DefenseNews

US Army experiments with long-endurance drones, balloons in Philippines

BASCO, Philippines — A barely detectable speck appears near a beaming, late afternoon sun and then dodges behind a cloud. Soon that small speck, as it makes its slow descent, takes the form of a sleek, small unmanned aircraft. The aircraft makes a quiet, delicate landing along the runway of a remote island airfield in the Philippines in the temporarily breezeless, scorching heat. The platform…
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DefenseNews

Submarine delays push SEALs to find new underwater approaches

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Navy special operators are upgrading their underwater fleet to continue reaching their objectives amid a looming gap in submarine capabilities, according military officials. Navy SEALs have used the dry deck shelter with modified Ohio-class submarines…
DefenseNews

Little Bird helicopter replacement in question after Army cancels FARA

TAMPA, Fla. — A key helicopter model integral to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) operations will not receive anticipated upgrades through a major replacement program, following its cancellation earlier this year. For decades, USSOCOM has relied on the A/MH-6 Little Bird helicopter, a commercial model adapted for military use. Despite ongoing upgrades to maintain its operational…
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DefenseNews

How to further strengthen the Defense Production Act

The House Financial Services Committee’s hearing this week on the reauthorization of the Defense Production Act is timely and important. The DPA is an essential tool for national security that was little known prior to COVID-19. Its use during the pandemic helped the U.S.
DefenseNews

Lockheed Martin to roll out first F-35s for Poland this summer

WARSAW, Poland — Senior Lockheed Martin officials said they expect the first F-35 warplanes for Poland to leave the production plant in Fort Worth, Texas, in the coming months, a time line unaffected by the company’s problems with a major upgrade for the aircraft known as Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3. The envisioned timing lines up with Polish pilot training, which is slated to begin in the…
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DefenseNews

V-22 Osprey could see second life, with new drive system, wings in 2050s

The V-22 program office is studying the future of the tiltrotor aircraft, weighing both a technology refresh as well as whether it could rip off the wings and nacelles to add decades of additional life to the airframes. U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian Taylor, the joint program manager for the aircraft, told an audience at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington that the U.S. military is the…
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