News
F-35 may be heading into its faceoff with A-10 this April –
Before moving into operational testing, the joint strike fighter will have to prove its mettle as a close-air support plane to the Pentagon’s independent testers, the F-35 program head said Feb. 28.
Pentagon receives orders to plan military parade for Veterans Day –
President Trump wants a military parade — and he’s getting one. The Pentagon confirmed to CBS News’ David Martin that it has a received a memo from National Security Adviser to plan a military parade for Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
Business
F-35 program head blasts Lockheed for slow progress on contract –
The top F-35 program official is not satisfied with the pace of ongoing negotiations with Lockheed Martin for the 11th batch of joint strike fighters, but the government is far from having to consider imposing a unilateral contract agreement, the program head said Feb. 28.
Romania signs off on U.S. deal to become first European HIMARS customer –
Romania signed a letter of agreement with the U.S. government this week to buy both the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, making it the first European HIMARS customer.
Patria reorganizes sales division following consultant’s death in Uganda –
Patria Group has moved to overhaul its core global marketing and sales functions in the wake of the death, under suspicious circumstances, of a business consultant authorized by the state defense company to negotiate new business in Uganda.
Army taps Olin Corp. for $51.1 million in small arms ammunition –
The U.S. Army has awarded Olin Corp. a contract for several sizes of small arms ammunition. The deal, announced Feb. 27 by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $51.1 million and modifies a previous contract award.
Lockheed awarded $158 million for support of U.S., foreign F-35 programs –
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract for support of modification and retrofit activities for air systems for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The deal, announced Feb. 27 by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $158.2 million under the terms of a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, which modifies a previous basic ordering agreement.
Raytheon wins $77.3 million Air Force contract for SDB II munitions –
Raytheon has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force for Small Diameter Bomb II munitions, parts, support and related data. The deal, announced Feb. 27 by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $77.3 million under the terms of a firm-fixed-price contract designed to exercise an option to a previous contract award.
India prepares first industrial corridor –
The Ministry of Defence in New Delhi has started to prepare for the establishment of India’s first defense industrial corridor in the country’s southernmost state of Tamil Nadu.
Japan launches another reconnaissance satellite –
Japan has launched an H-2A rocket carrying an intelligence-gathering satellite from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s launch site at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, raising the number of such satellites placed into orbit by the East Asian country to seven.
Defense
Combat troops have been complaining about M4, M16 for years –
Defense Secretary James Mattis has ordered the creation of a task force to make American small arms more lethal to give infantry soldiers and Marines an extra advantage in the close fight, Pentagon personnel chief Robert Wilkie said.
Missile defense soldiers must learn more than just their weapons system –
The job of soldiers who defend against missile threats on the battlefield will only get more demanding, and training must change to meet that challenge, officials said.
Army constantly upgrading drone, counter-drone gear –
From flying a fist-sized drone launched from the palm of your hand to detecting whether a drone is watching you and grounding it with a ray-gun like device, a host of acquired gear is being continually upgraded here by the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force.
Severe F-16 instructor pilot shortage takes toll on training –
A devastating pilot shortfall, particularly in the fighter community, is beginning to be felt across the U.S. Air Force.
Marine Corps declares ‘early fielding’ on G/ATOR radar system –
The Marine Corps declared “early fielding” for its AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) after the service certified that two operational units had the training and logistics in place to sustain the new radar.