DefenseNews

Proposed House spending bill would add more F-35s

A proposed defense spending bill the House of Representatives released Tuesday would fund eight more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in fiscal 2025 than the military originally planned. The Pentagon’s budget request earlier this year included money to buy 68 F-35s — 42 F-35As for the Air Force, and 13 F-35Bs and 13 F-35Cs for the Navy and Marine Corps. But the House Appropriations defense…
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DefenseNews

Boeing wins $7.5 billion contract from US Air Force for guided bombs

The Air Force awarded Boeing a contract worth nearly $7.5 billion to build more kits to convert bombs into guided weapons known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions. The company will provide JDAM tail kits and other supplies under the sole-source fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, the Pentagon said Friday. The company will work on the kits, as well as spares, repairs…
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DefenseNews

US Army sets development plan for future tactical drone

The U.S. Army approved the characteristics it wants in a Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System after awarding contracts to two teams competing to build the drone. The service approved an Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document, or A-CDD, on May 17, setting up the…
DefenseNews

House defense bill would add more test F-35s as upgrades remain behind

The military would dedicate more Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to testing new technologies and capabilities under the House’s proposed fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. An amendment proposed by Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and adopted by a voice vote Wednesday would increase the number of developmental test F-35s in the works from six to at least nine, tweaking a…
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DefenseNews

For F-35, Congress must heed history

History serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of neglecting air superiority, a mistake America must not repeat with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as it did with the F-22 Raptor. In 2009, the F-22 program was abruptly cancelled after the production of only 187…
DefenseNews

Drone corps proposal would disrupt US Army plans, says undersecretary

A House committee’s proposal to create a drone corps within the Army may run counter to the service’s push to expand tactics, training and spending for unmanned aerial systems across some operational units, according to an Army official. The House Armed Services Committee’s draft fiscal 2025 defense policy bill includes a provision directing the Army to establish a drone corps —…
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