DefenseNews

US has accepted 36 upgraded F-35s since lifting delivery pause

September 24, 2024
The Pentagon refused deliveries of new F-35s until Lockheed Martin developed a partial version of its latest upgrade software. (Staff Sgt. Zachary Rufus/Air Force) The U.S. has officially accepted 36 new Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters since lifting a yearlong delivery halt in July, 29 of which have so far been ferried to their new homes. Beginning in July 2023, the Pentagon…
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DefenseNews

Air Force Plans to Grow Recruiter Ranks for 2025 Goal

September 23, 2024
The Air Force plans to grow its recruiter ranks to help it meet an ambitious 2025 goal. (Master Sgt. Kevin Nichols/Air Force) The Air Force said Monday it will meet its recruitment goals in fiscal 2024, one year after all components of the service missed the mark for…
DefenseNews

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye: The Next Gen of Electronic Warfare

September 23, 2024
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft conduct a test flight near St. Augustine, Florida. (Courtesy of Northrup Grumman).The Navy in August awarded a $587.4 million contract to L3Harris Technologies to develop the Next Generation Jammer Low Band system for select aircraft, according…
DefenseNews

Italy Defense Procurement: New F-35A Jets and Eurofighters

September 23, 2024
An F-35A Lightning II flies over Arizona, April 24, 2024. (A1C Mason Hargrove/Air Force) ROME — Italy is to purchase 25 extra F-35 jets as well as new Eurofighters as its defense procurement spending rises 16.8% this year to €9.3 billion, or $10.3 billion, a new budget document revealed on Tuesday. Rome will also invest half a billion euros in 2024 on development of the Global Combat Air…
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How in-house tech and soldier tinkering is changing the Army

August 30, 2024
FORT JOHNSON, Louisiana – A new Army-made software application is allowing soldiers to identify a target and send a fire mission in under a minute when it used to take 15 minutes. Those same soldiers have rigged cheap drones with a cheap, off-the-shelf circuit board and…
DefenseNews

Thai Air Force picks Saab Gripen E fighter jet to replace its F-16s

August 30, 2024
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Royal Thai Air Force has nominated the Gripen E/F fighter jet to replace the country’s aging F-16A/Bs in a hard-fought contest involving Saab and Lockheed Martin, officials announced on Tuesday. A service committee deliberated for ten months before recommending the Gripen, though government approval is still required before a contract can be signed. “It can be…
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DefenseNews

Signal battalions to be rebuilt for modern combat, Army says

August 23, 2024
The Army is restructuring its signal battalions as advancements in technology and a laser-focus on its network dovetail with a shift from brigade to division-centric combat plans. Final details for restructuring the battalions came after years of merging job specialties in…
DefenseNews

Army tweaking major software effort to be more commercial friendly

August 22, 2024
The Army is reevaluating its workforce requirements and contract strategies for a major software modernization effort to make it easier for commercial vendors to bid for Defense Department projects. The service in February released its latest software policy, laying out its plan for managing and developing software as part of a broader digital modernization push. Months later, in May, it unveiled…
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