DefenseNews

Here’s when the US Army will pick next long-range spy plane

DENVER — The U.S. Army will choose who is to integrate its long-range, high-speed spy plane this summer, a major step in its effort to overhaul existing fixed-wing aircraft that perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to service officials in charge of the program. The service plans to retire roughly 70 aircraft — its entire ISR fleet — as it brings on the…
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DefenseNews

Boeing’s defense unit shows profit, despite $222M loss on KC-46, T-7

Boeing’s defense unit recorded $222 million in losses in the first quarter of 2024 on two of its main fixed-price development programs, the KC-46A Pegasus refueling tanker and the T-7A Red Hawk trainer, the company announced Wednesday. The KC-46 suffered a loss of $128 million, Chief Financial Officer Brian West told investors in an earnings call, and the T-7′s losses amounted to $94 million.
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DefenseNews

First upgraded F-35s won’t be ready for combat until next year

The first F-35s to be delivered with a set of upgrades known as Technology Refresh 3 will initially be used for training flights, but will not be ready for combat until 2025, Lockheed Martin said in an earnings call Tuesday. Lockheed chief executive Jim Taiclet told investors the company is focused on fully implementing TR-3 — a set of upgrades to the F-35′s software and hardware, including…
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DefenseNews

US Army faces uphill battle to fix aviation mishap crisis

FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. — In the first half of fiscal 2023, more than a dozen U.S. Army aviators died in helicopter crashes, a startling number that prompted an aviation-wide standdown in April 2023. The Army, after a thorough review, eventually lifted the standdown. But five…
DefenseNews

Army may swap AI bill of materials for simpler ‘baseball cards’

The U.S. Army is revising its artificial intelligence bill of materials effort following meetings with defense contractors. The service last year floated the idea of an AI BOM, which would be similar to existing software bills, or comprehensive lists of components and dependencies that comprise programs and digital goods. Such practices of transparency are championed by the Cybersecurity and…
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