News
China’s secretive J-31 stealth fighter revealed –
It has been said to rival the United States’ F-35 fighter jet and now, China could soon add its secretive J-31 jet to its arsenal as the nation’s stealth fighter for aircraft carriers – as it is currently undergoing tests.
Business
Australian troops to be equipped with chemical detectors from Bertin Technologies –
Australian troops will be equipped with Bertin Technologies’ Second Sight MS stand-off detector of chemical threats.
Boeing pulls Harpoon from U.S. Navy missile competition –
Citing continuing requirements changes that would mean giving ships a less-capable weapon than those carried by aircraft, Boeing said Tuesday it would drop out of a U.S. Navy effort to buy an over-the-horizon cruise missile for littoral combat ships and frigates.
As Wall Street gets used to Trump, defense firms lay off affordability message –
When U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January promising heightened scrutiny of defense acquisition programs, Boeing and Lockheed Martin’s top executives reassured investors about their relationship with Trump and the affordability of their products.
BAE Systems expanding operations in Pennsylvania –
A defense contractor that makes tanks and other fighting vehicles for the U.S. military plans to expand a central Pennsylvania plant and add 530 jobs.
Cubic wins Canadian exercise support contract –
Cubic has been awarded a CDN$6 million (US$4.5 million) Canadian military contract to support exercises.
BAE, Leonardo team up for threat detection –
BAE and Leonardo have teamed up to offer threat detection for Army aircraft and helicopters.
Defense
Officials: DOD must update how it buys and uses new equipment, technology for future battlefield –
Future soldiers may enter a battlefield alongside autonomous fighting vehicles on the ground and a “ghost fleet” of unmanned ships at sea, as swarms of miniature drones buzz overhead.
Here’s a look at new exosuits for civilian world –
After years of tinkering and military adventures, the first exoskeleton suits are finally walking out of the lab and into the market.
McCain: Lawmaker has hold on Trump’s Air Force secretary pick –
A Democratic lawmaker has a hold on U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Air Force secretary, and legislators need to “work through” questions before she can receive a confirmation vote, according to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain.
Veterans
House considers measure to trim years off VA appeals process –
Veterans unhappy with their benefits payouts have a five-year average wait today if they appeal the decision, thanks to outdated and cumbersome review process.
Space & Technology
SpaceX launches classified spy satellite for U.S. Department of Defense –
Marking the first time the commercial space company has sent this kind of payload into orbit, SpaceX breaks a 10-year monopoly on U.S. military satellite launches formerly held by Lockheed-Martin and Boeing.
NASA reveals the first unsettling sounds of the void between Saturn and its rings –
NASA has released the eerie sound of “the big empty” – the void between Saturn and its rings – that has been recorded for the first time as part of the continuing voyage of its Cassini spacecraft.