News
Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35’s supersonic flights-
An issue that risks damage to the F-35’s tail section if the aircraft needs to maintain supersonic speeds is not worth fixing and will instead be addressed by changing the operating parameters, the F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News in a statement April 24.
Navy hospital ship Comfort offloads few remaining patients before NYC exit-
The Navy hospital ship sent to relieve stress on New York City hospitals at the height the pandemic is discharging or transferring its last 12 patients this weekend as it nears the end of its mission, according to Northwell Health, which provides operational assistance to the vessel.
Business
Pentagon releases request for proposals on Next Generation Interceptor-
The fight to build America’s next missile interceptor has officially begun.
Boeing ends deal, angering Brazilian jet maker Embraer-
Boeing announced April 25 it terminated an agreement to join forces with Embraer, prompting an angry response from the Brazilian jet maker, which threatened to seek damages.
COVID cash crunch still hurting small defense firms-
Cash flow for small defense contractors is continuing to suffer under the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by the National Defense Industrial Association.
Defense
Non-citizen U.S. troops sue Pentagon over slowed naturalization process-
Six U.S. troops filed a class action lawsuit Friday alleging the Pentagon is blocking their ability to use an expedited process to become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Five F-35 issues have been downgraded, but they remain unsolved-
The F-35 Joint Program Office has put in place stopgap fixes for five key technical flaws plaguing America’s top-end fighter jet, but the problems have not been completely eliminated.
Pentagon has cut the number of serious F-35 technical flaws in half-
The U.S. Defense Department is slowly but surely whittling down the number of F-35 technical problems, with the fighter jet program’s most serious issues decreasing from 13 to seven over the past year.
U.S. pilots’ close calls with Russian aircraft are likely to continue, experts say-
The U.S. Navy last week watched a single-seat Russian Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E come within 25 feet of a P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft while at high speed and inverted, causing wake turbulence and putting the U.S. “pilots and crew at risk” over the Mediterranean Sea.
Seven unit rotations to Afghanistan, Iraq and Europe announced-
Seven brigades have deployments scheduled in late spring and summer, Army Headquarters announced April 23.
Army modernization programs will be fielded on time despite COVID-19 delays: General-
The U.S. Army general in charge of modernization says he is squeezing program schedules to make sure key soldier modernization efforts delayed by the novel coronavirus stay on track.
Navy’s $500 million effort to develop a futuristic railgun is going nowhere fast-
The Navy’s electromagnetic railgun was supposed to be the weapon of the future — a super-powered cannon capable of liquefying targets at up to 100 nautical miles away with a solid metal slug that travels at speeds up to 4,500 mph.
Veterans
Veterans Affairs records 400th death from coronavirus-
The Department of Veterans Affairs reached another grim milestone Friday with the 400th death of a patient from the fast-spreading coronavirus, all coming in the last 40 days.
Veterans Affairs has provided few answers around coronavirus study, advocates say-
Veterans advocates say they are frustrated at the lack of transparency around the Department of Veterans Affairs’ use of the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus.