military

Japan did not need another aircraft carrier to make a move. His next military step begins with Vietnam

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Japan has spent decades measuring every military gesture with almost surgical caution. Not due to lack of industry, technology or capacity, but due to the weight of its recent history and the political limits that have marked its defense since the post-war period. Therefore, when Tokyo moves a piece in this area, it is advisable to look beyond the apparent size of the gesture. What we have before us shows where the Asian country is moving. The specific news. The movement appears in a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Defense after the meeting that the Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi He held two days earlier with General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Vietnam. According to Tokyo, both agreed to start talks to establish new forms of cooperation in defense equipment and technology. The most striking part is the possibility of jointly developing and producing fast landing craft. Vietnam, partner without alliance. The choice of Vietnam is not coincidental. We are talking about a country whose recent history was marked by the war with the United Stateswhich since diplomatic normalization in 1995 has elevated its relationship with Washington to the rank of comprehensive strategic partnership and that, at the same time, avoids presenting itself as part of a military bloc. That combination is precisely what makes its role interesting for Japan: Hanoi needs to strengthen its capabilities, diversify partners and protect its maritime interests, but without becoming trapped in a formal alliance. In this balance, Tokyo appears as a useful, advanced and politically less strident partner than other actors. The policy of balance. This position has a very specific translation in Vietnamese defense doctrine: the so-called “four noes”. Hanoi maintains that it does not participate in military alliances, does not align itself with one country against another, does not allow foreign military bases or other countries to use its territory against third parties, and does not resort to the use or threat of force in its international relations. It is an architecture designed to cooperate without being absorbed by anyone. The maritime map. The Japanese statement does not mention China as a direct recipient of the message, but it does place the conversation in two very specific spaces: the East China Sea and the South China Sea. For Tokyo,the first is part of its major security concerns; for Hanoi, The second is the stage where they concentrate some of its main maritime tensions. That is why the two ministers stressed the freedom of navigation and overflight, in addition to respect for international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Why they matter. The expression “fast landing craft” may sound minor compared to submarines, fighters or large warships, but their function is very specific: moving troops, vehicles, equipment or supplies to a coast, an island or an area that is difficult to access. In a fragmented maritime environment, with archipelagos, reefs and territories where distance is not always measured in kilometers but rather in the ability to arrive sooner, this mobility has strategic value. We are not talking about a spectacular weapon, but rather a practical tool for operating where the map narrows. Japan moves its industry. The possible cooperation with Vietnam fits into a broader transformation: Japan is trying that its defense industrial base weighs more inside and outside the country. We have seen this in the reform of its military equipment transfer rules, revised again in April 2026 to promote more defensive cooperation with allies and like-minded countries, and also in advanced projects that are still in the research phase, such as the electromagnetic railgun. The point is that Tokyo is moving away from viewing its military industry as a purely domestic matter. A very measured turn. The interesting thing is that neither country needs to present this as a breakup for it to have weight. Japan does not suddenly abandon its historical caution, and Vietnam does not sign a formal military alliance. What we see is a much more discreet formula: industrial cooperation, defensive technology and naval capabilities in an area where every small movement is read in a strategic key. That’s why landing craft may seem like a small thing on paper, but they say a lot about where the Indo-Pacific is moving. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | Germany wanted to armor its army with a volunteer military. He has encountered a boom of conscientious objectors

There are people who think that Europe should recover the military. What happened in Germany offers them an unpleasant surprise

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It is still early to know whether or not Germany will be successful with its new volunteer ‘military’but one thing is clear: the German authorities have revived a figure that was in the doldrums for years, the conscientious objector. Although Berlin does not apply a mandatory recruitment system, thousands of young people in the country have wanted to improve their health by starting the procedures to benefit from their constitutional right to not have to hold a weapon. More requests have been registered during the first six months of the year alone than in all of 2025. It has even surpassed 2011, the year in which the mandatory military service ended. What has happened? That the Bundesrat has achieved something unexpected (or not) with your new law of voluntary military service. Its purpose was to give a boost to recruitment so that the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) would go from its current around 184,000 troops to between 255,000 and 270,000 in 2035, but everything indicates that they have activated a mechanism that pushes in the opposite direction: more and more young people declare themselves conscientious objectors, that is, they appeal to their constitutional right not to be forced by anyone to use weapons or be a soldier. That does not mean that the new German ‘military’ is not working (to affirm such a thing it would be necessary to handle updated recruitment data), but it does mean that its future will not be as peaceful as the Government of Friedrich Merz would like. Are there so many objectors? Yes. The data has advanced them Redaktions Netzwerk Deutschland (RND) and show that the figure of the objector is experiencing a real boom in Germany. During the first half of 2026 alone, the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society Affairs received 5,862 applications from citizens who wanted to declare themselves conscientious objectors. There are almost a thousand each month, but the data stands out above all when put into context. Throughout 2025 the Government noted 3,867 requests and in 2024 they were only 2,249. In 2011, the year in which the mandatory military service was suspended, 4,348 were registered. The balance of the first half of the year not only shows a clear rebound, it also suggests that young Germans are increasingly concerned about the issue: 60% of these applications were submitted between April and June, when the country was shaken by several controversies related to the new military law, as if men need authorization to leave the country for more than three months. But is there or isn’t there ‘mili’? Yes. And no. There is no mandatory service like the one that existed in Spain until 2001 or that applied in Germany until 2011, but there is a new legal framework with which Berlin aspires to gain voluntary recruits. To understand it you have to go back to December 2025when the Upper House of the German Parliament approved a military service bill that began to be applied on January 1, 2026. Its objective is very simple: add thousands of new soldiers to the country’s Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), although with a lot of pedagogy and initially appealing to voluntariness. In practice, this means that right now Germans who come of age are only required to go through two relatively harmless and simple procedures. “Men born in 2008 or later must participate in the military registration process. This includes filling out a questionnaire and passing a medical examination by medical personnel,” explains the Bundeswehr. Do we know anything else? Yes. The military explains in detail how it will implement the system. The idea is that all young Germans who come of age (some 650,000 each year) will receive an online questionnaire asking whether or not you are interested in military life. The men are obligated to respond. For women it is optional. If the answer is yes, the Armed Forces invite volunteers to a recruitment center to continue the process. The system is still being implemented, but at the end of last year the German press was talking aboutIn a second phase, late in 2027, 18-year-old men must also undergo a medical examination that will be mandatory whether they opt for voluntary military service or not. “No one forces you to do anything, except to fill out a questionnaire that reflects the recorded data and pass a medical examination that does no harm to anyone,” claims the German Defense Minister, the social democrat Boris Pistorius. “The State does not protect itself. That has to be done by people who are willing to defend it and not sit idly waiting for others to do so.” What is the objective? We pointed it out before: turning the German army into a European reference. And that happens by arriving in the mid-2030s with 460,000 troopsbetween active personnel (260,000) and reservists (200,000). Not bad if you take into account that in 2025 184,000 soldiers were serving. In Germany already throw out the idea that, if this objective is not achieved through voluntary recruitment, the Government could go further and opt for a mandatory model. In any case, that would require a new parliamentary procedure. For now, in view of the changes being promoted by the Merz Executive, the threat from Russia and the rearmament discourse fueled by Donald Trump, more and more young people are choosing to declare themselves objectors. Curiously, there are also people who take the opposite path, although less: the daily Neue Osnabrucker assures that during the first quarter 233 people waived their right to refuse military service. They join the 781 that did so in 2025. Images | Simon Infanger (Unsplash) and Filip Andrejevic (Unsplash) In Xataka | In Spain, 1,149 young people lost their lives in the same place between 1983 and 1989. All of these “accidents” could have been avoided.

“They’re damn smart.” Marine chief believes Gen Z has just the advantage the modern military needs

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The same idea has been repeated for years. about generation Z: who lives glued to a screen, who has less capacity for sacrifice and who is less prepared to face great challenges. However, the commander of the United States Marine Corps maintains just the opposite. In his opinion, the biggest change is not in the young people, but in the war. The big mistake. Few generations have accumulated so many stereotypes like Z. They are accused of depending on cell phones, social networks or video games and, by extension, of being less resilient than their parents and grandparents. Eric M. SmithCommander of the United States Marine Corps, counted in Military who believes that this reading is based on a wrong premise: different life experiences are being confused with a supposed lack of character. After almost four decades of service and thousands of recruits seen passing through training centers, his conclusion is blunt: “their surnames have changed, but their character and commitment have not.” Like in WW2. “They are made of the same wood as the Marines of World War II,” explains. The comparison is not accidental. Smith equates today’s young people with those who fought in historical scenarios such as Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir or, more recently, Fallujah. He also rejects the idea that the Corps has lowered its standards to attract volunteers. “We have not lowered standards. We never will,” affirms. Their argument is simple: the Marines continue to demand that the applicants adapt to the institution and not the other way around, maintaining a training process that continues to be the longest in the US armed forces. Eric M. Smith It’s not the character, it’s the tools. Where Smith does see a break with previous generations is in the relationship with technology. He himself remembers that he was already a captain when he had his first mobile phone, while the new recruits have grown up surrounded by mobile phones, video games and the Internet. What for years has been interpreted as a distraction can be, according to the generala strategic advantage. “They’re damn smart,” summarizedbefore adding a sentence that explains his reasoning: just give them a device and five minutes for them to discover on their own how to use a drone, while officers from previous generations would need specific training. Skills that barely counted before. The Smith’s statements They come at a time when the battlefield is undergoing accelerated transformation. The war in Ukraine has become protagonists to FPV drones, artificial intelligencesensors, electronic warfare and connected systems, displacing part of the traditional prominence of the large armored or artillery. In this context, understanding digital interfaces, quickly adapting to new tools or intuitively learning how complex systems work begins to be as important as physical resistance or aim. Each military revolution has changed the profile. History shows that armies have always had to adapt to the technologies of their time. There was a time when know how to ride a horse made the difference, then came radio, radar, cryptography or the guided missilesforcing the incorporation of increasingly more technical profiles. The digitalization of combat represents another similar jump. The skills that many identify with a generation raised on screens can now become a first-rate military asset. The real advantage. He Smith’s message transcends the debate about generation Z. It does not maintain that young people are better than their predecessors, but rather that they have a natural familiarity with technology that fits the needs of the modern army. For him, the core values ​​remain exactly the same as 250 years ago (honor, courage and commitment), but the tools have changed. And in a war where a drone operator can influence so much As an infantry unit, the ability to quickly master a new system may become one of the most valuable qualities of the soldier of the future. Image | CEPA, ACMCphotousmc In Xataka | The US had a ship with 2,000 marines ready to invade Iran. Now he has sent it right to the place where China worries the most In Xataka | The same day that the US sent its marines to Iran, Taiwan woke up with déjà vu: China has surrounded it with 26 planes and 7 warships

speakers with AI and military resistance for less than 60 euros

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LG’s legendary xboom audio family is renewed in Spain with a very particular proposal. The Korean company has announced the launch of the LG xboom Mini and LG xboom Rocktwo portable speakers of very small size that are born from a direct collaboration in design and calibration with the artist will.i.am. But beyond the signature of the musical star, these devices stand out for integrating advanced Artificial Intelligence functions and extreme durability designed to withstand any adventure. LG xboom Mini by will.i.am | Bluetooth speaker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG Xboom Rock Portable Bluetooth Speaker By Will.i.am Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG xboom Mini: cubic sound with a hole for your GoPro The smallest of the new couple is the LG xboom Mini, a cubic format speaker Designed under the premise of offering powerful performance in a minimalist body. Available in black or warm gray with the approval of the artist himself, its shape allows it to be placed both upright and lying down without affecting the clarity of the audio. Despite its small size, this small cube hides very interesting high features, such as an autonomy of up to 10 hours. It also has IP67 certification against water and dust and, natively, incorporates a hole compatible with GoPro mounts and USB Audio connectivity to guarantee maximum sound fidelity. Finally, its function can be highlighted Party Linkwhich allows several speakers to be linked simultaneously to sound in unison. LG xboom rock: the all-rounder with military certification For those looking for a much more demanding travel companion, LG has presented the xboom Rock. This model raises the power to 6 W to offer a much clearer and more impressive sound in open spaces. Its great selling point is its extreme robustness. The device has passed seven military standards testswhich ensures its operation in harsh environments where other portable speakers would end up broken. It has a robust adjustable cord (Magic String) to strap securely to your backpack or mountain bike, and adds a configurable smart button that gives one-touch direct access to platforms like Apple Music or LG Radio+. Like its little brother, its battery reaches 10 hours of use. AI reaches the equalizer and the songs The software section is where LG and will.i.am have wanted to make a difference compared to the competition. Both models have AI Sounda system that analyzes in real time what is playing to automatically adjust the equalizer and highlight vocals, rhythm or melody accordingly. They also incorporate Sound Field Enhancedesigned to maintain audio consistency in noisy outdoors. The most striking curiosity is its integration with FYI.RAiDiOwill.i.am’s music AI platform. Through it, users can interact through two-way conversations with ten virtual characters and DJs, who will generate completely personalized musical selections in real time based on each user’s tastes. Availability and prices of the new LG xboom The two new members of the xboom family They can now be purchased in Spain at very competitive prices for the portable audio segment: He LG xboom Mini comes on the market with a recommended retail price of 49 euros, but now costs 39 euros. LG xboom Mini by will.i.am | Bluetooth speaker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links He LG xboom Rockwith its ultra-resistant design and greater power, is available for 78.99 euros, although you can get it now for 59 euros. LG Xboom Rock Portable Bluetooth Speaker By Will.i.am Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links You may also be interested LOEWE We. Hear Pro Black, Bluetooth Speaker, collaboration with Kylian Mbappé The price could vary. We earn commission from these links JBL GO 5 Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Big JBL Pro Sound The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | LG In Xataka | Best sound bars in quality price (2026). Which one to buy and seven recommended models from 99 euros In Xataka | Best wireless over-ear headphones. Which one to buy and five recommended models

Ukraine has turned military bridges into impossible targets. Russia just responded with a Frankenstein on wheels

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In World War II, six soldiers could carry parts by hand of a Bailey bridge and build a passage for tanks in a matter of hours. Eight decades later, the real challenge is no longer building the bridge: it is making it survive long enough to enter service. River crossings are a nightmare. Crossing a river has always been one of the most delicate operations for any army. Crossing points are predictable, vehicles must be concentrated in a small space, and engineers need time to deploy bridges or pontoons. In Ukraine, however, the problem has become a new dimension. Drones constantly monitor roads, accesses and banks, detecting any preparation for a crossing long before it occurs. This means that forces attempting to cross a river can be attacked even before reaching the water. What for decades was a complex engineering operation has been transformed into a race against time under permanent surveillance. A problem since the start of the war. Russian difficulties in crossing rivers they are not new. One of the most remembered episodes occurred in May 2022, when a Russian tactical group was practically destroyed during an attempt to cross the Siverski Donets. More than three years later, the problem remains unresolved. They remembered in Forbes That even relatively modest obstacles like the Vovcha River can slow down entire operations because the challenge is no longer just overcoming the water, but surviving the deployment process. Every bridge, every pontoon and every engineering vehicle automatically becomes a priority target for Ukrainian drones, artillery and other precision strike systems. The strange “Frankenstein”. Thus a scene has taken place that has remained recorded on video by Ukrainian forces. It happened when one of the most peculiar vehicles seen in the war appeared. A Russian unit built an improvised system using military truck chassis, probably Ural or KamAZ, transformed into a kind of articulated pontoon. The structure was made up of a drive section and a large adapted trailer, creating a set long enough to cross narrow sections of the river. Its appearance was so rudimentary and strange that Ukrainian observers compared it to a creation straight out of a Mad Max movie and they baptized as a four-wheeled “Frankenstein”. More than a visual curiosity, the vehicle reflected the need to find alternative solutions to a problem for which conventional means seem increasingly less effective. A mission observed from start to finish. The broadcast images by the Ukrainian Wolfhound unit show the complete route of the vehicle towards its objective. The group advanced at high speed through Vovchansk in an obvious attempt to reduce the time of exposure to possible attacks. During the trip, the trailer repeatedly left the road, knocked down an electrical pole and activated several mines without being disabled. Even so he managed to reach the river bank. However, Ukrainian air surveillance had followed their every move. As the soldiers began to deploy the system and the forward section began entering the water, several attack drones They destroyed the vehicle before he could complete his mission. A deeper problem. The most striking thing about the episode is that Russia has specialized teams capable of carrying out this type of operations. Systems such as launchable bridges MTU-72 or the PMP pontoons They were designed precisely to allow the passage of troops and armor through rivers much larger than the Vovcha. For a unit to resort to a such an improvised solution suggests that these means were not available in that sector or that the losses accumulated during the war have reduced their presence on the front line. It also reflects an industrial reality: the current priority is on producing tanks, armored vehicles, drones, ammunition and artillery, while engineering equipment receives much less attention and replenishment. Modern warfare forces us to reinvent everything. He “Frankenstein” by Vovchansk fits into an increasingly visible trend within the Russian military. In recent years, protected armored vehicles have appeared with anti-drone cagesvehicles covered with netsmodified robots for new features and all types of adaptations carried out directly by combat units. The speed at which threats evolve often outpaces militaries’ ability to develop and deploy new solutions. Although the makeshift pontoon was destroyed, its existence is revealing. It demonstrates the extent to which drones have disrupted a military task as basic as crossing a river, and how soldiers are attempting to fill the gap between battlefield needs and the ability of military machinery to respond with ingenuity, recycled parts, and emergency solutions. Image | x In Xataka | Russia’s enemy in Ukraine is basically an AI. So you’re painting your tanks CAPTCHA color In Xataka | Thousands of elderly Ukrainians are isolated at the front. An army of drones is coming to your rescue

the technology needed to spy and make military decisions from the sky

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) carries many benefits, but also many risks. Therefore, eliminating human supervision can be a very bad idea. It is a fairly recurring topic that has been put back on the table after China announced that it is testing the use of AI to advance its satellite-based surveillance systems. Many experts have expressed concern about the possibility of these systems being used for military purposes. Other countries, such as the United States and Israel, have set a worrying precedent, so there is some fear that these technologies could be misused and end up being lethal. The steps of China. China has long stressed the importance of AI always having human supervision. However, the announcement that have collected media such as Interesting Engineering follows a different premise. The Asian country intends for its satellite AI systems to be capable of breaking down complex tasks, coordinating workflows and recovering independently from possible failures. In short, they would use algorithms capable of analyzing information, making decisions and acting without the need for humans. Satellite observation can have many uses, from analyzing animal behavior to aiding weather forecasts. However, this emphasis on AI being able to act on its own is inevitably reminiscent of what we are already seeing in the United States for military purposes. The case of the United States. The US military is suspected of having several AI-based targeting systems, although there is a lot of classified information about them. Broadly speaking, these would use data obtained through optical cameras, infrared, radar, LIDAR and other sensors to locate military targets and subsequently shoot if deemed necessary. Last February, the attack on a school classified as erroneous opened the debate on this issue. In it 175 people diedmostly girls. As it was recognized as a misguided attack, suspicions grew that AI was behind it. As this is classified information, it cannot be known for sure, but it is a more than tangible risk. USA has hired currently to SpaceX to improve the connectivity of the shooters so that they receive the information as soon as possible whether to shoot or not. It is clear that they want to continue advancing in this aspect and it is something that, logically, is of great concern to experts. The case of Israel. It is not exactly the same, but Israel has also left war decisions in the hands of AI, with worrying results. For example, they have a system that uses data from phone calls, social networks, metadata, visual information or contacts, among other sources, to determine who may be targets. According to an investigation by +972 Magazinein the first weeks of the war against Palestine detected 37,000 targets as Hamas members. The army itself recognized that the algorithm has a 90% probability of being right. This gives us clues about how catastrophic it can be. More transparency? China has assured that it will have more transparency than other countries by introducing AI in the management of its satellites. However, this does not minimize the concerns of experts. For now, it seems that the algorithms have managed to avoid obstacles independently in the testing phase. For them to be able to shoot, if they are used for that purpose, there is still a long way to go. But it is viable. Therefore, it is urgent that measures be taken to regulate the use of AI without human supervision as much as possible. There are too many human beings with few scruples, but even those may have some more qualms than machines. An AI cannot show concern, conscience or ethics. He also does not ask before shooting if he is not told to do so. Therefore, if we want it to operate satellites capable of observing and controlling what we do on the planet, it would be advisable for us to ensure that someone with scruples remains in charge. Although in some contexts that is difficult to find. Image | Kevin Stadnyk (Unsplash)/Magnific In Xataka | There are planes dropping food into Gaza from the air. It is a worse idea than it seems to fight hunger

The most ambitious US military project in space has a new owner: SpaceX

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The United States Government has hired SpaceX to act as the backbone of its military telecommunications system. After several delays of an initial system, based on the participation of multiple companies and entities, it has now been decided to bet all data transport on Elon Musk’s request. Starshield satellites. Although the technical details have not been announced at the moment, this agreement between the Pentagon and SpaceX is possibly based mainly on the contracting of Starshield services, satellites with technology similar to that of Starlink, but adapted to military applications. The space company It already has hundreds of these satellites in low Earth orbit, some of them involved in actions such as attacks on Iran. A system made up of layers. The hiring of SpaceX, in which 2.29 billion dollars have been invested, is aimed at the development of the backbone. That is, the central layer of the data transport system used by the United States for military purposes. This system consists of more layers, in which more companies will intervene, which will be in charge, for example, of tracking. However, everything revolves around the axis constituted by Elon Musk’s satellites. The functions. With all these contracts, the United States intends to facilitate the tactical communications of the US Army thanks to access to broadband communication services worldwide. In addition, the aim is to work on the detection and tracking of missile launches and, in turn, connect sensors and shooters. In short, SpaceX must provide the backbone of a system composed of sensors that detect possible threats and a network that communicates these threats as quickly as possible to anti-missile systems and shooters so that they act accordingly. Other companies. While SpaceX will focus on data transportation and the cohesion of all actors involved in the United States military plan, other companies will be in charge of tracking. In recent years, the Space Development Agency hired for it to L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Rocket Lab, all companies that have already begun developing satellites for this purpose. On the other hand, the last three, together with York Space Systems, they had been hired also for transportation purposes, similar to those that have finally been entrusted to SpaceX. At the moment it does not seem that the development of its own satellites has been cancelled, but the change in strategy, much more focused on SpaceX, is clear. Concerned legislators. Despite the intervention of other companies, legislators have expressed concern about the decision to put all the transportation and telecommunications eggs in Elon Musk’s basket. Given this situation, the spokesperson for the United States Space Force has assured who are already looking for a second contractor to build Space Data Network satellites. At the moment it is only SpaceX’s task, but they intend to increase competition. SpaceX’s duties. As they point out from Ars TechnicaElon Musk’s company is obliged to deliver a “prototype of fully operational capacity” for its telecommunications system before the end of 2027. With this, SpaceX diversifies its work, entering fully into the military field. Is this surprising? The truth is, not too much. Now all that remains is to see how it swims in these waters in which He had already made his first dives. Image | US Space Force photo by Gwendolyn Kurzen/Diego González (Unsplash) In Xataka | Once again, Ukraine has opened a missile launched by Russia. Once again, surprising manufacturers have been found

The greatest Japanese military taboo after the Second World War has just been blown up. China and North Korea are to blame

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In 1945, Japan emerged from World War II with a new Constitution that, in practice, prevented him have again offensive aircraft carrier. Eight decades later, one of its largest ships is once again preparing to operate fighter jets from the deck alongside the US Marines. Japan leaves its historical limits behind. Japan is entering a military phase that for decades avoided describing openly. He “Kaga”officially classified as a helicopter destroyer, will operate in June F-35B stealth fighters of the US Marine Corps in joint exercises that definitively bring the country closer to a light aircraft carrier capability. The gesture is much more important than it seems because it breaks a deeply rooted political and historical barrier since World War II: the idea that Japan should strictly limit its offensive capabilities. Tokyo continues to avoid the term “aircraft carrier,” but operational reality is beginning to look more and more like classic shipborne aviation. The Kaga and a return. The transformation of the “Kaga” and its twin “Izumo” It has been underway for years, but now it is entering the truly decisive phase: operate fighter aircraft fifth generation from deck in real conditions. The planned exercises with the US F-35B will include “cross-deck” maneuvers, where Marine aircraft take off and land from a Japanese ship. all this requires modifications depth in the deck, thermal resistance to withstand vertical landings and new coordinated procedures between pilots, sailors and technical personnel. Although Japan has placed the F-35Bs under the control of its Air Force and not the Navy, the practice brings the country enormously closer to having fully functional small aircraft carriers. A US Marine Corps F-35B lands aboard Kaga during training exercises in 2024 China and North Korea behind. The great driver of this transformation is the deterioration of the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific. China multiply your pressure naval around Taiwan and the East China Sea as North Korea maintains a constant capacity of military destabilization. In this context, Tokyo needs to disperse its air capacity and reduce dependence on vulnerable ground bases. There the F-35B enters: a fighter capable of taking off over very short distances or landing vertically from relatively small decks. For Japan, this offers enormous flexibility in an archipelago full of islands and long sea distances. Each converted ship expands the number of platforms from which the country can project air power. USA as accelerator. The direct involvement of the US Marine Corps makes clear the extent to which Washington is acting as an accelerator of Japanese military transformation. The Marines already made the first historic landings on the “Izumo” in 2021 and since then they have accompanied practically all phases of the program. The “Kaga” even traveled to the United States for specific tests with F-35B and has already operated alongside British and American aircraft linked to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. More than simple maneuvers, these exercises serve to integrate allied doctrines, logistics and procedures in a possible regional crisis scenario. The Indo-Pacific is filling up. The change also reflects a broader trend: the proliferation light aircraft carrier and ships capable of operating F-35Bs throughout the US allied network. United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea and potentially Spain sfollow similar paths to maintain embarked aviation without the need for gigantic nuclear supercarriers. He F-35B It has thus become the centerpiece of a new generation of medium navies capable of projecting air power from relatively compact platforms. Japan fits that model perfectly, especially in a scenario where war in the Pacific could force aircraft, ammunition and fuel to be dispersed across multiple moving points. The real test begins now. Until now, much of the Japanese program had still been experimental or symbolic. The real test begins with regular operations, long deployments and the ability to sustain stealth fighters on deck for weeks. That is where it will be measured if the “Kaga” It definitively ceases to be a “helicopter destroyer” to become, in practice, a a light aircraft carrier fully operational. And there, too, the most profound change is perceived: Japan is gradually leaving behind the defensive military culture to adapt to an increasingly Indo-Pacific more militarizedcompetitive and unpredictable. Image | hunini In Xataka | Japan has just crossed a line unprecedented since World War II: China has responded with supersonic missiles In Xataka | Japan has made a historic decision in the face of US uncertainty: deploy missiles that reach North Korea and China

If the question is how to deflect projectiles without skyrocketing military costs, China has found the solution: crocodiles

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In recent years, the US military has even tested fibers inspired in spider silk for future bulletproof vests. The reason was simple: some natural materials achieve absorb impacts and deform better than many modern artificial compounds. The idea of ​​using animals. The search for more effective shielding has been inspired by natural solutions for decades. Since the Second World War, different armies have studied biological structures capable of absorbing impacts, distribute energy or resist attacks better than expected. China has just joined this tradition with a peculiar proposal: armor inspired by the crocodile scales. The logic behind the project is simple. Instead of relying solely on making armor thicker, heavier and more expensive, researchers are trying to modify the way projectiles hit the surface to force them to deflect, lose stability and fragment before passing through. How it works. The Ningbo University team replaced the traditional hexagonal plates used in many armors composed of small rhomboidal ceramic pieces placed at 45 degree angles. The arrangement imitates the irregular, overlapping structure of crocodile scales. During testing, the design was able to more effectively reduce the residual velocity of hardened steel projectiles and increase fragmentation of the ammunition upon impact. The objective is not only to withstand the shot, but to alter the physical behavior of the projectile at the moment of contact so that part of its energy is lost before reaching the main armor. The obsession with reducing costs. The most relevant thing about the project is not only the additional protection, but the attempt to make it cheaper. Chinese researchers they insist in that any structural improvement that allows the same materials to be used with better results can greatly reduce the manufacturing cost. There is no doubt, this obsession makes a lot of sense in modern warfare. Shielding vehicles, helicopters or troops against increasingly powerful ammunition requires enormous amounts of advanced materials and gigantic budgets. From that perspective, if a relatively simple geometric modification achieves better results without increasing weight or industrial complexity, the economic impact can be enormous on a large scale. Logic born of recent wars. If you like, the Chinese research also reflects a broader change that is already seen in Ukraine and other recent conflicts: it is increasingly important economic efficiency of weapons and defenses. For years, military innovation was dominated by extremely sophisticated and expensive systems. Now many countries are looking for solutions that are sufficiently effective, easy to manufacture and sustainable in long wars. In this sense, Russia already demonstrated how relatively simple glider bombs could cause enormous problems at low cost. Ukraine responded with cheap drones capable of destroying much more expensive equipment. The shielding crocodile inspired fits perfectly into this new logic: trying to unbalance the relationship between cost and effectiveness without having to resort to futuristic technologies that are impossible to mass produce. Future battlefields. For now, the Chinese system remains in the experimental phase and still needs much more demanding tests, including multiple impacts and firing from different angles. Still, researchers believe it could end up being used in armored vehicles, helicopters, ships and even light aerospace structures. What is interesting is that China does not present the project as a spectacular technological revolution, but rather as a pragmatic improvement based on simple principles. geometry and materials. An idea that pretty well sums up where part of current military innovation is heading: less obsession with creating impossible weapons and more interest in find smart ways and relatively cheap to survive in an environment where each projectile and each armor cost more and more money. Image | David Shackelford, PXHere, Unsplash In Xataka | China is manufacturing missiles at an unprecedented speed. And the final objective is not Taiwan, it is another island 3,000 km away In Xataka | China has made a science fiction dream come true: an electromagnetic cannon capable of reaching 3,000 shots per minute

Airbus had a single center in the world to convert commercial aircraft into military tankers. Now another one will open in Seville

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Airbus has chosen Seville to install its second global conversion center for the A330 MRTT, the best-selling tanker and military transport aircraft on the market outside the United States. The San Pablo plant will thus become the twin of the Getafe plant, until now the only one in the world capable of transforming A330 commercial aircraft into its multirole military version. We made the announcement during the opening of the ADM Sevilla 2026 fair and the facilities are expected to be operational at the end of 2027. Why it matters. The A330 MRTT is experiencing a sweet moment, as it accumulates some 91 orders from 19 countries and controls 90% of the world market share, excluding the United States. The war in ukrainethe escalation of military spending in Europe and the growing need for tanker aircraft to extend the air forces’ operating margin have triggered demand for a model that until now was assembled at a rate limited by its single-plant capacity. Add Seville will allow you to go from five to seven annual conversions and thus take some work off the Getafe plant. In detail. The conversion process is usually a rather complex task for European aerospace engineering. Civilian A330s leave the Toulouse chain and they are transferred to the conversion center, where for about nine months military systems, in-flight refueling equipment, specific avionics, communications and interior configurations adapted to each client are integrated, until they are ready for aerial refueling missions, troop transport, strategic cargo or medical evacuations. The plant in Seville will also assume maintenance, repair and modernization (MRO) tasks for aircraft already in service. Airbus will take advantage of the current hangars in San Pablo and optimize them to work with two aircraft at a time, imitating Getafe’s way of workingwhere usually one is converted while the other receives maintenance tasks. Figures. The new line will generate around 200 direct jobswhich will be added to the 2,000 professionals already working in São Paulo, and about 600 additional positions in the auxiliary industry. In Andalusia, Airbus is responsible for around 3,500 people between the San Pablo, Tablada (Seville) and Cádiz plants, and more than 14,000 throughout Spain. Why Seville. The president of Airbus in Spain, Francisco Javier Sánchez Segura, pointed ABC that the reasons were based above all on the technical knowledge accumulated in the A400M and C295 programs, the existing infrastructure (San Pablo is the only Airbus factory with two final assembly lines) and the operational proximity with Getafe, which will act as strategic coordinator of the entire program. A technological leap. Until now, Airbus Defense and Space’s activity in Seville revolved around the assembly and maintenance of the A400M and the C295, both military transport aircraft. Sanchez Segura underlined The Seville center will replicate the cutting-edge technologies developed in Getafe, including the intensive use of augmented reality applied to the assembly and inspection of systems. Andalusia, in the focus of aviation. For the Junta de Andalucía, the announcement fits into its strategy to place the community in one of the three most important European points, along with Toulouse and Hamburg. The acting Minister of Industry, Jorge Paradela, recalled that the region already has several important investments, such as the arrival of the Swiss company Pilatus to manufacture private and military training aircraft, and the Ryanair projectvalued at 500 million euros, to internalize the repair of aeronautical engines in Andalusia, with 600 direct jobs planned. The acting Minister of Economy, Carolina España, rated the Airbus announcement is “magnificent news”, also highlighting that exports from the Andalusian aerospace sector have grown by 86% so far in 2026. The other side. The ADM Seville fair, where the advertisement was presented, also attracted protests. The STOP Arms Fair Platform, which brings together social groups, unions, environmentalists and pacifists, gathered at the gates of FIBES to denounce “the institutional support” for the defense industry and the presence of companies that, according to these organizations, have links to human rights violations in armed conflicts such as the one in Gaza. What’s coming now. Airbus has about two years of works, personnel training and technological adaptation ahead before San Pablo delivers its first converted aircraft. If the planned pace is met, Seville and Getafe will end up operating in a coordinated manner to satisfy a larger customer base in a context that does not seem to be going to let up. According to Sánchez SeguraAerópolis depends on around 70% of Airbus’ workload, and this for the Seville plant means consolidating in a field that until now was foreign to it. Cover image | Air and Space Army In Xataka | The war in Iran is doing something that not even Ryanair imagined: making 20 euro flights a relic of the past

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