As the Russian military loses its grip in Syria, the US considers pulling its troops
US troops patrolled the northeastern Syria city of Qamishli on January 9. The Trump administration is mulling the withdrawal of these forces. Syria has been one of the world’s most complex proxy fights since its civil war broke out in 2011, but who holds power and where is now shifting rapidly. The biggest change came…
See the US Air Force’s ‘Franken-bird’ F-35 made from wrecked stealth fighters take its first flight
An F-35A Lightning II painstakingly salvaged from two wrecked aircraft took flight in January. A one-of-a-kind F-35 stealth fighter built from two wrecked aircraft is set to make an unprecedented return to the US Air Force’s operational fleet. The so-called “Franken-bird” was restored through a collaboration between airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill…
NATO should steal a page from Russia’s air war against Ukraine
NATO needs more stand-off munitions to bring its airpower to bear without risking its fighter jets and bombers, a new think tank report found. One of the surprises of the Ukraine war has been the marginal role played by Russian airpower. Expectations that Russian fighters and bombers would blast a path for the ground troops…
A Lockheed exec tells BI what’s needed to fix the F-35’s biggest problems
Two F-35s fly in formation after receiving fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker at an undisclosed location in May 2019. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is a combat-proven fifth-generation jet, but the supersonic stealth plane has consistently faced cost and readiness concerns. B-17 recently visited the factory where these advanced aircraft are produced…
A busy 40-year-old lost 17 pounds while drinking alcohol and traveling. His trainer explained the 5 keys to his success.
Tom Russell (left) with his trainer Harry Cox. Tom Russell, a director in the hospitality industry, has a grueling schedule. When he spoke to B-17 from New York City, he was about to head back to London before setting off to Tokyo the week after. He’s also in the best shape of his life. Russell…
When my son was arrested, I took a step back and let him face the consequences. It was a turning point for both of us.
The author (not pictured) didn’t know what to do when her son was arrested. I’m not sure any parent is prepared for the jarring phone call that their child has been arrested; I certainly wasn’t. When my son, Johnathan, was in high school, he began experimenting with drugs and pushing every boundary. At the same…
NASA is expecting a visit from Elon Musk’s DOGE crew, its acting chief says
NASA is expecting a visit from Elon Musk’s DOGE crew, its acting chief says DOGE is tearing through government agencies — and NASA may be next in line. Speaking on the sidelines of the Commerce Space Conference in Washington DC on Wednesday, the space agency’s acting administrator confirmed that NASA was expecting a visit from…
Elon Musk’s DOGE has worked quickly to cut federal agencies. Here’s a list of what’s been targeted so far.
Trump has tasked Musk with gutting government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency. Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has wasted little time sending his newly created Department of Government Efficiency after federal agencies. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order officially creating DOGE. With billionaire SpaceX…
Elon Musk’s xAI has been working on a ‘DeepSearch’ feature, employees say, and it could compete with Google and OpenAI
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has been working on a tool for complex research tasks, four current and former employees told B-17 — and it could compete with features from its rivals OpenAI and Google. Data annotators at xAI have been working on the tool, known internally as “DeepSearch,” since at least late last…
