NORAD may shed 24-hour alert sites in Virginia, Minnesota NORAD is considering taking two of its 18 Air Force sites off 24-hour alert, saying it will save millions of dollars without compromising its ability to defend against 9/11-style attacks. A Government Accountability Office report released Feb. 28 said the North American Aerospace Defense Command might…

The Defense Department lifted its grounding of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter after analysis concluded that a cracked turbine blade in an engine on a single plane resulted from overuse in test operations, according to an official with the F-35 Joint Program Office. In an email statement, the official, Kyra Hawn, said engineers…

Cuts include cancellation of The USAF Thunderbirds As the U.S. Air Force braces for potential sequester, leadership has cancelled all aviation support to public events for at least the remainder of the fiscal year and is standing down the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team to save flying hours to support readiness needs. Effective March 1, active-duty,…

News SpaceX rocket blasts off for space station cargo run  A rocket built by Space Exploration Technologies blasted off March 1 carrying a capsule filled with food, supplies and science experiments for the International Space Station.   Business Boeing cuts contract workers at 787 plant in South Carolina Boeing is trimming the number of temporary…

Remains of Korean War soldier arrive in Calif. A soldier who went missing during the Korean War more than 60 years ago is finally coming home. A flag-draped coffin containing the remains of Army Pfc. Roosevelt Clark arrived Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International Airport from Hawaii. Members of Clark’s family were on hand as…

News Pentagon F-35 program chief lashes Lockheed, Pratt & Whitney The Pentagon program chief for the F-35 slammed its commercial partners Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Feb. 27, accusing them of trying to “squeeze every nickel” out of the U.S. government and failing to see the long-term benefits of the project. Pratt rules out…

U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,047 As of Feb. 26, 2013, at least 2,047 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,707 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result…

Business Lockheed: Lithium-ion battery not involved in F-35 smoke incident Lockheed Martin said Feb. 25 there was no evidence that a lithium-ion battery contributed to a Feb. 14 incident that caused smoke in the cockpit of an F-35 test plane. Australia: Grounding, budget woes cloud F-35 warplane sales push in Australia This year’s second grounding…

Navy proposes drone base at Point Mugu About 700 personnel and their families would move to Point Mugu under a military proposal to make Naval Base Ventura County the West Coast home for a drone aircraft. The Ventura County Star reports the Navy is seeking public comment on its proposal to base four remotely-controlled Triton…