273: US Gaza Pier Ready + Report: Hezbollah Drone S-5 Rocket Strike + China PLAN Drone Carrier + USMC Tactical Light Vehicle Power + More

I - On Defense Podcast

For review:
1. US Gaza Pier ready for operation. Goal is for 500 tons of humanitarian assistance daily via the pier.
2. IDF airstrike in southern Lebanon potentially reveals that Hezbollah has Iranian-made Sayyad-2 surface-to-air missiles.
3. Report: Hezbollah has the capability to arm drones with 2 x S-5 rockets.
The S-5 is a Soviet-era 57-mm unguided air-to-surface rocket equipped with a high-explosive warhead.
4. Israel: Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, from which approximately 50 tunnels cross into Egypt.
5. Ukraine President Zelensky on Russian offensive in Kharkiv Region:
"We have about 25 percent of what we need to defend Ukraine (air defense systems). Ukraine needs 120 to 130 F-16 fighter jets or other advanced aircraft to achieve air parity with Russia."
6. Poland receives final Tranche Bayraktar TB2 combat drones.
The $270 million deal includes 4 x systems. Each system has 6 x aircraft and 3 ground control stations.
7. Defense News Article (Rudy Ruitenberg): France’s lower-house defense committee describes Germany as having a "self-interested approach" in European defense matters.
8. China's Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Drone Carrier in development.
9. USMC MRZR Alpha will deliver tactical power via two Polaris products:
A 1-kilowatt exportable power system that can be added onto existing vehicles by installing a kit, and a 5-kilowatt system that can be built into new vehicles on the production line.
10. All Department of Defense V-22 Ospreys are operating with a "limited envelope" (flight).
From Draft NDAA: ..."current CMV-22 operations are limited to flights and missions that stay within 30 minutes of a suitable divert airfield.”
Osprey variants include the Air Force’s CV-22, the Marine Corps’ MV-22 and the Navy’s CMV-22B.