Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall raised a warning flag on the service’s ability to afford a next-generation refueling tanker at a mobility conference Nov. 1.
The Air Force says that tanker — referred to as the Next-Generation Aerial Refueling System, or NGAS — is necessary to modernize the Air Force’s ability to fight a war against China, along with a sixth-generation fighter known as…
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — As India struggles to develop its own medium-altitude, long-endurance drones, the government pulled the trigger this month on a purchase of 31 MQ-9Bs from General Atomics.
The tri-service buy is worth 320 billion rupees, or US$3.8 billion, with…
Bell Textron will build the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA, fuselages in Wichita, Kansas, the company announced this week.
The company won the Army’s bid to build FLRAA in late 2022 following a competition in which it and a Sikorsky-Boeing team…
Navy extending service lives of three cruisers
November 8, 2024
The Navy is keeping three cruisers in service for three additional years each – just after extending the service life for 12 destroyers.
The service announced Monday that the Gettysburg, Chosin, and Cape St. George will now remain in service up until fiscal year 2029, rather than 2026.
These cruisers have received modernization updates including “extensive hull,” mechanical and engineering…
Air Force Global Strike Command carried out a test of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile late Tuesday night. The ICBM, which was equipped with multiple targeted reentry vehicles, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at about 11…
‘Fat Leonard,’ Navy scandal mastermind, sentenced to 15 years
November 7, 2024
SAN DIEGO — Former military defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for masterminding a decade-long bribery scheme that swept up dozens of U.S. Navy officers, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Janis L.
Boeing factory strike ends as machinists vote to accept contract
November 7, 2024
SEATTLE — Factory workers at Boeing voted to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production of its bestselling airliner and generate much-needed cash.
Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the…
Why the Defense Department needs a chief economist
November 5, 2024
The Department of Defense budget is growing, and the DOD is spending more money in novel industries and nontraditional areas than ever before. To ensure the DOD spends smartly in this new environment, Congress should authorize a chief economist to keep the DOD thinking about…
Air Force to send bomber task force to Europe
November 5, 2024
The Air Force plans to soon send its latest task force of strategic bombers to Europe to train with NATO allies.
U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa said on Friday that the bomber task force deployment will begin “in the coming days,” and would last several weeks.
The Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force has used a small number of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000 Ultra Long-Endurance, solar-powered unmanned aircraft system across the Pacific theater in places like the Philippines and Guam in recent years. Now the Pentagon has ordered $20 million worth of the systems for the unit as well as special operators.
The Pentagon made the award through the Accelerate…
