WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. Transportation Command signaled Tuesday he is ready to support Air Force plans to start retiring some KC-135 aerial refueling tankers.
Last year, after the Air Force requested the authority to retire 13 KC-135s in fiscal 2021, TRANSCOM commander Gen. Stephen Lyons pushed back, arguing that retiring the legacy tankers without an operational KC-46 would exacerbate…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is on a path to choose an enduring system that will counter both drone and cruise missile threats by releasing a solicitation to industry for a prototyping effort and by hosting a shoot-off for two teams at White Sands Missile Range, New…
These five firms could build a new armed overwatch plane for US Air Force special operators
May 19, 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command has tapped five companies to compete in its armed overwatch program for a new attack aircraft, awarding $19.2 million in contracts among the vendors.
The selected companies will now build and fly prototype aircraft…
BEIRUT — The United Arab Emirates has awarded a 3.5 billion durham (U.S. $952.7 million) contract to Abu Dhabi Ship Building to produce four Falaj 3-class offshore patrol vessels, the largest-ever order for the company.
ADSB, a subsidiary of the local defense conglomerate Edge, announced the contract with the Emirati Defense Ministry and the Navy on Tuesday.
“The contract mandates ADSB…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Taiwan will reorganize its Army’s command structure to emphasize joint operations between its services and give regional commanders more operational flexibility in the event of a conflict, the country’s defense minister told lawmakers.
The…
Christine Wormuth, President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of the Army, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP photo)
The nominee to be President Joe…
WASHINGTON — Boeing will be late to deliver the two new Air Force One planes currently under construction, the U.S. Air Force’s top uniformed acquisition official said Thursday.
Last month, Boeing reported a $318 million charge on the VC-25B program to turn two Boeing 747s into new presidential aircraft, which are given the call sign “Air Force One” when the commander in chief is…
WASHINGTON — Army leaders are growing concerned the service won’t be able to continue to protect its priority programs and key enabling capabilities in the upcoming budget, especially as military officials and national security observers expect the Army’s overall…
LONDON — Britain has confirmed it will acquire 14 Boeing-made Chinook helicopters, but the government has prolonged the delivery schedule over the next decade years due to budget issues.
The deal was made through the U.S. Defense Department’s Foreign Military Sales…
The F-22 is going away, eventually. But not before the Air Force gets comfortable with its successor.
May 14, 2021
WASHINGTON — Top Air Force officials are now convinced the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor lacks the magazine depth and range needed to carry it into the next decade as the service’s air superiority fighter of choice.
But the exact timing of its retirement will depend on how quickly the Air Force can put its sixth-generation fighter into production, said Lt. Gen. Clinton Hinote, the service’s…
