EVEN UKRAINIAN BIRDS ARE INNOVATING - Bird nests in Ukraine are now being made of a surprising new material: not straw, not twigs, and not grass, but fiber optic cables. The 1,200 km long front line between Russia and Ukraine has been covered in fiber optic cables, which drones from both sides now use for navigation and to prevent electronic jamming. The cables, which are up to 20 km long, remain draped over trees, buildings, and infrastructure long after they have fulfilled their purpose. Because the frontline is far too dangerous for humans to clean up these cables, birds have taken advantage of the abundance of this new resource for nest construction.
A SURPRISE GIVEAWAY – In a surprise revelation, TWZ reports that the military’s B-2 bomber recently fired an AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) - reportedly for the first time in a live fire exercise in the Western Pacific. Air Force Global Strike Command said all details about the missile integration with the B-2 were classified. But the Pentagon’s FY2027 budget proposal shows that the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters and the U.S. Air Force’s B-1 bombers are the only cleared launch platforms as of now. Multiple other aircraft have been named as platforms currently being adapted to integrate with the LRASM but the B-2 was not mentioned. If true, this new advancement would offer a fleet-killing platform crucial for any future Pacific conflict.
SIGN ME UP – The U.S. Army has announced a new Space Operations Branch that is being equipped to handle everything from satellite comms to missile warning and counterspace ops. That basically means that the Army now has a space lane with its own career track. Long overdue perhaps? The move sharpens U.S. readiness in the face of advancement in space operations by both China and Russia.
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