DefenseNews

US Defense Secretary Austin’s chief of staff to step down this summer

PARIS — Kelly Magsamen, who has served as chief of staff to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin his entire tenure, will step down at the end of June. Austin announced the change in a statement, crediting her for “every initiative I have launched to defend our nation,” which includes work in the three areas of the world that now consume the Pentagon’s attention: the Indo-Pacific region…
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DefenseNews

Proposed House spending bill would add more F-35s

A proposed defense spending bill the House of Representatives released Tuesday would fund eight more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in fiscal 2025 than the military originally planned. The Pentagon’s budget request earlier this year included money to buy 68 F-35s — 42 F-35As…
DefenseNews

Defense Innovation Unit awards funding for sea-based launch pad

The Defense Innovation Unit selected The Spaceport Company to demonstrate the ability to use a sea-based launch platform to quickly send cargo or satellites to orbit. The company, headquartered in Woodbridge, Virginia, builds floating launch pads that could allow commercial companies or the Defense Department to fly payloads offshore. The concept is particularly relevant amid unprecedented launch…
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US Army sets development plan for future tactical drone

The U.S. Army approved the characteristics it wants in a Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System after awarding contracts to two teams competing to build the drone. The service approved an Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document, or A-CDD, on May 17, setting up the…
DefenseNews

F-35 customers in Asia-Pacific monitor Lockheed upgrade saga from afar

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Lockheed Martin’s delay in rolling out the F-35 fighter’s Technology Refresh 3 upgrade package appears to have no immediate effect on customers in the Asia-Pacific region, but governments are monitoring their acquisition timelines closely. The American firm paused F-35 deliveries pending acceptance of the TR-3 software suite, which comprises a mission system…
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For F-35, Congress must heed history

History serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of neglecting air superiority, a mistake America must not repeat with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as it did with the F-22 Raptor. In 2009, the F-22 program was abruptly cancelled after the production of only 187 aircraft — a quarter of the originally planned 750 fighters. This short-sighted decision left the U.S. Air Force with a…
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