News
China says it will give drone back, but Trump says ‘keep it’ –
China says its military seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater glider in the South China Sea, but that it will give it back. President-elect Donald Trump, however, says the Chinese government should be told “we don’t want the drone they stole back” and “let them keep it!”
Business
Raytheon wins DARPA cyber contracts –
Raytheon has been awarded multiple DARPA contracts to develop cyber defenses for the U.S. electrical power grid.
Saab aims to gain from regional military spending trends –
Defense group Saab is hoping to significantly grow sales regionally, against a backdrop where Sweden and its Nordic and Baltic-rim neighbor states are upping their spending on defense and prioritizing procurements.
Italy orders retrial in India helicopter kickback case –
Italy’s supreme court has ordered a retrial for Giuseppe Orsi, the former CEO at Leonardo-Finmeccanica, who was sentenced to four and a half years in April for his alleged role in helicopter contract kickbacks in India.
F-35 program, which Trump criticized, employs hundreds in Maine –
The costly plane has broad congressional support, making it difficult to kill.
Iran reaches 100-jet deal with Airbus, sees first delivery in January –
Airbus will supply four types of aircraft: its medium-haul A320 and A321 aircraft and the long-haul A330 and A350, he said, in remarks confirming Iran’s decision to drop the A380 superjumbo from a draft deal signed in Paris in January.
Indonesia loses fifth C-130 since 2000 –
The Indonesian air force Lockheed Martin C-130H that crashed in the country’s Papua region was conducting a joint navigation training and logistics mission, and marks Jakarta’s fifth loss of the type since 2000.
Defense
Navy secretary on alternative fuels, LCS, what actually happened to furlough funds –
The outgoing defense secretary says that among his proudest accomplishments is championing the use of alternative fuels by the Navy and Marine Corps but he also talked about one of the fights he did not win.
2017 holds key Army decisions for vehicle active-protection kit –
The Army is expected to make key decisions on a way forward to integrate Active Protection Systems (APS) onto a variety of combat vehicles next summer, according to the program executive officer for Army combat vehicles.
Path forward for Army’s modernization priorities takes shape –
The Army this week took another step in articulating what types of investments it deems necessary to support operational ideas about future ground warfare.
Extended F-35 flight testing could eat into follow-on upgrades –
The Pentagon’s head of acquisition is preparing to alert lawmakers that F-35 developmental flight tests, originally slated to end in October 2017, could extend as long as May 2018.
U.S. Navy’s new fleet goal: 355 ships –
Tossing overboard the budget constraints that have weighed down the U.S. Navy’s attempts to grow its fleet, the world’s most powerful sea service is embarking on the biggest proposed expansion since the early 1980s, upping its goals from today’s 308 ships to a whopping 355 ships – beyond even the incoming Trump administration’s stated 350-ship goal.
U.S. Marine F-35B deployment onboard British warship made official –
U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs are to be deployed onboard the British Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier when it undertakes its first operational tour, the two governments have announced.
Veterans
Volunteers brave freezing rain, cold temps to place wreaths on graves of the fallen –
Thousands of volunteers braved the elements to come to Arlington National Cemetery Dec. 17. They placed remembrance wreaths at the graves of fallen American service members, and reflected on the sacrifices of their fellow countrymen.