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The TAI TF-X KAAN - What Just Happened

Return of the Khans This week, Türkiye became the latest nation in the exclusive club at the top of the military aviation hierarchy: the countries that have designed, built, and flown a domestic, modern jet fighter prototype.  Turkish Aerospace Industries, a state-owned manufacturer and designer, flew their TF-X prototype ( nicknamed and stylized KAAN , meaning ruler or king; see “Khan”) for the first time. It's a serious accomplishment, all the more impressive for how new Türkiye's military aviation industry is. In the last two decades, they've leapfrogged from small drones to multirole manned jets. There's a lot of reason to take Türkiye's military aviation industry seriously, for all that it’s new. The multirole, jet-powered manned fighter is a serious step forward for Türkiye - not least because of its relationship in design heritage and operational framework to the (in my opinion) more impressive Kızılelma multirole, jet-powered unmanned aircraft.  Not ...
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How to fix Boeing: Hard truths and difficult solutions

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Article by Ethan Peasley-Lynch Photo by Justin Hu on Unsplash Old design, new problems Without a doubt, you've heard about the latest set of Boeing 737 MAX problems. It started a few weeks before a door blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 midflight, when Boeing issued an advisory to 737 MAX operators concerning loose bolts on newer units. Loose. Bolts. How this could ever happen at a corporation such as Boeing is beyond me, but the fact of the matter is that this is not an isolated incident. The 737 MAX's design flaws are responsible for the deaths of nearly 350 people, and its 20 month long grounding cost the airline industry untold losses. This presents Boeing, and indeed the US aerospace industry with a choice: either work to fix the problems with the 737 MAX, or cut losses and start from scratch. I'm almost certain Boeing and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will opt for the latter, but I believe that will be detrimental to both passenger safety and to the l...
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The SU-57 - My Love Affair With A Psyop

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Article written by Ethan Peasley-Lynch Image credit: Dmitry Terekhov on Flickr. Image used with permission under Creative Commons  CC BY-SA 2.0 License. Image has been cropped slightly. Not quite as advertised      Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has struggled to modernize its armed forces. Economic stagnation, political instability, and international sanctions have hindered Russia's efforts to acquire cutting-edge defense technology. In order to secure funding for its latest defense projects, Russia has relied on selling its newest technology to other countries in order to afford it themselves. Prestige projects like the T-14 Armada, and indeed the SU-57 are just that - unrealized concepts intended to spur interest in the Russian defense industry. While the SU-57 was pitched to India as their next generation aircraft, the Indian government quickly withdrew from the HAL FGFA  design licensing program in order to pursue the domestical...
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Welcome to the Oil Wars

 Welcome to the Oil Wars An introduction by Ethan Peasley-Lynch   What is Antarctic Oil Wars? Antarctic Oil Wars is a defense blog run by JP and Ethan Peasley-Lynch. We will cover a variety of topics revolving around military technology, strategy, history, and predictions. Why is this blog called Antarctic Oil Wars? I purchased this domain because I have a feeling it the US Department of Defense will need it at some point, what with the ice melting and all.   What can I expect to read about? A wide variety of topics. This website is a place for both myself and JP to share anything we find interesting in the world of defense. Expect some hot takes.   Please enjoy your stay in the Ross Ice Shelf Demilitarized Zone, and stay tuned for upcoming articles.  
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