DefenseNews

US Army’s Precision Strike Missile breaks range record

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile ranged 400 kilometers — roughly 250 miles — in a test shot at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on May 12, Lockheed Martin announced. The test marks the farthest the PrSM has flown so far, which is roughly the distance between New York City and Rochester, New York. “We had impressive performance flying more than 400…
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Air Force once again asks Congress to let it mothball oldest RQ-4 Global Hawk drones

WASHINGTON — The Air Force will continue pushing for the retirement of its oldest Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks, the service’s top officials said Friday, potentially setting up another fight with Congress about the future of the embattled surveillance drone. “The Air Force will continue to pursue the [fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act] RQ-4 Block 30 divestment waiver in…
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DefenseNews

More than 130 House lawmakers push to ramp up F-35 buy

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…
DefenseNews

The Air Force’s first Skyborg autonomous drone prototype made its first flight

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 a two-hour and ten minute flight test held April 29 at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, a UTAP-22 equipped with the Skyborg…
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DefenseNews

Egypt bumps up its Rafale fleet by 30 new planes

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…
DefenseNews

US Army’s next-gen protection system for helos cleared for full-rate production

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 Common Infrared Countermeasures program, known as CIRCM, with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2026. The service…
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