DefenseNews

US Army nears choosing first battalion for extended range cannon

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is nearing the selection of an existing Field Artillery Battalion that will get the first set of the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system, according to Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, who is in charge of the service’s Long-Range Precision Fires modernization efforts. Fielding will take place in 2023, but the Army will have to announce the unit with enough time…
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DefenseNews

Army chief says end-strength numbers to stay flat in upcoming budgets

WASHINGTON — Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said, if the budget top line in future years either stays the same or falls, he doesn’t see the service’s end-strength numbers dropping, but he also doesn’t see them growing. “When it comes to what chiefs have to grapple with in a budget, it’s end-strength and structure, it’s readiness and it’s modernization. Those are the…
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DefenseNews

New US Army doctrine coming summer 2022

WASHINGTON — The Army is expected to release its new doctrine, one that describes how the service will operate in the future across air, land, sea, space and cyberspace, in summer 2022, Lt. Gen. D. Scott McKean, the director of the Army Futures and Concepts Center under Army Futures Command, told Defense News in a March 15 virtual event. The doctrine cements the Army’s developing…
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DefenseNews

The Air Force has its first F-15EX

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force took delivery March 10 of the first F-15EX from Boeing and will soon begin testing the new jet, the service said Thursday. The Air Force signed off on the acceptance of the first F-15EX at the company’s St. Louis facility, the service…
DefenseNews

Northrop Designing 'Sky Viper' Cannon for Army's Futuristic Attack Helicopter

Artist rendition of Northrop Grumman’s new Sky Viper 20mm cannon for the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) effort. (Courtesy Northrop Grumman) Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday that it is building a new 20mm cannon for the Army‘s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft — one that it says is far more accurate than the AH-64 Apache‘s 30mm chain gun. The new…
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