DefenseNews

Army Eyes Autonomous Robotic Arm to Rapidly Resupply its Futuristic Long-Range Howitzer

April 30, 2021
Extended Range Cannon Artillery System, or ERCA, being tested in an M109A7 self-propelled howitzer at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona in 2019. (U.S. Army) An Austin, Texas, startup company will show off a new type of autonomous robotic arm for Army officials looking for a way to take the burden off soldiers to rapidly resupply the service’s futuristic Extended Range Cannon Artillery system…
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DefenseNews

Boeing CEO points to defense and space biz as financial stabilizer

April 29, 2021
Boeing reported a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss on Wednesday, although revenue met Wall Street forecasts as the company generated cash by delivering more new airliners than it did a year ago. Boeing lost $561 million — or $537 million after accounting for a loss attributable to a noncontrolling interest — as the coronavirus pandemic continued to hurt demand for new planes. …
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DefenseNews

Army Fields First New Air Defense Strykers in Europe

April 28, 2021
The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADA), 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, is the first unit in the Army to receive the Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system, April 21, 2021. (Jordan Allen /U.S. Army) U.S. Army modernization…
DefenseNews

Biden to nominate Frank Kendall as Air Force secretary

April 28, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has officially nominated Frank Kendall to serve as secretary of the Air Force and Gina Ortiz Jones for undersecretary of the Air Force. The announcement, made by the White House on Tuesday afternoon, confirmed reporting by Defense News earlier that morning. Kendall is best known as the Pentagon’s top acquisition official during the Obama…
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DefenseNews

US State Department clears Australia to buy MQ-9B drones

April 27, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department on Friday approved a $1.6 billion foreign military sale of MQ-9B drones for Australia. The package includes up to 12 MQ-9B aircraft made by General Atomics, as well as Honeywell engines, ground control stations, training…
DefenseNews

Turkey’s removal from F-35 program to cause hike in engine price

April 24, 2021
WASHINGTON — The cost of the F-35′s engine is set to increase by 3 percent due to Turkey’s removal from the program in 2019, the head of Pratt & Whitney’s military engines division said Thursday. The company’s F135 engine — which is used in all three variants of the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter — was initially manufactured with a total of 188 parts produced by…
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