Britain’s defense secretary is ditching proposals to buy a particular type of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – reverting to an original plan previously criticized by Prime Minister David Cameron. Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told lawmakers May 10 that Britain would no longer purchase F-35c variants of the Lockheed Martin fighter jet because the cost of…

Air Force whistle-blowers to get protection Air Force officials say there will be no actions taken against two whistle-blower pilots who complained about problems with the F-22 fighter jet, including comments made during a recent “60 Minutes” television interview. Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, told a Senate subcommittee…

Great Britain’s Prince Henry of Wales, commonly known as Prince Harry, urged the U.S. and British publics last night to unify in supporting wounded warriors and families of the fallen, particularly as the drawdown of military operations in Afghanistan takes the media spotlight off their continuing needs. Prince Harry accepted the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Humanitarian…

The Pentagon is sending military trainers back into Yemen for what it calls “routine” cooperation with Yemeni security forces. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. John Kirby, said May 8 that “small numbers” of U.S. trainers have returned to Yemen recently. He would not be more specific about the number or when they arrived there. Yemen…

Boeing and Taipei-based EVA Air May 8 finalized an order for three 777-300ERs (Extended Range) airplanes. The order also includes purchase rights for an additional four airplanes. “The 777-300ER is the flagship of our long-haul fleet and will play an important role in growing our global operations,” said Chang Kuo-wei, president of EVA Air. “The…

The Royal Canadian Air Force formally accepted the 17th Lockheed Martin CC-130J Super Hercules in ceremonies in Marietta, Ga., May 8, completing the order placed in December 2007. The aircraft will be flown to Canadian Forces Base Trenton later this week. The original contract called for all 17 aircraft to be delivered by the end…

Hopes dimmed May 8 for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference accused Israel of being the greatest threat to peace in the region and Egypt warned that Arab states might rethink their opposition to atomic arms. Because Israel has…

Australia announced May 3 that to cut costs it is pushing back delivery of most of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters it plans to buy from the United States. Defense Minister Stephen Smith said delaying delivery of the advanced warplanes two years, to 2019, would save the government 1.6 billion Australian dollars ($1.6 billion) over…

Russia’s top military officer has threatened to deal a pre-emptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its controversial missile defense plan. President Dmitry Medvedev said last year Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach agreement with the United States and NATO. Chief of General…

An Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle crashed May 3 at 11:40 a.m. local time while conducting a routine training mission. Both crew members ejected safely. First responders have responded to the scene and more details will be released as they become available. Strike Eagles are dual-role fighters that perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The cause…