DefenseNews

The number of major F-35 flaws is shrinking, but the Pentagon is keeping details of the problems under wraps

WASHINGTON — As the F-35 program inches its way through operational testing, the number of critical technical deficiencies is slowly dwindling, dropping from 11 critical deficiencies in January to seven in July. However, the exact nature of these problems will remain unknown to the public, even when the deficiency itself is not classified. The F-35 Joint Program Office declined to…
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DefenseNews

Polish Defence Ministry confirms plan to buy M1 Abrams tanks

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s defense minister announced Wednesday that the country will buy 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks from the U.S. to counter Russian military capabilities, confirming previous reports of a planned acquisition. “So we are ordering the most modern…
DefenseNews

House appropriators want to shave $44M off Air Force’s flagship hypersonic program

WASHINGTON — House appropriators hope to slash funding for the U.S. Air Force’s leading hypersonic missile effort in fiscal 2022, citing increased risk as the program moves from flight testing into production. The Air Force is seeking about $161 million in FY22 to produce the first 12 AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) missiles, which would become the first hypersonic…
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DefenseNews

Poland could purchase M1 Abrams tanks from US

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Defence Ministry is reportedly preparing to buy about 250 M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, two months after it announced plans to buy 24 Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones. Two sources close to the deal told Polish news site Gazeta.pl that…
DefenseNews

Turkey’s Roketsan develops missile to replace Raytheon weapon

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s state-controlled missile-maker Roketsan has developed a supersonic, anti-radiation missile for the TF-X, the country’s indigenous fighter jet in the making. The missile, dubbed Akbaba (or “vulture” in English), was included in the ammunitions list of the TF-X at a Turkish Air Force briefing on June 30. The Akbaba program is classified, and Roketsan’s…
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DefenseNews

Green Beret’s Silver Star Sheds Light on US Ground Combat in Somalia

In this Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011 file photo, al-Shabab fighters march with their weapons during military exercises on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor, File) An Army Green Beret was instrumental in retaking a key al-Shabab stronghold during a brutal firefight six years ago, newly released records of his Silver Star award reveal. When Somali soldiers, backed by…
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