WASHINGTON — The Senate wants to spend an additional $1.7 billion to buy 17 more F-35 fighter jets for the military in fiscal 2021.
The Senate Appropriations Committee’s $696 billion defense spending bill, which was released Nov. 10, would add 12 F-35As for the Air Force and five F-35Cs for the Navy and Marine Corps for a total of 96 jets in FY21. That’s five more than House appropriators…
US State Dept. approves UAE’s purchase of F-35 jets, MQ-9 drones
November 11, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department on Tuesday cleared a massive package of F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 unmanned systems for the United Arab Emirates, making official a potential sale still opposed by many congressional Democrats.
In a statement, Secretary of State…
3 questions with the US Army’s Synthetic Training Environment lead
November 10, 2020
WASHINGTON — Maj. Gen. Maria Gervais has led the Synthetic Training Environment Cross-Functional Team as part of Army Futures Command since its inception a few years ago, and already the STE has made great strides in bringing state-of-the-art training to the force.
…
US Army floats the option of fielding high-altitude balloons
November 10, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is now carving out a path to field high-altitude balloons to provide an additional but less expensive layer of communications, connectivity, range extension and surveillance capabilities, adding resiliency to the service’s existing architecture of space assets and aircraft supporting multidomain operations.
Recent tests and experiments with high-altitude balloons…
Army Head Coach Monken: COVID Won't Shut Down Team
November 8, 2020
FILE – Army head coach Jeff Monken watches in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sept. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Even as Army head coach Jeff Monken disputes the COVID-19 reasoning for canceling…
1st Lt. Emilio Pacheco, an Expert Infantry Badge Candidate from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, fires blank rounds from an M2 .50 caliber machine gun during training at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on Oct. 18, 2019. The Army and Marine Corps are…
Lockheed Martin to build mid-range missile prototype for US Army
November 7, 2020
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has been chosen to build the U.S. Army’s new mid-range missile prototype, landing a nearly $340 million contract to take elements from Navy missiles to forge the new weapon, the service’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office announced Nov. 6.
Through an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, Lockheed will take the U.S. Navy’s…
An Army squad conducts training on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, on Aug. 27, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Adeline Witherspoon, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade)
Maneuver officials at Fort Benning, Georgia, are looking at restructuring future ground combat units…
A soldier aims an XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement weapon system at Aberdeen Test Center, Md. Army photo
The XM25 program may be dead, but Army maneuver officials at Fort Benning, Georgia, still want to arm infantry squads with a precision weapon that can destroy…
A soldier participates in Weapons Qualification on the M16 Assault Rifle at the firing range on Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on May 13, 2019. (Army photo by Michael Mascari)
A Fort Jackson, South Carolina, soldier died after being injured on the rifle training range, base officials announced Friday.
“Our hearts are heavy for our teammate, the unit soldiers and all the family members,” said…
