News
Pentagon ramps up civilian hiring; other agencies get cut –
Despite direction from the White House for federal agencies to trim their payrolls, the Pentagon is going in the opposite direction — hiring more civilian employees to support burgeoning investments in cyber, intelligence, engineering, shipbuilding and logistics.
Business
Nexter armored vehicle could soon include tethered drones –
Nexter has unveiled a concept version of its Titus armored vehicle adapted to carry augmented mission systems, including a tethered drone, unmanned ground vehicles and a remote controlled 20mm cannon.
Your quadcopter drone may not survive after the French military spots it –
It’s expected the French military will soon receive a system to detect and “neutralize” small civilian drones.
Jaguar strapped to the nines with sensors, weaponry and a paint job –
French industry has unveiled a prototype of the Jaguar, a combat and reconnaissance armored vehicle in khaki green, bristling with sensors, equipped with a self-protection kit, and armed with a 40mm cannon and new MMP anti-tank missiles.
Embraer pitches Super Tucano to Europe –
Embraer is looking to secure its first European customer for the EMB-314/A-29 Super Tucano light attack turboprop, a company official said on June 7.
Tiger helos upgrade will replace verbal orders with digital ones –
Information technology firm Atos is in talks with Airbus Helicopters about installing its SICS battle management system on the Tiger Mk 3 attack helicopter, said Sylvain Gonnet, Atos project director.
New $2.5 billion contract awarded to manage nuclear weapons lab –
Overseeing a top nuclear weapons laboratory that has had security and safety problems will be the responsibility of a new management team that includes two universities and a research firm with offices around the world, the U.S. government announced June 8.
France eyes five weapons for future missile –
The French Army is studying five weapons in a technical evaluation for a new air-to-ground missile in a planned upgrade of the Tiger attack helicopter, said Army Sgt. Maj. Jean-Luc.
France to double military vehicle order, asking for multiple variants –
France is to double its order for the Light VBMR reconnaissance vehicle, a key element in the French Army’s €10 billion (U.S. $12 billion) Scorpion modernization program.
French Air Force receives second Super Hercules aircraft from Lockheed –
The French Air Force has taken delivery of a second C-130J Super Hercules transport plane, which flew across the Atlantic Ocean to land at the Orleans air base, the Armed Forces Ministry said.
A French military modernization program is getting a makeover –
France’s €10 billion (U.S. $12 billion) Scorpion modernization program is adopting a fresh approach, with expectations for robotics, vehicle cybersecurity and the delivery of new military platforms.
Why aren’t Russian, Chinese firms bringing weapons to a military trade show? –
Six Russian firms have booked exhibition space at the upcoming military trade show Eurosatory, but their products do not include weapons.
Botched deal with Bell may mean first export sale for South Korean helo –
South Korea has high hopes for exporting its utility helicopter for the first time, as the Philippines look into buying the KUH-1 troop-carrying helicopter, dubbed Surion, in bids to modernize its armed forces.
Defense
Air Force B-1B bombers grounded after a problem with its ejection seats –
Air Force Global Strike Command on June 7 ordered a safety stand-down of its B-1B Lancer bombers after discovering a problem with its ejection seats.
After stand-down, Air Force begins scouring data for a solution to aircraft mishaps –
The Air Force has finished the first wave of one-day safety stand-downs of flying and maintenance wings.
Get ready for the JSTARS recap showdown –
Three of the four congressional committees that oversee the Pentagon have hammered out their annual defense legislation, and it’s clear that there’s no consensus on whether to kill the Air Force’s JSTARS recap program.
Air Force in high-stakes debate over HIV-prevention drug for pilots –
If the policy were different, Lt. Jones might be transferring to the U.S. Air Force now, knowing the service is short on pilots. But Jones, who has served in the Navy since 2010, will extend his career there instead of joining the Air Force Reserve. The reason? The Air Force does not allow its pilots to take a popular medication designed to prevent HIV infection. The Navy does.
DOD explains what’s being done about water contamination on bases –
A new searchable database compiled by Military Times from DOD-released data has raised a lot of questions from military personnel and families who lived on those locations.
3,000 Army rifles have failed a crucial safety test, thousands more still to be tested –
Since a safety message hit Army units in March, weapons experts have tested 50,000 M4/M16 rifles in their inventory and found an estimated 3,000 have a selector switch malfunction.
How multidomain battle is transforming U.S. Army exercises –
The U.S. Army in Europe has used the new and complex Joint Warfighting Assessment, or JWA, as an early opportunity to move the concept of multidomain battle from paper to theater to better understand how the service and its partners will fight together in the future
Marine Corps is spending money to save on the CH-53 King Stallion –
The program office overseeing the Corps’ most powerful heavy lift helicopter, the CH-53 King Stallion, wants to put together a cost reduction team to help make the aircraft more affordable.
Veterans
Veteran receives France’s highest military honor for his actions during World War II –
Robert Wortman was barely 19 when he joined the Army in 1944 as a scout.