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Bill Sweetman

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U.S. Navy

October 2, 2026

F/A-XX: Why the U.S. Is Putting All Its Fighter Eggs in the Boeing Basket

A six-paragraph news release at 5:01 pm on Tuesday was all that marked the launch of one of the biggest U. S.

Bill Sweetman • RealClearDefense

Air Warfare

October 2, 2026

Blackbirds: Take These Broken Wings and Learn To Fly, Says NASA

I’ve been a keen follower of the Lockheed Blackbird family since the headline ‘We have Mach 3 plane, says U. S.

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

Russo-Ukraine War

September 30, 2026

Destruction on a Budget

‘There are weeks when decades happen’ has been a stock phrase to remember this summer. The missile wars between Ukraine and Russia and between Iran...

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

Air Warfare

July 1, 2026

Lightning Strikes: New F-35 Radar Could Have Directed-Energy Attack Mode

F-35 program leader Lieutenant General Greg Masiello delivered something of a lite-beer testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week,...

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

U.S. Air Force

June 17, 2026

Area 51 Snap May Confirm the Long Roots of the F-47

More than a year ago, I speculated here about a connection between the forthcoming Boeing F-47, a modest technology demonstration program from the...

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

Defense Budget

June 8, 2026

The Lamentable State of British Defence Acquisition

The expertise of the South Asian sub-region is robust, so the title of Worst Defence Acquisition System is in safe hands. But Britain’s allies in a...

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

U.S. Air Force

May 20, 2026

Valkyrie Redux: Supercruising Bombers Could Viably Replace B-52s

The U. S.

Bill Sweetman • RealClearDefense

Europe

March 24, 2026

In European Defence, a Sudden Reluctance To Buy American

In London a few weeks ago, taking a break from grim Washington and catching some early spring weather, I met a British defence executive for coffee on...

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

Air Warfare

February 16, 2026

Once Unthinkable: Canada May Choose a Non-U.S. Fighter

Canada may well cancel part of its 2022 order for 88 Lockheed Martin F-35As and replace them with Saab JAS 39E Gripens. One report suggests that...

Bill Sweetman • RealClearDefense

U.S. Air Force

January 29, 2026

We've Probably Just Seen the USAF's Secret Electromagnetic Attacker

Another element in the U. S.

Bill Sweetman • The Strategist (ASPI)

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