News
Did American missile defense fail in Saudi Arabia? –
The official story was clear: Saudi forces shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group last month at Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. It was a victory for the Saudis and for the United States, which supplied the Patriot missile defense system.
CBO: Trump military buildup would cost taxpayers an extra $683 billion –
The military buildup President Donald Trump has called for would cost $683 billion more than current spending plans over the next decade, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office.
‘Enhanced vetting’ has left them in limbo –
In late October, Asif Khan Ahmadzai was set to begin his new life in America. He had made it from Afghanistan to Frankfurt, Germany, where he received a U.S. visa, and then to Reykjavik, Iceland, where he was to board a connecting flight to San Francisco.
Business
Canada to kill Boeing Super Hornet deal –
The Canadian government is poised to walk away from a deal with Boeing to buy 18 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets, a major blow for the future of the Boeing jet.
European firms jointly offer frigate to Canadian government, skipping shipbuilder –
Franco-Italian partners Naval Group and Fincantieri filed their joint offer in a frigate tender directly to Canada‘s defense ministry, rather than submitting the bid to prime contractor Irving Shipbuilding, a spokesman for the French company said Dec. 4.
Defense contractor sentenced to five years for defrauding more than $15 million –
A North Carolina-based defense contractor has been sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding the government of more than $15 million through two separate conspiracies.
Textron-owned firm tries out augmented reality in V-280 helo simulator –
Textron subsidiary TRU Simulation + Training is trying out an augmented reality capability in its Bell V-280 Valor helicopter simulator.
Lockheed’s helicopter-borne EW system is on, and beyond, the horizon –
A Navy program that seeks to increase the range of electronic protection of ships and that ties into the service’s much touted “distributed lethality” concept is set to undergo a key design milestone this summer.
Brazil’s Embraer beats out Beechcraft for Philippine aircraft order –
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has announced a firm order of six A-29 Super Tucano light-attack and advanced training aircraft for the Philippine Air Force.
Russia negotiates deal for its warplanes to use Egypt bases –
Russia has approved a draft agreement with Egypt for Russian warplanes to use Egyptian military bases, according to a document released Nov. 30. Such a deal would allow Moscow to further increase its military footprint in the Middle East.
Cyprus to help Lebanon build Mediterranean Sea rescue center –
Cyprus’ Defence Ministry says the island nation will help Lebanon build a search-and-rescue center for responding to emergencies off its Mediterranean Sea coastline.
U.S. agency clears laser-guided bombs for potential sale to Singapore –
The U.S. State Department has cleared a potential Foreign Military Sale to Singapore for a follow-on sale of laser-guided bombs, according to an announcement from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
France receives missiles, launchers to replace Milan anti-tank system –
The French Armed Forces Ministry has received a first batch of 50 missiles and 20 firing posts of the medium-range MMP missile, a fifth-generation weapon to replace the aging Milan anti-tank system, the government procurement office said Nov. 30.
Making the bands for the Navy’s next-gen jammer –
Despite the performance of the venerable ALQ-99 — the legacy standoff jamming pod mounted to the Navy’s EA-18G Growler aerial electronic attack platform — the nature of the threats today are such that the pod needed a substantial upgrade.
Defense
The hypersonic arms race heats up –
The U.S. military executes what it says was a ‘successful’ Mach 5 weapon test over the Pacific. Have Russia and China had even greater success?
Navy’s second stealthy destroyer heads out to sea for 1st time –
The second in the U.S. Navy stealthy Zumwalt class of destroyers headed out to sea for the first time Dec. 4, departing from Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works for builder trials.
New requirements for DDG-1000 focus on surface strike –
The U.S. Navy is revamping the Zumwalt-class destroyer’s requirements and will morph it into a focused surface strike platform, the director of surface warfare (OPNAV N96) told USNI News Dec. 4.
Air Force slashes maintainer shortfall in 2017 –
The Air Force has made considerable progress whittling down the massive maintainer shortfall that it once feared was threatening the service’s aircraft readiness.
F-35 loses aircraft panel during training flight near Okinawa –
A U.S. Air Force F-35 deployed to Kadena Air Base in Japan lost a panel during a Nov. 30 training flight over the Pacific Ocean, the service confirmed Dec. 4.
Investigation finds stray bolt in Marine Harrier’s engine caused crash –
Foreign object damage is what caused a 2016 crash in which an AV-8B Harrier went down in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, an investigation found.
Veterans
Rival Senate plan to reform VA health care complicates congressional debate –
Veterans health care legislation introduced by a pair of Republican senators on Dec. 4 could further complicate congressional plans to move quickly on sweeping reforms for the Department of Veterans Affairs as another funding deadline looms.