News
Another escalation in Iraq: The U.S. Army sends new reinforcements to Mosul –
An unspecified number of combat soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have been ordered to northern Iraq, the Pentagon’s latest escalation in what’s been a slow-moving campaign to flush Islamic State fighters from their stronghold in the city of Mosul.
Inside Mosul, U.S. military advisers wear black to blend in with elite Iraqi units –
U.S. military advisers in Mosul have begun wearing black uniforms similar to those preferred by Iraq’s most elite troops, an attempt by the Americans to blend in as they move about the front lines in what’s become an arduous block-by-block fight with Islamic State fighters who remain entrenched there.
Business
General Dynamics to support intel ops in Europe –
General Dynamics Information Technology has been awarded a $16 million Defense Intelligence Agency task order to support intelligence operations in Europe.
Cubic unveils device for small-form radio connectivity –
Cubic Corp. has unveiled a new radio over IP, or RoIP, gateway that provides military and civilian users with simple, small-form radio connectivity.
U.S. Army resumes Javelin FGM-148F development testing –
The U.S. Army has resumed testing of the Spiral 2 FGM-148F missile component of the Javelin medium close combat system improvement program.
Lockheed Martin facility in Greenville ‘ideal’ for F-16 shift –
Greenville County fit all the factors Lockheed Martin had in mind when the air defense giant looked to shift production of its F-16 fighter jet program from Fort Worth, Texas, to another facility.
How Lockheed Martin’s legendary Skunk Works is beating China’s ‘carrier killers’ –
U.S. adversaries — China specifically — have purpose-built long-range missiles known as “carrier killers,” which out-range the carriers by 300 or so miles. But thanks to Lockheed Martin’s legendary Skunk Works advanced development program, which developed the SR-71 Blackbird in 32 months, that problem may soon be solved with the MQ-25A tanker drone.
Senators push Trump on defense deals with India –
A bipartisan pair of senators is hoping to speed up Lockheed Martin’s plan to open a production line for the F-16 in India, as well as approve a drone sale to the country.
Defense
Pentagon wants to keep ground troops in Libya and go on offense in Somalia –
The U.S. military will keep an unspecified number of ground troops in Libya to help friendly forces further degrade the Islamic State faction there, and officials are seeking new leeway to target al Qaeda loyalists in Somalia, the top commander overseeing operations in Africa said March 24.
Watch U.S. Navy test its ultra-powerful electromagnetic railgun –
Anyone who’s played a futuristic shooter since the dawn of video games knows that when you see something called a “railgun” you’re in for a real treat. Well, the U.S. Navy built a railgun of its very own, and it just showed off its remarkably powerful creation in a new video of its test firing.
Crash that killed Marine Top Gun pilot ruled an accident –
The investigation into the F/A-18C Hornet crash that killed Maj. R. Sterling Norton in July is a sobering reminder that flying is inherently dangerous, and even the best pilots are not immune from fatal accidents.
Already a year delayed, KC-46 program at risk of further schedule slips –
The $44 billion KC-46 program is at risk of further schedule delays, the Government Accountability Office stated in a new report.
Secretive Air Force X-37B mini-shuttle breaks orbital record –
The Air Force’s secretive X-37B mini-shuttle today broke its own record of time spent in orbit. The experimental space plane spent its 675th day in space on a mission known as Orbital Test Vehicle-4, or OT-4.
Veterans
Navy museum’s World War II bomber honors Doolittle Raid –
Flying Army bombers off a Navy aircraft carrier, U.S. forces struck a symbolic blow to the heart of the Japanese Empire nearly 75 years ago. The daring mission, known as the Doolittle Raid in honor of its commanding officer, took place about four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and boosted the morale of anxious Americans.
Trump thanks Medal of Honor recipients in Oval Office ceremony –
Ahead of the March 25 Medal of Honor Day commemoration, President Trump met with one-third of the nation’s living recipients March 24 to thank them for their wartime heroism and after-service patriotism.
Once a fixed issue, VA disability claims backlog is on rise again –
The number of backlogged veterans benefits claims is rising again.
‘The Wall’ is turning 35, and the man behind it wants to honor this generation’s fallen –
This man fought to build the Vietnam Wall. Now he’s fighting to honor vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Space and Tech
Air Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane reaches record 677 days in orbit –
One of the most mysterious craft ever to be flown by the U.S. military has now been in orbit for a record 677 days.
Russia builds an unstoppable 4,600mph cruise missile –
Russia has built a hypersonic missile capable of destroying an aircraft carrier with a single impact, it has been reported.