DefenseNews

Air Force budget cuts may open old wounds with Congress

February 26, 2025
The Air Force wants to accelerate its plans to retire old and outdated aircraft to meet Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order for services to cut and reallocate a portion of their spending. But the service’s previous efforts to cut planes like the A-10 Warthog and older F-22 Raptors have shown that making such plans is easy, while actually seeing them through is far trickier. That is because…
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DefenseNews

Air Force tests unarmed nuclear missile in pre-dawn video

February 21, 2025
The Air Force conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile early Wednesday to help ensure its land-based nuclear force still operates safely and effectively. Airmen from Air Force Global Strike Command launched the intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, the department said. The Minuteman missile carried no…
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DefenseNews

General Atomics eyes ‘huge’ MQ-9 sale to Saudi Arabia

February 20, 2025
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates —General Atomics is preparing to offer a package deal to Saudi Arabia to acquire a number of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, company executives said in an interview at the IDEX arms fair in Abu Dhabi. “We are still in the very early stages but…
DefenseNews

Navy League urges rapid expansion of battle fleet for future wars

February 10, 2025
The Navy League of the United States urged Congress on Thursday to invest in a buildup of the military’s battle force fleet. Here, a welder with Newport News Shipbuilding works on a steel panel. (Ashley Cowan/HII) U.S. leaders should invest at least $40 billion every year to grow and maintain the country’s fleet of battle force ships in preparation for long-term and large-scale wars…
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