News
CENTCOM, PACOM face flattop gaps this spring amid tensions –
Crises in the world’s most volatile regions could spell longer deployments and more uncertainty for fleet sailors.
Business
Lockheed to upgrade U.S. Army Apache displays to color –
Lockheed Martin won a $54.3 million Army contract to upgrade a day-and-night vision target-acquisition-sensor display in the AH-64 Apache helicopter cockpit to color for the first time, the company said Jan. 7.
Renault awarded French contract for special forces vehicles –
The Direction Générale de l’Armament awarded a contract to Renault Trucks Defense Dec. 30 for the design and construction of a total 443 vehicles for the special forces, composed of 241 light and 202 heavy vehicles, the procurement office said.
Pratt & Whitney, KMWE sign long-term agreement for F135 engine –
Pratt & Whitney has contracted DutchAero subsidiary KMWE to manufacture F135 engine components to support the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
Boeing delivers record number of aircraft in 2015 –
Boeing looks to have cemented its position as the world’s biggest aircraft manufacturer after delivering a record 762 planes last year.
Sweden shuts defense export agency –
The Swedish government has terminated its Defense & Security Export Agency, transferring many of its tasks to the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, or FMV.
Intel buys German UAS company –
Computer chip maker Intel has bought German unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer Ascending Technologies.
Nigeria plans to procure three JF-17 multirole fighters –
Nigeria plans to acquire three JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter aircraft in 2016, becoming the first export operator for the planes.
SRA wins $35 million Air Force AF DCGS contract –
SRA has been awarded a $35.4 Air Force contract for the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System.
KAI, Indonesia sign deal to cooperate on KF-X fighter jet –
Korea Aerospace Industries and Indonesia have reached a cost-sharing agreement for the development of their next generation KF-X/IF-X fighter aircraft.
Northrop Grumman elects corporate VP, communications –
Northrop Grumman announced Jan. 7 that its board of directors has elected Lisa R. Davis, corporate vice president, communications, effective Feb. 29, 2016. Davis will succeed Darryl M. Fraser, who has announced his intention to retire.
Defense
Republicans seek more naval resources amid South China Sea dispute –
Tension over the South China Sea highlights the need for the United States to maintain a strong Navy to serve as a deterrent, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Jan. 7, criticizing the Obama administration for proposals he said would reduce the U.S. naval fleet.
Ash Carter once advocated first-strike on North Korea –
The White House has denounced North Korea for its “increasingly provocative” behavior in expanding its nuclear capabilities and promised unspecified “additional measures” against Pyongyang even as officials acknowledge there is little they can do.
Military doctors fault Pentagon on battlefield casualty care –
Top military doctors are warning that medical advances won on Afghan and Iraqi battlefields might be lost unless Secretary of Defense Ash Carter orders the Pentagon to make these techniques, drugs and devices mandatory for military physicians, nurses and medics.
Navy aims to install over-horizon missile on LCS by end of 2016 –
The Navy hopes to have an over-the-horizon missile on a Littoral Combat Ship by the end of the year, the service’s surface warfare director told USNI News Jan. 7.
Veterans
Twenty-six percent of veterans wait more than 30 days for appointments –
When Louis Salvato was a Marine in the late 1960s, he had no idea he would develop liver disease and need medical help from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now he has no idea why he’s had to wait more than two months to see a non-VA doctor for his illness.
Couple sentenced for stealing nearly $200,000 in veterans affairs benefits –
United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a former Concordia Parish couple were each sentenced to 12 months in prison for their roles in a scheme to steal Veterans Affairs benefits over a 10-year period.
