DefenseNews

US Air Force tests third-stage rocket motor for next nuclear missile

The U.S. Air Force and two main contractors on the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program on Saturday tested the solid-rocket motor that will power the nuclear weapon’s third stage. The test, which also involved Northrop Grumman and Aerojet Rocketdyne, took place in a closed chamber at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tennessee. It followed static fire tests of…
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DefenseNews

Britain finalizes deal to buy 14 Chinook helicopters

LONDON — Britain’s defense secretary has committed to a deal to acquire a new fleet of Boeing-built extended-range Chinook helicopters. Fourteen CH-47-ER Chinooks, destined principally for use by British special forces, will be delivered to the Royal Air Force under the terms of the deal signed between the British and U.S. governments. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps on Thursday confirmed the…
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DefenseNews

Tech maturing too fast for multiyear drone buys, Army’s Bush says

Unmanned technologies are maturing at such a rapid rate that multiyear purchases would likely leave the U.S. Army with outdated devices, according to a service acquisition official. Militaries the world over are increasingly developing and deploying drones and robotics, with the systems posing a threat on land, at sea and in the air. The growing importance of uncrewed systems has been on display…
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DefenseNews

US Navy nixed a Virginia sub amid spending frenzy to support suppliers

The U.S. Navy’s fiscal 2025 budget request includes money for one Virginia-class attack submarine instead of the planned two, but still represents “a prioritization and very significant investment in undersea warfare capabilities,” the service’s undersecretary said Friday, arguing this is not contradictory. The Navy has been buying its attack subs at a rate of two per year since FY11, but…
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