Japanese troops will converge on California’s southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country’s amphibious attack abilities. U.S. and Japanese military officials said the unprecedented training, led by U.S. Marines and sailors, will help Japan’s Self-Defense Force operate in stronger coordination with…

Lockheed Martin has received a $34.2 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the U.S. Air Force to support additional integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile onto the Finnish Air Force F-18C/D aircraft. Finland is the second international customer for JASSM. This second contract for Finland includes test missiles, software development and engineering documentation. The…

NASA has selected 65 graduate students as the 2013 class of Space Technology Research Fellows. This third class of space technology graduate students will conduct research relevant to agency technology challenges aligned with NASA’s space technology roadmaps, while pursuing degrees in related disciplines at their respective institutions. “NASA’s space technology development and innovation pipeline sees…

NASA has selected 21 space technology payloads for flights on commercial reusable launch vehicles, balloons, and a commercial parabolic aircraft. This latest selection represents the sixth cycle of NASA’s continuing call for payloads through an announcement of opportunity. †More than 100 technologies with test flights now have been facilitated through NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate’s…

General Dynamics announced June 6 that Thomas W. Kirchmaier has been elected a vice president of the corporation and appointed as president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, reporting to David K. Heebner, executive vice president of the company’s Information Systems and Technology group. Kirchmaier succeeds Lewis F. Von Thaer, who resigned in April. The…

Russia announced June 6 that it will keep a fleet of about dozen navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, a move President Vladimir Putin said is needed to protect his country’s national security. Putin said the plan should not be seen as saber rattling, but it comes as Moscow is serving as a key ally…

The Air Force is going to use five broad criteria in deciding whether to assign the F-35 fighter jet with the Vermont Air National Guard and base the planes at the Burlington International Airport, a top guard official said June 6. A score sheet will note the cost of basing the planes in Burlington, the…

Bechtel has successfully completed design and construction of missile silos and fields vital to the security of the United States. The work was completed on schedule and within budget. The work was done under the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense Program, which aims to protect the U.S. from long-range ballistic missile attacks. Bechtel…

Putin: Navy in Mediterranean not saber-rattling President Vladimir Putin says Russia will permanently keep a navy squadron in the Mediterranean Sea to protect its interests. Speaking at a June 6 meeting with the military brass, Putin said the move shouldn’t be interpreted as saber-rattling. He said the Mediterranean is a ìstrategically important region, where we…

Business Goldman upgrades defense contractors Defense contractors including F-35 jet maker Lockheed Martin and missile supplier Raytheon were upgraded by Goldman Sachs Group. Airbus building A350 momentum as sales chief criss-crosses globe Airbus SAS is looking to build momentum for the new A350, with its sales chief criss-crossing the globe to chase orders while test…