DefenseNews

New British plan looks to boost F-35 numbers, but is it still aiming for 138?

WASHINGTON — A new defense spending plan from the British Ministry of Defence contains mixed news for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, as London pivots its gaze to its future homegrown fighter design. The document, released Monday, stated that the U.K. plans to “grow the [F-35] Force, increasing the fleet size beyond the 48 aircraft that we have already ordered.” However, the…
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DefenseNews

US Navy, armaments consortium forge partnership to solve energetics tech challenges

WASHINGTON ― Amid fears about the strained industrial base for energetics, a key part of munitions and other conventional weapons, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division has forged an agreement with the National Armaments Consortium to accelerate tech breakthroughs over the next six to ten years. Energetics is a broad category of materials found in rocket and missile motors…
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DefenseNews

This could be Army Futures Command’s moment of truth

The top U.S. military officer in the Pacific, Adm. Phil Davidson, warned last week that China could undertake a military attack against Taiwan within the next six years. To convince Beijing that it cannot achieve its political objectives in Taiwan or elsewhere with military…
DefenseNews

F-35 in the crosshairs: Despite criticism, America needs the fighter jet

The F-35 is in the middle of a public relations storm. With the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, referring to the program as a “rathole” and news reports attacking the aircraft, the public is left to wonder about America’s newest fighter. However, reality dictates a far different conclusion: The F-35 is an operational success. While the program has…
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DefenseNews

The Army Has a Timeline for When Soldiers Will Test Robotic Combat Vehicles

A team made up of Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and FLIR Systems, Inc. debuted the Ripsaw M5 unmanned vehicle at the 2019 Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting. (Courtesy Textron) Officials laid out a plan Tuesday to test Army Robotic Combat Vehicle prototypes over the next 17 months, leading up to a soldier evaluation at Fort Hood, Texas. The Army has taken possession of…
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