This week on Weapons and Warfare the team took a closer look at China’s ambitious development of a sixth-generation stealth aircraft. Host Ryan Robertson gets some insight into China’s efforts from a graduate of the prestigious “Top Gun” program and a former Green Beret, providing unique perspectives into the strategic significance of this advanced military technology.
They discuss how this aircraft could reshape the landscape of global military power and influence aerial combat strategies.
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Also featured in this episode:
- A rundown of the service secretaries’ nominees.
- Former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin bids troops farewell.
- T-7A Red Hawk production delayed.
- Weapon of the Week: ATSC has introduced DroneSting, a multiplatform Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) solution designed to neutralize drone threats effectively. This cutting-edge technology aims to enhance security in military and civilian sectors.
You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE, FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS I’M RYAN ROBERTSON. JUST AHEAD ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE…
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
CHINA OPENS A POSSIBLE WINDOW INTO A SIXTH-GEN STEALTH AIRCRAFT. BUT WHAT ARE THEY ACTUALLY REVEALING? WE VISIT WITH A TOP GUN GRADUATE AND A FORMER GREEN BERET FOR THEIR TAKE ON WHAT IT ALL MEANS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND WE CHECK OUT A-T-S-C’s ENTRY INTO THE COUNTER DRONE DEFENSE MARKET, THE DRONE STING-U, IN OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
BUT FIRST, SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WITH THE CHANGING OF ADMINISTRATIONS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, SO TOO ARE THE CIVILIAN HEADS OF EACH BRANCH OF THE SERVICE, SO WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO INTRODUCE YOU TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NOMINEES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FIRST UP, THE PRESIDENT’S PICK TO SERVE AS SECRETARY OF THE ARMY, DANIEL DRISCOLL. HE’S AN ARMY VETERAN, A BUSINESSMAN, AND A POLITICIAN. HE SERVED IN THE ARMY FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS AS A CAVALRY SCOUT PLATOON LEADER, WITH A DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ IN 2009. WHILE IN LAW SCHOOL, HE ALSO INTERNED FOR THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TURNING TO THE OPEN WATERS OF THE WORLD, JOHN PHELAN IS THE PICK FOR SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, A POSITION THAT ALSO OVERSEES THE MARINE CORPS. PHELAN HASN’T ACTUALLY SERVED IN THE MILITARY OR HELD ANY CIVILIAN LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THE SERVICE. HIS MAIN CONNECTION TO THE MILITARY SEEMS TO BE THROUGH AN ADVISORY ROLE WITH SPIRIT OF AMERICA, A NON-PROFIT THAT SUPPORTS UKRAINE AND TAIWAN’S DEFENSE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FINALLY, TROY MEINK, A SENIOR LEADER AT THE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE, HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY PRESIDENT TRUMP TO BE THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE. IF CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE, MEINK WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE NEXT-GENERATION AIR DOMINANCE PROGRAM AND OVERSEE PROJECTS LIKE THE B-21 STEALTH BOMBER, AI CAPABILITIES, AND MODERNIZED CYBER TOOLS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
OF COURSE, AS A NEW ERA OF LEADERSHIP TAKES OVER, THE PREVIOUS ONE HAS TO SAY GOODBYE. IN A CEREMONY TINGED WITH EMOTION, THE MOST RECENT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, LLOYD AUSTIN, BID FAREWELL TO THE FORCES AND PERSONNEL HE’S LED THROUGH A TUMULTUOUS TERM. AUSTIN HERALDED HIS TROOPS AS THE “MOST LETHAL FIGHTING FORCE ON EARTH.”
[LLOYD AUSTIN]
“Serving as Secretary of Defense has been the highest honor of my life and the heaviest responsibility. This job demands calm judgment and humility. It tests you. It tempers you. And I shouldered it with a deep sense of resolve and duty. And I will set it aside with gratitude and confidence. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together at this hinge in history.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE NATION’S FIRST BLACK DEFENSE SECRETARY SPENT 41 YEARS IN A MILITARY UNIFORM AND RETIRED AS A HIGHLY DECORATED FOUR-STAR GENERAL.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE U.S. AIR FORCE HAS DECIDED TO PUSH BACK THE PRODUCTION OF THE BOEING T-7A RED HAWK TRAINER AIRCRAFT UNTIL 2026. SELECTED IN 2018 TO REPLACE AN AGING T-38 TALON FLEET, THE DELAY IS EXPECTED TO HELP BOEING ADJUST THE COMPANY’S PRODUCTION PROCESSES AND DEVELOP A MORE CONSOLIDATED CURRICULUM FOR FUTURE PILOTS TRAINED IN THE AIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND. AS A RESULT, AIR FORCE LEADERSHIP IS WORKING WITH CONGRESS ON WHAT ADJUSTMENTS WOULD BE NECESSARY TO THE FY25 T-7A BUDGET REQUEST TO EXECUTE THE ADJUSTED PLAN.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
DURING THE COLD WAR–THE TERM “ARMS RACE” WAS REGULARLY HEARD ON THE NATIONAL NEWS, OR SPLASHED ACROSS THE FRONT PAGES OF MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS, FRAMING THE RACE FOR FIREPOWER BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE SOVIET UNION.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WHILE IT’S NOT USED AS OFTEN AS IT USED TO BE, THE “ARMS RACE” BETWEEN AMERICA AND ITS NEAR PEER ADVERSARIES, SPECIFICALLY CHINA AND RUSSIA, IS STILL VERY MUCH A REAL THING. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO CHINA AND ITS FULL-COURT PRESS TO BUILD AN ADVANTAGE FOR ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
RIGHT AT THE END OF 2024–THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ALLOWED IMAGES TO BE PUBLISHED ON SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWING WHAT APPEAR TO BE TWO NEW 6TH-GENERATION AIRCRAFT. THE UNVEILING COINCIDED WITH THE BIRTHDAY OF MAO ZEDONG–THE FOUNDER AND LONGTIME LEADER OF THE PRC.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IMAGERY IS SCANT. REALLY JUST A COUPLE OF SHAKY VIDEOS PROBABLY SHOT BY AMATEURS…OR AT LEAST MADE TO LOOK LIKE IT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
MOST OF THE ATTENTION WENT TO THE LARGER OF THE TWO CRAFT–DUBBED THE JH-36, WHICH IS A FAIRLY LARGE PLANE. IT’S ABOUT 30 PERCENT BIGGER THAN THE 70 FOOT LONG J-20 TAILING IT IN THE VIDEO.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SPEAKING OF TAILS–THE JH-36 DOESN’T HAVE ONE. THE FLYING WING DELTA DESIGN IS INHERENTLY STEALTHIER–AND CAN GIVE THE PLANE A LONGER RANGE–BUT AT THE COST OF MANEUVERABILITY.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE JH-36 HAS INTERNAL WEAPONS BAYS AND THREE ENGINES…BUT IT’S NOT TOTALLY CLEAR IF IT’S A PILOTED CRAFT OR UNMANNED. THE TWO SEAT J-20 MAY ACTUALLY BE CARRYING THE PILOT OF THE JH-36.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE OTHER STEALTH AIRCRAFT THE PLAAF REVEALED WAS A SMALLER PLANE FEATURING A LAMBDA DESIGN. THE VIDEO NEVER SHOWS A TOP VIEW SO AGAIN, WE DON’T KNOW IF THERE’S A PILOT INSIDE–OR IF THIS IS A DRONE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THERE ARE A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND SPECULATION…BUT WHEN YOU TALK WITH SOME AMERICAN PILOTS AND MILITARY EXPERTS ONE THING IS CLEAR.
[MATTHEW “WHIZ” BUCKLEY]
“It’s nothing original. Everything China has, they’ve stolen from our submarine technology in the nineties under Bill Clinton to the Joint Strike Fighter. If it’s not nailed down, they steal it. So it’s essentially a copy and paste. Now they can change puppy and call it small dog, but it’s still 99.9 % our technology.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THAT’S MATTHEW BUCKLEY–CALLSIGN WHIZ. HE’S A FORMER F/A-18 FIGHTER PILOT, GRADUATE OF THE NAVY’S TOPGUN PROGRAM…AND FAR FROM THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY CHINA IS STEALING MILITARY TECHNOLOGY.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
BUT STEALING A DESIGN IS DIFFERENT THAN BUILDING AN ACTUAL 6TH GENERATION STEALTH AIRCRAFT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
“Do you think that these planes can maintain stealth?”
[MATTHEW “WHIZ” BUCKLEY]
“I didn’t. But again, let’s go back to spy versus spy. Is that their no shit frontline fighter or is that just the demo? Are they throwing something out there with some screws hanging out just so you and I can jump on a podcast. So, you know, you never know what they’re showing. So it could be, you know, they’re doing that on purpose, but you know, let’s take it at face value. It really doesn’t. You know, years ago, you know, when I visited a brother of mine, Shrek, it was a F-35 guy going through the rag up there in Buford, you you could barely get near the airplane and put your hand on it, right? Because the materials that cover these planes are that secret. So just from a distance and looking at the photos, it didn’t appear. Because as you said, the radar absorbing stealth materials is, you know, the biggest part of the stealth technology, either to absorb you know signals or to to refract them or to even scramble them, right?”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
“When they hack into our stuff and steal these things, is it our older stuff? I mean, the F-22 tech, it’s an amazing fighter, but the technology that made the F-22 is decades old at this point. … I guess my question is, should we be worried that China is now going to be able to dominate the skies and, and move US forces out of the way and, you know, throw their weight around?”
[MATTHEW “WHIZ” BUCKLEY]
“Let me give you the immediate answer that as a Top Gun graduate, I’ll tell you, yeah, you should always be worried that your enemy is going to outgun you. That’s the whole purpose of Top Gun, right? My alleged combat sorties over Southern Iraq were without a doubt a joke. They were the most boring flying I ever did in my career. The scariest part was landing back aboard the boat at night, low on fuel. But that means we’re succeeding in our training, right? If we go anywhere in the world and we’re surprised or we’re outgunned like, oh my God, then we failed. So we’ve had about two decades of underestimating our opponents, haven’t we? Dudes in Toyota trucks and flip-flops kicked us out of Afghanistan and Iraq’s a complete, you know, shithole right now. And then now look at Yemen. We got the same dudes in flip-flops and Toyota trucks closing the Red Sea and rippling off attacks at the fleet. So let me lead with that. Never underestimate your enemy. Assume that he has stolen absolutely everything, iterated and made it better.”
[ERIC BROWN]
“Even though its capabilities are speculative, it still represents a significant leap in China’s aviation technology. And then they’re not just copycatting us anymore. They’re actually trying to surpass us with their tech. So they’re looking at, in my opinion, and from a defense analysis viewpoint, China’s trying to take over the superiority of the air the same way they’re trying to do it in the sea.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THAT’S ERIC BROWN A FORMER GREEN BERET WITH DECADES OF MILITARY EXPERIENCE. WHILE NOT AN AVIATION EXPERT, HE IS WHEN IT COMES TO TACTICS.
[ERIC BROWN]
“I would argue China’s priority is to become the next world hegemon. And they’re putting all their money into the defense and being able to project power. At the same time, I think over the past couple of years, we focused more on not those type of initiatives. So cutting military, cutting innovation, and looking more at people and feelings just get right down to it. Instead of yeah, you gotta stay strong, right?”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SO, IF WE ASSUME CHINA IS STEALING EVERYTHING ALMOST AS QUICKLY AS IT’S DESIGNED–HOW DOES AMERICA STAY STRONG AND AHEAD OF ITS ADVERSARIES? WELL, BETTER CYBER SECURITY FOR ONE–BUT ALSO TRAINING. LIKE WHIZ SAID EARLIER, HIS TRAINING WAS HARDER THAN HIS ACTUAL COMBAT SORTIES.
[MATTHEW “WHIZ” BUCKLEY]
“It’s the man in the box. When it comes down to air-to-air engagement, it ain’t the box. It’s the man in the box. And for all their Gucci bells and whistles and shit, they just don’t have the experience that we do. You know, our F-35s are lighting up Yemen. Maybe they lit up Iran. We’ll find out in a couple of years in a book, maybe. Our folks are out there on the tip of the spear.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THE SAYING “NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION,” BUT SO TOO IS ARMED CONFLICT. WITH THE WAR IN UKRAINE ENTERING ITS THIRD YEAR, WE’RE ALSO SEEING COUNTLESS INNOVATIONS IN DRONE WARFARE. IT’S A DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE VIRGINIA-BASED ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS COMPANY, ALSO KNOWN AS ATSC, ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO. THAT’S WHY THEIR DRONE STING IS OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.
FROM THE AIR TO THE GROUND AND THE SEA, UKRAINE IS SHOWING AN AMAZING ABILITY TO ADAPT DRONES TO EXPLOIT OPPORTUNITIES IN RUSSIA’S DEFENSES. IT’S A DEVELOPMENT AMERICAN DEFENSE CONTRACTORS, LIKE ATSC, HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING SINCE RUSSIA’S ILLEGAL INVASION IN 2022.
[PAUL DEBS]
“We, as a provider of some of these systems to help defeat those threats, are trying to take people out of harm’s way by putting unmanned systems at the tactical edge or in the front, to be able to defeat those threats, so that we can use our people in other functions. Instead of, you know, taking force power and having it be strictly Manning these things from a distance. You know, we’re able to force multiply by having unmanned units out and then, you know, letting things like someone. Our AI backbone and some of our command and control software take a lot of that burden off of operators.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ENTER ATSC’S DRONE-STING.
TOUTED AS A VERSATILE COUNTER-UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS SOLUTION DESIGNED TO DETECT AND NEUTRALIZE INDIVIDUAL AND SWARM DRONES, DRONE-STING CAN ADAPT TO VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTS, OFFERING STATIONARY AND MOBILE OPTIONS THAT PROVIDE A LAYERED DEFENSE SYSTEM.
[PAUL DEBS]
“So all the systems that we build, or the systems that we build are all modular. So what that means is we can swap payloads based off of mission requirements. So a lot of things are going to be determined by mission type, range and then weight. So in this case, what you see here is, you know, like a 249 you know, call it little more shorter range system for the kinetic defeat, but these can be scaled up to, you know, medium and longer range type of defeat weaponry.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANOTHER POINT OF EMPHASIS FOR ATSC, PUTTING THEIR COUNTER DRONE SYSTEMS ON VEHICLES THAT ARE BUILT FOR WHATEVER THE SITUATION CALLS FOR.
[PAUL DEBS]
“Where the mission goes can be pretty unpredictable from one day to the next. And so you need to have platforms that, you know, we’re putting our systems on, that are able to adapt to wherever you know, the mission takes us. And so rugged terrain, unimproved terrain, you know, highway roads, that’s what these are built for. For them to be adaptable in any environment.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
NO OFFICIAL WORD ON A BUYER JUST YET, BUT, ATSC IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN PROJECTS WITH THE US ARMY, AIR FORCE, NAVY, FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, AS WELL AS COALITION PARTNERS. SO IT MAY JUST BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE DRONE-STING IS IN THE HANDS OF AMERICAN OPERATORS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IN A BUSY FIELD OF COMPETITORS, ANDURIL INDUSTRIES, A STARTUP DEFENSE CONTRACTOR, SEEMS TO HAVE A WAY OF GRABBING THE BULK OF THE HEADLINES. AND A LITTLE LESS THAN A MONTH INTO THE NEW YEAR, THEY’RE AT IT ONCE AGAIN. AND THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S COMMS CHECK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANDURIL, KNOWN FOR ITS INNOVATIONS IN AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND WEAPONS MANUFACTURING, HAS ANNOUNCED THAT COLUMBUS, OHIO, WILL BE THE HOME OF ARSENAL-1, ITS FIRST HYPERSCALE MANUFACTURING FACILITY. ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE COMPANY, THE FACILITY WILL ENHANCE THE PRODUCTION SCALE AND SPEED OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND WEAPONS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANDURIL LEADERSHIP SAYS OHIO WAS CHOSEN DUE TO ITS STRONG INFRASTRUCTURE, SKILLED AND DIVERSE MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE, AND RICH HISTORY IN AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE.
[BRIAN SCHIMPF]
“By harnessing a world-class workforce and a scalable, software-driven approach to manufacturing, Arsenal-1 will set the standard for how we respond to the challenges of the future fight. Ohio’s infrastructure and talent pool make it the ideal home for this historic effort to rebuild the arsenal of democracy.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE SITE NEAR RICKENBACKER AIRPORT OFFERS DIRECT ACCESS TO TWO 12,000-FOOT RUNWAYS AND A 75-ACRE PRIVATE APRON FOR MILITARY-SCALE AIRCRAFT. ONCE FULLY OPERATIONAL, THE FACILITY WILL SPAN 5 MILLION SQUARE FEET WITH MORE THAN 500 ACRES AVAILABLE FOR EXPANSION.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANDURIL PLANS TO INVEST NEARLY $1 BILLION IN ARSENAL-1, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO CREATE OVER 4,000 DIRECT JOBS, MARKING IT AS THE LARGEST SINGLE JOB CREATION INITIATIVE IN THE STATE’S HISTORY.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALRIGHT FOLKS–THAT’S GOING TO JUST ABOUT DO IT FOR US THIS WEEK ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE. SURE HOPE YOU LEARNED A THING OR TWO. IF YOU DID–AND EVEN IF YOU DIDN’T–PLEASE LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS AND SHARE OUR STUFF WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
OKAY, SO OVER THE LAST–I DON’T–DECADE OR MORE–
AMERICANS HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR WAYS TO UNIFY–AND I THINK THIS NEXT IDEA IS ONE WE CAN ALL GET BEHIND–THE U-S GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO SPILL THE BEANS ON WHAT IT KNOWS ABOUT U-A-P…OR UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENON….WHAT MY PARENTS USED TO CALL UFOS.
THEY ARE REAL–THE U-S GOVERNMENT ADMITS AS MUCH. IT SPENT TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS–THAT WE KNOW ABOUT–STUDYING THEM JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES–BUT THAT’S ABOUT IT.
ALMOST ALL THE OTHER KNOWLEDGE OR INSIGHTS ARE BEING KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY.
EVEN WITH MORE AND MORE WHISTLEBLOWERS STEPPING OUT AND SPEAKING UP.
NEWSNATION RECENTLY RAN AN EXCLUSIVE WITH A FORMER DEFENSE CONTRACTOR WHO SAYS HE FLEW ONE OF THE HELICOPTERS THAT WOULD PICK UP CRASHED UAPS FOR THE GOVERNMENT…NEWSNATION EVEN SHOWED VIDEO OF ONE MISSION.
IS IT REAL, THOUGH?
I THINK THE VIDEO IS AUTHENTIC–MEANING IT LIKELY CAME FROM A U-S HELICOPTER–WHAT IT SHOWS, THOUGH, IS UP FOR DEBATE.
BUT IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE. THE U-S GOVERNMENT COULD VERY EASILY TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT U-A-P AND SHOULD… OR AT LEAST SOME OF IT. BECAUSE THE LONGER WE GO WITHOUT FACTUAL INTEL–THE MORE LIKELY CONSPIRACY THEORIES WILL RUN RAMPANT.
AND AS RONALD REAGAN ALLUDED TO MORE THAN FOUR DECADES AGO–MOST OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE ON THIS PLANET MIGHT JUST FADE AWAY IF WE KNEW THE TRUTH ABOUT NON-HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.
FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER, AND GRAPHICS ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.
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