WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army picked two of the world’s largest defense contractors to develop spying and jamming payloads for drones that can be catapulted from a moving vehicle or larger aircraft.
The service’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, or PEO IEW&S, on Nov. 29 named Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman as the winners of other transaction…
Air Force awards Boeing $2.3B contract for 15 more KC-46s
November 29, 2023
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.3 billion contract for 15 more KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers.
The award, announced by the Pentagon Tuesday evening, brings to 153 the number of KC-46s Boeing has on contract to build for the United States and allies.
Northrop exit from UK satellite bid recasts big-ticket Skynet 6 race
November 29, 2023
LONDON — Defense contractors have been given until March next year to submit bids to provide the U.K. military with a new generation of wideband communication satellites as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Skynet 6 program.
Procurement officials for Skynet 6 released an…
Pratt to start receiving F-35 engine upgrade contracts in early 2024
November 29, 2023
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon expects to start issuing early next year the first in a series of sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s engines.
In a notice posted online Monday, the government said the follow-on contract actions to RTX-owned Pratt & Whitney will begin in the second quarter of fiscal 2024, and continue through the end of December…
Early Ford carrier maintenance costs lower than planned, Navy says
November 29, 2023
ARLINGTON, Va. — The first-in-class aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford may cost less over its life than planned because of reduced maintenance costs, a program manager said today at an American Society of Naval Engineers conference here.
Capt. Brian Metcalf said the new…
Ice Ice Baby: Raytheon uses diamonds to keep radars cool
November 27, 2023
WASHINGTON — Diamonds may be forever and a girl’s best friend. They may be the centerpieces of crowns and countless heist films. They may even motivate treasure hunters to plumb the icy grave of the RMS Titanic.
But can they revolutionize battlefield sensors? Raytheon…
WASHINGTON — The first production F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with an early, incomplete version of the software powering a key upgrade was flown last week at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility, the company told Defense News.
The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office is considering whether a strategy of loading interim versions of the Technology Refresh 3 software into the latest…
Patriot replacement radar defeats cruise missile in Raytheon test
November 20, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s new missile defense radar defeated a cruise missile in a development test, RTX’s Raytheon said.
The company is the developer of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, that will replace the service’s original Patriot air…
Boeing Grey Wolf helicopter production ramps up as test phase ends
November 20, 2023
WASHINGTON — The first two field-ready MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters are now in final assembly and Boeing said it expects the long-awaited delivery of the first of these helicopters to the Air Force in mid-2024.
The sixth and final test Grey Wolf helicopter was delivered…
Navy secretary convenes first cross-department shipbuilders meeting
November 17, 2023
WASHINGTON — The Navy secretary on Thursday convened a first-ever meeting of seafaring organizations across multiple federal departments, seeking to improve collaboration to strengthen the shipbuilding and ship repair industries.
Carlos Del Toro assembled the leaders at the U.S. Coast Guard’s shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland. The Government Shipbuilders Council meeting included the Navy, Army…
