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The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. With the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which is supposed to include a crewed New Generation Fighter (NGF) aircraft, mired in difficulty, Airbus has raised the possibility of teaming with Saab on the manned tactical component of it — the fighter. As well as France and Germany, Spain is a part of the pan-European FCAS as a junior partner, while Belgium has also joined it. The recent statements mark one of the clearest indications yet that Airbus is actively exploring post-FCAS…

Stephen Thompson has named three major points that could help welterweight contenders solve the Islam Makhachev puzzle. Makhachev moved up to 170 pounds last year. In his debut, he dethroned Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 to become the undisputed welterweight titleholder and also regained his pound-for-pound spot. He’s expected to make his first title defense in August against Ian Machado Garry. Other than Garry, Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and Kamaru Usman are also in the mix for a title shot. Meanwhile, the 43-year-old Thompson has some advice that can help Makhachev’s future opponents. How to beat Islam Makhachev? Stephen…

American Rheinmetall, and Harbinger have formed a partnership to develop and field a family of robotic and uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) in support of U.S. Department of War (DoW) modernization priorities. The teaming pairs American Rheinmetall’s combat-proven vehicle integration, mission systems, and modular architecture development with Harbinger’s commercially based, autonomy-ready hybrid vehicle platform to deliver affordable, scalable robotic solutions that can be fielded at the pace of relevance. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly pursue current and emerging DoW programs where commercial-derived, hybrid-electric, and fully drive-by-wire architectures can accelerate the delivery of robotic combat, logistics, and sustainment capabilities. Initial…

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 27: Glover Teixeira holds an open training session for fans and media during UFC 267 open workouts at W Hotel on October 27, 2021 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

When Vietnam-era veterans develop Parkinson’s disease, the Department of Veterans Affairs attributes it to Agent Orange exposure. Now, thanks to new VA-funded research, they and other veterans who face elevated risks of neurodegenerative diseases could have a clue to a future treatment — one that doesn’t involve drugs. Your brain has a waste disposal system. It works best when you’re in deep sleep, pumping cerebrospinal fluid through brain tissue to carry away toxic proteins that build up during the day. When that system breaks down, those proteins accumulate. In Parkinson’s disease, clumps of a misfolded protein called alpha-synuclein build up…

For years, U.S. President Donald Trump berated his predecessors for plunging the country into “forever wars” in the Middle East. His war on Iran may not last forever, but he is now finding it very hard to extricate the United States from a conflict that he has good reason to regret.Over the weekend, Trump insisted that a deal to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was “largely negotiated” and nearly done. Iranian officials also suggested that they were close to agreeing to a memorandum of understanding with the United States that would stop fighting on…

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — L3Harris is pushing forward with production of its Iver4 900 autonomous undersea vehicle (AUV) under a previously unknown Defense Innovation Unit effort that is looking to deliver a torpedo tube launch and recovery (TTL&R) autonomous drone to the U.S. Navy’s attack submarine fleet. The AUV will be delivered across multiple classes of attack submarines that will operate the drone as an underwater loyal wingman performing mine warfare, forward intelligence, and seabed mapping missions. Naval News received an update on the program’s status with JR Gear, VP and General Manager of Integrated Systems and Encryption during the…

Elbit Systems president and CEO Bezhalel Machlis. Credit: Elbit Systems via LinkedIn. Elbit Systems has secured an approximately $1.4bn contract from an undisclosed European customer to support military modernisation programmes.  The contract, set to be carried out over five years, covers a range of activities designed to improve manoeuvrability and survivability across the battle domain.  Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more Elbit Systems will deliver a number of solutions including uncrewed autonomous systems, advanced networked land electronic warfare systems, and precision-guided munitions for artillery and air-to-ground…

Kunimitsu is the first character that’ll be released for Season 3 of Tekken 8. She’ll precede Bob, Roger Jr. and Yujiro Hanma from the Grappler Baki series. As a standalone character, Kunimitsu will become available on June 1, but those with Season 3 Pass will gain early access to her starting on May 28 (May 27 for those of us living in the West). Of course, this means that a new patch will need to be released to…

The Federal Aviation Administration has added 40% more staff to review health certifications of pilots and air traffic controllers after an employee blew the whistle on severe shortfalls that allegedly endangered the public. The backlog may have led to hundreds of pilots flying who should not have been medically cleared to do so and delayed hiring efforts for new controllers, the whistleblower alleged to the Office of Special Counsel. OSC, which reviews allegations from federal whistleblowers, recommended the FAA employee for a monetary award as a result of his disclosure. “I thank the whistleblower for coming forward and their steadfast commitment to…