eCrow Newsletter

Ukraine Wins Bipartisan US Support, Strikes Russia From Afar

April 24, 2024 -- Industry News

After half a year of delays and debates, the US Congress has approved a $60.8bn military aid package for Ukraine, lifting the spirits of Kyiv’s forces this week as special operations destroyed Russian air defences, a long-range bomber, a unique ship and oil refineries. (Al Jazeera)

North Korean Leader Kim Led Rocket Drills Simulating a Nuclear Counterattack

April 24, 2024 -- Industry News

State media described the drill as aimed at demonstrating the strength and diverse attack means of North Korea's nuclear forces amid deepening tensions with the United States and South Korea. (NPR)

Saab Receives Arexis Sensor Suite Contract for Eurofighter EK

April 24, 2024 -- Industry News

Saab has been contracted by Airbus Defence and Space to supply an emitter locater variant of its Arexis sensor suite for the Luftwaffe’s new Eurofighter EK (Elektronischer Kampf) electronic warfare variant. (JED)

Ukraine Faces Dire Shortage of Munitions, Manpower as Russia Ramps Up Offensive

April 17, 2024 -- Industry News

Ukraine has been at war with Russia for more than two years, and there are signs that this year could be pivotal. Ukrainian officials say they need more munitions and support as Russia appears to be gaining ground. Amna Nawaz reports from the ground in Kyiv. (PBS)

Israel Says It Will Respond to Iran Attack as World Leaders Urge Restraint

April 17, 2024 -- Industry News

Israel’s military chief said Monday that the country will respond after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate. (AP)

Sudan's Conflict Hits 1-Year Mark, Sparking Fears of Repeated Atrocities

April 17, 2024 -- Industry News

Since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and rebel paramilitaries a year ago, experts estimate over 14,000 people have been killed and millions displaced and facing starvation. (NPR)

Lockheed Martin To Develop ARTS-V3 for SAM Radar Threat Simulation

April 10, 2024 -- Industry News

Lockheed Martin has been awarded an initial US$276 million contract by the US Air Force to develop and produce the Advanced Range Threat System Variant 3 Variable Aperture Digital Radar system. (JED)

US Announces $138M in Emergency Military Sales of Hawk Missile Systems Support for Ukraine

April 10, 2024 -- Industry News

The State Department has greenlighted an emergency $138 million in foreign military sales for Ukraine to provide critical repairs and spare parts for Kyiv’s Hawk missile systems. (AP)

Okinawa Feels Impact of US and Japan Military Shifts

April 10, 2024 -- Industry News

Okinawa, which sits closer to China than to Japan's main islands, is the focus of US and Japanese efforts to beef up defenses in Japan's southwest islands. (NPR)

Blurring the Lines More... (Another Perspective)

April 3, 2024 -- Industry News

To delve deeper into the confluence of cyber warfare and EW, a perspective offered in a C4ISRNet article highlights a strategic pivot by the US military towards blending these domains. This integration signifies a recognition of the evolving battlefield, where the lines between cyber and EW continue to blur, fostering a new realm of tactical advantages and operational challenges. (JED)

Zelensky Lowers Ukraine’s Draft Age, Risking Political Backlash

April 3, 2024 -- Industry News

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has signed into law three measures aimed at replenishing the ranks of his country’s exhausted and battered army, including the politically poisonous step of lowering the age when men become eligible for mobilization, and eliminating some medical exemptions. (NYT)

Understanding the Worsening Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

April 3, 2024 -- Industry News

Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is increasing and has caused over a million people to flee their homes. It is threatening to become a regional war. Many of the displaced end up next door in Rwanda and we hear about the conflict from some Congolese in a refugee camp. (NPR)

UK Court Delays Extradition of Julian Assange to the US

March 27, 2024 -- Industry News

He spent seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy and five years in prison, both in London. US prosecutors want his next move to be to the US But the High Court has delayed that. (NPR)

Israeli Hostage Says She Was Sexually Assaulted and Tortured in Gaza

March 27, 2024 -- Industry News

Amit Soussana is the first former hostage to publicly say she was sexually abused in captivity. A UN report has said it found “clear and convincing information” that some hostages suffered “conflict-related sexual violence.” (NYT)

Air Force to Add 5 New Compass Call EA Planes in 2025

March 27, 2024 -- Industry News

The Air Force plans to add five EA-37B Compass Call electronic-attack aircraft to its arsenal in the coming fiscal year, as it swaps out the aging EC-130H fleet for a smaller, modern set of airborne jammers. (Air Force Times)

AN/APR-39E(V)2 Digital RWR Enters Productions

March 20, 2024 -- Industry News

Northrop Grumman has received a multi-year contract to commence initial production of the AN/APR-39E(V)2 digital radar warning receiver (RWR) for the US Army. (JED)

Putin Says Russia Aims to Set Up a Buffer Zone Inside Ukraine

March 20, 2024 -- Industry News

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after extending his rule in an election that stifled opposition that Moscow will not relent in its invasion of Ukraine and plans to create a buffer zone to help protect against long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids. (AP)

Biden Speaks With Netanyahu as Tensions Rise Over the War in Gaza

March 20, 2024 -- Industry News

National security adviser Jake Sullivan described a "business-like" meeting between two leaders with different perspectives about the proposed military operation for the city of Rafah in Gaza. (NPR)

An Early Look at EMSO Priorities in the President’s FY 2025 Budget

March 13, 2024 -- Industry News

This week, President Joe Biden officially released his FY 2025 Budget to Congress, marking the official start of the annual defense authorization and appropriations process. There are several funding and policy initiatives highlighted in the budget that pertain to advancing EMSO. (JED)

Putin, in Pre-Election Messaging, Plays Down Threat of Nuclear War

March 13, 2024 -- Industry News

The Russian leader struck a softer tone in an interview with state television than in last month’s state-of-the-nation address. He is aiming to project stability before this weekend’s vote. (NYT)

As US Aid Ship Heads to Gaza, Biden Again Warns Netanyahu on Civilian Deaths

March 13, 2024 -- Industry News

The US ship left Virginia last weekend as part of an emergency mission to build a temporary pier in Gaza to facilitate aid. Biden criticized the Israeli prime minister over civilian deaths in Gaza. (NPR)

Wary or Weary of Fixed Price Contracts

March 6, 2024 -- Industry News

There are varying opinions on the role of fixed price contracts through the department of defense and industry, but most fall somewhere on the spectrum between ideal or overused, useful or uncontrolled. We need to rethink how we apply this mechanisms and whether fixed price is even an appropriate contract vehicle for defense procurement today. (JED)

More US Aid Airdropped Into Gaza

March 6, 2024 -- Industry News

Additional US aid was airdropped into Gaza on Tuesday amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, US Central Command said. This comes in the wake of an initial US military aircraft airdrop, in coordination with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, over the weekend. Tuesday's operation was also conducted by the US and Jordan. (NPR)

Kyiv Says 7 Dead as Drone Attack Sinks Russian Ship

March 6, 2024 -- Industry News

Ukraine’s military on Tuesday claimed another successful attack on a Russian warship, marking the latest in a string of naval defeats for Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet that Kyiv says has reduced its numbers by more than a third since the start of the war. (BBC)

North Korean Factories Making Arms for Russia ‘Operating at Full Capacity,’ South Korea Says

February 28, 2024 -- Industry News

North Korea’s munitions factories are “operating at full capacity” to produce weapons and shells for Russia, according to South Korea’s defense minister, as Moscow’s devastating war in Ukraine grinds into a third year. (CNN)

Biden Says There Could be a Cease-Fire in Gaza by Monday

February 28, 2024 -- Industry News

Negotiators have been trying to reach a deal on a temporary cease-fire to to move hostages held in Gaza out of the territory. President Biden says he's optimistic the cease-fire could begin in a week. (NPR)

From the JED Archives: The Domain of the Tube � Millimeter Wave and Beyond

February 28, 2024 -- Industry News

In this From the JED Archives post, John Haystead explores traveling wave tubes and tube vs. solid-state competition in 2018. (JED)

Indra to Supply Rigel ESM for Saudi MMSC

February 21, 2024 -- Industry News

Indra has been contracted by Lockheed Martin to supply electronic support measures equipment for four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants being built for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces under Project Tuwaiq. (JED)

Hundreds of Ukrainian Troops Feared Captured or Missing in Chaotic Retreat

February 21, 2024 -- Industry News

The fall of Avdiivka to Russia may be more significant than it initially seemed as Ukraine struggles with morale and recruitment. (NYT)

WikiLeaks Founder Assange Starts Final Legal Battle to Avoid Extradition to US

February 21, 2024 -- Industry News

Julian Assange's lawyers will begin their final UK legal challenge on Tuesday to stop the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the US to face spying charges. (NPR)

US Navy Seeks Next-Generation Active Expendable Decoy

February 14, 2024 -- Industry News

The US Navy is planning to develop an RF Countermeasure Active Expendable Decoy to be deployed from tactical aircraft against RF-guided threats. (JED)

Ukraine Claims Russia Used New Hypersonic Missile for First Time

February 14, 2024 -- Industry News

Ukraine said it had evidence that Russia had used a new hypersonic cruise missile for the first time in an attack last week, a development that might, if confirmed, pose another challenge to the country’s already strained air defenses. (NYT)

Video Shows Hamas Leader Yehya Sinwar in a Gaza Tunnel, Israel says

February 14, 2024 -- Industry News

The Israeli military released surveillance video showing what it claimed was Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar walking through tunnels beneath Gaza's Khan Younis with family members on Oct. 10. (NBC News)

Why Does Russia Want to Capture Avdiivka?

February 7, 2024 -- Industry News

Russian forces are intensifying efforts to seize the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka as Moscow's war in Ukraine grinds on. (Reuters)

Hamas Responds to Ceasefire Offer With 135-Day Truce Plan

February 7, 2024 -- Industry News

Hamas has laid out a series of demands, including exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners and rebuilding Gaza, in response to an Israel-backed ceasefire proposal. (BBC)

WSINT 23-B: Training to Dominate the Spectrum

February 7, 2024 -- Industry News

For the first time, the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing integrated with the US Air Force Weapons School to provide students realistic pacing threats in the electromagnetic operational environment for their capstone exercise. (JED)