The Department of the Air Force on Friday said it awarded Sierra Nevada Corp. a $13 billion contract to replace the service’s aging E-4B Nightwatch “doomsday planes” that would fly during a nuclear war. The company will develop and produce the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, the name for the aircraft that will succeed the E-4B,…
Category: Military
Austin calls European allies, seeking more Patriots for Kyiv
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he has been speaking with allies in Europe about how to send Ukraine more air defense systems. He discussed the conversations in a Pentagon press conference Friday, referencing a series of one-on-one calls held this week. Pentagon readouts say Austin spoke with defense officials in Romania, the United…
Senators push to update nuclear military might in defense bill
A key group of senators is pushing to include their bill on nuclear modernization when the Armed Services Committee drafts its annual defense policy legislation in June. The Restoring American Deterrence Act, introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., would create a new Pentagon position to oversee deterrence policy, deploy up to 50 extra intercontinental ballistic…
Defense Innovation Unit moves to ease commercial drone certifications
SAN DIEGO — The Defense Innovation Unit wants to improve its process for vetting commercial drones, with the goal of making it easier for companies to sell their systems to the U.S. military. Director Doug Beck said April 23 the organization will host a competitive effort this fall aimed at onboarding more commercial drones through…
Army officials question plan for future attack reconnaissance
DENVER — After canceling the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program earlier this year, the U.S. Army has yet to earnestly invest in its manned attack helicopter or other capability to fill the armed recon role, and service leaders warn that without a clear plan, its ability to fight as effectively in future wars could be…
France and Germany sign off on future battle tank system
PARIS — France and Germany have formalized an agreement to develop a future battle-tank system, with the countries’ defense ministers signing off on an industrial work-share pact here on Friday. The countries’ defense firms – KNDS, Rheinmetall and Thales, among others – can now get to work on proposals, which are expected in the coming…
Why China axed the Strategic Support Force and reshuffled the military
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Chinese President Xi Jinping instigated a significant restructuring of the People’s Liberation Army on April 19 by axing the Strategic Support Force and replacing it with a new Information Support Force. While it’s unclear exactly why Xi enacted this major reshuffle, analysts suspect both military capability and political control contributed to…
US to provide $6B to fund long-term weapons for Ukraine, officials say
(AP) — The U.S. is expected to announce Friday that it will provide about $6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, adding that it will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defense systems. The officials said the aid package will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which…
Army heads into competitive flight demos for future tactical drone
DENVER — The U.S. Army is moving its Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System competition into a flight demonstration phase with two teams, Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems. In the fall, the Army tapped the two companies from a group of five; now it has formally awarded contracts to both to move into the final two…
Sullivan urges Israeli restraint on Rafah, stresses Ukraine munitions
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday urged Israel against a pending invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza and stressed the need for defense contractors to increase munitions production as the Biden administration readies an influx of new aid for Ukraine. His remarks came after Congress passed a multi-billion-dollar aid package for both countries…
US Army to field long-range combat aircraft to first unit in FY31
DENVER — The U.S. Army’s plan to field its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft with an initial unit is delayed by one year, due to Lockheed Martin’s protest over the service’s choice of Textron Bell’s advanced tiltrotor design, according to the director of Army aviation in the service’s G-3/5/7 branch. The FLRAA competition pitted Bell’s V-280…
Here are 4 ways to defend against unmanned ground vehicles
Global militaries are increasingly building, deploying, and operating unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs. Mykhalio Fedorov, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for Innovations, wrote on Twitter that, “I believe ground robotic systems will become the next game changer in this war, the same as drones.” Meanwhile, the U.S. has used the QinetiQ explosive ordnance disposal robot for…
Drone-killing costs must come down, says Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer
The price tag for weapons and munitions used to destroy drones must come down, as the costs are “getting too expensive” and uncrewed systems are expected to saturate battlefields, according to the Pentagon’s acquisition boss. U.S. troops have for years batted down attack and reconnaissance drones, often by using pricey ordnance. Ongoing intercepts of drones…
US Army’s next-gen helicopter engine could fly in Black Hawk next year
DENVER — The U.S. Army’s next-generation helicopter engine is projected to hit the skies early next year, powering a UH-60M Black Hawk, according to the service and industry representatives involved in the program. The Improved Turbine Engine Program engine, developed by General Electric’s aerospace division, has experienced a slew of delays related to technology development…
French missile double punch adds new naval capability for Europe
PARIS — France’s synchronized test firing of naval cruise missiles from a surface ship and a submarine 400 kilometers apart adds a land-attack capability for European navies that may be more difficult for air defenses to counter, analysts told Defense News. The French frigate Aquitaine and a Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, sailing near Quimper and…
Saab unveils technology incubator using Enforcer 3 as test bed
SAN DIEGO — When Saab’s Combat Boat 90 first entered service with the Swedish Navy in 1991, it was as a fully manual vessel — a crewed, amphibious landing craft designed for high-speed operations. Today, the platform is playing a central role in the company’s vision of rapid testing and deployment of autonomous and digital-first…
Poland to spend $2.9 billion on missile equipment from South Korea, US
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has signed a contract to buy 72 K239 Chunmoo multi-barreled missile launchers from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace for roughly $1.6 billion, the company said in a statement. The deal was inked on April 25 during an official visit of a Polish delegation to South Korea led by…
Lidar: Another emerging technology brought to you by China
The exponential growth in connected and automated systems has increased the demand for the sensor technology necessary to make them operate safely. Light detection and ranging, or lidar, is just such a remote sensing technology that uses pulsed light to measure and map the surrounding environment. Lidar’s ability to quickly and precisely map complex environments…
US Army to shift aviation force structure back to tailored brigades
DENVER, Colo. — The U.S. Army’s aviation force structure will move away from modular Combat Aviation Brigade designs needed during heel-to-toe rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan and return to a model that tailors those units for specific divisions, according to the service’s branch chief. “Today we have modular CABs, so every CAB looks the same…
Raytheon to develop two Standard Missile types with better targeting
The U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon a $344 million contract for the development of two Standard Missile variants with a common guidance section that will bring additional targeting capability to the American and foreign fleets. The new SM-2 Block IIICU and SM-6 Block IU missiles will include increased targeting capabilities, helping the defensive Standard Missiles see…
Here are the two companies creating drone wingmen for the US Air Force
The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday announced it selected Anduril and General Atomics to keep designing, building and testing its first batch of drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft. The decision marks the service’s most significant step yet as it aims to create a series of drones using autonomous software to fly alongside piloted…
Boeing’s defense unit shows profit, despite $222M loss on KC-46, T-7
Boeing’s defense unit recorded $222 million in losses in the first quarter of 2024 on two of its main fixed-price development programs, the KC-46A Pegasus refueling tanker and the T-7A Red Hawk trainer, the company announced Wednesday. The KC-46 suffered a loss of $128 million, Chief Financial Officer Brian West told investors in an earnings…
‘We need to move fast’: Pentagon sends Ukraine $1 billion in new aid
Just after President Joe Biden signed his long-sought national security supplemental, the Pentagon announced a new batch of security aid for Ukraine. Valued at $1 billion, this package is the largest sent to Kyiv in almost half a year. It features a host of equipment, including air defense interceptors, armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons and artillery…
Polish leaders plan to talk things out on nuclear weapons
WARSAW, Poland — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans to discuss Poland’s potential involvement in NATO’s nuclear sharing program with President Andrzej Duda, Tusk said this week. The announcement came in response to Duda’s declaration that Poland was ready to host U.S. nuclear weapons, and that talks with Washington to that end had been ongoing….
EU should buy ammo outside of the bloc to quickly resupply Ukraine
While the world watches Israel and Iran, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is at a crossroads. More than two years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the eastern front now looks dire, with Ukrainian defenders running out of ammunition fast and Western unity in question. The Czech Republic has a…
Lockheed to supply Australia with air battle management system
The Australian arm of defense company Lockheed Martin said it inked a contract to build the country’s Joint Air Battle Management System, considered foundational to the intercept of hostile missiles and aircraft. The deal for JABMS, which will supply the command-and-control architecture for the country’s future air defense, is valued at AUD $500 million, or…
Congress sends Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid package to president’s desk
The Senate overwhelmingly passed 79-18 President Joe Biden’s $95 billion foreign aid request on Tuesday night to arm Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending it to the White House after six months of delays in Congress. Biden submitted the request in October but Republican leaders in the Senate and House struggled to pass the package for…
Defense Innovation Unit prepares to execute $800 million funding boost
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Defense Innovation Unit is working quickly to determine how and where to spend the nearly $1 billion Congress provided in March through the fiscal 2024 appropriations act. The $983 million allocation, nearly $800 more than what DIU received last year, will support the growing organization’s mission to help the Defense…
First upgraded F-35s won’t be ready for combat until next year
The first F-35s to be delivered with a set of upgrades known as Technology Refresh 3 will initially be used for training flights, but will not be ready for combat until 2025, Lockheed Martin said in an earnings call Tuesday. Lockheed chief executive Jim Taiclet told investors the company is focused on fully implementing TR-3…
US Army faces uphill battle to fix aviation mishap crisis
FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. — In the first half of fiscal 2023, more than a dozen U.S. Army aviators died in helicopter crashes, a startling number that prompted an aviation-wide standdown in April 2023. The Army, after a thorough review, eventually lifted the standdown. But five months later, an MH-60 Black Hawk stealth helicopter belonging to…
When will AUKUS allies receive US export control exemptions?
The U.S. may grant Australia and Britain a long-sought export control carveout for AUKUS in the coming months, but not as fast as some lawmakers wish while they wait on a congressionally mandated certification the State Department must issue first. The three AUKUS allies view an Australian and British carveout to the International Traffic in…
Army may swap AI bill of materials for simpler ‘baseball cards’
The U.S. Army is revising its artificial intelligence bill of materials effort following meetings with defense contractors. The service last year floated the idea of an AI BOM, which would be similar to existing software bills, or comprehensive lists of components and dependencies that comprise programs and digital goods. Such practices of transparency are championed…
As Turkish ship heads to Japan, industry eyes Eastern exports
A Turkish military vessel set sail April 8 for a nearly five-month deployment to Japan and other nearby countries. The navy deployed its Ada-class corvette TCG Kinaliada to both celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Japan, as well as commemorate the 134th anniversary of the sinking of the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul…
China dissolves Strategic Support Force, focused on cyber and space
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — China has disbanded and replaced its Strategic Support Force, a pivotal component of the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization efforts. The Strategic Support Force, or SSF, was created on Dec. 31, 2015. It existed for a little more than eight years. After China dissolved the SSF on April 19, it established an…
UK government unveils $620 million top-up in Ukraine aid
LONDON — The British government has pledged to significantly increase spending on weapons for Ukraine as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak starts a two day visit to Germany and Poland. A £500 million ($620 million) package of weapons is being added to a promise in January that Britain would contribute funding of £2.5 billion this financial…
Now is not the time to scale back on the B-21 bomber program
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin made headlines when he hedged about the ultimate size of the B-21 Raider buy, explaining that new technologies may supplant the aircraft by the late 2030s. “I think there are other technological advancements that we would see to be…
As the US Air Force fleet keeps shrinking, can it still win wars?
In February 2017, then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein issued a warning. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Goldfein rattled off all the missions the Air Force must undertake: defending the U.S. against attack, operating two legs of the nation’s nuclear triad, projecting air power around the globe…
Lockheed Martin eyes Patriot interceptor production in Spain
MILAN — Lockheed Martin has forged a partnership with a Spanish firm for the production of interceptor missile parts for the Patriot air-defense system, a move that could help alleviate a bottleneck in manufacturing the sought-after systems. “Lockheed Martin has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Grupo Oesia to enable potential future production of…
How L3Harris is shoring up its small satellite supply chain
The Space Development Agency’s plan to field hundreds of missile warning and communication satellites in the coming years is still in the early days of execution, but one lesson defense firms are drawing from the effort is the importance of fostering a reliable supply chain. L3Harris is one of those companies. The Melbourne, Fla.-based firm…
Congress’ Pentagon budget increase is in need of transparency
Buried deep in the funding tables of the recently passed fiscal 2024 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, lawmakers added over 1,000 separate program increases to the Pentagon’s procurement and research accounts. With few exceptions, there is no public record of which lawmaker proposed which increases, or why, or at what long-term cost to taxpayers. The…
Polish president wants NATO nukes for deterring Russia
WARSAW, Poland — Polish authorities are in talks with the United States about the possibility of including the Polish Air Force in NATO’s nuclear sharing program, according to Polish President Andrzej Duda. “This has been a topic of Polish-American talks for some time now. I have held talks on this issue several times. I will…
Navy looks to apply jet readiness gains to surface ship fleet
The U.S. Navy’s supply corps will spend the next two years applying lessons from the service’s aircraft fleet to surface ship readiness. After a 2018 effort pushed the Navy’s F/A-18E-F Super Hornet fleet from a mission-capable rate near 50% to the Pentagon’s goal of 80%, Naval Supply Systems Command tried to apply those lessons to…
House passes contentious Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid package
The House on Saturday passed military aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, more than six months after President Joe Biden initially submitted his massive foreign aid request to arm all three security partners. The roughly $95 billion package includes $48 billion in Ukraine security aid, which passed 311-112 as some Democrats cheered and chanted…
US Air Force stages dogfights with AI-flown fighter jet
An experimental fighter jet has squared off against an F-16 in the first-ever artificial intelligence-fueled dogfights, the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said. And the successful effort to have the X-62A VISTA engage in practice aerial combat could help the Air Force further refine its plans for autonomous drone wingmen known…
Nigeria expects first batch of Leonardo M-346 fighter jets this year
ROME — Nigeria will take delivery of the first six of 24 Italian M-346 light fighter-trainer aircraft it has ordered by year end, the country’s Air Force has said. Originally manufactured by Italy’s Leonardo as a twin-seater jet trainer, the M-346 has been acquired by Nigeria in its more recent, armed M-346FA fighter format. The…
Nigeria expects first batch of Leonardo M-346 fighter jets this year
ROME — Nigeria will take delivery of the first six of 24 Italian M-346 light fighter-trainer aircraft it has ordered by year end, the country’s Air Force has said. Originally manufactured by Italy’s Leonardo as a twin-seater jet trainer, the M-346 has been acquired by Nigeria in its more recent, armed M-346FA fighter format. The…
India proffers HAL its largest-ever tender: 97 Tejas fighters
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Indian state-owned aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received a request for proposal from the Ministry of Defence for 97 light fighters, setting up the largest-ever order for the aircraft. The company’s Tejas fighters – also known as Light Combat Aircraft, or LCA – are critical to the Indian Air…
From customer to sanctioned ‘proliferator,’ drones extend Iran’s reach
Days after Iran’s unprecedented and largely unsuccessful bombarding of Israel, the U.S. and U.K. levied additional sanctions on the regime’s manufacturers and sources of materiel. The joint move, made in direct response to the attack, targeted 16 people and two organizations supporting Tehran’s flowering arms industry, according to the Treasury Department. They include those who…
Albania courts NATO investors to revive Soviet-era munitions plants
WARSAW, Poland — Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi has announced that the country’s government aims to relaunch its three dormant weapon and ammunition production facilities amid military conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. The ministry intends to attract foreign investors to allow the companies to roll out new products. “Revitalization will be a process…
Ukraine, allies scour the world for coveted air defense systems
MILAN — While Ukraine and Western allies have spent the last year scouring the world for ammunition, the attention has now shifted to the urgent need to find spare Patriot systems to close gaps in Kyiv’s air defenses. The quest to find these highly coveted weapons has intensified over the last month, as Russian troops…
Russia funneling weapons through Libyan port, eying gateway to Africa
ROME — Russian vessels have been unloading thousands of tons of military equipment in the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk this month after repeated visits by Russia’s deputy defense minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov to Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the strongman running eastern Libya. The shipments, arriving from the Russian-controlled port of Tartus in Syria, contain towed artillery,…