B-21 well on the path to first flight ...

NG: In early May, Northrop Grumman successfully completed the first — and most critical — loads calibration test of the first B-21 aircraft. The recent test is one of three major conditions the aircraft will undergo in this phase of ground testing as it progresses toward first flight. Loads calibration, which focuses on calibrating instrumentation prior to flight and verifying structural integrity, has yielded positive and consistent results. During testing, the B-21’s airframe endures varying percentages of stress to ensure the aircraft can proceed on its path to flight readiness.

During the ground test phase, in addition to loads calibration, the team will power up the aircraft, test its subsystems, and apply coatings and paint. The next steps will include carrying out engine runs as well as low-speed and high-speed taxi tests, and then on to first flight.

From day one, Northrop Grumman has proactively worked to burn down as much production risk as possible. Throughout the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development phase, the company has emphasized risk reduction efforts and production readiness as one of the many priorities for the B-21 program. In line with the risk-based approach, the successful calibration test is a significant milestone that further validates the efficacy of the company’s digital design capabilities and advanced manufacturing techniques.

Northrop Grumman has invested in a robust production program — one that is foundational to the National Defense Strategy — to deliver the B-21 at a rate that will have a real effect for the U.S. Air Force in combating the threat. Innovative application of digital engineering and commercial off-the-shelf digital tools continue to deliver an advanced degree of precision and efficiency in the build process, with production risk reduction progressing every day as B-21 test aircraft move down the actual production line.

The first flight projection of 2023, as is now being reported by the Air Force, is aligned with the information communicated during the company's Q1 earnings call and remains on-schedule to the government Acquisition Program Baseline.

As the Air Force has indicated, the focus is on a safe first flight of a production representative aircraft. With six aircraft in various stages of production and test, Northrop Grumman is progressing toward that objective as it continues to reduce risk, refine the building process, and mature the test fleet ahead of first flight.

Randy Walden, director of the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and program executive officer of the B-21 Raider program, recently said, “The B-21 test aircraft is the most production-representative aircraft, both structurally and in its mission systems, at this point in a program, that I’ve observed in my career.” With the first aircraft in the ground test phase and a successful loads calibration under its belt, Northrop Grumman is paving the way for the B-21 Rollout later this year and first flight in 2023.

VIDEO: F-22 RAPTOR DEMO DYESS AIR FORCE BASE 4-22-23

Airman suspected of leaking secret US documents hit with federal charge

BOSTON, April 14 (Reuters) - A 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard accused of leaking top secret military intelligence records online was charged on Friday with unlawfully copying and transmitting classified material.

Jack Douglas Teixeira of North Dighton, Massachusetts, who was arrested by heavily armed FBI agents at his home on Thursday, made his initial appearance in a crowded federal court wearing a brown khaki jumpsuit.

At the hearing, Boston's top federal national security prosecutor, Nadine Pellegrini, requested that Teixeira be detained pending trial, and a detention hearing was set for Wednesday.

During the brief proceeding, Teixeira said little, answering "yes" when asked whether he understood his right to remain silent.

The judge said Teixeira's financial affidavit showed he qualified to be represented by a federal public defender, and he appointed one.

After the hearing, three of Teixeira's family members left the courthouse, with a group of reporters trailing them for several blocks. They entered a car without making any comments.

The leaked documents at the heart of the investigation were posted online on a social media website weeks earlier, but news of their existence did not come to light until it was reported by the New York Times last week.

It is believed to be the most serious U.S. security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010. The Pentagon has called the leak a "deliberate, criminal act."

U.S. officials are still assessing the damage done by the leaks, which included records showing purported details of Ukrainian military vulnerabilities and embarrassed Washington by revealing its spying on allies.

Fallout from the case has roiled Washington. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has requested a briefing for all 100 senators next week while Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to investigate.

"The Biden administration has failed to secure classified information," McCarthy said on Twitter. "Through our committees, Congress will get answers as to why they were asleep at the switch."

Democratic President Joe Biden said he was taking steps to tighten security. "While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information," he said in a statement.

A criminal complaint made public on Friday charges Teixeira with one count of violating the Espionage Act related to the unlawful copying and transmitting of sensitive defense material, and a second charge related to the unlawful removal of defense material to an unauthorized location.

A conviction on the Espionage Act charge carries up to 10 years in prison.

The charges are connected to just one leaked document so far, a classified record that described the status of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and included details about troop movements on a particular date.

Experts expect more charges as investigators examine each leaked document, confirm its classification status and decide which can be shown to a jury without damaging national security. Teixeira could also face more counts depending on the number of times he separately uploaded and transmitted each document.

"They are going to pick the ones (documents), I would imagine, that foreign governments have already seen," said Stephanie Siegmann, the former national security chief for the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston and now a partner with the Hinckley Allen law firm.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/man-suspected-leaking-secret-us-documents-appear-court-2023-04-14/

READ THE REST HERE

CENTCOM Forces Capture ISIS Operative in Helicopter Raid

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command forces conducted a helicopter raid in eastern Syria late on the evening of April 8, capturing Hudayfah al Yemeni, an ISIS attack facilitator, and two of his associates. No civilians were killed or injured.

The capture of Hudayfah al Yemeni and his associates will disrupt the organization's ability to plot and carry out operations.

“Operations against ISIS are important for the security and stability of the region,” said Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson. “ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond – the group retains the capability to conduct operations in Iraq and Syria with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East, and its vile ideology remains a threat. Operations such as this one reaffirms our commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

GRU agent and former head Russian cyber-espionage unit known as “Fancy Bear” or “APT28 hacked.

A group of Ukrainian hacktivists claim to have successfully hacked the email of Sergey Alexandrovich Morgachev, a Lieutenant Colonel with Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU, and alleged former head of the infamous Russian cyber-espionage unit known as “Fancy Bear” or “APT28.”

First reported by the open-source intelligence website Info Nampalm, the hack was supposedly carried out by the Ukrainian-based hacktivist group Cyber Resistance sometime in March.

By infiltrating his personal email through undisclosed means, hacktivists say they uncovered a wealth of personal and professional information on Morgachev.

Some items seized included copies of Morgachev’s driver’s license, vehicle registration, residential lease agreements, family photos, and scanned copies of security clearance renewal applications.

Additionally, hacktivists say they accessed the GRU officer’s AliExpress account, where they carried out “a symbolic act of moral humiliation.” by ordering numerous sex toys and gay pride flags in Morgachev’s name.

The Debrief was able to examine some of the documents seized in the email hack but cannot independently confirm their authenticity. However, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the record, an official with the U.S. Department of Justice told The Debrief that some of Morgachev’s personal information disclosed in the emails appeared to be valid.

Morgachev is currently wanted by the FBI following a federal grand jury indictment of him and 11 other Russian intelligence officers for crimes related to their alleged roles in interfering with the 2016 U.S. elections. 

A federal indictment filed by the Department of Justice states that Morgachev and his GRU cohorts “knowingly and intentionally conspired…to gain unauthorized access into the computers of U.S. persons and entities involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” 

In the recent email hack, hacktivists say they found scans of a recent security clearance renewal application showing Morgachev as the “Deputy Head of Directorate-Head of Department in military unit #26165” from August 2019-August 2022. 

The 2018 indictment by the U.S. Special Counsel and Western intelligence reports have identified GRU Unit 26165 as being Fancy Bear. 

On the clearance application, Morgachev lists his current job role as “Category 1 Programming Engineer” at the Special Technical Center LLC, at 21 Gzhatskaya Street, Apt. 53, in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

According to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine, the Special Technical Center LLC is a defense company that provides equipment to the Russian military. The nonprofit organization which tracks entities providing support to Russia’s war against Ukraine lists the Special Technical Center as being sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, and Ukraine. 

READ MORE HERE