TYB
I've had a craving too kek
They're hard to find, how are they not a national staple already?
NASA Tests Air Traffic Surveillance Technology Using Its Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft
Jan 23, 2025
As air taxis, drones, and other innovative aircraft enter U.S. airspace, systems that communicate an aircraft’s location will be critical to ensure air traffic safety.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires aircraft to communicate their locations to other aircraft and air traffic control in real time using an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system.
NASA is currently evaluating an ADS-B system’s ability to prevent collisions in a simulated urban environment.
Using NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, researchers are investigating how these systems could handle the demands of air taxis flying at low altitudes through cities.
When operating in urban areas, one particular challenge for ADS-B systems is consistent signal coverage.
Like losing cell-phone signal, air taxis flying through densely populated areas may have trouble maintaining ADS-B signals due to distance or interference.
If that happens, those vehicles become less visible to air traffic control and other aircraft in the area, increasing the likelihood of collisions.
To simulate the conditions of an urban flight area and better understand signal loss patterns, NASA researchers established a test zone at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Sept. 23 and 24, 2024.
Flying in the agency’s Pilatus PC-12 in a grid pattern over four ADS-B stations, researchers collected data on signal coverage from multiple ground locations and equipment configurations.
Researchers were able to pinpoint where signal dropouts occurred from the strategically placed ground stations in connection to the plane’s altitude and distance from the stations.
This data will inform future placement of additional ground stations to enhance signal boosting coverage.
“Like all antennas, those used for ADS-B signal reception do not have a constant pattern,” said Brad Snelling, vehicle test team chief engineer for NASA’s Air Mobility Pathfinders project.
“There are certain areas where the terrain will block ADS-B signals and depending on the type of antenna and location characteristics, there are also flight elevation angles where reception can cause signal dropouts,” Snelling said.
“This would mean we need to place additional ground stations at multiple locations to boost the signal for future test flights.
We can use the test results to help us configure the equipment to reduce signal loss when we conduct future air taxi flight tests.”
The September flights at NASA Armstrong built upon earlier tests of ADS-B in different environments.
In June, researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland flew the Pilatus PC-12 and found a consistent ADS-B signal between the aircraft and communications antennas mounted on the roof of the center’s Aerospace Communications Facility.
Data from these flights helped researchers plan out the recent tests at NASA Armstrong.
In December 2020, test flights performed under NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign used an OH-58C Kiowa helicopter and ground-based ADS-B stations at NASA Armstrong to collect baseline signal information.
NASA’s research in ADS-B signals and other communication, navigation, and surveillance systems will help revolutionize U.S. air transportation.
Air Mobility Pathfinders researchers will evaluate the data from the three separate flight tests to understand the different signal transmission conditions and equipment needed for air taxis and drones to safely operate in the National Air Space.
NASA will use the results of this research to design infrastructure to support future air taxi communication, navigation, and surveillance research and to develop new ADS-B-like concepts for uncrewed aircraft systems.
https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-tests-air-traffic-surveillance-technology-using-its-pilatus-pc-12-aircraft/
Space Council in Jeopardy as SpaceX Lobbyists Press Trump for Shut Down
January 23, 2025
After resuscitating the National Space Council in 2017, President Donald Trump may bury the executive body once again given its potential to disagree with the ambitious goals of the private space industry.
Trump’s newly sworn-in administration may dismantle the space council, a body within the Executive Office of the President that oversees and coordinates space policy, according to a Reuters report.
Although Trump used the space council to establish the U.S. Space Force during his first term, the proposed oversight of the bureaucratic body may no longer align with the president’s presumed privately-led vision for space policy.
The National Space Council was first established by the 1958 law that created NASA, and has convened sporadically ever since.
“The main purpose is to coordinate space policy among the various aspects of government that intersect or depend on space or space assets,” Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, told Gizmodo.
“It’s an interagency coordinating body. By law, when active it must have a User Advisory Group of industry and other representatives to provide input into the council’s decision-making process.”
The role of the space council has been up for debate by nearly every new administration that came to power, but it was officially disbanded in 1993 soon after President Bill Clinton took office as part of his efforts to streamline White House bureaucracy.
After being inactive for nearly 25 years, Trump’s first term brought new life to the space council. Its reestablishment helped created the Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces and push toward a human return to the Moon.
According to the Reuters report, however, lobbyists at Elon Musk’s SpaceX have been pushing to do away with the space council during Trump’s second term, calling it a “waste of time,” anonymous sources told the media outlet.
The space council, chaired by former Vice President Kamala Harris, did not receive a call from Trump following his election victory, while NASA and other agencies were contacted regarding transition plans, Reuters reported.
The space council’s website currently displays a “404 page not found” error on the homepage.
Throughout his campaign, Trump stayed close to rocket billionaire Musk, who is set to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short.
Musk is openly critical of regulations that govern the space industry, which he feels stand in the way of his ambitious plans to reach Mars.
In 2023, the space council spearheaded a proposal to provide oversight of novel commercial space activities and implement a “mission authorization” policy.
The proposed framework did not sit well with leaders of the private industry. “There are critiques of the council that say it is redundant and adds an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to the decision-making process,” Dreier said.
“The new Trump administration may be taking a similar view, particularly given the DOGE/efficiency slant that has taken shape within it.”
“My guess is that it also represents a further consolidation and centralization of decision-making among a core group of advisers and the President,” he added.
Shortly after being sworn in as president, Trump highlighted his goal of “launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” a goal that is clearly shared by his rocket buddy Musk.
Trump is also likely to appoint billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, a selection that likely favors commercial efforts to explore space.
Prior to Trump’s revival of the council, the space council had remained dormant for quite sometime and many presidents had refused to utilize it.
If Trump should decide to disband the space council, “it’s actually more of a return to the recent norms rather than signifying a new direction for the industry or the space sector,” Dreier said.
https://gizmodo.com/space-council-in-jeopardy-as-spacex-lobbyists-press-trump-for-shut-down-2000553765
Fearing US ‘hostility,’ Russia could ‘escalate early’ in a space conflict: RAND
January 23, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Russia’s “inflated” fears of a potential US first strike in space, as well as Moscow’s increasing “risk tolerance” present challenges to US efforts to keep the peace in the heavens, a new Space Force-commissioned think tank study finds.
The study published today by RAND, “Emerging Factors for U.S.-Russia Crisis Stability in Space” authored by summer associate Cheyenne Tretter, further warns US policymakers and diplomats that Russia’s “relative restraint” regarding the space domain in the conflict in the Ukraine war should not be expected in any future conflict in the West.
RAND’s research work was commissioned by the Space Force’s Chief Strategy & Resourcing Officer Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, and was conducted within the RAND Project AIR FORCE Strategy and Doctrine Program as part of its fiscal year 2023 project, “Crisis Stability in Space.”
The key problem, the study finds, is that Moscow’s hyper-suspicious view of US military intentions in space are driving Russia’s military to a more aggressive and hair-trigger stance, but also raising barriers to bilateral communications aimed at ratcheting down conflict risks and/or finding ways to de-escalate once a crisis is underway.
“Russia’s fears about U.S. incentives for early escalation in the space domain and perceptions of U.S. hostility heighten the potential for misperceptions of U.S. actions in space.
Russia’s emerging approach to escalation management—a cost-imposition strategy based on the belief that escalation can be controlled—might further reinforce perceived incentives to escalate early,” the study states.
Indeed, there is a school of thought among Russian analysts that is highly concerned about US threats to the space-based elements of Moscow’s nuclear deterrent and the possibility that Washington plans to use space to conduct a disarming attack to deprive Russia of its retaliatory capability, the study adds.
The author makes two key recommendations:
“U.S. officials responsible for managing U.S.-Russia crises in space should be prepared for contingencies in which meaningful cooperation or communication with Russia is absent.
Officials will likely need to navigate a decision space that is fraught with uncertainty and inflated Russian threat perceptions that will complicate U.S. attempts to manage escalation risks.”
“U.S. officials should not assume that Russia’s space activities during the conflict in Ukraine are indicative of a broader trend of Russia’s risk aversion in space. …
There are emerging threads that suggest that Russia’s risk tolerance in space might even be increasing because planning for warfighting in space has become more explicit.
In a conflict between NATO and Russia, the United States should be prepared to face an adversary that not only possesses advanced space and counterspace capabilities but has also learned lessons during the invasion of Ukraine about how to target Western space assets most effectively.”
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/01/fearing-us-hostility-russia-could-escalate-early-in-a-space-conflict-rand/
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2313-3.html
Planetary Alignment in January 2025: How to See It
Jan 24, 2025
Curious if you can see the large planetary alignment at the end of January? It’s easy to find out!
Use the time machine feature in the Sky Tonight app to see how the planets will look from your location on the given date.
This article provides a complete guide to observing the alignment and explains the science behind this amazing celestial event.
Planetary alignment is an astronomical term used to describe the event when several planets gather closely on one side of the Sun at the same time.
Planetary parade is a colloquial term that means, in the broadest sense, that several planets are present in the sky in one night.
Now let's find out when the planets will align next. To learn more about how planetary alignments work, go straight to the “What is a planetary alignment” chapter.
A planetary alignment is taking place in the end of January, around January 21, 2025.
In the evening, just after sunset, six planets — Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, and Saturn — will align in the sky.
Four of these planets (Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) will be easily visible to the naked eye.
You'll need a telescope or high-powered binoculars to see Neptune and Uranus.
Now, let's take a closer look at the conditions for observing the planets.
Reddish Mars (mag -1.3) will shine on the eastern horizon, in the constellation Gemini.
Bright Jupiter (mag -2.6) will be positioned a little higher, in the constellation Taurus. If the sky is dark enough, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful Pleiades, Hyades and yellow Aldebaran that surround the planet and complete the picture.
You can easily identify all these objects with the help of the Sky Tonight app.
Get high-powered binoculars to see Uranus (mag 5.7). It will be in the constellation Aries, near the border with Taurus.
The next three planets will be located closer to the western horizon. Neptune (mag 7.9) will be in the constellation Pisces, but you’ll need at least a pair of powerful binoculars to spot it.
Yellowish Saturn (mag 0.6) and the "evening star" Venus (mag -4.7) will be easily visible. They will shine close together in the constellation Aquarius.
To make sure you located the planets correctly, download Sky Tonight, a free stargazing app that makes it easy to identify any celestial object in the sky.
To find out the name of an object above you, just launch the app and point your device at the sky – you will see the names of the planets and be able to learn more about each one.
Note that tall buildings or high mountains near you might hide the planets from view.
To see how the planets will look from where you live on a given date, launch the Sky Tonight app, select the desired date and time in the Time Machine at the top of the screen, and look at the sky map – you will see the position of the celestial objects for your location.
Switch to the AR mode to see how the planets fit in with your surroundings.
In addition, the alignment is not limited to a single day but may extend for several days before and after that date.
So if you missed January 21, don’t worry and try to spot planets on the other day around the date!
Will there be a planetary alignment on January 25, 2025?
Many social media posts claim the planets will align on January 25, 2025. That’s true — but they’ll also align on January 26, 27, and even January 31. In fact, they also aligned on January 21.
We have chosen January 21 as a general date for most places, but depending on your exact location, the date of the planetary alignment may well be January 25.
The dates suggested above are simply when the planets appear in the smallest area of the sky during an alignment. Does this mean they disappear the very next day? Of course not! So, there’s no need to worry if you miss a specific date.
Why do people focus on January 25 so much? We’re not sure.
Maybe because it’s a neat-looking date (01.25.2025) or because it falls on a Saturday, making it easier for people to travel away from city lights.
If you’re curious, you can always ask the folks on social media who are promoting it.
cont.
https://starwalk.space/en/news/what-is-planet-parade
https://vitotechnology.com/apps/sky-tonight
3 years of James Webb Space Telescope data on alien worlds now available online
January 24, 2025
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has had an impact on astronomy since its launch on Christmas Day 2021 that cannot be overestimated.
This influence has extended from studies of objects within the solar system to the very edge of observable space and, thus, the earliest imaginable galaxies.
Though the JWST was predicted to become a major player in the study of the most distant and ancient galaxies, the $10 billion telescope wasn't expected to have such an impact on one of the most fascinating and rapidly growing areas of astronomy: the study of planets beyond the solar system, or extrasolar planets, or "exoplanets."
But reality often doesn't meet expectations. In celebration of three years of exoplanet science from the JWST, Joshua Lothringer, an assistant astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and exoplanet expert, has created the first "go-to hub" for the public and scientists to see which types of planets are being observed by humanity's most powerful space telescope.
Lothringer, who has been co-author on 20 publications based on JWST observations, including the Early Release Science observations of WASP-39b, has built an exoplanet dashboard that gives data related to the JWST's exoplanet studies.
The dashboard features a striking and frequently updated GIF that visualizes the planets studied, having them appear by name and according to their mass and the time it takes them to orbit their parent star.
"I wanted to create the dashboard because there currently isn't a go-to place to see which types of planets are being observed by JWST and answering questions like: 'How many terrestrial planets has the JWST observed?'" Lothringer told Space.com.
"We have a listing of exoplanet-related observations called TrExoLiSTS created by my collaborator Nikolay Nikolov, also at STScI, but we needed to connect this to the actual planet properties in the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is what we've done with the Dashboard."
The researcher explained that once this was done, he was able to create some helpful visualizations and calculate some statistics to understand the breadth of JWST’s sample of exoplanets.
"JWST has truly been revolutionary- it is now hard to imagine what life was like without it!" Lothringer said.
"JWST helps give a much more complete and precise picture of what exoplanet atmospheres are made of, what their temperatures are like, and what sorts of weather might be occurring on them.
"And, we can now answer those sorts of questions for a wider range of planets, including smaller sub-Neptune and terrestrial planets."
According to the dashboard, as of January 2025, the JWST has observed about 111 planets thus far, with plans already in place to observe about 17 others.
Of this total, around 113 are transiting planets, which cross the face of their star directly between it and Earth.
This transit allows the JWST to examine light passing through these planets' atmospheres, which, in turn, helps scientists like Lothringer determine the composition of these atmospheres.
"Of those 113 transiting planets, 64 are gas giants like Jupiter, 30 are more like Uranus and Neptune in mass, and about 19 are likely rocky worlds like the solar system’s terrestrial planets, Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury," Lothringer said.
"The other 15 are directly imaged gas giant exoplanets that orbit far enough from their host star that we can actually take images of them with JWST."
"In general, hot giant planets are the easiest to detect and study because they are big and bright," Lothringer said.
"That’s why JWST has actually spent the most amount of its exoplanet-focused time looking at giant planets."
The researcher explained that while these giant planets aren’t expected to harbor life, they’re interesting because of how extreme their atmospheres can get, with some having temperatures as high as around 7,640 degrees Fahrenheit (4,230 degrees Celcius).
"We also think that understanding how gas giant planets behave in general can help us understand our own solar system and how it formed," Lothringer continued.
"JWST is good at finding and studying exoplanets for two main reasons. First, its relatively large 6.4-meter (21-foot) mirror is able to collect a lot of photons [particles of light] to observe very dim objects, like small planets," Lothringer explained.
"The large mirror size also means it can resolve objects that are very close together, which is especially useful when searching for planets with direct imaging."
https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-3-years-exoplanet
https://jlothringer.github.io/Dashboard.html
January 25, 1/25 = 17
Volcanic cones on Mars tell a tale of ice and fire
January 24, 2025
New data is challenging what scientists previously knew about one of the youngest geological features on the Red Planet. That feature is Athabasca Valles, a system of valleys carved into volcanic plains on Mars.
The Athabasca Valles system offers key insights into the history of water on the Red Planet, and its volcanic features such as crater-like rootless cones hint at brief episodes in Mars' past when water flowed on its surface.
These small, conical mounds formed when lava interacted explosively with water or ice, marking the presence of underground ice near the surface at the time of eruption.
The new findings raise questions about Mars' history, suggesting either that ancient floods were far more colossal than previously believed, or that the planet's climate once supported more extensive and persistent water than scientists imagined.
"The current and past locations of water ice are an important piece of the history of Mars," Colin Dundas, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey told Space.com.
"Understanding this history is a goal […] because it can tell us about the habitability of Mars, its climate, and where ice could be found by explorers today."
The presence of lava introduces a significant challenge in deciphering the geological history of the Athabasca Valles system.
This lava blankets the valley floor, walls, and much of the surrounding plains, obscuring older geological features and complicating efforts to date and understand the processes that shaped this enigmatic Martian landscape.
"Rootless cones form when lava flows over wet or icy ground, causing it to boil and explode," said Dundas.
"The region around Athabasca Valles is covered by a huge lava flow field, and seeing rootless cones on that lava tells scientists that there was ice underground but very close to the surface when that lava erupted."
Researchers say the location of the cones, in particular, complicates our understanding of the history of water on Mars.
"The Athabasca Valles area in particular is interesting because it is near the equator, where ice is not found near the surface at present," explained Dundas.
Mars is extremely dry, and any ice near the equator would quickly sublime and migrate toward the planet's colder poles.
However, the presence of rootless cones suggests a very different past, and there are competing theories about how they could have come to exist in the region.
"Scientists think that ice moves around as the tilt of Mars' axis changes," said Dundas, "but for ice to accumulate near the equator requires much wetter conditions."
Flooding seems like a logical explanation — perhaps water from a distant region was pushed into the area during a volcanic eruption, forming the rootless cones.
But the problem is that traditional models of Martian floods don't quite add up. These models predict flood volumes that could not have flowed far enough to reach the Athabasca Valles, where the cones are located.
This initially suggests something more dramatic may have been at play: Could there have been massive "megafloods" of water from underground in the past few millions of years?
To explore this, Dundas and his team ran models based on flood volumes and flow rates that could occur if water were trapped deep underground.
But the theory fell short. "Even the largest floods we modeled couldn't reach far enough to explain all the rootless cones we see," Dundas explained.
A much more likely alternative, the team argues, is that ice was already present in the region at the time of the eruption, formed by atmospheric conditions.
For this to happen, the equator would have needed to be cold and humid for a long period, allowing significant ice buildup. However, only some climate models predict such conditions.
Alternatively, volcanic activity might have released water vapor, creating a more humid climate that could lead to ice deposition.
But these processes are unlikely to produce large-scale ice accumulation far from the volcanic source.
And finally, a less likely though possible explanation is that rootless cone formation on Mars works differently than on Earth and doesn't involve significant water or ice at all.
While no definitive conclusions were reached, the team emphasizes that further research into shallow equatorial ice, lava erosion, and outflow channel processes is crucial for understanding Mars' history.
"Athabasca Valles remains a very interesting region of Mars for understanding both the history of water and ice, and some of the youngest volcanic activity on the planet," concluded Dundas. "Our study helps to understand one key part of that history."
https://www.space.com/the-universe/mars/volcanic-cones-on-mars-tell-a-tale-of-ice-and-fire
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103524004664
US space traffic system upgrade still targeting 2025 amid bid protest
January 23, 2025
The U.S. Office of Space Commerce (OSC) remains confident it can roll out its next-generation space traffic coordination platform this year, despite a contract bid protest from competitor Kayhan Space.
Kayhan lodged its protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in December, triggering a 100-day work stoppage under the 12-month contract OSC awarded its competitor Slingshot Aerospace in November for designing the platform’s user interface.
“It stinks that we have a delay, but this is how the U.S. government is supposed to support commercial,” OSC acting director Janice Starzyk said Jan. 22 during the Space Foundation’s inaugural Finance Forum here.
The $5.3 million contract includes options for four additional years, bringing its total potential value to $13.3 million.
OSC had planned to launch TraCSS.gov — the primary interface for the Traffic Coordination System for Space initiative — before Sept. 30, the end of the federal fiscal year.
Space-Track.org users would be transitioned to the new platform, which is a cornerstone of efforts to modernize U.S. space traffic management and improve the safety and sustainability of civil and commercial satellite operations.
Kayhan, Slingshot and several other companies also hold separate contracts to support TraCSS by providing situational awareness data and other services.
The GAO is due to resolve Kayhan’s allegations March 20. Starzyk and Slingshot declined to comment further on the matter at the conference.
Kayhan co-founder and chief technology officer Araz Feyzi said in an email that the company filed its protest to “address issues identified in evaluating proposals and contract award decisions” made by OSC, but did not provide specifics.
“We at Kayhan Space remain hopeful that the GAO will address these issues to ensure fair competition and compliance with applicable public procurement laws and regulations,” Feyzi said.
https://spacenews.com/us-space-traffic-system-upgrade-still-targeting-2025-amid-bid-protest/
SpaceX Starlink Mission
January 24, 2025
On Friday, January 24 at 6:07 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This was the 23rd flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6, DART, SDA-0B, Iridium OneWeb, Transporter-7, NROL-113, NROL-167, NROL-149, and now 15 Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-11-6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8uu205yHi8
SPACECENT breaks ground on Space Campus Project in CENTCOM AOR
01.24.2025
AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar - In a significant milestone for the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Forces - Central (SPACECENT) officially broke ground on the Space Campus at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Jan. 14, 2025.
The ceremony, attended by key personnel and stakeholders, marked the beginning of a new era in space capabilities for the region.
The Space Campus is a major initiative aimed at enhancing the base's space operations and capabilities in the area.
The project is designed to provide a state-of-the-art facility for personnel to work together and advance the mission, supporting the growing demands of space-related activities.
U.S. Space Force Col. Frank Brooks, Space Forces Central deputy commander, delivered remarks during the ceremony, highlighting the importance of the Space Campus and its role in advancing the base's space operations.
"(The Campus) represents the ever-growing partnership between the United States and Qatar, a bond forged in trust and strengthened year by year since the 1990s," said Col. Brooks.
“Al Udeid Air Base has been more than just a military installation; it has been a foundation for collaboration and mutual respect.”
The Space Campus is the first project to break ground on the Space Campus site, and its completion is expected to have a significant impact on the base's ability to support space-related missions.
"This complex will soon become a beacon for the vital space systems and operations that underpin U.S. CENTCOM’s mission of promoting stability, security, and partnership across the region,” said Col. Brooks.
“It will stand as a testament to our shared vision for a safer, more secure world.”
The U.S. Space Force continues to play a critical role in regional and global operations. Committed forces maintain 24/7 operations to ensure the safety and sustainability of space and protect our way of life.
In addition to protecting the joint and combined forces from space-enabled attacks, Guardians are uniquely trained in warfighting activities in, from, and to the space domain.
Their mission protects and enables Precision Navigation and Timing systems like GPS, missile warning, and satellite communications, as well as helping the general public to find their destinations, track online purchases, and get money from an ATM.
The completion of the Al Udeid Space Campus is a major milestone in the development of space capabilities, and its impact will be felt across the region and beyond.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/489595/spacecent-breaks-ground-space-campus-project-centcom-aor
Kharkiv under massive drone attack, hit reported in one district – Mayor
24.01.2025 18:16
Kharkiv is currently under attack by strike drones, with a hit already reported in one district.
This was announced on Telegram by Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, according to Ukrinform.
"Kharkiv is under a massive enemy UAV attack. There has already been one strike in the city, preliminary, in Osnovianskyi district. Details are being clarified.
Since there are many strike drones in the sky over the city, please be extremely cautious!" the post reads.
Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov reported that the strike targeted a residential area.
"Currently, no casualties are reported. Be careful; enemy drones are still detected in the sky," noted the regional chief.
As previously reported, on January 21, the Russians struck Kharkiv with a Molniya-2 drone.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3952405-kharkiv-under-massive-drone-attack-hit-reported-in-one-district-mayor.html
https://t.me/ihor_terekhov/2065
Can we skip the training if we play video games?
Ukraine launches massive drone attack across Russia
24 Jan 2025 16:49 GMT
Ukraine says it has struck a Russian oil refinery and a microchip factory in a huge drone attack that caused fires at the refinery's production facilities and an oil pumping station.
Other drones targeted numerous regions, including 20 drones in Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow, the Russian defence ministry said.
Russian war blogger channels on the Telegram messaging app posted videos of what they described as large blazes in the city. They said an oil storage depot and a power station had been hit.
The Ukrainian military said on Facebook that fires had broken out at the damaged refinery's production facilities and at an oil pumping station but did not make clear how serious the damage was.
Ukraine's military said it had also struck the Kremniy El microelectronics plant in Russia's Bryansk region, which Kyiv said produced components for Russian air defence missile systems, nuclear-capable missiles, and on-board electronics for combat aircraft.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had intercepted 121 drones targeting 13 regions, adding six drones had been destroyed over the Moscow region and one over the capital itself.
The ministry did not disclose the extent of the damages or casualties.
The overnight strikes underline Ukraine's ability to hit targets deep inside Russia as the two sides try to strengthen their positions before any peace talks get under way following Donald Trump's return to the White House.
The US president has said he intends to bring a swift end to nearly three years of war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he was open to discussions with Trump on the Ukraine war, but that the question of negotiating with Ukraine was complicated by the fact that its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had signed a decree preventing him from conducting talks with Putin.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that air defences had intercepted attacks by Ukrainian drones at four locations around the Russian capital.
“At the site where fragments fell, no damage or casualties occurred,” Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. “Specialist emergency crews are at the site.”
Russian news agencies quoted Rosaviatsiya, the federal aviation agency, as saying two Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, were handling flights after suspending operations for a time.
Six flights were redirected to other airports.
In the Russian border city of Kursk – in a region where Ukraine holds a swathe of territory – Mayor Igor Kutsak said the overnight attack had damaged power lines and cut off electricity to one city district.
Commenting on the damage caused by Ukraine’s drone attacks, Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s centre for countering disinformation, said on Telegram that an oil refinery in Ryazan had been hit as well as the Kremniy plant in Bryansk, which Kyiv says produces microelectronics for Russian weapons systems.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said on Friday it had also fought off a Russian drone attack and shot down 25 of 58 drones launched by Russia in an overnight assault.
The interior ministry said that drone debris had killed two men and a woman in the central Kyiv region, and that another person was injured.
The attack damaged a multi-story residential apartment building, eight private houses, commercial buildings, and several private cars, Kyiv regional officials said.
As the war approaches the three-year mark, Russia has stepped up its air attacks on Ukraine, sending dozens of drones almost every night.
Ukrainian officials have said that Russian forces launched more than 7,000 drones in 2024, at least twice as many as in 2023.
Most were shot down or redirected by electronic warfare, but many still hit their targets. Moscow denies targeting civilians.
Meanwhile, Russian security official Sergei Shoigu warned in an interview published on Friday that the risk of an armed clash between nuclear powers was rising.
Mr Shoigu, the secretary of Putin's Security Council, told the state-run TASS news agency:
"Against the backdrop of increasing conflict and aggravation of geopolitical rivalry in the world, the risks of a violent clash between major states, including with the participation of nuclear powers, are growing."
The former defence minister said that Nato was increasing activities on its eastern flank, close to Russia and Belarus, and rehearsing offensive as well as defensive scenarios there.
Nato says it is Russia that is raising tensions, including by announcing in 2023 that it was deploying tactical nuclear weapons in its ally Belarus, which borders three Nato countries.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-putin-drones-zelensky-b2685655.html
chekt
Exclusive: US Lockheed Martin F-35 Fighter Jet Controls Drone in Flight Using AI Technologies.
24 Jan, 2025 - 16:01
2024 - Lockheed Martin is revolutionizing the future of air combat warfare by pushing the boundaries of how fighter aircraft and autonomous systems operate together in high-stakes, contested environments.
On January 22, 2025, the company released a major update detailing its innovations throughout 2024, showcasing its efforts to enable U.S.-made fighter jets, such as the F-35, to control drones.
This effort is central to the U.S. Air Force’s ambitious development of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) fleet, a key element of the Air Force’s strategy for achieving air dominance in the coming decades.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program is a pivotal component of the Air Force’s vision for the future of aerial warfare.
These semi-autonomous, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are designed to act as “loyal wingmen” to crewed fighter jets, offering enhanced capabilities and flexibility in complex combat scenarios.
The CCAs can operate independently or in coordinated groups, taking direction from human pilots while also carrying out a range of missions, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Equipped with cutting-edge AI, these drones can seamlessly collaborate with piloted aircraft, extending their reach and effectiveness in high-threat environments.
Lockheed Martin’s successful demonstrations throughout 2024 highlight the F-35’s ability to serve as the control hub for these drones, integrating seamlessly with the CCA fleet.
As the world’s most advanced stealth fighter, the F-35 has been shown to not only operate as a powerful fighter jet but also to manage a network of autonomous drones, orchestrating their operations in real-time.
This integration enables the F-35 to direct the drones to perform specific tasks such as surveillance, threat suppression, and electronic warfare, while the human pilot can focus on higher-level strategic decisions.
The key enabler of this transformative capability is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Lockheed Martin’s recent tests demonstrated the end-to-end connectivity between the F-35 and the drones, ensuring that both systems can communicate seamlessly.
The AI-powered architectures built into both the F-35 and the CCAs allow for real-time decision-making and control, providing the pilot with the ability to direct the drones in-flight, freeing them to focus on higher-priority combat objectives.
This AI-driven coordination enhances operational flexibility, allowing for a more dynamic response to rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
These innovations are at the heart of the Air Force’s broader vision to create an interconnected, multi-domain network of systems, where manned and unmanned platforms work in concert to achieve greater mission success.
The continued development of AI technologies and drone integration will allow the F-35 to serve as a central node in this evolving network, increasing the number of drones it can control while improving the overall effectiveness of both manned and unmanned systems.
Over time, these systems will evolve to become more autonomous, capable of operating together in complex environments with minimal human intervention, ultimately reducing the risks to personnel and increasing mission success rates.
As part of this vision, Lockheed Martin’s work on AI and drone integration ensures that the U.S. Air Force will maintain a technological edge in future combat scenarios.
The F-35 will not only continue to serve as a highly capable fighter aircraft but also as a powerful command-and-control platform, managing the growing fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
This shift toward integrated, manned-unmanned operations will increase the flexibility, responsiveness, and survivability of U.S. forces in the face of emerging global threats.
The integration of AI-driven drones with advanced fighter aircraft is poised to reshape the future of air combat. Lockheed Martin’s innovations in piloted-drone teaming, particularly with the F-35, represent a significant leap forward in military aviation.
The ability of fighter jets to control and coordinate fleets of autonomous drones will redefine how air superiority is achieved, ensuring that the U.S. remains at the forefront of aerial warfare.
By combining the stealth, agility, and firepower of the F-35 with the endurance, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness of autonomous drones, Lockheed Martin is leading the way toward a new era of air dominance, ensuring success on the most complex and high-threat battlefields of tomorrow.
https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/exclusive-us-lockheed-martin-f-35-fighter-jet-controls-drone-in-flight-using-ai-technologies