DAYTON, Ohio—The Air Force is working to make up for schedule delays and cost overruns on two central components of its plan to keep the B-52 flying into the 2060s.
The 1960s-era B-52, whose missions have ranged from nuclear alert during the Cold War to precision strikes against the Taliban, is the workhorse of the Air Force’s bomber fleet. The service is undergoing a $48 billion overhaul to…
Boeing names aerospace veteran Kelly Ortberg as new CEO
August 1, 2024
Boeing named a longtime aerospace industry veteran on Wednesday as its next chief executive, who will take over a company that has been rocked by legal, regulatory and production problems.
Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, a former CEO at Boeing supplier Rockwell Collins, will…
Boeing’s KC-46 has a new top-tier deficiency
August 1, 2024
DAYTON, Ohio — The Air Force and Boeing identified a new KC-46 deficiency this spring that’s causing damage to the tanker’s air system ducts — adding to the aircraft’s running list of unresolved, high-risk design flaws.
The latest deficiency, designated a Category…
DAYTON, Ohio — The Air Force has chosen five companies to build the autonomy system that will underpin the first batch of its uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet, according to a service official. Voorheis, program executive officer for fighters and advanced aircraft, described the autonomy package as the “brains” of the Air Force’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA…
The Marines are looking for weapons-mounted gear and ammo that can detect and blast drones out of the sky with “buckshot-like” capability.
Marine Corps Systems Command posted a request for information from industry on July 15 seeking white papers on how developers would…
Navy fighter jets from Carrier Air Wing 3, embarked aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, employed several weapons in combat for the first time during their recently completed deployment to the Middle East, where they battled Houthi attacks and struck targets…
LONDON — Israel Aerospace Industries, the maker of Germany’s future long-range antimissile system, has increased shifts and hired more workers to meet the deadline of setting up an installation in Germany sometime next year, a company executive said.
The extra effort follows the national logic of outfitting the Israel Defense Forces as the priority, while also keeping international orders on…
LONDON — The British Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Thales U.K. to procure “Martlet” missiles for replenishing the country’s stocks after donating hundreds of them to Ukraine.
UK Defense Equipment & Support, the defense ministry’s procurement…
PARIS — Dassault Aviation said the production ramp-up of its Rafale fighter jet continues to be impacted by supply chain disruptions in the aerospace industry.
Lifting the Rafale production pace to three a month at the final assembly plant in Mérignac in southwest France…
The US Navy risks outsourcing control of its drones
July 25, 2024
Thanks to programs like Replicator, and incubators like the Defense Innovation Unit and the Disruptive Capabilities Office, the Navy is on the precipice of widespread adoption of uncrewed systems.
These systems bring with them the prospect of new technologies, new operational designs and, potentially, new business models. A key question for the Navy is how to signal to industry that the service…
