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 “degraded” in more than half of the “functional areas” scored by the famously invasive INSURV inspectors, with 11 of 21…
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…
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 aerial system in an Army drone rodeo at Fort Benning, Georgia, for companies competing to replace the service’s RQ-7B…
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…
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 general in the Asia-Pacific region.
“I want to actually look at what options do we have,” Air Force Chief of Staff…
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…
Missile Defense Agency needs to get back to its advanced tech roots, top US general says
February 26, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Missile Defense Agency has drifted from an organization that researches and develops advanced technology toward one that focuses on procuring and sustaining fielded systems, but Gen. John Hyten, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wants the…
Israel chooses to buy Lockheed’s CH-53K over Boeing’s CH-47
February 26, 2021
JERUSALEM — Israel has decided to purchase Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K helicopter over the Boeing-made CH-47, the Defense Ministry announced Feb. 25.
The move is seen as essential for Israel, as its older CH-53 Sea Stallion “Yasur” helicopters have been in use since the 1960s.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the decision to purchase new heavy-lift helicopters for the Air Force is a…
