Aircraft tracking has become a powerful tool for journalism. In our Stage Talks podcast, @gillianbrockell.com demonstrates how flight data and open tools can be used to trace government flights, identify ICE aircraft, and verify aviation activity. Listen: rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2829188

ARRW once thought dead. Its testing did not go very smoothly. Wonder if USAF is desperate for an interim hypersonic weapon?

Army requests funds to speed development, production of EW systems https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/army-requests-funds-to-speed-development-production-of-ew-systems/

Nothing says 'playing with fire' quite like party politics in central banking.

the u.s. is shooting itself in the foot with a tactical nuke american universities are *so* good and it's a virtuous cycle: smart and ambitious people attend, elevating the whole enterprise. if we alienate the world, it becomes a vicious cycle headed in the opposite direction

Army releases commercial solutions opening for rapid EW and signals intelligence capabilities https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/army-releases-commercial-solutions-opening-for-rapid-ew-and-signals-intelligence-capabilities/

Labor unions are lining up in favor of a bailout for Spirit Airlines. ALPA (pilots), AFA (flight attendants) and IAM (ramp) have all issued statements of support in the past 24 hours. A federal bailout of one airline, rather than industry-wide aid, is unprecedented.

Smith had been raising concerns about threats to the independence of Stars and Stripes posed by the Pentagon: “I knew it was risky to speak out, but my responsibility to Stripes and the First Amendment was paramount." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/b...

EXCLUSIVE: Lockheed exits Navy trainer aircraft competition https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/exclusive-lockheed-exits-navy-trainer-aircraft-competition/

This demonstrates the breakdown of trust between NATO and the US. The US-built Boeing E-7 was practically a shoo-in for this contest before Trump's second term began.

USAF is finally displaying a bit more sense on NGAS, downplaying a bespoke, stealthy sixth-gen tanker in favor of (probably) a converted airliner.

Today in very, just incredibly stupid ways to waste money, the Navy actually seems to be moving ahead with this monstrosity. A plan is not a design is not cut steel, but if there were ever a time for military procurement to be inefficient, it's this program.

How profoundly immoral.

📣 #Vacancy: SIPRI’s Armament and Disarmament research area is hiring a Research Assistant to join its Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, ideally with experience in: outer space security, chemical weapons or biological weapons. Apply now: bit.ly/3OOWATc #SIPRI

The United States has invested heavily in high-end capability. The war in Iran suggests the harder problem is sustaining that force when losses mount, and logistics become contested.

C'mon

Just drones all the way down these days

CNO Caudle says F/A-XX downselect expected in August.

SNC’s ATHENA-S ISR Jets Are Now Operational with the U.S. Army Sierra Nevada Corporation announced that two Contractor-Owned Contractor-Operated ATHENA-S jets finished testing and are now operational in support of the U.S. Army’s Aerial-ISR mission. Story: theaviationist.com/2026/04/18/s...

During two recent brigade rotations at the National Training Center, both the OPFOR and the Rotational Unit suffered the highest total losses in two and a half years. Here’s why mwi.westpoint.edu/the-dead-zon...

In the air domain, US wargamers found less-capable UAVs especially useful even in high-end fights. USAF's 2nd CCA tranche is likely to be less capable than the first for this reason. I'm not sure how it works undersea but interesting to see demand for increased UUV capabilities.

Marines starting early work on sixth-gen fighter jet concepts https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/marines-starting-early-work-on-sixth-gen-fighter-jet-concepts/

Occasional reminder that the Trump administration continues to spend ~$1.6 million/day (www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/dems/p...) for National Guard members to wander aimlessly along DC’s streets, even as it defunds programs for homeless people who have no choice but to sleep along those same streets.

New article - China Is Years Ahead In Heavylift Cargo Drones -> www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Carg...

@theaircurrent.com on a roll

A @propublica.org investigation pinpointed at least 75 people across federal agencies who stood up to protect the integrity of the 2020 election. Today, nearly all of those people are gone, having resigned, been fired, or been reassigned, esp. at DOJ and DHS. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

I hate the term “self-deport” so much. What it actually is is “fleeing the country to avoid government persecution.” Just like terms like “enhanced interrogation” aka “torture” it obscures what is happening and I hate how willing media outlets are to use those sanitized terms.

I admit I am a little surprised at how hard Hegseth's Pentagon is pushing to stifle freedom of the press.

Anything to not address the widespread availability of guns, huh

Secure World Foundation is out with its 2026 Global Counterspace Capabilties report: www.swfound.org/publications...

We're in a weird time with open source and commercial satellite imagery right now and Iran is under a 40-day internet blackout. As a workaround, @bellingcat.com has adapted Ollie Ballinger's remote sensing work to more easily find damaged areas in Iran: www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

I wasn't inclined to share further an image of the Trump Iran statement on Easter, but I gather that some news agencies and commentators are avoiding doing so. That is actually their job, but if they won't do it, others should. This is what the man said. Don't look away.

Just had this from Planet Labs, the US government have asked satellite imagery providers for "voluntarily" restrictions on access to satellite imagery. Given a lot of them provide satellite imagery to the USG we can probably guess the outcome of not acquiescing to that request.

via @laserwars.net, the Pentagon wants to double its R&D budget for lasers and other "directed energy weapons" www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

I scraped a Patriot Front recruiting sticker off the back of a road sign at the National Mall the other day. To hell with those racists.

While reading through the more detailed PBR that Isaacman strongly supports, it becomes incredibly clear why. This is the plan that lets the cancel every NASA owned project related to exploration, and make it all science as a service from commercial companies.

You just have to laugh sometimes

(Reuters) -- Italy has denied permission for U.S. military aircraft to land at the Sigonella ​air base in Sicily before flying to ‌the Middle East, a source close to the matter said @reuters.com

That the Supreme Court is even hearing this case is vile and scary.

Italian Navy to fly TB3 drones from Cavour aircraft carrier 🇮🇹 🇹🇷 The Italian Navy is preparing to acquire the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), marking a new step in expanding its carrier-based unmanned aviation capabilities 👇 www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Looking to limit birthright citizenship, Trump turns to an 1884 Supreme Court ruling against a Native American.

Woof: "Airbus, which was supplying the European Service Module, as well as the power management and distribution system for Gateway’s HALO module, only formally found out about Gateway’s proposed pause during the presentation this week" payloadspace.com/with-artemis...

A literal invasion seems like the kind of thing it would be in public interest for the Pentagon to comment upon. Yet here we are.

[501547-high-flying-kite].

Always happy to see people from the trades step up to mainstream media. So though we've never met, I was pleasantly surprised to see former Flight International reporter @leighgiangreco.bsky.social 's byline in the New York Times this morning.

This marks the first full week since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began that the Pentagon has done *zero* press conferences. Last briefing was held by Secretary Hegseth and Gen. Caine on March 19. Hegseth's public affairs team itself has not briefed since December.

Damn that's a cool airplane. I am not convinced of its relevance given how expensive supersonic flight is, but crewed X-planes are rare enough these days.

The boat strikes are still happening, and SOUTHCOM is now referring to them as “applying total systemic friction”