DefenseNews

Georgia base tapped to host F-35 fighters as A-10 fleet retires

Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, is the service’s top pick to become the next active duty home of the F-35A Lightning II fighter. The Air Force said Monday it plans to bring two F-35 squadrons to the Valdosta base starting in fiscal 2029, when it hopes to complete phasing out its fleet of A-10C Thunderbolt II attack planes. The service must first study the proposed move’s environmental impact on…
Read more
DefenseNews

Lockheed bests General Dynamics for Army long-range jammer contract

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor by revenue, bested rival General Dynamics Mission Systems for a U.S. Army deal to develop a long-range electronic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber system the service sees as critical to its “deep sensing” playbook. Under the new arrangement, worth nearly $37 million over 21 months, Lockheed will build a prototype…
Read more
DefenseNews

Garciga expected to be next US Army chief information officer

WASHINGTON — Leonel Garciga, most recently the top technology officer for U.S. Army intelligence, will be the service’s next civilian chief information officer, C4ISRNET and Army Times have learned. Garciga is expected to take the post in mid-July. He will succeed Raj…
DefenseNews

Lockheed, Rheinmetall pair up to build Europe-made rocket launcher

PARIS — Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall are partnering to offer a European-made rocket launcher based on Lockheed’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) system to Germany and its neighbors. The GMARS system is envisioned as a wheeled artillery system replacing Berlin’s aging MARS 2 multiple launch rocket systems, Howard Bromberg, vice president and deputy for strategy and business…
Read more
DefenseNews

White House mum on jailed Defense News correspondent

Senior White House officials said press freedom would be among the topics discussed this week by President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in private meetings, but would not commit to specifically intervening in the case of Defense News contributor Vivek…
DefenseNews

House defense bill pushes US Air Force on jet trainer availability

WASHINGTON — The House’s proposed version of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes provisions that would push the Air Force to make available more pilot training aircraft — both old and new — and tap the brakes on some future fighter retirements. The bill, which the House Armed Services Committee advanced early Thursday, includes an amendment from Rep. Ronny Jackson…
Read more