DefenseNews

These five firms could build a new armed overwatch plane for US Air Force special operators

May 19, 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command has tapped five companies to compete in its armed overwatch program for a new attack aircraft, awarding $19.2 million in contracts among the vendors. The selected companies will now build and fly prototype aircraft in a series of demonstrations at Eglin Air Force Base, Floria. Those competitors include: Leidos’ Bronco II MAG…
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DefenseNews

Christine Wormuth Pledges to Defend Army from Navy, Air Force Budget Grabs

May 15, 2021
Christine Wormuth, President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of the Army, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP photo) The nominee to be President Joe Biden’s Army secretary is pledging to resist efforts to cut the service’s funding and end strength in favor of modernizing…
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DefenseNews

Britain buys 14 new Chinook helos, but it’ll take a decade for full delivery

May 14, 2021
LONDON — Britain has confirmed it will acquire 14 Boeing-made Chinook helicopters, but the government has prolonged the delivery schedule over the next decade years due to budget issues. The deal was made through the U.S. Defense Department’s Foreign Military Sales process and will see Britain pay £1.4 billion (U.S. $2 billion) for the helicopters and associated equipment. Deliveries are…
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DefenseNews

US Army’s Precision Strike Missile breaks range record

May 13, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile ranged 400 kilometers — roughly 250 miles — in a test shot at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on May 12, Lockheed Martin announced. The test marks the farthest the PrSM has flown so far, which is roughly…
DefenseNews

US Army scraps Stryker mobile gun systems in favor of new lethality upgrades

May 13, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is scrapping its Stryker Mobile Gun Systems in favor of new lethality upgrades for its fleet of combat vehicles, the service announced in a May 12 statement. The Army decided to divest the gun systems by the end of fiscal 2022 after “a comprehensive analysis highlighted obsolescence and systemic issues with the system’s dated cannon and automatic loader,”…
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