Defense

MELBOURNE, Australia — The U.S. State Department has approved a $5.06 billion sale of 25 F-35A fighter jets for South Korea. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Wednesday announced the possible deal, which could change in quantity and contract value during the negotiations process. The potential sale, which now goes to Congress for consideration, would also include 26 Pratt & Whitney…

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The U.S. Air Force has clearly expressed its desire for a futuristic fleet of drone “wingmen” considered vital to countering Russia and China, defense company executives said. The exchange of info between buyer and builder for the collaborative combat aircraft endeavor, or CCA, has so far been “crystal clear,” according to David Alexander, the president of General…

The Navy decommissioned the littoral combat ship Milwaukee on Friday in Mayport, Florida, after less than 10 years in service. The ship, designed to serve for a quarter century, is one of the Freedom-class variants that the Navy is mothballing before they reach the end of their service life so it can fund other priorities. The LCS Sioux City, another in the Freedom class, was decommissioned Aug.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The U.S. Air Force is prioritizing the delivery of cloud-based command-and-control networks to forces across the globe, and is preparing to follow through even under federal spending that falls short of a full budget. The so-called CBC2 effort is closely tied to the service’s Advanced Battle Management System, or ABMS, itself a portion of the Pentagon’s larger…