Latest news with #DavidAllvin
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Air Force may revive shelved ARRW hypersonic program
The Air Force wants to revive its shelved AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, hypersonic program — and perhaps move it into the procurement phase. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told lawmakers in a hearing last week that the service wants to include funding for both ARRW and the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, or HACM, in the fiscal 2026 budget proposal. 'We are looking, and have in the budget submission — assuming it's what we had put forward — two different [hypersonic] programs,' Allvin told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday. 'One is a larger form factor that is more strategic long-range that we have already tested several times. It's called ARRW, and the other one is HACM.' Hypersonic weapons are capable of traveling at more than five times the speed of sound and maneuvering midflight, making them harder to track and shoot down than conventional ballistic missiles and more capable of penetrating enemy defenses. China and Russia have invested heavily in hypersonic research and touted their advancements, with Russia even using hypersonic weapons in Ukraine. Those nations' successes have worried top lawmakers and Pentagon leaders and increased pressure on U.S. military services to produce their own hypersonic capabilities. The Air Force once saw ARRW, a boost-glide weapon made by Lockheed Martin, as a promising option for developing hypersonic weapons that could catch up with China's and Russia's programs. But after unsuccessful tests in late 2022 and early 2023, ARRW's future was in doubt. Andrew Hunter, then-acquisition chief, told lawmakers in March 2023 that the Air Force did not plan to buy ARRW missiles after its prototyping phase ended, spelling major trouble for the program. The Air Force's budget request for fiscal 2025, which was released in March 2024, included no funding for procurement or research and development for ARRW. The service concluded the prototype phase for ARRW in 2024. But in his comments to lawmakers last week, Allvin said the service wanted to move both ARRW and HACM beyond research and development and 'into the procurement range in the very near future.' 'We are accelerating in our development not only of the technology, but of the procurement of the capabilities that it will create,' Allvin said. Now that the Air Force has matured its hypersonic technology, it must focus on lowering costs and getting the systems into production, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers in the same hearing. 'It's got to be affordable,' Meink said. 'We've got to be able to buy more than 10 of these things. A big focus right now is ramping up the production and lowering the cost so we can get enough of that kit to actually make a difference.'
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukraine's drone swarm attack was a warning for Russia and the US may be next
No shelter at home Live Events Drone warfare, democratized Homeland incursions and sleeper threats China's fortress, America's exposure 'We're not even close' The budget tug-of-war (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Ukraine's surprise drone strike on Russian airbases has shaken US defence leaders into acknowledging a grave risk — America's own airfields could be hit just as easily.'It's an eyebrow-raising moment,' said Gen. David Allvin, US Air Force Chief of Staff , at a Washington defence conference this week. 'Right now, I don't think it's where we need to be.'Ukraine's attack damaged or destroyed at least 12 Russian warplanes on June 1, including strategic bombers. Ukrainian officials claimed 41 aircraft were targeted in total. Their method was both simple and alarming: commercial-style drones were hidden inside wooden mobile houses mounted on trucks. These were driven near four Russian bases, and the drones were launched by remote once in position. The Russian bombers, unprotected on open tarmacs, never saw them neither, experts warn, would US planes in similar Shugart of the Center for a New American Security didn't mince words: 'There is no sanctuary even in the US homeland – particularly given that our bases back home are essentially completely unhardened.''Hardened,' in military terms, means aircraft are parked in reinforced shelters. But at most US facilities, including key sites like Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri or Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, multibillion-dollar bombers sit in the open, not far from public highways. It's a vulnerability mirrored in Russia — and just as easily exploitable.'We are pretty vulnerable,' retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN. 'We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive.' The B-2 bomber, for example, costs $2 billion apiece. The US has only officials estimated the strike cost Russia $7 billion. And it cost Ukraine mere tens of thousands of isn't science fiction. A first-person view (FPV) drone, like the ones used in Ukraine's strike, can be bought online for under $700. Controlled by a headset, the operator can steer the drone with precision. These cheap tools are now deadly weapons.'Ukraine inflicted billions in damage,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Congress this week. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.'Ukraine has honed its drone tactics with urgency. Each week, engineers adapt to Russian countermeasures, staying a step threats are not confined to foreign battlefields. According to US Northern Command, there were 350 drone incursions into domestic military bases last year. Some were hobbyists, but others could have been surveillance missions by foreign adversaries — or worse.'Think of all the containers and illegal entrants inside our borders,' warned Carl Schuster, a former Pacific Command intelligence director. Every cargo truck could conceal a drone. Every base near a highway — and many are — becomes a potential target.'It's a logistical nightmare,' wrote David Kirichenko on the Atlantic Council's Ukraine Watch. Russia's vast geography, once a strength, is now a weakness. The same applies to the US debates budgets, China has built more than 650 hardened aircraft shelters within range of Taiwan, according to a Hudson Institute report co-authored by Shugart. The report warned that, in a US-China conflict, most American aircraft losses would occur on the ground — not in Guam's Andersen Air Force Base, home to B-2 and B-52 bombers, lacks hardened shelters.'The F-47 is an amazing aircraft, but it's going to die on the ground if we don't protect it,' Allvin said, referring to a proposed $300 million stealth jet touted by former President Donald contrast, Shugart estimates that a hardened aircraft shelter would cost about $30 Pentagon is scrambling. After a deadly drone strike killed three US soldiers in Jordan earlier this year, efforts to counter drones intensified. Strategies include jammers to sever control signals, intercepting missiles, even nets to snare drones mid-air. Still, none are foolproof.'There's no simple solution,' a US defence official told reporters. 'We're not even close.'That same official, speaking anonymously, warned that cheap drone swarms could soon trigger a 'mass-casualty event.' High-profile civilian targets like sports arenas and infrastructure remain dangerously root problem is money — and priorities.'If all we are doing is playing defence and can't shoot back, then that's not a good use of our money,' Allvin said. The Pentagon, with an annual budget nearing $1 trillion, must decide whether to fund new offensive systems or protect the ones it already are listening. On Capitol Hill, Senator Roger Wicker, head of the Armed Services Committee, promised billions in funding to address the drone gap. But officials remain sceptical that the urgency will match the rhetoric.'We are not doing enough,' Army Secretary Driscoll testified. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.'Ukraine's innovation with FPV drones shows how war is changing. Technology has levelled the field. The next war — or attack — could arrive in the back of a truck, not a fighter now, America's billion-dollar bombers remain on open runways. And the clock is ticking.
News18
07-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
Why Ukraine's Daring Drone Strike In Russia Has Set Off Alarm Bells In US: ‘We Are Vulnerable'
Last Updated: Among the most glaring examples is Andersen Air Force Base on Guam which, despite hosting some of the world's most expensive aircraft, lacks hardened shelters. A Ukrainian drone attack that damaged or destroyed over a dozen Russian warplanes jolted the United States as it exposed deep vulnerabilities at home and abroad. Top US defense officials are now warning that American air bases, including those on US soil, are largely 'unhardened" owing to which high-value aircraft are dangerously exposed to similar drone or missile strikes, as per a CNN report. 'This is an eyebrow-raising moment," said Gen. David Allvin, the US Air Force chief of staff, speaking at a defense forum in Washington this week, adding, 'There is no sanctuary, even in the US homeland." 'We Are Vulnerable', Say US Generals Retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN, 'We are pretty vulnerable. We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive." A 2024 report by the Hudson Institute co-authored by defense expert Thomas Shugart laid out the scale of the threat. In a conflict scenario with China, for instance, the People's Liberation Army could target US aircraft 'at airfields globally, including in the continental United States," using missiles, aircraft, subs, and even special forces. 'The overwhelming majority of US aircraft losses would likely occur on the ground," the report stated, warning the outcome could be 'ruinous." Among the most glaring examples is Andersen Air Force Base on Guam which, despite hosting some of the world's most expensive aircraft, lacks hardened shelters. A New Era of Threats The drone strike on Russia has shown that even technologically modest adversaries can now launch highly effective precision strikes using cheap, portable systems. For the US, that's a wake-up call, McChrystal said, adding, 'It widens the spectrum of the threats you've got to deal with." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
South China Morning Post
07-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
How Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web attack on Russia holds important lessons for China
Ukrainian attacks targeting airbases deep inside Russian territory despite lacking long-range missiles or bombers could offer important lessons about modern warfare in the event of any conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Under the operation, code-named Spider's Web , Ukraine smuggled drones into Russian territory undetected and hired unwitting drivers to transport them in modified containers to locations near airbases, some of them thousands of kilometres from Ukraine's border. The drones were then launched remotely to destroy surveillance planes and long-range bombers as they sat on the tarmac. The innovative approach was not just a damaging surprise for Moscow , but also a 'wake-up moment' for militaries around the world, according to US Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin. He said the attack showed that 'seemingly impenetrable locations' might no longer be so safe in the era of rapidly evolving drone technology and asymmetric warfare, adding that such tactics could 'create dilemmas' for both attackers and defenders. 'The lesson is not just for Russia,' said Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation analyst and former member of the air force. '[Such attacks] could easily be carried out by secret services or in special military operations.' The lesson for China is that it would need 'to guard against enemy forces infiltrating military bases in such a way', Fu said.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How the US could be vulnerable to the same kind of drone swarm attack Ukraine unleashed on Russia's bomber fleet
Ukraine's shock drone strike on Russia's strategic bomber fleet this week has generals and analysts taking a new look at threats to high-value United States aircraft at bases in the homeland and abroad – and the situation is worrisome. 'It's an eyebrow-raising moment,' Gen. David Allvin, the US Air Force chief of staff, said at a defense conference in Washington on Tuesday, adding that the US is vulnerable to similar attacks. 'There is no sanctuary even in the US homeland – particularly given that our bases back home are essentially completely unhardened,' Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), told CNN. By 'unhardened,' Shugart means there aren't enough shelters in which US warplanes can be parked that are tough enough to protect them from airstrikes, be it from drones or missiles. Ukrainian military officials said 41 Russian aircraft were hit in last Sunday's attacks, including strategic bombers and surveillance planes, with some destroyed and others damaged. Later analysis shows at least 12 planes destroyed or damaged, and reviews of satellite imagery were continuing. The Ukrainian operation used drones smuggled into Russian territory, hidden in wooden mobile houses atop trucks and driven close to four Russian air bases, according to Ukrainian sources. Once near the bases, the roofs of the mobile houses were remotely opened, and the drones deployed to launch their strikes. The Russian planes were sitting uncovered on the tarmac at the bases, much as US warplanes are at facilities at home and abroad. 'We are pretty vulnerable,' retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. 'We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive,' McChrystal said. The Ukrainians said their attacks destroyed $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft. By comparison, a single US Air Force B-2 bomber costs $2 billion. And the US has only 20 of them. Shugart co-authored a report for the Hudson Institute in January highlighting the threat to US military installations from China in the event of any conflict between the superpowers. 'People's Liberation Army (PLA) strike forces of aircraft, ground-based missile launchers, surface and subsurface vessels, and special forces can attack US aircraft and their supporting systems at airfields globally, including in the continental United States,' Shugart and fellow author Timothy Walton wrote. War game simulations and analyses show 'the overwhelming majority of US aircraft losses would likely occur on the ground at airfields (and that the losses could be ruinous),' Shugart and Walton wrote. A report from Air and Space Forces magazine last year pointed out that Anderson Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam – perhaps the US' most important air facility in the Pacific – which has hosted rotations of those $2 billion B-2 bombers, as well as B-1 and B-52 bombers, has no hardened shelters. Allvin, the USAF chief of staff, admitted the problem on Tuesday. 'Right now, I don't think it's where we need to be,' Allvin told a conference of the CNAS. McChrystal said the US must look at how to protect its bases and the aircraft on them but also how it monitors the areas around those facilities. 'It widens the spectrum of the threats you've got to deal with,' McChrystal said. But all that costs money, and Allvin said that presents the US with a budget dilemma. Does it spend defense dollars on hardened shelters and ways to stop drones and missiles from attacking US bases, or does it use more resources on offensive weapons that take the fight to the enemy? 'If all we are doing is playing defense and can't shoot back, then that's not a good use of our money,' Allvin told the CNAS conference. 'We've always known that hardening our bases is something we needed to do,' Allvin said, but other items have been given budget priority. Hardened aircraft shelters aren't flashy and are unlikely to generate the headlines of other defense projects, including planes like the new B-21 bombers, each of which is expected to cost around $700 million. And US President Donald Trump said recently the Air Force will build a new stealth fighter, the F-47, with an initial cost of $300 million per aircraft. 'The F-47 is an amazing aircraft, but it's going to die on the ground if we don't protect it,' Allvin said. Meanwhile, a hardened shelter costs around $30 million, according to Shugart and Walton. Last month Trump revealed another form of air defense for the US mainland, the Golden Dome missile shield, expected to cost at least $175 billion. Despite the huge price tag, it's designed to counter long-range threats, like intercontinental ballistic missiles fired from a different hemisphere. In Russia's case, the vastness of its territory was seen as a strength in its war with Ukraine. One of the air bases hit in Ukraine's Operation 'Spiderweb' was closer to Tokyo than Kyiv. But now Russia's size is a weakness, writes David Kirichenko on the Ukraine Watch blog of the Atlantic Council. Every border crossing may be an infiltration point; every cargo container on every highway or rail line must be treated with suspicion. 'This is a logistical nightmare,' Kirichenko said. And there is a direct analogy to the United States. US Air Force bomber bases are usually well inland, but accessible to vehicles large and small. For instance, all 20 B-2 bombers are stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. It's about 600 miles from the nearest coastline, the Gulf of Mexico, but only about 25 miles south of Interstate 70, one of the main east-west traffic arteries in the US, with thousands of commercial vehicles passing by daily. Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, one of the homes of US B-1 bombers, sits just south of another major east-west commercial artery, Interstate 20. 'Think of all the containers and illegal entrants inside our borders,' said Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center. 'That connection will trigger alarm in some US circles,' he said. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, even better US offensive firepower, like Gen. Allvin would like to have, might not be enough in the event of a conflict with China. That's because the PLA has made a concerted effort to protect its aircraft during its massive military buildup under leader Xi Jinping, according to the Hudson Institute report. China has more than 650 hardened aircraft shelters at airfields within 1,150 miles of the Taiwan Strait, the report says. But Shugart and Walton argue the best move Washington could make would be to make Beijing build more – by improving US strike capabilities in Asia. 'In response the… PLA would likely continue to spend funds on additional costly passive and active defense measures and in turn would have less to devote to alternative investments, including strike and other power projection capabilities,' they said.
