bombers

The US has had a grain for “Iran”. The United Kingdom does not allow its bombers to enter a secret island that is key to the attack

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Since the Cold War, many of the great powers have understood that modern wars do not begin when the first plane takes off, but when secures access to the bases from which it will take off. Sometimes the deciding factor is not so much firepower, but the key that opens or closes a key clue at the exact location on the map. That is happening right now on a lost atoll. A problem with name and surname. The United States has had a major problem for “the Iran thing” and it is not in Tehran, but in the Indian Ocean. United Kingdom refuses to authorize the use of Diego García Island and the RAF Fairford base for a possible air campaign against the Islamic Republic, alleging that it could violate international law if it is a preventive attack. Without that permission, Washington loses two key platforms to project its long-range air power, just when the president has given an ultimatum to Iran and has hinted that in a matter of days he could decide between an agreement or a military operation. The secret island that sustains long wars. It we count some time ago. Located halfway between the east coast of Africa and the west coast of Indonesia, The island was part of the Chagos Archipelago. During the 18th century, it was colonized by the French as an agricultural settlement. So they took the Chagossians, descendants of slaves from Africa and India, to the islands to work on growing coconut trees for the production of copra (dried coconut meat). Over time, the locals developed their own culture and dialect, known as Chagossian Creole. By 1814, after Napoleon’s defeat, The island came under British control as part of the Treaty of Parisintegrating into the colony of Mauritius. Throughout the 19th century, life on the island continued with a small population dedicated to agriculture and fishing, but things were about to change with the beginning of the new century. The agreement. During the Cold War, The United States and the United Kingdom sealed an agreement. Both nations saw the island as a strategic location for a secret military base in the Indian Ocean. In 1965, the British separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, thus forming the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which also includes the other 57 islands of the Chagos Archipelago. By 1966, he signed a secret agreement with the United States, allowing the construction of the “secret” military base. Key node. Since then, Diego García is anything but any base, because he is one of the more strategic enclaves of the Pentagon in the Indian Ocean. Its central runway, its port capable of hosting nuclear submarines and its logistics infrastructure allow strategic bombers to be deployed, maintained and rearmed in sustained cycles. Without going too far, last year it already served as a pressure platform when several B-2s arrived in a clear message to Iran, and precisely that type of deployment is what is now conspicuous by its absence. That there are no visible bomber movements towards the island reinforces the idea that the british veto is conditioning military planning. Without bases there are no prolonged campaigns. The geographical difference is abysmal and explains the tension. From Diego García to Iran there are around 2,300 kilometers, from the United States more than 6,000. That distance sets the pace of departuresthe wear and tear of the crews and the intensity of the offensive. For a one-night operation you can fly round trip from Missouri, as was the case in previous attacks, but for a campaign a week or more against nuclear installations, military commands and missile launchers, advanced bases are needed that allow constant sorties to be generated. In other words, without access to the island and Fairford, the role of the B-2, B-1 or B-52 is greatly reduced and the plan loses volume. A clash between allies. The disagreement is not only technical, it is deeply political. London maintains that supporting an attack could implicate it legally if it knows the circumstances of an action considered unlawful, and the prime minister has marked distances with the White House. Washington, for its part, has responded hardening the tone and linking the refusal to the dispute over the future of Diego García within the Chagos Archipelago, whose status and possible transfer to Mauritius have opened a diplomatic rift. Thus, what began as a legal debate has led to a strategic struggle between historical allies. The war that is amplified without the key piece. Meanwhile, the United States continues to accumulate fighters, electronic warfare aircraft and resuppliers in the region, preparing the board as if the military option was still alive and imminent. It turns out that the heart of a prolonged air campaign is not the F-22s in transit, but those strategic bombers operating from a secure and nearby base. Yes UK maintains the vetoWashington will have more distant and less efficient alternatives, which would force the scope and intensity of the blow to be redesigned. In short, in full escalation with Iranthe piece that could do it all more simple For Washington it is precisely the one that blocks the movement today. Image | Department of DefenseRoyal Air Force, US Air Force In Xataka | One of the most remote islands was taken 60 years ago by the United Kingdom and the United States. Since then, what happens there has been a secret. In Xataka | If the most advanced US nuclear aircraft carrier maintains its speed, it will reach its destination on Sunday. Not good news for a nation

The fighters and bombers were a warning to Japan. Now China has taken action with a devastating veto: pandas

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The crisis between China and Japan has entered a deeper and symbolically harsher phase, marked by a clear transition from direct military pressure to political, cultural and emotional coercion. It all began after the statements of the Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, stating that a Chinese attack against Taiwan would mean an existential threat for Japan, a phrase that Beijing interpreted as the prelude to a possible Japanese military involvement in a conflict on the island. From warning to punishment. Since those words, China has raised the pulse with a calculated combination of demonstrations of force and indirect retaliation: J-15 fighters illuminating Japanese aircraft with radar from the Liaoning aircraft carrier, joint flights of strategic bombers Chinese and Russians near the Japanese archipelago and a diplomatic campaign that seeks to isolate Tokyo by remembering the Japanese imperial past and its role in World War II. Heaven as a message. The aerial maneuvers They are not isolated incidents, but carefully choreographed messages. The passage of the Liaoning south of Okinawa, the radar jams and the flights of nuclear-capable bombers over the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea are part of a pattern of intimidation that seeks highlight two ideas: that China is willing to escalate and that Japan cannot count on an automatic response from the United States. Washington, focused on stabilizing its relationship with Beijing and ambiguous about its degree of involvement in a crisis over Taiwan, has left Tokyo in an uncomfortable position. Only after the Chinese-Russian flights came a joint response with American B-52 bombers and Japanese fighters, a sign of deterrence that does not clear up the underlying uncertainty and confirms that the regional balance has become more fragile. The pressure changes. But the most revealing turn in Chinese strategy comes when the confrontation has left the strictly military level and has filtered into everyday life. Beijing has urged its citizens to avoid Japan, discouraged Chinese students from enrolling in Japanese universities, cut flights and dropped organized tourism. Added to this is a waterfall of cultural cancellations: concerts suspended, screenings canceled and shows held in empty pavilions following decisions by Chinese organizers. These are not improvised gestures, but a form of selective punishment that seeks to generate visible costs for Japan without crossing military thresholds, a warning addressed both to Tokyo and other countries tempted to express similar commitments to Taiwan. Panda diplomacy. In this context it takes on all its meaning. the withdrawal of the last giant pandas in Japan. Since the normalization of relations in 1972, pandas have been one of the more refined tools of Chinese soft power: iconic animals, formally on loan, that symbolize friendship, scientific cooperation and goodwill, but whose legal ownership always remains Chinese. Over the decades, Beijing has used its transfer, renewal or withdrawal as a political thermometerrewarding fluid relationships and freezing those that come into conflict. “Panda diplomacy” is not folklore, but a carefully designed form of strategic signaling, capable of conveying closeness or disapproval without the need for official communications. Tokyo is left without pandas. The decision to return to China to Xiao Xiao and Lei Leithe last two pandas at the Ueno Zoo, leaves Japan without any for the first time in more than half a century. Although formally it is presented as the expiration of an agreement and a logistical issue, the chosen moment and Beijing’s silence regarding any possibility of renewal make the march of the pandas in a political gesture impossible to ignore. In a city where these animals are a mass phenomenon and a cultural and economic asset, their departure functions as a tangible reminder who controls the symbols of the bilateral relationship. The expectation of hundreds of thousands of visitors saying goodbye to the pandas underlines the extent to which Chinese punishment has moved beyond the strategic level. to the emotional. A calculated climb. The sequence is revealing: first, military warningsafter, diplomatic pressureand finally, sanction cultural and symbolic. China thus displays a manual of gradual coercion that combines hard and soft force to shape the behavior of its neighbors. Japan, far from giving in, maintains its position on Taiwan supported by public opinion increasingly critical of Beijing, while assuming that the bilateral relationship has entered its lowest point since the Senkaku Islands crisis in 2012. The disturbing thing about the episode is not only the removal of some pandas wave concert cancellationbut the clarity with which China has demonstrated that it has multiple levers (military, economic, cultural and symbolic) to respond to any political challenge. And she is willing to use them all, progressively, when she considers that her red lines have been crossed. Image | Alert5, kumachii, Colegota In Xataka | Everything is going great between China and Japan, they are just pointing heavy weapons at each other In Xataka | China has drawn a very clear red line to Japan: being an ally of the United States is good, supporting Taiwan is bad.

The US has joined the “party” of China, Russia and Japan in the Pacific: with its nuclear bombers

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As if it were an air parade of an air force planetarythe sky of the Asia-Pacific has become a scene of military exhibitions that have rarely been seen outside of a major war conflict. It happens that these fireworks can lead with a single spark into something very different. The improvised aerial party. As we said, the sky of Asia is a tour de force where every time it hides lessand where you patrol, joint exercises and strategic flights function as political messages in broad daylight. Russia and China have been setting the pace with bombers and fighters over disputed seas, Japan responds by raising the profile of its air defense and, now, the United States has decided to join visibly to this choreography of power, incorporating its strategic bombers into a dynamic that reflects the extent to which the region has become one of the epicenters of global rivalry. Bombers Made in USA. The joint flight of two American B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of ​​Japan represents a qualitative leap in the signal sent from Washington, not so much because of its technical novelty as because of its symbolic load. The presence of bombers capable of carry nuclear weapons escorted by Japanese F-35s and F-15s, publicly reinforces the idea that the alliance between both countries is not rhetorical, but operational, and that the United States is willing to support Tokyo with strategic assets at a time of maximum friction with Beijing. The background. This show of force does not arise in a vacuum, but in the midst of an accelerated deterioration of relations between China and Japan that we have been telling, fed by the statements from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on a possible conflict scenario around Taiwan. Beijing considers these words a direct provocation and has responded combining diplomatic pressure, economic threats and a notable increase in military activity near Japanese airspace and disputed islands, raising the risk of unwanted incidents. Russia enters the scene. The previous presence of russian bombers Flying alongside Chinese aircraft near Japan and South Korea adds an additional layer of complexity to the scenario, projecting an image of strategic coordination against US allies in the region. For Tokyo, these joint patrols are not routine exercises, but a clear sign of directed pressure, which explains why the Japanese response has involved reinforcing its coordination with Washington and unambiguously accept the presence of high-profile American assets. Washington balances muscle. Although the White House has tried to reduce the drama of these flights, pointing out that they were planned in advance, the regional context gives them meaning. hard to ignore. The United States tries to maintain a delicate balance: show military commitment to Japan and deter China without completely breaking the channels of dialogue with Beijing, especially at a time when Washington continues to seek commercial stability and avoid an open escalation in the Pacific. An increasingly charged sky. With fighters blocking radarsstrategic bombers crossing disputed seas and joint exercises Happening at an almost routine pace, the airspace of East Asia has become a board where each flight counts as a political statement. The explicit input of the United States in this aerial “party” confirms that the fight between China and Japan is no longer just bilateral, but a broader reflection of the competition between great powers, one in which bombers and fighters seem to speak louder (and clearer) than diplomatic communications. Image | Japan’s Ministry of Defense In Xataka | That Chinese and Russian bombers patrol together is not surprising. That they do it against Japan and South Korea has had an immediate response In Xataka | If the question is how far the tension between China and Japan has escalated, the answer is disturbing: they are targeting each other.

That Chinese and Russian bombers patrol together is not surprising. That they do it against Japan and South Korea has had an immediate response

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The growing synchronicity between China and Russia in the airspace of Northeast Asia has ceased to be an anomaly and has become an increasingly calculated strategic pattern. The problem is that the last joint patrol between both nations once again demonstrated how the airspace has been transformed into an area of ​​maximum tension. Strategic pressure. The last patrol joint Sino-Russian has certified that the airspace around Japan and South Korea has been transformed into a zone of permanent friction. Russian Tu-95 and Chinese H-6 bombers, escorted by J-16, made a circuit that forced Tokyo and Seoul to deploy fighters as the formation traversed corridors where any mistake can escalate quickly. The flight, although it fits in annual exercises between both countries, occurred just after Chinese J-15 fighters launched from the Liaoning aircraft carrier They will activate their radars of fire against Japanese F-15s, an act considered equivalent to announcing an imminent attack. For Japanthese maneuvers are no longer simple demonstrations of force: they symbolize coordinated pressure in response to its increasingly declared involvement in the defense of Taiwan, a stance that China considers a direct provocation. “It is a serious concern for national security,” has settled the Japanese minister. South Korea and a pattern. In parallel, South Korea had to mobilize your aviation when seven Russian and two Chinese aircraft entered the KADIZ without warning, a practice recurring since 2019. Although the zone does not constitute sovereign space, its systematic violation allows Beijing and Moscow to measure reaction times, saturate surveillance and normalize incursions that, in other circumstances, would have been interpreted as signs of crisis. The aircraft remained about an hour before withdrawing, on a route that overlaps both the Chinese defense zone and disputed areas between Tokyo and Seoul. This routine erodes stability: forces South Korea to invest resources, exposes regulatory divergences (Russia does not even legally recognize the existence of KADIZ) and builds an environment where the exception becomes an operating habit. japanese fighter The Japanese doubt. The background of this escalation we have been counting and started with the comments from the Japanese prime minister, who stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be an existential threat to Japan. The message, aligned with the doctrine of collective self-defense, meant for Beijing a crossing of red lines that unleashed diplomatic and economic reprisalsaccompanied by a notable increase of his military activity near Okinawa and especially Yonaguni, the closest Japanese point to Taiwan. So, Tokyo plans to deploy electronic warfare units and air defense systems, reinforcing an island whose location makes it both a shield and a priority objective. For Japan, this militarization is a necessary response. For China, it is an indicator that Tokyo is willing to integrate more actively in an eventual scenario of support for Taiwan. Wear tool. China-Russia joint patrols are no longer isolated exercises, but expressions of increasing coordination spanning from Alaska to the Sea of ​​Japan. They integrate bombers, fighters, early warning aircraft and synchronized maneuvers that show a willingness to project power and generate a constant cost to the region’s defensive systems. In addition to their military value, these missions have a clear political objective: underline that the airspace over Japan and South Korea is not a monopoly of their Western allies, but rather an environment in which Moscow and Beijing can operate freely and predictability. At a time when China responds With every Japanese gesture on Taiwan, this cooperation acts as a pressure amplifier and a reminder that Tokyo could be confronted with two powers at the same time. Fragile balance. The combination radar-locksflights in identification zones, maneuvers without warning and diplomatic tensions accumulated has created a climate where an unforeseen incident could escalate quickly. Japan reinforces its military presence, South Korea adjusts its protocols and China and Russia intensify their joint missions, raising the level of structural friction. As Taiwan establishes itself as a strategic epicenter, nearby air routes become permanent contact lines and every approach, every response, every silence on a radio frequency can be interpreted as a signal. In other words, a wrong calculation can transform an annual patrol in the trigger of a broader regional crisis. Image | CHINESE GOVERNMENT, US Air Force In Xataka | If the question is how far the tension between China and Japan has escalated, the answer is disturbing: they are targeting each other. In Xataka | China has just shown Japan a diplomatic dart that it had been keeping for decades: World War II

We have to start calling what is happening in Venezuela by its name. The “other” US bombers have arrived

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May America return to “walk” bombers strategic actions against Venezuela gives shape to an idea: this is no longer a tactical whim, it is a military campaign that moves on a dangerous border between ambiguity and prelude of something of greater significance. Not only that: the presence in the air, sea and territorial periphery of a country without the capacity for military parity introduces a geopolitical message directed towards third partiesand places the region before an unprecedented scenario. The visible phase. United States has done it again. Now they have been B-1 Lancer (long-range bombers, high payload and supersonic speed) from Dyess (Texas) to the outskirts of Venezuelawithout entering sovereign airspace but close enough to constitute an unequivocal signal of availability of remote fire. These flights are added to previous demonstrations with B-52 and F-35B, and are part of a expanded deployment which includes eight warships, a submarine, P-8 maritime patrol, MQ-9 Reaper and a squadron of F-35s already advanced in the theater. The novelty is not the capacity but the frequency: what used to be an annual exercise has become a sustained cadence that Pentagon officials already hint will grow, under the operational argument of surveillance and destruction of boats, but with a clear transition potential to fixed targets ashore. What the bombers reveal. Air traffic scans showed pairs of B-1 with BARB21/22 and nodal planes (KC-135 for replenishment, RC-135 ISR and a E-11A BACN) composing architecture of command, link and persistence typical of complex operations, not symbolic gestures. The immediate precedent of the B-52 in the same areadescribed by the Department of Defense itself as a “demonstration of attack”, reinforces the reading that Washington is setting up an environment from which it will be able to strike from outside the Venezuelan tactical range without the need to preposition bombers in regional bases, exploiting the strategic autonomy of the heavy wing. The E-11 BACN The bridge and options. The campaign against suspicious vessels (with at least seven confirmed attacks on speedboats and a submersible since September) complies a double function: produces immediate kinetic effects and, at the same time, normalizes the use of lethal power without explicit congressional authorization on targets politically designated as “narco-targets.” Trump openly declared that, once the maritime phase has been exhausted, the attacks could move to land against distribution or production facilities, and former USAF officers admit that the B-1 platform is ideal for that scenario. The Republican-dominated Congress has blocked attempts to limit presidential authority, and the line between war on cartels and strategic coercion of the regime has been blurred. deliberately blurred. A B-52 and two F-35Bs seen flying together during the “bomber strike demonstration mission” last week The background. Before reappearing heavy wing on the Caribbean, Washington had consumed three cycles without success: maximum sanctions, political negotiation and recognition of a parallel government. They all failed in dislodging Maduro, protected by a Cuban counterintelligence apparatus and armored by alignment with Russia, China and Iran. The turn to military coercion (destroyers with Tomahawk, embarked special forces, ISR means and precision fire) replicates a repertoire with long and bumpy genealogy in Latin America, but here with a deliberately ambiguous purpose. The Caribbean without law. The Pentagon has sunken vessels alleging narcoterrorism, with no specific congressional authority to equate cartels with al-Qaeda-type threats. Trump came to contemplate blows on the ground that would produce high-impact viral images, but without a sure path to a stable political outcome: the available force (some 10,000 troops) is not enough for a conventional invasion, and a surgical assault to capture Maduro would entail catastrophic risks if it failed. The limits and fragility. I remembered a few hours ago the financial times that the recent history of the United States in “nation-building” after the use of force is poorand in Venezuela the vacuum after a forced decapitation could be occupied by hard factions of the apparatus or consolidate Maduro himself if a failed operation gave him an alibi for deeper repression. The legitimate opposition is fragmented or in exileand institutional continuity after a crash would be uncertain. The main weight of the warning lies not so much in the probability of an immediate attack as in the fact that, by declaring the war open to “narco-terrorists” and pointing to Maduro as one of them, the administration has crossed a line from which it is difficult to retreat without showing strength. The strategy. If you want, the bomber flyover In the face of Venezuela, it functions as an element of psychological pressure, as an enabling infrastructure for a rapid kinetic leap, and as an extra-regional message to those who support the regime. Until now, the legal elasticity of this “anti-drug” framework has served to go through it lining barriers to the use of force without declared war. Now, with the appearance of heavy wingWashington points out that coercion has left the discursive plane to settle in the closest thing to a real architecture of the theater. Image | USA, USAF In Xataka | The US has several warships deployed off Venezuela. Venezuela has a Soviet missile capable of penetrating them In Xataka | Satellite images leave no doubt: there are 10,000 soldiers and unusual artillery pointing at the same place in the Caribbean

That the US Air Force flies its three B-52 bombers is normal. That he does it against Venezuela not so much

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At the beginning of September the southern Caribbean became in a hybrid war board where anti-drug operations, financial sanctions and military deployments mixed together. Then we learned that the United States had decided to open a base that had been closed for 20 years and had not been open since. F-35 have stopped arriving. Three have been added to the fighter jets monsters looking at Venezuela. The roar. In recent days, the Caribbean has once again been the scene of a military deployment reminiscent of the most tense years of the Cold War. Up to three strategic bombers American B-52 were spotted orbiting for hours off the coasts of Venezuelaescorted by F-35 fighters and supported by tankers and reconnaissance drones. The maneuver, carried out in international airspace, was all less discreet: a deliberate display of force a few kilometers from Caracas, in a context in which Washington intensifies the pressure against the regime of Nicolás Maduro and in which rumors about a possible direct action They begin to sound with increasing verisimilitude. Echo of the giants. The B-52s, based in Louisiana, sailed the Caribbean sky with the unequivocal purpose to be seen. His mere presence has a strategic meaning: each of these colossi can carry dozens of long range cruise missilescapable of hitting land or sea targets without having to fly over enemy territory. The United States assures that the patrols They are part of anti-drug operations, but the simultaneity with Trump’s threats and the recent attacks to vessels suspected of drug trafficking point to a clearer political message: warn Maduro that Washington’s reach extends from the air to the waters of the Caribbean and, if it deems necessary, beyond. The fence In just two months, the Pentagon has deployed in the region a naval and air device that includes three destroyers, a missile cruiser, a nuclear submarine and an amphibious group with more than 2,000 marines. TO they add up Reaper drones, C-17 transport planes and the feared AC-130J Ghostrider, specialized in interdiction operations and surgical strikes. The structure is more reminiscent of a preparation force for a limited campaign than a mere anti-drug operation. Washington has also confirmed the creation of a new force regional task force under the command of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, while reports of lethal attacks on suspicious boats in international waters accumulate: at least five in recent weeks, with 27 dead. Open threat. The turning point has arrived when Trump himself openly declared who studies “striking on Venezuelan land” after having “controlled the sea almost completely.” He said it with the naturalness of someone describing a logical extension of an operation in progress. He also acknowledged having authorized to the CIA to develop covert operations in Venezuelan territory, in a decision that marks a qualitative leap with respect to traditional diplomatic pressure. Although he avoided confirming whether this authorization includes the figure of Maduro, the hint was enough for him toturn on all alarms in the region. In Washington, sources from the Department of Defense maintain that these would be actions aimed at “disrupting drug trafficking networks,” but Trump himself has described the Venezuelan president as “head of a cartel,” blurring the line between anti-drug war and regime change operation. Venezuela on alert. From Caracas, the response It was immediate. Maduro accused the United States of preparing an invasion and denounced to the United Nations what qualified as “a very serious violation of international law.” His government maintains that the military movements seek to “legitimize a regime change operation to seize Venezuelan oil reserves.” In a televised speech, supported by his military leadership, evoked the blows sponsored by the CIA during the Cold War in Latin America and cried: “Down with coups d’état! Latin America neither wants nor needs them.” At the same time, he announced that 4.5 million civilian militiamen would be ready to defend the country, although the actual enlistment figures were far from his rhetoric. Meanwhile, the opposition, led by María Corina Machado (recently awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize), celebrated American support and dedicated his award “to Trump, for his decisive support of our cause.” Fuzzy red line. The situation has become a dangerous choreography of power. On the one hand, Washington insists that its mission is stop drug trafficking and irregular migration, on the other, their actions increasingly resemble the preparatory phase of a military operation. Trump’s rhetoric, direct and unfiltered, evokes the old ghosts of North American interventions in Latin America, while his deployment in the Caribbean resembles a modern reissue of the big stick politics. Venezuela, with a weakened armysuffocating sanctions and a perpetual internal crisis, thus becomes a board and excuse: the place where the United States’ ambition for regional control and the need for an external enemy to maintain the cohesion of Chavismo intersect. A prelude? He flight of the B-52 off the Venezuelan coast it was not a routine maneuver. It was a sign. A demonstration that pressure is no longer measured in sanctions or communications, but in long-range missions, combat escorts and submarines that silently patrol a few kilometers from the continental shelf of a sovereign State. Trump has found in Maduro the perfect antagonist: an isolated dictator, converted into a symbol of Latin American collapse and a justification of his new hemispheric doctrine. If you will, also a warning to sailors: it could become the first salvo of a selective intervention. Image | USAF In Xataka | The US can spend months attacking boats in the Caribbean. A base closed for 20 years has just opened and F-35s keep arriving In Xataka | Venezuela has found proof that the video of the US missile pulverizing a boat was made with AI: Google AI

ships and bombers with anyone behind the wheel

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The eldest war laboratory Of modern contests, the war in Ukraine, has turned drones into The fundamental piece of any offensive of both sides. Everything revolves around these armies of swarms to which it has been adding updates of all types (and times). Hence the unusual has become a rule. However, the last developments are a scoop that nobody saw coming. Evolution without humans. Ukraine has made a significant technical leap in his asymmetric war campaign by using, for the first time, Bombarder drones thrown from vessels Not surface manned (USVS), a kind of small aircraft carriers To attack key Russian facilities in Crimea. This new tactic represents a remarkable operational sophistication with respect to its first naval suicidal drones, turning these floating platforms into capable versatile systems, not only of direct attack, but also of launching multiple air attacks against strategic objectives. He most recent attackcarried out the night from July 1 to 2, 2025, destroyed three fundamental components of the long -range radar system NEBO-Messential piece in Russian defensive architecture on the Crimean Peninsula and the North -Western Black Sea. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense described it as a “brilliant and high precision” operation, backed by A video which shows how aerial drones take off from the bow of the USVs and release several pumps with surgical impact. Operational advantages. The use of Bombarder drones From the sea it confers decisive tactical advantages. Unlike FPV previously launchedwhich require direct impact to destroy the objective, these new vehicles can attack multiple whites by mission and carry heavier ammunition. In addition, they maintain better connectivity in prolonged distances as they are not forced to descend to the ground, which allows them to operate more flexibility. Its control is mediated by satellite links (possibly via Starlink) installed in the USVs, which also act as retransmission nodes and launch platforms. This decentralized and mobile architecture complicates the work of detection, monitoring and neutralization by the Russian defenses. Russian reaction. Russian forces, aware of this evolution, have begun to observe with concern these attacks, as evidenced by the Russian military channel Two Majors. They recognize that a single Naval drone managed to approach and display multiple UAVS With load release systems, executing consecutive attacks on Russian defensive positions. Although They claim to have destroyed Subsequently, the Atacious Naval drone with air support, there is no visual tests that confirm it. The Russian reaction has focused more on request resources additional to counteract these threats that in denying its effectiveness. In any case, the incident underlines Ukraine’s ability to introduce innovations that alter tactical balance despite their resources limitations, generating psychological pressure, material wear and logistical disorder on the opposite side. NEBO-M SYSTEM NEBO-M and its tactical value. The target of this operation, the NEBO-M SYSTEMHe was not chosen at random. It is a last generation mobile radar complex introduced by Russia in 2017, designed for Detect poaching airplanesballistic missiles and aerial threats at distances greater than 600 km. The system includes The RLM-M (Three -dimensional VHF radar mounted on 8×8 truck) and The RLM-D (An Aesa radar also on mobile platform), both valued in tens of millions of dollars. These radars feed the S-300 and S-400 systems With objective acquisition data, and its location at the western tip of Crimea is vital to maintain a defensive shield on the region and access to the northwest of the Black Sea. No doubt, its neutralization opens a direct gap on that shield, facilitating the passage of long -range missiles as The Shadow Storm and Scalp-EGas well as the incursion of Kamikaze dronessignificantly weakening the Russian ability to detect and respond to attacks. Ambush and new front. In addition, in recent days another unprecedented scene occurred: the First known attack With a submersible first person drone, marking a milestone. In published images by The Northern Battalion Eagle of the 151.ª Motorized Brigade shows a river crossing in the Járkov region (previously destroyed and then improvised by the Russian forces with trunks) being achieved by an immersed explosive device. The sequence begins With a fixed intake underwater, where the FPV drone is hidden next to one end of the passage. Then, an explosion shakes the structure, destroying the crossing and confirming the effective use of the new underwater vehicle. The Shrike Special Edition. Forbes counted that, although the attack may seem anecdotal (three trunks are not a strategic objective) the real value resides in the successful use of the Shrike Special Edition, an improved version of the Ukrainian Shrike DRON FPVdesigned to operate in aquatic environments. Presented in February with the ability to land on water, dive and re -take off, the shrke was conceived as A ambush dronecapable of hiding in ponds, channels or lakes, patiently waiting for their prey. The recent attack shows that its possibilities They go further: It can destroy whites at flush or below the water level. This opens a new operating field, where air or land surveillance loses efficiency and the threat can come from the bottom of a river or a flooding area. From the suicide drone to the floating hunter. Plus: These episodes are part of a tactical progression Ukrainian that began with naval suicidal drones designed to exploit the impact, continued with the incorporation of FPV drones embarked and improvised anti -aircraft platforms, and has now led to a combined system that joins aerial and (Sub) Maritime in a reusable and coordinated way. As We count In May, Ukraine had already demonstrated the potential of its USVs when a version of the Magura V7 Armed with air-air-aim missiles AIM-9x knocked down two fighters Russians Su-30 on the Black Sea, and in December before another version (the Magura V5) he folded A MI-8 helicopter With a Missile R-73. These background reveal that the nation has managed to transform what was initially a limited deterrence tool in a multipurpose of new generation offensive platforms. New deterrence. In summary, if the twentieth century was dominated by nuclear aircraft carriers and … Read more

The bombers were not alone

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Since June 1 was revealed The Spiderweb operationthe undercover attack that Ukraine had been prepared 18 months in an offensive with unprecedented drones on the air bases of Moscow, a question has been in the air: the reach of the offensive. Many figures have been said about Affected bombersalthough each side differs in the way of reflecting it. Now, satellite images offer a vision without a doubt of the real magnitude of damages. Surgical operation with AI. Now we know that the offensive has marked a turning point in the war by revealing, with images from the official space and videos, the hole to the most strategic assets of Russian aviation. As We already countcoordinated by the Ukraine Safety Service (SBU), the operation used advanced drones equipped with Artificial Intelligence Algorithms That, in cases of signal loss, they completed their missions autonomously following preprogrammed routes. Explosive loads were automatically activated when reaching the designated objectives, a capacity that combines technological autonomy with surgical precision, and that underlines a New sophistication level In the unmanned war. Debris cleaning at the Olenya Air Base as of June 4 Visual confirmation of damages. Initially, the Ukrainian authorities announced the destruction of up to 41 aircraftincluding strategic bombers TU-95ms and Tu-22m3as well as early alert planes A-50. However, the New datathen confirmed in parallel in a Washington Post analysisverifiable confirm the destruction of at least Eight Tu-95ms and four Tu-22m3which represents a significant loss, even if it is less than the first statements. A closer view of two TU-95ms aircraft destroyed in Olenya Belaya In the Belaya Air Base, high -resolution satellite images show the calcined remains of three Tu-95ms and four TU-22m3, all apparently located in active operating areas, indicating that they were fully functional units. In Olenya, in northern Russia, impact and fire brands confirm the destruction of At least five aircraftincluding three TU-95ms and an AN-12 transport plane. He counted the post That although these types of images are complex to interpret, the experts of the Middlebury Institute, together with independent consultants, identified patterns consistent with Total or severe destruction of aircraft. Besides, Videos from drones Ukrainians show a TU-95 line parked before the impact, and it was possible to verify intense fires in areas where, Until May 22several Tu-22 were visible. These evidence underpin the statement that Belaya was the main objective of the attack. Olenya, seen after drone attack, in June 4 images Blow to command capacity. The attack also pointed against the vital A-50 Alert aircraft at the Ivanovo base, although at the moment there is no clear images that demonstrate total destruction. Yeah There are videos in which drones are observed directly reaching these platforms, whose number was already limited before the war. Of the nine A-50 assets that Russia possessed at the beginning of the invasion, at least two had already been destroyed and Another was damaged In Belarus. If new losses are confirmed in Ivanovo, it would be a critical blow to the Russian air detection capacity, because these devices are not only scarce, but also extremely difficult to replace. Another Tu-22m3 destroyed in Belaya Damages to be confirmed. In other bases such as Dyagilevo and Ukrainka, the images They do not show obvious damage for now. However, the possibility of minor damage due to shrapnel cannot be ruled out, since this type of impact is not always visible from space. Some analysts They have confused the placement of tires on the wings of the airplanes (Russian tactic to interfere with the guided systems) with calcined remains. The final confirmation will depend on future images, although the active cover -up of Moscow and the displacement of aircraft could hinder the most precise analysis. That said, many experts conclude That, if there had been an aircraft destruction, it would not have been hidden in such a short time, suggesting that the bases were probably attacked, but without effective or significant successes. Military impact Beyond the numbers, the relevance of the attack lies in its symbolic and strategic character. And, the destroyed bombers were not alone. They were armed With missiles of KH-101 cruise and ready to launch attacks against Ukraine. This not only validates its legitimate objective status, but also underlines the real vulnerability of the most expensive and valuable assets of the Kremlin. The fact that there is no practical way to replace TU-95ms or TU-22m3, both out of production for decades, converts each loss into A permanent wound For Russian strategic aviation. The satellite evidence and the SBU videos show the drones directly impacting the aircraft loaded with missiles. Repercussions and strategy. No doubt, the attack forces Moscow to Reconsiderate deeply The posture and dispersion of their bombers, which must now operate from farther and less vulnerable bases, reducing their effectiveness and response time. The operation He has sown concern visible even among Russian crews, some of which have begun to Paint references to the aircraft destroyed in their own ammunition. If you want also, this internal psychological reaction betrays the scope of the coup: the Ukrainian assault has broken the feeling of invulnerability that surrounded Russian strategic aviation, and has shown the world that not even its nuclear bombers are safe from an asymmetric, precise and technologically advanced war. Image | Maxar Technologies In Xataka | The undercover operation of Ukraine has left an irreparable hole for Russia: its nuclear deterrence has jumped through the air In Xataka | In 2024, Ukrainian trucks disguised as “house” entered Russia. Now they have dynamited their main air bases

A technology 20 years ago took Ukraine to the Russian bombers. Moscow’s response comes from China: a laser cannon

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With the passing of the days, more data about The covert operation which carried out Ukraine in the heart of the air bases of Moscow. Recall: a swarm of more than 100 drones hidden in trucks managed to destroy an important part of the Russian fleet of Strategic bombers. Now the technology that made Spiderweb, and what is Russia’s response to contain Ukrainian drones: a laser weapon … from China has been revealed. Cheap drones and free software. As I counted The medium 404behind the flight of the army of drones was not a sophisticated and secret technology. On the contrary, the devices were driven By Ardupilotopen source software created two decades ago by unmanned aviation enthusiasts. The use of this software, a free system originally designed for civil tasks such as agriculture, rescue or mapping, allowed Ukraine to coordinate that swarm of drones with autonomous navigation functions, air stabilization, waiting modes and contingencies for signal loss, even in a hostile environment saturated with interference and without GPS. Born of leisure … for war. Ardupilot He was born in 2007 of the personal project From Chris Andersonformer editor of the Wired media, who with Lego and Arduino pieces He built a drone browsing system that would later evolve in an open overall source community. What began as a homemade and collaborative experiment ended up being the operational core of a great impact military offensive. As He counted the mediumthe astonishment of its creators in the face of the war use of its software was notable: they never imagined that a tool designed for civil use would end up helping to destroy Russian strategic fighters. Although The website De Ardupilot promotes its use “for the peaceful benefit of all”, its open character makes it impossible to restrict. Irony resides that, while large corporations develop closed and expensive armamentUkraine has managed to use free access tools to execute attacks that remodeled the balance of power. Internet. What happened also leaves another teaching. The technological war between Ukraine and Russia is also a Communities Warforums and repositories. The software that allowed the attack developed collectively over years by programmers and fans distributed worldwide, many of which never imagined that their work would be used in combat. Neither Ardupilot nor its creators can prevent it, and although its code of conduct explicitly facilitates militarization, there is no restrictive license: knowledge is already in the hands of Who wants to use it. In the context of the current conflict, this means a silent revolution: it is not only the armies that free wars, but also free software developers. Ardupilot The Made in China answer. Before the gigantic industry Of low -cost drones that is hitting its troops, Russia has revealed an unprecedented development: a Chinese laser system To tear down drones, they report several Telegram proruse channels. Although it has not yet been officially confirmed, Images and videos disseminated They show a military vehicle shooting a laser beam capable of drilling metal plates and setting fire to drones in full flight. The appearance of the system coincides with the characteristics of the SHEN NUNG 3000 OR THE 5000 MODELan anti -gluvated weapon presented by China and that would also have been delivered to Iran. Analysts of the International Institute for Strategic Studies They point out thatalthough with some modifications, the system used by Russian forces has been derived directly of Chinese design. In fact, Russian military have confirmed that it is already In the hands of units as The Spetsnaz of the nomadic unit, and have even celebrated its effectiveness as an advance against previous technologies considered ineffective or excessively expensive. SHEN NUNG China, Iran and Russia. The entrance of this technology expands the analysis. The growing cooperation Technological between Beijing, Moscow and Tehran is reflected in the circulation of systems Like Shen Nungdeveloped by the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics. Although its operational use is still limited and its real abilities have not been tested in high -intensity scenarios, its mere presence on the battlefield indicates a qualitative change: the powers that seek to challenge the western order are sharing advanced capabilities, many of them before reserved for a handful of countries. Plus: The appearance of this system in Russian territory coincides with recent information that indicates that they will also go I would be using itconfirming that it is available in the market and has already been exported. From Ukraine to the Middle East. The use of laser weapons is not exclusive to the Moscow-Pekín-Teherán axis, of course. Israel has also recently deployed Your Iron Beam system (known as Magen or in Hebrew) to intercept Hezbollah dronesa weapon that combines response speed, precision and low cost per shot. The Israeli system, developed by Rafael and the Air Force, is still in the final test phase, but has already been used in combat. United States, meanwhile, has deployed experimental units of laser weapons in advanced positions and ships, although the advances have been slower than expected due to technical challenges such as the sensitivity of the components, thermal limits and reduced efficacy in adverse environmental conditions. Promise and fragility. Be that as it may, and although these weapons represent a significant advance in the anti -aircraft defense, They are still vulnerable: They have a limited scope, their performance depends on the weather, and require specialized maintenance. Even so, in an environment where drone swarms are increasingly frequent and difficult to intercept with traditional systems, lasers offer a solution attractive. Their low cost per shoot and their ability to operate without physical ammunition make them an emerging alternative, especially for countries that seek to overcome technological asymmetries. Between codes and science fiction. The irruption of a Chinese laser system In the Russian-Ukrainian Front marks a turning point in the use of directed energy weapons and in the global geostrategic dynamics. What until recently seemed a matter of fantastic literature is now a real instrument of combat and deterrence. In parallel, Ukraine has been able … Read more

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