Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor's degree from DePauw University and a master's degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More
Key Points and Summary: Despite Iran reportedly taking delivery of advanced Russian S-400 air defense systems in August 2024, the batteries have been conspicuously...
Key Points and Summary: China’s J-15 “Flying Shark,” its first operational carrier-based fighter, was developed by reverse-engineering an unfinished Su-33 (the carrier version of...
Key Points and Summary: The US “Operation Midnight Hammer” strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, involving 125 aircraft including B-2 stealth bombers, highlights two critical...
Key Points – The Soviet Union’s November-class (Project 627 “Kit”) submarines, the first nuclear-powered boats in the Soviet Navy, were designed with a singular,...
Key Points – Boeing’s X-32 prototype, a contender in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) competition, ultimately lost to Lockheed’s X-35 (which became the F-35)...
Key Points – At the Paris Air Show this week, the CEO of the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium, Jorge Degenhardt, announced plans to increase production...
Key Points – Dassault’s Rafale fighter jet is receiving significant upgrades, funded in part by a continuing wave of international orders, that enhance its...