News
Senate aims to boost buyout offers to Defense Department employees –
The Defense Department could dangle a much larger cash carrot before its employees to induce them to resign or retire, under a budget bill up for Senate voting this week.
Business
Report: Western defense industry future imperiled by local programs –
A global push to grow domestic defense industries will have a dramatic impact on the Western defense export market over the next decade, a new report is warning.
SOCOM looking for technology from foreign firms –
U.S. Special Operations Command is looking overseas for technology solutions, a top acquisition official said May 24.
Australia, U.S. complete Mach 7.5 hypersonic test –
Researchers say data from a successful Mach 7.5 flight test will help designers of future hypersonic vehicles and weapons more accurately predict the behavior of the boundary layer, one of the great areas of uncertainty still remaining in the high-speed flight regime. The data were collected during the May 18 rocket-boosted flight of HIFiRE 5B, a test conducted under the joint Australian-U.S. Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) program.
Boeing flies first upgraded U.S. Air Force E-3G –
Boeing announced that it has successfully conducted the first flight of an upgraded U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, paving the way for the flight test qualification phase.
Boeing pushing for new engines, advanced cockpit on Super Hornets, Growlers –
The Navy has plans to boost its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler capabilities in the coming years to match an evolving threat, but plane manufacturer Boeing is still pushing for conformal fuel tanks, an advanced cockpit system and a new engine that the company says would add even more range and warfighting capability.
TAI in talks to upgrade Pakistani F-16s –
Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries is negotiating with Pakistan to upgrade 74 Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighters, company officials said.
Huntington Ingalls awarded contract for work on future USS Enterprise –
Huntington Ingalls Industries has been awarded a $152 million contract from the Navy for advance work on the future USS Enterprise, the third carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class.
Indian Enterprises battle over missile system ownership –
A fierce battle has erupted between two state enterprises over ownership of medium- and long-range surface-to-air missile systems that India is developing jointly with Israel.
CACI wins Army electronic warfare contract –
CACI International has been awarded a task order to support the Army’s Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate.
Saab unveils naval counter-IED robot –
Saab has unveiled the Sea Wasp, a new remotely operated vehicle that neutralizes naval IEDs.
UAE deal drives interest in Saab’s GlobalEye –
Saab has begun work to modify a pair of Bombardier Global 6000 business jets to its “swing-role” GlobalEye configuration for lead customer the United Arab Emirates.
CAE proposes 16 Draken A-4 Skyhawks for RCAF fighter training –
Canadian training and simulation firm CAE has teamed with American warplane contractor Draken International to offer 16 Douglas A-4 Skyhawks as aggressors for Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 combat training.
Defense
Top general urges lawmakers to preserve Afghan visa program –
Afghan civilians who assisted the American-led coalition as interpreters, firefighters and construction workers could be in serious danger if Congress cancels a program that allows them to resettle in the United States, according to the top American commander in Afghanistan.
Senate appropriations bill complicates 2017 military pay raise –
Senate appropriators unveiled their $574.5 billion defense funding plan for fiscal 2017 on Tuesday, keeping spending within existing caps and complicating advocates’ hopes for a bigger pay raise for troops next year.
Senators tout $574.5 billion defense spending bill that sticks to budget –
A Senate defense spending bill would stick to a bipartisan budget agreement reached last year and set defense spending at $574.5 billion for fiscal year 2017.
Senate subcommittee approves base, wartime funds below Obama’s request –
The Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee approved a 2017 defense spending bill May 24 that includes $515.9 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget funding and $58.6 billion in the war budget.
McCain pushing for more U.S. Naval engagement with Vietnam –
The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee is pushing for more interaction between the U.S. and Vietnamese navies, according to a copy of a May 20 letter to Vietnamese Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong obtained by USNI News.
Marine pilots say software rarely a problem for F-35B –
As the U.S. Air Force prepares to declare its F-35A jets operational in just a few short months, the service is still working through software glitches that cause the jets systems to fail and need to be rebooted – sometimes mid-flight.
U.S. says flight over Sea of Japan Was safe, lawful –
The U.S. says an Air Force reconnaissance flight over the Sea of Japan that triggered a Russian protest was conducted safely and according to international law.
F-35 Block 3F test schedule slips as Lot 9-10 contracting drags on –
The Pentagon appears to be no closer to reaching an agreement with Lockheed Martin on contracts for the production of 151 F-35 Lightning II aircraft as part of low-rate production lots nine and 10.
Navy may back away from advanced arresting gear for Ford carriers –
The Navy could consider using a different system to catch incoming aircraft on its next generation of Gerald R. Ford-class (CVN-78) of aircraft carriers after the costs for the General Atomics-built Advanced Arresting Gear have more than doubled, USNI News has learned.
Veterans
Remains of WWII soldier lost in New Guinea mud are now found and home, fulfilling his mother’s dying wish –
Despite her letters and her prayers, 12 years passed with no luck, and she found herself on her deathbed.
Pentagon: Remains of WWII Marine from upstate NY identified –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday that the remains of Pfc. James B. Johnson of Poughkeepsie are being returned for burial at Arlington National Cemetery May 31.
WWII soldier’s remains finally identified, will be buried in Eveleth –
More than 70 years after he went missing in action, Army Pvt. John P. Sersha is finally coming home. And, fittingly, the World War II veteran will be buried Memorial Day weekend on the Iron Range where he was raised.
Space
Could this ‘Mars Base Camp’ really send astronauts to the Red Planet in 2028? –
When are we going to Mars? The aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s answer is 2028 — but that date comes with an asterisk.
European Space Agency puts 2 navigation satellites in orbit –
A rocket fired from French Guiana has lifted two satellites into orbit that will form part of Europe’s rival to the U.S.-made Global Positioning System, or GPS.
International
Inside Britain’s biggest-ever aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth –
The scale of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers has been highlighted by a series of videos showing computer generated versions of the ships entering Portsmouth.