🇨🇳🆕⚠️ — 🇬🇧 Financial Times | China’s ‘loyal wingman’ drones open new front in military competition with US | Aircraft designed to accompany crewed stealth jets could help Beijing challenge American air superiority | December 15, 2024:

"China’s development of stealth fighter jets has drawn global attention, but just as significant, analysts say, is the unveiling of its attack drones — a fast-emerging area of defence competition with the US.

The updated Feihong FH-97A, a so-called loyal wingman drone, of which a prototype was on static display last month at the biennial Zhuhai air show in southern China, boasts an enhanced weapons bay, allowing it to conduct both ground and air strikes. The drone, designed to accompany crewed aircraft, also has the ability to catapult launch from aircraft carriers.

The mass adoption of drones on both sides of Russia’s war against Ukraine has shaken up the global defence industry in recent years, with militaries around the world seeking to integrate the latest unmanned technologies into their arsenals.

Analysts say wingman drones are now at the centre of the technological race between China and the US for air superiority, a competition that has only become more pressing as tensions escalate over Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory and has threatened to claim by force if necessary.

“In the future, [the FH-97A] will be extremely important,” said Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military analyst. “The future of war will be competition between drone and anti-drone technology.”

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🇺🇸💲❌🇨🇳⚡️ — 🇺🇸 The Epoch Times | US Launches New Trade Probe Into Chinese Legacy Chips | The new investigation could pave the way for the incoming Trump administration to add more tariffs | December 23, 2024:

"The Biden administration announced an 11th-hour probe on Monday into China’s trade practice regarding “legacy” chips that power everything from smart appliances and phones to the electric grid and weapons systems.

The administration has already imposed 50 percent tariffs on semiconductors from China, which are set to take effect on Jan. 1. The new Section 301 probe could pave the way for the incoming Trump administration to add more tariffs on legacy chips or take other measures.

The probe was launched because evidence indicates that the Chinese regime’s attempts to dominate domestic and global chip markets “appear to have and to threaten detrimental impacts on the United States and other economies, undermining the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical U.S. supply chains, and U.S. economic security,” the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement."

#Sanctions

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Several prominent X accounts are reporting that their verification badge and monetization has been revoked after criticizing Musk’s pro-mass immigration bent.

📎 AF Post

Singleton: With all due respect to Mr. Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, they should focus on saving federal dollars for the taxpayers and not immigration policy… I think folks in the Maga world have every right to be angry with Vivek and Elon Musk.

📎 Acyn

Ashley St. Clair on X:

"Please consider what is happening

There was immense backlash against the most influential on this platform for their positions on immigration

48 hours later, the algorithm is updated to deboost those who are blocked by “far more credible” verified users."

📎 stclairashley

🇩🇪 German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the Bundestag and set snap elections on February 23rd.

🔗 Deutsche Presse Agentur

🇰🇵💀📝 — United States' Pentagon says that North Korean troops are committing suicide rather than being captured by Ukrainian troops in Kursk region

🇸🇰❌🇺🇦 — Slovakia will consider halting electricity supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv stops the transit of Russian gas to the country

🇦🇫❌🇵🇰❗️ — Pro-Taliban media reports that Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Forces, alongside Pakistani Taliban, and Pakistani Army are currently clashing at the Afghan-Pakistani border across the entire Durand sector!

🇨🇳🤝🇧🇫 Burkina Faso’s military received a significant shipment of military equipment from China, including:

▪️ 50 CS/VP14 MRAP vehicles
▪️ 30 VN22 6x6 armored personnel carriers
▪️ 10 CS/VN9 6x6 armored personnel carriers
▪️ 90 Shacman H3000 6x4 trucks
▪️ 45 Shacman H3000S 6x4 tractors

🔗 Clash Report

#BREAKING

🇦🇫❌🇵🇰❗️ — Pakistani air defense reportedly shot down an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft over Paktika as the clashes over the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalate to levels never seen before!