DefenseNews

US Air Force conducts final test of Lockheed’s hypersonic missile

The U.S. Air Force on Sunday carried out what is expected to be the final test of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon. The service did not say whether the test was successful. In a statement to Defense News, an Air Force spokesperson said a B-52H Stratofortress carried out the test of the fully operational ARRW prototype, referred to as an all-up round test, after taking off…
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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…
DefenseNews

CQ Brown visits Lockheed plant with lawmakers to press Ukraine case

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown visited U.S. weapon factories in Oklahoma and Arkansas on Thursday as the Pentagon frames the $95 billion aid package hanging in the balance on Capitol Hill as not only vital to Ukraine’s survival but also critical to the U.S. economy. Brown visited Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Arkansas, weapon facility and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester…
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DefenseNews

F-35 upgrade delays prompt US Air Force to scale back jet purchases

The ongoing delay in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s latest upgrades was one factor in the U.S. Air Force’s recent decision to purchase fewer jets in fiscal 2025. The service announced Monday it plans to buy 42 F-35As from Lockheed Martin in 2025, six fewer than it originally anticipated. In a news conference to discuss the 2025 budget, Air Force official Kristyn Jones told reporters that…
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DefenseNews

Navy postpones several modernization programs to pay for operations

The U.S. Navy will postpone most of its planned development and purchases of large unmanned systems and next-generation ships and planes in fiscal 2025, citing spending caps. The Navy in its FY25 budget request seeks six ships instead of the previously planned seven in the proposal — including one attack submarine, compared to the planned two — and will trim its research and development budget…
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