News
F-35B crashes near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. –
An F-35B has crashed in South Carolina near the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, military officials have confirmed.
Trump signs defense spending plan, with one more swipe at Democrats –
President Donald Trump finalized an $854 billion spending bill Sept. 28 that fully funds the military for fiscal 2019 and prevents a government shutdown next week, accomplishments that congressional leaders have called important and laudable.
Business
Bath Iron Works lands $3.9 billion Navy contract –
The U.S. Navy says it’s awarded a ship’s $3.9 billion contract to Bath Iron Works to build four new destroyers.
F-35 price falls below $90 million for first time in new deal –
The price of a conventional F-35A model has fallen below $90 million for the first time through a deal announced Sept. 28 between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin.
India approves S-400 buy from Russia, amid expectations for more bilateral deals –
India has quietly approved a $5.43 billion program to buy five S-400 Triumf air defense systems from Russia, just a week before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Oct. 5 visit to the country.
Airbus to help determine path forward for Tiger helo upgrade, missile options –
A European arms procurement agency has chosen Airbus Helicopters to conduct de-risking studies for the Tiger attack helicopter’s upgrade to the MK 3 standard, the company said.
Boeing’s big month capped off with hat trick of new contracts –
Boeing is the biggest aircraft manufacturer in the world, but the losses of the joint strike fighter program and Air Force’s long range strike bomber still weigh heavily on the company’s defense unit, and had prompted some in industry to wonder if the company’s days of making cutting edge combat aircraft were numbered.
Defense
U.S. military posture in Asia could change if China declares another Air Defense Identification Zone –
If China goes forward with plans to establish another Air Defense Identification Zone in the region, the U.S. could be forced to change its military posture in Asia, a senior national security official said this week.
How Trump administration policies stymie the Pentagon’s immigrant recruit program –
Stricter Trump administration immigration policies have stymied Pentagon plans to restart a program that allowed thousands of people with critical medical or Asian and African language skills to join the military and become American citizens, according to several U.S. officials.
Can DOD fix the painfully long wait for reviews of bad-paper discharges? –
The backlog of requests to upgrade military discharges is getting attention from lawmakers who are considering combining the armed services’ three separate review boards into a single one.
U.S., Philippines increase number of joint military activities –
The Philippine military said Friday its joint defense and security activities with U.S. forces, including annual combat exercises, will increase next year in a show of the treaty allies’ continuing robust relations.
With an increasing footprint in the Arctic, the Corps may need a new snow vehicle –
The top Marine has been steadily increasing the Corps’ footprint in the arctic region, preparing Marines for a fight in extreme cold-weather environments as the U.S. defense strategy shifts toward near-peer threats.
This laser could help Marines knock down drones on the FOB or on the move –
A counter-drone laser in use by the Army was on display here this week, giving Marines a glimpse at how they might melt drones soon.
Here is what Marines really need for realistic simulations training –
Last year at the annual military expo here, Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller told industry his vision for simulations is a kind of Star Trek-like holodeck in which any Marine could fight any battle on any terrain in virtual reality.
Navy, Air Force officials tell Congress that aircraft fixes to help curtail crashes are underway –
Navy and Air Force officials told a panel of House lawmakers Sept. 28 that a series of aircraft fixes are underway to address a rash of fatal crashes.
U.S. Air Force is revolutionizing way airmen learn to be aviators –
In a classroom at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Austin, Texas, a visitor climbed into one of 20 stations lining the walls and strapped on a virtual reality headset.
U.S. Air Force ups maximum retention bonus to $100K, plans big expansion –
The Air Force in fiscal 2019 will increase the maximum retention bonus airmen can get for re-enlisting to $100,000 as part of a major expansion of the program.
Rogers criticizes Air Force’s Space Force cost estimate, calls for offsets –
The Air Force’s five-year $13 billion estimate for the creation of an independent Space Force is high, and likely doesn’t cover cost savings that could come through offsets, said Rep. Mike Rogers, the lawmaker who has been the biggest voice behind the move to create the new service.
Veterans
Hawaii lab turns over remains of 64 South Korean soldiers in airfield ceremony –
The remains of 64 South Korean soldiers began their final journey home Sept. 27 following a repatriation ceremony in Hawaii that included a front-row audience of American veterans of the Korean War.
40 World War I soldiers killed on same day in 1918 to be honored –
Forty soldiers killed on the same day during World War I are being remembered in the Hudson Valley of New York on the 100th anniversary of their deaths.