News Desk

US federal agents have shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis amid an immigration crackdown in the city. Authorities say the man had a handgun and ‘resisted attempts to be disarmed’. He died in hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deployed a military radar in the Somali region of Puntland as part of a secret deal, amid Abu Dhabi’s ongoing entrenchment of its influence over the region’s security affairs.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, sources familiar with the matter told it that the UAE had installed a military radar near Bosaso airport in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this year, with one unnamed source saying that the “radar’s purpose is to detect and provide early warning against drone or missile threats, particularly those potentially launched by the Houthis, targeting Bosaso from outside”.

The radar’s presence was reportedly confirmed by satellite imagery from early March, which found that an Israeli-made ELM-2084 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array Multi-Mission Radar had indeed been installed near Bosaso airport.

READ: UAE: The scramble for the Horn of Africa

Not only does the radar have the purpose of defending Puntland and its airport from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but air traffic data reportedly indicates it also serves to facilitate the transport of weapons, ammunition, and supplies to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), further fuelling the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

“The UAE installed the radar shortly after the RSF lost control of most of Khartoum in early March”, one source said. Another source was cited as claiming that the radar was deployed at the airport late last year and that Abu Dhabi has used it on a daily basis to supply the RSF, particularly through large cargo planes that frequently carry weapons and ammunition, and which sometimes amount to up to five major shipments at a time.

According to two other Somali sources cited by the report, Puntland’s president Said Abdullahi Deni did not seek approval from Somalia’s federal government nor even the Puntland parliament for the installation of the radar, with one of those sources stressing that it was “a secret deal, and even the highest levels of Puntland’s government, including the cabinet, are unaware of it”.

READ: UAE under scrutiny over alleged arms shipments to Sudan

Dancer and TV star Anton Du Beke, who is best known as a long-serving judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing has been revealed as Arctic Fox on The Masked Singer

Strictly Come Dancing legend Anton Du Beke has been revealed as Arctic Fox on The Masked Singer. The TV star, 59, who is best known for appearing as a judge on the BBC Saturday night favourite, had secretly switched over to ITV to take part in the nation’s favourite guessing game.

Judges Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall, Maya Jama and Jonathan Ross, along with Little Mix star Perrie Edwards serving as a guest panellist, all shared their educated guesses as to who it could be after a crowdpleasing perfomance of Barbra Streisand number Woman in Love.

Speaking to host Joel Dommett immediately after his elimination, he said: “I’ve loved every second of it, it’s been the most wonderful thing so thank you!”

READ MORE: Masked Singer fans claim Can of Worms is TV superstar after 8 clues stack upREAD MORE: Masked Singer’s Toastie ‘confirmed’ as ex EastEnders star with unbelievable voice

When asked about how he felt about being voted off the programme, he said: “Devastated naturally. Delighted to be able to perform but devastated to have been voted off!”

But Anton, who is married to Hannah Summers and has a set of eight-year-old twins with her, revealed he is just a huge fan of the show and decided to sign up to the programme so his appearance could be a big surprise for his children.

He added: “Well it’s such a lovely show. And it’s been going a while, I wondered why no-one ever asked me before! They have, I just haven’t had the time. It’s a lovely show, wonderfully done, it’s a great show. And the thought of doing this and people trying to guess who you are.

“I’m just a huge fan and I know my children are loving this. I haven’t told them, I’ve been very good. I’ve done very well, I haven’t mentioned it. They said where are you going daddy and I’ve just said I’ve got rehearsal. So I haven’t told them I’m on the show. So when they see the unveiling they are going to be overwhelmed. It’s going to be brilliant!

“I’ve had such fun. It’s been brilliant fun and that’s what I’m going to take away really. I’ve loved working with the vocal coaches. I’ve loved belting out a bit of Shirley Bassey, a bit of Barbra Streisand. Tony Hadley.”

His exit was part of a double elimination, and it came just moments after singer Kate Nash was revealed to have been performing as Monkey Business, and she had given a rendition of As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver! this week.

She said: “I was so nervous about it but then I got really nervous about the mask coming off and how it was going to feel singing without the mask. It’s like a little comfort zone, you’re not worrying about anything else when you’re in there. It was a unique experience , it’s going to be hard to give her up.”

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Jan. 24 (UPI) — An unidentified man has been arrested after he drove a vehicle into a Detroit Metro Airport terminal and injured six on Friday night.

The incident happened at the airport’s McNamara Terminal and close to the check-in line for Delta Air Lines at 7:30 p.m. EST., CBS News reported.

The vehicle struck a ticket counter and was fully inside the terminal when the driver was arrested, according to the Wayne County Airport Authority, which oversees the airport’s operations.

Six people were treated for injuries at the scene, but none were hospitalized.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud noise when the vehicle rammed the terminal’s entryway and continued into the Delta Air Lines passenger desk, which was manned, according to WXYZ-TV.

Police and Transportation Security Administration officers responded quickly and arrested the driver.

“The response was so quick, thank god, with the cops and TSA and everybody,” airline passenger Ali Khalifa told WXYZ, adding that it “all happened in seconds.”

A man wearing a Detroit Lions jersey who was driving the Mercedes-Benz when it crashed into the ticket counter was arrested, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Reports do not say if others were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The cause of the crash is unknown, and it did not disrupt airport operations.

Cleanup crews were tending to the damage at 10:15 p.m., and an investigation is underway.

The suspect remained in custody on Saturday, but charges were not filed as of Saturday morning, according to the WCAA.

The British Army’s next main battle tank, the Challenger 3, has successfully fired its main gun for the first time. The new tank is planned to enter service in 2027 and is further evidence of the pivot back toward armored warfare — in Europe, especially — in response to the growing threat from Russia, after many years of stagnation.

Indeed, it has been so long since the British Army last had any kind of new main battle tank in development that the previous time that such firing trials took place was more than 30 years ago.

The milestone was announced by the Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S) branch, which handles procurement for the U.K. Ministry of Defense. The trials took place at an unnamed firing range in the United Kingdom, with the tank fully crewed.

Responsible for the campaign was Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), a joint venture between Germany’s Rheinmetall and Britain’s BAE Systems, which is developing the new tank. The gun itself is a product of Rheinmetall Waffe Munitions. This is a 120mm smoothbore L55A1 cannon that can fire both kinetic-energy anti-armor rounds and programmable multipurpose ammunition.

Ahead of the crewed trials with the Challenger 3 and RBSL personnel, the company, together with the British Army and DE&S, had undertaken remote firing of the L55A1 gun.

“Firing the vehicle first remotely and then with a crew in the turret reflects the enormous amount of work that has gone into ensuring the design is safe, robust, and ready,” explained Rebecca Richards, the managing director of RBSL.

“Seeing Challenger 3 fire successfully with a crew in the turret demonstrates just how far the program has progressed and marks a proud moment for U.K. armored vehicle development,” Richards added.

Rheinmetall – Challenger 3 contract signed

The new gun replaces the L30A1 rifled gun, of the same caliber, found in the current Challenger 2. This new weapon provides a notably greater muzzle velocity since the projectile leaves the barrel faster, it ensures an improved degree of penetration and, in some cases, extends the range.

As we have described in the past:

The gun fires single-piece ammunition, rather than the two-piece rounds that are used in the Challenger 2. A wide range of NATO-standard smoothbore ammunition is therefore available, including the DM63 and DM73, Rheinmetall’s armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds. These types of ammunition feature a long dart penetrator, which uses kinetic energy to penetrate enemy armor.

Potentially, the Challenger 3 could also fire the U.S.-made M829A4 round, another APFSDS type, but one that features a depleted uranium (DU) penetrator, denser than many penetrators made of more conventional metals, for improved armor-piercing performance. Currently, the British Army uses a DU round in the Challenger 2, the L27A1 CHARM 3.

While NATO-standard ammunition will bring logistics and cost advantages, the space requirements of the single-piece ammunition mean that the total number of rounds carried is 31, compared to 49 in the Challenger 2. The ammunition is stored in an isolated bustle compartment, at the rear of the turret, to improve survivability if the tank takes a hit.

As well as the new main gun, the Challenger 3 introduces a new optical/targeting package of the same kind that’s used in the British Army’s troubled Ajax tracked infantry fighting vehicles. This comprises the Thales Orion and Day/Night Gunner and Panoramic Sight (DNGS T3). These are part of what the manufacturer describes as a digitized turret, with an open-architecture concept, so that hardware and software upgrades will be easier to install than in the past.

In terms of protection, the Challenger 3 is equipped with a new modular armor (nMA). Using a modular system means that specific parts of the armor can be quickly removed and replaced. It also means the United Kingdom doesn’t need to buy full sets of armor for all its Challenger 3s, equipping individual tanks with nMA when they need to deploy. The nMA package includes appliqué armor for the sides of the hull and the belly.

Further protection can be provided with an active protection system (APS), although, like the nMA package, this won’t always be installed on the tanks. The United Kingdom chose the Israeli-made Trophy APS for the Challenger 3, a system that employs a radar to detect incoming projectiles before firing intercepting projectiles at them; you can read more about the system here. It is hard to envisage the Challenger 3 ever being deployed for combat without the Trophy, which would provide defense against anti-tank guided missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. It could also potentially be used in the future to counter lower-end drones.

TROPHY is the world’s ONLY operational APS (Previous Version – Updated Video Available)

Finally, the Challenger 3’s mobility is addressed through the Heavy Armor Automotive Improvement Project (HAAIP), which includes retrofitting an improved engine (although with no increase in power output), a new suspension, a hydraulic track tensioner, an electric cold start system, and an improved cooling system.

The Challenger 3 is being manufactured by RBSL in Telford, England, as part of a contract worth over £800 million (around $1 billion). In early 2024, it was announced that the first prototype of the tank had been completed at Telford, as TWZ reported at the time.

More trials will now follow, including further crewed firing activity and reliability testing, planned for later this year.

DE&S describes the Challenger 3 as the “centerpiece of the British Army’s armored modernization program” and says that it will “deliver a step change in lethality, survivability, and digital integration.”

Other elements of this modernization program have not been proceeding entirely smoothly, however.

Earlier this year, we reported on how the British Army had suspended the use of its new Ajax fighting vehicles after dozens of soldiers became ill after riding in them. The U.K. Ministry of Defense confirmed that “around 30 personnel presented noise and vibration symptoms” following an exercise involving the tracked vehicles.

Aside from technical issues with the Ajax, there are broader concerns about how the vehicle will be operated in relation to the Challenger 3.

In 2021, a damning report into Ajax from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British defense and security think tank, stated the following:

“If grouped within the Heavy Brigade Combat Teams alongside Challenger 3, Ajax cannot deliver infantry to the objective and cannot perform the divisional reconnaissance function. Alternatively, if made part of the Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team, Ajax will struggle to be sustained operating independently. Ajax’s inability to peer-to-peer recover also makes it a poor independent unit, while its weight, complexity, and size make it hard to deploy with lighter forces, despite the British Army seeking to operate further afield with greater frequency.”

The Brigade Combat Team is the core around which the British Army will be organized, based upon wide-ranging structural changes that call for a “lethal, agile, and lean” force of around 72,500 personnel by 2025, down from 76,000 in 2021.

Deployable Brigade Combat Teams will also include Boxer wheeled armored personnel carriers and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, among others.

Regardless of how the British Army fields the Ajax — provided that controversial program survives — it is also worth noting that only a relatively small number of Challenger 3s are currently envisaged. This raises questions about the British Army’s ambitions to use the tanks as a “digitized backbone” that will connect combat across the Brigade Combat Team, allowing data to be shared with different platforms in real time.

The United Kingdom currently plans to convert just 148 of its older Challenger 2s into the new version, including eight prototypes. In the past, RBSL has said that it’s technically possible to build new Challenger 3s if required.

The Challenger 2 entered British Army service in 1994 and has since been involved in combat operations in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq, without loss to enemy action, according to the British Army. However, at least two examples that have been provided to Ukraine by the United Kingdom have been knocked out on the battlefield.

A video showing the first evidence of a Ukrainian Challenger 2 destroyed in Ukraine:

While significant armor losses in the war in Ukraine and the emergence of new threats, such as low-cost first-person-view (FPV) drones, have raised questions about the future of the tank on the modern battlefield, it’s notable that most NATO nations have been driven to reinforce their fleets. Some countries have even returned to tanks after giving them up.

However, there have been specific concerns about the serviceability and operational readiness of the Challenger 2 fleet, which could well port over into the Challenger 3.

The Challenger 2 has long had issues regarding excessive weight. The Challenger 2 weighs 82.7 tons with add-on armor modules, compared to 73.6 tons for the U.S. Army’s M1A2 SEPv3. The Challenger 3 will be heavier than its predecessor, but its engine won’t be more powerful.

Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there was speculation that the British Army might lose its tanks altogether. With that in mind, even a relatively small number of Challenger 3s ensures that the United Kingdom remains in the tank game out to at least 2040, according to current plans.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

ELIZABETH Hurley has been soaking up the sun in the Maldives, and she’s shared another snap looking absolutely stunning.

The British actress and model, who recently teased fans with naked hot tub photos, posted a new pic to her Instagram grid in a red bikini.

Liz slinked her slender frame into a pool filled with crystal-clear water while wearing the figure-hugging two piece.

The bright red perfectly popped against her lightly tanned skin, as shades shielded her eyes from the day’s rays.

As she propped herself up with both arms on the side of the pool, Liz showcased her age-defying physique and super flat stomach.

Grinning miles wide, the star appeared to be having an amazing time, surrounded by palm trees, blue skies and an enviable ocean view.

LIZ SIZZLES

Liz Hurley, 60, shares naked hot tub snaps on luxury holiday in the Maldives

COURT SUPPORT

Prince Harry returns to court to support Liz Hurley as she gives evidence

“It’s been a grim week – so back to last week!! best hol,” Liz captioned the photo.

Her fans adored the snap, rushing to the post’s comments section to compliment Liz and wish her well.

“Goddess,” said one user.

“The most beautiful and perfect woman in this world,” said another.

A third added: “It’s only going to get better here on out, make sure you believe it.”

Liz hasn’t been enjoying just anywhere in the Maldives. She’s had the pleasure of being one of the first guests to visit a brand new private island.

The island is only accessible via sea plane and boasts a villa as well as a jetty for transport.

Speaking about the trip on Instagram earlier in the week, Liz shared: “Oh my. I adore the #Maldives and was thrilled to be one of the first guests on the brand new, private island @_.herebaaatoll.

“We landed by sea plane straight to our villa’s own jetty – thank you @transmaldivian – and were spoilt rotten by the brilliant staff.

“What a perfect way to kick off 2026.”

She’s reportedly on holiday with son Damien at the picture perfect resort.

Liz has maintained a successful acting career since the 1990s.

She’s best known for her iconic roles as Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and the Devil in Bedazzled (2000).

She gained some later mainstream prominence in her TV series role in The Royals (2015-2018).

She’s currently dating Billy Ray Cyrus.

On eve of day two of talks in UAE capital, Russian attacks cut off about 1.2 million from power in sub-zero temperatures.

Ukraine and Russia ended a second day of United States-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi without an agreement, but with the warring sides saying they were open to further dialogue, as Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure continued.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X on Saturday that bilateral discussions focused on the “parameters for ending the war, as well as the security conditions required to achieve this”, and that further talks could take place as early as next week.

The talks were attended by Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov, and Russian military intelligence and army representatives, according to Zelenskyy. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were also present.

A UAE government statement said talks were “constructive and positive”, tackling “outstanding elements” of Washington’s peace framework, with “direct engagement” between Ukraine and Russia, a rare event in the almost four-year-old war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The initial US draft drew heavy criticism in Kyiv and Western Europe for hewing too closely to Moscow’s maximalist demands and territorial ambitions, while Russia rejected revised versions over proposals for stationing European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Before the discussions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia had not dropped its insistence on Ukraine withdrawing from its eastern area of Donbas, the industrial heartland consisting of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

While Russia controls all of Luhansk, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to surrender the remaining 20 percent it still holds in Donetsk.

Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said: “We … know that they were meant to be discussing what to do about the contested areas in Donbas and also about the possibility of a ceasefire on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”

‘Cynical’ attack during talks

On the eve of the second day of talks, Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, cutting off about 1.2 million people from electricity in sub-zero temperatures, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba.

Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said drone attacks on Kyiv killed one person and wounded four others.

Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said that drone attacks on Ukraine’s second-largest city wounded 27 people.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who was not at the talks, accused Putin of acting “cynically”. “His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table,” he said.

“This barbaric attack once again proves that Putin’s place is not at [US President Donald Trump’s] Board of Peace, but in the dock of the special tribunal,” Sybiha wrote on X.

It emerged on Monday that Trump’s administration had invited Putin to join the board, purportedly aimed at resolving global conflicts, as well as overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza.

Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian opposition member of parliament in Kyiv, said on X that the attacks during talks were “not a coincidence”.

“This has been Putin’s strategy many times in the past. This is why a ceasefire was such a crucial prerequisite to any real talks,” she said.

Reporting on the talks, Zelenskyy said on X that he valued “the understanding of the need for American monitoring and oversight of the process of ending the war and ensuring genuine security”.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have negotiated a draft defense spending bill that includes nearly $900 million for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based combat jet program. The proposed legislation and an accompanying report also aim to finally force the selection of a winner in the stalled F/A-XX competition. All of this comes after Congress did not reverse the Pentagon’s previously announced plan to effectively freeze the F/A-XX effort in the most recent annual defense policy bill, despite framing the program as fully funded therein.

The Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of the draft Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 Fiscal Year, which is currently consolidated with spending bills for a swath of other government agencies, earlier today. The committee also released a Joint Explanatory Statement report with additional information and Congressional guidance. The House Appropriations Committee had put out more truncated information about the proposed legislation yesterday, which only included a brief note about “enhancing investments” in F/A-XX.

Last month, the House Armed Services Committee announced that “full funding for the Air Force’s F-47 and Navy’s F/A-XX 6th Generation Aircraft programs” was included in the separate defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for Fiscal Year 2026. However, it subsequently turned out that the legislation, which was signed into law on December 18, only authorized the “full” $74 million the Pentagon had previously requested.

The Pentagon had revealed its intention to shelve F/A-XX, formally known as the Next Generation Fighter program, indefinitely when it rolled out its proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget last June. At that time, U.S. military officials said concerns about competition for resources with the U.S. Air Force’s F-47 sixth-generation fighter program had been the primary factor in that decision. Boeing is the prime contractor for the F-47, and has been competing head-to-head with Northrop Grumman for F/A-XX following the reported elimination of Lockheed Martin.

F/A-XX is intended as a very stealthy replacement for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18 Growlers currently in Navy service that will offer increased range and an array of other advancements. On top of its expected kinetic capabilities, Navy officials have talked in the past about the sixth-generation jet’s improved ability to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and to contribute to battle space management. Serving as a flying ‘quarterback’ from uncrewed aircraft, including future carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), is also expected to be a key role for F/A-XX. You can read more about what the Navy has shared about its requirements for its Next Generation Fighter here.

“The agreement provides $897,260,000 above the fiscal year 2026 President’s budget request to continue F/A-XX development and directs the Secretary of Defense to obligate these and any prior funds for the purposes of awarding the EMD contract limited to one performer in accordance with the acquisition strategy to achieve an accelerated Initial Operational Capability (IOC),” per the Joint Explanatory Statement report released today. “The agreement supports the Navy’s efforts to develop the F/A-XX sixth generation fighter and understands the program’s unique capability in delivering air superiority to the fleet, including greater operational range, speed, stealth, and enhanced survivability.”

It is worth noting that the Senate Appropriations Committee had previously moved to add $1.4 billion to the Fiscal Year 2026 defense budget for F/A-XX. That figure aligned directly with a call for additional funding for the program that the Navy had reportedly included in its annual Unfunded Priority List (UPL) sent to Congress last year.

“The agreement notes the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 provided $453,828,000 to align to the program’s acquisition schedule which assumed a March 2025 award for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD),” the statement adds. “However, rather than proceeding with a Milestone B award, the Department expended nearly all fiscal year 2025 funding on contract extensions with minimal demonstrated value to the program.”

“Further, the Secretary of the Navy is directed, not later than 45 days after the enactment of this Act, to submit a report to the congressional defense committees that details: (1) the current acquisition strategy and updated schedule for awarding the EMD contract; (2) a revised development and fielding, imeline for the F/A-XX program to meet IOC; (3) any programmatic, budgetary, or policy barriers that have delayed execution of prior-year funds; and (4) a spend plan for the active year additional funds that have been appropriated to the Department of Defense for this program,” it continues.

In addition, the text of the draft legislation includes an explicit provision that compels the Secretary of Defense to obligate funding “for the purpose of executing the engineering and manufacturing development contract for the Next Generation Fighter aircraft in a manner that achieves accelerated Initial Operational Capability.” It blocks the use of any funding appropriated for F/A-XX to “pause, cancel, or terminate” the program, as well.

House and Senate appropriators had already expressed their displeasure over the Pentagon’s decision regarding F/A-XX last year.

“The [House Appropriations] Committee is deeply concerned by the Navy’s declining investment in strike fighter aircraft, particularly at a time when carrier air wings are sustaining high operational tempo across global theaters,” lawmakers wrote in another report last June. “This shortfall comes as the People’s Republic of China is rapidly out-producing the United States in advanced fighters and threatens to surpass U.S. air superiority in the Indo-Pacific, as the Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command recently testified. China’s continued advancements in carrier aviation underscores the urgent need to modernize and enhance the Navy’s carrier air wing.”

It is worth remembering that the U.S. Air Force considered cancelling the program that led to the F-47. The service ultimately decided not to after assessing that the next-generation fighter would be essential for ensuring U.S. air superiority in future conflicts, especially high-end fights like one against China in the Pacific.

Despite the Pentagon’s desire to put F/A-XX on hold, the Navy has continued to argue very publicly in favor of moving ahead with the program as planned, too.

“It’s my job to inform the secretary of war’s team about that imperative,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, told members of the press at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in December, according to Breaking Defense. “I’m part of those discussions, but my job is to pressurize that decision because the warfighting imperative, I think, is there, and I’m trying to build a compelling case to get that decision made quickly.”

“Does it need to be done at [sic] a cost-effective way? Does it need [to] be done [in a way] that doesn’t clobber our other efforts? Does it need to be done so it actually delivers in the relevant time frame? Yes,” Caudle had also said at the forum, according to Aviation Week. “So hopefully some of this acquisition reform and production improvement can help us get those decisions.”

“I do think there’s a commitment for us to deliver this capability,” Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said separately at the Reagan National Defense Forum, per Aviation Week. “There’s an interest to make sure that we can, from our standpoint, [ensure] that the industrial base is able to support it, and I think we’ll be working through that question as quickly as we can.”

Executives from both Boeing and Northrop Grumman have publicly said they are ready to move ahead with F/A-XX if chosen. Boeing has more explicitly pushed back on the idea that the U.S. industrial base cannot simultaneously support work on F/A-XX and the F-47.

Navy Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander of Naval Air Forces, and more commonly referred to as the service’s “Air Boss,” also told TWZ he was still “eagerly awaiting” F/A-XX back in August.

In the meantime, the Trump administration has made major calls recently regarding major Navy programs, some of them controversial, while FA-XX, seen by some as essential to winning a fight in the Pacific and making the best use of America’s very costly carrier force, has remained in purgatory. These have included cancelling the Constellation class frigate in favor of a design with a similar armament package to the service’s current Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and embarking on what could be a gargantuan investment in building huge new ‘battleships.’ These decisions will have their own impacts on the Navy’s budget priorities going forward that could impact other efforts.

The House and Senate do still have to pass the consolidated spending bills, and there is always the possibility of last-minute changes. Afterward, President Donald Trump would then have to sign the final version of the legislation into law, as well.

Still, and despite not having done so with the NDAA in December, Congress now looks very much poised to save F/A-XX from being gutted and to compel officials to finally pick a winning design to be the Navy’s next-generation carrier-based fighter.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

EX-CORRIE star Helen Flanagan was “desperate” for throuple-loving ex-boxer David Haye to dump his girlfriend for her, the Sun on Sunday can reveal.

Last night pals of David said Helen was “besotted” with him and wanted him to leave Sian Osborne, 33, whom he has dated since 2020, in order to have a monogamous relationship with her instead.

The 35-year-old actress embarked on a passionate fling which “consumed” her and led to a string of liaisons at a hotel with the 45-year-old sports­man, who practices poly­amory, or having multiple partners with his partner’s consent.

It began in the aftermath of her split from her fiance, the former Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester City footballer Scott Sinclair, with whom she has three children.

But while Helen believed she was in love with David, he confessed to her: “All I want from you is your body, that’s enough for me”.

She reveals she had a breakdown after their relationship — which she described as “toxic” — acrimoniously ended.

Read more on Helen Flanagan

NOT SCOTT FREE

Helen Flanagan’s ex Scott Sinclair takes cryptic swipe at Corrie star

EXES AT WAR

Helen Flanagan hits out at ‘d***head’ ex claiming he left her skint

‘Mad about him’

The pal told The Sun on Sunday: “Helen wanted David to leave Sian for her. She was mad about David and desperately wanted him to herself.

“But David cares deeply for Sian, and he was simply never going to leave her for Helen.

“That was out of the question.”

Helen, who played Rosie Webster on the ITV soap for 12 years until 2012, has lifted the lid on her relationship with David in her upcoming book Head & Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns and Being Rosie.

He was the first person she dated after the end of her 13-year relationship with fiance Scott, with whom she has Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven and Charlie, four.

Having first met when they were both contestants on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2012, Helen and David exchanged occasional messages over the years.

But in YEAR?? the spark between them was lit when David made contact after he saw a lingerie shoot Helen had done for underwear brand Ann Summers. He messaging her that she looked “hot” in the lace and stockings.

He then seduced her over a series of messages and calls telling her she was a “classy queen”.

Their first night together was at a luxury hotel — where Helen dressed up for him in a blue pyjama set — after he freely admitted he was in an open relationship.

Then, over a period of months they regularly met for a series of romantic encounters. He called her nearly every day for seven months.

She said: “He made me feel like I was the most beautiful girl in the world.

“I was in love with him.

“I believed for a while that he might leave Sian for me. He even started talking about wanting a baby together.”

David — who was previously said to have been in a throuple with Sian and ex-Saturdays singer Una Healy — asked Helen a number of times if she would meet Sian, but she refused.

She said: “I didn’t feel comfortable with that idea. I’m not a prude, but I’ve never been into that.”

I think David’s plan had possibly been to get me and Sian involved in a threesome.

Helen Flanagan

But when he invited her to join him at a boxing match at Wembley in 2023 she met Sian. However she feared that David wanted to embark on a threesome in what became a watershed mo­ment in their relationship.

She told The Daily Mail which is serialising her memoir, that David told her model Sian was excited to meet her. And when they met she was friendly.

Recalling the encounter, Helen added: “Then David joined us and said to Sian, ‘She’s hot, isn’t she?’, which was so cringe, and made me want the ground to swallow me whole.

“I think David’s plan had possibly been to get me and Sian involved in a threesome that night, but when I made it clear that wasn’t going to happen, he told her that he was ‘just going to take Helen home’.”

While she and David spent the night together, the events led her to a dawning realisation. On the one hand she felt guilt, but on the other envy that she was the other woman.

She said: “She was the one he was devoted to. I was just the bit on the side.

Distressing thoughts

She also said: “But I always felt like I could be the girl who was able to change him.”

Helen also courageously reveals in her memoir that since her childhood in Bolton she has struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The condition causes distressing and unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviours, along with anxiety and “spirals of emotion”.

It began before she joined the cast of the ITV soap.

She said that as a child attending church, sometimes “sexual thoughts would flare up”. During adulthood, when she was driving in her car at night, she would fear a knifeman was hiding in the back seat.

She was also wracked with fear that instead of sticking to the Coronation Street script, she would say something “absolutely horrific”.

The devoted mum also poignantly revealed that her OCD returned with a vengeance after the birth of her eldest daughter Matilda.

Helen stressed she was speaking out so others who have the condition realised they were not alone.

While she was “on cloud nine” at becoming a mother, she feared her daughter would die, and she had an irrational terror of exposing her to germs.

She admitted: “At my lowest points I thought about taking my own life.

“I want to emphasise here that I truly loved being a mum, but when the anxiety and the OCD barged their way in and took control of my head I was defenceless.”

BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 23 (UPI) — The trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur, hailed as one of the most significant economic accords in decades, entered an unexpected political pause this week, exposing deep internal divisions within Europe over agriculture and trade liberalization.

Just four days after the deal was signed in Asuncion, the European Parliament voted to submit the text to review by the Court of Justice of the European Union, a move that effectively halts the start of the ratification process.

The decision interrupts the path of a treaty designed to create the world’s largest free trade area, encompassing nearly 700 million consumers, after almost 25 years of negotiations. It also highlights tensions inside the European bloc that extend well beyond legal scrutiny or tariff schedules.

At the heart of the delay is not a technical objection but a structural conflict. Broad sectors of European agriculture fear that greater market access for Mercosur, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, will erode their competitiveness in an increasingly regulated environment. The concern cuts across products and countries, affecting much of Europe’s farming sector.

The discontent is closely linked to the European Green Deal, which imposes strict environmental, sanitary and traceability standards on EU producers, significantly raising production costs. Farmers argue that South American exporters are not subject to the same requirements.

Economist Maximiliano Ramírez, a former Argentine undersecretary for macroeconomic programming, told UPI that European farmers see the agreement as creating an uneven playing field.

“The core argument is that the deal generates unfair competition. It allows products from Mercosur to enter the EU without bearing the same environmental and sanitary costs,” Ramírez said. “They do not see it as free trade, but as a transfer of market share toward producers operating under looser rules, which threatens the profitability of mid-sized farmers in countries like France or Ireland.”

France has emerged as the main axis of resistance, where agriculture carries not only economic weight but also strong symbolic and political value. Opposition, however, extends beyond Paris. Ireland and Austria have taken firm positions to protect their meat industries, while Italy has hardened its stance under the banner of food sovereignty.

According to Ramírez, the shared fear is that an influx of South American commodities could undermine regional value chains. “That would push down domestic prices to levels that European subsidy systems cannot sustain indefinitely,” he said.

Former Argentine undersecretary for agricultural markets Javier Preciado Patiño agreed that pricing is at the core of the dispute.

“Food products from Mercosur would enter the market at more competitive prices than European goods,” he told UPI.

Beef, poultry, dairy products and corn from South America could gain market share due to lower costs, he said, despite safeguards included in the agreement to limit volumes.

“That is why European producers are protesting. They know they could be pushed out of the market,” he added.

From Uruguay, foreign trade specialist Gonzalo Oleggini said the resistance is fueled by misinformation about the agreement’s real impact.

“No quota will bankrupt European industry,” Oleggini told UPI. “The beef quota of 99,000 tons, for example, equals about 220 grams per European citizen per year. It is hard to argue that this would destroy an entire sector.”

Oleggini linked the opposition to domestic politics, particularly the approach of elections in France.

“The issue is being used internally, amplifying fears that are far removed from what would actually happen once the agreement enters into force,” he said.

Ramírez argued that the deal follows a logic of productive specialization. Clear winners would be Mercosur’s agro-industrial complex and, on the European side, high value-added manufacturing, especially the automotive and capital goods sectors led by Germany.

On the losing end, he said, would be European family farmers and, within Mercosur, small and medium-sized industries that would lose tariff protection against European technology.

“It is a model that reinforces each bloc’s strengths but deepens relative deindustrialization in our region,” he warned.

For Argentina, the delay undermines trade predictability. Ramírez noted that the agreement offered not only tariff reductions, but also an institutional framework to navigate increasingly strict EU regulations, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation.

“Without that umbrella, our exports remain exposed to unilateral decisions from Brussels, which can impose ‘green’ barriers at its discretion,” he said, adding that uncertainty could stall long-term investment projects aimed at the European market and increase reliance on volatile Asian demand.

Preciado Patiño noted that nearly a quarter-century of negotiations reflects deeper issues.

“The obstacles have more to do with geopolitics than with trade itself,” he said, pointing to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, which treats farming as a social and moral pillar of the European project.

“It is an almost untouchable sector. Mercosur, as a largely agri-food exporter, is seen as a disruptive force,” he said.

That sensitivity spans major economies such as Germany, France, Italy and Ireland, and extends into Eastern Europe, where countries like Poland retain strong agricultural profiles.

“The lack of true complementarity between the two regions has consistently stalled this agreement,” Preciado Patiño said.

The political paradox became evident when, just days after the signing, the European Parliament voted by a narrow 334-324 margin to seek judicial review, a scenario previously anticipated by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“It is a way of buying time, with the risk that the agreement ultimately collapses,” Preciado Patiño warned.

While Europe delays its decision, Mercosur countries are moving forward with their internal ratification processes. Argentine President Javier Milei has submitted the text to Congress for debate during extraordinary sessions scheduled for February, while Paraguayan President Santiago Peña announced that the agreement will be sent to parliament for consideration next week.

The ‘legacy’ F-15C/D may now be a dwindling presence in the U.S. Air Force, but the jets still support vital test work with NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. NASA has long flown different F-15 variants for numerous kinds of missions and recently added to its fleet with another pair of jets cascaded down from the Air Force. Meanwhile, older F-15s are also continuing to take on new test assignments with NASA, having already contributed enormously to its military and civilian research programs, including flying alongside legacy F/A-18 Hornets.

Earlier this month, NASA confirmed that it had received two twin-seat F-15Ds, serial numbers 81-0063 and 84-0045, previously operated by the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. This is the Air Force’s F-15C/D ‘schoolhouse,’ which, as we have reported in the past, will replace its Eagles with F-35As, overturning a previous plan that would have seen the 173rd Fighter Wing assume responsibility for training pilots for the new F-15EX Eagle II.

NASA’s windfall provides new equipment for its flight research fleet at Edwards Air Force Base, California. However, only one of the F-15Ds will go into active NASA service, with the other serving as a source of spare parts for the maintenance-heavy Eagles.

One of the missions that the F-15D will be involved in is tests of NASA’s remarkable-looking X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology experimental test aircraft, or QueSST, which made its first flight in October last year and will be flown out of Edwards. Much is resting on the test program that has now been kicked off, with the future of supersonic passenger flight arguably dependent on its successful outcome.

The QueSST project is one that TWZ has covered in detail over the years and which is planned to demonstrate how careful design considerations can reduce the noise of a traditional sonic boom to a “quieter sonic thump.” If that can then be ported over to future commercial designs, it could solve the longstanding problem of regulations that prohibit supersonic flight over land.

“These two [F-15Ds] will enable successful data collection and chase plane capabilities for the X-59 through the life of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project,” explained Troy Asher, director for flight operations at NASA Armstrong. “They will also enable us to resume operations with various external partners, including the Department of War and commercial aviation companies.”

X-59 Team Reflects on Completing First Flight

“NASA has been flying F-15s since some of the earliest models came out in the early 1970s,” Asher added. “Dozens of scientific experiments have been flown over the decades on NASA’s F-15s and have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and high-speed flight research.”

As part of its diverse test fleet, NASA’s F-15s provide an ideal platform for test and chase duties that demand high-speed, high-altitude capabilities. At the same time, the Eagle’s impressive load-carrying ability means that various experimental payloads can be mounted on it externally, either under the wings or on the fuselage centerline, benefiting from the jet’s generous ground clearance.

The legacy F-15’s 1970s-era technology is also fairly straightforward to modify, meaning that new or adapted software, systems, and flight controls can be integrated to meet particular test requirements.

NASA has also ‘tweaked’ its F-15s to better optimize them for high-performance test work.

Back in 2022, NASA announced that it had made modifications to two of its earlier F-15s to support X-59 chase flights.

The two-seaters received new emergency oxygen bottles and regulators, for the pilot and back-seat technician, to reduce the risk of hypoxia — a lack of oxygen reaching the brain and other tissues of the body, which can happen as the aircraft climbs.

The new positive-pressure breathing system was developed for the F-22 and provides additional pressure compared with the F-15’s original life support system. It means the F-15 can operate safely at up to 60,000 feet.

The X-59 is designed to hit this altitude and cruise at 55,000 feet.

In fact, the revised life support system also shares many components with the X-59. Flight crews wear the same gear, the same panel-mounted regulator, and the same device that reduces the pressure flow from the liquid oxygen tanks to the regulator. The same modification is being made to NASA’s newly acquired F-15D.

This will all help NASA’s QueSST test program, which aims to push the X-59 to a speed of Mach 1.4, equivalent to around 925 miles per hour, over land. Ahead of this, multiple sorties will be flown over the supersonic test range at Edwards, accompanied by F-15s.

In the meantime, NASA researchers continue to utilize earlier Eagles — including NASA tail number 836, a 1974-vintage F-15B, a variant of the jet long since discarded by the Air Force. This particular jet was obtained by NASA in 1993 from the Hawaii Air National Guard. 

Earlier this week, NASA announced it had completed a high-speed taxi test of its F-15B after modification for the Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test.

The CATNLF concept is intended to boost laminar flow over a wing surface, therefore reducing drag and improving efficiency.

For the tests, the F-15B has been fitted with a three-foot scale model of a CATNLF wing design, mounted under the belly, in a vertical position. Earlier this month, the F-15B was taxied at a speed of 144 miles per hour with the wing model fitted. A first flight in this configuration is planned in the coming weeks.

The CATNLF wing is tailored to address a key problem of laminar flow technology, namely the effect of crossflow, an aerodynamic phenomenon that occurs on angled surfaces. Even large, swept wings of the kinds found on most commercial airliners have crossflow tendencies.

According to earlier NASA studies, the CATNLF wing design, if incorporated in a large, long-range aircraft like the Boeing 777, could result in annual fuel savings of up to 10 percent.

While the legacy F-15 continues to provide valuable service to NASA, the Air Force has recently moved to adapt its plans for the phase-out of the jet.

Already, the Air Force has given up its last active-duty F-15C/Ds. The final active-duty squadrons to be deactivated were at Kadena Air Base, Japan, which you can read about here. A handful of test jets remain in use, with all other F-15C/Ds now assigned to the Air National Guard.

Previously, the Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request detailed plans to divest the entirety of the F-15C/D fleet by 2026.

As of last October, however, the service said it planned to retain some of its F-15C/Ds until 2030. The Air Force determined these aging jets are still needed for the homeland defense mission, something it laid out in its Long-Term Fighter Force Structure report.

The report was mandated by Congress in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which called for the Air Force to clarify its long-term fighter plans.

Under these plans, the Air Force wants to keep 42 F-15C/Ds as part of its combat-coded total aircraft inventory through 2028. Thereafter, a reduced fleet of 21 of the youngest jets will continue to serve with the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing until 2030.

At this point, the Air Force’s legacy Eagles should be fully replaced. The last F-15C/Ds are slated to be superseded by the F-15EX, while some others will have been replaced by F-35s; one A-10 unit is also receiving them. However, it should be noted that the Air Force itself has described its Long-Term Fighter Force Structure document as highly aspirational, and such plans are, by their nature, liable to change.

Whatever the future brings for the legacy F-15 with the U.S. Air Force, the recent arrivals at the Armstrong Flight Research Center confirm the continued value of the Eagle for NASA’s exacting test missions.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

NICOLA Peltz appeared to show her thanks to Beckham family friend DJ Fat Tony for publicly backing her in the fallout.

The 60-year-old – who performed at her wedding party to Brooklyn in April 2022 – spoke out this week to confirm explosive claims about Victoria Beckham’s “inappropriate” first dance.

Now Nicola has shown she’s still on good terms with the DJ after ‘liking’ his Instagram post about “unconditional love”.

Posting a photo of his dogs on a walk, DJ Tony wrote: “It’s good to be back home today. Thought of the day… the power of unconditional love.”

He spoke out after Brooklyn’s sensational claims about his parents David and Victoria in a bombshell six-page social media statement. 

DJ Tony laid blame on wedding singer Marc Anthony, who said he encouraged Brooklyn to place his hands on Victoria’s hips during a dance to one of his Latin pop tracks.

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The DJ revealed he believed the timing of the moment was “inappropriate” as opposed to the dance move.

He said: “There was no slut-dropping, there was no black PVC catsuit, there was no Spice Girl action.

“Marc Anthony was performing and he called Brooklyn onto the stage.

“Everyone then expected Nicola to go up and do the first dance.”

He further confirmed reports that Marc Anthony had asked the “most beautiful” woman in the world to head on up to the dancefloor and then said Victoria’s name instead of bride Nicola Peltz.

DJ Tony revealed this moment left Nicola running out in tears but Marc continued on with the performance anyway.

“Brooklyn was devastated as he thought he was about to get his first dance with his wife,” he added.

“Nicola had left the room crying her eyes out and Brooklyn is stuck there on stage.

“They then do this dance and Marc goes ‘put your hands on your mother’s hips’ and it was a Latin thing.

“The whole situation was very awkward for everyone in the room.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he revealed the day after the main ceremony was “awkward”.

Follow our live build-up, with full team news coverage, before our comprehensive text commentary stream.

Russia’s heavy missile barrage directed against Ukraine on the night of January 20 appears to have involved the use of several new or unusual weapons. Various sources, unofficial and official, point to the possible use of a new version of the Iskander short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), as well as the rarely employed Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. Wreckage recovered in Ukraine also confirms, for the first time, Russia’s use of repurposed missile targets for air defenses in a land-attack role.

According to a report from the Ukrainian Air Force Command, a total of 34 missiles of various types were used in the raid, along with 339 drones, approximately 250 of which were Shahed/Geran-series types. Ukraine claims that 14 of 18 ballistic missiles launched from Iskander and S-300/S-400 systems, 13 of 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from strategic bombers, and 315 of 339 long-range drones were destroyed.

Note: The missile shown at the top of this story is the S-400 surface-to-air missile, a weapon which is also used in a land-attack capacity.

Based on Ukrainian accounts, Russia used an improved version of the Iskander to strike at least one target in the Vinnytsia region, deep inside Ukraine, on the night of January 20. While this is yet to be independently confirmed, it has also been reported by Russian media.

Reports began to emerge last year that Russia was poised to start mass-producing a new version of the Iskander SRBM, with greater range and improved accuracy. The original 9K720 Iskander-M’s solid-fuel 9M723 ballistic missiles have, according to official figures, a range of 500 kilometers (310 miles), although there is evidence that they can fly further than that.

The new version, the name of which is unknown, is assumed to have a range of at least 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), resulting in it being unofficially dubbed Iskander-1000. Ukrainian authorities also refer to the new weapons as Iskander-I.

Regardless, the reported range would put the new missile in the medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) category. MRBMs are categorized as ballistic missiles with maximum ranges between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers (620 and 1,860 miles), while SRBMs can reach out to between 300 and 1,000 kilometers (190 and 620 miles).

This is, reportedly, the only known photo of the so-called Iskander-1000, taken during tests:

According to available reports, the longer-range Iskander uses a more powerful and efficient engine to increase its range; a reduced-size warhead would be another way to help achieve this, providing more space for fuel. Accuracy is meanwhile enhanced by a new navigation and guidance system. This is assessed to include a new inertial guidance system (INS), supplemented by Glonass satellite navigation, and perhaps a radar seeker for the terminal phase. This is said to provide for an accuracy of within 16 feet. No information is available on the warhead.

Like the earlier Iskander, the Iskander-1000 is likely to be able to perform high-G maneuvers in the terminal phase and to dispense decoys, to better evade air defenses.

Examples of the decoys deployed by the 9M723 ballistic missile:

Also relevant here is the emergence of reports about the Iskander-1000 after the termination by the United States of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). This had previously prohibited the Soviet Union (later Russia) and the United States from fielding any ground-launched conventional or nuclear-capable missile of any type that can hit targets between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,420 miles) away.

The demise of INF frees Russia from such restrictions, including on versions of the Iskander. As such, the Iskander-1000 would not only have significance in the conflict in Ukraine (being able to strike targets in the west of the country) but also against NATO in Europe. If launched from the Kaliningrad exclave, the Iskander-1000’s range would cover almost the entire Baltic Sea region, all of Denmark, and most of Germany.

Speaking to the Russian daily newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets, “military consultant” Anton Trutze said that the Iskander-1000 (coupled with the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile) ensured “superiority over Soviet capabilities in the class of operational-tactical missiles, which were once limited by the INF Treaty.” The result for Russia, he claimed, was “a serious argument in operational and political terms.”

Another theory is that the ballistic missile reported as the Iskander-1000/Iskander-I was something else altogether.

Ukrainian authorities state that Russia launched a Zircon hypersonic missile from occupied Crimea. This weapon, designed primarily for anti-shipping, has previously been combat-tested in Ukraine. According to the U.S. Strategic Command, the Zircon is capable of traveling at speeds of up to Mach 8.

In February 2024, evidence emerged that Russia had, for the first time, used the Zircon in attacks on at least one target in Ukraine. Ukrainian scientists showed a video of the Zircon wreckage — “fragments of the engine and steering mechanisms [with] specific markings,” seen below:

According to Ukrainian media reports, the Zircon was launched toward Vinnytsia. With this in mind, it’s possible that the Zircon was misreported as an Iskander-1000/Iskander-I, although these are very different weapons. By all accounts, the Iskander-1000/Iskander-I is a ballistic missile, while the Zircon, while still mysterious, is known to be a hypersonic cruise missile, likely with a ramjet powerplant. Such a mix-up would be puzzling, but it remains possible.

More concrete evidence is available concerning the use of another Russian missile on the night of January 20.

This is the RM-48U, which was developed as a target missile for the training of S-300 and S-400 air defense system crews. The RM-48U is fired from the same launchers and is based on reworked 5V55 or 48N6 missiles, as used by these systems, after they reach the end of their service lives.

Debris showing parts clearly marked as RM-48U was found after the raid, as seen in the composite below.

This is the first time since the start of the full-scale war that the RM-48U has been fired against Ukraine, according to the country’s Main Intelligence Directorate, which assesses that Russia currently has approximately 400 of these missiles in its inventory.

What’s unclear at this point is whether the target missile was fitted with a warhead, turning it into a true land-attack weapon, or if it was fired together with ballistic missiles as a decoy, helping to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.

According to Alexander Kovalenko, from Ukraine’s Information Resistance Group, the RM-48U missiles can have a range of between 30 and 120 kilometers (19 to 75 miles), depending on how they are modified.

Kovalenko assumes that the RM-48Us are retrofitted with warheads to make up for the lack of regular ballistic missiles, specifically Iskanders. Kovalenko said that Russia is likely capable of producing only around two 9M723 missiles (for the Iskander system) per day. Back in September 2022, Ukrainian intelligence sources claimed that only 13 percent of Russia’s pre-war stocks of Iskander ballistic missiles were left, forcing it to find other solutions.

Based on the estimated range, however, even the higher-end figure, the RM-48U is hardly an adequate substitute for an Iskander. Also, considering their original role, the accuracy of the RM-48U is likely poor, making them only suitable for very short-range strikes against area targets — or as decoys.

Russia already makes use of missiles as decoys, including time-expired air-launched cruise missiles, with their previous nuclear warheads removed. You can read more about that trend here.

At the same time, there is also a long-established precedent for using S-300 and S-400 air defense systems to fire their standard surface-to-air missile effectors against ground targets in Ukraine. The S-300 does possess a little-known surface-to-surface capability, although it is far from accurate in this role.

Finally, the same missile barrage provided evidence of very recently manufactured Kh-101 cruise missiles, which are launched from Tu-95MS Bear-H and Tu-160 Blackjack bombers. At least one of the Kh-101s reportedly downed by Ukrainian air defenses indicates that it was manufactured in the first quarter of 2026. The use of such a recent missile further underscores how Russia has depleted its stocks of older weapons, a situation that we have discussed in the past and which is exacerbated by sanctions that have disrupted its ability to produce precision weapons at scale. Considering just how new the Kh-101 in question is, it shows that Russia is meanwhile using them in a ‘just in time’ fashion, as soon as they roll off the production line.

Цієї ночі застосовані Х-101 2026 року випуску. Прямо з заводу. Тому будь який екстра вплив на доступність компонентів дає ефект.

This night, Kh-101 missiles manufactured in 2026 were used — straight from the factory. That’s why any additional pressure on the availability of… pic.twitter.com/yIRqTayCk9

— Vladyslav Vlasiuk 💙💛🇪🇺 (@vladvlas) January 20, 2026

Taken together, these missile developments indicate that Russia is continuing to vary the mix of weapons (ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones), and also decoys, in its large-scale attacks on Ukraine. At the same time, the use of both brand-new missiles and repurposed target missiles points to general shortages of purpose-designed missiles and decoys.

For Ukraine, however, whether new or old, the sheer numbers of missiles and drones that Russia continues to bombard it with ensure that its hard air defenses remain very much under pressure. This is a particular concern when the supply of Western-supplied air defense systems remains strictly limited, and with the biting winter months making life especially difficult for its civilian population.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

The Masked Singer continues as the characters return to the stage in a bid to keep their identities under wraps

One of The Masked Singer characters, Sloth, has managed to keep their identity hidden for several weeks already.

As they prepare to the take to the ITV stage once more, viewers have been trying to work out who is under the mask.

So far Sloth has offered several clues regarding their identity including performing in workout gear, holding handcuffs, playing snooker and also hanging around in the jungle.

One viewer has taken these clues and believes Sam Thompson is hiding under the Sloth mask.

Posting on Reddit, they shared: “I’m sticking with Sam Thompson for now. Not sure if the politic clues are trying to throw us off (If it’s a politician I’m between Alistair Campbell or Andy Burnham).”

Listing the clues that have been given so far, they believe the “handcuffs” is a “specific reference to a viral stunt where Sam was handcuffed to his best friend and podcast co-host, Pete Wicks, for 24 hours”.

They added the jungle clue is a direct reference to when he won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2023.

The fan went on to suggest the “Guide to Manchester” clue was symbolic of when Sam completed his Match Ball Mission for Soccer Aid, travelling 260 miles from London to Manchester(Old Trafford) on foot and by bike.

Finally, the alarm clock could be a reference to Sam’s early morning schedule as he presents the breakfast slot on Hits Radio.

Other The Masked Singer fans had mixed opinions with one suggesting there were more clues to a snooker star: “Spin Doctors (Putting spin on a cue ball), Century Reps (A century break in snooker), Pot of Wax (Cue wax). I think it’s Steve Davis. His distinctive accent really became noticeable in the sing off.”

Another guessed: “Sloth, I’m not certain of at all. Last week I thought it was Ed Gamble, this week I think it’s Greg James.”

Fans may not have long to wait to find out who is under the Sloth mask as two characters are set to be revealed tonight.

As panellists Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Maya Jama and Mo Gilligan are joined by special guest Perrie Edwards, there will be a double unmasking.

The Masked Singer airs tonight on ITV at 7pm.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website**

Jan. 23 (UPI) — The FBI arrested former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding on Friday in Mexico, scratching off a suspect from the agency’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Patel announced Wedding’s arrest in a post on the social media platform X.

“Ryan James Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico last night,” Patel said. “He is being transported from Mexico to the U.S. … to face justice.”

The United States’ manhunt for Wedding for more than a year. The Justice Department indicted him on cocaine trafficking and murder charges in October 2024 and added him to the FBI’s most wanted list in March. The State Department offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

In November, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a government-wide intensification in its hunt for Wedding. She accused him of importing 60 metric tons of cocaine into Los Angeles.

“He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world,” she said at the time.

Patel said U.S. officials believe Wedding had been hiding in Mexico for more than a decade with the protection of the Sinaloa cartel.

“He was allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California to the United States and Canada — as a member of the Sinaloa Cartel,” Patel said.

Patel said Wedding was the sixth person on the Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list captured within the past year.

Wedding was a competitive snowboarder who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Tehran, Iran – The Iranian state has rejected a resolution by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council that strongly condemned the “violent crackdown on peaceful protests” by security forces that left thousands dead.

After a detailed meeting and discussions in Geneva on Friday, 25 members of the council, including France, Japan and South Korea, voted in favour of the censure resolution.

Seven votes against, including from China, India and Pakistan, as well as 14 abstentions, among others from Qatar and South Africa, failed to stop the resolution.

The human rights council called on Iran to stop the arrests of people in connection with the protests, and to take steps to “prevent extrajudicial killing, other forms of arbitrary deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, sexual and gender-based violence” and other actions violating its human rights obligations.

Iran said that the Western-led sponsors of the emergency meeting on Friday had never genuinely cared for human rights in Iran, or else they would not have imposed sanctions that have devastated the Iranian population over the past decade.

Ali Bahreini, Iran’s envoy in the meeting, reiterated the state’s claim that 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, 2,427 of whom were killed by “terrorists” armed and funded by the United States, Israel and their allies.

“It was ironic that states whose history was stained with genocide and war crimes now attempted to lecture Iran on social governance and human rights,” he said.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has confirmed at least 5,137 deaths during the protests, and is investigating 12,904 others.

UN special rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato, has said the death toll could reach 20,000 or more as reports from doctors from inside Iran emerge. Al Jazeera has been unable to independently verify the figures.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk told the council that “the brutality in Iran continued, creating conditions for further human rights violations, instability and bloodshed” weeks after the killings on January 8 and January 9, when a communications blackout was also enforced.

Turk pointed out that executions for murder, drug-related and other charges continue across Iran, with the state executing at least 1,500 people in 2025, marking an enormous 50 percent increase compared with the year before.

Payam Akhavan, a professor and former UN prosecutor of Iranian-Canadian nationality who was at Friday’s meeting as a civil society representative, called the killings “the worst mass-murder in the contemporary history of Iran”.

He said as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague, he had helped draft the indictment for the Srebrenica genocide in which some 8,000 Bosniaks were killed in July 1995.

“By comparison, at least twice that number had been killed in Iran in half the time. This was an extermination,” he said.

The adopted UN council resolution also extended the mandate of the special rapporteur for another year, while adding two more years to the mandate of the independent fact-finding mission that was formed to investigate killings and rights abuses during Iran’s nationwide protests in 2022 and 2023.

More videos emerge despite internet blackout

Meanwhile, the internet blackout continues to be enforced amid growing frustration and anger from the public and businesses alike.

Global internet observatory Netblocks reported that international internet remained effectively blocked on Saturday despite brief moments of connectivity.

Some users have been able to overcome the digital blackout over recent days for short periods of time using a variety of proxies and virtual private networks (VPNs).

The limited number of users who have managed to get online, whether by using a combination of circumvention tools or leaving the country’s borders, continue to upload horrifying footage of killings during the protests.

International human rights bodies like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have attested that many of the reviewed videos show state forces firing live ammunition at protesters, including from heavy machineguns.

The state rejects all such accounts, claiming that security forces only fired at “terrorists” and “rioters” who attacked government offices and burned public property.

Threat of war looms

The back and forth over one of Iran’s bloodiest chapters since its 1979 revolution continues as the threat of war looms large over the embattled 90-million-strong nation once again.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran if it kills protesters. Washington is moving the USS Abraham Lincoln supercarrier, along with its strike group of supporting vessels, towards the Middle East in a move that has raised fears of more US strikes on Iran in the aftermath of the 12-day war with Israel in June.

More US military aircraft, including fighter jets, have also been deployed to the region despite interventions from regional powers in an attempt to prevent an escalation.

Top Iranian authorities continue to send defiant messages to US President Donald Trump amid the rapid military buildup.

“He [Trump] certainly says many things,” Majid Mousavi, the new aerospace chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told state television on Saturday. “He can be certain that we will respond to him in the field of battle”.

“He can say better things even if he is trying to escape the wishes of others who want to impose things on him,” said Ali Shamkhani, a top security official and representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the newly formed Supreme Defence Council.

One of Iran’s top judicial authorities also shot back at Trump after the US president last week called for the end of Khamenei’s 37-year-rule in the country.

“These acts of insolence and audacity are, in our view, tantamount to a declaration of all-out war, and based on this approach, in the event of any aggression, US interests around the world will be exposed to threat by supporters of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said Mohammad Movahedi, the hardline cleric who heads the prosecutor general’s authority.

VICTORIA and David Beckham have shared heartfelt words about “great memories” with Brooklyn in the mum’s first public comment since her son’s scathing rant.

The parents posted love hearts as they responded to a poignant post about a tender family moment with their eldest son when he was just seven years old.

It is far removed from the agonising split and heartache they are enduring today.

In a series of bombshell Instagram posts earlier this week, the fashion designer was slammed by her eldest child.

Victoria’s eldest son accused her of “humiliating” him at his wedding, after she allegedly danced on him “very inappropriately”.

The wedding proved to be the breaking point for Brooklyn, as he said it was where his family’s true nature was revealed to him.

Read more on the beckhams

SPICE REUNION

Mel B drops huge Spice Girls reunion hint as Victoria Beckham tops the charts

WHAT THE BUTLER SAW

Brooklyn’s ‘brattish’ wife ‘flounced out of wedding after DJ comment’

The former Spice Girl, 51, is said to be “devastated” after her estranged son accused her of “hijacking” his wedding, leaving him “humiliated”.

She is understood to be distraught after being teased by cruel fans – as memes mocking her alleged dancing go viral. 

Dad David broke his silence while appearing at the 56th annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The Premier League and England legend, 50, admitted his children had “made mistakes” on social media.

And in the latest twist in the Brooklyn saga, the pair wrote about “good memories” in response to a photography shoot in 2006.

A photographer recalled the shoot with Becks when his kids gate-crashed the session and he witnessed a “spontaneous moment of affection”.

Brooklyn, then seven, ran up to his famous Dad in front of a crowd of onlookers and adoringly hugged his leg.

It prompted an unscheduled family group hug.

In one picture, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star can also be seen with his eldest son’s name tattooed on his back.

Responding to the post, Victoria wrote: “Brings back great memories!”

It comes after a week of Beckham bombshells…

David also penned: “Good memories”.

The shoot in Spain came when the England skipper was one of the world’s biggest superstars.

Famous snapper Platon Antoniou recalled: “That day his family came to visit.

“Victoria arrived with Brooklyn, who was seven years old, Romeo, who was four and Cruz, who was just a baby.

“Brooklyn and Romeo charged into the studio wearing football kits, kicking balls, doing headers and other tricks.

“While Victoria was busy with the children, I started work with David.

“At one point, Brooklyn ran on set with his football under his arm and hugged his dad’s right leg. Then, Romeo joined his older brother.

“Then, Victoria also appeared with baby Cruz in her arms. The whole family turned away from us for a private heartfelt group hug.

“It was a poignant thing to see – this spontaneous moment of affection happening on a giant photography set in front of 60 people.

“Celebrity comes with a heavy price and often it is family members who also pay.”

It seems to be the first time Victoria has acknowledged her son’s scathing comments on Instagram.

The parents’ outpouring at a time of deep pain and family division prompted support from followers.

Cruz, his girlfriend Jackie Apostel and Romeo Beckham were spotted out and about in Paris for fashion week.

Fans were quick to pile praise on the “devastated” mum-of-four.

Lynne Ross told Victoria: “Best mum.” while Jane Murphy told her: “Keep smiling and hold your head up high.”

Another fan told the former Spice Girl: “You do an amazing job in all areas of your life Victoria.”

The 57-year-old portrait and documentary photographer has captured world leaders including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

He added: “To see this tenderness was very moving.

“I knew it would make a beautiful picture, especially as this famous family were not facing my camera.

“But my portraits are always collaborative and I never feel comfortable stealing a moment.

“If I had taken a single frame, it would have betrayed trust and invaded privacy. So, I put down my camera and took a picture only with my eyes.”

David responded to the photographer’s post around midnight yesterday.

It came as we revealed how “brattish” Nicola Peltz blamed Victoria for ruining her 2022 wedding for dancing inappropriately with her son, despite having already had a ‘first dance’.

Brooklyn is the only person who holds video footage of what was meant to be a first dance with his bride – but was instead hijacked by his mum.

This means that Brooklyn, 26, and his American actress wife, 31, have the sole control over all photos and footage from the ceremony.

Sources claim the “uncomfortable” dance at his 2022 wedding was filmed by the videographer after the couple imposed a strict no-phones rule.

The entire wedding proved to be the breaking point for Brooklyn, as he said it was where his family’s true nature was revealed to him.

And we also exclusively told how Nicola gave husband Brooklyn Beckham an ultimatum.

After feeling upstaged by his mum Victoria at their wedding, the actress told him: “It’s me or her, you can’t have both.”

A butler at the 2022 bash says tearful Nicola stormed out in front of guests including new dad-in-law David.

She was devastated after singer Marc Anthony called Victoria to the stage as the “most beautiful woman in the room”.

Nicola saw it as the “final straw” after pre-wedding rows including the decision not to wear a ­Victoria-designed bridal gown.

The butler said: “To suggest the meltdown between Brooklyn and his parents was caused by Victoria twerking with him is misleading.

“Nicola was upset by the words from Marc Anthony that preceded the dance.

“After the dance row, she told Brooklyn in regard to David and Victoria: ‘I don’t want to be around them… you have a decision to make: Me or her’.

“She gave him an ultimatum and he was helpless in that scenario to do anything other than choose his wife.”

Wedding DJ Fat Tony also chipped in, adding: “There was no slut-dropping, there was no black PVC catsuit, there was no Spice Girl action.”

In a ruthless six-page statement on social media this week, Brooklyn aimed dozens of explosive accusations at his “blindsided” family.

He also berated those around him and made it clear he has no desire to reconcile.

Claiming to be standing up for himself for the first time, he called out his famous parents for their “inauthenticity”.

The aspiring chef went as far as accusing them of making bribes and scolded his family for their treatment of his wife, Nicola, 31.

Launching a furious tirade at his mum Victoria, 51, he accused her of ruining their wedding in April 2022.

He alleged the former Spice Girl cancelled making Nicola’s wedding dress “at the 11th hour” – throwing the whole event into disarray.

Brooklyn also claims his mum called him “evil” over table arrangements at the wedding and accused her of “hijacking” his first dance with his wife.

He wrote: “During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me ‘evil’ because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands.

“Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.”

And recalling the “embarrassing” first dance, the former photographer blasted his mum for performing “inappropriate moves”.

Part of the statement detailed: “In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife, but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me.

“She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”

Friends of the Beckhams have told The Sun both David, 50, and Victoria have been left “floored” by their son’s accusations.

SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 23 (UPI) — Rising public debt has again become a central concern for Latin American economies, amid low growth, higher financing costs and an uneven fiscal recovery after the pandemic.

The trend reflects broader regional pressures that mirror a more restrictive global financial environment.

Chile illustrates this dynamic. Public debt reached 43.3% of gross domestic product in September, the highest level in more than four decades, according to the latest report from the Budget Office at the Finance Ministry.

The agency said the increase was driven mainly by new debt issuance, exchange rate movements and a reduced impact from inflation.

Budget Director Javiera Martinez said the current administration inherited “a very complex fiscal situation marked by post-pandemic macroeconomic imbalances: high inflation and a historic structural deficit of minus 10.6% of GDP.”

She added that after spending was reoriented and budget adjustments were implemented, “the growth trend was reversed, making this administration the one with the smallest increase in debt since President Michelle Bachelet‘s first term from 2006 to 2010.”

From a regional perspective, analysts say the challenge extends beyond Chile.

Economist Carlos Smith, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Development’s Center for Business and Society Research, said Chile’s figures “do not represent an imminent default risk” but should be viewed cautiously in a low-growth environment.

“The country is growing at around 2% to 2.5%. That is potentially low growth and it creates risks for the economy because interest payments absorb about 9% of fiscal revenues,” Smith said. It’s a pattern he noted is common across several Latin American economies.

Even so, Smith said Chile still holds comparative advantages in the region.

“It is concerning because of the speed of growth and budget rigidity, but compared with other countries, debt remains low. Chile has access to financial markets at reasonable rates and a credit rating that remains in a solid position,” he said.

Chile also operates under a fiscal rule that sets a public debt threshold near 45% of GDP to ensure long-term sustainability. Smith warned that failing to rein in debt growth could carry additional concerns.

“There could be other risks, such as losing the credibility of the fiscal rule, which would limit access to the rates we currently enjoy and that are quite privileged within the region,” he said.

In comparative terms, the International Monetary Fund projects Latin America will have closed 2025 with public debt equal to 73.1% of GDP, reflecting years of fiscal deficits, higher social spending and reduced capacity to absorb external shocks.

The IMF has also warned that global debt is on track to exceed 100% of GDP by 2029, the highest level since 1948.

Within the region, debt levels are highest in Brazil at 91.4%, followed by Argentina at 78.8%, Uruguay at 66.6%, Colombia at 60.0% and Mexico at 58.9%. Chile at 42.7% and Peru at 32.1% remain among the least indebted.

“Chile is among the strongest in a difficult neighborhood. It remains solid by comparison, but that advantage gap has narrowed,” Smith said. “It carries a lighter fiscal burden than Brazil, Mexico, Colombia or Argentina, which provides greater resilience to shocks such as a rate hike by the Fed.”

Smith said Brazil’s high debt stems from the fact that “virtually all state revenue goes to paying pensions and interest,” leaving “very little room for public investment.”

By contrast, Peru maintains low debt levels, but faces structural constraints.

“Low debt alone is not enough if there are no political institutions that allow investment to be projected,” he said.

Other countries face different challenges.

Venezuela, for example, posts debt levels above 150%, alongside hyperinflation, international sanctions and a prolonged economic collapse.

Argentina, with debt above 100% of GDP, faces the task of stabilizing its economy “without triggering a complex social crisis,” Smith said.

Low-debt economies, such as Paraguay, also show vulnerabilities.

“It has low debt, thanks to hydropower and agriculture, but it is very vulnerable to climate conditions,” Smith said, adding that the regional challenge is to invest in infrastructure without undermining fiscal sustainability.

JPMorgan has also flagged risks in Colombia, noting that higher public spending in 2025 aimed at boosting consumption widened the current account deficit. The bank said growth is being driven by resource injections rather than productivity gains.

“The region’s weak performance is rooted in a combination of political instability, fiscal fragility, inequality and insecurity,” said Nur Cristiani, JPMorgan’s head of investment strategy for Latin America.

“Political volatility has led to frequent policy reversals, undermining long-term investment. Fiscal deficits and procyclical spending have left countries vulnerable to external shocks.”

“Ultimately, Chile sits in a group with relatively low debt in the region but faces the challenge of boosting productivity and consolidating its fiscal position,” Smith said, warning that the country risks converging toward the regional average if it fails to protect both institutional strength and fiscal discipline.

Australia has taken the next step in its wide-ranging program to overhaul its air force with the arrival of its first MC-55A Peregrine. The platform, configured for “airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare” (AISREW), is a highly modified version of the Gulfstream G550 business jet, an increasingly popular choice for adaptation for these kinds of specialist missions.

Aviation photographer @airman941 shared with TWZ photos of the arrival of the MC-55 at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia, its future home base. The jet touched down there at 3:53 p.m. local time today, after a multi-leg delivery flight that took it from the L3Harris facility in Greenville, Texas, to Australia via stopovers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Wake Island; and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

The MC-55, which is still wearing its U.S. civilian test registration N584GA, is one of four currently on order for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), supposedly the third to be built. On its tailfin, the jet already wears the marking of its operating unit, No. 10 Squadron, which previously flew the AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, including the RAAF’s secretive electronic warfare versions.

In 2017, the U.S. State Department gave approval for Australia to purchase up to five of the modified jets, plus their specialized systems. Two years later, Canberra announced the AISREW program, confirming the $1.6-billion acquisition of four of the modified G550 aircraft under Project AIR 555.

By the spring of 2022, the first MC-55 was spotted flying test sorties from Gulfstream’s plant in Savannah, Georgia, as you can read about here.

The MC-55’s comprehensive AISREW suite is reflected in the numerous antennas around the fuselage as well as the huge belly ‘canoe’ and bulbous tail cone containing additional sensors. An unidentified dome projects from below the tail. Below the fuselage, an extensive antenna ‘farm’ likely serves electronic and communications intelligence-gathering and communications relay functions. Other standout features of the modification include a satellite communications array in the dorsal position and a prominent satcom antenna fairing atop the tailfin.

Unlike certain other G550 conversions, the MC-55 lacks the conformal ‘cheek’ fairings that contain active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas, as found on the U.S. Navy’s NC-37B range tracking jet and the U.S. Air Force’s EA-37B Compass Call, for example.

The aircraft is also intended to serve as a networking relay and data-fusion platform. In this way, it will serve as a node within Australia’s joint warfighting network, linking together aircraft such as the F-35A, E-7A Wedgetail, and EA-18G Growler, as well as Royal Australian Navy surface combatants and amphibious ships, and ground forces.

This would involve the MC-55 creating an ‘active net’ across the battlespace, which would also cover lower flying drones and networked cruise missiles, for example, as well as everything else. Such a function is similar to that provided by the U.S. Air Force’s E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN, fleet.

Details of the various sensors have not been revealed, but in the past, we speculated that the belly ‘canoe’ and bulbous tail cone likely contain AESA arrays, which would be used for standoff electronic attacks, as well as intelligence-gathering. Potentially, the antenna below the belly could be multi-function, since AESA radars can be used for both pinpoint electronic attacks as well as for sensing and communications. This could possibly include being used for ground mapping and ground-moving target indication (GMTI) functions, although arrays that are more finely tuned to the electronic attack role seems most likely.

On the other hand, it could be the case that the MC-55 will serve primarily as a passive intelligence-collection platform, without AESAs or other active electronic warfare emitters. Nevertheless, the tail and the large ventral antenna fairings make this less likely.

Regardless of its precise functions, it’s clear that the MC-55 is intended as a multirole aircraft, encompassing a variety of functions that would have previously been distributed across discrete platforms. Putting all of this into a relatively small airframe is aided by advances in miniaturization, more powerful sensors, and the ability to transmit data to other nodes, in near real-time, using high-bandwidth satellite datalinks.

Even the U.S. Air Force’s new EA-37B, which can perform both electronic intelligence-gathering and electronic warfare missions, is likely less flexible than the MC-55. Notably, contractor L3Harris Technologies is responsible for integrating the mission systems on the EA-37B and the MC-55.

Ultimately, the MC-55 has been tailored to meet the requirements of what Australia has dubbed its “fully networked fifth-generation air force.”

Central to this effort is a major expansion of the RAAF’s electronic warfare and ISR capabilities, which we discussed at length in this past TWZ feature. In this regard, Australia has very much taken a lead when it comes to operating at the cutting edge of the radio-frequency spectrum.

It’s worth noting that the RAAF’s key crewed combat aircraft, the F-35A and F/A-18F Super Hornet, are both well-equipped with electronic warfare self-protection equipment, while the EA-18G is a specialist in the field of electronic attack. The opportunity to have all of these and more working closely with the MC-55 as part of a wider electronic attack and electronic intelligence collection ecosystem is significant.

Another area in which the RAAF is playing a pioneering role is in the introduction of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

Australia has already acquired eight MQ-28A Ghost Bat drones, all pre-production prototypes, also referred to as Block 1 aircraft. The service previously awarded Boeing a contract to deliver at least three more examples in the improved Block 2 configuration.

So far, the RAAF has tested the E-7 as a control platform for the MQ-28, including in multi-ship formations. In the future, the MC-55 would also appear to be an ideal platform for this kind of crewed-uncrewed teaming. While the MQ-28 has been used to test-fire the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), electronic warfare is also seen as a very likely future mission. As such, the drone could carry electronic payloads into more contested airspace, working collaboratively with the MC-55, which is not a highly survivable asset. Controlled from aboard the MC-55, the drones could extend the crewed aircraft’s reach, as well as provide an extended-range self-protection escort function.

Operating out of RAAF Base Edinburgh, the home base of the service’s Surveillance and Response Group (SRG), also known as No. 92 Wing, the MC-55 will certainly work closely with maritime surveillance aircraft, in the shape of the P-8A Poseidon (co-located at the same base) and the MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long-endurance drone. At one time, MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones were also planned to join the SRG, before Australia canceled its order and redirected funds elsewhere.

Outside of Base Edinburgh, dedicated MC-55 support facilities are planned for RAAF Base Darwin in the Northern Territory, RAAF Base Townsville in Queensland, and on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, ensuring even greater regional coverage and operational flexibility.

With the growing Chinese military threat in the Indo-Pacific region, evidenced by an increasing number of incidents involving the Australian Defense Force and China’s military, the MC-55 will almost certainly be used to keep tabs on this potential adversary. The aircraft’s ISR capabilities mean it will be well-suited to surveilling Chinese military expansion and monitoring Beijing’s activities in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. In this regard, the option to operate the MC-55 out of the Cocos Islands, deep in the Indian Ocean, approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka, will be especially valuable.

The MC-55 looks set to be one of, if not the most prized, low-density, high-demand assets within the RAAF. It also points to the Gulfstream bizjet as being among the platforms of choice for these kinds of modifications. Platforms like these are becoming increasingly cost-effective, thanks in no small part to steady improvements in jet engine technology, and their popularity has been proven out by continued new orders.

Whether Australia buys more MC-55s remains to be seen. At one time, five were planned, but the program has also suffered from delays. Previously, the first example had been slated for delivery in 2022.

For the time being, however, the Royal Australian Air Force will be looking forward to the introduction to service of its first MC-55A Peregrine, an aircraft that is set to radically enhance its wider ISR and electronic warfare capabilities.

With thanks to @airman941 for sharing photos with us. You can find more of his work here.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

KATIE Price’s concerned family even “haven’t met” her new fiance yet, and fear she’s “moving too fast” after her split from JJ Slater just weeks ago.

Mum-of-five, Katie, 47, sent fans wild yesterday when she announced she was set to get married for a FOURTH time.

Katie‘s latest whirlwind romance is with Dubai-based businessman Lee Andrews.

The star announced the big news that she had got engaged again on her Instagram stories yesterday, leaving fans shocked.

The post included a picture of rose petals arranged to read “will you marry me?”.

Katie also showed off her huge new diamond engagement ring.

TIME TO REFLECT

JJ Slater says ‘do not disturb’ as ex Katie Price reveals shock engagement

KATE ESCAPE

The TRUTH about Katie Price’s split with JJ Slater as pals reveal ‘real reason’

But The Sun can reveal that fans aren’t the only ones to find out about the reality star’s surprise engagement on Instagram – according to sources, her family did too.

An insider exclusively told us: “The family found out about the engagement on Instagram – they were stunned.

“It came as a massive shock to them all.”

Our source added: “Katie’s family are so worried as it’s all happening so fast.

“They were upset when she split with JJ and now they haven’t even met this new man and she’s engaged.”

The Sun has contacted Katie’s representative for comment.

Katie’s family’s concern comes as this latest engagement is her NINTH – and will be her FOURTH marriage.

It comes as the star shocked fans further when she unveiled her latest tattoo today.

Posting on Instagram Stories, her new fiance Lee shared a sweet pic of the couple holding hands.

However, on Katie’s left hand you can clearly see his name inked on it.

SPLITTING FROM JJ – JUST WEEKS AGO

It was only a few weeks ago that Katie was in a relationship with JJ Slater.

But, after a lot of speculation, she very recently confirmed they had parted ways.

“I don’t wanna waste my time,” Katie bluntly said on her podcast.

“You know, if I’m not loved up and it’s not going, these are mistakes I’ve made in the past.

“You stay, just go along, and then it ends up getting nasty.

“Yeah. And I don’t want that. So I’d rather have nipped it in the bud sooner rather than later.

“But yeah, I was there at Christmas, because, you know, the family and stuff, because it was already arranged, but it was over ages ago, really.”

JJ’S REACTION TO ENGAGEMENT NEWS

As news that his ex had got engaged just weeks after their split, JJ fled the country for some time alone.

The Married At First Sight star shared a clip of himself going on a hike on a winter sun break.

He set the short video to Drake‘s song Do Not Disturb.

This could be his way of saying he needs some time to think after his ex’s shock news.

JJ wrote over the top of the clip: “Staying on track even when daily routine changes.

“Simple, achievable and enjoyable plans put together, all I have to do is do the work.”

Katie Price’s relationship history

We take a look back at the highs and lows of Katie Price’s relationship history.

1996-1998: Katie got engaged to Gladiators star Warren Furman – aka Ace – with a £3,000 ring. But their relationship didn’t make it as far as ‘I do’.

1998-2000: Katie described Dane Bowers as ‘the love of her life’ but she broke up with the singer after he allegedly cheated on her.

2001: Footballer Dwight Yorke is the father of Katie’s eldest child Harvey. He has had very little to do with his son throughout his life.

2002: Rebounding from Dwight, Katie famously had one night of passion with Pop Idol star Gareth Gates, allegedly taking his virginity.

2002-2004: Katie was dating Scott Sullivan when she entered the jungle for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!. He threatened to “punch Peter’s lights out” when chemistry blossomed between her and Peter Andre.

2004-2009: The jungle romance resulted in Katie marrying Aussie pop star Peter. They had two kids, Junior and Princess, before their bitter split in 2009.

2010-2011: Fresh from her break-up with Peter, Katie enjoyed a whirlwind relationship and marriage with cage fighter Alex Reid. They split 20 months after their Las Vegas wedding.

2011: Katie briefly dated model Danny Cipriani… but it ended as quickly as it begun.

2011-2012: They didn’t speak the same language, but Katie got engaged to Argentinian model Leandro Penna in 2011. He later fled home to South America.

2012-2018: Wedding bells rang once more after Katie met Kieran Hayler in 2013. They had two kids together, Jett and Bunny, before their break-up and divorce.

2018-2019: Katie moved on quickly with Kris Boyson. They had an on-off romance for one year and even got engaged. They split for good in 2019.

2019: Katie was linked to Charles Drury during her on-off relationship with Kris. Charles, who also dated Lauren Goodger, has always denied being in “official relationship” with her.

2020-2023: Car salesman Carl Woods took a shine to Katie in 2020. Their relationship was up and down for three years. They broke up for a final time last year.

2024-2026: After weeks of rumours, Katie confirmed her relationship with Married At First Sight star JJ Slater in February 2024. The pair split in January 2026 after two years together.

2026: Katie shocked fans when she revealed she is engaged to businessman Lee Andrews.

Protesters march in icy conditions to protest against the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies, demanding ICE leave the city.

Thousands of demonstrators have braved bitter cold to march through the streets of Minneapolis in the United States and demand an end to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in their city.

Friday’s march started with temperatures as low as minus 29 Celsius (minus 20 Fahrenheit), with organisers saying that as many as 50,000 people took to the streets, a figure that could not be independently verified.

Many demonstrators later gathered indoors at the Target Center, a sports arena with a capacity of 20,000.

Organisers and participants said dozens of businesses across Minnesota closed for the day as part of the “ICE OUT!” show of defiance that organisers billed as a general strike.

Workers headed to street protests and marches, which followed weeks of sometimes violent confrontations between US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and protesters opposed to Trump’s surge.

“It is 23 degrees below zero but the stores are closed and these demonstrators are out braving the coldest day on record since 2019 all to send a simple message to ICE: Get Out,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren said, reporting from Minneapolis.

Just a day earlier, US Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis in a demonstration of support for ICE officers and to ask local leaders and activists to reduce tensions, saying ICE was carrying out an important mission to detain immigration violators.

In one of the more dramatic protests, local police arrested dozens of clergy members who sang hymns and prayed as they knelt on a road at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, calling for Trump to withdraw the 3,000 federal law enforcement officers sent to the area.

Organisers said their demands included legal accountability for the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good, a US citizen, in her car this month as she monitored ICE activities.

They ignored commands to clear the road by officers from local police departments, who arrested and zip-tied dozens of the protesters, without resistance, before putting them onto buses.

Organisers said about 100 clergy members were arrested.

‘Largest strike’

Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit advocacy group that helped organise the protest, said the clergy were also calling attention to airport and airline workers, who they said had been detained by ICE at work. The group asked that airline companies “stand with Minnesotans in calling for ICE to immediately end its surge in the state”.

Across the state, bars, restaurants and shops were closing for the day, organisers said, in what was intended to be the largest display yet of opposition to the federal government’s surge.

“Make no mistake, we are facing a full federal occupation by the United States government through the arm of ICE on unceded Dakota land,” said Rachel Dionne-Thunder, vice president of the Indigenous Protector Movement.

She was one of a series of Indigenous, religious, labour and community leaders to speak, calling on ICE to withdraw and for a thorough investigation into Good’s shooting.

Trump, a Republican, was elected in 2024 largely on his platform of enforcing immigration laws, with a promise to crack down on violent criminals, saying his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, was too lax in border security.

But Trump’s aggressive deployment of federal law enforcement into Democratic-led cities and states has further spurred political polarisation in the US, especially since the shooting of Good, the detention of a US citizen who was taken from his home in his underwear, and the detention of schoolchildren, including a five-year-old boy.

The numerous Fortune 500 companies that call Minnesota home have refrained from public statements about the immigration raids.