News
Retaking Mosul from ISIS may pale to what comes next –
If history is a guide, vast parts of Mosul, once Iraq’s No. 2 city with about two million inhabitants, could be left in smoldering ruins by retreating or die-hard Islamic State fighters who may use remaining civilians as shields and booby-trap entire neighborhoods with improvised bombs. Just clearing these explosives could take months or years.
Business
Air Force launches space consortium that puts startups to work on prototypes –
The Air Force is looking for a company to lead a new space consortium formed to help broaden participation in space acquisition programs to startups and small businesses.
A better way to talk to machines –
Northrop Grumman has been awarded an Air Force Research Laboratory contract to develop human language technologies for talking to machines.
France unveils new FTI frigate designed for French Navy, export –
French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian unveiled the design for a new intermediate frigate Oct. 18 at the Euronaval trade show, and told reporters a budget of €3.8 billion ($4.2 billion) has been set to build five of the ships for the French Navy.
Turkey looks to enrich drone fleet –
Facing multiple asymmetrical security threats, Turkey increasingly relies on a strategy to enrich its inventory of unmanned aerial vehicle types. Most recently, Turkey’s procurement agency released two requests for information to task industry with research on two new types of drones.
Turkey mulling upgrade to Leopard 2s, M60s –
One senior procurement official familiar with the program said that about 100 Leopard 2s and 300 M60s would go through an upgrade program.
Poland invites defense firms to talks on buying army helicopters –
The invitations were issued after Poland scrapped earlier this month a preliminary deal with Airbus to buy 50 Caracal multi-role helicopters for 13.5 billion zlotys ($3.4 billion) after prolonged negotiations.
Defense
False alarm may have triggered U.S. Navy warship’s missile defense system –
After several days of investigation, the U.S. Navy believes an urgent warning about an incoming missile aboard a destroyer Oct. 15 night may have been a false alarm, defense officials said.
That pilot in the cockpit may someday be a robot –
A Defense Department and industry collaboration is attempting to replace the second human pilot in two-person flight crews with robot co-pilots that never tire, get bored, feel stressed out or become distracted.
F-35 is now training with F-15s, A-10 Warthogs, Navy SEALs –
Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters coordinated close air support with Navy SEALs, trained with F-15Es and A-10s, dropped laser-guided bombs and practiced key mission sets and tactics in Idaho as part of initial preparations for what will likely be its first deployment within several years, senior service officials said.
Former B-2 pilot to Air Force: Forget drone bombers –
A professor and retired B-2 Spirit pilot is calling on the Air Force to design the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber solely as a manned aircraft. “You want somebody up there in that cockpit,” retired Col. Melvin Deaile said. “You want Capt. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger if something happens up there, if something goes wrong — you’re going to want somebody up there who’s going to save that aircraft.”
DARPA turns over powerful new space surveillance telescope to Air Force –
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will transfer to the Air Force a powerful Earth-based telescope capable of tracking thousands of objects in a wide expanse of space, the agency announced.
Fort Hood helicopter crash reveals major flaws in search and rescue response –
An Army investigation blamed simple pilot error for a UH-60 Black Hawk crash that killed four soldiers last year, but investigators discovered a glaring problem with Fort Hood’s search and rescue system in the process.
House lawmakers push for more F-35 funding in fiscal 20 budget –
The defense-policy and -spending bills are at a standstill on Capitol Hill, but 70 House lawmakers are hoping that when Congress returns after the election, they can press appropriators to boost the total F-35 purchase for fiscal year 2017.
Veterans
Foundation to cover fertility-related expenses for some veterans –
Veterans whose injuries have caused infertility can now apply for reduced-cost fertility services and grants to cover related expenses under a new program administered by the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
Vets, retirees will see a 0.3 percent COLA hike in 2017 –
Military retirees and individuals receiving veterans’ benefits will see only a 0.3 percent cost-of-living increase in their federal benefits next year, a nominal increase matching 2016’s hike.
Space
Europe’s robot prepares to land on Mars –
A small probe could make history by becoming the first European spacecraft to survive a landing on Mars.
Soyuz rocket carrying an American and two Russians blasts off –
The crew left Earth from a Roscosmos facility in the steppes of Kazakhstan early this morning.