Agrégateur de flux

Summary and Key Points: The F-16X, also known as the Falcon 2000, was a proposed evolution of the F-16 Fighting Falcon that incorporated advanced features inspired by the F-22 Raptor. It featured a tailless design, thrust-vectoring engines, and composite materials for enhanced stealth, maneuverability, and fuel efficiency.

-The F-16X was envisioned as a cost-effective, next-generation warplane with advanced avionics and longer range, potentially serving as an affordable alternative to the F-35 Lightning II.

-Despite its potential, the F-16X was never produced, leaving it as one of the most intriguing "what ifs" in U.S. Air Force history.

The F-16X Should Have Become the Primary Warplane for the USAF

The U.S. Air Force’s greatest warplane until the F-22 Raptor came along was the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Believe it or not, though, the F-16 could have been even greater. Over the decades, multiple proposals have forwarded some frankly wild variants of the F-16. 

One of those was the F-16X, otherwise known as the Falcon 2000.

The F-16X would have gone into production in 2010 had the Pentagon approved the proposal. It incorporated many designs inspired by the F-22 Raptor.

Newer composite materials were planned to be used in the construction of this warplane. The bird’s weight would thus have been greatly reduced, increasing the aircraft’s overall performance. The F-16X also included a new wing design inspired by the F-22. These new wings were more aerodynamically sound. They increased the plane’s life and reduced drag. The bird could go faster than its F-16 predecessor and had much better maneuverability. 

The F-16X was meant to be stealthier than the F-16. Between its composite skin and its tailless structure, the F-16X would have been difficult for enemies to track with their radar. Thus, an F-16X in combat would have considerable advantages over any enemy aircraft. 

The proposed F-16X was ahead of its time in other ways. 

Some Key Features 

One key design feature for the F-16X was that it was meant to be a tailless bird that used thrust-vectoring engines to direct the plane in flight. These capabilities were lightyears ahead of the original F-16.They were unlike anything the Air Force was operating other than its fifth-generation warplanes. 

The tailless design would also appear in the X-44 MANTA warplane proposed as a follow-on to the successful F-22 program. When the X-44 never made it off the drawing board, the dream of a tailless, vector-thrust-powered bird shifted into the plans for the Air Force’s sixth-generation warplane, the Next Generation Air Dominance.

The F-16X’s engines were meant to increase fuel efficiency and range while reducing the amount of aerial refueling needed for long-distance missions. According to F-16.net, the proposed F-16X, “would have twice the range of the F/A-18 E/F at two-thirds the cost.” 

According to Key Aero, the increased fuel efficiency and range of the F-16X would have allowed it to carry an even more incredible suite of armaments than its F-16 brother. 

This bird had an impressive array of new systems that would ultimately be incorporated into future variants of the F-16, as well as other Air Force planes. The F-16X had an improved cockpit layout, possessing a better ergonomic design and multiple advanced display systems.

The F-16X had a very advanced avionics package and sensor suite as well. It was built with state-of-the-art radar and electronic warfare capabilities, along with advanced targeting systems that allowed the F-16X to engage targets with more precision at greater distances. 

An Affordable F-35?

America’s F-16X was a tale of what could have been. A truly next-generation design for a fraction of what supposed next-generation warplanes cost, it probably would have been a better selection than even the F-35 Lightning II, which has become the U.S. military’s primary warplane in the last decade. The F-16X included next-generation capabilities at competitive prices.

They were also easier to build and maintain, since the supply chain was already primed for supporting the mission of the F-16. 

Alas, the government, in its infinite wisdom, opted instead to leave the F-16X on the drawing board in favor of the F-35. 

It is fun to speculate about what might have been. And the F-16X is one of the biggest “what ifs” out there.

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

From the Vault

Russia Freaked Out: Why the U.S. Navy 'Unretired' the Iowa-Class Battleships

Battleship vs. Battlecruiser: Iowa-Class vs. Russia's Kirov-Class (Who Wins?)

Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.

L’ambassade de Russie en Algérie a annoncé ce jeudi 8 août une série de nouvelles mesures concernant ses services consulaires, y compris les demandes de […]

L’article Demandes de VISA : l’ambassade de Russie en Algérie impose de nouvelles règles strictes est apparu en premier sur .

Les acteurs du Projet de renforcement de la production du maïs et de la contractualisation (PROMAC) sont réunis à Bobo-Dioulasso, ce jeudi 8 août 2024, pour faire le bilan de leurs activités. La cérémonie d'ouverture des travaux a été présidée par le directeur des programmes d'OXFAM au Burkina Faso, Karim Séré, représentant son directeur pays.

893 producteurs des régions de la Boucle du Mouhoun et des Cascades mobilisés, 1 945 hectares engagés, 4 781 tonnes de production atteintes, 2 100 tonnes de maïs livrées. Ce sont là les statistiques clés du projet présentées par le représentant du directeur pays d'OXFAM Burkina, Karim Séré. Au-delà de ces statistiques, il a indiqué que ce projet a permis de renforcer la résilience des producteurs, à améliorer la sécurité alimentaire, à créer des opportunités économiques pour les producteurs et à favoriser le développement d'une agriculture plus durable.

Les participants présents à l'atelier bilan du projet

« Cet atelier est pour nous, l'occasion de dresser le bilan de nos réalisations, d'identifier les difficultés rencontrées et de définir les prochaines étapes », a-t-il éclairé. Avant de préciser qu'OXFAM, en tant qu'opérateur du projet, a permis de mettre en contact les producteurs et l'acheteur, d'œuvrer à ce que le projet se déroule dans de bonnes conditions sur le terrain. OXFAM a apporté également l'appui conseil technique, l'appui organisationnel et financier nécessaire pour la mise en œuvre du projet.

Karim Séré, représentant du directeur pays d'OXFAM Burkina, donnant les statistiques du projet

« Si déjà en début de campagne, vous avez un contrat en bonne et due forme, cela vous encourage à investir dans votre production afin d'augmenter le rendement, car on est sûr de pouvoir vendre et à un prix intéressant », a salué Karim Séré. A l'en croire, ce vaste programme est mis en place par le ministère en charge de l'agriculture, en collaboration avec l'Agence française de développement et l'Union européenne. Ce projet a débuté en 2020, pour une durée de quatre ans. Il a précisé que ce projet est un « projet pilote » qui consiste à tirer toutes les leçons et voir comment vulgariser l'agriculture contractuelle.

La photo de famille des participants à l'atelier

Et à cette étape du projet, il trouve que les résultats sont concluants malgré les difficultés rencontrées. Il se réjouit ainsi que des relations fiables et sérieuses soient tissées entre les producteurs et l'acheteur. Pour lui, la préoccupation actuelle c'est de pouvoir maintenir cette relation après la fin du projet.
Au nom des bénéficiaires, Laurent Domboué a exprimé sa satisfaction au regard des résultats du projet. Il reconnaît que grâce à ce projet, les producteurs ont eu des relations avec les acheteurs et ont pu écouler leurs productions.

« En début de campagne, on s'assoit avec les acheteurs, on discute pour arrêter un prix sur la tonne. Puis, nous producteurs, nous prenons l'engagement de fournir la quantité convenue avec les acheteurs », a-t-il expliqué.
Il a par ailleurs salué cette méthode qui, selon lui, encourage le producteur à travailler à dégager des excédents tout en sachant qu'il y'aura un marché rémunérateur. Il a ajouté que le projet a également permis de renforcer les capacités des producteurs sur la qualité des graines post-récolte qui, une fois ignorée, peut entraîner des pertes considérables pour le producteur.

Laurent Domboué a salué l'initiative du projet au nom des bénéficiaires

En outre, dit-il, « l'avènement du projet a occasionné la réduction du coût de production dans l'association du fumier organique avec l'engrais minéral ». Ainsi, les producteurs ayant constaté la réussite du projet souhaitent qu'il y'ait une autre phase à grande échelle, afin de toucher beaucoup de producteurs.

Romuald Dofini
Lefaso.net

Le Républicain a annoncé, ce jeudi, qu'il souhaitait débattre trois fois en septembre avec son adversaire démocrate. Une demande qui intervient alors Kamala Harris, monte en puissance dans les sondages.

Le recteur de l'Université des sciences de l'information et de la communication (UNISIC), Jean Kambayi Bwatshia am appelé, jeudi 8 août, les étudiants et l'ensemble du personnel à reprendre leurs activités.

Il a lancé cet appel un jour après la délégation syndicale de cet établissement universitaire a lancé un mouvement de grève.

Presidential candidates dread sudden reversals of fortune in a campaign’s final weeks. Modern-day “October Surprises” include Richard Nixon prematurely announcing a Vietnam peace agreement (1972), Iran refusing to release U.S. hostages until after Election Day (1980), and Mitt Romney taped belittling less-wealthy voters (2012). 

Yet, the biggest “surprise” for an incumbent president nearly took place in the fall of 1864 when Abraham Lincoln was in the White House. In going against George McClellan, the Democratic Party nominee, many in the GOP and Lincoln’s cabinet weren’t certain he could win again.

Despite the Union Army advancing to Richmond, the Civil War had already lasted nearly four years, resulting in more than 600,000 deaths. Many Americans were eager for peace—even if it meant allowing the Confederacy to become its own nation. Against that backdrop, rebel spies positioned themselves along our northern border with British Canada.

Their Northwest Conspiracy was led by Jacob Thompson, a former cabinet secretary under President James Buchanan and now a Southern sympathizer. Given $1 million in gold by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Thompson’s assignment was to direct a clandestine operation along the border. One of his first targets was the USS Michigan, which was the only Union warship left on the Great Lakes late in 1864. 

Anchored off Sandusky, Ohio, the iron-hulled steamer had a thirty-pound parrot rifle, a half-dozen howitzers, and additional firepower. In mid-September, rebel leader John Yates Beall led a raiding party from the Detroit area to seize the Michigan. A private in the “Stonewall Brigade” at the war’s onset, Beall had shifted to piracy and espionage.

By this point in the Civil War, British Canada had become a haven for rebel spies and their supporters. John Wilkes Booth, who would soon assassinate Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, was a visitor to Montreal. Julian Sher, author of The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln, says the Catholic Church helped one of Booth’s accomplices hide out for months. Also, a leading financier in Montreal allowed Confederates to launder money through his bank.

In fact, when Booth was killed near Port Royal, Virginia, in late April 1865, less than two weeks after shooting Lincoln, a banknote from the Ontario Bank branch in Montreal was found in his pocket. It was signed by bank manager Henry Starnes, the former and future mayor of Montreal. 

Beall and Booth knew of each other and perhaps met at John Brown’s execution in Harper’s Ferry in 1859. Ironically, Brown’s son, John Jr., who lived on an island near Sandusky, nearly derailed the rebels’ plan in 1864 to take the Michigan. 

While Booth’s plots were haphazard, spurred by hatred for Lincoln, Beall’s raids, first on the Chesapeake Bay and then on Lake Erie, were backed by Confederate officials in Richmond.

Arriving by nightfall at Sandusky Harbor on September 19, 1864, Beall moved the steamship he had stolen into position near the Michigan. Everything went smoothly until a signal from the shore wasn’t posted. This was supposed to indicate that the warship’s officers and crew were incapacitated by spiked liquor at a party. When no flare was seen, Beall’s crew got cold feet, and the rebel leader had to flee back across Lake Erie.  

That’s how close the 1864 presidential election came to an “October Surprise.” If Beall had captured the Union warship, he planned to free Confederate prisoners on Johnson’s Island, outside of Sandusky Harbor and not far from where the Michigan was anchored. Approximately 3,000 rebels were imprisoned there, including twenty officers. From there, the Confederates could have bombarded Cleveland, Buffalo, and other targets along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

In the end, the 1864 presidential election was a landslide for the Republican Party. Lincoln won the Electoral College by 212-21 and 55 percent of the popular vote. But what’s rarely mentioned in history textbooks is how the Confederates nearly opened a new front in the Civil War only weeks before voters went to the polls.

Even after Lincoln was reelected, the rebels remained active in the Great Lakes. Beall wasn’t apprehended until December after he attempted to derail a train carrying Confederate prisoners and a load of gold south of Buffalo. A historical plaque near the Whirlpool Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY, now marks where authorities finally arrested him. Despite a petition signed by ninety-two members of Congress asking for Beall to be pardoned, he was hung on Governors Island in New York Harbor. 

All we can be sure of today is if the Confederates had seized the USS Michigan, it would have been an October Surprise and certainly made Beall & Co. more than a historical footnote. 

About the Author: 

Tim Wendel is the author of Rebel Falls. The historical novel details the Confederates’ spy network along the U.S.-Canadian border in 1864. Follow him on X: @Tim_Wendel. 

Image Credit: Shutterstock. 

Ukrajna külügyminisztere, Dmitro Kuleba és Maneesh Gobin mauritiusi külügyminiszter a két ország közötti kapcsolatokról tárgyalt augusztus 8-án Port Louisban – közölte az ukrán külügyminisztérium a Telegramon.

A közlemény szerint Ukrajna külügyminiszterének ez az első mauritiusi látogatása a két ország közötti kapcsolatok 1992-es fennállása óta.

A találkozón Maneesh Gobin biztosította Kulebát, hogy országa kész segíteni Ukrajnának abban, hogy több afrikai országot is bevonjanak a békeformulán alapuló igazságos és tartós béke helyreállításának folyamatába.

A tárgyalások végén a külügyminiszterek aláírták az Ukrajna és Mauritius közötti vízummentességről szóló megállapodást, amely megkönnyíti a mauritiusi befektetők utazását Ukrajnába, és a háború befejezése után növeli majd az ukrán turisták számát Mauritiuson – írta a külügyminisztérium.

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The post Mauritiuson tárgyalt az ukrán külügyminiszter appeared first on Kárpátalja.ma.

C'est un jour historique pour l'athlétisme au Botswana et pour toute l'Afrique. Letsile Tebogo, 21 ans, a remporté le titre olympique sur 200m, jeudi 8 août, au Stade de France à l'occasion des JO 2024. Le sprinteur a dominé ses adversaires dans cette finale, et notamment l'Américain Noah Lyles, avec un temps de 19''46, nouveau record d'Afrique. Il apporte au Botswana la première médaille d'or de son histoire.

Similarly to other weapons, the 250 kg AASM munition is carried by a custom made pylon under the MiG-29’s innermost wing attachment point. After images and videos earlier this year showed the French-made AASM Hammer [...]

The post First Close-Up Image of the French AASM Hammer Bomb on a Ukrainian MiG-29 appeared first on The Aviationist.

The Important Stuff: In February 2009, a shocking collision occurred between two nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, the UK's HMS Vanguard and France's Le Triomphant, in the Atlantic Ocean. The incident, later revealed by a Royal Navy whistleblower, highlighted significant failures in communication, equipment, and seamanship on the part of the British submarine.

-Despite the potential for a nuclear disaster, no injuries or radioactive leaks occurred. The collision underscored the need for improved coordination among allied navies to prevent future mishaps.

-The incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks involved in submarine operations, particularly in today's tense geopolitical climate.

The 2009 UK-France Submarine Incident

In February 2009, an unprecedented and nightmarish event occurred in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean: two nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines belonging to France and the United Kingdom collided with each other. The ships involved were the British Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard and the French navy’s Le Triomphant.

The Collision

The collision happened in the early hours of 3 February 2009. The two subs were conducting routine patrols. At some point, in the mid-Atlantic, the two nuclear-powered submarines crossed paths and crashed into each other. 

This catastrophe was the result of a combination of factors, but the most damning one of all comes from a Royal Navy submariner, William McNeilly, who decided to become a whistleblower. According to this whistleblower, the accident was likely the result of the British submarine which had been subject to “massive equipment failures, crew errors, and lax standards” onboard the HMS Vanguard.

Indeed, the official account provided to the public by the British government (and backed up by the French government), according to McNeilly, was far less caustic than the event actually had been. In fact, according to the whistleblower testimony, the British nuclear submarine was mere moments away from exploding (which would have ignited the ship’s nuclear reactor, causing all kinds of problems for the world).

The whistleblower account details how the FNS Le Triomphant had bashed out a “massive chunk” from the HMS Vanguard after which the French sub “grazed down the side of” the Vanguard. From there, “compressed air bottle groups had been dislodged by the collision and ‘were hanging off and banging against the pressure hull.’ The submarine had to return to base slowly because ‘if one of the [High Pressure Air] bottle groups exploded it would’ve created a chain reaction and sent the submarine plummeting to the bottom.’”

A “massive cover-up of the incident” soon followed. 

According to McNeilly the Vanguard had become the poster child in the failing British Royal Navy (an issue about which this author has documented repeatedly in these pages) of mismanagement, lax discipline, and poor seamanship. 

Before its collision with the Le Triomphant, there was another cover-up involving the Vanguard pertaining to a “deep depth incident” in which the HMS Vanguard “dived far beyond a normal safe depth. A combination of high-water pressure and the submarine’s low speed made it difficult for the submarine’s hydroplanes [to] generate enough lift to raise the submarine, and ballast water could not be pumped out fast enough to allow the submarine to rise.” 

In essence, well before the 2009 collision, the Vanguard was almost lost due to poor seamanship. Yet, the Royal Navy, rather than address the problems, chose to cover it up and continue operating as though everything were normal.

Thankfully, the incident led to a review of submarine operations and safety protocols by both the British and French navies. It further highlighted the need for improved communication and coordination between allied nations operating in the same waters. 

Although, the presence of a “massive cover-up” being enacted immediately upon the Vanguard’s return to port is unacceptable and begs the question as to whether the Royal Navy and French Navy really learned the right lessons or if they just figured out how to downplay things better.

The Subs Involved

Britain’s HMS Vanguard was the lead boat in the Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine. It displaced 16,000 tons when submerged. It registered a length of around 149.9 meters, or 492 feet. Its beam was 12.8 meters (42 feet).

More importantly, though, the Vanguard’s propulsion system consisted on of one nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one shaft and 20,000 ship-based horsepower. With this engine alignment, the Vanguard could reach a top cruising speed of 25 knots (or 29 miles per hour) when submerged. She carried a crew of 135. 

As for armaments, this particular sub carried 16 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles and had four torpedo tubes for Spearfish torpedoes. 

On the other end of the collision was France’s Le Triomphant, the lead boat of the French navy’s Triomphant-class ballistic missile submarine. This boat displaced a total of 14,335 tons when submerged. She had a length of 138 meters (453 feet), a beam of 12.5 meters (41 feet), making her slightly smaller than the Vanguard.

Like her British counterpart, the Triomphant also relied upon a single nuclear reactor to power two steam turbines with one shaft, giving the boat 15,000 ship-based horsepower. So, she was slightly less powerful than the Vanguard. 

As for speed, she topped out at 25 knots—29 miles per hour—just like the British submarine did. 

The Triomphant carried 15 M45 ballistic missiles and had four torpedo tubes for F17 torpedoes.

This incident on the High Seas between two allied nations that simply were not aware that each other had submarines operating in the same Area of Responsibility (AOR) could have been far worse than it was. The two submarines, as you have read, were nuclear-powered. Thus, these boats could have become like Chernobyl under the waves. 

Thankfully, that fate was avoided. But this incident was a clear wake-up call.

Both Britain and France (and the rest of NATO) have all updated their policies for coordinating with allied foreign navies to ensure nothing like this incident occurs. 

Yet, there are plenty of other parts of the world where nuclear submarines belonging to navies that do not get along with each other operate frequently. 

Implications for Sino-American Interactions Beneath the Sea

Just recently, in fact, the USS Connecticut is believed to have crashed into an undersea mountain (seamount) in the crowded South China Sea while it was possibly conducting a covert surveillance mission of China’s secretive naval base at Hainan Island. 

It was a major source of embarrassment for the US Navy because, the incident not only revealed what the Connecticut was up to but it also put a dent in the Navy’s limited Seawolf-class fleet. 

The Connecticut will not return to service for another year. What’s more, it was quite a propaganda boon for China. Beijing rubbed salt in the wound by claiming—erroneously—that the Connecticut had created an unspecified “environmental disaster.” 

Shortly thereafter, rumors abounded that China lost a Type 093 Shang-class nuclear submarine in the Taiwan Strait. It was never confirmed but this came on the heels of the Connecticut incident. Just imagine the nightmare scenario of the Connecticut had collided with a Chinese nuclear-powered Shang-class submarine. It would have been radioactive nightmare fuel for the region.

Thus, the need for stealth is naval engagements should be well understood but it must also be stressed that, in the nuclear age, such secrecy could lead to truly devastating consequences unless some form of modus vivendi is crafted between Washington and Beijing to deescalate certain crises. 

This was done throughout the Cold War.

The Chinese, sadly, continue to rebuff American requests to create a reliable backchannel between the two superpowers. 

France and Britain are key allies and the incident involving their submarines in the Atlantic in 2009 was relatively isolated. No casualties were reported and the two crews could aid each other and then their governments could cordially assess what had happened. 

A Sino-American collision, which is likely to occur given the tension and interactions thus far between the two powers, could either lead to an environmental catastrophe. Or worse, it could lead to a world war. 

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock. 

From the Vault

Russia Freaked Out: Why the U.S. Navy 'Unretired' the Iowa-Class Battleships

Battleship vs. Battlecruiser: Iowa-Class vs. Russia's Kirov-Class (Who Wins?)

Jour de fête pour le football africain, avec la médaille de bronze du Maroc face à l'Égypte aux Jeux olympiques, et finalement le deuil, dans la foulée : l'ancien président de la Confédération africaine de football (CAF), le Camerounais Issa Hayatou, s'est éteint ce jeudi 8 août à Paris, à la veille de ses 78 ans.

Summary and Top Points: In 2009, a rare and alarming incident occurred when two nuclear-armed submarines, the UK’s HMS Vanguard and France’s Le Triomphant, collided deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

-While no injuries or radioactive leaks were reported, both vessels were damaged, highlighting the risks submarines face even from allied forces.

-The collision, involving two of NATO’s most secretive ballistic missile submarines, underscored the challenges of "waterspace management" agreements, which exclude the exact locations of these strategic assets to maintain their secrecy.

-The incident added to a history of submarine collisions, raising debates over whether greater data sharing among allies could prevent future mishaps.

Collision of Nuclear Submarines: UK's HMS Vanguard and France's Le Triomphant Incident

While many have heard of submarines crashing to the bottom of the ocean floor or colliding with underwater mountains, it is harder to imagine that sometimes a ship’s greatest danger is simply another ship. 

In 2009, two nuclear-armed submarines from France and the United Kingdom collided deep under the Atlantic Ocean. While no radioactivity was released, both ships were damaged when the Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard struck France’s Trident-class Le Triomphant submarine. No crew members or injuries were reported by either country.

An Overview of the Incident

When the HMS Vanguard returned to its base in Scotland days later, it had visible damage on its starboard side and near its missile compartment. A whistleblower who served in the UK’s nuclear submarine program later claimed that, “The French submarine had took a massive chunk out of the front of HMS Vanguard and grazed down the side of the boat. The High Pressured Air (HPA) bottle groups were hanging off and banging against the pressure hull. They had to return to base port slowly, because if one of HPA bottle groups exploded it would've created a chain reaction and sent the submarine plummeting to the bottom.” 

Perhaps the British government was minimizing the damage inflicted on the submarine in an effort to quell public concern over the potential dangers of nuclear leaks.

This freak accident was especially alarming since nuclear reactors power the ships, and both countries’ vessels routinely carry nuclear warheads onboard. Although “waterspace management” agreements among NATO allies direct member-states to advise one another of the general locations of submerged submarines, ballistic-missile-carrying ships are not included in the arrangement. 

France’s Le Triomphant submarine could carry sixteen M45 ballistic missiles, and the Vanguard could carry the same number of Trident II missiles. Additionally, each submarine could carry 4 and 6 nuclear warheads, respectively.

The Triomphant-Vanguard incident did not mark the first time two submarines collided. During the Cold War, Western and Soviet ships collided on several occasions, according to The New York Times. In 1992, the American-made Baton Rouge nuclear submarine was struck by a surfacing Russian sub in the Barents Sea. Only one year after this mishap, the Russian K-407 collided with the USS Grayling. Decades earlier, in the mid-1970s, the U.S. Navy’s USS James Madison collided with a Soviet Victor-class attack submarine roughly 30 miles off the coast of Glasgow, near Holy Loch. 

While some analysts argue that allies should share more data to mitigate the risks of future collisions, others argue that maintaining secrecy around nuclear-armed submarines is of the utmost importance. As Lee Willet of the Royal United Services Institute in London once put it, these vessels are the “strategic crown jewels” of any nation, and relaying such sensitive intelligence even to allies would be risky.

About the Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin

All images are Creative Commons. 

From The Vault

Did a Russian-Made Missile Hit an F-35?

Russia Has 1 Submarine Called the Black Hole 

Felfüggesztett börtönbüntetésre ítélte a bíróság azt a 19 éves munkácsi lányt, aki 2024. március 22-én halálra késelte édesapját – tudatta a zakarpattya24.com csütörtökön.

A nyomozás során kiderült, hogy a tragédiát súlyos családi problémák előzték meg. A lány többször panaszkodott arra, hogy apja lelkileg és fizikailag is bántalmazta őt.

Szemtanúk szerint a férfi és lánya gyakran veszekedtek. A gyilkosság estéjén a 19 éves lány saját és testvére testi épségének védelmében ragadott kést, és szúrta le az apját.

Ennek fényében az ügyész és a vádlott között vádemelési megállapodás jött létre. A lány őszinte megbánására való tekintettel a bíróság öt év szabadságvesztésre ítélte, egy évre felfüggesztve.

A lánynak azonban 37 539 hrivnyát kell fizetnie a vizsgálatok lebonyolításával kapcsolatos eljárási költségek fedezésére.

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Leszúrta édesapját egy 19 éves lány Munkácson

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Alors que 511 personnes sont mortes dans le pays depuis le début de l’année, une nouvelle souche, transmissible entre humains, notamment par des rapports sexuels, se diffuse dans les pays voisins.

Une personne est morte et deux autres ont été grièvement blessés lors éboulement de terre survenu, mercredi 7 août, au quartier Nkafu, dans la commune de Kadutu, ville de Bukavu, (Sud-Kivu).

Des sources locales rapportent que cet incident s’est produit sur la route nationale numéro 2, sur le chantier où la Société congolaise de construction (SOCOC), exécute des travaux de modernisation sur l’axe Bukavu-Walungu, long d’environ 145km.

Favorite pour le titre olympique, la Varoise est passée à côté des finales de cette nouvelle discipline spectaculaire entrée au programme des JO, laissant sa rivale britannique, Eleanor Aldridge, remporter l’or.

Le principal accusé, en fuite, était Corneille Nangaa, ancien président de la commission électorale nationale indépendante de la RDC. Le président, le chef militaire et des porte-parole du mouvement étaient aussi poursuivis.

Le ministre démissionnaire de l'Economie a annoncé ce jeudi qu'il proposera que les primes des athlètes français ayant reçu une médaille olympique « soient défiscalisées dans le prochain budget 2025 ». Une réponse à l'attaque de l'ex champion olympique David Douillet qui avait qualifié de « honte » cette pratique.