WASHINGTON — By the end of 2020, F-35 fighter jets rolling off Lockheed Martin’s production line will be equipped with a modified lightning protection system that will fix problems discovered earlier this year, the company’s head of production said.
In June, the government’s F-35 Joint Program Office imposed flight restrictions on the F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing variant —…
US Navy eyes new design for next-generation destroyer
October 13, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is looking to build a new generation of destroyers from a clean-sheet design, following the model of one of its most successful ship classes, the Arleigh Burke-class DDG, the service’s top officer said Tuesday.
The idea, colloquially…
WASHINGTON — U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy reported in his speech at the Association of the U.S. Army conference that the Pentagon’s hypersonic missile hit within 6 inches of its target.
“Hypersonic missiles are hitting their targets with a variance of only a…
US Army prioritizes open architecture for future combat vehicle amid competition prep
October 13, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army still plans to release of its request for proposals in December to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and it wants industry to prioritize an open architecture in its designs.
“The network is almost more important in some ways than building the combat vehicles,” Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings, program executive officer of ground combat systems, told Defense…
How many Humvees will remain after the US Army brings in its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle?
October 13, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is trying to balance its vehicle fleet between Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and Humvees, according to service leadership in charge of acquisition and force development.
The JLTV was meant to replace the Humvee fleet, but not one-for-one, and…
WASHINGTON — As the coronavirus pandemic began to ravage the globe, U.S. Army Pacific created Task Force Oceania, an effort to deploy two-person teams to island nations in the region to build relationships there.
“We wanted to figure out a way to bring forces, small…
US Army pegs 2023 as tipping point for ending old weapons
October 13, 2020
WASHINGTON — The Army will see a significant shift in funding from its current fleet to new and modern capability designed to fight in multidomain operations in fiscal 2023, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told Defense News in an Oct. 8 interview.
The service has conducted several rounds of “night court” reviews already, a deep dive across the Army’s portfolios to determine whether money…
General Dynamics rolls out new TRX ground robot at AUSA
October 13, 2020
WASHINGTON — General Dynamics Land Systems debuted its new medium-class robotic combat vehicle — Tracked Robot 10-Ton, or TRX — at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference, which came together using AI-enhanced design and lightweight materials.
TRX is…
WASHINGTON — The Army and Lockheed Martin are preparing for the first test firing of the extended-range version of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), which will double the rocket’s reach.
The goal is get the current GMLRS rocket out to 150-plus…
3 questions with Bruce Jette, the US Army’s acquisition chief
October 12, 2020
WASHINGTON — Bruce Jette’s time serving as the U.S. Army’s acquisition chief has aligned almost entirely with the service’s ambitious effort to transition between its current fleet and a fully modernized force by 2030. The wheels have been quickly turning to field new capabilities, and it has kept Jette busy working to strike a balance between the service’s present needs and its future…
