News
Three dead in U.S. Navy Prowler crash
Three people were killed in a training flight after an E/A-6B Prowler crashed into a wooded area 50 miles west-southwest of Spokane, Wash. A source familiar with the crash confirmed that there were three people onboard the aircraft, which belonged to Electronic Attack Squadron 129, the Vikings. VAQ-129 is a fleet replacement squadron that trains pilots, naval flight officers and maintainers.
North Korea says it has scrapped armistice that ended Korean War
North Korea said March 11 that it had “completely scrapped” the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War, following up on a threat made days earlier and increasing the prospect of a strike against or a skirmish with the South, analysts said.
Business
Ten companies profiting most from war
The business of war is profitable. In 2011, the 100 largest contractors sold $410 billion in arms and military services. Just 10 of those companies sold over $208 billion. Based on a list of the top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in 2011 compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 10 companies with the most military sales worldwide in 2011.
Pratt & Whitney says drive to lower F-35 costs ‘burned in our brain’
The head of Pratt & Whitney’s military engine business said March 4 that driving down the cost of the F-35 fighter jet was “burned in our brain,” but cuts sparked by U.S. budget woes could slow the effort.
Lagardere says to exit EADS by July 31
Lagardere expects to sell all of its 7.4 percent stake in aerospace and defense group EADS by July 31, it said March 7.
Defense
Italy to delay U.S. satellite station pending health study
Italy will delay the installation of a new high-frequency U.S. military satellite station in Sicily pending the results of a study into the health and environmental impact, Prime Minister Mario Monti’s office said March 11.
Retrofits to add $1.7 billion to cost of F-35 – GAO report
Retrofits of F-35 fighter planes to fix problems found in fight testing will likely top $1.7 billion, a U.S. government watchdog said in the draft of a new report about the Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter program.
Budget cuts force military to drop air shows
Even a rural festival celebrating the harvest of Georgia’s famous sweet onions isn’t safe from the federal budget battle 600 miles away, as automatic cuts are threatening to take away the star attraction for the Vidalia Onion Festival’s popular air show: the Navy’s daredevil fighter pilots, the Blue Angels.
Veterans
VFW mobilizes to oppose rank of drone medal
The 1.9 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars is being mobilized by the group’s commander-in-chief to overturn a Pentagon decision to rank a new medal for drone operations higher in precedence than the Purple Heart.
