News
U.S. reveals troops on the ground in Yemen –
A “small number” of U.S troops are deployed on the ground in Yemen to help fight the al-Qaida affiliate there that was controlling a major port city, a defense official said May 6.
Business
Finmeccanica sees Eurofighter boom, helicopter drop-off –
As it rolls out its new Leonardo brand, Italy’s Finmeccanica is in good shape thanks to a new Eurofighter deal. However, a decline in helicopter sales are negatively affecting the company.
UUV market forecast to reach $4 billion by 2020 –
The global unmanned underwater vehicle market will reach $4 billion by 2020, according to a forecast by market research firm MarketsandMarkets. This reflects a compound annual growth rate of 11.9 percent from $2.29 billion in 2015.
Gray Eagle engine concerns persist –
The performance and reliability of the power plants in its MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system continue to be the biggest concerns for the U.S. Army.
Hornet carriage system equips Bayraktar UAV –
Harris has supplied its Hornet weapons carriage system to Turkey’s Baykar Makina for integration on the company’s Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle.
Defense
Nothing scares Hornet pilots more than losing oxygen — and it happens all the time –
Physiological episodes — including hypoxia and decompression sickness from loss of cockpit air flow — which are hard to diagnose after the fact, are a confirmed cause in at least 15 naval aviation deaths in the past two decades — and aviators are worried more pilots may die before officials fix the problems.
What this photo of an F-35 in formation with an F-16 of the Thunderbirds says about the controversial JSF –
Noticing that the F-35 is flying with a higher AOA than the F-16, many people have used the photograph to criticize the Lockheed Martin’s fifth generation stealth jet as if the fact that the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) was flying “nose high” is the umpteenth sign that the aircraft is a fiasco: criticizing the F-35 has become somehow “fashionable.”
DARPA to develop more flexible RF system for mall UAS –
Today’s radio-frequency systems for radar, electronic warfare (EW) and communications use separate, dedicated hardware, software and antennas, making it difficult to fit all three functions on smaller platforms such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) because of the space and power required.
U.S. nuclear force must modernize to deter Russia and China, general says –
The U.S. must modernize its nuclear force to remain on-par with near-peer adversaries Russia and China, a top Air Force general said ,May 6.
F-35 test flights struggle to boot up, but jets fly on –
Officials say development test pilots here have trouble booting up their jets about once out of every three flights, but downplayed the problem, pointing out that the goal of test flights is indeed to test, find problems, and work to fix them.
Veterans
Overlooked in Wounded Warrior Project scandal: families who rely on handouts –
As Wounded Warrior Project battles allegations its former executives violated public trust, they face the real fear that donations will start to dry up.
Post-9/11 vet unemployment sets yet another record in April –
The unemployment rate for the youngest generation of veterans hit another new record low in April, dropping to 4.1 percent, government data show.
John McCain: the VA reform plan pending in Congress is ‘very bad’ –
Sen. John McCain May 6 panned the massive veterans omnibus legislation pending in the Senate as a “very bad” plan, casting doubt on the future of the already controversial reform measure.
International
After F-16 fiasco, U.S.-Pakistan ties are due to head south again –
The ongoing imbroglio over the sale of F-16s highlights deeper fissures between Washington and Islamabad.
