Iran’s Underground Missile Bases Exposed, Become Strategic Liabilities
"Iran’s Underground ‘Missile Cities’ Have Become One of Its Biggest Vulnerabilities" @WSJ The underground has advantages and disadvantages. #undergroundwarfare https://t.co/TgMup6jVwm Almost all of the dozens of missile bases are underground but have aboveground buildings, roads and entrances that make it possible to identify them from satellite photos, according to analysts. The Pentagon and Israel’s military have spent years locating the facilities. U.S. air attacks appear to be focusing on bases in southern Iran, while Israeli warplanes are mostly striking facilities in the north, analysts said. Separating fact from fiction about the missile cities has always been difficult. Iran released video footage in March 2025 of what it claimed was its latest large underground facility, showing senior commanders touring long, windowless corridors filled with missile-carrying trucks. The video didn’t name the locatio
Congress Urges NASA to Pick Private Station Developers by 2032
The ISS is now likely to fly through 2032, and Congress wants NASA to get moving on selecting two developers for private space stations. https://t.co/tsD0ZCfxnB
Pentagon Seeks $12 B to Revive F‑35 Readiness
We break on F-35 readiness rates: The Pentagon needs an additional $12 billion through 2031 to boost declining readiness rates of the F-35 fighter, program officials have told congressional auditors. https://t.co/pSWFdAbhzt
Ukraine's F‑16s Face Sidewinder Shortage Amid Middle East Demand
Ukrainian F-16s Had Only A Handful Of Sidewinder Missiles Available: Report The conflict in the Middle East is now also driving up the demand for and increasing scarcity of various kinds air-defense effectors. https://t.co/620olFVNxb
US Denies F‑15E Loss as Iran Escalates Drone Strikes
U.S. Denies F-15E Strike Eagle Went Down In Iran There are new risks as the U.S. expands its air campaign deeper into Iran, and meanwhile Iran has begun to strike Azerbaijan with drones. A little late this AM, we continue live updating:...
B‑52s Deploy JASSM Cruise Missiles in Iran Standoff
This came up in one of my threads yesterday as to B-52s and B-1s likely executing standoff strikes using cruise missiles fired from outside Iran, not direct attacks. This video confirms it, AGM-158 JASSMs on the wings. They were not...
Sober Awe at Vandenberg’s Minuteman III Launch
Covering a Minuteman III launch out at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Really amazing and sobering experience seeing this missile fly.
Matt Anderson Poised for Smooth NASA Deputy Confirmation
NASA may soon get a deputy administrator. Matt Anderson is before a Senate committee today. Barring surprises his confirmation in the coming weeks should be non-controversial.
FCC Seeks Industry Input on Global Space Policy Discrimination
Not just @defis_eu Space Act: @FCC wants industry input on discriminatory policies at @esa, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Gulf Cooperation Council. @spacegovuk @BrendanCarrFCC #MWC26. https://t.co/WNE0RDXEPN https://t.co/l6A5Fqkgw1
Historic PBY Catalina Joins Modern P‑8A Poseidon at Whidbey
PBY Catalina and a P-8A Poseidon assigned to the “Fighting Marlins” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 sit on the apron aboard Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., Aug. 22, 2025. On DVIDS today. #avgeek https://t.co/dy2utMvSdY https://t.co/WLf4sHZzs0
FCC to Allocate Spectrum for Emerging Space Activities
The FCC is outlining plans to provide spectrum for novel space activities, or what it calls "weird space stuff." https://t.co/blttdrzzp3
US Shifts to Abundant PGMs, Yet JDAM Shortages Warn
The US air campaign is shifting from using scarce high-end weapons to precision guided munitions. PGM inventory is high, but there are still risks: the US ran dangerously low on JDAMs during ISIS strikes and had to pull from other...
SpaceX's $1.75T IPO Dream Defies $20B Revenue Reality
SpaceX provably has revenues of less than $20bn and loses money after the merger with xAI, but is targeting a $1.75 TRILLION IPO. So FTAV explored how Musk might try to pull off what could be the biggest bagholder operation...
Instant OSINT Forces Governments to Own Drone Damage
Govt caginess about actual damage so enemy can refine their strikes next time is not new/surprising (see V1s vs London). But in this time of instant online OSINT and social media BDA (Bomb Damage Assessment) should they work on assumption...
What Does Ukraine’s P1SUN Drone Name Actually Mean?
I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for foreign operators of Ukraine’s interceptor drone P1SUN to discover what its seemingly purely technical name actually stands for.
Pentagon, Gulf Nations Seek Ukrainian Interceptors Against Iranian Drones
The Pentagon and at least one Gulf government are in talks to buy Ukrainian-made interceptors to fend off attacks by Iranian drones, @charles_clover and @ChristopherJM report https://t.co/hV2ixGhKjx
MQ‑9 Reapers Dominate Ground and Naval Strikes In
MQ-9 Reapers appear do be doing a LOT of the heavy lifting against mobile ground targets and vessels in Epic Fury.
Lufthansa Launches Direct Frankfurt‑Kuala Lumpur Service 2026
Lufthansa Airlines will start flying direct 5x weekly Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur from 25 October 2026. The flight will be operated by its B787-9 with 287 seats in a 3-class configured Alleris cabin. Lufthansa said Kuala Lumpur is the fourth destination for the...
US and Israel Dominate Skies over Top Terror Sponsor
"Operationally, the two most powerful air forces in the world, the United States and Israel, are dominating the skies over the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,"
Kairos Suffers Third Consecutive First‑stage Failure at Minute One
Apparent FAILURE of Kairos during first stage flight, for the third time in a row Failure appeared to be about 1 min into flight.
Kairos Rocket Flight 3 Launches From Japan
LAUNCH at 0210 UTC Mar 5 of Kairos rocket flight 3 from Kii spaceport, Japan
Simple Plan to Save Artemis Revealed
A year and a half ago I published a story with my simple plan for saving Artemis. https://t.co/q8yk0zTW3O Here it was in a nutshell: https://t.co/jSbtdKb3zE
Iran’s Mobile Defenses Keep Eastern Airspace Contested
Declarations of air superiority are relative. Iran has road mobile air defenses that can hide and pop up out of nowhere. They have exotic stuff like loitering SAMs too. Moving fighters in for direct attacks doesn’t mean they can operate...
Supers FALCO APKWS Needed Now for Drone Defense
Got to get the Supers FALCO APKWS (air-to-air laser-guided rockets for swatting down drones and some cruise missiles) ASAP. Surprised this isn't a thing still after the Red Sea and the USAF going all in on it. The remaining roughly...
Senate Commerce NASA Bill Revised with New Amendments
There were quite a few changes to the Senate Commerce NASA Auth bill compared to the draft that was circulating last week, plus the amendments adopted today. https://t.co/Ad2s6yclcs
Ukraine Dispatches Drone Warfare Experts to Middle East and Gulf States
Ukraine will send experts in drone warfare to help the Middle East and Gulf states
Senate Bill Calls for Human Mars Mission Study
The NASA authorization act approved by the Senate Commerce Committee today includes a study of a human Mars mission—sort of. https://t.co/EAOJaNPxtN
Israeli F‑16Is Overfly Deir Ez‑Zor en Route to Iran
Looks like these F-16Is flew up and over Deir ez Zur, Syria, on the way to Iran
Key Takeaways on Iran Air War From Breaking Defense
Had a great time with the @BreakingDefense team talking about the air war against Iran. A few conversations worth your time. 🧵
Air War Accelerates: Direct Strikes Target Eastern Front
This is going to be the conversion to direct strikes I have been talking about. Major acceleration of the air war. Lots untouched in the east, likely AD too.
Strikes Curb Iran's Missile Threat, Depleting Interceptor Reserves
Strikes Hobble Iranian Missile Threat As Concerns Over Interceptor Stockpile Mount There is a war of attrition ongoing between Iran's stockpiles of standoff weapons and the U.S. and its allies' supplies of interceptors. The latest, updating live: https://t.co/qjIQG0zn3Z
Senate NASA Bill Boosts Funding for Chandra X‑ray Telescope
Encouraged to see the provisions in the Senate's NASA authorization bill (reported out of ctee today) supporting @chandraxray : #SaveChandra https://t.co/vEpAy3Mn9H
Senate Bill Gives Strong Backing to NASA's Artemis Revamp
The US Senate's new 'reauthorization' bill offers a major endorsement for NASA's revamped Artemis plans. Seriously, this is a really great legislation overall. No idea how Isaacman got this done so quickly, but he delivered. https://t.co/g7MeTnqlSm
NASA Launch Procurement Cap Removed From Reauthorization Bill
The proposed language to cap NASA's launch procurement at 50 percent from any one company has been dropped from the final NASA reauthorization bill. I wrote about this issue on Monday: https://t.co/x4jDOwadVr
PLD Space Secures $209M, Targets 2024 Guiana Launch
Launcher startup @PLD_Space, fresh from its $209M equity round led by @ME_JP_official and including Spanish govt, on the road to planned inaugural flight this yr from @esa @CNES Guiana Space Center. Transport vessel already booked. @defis_eu.https://t.co/rpPd1GDsBX https://t.co/n23Zg1E14q
Israel's Missiles Rely on Man‑in‑the‑loop Control
More man-in-the-loop control Israeli air-to-ground weaponry video. Likely a Delilah cruise missile or Spice 2000. More here on Israel's love of MITL and Delilah etc: https://t.co/Vw7fuL1ANe
Space Internet Duopoly Sparks Global Connectivity Abundance
We're about to see a duopoly in space internet: Starlink vs Amazon's LEO constellation. We also have competitors in China and elsewhere. This drives Abundance.
Starlink Takes Center Stage at DC Summit
"Today, the star [in DC] is Starlink," says Alpine Group's Rhod Shaw at the ACA Connects Summit. #Summit2026
Senate Commerce Committee Passes NASA Authorization with Unreviewed Amendments
Senate Commerce Committee favorably reported the NASA authorization act on a voice vote. Lots of amendments included in it, which were not discussed during the brief markup.
Space Data Centers: Foundation for Mars, Colonies, Dyson Swarms
Data centers in space are the stepping stone to everything. Mars, O'Neill colonies, Dyson swarms. It all starts with compute in orbit.
Unlimited Precision Bombs Arrive with New Bombers and Fighters
"We are just getting started...more bombers and more fighters are arriving just today.. we will be using 500 lbs, 1000 lbs, 2000 lbs gps and laser guided precision gravity bombs of which we have a nearly unlimited stockpile."
12 Launches Aim for 45 Satellites by Year‑end
Will the schedule stick this time? @AST_SpaceMobile forecasts 12 launches between March and Dec, all but the first carrying multiple BlueBird Block 2 sats. Goal: at least 45 in orbit by year's end. Commercial service would start in in H2....
Russian Sources Say Own Mi‑8AMTSh Downed by Friendly Fire
Several Russian Telegram and media sources say that a Russian Mi-8AMTSh helicopter was shot down last night by Russian air defenses.
Ukrainian UAVs Destroy Russian S‑400 Launcher in Belgorod
Video from the Ukrainian National Guard Lasar’s Group of bomber UAS strikes on a Russian S-400 TEL in Belgorod oblast that was located by the 429th Achilles Brigade. https://t.co/JQeQ980VPP https://t.co/X5MSQYsK1D
Warp Nacelle Print Collapse Leaves Me with Spaghetti
Well dang. Bound to happen. Enterprise’s warp nacelle pylon’s fell during printing and I got spaghetti.
Inception Aviation CEO Discusses Future at RAeS Fireside
Today at RAeS HQ! As part of #RAeSCivilAviationWeek - Tony Lucking Fireside Chat 2026 - Tasos Michael - CEO, Inception Aviation Holdings Limited #avgeek https://t.co/nDuunYNrFf https://t.co/KXoTZlU6Aj
Decorated Kuwaiti Pilot
Kuwaiti AF Hornet pilot promotion board, 20 years hence "30-plus years of service. Combat medals. Citations. Only man to shoot down three planes in the last 40 years. Why are you still a Captain?" https://t.co/1mfw8xqxRz
Kairos Launch Scrubbed Amid Ongoing Space One‑Firefly Delays
Kairos launch scrubbed, as Space One and Firefly Aerospace continue their battle of the launch delays.
Kuwaiti Hornet Shoots Down Three U.S. F‑15
Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet Responsible For Shooting Down Three USAF F-15E Strike Eagles: Report The bizarre friendly fire incident resulted in the total loss of all three Strike Eagles, but their crews survived. https://t.co/CRnKlnLVDa
First Symphony Engine Prototype Enters Production with 3,000lb Aluminum Frame
As the first prototype Symphony engine approaches assembly, we've launched manufacturing for the first production unit. Here is 3,000lbm of cast aluminum, which will be HIP'd and then machined into an inlet frame. https://t.co/8yiGkixeJ6