Defense

Naval Air Forces received a new commanding officer Thursday during a ceremony aboard Naval Air Station North Island, California, albeit a leader serving in an acting capacity. Rear Adm. George Wikoff relieved Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell as the commander of Navy aviation, but is only serving as the acting “Air Boss” because his promotion to vice admiral and nomination to be the next commander…

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy expects the submarine-industrial base to start delivering attack submarines on time by 2028 — more than a decade after vendors and shipbuilders began struggling to keep up with growing demand, made worse by the pandemic and the seismic disruption it brought to the labor market. In fact, the Navy says, industry will have additional capacity by the early 2030s to start…

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The Army’s top civilian over acquisitions has approved the next phase of development for the service’s “do-it-all” device, the Integrated Visual Augmentation System. The 1.2 prototype version of the device, an augmented reality combined night vision and situational awareness tool, was recently evaluated by soldiers with 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st…

WASHINGTON — The F-35 Joint Program Office and manufacturer Lockheed Martin on Wednesday said the first fighters upgraded with new capabilities may not be delivered until at least April 2024, and possibly as late as next June. This means the delivery of fighters with a slate of improvements known as Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, will be at least a year behind schedule. And it could mean nearly…