Soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division conduct flight tests and maneuvers at the FTUAS Rodeo on February 25-26, 2021 at Leyte West Airfield, Fort Benning, Georgia. (U.S. Army/Luke J. Allen)
Senior Army aviation officials on Tuesday watched flight demonstrations of a handful of prototype drones built for vertical takeoffs and landings, which the service hopes will lead to a rapid replacement of…
WASHINGTON — Former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper will join the board of directors of Volansi, a commercial drone delivery company looking to expand its defense revenue, the company announced March 3.
As assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s surface fleet continues to struggle to keep its ships adequately maintained, according to the Board of Inspection and Survey, an entity responsible for monitoring the condition of the service’s ships.
The surface fleet was scored as…
Australia makes another order for Boeing’s Loyal Wingman drones after a successful first flight
March 3, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Royal Australian Air Force on Tuesday signed a $115 million contract to buy three more autonomous “Loyal Wingman” drones from Boeing, raising its total order to six aircraft just days after the first system made its inaugural flight.
Following a series of ground tests to validate its navigation and pilot control systems, the first Loyal Wingman — which Boeing also calls…
WASHINGTON — The Army has scheduled the initial operational test for its newest tracked vehicle to begin the second quarter of fiscal 2022, a spokesperson for the program office leading the effort told Defense News.
The BAE Systems-manufactured Armored Multi-Purpose…
Textron Systems Aerosonde Hybrid Quad which will be participating in the Army Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System Rodeo at Fort Benning, Georgia in March 2021. (Photo courtesy of Textron)
Textron Systems is preparing to show off its vertical takeoff and landing unmanned…
WASHINGTON — Since September, when the U.S. Air Force disclosed that it had flown a full-scale demonstrator of its future fighter, the defense community has been hungry for more details about the Next Generation Air Dominance program. And Air Force leaders have been loathe to provide them.
That’s what made unprompted comments by Air Combat Command head Gen. Mark Kelly so surprising during a…
Apache Helicopter Crash Injures Two Army Aviators
February 27, 2021
An AH-64 Apache helicopter hovers in front of the sun and conducts movement drills in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army/Sgt. Duncan Brennan)
An Army AH-64 Apache helicopter on a training flight crashed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, on Thursday, injuring the two aviators onboard.
The…
Top US Air Force general isn’t ready to buy E-7 Wedgetail just yet
February 27, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force’s top general wants to take a deliberative approach to replacing its aging E-3 airborne early warning and control planes. In other words, he isn’t ready to commit to the Boeing-made E-7 Wedgetail, despite support from the service’s top…
More missiles, dispersed forces are key to stopping Chinese invasion of Taiwan, says former US Navy official
February 27, 2021
MELBOURNE, Australia — The U.S. military needs to quickly deploy more anti-ship missiles capable of targeting invading forces heading to Taiwan, and ensure American assets within range of Chinese missiles are sufficiently dispersed or hardened against a preemptive strike.
At least that’s the recommendation made by Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submarine commander, during a Feb. 18…
