Washington

President Trump on Friday announced that the U.S. Air Force is moving ahead with a sixth-generation fighter jet known as the F-47, with Boeing being awarded the contract to manufacture the new aircraft.

"At my direction, the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world's first sixth-generation fighter jet," the president said alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an Oval Office announcement. "Nothing in the world comes even close to it. And it will be known as the F-47."

Boeing and Lockheed Martin had been in competition to build the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, as the U.S. looks to stay ahead of China when it comes to air defense technology.

The president said the F-47 is "the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built," calling it "virtually unseeable" with "unprecedented power" and excellent maneuverability. Mr. Trump said a "an experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years, and we're confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation."

"America's enemies will never see it coming, hopefully we won't have to use it for that purpose, but you have to have it," Mr. Trump said. "And if it ever happens, they won't know what the hell hit them." 

The president said a new F-47 fleet will be built while he's in office. He told reporters he can't say how much the jets cost "because it would give away to some of the technology." 

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-f-47-boeing-contract/

The European Commission on Wednesday introduced a comprehensive plan to enhance the European Union’s (EU) defense capabilities, aiming to bolster military readiness and reduce reliance on non-EU allies amid uncertainty over future U.S. support for NATO.
“The security architecture that we relied on can no longer be taken for granted. Europe is ready to step up. We must invest in defense, strengthen our capabilities, and take a proactive approach to security,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
At the core of the plan is the White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030, and a defense package providing financial levers to EU member states for boosting investment in defense capabilities. These are part of the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, the Commission said.
The white paper outlines key priorities, including addressing critical defense gaps identified by EU member states and strengthening Europe’s defense industry through increased joint procurement efforts.

It also emphasizes the need to increase military support for Ukraine and expand the EU-wide defense market by streamlining regulations to improve efficiency and cooperation. Currently, EU nations operate a wide array of different weapons systems, limiting interoperability and efficiency.
The new blueprint was unveiled ahead of a summit of EU government leaders, where European defense remains a top agenda topic.

Source: Xinhua

North Korea says it has conducted a test-firing of its latest anti-aircraft missile system with the country's leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the launch.

State-run Korean Central Television reported on Friday that the Missile Administration conducted the test the previous day. It said the missile system has entered full-scale production. It said Kim gave a positive assessment of the test results. Kim reportedly said the country's military will be equipped with another major defense weapon system. A South Korean expert pointed out that North Korea may have received air defense technological and equipment assistance from Russia in return for dispatching troops. Sources related to the South Korean military said on Friday that North Korea launched several missiles from near Onchon in western North Korea toward the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula at about 9 a.m. on Thursday.

The South Korean military, in coordination with the United States, is reportedly analyzing the missile types and monitoring North Korea's movements.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250321_15/

MOSCOW, March 21 

Russia's foreign ministry said Thursday that Ukraine had breached a proposed 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure by striking a Russian oil depot, according to media reports.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russia's Channel One that the United States, which had proposed the ceasefire, was responsible for holding Ukraine accountable for its actions.

Her comments came after a Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.

A statement released by local authorities on Thursday evening noted that efforts to contain the fire were ongoing.

U.S. President Donald Trump held separate phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week. According to White House statements, Trump and Putin agreed that "the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire," while Trump and Zelensky "agreed on a partial ceasefire against energy."

The Ukrainian side also accused Russia of violating its pledges. Hours after Putin's phone call with Trump, Zelensky said there had been "hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure," including a hospital in Sumy.

Late on Thursday, Russian forces launched a mass drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa, injuring three people and damaging an apartment building and a shopping center, according to the regional governor. 

Source: https://english.news.cn/20250321/d54ccb0f87494df4935ceb269aca6106/c.html

The European Council, which convened on Thursday, failed to make any practical decisions on more military aid to the Kiev government.

The final statement of the meeting makes no mention of the 40-billion-euro military aid package, proposed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, or its reduced variant worth five billion euro.

The document was signed by 26 EU member states, because Hungary blocked the adoption of a joint statement. It says that the European Council will return to discussions on the subject during its next meeting, scheduled for late June.

Source: https://tass.com/world/1931527

Britain's defense ministry says up to 250,000 Russian troops have died since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The ministry posted on social media on Thursday that Russian forces have likely sustained about 900,000 casualties, and 200,000 to 250,000 of these have been killed. It says the deaths are Russia's largest losses since the World War Two.

The ministry says Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military leadership are almost certainly prepared to tolerate high casualty rates so long as this does not negatively affect public or elite support for the war, and those losses can be replaced.

It also says Putin and the leadership highly likely place significantly less value on the lives of ethnic minority Russian citizens from impoverished regions, where military recruitment efforts have been focused.

It adds that Slavic Russians from urban centers such as Moscow have contributed disproportionately fewer service personnel than poorer, ethnic minorities.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250321_10/

France will upgrade one of its main air bases along its border with Germany to host Rafale fighter planes armed with nuclear cruise missiles, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. 

The Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur base in eastern France hosted nuclear weapons until 2011, when the planes were relocated to a different site. 

 “The Luxeuil air base is about to be upgraded in an unprecedented way and regain its full role in France’s nuclear deterrent,” Macron said.

“By 2035, Luxeuil will be the first base to host the next version of the Rafale and its hypersonic nuclear missiles,” the president announced. He added that the garrison will double in size to nearly 2,000 military and civilian personnel to accommodate two Rafale squadrons. 

The government will spend €1.5 billion ($1.64 billion) to modernize the base.

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/614466-macro-nuclear-rafael-base/

Members of the United Nations Security Council discussed the airstrikes that Israel carried out in Gaza on Tuesday. Many called for the ceasefire to be reestablished. However, the United States pushed back on the idea.

Health authorities in Gaza say the attacks killed at least 404 people. The Palestinian Permanent Observer to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said, "Palestinians are being killed indiscriminately, are being denied humanitarian aid indiscriminately, are being maimed and detained indiscriminately."

Envoys from the UK, France and Russia joined Mansour in urging an immediate end to the fighting.

But the acting US Ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, blamed the attacks on Hamas. She said, "It is well known that Hamas continues to use civilian infrastructure as launching pads, and the United States condemns this practice, as should others."

Israel's envoy said the attack was necessary because the militants have refused to release Israeli hostages.

Basem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, told NHK his group will not give in. He said: "If Israel and the US believe that putting pressure on Hamas will lead to the release of the hostages, that's an illusion. We do not want to fight. But if it is necessary, we will defend ourselves by all means."

Naim added that the hostages will be released only when Israeli forces make a complete withdrawal from Gaza and when negotiators join talks on efforts to rebuild.

Source: NHK World

Israeli forces say they have conducted extensive airstrikes on targets belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday.

Palestinian health ministry officials reported at least 200 dead and many of the dead were children. This is believed to be the largest air attack on Gaza since a ceasefire took hold in the enclave in January.

Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip.

Source: Reuters

The Israeli military has been conducting sporadic strikes in the Gaza Strip, as talks on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement continue.

Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas remain at odds over the second phase of the deal. The second phase calls for a complete withdrawal of Israel's troops from the territory and a permanent end to the fighting.

But Israel's assaults in Gaza have continued sporadically. Local media outlets report that one person was killed and several others were wounded during an Israeli drone attack in a central part of the territory on Sunday.

The attack came one day after nine people were killed in an Israeli assault in northern Gaza.

Health authorities in the Strip said on Sunday that 48,572 people have died since the current conflict began in October of 2023.

Source: NHK World