Tag Archive for: Fighter

706th Fighter Squadron redesignated as the 706th Aggressor Squadron > 926th Wing > Article Display



The 926th Wing’s 706th Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the 706th Aggressor Squadron during a ceremony on May 5, 2023, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The redesignation goes into effect on May 14.

As Nellis’ third aggressor squadron, the 706th’s mission focuses on continuing to know, teach, and replicate fourth-generation aggressor air adversaries. The shift in mission set allows the 64th and 65th AGRS to pursue the next generation of air defense and Nellis’ endeavor towards becoming the 5th Generation Center of Excellence.

Lt. Col. Owen Birckett, 706th AGRS commander, retired the 706th FS flag for a new 706th AGRS guidon. During the event, the squadron commander recognized the redesignation as another milestone in the reserve unit’s integration with the 57th and 53rd Wings in support of U.S. Warfare Center operations at Nellis.

The first part of this integration happened more than a year ago when 706th FS Cyberspace Operations officers and Cyber Warfare Operations Airmen shifted to offensive cyber ops with the 57th Information Aggressor Squadron.

“These are cyber professionals who are testing and exploiting the vulnerabilities of our mission systems, whether it’s software or hardware, to train for the next fight,” Birckett said. “The flying portion of the 706th AGRS is just the second part of that integration plan.”

The 706th AGRS is one of four aggressor squadrons in the U.S. Air Force to own fighter aircraft. By the end of this year, they’ll receive their fleet of F-16 Block 30s to accomplish their dedicated mission.

“We will continue to challenge our future weapons officers and the Combat Air Forces with the highest fidelity air combat training available by providing the most capable and experienced Airmen we can to Aggressor Nation,” said Col. Sean Rassas, 926th Wing commander.

The 706th Fighter Squadron’s flying operations moved from New Orleans Naval Air Station to Nellis Air Force Base in 2007 and is assigned to the 926th Operations Group.

For 16 years, the 706th has been fully integrated into approximately 20 active-duty units at the installation and performs cohesive missions like Aircrew Flight…

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Five vengeful ways US could hit back after Russia fighter jet downs Reaper drone


RUSSIA and the US are facing a crisis after a Russian fighter jet brought down a US reaper drone.

The incident over the Black Sea marks the first time since the height of the Cold War that an American aircraft has been brought down by the Russians.

And the US has warned it could escalate into war as fears of miscalculation are now looming over Putin’s bloody war in Ukraine.

The drone was taken down while flying over the Black Sea near Russian occupied Crimea – close to the current frontline.

US officials said the Russian Su-27 jet struck the propeller of the MQ-9 Reaper drone resulting in it crash landing in the sea and its loss.

Prior to the collision, which happened at 7am local time, two Su-27s had “dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9” in a “reckless” and “unprofessional” manner.

Horrified US military personnel in Germany watched a live feed from the drone as the Russian jets repeatedly flew around it, dumping fuel to damage cameras and sensors, reported New York Times.

Senior US officials have been worried for months that some sort of incident over the Black Sea could lead to a miscommunication and confrontation.

And predictably, the Russians denied everything – instead claiming the Reaper crashed due to a mistake by the pilot.

But what are the options for the US should they wish to respond to the Russians?

MISSILE STRIKES

The most direct form of retaliation – and of course the most dangerous – would be a direct attack on Russian targets.

It was a course of action contemplated by Donald Trump back in 2019 when the Iranians shot down a US surveillance drone with a missile.

The president had reportedly initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries.

But despite saying the US has been “cocked and loaded” to attack he called off the strike with 10 minutes to spare after being told that the airstrike might kill as many as 150 people.

But unlike the Iranian incident, the US appear to be chalking up this drone drama to reckless accident rather than a deliberate aggressive action.

So this lowers the chances of Washington taking military action in response.

Also – any attack on the Russian military risks the…

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True crime stories – A day in the life of a cybercrime fighter [Audio + Text] – Naked Security


Paul Ducklin talks to Peter Mackenzie, Director of Incident Response at Sophos, in a cybersecurity session that will alarm, amuse and educate you, all in equal measure.

[MUSICAL MODEM]


PAUL DUCKLIN.  Welcome to the Naked Security podcast, everybody.

This episode is taken from one of this year’s Security SOS Week sessions.

We’re talking to Peter Mackenzie, the Director of Incident Response at Sophos.

Now, he and his team… they are like a cross between the US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy Special Boat Service.

They go steaming in where angels fear to tread – into networks that are already under attack – and sort things out.

Because this episode was originally presented in video form for streaming, the audio quality isn’t great, but I think you’ll agree that the content is interesting, important and informative, all in equal measure.

[MORSE CODE]

[ROBOT VOICE: Sophos Security SOS]


DUCK.  Today’s topic is: Incident response – A day in the life of a cyberthreat responder.

Our guest today is none other than Peter Mackenzie.

And Peter is Director of Incident Response at Sophos.


PETER MACKENZIE.  Yes.


DUCK.  So, Peter… “incident response for cybersecurity.”

Tell us what that typically involves, and why (unfortunately) you often need to get called in.


PETER.  Typically, we’re brought in either just after an attack or while one is still unfolding.

We deal with a lot of ransomware, and victims need help understanding what happened.

How did the attacker get in?

How did they do what they did?

Did they steal anything?

And how do they get back to normal operations as quickly and as safely as possible?


DUCK.  And I guess the problem with many ransomware attacks is…

…although they get all the headlines for obvious reasons, that’s often the end of what could have been a long attack period, sometimes with more than one load of crooks having been in the network?


PETER.  Yes.

I describe ransomware as the “receipt” they leave at the end.


DUCK.  Oh, dear.


PETER.  And it is, really – it’s the ransom demand.


DUCK.  Yes, because you can’t help but notice it, can you?

The wallpaper has got flaming skulls on it… the ransom…

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India Urgently Needs Fighter Squadrons


Emphasising induction of modern aircraft to sustain and enhance the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat potential, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has said that force urgently needs 5-6 squadrons of 4.5 generation aircraft. Air power remains the most potent means of prosecuting war. It provides long range, precision, and flexibility. Modern fighters are omni-role, thus can do multiple missions in a single sortie. The ranges have been extended with aerial refuelling. The AEW&C gives cover deep in enemy territory.

India is one of the most threatened nations in the world. It has two nuclear weapon-possessing neighbours. With both there are serious boundary disputes, wars and border skirmishes. For long it is very clear that for ground or sea war to be won there is a need for dominance in the air. The fighter aircraft remains the most potent platform for both offensive and defensive operations. While many are predicting the future to be unmanned, practically all the fifth and sixth generation fighters that will see the world through this century are evolving as manned fighters.

The IAF today is at an all-time low of 30 fighter squadrons. The government has already announced that the four remaining MiG-21 Bison squadrons will be retired by 2025. In this period, only around two squadrons of LCA, at best, will induct. This would mean further depletion of the squadron strength. At the same time Pakistan Air Force (PAF) currently has over 450 fighter aircraft in 22 fighter squadrons. China has nearly 59 fighter brigades in the theatre commands with each having 24-28 aircraft. Additional 20 plus Brigades are with the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) HQ at Beijing. China also has additional air power with the PLA Navy (PLAN) with nearly 500 aircraft and an expanding number of aircraft carriers. Clearly India’s neighbours are expanding air power. Significant part of the PLAAF may be committed on China’s Pacific front, but air power’s speed and flexibility allows forces to be brought to bear in other sectors in a short period.

J-20 Fighter. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Growing PLAAF: Know the Adversary

With the support of indigenous industry which is producing all genres of aerial platforms, PLAAF is fast acquiring…

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