News
U.S. senators introduce new war authorization with no expiration date –
President Donald Trump would get broad authority to use force against terrorist groups, with no expiration date, under a new bipartisan proposal unveiled in the U.S. Senate April 16.
Business
Pentagon cited Boeing over quality concerns going back years –
Boeing was cited by the Pentagon for continuing quality, management and other deficiencies first issued more than two years ago, including problems related to production of its flagship F/A-18 and F-15 jets, according to documents and officials.
Newport News would save $1.6 billion, maintain stable workforce of 25,000 under 2 proposed carrier buy –
If the Navy decides to buy aircraft carriers CVN-80 and 81 together, Newport News Shipbuilding will be able to maintain a steady workload that supports between 23,000 and 25,000 workers at the Virginia yard for the next decade or so, the shipyard president told reporters last week.
This remote controlled ‘naval mine’ attaches to ships, explodes on command –
A leading Turkish drone manufacturer says it developed a “mobile naval mine” that can blow up warships of all types.
Strike on Syria gives Japan preview of new missile it is looking to buy –
Japan was given a preview of the stealthy JASSM-ER “standoff” missiles it is considering purchasing after U.S. officials said B-1B bombers launched the weapons April 13 for the first time in combat during strikes on the Syrian regime.
Turkish shipyards join forces to develop first locally made ship engine –
Five Turkish shipyards have joined forces to build a consortium in order to develop the country’s first indigenous ship engine.
DSA 2018: China’s ALIT offers air-defence systems for Southeast Asian market –
Chinese company Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co Ltd is looking at Southeast Asian countries as potential markets for its range of air-defence systems, a company official told Jane’s at the 16-19 April Defence Services Asia 2018 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.
Orbital ATK selects Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10C for newly christened OmegA rocket –
Orbital ATK on April 16 revealed new details about the rocket it has been developing over the last three years in an effort to take U.S. Air Force launch contracts away from United Launch Alliance and SpaceX.
Lawsuit: Pentagon contractor treated workers like ‘slaves’ –
A major government contractor kept American workers in “slave-like conditions,” confiscated their passports, and forced them to work around toxic chemicals with no protection, according to a previously unreported lawsuit.
Here’s your federal RSA rundown –
Officials from DHS, DARPA and NIST are all on the docket.
Eye on Air Force weather sat decisions, Raytheon offers VIIRS –
As the Air Force tries to decide — after more than a decade of false starts — just what weather satellites and sensors it needs to build, a Raytheon executive says his company is conducting an internal assessment of how it could meet any emerging needs.
Defense
Air Force B-52s shatter Vietnam-era records during two-year ISIS deployment –
More than four decades ago, the Air Force’s iconic B-52 Stratofortress set records as it pounded North Vietnamese targets during Operation Linebacker II.
U.S. Army’s armored weapons will soon have ‘shields’ from small arms fire –
The Army is engineering new Hostile Fire Detection sensors for its fleet of armored combat vehicles to identify, track and target enemy small arms fire.
Navy’s F/A-18 Legacy Hornet completes its sundown cruise aboard the carrier Vinson –
The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson recently returned to San Diego following a three-month WESTPAC deployment that was highlighted by a visit to Vietnam, the first such port stop by a U.S. carrier since the war ended.
U.S. Navy tests AMDR as Aegis upgrades continue –
The U.S. Navy is ramping up testing of its Air and Missile Defense Radar – or SPY-6 – as the service invests in improving its current Aegis combat system with new antennas designed to increase sensor sensitivity.
Report: Air Force F-22 skids on its belly during botched takeoff –
An F-22A Raptor from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson skidded on its belly during a botched takeoff at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada April 13, according to a report on The Drive.
Marine Corps’ F/A-18s are getting laser-guided rockets –
The United States Marine Corps’ fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D model legacy Hornets has added a new weapon to their arsenal.
Space
OCX at an ‘inflection point,’ says Pentagon’s top weapons buyer –
The Air Force’s ever-late and pricey next-generation GPS control station has been a headache for years, but the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer says there is reason to believe the program is leaving its troubled past behind.
Pence announces new space traffic management policy –
The National Space Council has formulated a comprehensive space traffic management policy, which it will “soon” be sent to the president’s desk for approval, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced April 16.
Air Force launches experiment to boost satellite communications –
United Launch Alliance successfully launched two Air Force satellites aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from a launch complex at Cape Canaveral in Florida March 14.