Business
Boeing engineers to tally labor contract vote
Boeing could face a strike by one-third of its engineering workforce if they reject a labor contract March 18.
Boeing puts 787 battery through tough tests it once avoided
To get its 787 Dreamliner flying again, Boeing is testing the plane’s volatile battery system to a rigorous standard the company itself helped develop – but that it never used on the jet.
Germany reduces order for helicopters from EADS
German’s defense ministry said March 15 it would buy around a third fewer transport and military helicopters from European aerospace and defense company EADS than originally planned, though it would buy an additional 18 navy helicopters.
Expensive F-35 fighter at risk of budget ‘death spiral’
It’s called the “death spiral,” and America’s newest warplane, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is in danger of falling into it before the plane has even gone into service.
What does Lockheed’s F-35 fighter jet really cost?
Lockheed Martin is developing and building the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, for three U.S. military branches and eight international partners.
U.S., allies plan to buy more than 3,100 F-35 fighters
The United States and its allies plan to buy more than 3,100 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter warplanes in coming years.
Defense
U.S. Marine Corps extend K-MAX unmanned helicopter’s use in Afghanistan
The U.S. Marine Corps has extended indefinitely its use of two unmanned K-MAX heavy lift helicopters in Afghanistan, a Navy spokeswoman said, noting the aircraft kept re-supply trucks off the road and reduced the threat of roadside bombs.
Veterans
Iraq War stories: Gen. Doug Raaberg: ‘We planned the air assault well. I was proud’
“Our objective was to dismantle Saddam’s infrastructure from the air and we knew this was going to be very intense. I took command of the 509th Bomb Wing in April 2002 and we had been pretty much preparing for this since then. As a stealth aircraft, it was pretty clear that we’d be using the B-2s at the start of operations.”
Iraq War stories: Lt. Tim McLaughlin: ‘I just wanted to get a photo of my flag in a far-off land’
“My job had been to get from Kuwait to Baghdad. There was no party atmosphere for us that day. This was the culmination of three weeks of fighting and killing.”
Iraq War stories: Col. Brian McCoy: ‘I had no idea it would become an iconic moment’
“We had been through some 20 days of intense fighting and were expecting fierce resistance, high-cost urban street fighting, from the Republican Guards when we got to Baghdad.”
Iraq War stories: Lt. Col. Dan Hubbard – ‘We ran out of ammo. It was intense’
“We had expected to be one of the first units to Baghdad and we’d been rehearsing for that before the war.”
Iraq War stories: Lt. Col. Andy Phipps: ‘I thought to myself ‘welcome to Iraq’’
Lt. Col. Andy Phipps was in command of G Squadron 1st Royal Tank Regiment in 2003 deployed in a specialist Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare detection and surveillance role. The Squadron included RAF Regiment personnel and members of the Territorial Army from the Royal Yeomanry. The unit was attached initially to HQ 16 Air Assault Bde and then 5 Regimental Combat Team US Marine Corps for the crossing into Iraq.”
International
PTSD on the rise among British servicemen and women after decade of war
Statistics from the Ministry of Defence show that up to 11,000 serving members of the military have been diagnosed with mental conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Despite U.S. change, Russia sticks to missile-shield demands
Russia reacted coolly March 18 to a change in U.S. plans for a European missile shield that Moscow has vehemently opposed, saying it would stick to its demand for binding guarantees that the system would not be used to shoot down its missiles.
China criticizes U.S. anti-missile North Korea plan
China said March 18 that U.S. plans to bolster missile defenses in response to provocations by North Korea would only intensify antagonism, and urged Washington to act prudently.
Israel to build desert mega-bases, freeing up land in Tel Aviv
Israel’s military plans to vacate land worth $14 billion and move most of its headquarters from the heart of Tel Aviv in a $7 billion project intended to alleviate an acute national shortage of room for housing.
Report: China replaces Britain in world’s top five arms exporters
China has become the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter, a respected Sweden-based think-tank said March 18, its highest ranking since the Cold war, with Pakistan the main recipient.
Britain partners with industry to fund $3 billion aerospace center
Britain’s government said March 18 it will join industry partners to create a 2 billion pound ($3 billion) aerospace center, part of efforts to bolster manufacturers as it struggles to revive a flagging economy.
