WASHINGTON — More than 130 members of the House of Representatives have signed a letter urging continued financial support for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, signaling a potential roadblock for lawmakers hoping to cut F-35 procurement in fiscal 2022.
The April 28 letter called on the leadership of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Appropriations Committee’s defense…
WASHINGTON — The Air Force carried out the first flight test of a “Skyborg” drone last month with an Kratos UTAP-22 Mako equipped with a bespoke autonomy system, moving the service one step closer to fielding an uncrewed “loyal wingman” for human pilots.
During…
PARIS – Egypt has bought 30 more Rafale aircraft from France, according to statements issued on Tuesday by the Egyptian and French defense ministries and Dassault Aviation, the aircraft’s manufacturer.
The new acquisition complements the first Egyptian purchase of 24…
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s top defense procurement official, Ismail Demir, said in an April 30 TV interview that the government will prioritize the production of its indigenous TF-X fighter jet amid an estimated loss of $1.4 billion for local industry following the country’s expulsion from the American-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
The U.S. decided to exclude Turkey from the…
The U.S. Army’s Northrop Grumman-manufactured next-generation protection system for its fleet of helicopters has been cleared for full-rate production, according to an April 30 Pentagon announcement.
The Army awarded Northrop a nearly $1 billion contract to produce the…
Army Eyes Autonomous Robotic Arm to Rapidly Resupply its Futuristic Long-Range Howitzer
April 30, 2021
Extended Range Cannon Artillery System, or ERCA, being tested in an M109A7 self-propelled howitzer at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona in 2019. (U.S. Army)
An Austin, Texas, startup company will show off a new type of autonomous robotic arm for Army officials looking for a way…
Watchdog expresses concern over using US Navy interceptor for homeland missile defense
April 30, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Government Accountability Office is skeptical the Navy’s SM-3 Block IIA interceptor would work as part of a new plan for a layered homeland defense against intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In a report released this week, the GAO said the SM-3 Block IIA could “introduce considerable cost, schedule, and performance uncertainty to a program that has just entered…
WASHINGTON — Point Blank Enterprises is the most recent nontraditional business to come out of the woodwork as a competitor for the U.S. Army’s concept vehicle design phase to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
The company announced April 26 on its website…
Boeing reported a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss on Wednesday, although revenue met Wall Street forecasts as the company generated cash by delivering more new airliners than it did a year ago.
Boeing lost $561 million — or $537 million after accounting for a…
Army Fields First New Air Defense Strykers in Europe
April 28, 2021
The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADA), 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, is the first unit in the Army to receive the Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system, April 21, 2021. (Jordan Allen /U.S. Army)
U.S. Army modernization officials have fielded the first Mobile Short Range Air Defense, or M-SHORAD, Stryker vehicles in Europe as part of a larger…
