307: Israeli Response: IAF F-35s and F-15s Strike Houthi Port Facilities in Yemen + Estonia Sends Mistral Air Defense Systems to Ukraine + USAF to Restructure Acquisition Plan for Sentinel ICBM Program + More

I - On Defense Podcast

For review:
1. Israeli Response: IAF F-35s and F-15s Strike Houthi Port Facilities in Yemen.
At least a dozen IAF aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, F-15 fighters, reconnaissance aircraft and refueling planes were involved in the attack — the latter of which was due to the target being some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Israel.
2. Estonia Sends Mistral Air Defense Systems to Ukraine.
Estonia's Ministry of Defense confirmed on 06 July 2024, a shipment of French-made Mistral short-range anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. Mistral (missile) has a speed of 900–950 meters per second (around Mach 2.7), allowing it to effectively target helicopters, UAVs, attack aircraft, and cruise missiles.
3. Denmark to procure Wisent 2 armored support vehicles for the Royal Danish Army's 1st Brigade. The Wisent 2 has a lifting capacity of up to 32 tons and is designed for recovery operations for Leopard Tanks and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.
4. USAF to Restructure Acquisition Plan for Sentinel ICBM Program.
Due to severe program cost overruns, the Air Force is required by law to formulate a new acquisition strategy that could contain an alternate approach for developing Sentinel’s infrastructure.
5. USAF comes to terms with Boeing over E-7 Wedgetail Program.
Andrew Hunter, (USAF top acquisition official), said Boeing and the Air Force were eventually able to hammer out a deal due to the service’s investment in upgrading mission systems aboard the Wedgetail that will ultimately make it more attractive to potential international customers.
6. Department of Defense (DoD) resumes receiving F-35 deliveries after one-year pause.
The DoD halted deliveries due to software problems with an upgrade known as Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3). Consisting of features like a more powerful processor and greater memory, TR-3 essentially serves as the backbone for a suite of forthcoming upgrades known as Block 4.