News
Trump pledges new weapon sales for Japan, South Korea –
In the wake of North Korea’s sixth nuclear weapons test, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Sept. 5 to increase weapon sales to Japan and South Korea.
Business
Poland MoD signs rifle deal, announces defense spending hike –
Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said the ministry signed a deal to purchase 53,000 Grot 5.56mm assault rifles from the state-owned FB Lucznik plant.
United Technologies cements $30 billion deal to buy Rockwell Collins –
United Technologies Corp. has announced plans to purchase Rockwell Collins for $30 billion, the company announced Sept. 4.
South Korea’s Hanwha eyes Estonian K9 howitzer deal –
South Korea is this year’s featured country of MSPO, Poland’s annual defense industry show, where defense giant Hanwha Corporation is pitching its flagship K9 self-propelled howitzer to Eastern European allies.
Indian Army shows interest in light tanks for defense along Chinese border –
As preparation for a possible conflict with China in high, mountainous areas, the Indian Army’s armored directorate has begun setting requirements for a small tank order, according to a source in the Ministry of Defence.
Italy Navy chief flies flag for FREMM, cites frigate’s role in the Mediterranean –
As countries around the world, not least the U.S., search for new frigate designs to take on growing maritime missions, they should consider the Italian FREMM frigates, Italy’s Navy chief has claimed.
Raytheon eyes offset proposal for Polish Patriot deal this month –
The vice president of Raytheon’s Poland programs said Sept. 5 that signing an offset agreement was “a very important aspect” of the Wisla program, under which the Polish government aims to purchase air-and-missile defense systems, and that an offset proposal was expected to be finalized later this month.
Albania gets U.S. military Humvees to bolster its army –
Albania’s Defence Ministry says the United States has provided the first light trucks to bolster its military capacities.
Defense
California group files fourth transgender lawsuit against Trump –
An advocacy group in California sued President Trump in federal court Sept. 5 over his directive to bar transgender military service, the fourth such lawsuit since he declared the new policy in a series of tweets in July.
DOD backs McCain-Reed proposal to close military bases –
The Pentagon supports a proposal to authorize a base closure round in 2019 from Sens. John McCain and Jack Reed, the top Pentagon official in charge of military installations said Sept. 5.
Two Navy ships, Marine unit stand by for Irma relief –
As Hurricane Irma bears down on the Caribbean Sea, U.S. Navy officials are preparing for its impact and the aftermath, ordering the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge, the dock landing ship Oak Hill and the embarked Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to standby for possible tasking once the storm passes.
Air Force repaired more than half its C-5s after a stand-down this summer –
More than half of the Air Force’s C-5 fleet is available to fly again after Air Mobility Command’s four-star boss ordered a fleet-wide assessment — and three of the aircraft even participated in hurricane relief efforts in Texas.
U.S. Air Force completes first round of light attack aircraft demo –
The U.S. Air Force’s light attack experiment is officially over as of Aug. 30, but it will be months before the service makes a decision on whether to hold a combat demonstration, its top civilian said Aug. 30.
Air Force seeks to overhaul ‘Frankenstein-ing’ of C2 systems –
The Air Force has begun a major overhaul of command-and-control systems across its 24 air and space operations centers.
Air Force’s next UAV to be driven by data –
The Air Force’s future model for developing and acquiring unmanned aerial vehicles will likely be much different than how it has conceptualized drones in the past, with less emphasis on the platform and sensors and more attention to the data a UAV collects and how it is analyzed and dispersed, one of the service’s top intelligence officials said Sept. 5.