-at-the-chosin-reservoir-is-still-the-best-line-any-american-military-commander-ever-said-while-surrounded/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Smith later said he hadn't put it quite that colorfully — the press polished the words, and thirteen days at thirty below proved them exact. The full Chosin story: the trap, Task Force Faith, Fox Company at Toktong, the bridge dropped from the sky, and the division that attacked its way to the sea. ## [8 Years from Now, NASA Will Send a Nuclear-Powered Helicopter Into Titan’s Atmosphere Where It Rains Methane](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/8-years-from-now-nasa-will-send-a-nuclear-powered-helicopter-into-titans-atmosphere-where-it-rains-methane/) _2026-08-23 · Harrison Kass · 19FortyFive_ NASA's Dragonfly mission will send a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, where methane evaporates, methane clouds form, rain falls, rivers cut channels and liquids collect in lakes and seas. It is the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere and the only world besides Earth known to hold stable liquid on its surface. ## [ThreatCrush on GitHub (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/SkmpXh4PE3bw) _2026-08-23 · **Sponsored**_ View the ThreatCrush listing on the GitHub Marketplace. ## [81 Years Later, US Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz’s Sentence About Iwo Jima Is Still the Finest Thing Ever Written About US Marines](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/81-years-later-us-navy-admiral-chester-nimitzs-sentence-about-iwo-jima-is-still-the-finest-thing-ever-written-about-us-marines/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Kuribayashi fought from beneath the island; the Marines paid in yards per day for 36 days. The plain history behind the sentence Nimitz wrote while men were still dying — the tunnels, the two flags, the exact figures, and the eleven words now carved in gold under the bronze flag above Arlington. ## [82 Years Later, the Note Eisenhower Wrote in Case D-Day Failed Is Still the Greatest Act of Leadership in American Military History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/82-years-later-the-note-eisenhower-wrote-in-case-d-day-failed-is-still-the-greatest-act-of-leadership-in-american-military-history/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Sixty-six words, misdated in exhaustion, with the passive voice scratched out so the blame read "I" — Eisenhower's in-case-of-failure note took ownership of a disaster that never came. The fears before D-Day, the storm that vindicated the gamble, and the slip of paper under glass that helps explain the 1952 landslide. ## [23 Years Later, General Jim Mattis’s Advice to His Marines in Iraq Is Still the Most Quoted Line in the Modern Military](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/23-years-later-general-jim-mattiss-advice-to-his-marines-in-iraq-is-still-the-most-quoted-line-in-the-modern-military/) _2026-08-23 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ One rule on a list handed to Marines in Iraq became the most quoted sentence in the modern military. The full Mattis biography behind it: the 7,000-book library, the first Marine to command a naval task force, CENTCOM, the 98-to-1 confirmation, and the letter that ended it on principle. ## [Argentina gives up on returning Super Étendard fighters to service](https://www.airdatanews.com/argentina-gives-up-on-returning-super-etendard-fighters-to-service/) _2026-08-22 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ Argentine Navy will retire the French-built jets in 2026 after years of failed attempts to overcome British restrictions on their ejection-seat components ## [The US Navy Starting Building and Cancelled in 5 Days an Aircraft Carrier With No Island at All, and Trump Now Wants to Move the One on the Ford-Class](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-us-navy-starting-building-and-cancelled-in-5-days-an-aircraft-carrier-with-no-island-at-all-and-trump-now-wants-to-move-the-one-on-the-ford-class/) _2026-08-22 · Brandon Weichert · 19FortyFive_ The USS United States was designed with a massive, completely unobstructed flight deck. The island - the tower structure every carrier has carried since - was removed altogether, because planners feared it would interfere with flight operations involving heavy bombers. Navigation, flight control and exhaust management would all have worked differently from any carrier before or since. ## [The M2 Bradley Killed More Tanks Than the M1 Abrams Did in Desert Storm](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-m2-bradley-killed-more-tanks-than-the-m1-abrams-did-in-desert-storm/) _2026-08-22 · Isaac Seitz · 19FortyFive_ The M2 Bradley was designed to carry infantry alongside the Abrams, not to destroy tanks. During Operation Desert Storm it scored more tank kills than the M1 Abrams itself - a vehicle that had spent seventeen years in development being called a compromise that excelled at nothing. ## [Russian Mines and Drones Destroyed Ukraine’s Leopard 2 Tanks. The Crews Kept Walking Away.](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/russian-mines-and-drones-destroyed-ukraines-leopard-2-tanks-the-crews-kept-walking-away/) _2026-08-22 · Brandon Weichert · 19FortyFive_ Many Ukrainian crews survived the attacks that knocked out their Leopard 2s, because the German tank was built around crew protection. A destroyed or damaged Leopard 2 did not usually mean a dead crew. In that narrow sense the war confirmed the tank's reputation even while burning the vehicles. ## [I Own the Glock 19X. This Gun Was First Built to Join the US Army Instead of Being a Civilian Firearm and the Army Said No](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/i-own-the-glock-19x-this-gun-was-first-built-to-join-to-us-army-instead-of-being-a-civilian-firearm-and-army-said-no/) _2026-08-22 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Built to a US Army spec, beaten by SIG's price by $103 million, and released to the public almost exactly as submitted — the Glock 19X sold 100,000 copies in under six months and never slowed down. An owner tells the full story of the loss, the GAO protest, and the market's verdict. ## [‘A History of Problems’: A Victoria-Class Submarine Ran Aground While Submerged in 2011, Then Caught Fire in 2019 and Damaged a Ballast Tank in 2020](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/a-history-of-problems-a-victoria-class-submarine-ran-aground-while-submerged-in-2011-then-caught-fire-in-2019-and-damaged-a-ballast-tank-in-2020/) _2026-08-22 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Victoria-Class sub Corner Brook grounded while submerged near Vancouver Island in 2011, damaging her bow and sonar and requiring years of repairs. A fire during maintenance in 2019 and damage to a ballast tank in 2020 extended her absence from operations further still. ## [A Leaked Royal Canadian Air Force Evaluation Scored the F-35 Fighter at 95% and the JAS 39 Gripen E at 33%](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/a-leaked-royal-canadian-air-force-evaluation-scored-the-f-35-fighter-at-95-and-the-jas-39-gripen-e-at-33/) _2026-08-22 · Caleb Larson · 19FortyFive_ An internal Royal Canadian Air Force evaluation, since leaked, scored the F-35 at 95 percent and the JAS 39 Gripen E at 33 percent. The stealth fighter outclassed the Swedish jet in every area assessed, with the Gripen's lowest marks coming in upgradability and mission performance. Ottawa is reconsidering the F-35 anyway. ## [AI QA that opens fix PRs (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/cGSmIW0gzGyX) _2026-08-22 · **Sponsored**_ Run a browser QA from plain-English instructions; get GitHub issues and optional fix PRs. ## [81 Years Later, General Anthony McAuliffe’s 1-Word Reply to a German Surrender Demand Is Still the Greatest Answer in US Army History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/81-years-later-general-anthony-mcauliffes-1-word-reply-to-a-german-surrender-demand-is-still-the-greatest-answer-in-us-army-history/) _2026-08-22 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ The ultimatum gave Bastogne two hours; the reply was typed, centered, and one word long. The full story of December 22, 1944 — the general who never cursed, the staff officer who suggested using his own remark, the baffled German envoys, and the barrage that never came. Eighty-one years later, still unbeaten. ## [I Was a US Army Special Forces NCO: The M4 Carbine Is One Outstanding Weapon and I Know from Experience](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/i-was-a-us-army-special-forces-nco-the-m4-carbine-is-one-outstanding-weapon-and-i-know-from-experience/) _2026-08-22 · Steve Balestrieri · 19FortyFive_ It took until the early 1990s for Colt to refine the design into what became the M4 Carbine. The Army officially adopted it in 1994, and by 1997, it was fielding it to units in numbers. ## [14 Years After the Last One Was Delivered, the US Air Force F-22 Raptor Is Still the Best Air Superiority Fighter Ever Built](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/14-years-after-the-last-one-was-delivered-the-us-air-force-f-22-raptor-is-still-the-best-air-superiority-fighter-ever-built/) _2026-08-22 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Supercruise no rival matches, the highest air-to-air kill ever made, exercise tallies past a hundred to zero, and an Air Force pouring billions into a jet it stopped building in 2012 — the straight case, reason by reason, for the F-22 Raptor as the best air superiority fighter ever built. ## [Germany’s first F-35A completes assembly ahead of September rollout](https://www.airdatanews.com/germanys-first-f-35-a-completes-assembly-ahead-of-september-rollout/) _2026-08-22 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ MG-01 has moved to the finishing stage in Fort Worth, while the aircraft arrives as Germany reassesses its future combat-air plans following the collapse of FCAS ## [Saab reveals full-scale model of supersonic unmanned fighter](https://www.airdatanews.com/saab-reveals-full-scale-model-of-supersonic-unmanned-fighter/) _2026-08-22 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ A3 concept previews a potential operational combat drone, while Sweden is already funding two flying technology demonstrators ## [It Would Have Cost $50,000,000,000 To Restart the F-22 Raptor ‘Factory’ and $259,000,000 Per Fighter: That Meant No More Can Ever Be Build](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/it-would-have-cost-50000000000-to-restart-the-f-22-raptor-factory-and-259000000-per-fighter-that-meant-no-more-can-ever-be-build/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ I saw the debate unfold ten years ago: Restarting production and procuring 194 additional Raptors would have cost approximately $50 billion in 2016 dollars: about $9.9 billion in non-recurring startup costs before the first new jet existed, and roughly $40.4 billion for the aircraft themselves. Averaged across the whole buy, each new Raptor came to about $259 million, at a time when an F-35A cost… ## [Standing on the Surface of Venus Would Feel Like Standing 3,000 Feet Underwater on Earth, and It Is 870°F](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/standing-on-the-surface-of-venus-would-feel-like-standing-3000-feet-underwater-on-earth-and-it-is-870f/) _2026-08-21 · Harrison Kass · 19FortyFive_ The surface of Venus sits at about 870°F under a sea-level atmospheric pressure roughly 92 times that of Earth. Standing there would be comparable to standing 3,000 feet underwater. The atmosphere is approximately 96 percent carbon dioxide, producing a greenhouse effect so extreme that Venus is hotter than Mercury despite being farther from the Sun. ## [Iran Bought 185 Chieftain Tanks from the UK and They Could Still Fight the US Army](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/iran-bought-185-chieftain-tanks-from-the-uk-and-they-could-still-fight-the-us-army/) _2026-08-21 · Caleb Larson · 19FortyFive_ In theory, one of the most technologically advanced tanks of its era, the performance of Iran’s Chieftain tanks was far from that ideal. ## [Yes, Putin Could Attack NATO](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/yes-putin-could-attack-nato/) _2026-08-21 · Caleb Larson · 19FortyFive_ While consensus holds that Russia is rearming and that an attack on NATO could be possible from a manpower and equipment standpoint, that likelihood is low. ## [The US Navy’s USS Zumwalt Main Gun Fired Shells That Cost Up to $1,000,000 Each, and at 10 Rounds a Minute That Is $10,000,000 of Ammunition a Minute](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-us-navys-uss-zumwalt-main-gun-fired-shells-that-cost-up-to-1000000-each-and-at-10-rounds-a-minute-that-is-10000000-of-ammunition-a-minute/) _2026-08-21 · Harrison Kass · 19FortyFive_ Each US Navy Zumwalt-class warship carried two 155mm AGS guns. These were extremely sophisticated, automated loading guns, with magazines buried below deck, automated ammunition handling, and minimal human intervention. ## [Earn crypto for idle GPUs (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/CICpMQ43bUPD) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Run one CLI, host Qwen/Llama/Mistral, and earn BTC, ETH, SOL, or USDC ## [58 Years Ago, the NASA’s X-15 Hit Mach 6.72 and Nearly Melted: It Is Still One of the Greatest Achievements in Military History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/58-years-ago-the-nasas-x-15-hit-mach-6-72-and-nearly-melted-it-is-still-one-of-the-greatest-achievements-in-military-history/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Pete Knight's October 1967 flight hit Mach 6.7 and came home scorched, holed, and finished — the X-15A-2 never flew again, and no pilot has flown faster in the 58 years since. The program's 199 flights, its one lost pilot, and the record-setter now standing in bare black alloy in Dayton. I got as close as the law would allow last year to it. ## [200 Years Later, Napoleon’s Best Line on War Is Still One of the Most Wise Quotes In Military History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/200-years-later-napoleons-best-line-on-war-is-still-one-of-the-most-wise-quotes-in-military-history/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ No letter or memoir carries the famous courage quote, but Napoleon performed it: escaped Elba with a thousand men, walked alone into the muskets at Laffrey, opened his coat, and dared France to shoot. Twenty days after landing on a beach, he took back an empire without firing a shot. ## [GCAP: Britain, Japan and Italy Are Being Pushed to Field Their New Fighter in 2033 Instead of 2035, and Leonardo’s CEO Says That Means Cutting Capabilities](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/gcap-britain-japan-and-italy-are-being-pushed-to-field-their-new-fighter-in-2033-instead-of-2035-and-leonardos-ceo-says-that-means-cutting-capabilities/) _2026-08-21 · Jack Buckby · 19FortyFive_ Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani told an investor call on July 31 that governments are pushing to move the GCAP fighter's entry into service forward to 2033 from 2035. Doing so, he acknowledged, would require "probably modulating the requirements that this initial version would fulfill" - fielding a more limited aircraft first and adding capability through later upgrades. ## [Ukraine’s Goal Is Simple: It Knows Russia Can’t Replace the Mach 2 Tu-22M3 Backfire Bomber, So They Need to Be Destroyed](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/ukraines-goal-is-simple-it-knows-russia-cant-replace-the-mach-2-tu-22m3-backfire-bomber-so-they-need-to-be-destroyed/) _2026-08-21 · Isaac Seitz · 19FortyFive_ The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO designation: “Backfire”) was the workhorse of the Soviet Union next to the Tu-95 Bear. Designed as both a conventional and strategic long-range bomber, the Tu-22M was one of the first supersonic strategic bombers to incorporate a variable-sweep wing configuration. The Bomber has been used on multiple occasions in Ukraine during Russia’s \[…\] ## [The US Air Force Lost Nearly 10 Percent of Its ‘Irreplaceable’ B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Force and No More Can Be Built](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-us-air-force-lost-nearly-10-percent-of-its-irreplaceable-b-2-spirit-stealth-bomber-force-and-no-more-can-be-built/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Summary and Key Points: The B-2 Spirit of Kansas was destroyed by rainwater — moisture inside three sensors fed false data to its computers, which pitched it into a stall seconds after takeoff on Guam in 2008, a $1.4 billion loss and the costliest crash in aviation history. The B-2 Spirit of Hawaii was killed \[…\] ## [Pratt & Whitney changes contracts as European Commission closes antitrust investigation](https://www.airdatanews.com/pratt-and-whitney-changes-contracts-as-european-commission-closes-antitrust-investigation/) _2026-08-21 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ EU competition authorities had examined whether Pratt & Whitney Canada restricted independent spare-parts suppliers’ access to components and services ## [79 Years Later, General George Patton’s Best US Army Line Is Still the Greatest Military Quote in Armed Forces History](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/79-years-later-general-george-pattons-best-us-army-line-is-still-the-greatest-military-quote-in-armed-forces-history/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ The 1947 book got it in fourteen words; the internet adds words it never printed. Patton's good-plan-now doctrine rebuilt II Corps in days, crossed France at 150 miles in 19 hours, and pivoted a quarter-million men ninety degrees to reach Bastogne — the perfect plan would have arrived too late. ## [“It Was the Greatest Mistake We Ever Made”: The US Air Force Wanted 132 B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers and Ended Up with Just 21](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/it-was-the-greatest-mistake-we-ever-made-the-us-air-force-wanted-132-b-2-spirit-stealth-bombers-and-ended-up-with-just-21/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ Killed on live television in 1992, the B-2 became a $2.13 billion bomber by division: a $44.7 billion invention spread across just 21 aircraft — roughly $90 billion and $4.3 billion apiece in 2026 money. Now, with Russia and China risen and the B-21 line running, America faces the same sentence again. ## [A US Air Force F-15E Pilot Was Shot Down Twice in 30 Days: First by a Kuwaiti Fighter, Then by an Iranian Missile Deep Inside Iran](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/a-us-air-force-f-15e-pilot-was-shot-down-twice-in-30-days-first-by-a-kuwaiti-fighter-then-by-an-iranian-missile-deep-inside-iran/) _2026-08-21 · Steve Balestrieri · 19FortyFive_ An F-15E Strike Eagle pilot was shot down over Kuwait in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury by a Kuwaiti fighter in what CENTCOM called a friendly fire incident. He passed his medical and psychological evaluations, returned to combat, and on April 3 - just over thirty days later - was hit by an Iranian surface-to-air missile deep in hostile territory and ejected a second time. ## [The Head of US Indo-Pacific Command Wants 200 B-21 Raider Stealth Bombers in the US Air Force. The Pentagon’s Plan Says 100 But Could Change Fast](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-head-of-us-indo-pacific-command-wants-200-b-21-raider-stealth-bombers-in-the-us-air-force-the-pentagons-plan-says-100-but-could-change-fast/) _2026-08-21 · Reuben Johnson · 19FortyFive_ The original plan was to procure 100 B-21 Raiders. Adm. Samuel Paparo, who commands US Indo-Pacific Command, says he would favour 200 - "not just for the nuclear deterrence mission, but for penetrating strike capabilities." Nine days later Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee the Pentagon would require "a lot more - over 100." The last two STRATCOM chiefs have argued for… ## [The North Korea Deal Donald Trump Should Actually Want](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-north-korea-deal-donald-trump-should-actually-want/) _2026-08-21 · Andrew Latham · 19FortyFive_ Trump ordered Ulchi Freedom Shield cut from eleven days to five before Kim Jong-un had agreed to anything in return. Kim Yo-jong dismissed the move within two days as cosmetic, and North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles regardless. It is a low-stakes preview of what a summit without a clear negotiating position produces at much higher stakes. ## [Abra Group revenue rises 18% but fuel costs weigh on second-quarter results](https://www.airdatanews.com/abra-group-revenue-rises-18-but-fuel-costs-weigh-on-second-quarter-results/) _2026-08-21 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ Latin American airline group carried 17.6 million passengers as GOL and Avianca expanded capacity, while adjusted EBITDAR fell 62% ## [Russia Spent 27 Years and $5,000,000,000 Rebuilding Just 1 Kirov-Class Battlecruiser. She Might End Up As Obsolete as An Old Battleship](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/russia-spent-27-years-and-5000000000-rebuilding-just-1-kirov-class-battlecruiser-she-might-end-up-as-obsolete-as-an-old-battleship/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ The Admiral Nakhimov entered the yard in 1999 and sailed again in 2025 — a refit that quadrupled in cost, outlived its sister ships, and condemned Russia's flagship to the scrapyard. Now the most heavily armed surface ship afloat heads for the Arctic, in the decade that showed what cheap drones do to big ships. ## [Portugal prepares A-29N production line to target European Super Tucano market](https://www.airdatanews.com/portugal-prepares-a-29-n-production-line-to-target-european-super-tucano-market/) _2026-08-21 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ Planned final assembly facility in Beja is not needed for the 12 aircraft already ordered by Portugal but could support future sales to other NATO countries ## [US Air Force Problem: The A-10 Warthog Needs To Be Allowed to Retire Even If It Performed During the Iran War](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/us-air-force-problem-the-a-10-warthog-needs-to-be-allowed-to-retire-even-if-it-performed-during-the-iran-war/) _2026-08-21 · Steve Balestrieri · 19FortyFive_ The BRRRRT Act requires the Air Force to keep at least 126 A-10s in service through fiscal year 2033, up from the previously legislated floor of 103, and to restore the depot maintenance, pilot training pipelines and sustainment infrastructure it had wound down. The Air Force has estimated hundreds of millions of dollars a year in savings from retiring the fleet. ## [It Cost $326,000,000 To Bring Back the 58,000-Ton US Navy Iowa-Class Battleships Packed with Tomahawk and Harpoon Missiles](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/it-cost-326000000-to-bring-back-the-58000-ton-us-navy-iowa-class-battleships-packed-with-tomahawk-and-harpoon-missiles/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ The Kirov scared Washington, and Reagan's Navy answered with four Iowa-class battleships it already owned. Lehman's written price — $326 million — held, the program cost $1.7 billion, and in 2026 dollars the whole comeback runs about $5 billion: less per battleship than a new frigate today. The complete cost ledger, the combat record, and how the ledger closed. ## [The Soviet Navy Built 1 Titanium Submarine That Could Dive 3,350 Feet. It Sank in 1989 With 2 Nuclear Warheads Still Aboard.](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-soviet-navy-built-1-titanium-submarine-that-could-dive-3350-feet-it-sank-in-1989-with-2-nuclear-warheads-still-aboard/) _2026-08-21 · Harry J. Kazianis · 19FortyFive_ She was the only one of her kind: a titanium submarine built to dive below the reach of NATO's weapons, and she set a depth record that still stands. On her first operational patrol she caught fire, and the emergency blow that brought her up fed the flames the air that finished her. ## [100,000-Ton US Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Has Been At Sea for 272 Days, Extended Twice Due to the Iran War and That Takes A Toll](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/100000-ton-us-navy-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-uss-abraham-lincoln-has-been-at-sea-for-272-days-extended-twice-due-to-the-iran-war-and-that-takes-a-toll/) _2026-08-21 · Steve Balestrieri · 19FortyFive_ USS Abraham Lincoln Update: The Navy has surged counselors and social workers to a ship whose behavioral health staff amounts to one clinical psychologist for 5,000 people in month nine of combat, and Cao sat with 200 family members in San Diego on August 11. ## [Airbus backs down on four-day office plan after employee protests](https://www.airdatanews.com/airbus-backs-down-on-four-day-office-plan-after-employee-protests/) _2026-08-21 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ European aircraft manufacturer will retain its existing hybrid work arrangements after a push for more on-site work triggered protests and strikes across several countries ## [Peru selects electronic warfare suite for new F-16 fleet](https://www.airdatanews.com/peru-selects-electronic-warfare-suite-for-new-f-16-fleet/) _2026-08-21 · Ricardo Meier · Air Data News_ L3Harris Viper Shield will equip 12 Block 70 fighters ordered after a lengthy competition to replace the South American country’s aging Soviet-era aircraft