News
Bergdahl case suspended in disagreement over classified documents –
The case for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off a remote base in Afghanistan in 2009, is suspended until the Army Court of Criminal Appeals rules who has the authority to give the defense team access to classified documents.
Business
Asia’s biggest air show set to open in Singapore –
Asia’s biggest commercial aerospace and defense air show, set to open Feb. 16 at Singapore’s Changi Exhibition Centre, will feature air power displays from across Asia, North America and Europe.
MBDA ships first batch of ASRAAM integration assets for UK F-35B –
MBDA Missile Systems, in conjunction with United Kingdom F-35 weapons integration lead BAE Systems, has begun deliveries of a consignment of Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile integration assets to Lockheed Martin in the United States ahead of integration with the UK F-35B Lightning II short take-off/vertical landing aircraft later in 2016.
Satellite operator XTAR partners with Satcom Direct Communications –
X-band satellite operator XTAR has formed a partnership with Satcom Direct Communications, the military and government division of Satcom Direct.
Russia continues to push sales to South America –
Russia’s defense industrial complex continues to target opportunities in South America, with defense export agency Rosoboronexport pitching a mobile maintenance, repair, and overhaul center to Peru in an announcement Feb. 8.
Camcopter demonstrates sense-and-avoid system –
Austrian company Schiebel has conducted sense-and-avoid trials of its Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the environs of an airport in the Netherlands, the company announced Feb. 9.
Defense
2017 budget request: Comprehensive coverage from Defense News –
The Obama administration released on Feb. 9 its $582.7 billion fiscal 2017 budget request to Congress.
In the Pentagon’s new budget, the Air Force won and the Navy, Army lost –
The U.S. government released its proposed $4 trillion budget for fiscal 2017 on Tuesday, and the Pentagon’s slice of the pie is about $582.7 billion. That represents less than a 1 percent increase over the $580.3 billion budget for fiscal 2016 at a time when the U.S. military is balancing operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, aggressive actions by Russia and China and the modernization of a force that has been at war since 2001.
Pentagon budget targets futuristic capabilities –
Seeking to strike a balance between current operations, fiscal uncertainty and next-generation weapons and systems, the Defense Department is aiming for a “healthy” science and technology program in its fiscal 2017 budget to develop future technologies.
Army budget chooses combat readiness over modernization –
The Army’s proposed 2017 budget unveiled Feb. 9 makes preparing units a priority over modernizing forces, underscoring the wide scope of operations around the world that involve soldiers.
What Obama’s Air Force budget request says about future of warfare –
The Defense Department budget request is full of high tech-items aimed at countering the capabilities of technologically advanced adversaries.
Navy budget Confirms plans to cut purchases of Littoral Combat Ships –
It’s official: The U.S. Navy plans to reduce its Littoral Combat Ship buy from 52 to 40 vessels over the next five years, according to the service’s fiscal 2017 budget request released Feb. 9.
Marine Corps prioritizes JSF in flat 2017 budget request –
The Marine Corps is requesting a total of $23.4 billion base funding, only about $200 million more than was enacted in 2016. The base budget includes $12.8 billion for military personnel, $6 billion for operations and maintenance and $1.4 billion for procurement. The Marine Corps’ request is a small piece of the Navy’s total fiscal year 2017 base funding of $155.4 billion.
Veterans
VA boosts budget to tackle outstanding healthcare claims from vets –
The Veterans Affairs Department is requesting a budget of $182 billion next year, a nearly $20 billion funding increase designed in part to tackle outstanding health care claims from veterans.
Space
World’s largest aircraft gets ready for take off –
Three years since work began on the Airlander 10, engineers are putting the final touches on the giant aircraft described as “part plane, part helicopter.”
Hundreds of hidden galaxies found lurking behind the Milky Way –
Hundreds of hidden nearby galaxies have been spotted for the first time thanks to a highly-sensitive telescope in Australia.
Mystery of ‘alien tower’ on moon solved –
It may not be enough to convince conspiracy theorists who are desperately searching for signs of alien life, but an expert believes he has a rational theory about the “alien spire” spotted on the moon.
A rocket’s eye view of Blue Origin’s flight –
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space firm has revealed incredible footage from its reusable rocket landing back on Earth following its latest test.
