Senate lawmakers in the next few days will move ahead with confirmation votes on key leadership spots for the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and Democratic leaders are eyeing ways soon after to force through hundreds of other senior officer promotions which have been held up for months.
On Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed procedural motions to move ahead on the…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is beginning to integrate its industrial base with those of Australia and the United Kingdom, despite Congress not yet passing several measures to enable the trilateral submarine-building arrangement AUKUS.
AUKUS will bring about the sale of…
Submarine sector study looks at busy repair schedule, AUKUS work
October 30, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy and the Defense Department completed an updated study of the submarine-industrial base, its upcoming workload, and what the military and industry ought to do to bolster the sector.
Previous studies — which informed about $6.3 billion in past…
Leonardo, Elbit units to prototype targeting device for US Army
October 30, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army selected two companies to develop prototypes of a next-generation laser targeting system that troops can carry and use in the field to scout locations and coordinate strikes.
Both Leonardo DRS, the Virginia-based subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo SpA, and Elbit Systems of America, a unit of Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd., will work on the Joint Effects Targeting System…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy intends to buy its next two aircraft carriers in a single contract, but factors including delays on carriers now under construction are influencing discussions about when to begin the process.
The service bought aircraft carriers 80 and 81, the…
Kuwait receives four Eurofighter Typhoons
October 30, 2023
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Kuwaiti Air Force received four Eurofighter Typhoons this week, bringing its fleet size to 13 out of the 28 on order, the country’s official Kuwait News Agency announced.
Deliveries began in December 2021 as part of an effort to enhance…
BRNO, Czech Republic — The Czech ministry of defense has confirmed that it will spend $120 million on the procurement of 48 long-range, air-to-air missiles made by Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael Systems.
The contract, which will see Prague acquire the I-Derby ER missile type by 2027, is expected to be signed by the end of the month, the defense ministry said, as quoted by local news agency…
Navy test-fires missile from mobile launcher aboard LCS Savannah
October 26, 2023
The littoral combat ship Savannah on Tuesday fired a SM-6 missile from a “containerized launching system” at a target in the Pacific Ocean, signaling a way that the lightly armed ship class could one day contribute to a conventional naval battle.
Naval Surface Forces…
WASHINGTON — As the government’s spending on the submarine industrial base grows, so too is concern among lawmakers.
The Biden administration’s recent supplemental spending request includes $3.4 billion for the submarine industrial base, which, if passed, would bring…
US Air Force activates units dedicated to electronic warfare
October 25, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has activated two detachments at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia dedicated to electronic warfare and its future applications.
The green light, given Oct. 25 at a ceremony inside an aviation museum, marks a step toward the realization of the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group, tasked with assessing the effectiveness of electronic warfare across dozens of aircraft while…
