An MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 163 Attack Wing, March Air Reserve Base stages for refueling on the Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, July 21, 2022. U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Joseph Pagan
The Air & Space Brief: Western jets for Ukraine; Russia quits ISS; Self-moving satellites
Welcome to the Defense One Air and Space newsletter. Here are our top stories this week:
Jets for Ukraine: Ukraine may get Western fighter jets and pilot training to aid in its conflict with Russia, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., said at the Aspen Security Conference on Wednesday. His comments were followed the next day by Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall saying the U.S. could possibly provide Ukraine some A-10 Warthogs. Brown said no decision has been made, but “There's a number of different platforms that could go to Ukraine.”
Self-moving satellite: A new type of satellite—capable of moving itself in low-Earth orbit by adjusting the direction of its solar panels and then riding the (very) low amount of atmosphere at that altitude—is showing how the military may be able to achieve some of its ambitions in space despite physics limitations that have proved difficult to overcome, Defense One’s Patrick Tucker writes. The results from the initial DARPA-led demonstration were announced last week.
Guard expansion in Indo-Pacific: The National Guard is considering a major expansion of its training programs to Indo-Pacific island nations, which could give the U.S. additional military relationships and connections as it seeks to make its air and naval military assets in the region less vulnerable, the head of the National Guard Bureau said Monday.
Russia out of ISS: Russia will quit its partnership with the International Space Station, the new head of Roscosmos said Tuesday, according to the state-owned news agency TASS and the Associated Press. The ISS had been seen as one of the few remaining areas of U.S.-Russian cooperation in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, Russia will begin work on its own space station, Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov said.
Sign up to get The Air & Space Brief every Tuesday from Tara Copp, Defense One’s Senior Pentagon Reporter. On July 26, 1937, Jackie Cochran set a new women’s flying speed record. The “pretty aviatrix” hit a speed of more than 203 miles an hour, the International News Service reported.
From Defense One
Air Force Chief Hints Western Fighter Jets Could Go to Ukraine // Patrick Tucker and Jacqueline Feldscher
No decisions yet, but U.S. and partners, looking at many options.
Military-Funded Program Produces A Self-Propelling Mesh Network In Space // Patrick Tucker
Satellites that take advantage of the unique atmospheric conditions of low-earth orbit.
National Guard Considering Major Expansion in Indo-Pacific // Tara Copp
In an interview, Gen. Dan Hokanson says Guard seeks to amplify its training presence because of China's increased aggressiveness.