CRUXMEDIA

Russia’s highly successful Lancet Kamikaze drone incorporates American AI technology, Asia Times reported. The Lancet-3 is equipped with US chipmaker Nvidia’s Jetson TX2 module, which is a key component for the drone’s AI* capability. Nvidia describes the Jetson TX-2 as “the fastest, most power-efficient embedded AI computing device”. Apart from the Nvidia chip, other American and European products show up in the Lancet series, as well as drones from Iran. Watch the video to find out more.

The US Air Force’s highly specialised Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft will be based on Boeing 747-8s airframe, The War Zone reported. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the USAF’s SAOC aircraft, confirmed the acquisition of five 747-8s from Korean Air. These planes are likely to be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s ageing 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch “doomsday planes.” The deal is valued at $674 million and is part of the airline’s broader plans to modernise its fleet. The transfer of the aircraft to SNC is planned to be completed by September 2025, said Korean Air. Sierra Nevada Corporation had emerged as the undisputed contender to win the deal after Boeing dropped out last year. On April 27, SNC announced that it had bagged the US Air Force’s $13 billion contract to replace the E-4B Nightwatch.

Ukraine is expected to receive its first F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies in June-July, said a high-ranking Ukrainian military source. However, it is yet to be ascertained which country would supply the F16 fighter jets to Ukraine. So far, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have committed to sending F-16 jets to Ukraine. The Ukrainian military, facing Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion, has been limited to a relatively small fleet of Soviet-era jets. For over two years of war, Ukraine has sought US-made F-16 fighter jets to counter Russia's air superiority.

The Biden administration has offered Israel “sensitive intelligence” on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders if it agrees to hold off its Rafah invasion. The US also offered to help put up large tent encampments for Palestinians evacuated from Rafah, The Washington Post reported. Biden said a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza would be possible as soon as “tomorrow” if Hamas released 128 Israeli hostages. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi tore into PM Benjamin Netanyahu during security consultations over the weekend. Egypt refused to coordinate with Israel on the entry of aid into Gaza from the Rafah crossing due to Israel's "unacceptable escalation." Watch the video to find out more.

The former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs claimed Ukraine has never been in a position to get a favourable settlement to end the war. Victoria Nuland, one of the key supporters of Ukraine through military means, made the remark in an interview with Politico on May 11. Nuland said any potential agreement would hinge on Russia's reluctance to relinquish any of the territories it acquired. However, Nuland added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed at his primary primary objective of the war. Watch the video to find out more.

Ukraine is set to receive over 40 M142 HIMARS* and ammunition in a fresh $400 million package sent by the US. On May 10, the Biden administration announced a $400 million PDA military aid package for Ukraine. The aid package includes a plethora of US weapons, but the HIMARS and its ammunition being sent will prove to be especially helpful, said experts. The new US military aid package came after Germany announced it will purchase three new HIMARS from the US Armed Forces for Ukraine. Wacth the video to know more.

The Russian Aerospace Forces received a new batch of Sukhoi Su-35S fighter jets, said the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Officials said the jets were delivered after they passed ground and flight trials and flew from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to the deployment airfield. According to a Russian state media report, the new generation 4++ aircraft were produced by the Gagarin Aircraft Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The Su-35 was noted for essentially being a heavily upgraded derivative of the Su-27 aircraft (NATO reporting name Flanker), originally intended for export. Watch the video to find out more.

Ukrainian society must be prepared to sacrifice and abandon peaceful lives to defeat Russia, argued Defence Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin. Kyiv is revamping its conscription system to increase troop numbers after setbacks in its conflict with Moscow, implementing harsh reforms set to begin next week. Ukraine has been desperate to replace nearly half a million casualties by Moscow’s estimates since the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris seeks to avoid direct involvement in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Watch the video to know all the latest updates on Russia-Ukraine war.

Chinese observers cautioned that China needed to be wary of America's new experimental AI-powered F-16 fighter jet. US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's recent flight on a modified AI-powered F-16 attracted considerable global media attention. After the flight, Kendall noted that the AI controlling the F-16 performed impressively, holding its own even against an experienced human pilot in a dogfight. The warplane flew Kendall in “lightning-fast manoeuvres at more than about 885 kmph,” Associated Press (AP) reported. Watch the video to find out why is China worried with AI-led US unmanned warplanes.

Russia's electronic warfare has created problems for US-made precision weaponry in Ukraine, Business Insider reported. Russian systems have reportedly reduced the effectiveness of such weaponry as the HIMARS-fired GMLRS and air-launched JDAMS, the report said. Ukraine has employed US precision weapons, such as the GMLRS and JDAMS, throughout the war. However, widespread Russian electronic warfare is regularly diminishing the effectiveness of these weapons. Precision systems, Excalibur and GMLRS, see "shockingly decreased accuracy because of jamming," the report added.

The Philippines' national security adviser called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled over an alleged leak of a phone conversation. Eduardo Ano said China's embassy in Manila had orchestrated "repeated acts of engaging and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation." Ano added such actions "should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty." Ano said he backed the Philippines defence minister's call for the foreign ministry to take appropriate action against Chinese embassy officials. Watch video to find out more.

The Biden administration said Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in Gaza. However, as the Biden administration wasn’t able to link specific US weapons to individual attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza, it could give the administration leeway. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was not hiding in Rafah, two officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on May 10. The US did not believe that the IDF’s operation in Rafah during the last 24 hours amounted to a wide-scale military offensive. A Republican congressman filed articles of impeachment against US President Joe Biden over withholding deliveries of weapons to Israel. Hamas senior official Khalil Al-Hayya claimed the Palestinian group wanted calm and a hostage deal while Netanyahu wanted the war to continue. Watch the video to find out more.

America suspended a shipment of heavy, bunker-busting bombs to Israel, weapons Israel had used in its war against Hamas. On May 8, US President Joe Biden publicly warned Israel for the first time that the US would withhold arms supplies. The White House was concerned the IDF* could use them in densely populated Rafah where over one million civilians had sought refuge. The suspended arms delivery to Israel consisted of 1,800 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to US officials. The decision arose from concerns about the "end-use of the 2,000-pound bombs in dense urban settings like Rafah," said a US official.

In a letter dated May 8, US lawmakers raised serious alarms regarding the vulnerability of US military bases in the Indo-Pacific region. Lawmakers warned that recent war games analysis suggested the US could lose up to 90% of its aircraft in a potential conflict with China. Moreover, the loss of 90% of US aircraft could come on the ground, as opposed to in aerial engagements, according to US lawmakers. This risk was attributed mainly to inadequate hardened aircraft shelters and insufficient base protection measures. In their letter, Republican lawmakers noted the critical need for immediate action to address the glaring deficiencies in base security.

Ukraine claims Russia launched a cross-border ground offensive into Ukraine's Kharkiv region and civilians were being evacuated amid the fighting. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said "the enemy attempted to break through our defence line under the cover of armoured vehicles". A Ukrainian military official said Russia had advanced into Ukraine by a kilometre and was trying to "create a buffer zone" to prevent attacks into Russian territory. Zelensky on May 9 promised to stop the Russian offensive as soon as he receives Western weapons. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister wants to send NATO troops to Ukraine, echoing French President Macron’s troop deployment initiative.

Pentagon officials admitted during a US Congressional hearing that America’s skies are defenceless against Russian and Iranian missiles. The admission came during the hearing of US Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. The subcommittee chairman Angus King posed some tough questions to senior pentagon officials at the hearing on May 8.

China’s military claimed to have tailed and issued a warning to a US Navy ship in the disputed South China Sea. China military spokesman Tian Junli said Beijing had "organised naval and air forces to tail and monitor" the US guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey. The warship, as per Chinese official, had “illegally intruded into China's territorial waters near the Xisha Islands without approval.” "The actions by the United States seriously violate China's sovereignty and security," the Chinese military spokesman added. The US Navy confirmed on May 10 its ship had "asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands".

The Israeli military said it has sufficient munitions for Rafah "and other operations that are planned” in an implicit response to US President Joe Biden. The Israeli army said four soldiers were killed on May 10 when an "explosive device" went off near a school in Gaza City. Israeli tanks reportedly advanced on a main road dividing the eastern and western halves of southern Gaza’s Rafah amid heavy clashes in the area. Israeli warplanes bombarded Gaza including Rafah on May 10 after negotiators left truce talks in Cairo without a deal. Meanwhile, The UN agency for Palestinian refugees temporarily shut its east Jerusalem headquarters after "Israeli extremists" set fire to the perimeter.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan has warned that if Israel's military aggression continues in Rafah there will be no ceasefire deal. Hamdan's comments came as a delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo from Doha to continue ceasefire talks. He said the ceasefire proposal which Hamas agreed to "represents the minimum that responds to the demands of our people and our resistance." He also said militant group would not respond to military pressure and would not accept any “occupying force” at the Rafah crossing. Israeli forces seized the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza on May 7. The move has shut down a vital aid route into the Palestinian enclave that is already on the brink of famine.

Israel has massed tanks near Rafah after US President Biden warned he would halt weapon shipments if the IDF invades Gaza’s south. Residents in the east of Rafah also reported the sound of explosions in battles between Palestinian fighters and approaching Israeli troops. Israeli tank fire killed three and wounded others near a mosque in Rafah on May 9, residents and medics said. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said about 80,000 people had fled Rafah in the three days since Israel intensified military operations. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron asked Israel for a “ very clear plan” for how civilians will be protected in its operation in Rafah.

Russia is pre-emptively planning deployment sites of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles. The plans are in response to a potential US move to deploy such weapons, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. Ryabkov also warned that while Moscow's nuclear war policy hasn't changed, the situation is fluid. Ryabkov’s warning comes days after Russia’s defence ministry said it had launched preparations for a nuclear weapons drills in southern Russia. This comes as the commander of the US Northern Command said Russia has expanded its inventory of radar-evading ICBM*s over the past year. According to General Gregory Guillot, the ICBMs are armed with a hypersonic glide vehicle that is capable of evading radars. Watch the video to find out more.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the head of the country’s security agency that oversees his security and that of other high-ranking officials. The move comes only days after Kyiv officials claimed they had foiled a Russian plot to assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky. A presidential decree issued on May 9 dismissed Sergiy Rud from the post of head of the State Protection Department of Ukraine. The decree did not state a reason for Rud’s removal or name a replacement to the highly sensitive position. The 47-year-old Rud headed the department State Security Administration (UDO) since 2019.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israelis are ready to fight with their "fingernails." Netanyahu made the statement on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day and reminded people how they won despite an arms embargo. Israel has long-threatened a move against Rafah, where it says thousands of Hamas fighters and many Israeli hostages are being held. However, the Biden administration has said it cannot support a Rafah invasion without a credible plan to safeguard non-combatants. In an interview to Dr Phil, Netanyahu also argued Israel “has no choice” but to destroy Hamas’ remaining battalions in Rafah. Watch the video to find out more.

China’s growing influence in Hungary was in full display, and not just with the red carpet welcome President Xi Jinping received in the country. “Chinese police” allegedly patrolled the streets of Budapest as hundreds of people gathered to catch a glimpse of Xi’s motorcade. Budapest also saw many Chinese nationals in red baseball caps, claiming to be volunteers with China’s embassy, allegedly countering Hungarians. The men wearing red caps allegedly attempted to prevent activists from displaying Tibetan and Taiwanese flags. A Hungarian MP said he was approached by a group of such men as they tried to place EU flags on a bridge in Budapest. Meanwhile, Xi concluded his five-day trip to Europe amid economic strains between Beijing and Brussels and tensions over the Russia-Ukraine war.

Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a record fifth term as Russian President on May 7 at a Kremlin ceremony. Putin said he considered leading Russia a "sacred duty" as he was inaugurated for a new six-year term, prolonging his more than two-decade rule. Putin, in office as president or prime minister since 1999, started his new term over two years after deploying tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Meanwhile, The US had ramped up its search for an alternative to Zelensky, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Watch the video to find out more.