News
The $13 billion aircraft carrier that has trouble with planes –
The newest and costliest U.S. aircraft carrier, praised by President Donald Trump and delivered to the Navy on May 31 with fanfare, has been dogged by trouble with fundamentals: launching jets from its deck and catching them when they land.
Qatar, U.S. sign agreement on F-15 deal –
The U.S. and Qatar has finalized the sale of F-15QA fighter aircraft, worth $12 billion.
Business
Boeing cuts 50 top defense positions, confirms executives will exit company –
Boeing is purging 50 executive positions, a move that will force a large proportion of employees in those roles to permanently depart the company.
Dassault Reliance Aerospace kick-starts Rafale fighters offset partnership –
Dassault Aviation of France and its Indian partner Reliance Defence launched Wednesday an industrial partnerships initiative with 50 Indian defense companies and 20 French companies to kick-start offset partnerships for a €7.8 billion (U.S. $8.7 billion) Rafale fighters deal.
France chooses Bertin to equip Canjers’ combined forces shooting training center –
The French Ministry of Defence has selected Bertin Technologies to equip the largest shooting training center in Western Europe in 2018, according to a company announcement.
Airbus proposes upgrade for Australian attack helicopters –
In the lead up to the 2017 Paris Air Show, European giant Airbus has revealed details of its two-stage proposal to upgrade the Australian Army’s Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter.
Northrop Grumman tests flat-panel radar –
Northrop Grumman successfully tested a modular panel-based sensor array during flight testing last April.
Defense
These soldiers, Marines will be the first to get the military’s newest combat vehicle –
Soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division in New York and Marines with the II Marine Expeditionary Force in North Carolina will be among the first to receive the military’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Aviation leaders still unsure why Marines not facing same hypoxia issues as Navy, Air Force –
The armed services are still unsure why Navy and Air Force pilots are struggling with their Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) while the Marine Corps – which uses the exact same systems – has had no problems, the Marines’ top aviator told reporters.
MDA seeks laser-armed HALE UAV for counter-ICBM role –
The United States is looking to field a laser-armed unmanned aircraft to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) towards the middle of the next decade, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) disclosed on 13 June.
What will it take for the Army to succeed in multi-domain battle? –
The Army is facing a critical juncture in sustainment of communications and information technology equipment. The service is realizing it must change its posture to potentially fight an amalgam of actors in a complex battle space leaders call the multi-domain battle.
Army plans to field new system to keep communications open during disaster –
Army National Guard soldiers will soon be able to provide first responders with network and phone communications to keep them operational when local infrastructures stop working after a disaster, Army officials said June 13.
Navy not prioritizing maintenance, GAO report says –
Merely months after President Trump announced he would be expanding the Navy fleet to unprecedented levels, the United States General Accountability Office released a report June 13 suggesting that may not be the best idea.
Marine Corps testing upgraded grenade launcher –
The Marine Corps recently announced that it has started experimenting with the M320 grenade launcher — and expects to have 7,000 of the launchers in the hands of the infantry by 2022.
Air Force head’s focus on innovation could open path for greater R&D investments –
During an exclusive interview with Defense News, Wilson acknowledged her first unique priority: a focus on innovation, particularly in early-stage research that could bear fruit from 15 to 20 years down the road.
In a first, airmen jump out of an Army Chinook from 2,500 feet in the air –
Airmen from the 435th Contingency Response Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, trained with the Army this week as part of Exercise Saber Strike.
Veterans
VA secretary backs off plan to cut elderly vets’ benefits –
Administration officials are backing away from plans to slash tens of thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits from elderly veterans after an outcry from advocates who warned the move could cause significant financial harm to vulnerable veterans.
VA’s Choice program running out of money ahead of schedule –
The Veterans Affairs Choice program, hailed by President Trump as a key lifeline to veterans, is on pace to run out of money later this summer, potentially causing major disruptions in thousands of veterans’ medical care.
Space & Technology
DARPA works to ensure man can trust machine –
“A lot of AI today is a black box, you have this neural net that you put in the inputs, it spits out an answer and 90 percent of the time it’s right. But that last 10 percent, sometimes it really screws up,” says DARPA’s acting director.