North Korea: ‘Mobile weapons’ capable of striking U.S. A senior North Korean army official says his country is armed with “powerful mobile weapons” capable of striking America. Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho emphasized the importance of defending the North against the U.S. and South Korea as Pyongyang marked the 80th anniversary of the nation’s army…

Saudi Arabia inks $3 billion U.K. trainer jet deal  Saudi Arabia’s official news agency says the kingdom has signed a deal with the United Kingdom valued at $3 billion to buy air force trainer jets. The Saudi Press Agency quoted an unnamed defense official May 23 as saying the deal also includes simulators, ground equipment,…

Safety concerns after a recent crash have put plans to briefly deploy the U.S. Osprey aircraft to a Japanese city on hold, officials said June 12. Opposition to the plan to temporarily base the helicopter-like planes in the city of Iwakuni has been rising since the fatal crash in April left two Marines dead in…

Boeing and its three major Japanese airframe partners – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries – announced June 29 that they have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo. Under the MOU, the parties will commence joint research and work to create a…

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp., has delivered the first four F117 engines for the Indian Air Force to power its fleet of Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. India’s Ministry of Defence signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. government in 2011 to acquire 10 C-17s. India will…

Obama: Military budget deal unlikely by November   President Barack Obama says he doesn’t believe Congress can reach a deal before the November elections that avoids deep cuts in military spending, but says he is optimistic that reductions won’t occur. Obama says he has made sure that service members don’t lose pay or benefits and…

A civilian cargo aircraft crashed at Bagram Air Field, north of the Afghan capital, soon after takeoff April 29, killing all seven people aboard, the U.S.-led military coalition said. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the crash, but the coalition said in a statement to The Associated Press: “Taliban’s claims are false.” It said the…

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…