News
Obama commutes Chelsea Manning’s sentence, pardons Gen. James Cartwright –
Among the 209 commutations and 64 pardons announced by the White House were Chelsea Manning, serving 35 years for leaked sensitive Army documents related to the Iraq War; Dwight Loving, a soldier on death row convicted of murder in 1988, and James Cartwright, convicted of lying to the FBI about the release of sensitive intelligence information to reporters five years ago.
Military jet crashes at Naval Air Station Meridian; 2 eject –
Officials at a Mississippi military base say a jet has crashed on a training flight, and that two people on board the plane were able to safely eject near the airfield.
Business
Trump, Boeing CEO look to downscale requirements on Air Force One replacement –
Boeing will reduce the cost of the Air Force One replacement program by adhering to scaled-down requirements and using commercial practices, Boeing head Dennis Muilenburg said after a Jan. 17 meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
Billions to upgrade, up-arm Pakistan’s F-16s –
Pakistan is hoping that a Donald Trump presidency may restart a plan external link external link to procure F-16 jets through a foreign military financial aid scheme. US Congress downed the plan last year following concerns by some lawmakers over Islamabad’s allegiances in regards to counter-terrorism operations in the region.
JSF’s F135 engine meeting milestones –
Ethical conflicts at Pratt & Whitney have resulted in the ousting of the head of the company’s F135 engine program alongside nine other employees. The dismissals come after the completion of an internal audit external link external link which uncovered an ethics issue linked to a visit by South Korean military officials several years ago.
Estonian MoD outlines plans for cyber range –
Developing a state-of-the-art cyber range and improving the level of automation in a number of aspects of its functionalities are amongst the Estonian Defence Forces’ (EDF’s) plans to enhance this capability.
Rolls-Royce reaches R813 million settlements to end corruption investigations –
Rolls-Royce has reached penalty agreements with authorities in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and United States totaling $813 million to bring to an end bribery and corruption investigations concerning the UK aerospace and energy group’s activities in a number of international markets.
Thailand aims to operate fleet of three submarines by 2026 –
The Royal Thai Navy has outlined a requirement to operationalize its planned fleet of three submarines by 2026, and is currently in the process of submitting this proposal to the country’s military government.
China likely to increase non-tariff barriers against South Korean companies in run-up to THAAD anti-missile deployment –
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) reported on 12 January that China’s commerce ministry had extended anti-dumping duties imposed on South Korean-made optical fibers for five more years from Jan. 1, 2017.
China’s Kuang-Chi invests in UK technology firm –
The Kuang-Chi Group, a Chinese technology developer, has announced that it is investing $30 million in Gilo Industries, a UK-based firm involved in aerospace and engineering activities.
Defense Ministry launches large-scale upgrade of practice ranges in west Russia –
Russia’s Defense Ministry has started large-scale upgrade of training ranges in the Voronezh, Leningrad and Nizhny Novgorod Regions, the Western Military District’s press office reported Jan. 17.
India launches new attack submarine –
India has officially launched the second of its future fleet of six Scorpene-class (Kalvari-class) diesel-electric attack submarines at the state-run Mazgaon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai on Jan. 12, according to an Indian Ministry of Defense press release.
Turkey’s first armed Anka drone to be delivered in 2017 –
The first deliveries of the Anka-S, the armed version of Turkey’s first indigenous drone, have been scheduled for 2017, the Defense Ministry has said.
A year late, UK receives first carrier-support ship –
The first of four British military tankers being built in South Korea to support operation of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier force has finally been handed over to the Ministry of Defence, 12 months later than expected.
India wants defensive upgrades for its new Russian tanks –
The newly ordered Russian T-90MS tanks for the Indian Army will come without advanced protections systems, prompting India to weigh the acquisition of these defenses from domestic sources.
Leidos chosen to support counter-IED efforts –
Leidos has been chosen by prime contractor CACI to support counter-IED efforts by the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization.
Airbus expands counter-drone line –
Airbus Defence and Space’s Electronics and Border Security unit is expanding its counter-UAV product line.
AAI awarded $475 million Special Operations drone contract –
AAI has been awarded a contract, with a maximum value of $475 million, to provide UAVs for U.S. Special Operations Command.
Defense
McCain proposes $640 billion defense budget for 2018 –
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is proposing a $640 billion base defense budget for the next fiscal year, $54 billion above what had been projected by the Obama administration.
Outgoing weapons chief pleads his case for incremental change to acquisition process –
In his final speech, the Pentagon’s outgoing acquisition chief slammed Congress for recent efforts to improve the weapons buying process, saying that changes to policy would likely only create more bureaucracy.
Pentagon’s top buyer: Congress’ reforms hurt acquisition system –
The head of the Pentagon’s acquisition office said Jan. 17 that lawmakers on Capitol Hill often do more harm than good in their efforts to streamline how the Pentagon buys weapons and services.
Air Force-SpaceX relations ‘excellent,’ Air Force secretary says –
Departing Air Force Sec. Deborah James lauds relationship between her service and billionaire Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Veterans
Purple Heart would receive more protection with new law –
The Purple Heart is more than just a medal — especially to the recipients who have sacrificed while fighting for their country.
Space
First glimpse of an alien world –
New footage released by NASA shows exactly what it looks like to land on an alien world.
NASA plans to explore a $10,000 quadrillion asteroid that could cause the world’s economy to collapse –
It may be 230 million miles away from Earth, but this asteroid could be worth a small fortune.
The iron meteorite on Mars –
A raw image shared on NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory site reveals an unusual, dimpled grey rock with a metallic luster lying on the ground in the Mount Sharp region of Mars.