Defense

WASHINGTON— Two Senate Democrats are hoping to delay the potential sale of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the United Arab Emirates, introducing on Oct. 20 legislation that would block the delivery of aircraft to Abu Dhabi unless the U.S. government meets certain criteria. If adopted, the “Secure F-35 Exports Act of 2020” could have a far-reaching impact on future sales of the Lockheed…

WASHINGTON ― Space emerged as Lockheed Martin’s business area with the highest growth, driven by hypersonic weapons programs and an anticipated next-generation interceptor award, CEO James Taiclet said Tuesday on the company’s third-quarter earnings call. Though F-35 fighter jet deliveries and classified programs drove growth in Lockheed’s aeronautics segment, and demand for Hellfire…

WASHINGTON ― Expect artificial intelligence, command-and-control and survivability to be watchwords in the House Armed Services Committee going forward. Chairman Adam Smith says those topics will be his focus as he supports “smart” investments in national defense in the new Congress. In an Oct. 14 interview, the often outspoken Smith, D-Wash., had more to add about a looming defense…

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin today announced it will partner with Aerojet Rocketdyne to compete for the right to build America’s next missile defense interceptor. The pairing officially ends any speculation about which company would produce the propulsion system for Lockheed’s offering of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program, which is being run by the Missile Defense Agency. …