WASHINGTON — Boeing, General Atomics and Kratos will create prototypes for the Air Force’s Skyborg program and have a mere five months to build the first test vehicles of the autonomous combat drone.
As part of the Skyborg program, the Air Force hopes to build a family of low-cost, attritable drones that can be reused, but are cheap enough that losses in combat can be financially and…
The US Navy wants to find ships to kill using aerial drones launched from submarines
December 8, 2020
WASHINGTON – The name of the game in the Pacific is stand-off range. But with longer range torpedoes and anti-ship missiles in the arsenal, submariners are looking to a new domain to help them extend their deadly reach: The air.
In an October request for information…
Citing littoral combat ship failures, Congress pushes the US Navy to get FFG(X) right
December 5, 2020
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy will have to set up a land-based testing site for the engineering plant destined for its new Constellation-class frigate program, according to a provision in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act on President Trump’s desk.
The frigate…
The Air Force wanted to mothball over 100 planes. Here’s what Congress says it will permit.
December 5, 2020
WASHINGTON — Congress is seeking to block the Air Force from retiring any of its A-10 Warthog attack planes, KC-135 refueling tankers and RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones this fiscal year.
On Dec. 3, the House and Senate Armed Services committees put forward the conference report of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act — a final version of the defense bill that includes…
Defense Business Board members replaced with Trump loyalists
December 5, 2020
WASHINGTON — Nine members of the Defense Business Board, an advisory panel of outside experts for the Defense Department, have been replaced, the Pentagon announced Friday. Among the newcomers are loyalists to President Donald Trump,
Some of the incoming DBB members are…
WASHINGTON ― The final version of the must-pass annual defense policy bill unveiled Thursday mandates the U.S. president sanction Turkey for its acquisition of the S-400 air missile defense system.
Though President Donald Trump has held off sanctioning Turkey for the…
Israeli Navy welcomes new generation of German-made warships
December 4, 2020
HAIFA, Israel — Israel’s Navy on Wednesday welcomed the first of four German-made warships that will be at the vanguard of the country’s efforts to protect its coastline and growing natural gas industry.
The first missile boat of “Project Magen” docked at Israel’s Haifa port, with three more of the corvettes scheduled to arrive over the next two years.
“The Israel Navy has…
WASHINGTON — A year after the U.S. Army awarded a contract to build a heavy-duty robot able to dispose of bombs and other explosives, the Air Force is looking for its own system — and it wants to see what’s on the market before committing to purchasing what the Army…
ROME – Italy is close to opening a new pilot finishing school on a Mediterranean island where expanded air space will allow it to double its current intake, with a majority of students coming from overseas militaries.
Now based at Galatina air base in the southern heel…
WASHINGTON — The Army wants its Joint All Domain Operations (JADO) Gray Eagles to have synthetic aperture radars, moving target indicators, electronic intelligence and communications intelligence capability as well as air-launched effects and radar warning receivers, according to a new market survey.
Now, the Army wants help from industry with those payloads for its Gray Eagle unmanned…
