The Air Force will set a new path for how it will fight air wars during the first year of the next Donald Trump presidency, which will have ramifications for decades to come. The Air Force struggled for much of 2024 to figure out how — and even whether — to proceed with its planned sixth-generation fighter, known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD.
But NGAD’s original anticipated cost…
The Navy and Air Force are now cleared to resume flying their grounded V-22 Ospreys after conducting inspections on a crucial gearbox in the tiltrotor aircraft, and some are already back in the air.
The military temporarily stopped flying some Ospreys on Dec. 9 after a near…
Outgoing Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Thursday downplayed Elon Musk’s recent pronouncements that crewed fighters are obsolete in the era of drones, and suggested the billionaire industrialist learn more about the military.
“I have a lot of respect for Elon Musk…
Army, Navy conduct key hypersonic missile test
December 18, 2024
The Army and Navy on Thursday completed a successful all-up round test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, potentially paving the way for the services to begin fielding the long-awaited system.
The glide body was developed jointly between the two services. The Army plans to integrate its version of the system, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, into a mobile ground platform. The Navy will…
WARSAW, Poland — Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has signed a deal to purchase an undisclosed number of MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones for the Polish Armed Forces. The new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be part of the military’s new component to be…
Defense firms follow Lithuania’s allure of making ammo sans red tape
December 18, 2024
MILAN — Lithuania’s offer to lower administrative hurdles for foreign defense companies seeking to set up shop in the Baltic state has found several takers in major Western defense manufacturers.
The response comes after the Lithuanian government approved new legal…
Nearly half of the amphibious warfare ships Marines need to deploy often are unavailable due to maintenance, according to a government watchdog. How the Navy currently manages those repairs means jarheads will continue to deploy late to the fight.
The Dec. 3 Government Accountability Office report, which detailed an audit from April 2023 to December 2024 at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and…
Military pauses Osprey flights again after near crash
December 11, 2024
The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights again of its fleet of V-22 Ospreys after weakened metal components possibly played a role in another near crash, the latest setback for an embattled aircraft whose safety problems have grown.
The pause was recommended last week…
Defense tech firms establish AI-focused consortium
December 11, 2024
Palantir and Anduril, two leading defense technology firms, announced today they’re creating an industry consortium to address what they see as hurtles impeding the Defense Department’s adoption of AI.
“Our goal is to deliver the technological infrastructure, from the…
Drones spotted near 3 bases used by US Air Force in England
November 26, 2024
LONDON — The U.S. Air Force says a number of small drones were detected last week around three bases in eastern England that are used by American forces.
The drones were spotted between Wednesday and Friday near RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. They were actively monitored after they were seen in the vicinity of and over the three bases, U.S. Air Forces Europe said in a…