DefenseNews

Lockheed drops US Air Force tanker bid; partner Airbus to go it alone

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has ended its effort to compete for a U.S. Air Force contract to build the service’s next wave of 75 refueling tankers. But Airbus, with whom Lockheed Martin had planned to build the proposed LMXT strategic tanker, will still compete for the KC-135 recapitalization. LMXT would have been based on Airbus’s A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport. “Airbus remains…
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DefenseNews

Here’s when the first T-7 trainer is to fly to Edwards Air Force Base

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force plans to fly its first T-7A Red Hawk trainer halfway across the country to Edwards Air Force Base in California for further testing as soon as Oct. 26. Col. Kirt Cassell, the Air Force’s T-7 program manager, told Defense News on Friday that the service’s first four T-7 test pilots are days away from beginning their familiarization and training flights at…
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DefenseNews

Boeing begins 3D-printing Apache helicopter parts

WASHINGTON — Boeing plans to begin testing a full 3D-printed main rotor system for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter in the spring of next year as part of an effort to cut out long-lead times and improve the overall supply chains for parts that are typically forged, according to company officials. At the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference last week, a Boeing and ASTRO America…
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DefenseNews

No, Rafael’s ‘Iron Beam’ laser didn’t blow up missiles over Israel

WASHINGTON — Videos circulating on social media purporting to show a high-energy laser weapon destroying missiles during the Israel-Hamas war are actually altered clips derived from a military simulation video game. Cropped, low-resolution footage depicting swarms of overhead projectiles being intercepted in front of a tower are sourced from Arma 3, a photorealistic game billed as a “massive…
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