For weeks, some of the most intense fighting in the war in Ukraine has centered on the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seem determined to capture even at enormous cost. The nearly deserted city is being held by Ukrainian forces, including Russian volunteers serving in the Free Russia legion …
Read More »First Look: Efforts to Recover the Chinese Spy Balloon
First images have emerged of efforts to recover the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in the waters off Myrtle Beach, SC. The Pentagon released these images by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson, depicting sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2. The recovery operation involves active duty, …
Read More »Chinese Spy Balloons Slipped Through ‘Domain Awareness Gap,’ Didn’t Seem Hostile, NORAD Chief Says
The U.S. did not take out the Chinese spy balloon as it approached Alaska because it showed no “hostile intent,” the NORAD commander said, noting that his organization did not detect previous balloons because of “a domain awareness gap.” Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the top general in charge …
Read More »Salvage Crews on Lookout for Explosives and Toxic Substances From Chinese Spy Balloon
Salvage crews are taking precautions against the possible presence of explosives or toxic substances mixed in among the remnants of the downed Chinese spy balloon, military officials said. After rough seas at first thwarted efforts to recover debris from the balloon, collection efforts ramped up on Monday off the coast …
Read More »Navy Divers, FBI Join Hunt for Debris From Chinese Spy Balloon
Navy divers and FBI counterspy agents are at sea off the coast of South Carolina, hunting for debris from a downed Chinese spy balloon. The search is being carried out from three Navy ships, including the USS Carter Hall, which can launch small amphibious crafts from its internal Landing Ship …
Read More »Is Beijing’s Military a Match for US Forces?
Pentagon war games for decades have assessed how U.S. forces would fare in a conflict with China’s Peoples Liberation Army. What about now: how goes the matchup? Gone are the days when Western military analysts dismissed the capabilities of Beijing’s war machine. READ MORE about China’s military. Beijing clearly wants …
Read More »Pilots Who Shot Down Spy Airship Used Callsigns Honoring World War I ‘Balloon Buster’ Frank Luke
Pilots of the F-22 Raptors that shot down the Chinese spy balloon may have taken their callsigns from a famous World War I flying ace. The modern pilots, whose fighter jets on Saturday took off from Langley Air Force base in Virginia, used the callsigns ‘FRANK01’ and ‘FRANK02,’ in honor …
Read More »US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon
The U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon Saturday afternoon over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said. The balloon’s sensor package appeared to have separated from the balloon intact, and is the subject of an intense recovery effort, sources told Soldier of Fortune. Earlier in the day, the Federal …
Read More »Flights Grounded, F-22 Fighter Jets Brought in One Day Before US Announced China Spy Balloon
The U.S. on Wednesday prepared F-22 fighter jets, and imposed a 50-mile radius ground stop on air traffic in Montana, among other responses to a Chinese spy balloon above the western United States, sources told Soldier of Fortune. The ground stop occurred one day before the Pentagon convened a hasty …
Read More »China Says Spy Balloon is Really a Weather Gauge Blown Off Course
Now that China’s spy balloon got busted flying over the United States, Beijing acknowledges that yes, it’s their balloon, but it’s not what everything thinks it is. The airship is really a weather balloon that blew off course, Beijing says. Media outlets on Thursday night broke the news that NORAD, …
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