DefenseNews

Congress resurrects MQ-9 Reaper program, adding 16 drones for the Air Force

WASHINGTON — Buried inside the massive $2.3 trillion spending package passed by Congress on Monday was a $286 million lifeline for General Atomics that will keep the Air Force buying MQ-9 Reaper drones at least one more year. In its fiscal 2021 budget request, the Air Force eliminated funding to procure the Reaper, instead requesting about $172 million to begin shutting down General…
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DefenseNews

Army long-range cannon gets direct hit on target 43 miles away

WASHINGTON — The Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system under development hit a target 43 miles away — or 70 kilometers — on the nose at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Dec. 19, using an Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell, according to Brig.
DefenseNews

Lockheed Martin buys Aerojet Rocketdyne in $4.4B deal

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin will acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne in a $4.4 billion deal that will allow the defense giant to beef up its technical know-how in the areas of space, propulsion and munitions, the companies announced Dec. 20. The acquisition signals Lockheed’s continued interest in the areas of hypersonic weapons and space — two major technology development priorities for the…
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DefenseNews

Air Force Visits Army; Service Academy Supremacy at Stake

Army quarterback Tyhier Tyler celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented two-week stretch of…
DefenseNews

US Army and South Korea’s Hanwha will research projects together

WASHINGTON — Hanwha, South Korea’s largest defense company, and the U.S. Army have signed an agreement to research and develop defense systems and technologies together, according to a statement from the Asian firm. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was signed Dec. 10 by Hanwha Corporation and Hanwha Defense and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command…
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DefenseNews

Army Combat Medics Evaluate Lifelike Female Trauma Mannequin

Capt. Daniel Karakas (right), a medical corps officer at Winn Army Community Hospital, checks a female mannequin for breathing, while Spc. Ekya Graham, an aviation operation specialist assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, holds pressure on a wound to stop…
DefenseNews

The F-35′s interoperability tech strengthens US alliances

The U.S. State Department recently gave the green light to Finland and Switzerland to purchase the F-35 aircraft. It’s not a fait accompli — the F-35 still needs to win each country’s competitions — but it’s telling that two friendly, but non-NATO, European…
DefenseNews

Newt Gingrich and loyalists tapped for Defense Policy Board as Henry Kissinger is ousted

WASHINGTON ― The Trump administration continued efforts to replace Pentagon advisers with loyalists as it tapped former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and others Monday to replace ousted members of the Defense Policy Board, an independent outside body. Weeks after former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright were removed in a sudden purge of longstanding experts, Gingrich…
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